Entering the Spirit Void 87. A Beauty's Stratagem

“How did you answer him, sister?” asked Flower of Understanding anxiously.

Lotus Blossom replied, “At that moment I was too flustered to think of the right words, so I had no choice but to cast him a flirtatious glance and call him over to sit down.”

Flower of Understanding smiled faintly. “Sister... you cast a bewitching spell on him and left him dazed, did you?”

“Don’t laugh at me, little sister. I was in such a panic that I had no better choice, so I took that desperate measure.” As she spoke, Lotus Blossom’s fair face was already flushed crimson.

Flower of Understanding asked, “And then what happened?”

Blushing with embarrassment, Lotus Blossom answered, “After I had him softened up, I, I...”

“Did what? Come on, say it! Between sisters, what is there to be ashamed of?”

“I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder.”

Lotus Blossom went on, “He stared at me with greed in his eyes, so I said: ‘By right, the cult master should have been here with me tonight, but by chance so many honored guests arrived that I was left alone in my chamber, and the loneliness became unbearable. So I went to the treasure room to choose a few precious jewels to play with.

‘I searched for a long while, but none of them pleased me. The more I looked, the more restless I became. Like a chaste widow enduring a long night, I had the servants scatter coins and gather them up again, wasting my energy in an effort to cut off my desires, and I had all the jewels brought over here. I never expected you to come. Could you stay and keep me company, and help me relieve my boredom?’

“My hand kneaded his shoulder a few times, and Iron Vajra went limp all over. Flattered and astonished, he smiled and said, ‘If madam does not blame me for being rough and for intruding into her chamber, then as long as madam is pleased, I can come whenever she wishes and keep her company.’

“Seeing that my plan had worked, I immediately put forth all my wiles. I wrapped my arms around his head and kissed his cheek.

“Iron Vajra was already a young lecher by nature. How could he withstand such fiery provocation from me? He opened his arms and actually took me into his embrace.”

At this, Flower of Understanding could not help saying anxiously, “Sister, did he dishonor you?”

Lotus Blossom shook her head. “At the time I was terribly anxious too. Then suddenly an idea flashed through my mind. I frowned, looked toward the door, and put on a look of utter shock, crying out, ‘Oh! The door to our room is still open! If someone were to see us now, it would be disastrous!’ With that, I struggled free from his arms.

“By then Iron Vajra had already lost his head and no longer cared about danger. He said firmly, ‘As long as madam is willing to be accommodating, even if the cult master himself comes, I am not afraid of him.’

“I put on a cautious expression and said, ‘If word of this affair were to spread, could you take me away from this eerie mansion and love me for the rest of your life?’

“Iron Vajra swore, ‘If I ever change my heart halfway and abandon you, may I be torn to pieces by a thousand knives.’

“He had only just finished speaking and was reaching out to embrace me again when I made a gesture to show that the door was still open. As soon as he loosened his hold, I slipped to the door and lifted the curtain. But when I peered outside, I saw that old monster had indeed sent someone else. I quickly drew back, looked at Iron Vajra, and pointed my mouth toward the outside.

“When he saw me acting like that, he grew a little flustered himself and hurried out of the room...”

“Who was it?” asked Flower of Understanding.

Lotus Blossom answered, “It was Flower Vajra, Jiao Yannan.”

Flower of Understanding paused, then continued, “I hid behind the door and watched. When he saw Iron Vajra leap out of my room, he seemed startled and asked, ‘Brother, the cult master sent you here to keep watch in the soft and fragrant place. Why are you hiding in the Ninth Madam’s room? Did you discover any intruders getting in here?’

“‘No outsiders have entered here,’ Iron Vajra replied.

“Flower Vajra gave a cold laugh. ‘If no outsider has come in, why have you not gone at once to report back to the cult master?’

“Iron Vajra had been about to seek favor from me when Flower Vajra came and ruined his chance, so he was already displeased. Hearing the sarcasm in those words, he answered angrily, ‘Hmph! You are using the cult master’s banner to scold me now?’

“Flower Vajra, seeing how overbearing he was being, also sneered, ‘You do not need to shout at me. I am here on orders. You broke into the Ninth Madam’s chamber without permission. Do you know what crime that is?’

“He knew very well that if he were caught intruding into a lady’s chamber, he would certainly be tortured to death by the cult master. In his anxiety, he raised his hand and struck fiercely at Flower Vajra.

“Flower Vajra never expected such a sudden attack. With no warning at all, he took the blow squarely in the chest. He groaned, blood gushed from his mouth, and he fell to the ground dead.

“After Iron Vajra had struck him dead, he dragged the corpse into the room and flung it under the bed. Then he clapped his hands and smiled at me. ‘Madam, now you should believe me. To show my sincere devotion, I even killed my sworn brother with one palm strike.’

“Having said that, he reached out and drew me into his arms. Those steel-studded lips then pressed over and over again against my face.”

Flower of Understanding said anxiously, “Sister, how did you deal with him afterward? Surely he didn’t really...”

Lotus Blossom’s fair face flushed hot again. She lowered her head and said, “After kissing my face for a while, he suddenly put me on the bed and began demanding—” At this point her face burned even redder, and with her head lowered she could no longer bring herself to continue.

Flower of Understanding asked quickly, “Could it be that sister suffered some grievance? Then all of this is my fault.”

Lotus Blossom suddenly lifted her head and spat, “Don’t make wild guesses! How could your sister ever hand her body over to that thief?”

Seeing Flower of Understanding so alarmed, with her hands still moving anxiously over Miss White’s body in a massaging motion, Lotus Blossom gave a charming laugh and interrupted her. “Don’t fret over me. I still had enough composure. He was not enough to upset my wits.”

Flower of Understanding hurriedly cut in again. “I’m worried myself to death, and yet sister is laughing. What on earth happened? Hurry up and tell me!”

Lotus Blossom let out another soft laugh. “You seem very eager to hear these things, don’t you?”

Hearing this, Flower of Understanding said solemnly, “Sister, do not misunderstand. I am only so anxious because I care about whether you were defiled by that brute.”

Lotus Blossom smiled faintly and continued, “That brute carried me to the bed and began unfastening my buttons. I was indeed startled, and in my urgency I suddenly thought of a plan.

“What sort of clever stratagem could stop that ferocious wolf?”

“Do not interrupt me. Let me finish!”

“All right, hurry up and tell it. Stop keeping me in suspense.”

Lotus Blossom nodded and went on, “At that moment I rolled inward, avoiding his hands, then scrambled up and pointed under the bed, saying, ‘There is a corpse under this bed, and this outer room is where the old woman sleeps. I am terrified of such a ghastly place. If we were to do such a thing here, there would be no pleasure in it at all. Let us go into the inner room instead.’ After hearing me out, he no longer pressed me so hard.”

Flower of Understanding let out a breath. “You really have a way with words. And he agreed?”

Lotus Blossom said, “That brute still urged me on like a frantic monkey, ‘Hurry! Hurry!’ over and over.”

Flower of Understanding smiled mysteriously. “If sister were fond of him, perhaps—”

Lotus Blossom grew annoyed. “A dog’s mouth cannot spit out ivory. I am not saying any more.”

Flower of Understanding smiled faintly. “Do not be embarrassed. Appetite for food and appetite for love are part of human nature. In truth, I myself...”

“What about you? Why won’t you finish the sentence?”

Flower of Understanding gave a cold little smile and said nothing more.

Lotus Blossom paused, then continued, “When I saw him move away from the bedside, I felt somewhat calmer. I cast him a seductive glance and said, ‘What are you in such a hurry for? The fat meat is already at your lips. Are you afraid it will fly away?’”

Flower of Understanding picked up the story. “After hearing that, he must have felt reassured.”

Lotus Blossom nodded. “I jumped down from the bed, straightened my clothes, and turned to go into the inner room. He followed close behind me. I took the chance to shut the door, then turned back and kissed his face again. At once he swept me into his arms.”

As she reached this point, her heart seemed to tighten again. She could not draw breath, and her voice broke off abruptly.

Flower of Understanding’s own nerves tightened with her. Even her two hands, which had been moving over Miss White’s body, stopped of their own accord. Her thoughts surged and her whole body seemed to burn with blood, turning her face scarlet. The Yin-Yang old monster had once embraced her like that too. At the time she had been frightened, yet strangely stirred as well. Drawing a long breath, she said, “Heavens alive! Sister, having been through it before, could you really keep your composure?”

Lotus Blossom spat. “What nonsense is coming out of your mouth? Your mind is full of filth. Even if your sister has once been a woman of pleasure, one must still look at the time and the person involved.”

Flower of Understanding smiled shyly. “All right, count that as my nonsense. Please continue.”

“He carried me toward the bed. When he was almost there, I twisted my body and fell onto the bed, unfastened one button with one hand, and with the other secretly took out the dagger you gave me from beneath the pillow. At the same time, I kept casting him coquettish looks. At that moment Iron Vajra’s greedy eyes were wide open, burning like fire, and with both arms spread wide he lunged toward me.

“I took advantage of the moment when he was loosening his clothes and lowering his trousers. A single stroke of the blade stabbed fiercely into the vital point at his waist. Then I shoved him with my left hand. With a cry, he tumbled off the bed.”

Flower of Understanding exclaimed, “Did he die then?”

Lotus Blossom said, “That thief leaped up, eyes bulging wide, raised his fist, and roared as though he meant to strike me. But just as he gathered his strength, blood burst from the wound like a spring. Before his fist could come down, he collapsed and died.”

Suddenly they heard a cry of pain, and both of them were startled. Looking over at once, they saw Miss White stir awake. Her eyes were still closed, and she was muttering, “Mother, I will never see you again in this life... Mother, just pretend you never gave birth to me.”

Flower of Understanding lightly patted her on the forehead and called out, “Miss White, Miss White, wake up!”

Hearing the voice, Miss White slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Bewildered, she let out a soft cry. “What is going on? Didn’t I die? Why am I here again? Could it be that I have gone to the underworld?”

Flower of Understanding leaped down from the bed, smiled at her, and said, “Miss White, do not let your thoughts run away with you. You are not dead. Calm yourself quickly; we are about to send you home at once.”

Upon hearing that she was not dead and that they were going to send her home immediately, Miss White looked carefully at Flower of Understanding and Lotus Blossom, then around the room. Only then did she begin to believe that she had truly been saved.

She hastily sat up, turned toward the two women, and asked, “Did you two sisters save my life?”

Flower of Understanding nodded and smiled. “You could say that.”

Miss White struggled to her feet, then dropped to her knees on the floor. “Thank you, sisters, for saving my life.”

Flower of Understanding hurriedly helped her up. “Get up quickly. Someone is waiting outside to take you home.”

Miss White rose shakily and asked, “Who is it that will take me home?”

“You will know soon enough.” Flower of Understanding paused a moment, then added, “But when that person takes you to the Great Hall of the Void, if you see people fighting, you must shout, ‘Stop!’ Can you do that?”

Miss White said, “I can shout it. At worst, I will die.”

Flower of Understanding nodded. “Good. Then let us go.” With that, she took Miss White by the hand and hurried out the door.

The masked man stood guard outside the door, staring left and right, and saw no one else from the eerie mansion coming to cause trouble. When he saw Flower of Understanding leading out a young girl, he knew that Miss White had recovered her senses. He wrote on the board: Everything is all right here. I am taking her away now.

When Miss White saw the masked man’s ghostly attire, she could not help trembling all over in fear, her face paling with fright.