To Be Continued

The next morning.

Ding Songyan and Xu Chang'an left Chengyu Alley together, heading toward Dangkang Temple.

As they passed a stone bridge, Xu Chang'an suddenly stopped and cupped his hands to Ding Songyan.

"Second Brother Ding, I'll be going now."

Beneath the swaying shade of the locust trees, Ding Songyan asked in puzzlement, "Where are you going?"

"You forgot?" Xu Chang'an looked surprised. With his shifty eyes darting left and right, he lowered his voice. "To my master's place. He tests me once every five days."

Then why did you come looking for me? Just to walk together for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? Right, you hadn't come for me at all. You wanted to take the chance to see Qingyan... Ding Songyan gave a cold snort inwardly.

Watching Xu Chang'an turn from the road beside the stone bridge into a nearby street, Ding Songyan carried his bamboo basket containing a teapot, folding fan, and other items, along with his folding stool and table, and continued onward.

These were all the tools of his trade.

His original set had vanished without a trace the day before yesterday. He could only cobble these together at home, and even then, some things were still missing.

By the time Ding Songyan reached Dangkang Temple, with its yellow walls and brown tiles, the place was already bustling. All manner of hawkers' cries reached his ears.

"Cha pear strips for sale! Cha pear strips for sale!"

"Songyang Persimmons are utterly unique, moistening the lungs and clearing them clean. Wuping Jujubes reign supreme, finely chewed to settle the stomach. If you are a resentful maiden or lonely husband, buy some and eat them—you'll pair up two by two!" (Note 1)

"Finely woven bamboo winnowing baskets without a seam, iron hooks and shoulder poles made by Lufang Make!"

Before Ding Songyan even reached his own patch of open ground, he spotted the "God of Wealth" from afar.

The young woman had changed her attire today. Her dark hair was simply pinned up with a jade hairpin. She wore a light-purple two-piece skirt beneath a deep-purple jacket fastened down the front, embroidered with flowers and grasses arranged in vertical stripes. She looked somewhat slender and delicate, presenting an entirely different charm from yesterday.

"Second Brother Ding!" She raised her right hand and waved. Her upturned eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled, making passersby of every age and gender unable to look away for a moment.

She had actually come early to wait. Good thing—this meant I hadn't done too badly yesterday... Ding Songyan relaxed slightly and walked over beneath the envious, jealous gazes of those around him.

The young woman and her maid had also come prepared, bringing two bamboo-woven embroidered stools. Without the slightest hesitation, they seated themselves in the very front.

Beneath the dense shade, Ding Songyan set up his small table, arranged the teapot, and sat down.

He picked up his folding fan and snapped it open. Without waiting for more listeners to gather, he began directly.

"Last time, we left off..."

With a detailed outline and draft in hand, he spoke more smoothly and calmly this time, adding many details. During his breaks, he did not ask for tips, merely drinking water to moisten his throat.

More and more people stopped to listen, drawn in by this story so unlike the current tales of heroes and legends. The young woman in purple silk rested her cheek on one hand and listened with rapt attention, her expression changing now and then as the plot unfolded.

When Lady White used magic to create minor illnesses and improve the pharmacy's business, the young woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly. When Xu Xian's actions moved Lady White and gave her a "human heart," she clasped her hands in gratification. When Lady White and Xiaoqing relied on their demon abilities to punish evil and uphold justice, aid the poor and support the weak, her right arm twitched faintly, as though she wished she could take their place...

When Fahai appeared again and beguiled Xu Xian into testing Lady White with realgar wine, not only the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl and her maid, but the other listeners as well, showed expressions of nervous worry mixed with anger and hatred.

Ding Songyan did not waver in the slightest. After Xu Xian struggled again and again in his heart, he finally handed that cup of realgar wine to Lady White.

Blinded by love and with Fahai having clouded her heavenly foresight, Lady White failed to notice anything wrong with the wine. Only after drinking it did she realize something was amiss. She hurried into the room, trying to shut off inside from outside, but it was already too late. Xu Xian followed her in, half out of concern and half to confirm the result. When he saw her reveal her true form, he was frightened to death on the spot.

When the effects of the medicine passed, Lady White regained consciousness. Looking at Xu Xian, now nothing more than a corpse, grief surged from her heart, leaving her blank and despairing.

There was both the agony of betrayal and the sorrow of being parted from her beloved by death.

At that moment, Ding Songyan snapped his folding fan shut and tapped it against his palm.

"As the saying goes: Madame White Under Qingcheng Mountain, cultivating this body for a thousand years within the cave... Diligently cultivating and bitterly training until attaining the Dao, shedding mortal flesh and changing bones to become human..." (Note 2)

His song rose, telling of a heart wholly devoted to the Dao without a single stray thought, telling of taking refuge in the Three Treasures and seeking a golden body. Against Lady White's present predicament, its surging emotions formed a vivid contrast, making the feeling more distant and profound, the emptiness and despair more real.

The sharp-chinned young woman and the people around her listened in dazed silence, completely immersed in the mood Ding Songyan wished to convey. None of them felt that the tune or singing style was heretical or outlandish.

Their feelings were immensely complicated. They were not quite moved to tears, yet a dull ache throbbed in their hearts, leaving them strangely bereft.

Ding Songyan observed their reactions and was greatly satisfied.

His sole regret was that the song would sound best sung by a woman, and she would have to sing it with a cold, ethereal air, detached from the dust of the mortal world.

After singing "Madame White Under Qingcheng Mountain," Ding Songyan lowered his fan, rose to his feet, and cupped his hands toward the crowd.

"Honored listeners, if you wish to know what happened next, then listen to the next installment. Yesterday, I did not ask for rewards; today, I ask only that you all give me a bite to eat."

The young woman immediately tossed a silver ingot into Ding Songyan's bamboo basket.

Ding Songyan weighed it slightly and guessed it was likely around one tael.

Though he had not come to tell Legend of the White Snake in pursuit of wealth, having money fall into his pocket was also an excellent thing. When he went to study under a master in the future, he might need tuition. It was never wrong to save up beforehand.

"You're truly generous, miss!" Following the customs of the trade, Ding Songyan praised the "God of Wealth."

With the young woman taking the lead, the other listeners also tossed varying amounts of copper coins into the bamboo basket, amounting to fifty or sixty coins in total.

Ding Songyan set down the bamboo basket and was about to pack up his stall when he saw that the young woman, her maid, and the other listeners had not dispersed. They remained where they were.

It was already noon... He cupped his hands again. "Everyone, please come early tomorrow."

"You're not telling any more today?" The young woman in the purple silk blouse looked as though she were saying, How could you do this? "Not even this afternoon?"

Ding Songyan said sincerely, "I still need to read through the storybook for what comes next. I have not yet learned it thoroughly."

I'm already pushing the pace at breakneck speed. If this were a television drama, what I told today could last you people a whole week!

I even cut out quite a few plotlines just so I could end today's telling at the matter of the realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival and leave you hanging. How could I spoil the story now?

If I didn't make you toss and turn tonight, unable to sleep, how could I leave a deep impression on you?

The other listeners left one after another in disappointment. Only the young woman and her maid remained, glaring at Ding Songyan with puffed-up anger.

She seemed to have quite a good temper, not as spoiled and overbearing as I imagined... Ding Songyan made a tentative judgment based on that.

"You... how did that troublesome matter you mentioned yesterday turn out?" After thinking for a long while, the young woman decided to offer help in exchange for the rest of the story.

Talking about money was far too vulgar!

"Thank you for keeping it in mind, heroine. It has already been resolved." Seeing the plaster seller and the other storytellers nearby paying attention to their exchange, Ding Songyan deliberately said, "It is just that I injured my head and forgot many things. I do not even remember who harmed me. I still need others to investigate it. Heroine, it is not that I do not wish to tell more—it is that I truly do not remember. I have to go back and look through books. Yesterday, I exhausted all the strength of nine oxen and two tigers just to remember what I told today."

He was taking the opportunity to spread word of his "wandering soul illness," so that the true provider of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas would no longer worry about him and come looking to cause trouble again.

Seeing how earnest Ding Songyan was, the young woman in purple waved her hand in disappointment and helplessness.

"Then hurry home and rest. Over the next few days, I'll help you ask around and see who can cure this illness."

Better not cure it. If it were cured, I would no longer be me... Ding Songyan muttered as he bid farewell to the young woman and her maid.

After asking someone to watch over his tools of the trade, he spent six coppers on a baked flatbread with a crisp outer crust and minced pork inside. Gnawing on it as he walked, he headed for Zhen Estate on North Water Street.

"There's still meat juice in it, and they added some preserved mustard greens... Not bad, not bad..." Ding Songyan was quite satisfied with today's meal.

After entering Zhen Estate and arriving at Lotus Pond Courtyard, he saw not only his cousin Qin Nuansheng and her maid Cuihe, but also his nominal brother-in-law, Zhen Quanwang.

Zhen Quanwang was in his thirties. He wore a dark straight robe and a Pure Yang cap that leaned somewhat Daoist in style. His upper body bent slightly forward, his face was clean-shaven but visibly covered in fine hair, and his ears resembled those of a macaque.

Ding Songyan expressed his family's gratitude to Qin Nuansheng and Zhen Quanwang for what had happened in recent days, then took two items from his robes.

One was a copied Buddhist scripture, and the other was a folded yellow talisman.

"Brother-in-law, Sister Nuansheng, we know Zhen Estate is wealthy and powerful, lacking nothing. So my mother merely copied a volume of scripture by hand in the Buddhist hall, hoping it will bless you with peace and all things going smoothly. And this protective talisman was obtained by my father from Songfeng Taoist Temple outside the city. May you have many sons and abundant blessings."

According to Ding Shengyi and Liu Yuzao, though Qin Nuansheng was deeply favored by Zhen Quanwang, she had entered the estate over two years ago and still had no children to rely upon. She was greatly worried about this.

Zhen Quanwang and Qin Nuansheng accepted the gifts of thanks with satisfaction.

Just as Ding Songyan had said, what did the Zhen family lack? What mattered was the attitude.

After chatting for a while, Zhen Quanwang had an esteemed guest to receive and left Lotus Pond Courtyard. Ding Songyan sat before the water-powered fan wheel, feeling the late-autumn chill within the room, and finally had the chance to tell Qin Nuansheng roughly what had happened. However, he did not mention the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, because he did not know whether it was also a secret to Qin Nuansheng.

At the end, he asked, "Sister Nuansheng, may I ask where Mister Yu is? I wish to thank him in person and offer a modest gift."

Qin Nuansheng thought for a moment before saying, "Mister Yu has been very busy these past few days. When he has time, I will send someone to inform you."

Unable to meet Mister Yu and inquire for information, Ding Songyan thought it over, then voluntarily said, "Sister Nuansheng, after this matter, I feel... I feel that a man living in this world must still learn some martial arts. Otherwise, above, he cannot keep his parents safe; below, he cannot protect himself. Do you... do you have any connections?"

With the thick skin he had developed through years of entrepreneurship and dozens of verbal battles with investors, his stammer was clearly an act.

Qin Nuansheng listened with furrowed brows, then slowly said, "Brother Yan, I understand what you mean. But learning martial arts is exceedingly costly if no one is willing to support you. You must be prepared for that.

"Do not rush. I will help you ask around. If you can join Zhen Estate or learn martial arts from an Attendant like Mister Yu, it would be far better than going to a martial arts school."

"Would Xiaoming Sect not work?" Ding Songyan did not hide his thoughts in the slightest, nor did he show the least embarrassment.

I have wandering soul illness now. How would I know what is appropriate?

Qin Nuansheng laughed helplessly.

"Xiaoming Sect only recruits disciples once a year, at the end of the year. Normally, unless some expert of Xiaoming Sect takes a liking to you and wishes to accept you as a disciple, do not even think about it. And even at the end of the year, they are very strict in recruiting disciples. At your age, if you lack talent, it will be very, very difficult."

At the end of the year? Fortunately, I have the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas. Perhaps I can use it in exchange... Ding Songyan pondered for a few breaths, then asked, "Exactly how old am I?"

Qin Nuansheng was first stunned, then gave a bitter smile.

"You were born in the nineteenth year of Xingping, and you have just turned twenty this year. For cultivating the martial path, this is not actually too late. The disciples of those great sects and schools also wait until after eighteen to complete body tempering and qi training before beginning aperture refinement, so as not to affect physical growth."

"What rank does that count as?" Ding Songyan asked curiously.

Qin Nuansheng laughed again.

"It does not enter the ranks."

Note 1: Adapted from the lyrics of the Yuan-dynasty zaju play Wang Huan at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion Flaunts His Romantic Ways. The play was very popular at the time, to the point that this passage became a standard template for street vendors' cries.

Note 2: Quoted from the song "Madame White Under Qingcheng Mountain."