(A/N: This chapter introduces many more characters as well as the plot of "The Eighth Verse". For a summary, please see the list of characters and locations at the end of this chapter! :>)

Chapter 14: Laying Plans

In a side hall of the Wuchang Manor's secondary residence located in an obscure but reputable part of town, two outer disciples sat opposite each other on a raised platform, separated by a low tea table. One of them reclined against an armrest with a book in one hand while reaching for a tea cup with the other. Without lifting his eyes from the page, he brought the cup to his lips before downing the mouthful of warm tea in a manner that would cause anyone to suspect that he was secretly a young master of an noble family. In contrast, the other disciple indifferently sat with one leg crossed and one knee up, whining loudly about the lack of entertainment around the house.

"If you're bored, go finish the chores that you are supposed to. If you don't want to, why not spend the time going through the book again?" The outer disciple who carried a dignified air about him snapped suddenly, his brows furrowed but his eyes still fixed on the words in the book.

The other disciple froze up but her grouses resumed a second later, this time softer and in a pitiable tone. "I know it so well that I'm bored. I just feel so uncomfortable without constantly checking my phone or having my laptop with me... I'm so bored doing nothing exciting all day. No one to talk to, no one to play with. I didn't think that you are such a boring person."

"Me? A boring person? Wow, Yuhan. If I didn't have to live together with you for the past week, I wouldn't have thought that you'd be so talkative, full of complaints, and annoying." Ruijie, who had naturally assumed the role of the more refined disciple, straightened himself and placed the cup on the table heavily.

"Talkative, full of complaints, and annoying?" I exclaimed in a stentorian voice, stomping my foot against the ground. "Talkative—maybe. But full of complaints? You have complained more than me ever since we set foot in this residence. You've complained about the bed and pillows being hard, the bath water not being hot enough, the work that you have to do around here as an outer disciple—the list is unending!"

Squinting his eyes, Ruijie glowered at me from behind his book. He couldn't defeat me in an oral debate so he could only show his displeasure with his expressions. A chill ran up my spine and I shuddered.

"Ok, fine! I won't disturb your leisure time anymore." I rose up to my feet, prepared to march out of the hall to find something to do. Ruijie had been entertaining during the first two days when we arrived. But after we were done exploring around the house and the nearby marketplace, besides acting his part as a talentless outer disciple in front of the NPCs in the residence, he would only read the non-fiction books that he had brought along or dabble in landscape painting.

"I'm going to tell Du-mama that you are slacking off your job," I harrumphed just as I left the room, only to hear Ruijie shout after me to retort: "Then I'll tell her that you've been making me do your chores for you."

Ignoring him, I marched down the hallway and back to my room, feeling apprehensive and unsettled. Perhaps it was because I still hadn't familiarised myself with my surroundings, maybe it was because I didn't know the exact date and time that Fu Wanxi would arrive, or maybe it was the fear that I would not be able to do things right and would foil the mission.

Walking past the dressing table, my reflection in the mirror caught my eye and I saw myself pout immediately. My heart further sunk as the thought that this appearance suited me crossed my mind. It was a very plain willow green dress without any matching accessories or jewellery, except for the ear studs that I had worn into the book. The simple furnishings in the room also seemed to be reminding me of my place and purpose in the book.

I hurried over to my bed and reached under it to pull out the photocopied draft of The Eighth Verse. I had singled out the missing pages with small post-its, marked out the crucial plot lines that concerned the character I was shadowing, and written down notes on the margins. Sitting down at the table, I flipped opened the cover page and stared at the dedication page: "To my dear younger sister, Lin Xi. Your brother, I, will always be there for you."

The corners of my lips curved up as I read the heartwarming message. It was my first time noticing it despite having studied and scrutinised the body of the book very closely. Flipping to the first chapter, I decided that I would read the book one more time. Maybe by the time I was halfway through, Fu Wanxi would arrive and my role would start.

Set against a similar backdrop as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, in a fictional ancient kingdom known as Bei Yue, there lived a youth whose dream was to become a mighty and fearless general like his father, to serve the Emperor and the people. The youth, Sheng Yi, was the son of a prominent military family and was very talented in martial arts and warring strategies. Gradually, the Emperor recognised his talent and he was given the opportunity to fight alongside his father in campaigns and against rebels at the young age of fifteen. The entire capital knew that one day, Sheng Yi would succeed his father and enjoy a fruitful future.

Word of this handsome and heroic young warrior soon travelled around the capital and reached the ears of many beautiful and well-bred young ladies from families of nobility. One of these young ladies who had a crush on Sheng Yi was Liu Mengjie, the daughter of First-ranked Prince (qinwang) Jing. As the daughter of the Emperor's biological younger brother, Liu Mengjie was naturally a Commandery Princess (junzhu) and was given the title Commandery Princess Anyang.

As their families had close connections, Liu Mengjie and Sheng Yi grew up together. She was that little girl who chased after him to gain his attention and clung onto him, refusing to let go when playtime was over and he had to leave her residence. Eventually, their parents agreed to betrothed their children to one another. That was why growing up, Liu Mengjie was the envy of many girls in the capital of Bei Yue.

If The Eighth Verse had only focused on the events that revolved around these two characters, one would have thought that this was a romance-centric book set against the backdrop of political intrigue. However, the author Lin Jiahe had fused the themes of wuxia, politics, military and brotherhood to create a heartfelt and touching story that revolved around two male protagonists—Sheng Yi and Gao Zhanpeng. Romance was merely a side dish, or to some, it was only the mignardise served at the end of a full twelve course meal.

Gao Zhanpeng was a core disciple of a small but influential, powerful and mysterious sect known only as Wuchang Manor. Located somewhere in the remote mountainous border straddling the kingdoms of Bei Yue and Da Jin, but still within the boundaries of Bei Yue, Wuchang Manor was renowned to be far removed from the happenings within the imperial court. Nevertheless, to protect itself, Wuchang Manor kept a close eye on the socio-political situation and even set up a secret residence in the capital to gather information. On his first visit to the capital to collect intel, Gao Zhanpeng helped Sheng Yi to defeat some assassins and they soon became sworn brothers.

Excited to introduce the capital and its beautiful culture to his new found brother, Sheng Yi invited Gao Zhanpeng to an exclusive poetry and tea appreciation gathering with the other noblemen, noblewomen and young talents. At the gathering, Gao Zhanpeng fell in love at first sight with Liu Mengjie—only to discover later on that she had an infant betrothal with Sheng Yi. Gao Zhanpeng was disappointed, but supported his friends and vowed to always protect Liu Mengjie from the shadows.

Gao Zhanpeng was finally able to openly remain by Liu Mengjie's side, albeit as her bodyguard, when news of Sheng Yi's death travelled to the capital. Sheng Yi's father and uncle were framed for treason and sentenced to death, implicating the entire Sheng family—the men and boys were to be exterminated while the women and girls were given the choice to become slaves. Sheng Yi managed to escape with his mother, sisters and some servants; however, the imperial guards caught up to them in the wilderness and killed them instantly.

Perhaps, heaven took pity on the Sheng clan for having been made a scapegoat and meeting with an unfortunate, untimely demise. Sheng Yi was rescued by a group of masked disciples from Wuchang Manor who brought him back to their sect to treat his injuries. At Wuchang Manor, Fu Wanxi, the only daughter of Sect Master Fu, the sect leader, tended to Sheng Yi and befriended him. Fu Wanxi persuaded Sect Master Fu to accept Sheng Yi as his disciple and the latter ultimately relented after covertly testing Sheng Yi's character and fundamental abilities.

Sheng Yi changed his name to Yi Yan and trained at Wuchang Manor for two years with Fu Wanxi, and they became each other's confidants; however one night, Sheng Yi never returned after a trip to the village at the foot of the mountains. Against her father's command, Fu Wanxi ran away from home and headed for the capital to look for her senior brother, Gao Zhanpeng. Sheng Yi had previously mentioned that they were sworn brothers and so she believed that Sheng Yi had gone to the capital.

At the capital, Fu Wanxi would live in this residence and I was disguised as her personal maidservant. Accurately speaking, Ruijie and I were acting as outer disciples of Wuchang Manor who were posted to tend to this secondary residence together with a few servants. As the young mistress of the sect had not yet arrived at the doorsteps, I was able to laze around. However, my job would begin the moment she made her appearance and I would have to be attentive to her every whim and fancy. After all, I was her shadow and my main task was to make notes about her every action and speech in accordance with the flow of the plot.

Ruijie was supposed to be shadowing the Third Prince of Bei Yue—a supporting character who played a significant role in the political intrigue—but due to some miscommunication, Ruimin ended up substituting for him, disguising as a maidservant in the Third Prince's residence. As such, Ruijie became responsible for following Sheng Yi around, but he would only commence his shadowing after ensuring that I was doing well and didn't require further assistance.

Li Yan was responsible for observing Liu Mengjie, Xuyang was assigned to monitor the Second Prince—the main antagonist, and Gao Shuai was accountable for Gao Zhanpeng. From the real world, Li Qin acted as the commander, planning the entire mission and supervising the events of the book. There would occasionally be other members of the Association who would check in on us and act as messengers between the fictional world and the real world. She had explained before that our words and actions were unlikely to change the course of the storyline, but of course we should not be too complacent and act out of the ordinary.

My unfocused eyes swept across the words on the pages but my brain had stopped processing whole sentences. Letting out an audible sigh, I closed the book and rested my head against the table with my arms sprawled out. A light breeze entered through the opened windows, bringing some relief to the summer heat. If only I could order a cup of refreshing iced milk tea with boba right now and have it delivered to this place.

Grinning broadly in that eureka moment, I sat upright with a start. Surely there must be a way to communicate with Li Qin and have one of the minions from the Association deliver it to me! Filled with a sense of new purpose in my life, I dashed down the corridors to the side hall intending to ask Ruijie for the means of contacting the outside world.

"Ruijie! I've thought of something!" I burst through the entrance, heading straight for the corner of the room where he would always be when slacking off.

The sight of a young lady surrounded by Uncle Guan (the steward of the residence), Du-mama (the main cook in charge of the kitchen) and Ruijie—who was at least a head taller than everyone—stopped me in my tracks. Subconsciously, I began to shuffle backwards but my heels bumped against the threshold.

"And this senior sister must be Xiaoyu?" The young lady at the centre of attention looked in my direction with a curious smile. A sense of familiarity flashed in my mind, but I could not recall where I might have encountered her before.

Holding my breath as I studied her, I walked slowly from the door and stood diagonally behind Ruijie. He leaned down and hissed, "aren't you going to greet the young mistress of Wuchang Manor?"

"Huh? Oh, Xiaoyu, outer disciple of Wuchang Manor, pays her respect to the Young Mistress." I curtsied and blurted out the first sentence that came to mind. It was too late when I felt that something was off about my greeting.

Fu Wanxi waved her hand and chuckled. "No need to be formal. Wuchang Manor doesn't have such strict rules and we're all part of one family! Just call me shimei since I'm younger than you."

"Wanxi-shimei." I corrected myself and plastered a smile on my face, hoping no one would notice how silly I felt on the inside. Over the past few days, I had rehearsed in my head how to react to her arrival, but at the crucial moment, I had failed myself when I was caught off guard.

"Xiaoyu, shall we show shimei to her room?" Ruijie spoke out while nudging me.

"Yes, yes." I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. "We've meticulously prepared and designed your room in anticipation for your arrival. We hope that it's to your liking,"

She looked from Ruijie to me, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "What are we waiting for? Take me there!"

Walking out of the hall together with Ruijie, the corners of her light pink skirt swayed along to the bounce in her every step. Fu Wanxi had a youthful air around her, especially when her round and adorable face seemed to glow along with her enthusiasm. The book had described her to be around 18 years old, but she appeared to look younger. It did not help that she was dressed in colours that was associated with young girls and had a petite frame. Her constant chatter as she narrated her journey to the capital had uplifted the whole atmosphere in the residence. It seemed like things around here were about to get more interesting after all.

After Fu Wanxi's exploration of her elaborately furnished bedroom fit for someone of a high status in Wuchang Manor, she finally asked one of the many questions that we had prepared for.

"Which room is Zhanpeng-shixiong staying in?"

"We only received word that you would be coming here to stay for a period of time. We have not met Zhanpeng-shixiong," I replied as rehearsed, speaking each word earnestly. After reciting my lines, I mentally gave myself a little pat on the back.

The bright aura around Fu Wanxi dimmed as her eyes darted about perplexedly. Clasping her hands together, she looked down at her shoes silently. At this moment, she must be rather dispirited after finding out that Gao Zhanpeng was not at Wuchang Manor's secondary residence. But this was the start of her personal adventure and growth as she embarked on the search for her senior brother and her Yi Yan-gege.

"If Zhanpeng-shixiong is also in the capital and shimei wants to meet with him, we will search for him and arrange a meeting." Ruijie broke the silence and recited his lines meant to follow after Fu Wanxi's disappointment.

Our eyes met and we shared a brief knowing smile before reverting to our deadpanned expressions. Thinking about how we were acting as if we were in a play, I couldn't help but find this situation amusing.

Fu Wanxi suddenly grabbed my hands, her hopeful eyes sparkling as she flushed with joy. "You will be able to help me to find Zhanpeng-shixiong?"

"Yes, of course. Xiaorui here specialises in looking for people. He has many connections." I reassured her before pulling her hand and walking towards the main gate of the residence. "In the meantime, as it is your first time in the capital, would you like to explore the nearby marketplace? Xiaorui and I can be your tour guides."

"Tour...guide?"

"Meaning that we can bring you around to do some sightseeing!" I ignored the flustered and reproving look on Ruijie's face and covered up my blunder seamlessly. I should remind myself regularly to avoid using modern vocabulary for the time being.

"Xiaorui! Aren't you going to get the horse carriage ready?" I continued quickly without giving Fu Wanxi a second more to ponder. Our plan was to distract her for as long as we could until her next appearance in the book. Based on an analysis of Fu Wanxi's personality, if left unsupervised she was sure to run amok and create chaos in her quest to find her missing senior brothers.

Just like a fish that was successfully baited, Fu Wanxi fell hook, line and sinker for our short skit. Clapping her hands, she spoke excitedly, "I've heard so many things about the capital! Will there be a lot of shops, restaurants and people at the marketplace?"

Throwing a satisfied glance at Ruijie, I placed one hand on Fu Wanxi's back and gently pushed her towards the front doors.

"Of course! The capital is a bustling and flourishing city, with so many markets and attractions that we can visit one per day. We'll never run out of things to do. In fact, the Moon Festival is coming up in two days. At that time, the streets will be lighted up with colourful lanterns for everyone to admire."

***

Author's Notes:

I've done a first scrub editing of the 1st part of the book and will probably do another round of editing in the future. As for the chapters in the 2nd part of the book, they are mostly unedited for now. Currently about 2/3 done with the writing ~ ~ Although work is starting soon, I'll press on with this!!

To recap, here is a summary of the different characters and places that were mentioned:

Characters from reality —

Fang Yuhan / Xiaoyu - our protagonist; currently acting as an outer disciple of Wuchang Manor

Shi Ruijie / Xiaorui - a member of the Association and also the President of the Association; from the Shi family clan; currently acting as an outer disciple of Wuchang Manor

Li Qin - a member of the Association; from the Li family clan

Shi Ruimin - Ruijie's younger female cousin; a member of the Association; from the Shi family clan

Gao Shuai - a member of the Association; from the Gao family clan

Li Yan - Li Qin's younger female cousin; a member of the Association; from the Li family clan

Li Xuyang - Li Qin's male cousin; a member of the Association; from the Li family clan

Lin Jiahe - a 19th century author who wrote the book, The Eighth Verse

Characters from The Eighth Verse —

Sheng Yi (in the Kingdom of Bei Yue) / Yi Yan (in the Kingdom of Da Jin) - one of the two protagonists; he is from the Kingdom of Bei Yue where his family was executed for treason and he was rescued by Wuchang Manor when escaping; he later went to the Kingdom of Da Jin to carry out his revenge plan

Gao Zhanpeng - one of the two protagonists; a disciple of Wuchang Manor

Liu Mengjie - a supporting character who grew up together with Sheng Yi and admires him

Fu Wanxi - a supporting character who is the young mistress of Wuchang Manor; she has arrived at the capital to look for her senior brothers

Second Prince - the main antagonist; the son of the Emperor of Bei Yue

Third Prince - a supporting character; the son of the Emperor of Bei Yue

Sect Master Fu - a supporting character; the sect master of Wuchang Manor

Places in The Eighth Verse —

Kingdom of Bei Yue - The current country which Yuhan is in.

Kingdom of Da Jin - Neighbouring country to the Kingdom of Bei Yue.

Wuchang Manor - The sect in jianghu which Fu Wanxi is from.