On the third day after Su Xi returned to Shenwu Mountain, a guest arrived at the SunRain Hibiscus Garden. The guest was also a young woman. She wasn’t as refined and graceful as Su Xi, but she was striking in her own way, tall and elegant, with a presence that set her apart. She stood half a head taller than Su Xi, and even Liu Xiaolou had to tiptoe a little just to look her in the eye when speaking with her.
This young woman was from the Ouyang family of Yuezhou. She had a fiery nature, and a few years earlier, when her family arranged a marriage she didn’t want, she fought them bitterly, nearly to the point of life and death. Since she showed great talent in cultivation, the family didn’t want to force her to ruin herself. In the end, they relented, letting her leave Lianxi Hall to live on her own. She took the name “Recluse of the Green Bamboo.”
The Su and Ouyang families were connected by marriage, and Green Bamboo and Su Xi had been close playmates since childhood. They were very fond of each other. But when Su Xi married, Green Bamboo received no invitation, so she couldn’t go up to Shenwu Mountain to offer congratulations. It had been nearly two years since she and Fifth Lady last met.
Once tea had been served in the hall, Su Xi smiled and asked, “I heard that Young Master Diao of Siming Mountain in Yuezhou had taken an interest in you. What ever came of that?”
Green Bamboo replied, “He did go to my family with a proposal, but you know me, Fifth Lady. My affairs are not for the family to decide. And besides, I swore long ago to devote my life to the Dao and never to marry.”
Su Xi sighed. “Bamboo Lady, why be so hard on yourself? A woman, after all, is meant to marry someday.”
Green Bamboo fixed her eyes on her. “To marry just for the sake of marrying? Fifth Lady, that’s something I’ll never agree with. Of course, you had no choice. With no capable men in the Su family, you had to shoulder the burden. But if it were me, I wouldn’t care about any of that. If the men of the Ouyang family can’t measure up, then so be it. Why should I be the one to carry that weight? I couldn’t bear it, and I wouldn’t want to.”
As for illusion formations, families of high standing like the Su family had always looked down on them. When Su Xi called them “petty tricks,” that was indeed how the Su family regarded them, and in truth it was how the world at large viewed them.
Unless one had ties with the 'impotence circle,' how could they know the reality? And if they really did know what kinds of scenes Liu Xiaolou’s illusions contained, his reputation would only be dragged down even further.
Green Bamboo, who had devoted herself to studying formations, also looked down on illusion formations. But she was a little different from Su Xi, since she had some dealings with the impotence circle and knew a bit of the inside story. She suspected that Liu Xiaolou’s illusions might not be quite the same as ordinary ones, and that was why she had hurried here to see them for herself.
Seeing Su Xi’s dismissive attitude toward Liu Xiaolou’s illusions, she thought for a moment, then asked cautiously, “Fifth Lady, you and I have been like sisters for more than ten years. There’s something I’d like to ask, but you mustn’t be upset with me.”
Su Xi looked surprised. “What could possibly upset me? Don’t worry. If I can answer, I’ll answer. If I can’t, then I can’t. Why would I be angry?”
Green Bamboo said, “I’ve heard… your husband… with women… it doesn’t work?”
Su Xi sighed inwardly. She had been prepared for this day, but she hadn’t expected the rumors to spread so quickly. For a moment, she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
“Is it true that you two have never consummated your marriage?”
“This… Bamboo Lady, please don’t say any more.”
Reading her expression, Green Bamboo understood at once. She even felt an urge to laugh, though her tone was full of concern. “If things have really come to this, and there’s no better way out, why not take my advice and divorce him?”
Su Xi shook her head. “His reputation is at stake. Let’s wait and see a little longer.”
Green Bamboo clasped Su Xi hand. “What’s more important here, his reputation or your dual cultivation?”
Softly, Su Xi replied, “Bamboo Lady, this isn’t just my matter. It concerns the entire Su family. Besides, people change. We grow up and change, and naturally he might change as well. Don’t you think so?”
Green Bamboo was silent for a long while before slowly nodding. “You’re right. Perhaps he does want to change. Otherwise, why put so much effort into practicing these illusion formations? Yes… illusions only work when one truly feels what another feels. That much is true…”
“So the formations he creates really could help with your cultivation?” asked Su Xi.
“I can’t say yet. I’ll have to see it for myself.”
“He left the mountain early this morning. Said he was going back to Wulong Mountain to visit family. He won’t be back for three months.”
“Wulong Mountain?” asked Green Bamboo. “In which direction? How long ago did he set out?”
Once she got Su Xi’s answer, Green Bamboo immediately took her leave. She left Shenwu Mountain and headed west in pursuit, all the while thinking over her conversation with Su Xi.
“So, you’re not living in perfect happiness either? Ha, what a joke...”
By dusk, she spotted a small cart up ahead on the road, rolling along at an unhurried pace. She quickened her steps to catch up.
The cart was being pulled by a large white goose. A man sat upright on the cart, with a black cat stretched out at the back. Green Bamboo had never seen Liu Xiaolou before, but from Su Xi’s description, this had to be him. After all, who else in the world would drive a cart pulled by a goose?
With a light leap, she landed in front of the cart, studying the big white goose with curiosity. The black cat at the back let out a sharp “meow,” then darted away out of sight.
When she looked up at the stunned young man on the cart, Green Bamboo’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t help but think to herself, What a handsome fellow! At the same time, a sudden tightness welled up in her chest. No wonder Fifth Lady chose him as her husband. Useless or not, at least he was pleasing to look at.
He really was pleasing to the eye…
Liu Xiaolou slowly rose to his feet, watching the tall, graceful woman before him with wary eyes. She was striking, but completely unfamiliar.
“Friend, why block my way?” he asked.
Tilting her head slightly, Green Bamboo looked him over and asked, “You’re Liu Xiaolou, aren’t you? Lady Xi’s husband?”
So she knows Fifth Lady? One of her sisters, perhaps?
Liu Xiaolou relaxed a little and gave a polite bow. “That’s me. And you are, miss?”
“I’m Lady Xi’s sister. We grew up together, told each other everything. You can call me Bamboo Lady.”
Liu Xiaolou blinked. “So you came looking for me?”
Green Bamboo nodded. “Yes. Since you’re on your way back to Wulong Mountain, I won’t delay your journey. Let’s walk and talk.”