Chapter Fifty-Seven: Drinking Together Under the Moon

"Me?"
Situ smiled faintly, raised the vermilion wine gourd to her lips, took a sip, and then said,
"No matter how complicated I may be, I am still not as extraordinary as Young Master Chu."
Shangguan Chuci was taken aback, not expecting her to turn the conversation back to him.
Situ continued, "Look at you, covered in wounds, your internal energy depleted, the fire in your heart dimmed. In such a state, any ordinary person would have collapsed long ago, yet you not only have the presence of mind to probe into others' secrets, but you can still maintain an air of calm composure."
"This temperament, this resilience—is it not far more remarkable than a mere drunkard like myself?"
Hearing this, Shangguan Chuci's pale and delicate face flushed with a hint of red. She coughed lightly and argued,
"I... I was only concerned for Brother Lu's condition."
She shifted the conversation, throwing the difficult question back, "Senior, I am truly curious—what kind of demon is hidden within Brother Lu? Is he really the so-called Dao Seed those evil men spoke of?"
"Dao Seed?"
Situ raised her brows at these words, her charming smile tinged with mockery and disdain.
She did not explain further to Shangguan Chuci, only shook her head and said,
"Whether that title is true or not, what does it matter? If you truly wish to know, why not wait until my disciple awakens and ask him yourself? If he wishes to tell you, then it will be the truth."
Shangguan Chuci frowned and pressed, "Brother Lu knows? Yet I see that he seems to know nothing of his own origins."
Situ smiled, "What he ought to know, he already knows. But young hearts, when faced with truths too difficult to comprehend, simply convince themselves they do not know."
To Shangguan Chuci, the other's words were like the mist in deep mountains—seemingly tangible, but elusive to the grasp.
Her probing yielded no real answers, leaving her frustrated, and she blurted,
"Senior speaks so enigmatically, like a riddle-master; though your words are profound, they only make others anxious."
"Riddle-master?"
"There are those who always speak half-truths, hiding half, as if the secrets of heaven cannot be divulged, yet they love to whet people's appetites, leaving their minds itching. Such people are riddle-masters."
Situ let out a laugh at this, curiosity lighting her gaze, "That's an interesting term. Did you see this in your dreams?"
Shangguan Chuci was startled by her sharpness, and nodded,
"Indeed."
Situ sighed softly,
"Fascinating dreams, truly. Pity I only know how to interpret dreams, but not the methods of the Grand Void Temple’s spirit-wandering. Otherwise, I’d surely dive into your dreams to glimpse that strange, marvelous world."
Shangguan Chuci replied, "If you are interested, Senior, I could tell you a little."
Just then, Lu Chenyuan stirred on the couch, murmuring unclearly, "Master."
Situ heard him, and in that instant, all traces of mockery and loneliness vanished from her eyes, replaced by boundless tenderness.
She walked to the couch and gently wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

"After I leave, do not let my disciple know that his useless master came to see him."
"I cannot promise that," Shangguan Chuci replied without hesitation.
"Hmm?" Situ turned, surprise flickering in her eyes.
Shangguan Chuci continued, "What I dislike most in tales are those who feign indifference for the sake of others."
"If Senior truly cares, why play the villain, burdening him further? Such thankless tasks—I am unwilling to aid."
Situ gazed at her for a while, then suddenly asked,
"Are you truly uninterested in learning more about your dreams?"
Shangguan Chuci's heart skipped; she knew this was an offer in exchange. Biting her lip, she finally shook her head,
"At this moment, I am not interested."
Situ did not take offense, only laughed quietly, shaking her head,
"You think too much, and drink too little."
"I rarely drink," Shangguan Chuci admitted.
"Would you drink now?" Situ asked.
Shangguan Chuci paused, then her heart leapt with joy, sensing that Situ wished to converse more deeply. She answered readily,
"I can drink a little."
No sooner had the words left her lips than Situ's figure flickered, and she was standing atop the horizontal branch of the old locust tree in the courtyard.
From her breast, she produced an ancient green jade wine cup, filled it with wine, and with a flick of her wrist, sent the cup flying like a stream of light, landing steadily in Shangguan Chuci's hand.
Shangguan Chuci caught it; it felt weighty, and the wine within was clear, not a drop spilled.
Situ raised her vermilion wine gourd, drinking alone beneath the moon.
Shangguan Chuci lifted her cup and took a sip. A warm current flowed down her throat and into her core, clearing the sluggishness from her meridians, and even the dim fire in her heart blazed a little brighter.
Startled, she said, "Senior, this wine..."
Situ merely smiled, "Is it not good wine?"
Shangguan Chuci steadied herself and praised sincerely, "It is indeed excellent wine."
And so, one on the tree, one by the window, separated by a courtyard of moonlight, they drank in silence.
After a time, Situ suddenly asked,
"Do you like my disciple?"
Shangguan Chuci felt her cheeks grow hot, and nearly sprayed the fiery wine she had just swallowed. She quickly turned her head and protested,
"You jest, Senior. I am... I am a man; how could I have such thoughts?"
Situ did not expose her, only smiled, and in the night wind, her laughter sounded tinged with loneliness.
"I can help him for a while, but not forever."
She whispered, "When he chooses to walk that path, some burdens must be borne by him alone."

Shangguan Chuci mused, "In my dreams, I heard of something called 'the hawk's teaching.' Parents push their fledgling off a cliff, forcing it to spread its wings. Is this your method, Senior?"
"The hawk's teaching?"
Situ laughed, "There is some resemblance. Alas, my disciple is not a fledgling hawk."
"Then what is he?" Shangguan Chuci asked curiously.
Situ thought for a moment, then held out her slender jade fingers, tracing the motion of a fish swimming in the air, and said softly,
"A koi, perhaps."
Shangguan Chuci smiled, "Senior means that Brother Lu will one day transform into a dragon and ascend?"
"To become a dragon would be good,"
Situ sighed gently, her eyes flashing with a complex emotion, "But as for ascending... that is quite unnecessary."
Shangguan Chuci was moved to ask further, but Situ suddenly remarked,
"In truth, you and I are rather alike."
"How so, Senior?"
"You do not fit in this world,"
Situ smiled self-deprecatingly, "And I do not belong to this era."
Shangguan Chuci was shaken by her words. She stared down at the moon reflected in her cup, lost in thought; when she looked up again, the tree was empty, only a lingering fragrance of wine drifting in the night breeze.

"Uncle Shen," she called softly into the shadows.
Shen Guizhou's figure appeared silently.
"Master Lu Chenyuan—what level of cultivation do you think she possesses?"
A look of unprecedented reverence crossed Shen Guizhou’s face. He was silent for a long time before he managed a bitter smile,
"Princess, forgive my poor eyesight... I cannot see through her."
"Oh?" Shangguan Chuci’s eyes gleamed. "If even Uncle Shen cannot see through her, she must at least be among the highest ranks."
Shen Guizhou shook his head,
"When she stood here, I felt as though I was on the edge of a thousand-foot cliff. The slightest misstep would mean being crushed to pieces. This feeling—I have only experienced it with one other person in my life."
"Father?"
Shen Guizhou slowly shook his head, uttering four words,
"Her Majesty, the Empress."