A Basket, A Box, A Chest Cavity

"Uncle Zi, the scholar is back!" Before they even reached the gate, Si Gou shouted out. Almost instantly, the main gate creaked open to reveal Zi Jian standing there. Across the way, the opposite gate also creaked open, and Little Stone came charging out, circling Tauxue like a frisky little puppy. Auntie stood in the doorway, her face etched with worry.

"Father, I'm hungry." Zi Bofeng swung down from the donkey. "Is there anything good to eat at home?"

"Yes, yes!" A smile squeezed onto Zi Jian's face. "Zhuzi brought over a wild rabbit today; it's stewing in the pot right now. Si Gou, you stay too, and we two men will have a drink."

Seeing Zi Bofeng about to speak, Zi Jian's face hardened. "Bofeng, you are not allowed to drink!"

"How could I..." Si Gou was both flustered and delighted, not knowing what to do.

Although they called it a drinking session, Zi Jian had things on his mind, and Si Gou didn't dare drink too much. The two clinked glasses just to go through the motions. After seeing Si Gou off, Zi Jian's face fell. "You—"

The word "you" had barely left his lips when a knocking sound came from outside. Zi Bofeng went to open the door and saw a little fellow standing timidly on the threshold. At first, Zi Bofeng thought it was Little Stone, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually Xiao Tuozi.

He reached out and patted Xiao Tuozi's smooth, shaven head. "Xiao Tuozi, why have you come so late?"

"Teacher." Xiao Tuozi cast a shy glance at Zi Bofeng and handed over a basket. "My father told me to bring you some mushrooms. He just gathered them from the mountains today..."

"Bringing me mushrooms?" A warmth bloomed in Zi Bofeng's chest, as if he were choked up by something, and for a moment, he couldn't find the words.

After a pause, he finally said, "Thank you, Xiao Tuozi. Come in, come in quickly." While Zi Jian offered polite pleasantries and found a container for the mushrooms—villagers exchanging food was nothing unusual, and there was no need for excessive formality—Zi Bofeng went inside to retrieve some small pastries he had bought in Meng City. These had originally been gifts for his own teacher, only to be returned, but he stuffed them into Xiao Tuozi's arms. Seeing the boy's face light up with joy, Zi Bofeng suddenly felt that everything he had done was truly worth it.

"Father, I'm going to walk Xiao Tuozi home." Zi Bofeng took Xiao Tuozi's hand. It was already dark, and he didn't feel safe letting the boy go alone.

"No... no need..." Xiao Tuozi tried to protest, but Zi Bofeng pulled him along. As they walked, Xiao Tuozi looked up at Zi Bofeng. In the night, his figure was a hazy silhouette, and the distant, flickering lights were so dim that only the blurred profile of Zi Bofeng's face was visible. From Xiao Tuozi's perspective, Zi Bofeng looked so tall and imposing.

When they reached Xiao Tuozi's door, it was left slightly ajar. As the boy pushed it open, he turned back. "Teacher!"

"What is it? Don't be late for class tomorrow."

"Teacher, when I grow up, I want to be the Village Head too." Xiao Tuozi stood up straight and spoke with earnest conviction.

Zi Bofeng smiled, not knowing what to say. He simply reached out and ruffled the boy's hair. "What's a Village Head? Xiao Tuozi, you should aim to be a high official—a Prefect, a Governor—that's what you call impressive."

"I don't want to be impressive. I just want to be like you, Teacher." In the darkness, Xiao Tuozi's eyes reflected the starlight. The look in them was the same one Zi Bofeng had once held for his own teacher: trust and reverence.

"Then you must study hard." Zi Bofeng squatted down and gave Xiao Tuozi's head a firm rub. "Grow up fast and become brave."

"Yes, Teacher!" Xiao Tuozi nodded solemnly, as if that alone could make him grow faster.

"Go on now, I'm heading back too." Zi Bofeng watched Xiao Tuozi close the door before turning away.

His heart felt warm, and a sense of boundless courage seemed to surge within him.

"Bofeng." As he neared the Ancestral Hall, Zi Bofeng heard Yan Lao Wu's voice.

"Old Master? Why are you here? You startled me!" Zi Bofeng patted his chest.

"I went to your house just now, and your father said you were walking Xiao Tuozi home, so I waited for you here," Yan Lao Wu said, his voice somewhat raspy. "Bofeng, come here."

Zi Bofeng followed him, bewildered. Was the old man trying to lead him into the shadows? Pah, pah!

Yan Lao Wu pushed open the doors of the Ancestral Hall and walked into the main hall, where the statues of the ancestors stood as imposing as ever. He lit a stick of incense, bowed to the stone figures, and waited quietly for a moment before stepping forward to move the pedestal in front of the statues. He knelt down and opened a hidden trapdoor in the floor.

A secret chamber? Murder? Such thoughts echoed in Zi Bofeng's mind.

"Come in." Once the stale air had cleared, Yan Lao Wu carried a candle from the altar and descended. Zi Bofeng followed closely behind.

"Bofeng, I originally didn't want to bring you here," Yan Lao Wu sighed. "This is the greatest secret of Lower Yan Village. It isn't recorded in any ledger; it has only been passed down through the generations of our elders."

"You are not a descendant of the Yan clan, but I believe the ancestors will not blame me for telling you this." Yan Lao Wu walked inside. It was a cramped basement containing only a single chest.

As Zi Bofeng entered, he felt a surge of spiritual energy. When he looked closely, he was startled.

The chest was overflowing with spiritual energy, which rose in faint wisps like blue smoke. Zi Bofeng looked up and realized that above them must be the pedestal behind the altar where the ancestral statues sat; this mist-like energy was clearly being absorbed or suppressed by those very statues.

No wonder the ancestors of Lower Yan Village were carved from stone rather than molded from clay. Stone was durable, heavy, and difficult to move, which minimized contact with the statues and reduced the chance of anyone discovering this place.

Without even opening the chest, Zi Bofeng could guess what was inside.

Yan Lao Wu opened it anyway. The chest was lined with thick animal hides, separating the contents layer by layer.

Jade. Dense, packed layers of jade.

"Our ancestors once warned us: 'Jade has its limits, but the living have no end. In peace, prepare for danger; in thought, prepare for the future; with preparation, there is no disaster.'" These flowery words came from Yan Lao Wu's lips, and for once, Zi Bofeng didn't find them out of place. These were the original words from the Jade Sutra, a book compiled by the Yan ancestors to teach future generations the art of jade hunting and to record the warnings of their forebears. As a clan elder, Yan Lao Wu had long since memorized it by heart.

"As elders, we have placed a portion of the jade we find into this chest every year—sometimes three or five pieces, sometimes only one or two. Even in these recent years, I have taken the jade I saved in my youth and placed it here."

Zi Bofeng vaguely remembered seeing the old man at the Ancestral Hall on several occasions. He had assumed the old man was simply being nostalgic, honoring the ancestors, but now it seemed that wasn't the case at all. Although the air here was stuffy, it wasn't stale, and the surroundings were clean, clearly indicating that someone came to tidy up often.

"There are five hundred and seven pieces of jade in this chest now, seventy-five of which I placed here myself." The old man gently stroked the chest as if it were his own child, with lingering, deep affection. This was the secret he had guarded, the meaning of his existence, and the duty he had upheld.

And now, he had laid it all out before Zi Bofeng, leaving the choice to him.

Seeing Zi Bofeng's troubled expression, the old man smiled and patted his shoulder. "What are you thinking about? I'm not old yet. I just wanted to tell you not to risk your life for these things. You have a boundless future; these worldly possessions aren't worth it, they aren't worth it... There is no reason for the affairs of Lower Yan Village to rest solely on your shoulders."

But I am the Village Head, Zi Bofeng thought to himself.

"Don't worry, even if I die, I won't let them succeed so easily. The jade of Lower Yan Village has never truly been used; this is the final legacy left by our ancestors for their descendants. I will never do anything to betray them." Yan Lao Wu shook his fist.

You just said it wasn't worth the risk, and now you're talking about life and death? What kind of logic is that? Zi Bofeng mused silently.

Leaving the cellar with Yan Lao Wu and carefully covering the entrance, Zi Bofeng felt a heavy weight in his heart, as if the heavy jade were not in the chest, but inside him.

"Get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow morning, come with me to the mountains to hunt for jade, kid!" Yan Lao Wu patted Zi Bofeng on the shoulder.

"I would like to go, but I have to hold class tomorrow. I haven't taught in several days, and those little brats are already getting impatient."

Hearing Zi Bofeng say this, Yan Lao Wu laughed heartily and said, "That's true. Also, I'll let you know that we've already finished building two of the huts for searching for jade in the mountains. We won't be coming back tomorrow night; we'll stay in the mountains to see if we can find more jade."

"Old man, about the matter of building the relay stations..." Zi Bofeng asked with a grin.

"Go back to sleep," the old man said, turning away immediately.

Zi Bofeng laughed, and with his hands behind his back, he headed home as well.

Although he hadn't been able to persuade Feijianzi, Zi Bofeng still had plenty to do within the three-month deadline. Ever since the incident with the taxes, Zi Bofeng had become somewhat slack, but at this very moment, he felt his fighting spirit surging once again.

Three months, ninety days—even under normal circumstances, finding two or three pieces of jade a day would be enough to pay the Jade Tax.

Luo Qianshan had told Zi Bofeng not to overthink things and to just focus on what he needed to do; if it were only Lower Yan Village, there would truly be no need to worry about paying the Jade Tax.

However, there were two points that Zi Bofeng found deeply infuriating.

Why must the Jade Tax be paid? And after the tax is paid, it is used to construct a Spirit Gathering Array, which then plunders the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—even the spiritual energy of Lower Yan Village—causing jade to become even scarcer. Is this not aiding the tyrant in his oppression?

You, Feijianzi, say that you rely on your sword; then I shall forge a sword as well—a peerless demon sword!

Let's see if your immortal sword is stronger, or if my demon sword is!

Though the immortal sword is powerful, it is nothing more than a rocket launcher, perhaps a repeating one at best. What is so impressive about that?

Record of Raising Monsters