"My son!"
The people in the distance finally arrived.
Three middle-aged men came, dressed just like the young hero in cobalt-blue Daoist robes embroidered with birds. At a glance, they were plainly members of the Golden Aspect Sect as well.
But these three had arrived by Riding the Wind, something only those in the second realm could do.
The oldest-looking man saw the golden light in the young hero's arms, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He carefully reached out, pinched that ball of golden light, and placed it back in the young hero's mouth.
Then he laid the young hero back in his arms and extended two fingers. A ball of golden light emerged from his fingertips, which he pressed beneath the young hero's jaw before moving down along his mouth and throat, finally stopping over his right chest. He held them there for a while before withdrawing his hand and letting out a long breath.
The other two also breathed sighs of relief and spoke in unison:
"It's not that your father/uncle means to scold you..."
"Cough, cough!"
The young hero suddenly began coughing, bringing up blood as well.
The oldest man hurried to ease his breathing and glared at the two who had spoken. "We'll talk when we get back."
Those two had been startled again as well, and nodded repeatedly. "When we get back, when we get back!"
Just then, the young hero suddenly sat up, as though he had something to say. But he seemed to have injured his lung aperture, and speaking was a struggle, as if he could not catch his breath. "Th-thank you, benefactor, for saving me. Now, now that my elders are here, please come out and meet us, so we can offer our thanks."
At his words, the expressions of the three flustered men instantly changed. Each looked more imposing than the next, each more alert than the last. Within a single breath, all three turned toward a nearby island.
Rustle, rustle~
It was the sound of grass parting.
A young Daoist walked unhurriedly out of the grass. He summoned a Crimson Cloud, stepped onto it, and rode it over to them. Raising his left hand to his chest with its palm facing upward, he curled the middle and ring fingers of his right hand so their tips touched his palm, leaving his thumb, index finger, and little finger pointing straight up. Then he gently laid the back of his right hand in his left palm and bowed his head.
"Boundless prospects to you all. This humble Daoist offers his respects."
The three middle-aged Daoists exchanged glances. The eldest was holding the young hero and could not move freely, but the other two straightened. They likewise raised their left hands to their chests, palms upward, then gently laid their right hands sideways across their left palms, fingertips pointing left. Their four fingers were held together without gaps, their thumbs pinning down the tips of their index and middle fingers while their ring and little fingers remained straight. They nodded to Yunqi.
"Boundless prospects to you, young friend."
One of the two, a man with a long beard, added, "This humble Daoist is Jiang Yanxing of the Great Hope Golden Appearance Sect, Daoist name Mysterious Emblem. Which esteemed master of Three Pure Ones Mountain do you study under, young friend?"
The Daoist answered, "My respects, Daoist Mysterious Emblem. This humble Daoist's surname is Cheng, given name Yunqi. I have the honor of being a Three Pure Ones Mountain Registered Disciple, but my cultivation remains shallow, and I have yet to be formally enrolled. I dare not speak my teacher's name."
"Hmm."
Jiang Yanxing nodded lightly. "I see. Meeting along the road is itself a matter of fate, and I have heard my nephew say that you saved his life. Please come to our humble home and allow us to thank you."
Yunqi waved a hand. "We all belong to the Daoist fold, branches sharing the same breath. Since we happened to meet along the road, lending a hand was only right. There's no need for thanks. You should hurry and take this young hero back to your sect to treat his injuries."
Jiang Yanxing looked toward his nephew.
The young hero said hoarsely, "Benefactor, the Thin Daoist wasn't truly injured. His strength is undiminished, and he might well be lingering nearby even now. You should come back to the sect with me first, or you could be in danger on your own!"
That made sense, and it reminded Yunqi how formidable the Banner Flag in the Thin Daoist's hands had been. He had yet to see the man use any other arts, and he was no match for him now. After a moment's thought, he stopped declining and bowed with his hands clasped.
"Then I'm sorry for the trouble. Please wait a moment. I came here on my travels and built a hut to cultivate in. Allow me to go back and fetch my belongings."
The guilt on the young hero's face deepened. "Please do, benefactor. It seems I was the one who disturbed your peaceful cultivation."
Yunqi waved a hand to show that he was making too much of it, then rode his cloud toward the Osmanthus Grove.
Soon, Yunqi put away the Eight Trigrams Mother-and-Child Bells and picked up his bundle. Just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of the boulder in which he had only just hollowed out a cavity half a person's height, and could not help sighing at the waste. He also felt the truth of the saying, "Affairs have no constant course, just as water has no constant shape." Change came without warning. He had barely built his dwelling before an unwelcome guest arrived, and now he no longer dared remain here.
Just before he rode away on his cloud, Yunqi's eyes darted about. He picked up several pieces of lake stone that had washed ashore and stuffed them into his bundle...
Yunqi rejoined the others.
When the members of the Golden Aspect Sect saw Yunqi coming with that large, heavy bundle on his back, they exchanged a glance, each having reached a conclusion.
"Lend me a hand, young friend, and dismiss your cloud. This lake is vast, and our sect's gates are still some distance away."
Yunqi obediently did as instructed.
Then the three elders carried the two youths away, Riding the Wind, and vanished in an instant.
Thanks to these three powerful local figures, Yunqi feasted his eyes on Poyang's magnificent beauty. On his own, he would never have dared venture deep into this unfamiliar realm of water.
Their party headed north, yet out on the lake, though fierce winds rushed into their faces, the northern shore remained nowhere in sight. After traveling a hundred li, misty waters stretched boundlessly in every direction, ten thousand acres of shimmering waves reaching to an azure horizon. Had the sun not been high overhead, it would have been impossible to tell their direction.
Sometimes there was no wind on the lake and not a ripple on the water, as though they had stepped into a mirror; sometimes they swept past wondrous islands and immortal mountains, seeing exotic flowers and strange trees, as though entering an ink-wash scroll; sometimes they encountered sand gulls wheeling and gathering, and bright-scaled fish leaping through the waves, as though they had burst into a kingdom of fish and birds.
Truly: the gathered waters held the vast heavens, stretching beyond the reach of sight. Wind-stirred ripples swayed like gauze, wave-light gleamed like patterned silk.
Only after traveling some four or five hundred li did they slow down, and Yunqi saw an island ahead:
The island stretched for roughly a hundred li, with lofty mountains piercing the clouds and lovely, clear lakes. Palaces, temples, pagodas, and terraces rose all over it, and people came and went like ants.
More marvelous still, long covered walkways and waterside pavilions extended into the lake all around its shores, dense as a spider's web. These water corridors linked up with other small islands and pavilions on the lake, joining everything into one expanse that more than doubled the area.
"This... may I ask, Daoist Mysterious Emblem, does this entire island realm belong to your sect?"
Yunqi was truly astonished. How many people must there be? Certainly more than at Three Pure Ones Mountain.
Jiang Yanxing smiled and nodded, but explained, "They aren't all cultivators. Most are ordinary people. All the islands of our Poyang Lake are like this: immortals and mortals living together, with clan and sect effectively one and the same. As you said, each island is a nation."
Yunqi nodded. Put that way, it was not quite so staggering.
They gradually descended, but instead of landing on the island, they touched down in a courtyard built over the water to its south.
Jiang Yanxing and his companions seemed to be the masters here. The moment they landed, a large crowd gathered around them, crying out repeatedly when they saw the injured young hero.
The way the people here addressed them was interesting as well. They called Jiang Yanxing the family head, and Jiang Yanxing's younger brother Jiang Yuexing-the young hero's father-the Second Master. The somewhat older Daoist, whose Daoist name was Manifest Tranquility, was called the resident tutor. Naturally, the young hero supported in the tutor's arms was called the young master.
Yunqi had chatted about all manner of things with the three elders along the way, but because the young hero had injured his lung aperture, he had been strictly forbidden to speak again. As a result, Yunqi still did not even know his name.
1. The greeting gestures used in this chapter by members of different Daoist schools are entirely my own invention and do not exist in real life. I offer this clarification in the hope of avoiding any misunderstanding or offense.
2. Yunqi's gesture in this chapter can be interpreted as follows: the left hand is honored, and placing it below expresses humility, while the right hand forms three upright peaks, representing Three Pure Ones Mountain. The Golden Aspect Sect's gesture can be interpreted as follows: the left hand again expresses humility, while the right lies horizontally. Excluding the thumb, the other four fingers form four horizontal lines. The upper two are held halfway down by the thumb, creating two short lines above and two long lines below. This forms the Dui trigram of the Eight Trigrams, and Dui corresponds to metal.
3. "Boundless prospects" is the correct form of this Daoist blessing, expressing a wish for a bright future.
4. Readers are welcome to help think up other gestures. Feel free to leave comments.
5. Once again, please vote and recommend this book.
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