Delighted by a Letter

The little letter was no larger than a palm. He broke the crimson wax seal and took out the neatly folded paper.

Unfolding it revealed several densely packed lines of small writing. Jiang Yang smoothed out the creases and read it word by word.

"To Junior Brother Jiang: seeing your words is like seeing your face; may opening this letter bring you a smile. It has been some time since we parted, and I have yet to hear how you have been..."

The brief letter was only seven or eight lines long. Its wording was concise, and he soon finished reading it.

After finishing, Jiang Yang instinctively turned the paper over. Finding nothing on the back, he turned it around and read it twice more, a faint smile rising to his lips.

Looking at the graceful little characters on the paper, Jiang Yang could almost see Shang Qingzheng's face, poised between delight and reproach.

In the letter, she asked how he had been and whether something had delayed him, then mentioned a few trivial matters.

She asked how his cultivation was going, said Sixteen had been mischievous again and that she herself was bored once more, and finally made sure to give Jiang Yang a little nudge, telling him not to forget to write back.

Reading the final line—"‌I await with my head raised, hoping you will grant me a swift reply"—Jiang Yang shook his head and chuckled.

The meaning was perfectly clear: I'm craning my neck and standing on tiptoe waiting, you know. Once you receive this, you'd better write back quickly.

From the words of this short letter, he could sense the feelings woven between its lines. This was already the second smile it had brought to his face.

Still, he rarely saw Shang Qingzheng so eager. During their usual time together, she had mostly been gentle and composed. It seemed the distance afforded by letters made it easier for her to reveal a more genuine side.

Having finished reading the letter, he naturally had to reply. Jiang Yang carried the paper over to the desk and sat down.

Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were all ready to hand. Only the brush was something Jiang Yang had brought himself; the other supplies had already been in the Cave Abode. He guessed the previous owner had simply not bothered to take them away. They were hardly valuable things, after all.

He pulled over a sheet of white paper and laid it out, pondering as he ground the ink.

"Her letter's so neatly written, and her handwriting's so lovely. Won't my chicken scratches be embarrassing?"

Muttering his complaint, Jiang Yang lifted his brush and dipped it into the inkstone again and again, unable to bring himself to begin.

He really had never written a letter. Ask him to write an essay of eight hundred or a thousand words, and he would have no trouble, yet this reply of barely a hundred-odd words left him scratching his head.

Then there was his handwriting. He seldom put brush to paper, and he knew nothing of the brush control needed to draw talismans. At best, he could write, keeping his horizontal strokes level and his vertical strokes straight. He could hardly aspire to the sinew, bone, and sharpness of fine brushwork.

"Heh... it's a letter. Getting the meaning across is enough. Being too prim and proper would only take the fun out of it."

Jiang Yang chuckled, giving himself a graceful way off that awkward perch, then lowered his brush and began writing.

Most of the time, he was not bullheaded. When he did not know how to do something, he would not force himself to pretend otherwise and make a fool of himself.

"For Senior Sister's eyes: your letter brought me joy, as though we met again after a long absence. I recently learned three spells, and, delighted as a hunter at the sight of prey, practiced them without pause, neglecting both sleep and meals. Thus I missed the time to write and send you a letter. For this lapse, I beg your forgiveness..."

Jiang Yang wrote earnestly upon the paper. Although his handwriting was not beautiful, the lines were orderly and the characters reasonably sized.

In the letter, he first told her how he had been, then explained why he had not written sooner.

Knowing Shang Qingzheng was bored on Dawn Rain Peak, he described everything he had seen and heard over the past few days, down to the smallest detail.

He dwelled in particular on the scenery of Dew-Covered Lake, the grandeur of the Ancestral Court, his visit to the Library Pavilion, which spells he had chosen, and how his practice had gone...

Unlike Shang Qingzheng's restrained little letter, Jiang Yang's brush flowed effortlessly. He wrote whatever came to mind, and before long he had filled an entire sheet from edge to edge.

Once finished, he swept his sleeve to blow the ink dry, picked up the letter, and read it through again. Finding nothing wrong with it, he nodded in satisfaction.

He carefully folded the paper in half and tucked it into an envelope, then immediately drew the paper crane made from pale yellow talisman paper out of his sleeve.

Cupping it in his palm, Jiang Yang poured in Magic Power and silently recited:

Immortal Embryo's Deep Path, heed my command...

After he recited the formula, the talisman-paper Spirit Crane hovered in midair, and Jiang Yang held out the envelope.

Endowed with spiritual awareness, the crane lowered its head and took the letter in its beak. It circled once above him, then flew out of the Cave Abode, vanishing into the depths of the pine and cypress woods in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Yang set down his brush and followed it outside in a few strides, but caught only a fleeting silhouette. By the time he rode the rain to the edge of the pine woods, there was nothing left to see.

The Spirit Crane flew exceedingly fast. Without advance preparation, an ordinary cultivator could not even catch its shadow, and its tiny size meant there was little risk of interception.

By the time he finished writing the letter, Jiang Yang had recovered more than half his Magic Power. Since he was already outside, he simply continued toward the foot of the mountain.

It was now late spring, the last day of the month. High summer was approaching, yet a fine drizzle still drifted from the sky.

Today happened to be a rest day, and he planned to visit Senior Brother Zhou Yanwei. Courtesy ought to flow both ways, and Zhou Yanwei had given him plenty of guidance. He could hardly set the man aside whenever he needed nothing, only to show up when something arose, with all his politeness amounting to empty words.

Springing lightly along, his robes fluttering, Jiang Yang sped down the mountain path.

The raindrops overhead parted to either side the instant they touched Jiang Yang's shoulders. The falling curtain of fine beads formed a crystalline ring, separating him from the rain. From afar, his bearing resembled an immortal descended to the mortal world.

The final day of every month was a rest day for the various offices, allowing the duty disciples who worked daily a chance to rest. Thus, rather than seek Zhou Yanwei at the General Affairs Office, Jiang Yang had deliberately chosen this day.

It was not that he could not visit on an ordinary day. If no one noticed, it would be fine, but drawing someone into idle conversation unrelated to official business would leave a poor impression if others saw it.

His previous two visits had both been convenient stops while handling official business, so they had posed no problem.

Zhou Yanwei had mentioned that he came from Rain Marsh Peak. After descending the mountain, Jiang Yang headed in that direction.

Falling Rain Peak, Morning Rain Peak, and Rain Marsh Peak stood close together, each guarding the others. They were not far apart, and before long, Jiang Yang was climbing upward from the foot of the mountain.

That alchemist called Dan Ruo seems to be from Rain Marsh Peak too... I suppose disciples from Rain Marsh Peak must enjoy somewhat higher standing than those from the other two peaks...

Jiang Yang's thoughts wandered as he hurried along.

He had come from Falling Rain Peak, and even joining Morning Rain Peak had done little to change his circumstances. Yet Zhou Yanwei could serve as an acting steward while still at Qi Refining, and Dan Ruo was an alchemist of exalted standing. Both came from Rain Marsh Peak. That alone offered a glimpse of the difference.

"This peak is far too tall. Without an address, wouldn't finding someone be like fishing a needle from the sea?"

Jiang Yang took in the sights as fleetingly as viewing flowers from horseback, the scenery changing rapidly around him. Fortunately, he had asked Zhou Yanwei beforehand, or he would have had quite a search ahead.

This is the place. Today's a rest day, Senior Brother Zhou, so don't go wandering off. Finding a locked door would be awkward...

Jiang Yang stopped on a platform halfway up the mountain, muttering inwardly.

The surrounding scenery was extraordinary. Smooth blue-stone paving lay beneath his feet, bordered by jade railings. A pavilion stood where the platform extended toward the mountainside, while an enormous tree towered in the center, providing shade. A cave abode lay hidden within the rock wall.

Unsure whether the private Cave Abode had a warning formation, Jiang Yang did not dare intrude. Instead, he remained where he was and called out:

"Are you here, Senior Brother Zhou? Jiang Yang has come to pay his respects..."