An interesting thing

Nan Chang's day began before the crack of dawn. Her routine was generally not that interesting. She woke up early in order to brush out her hair and paint her lips. There were no servants tending after poor Nan Chang so she had to do everything herself. From braiding her hair to tucking away bedsheets and putting the final touch around her lips and eyes.

At the brothels, she was hailed a goddess. But here at the Ascending Dawn Sect she was doomed to be second best to Chen Anyue. Nan Chang liked to pretend that she didn't care but that would be a lie.

Aside from being two women who inherited divine beauty, there was nothing else alike about them. Chen Anyu was the Chen family princess and grew up in a life of luxury. And Nan Chang, a child out of twelve, was raised by an old mother with creaking knees. If one wanted to grasp at straws, a similarity might lie in the fact that Nan Chang's father was a cultivator, and one day she discovered that she too, had a golden core. But unlike Chen Anyue's, whose golden core shined inside her like a blazing star, Nan Chang's was as dull as a dirty bronze coin.

Apart from painting her face and dreaming dreams, Nan Chang had no real talent to speak of. It was only natural that she was envious of the blessed Chen Anyue.

Nan Chang wasn't looking forward to a day of lessons and more scolding from the Sixth Elder. She thought instead of searching for Chen Leike's arm to hang off of. So she snuck out of her room early with ginger steps to not disturb her fellow martial sisters from rest. She crept out of female disciples' sleeping quarters and weaved around the Mansion by ways of winding shadows to not get caught by gossiping peers and irritable Elders.

When a pair of Elders was spotted strolling down the halls she quickly ducked behind a giant decorative vase. She just wanted to get to Chen Leike's quarters! Why were so many people already awake this early in the morning? She could only squat there and hold her breath, willing the two Elders to walk faster than their leisurely snail pace.

"So they're returning today?" One of the Elders mused as she stroked her sleeve. "I'm glad they'll be back in time for the festivities at least."

"Yes," the other Elder responded, "Sect Leader Chen can finally rest easy with our princess back home. I swear he's been balding with her gone."

Nan Chang froze, her mind began to reel. They were returning today!? She pressed her ear closer to the two gossiping Elders.

"When are they due to arrive, do you know?"

"Hm, not for certain, no. But I assume it will be later in the afternoon."

So soon! Nan Chang couldn't help herself and squealed. Her hands flew to mouth but it was already too late. Two pairs of narrowing eyes glared her way. Nan Chang's lips twitched up as she tried up dawn a gentle and seductive smile. "Good morning, respectable Elders…!"

But her plans were already foiled.

However, that mattered little! Yuan Xuelan was due to return which meant she could just escape the confines of her classes later to seek his company instead. She much preferred spending time with the Young Master Yuan than any of the Chen brothers.

Come afternoon, Nan Chang was ready for her sneaky ways. She first dipped back to her quarters to retouch the details in her face before rushing over to Yuan Xuelan's room. His place was located in a much quieter spot in the mansion, which meant it was a lot easier to get there without being spotted and pulled aside by angry Elders. And before she knew it, she was grossing the Seeking Crane Courtyard and knocking at his door. "It's me! Xuelan! Is it okay if I come inside?"

…

Nan Chang gave him a beaming smile and strolled into his room like she belonged there. She had a bad reputation in the Ascending Dawn Sect, being a woman that had little talent and relied only on her looks to get anywhere. But Yuan Xuelan didn't mind her. She was the type of person that was familiar to him and reminded him of the time he traveled city to city, town to town with Cao Sanmei.

"I really missed you, Xuelan," she hummed sweetly, her arms held behind her back in order to push her chest out more. The cleavage on her dress was much too low to be considered proper.

"It's been a while," he agreed. It was then he noticed the little lunch box she held behind her. "What's that?

Nan Chang giggled and set the box upon the table, inviting him to sit down next to her. "I got some snacks." Inside there were melon seeds and candied sweets.

Yuan Xuelan appreciated the thought. "Thank you. How have you been, Nan-jie?" He asked, stuffing one of those sugared things into his mouth.

Nan Chang smiled and leaned into him. If Yuan Xuelan was honest, he wasn't a fan of her clinging behavior. But he tolerated that annoying part of her personality. Nan Chang wasn't a bad person. After all, she was someone that shared interests with him. "The truth is, Nan-jie has been very, very bored without Xuelan around. Every day is the same around here. I get yelled at by the Sixth Elder and get told that I'm not good enough. I don't understand why they're always so angry with me." Nan Chang pouted and picked at her fingernails, "I always try my best."

Yuan Xuelan nodded and couldn't help but feel bad for her, "Well, you try your best right? That's good enough."

But she was quick to swing back from her depressed state and shot him a playful grin, "Anyways! Without Xuelan here, there hasn't been anyone around here to show me fun and interesting things." She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Perhaps anyone else would have interpreted her words differently, especially with the way she was leaning towards him, with her chest pressed against his arm with batting lashes.

Yuan Xuelan grinned, "Course I have!" A boyish giddiness flushed through him. This was why he liked Nan Chang so much! Yuan Xuelan pulled the Tiger Heart Amethyst from his interspatial ring and placed it in her palms.

Her eyes dazzled, watching the way the little storms inside crackled and hissed but couldn't get out. Even though her golden core was weak, Nan Chang could feel the power brimming from within the gem. "It's beautiful! And so powerful! Tell me you have something in mind for it!" Nan Chang was a person who was dazzled and charmed by treasures and magical tools.

"Yeah! It's called the Tiger Heart Amethyst." Yuan Xuelan was privately reminded of how the sacred jewel even came into his hands and his heart stuttered. He licked his lips and plucked it out of Nan Chang's palms. "I'm still refining it but yeah, I think I have a good idea about what I want to do with it."

"What? Tell me!" Nan Chang quipped with girlish excitement, leaning even closer until Yuan Xuelan could smell spice and sugar in her hair. Her hands rested upon his thigh.

Her eagerness was infectious. Yuan Xuelan began to ramble, "I thought about a lot of things. At first, I was thinking about a magical tool, in the shape of a bell or hairpin. It would be able to expel spiritual energy into a variety of powerful attacks and I could even fine-tune more precise spells like barriers or traps… But in the end, I decided to go with something else."

Nan Chang frowned a little, she was growing attached to the idea of a hairpin made from a powerful sacred amethyst, "What did you decide on in the end? Tell me!"

"I'm going to make it into a sword!"

Nan Chang almost screeched, "What!? Why a sword!" She wanted to cry, such a beautiful gem turned into such a thing.

Yuan Xuelan grumbled. He knew well that Nan Chang would be against the idea. And so would his past-self from several months ago. There was also a part of him that believed the gem's power would probably work better as an enchanted bracelet or hairpiece…

But Yuan Xuelan had been learning the sword and it felt right. The Amethyst itself had something violent and aggressive about it and beckoned battle. And while he wouldn't be able to refine its power as elegantly compared to putting it into an accessory, Yuan Xuelan was pretty sure that its raw power would shine more brightly as a blade.

A secret place in his heart thought he ought to forge a blade and gift it to the beautiful Ivory Sword Saint. After all, he already owed that man too much to repay in one lifetime.

But after spending hours hunched over the volatile Tiger Heart Amethyst, he thought, this jewel was much too violent and aggressive for Liu Sumeng! He will have to find something more suitable. His mind was traveling elsewhere and Nan Chang was left frowning at his side. "Why a sword?" She asked again, poking his side with a finger that demanded attention.

Yuan Xuelan startled and blinked at her. "Uh. Well, it just feels right. I get this feeling that the Tiger Heart Amethyst's power belongs in a weapon."

"But why can't it be something more refined, like a fan?"

"...A sword can be refined." He said.

"..."

And for a second, he though Nan Chang was going to refute him some more. Not that he cared, because Yuan Xuelan was already set on the idea and wasn't going to budge on it. "Wait, I have something you might want to look at." Nan Chang suddenly hopped to her feet and began tugging at him to follow suit.

"What? What is it?" He asked, unable to mask his curiosity and excitement. Nan Chang would sometimes come across some very strange and interesting things.

She grinned at him, "You'll have to come to my quarters though," she giggled. "I don't have an interspatial ring and it's a bit awkward for me to bring over."

Yuan Xuelan frowned. He wasn't really a fan of sneaking over to Nan Chang's quarters, especially because she lived in the dormitory and shared a room with a dozen other female disciples. If Yuan Xuelan was caught then he'd surely get a whipping or two.

"I promise it's really interesting!" Nan Chang was tugging harder at his sleeve. "There was this really interesting merchant that passed by Reling a few weeks ago. He gave me some enigmatic gifts for entertaining him for a night or two."

Well, her methods were something Yuan Xuelan thought a little questionable, but he only cared about this "really interesting" thing she was talking about! Unable to stand it any longer, he prodded her with questioning, "Just what exactly is it? Can't you just tell me?"

"Nope! It's a surprise! Follow me!"

Left without a choice, Yuan Xuelan let out a desperate groan and followed Nan Chang towards the west side of the mansion.

Evening was growing darker with each passing step. Nan Chang, mirthful and eager snatched him by the wrist and pulled him along. Yuan Xuelan thought his heart was going to leap out of his mouth when they had to duck behind a bush. A class of female disciples passed them, their gossip trailing after.

"So the Chen princess returned."

"Could it be that the Ivory Sword Saint rejected her!?"

"How could that be? Of course not! Have you not been listening to current news? The truth is…"

Yuan Xuelan wondered why these fools couldn't talk about their own damned lives for a change. He almost hissed at them in annoyance when Nan Chang's hand tugged at his sleeve in a reminder for stealth.

Right. Yuan Xuelan was trying to reach the female disciple's dormitory in one piece…

Somehow, by some miracle, they made it indoors into the halls of the building just barely slipping by one of the angry-looking female Elders that patrolled the edifice. Nan Chang whispered under her breath that she was taking Yuan Xuelan the long way but Yuan Xuelan wouldn't even have known in the first place!

After all, what kind of crazy man would want to risk their lives by sneaking into women's dormitory!? Apparently he was.

"This is my room," Nan Chang said with a hushed voice as she peered through a little crack to see inside. There were sweet voices coming from within and it obviously wasn't empty!

"What now?" He glared at her accusingly.

Nan Chang pouted, "Won't you trust me?"

Trust her? As if!