"I am an innocent soul, harassed by an unjust system for no crime worse than caring...too...much!" He Xuan swooned dramatically, and then flitted away from the yamen runners just as they came within reach, somehow managing to be both flailing and speedy. He was really quite something.
"Ol' Feng?"
They turned back to Yu Yanli. "Ah sorry, I was just watching He Xuan. Do I really sound like that?"
"Uh," said Yu Yanli, not meeting their eyes. "Anyway. We're here."
She Qingxuan looked again at the path in front of them, and realised they were standing at the entrance to a dilapidated old building, its plain wooden exterior hidden in the shadows of the tall stone walls circling the academy.
"This building is technically part of the treasury," said Yu Yanli, "but it's the part no-one cares about, where the academy keeps all its old records and least favourite relics. That means security is relatively lax, and we hopefully won't bump into Shen Xiaowan or anyone else."
Ah, right! Shi Qingxuan remembered that Shen Xiaowan had been going to the treasury herself. This really was a few too many coincidences.
"What if that's what she wants us to think?" said Shi Qingxuan. "What if this is all her plan?! Maybe we should just let He Xuan blow up the academy after all haha."
Yu Yanli made a sad face.
"Fine, fine," said Shi Qingxuan. "Just because she's an ass doesn't mean she's up to anything nefarious. And I'm sure she's not clever enough to outsmart all of us."
"I'd certainly like to think so," said Yu Yanli. "Now, just wait a moment while I open this lock." She stared at the bespelled metal mechanism and frowned. "Arrays and talismans really aren't my strong point..." she muttered, as she started to cast an unlocking spell.
Shi Qingxuan nodded, and turned around to see how things were going with He Xuan.
Having escaped his pursuers once again, he was now running across some pond stones shouting that the watching bystanders should join him in opposing corruption and fighting for the good of the oppressed. "We will probably die in the attempt," he shouted, "But what is death to those whose hearts are pure?"
The crowd of onlookers didn't seem convinced by his argument, but also seemed too amused by his antics to interfere.
"He Xuan," laughed Shi Qingxuan, "you missed your calling as a comedian!"
He Xuan's cold voice beside their ear was a contrast to the bright voice he was using to taunt the runners. "Who has time to be the butt of jokes with you around?"
"Hey! I'm not-"
And then a familiar voice rang out from the crowd. "Wait! I recognise his face!"
"Uh oh," said Shi Qingxuan. "Is that Ban Ruojun? Are you going to be alright?"
He Xuan snorted derisively.
"That man is a ghost!" cried the voice. Yeah, that was definitely Ban Ruojun, in full "all ghosts are evil" mode. Shi Qingxuan's heart clenched in anxiety. "He has stolen the face of a visitor to the academy!" she continued. "We can only hope the poor woman has not been hurt!"
"Behold the brilliant ghost hunter," scoffed 'the poor woman', sounding so unconcerned that Shi Qingxuan's anxiety settled a little.
"A ghost?" sputtered a yamen runner, his voice wavering between fear and doubt. "I'm not here to arrest a ghost! I thought he was just some crippled guy!"
There was muttering from the crowd.
"I have a spell which will prove it!" said Ban Ruojun. "I...um. I haven't had a chance to test it much, and you may have to squint to see it clearly. But if he's a powerful ghost you'll be able to see the evil he exudes as a faint cloud of darkness. Or...not, in which case he's just a man, and you can arrest him like normal. But I'm quite sure he's a ghost!"
There was a pause, and some further unconvinced sounding muttering. Shi Qingxuan had certainly never heard of a spell like that. And then the sound of a guqin rang out across the grounds.
"Who carries a guqin around with them?" muttered Shi Qingxuan. They'd had a few guqin lessons in their youth, and those things were heavy.
Ban Ruojun began to play an eerie, discordant song that made the hair stand up on the back of Shi Qingxuan's neck. They listened, tense, worried that He Xuan might be in danger from all these cultivators if he was revealed as a ghost. But as the song continued and nothing happened, they began to let themselves relax. Ban Ruojun was a strong cultivator, but He Xuan was a Supreme Ghost King. There was no way she'd be able to force him to reveal his true nature, even with his powers repressed by the protection array.
And then the air rippled, and the crowd let out a collective gasp. After a moment, those gasps turned to screams as the air around He Xuan turned a deep, roiling black. Clouds of resentment boiled up into the air, engulfing the nearby people and nearly blocking the sun.
Shi Qingxuan's anxiety turned into a deep, paralysing dread.
At the sound of all the screaming, Yu Yanli turned to look, and then stared open mouthed at the swirling morass that was He Xuan's aura. "What...the...hell is he?!"
"A ghost!" cried Shi Qingxuan. "And Ban Ruojun hates ghosts and she's going to hurt him!"
"Don't be afraid!" shouted Ban Ruojun. "We can fight this thing! Remember your training! Trap him before he can escape!" She struck her guqin again, and this time was joined by the sound and light of other cultivators adding their own power to hers, in a cavalcade of spells and songs and talismans. Under other circumstances, Shi Qingxuan would be admiring her leadership skills, but right now they could only wish she'd go back to being shy and cowardly.
There was no way a mortal like Ban Ruojun would normally be able to so much as dent He Xuan's power. But with the protection array, and the joined power of all these people...
He Xuan was incredibly powerful. He should untouchable, unkillable. Safe. But Shi Qingxuan had thought the same thing about themself, once upon a time. They'd felt like their brother was unkillable, too, right until the moment his lifeblood had splattered across their face.
"He Xuan!" shouted Shi Qingxuan through the array. "Abandon that body and get out of here!"
"You fail to understand how distractions work..." replied He Xuan. Was it Shi Qingxuan's imagination, or did his voice sound weaker than usual? "I'll free myself when you're gone. So go!"
"But they might have seriously hurt you by then!" They started heading towards him. "I'll come help! You gave me enough spiritual power to make a pretty big distraction of my own!"
"This changes nothing," sent He Xuan. He was barely visible now, a tiny body in the centre of a glowing ball of light and flying talismans. "Stop paying attention to me and start-" And then he let out a grunt of pain.
Shi Qingxuan felt like the bottom had fallen out of the world. Nothing should be able to hurt He Xuan. He was dead, and the most powerful sort of dead thing you could be. Surely he had suffered enough in dying, and gaining that power, that he should be free from all pain going forward.
"He Xuan!" sent Shi Qingxuan, but got no reply. They started walking faster, and shouting towards the crowd at the top of their lungs. They pushed past a crowd of younger students who had stopped to watch the older cultivators attacking the supposed enemy in their midst. "Stop! He's a good person! He doesn't deserve this!"
"Shut up and get out of here!" roared He Xuan, with all the terrifying power of the Reverend of Empty Words. The miasma around him became even thicker and darker. The light was extinguished, the talismans burned, the crowd hidden in shadow. And in the middle was nothing but darkness, an empty void where a person should be.
"I..." Shi Qingxuan's heart quailed, and their feet refused to take them any further forward.
They had never stopped being terrified of the Reverend of Empty Words. It was fear incarnate, the shadow that had haunted Shi Qingxuan for two centuries, the catalyst for all the worst and most traumatic moments in their life.
Their mind was overcome with all the childhood terror that voice inspired, with the memories of He Xuan's betrayal, with visions of their brother's death. Shi Wudu's voice in their head told them to run, to stay safe, to only worry about themself.
But Shi Wudu was gone, and He Xuan needed them in the here and now.
Shi Qingxuan took a breath and steadied themself before shouting back, their voice hoarse and shaking. "I...I refuse to just abandon you!"
"What are you going to do?" laughed He Xuan, as the cultivators rallied against his fierce display of power, filling the air with arrays and flying slips of yellow paper. "Tell them that I'm not a ghost? That I'm not dangerous?"
He had a point. Shi Qingxuan's voice wouldn't count for much when everyone could literally see what kind of being He Xuan was. But this crowd weren't the only people their voice could reach. "Then...I'll contact His Highness to ask Hua Cheng for help!"
"And have me owe him even more than I do now? I'd rather be trapped in a jar for eternity!"
Stupid, stubborn, ridiculous man!
Yu Yanli jogged up to Shi Qingxuan, and pulled on their arm. "Look, there's nothing you or I can do to help right now. The best thing we can do is get out of here and then come back with reinforcements once everything has calmed down." She spoke into their joint array. "With an aura that powerful...you're a wrath, aren't you He Xuan?"
He Xuan snorted.
"See, Ol' Feng," said Yu Yanli, cheerfully. "Even a crowd this big won't be able to do much to a wrath."
"I am the Supreme Ghost King Black Water Sinking Ships," said He Xuan in a deep, cold voice. "And if you don't get this self-sacrificing pain in my ass out of here I am going to destroy your entire school and everyone in it."
"You're..." Yu Yanli stared at the giant ominous cloud surrounding He Xuan, eyes wide with fear. And then she took Shi Qingxuan's arm again, but this time her hand was shaking slightly. "R-right then! Come on Ol' Feng! I've got the door open, let's get out of here while we can!"
"But...He Xuan..."
"If you are determined to sacrifice yourself for me," said He Xuan. "Sacrifice your pigheaded sentimentality instead of your life. Do you actually think you can help right now, or are you just afraid of looking like a bad person for leaving me?"
"I..." Shi Qingxuan sniffed and wiped their eyes.
They realised this was the first time they'd ever seen He Xuan in real danger. He'd faked it a few times as Ming Yi, and that had been awful enough (even if they now knew that He Xuan had engineered it all specifically to make Shi Qingxuan feel bad). But even when they'd thought that pain was real, Shi Qingxuan had been there to comfort him, to fuss over his wounds and carry him to safety. They'd been worried for him, but able to direct that worry into making sure their friend was taken care of.
It felt so much worse to know he was in real danger, and to be able to do nothing. To be told to leave him behind.
It hurt. It hurt to see He Xuan under threat, and it hurt to feel like they were nothing but a burden. To know that they were the reason he was in danger in the first place, because he'd thrown himself into trouble to keep Shi Qingxuan safe.
It hurt so much they didn't want to accept it. They wanted to throw themself into danger too, not because it would help, but because it would hurt less than walking away.
"You're right," they said, at last. "I can't help you, not right now." They took a deep breath. "But if you don't get yourself out of this I'm asking Crimson Rain Sought Flower to help, whether you like it or not!"
"Thanks for the extra motivation," muttered He Xuan. "Now go."
The inside of the auxiliary treasury building was dark and dusty, as if no-one had been in here for some time. After the bright conflagration outside, Shi Qingxuan found it hard to see, and stood in the doorway blinking back tears and wiping their eyes. Yu Yanli ignited a palm torch and gently pulled their arm. "Come on. Let's get going."
"Right," said Shi Qingxuan. "He Xuan is going to be fine!" They strained to hear what was going on outside, but once the door closed behind them all they could hear was the occasional loud chord and muffled shout, and within a few steps not even that. They would have to rely on faith, and hope.
"It's not him I'm worried about," said Yu Yanli, as she led them slowly and carefully down a flight of stairs into a windowless stone hallway. "If anyone finds out I invited a Supreme Ghost King into the academy I..." She clenched her fists in worry. "I thought Black Water Sinking Ships was a myth!"
"Oh, you've heard of him?"
"As a sea monster sailors tell stories about to make girls squeal!" Yu Yanli let out a groan. "And I called him the pale guy with the fish to his face."
Shi Qingxuan did feel a little bad for Yu Yanli, but seeing how scared she was of He Xuan was a useful reminder of how ridiculously powerful he was. A bunch of school-kid cultivators wouldn't hurt him. They pushed aside the visions of He Xuan captured or hurt and forced their feet to keep walking.
"He Xuan's not...well he is the sort to hold a grudge," they said. "But not about that sort of thing. Anyway, he likes you." Shi Qingxuan's heart twinged with affection, thinking about how sweet and kind He Xuan was under all the bluster.
Their path took them past the doorless entrance to a room coming off the hallway, but peering inside they saw nothing but piles of dust-covered storage chests and shelves filled with yellowing scrolls. This place really did feel forgotten.
Yu Yanli snorted. "Then I'd hate to see what he's like around people he doesn't like."
"Haha," said Shi Qingxuan, their affectionate thoughts leavened by memories of He Xuan being a little less than kind and sweet. "Yeah you...don't want to see that."
They kept walking. Surely they must be past the walls by now, right? But Yu Yanli kept leading them further in, until they finally reached the end of the hallway. Beyond it was yet another room filled with storage chests, piled so high the room was mostly in shadow. But there was an empty space at the back of the room large enough to cast an array.
"I'm only half sure this will work..." said Yu Yanli. "Do you still have enough spiritual power to cast a distance shortening array? "
Shi Qingxuan experimentally cast a spell to switch the colour of their robes, and sure enough found they could use their spiritual energy without any trouble.
They'd been avoiding contacting He Xuan since they entered the building, not wanting to distract him, or to hear anything that might make them lose their nerve. But they sent him a message updating him on the situation, and got a vague grunt as a reply. At least he was still...verbal...ish?
Shi Qingxuan reminded themself that the sooner they got out of here, the sooner He Xuan could do the same.
"Just stand back and let your shizun handle it!" they told Yu Yanli with a flick of their wrists. "I'll have us both out of here in no-"
There was the sound of wind rushing past paper, though until moments ago the air had been entirely still. And then Shi Qingxuan felt something strike them in the chest. Looking down, they saw a yellow talisman had attached itself to the front of their clothes. All of a sudden their legs felt weak, and they fell to the floor. They heard a bang behind them- was that Yu Yanli falling too? Or something else?
In a panic, they tried contacting He Xuan, and then Yu Yanli, and then Xie Lian. But to their horror they realised that their spiritual power was completely gone. And so was their ability to move. They could barely turn their head to look around, let alone get up, and all they could see in front of them was the same empty room.
For one brief, horrible moment they thought that perhaps He Xuan had been right to be suspicious of Yu Yanli. Shi Qingxuan had been wrong about a friend's motives before. Specifically, a friend who led them to a lonely place with the promise of an array to safety.
But then they heard footsteps coming from the darkness further inside the room, and were passed by the gentle swish of a skirt so overburdened with embroidery that it had become stiff. They heard an inarticulate cry of frustration from behind them.
"Help!" shouted Shi Qingxuan. Their tongue felt thick and useless, but they could still form words with some effort. "Help! We're trapped! We've been attacked by-urk!"
They cried out in pain as a delicately clad foot kicked them square in the stomach, the kick so vicious that they were pushed over onto their back. They turned their head, and saw Yu Yanli collapsed on the ground behind them. "Save your breath, you'll need it later," hissed Shen Xiaowan. "Nobody will hear you down here but me."
"Leave them alone!" shouted Yu Yanli, but that only got her kicked too.
"Yu Yanli?" said Shi Qingxuan. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she coughed, "Well, except for whatever this shitty talisman is doing to me."
"Ah, shimei," said Shen Xiaowan, her voice floating down from high above them. "You really should have paid more attention to your arrays and talismans." She tapped a finger against her chin, thoughtfully. "Or perhaps you haven't learned paralysis spells yet. You are still so ignorant, and it's too late to do much about it now."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Yu Yanli's voice trembled with fury, and perhaps a little fear.
Shen Xiaowan rolled her eyes. "Do you really think you know any secrets about the academy that I do not?"
Yu Yanli hissed. "Apparently not. But what are you doing? Was this really all a plot by you to...what? Hurt He Xuan? Get Mistress Feng arrested? What the hell did they ever do to you?"
Shi Qingxuan was less interested in that question, and more interested in knowing what Shen Xiaowan planned to do to them next. That remark about needing your breath for later did not bode well.
"Ahahaha! You had no idea, did you?" laughed Shen Xiaowan. "My men to catch you, or drive you here if you managed to escape them. Ban Ruojun to take care of your ghost if it caused any trouble. Me waiting for you in the dark. Everything went exactly as I planned it. You walked right into my trap and you didn't suspect a thing!"
"You were super shady!" said Shi Qingxuan. "We suspected you right away!" Sure, it hadn't done them any good, but it still counted!
"I just didn't think you were this ridiculous," said Yu Yanli. "What is this all even for?"
"You dare call me ridiculous?" asked Shen Xiaowan. "Did you really think you could just walk away from being a beggar and common whore? You must have known the truth would catch up to you eventually. You didn't even change your name!"
"There's... there's no rule saying a whore can't learn cultivation," said Yu Yanli, looking a little embarrassed, but unbowed. "And I'm fairly sure there are rules against attacking your shimei for no reason."
"No reason?" said Shen Xiaowan. "I have plenty of reasons! And you're an embarrassment to the academy, everyone will be too glad to see the back of you to ask too many questions."
Shen Xiaowan walked towards the back of the room, and bent down. What was she up to?
"Because of her past?" said Shi Qingxuan. "What does that matter? She's an excellent student now, isn't she? Talented, hard working...why should she suffer because she did what she had to do to survive?"
"If it was just her past I wouldn't care," said Shen Xiaowan, moving her hands as she talked. Was she drawing an array? That would certainly explain the convenient empty space. "I wouldn't even know! But it seems her idea of 'talent' is seducing venerable cultivators to boost her spiritual energy. Her idea of 'hard work' is asking fellow students to help her commit murder. She even let a ghost into the academy! From the panicked messages Ban-shimei has been sending me, your 'bodyguard' may be the greatest threat the academy has ever faced!"
Yu Yanli let out a bitter laugh. "Courtesans have nothing on you academy girls for digging up gossip." She gave a sigh. "I've been out of the game for too long. I screwed this all up."
"I'll say you did!" replied Shen Xiaowan, in an aggrieved tone, standing up and turning back to glare at Yu Yanli. "I've seen children arrange assassinations with more subtlety! Girls barely out of the nursery conduct their affairs with more discretion!" She walked over to one of the chests piled around the room, and started taking out various spiritual items and staring at them one by one, keeping some and throwing the rest back with aggressive force. "At first I merely planned to take you aside, and explain how such things are done. But then I dug a little deeper, and your misconduct was more heinous than I could possibly have imagined. Even before the events of today it was only a matter of time before rumours of your infamous behaviour spread far enough that the school would had to expel you to save its reputation."
"Oh," said Yu Yanli, sounding like she was holding back tears. "Damn." Shi Qingxuan's heart ached for their friend. She had worked so hard to find her place here, and now it was all for nothing.
Shen Xiaowan pulled a sword out of another box and admired the heft of it in her hands. And then she turned to approach Shi Qingxuan with the sword raised in the air. They tried in vain to shrink back, terrified. "Wait, Shen Xiaowan," they stammered, "Lady Shen! Didn't you say that murder was bad for the school's reputation?!"
"Not if nobody finds out," she said with a smile. She knelt down...and tucked the sword into Shi Qingxuan's belt, and then dropped something cool and hard in their sleeves that felt like it was made of crystal. What was she doing?! "Tell me, Mistress Feng," she asked, in a conversational tone, "what do you think of the old Watermaster, Shi Wudu?"
Shi Qingxuan sucked in a breath, thrown off balance by this unexpected shift of topic. "I..." They closed their eyes, and tried not to let their voice reveal that she'd happened to hit upon a painful subject. "There was no-one more loyal or determined in all the Heavens. I l-loved him with all my heart."
This didn't seem to be the answer she'd been hoping for, and she frowned and stood back up. "Typical. Well, don't expect his sword to protect you."
Oh. Of course. A fancy school like this would naturally have holy items connected to the gods it was devoted to. And when those gods fell out of favour, so would anything affiliated with them. These storage rooms must be full of once priceless artefacts, now tainted by their association with Shi Qingxuan and their brother.
The sword sat against Shi Qingxuan's stomach as a heavy weight. But it was comforting, in a way, to have something of their brother's here with them. And while Shen Xiaowan clearly didn't intend for the sword to do Shi Qingxuan any good, it was still a weapon. Maybe their brother could still protect them even now. Shi Qingxuan bit their lip to keep these thoughts to themself.
"And I hope you enjoy these ever-so-holy relics of the Lady Windmaster," continued Shen Xiaowan, walking over to Yu Yanli. "This belt is supposed to increase spiritual power! Isn't that what you'll do anything to get?" There were sounds of rustling fabric, and the soft tinkling of a metal chain.
"Thanks for all the pretty accessories," said Yu Yanli, in a bitter tone. "So, what, you're trying to make us look like thieves?"
"Very good, Yu-shimei!" said Shen Xiaowan, in a condescending tone. "I will discover you in the act while doing my part to defend the treasury, but be moments too late to prevent your escape." She stood up and wiped her hands on her robes, as if touching Shi Qingxuan's holy artefacts had dirtied her, instead of the other way around. "There's no way you'd have the power to break the seals on any of the school's genuinely valuable items, but this worthless trash is more your style."
"Who's worthless?" cried Shi Qingxuan, unable to hold their tongue any longer. "This sword is still a sword, even though the one who blessed it is...is gone. Isn't jade still jade, regardless of who it was carved for? Isn't spiritual power still power, even if the one who gave it has lost their own? Isn't Yu Yanli still-"
"M-mistress Feng," said Yu Yanli, gently. "You're right, of course you are. But it's not worth antagonising her over. We know our true value."
"A pretty sentiment," said Shen Xiaowan. "But it won't do you much good at the bottom of the sea."
"The...the bottom of..." Suddenly the weight of their brother's sword on their belt didn't seem so comforting. Shi Qingxuan's fury evaporated like a puff of smoke in the face of their fear. "Please, please don't kill me!" they wailed. "I don't want to die! Why don't you let us go? There's no need for us to tell anyone about all this, it's just a little misunderstanding between schoolfellows. And if Yu Yanli was going to be expelled anyway, there's no need to kill her! Or me! Just let us go back to being beggars and you'll never have to deal with us again!"
"Ha," said Shen Xiaowan, darkly. "If only that were true!"
"Shen-shijie," said Yu Yanli, "Didn't we used to be friends? Do you really have to go this far? I swear, if you let us go I really won't tell any-"
"Your word means nothing to me!" Shen Xiaowan stamped her foot, throwing up clouds of dust that stung Shi Qingxuan's eyes as they lay helpless on the floor. "Can you believe I actually defended you, when I first heard the rumours? I thought you had real potential to be useful! I liked you!" She sounded genuinely hurt. "Imagine my shock to discover that my sweet little shimei had been victimising my family since even before she joined the academy! That her venerable 'shizun' was the greedy beggar who ruined my sister's life!"
"Wait," said Shi Qingxuan. "I did what?"
"Don't play innocent with me! Did you ever think of the people you hurt by interfering with the natural order? Fraternising with ghosts, interfering with politics...you've been playing with forces you don't understand, and it's my family that's paid the price!"
Shi Qingxuan stared at Shen Xiaowan in confusion as she continued to work herself up to a high pitch of self-righteous anger. How was any of that more offensive to her than murder? Why did she even care?
"My poor father has been dealing with you on his own for so long..." Her voice trembled. "It was only recently that we realised we faced the same foe. When he told me about all the chances he gave you to reconsider: the bribes he wasted, the committees he had to commandeer...but the Shen family will no longer be so merciful!" She loomed over Shi Qingxuan, face red with fury. "If it wasn't for you and your greed, my sister might be well be an Imperial concubine by now! Instead, these ungrateful vagrants are barely willing to perform even the most basic of services in return for our generous offerings, and so our prayers for her good fortune remain unanswered. You have made it impossible for hard working people like us to have our voices heard by the gods!"
"Wait," said Yu Yanli. "Is this about the rice?"
Shen Xiaowan's voice cracked with indignation. "OF COURSE IT'S ABOUT THE-"
There was a polite cough by the door. But any hopes Shi Qingxuan might have had of rescue were dashed when they saw who was standing there.
"Lady Sheng," said one of the yamen runners. "The cultivators from your academy took over capturing the man with a limp when he turned out to be a ghost. We've come back here for further orders."
"Very good," said Shen Xiaowan. She clenched her fists. "Much longer and I might have given into the temptation to murder these pieces of trash myself."
"Th-the ghost, how did he seem?" asked Shi Qingxuan. "Was he hurt?"
"He was a ghost," said the runner, peering down at them in confusion. "Who cares if- Wait, I know you!" He pointed at Shi Qingxuan accusingly. "You were at the temple the other day! I knew that limp was too much of a coincidence!"
"What?" said Shen Xiaowan. "You already saw her? Then why didn't you capture her then?!"
"You said we were looking for a man with a broken arm!"
Shen Xiaowan let out an irritated hiss. "Yes, well. It seems that information was incorrect." She gave herself a little shake, and then schooled her expression back into that of a calm, elegant maiden. "No matter. Do you remember your orders?"
"Yes," said the yamen runner, blandly reciting as if from memory. "Carry the criminals though the array. Once we're at the cliff, smash their heads in and make it look like an accident. Then throw them into the sea."
Shen Xiaowan nodded, pleased, while Shi Qingxuan froze in terror. They did not want to die like this. "Don't underestimate them," added Shen Xiaowan, "They're both powerful cultivators, and hardened criminals. Don't waste time, either: their spiritual energy should stay sealed for another shi, but the paralysis will wear off soon."
"We're innocent women!" cried Shi Qingxuan. "Help us!" Remembering everything they knew about yamen runners they added, "I have powerful friends, you will be richly rewarded! And...you saw how dangerous my ghost friend is! Imagine how angry he'll be if I get hurt!"
"She's telling the truth," said Yu Yanli. "Take off these talismans and we can promise you more money than you've seen in your life!"
"And make an enemy of the city magistrate's daughter?" said the yamen runner. "I don't think so. Anyway, innocent or guilty doesn't matter to me, I'm just here to do my job."
"At least some people know their place," said Shen Xiaowan, sneering down at Shi Qingxuan. "I'll admit, that 'bodyguard' of yours is more powerful than I expected, but it's nothing the academy can't handle. You are powerless and alone."
"Yeah, you're a beggar!" said the other runner. "We saw, remember! Plus, what kind of women hang out with evil ghosts? Innocent my ass. Uh, pardon my language, Lady Shen."
"Entirely understandable," she replied. "Oh, but speaking of making things look like an accident, I need one of you to hit me in the face." She smiled at the two men, who were now staring at her in horror.
"I don't like to hit a lady," said the yamen runner. "If your father-"
"Don't worry, it will heal easily," she replied. "You, the smaller one. I want it to look like Yu-shimei here attacked me in order to escape."
"A-as you wish, Lady Shen," he said, with a troubled expression. But when he raised his hand towards her he didn't flinch. Shen Xiaowan gasped in pain and then put a hand to her reddened cheek.
"Thank you," she said, after a moment. "I know that can't have been easy for you." And then she kneeled down and picked up Yu Yanli's limp, heavily braceleted hand, dragging one long nail down her face to leave a dramatic scratch. The false picture Shen Xiaowan was painting was certainly vivid with detail.
Yu Yanli glared at her classmate with bitter fury. "You'll suffer in hell for this, you white-faced brat."
"Then I'll see you there, old woman," said Shen Xiaowan, "But not for a few years yet." She stood back up and smiled at the yamen runners. "You may take them now."
"Wait!" said Shi Qingxuan, trying to pull away. "Stop-"
"Behave," said the yamen runner, and kicked them. Not as hard as Shen Xiaowan had, but with a callous nonchalance that promised further violence if they caused any more trouble. Apparently Shi Qingxuan didn't count as a lady.
"I'm so sorry," said Yu Yanli, softly. Their eyes met, and Shi Qingxuan shook their head with a sad smile.
"This isn't your fault," they said as they were hefted over the yamen runner's shoulder. "The world is just...a nasty place sometimes. I'm glad I'm not alone this time."
"Me too," said Yu Yanli.
"Oof," said the other runner, as he picked her up. "You're heavy for such a tiny little thing. But I guess that's the point."
"Indeed," said Shen Xiaowan, with a self satisfied smile. It was the last thing Shi Qingxuan saw before they were carried into the array.