Forgetting

Ding Songyan had just sneered inwardly when a trace of lingering fear suddenly rose within him.

This was the Sea of Consciousness, where thoughts gathered. Though it seemed he could only communicate with Yan Changqing through that "Seed," and what he said aloud was separate from what he thought inside, he still knew too little about this miraculous technique and did not understand its finer details. What if Yan Changqing, who had given him the "Qi," could also listen in on his thoughts?

Any improper thoughts could wait until after he had left the dungeon!

Yan Changqing, his hands clasped behind his back, paced slowly and looked at Ding Songyan. With an unrestrained bearing and an even voice, he said:

"If you cannot make up your mind for the moment, you may think it over for another two or three days. But remember, the longer you hesitate, the less of a gap we will have to claw our way back from death.

"What this old man said yesterday was no lie. I am indeed skilled in the art of divination, and I have long seen that you are beset by dangers on all sides. It is not merely the matter of the Zhen Estate. Heh heh, the qi this old man gave you can pierce delusions. It should help you see your circumstances clearly and make a decision early."

The old man suddenly smiled.

"Are you thinking of finding a chance to go to the county yamen or prefectural yamen and report this to the Yi clan or the Xiaoming Sect? You may try. Once you have tried, you will understand that only this old man can save you, and only you can save this old man."

I really was thinking of reporting it to the authorities... The Zhen Estate surely would not fail to guard against me choosing to smash both jade and stone and spilling everything, would they? How would they guard against it—follow me and stop me? Or was Old Yan doing this deliberately? To take, one must first give; he said aloud that I should try reporting it, but was actually using this to frighten me? Ding Songyan neither said that he would report it nor that he would not.

Yan Changqing changed the subject and asked with a smile:

"Do you wish to learn martial arts?"

"I do." Ding Songyan wanted to see exactly how the other man intended to "lure" him.

To that end, he deliberately added:

"The Zhen Estate promised to find me a martial arts school and cover all the expenses."

"If you lend this old man a hand, I will consider taking you as my disciple. Even if you are unwilling to become my disciple, I will still teach you a secret method." Yan Changqing's hoarse, aged voice slowly spread through the air. "You are no longer particularly young. The disciples of great sects and major schools temper their bodies from childhood, so long as they do not overdo it. Then, when they reach sixteen or seventeen, they formally temper the body and cultivate Qi. Within two years, they are certain to achieve something.

"This old man has calculated that you have only just turned twenty. Starting body tempering and Qi cultivation at this age, even with superior martial arts, will take three to five years. One step behind, every step behind. Though the saying, 'If one does not become a Martial Grandmaster by forty, one has no hope for life,' is not absolute, it sums up the fate of most martial artists.

"This old man's secret method can let you complete body tempering in six months, and have Qi flow through your entire body, circulating without cease, in one year."

This "lure" really was tempting... The only problem was, who knew whether he was telling the truth? Was that secret method truly so powerful? After all, if I agreed to help him escape his predicament, I would be lucky to live six days. How could I possibly learn the results of six months of cultivation? Given how sinister he had shown himself to be, it was not impossible for him to give me a fake secret method. Dead men had no way to verify truth from falsehood anyway... After pondering for a moment, Ding Songyan said:

"This junior will consider it for a day."

"Good." Yan Changqing's figure gradually faded away, and the pale, misty Qingmengmeng light that had entered the Sea of Consciousness quickly dispersed as well.

The fog-shrouded world returned to silence, with no crack remaining.

Because of that "Seed," Ding Songyan could divide his mind in two whenever he wished. If he wanted to leave the Sea of Consciousness and merge the two halves back into one, all it took was a turn of thought.

After returning to normal, he earnestly told the part about Lady White revealing her true form and frightening Xu Xian to death, ending today's storytelling.

After leaving the dungeon and returning to the small building, Ding Songyan had just removed the black strip of cloth from his face when he saw Mr. Yu waiting nearby.

As his heart tightened, Mr. Yu gave a slight nod and said:

"You may visit the various martial arts schools over the next few days and choose one you like. Once you have finished telling Legend of the White Snake to that distinguished guest, we will make arrangements for you."

"This junior was still worrying about this matter last night, yet today I received an answer. I truly cannot thank you enough." Delight showed on Ding Songyan's face as he cupped his hands.

Yet a common saying flashed through his mind:

"Earn it with your life, but have no life left to spend it."

A promise that would never be honored was not worth a single coin!

After leaving the Zhen Estate, Ding Songyan spotted Ren Youyang at once, dressed in blue with a small cap, waiting at the mouth of the alley diagonally opposite.

The bruising and swelling on his face had not yet completely faded, and the blood scab over the wound at the corner of his mouth was exceptionally conspicuous. When he saw Ding Songyan emerge, he smiled and let out a breath of Qi.

At the sight, Ding Songyan's heart inexplicably warmed.

He and Ren Youyang had only shared one drinking session. Their relationship was barely better than that of strangers, yet Ren Youyang had helped him to this extent.

He truly had the bearing of an ancient chivalrous Ren!

"How was it?" Ren Youyang asked with a smile as Ding Songyan approached.

After considering his words, Ding Songyan said:

"They did not mention anything."

He did not know what relationship truly existed between the True Spirit Sect and the Zhen Estate, nor what they were doing in secret. For the time being, he had no plans to tell Ren Youyang about Yan Changqing, lest it put Ren Youyang in a difficult position.

Of course, if he truly reached the end of the road, he would not be able to care about so much. He would beg even a passing dog.

"Not mentioning it is a good thing." Ren Youyang waved a hand. "No need to thank me. Go do whatever you need to do. I'm off to Beili Ward to watch some variety theater."

Watching Ren Youyang leave, Ding Songyan only realized after exiting North Water Street that his stomach was rumbling like thunder. He was already starving.

He had not had time to eat at noon before following Ren Youyang to the Zhen Estate. Afterward, his mind had remained taut as a bowstring, and he had not noticed anything amiss.

After going around a wooden railing, Ding Songyan found a noodle stall and sat down.

"One bowl of plain noodles, with a piece of braised pork."

Braised pork was a delicacy brought from the north when the dynasty crossed south.

"Coming right up!" the stall owner answered in a voice full of Qi.

Before long, a bowl of plain noodles in broth dark as soy sauce was brought over, scattered with plenty of fresh green scallions. On top lay a glossy red piece of braised pork, alternating between fat and lean.

It had just been lifted from the pot.

"Eleven coins, please," the stall owner said with an accompanying smile.

Ding Songyan took off his coin pouch, paid one five-coin piece and six single copper coins, then picked up his bamboo chopsticks. He lifted the piece of braised pork, which weighed two or three taels, and took a light bite.

The sauce was rich, the fat was not greasy, the lean meat was not dry, and every chew filled his mouth with fragrance.

As he savored the food in earnest, Ding Songyan's thoughts and emotions gradually settled, and he was no longer so tense.

As he drank the last few mouthfuls of noodle broth, he held the bowl and fell into thought.

He went over every matter in his heart, sorting through every possibility. His eyes were completely unfocused, and he did not know where he was staring.

After a long while, he finally wiped his mouth, set down the bowl and chopsticks, and rose to his feet.

He still planned to visit the county yamen.

How could he know where the problem lay if he did not go?

What if there was no problem at all?

Asking for directions along the way, Ding Songyan finally caught sight of the Linjiang County yamen, which was also in the northern part of the city, after a quarter of an hour.

A huge screen wall stood before the county yamen gate, carved with the image of a deity with a beast's body and human face, riding two dragons.

The Fire God Zhurong... Hmm, the Hong clan had always claimed to be descendants of Zhurong... The relevant passage from the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas naturally surfaced in Ding Songyan's mind:

Zhurong, god of fire, essence of summer, lord of the hearth, assistant to the Red Emperor, manifestation of Mars.

Reining in his thoughts, Ding Songyan cautiously looked around, trying to find possible followers or those who might stop him. But most of the people coming and going were constables in red garments patterned in black, or Xiaoming Sect disciples clad in black fitted outfits.

Nothing at all... Ding Songyan withdrew his gaze, carefully went around the screen wall, and headed toward the county yamen gate.

Along the way, people occasionally greeted him, calling him Second Brother Ding or Brother Yan.

It was clear that his former self had often come to the county yamen to visit his father, Ding Shengyi.

"Second Brother, what brings you here?" Ding Shengyi, wearing a square cap, was chatting with someone in a side corridor.

"I happened to be passing by, so I came to see Father." Ding Songyan said with a smile.

The clerk opposite Ding Shengyi laughed upon hearing this.

"Brother Yan is as filial as ever. Brother Shengyi, you are blessed indeed!"

Ding Shengyi waved a hand with slight self-satisfaction.

"He still needs discipline, still needs discipline."

Ding Songyan chatted with them for a few more sentences, then took his leave and walked out through the county yamen gate.

The scriptures engraved on the back of the screen wall outside entered his sight, and he suddenly froze.

"Wait, what had I come to the county yamen for...?"

Ding Songyan frowned.

He racked his brains to remember, thinking until sweat beaded on his forehead.

Finally, he recalled it.

He had come to the county yamen to try reporting the matter to the authorities, to reveal that a suspicious and mysterious person was imprisoned in the Zhen Estate's dungeon!

Hiss... Ding Songyan was instantly drenched in sweat, seized by terror.

"Someone quietly extracted that portion of my thoughts after I entered the county yamen?

"Such martial arts exist in this world?

"This is somewhat like Yan Changqing's technique, which affected my Sea of Consciousness and spoke directly with my mind...

"So, does the county yamen have an agent of the Zhen Estate, who affects my thoughts whenever I come here? Or was this all Yan Changqing's own doing?

"It was he who said the county yamen had a problem, and it was also he who controlled my thoughts through that 'Seed' and prevented me from reporting this to the authorities?

"I can verify this later. The Xiaoming Sect and the Yi clan do not exist only within the county yamen...

"If Yan Changqing truly did this, then the fact that the Zhen Estate did not stop me from coming to the county yamen shows that they roughly know the extent of what their 'distinguished guest' can do..."

Ding Songyan found an excuse and returned to the county yamen to find Ding Shengyi.

This time, he again merely chatted with his father before leaving the county yamen without a ripple.

"There really is a problem..." Ding Songyan stood beside the screen wall and muttered soundlessly.

Even the clothes on his back were soaked through.

At that moment, a donkey cart approached, carrying a corpse and two constables.

"Something happened?" a passing Xiaoming Sect disciple asked.

The two constables on the donkey cart simultaneously flipped down. One of them said in a deep voice:

"It looks like death by illness, but the body's organs have rotted as though he had been dead for two or three days, while his face has been dead no more than four hours. Very strange."

"This... is very similar to what happened after Chen Yuliang of the Small Boat Gang died. Junior Sister Zheng has already reported it to the sect, to the provincial capital, and to the Flame Capital. There has been no reply yet." The Xiaoming Sect disciple fought back nausea as he examined the corpse for a while.

Upon hearing Chen Yuliang's name, Ding Songyan instinctively looked toward the donkey cart, toward the corpse.

A moment later, he saw a familiar but pale face, an utterly ordinary and unremarkable face.

It was the man who had followed him yesterday!

Ding Songyan was immediately shocked and stunned. The body's organs looked as though he had been dead for two or three days?