It had been a few days since Xiao Lian’s therapy session, but she had yet to return for the next one. Xiao Yun had made sure to tell her that she would need more sessions to be completely rid of her heart demon, so presumably she was busy with something important. Which meant he had more time for his research.

  Inside Pavilion of Ancestral wisdom, towering shelves of redwood were groaning under the weight of countless books and scrolls, their silk ties brittle with age. At a small table in the center of it all sat Xiao Yun, looking less like a young master and more like a scholar who had lost a bitter war against his own research.

  His fine silk robes rumpled and stained with ink that were once pale blue, were now a dingy grey. Dark circles ringed his eyes. His hair was a chaotic mess, held back from his face by a simple tie that was about to un-tie itself. He was physically 18, but in that moment, he felt every one of the 29 years of his previous life as a depressed struggling office worker, plus interest. Before him laid ledgers, maps, legends of genius cultivators and terrifying demonic beasts, pill recipes and decades-old crop yield reports, all were spread out like the entrails of a sacrificial beast.

  He was trying to perform a miracle: diagnose the terminal illness of his family's finances and somehow find a cure. Although they were struggling compared to other noble families, they still had some strength to spare, with elder Xiao Chong being at the Golden Core realm, and the remaining six elders all being in the various stages of the Foundation Establishment realm. Xiao Yun must have been missing something, because that kind of strength was nothing to scoff at from what he understood.

  "This is worse than the last years quarterly reports," he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. "At least then, my biggest worry was a passive-aggressive email from accounting, not getting my clan exterminated by a passing ‘arrogant young master No.7"

  A sudden burst of boisterous laughter shattered the scholarly quiet, echoing unnervingly in the cavernous room. "Xiao Yun! Brother Xiao! Your favorite friend has come to rescue you from this prison of ink and dust!"

  Xiao Yun winced. He knew that voice. It was a voice that promised hangovers, empty coin purses and rather questionable life choices.

  The heavy library doors swung open, revealing the substantial frame of Wang Jun. He was as usual, a human mountain clad in flamboyant wine-stained brocade. His round face flushed with drink and good cheer. He swayed slightly on his feet with a radiant grin plastered on his face. Behind him looking profoundly uncomfortable was the young maid servant Chunhua, who gave Xiao Yun an apologetic little bow.

  "Young Master Yun," she whispered, "Young Master Wang insisted on seeing you. I told him you were occupied but-"

  "Occupied with being boring!" Fatty Wang boomed, waving a dismissive hand. He ambled forward, his steps unsteady, leaving the scent of fruity wine and cheap perfume in his wake. As he got closer his grin faltered and he squinted at his friend.

  "Heavens above Yun!" he said with a voice laced with genuine concern. "You look terrible. Have you been sleeping in a ditch? You're more disheveled than I am and I just spent three hours winning a drinking contest at the Drunken Chicken- wait no Drunken Eagle? Crane?... ah yes at the Drunken Phoenix Pavilion!" He finally found the right words.

  ‘It must be another brothel. Did he learn nothing from our last misadventure?’ Thought Xiao Yun.

  He then looked down at his own state, then back at Fatty Wang’s rumpled and wine-splashed attire. The irony was so thick he felt he could scoop it up with a bowl. In his past life he'd had perfected the art feigning productivity and doing just enough to not get fired whenever possible. Now he was genuinely productive and looked like a degenerate. The universe had a tricky sense of humor.

  "I’m working Wang Jun." Xiao Yun said with a raspy voice.

  "Working? Working is for clerks, servants and peasants!" Fatty Wang declared, draping a heavy arm over Xiao Yun's shoulder. "A man of your stature should be pursuing pleasure! The girls at the newly opened 'Whispering Blossom House' are said to be celestial fairies descended to the mortal realm. I have it on good authority that their lead dancer, 'Jade Petal,' can pour wine with her toes. We must go investigate! For artistic appreciation, of course."

  Xiao Yun’s mind flashed to the Red Lotus Pavilion. The last famous dancer they encountered there around a month ago turned out to be a spy from a demonic sect. He wasn’t looking forward to meeting this ‘Jade Petal’, with his luck she would turn out to be another spy, or even a higher ranked member of another demonic sect.

  He gently shrugged off his friend’s arm. "I appreciate the offer Wang Jun, but I can't."

  Fatty Wang's face fell, his jowls drooping in disappointment. "Why not? Don't tell me you're still brooding. It's been a month since you locked yourself away. A man needs to sow his wild oats!"

  "Oats??? What oats? I have no oats to sow." Xiao Yun said with a weary and confused tone. "And I think it's been a few days since I last bathed. I'm fairly certain a small forest has started growing on my scalp. I also can't remember my last proper meal. I think Chunhua left some buns here yesterday or was it the day before?"

  He turned to the servant maid, who was trying to pretend she was a part of the bookshelf. "Chunhua, could you do me a favor? Please have the kitchens prepare a full meal. A roasted chicken, some stir-fried greens, a large pot of rice, and a few jugs of our best remaining wine. Set it up at the table in the East Courtyard." After some hesitation he added, “Make that two roast chickens.”

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  Then he looked at his friend. "Wang Jun, I'll pass on the toe-poured wine for now. But if you'll give me three incense sticks time, I will take a bath, change my clothes and join you for a proper meal and a drink."

  Fatty Wang's disappointment was a fleeting thing. The prospect of a brothel visit was exciting, but the idea of a private meal with the best friend he hadn't truly seen in around a month was, to his surprise, almost as good. The brooding and melancholic Xiao Yun of the past few weeks had been a stranger. This - this was a glimpse of the old camaraderie, albeit with a new and strangely focused edge.

  "A meal and a drink? With you?" Fatty Wang's face split into a wide grin again. "Excellent! A fine plan! It's been too long, Brother Yun. Too long! I shall await you in the main garden. Don't take too long scrubbing!"

  With a final, hearty clap on Xiao Yun's back that nearly sent the transmigrator face-first into a pile of tax records, Fatty Wang lumbered out of the library while whistling a jolly, off-key tune.

  Xiao Yun gathered a few crucial scrolls, nodded to Chunhua and headed towards his own residential courtyard, already dreaming of the feeling of hot water slicing the grime and exhaustion from his body.

  …No sooner had Xiao Yun’s footsteps faded, another figure appeared at the library's entrance. It was Xiao Lian. Despite being only in her mid-thirties, she carried herself with the authority of someone much older. Her frame was not delicate; it was honed and powerful from years of martial practice, her simple robes doing little to hide the toned muscle beneath. The pale silvery scar across her face was a permanent reminder that she was not a woman to be trifled with. Her expression was perpetually harsh, especially when it concerned her wastrel cousin.

  "Chunhua." she clipped out with a sharp voice. “Where is he?"

  Chunhua, still flustered from Fatty Wang’s visit, jumped. "Mistress Lian! Young Master Yun was just here."

  Xiao Lian's eyes narrowed as she caught the lingering stench of wine and perfume. Her gaze fell upon the figure of Fatty Wang who was just now wandering into the main garden, humming to himself. Her lips curled in disgust. That oaf was the root of half of Xiao Yun's problems.

  "So, the piglet has come to lure Xiao Yun back to the sty." she muttered under her breath. "Where did he go? Don't tell me they’re going out again!?"

  "Oh no Young Mistress!" Chunhua said quickly. "Young Master Wang is going to the East Courtyard to wait. Young Master Xiao has gone back to his own courtyard-"

  That was all Xiao Lian needed to hear. The pieces clicked into place in her mind with grim certainty. Fatty Wang arrives, reeking of debauchery. Xiao Yun, after a month of pretending to be a scholar with wisdom much beyond his years, immediately abandons his post and scurries back to his private quarters. She had already heard the rumors about him confining himself to the library for almost a month now and now he was returning to his old ways? The conclusion was obvious and infuriating. He was reverting to his old habits. Probably had a secret stash of wine and some giddy maid waiting for him.

  "...-to take a bath." By the time Chunhua managed to finish her sentence, Xiao Lian who had already come to her own conclusions, was long gone. She moved with a frightening speed, her robes snapping behind her as she stormed across the estate, her qi enveloped figure becoming a blur. The very existence of Fatty Wang had short-circuited her patience, leaving no room for nuance or full sentences.

  Her fury mounted with every step. All that talk of responsibility, all those days spent locked in the library, all his promises about helping her with the heart demon, was it all just a performance? A way to lull the Elders into a false sense of security? The thought of her clan's precarious situation and Xiao Yun’s blatant refusal to take it seriously made her blood boil.

  She reached Xiao Yun’s courtyard and without breaking stride kicked the gate open. It flew from its hinges with a splintering crack. She marched into the small garden, her eyes scanning for her wastrel cousin. From behind the closed doors of his chambers, she heard it: splashing sounds and a distinctly feminine sounding giggle.

  Or what she thought was a feminine giggle.

  "Unbelievable!" she hissed, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of the sword she never went without. "In broad daylight!"

  With a roar of pure frustration, she didn't bother with the handle. She drew back her leg and launched a powerful side-kick straight into the wooden door. The lock shattered, the wood splintered and the door flew inward, crashing against the far wall.

  Xiao Lian stood framed in the doorway, a fearsome goddess of righteous anger ready to unleash hell upon her fraudster cousin and his paramour.

  The scene that greeted her was not what she expected.

  The room was filled with steam. In the center of it, sitting in a large wooden tub filled with fragrant hot water was Xiao Yun. He was scrubbing his back with a long-handled loofah, a pained expression on his face as he tried to reach a particularly stubborn spot. The "feminine giggle" she'd heard was the high-pitched squeak the wet loofah made as it scraped against his skin.

  He froze, loofah held high up and slowly turned his head. Water dripped from his hair into his eyes. He blinked at his Xiao Lian, who stood amidst the wreckage of his doorway looking like a thundercloud that had just realized it had struck the wrong tree.

  A long awkward silence descended, broken only by the drip-drip-drip of water and the faint sound of splintered wood settling.

  Xiao Yun lowered the loofah. His expression wasn't one of fear or shame but of profound soul-deep weariness. It was the face of a man who had worked a sixteen-hour shift only to come home and find his neighbor had parked in his spot.

  " …Big Sis Lian." he said, his voice flat. He was using a more familiar term, he remembered original Xiao Yun using. "Did the door owe you money?"

  Xiao Lian’s jaw worked, but no sound came out. Her face that was usually a mask of stoic control cycled through a series of emotions: rage, confusion, shock and finally a creeping, horrified embarrassment that started at her neck and bloomed across her scarred cheeks like a crimson tide.

  "I... I heard splashing," she stammered, gesturing vaguely. "And Fatty Wang was here... I thought..."

  "You thought what?" Xiao Yun asked, raising an eyebrow. "That I was hosting a public bathing festival? That I'd invited the entire town for a pool party? I am trying to scrub off three days of accumulated filth and desperation. Can a man not commit to basic hygiene in his own home without having it assaulted by clan members with anger management issues?"

  Being tired, dirty and having his head baked from all the info he’d been sifting through had frankly made Xiao Yun quite irritable, otherwise he wouldn’t have the gall to talk like that to someone who could beat him unconscious with their pinky finger. It was an unwise action, even when the stronger person was in the wrong.

  Xiao Yun sighed, the sound carrying in the steamy air. He didn't look at her directly. "Later, Xiao Lian." he said, his voice low. "Come back tomorrow, we can continue with our conversation regarding the heart demon." He gestured vaguely towards the door with the loofah, then added almost as an afterthought, "I… seem to be busy at the moment."

  Already embarrassed more than she had been in her entire life, the fierce Xiao Lian quietly turned around and left obediently, as if she was the naughty younger individual and Xiao Yun the older, more mature one.