Washing My Feet

Qi WuHuo cupped his hands in a salute towards the man and said, "Greetings, sir, Big Brother..."

Then he looked at the yellow ox, which was larger and sturdier than any wild beast he had ever seen, and bowed slightly, saying:

"And greetings to you, Brother Ox."

The yellow ox seemed quite pleased with the young man's courtesy and propriety. It let out two low moos and nudged the young man gently with its body. The expression on the tall man's face softened unconsciously, and he laughed heartily, saying, "Good child, good child, it was I who was presumptuous."

He then turned back to the elder and said, "To prepare for you every three hundred..."

The elder coughed softly.

The man's expression didn't change as he said, "Cough, cough, yes."

"The rice, which ripens only once every three hundred days... is ready. The food is cooked, and the wine is brewed."

"We've been waiting for you. Although there's this little brother joining us, the prepared food is still enough."

"Please."

The elder smiled and nodded. The tall man led the way. Qi WuHuo looked around and found that not only were there fields, but also irrigation channels watering them, and a reservoir for water storage. It resembled a farmstead. Looking closer, he saw that the tall man had a gentle and honest smile, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong arms. He walked like an ordinary mortal who had never practiced cultivation, yet there was an air of calm composure about him.

Noticing Qi WuHuo's gaze, the man smiled, lowered his eyes, and nodded at him.

Then he praised, "He's a child with excellent comprehension."

"Your discernment, as always, is impeccable."

He knew that this old gentleman often traveled the world and, upon meeting people with excellent character, was not stingy with imparting some of his methods. However, only those whose temperament and comprehension were truly exceptional would be remembered by the old man. There were indeed some such individuals, and they had all achieved considerable success in their cultivation.

"WuHuo, go and walk around freely. Take a look."

The elder seemed to have something to discuss with the man, so he asked Qi WuHuo to explore first. The young man bowed in assent. Then, carrying his Sword Box, he began to wander around the area. He saw that the rice plants were growing large and exuded a faint spiritual aura. Even the pool used for irrigation was no ordinary object, radiating a spiritual energy.

Qi WuHuo saw a stone tablet standing by the irrigation pool, inscribed with flowing calligraphy.

"[Nine Canals]?"

"Does it mean nine ditches?"

Qi WuHuo was puzzled.

"Pfft, how could it be so straightforward?"

As he was wondering, a bell-like laugh came from behind him. Qi WuHuo turned around and saw a young girl, appearing to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a light cyan dress with embroidered flowers and birds on the hem of her gauze skirt. She was looking at the young man with the Sword Box on his back, dressed in a blue cloth robe, with curiosity.

"Are you a guest?"

"It's been a long time since we've had a guest here!"

The young girl seemed unaccustomed to outsiders. She stepped closer, her eyes dark and large, her smile clear and bright.

Qi WuHuo calmly took a step back, creating a suitable distance. He cupped his hands in a slight bow and explained that he had come with the elder to visit a friend. The young girl nodded, seemingly relieved, and said understandingly, "Oh, I see. You've come with an elder to find my father. Then your generation is about the same as mine."

"After all, some guests, though they look very young, even younger than you and me."

"But they are actually very short-tempered and very old."

"Of course, their generation is also very high!"

"Scary-level high!"

"It's great that you're not like that!"

The young girl stuck out her tongue, clearly having lingering fears about certain matters. Then she asked:

"Where are you from?"

"What's your name?"

"Come, I'll show you around my home."

The young girl was naturally pure and cheerful, her smile radiant, seemingly happy to have a peer visit.

Qi WuHuo cupped his hands in thanks.

Walking along the path, the young girl happily introduced the scenery of the entire island. However, Qi WuHuo could see that apart from the farmland and houses where they were, the island was actually very large, almost stretching beyond sight. The young girl also seemed to rarely go to other places, only saying that it was very desolate there and not worth seeing.

In fact, the area where the rice was planted was already very vast.

Moreover, the scenery was exceptionally beautiful. The young man, carrying his Sword Box, walked step by step, listening to the young girl talk about the scenery of her home, and also recounting the sights of the human world. His experiences were limited, but he had the Yellow Millet Dream, and Tantai Xuan's lifelong struggle documented in the Record of Becoming Immortal. All sorts of scenes were in his eyes and in his heart.

As he spoke of the outside world, it captivated the young girl, filling her with longing and curiosity.

She sighed wistfully:

"It's so nice, outside."

"When will I be able to go out?"

Qi WuHuo asked, "Why do you want to go out?"

The young girl pointed around and said, "If you had to watch this kind of scenery your whole life here, wouldn't you want to see the outside? Besides, my father and mother met outside. Why won't my father let me go out?"

Qi WuHuo asked, "Is your mother here too?"

"I am a junior, and a guest. I should go and pay my respects."

"She's not here."

The young girl waved her hand, signaling for the youth in front of her not to be like that, and explained, "My mother is in another place right now."

"Hmm, you ask why? Because a long, long time ago, my father and mother worked in the same place. Back then, my mother came from a more prominent background, while my father was a guard. They saw each other every day and developed feelings. When it was discovered, my father, being just a guard at the time, was dismissed and kicked out. Later, my mother also ran away and met my father [outside]."

"After overcoming all difficulties, they finally got married, only to be separated again."

"Although it seems someone spoke up in the end, and they weren't severely reprimanded, they were assigned a very heavy task."

"They could only see each other once a year, around the middle of the year."

Qi WuHuo said, "Once a year?"

"Then you can only see your mother once a year?"

The young girl, however, didn't seem to care much: "Yes."

"But we can write letters and talk normally, so it's fine."

"We also have the [Method of Manifesting Light Circles], so it's okay."

"Phew, I'm so tired from walking."

"You sit down too."

The young girl sat on a nearby bluestone, then took off her shoes and stepped into a stream with her silk socks. This was a branch diverted from the water used for irrigating farmland, not used for irrigation itself, but purely for viewing. The young girl let out a sigh and then smiled, "The water from the [Nine Canals] is great for soaking your feet. It really soothes the spirit. Do you want to try too?"

Qi WuHuo saw the clarity and purity in the young girl's eyes.

It was the proud joy of someone introducing a cherished item to a peer they knew well.

He smiled slightly and said, "Then thank you..."

He took off his Sword Box, also took off his thin-soled shoes, and put his feet into the stream. Indeed, there was a cool sensation that made Qi WuHuo feel soothed, as if the fatigue in his body was completely dispelled. He said, "Speaking of which, you still haven't told me, what does [Nine Canals] mean?"

The young girl placed her hands on the ground beside her, lifted her feet, and splashed in the water, watching the ripples.

Upon hearing him, she laughed and said, "Oh my, you've come here, how could you not know this allusion?"

She looked up at the sky, casually replying:

"Because the star official constellation formed by nine stars is called [Nine Canals]."

"What's there to ask about?"

Qi WuHuo was stunned.

He saw that the water of the Nine Canals was clear to the bottom, and then various streams merged, flowing into a vast river that Qi WuHuo had never seen before. It seemed to have been going on for a very long time. After thinking for a moment, he nodded, "So that's how it is. You're naming the water branches here after the names of star officials in the sky?"

"That's very interesting."

The young girl tilted her head, not correcting his mistake, but merely asked in confusion:

"What's interesting about it?"

Qi WuHuo pointed to the vast river over there and replied:

"In that case, if this really is the water of the Nine Canals, aren't we washing our feet in a river formed by stars in the sky?"

"Washing my feet in the Heavenly River."

"It's quite romantic and grand."

"It's like something immortals would do."

The young girl's eyes lit up. She looked at her own usual actions and then suddenly burst into a brilliant smile.

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, and she suddenly hugged the blue-robed youth, exclaiming loudly, "There's another explanation like this?!"

"It can be explained like this?!"

"What grand ambition!"

"You're truly an interesting genius!"

"Among all the people I know, no one has ever said anything like this!"

Just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, Qi WuHuo's eyes were clear, without any awkwardness or impure thoughts, and he replied, "I was just fortunate to be there." The young girl patted Qi WuHuo's shoulder, sat back down, and happily pondered this explanation, making a mental note—compared to her own laziness in avoiding cultivation, these words were undoubtedly much more magnificent.

Next time, she could say this to her father and Teacher!

While chatting, Qi WuHuo gradually felt sleepy and, like the young girl, lay down on the ground.

The blue-robed youth chewed on a tender shoot the young girl had given him, with his arms behind his head, gazing at the sky.

Strange.

He thought absently.

Why are there no stars in the sky today?