After the heart-stopping events of the past half day, both Xing Yan and Ju Ying felt mentally weary. Fortunately, the silver in Ju Ying's sleeve had not been lost, so Xing Yan hired a small rowboat. With the young man working both oars, the little craft parted the sunset waters of Poyang Lake and headed straight for the northern shore.
As he rowed, the young man recalled doing the very same thing on Poyang Lake the night before. Who could have imagined that so much would happen in less than a day? In his daze, it felt as though a lifetime had passed. Still, despite all the hardship, seeing Ju Ying's fairy-like beauty had been a considerable consolation. Then he recalled the perilous turmoil on the lake that afternoon, and unconsciously put more strength into his strokes. Now he had no heart to think of anything else; he only wanted to get home as soon as possible. Never before had he been so eager to see the parents he used to see every day.
Curled up at the bow, Ju Ying covered her lovely head with a bamboo hat, hiding her otherworldly beauty so that she would not cause a sensation once they went ashore.
Compared with the young man's single-minded thoughts, the girl's heart surged with conflicting tides. One moment, she remembered sharing life and death with this young man now rowing the boat amid those terrifying waves little more than two hours ago, and sweetness filled her heart. She felt not the slightest lingering fear. Instead, deep in the lake of her heart stirred something she had never felt before, something she could neither describe nor explain, yet the mere thought of it seemed enough to make her whole body tremble. The next moment, she remembered that she had now revealed her true face, and according to her agreement with her father, she ought to return to Luoyang. Even if she tried to wriggle out of it, Uncle Zong, stubborn by nature and obedient to her father alone, would force her to go back.
In the past, it would not have mattered. Before arriving in Raozhou, she had already nearly exhausted her enthusiasm for sightseeing. Yet in this little city, she had unexpectedly met this amusing young man. In just two or three short days, it seemed a thread of attachment had taken root in her heart, one she could not sever. She could not bear simply to leave the vast, misty waters of Poyang Lake, the plain and unpretentious Raozhou City, the humble yet warm farming village in the mountains... and this young man rowing the boat.
At that thought, the girl grew shy. Turning her face, she stole a glance at him, only to find him utterly unaware, wholly absorbed in pulling the oars back and forth.
Ah, a simple life like his would be rather nice too...
Thinking of the parting that would soon be upon them, the girl felt an unfamiliar trace of melancholy and loss deep in her heart.
Beside the distracted girl, the little boat cut through the waters of Poyang Lake, its scale-like ripples shimmering in the sunset. Who could have imagined that little more than two hours earlier, this tranquil stretch of water had been a hellish scene of murky waves crashing into the sky and bleak winds howling?
I wonder whether the people on the painted pleasure boat escaped with their lives as we did... Still, what happened to me today really was strange.
Torn between hope and anxiety, her thoughts tangled like hemp, the girl gazed at the mist-covered lake and could not help thinking:
By rights, even a torrential downpour should never have washed away Qin Attendant's Concealment Art. Why did my true appearance show through today?
Still, perhaps it's just as well... That foolish Xing Yan certainly got a treat! From now on, surely he won't think Miss Li at the general store is the only pretty girl?
At that thought, a blush crept onto Ju Ying's cheeks. Bathed in the rosy light of the western sky, they looked lovelier still.
Whether its passengers wished it or not, the little boat finally reached the northern shore.
They unfastened the rope and tied it to a willow, then left the boat and stepped ashore. Looking back the way they had come, they saw only a vast expanse of mist and water.
Once ashore, Xing Yan said to Ju Ying:
"I'd like to go home now. Are you also..."
The bashful young man's words broke off there, and he could not bring himself to continue.
Hearing him, the girl lowered her lovely head and remained silent for a long while. The bamboo hat concealed her face, leaving the anxious young man unable to see her expression.
After a long silence, the girl seemed to summon great resolve before saying softly:
"Yes, I'd like another taste of that pinecone wine. Would you welcome me, Xing Yan?"
Leaving aside the tender feelings of Ju Ying and Xing Yan, the coachman from her household had already spent most of the day waiting for them on the northern shore of Poyang Lake. Having witnessed the strange disturbance on the lake, he was frantic with worry. Before they set out, Uncle Cheng, who was skilled at divination and foresight, had told him not to worry, saying:
"Old Zong, Ju Ying and that young man are both blessed with great good fortune. Heaven itself protects them; no human power can harm them. Please set your mind at ease."
Even so, Uncle Cheng was no immortal. After witnessing the terrifying spectacle on Poyang Lake that day, Old Zong could not help feeling frightened and helpless. He thought that if anything happened to the young lady, even ten thousand deaths would not atone for his failure!
Just as the coachman named Zong was at his wits' end with anxiety, his troubled face suddenly cleared, like parched land receiving welcome rain after a long drought. Two figures were approaching along the lakeside embankment. One was the young man, and the other, though wearing a bamboo hat, was clearly Ju Ying.
The instant he saw them, Old Zong hurried forward and met them halfway. He was about to pour out his questions, but suddenly stopped, staring in speechless astonishment.
He had caught sight of Ju Ying's peerless, celestial beauty beneath the bamboo hat.
"Young lady, you..."
Only after a moment did Old Zong venture the question.
"Uncle Zong, I'd like to go to Xing Yan's home. Sorry for the trouble, but please drive us there."
Ju Ying did not answer his question, merely asking him to prepare the carriage and take them to Xing Yan's home. Though her voice was quiet, her tone plainly brooked no argument.
"Well... very well."
Though Uncle Zong hesitated as if about to speak, he ultimately said nothing more. He simply led Ju Ying and Xing Yan into the carriage, then shook the silken reins and gave a long cry:
"Hyah!"
And so the carriage carried Xing Yan and Ju Ying away from the misty expanse of Poyang Lake, heading toward Horseshoe Mountain beneath a sky filled with sunset glow.
Inside the carriage in the gathering dusk, Xing Yan caught glimpses of the girl's exquisite beauty from the corner of his eye and could not help thinking:
When we get home, and Father and Mother see that Ju Ying has suddenly become so beautiful since the other day, will they think she's a monster?
By the time Uncle Zong's carriage reached the foot of Horseshoe Mountain, stars filled the sky.
Old Zhang and his wife were delighted to see their son return after two days away. But when they clearly saw Ju Ying walking through the door, both elders froze, their mouths hanging open in astonishment!
At the sight, Xing Yan thought things had gone wrong. From his parents' expressions, they almost certainly took Ju Ying for some fox spirit or ghost! He was just about to explain when he heard them stammer:
"A f-fairy has descended to earth!"
Only then did Xing Yan breathe a sigh of relief. This would be easy enough to explain: his parents thought Ju Ying was a fairy, not a monster.
Once the elders had recovered a little, Xing Yan repeated Ju Ying's earlier explanation about concealing her appearance, telling them that this was her true face. He left out the terrifying ordeal on Poyang Lake, however, lest it frighten them.
After hearing Xing Yan's explanation, the Zhang couple finally understood. This fairy-like girl before them was the very girl who had visited their home the other day. Once they understood the reason, they were actually less surprised.
Looking at the girl before her, Xing Yan's mother praised her:
"When I heard Ju Ying's voice and saw her eyes the other day, I knew she couldn't be a plain, rough woman like us. This fairy-like face is what truly matches the lass's eyes and voice!"
Though Ju Ying had heard countless compliments before, and even had poems and rhapsodies written in her honor by scholars, Xing Yan's mother's simple praise suddenly made her feel terribly bashful. She said shyly:
"Please don't praise me so, Mother. Ju Ying is but a plain girl. How could my looks compare with a fairy's..."
Once the stir over her beauty had subsided, Xing Yan's considerate mother knew they must all be hungry and stopped the idle conversation. She laid out the meal and invited everyone to eat. Uncle Zong was invited to join them as well, to sample the family's homemade pinecone wine and their preserved mountain delicacies.
At the table, Uncle Zong remained as silent as ever, drinking morosely without saying a word.
Seeing him thus, Xing Yan's family merely assumed he was a simple, taciturn man and thought nothing of it. Ju Ying, however, smiled and chatted merrily, pouring small servings of pinecone wine and savoring them slowly. In the little mountain cottage beneath the cover of night, warmth and happiness filled the room like spring.
After supper, everyone went to bed according to the same arrangements as before, except that the coachman Old Zong now took Uncle Cheng's place in Xing Yan's room.
Worn out by the day's ordeals, Xing Yan soon fell asleep.
While the young man drifted through hazy dreams, he seemed faintly to hear people whispering outside the window. Though his sleep had been deep and sweet, he suddenly woke with a start. Opening his bleary eyes and looking around, he found that Uncle Zong had vanished from the straw bed opposite him.
As Xing Yan wondered at this, the faint murmuring reached his ears again. He draped on his clothes, rose, and went to the window. Outside, moonlight lay like water in the courtyard enclosed by a chinaberry hedge. Two figures stood by the fence posts, apparently speaking in low voices. Looking closely, he recognized Ju Ying and Uncle Zong, who seemed to be arguing.
Perhaps afraid of being overheard by those indoors, they both seemed to be keeping their voices as low as possible, and their words were barely audible. But Xing Yan was intensely curious. Though they were some distance away, by concentrating he could still catch a few fragments. It seemed that Uncle Zong was urging the girl to return with him at once, while Ju Ying was reluctant.
Faintly, he heard Uncle Zong mention things such as "my master," "agreement," "your precious person," "ten thousand deaths could not atone," "tomorrow morning," and "set out."
Judging by their expressions and tones, Uncle Zong seemed entirely justified, and every word came from the bottom of his heart. The young Ju Ying, by contrast, seemed unable to find an adequate reply. It appeared that in the end she would not be able to prevail against him.
Xing Yan was exceptionally quick-witted. Seeing this, how could he fail to guess the reason? Uncle Zong's master, presumably Ju Ying's father, must have instructed Uncle Cheng and Uncle Zong before she left home on her travels to bring her back immediately if she revealed her true appearance. The girl had probably made the same promise before leaving home in order to obtain permission to travel.
On reflection, such an agreement was hardly surprising. The world beyond home was perilous, its storms unpredictable. With beauty like Ju Ying's, danger lurked at every step, making it difficult to move even an inch. Now that she had revealed her true face, her utterly loyal servant Uncle Zong was surely insisting on her return for fear that his young mistress might encounter danger.
Having understood the matter, the young man felt an aching sense of loss. He returned to his straw bed and lay down fully dressed. Before long, the voices outside the window gradually faded. A little later, Uncle Zong crept back to his straw bed and settled down to sleep.
It seems Ju Ying and Uncle Zong will definitely leave tomorrow morning.
Though he had always known it would end this way, after spending these two or three days together, the young man now felt an overwhelming melancholy and loss.
And so, that night, someone tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep again.
The next morning, everyone woke to the chirping of birds in the mountain village.
After breakfast, the words the young man already knew were coming, yet desperately wished not to hear, were spoken by Uncle Zong all the same:
"Good sir and madam, my young lady has lingered in Raozhou for several days now, and it is time for her to return. Young Master Zhang has looked after her so well these past two days, and we have imposed greatly upon your household. Both my young lady and I are deeply grateful. Please accept this small amount of silver as a token of our thanks. We must now bid you farewell."
Perhaps the Zhang couple had expected their departure all along, for they showed little surprise. But these mountain villagers were simple and kindhearted; entertaining Ju Ying and her servant had merely been their way of showing hospitality. Thus, when Uncle Zong offered them silver, they refused to accept it despite their poverty. To the straightforward Old Zhang and his wife, such hospitality was simply a host's duty. If they took money for it, how would they differ from an inn or eating house doing business?
While they were refusing, Ju Ying spoke up. She told Uncle Zong not to press them, then gave the Zhang couple a radiant smile. She said that only thanks to Xing Yan acting as her guide had she enjoyed herself so thoroughly these past two days, and so, before parting, she wished to give him a small token of her gratitude.
With that, the girl removed the Protective Jade Pendant hanging from her neck, its skin as smooth as creamy jade, and handed it to Xing Yan.
Her gesture took everyone by surprise. Though her words were spoken softly, her tone was exceptionally firm, carrying an inexplicable authority that seemed impossible to oppose. Even Uncle Zong, whose expression changed several times as he prepared to intervene, ultimately held his tongue.
Xing Yan accepted the pendant, still warm from the girl's body, and tucked it carefully inside his robe. Without saying a word, he hurried into the inner room.
Just as everyone was wondering what he meant to do, the young man rushed back out, held something toward Ju Ying, and stammered:
"This... I made this last night. I meant to give it to you as a keepsake."
It was a wine cup carved from bamboo root, the same kind of little bamboo cup the girl had been so reluctant to put down before.
A few strokes of the carving knife had etched a picture into the Bamboo Cup: a tiny boat, a few ripples, and several faint outlines of distant mountains. Beside the picture were a few simple, rustic characters:
"A keepsake of Raozhou"
As the girl turned it in her hands, the young man said earnestly:
"I made this bamboo cup out in the courtyard last night by moonlight. The light was so dim that it came out rather crude. I only wanted to give you a keepsake. I hope you'll accept it."
His words carried a trace of apprehension, but his tone was sincere.
"Thank you. I like it very much."
The girl calmly accepted the little Bamboo Cup, then turned and slowly climbed into the carriage.
"General Zong, let us set out."
The girl spoke with a slight tremor in her voice.
The wheels rumbled and the horses neighed. Behind her, Raozhou City, where she had lingered for several days, finally began to recede into the distance...
But as the girl in the carriage stroked the crude little Bamboo Cup in her hands and looked at the crooked characters reading "A keepsake of Raozhou," the tears she had held back for so long could no longer be restrained. They spilled from her bright eyes...
Indeed:
Beneath a sky of azure clouds, upon a land of yellow leaves, the autumn wind arose.
Amid the mountains all around, a whip flicked through the fading sunset.
All the sorrows of the world crowded into her breast.
How could this little carriage bear their weight...
End of Volume One of "Dust upon the Immortal Path."
Please look forward to Volume Two:
"A Sword Sharpened for Ten Years"
Before you continue