Nabo in Hand

The world is vast, and there's no end to its wonders.

And wouldn't you know it, Jiang City witnessed a peculiar event today.

Qian Dayuan, the proprietor of the Wanbao Merchant Guild, was actually arranging a marriage for his second son, who had died in infancy, to formalize a union with a corpse!

The news sent ripples of shock throughout the city, with discussions erupting in every street and alley.

If you're wondering about the reason behind this, it all started when Qian Dayuan's wife, Madam Liu, dreamt that her second son, alone and desolate in the Underworld, was suffering from loneliness.

Upon waking, Madam Liu felt a tightness in her chest, her heart pounding incessantly.

She consulted an expert for a dream interpretation, who claimed her second son was seeking a wife and that refusing his request would invite misfortune and unrest.

Hearing this, Madam Liu calculated the dates; her second son had died at the age of five, and he would have been sixteen this year, the prime age for marriage and starting a family.

Thinking of her son in the Underworld, with no family and utterly alone, Madam Liu was overcome with grief and immediately declared her intention to find a bride for him.

She then proceeded to hire a ghost matchmaker and consult a geomancer to match horoscopes.

And that's how this absurd affair came to be!

On the day of the wedding procession, the city buzzed with excitement, with countless curious onlookers crowding the city gates to witness the spectacle.

"They're here! They're here!"

Even though the wedding procession was still far off, the ten-mile-long bridal procession, like a vibrant dragon, drew the gaze of the entire city.

From a distance, it appeared as if a fiery dragon was gliding towards them, a truly magnificent sight.

"A wedding for the dead is even grander than one for the living!"

"Isn't that the truth!"

"This ghostly groom was truly born into a good family; to be able to marry even after death, it's like a farmer entering the imperial city for the first time – I've never seen anything like it."

Mo Chuan stood amidst the crowd, listening to the locals' chatter, and couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

When the procession escorting the bride and the welcoming party met, both sides, under the watchful eyes of the entire city, proceeded with an extremely elaborate series of rituals.

Amidst the chaotic clamor, a gong struck from the crowd.

Accompanying the gong was a hoarse shout:

"Guo Shi isn't dead! Guo Shi isn't dead!"

However, the voice only managed a few cries before disappearing.

Mo Chuan craned his neck, trying to see where the sound came from, and vaguely glimpsed a commotion and shoving in the crowd.

Unfortunately, there were too many people watching, completely blocking his view, and he couldn't see anything.

He frowned, turned his head back, and continued to watch the nabo players in the band.

Before long, the Yin marriage ceremony concluded its rituals, and the welcoming party, accompanied by music, began their return journey.

That day, the Qian residence hosted a grand banquet, inviting the entire city to celebrate.

Let alone the delicacies served within the mansion, even the outdoor banquet featured top-notch dishes, earning praise from all the citizens.

For a time, the eerie atmosphere of the Yin marriage was completely dispelled.

As night fell, the Qian residence quieted down.

The musicians, who had been playing all day, finally returned to their inn to rest.

For them, the joint burial tomorrow was the main event.

Today was merely the ceremonial part of the wedding!

"Master, what was the deal with that night watchman today?"

In the inn, Guapi, a junior apprentice in the band, asked his master mysteriously while soaking his feet.

"Hush! Don't ask about things you shouldn't."

The old master, enjoying the warm water on his feet, shot Guapi a fierce glance.

"Oh!"

Guapi deflated, and after a moment, asked again, "Master, what did that night watchman mean when he said Guo Shi wasn't dead?"

"You little rascal, why are you so talkative?"

The old master flared up and flicked Guapi's forehead.

"Ouch!"

Guapi yelped in pain, clutching his head and falling silent.

"Add more hot water!"

The master glared at Guapi.

"Oh!"

Guapi dejectedly picked up the kettle to add water, but with his mind still preoccupied with the day's events, he accidentally added too much hot water.

"Ow, are you trying to scald me to death?"

The master craftsman was furious and about to scold his apprentice when a "thump-thump-thump" sound came from the door.

"Who is it?"

"Are you Master Zhong from Tian'an Village's band?"

A gentle inquiry came from outside the door.

Master Zhong glared at his apprentice, thinking it might be a client, and quickly wiped his feet before getting up to open the door.

Creak! The door opened.

Master Zhong's eyebrows shot up. The person knocking in the middle of the night was a young Taoist priest.

The visitor was none other than Mo Chuan.

"Master Zhong, I apologize for the disturbance! I happened to pass through Jiang City today and caught sight of you performing. I was surprised to see you have a pair of nabo under your command, and their design is quite unusual. I have a friend who enjoys collecting musical instruments from all over the world, so I'm interested in purchasing them as a gift for my friend. What do you think, Master Zhong?"

Mo Chuan made up an excuse.

As he spoke, he took out one or two taels of silver from his bosom.

When Master Zhong saw the silver, his eyes lit up. His band's earnings from working for the Qian family were only three taels of silver.

And that was already several times the market price.

Normally, weddings and funerals paid at most half a string of copper coins, or at most one tael. After splitting it among the seven or eight members of the band, they only earned money for their labor.

Now, to receive one tael of silver out of the blue, and for his private account at that, how could he not be tempted?

"I can sell them, but..." Master Zhong hesitated.

"I'll add another hundred coins. I can't give any more."

Mo Chuan feigned reluctance, gritted his teeth, and took out a string of copper coins tied with hemp rope from his sleeve.

"Oh, you're too kind, Daoist Priest! How about this, Daoist Priest? After I finish the Qian family's job tomorrow, I'll deliver them to you. Is that alright?"

Master Zhong was overjoyed. His hesitation was merely because he still needed the instruments for the funeral tomorrow!

"That won't do. I have an appointment with the escort agency, and I have to leave tomorrow morning. I'm afraid I can't wait."

Mo Chuan casually made another excuse.

He had already shown great patience by not coming to the door during the day.

How could he dare to let things drag on?

"This..."

Master Zhong hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the Taoist priest had no intention of increasing the price, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll find a way to borrow a pair from a colleague. Please wait for me, Daoist Priest."

Saying that, he quickly went back into the house to get the nabo, afraid that Mo Chuan would go back on his word.

After the two completed the transaction, Master Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"May I be so bold as to ask, Master Zhong, where did you find this pair of nabo?"

Mo Chuan took the nabo and examined them briefly, also breathing a long sigh of relief.

One of the nabo seemed to be cast from ordinary copper.

The other was identical to his own nabo, except that the golden aura within it was a little weaker.

"From the blacksmith shop! The master craftsman told me that one of them was sold to him by a passing beggar. He thought the design was quite exquisite, so he took it upon himself to forge another one to make a pair, and I happened to buy them."

"So that's how it is!"

Mo Chuan suddenly understood. He then cupped his fists and said, "I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. I bid you farewell!"

"You're too kind, Daoist Priest!"

Master Zhong watched Mo Chuan leave before returning to his house to get dressed and pack his things, preparing to borrow a pair of nabo from a colleague to deal with tomorrow's job.

Meanwhile, as Mo Chuan descended from the second floor of the inn, he bumped into a young scholar.

As they passed each other, both instinctively glanced at the other.

What a scholar, with fingers that have never touched manual labor. He's quite fair-skinned and tender.

Mo Chuan thought to himself.

He had been traveling in this world for some time, and most people he saw had dark complexions and rough skin.

Only the pampered and privileged had good skin.

Wait a minute!

Could that person... also be a cultivator?

Then what was his purpose for being here?

Mo Chuan's expression immediately turned strange. Could it be such a coincidence?