买椟还珠 (mǎidúhuánzhū) - to buy a box and refuse the pearls inside it, i.e., show poor judgment.

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Zyu Ji Sang worked through the night, her acupuncture needles flashing as a pot of medicine soup brewed nearby. The 'ghost' had to swallow all kinds of strange pills and tonics, some that tasted worse than the mud at the bottom of the lake!

It was only as the sun was coming up and Zyu Ji Sang was putting her needles away that Miss Fén suddenly appeared beside them, looking a little rumpled but otherwise cheerful. She handed a bundle over to Zyu Ji Sang, who silently raised an eyebrow but said nothing and packed it away without opening it.

"Here, shīmei, I bet you're still hungry." Miss Fén was carrying a basket in her other hand, inside of which was a still-warm pot of congee, rice porridge. The 'ghost's' stomach gurgled in response. She tried to rise and bow to hide the embarrassment she felt in front of this attractive woman. Her eyes had almost become heart-shaped from the first moment she had seen Miss Fén at the edge of the lake that morning.

"This is too much... please, this food..."

"Is it plain?" Zyu Ji Sang demanded. "She's already thrown up all that rice you gave her before-"

"It's plain, it's plain."

"... and... I do not deserve the honour of being called shīmei..."

"What should I call you then?" Miss Fén asked, blowing on a spoonful of congee before offering it to the bashful cultivator.

"Oh... I don't... I... can't remember my name-" Before she could speak another word, Miss Fén had pushed the spoon into her mouth.

"Well, if you don't want to be called shīmei... Hm, I know, 'Méi Guī'(1)! What do you think?"

A pink tinge appeared on the cultivator's ravaged face. "Please stop teasing m-" She received another spoon of congee.

"I need to sleep. Where are you staying?" Zyu Ji Sang asked, ignoring the antics of the other two.

"A little house in the village to the west of here. I put a talisman on the door, you'll see it straight away."

Zyu Ji Sang left without another word.

"Is she upset?" the cultivator asked nervously.

"No, she's just a very serious and taciturn person. She was born with a strong Metal element. You'll get used to it. How do you feel?"

"Better."

Miss Fén nodded. The cultivator was already starting to look less like a ghoul and slightly more human. A pink tinge was appearing in that awful sallow skin and the wounds on her face had been patched up. She was, of course, still terribly thin and undernourished, and that would take time to remedy.

"How is your memory now, Meí Guī?"

The cultivator pushed aside her embarrassment to answer, "Still not too good. I think I have been here for a while, so things are very hazy. I can tell you every hollow in the lake bed, but my name, and why I'm here..."

Miss Fén listened carefully, while her eyes darted all over Meí Guī's body. Meí Guī couldn't help but wrap the cloak a little tighter around her, but Miss Fén reached out and deftly plucked up the tattered hem of Meí Guī's white dress.

"Fine silk," she was murmuring to herself. "Delicate stitching, what remains of it. This is high quality... But it looks like a funeral robe..."

"Miss Fén?"

Miss Fén sat back with a cheerful grin. She winced as her dry lips cracked and immediately dipped her hands in the lake to drink some water. "In order to break your curse, I need to have some idea of its nature. And since your memory isn't good, it's imperative that we find out more about you to get some clues. Meí Guī, I'm sorry, this may take a while, but I promise that I will free you from here."

Somewhere in the words, a bird was calling, sweet piping notes that fell like shining gems through the fresh morning air. In the pink and gold light that surrounded them, Meí Guī felt a rush of some emotion she had not felt in a long time, a kind of warmth like the touch of sunlight that reached within her and brought tears to her eyes. Before Miss Fén could say anything else, she began to cry.

Meí Guī bowed stiffly to Miss Fén until her head touched the ground. "I... I have nothing to give you... but if you can free me from here, I... I will follow you for life!"

"I don't need your life, Xiăo Meí(2)," Miss Fén said, bemused, lifting the crying Meí Guī up. "Think of this as... a good deed for you to pay forwards. I help you in the hope that you will help someone else in the future."

"I will! I will! I will follow your example and help those in need. And that includes you, Miss Fén. If you are ever in need and I can help you in some way, please call for me."

Miss Fén laughed. "Thank me when I free you."

"I know you will." Meí Guī smiled, though it hurt her damaged face and mouth. But her eyes, beginning to heal under Zyu Ji Sang's ministrations, were already shining and showing signs of a kind of gentle and vital beauty.

Miss Fén squeezed her hand very gently, careful not to injure her further. "Why don't you sleep now? I'll build you a camouflaged shelter so you can rest in the future without fear."

Sleep! How long had it been since Meí Guī had slept properly? The constant fear of being caught or harmed by the villagers, the discomfort of her injuries and the cold water of the lake - all these things had made sleep unpleasant and fleeting. But now, lying on the steadily warming grass by the water's edge, wrapped in Miss Fén's comfortable cloak that smelt of her, Meí Guī, although so happy that she wanted to stay awake forever, finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

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"Hm...this looks like Old Chūn(3) style. A little rough, but very long lasting. Of course, it would have been top class at the time it was made."

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Miss Fén was standing in a fabric merchant's shop, a long way from the small village and the lake where Meì Guī now slept in a hidden shelter. The merchant in front of her was carefully inspecting a scrap of white fabric with a hand lens. Miss Fén had cut it from the hem of Meì Guī's dress.

"Old Chūn, huh?"

"Certainly. Being pure white, and with this quality, this resembles Old Chūn funeral wear for nobles or royalty."

"So our Xiào Guī is someone like that... Perhaps..." Miss Fén murmured to herself. She smiled at the merchant and slipped him a silver coin. "Thank you for your help, shūshū(4)."

"That fabric is not worth much now," the merchant shrugged, but he pocketed the coin. "One hundred and fifty years ago it would have been a different story, but textile production has advanced rapidly since then."

"What's the fastest route to the Chūn Kingdom?"

The merchant gave Miss Fén a dubious look. Here was an attractive young woman, dressed in adventurer's garb from leather boots to boyishly tied-back hair. Rich pearls glowed at her ears, so she clearly had money. She didn't look like a scholar or a merchant, so why was she so curious?

Still, she had given him a nice payment, so he offered generously, "You will want to head south first. The border road between our kingdom and Gū Kingdom in the south will get you most of the way, so follow it west until you reach the border post. The guards can direct you from there."

"The Gū Kingdom?"

"Yeah, you know. 'Gū'(5), the Criminal Kingdom. The Kingdom of Empty Stomachs. No?" He looked at her quizzically. "I guess you're not from around here. Have you not heard of the Zhū Kingdom before?"

Zhū!

Miss Fén's pupils dilated rapidly but she held herself still with all her willpower and in the relatively dim light in the shop, the merchant did not notice. She toyed with the flask at her hip. "Ah, of course. I have heard of that name. Those nicknames...?"

The merchant spat. "How dare a place like that have such an auspicious name? 'Gū' is more suitable for them."

Miss Fén straightened herself quickly, merely saying, "Well those instructions sound very simple. Thank you again, shūshū."

She replaced her hat as she left the shop, this time drawing her hat veil around herself to hide her appearance. Slipping through the crowded streets like a spirit, anyone who noticed her would not have thought her the same person who had arrived in town bold and carefree, almost everyone's eyes on her. But no one noticed.

She tried to keep her thoughts formless too. She did not dare to look at them too long. She doubted she would like what she would find.

Nightfall found Miss Fén skimming through the forests near the border road, without once touching the ground. She had not gone back to the village to tell Meì Guī and Zyu Ji Sang of her findings, as she felt that if she didn't leave immediately, she would never go. She had to pass the border of Zhū as soon as possible.

Miss Fén almost didn't realise she had run out of forest, so intent was she on outrunning her own thoughts. She reined her rapid flight quickly, pulling back under the cover of the trees, but not before a voice rang out:

"Who goes there? Come out and be identified!"

Miss Fén breathed slowly and deeply, letting the energy and tension in her diffuse. There was no point in acting rashly.

Rashly is exactly how the guard would act, the longer she hid in the woods. She could feel his nervousness radiating between the trees towards her like a mouse that knows the cat is nearby, but can't tell where.

With a casual smile on her face and a sweeping flourish of her veil, she stepped into the open, almost directly into the guard's spear. She had gambled correctly - he was a young man, surely a fresh recruit. His hands were shaking so much she thought her might stab her on accident.

"Who are you?" he demanded squeakily. He cleared his throat, embarrassed, and tried again. "Why were you hiding in the woods?"

Miss Fén smiled coyly, and with mock discreteness, adjusted her clothing a little. "I had some business to attend to, sir."

The guard turned so red he almost illuminated the evening air. Miss Fén took advantage of his state to step forward, so that he was forced to step back, spear still held in front of him.

"I'm headed to the Chūn Kingdom. Am I headed in the right direction?"

"Yes... yes! This is the correct way. But it will take you another two days, and it's dangerous to travel at night, Miss. You should stop at the border town where our soldiers stay. Just watch out for those Gū dogs, they're always sneaking around."

He shivered. Something seemed slightly odd, as if something inhuman were staring coldly out of Miss Fén's grey-brown eyes.

But her smile broadened and that momentary sensation disappeared as she replaced her hat.

"Thank you. I'll do that."

She did not, in fact, stay at the border town.

She did, however, observe it from a nearby tree.

Unsettled, was her first though. Like gunpowder, was her second, like all it needed was the slightest spark and the whole thing would explode.

Even in the deepening night, she could sense the unease and restlessness of the inhabitants. The Zhū people were obvious - they slunk about like beaten dogs, each wearing a black cloth somewhere on their person. Miss Fén was unable to get a clear look at the shape that was emblazoned on the cloth, despite her excellent eyesight - the Zhū tended to try and shamefully hide it as much as they could.

Usually, she would have dismissed this from her mind and continued on her way, but something itched at her brain and she had to know what it was.

She dropped down from the tree and slipped silently into the shadow of a house just as a rowdy group of drunk men, still in military uniform, burst from a nearby tavern, evidently finally turfed out by the exasperated publican. They immediately stumbled into a Zhū man and laid into him, beating him until he stopped moving. Then, congratulating themselves on a job well done, they stumbled home.

Miss Fén immediately slipped out to the man's side. He was still conscious, having laid still and pretended to have fainted to save him from a worse beating. Still, both of his eyes were swollen and some of his ribs cracked, and his nose dripping blood incessantly. He was trying to stand as Miss Fén approached, and he cringed back when he saw she was not wearing a black cloth.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. I'm a friend," she assured him softly in the Zhū tongue, spreading her hands to show them empty. The man stared dumbly at her, not sure what to make of the situation. His black cloth had come loose from his shoulder and slipped to his elbow, and at last Miss Fén could see the image on it.

It was a worm.

A common, lowest of the low worm, useless and incapable compared to the excellent and outstanding (6).

A rush of comprehension filled Miss Fén's mind and for a moment, her vision went black.

Something must have shown on her face, as the man before her had scuttled backwards in terror, dragging his injured body and leaving a trail of blood. His hands were clutched to something at his neck, but he had to let it go to hold his damaged ribs. The rushing vortex in Miss Fén's mind ceased as her eyes fell on the pendant he wore.

It was crudely carved from very low quality soapstone, and threaded with an old worn cord, but the shape was unmistakably that of a dragon. A coiled dragon, holding what could only be a pearl, never mind that it was misshapen and rough. Miss Fén saw it, and all her anger was extinguished in the soft rain of sadness.

They hung in silence for a moment, she with her eyes fixed on the dragon, he breathless and frightened, watching for her next movement.

"Leave," she said at last. "All of you, all the Zyu people. You need to leave now."

He stared, uncomprehending, until a few drops of rain began to splash down on his face. The faint smell of rising petrichor began to permeate the air. He looked at her eyes and saw that they were the grey-brown of a slow moving river. His lips moved, as if he were about to speak, but he closed them against without a sound, and bowed deeply before her, his head to the floor.

They both left, he to gather the others and race, frightened, into the night, and she down to the nearest stream.

The border town was flattened by a typhoon that night.

Howling winds tore through streets, snatching roof tiles and thatching and gouging at the walls. Water slewed down in sheets, picking up everything and everyone, and carrying them away so that for weeks afterwards, as the kingdom's meteorologists scratched their heads over this strange and unseasonable storm, and so localised, clean-up teams were finding bodies hundreds of li(7) away, carried by floodwaters.

All night, surrounded by screaming gales and the inexorable beating of rain, Miss Fén stood in the swelling water of the stream, and cried, and cried.