In the innermost of Honghailou's private rooms, Qin Anhe was minding herself, drinking tea. Her shifu had always had a good relationship with Honghailou, and as a result, she and Chen Xun were incredibly well-acquainted. It was such that even in the private room which wasn't open to any outsiders, she was as at ease as if she were in her own home. "So, you're here bringing disaster to my tea again." Chen Xun pushed the door open, entering, her voice approaching from a distance. Although her words were such, there wasn't the slightest trace of rebuke in her tone. Qin Anhe, though, wasn't lacking in confidence, but was actually bold and confident in her convictions. "Don't be so stingy; you let anyone else drink this tea, so what if I drink it?" "It's precisely that you drink it; other people all sample it." As she spoke, Chen Xun sat across from Qin Anhe, pouring herself a cup along the way. "I'm young, and I don't k...

The day that A Jiu entered the Taishan Prefecture, Empress Dowager Longyu's imperial edict of abdication had just appeared in the newspapers. The first time she fought with Ling Heng, she heard say that Yuan Xiangcheng [1] had died. But after, she hadn't seen the bustle and raucousness of the restoration of the plaited Qing, nor did she hear the cries of May Fourth. Only the dream which Yushiqie sent bumped slightly against the extreme boredom of the Taishan Prefecture. It was reasonable to say that, if a day were passed in boredom, A Jiu would look for somewhere else, but she suspected the Taishan Prefecture had a secret, other function, which could tug at one's heart, like floating duckweed, down, and place it beneath the ground. Lianyu was eighteen levels; one was the rustling wind by one's ear, one the scattered, fragmented rain by one's pillow, causing one's senses to dull, settling their seven emotional states, wearing down ninety years' will to fight...

Translator's note: My apologies for the delay in updates; with my schedule lately, my old update regimen for this novel (Tuesdays/Thursdays) doesn't work as well as it once did; as a result, I'll be shifting to weekend releases. I'll get the next chapter up later today, and then start on posting chapters on weekends in the future. - Under the scorching, burning sun, the dog days were like a stove; the entire day, the world was withered and yellowed by the formless fiery broil, the knifelike sunlight seeming to cut each cun of the air open. But beneath the wild growth, outside of Zichang, a simple and crude, yet solemnly dignified altar was set up. Qin Anhe still wore that pure white Daoist's attire, her black hair fastened high by a simple wooden hairpin, and she sat upright in the centre of the altar. Before her was a great, bronze ding [1] filled to the brim with clear water; within the ding's water floated a few yellow talisman papers. Black smoke rose in co...