Going Down the Mountain

The second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head.

This day also happened to coincide with the Spring Equinox.

Before the sky had even brightened, Shen Hui was roused by Fifth Senior Brother.

He carried in a bowl of hot congee, smiling as he said to Shen Hui, "Little junior brother, eat quickly. Master is waiting out front."

"This early?"

Shen Hui was a bit surprised. Though they were heading down the mountain today, it was still pitch black outside—probably barely past the Hour of the Tiger.

Fifth Senior Brother replied with a grin, "Set out early, and we can reach the county town before dark. Otherwise, we'll have to spend the night in some desolate village."

Shen Hui mumbled an acknowledgment, downed the congee in a few gulps, slung the rattan case he'd packed earlier onto his back, and pushed open the door.

A faint line of fish-belly white was just appearing at the horizon's edge. The cold wind lashed his face like icy strips rubbing against his skin.

The Old Taoist stood in the courtyard, wearing a gray cloth Daoist robe washed pale, with that slender long case strapped to his back. He was talking with Senior Brother.

Seeing him come out, Li Changxing walked over and patted his shoulder. "First time down the mountain—keep your wits about you. Listen to Master."

"Got it, Senior Brother."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Jinghui poked her head out from behind the moon gate.

She clutched two steaming-hot eggs in her hand, shoved them into Shen Hui's without a word, and said, "Eat these on the road."

Then she ducked back, and Shen Hui suspected she was probably heading off to catch some more sleep.

Second Senior Sister Jingming stood under the eaves, glanced at him from a distance, lowered her eyes, and nodded slightly without speaking.

It wasn't until Shen Hui followed his master out of the mountain gate that a faint "Take care on the road" drifted from behind.

As for Third Senior Brother, he'd already said his goodbyes the night before.

He'd also handed Shen Hui a stack of old books, asking him to return them to the Fragrant Snow Book Studio in the county town, and had pressed some coins into Shen Hui's hand.

"Take this. Buy some snacks on the way."

Shen Hui declined a couple of times but ultimately accepted.

The cloth pouch wasn't big; it clinked and jingled, holding maybe a few dozen copper coins and a small piece of broken silver.

And so, without any formal farewell, master and disciple walked one behind the other into the darkness, heading down the mountain.

On the mountain path, some patches of snow hadn't fully melted yet, crunching underfoot.

The Old Taoist led the way, his pace unhurried. Shen Hui followed close behind, step for step.

After about an hour of walking, they turned off the mountain path onto a slightly wider dirt road.

Along the way, Shen Hui found the rattan case a bit cumbersome, so he took down the Soul-Alarm Bell hanging from its corner, attached it to his waist, and then stowed the case inside his Jadeite Gourd.

Another two hours passed, and the dirt road gradually widened, enough for a horse-drawn cart to pass.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, a straight, broad road appeared ahead.

The surface was paved with crushed stone, about ten feet wide, with poplar trees planted on both sides, their bare branches reaching toward the gray-white sky.

"This is the official road," the Old Taoist finally spoke. "Heading east takes you to Qu County town; heading west leads to the seat of Yongchang Commandery."

Shen Hui nodded and looked around.

Though it was called an official road, it was barely ten feet wide, just enough for a single cart to pass.

The snow on the road had been packed solid by passing traffic, gray-white in the middle, with remnants of snow lingering at the edges.

If a cart came from the opposite direction, they'd have to find a wider spot to let each other pass.

As he was taking this in, the rumble of wheels and horses sounded from afar, and a carriage with blue cloth curtains approached from the east.

The driver reined in the horses from a distance, jumped down, and cupped his hands toward the Old Taoist.

"Might I ask if you are the Daoist master from Clear Wind Temple?"

The Old Taoist nodded.

The driver let out a relieved breath, turned back toward the carriage, and called out, "It is! It is!"

The curtain lifted, and a middle-aged man in a blue silk robe stepped down. He was around forty, with a pale face and a sparse beard, wearing a headwrap and a silver belt at his waist.

Behind him followed two yamen runners—one tall and lean, the other short and stocky.

The stocky one carried a long spear on his back; the tall, lean one had a waist knife sheathed at his side.

Both wore dark blue official uniforms with crossed collars and narrow sleeves, cinched with leather belts.

The man in front strode over quickly and bowed respectfully.

"I am Chen Shou, Assistant Magistrate of Qu County, sent by the County Magistrate to welcome the Daoist master."

Assistant Magistrate.

Shen Hui mulled it over. In later terms, that would be roughly equivalent to a deputy county head?

A proper eighth-rank official, huh?

For the county magistrate to send someone running dozens of li along the official road to receive them, it seemed his master had quite the reputation.

But the Old Taoist merely wore a composed expression, nodding as he sized up the other man: "Troubling the county clerk. Is Magistrate Wang well?"

"The magistrate is well, only..."

Chen Shou paused, lowering his voice, "These past six months, many matters have piled up in the county. The magistrate worries day and night—half his hair has turned white."

The Old Taoist didn't respond, only glanced at the carriage.

Chen Shou quickly added, "This carriage was specially arranged by the magistrate. Though a bit crude, it's still better than walking."

Shen Hui stepped closer for a look. The beast pulling it wasn't a horse but a gray donkey, with a red cloth tied to the shaft. The curtains were washed pale but clean.

The Old Taoist waved a hand: "This poor Taoist prefers to walk. Let him ride."

Chen Shou was taken aback, turning to Shen Hui.

Shen Hui quickly shook his head: "This disciple will walk too."

If his master was traveling on foot, how could he be so brazen as to ride?

The Old Taoist said nothing more and set off.

Chen Shou had no choice but to order the two attendants and the driver to follow with the donkey cart while he accompanied the two on foot.

The road was rough, and the donkey cart moved slowly, forcing them to stop and wait from time to time.

With nothing else to do, Shen Hui kept glancing at the two runners.

The tall, thin one with a sword at his hip had sat down beside the driver, his legs dangling over the shaft and swinging.

The short, stocky one, however, hadn't boarded the cart. He carried his spear on his shoulder and walked behind it.

Perhaps finding the spear tiring to carry, he simply laid it across his shoulders, hooked his arms over it, and swayed forward as if hanging from the pole.

The sight was rather comical, yet he didn't walk slowly at all.

Shen Hui found it amusing and couldn't help stealing a few more glances.

The tall, thin one noticed, sitting on the cart as he grinned and winked at him, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Tell me about it,"

the Old Taoist said as he walked, "these past six months—what's happened?"

Chen Shou pulled a folded sheet of paper from his sleeve, opened it, and read as he walked: "Last August, the Liu Family Old Residence east of the city was haunted; no one dared approach. In September, three days after Widow Wang was buried south of the city, scratching sounds came from her coffin. When they opened it, the corpse had flipped over, all its fingernails ground down. It's now tied up with rope. In October, three children went missing from Xu Family Village north of here. Some say mountain beasts carried them off. In November..."

He recited each case one by one, and Shen Hui listened intently.

Hauntings, reanimated corpses, missing children, demon troubles, and a case of bandits robbing the road.

It was said that after the Wolf Demon on Cat Ridge was eliminated, the mountain paths had actually become passable.

A roving band of bandits had taken over the old road, often descending to plunder, targeting traveling merchants.

After hearing it all, the Old Taoist only said, "We'll deal with the bandits when we return to the Temple."

Then he continued trudging along in silence.

Shen Hui walked and studied the official road.

Though paved with gravel, it was full of potholes, long neglected.

After about half an hour, a walled courtyard appeared by the roadside. A flagpole stood at the entrance, flying a faded banner.

Inside the yard were a few low buildings, two skinny horses tied up, and three men in short jackets squatting against the wall, basking in the sun.

"This is the military post on Bonan Road,"

Chen Shou explained, seeing Shen Hui looking around. "Thirty li ahead, there's a bigger one. This road is a key route to Liangzhou, with many merchants passing through. The court has set up several stations."

Shen Hui nodded.

Bonan Road—he'd read about it.

Heading west, past Yongchang Commandery, it left the borders of the Great Shuo Kingdom. Some merchants went to Shen Du, others to the Shan Kingdom—all journeys of ten thousand li.

No wonder the bandits had their eyes on this place. Anyone traveling this road either carried money or valuable goods.

They followed the official road for another half day, and in the distance, a cluster of gray houses came into view, scattered unevenly along a bend in the river.

Qu County had arrived.