Don't Bring Trouble Down on Yourself

Daoist Lian Yue looked at Jiang She.

After a long while, he finally spoke. No one knew what he had been thinking, but his tone had grown especially cautious. "Good day, Mr. Jiang."

"Good day, Daoist."

"Did you come to Pure Void Temple to attend the ritual?"

"I came along to take in the excitement."

Daoist Lian Yue wanted to ask a few more questions and seek some guidance on his cultivation. But they had only just met, and asking too much might be intrusive, so he held back.

Daoist Lian Yue was well liked. As they walked along, pilgrims, fellow Daoists, and young temple attendants greeted him every so often.

"Daoist, that astragalus tea you told me to boil last time really worked. My mother's got enough strength to get out of bed now. It's just that astragalus is too expensive at the medicine shop."

"Another day, I'll draw you a picture. There's plenty of astragalus in the mountains. Search carefully and you're sure to find some. It's easy to prepare, too. I'll write down a prescription for you when I get the chance."

"Thank you, Daoist."

"Think nothing of it." Daoist Lian Yue said, "The reason your legs are always aching is probably that you work too hard. You ought to rest. You know mugwort, too. Pick a few bundles and dry them in the sun. Then boil them into a medicinal decoction and soak your feet in it. It's the best way to warm the meridians and clear the channels."

"Daoist, you know so much."

Daoist Lian Yue smiled, taking no credit for it.

"I learned a little from Physician Luo at the medicine shop. It's nothing worth mentioning."

As Jiang She walked from the entrance to the main hall, he thought that the people Yuan Danqiu befriended all seemed to be decent sorts. The temple was crowded. He followed the others inside, and Daoist Lian Yue was about to lead them toward the front.

"Jiang will skip the worship," Jiang She said. "There's fun in mingling with the crowd."

"Go ahead to the front, Daoist."

Then he found a spot at the back and stood among the others, listening to them talk and occasionally joining in. From the back, he had a perfect view of the ritual taking place up front.

While walking along the mountain path earlier, Jiang She had noticed that the mountain seemed familiar. It was the same one where the Earth Deity had held a banquet a few days ago.

He wondered whether the nearly hundred Daoists living and sleeping on this mountain

had discovered the Spirit Demons in the mountain, feasting and singing long into the night.

Pure Void Temple was bustling with worshippers. Jiang She sat alone off to one side, enjoying the rare peace and quiet.

A short distance away, three or four scholars in their early twenties were chattering together. They wore gauze headgear with trailing flaps, white or plain hemp round-collared robes, and cloth shoes.

When the scholars noticed Jiang She nearby and saw his distinguished bearing, they struck up a conversation.

One of them, a long-faced man in a white robe with a black border, asked:

"Have you come to offer incense?"

"I came with a friend to watch the ritual. There's no need for me to offer incense."

"Haha, neither did I. But the vegetarian food at Pure Void Temple is delicious, and the portions are generous. It's eight wen a bowl. You should try some at noon!"

"Thanks for letting me know. I haven't had breakfast yet."

The long-faced scholar continued, "I'm Dai Xiu, courtesy name Ziwen. You have a distinguished air about you. May I ask your name?"

"I'm Jiang She."

"Brother Jiang."

Dai Xiu introduced the other three men beside him. In the distance, they watched several Daoists purify the ritual ground by sprinkling "ritual water" infused with mugwort and calamus, washing away its ill fortune.

"Brother Jiang, have you heard about the strange happenings in Chen Family Village?"

"What happened?"

The scholars began talking over one another.

"There are two hunters from Chen Family Village who encountered an immortal on this mountain."

"Right here on Black Stone Mountain."

"Brother Wang is right. I looked into it. My brother-in-law is from Chen Family Village. The man who encountered the immortal is named Chen Erniu. He's an ordinary villager who went into the mountain just to hunt some game."

"He took his nephew with him, and they spent the night in the mountains chasing a wild boar. They happened upon a marvelous sight. Half-asleep, he heard the sounds of drinking and feasting, and even caught the drifting fragrance of the food. Now and then, he heard snippets of conversation."

"He listened closely for a while and realized it sounded as if demons and monsters were discussing their cultivation late at night."

Jiang She recalled the account in his notes. Those two villagers should have slept through the entire night. By the time they woke, the banquet was nearly over.

How could they have listened closely to a discussion of cultivation in the dead of night?

The scholars described it all to Jiang She with great animation.

"At the banquet, a Fierce Tiger said, 'I eat one person a month. I've been doing it for three whole years.'"

"Beside him, a fox said, 'I once bewitched a wealthy household in the village and swindled them out of their gold and silver. Once they'd spent all their money, I dug out the heart and liver of their youngest child and ate them to nourish myself. I've eaten five, which is why my fur is so glossy.'"

"These Fierce Tigers and foxes were talking, never imagining that anyone would overhear them. No one at the banquet knew an immortal was sitting among them, listening as the mountain's Spirit Demons and ghosts boasted of their deeds and their profound cultivation."

"Then the immortal spoke. 'What do you all think of my cultivation?'"

Dai Xiu was telling the story with relish.

The other scholars looked at Jiang She expectantly, too.

Jiang She understood.

He smiled and asked, "What happened next? What did the immortal say?"

Dai Xiu was satisfied. He narrowed his eyes, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and continued, "The Fierce Tiger said, 'You look extraordinary. Have you eaten even more people?'"

"The fox spirit asked the same thing."

"All the Spirit Demons at the banquet looked over, eager to know what he had done."

"But then the immortal drew a sword from his sleeve and cut off the Fierce Tiger's head in one stroke. Even as its head hit the ground, its eyes were still moving. The strike had been lightning-fast."

"The immortal said, 'I have only one skill: I can cut down all you demons and fiends.'"

A thin, tall scholar with the surname Wang added, "I heard the Fierce Tiger let out one final, drawn-out roar that shook the mountain forests, and then died."

Jiang She thought it over.

"Did those two hunters truly hear all this?"

"Without a doubt."

Jiang She asked again, "If a beast devoured one person a month, or a fox spirit swindled people out of their money, why hadn't Xiangyang lost any residents? Why hadn't anyone heard of a household ruined by it?"

"Brother Jiang, you don't know the half of it," Dai Xiu said. "I can't speak for other places, but right here in Xiangyang County, the Lu Family was ruined because of them!"

"I heard it was a crime committed by people."

"How could people be so foolish? It must have been the work of Spirit Demons."

Jiang She glanced at the speaker. He wore a hemp robe with a black border, was somewhat plump, and had a wide mouth. Jiang She remembered his surname was Wang. He smiled, shook his head, and offered a warning.

"This is Black Stone Mountain. If that Fierce Tiger, that fox, and the Spirit Demons at the banquet that night are really still on the mountain, they'll surely be displeased to hear you talking like this."

"Don't bring trouble down on yourself."

The scholar surnamed Wang said, "We're only saying a couple of things. We're in a temple—could monsters really come inside and grab me? They'd have to worry about the Daoists subduing them, too."

"Still, it's best to watch what you say," Jiang She said.

"It's not as if I'm the only one saying it."

Seeing that they didn't take him seriously, Jiang She said no more.

He raised his eyes toward the ritual taking place in the distance.

While they had been talking, the ritual master's written prayer at the altar had already burned up and been presented to Heaven. The ceremonial bows, the chanting, and the hymns had all come to an end.

Several young Daoist attendants carried small bamboo baskets and went from worshipper to worshipper, handing each one a New Moon Talisman. They repeated the same instructions until their mouths were dry, urging everyone to wear it close to their bodies.

Yuan Danqiu was a regular, and his face carried some weight. He picked out one for Mr. Jiang first.

On the operations officer's suggestion, I'll start posting two chapters together at nine tonight.