Volume Two: A Sword Sharpened for Ten Years - Suddenly, a wondrous scripture came to light

"Wow! It's the Upper Clarity Scripture!"

The moment he heard Qinghe offer to pass on a scripture, Xing Yan cried out in excitement!

"Of course! Heh heh heh!"

Clearly delighted with the boy's reaction, the old Daoist looked immensely pleased with himself.

Except...

"Huh? Now that I think about it, don't Daoists Jingchen and Jingming each have a copy of the Upper Clarity Scripture too?"

Coming to his senses after the feverish excitement the old Daoist had stirred up, the boy could not help feeling puzzled.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Those two snickers came from the young Daoists at the Good Karma Office. At the words "precious scripture," Jingchen and Jingming had been listening in anxiously nearby. But the moment they heard "Upper Clarity Scripture," they snorted with laughter, then walked off to resume their conversation.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Seeing the disappointment on everyone's faces, the old Daoist Qinghe hurried to salvage the situation.

"Don't be impatient, Xing Yan. Hear me out! The Upper Clarity Scripture may be the introductory text of our Shangqing Palace, but ordinary people still rarely get a glimpse of it!"

"Ah, I was wondering why you were acting so strangely today!... All right, since we've known each other for so many years, and this is the first time you've ever given me anything, stop dangling it in front of me and hand it over! I still have to get back to work at Flower Moon House!"

Plainly, Xing Yan was now more interested in returning to Flower Moon House. Qinghe was somewhat annoyed by his words.

"You little brat! Listen to yourself! Fine, fine, enough idle chatter. Come with me."

With that, the old Daoist Qinghe swayed along ahead of Xing Yan, leading him into his private chamber in the back. Once inside, he found a key, opened his dust-covered wooden box, and took out a thin book.

"Huh? Why isn't this Upper Clarity Scripture made of bamboo slips like Jingchen's and Jingming's?"

Running his fingers over the rough, dark-brown hemp paper, Xing Yan looked rather puzzled.

"Ha ha! Naturally, the books collected by an accomplished master of the Qing generation like me are nothing like the inferior goods those two have!"

The old Daoist laughed outrageously. Of course, he kept his voice low enough that the two young Daoists of the Jing generation outside could not hear.

"Say, old Daoist, this hemp paper-is paper what it's called? Travelers from north and south who stopped to eat at Rice Fragrance House often carried things like this. It really is light and easy to carry. But though this hemp paper is convenient, it doesn't seem suited to long storage. I doubt it could withstand water, fire, or bookworms. If it becomes widely used someday, who knows how many classic writings will be lost to later generations?"

Quite unexpectedly, the novel object the old Daoist took such pride in had prompted a whole string of worries from the boy. The smug old Daoist seemed to choke on his words and was abruptly struck speechless. On reflection, however, Xing Yan's argument did make considerable sense. Recovering from his embarrassment, he smiled earnestly.

"Ho! What an odd thought, though there's some sense in it when you think it through. It seems I haven't entrusted my precious scripture to the wrong person today."

Seeing Qinghe still call it a "precious scripture" at every turn, Xing Yan could not help smiling. But since the old man was kindly giving him a book, he could hardly undermine his dignity. What the old man said next, however, made Xing Yan grow solemn. Qinghe said:

"There shouldn't be any outsiders around now. Xing Yan, listen carefully." Though his voice was low, his solemn manner was utterly different from before. The perceptive boy could clearly feel that Qinghe, who usually laughed, joked, and scolded so freely, was now completely serious. Though he did not understand why, Xing Yan answered obediently.

"Yes, I'm listening."

Very satisfied with the boy's attitude, Qinghe continued in a low, grave voice.

"Good! You've known me for so many years, Xing Yan, but this may be the first time I've spoken to you so seriously. The Upper Clarity Scripture in your hands truly is a sect... a precious scripture. It isn't the same as the copies disciples like Jingchen and Jingming have. This copy has two additional sections at the end: the Spirit Refining Chapter and the Void Transformation Chapter."

By this point, the old Daoist was almost speaking one word at a time.

"Huh? How can copies of the same Upper Clarity Scripture be different?"

Xing Yan was thoroughly bewildered. At his question, the old Daoist's solemn expression softened again.

"They're different editions! Those two extra chapters... ahem, are insights I've accumulated over my many years of cultivation."

The old Daoist stumbled over his words rather noticeably.

Normally, Xing Yan would never have passed up such a chance to tease him mercilessly. But under these circumstances, the bright boy would certainly not be foolish enough to dig down to the roots of the matter. Once the old Daoist finished his halting explanation, Xing Yan tactfully gave a casual, apparently distracted reply.

"Oh, I see."

"Yes, that's it. One last thing, Xing Yan, and remember it well-those final two sections... my insights, aren't very long. If they interest you, memorize them, then destroy those last few pages, whether by soaking them, burning them, feeding them to worms, or burying them. However you do it, keep only the earlier pages."

"Yes, I understand!"

Neither the old man nor the boy in that cramped room was a fool, and they knew each other so well. The old Daoist had already said enough; some things needed no explanation. Xing Yan knew that although he had yet to learn what those "insights"-the Spirit Refining Chapter and the Void Transformation Chapter-contained or where they had come from, one thing was certain: letting outsiders discover them would cause serious trouble. After a silence, the old Daoist suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Excellent! This Upper Clarity Scripture has been with me for years, and I know it backward and forward. Keeping it serves little purpose now. Better to give it to someone brought to me by fate and see whether some good fortune comes of it. Ha ha!"

Xing Yan cheerfully joined in.

"Thank you for the book, senior! I'll take it back and have a look, learn a few profound spells. At the very least, I'll learn a few more characters!"

Then the old man and the boy went out laughing and joking together. They chatted idly for quite a while at the entrance to the Good Karma Office before Xing Yan finally took his leave.

Some time later, after walking quite a distance, the boy suddenly stopped and looked back at the gray-white overhanging eaves of Shangqing Palace's Good Karma Office in Raozhou. He gazed at them absently for a while, then turned and continued on his way.

After all the day's commotion, Xing Yan had unwittingly spent more than half the day away. By the time he hurried back to Flower Moon House, the slanting sun shone down, bathing him in sunset colors.

Back at Flower Moon House, Xing Yan felt rather embarrassed about having been away so long. He was just about to sneak into his room when he ran into Aunt Xia. As he stood there awkwardly, unable to get a word out, she did not blame him, but merely smiled faintly and said:

"Xing Yan, you should practice your flute more whenever you have time."

Xing Yan hastily nodded his agreement, then hurried off toward his room. Watching his hurried departure, Aunt Xia thought:

Ah, business has been slow again lately, and even the musicians have little to do...

As Xing Yan rushed back, he unexpectedly collided with someone. The other person cried out, "Ah!" and a dozen or so copper coins spilled from her sleeve, clattering and rolling everywhere.

Having bumped into someone, Xing Yan hurriedly stopped and looked up. The person he had struck had two hanging locks of hair and a childish face: she was Ying'er, one of the young maids at Flower Moon House.

"Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going. Did I hurt you?"

Xing Yan crouched to help her gather the coins as he asked with concern.

"I'm fine! Huh? Aren't you young Master Zhang? Your flute playing is lovely!"

Rubbing the sore spot, the little girl finally got a clear look at the culprit's face.

"You're too kind! It's only a little worm-carving trick. Say, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Seeing the little girl bustle along like wind and fire, Xing Yan felt a little curious.

"I'm buying fruit and candied treats for Sister Rui! If I'm late, the gentleman in her room might scold me again."

The girl plainly took a liking to the handsome, fresh-faced boy before her and spoke quite freely.

"Then hurry along!"

Xing Yan did not keep her talking, lest he delay her errand.

"All right! I'll be off, young Master Zhang... You don't know my name yet, do you? I'm Ying'er!"

Watching the girl disappear with a skip in her step, Xing Yan returned to his room.

In fact, Xing Yan had heard something of the Sister Rui whom Ying'er mentioned. He had been at Flower Moon House for some time now and knew that it was, after all, Raozhou's largest brothel, a tender haven and soul-enchanting den famed throughout Poyang. Times were hard, and many impoverished young women sold themselves into the pleasure quarters. Flower Moon House had no shortage of beautiful women. The Four Beauties of Flower Moon House, known collectively as "Jade, Blossom, Rain, and Cloud," were the finest among its flowers. They were Lady Yu, Lady Rui, Lady Yu, and Lady Yun, each with charms of her own: the first Lady Yu had fair skin, smooth and lustrous as jade, earning her the libertines' praise as the "Jade of Zhangtai"; Lady Rui was radiant and lovely, with graceful manners and much of the bearing of a respectable young woman; the Lady Yu whose name meant rain had delicate features and a slightly plump figure, every frown and smile brimming with allure; Lady Yun cared little for adornment, her beauty quietly radiant, with a natural charm all her own.

Of the four, Lady Rui was the most renowned. Ordinarily dignified and reserved, she seldom smiled or laughed freely and did not readily receive clients, yet this only won her greater fame. Recently, however, Xing Yan had heard that this chaste lady of Flower Moon House had grown as close as honey blended with oil to a certain dashing young gentleman. They spent whole days entwined in her room, never venturing outside, and rumors had even spread that she intended to leave the pleasure trade and follow him.

If Lady Rui leaves, I wonder which sister will be lucky enough to fill her place among the Four Beauties of Flower Moon House?

With that idle thought, Xing Yan returned to his little nest to rest. After a day of rushing about and frights, he was mentally exhausted. The moment he entered, he put everything else aside and lay straight down on the bed to sleep.

Yet once he was lying there, he could not fall asleep at all. The day's strange experiences flashed before his eyes one after another, like a revolving lantern.

Looking at the carved red-lacquered decorations on the bedposts, Xing Yan involuntarily recalled the heart-stopping ordeal in Master Zhu's reception hall. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.

Things that turn into demons really are terrifying. That thing had such tremendous strength when it charged and crashed about! But from what the old Daoist said, the Bench Demon was only a low-level demon. If even a low-level one is that frightening, then if I ever meet a high-level one, I'll probably have to close my eyes and wait for death!

Fortunately, he had ultimately escaped the disaster. Xing Yan had still been somewhat dazed at the time, but now, calmly piecing together the causes and consequences, he knew that the strange, flowing-water-like power within him must have saved his life.

It seems that encounter on Horseshoe Mountain did me quite a bit of good after all!

Now that it had saved his life, the boy no longer felt quite such an instinctive aversion to that uncanny incident of moonlight flow. With his resistance gone, Xing Yan lay on the bed and began planning how to use this strange power to make money.

Hmm, this strange strength seems to make me quite good at taking a beating. Maybe I could apply at a martial arts school in town and work part-time as a boxing sparring partner. The pay should be pretty substantial!

The boy spent a while drooling over the prospect and chuckling to himself, but suddenly realized there were some drawbacks to the plan.

Ah, that won't really do. This strange power doesn't seem to be under my control. It won't come when I summon it, and off it goes when I call. What if I get beaten black and blue and it simply refuses to appear? If I end up covered in wounds, not only will it hurt, but the money I earn might not even cover the medicine! Wouldn't that be failing to steal a chicken and losing a handful of rice into the bargain? No, no, that won't do!

With that avenue blocked, the boy felt dejected for a while before his thoughts naturally turned to his current livelihood.

Aunt Xia just told me to practice my flute properly. Right, didn't that old gentleman called Lord of the Clouds give me a copy of Water Dragon's Chant? The music may be impossible for a human to play, but he didn't seem like a reckless fellow. He probably wouldn't make up some random tune just to toy with me. Perhaps it simply can't be played by ordinary means. Maybe, with this strange power, I could produce those overtone yu notes and altered zhi notes!

Though Xing Yan felt this idea was somewhat fanciful, it did not seem to pose any danger to his person. He decided that when he had time, he would find a deserted place to practice his flute and give it a proper try. As he pondered this, another thought suddenly struck him.

Ah! I was so focused on resting that I forgot all about the precious Upper Clarity Scripture old Qinghe just gave me! With the old Daoist acting so mysterious, I really ought to see what's written in it!