First Phase

The bustling streets of Xianyang City were a cocktail of sensory experiences.

From the scent of different foods and spices emanating from the plethora of food carts, tea houses, and taverns to the sight of high-flying banners, glittering carriages, and an endless stream of pedestrians, the city was alive. The sounds of haggling, bargaining, and negotiations between merchants and their customers mingled with the constant movement of horse carriages, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

The streets extended along Dongxi River to a much calmer and less active suburban area to the west, lined with houses, ox-driven carts delivering goods, and people carrying out various daily activities.

Zhao Mingyao, Li Xiulan, and Su Mei stood at the entrance of yet another workshop. "Hall of Fragrant Beauty" were the characters that named the place, and several women could be seen moving in and out.

Su Mei was excited to see what new rouges, face powders, hairpins, and other beauty products were available. She held the hands of the two women beside her and yanked them inside.

Inside was a field of flowers, with beautiful women moving from section to section, browsing. Amazing scents engulfed the area. A variety of gorgeous accessories—hairpins, earrings, fans, necklaces, and more—were on display. Mei eagerly dragged Mingyao along to try out various things.

Mingyao was already tired from the previous shopping spree of fine fabrics—brocades, satin, silk. Yes, they were beautiful, but did they really need that many? she thought. But Mei was happy with them, so she went along with it, acquiring an array of vibrant fabrics, each interesting in color, texture, and design.

Now, Mingyao was about to endure another round of being Mei's dress-up doll. She didn't want to, but she couldn't refuse her, so she was thinking of a way to free herself from Mei's clutches and sneak off to Yin Lian Pavilion to talk with Yue Ying. But...

Mei couldn't stop talking about the new and popular Fanghua Hall, so they might as well visit the place—and so they did.

For the first time since she had turned female, Mingyao was dressed with makeup. Mei applied a lightly scented powder to enhance Mingyao's fair skin while making it smell pleasant. She then applied red rouge on her lips to enhance her face and a soft pink paste on her eyelids and cheeks. Mei added a nice hairpin into Mingyao's jet-black hair—one with a simple design—before tucking in tiny flowers that tied the look together. It was evident that Mei enjoyed doing this, so Mingyao couldn't help but wonder: Why didn't she like doing this for herself?

"Wow, you look beautiful, my prin—princess! My princess," Xiulan commented.

"You really do, Mingyao jiejie! You should do this more often," Mei added, showing her reflection in a bronze mirror.

And she did look beautiful, but the whole thing felt slightly uncomfortable and very unfamiliar. Still, she appreciated how well it enhanced her beauty. She saw a familiar face that almost brought her to tears, but before her emotions became visible, she hid them away. Now was not the time to be sentimental and emotional, she thought.

Then an idea came to her mind.

"What about you, Meimei? Do you not want to look beautiful?"

"No, it's okay. Such things are not for me."

"Nonsense. Xiulan, can you help with this?"

"I have never attended to a woman before, so I am not sure how to do it, but I can try."

"No, don't bother, Xiulan jiejie and Mingyao jiejie. I like the way I am right now."

"Do you need assistance?" A bright young woman attending to customers at the shop approached Mingyao when she noticed their dilemma.

"Yes, I would appreciate it very much. The two of us don't know much about makeup and cosmetics, and we want to help our friend look beautiful. Could you do it for us?"

"One moment, I will be with you after I get someone to help with the other women."

"Okay, thank you. We appreciate it."

With that, she went through a door to a room behind the counter. Within moments, she returned with another young woman, giving her some kind of instructions before coming back to Zhao Mingyao and her group.

The bright woman got to work quickly, and her expertise in beauty was evident. As she worked on Su Mei's face, the other woman who had come back with her approached Mingyao, signaling for her to follow her to the back. Mingyao was confused by the whole thing, but she went along with it—perhaps she would find a way to escape from the shop through the back, she thought.

Xiulan noticed Mingyao following the other woman and wanted to go along, but Mingyao gestured for her to stay and keep Mei occupied. Xiulan hesitated but complied.

At the back, it was what one would expect—a storage area for most of the products on display. At the far end, there was a table with seats around it. The girl led Mingyao to the table, where she revealed herself as a member of the Yin Lian Pavilion, specifically from the infiltration and scout division.

From the shadows, Xue She, a member of the assassination and execution division of Yin Lian Pavilion and Mingyao's secret bodyguard, revealed herself.

"Xue She and Ye Lan greet the Pavilion Master."

So that was why they had been treated with such care. Mingyao had noticed how perceptive and quick the staff were in offering their help, but she had assumed it was simply because they were attentive to their customers. She hadn't realized this was a branch of Yin Lian. Yue Ying is really good at her job, she thought.

"I want to leave and go meet Yue Ying. Is there a way for me to do so?"

"Sect Master has sent a message that she will be with you at Yin Yue Tea House. Like this place, it is also a branch of Yin Lian."

That was much more convenient for Mingyao, as heading to Yin Lian Pavilion would have been much more difficult.

"Xue She."

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

"Can we head there while Su Mei is still occupied? I don't think I will get another chance like this."

"Right this way, Pavilion Master."

Xue She led Mingyao outside and immediately started using her lightness skill, expecting Mingyao to follow her. However, Mingyao was still at the steel level of outer strength, so anything involving qi and internal energy manipulation was beyond her ability. Walking there would have been too much trouble, as they had been traveling by carriage for most of their shopping.

Xue She was confused as to why Mingyao wasn't following her over the walls and rooftops, but she quickly returned, picked Mingyao up, and carried her on her back. With incredible speed, she dashed over the green-tiled roofs and high walls, running as fast as she could. Finally, they arrived at Silver Moon Tea House.

A smile crept onto Mingyao's face as she observed the traffic flowing in and out of the tea shop. Funds must not be a problem, she thought. Let's start the first phase.

And with that, she walked in.