Two Women Fighting for a Husband

In the spring of the seventh year of Dali,

The Ancient Kingdom Academy’s Martial Arts Hall was overflowing with people.

At the center of the plaza stood two women.

One, clad in a snow-white silk dress, stood with a sword strapped to her back, her ink-blue hair dancing in the wind, her dark eyes as clear and cold as ice.

The other, adorned in a cherry-blossom pink gown, held a spear aloft, her elegant hair swept up with only the tip of her hairpin visible, her almond-shaped eyes, like peach blossoms, exuded captivating charm.

The two exchanged no words; a mere glance between them was enough to ignite a flurry of blades and spears across the martial arena.

“Clang—”

A tremendous clash of metal echoed, and streaks of light exploded across the platform.

Above the martial arena, two ethereal projections, one of a spear and one of a sword, distinctly materialized.

What followed was a dazzling, bewildering exchange of blows.

On the platform, the other cultivators were left speechless by the spectacle, utterly stunned, only slowly recovering their senses.

“Hey, brother, these two look so familiar. They seem to be… who were they again?”

A stout man patted the lanky disciple beside him, struggling to recall their identities but finding no answer.

“How could you forget? They are the two most prominent figures in our academy, the two jewels of the Shangguan family. I hear… they are expected to become Seventh-Stage, or even Eighth-Stage cultivators.”

Seeing the stout man still looking bewildered, the lanky disciple pointed towards the woman holding the spear.

“Look, the one with the spear is Shangguan Xúnyī, the top internal disciple of our academy. She’s Dean Li’s personal disciple, and her cultivation has reached the peak of the Fourth Stage.”

“The other one is Shangguan Qiūyuè, a prodigy who just joined the inner sect last year. I heard she reached the peak of the Second Stage within a year of enrollment and was exceptionally taken in as a personal disciple by Dean Chen.”

“Shangguan Xúnyī, Shangguan Qiūyuè? Aren’t they cousins? Why have they suddenly come to the martial arena to cause trouble? Could the rumors be true…”

The stout man lowered his voice again.

“‘The deans appear harmonious on the surface, but in reality, they’re at odds behind the scenes, so their personal disciples are fighting first?'”

“It’s… not that serious. They seem to be merely fighting over a man…”

“What!? Fighting over…”

“Shhh… it’s just a rumor.” The lanky cultivator immediately clapped a hand over the stout man’s mouth.

“The rumor also says that man is blind. Do you think that’s possible?”

“That’s true, it would be too absurd for prodigies to fight over a blind man…”

“Clang—!”

Another tremendous clang of blades interrupted their conversation.

In the martial arena,

The snow-white longsword had already flown from Shangguan Qiūyuè’s grasp, embedding itself diagonally into the ground.

A blood-red long spear was now pressed against Shangguan Qiūyuè’s neck.

“Junior Sister Qiūyuè, you’ve lost. For the next week, you are forbidden from bothering Junior Brother Yún Mù… Physician Yún Mù.” Shangguan Xúnyī’s voice carried an undeniable coldness.

“Senior Sister Xúnyī, I don’t need your reminders.” She raised a hand to push away the spear, then summoned her longsword back to her side, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“Also, don’t act as if Yún Mù belongs to you… celebrating too early can lead to a fall. The next time we fight, I might not be the one to lose.”

“Little sister, at the very least, my relationship with Yún Mù is fundamentally better than yours, and…” Shangguan Xúnyī walked to the younger girl’s side and gently patted her shoulder.

“You should know how you acquired your talent; it’s best not to flaunt it before me.”

She paused, her tone deepening slightly.

“Otherwise, I truly fear I might lose control and dig out your bones, along with those eyes of yours that have turned black.”

With those words, she turned and walked straight out of the Martial Arts Hall.

Shangguan Qiūyuè stood frozen, staring blankly at the receding figure of the woman, a dull ache stirring in her heart.

After a long moment of daze, she finally turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

****

At the Ancient Kingdom Academy, on the summit of Qingqiu Peak (TL Note: Qingqiu refers to a mythical mountain, often associated with foxes or immortal beings), the easternmost mountain, where the peak commanded a breathtaking view, an old man and a young man sat opposite each other on bamboo chairs beneath a pavilion.

The elder, clad in a white robe, exuded an aura of immortal grace and pushed a cup of hot tea, seven-tenths full, across the table.

“Young Master Yún, it has been a year since you came to this academy as a physician. Are you still adapting?”

“Uh… Dean Li, please spare me the ‘Young Master’ title. I’m truly not accustomed to it. Just call me ‘Little Yún’ as you did before.”

The young man in green robes accepted the tea, taking a gentle sip, his tone calm.

In his arms, a small pink fox was curled up, fast asleep.

“Oh, don’t make things difficult for this old man,” the elder said, pointing at the pink fox.

“The Young Lady is still here. If she were to go back and complain to your mother…” He paused slightly.

“…to the Empress, this old man’s bones couldn’t take it.”

“Mother, you say? Haha, indeed, I hadn’t considered that. My apologies.”

The young man’s lips curved slightly, and on his handsome face, a strip of white silk covered his eyes, swaying gently with his ink-dark hair.

“By the way, Young Master Yún, regarding my disciple Xúnyī, what have you considered…”

“Mmm… Brother Mù…”

A soft, muffled grumble interrupted the elder’s words.

Yún Mù lowered his head, gently stroking the small head of the pink fox in his arms.

A faint, almost imperceptible stellar energy diffused from his body like a breeze.

“My apologies, Dean Li, Huáizhǐ seems to be waking up.” The young man rose, manifesting a gentle, water-like pale halo of light, and carefully lifted the small fox to rest on his shoulder.

He bowed slightly in a respectful salute.

“I shall take my leave now.”

Before the elder could respond, his figure had already vanished like mist.

Soon after, a graceful figure in cherry-blossom pink hurried to the pavilion.

“Ma-Master! How… how did it go?” She clutched her chest, her ample bosom rising and falling gently with her breaths.

The elder shook his head helplessly, pointing to the lukewarm tea still sitting on the stone table.

“Xúnyī, you’re too late. Yún Mù has already left.”

“What!?”

The young woman cried out in alarm, disappointment instantly clouding her face.

She quickly walked to the table, and upon seeing the half-full cup of lukewarm tea, inexplicably picked it up and drank it in one gulp.

It was as if she were venting her frustration, yet also savoring something, her face flushing with a mix of shyness and indignation.

“That guy… why is he avoiding me again! Master, what about my invitation for him to ‘taste tea’ at Biluo Cliff?”

“Taste tea…?” Dean Li’s mouth twitched.

He was well aware of his disciple’s true intentions.

He knew that by the time this ‘tea tasting’ concluded, it would likely yield a very different flavor indeed.

Perhaps, at that point, he, the dean, might even have to help look after little babies.

He shook his head again.

“This, what is this! I should have known better and come to find him myself earlier,” Shangguan Xúnyī suddenly stood up, giving her master an annoyed glare.

“I shouldn’t have expected any help from an old man like you! Your disciple takes her leave!”

“No, cough, cough, cough… you wretched girl, how dare you speak to your master like that…” Just as he was about to scold her, the young woman’s figure vanished like a phantom on the mountain path, leaving him alone in the pavilion, fuming and glaring, almost manifesting his true form out of sheer anger.

“Shangguan Xúnyī! You, you, you, you impudent girl! You’re truly going to infuriate your master to death!”

His furious roar immediately echoed throughout the entire Qingqiu mountain range.

****

“Master, I’ve lost again…”

On Lixun Peak, directly opposite Qingqiu Peak, Shangguan Qiūyuè walked into an elegant bamboo house, her head drooping dejectedly.

With a mournful sigh, she collapsed onto the wooden bed.

By the edge of the bed, a beautiful woman in a simple yet elegant qipao was perusing an ancient book by the natural light of the window.

“Losing is quite normal. Although Shangguan Xúnyī suppressed her cultivation to match yours, she has, after all, cultivated for several more years than you, and her experience is not something you can currently compare to.” The beautiful woman raised her right hand, gently stroking the young girl’s slightly disheveled ink-blue hair.

“It’s nothing. Cultivate diligently, and next time, you might not necessarily lose.”

“I know,” the young girl’s voice came muffled from beneath the covers.

“But, but if things continue like this, I really won’t be able to see Little Mù anymore. I don’t want that…”

“Little Mù? Is that the young physician from the Ancient Kingdom of a Hundred Demons you mentioned before? Yún Mù, with whom you spent eight years in your childhood?”

From beneath the covers came a heavily nasal “Mhm,” laden with dejection.

“Take your time,” the beautiful woman said, setting down the book, her gaze profound.

“After all, the past between that young man and you is overly complex, and I, your master, believe… his heart’s knot remains, and it might not be easily untied.”

As if remembering something, a mischievous smile suddenly curved her lips.

“However, I recall you mentioning that the young physician is pure-hearted and greatly values his promises? If all else fails… find an opportunity to lure him here. Your master will guard the door for you, and you two can ‘cook raw rice into cooked rice’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to consummate a relationship or make an irreversible situation), wouldn’t that solve your worries about seeing him or not?”

“What!? Master…”

Shangguan Qiūyuè abruptly propped herself up, her pretty face instantly flushing crimson, even the tips of her small ears turning bright red.

“Ma-ma-ma-master, what are you saying! I-I-I’m not that kind of person! That kind of thing… that kind of thing…” She stammered incoherently, too embarrassed to speak fluidly, and finally just jumped off the bed and dashed out of the house without looking back.

As she went, she mumbled softly, ‘If I could catch him, it wouldn’t be entirely out of the question…’

“Oh, your master was just joking… this child…”

Watching the young girl flee in disarray, the beautiful woman shook her head with a soft laugh, then picked up the ancient book again to peruse it, yet couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

“Eight years of heartfelt longing, a single morning of shattered belief. The wounds in that little Yún Mù’s heart won’t heal so easily.”

“A long road lies ahead, little Qiūyuè…”