Qi WuHuo carried the jade pillow back and lay down on his bed. The moment he closed his eyes, he drifted into a deep, hazy sleep. The hollow inside the pillow seemed to grow larger and larger, until suddenly it swallowed him whole.
Qi WuHuo felt as if he had plunged into an abyss. Cold sweat drenched his body.
In a daze, he seemed to open his eyes. Dusk had fallen; he had slept for a very long time. Outside, goose-feather snow was falling once more, and the whole world lay in silence.
Qi WuHuo raised a hand to his forehead and took a long while to come to his senses. When he looked to the side, his bundle was still there, with all its books, clothes, and copper coins intact. Only then did he remember that Mr. Su had brought him those things earlier. Alone at home, he had somehow drifted off to sleep.
It truly should not have happened.
His meals that day need not be mentioned.
With the copper coins Mr. Su had given him, Qi WuHuo no longer had to go into town to take odd jobs for money in the depths of winter. He had more time to study diligently, and with the books' detailed annotations, his progress was even faster.
When spring came the following year, Mr. Su indeed recommended him.
Qi WuHuo took first place in the Spring Examination, and his fame spread far and wide. After bidding farewell to Mr. Su, he went to study in the city. Three years later, when the Autumn Examination came around, he triumphed again. His prose was polished, his strokes sharp, and his reputation spread throughout the land, reaching the prefectural offices.
Wherever he went, he was surrounded by the great families and their young scions.
Even the prefectural officials treated him with considerable courtesy.
Qi WuHuo, however, was upright by nature and unwilling to accept aid from the Aristocratic Clans.
Even when a clan admired his talent and wanted to secure him in advance by taking him as a husband for a branch of its main line, he refused. The young girls exchanged glances with him, only to find themselves faced with a wooden block. Naturally, they were indignant, and from then on they wanted nothing to do with him.
Among the scholars, Qi WuHuo acquired a reputation for "not being fond of women; if he isn't a gentleman, then he must prefer men." Whenever the young girls of the Aristocratic Clans brought it up, they burst into laughter, though beneath their laughter they secretly ground their teeth at how oblivious he was to romance.
A friend once asked him about it. Qi WuHuo replied, puzzled:
"I simply haven't met someone who feels the same way."
"If I really did prefer men..."
"You would be in trouble, my friend."
His friend went deathly pale, clapped a hand over his backside, and fled several miles.
Later, Qi WuHuo went to the Capital to study. He lived in a remote area, near the surrounding mountains. One day, he woke with a start from a dream. Still wondering what had happened, he heard a knock at the door.
This was, after all, the edge of the Capital's outer district. The martial-arts bandits of the jianghu, or the Buddhist and Daoist practitioners who knew a little magic, had enough skill to make their way there.
Anyone arriving at this hour could hardly be a normal person.
Seventeen-year-old Qi WuHuo rose with his sword. He held it behind him with one hand and gently pushed the door open with the other, expecting a bandit outside. But when he looked up, he froze for a moment.
Standing beneath the moonlight was unmistakably a young girl, barely sixteen or seventeen.
She wore green, her expression elegant and composed. When Qi WuHuo opened the door, she bowed. With red lips, white teeth, and a beaming smile, her trailing skirts and graceful beauty surpassed those of the young ladies from the Aristocratic Clans by far, to say nothing of her refined bearing.
Qi WuHuo was traveling alone. Mr. Su had taught him swordsmanship, and the sword in his hand had taken lives. He had also encountered ghosts while studying in an ancient temple. His youthful years of study had nurtured his spirit; he felt no fear. He simply cupped his hands and said:
"May I ask why you have come knocking at my door in the middle of the night, miss?"
The beautiful girl, her hair loosely tied in childish braids, pressed her lips together in a smile and said:
"I hardly deserve to be treated with such courtesy by a gentleman. I am only a maidservant."
"My young lady has often heard of your words and conversation. She has hesitated for a long time, but tonight she heard you playing the zither, and was delighted. Unable to restrain herself, she wishes to meet you and make music with you as friends. She only wonders if the request is too presumptuous, so she sent me to ask."
Qi WuHuo sensed something amiss and glanced up at the moon.
He thought that if supernatural beings had come to his door, there was no point in trying to avoid them. So he smiled and said, "It is exactly what I would wish for, though I would not presume to ask. I shall wait here. When and where might I meet your young lady?"
The green-clad girl giggled. "There is no need for suspicion, sir. It will be tonight."
She smiled, then turned and left. Qi WuHuo pondered for a long while. Dressed in a long robe of blue cloth, he sat at the stone table outside his door. The great mountain stood nearby. He closed his eyes in meditation, his long sword lying across his knees. The wind still sighed, the bamboo grove swayed. Though he knew she was no ordinary being, he felt not the slightest fear.
Before long, he indeed heard someone approaching.
Qi WuHuo slowly opened his eyes. The sword across his knees gave a faint ringing hum.
Even though he had been prepared, he was still a little taken aback by the procession. Hundreds of people approached beneath the moon, all dressed in silk and brocade. A sedan chair was carried in their midst, with bright and beautiful maids bearing lanterns before and behind it, their jade pendants chiming. The green-clad girl he had seen earlier walked beside the chair, a smile on her lips.
The place where Qi WuHuo lived was already at the very edge of the Capital's outer district. Though it was called the outer district, it was no more than a settlement surrounding the Capital, close to the mountains and with a stream nearby. These visitors set out all manner of luxurious things, laid down a rug made from the hides of three hundred rare and precious beasts, and brought out spiritual fruits, fine wine, and delicacies. In an instant, the place seemed transformed into a banquet for high officials and nobles.
Even the spring outing feast hosted by a prefect had never been so extravagant.
Qi WuHuo was a little surprised, but his expression did not change as he calmly took his seat.
The "young lady," however, did not get out of the sedan chair. She merely said, "I have long remained at home. Today, hearing your zither music filled my heart with delight. I fear my humble hospitality is too meager, and hope you will not take offense."
After a little polite conversation, the young lady remained inside the sedan chair and played several pieces on the zither, each a masterwork. Qi WuHuo did not enjoy playing the zither, but Mr. Su had said that a gentleman must learn the Six Arts of the Gentleman, so he had been made to study it. He had heard many performances, yet this young lady, who sounded quite young, played with such a soaring, clear sweetness that hers was the finest music he had heard on his travels.
Qi WuHuo then tested her with questions, but the young girl who never showed her face was clever and quick-witted. Again and again, she offered profound insights. Her judgment and understanding of the state of the world were unfailingly precise—even surpassing his teacher's.
The young lady, too, seemed astonished by some of Qi WuHuo's words, and at times she sighed.
The two found one another's company exceptionally agreeable. Before they knew it, dawn was approaching, and they finally parted. At that hour, the sun was rising in the east, and a thin mist hung in the woods. Qi WuHuo stood with his long sword in hand, watching the girl's sedan chair depart, and pondered for a long while.
After that, the young girl often came to visit. She always arrived when the night was deep and left at sunrise. This went on for several months, and Qi WuHuo gradually let down his guard. Sometimes he played the zither; sometimes, when they had free time, they talked. With such a good friend to exchange ideas with, his learning and understanding of the world steadily grew.
He knew in his heart that the young girl was certainly no ordinary person.
But though she was not one of his kind, she conducted herself with such integrity that it was no concern.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, after they had finished their tea and exchanged a few words, Qi WuHuo was tuning his zither.
Suddenly, the beautiful maid in green listened for a moment, a smile on her lips, then gave a soft laugh. Strong men came at once to spread a thick rug on the ground. The green-clad girl lifted her eyes to Qi WuHuo, her smile sly and teasing. Holding a Jade Ruyi, she leaned forward, caught the curtain with its hook, and gently opened the sedan's drapes.
Qi WuHuo had been playing the zither, his mind calm as still water. But at the sight, surprise stirred in his heart, and the music faltered.
The broken notes had yet to fade when the person inside the sedan emerged.
Her raven hair and cloud-patterned shoes stepped lightly onto the rug. A moment later, her voice sounded soft, yet open and forthright, as she teased:
"Why has your music gone awry, WuHuo?"
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