The Strange Zhong Clan

Seeing that he was still in poor shape, Wang Qilin and Xu Da said nothing about the unusual qi-eating ghost from last night. They had already dealt with it anyway.

Du Cao went back to rest.

As a Patrolling Star, Wang Qilin went to record the case of the qi-eating ghost they had killed last night.

Hupi went back to jumping through windows.

Xu Da went back to tossing stone locks.

They had braised mutton again at noon, Du Cao's reward for finishing the job on their own.

Crouching Dragon Township's braised mutton had something of a reputation even in Auspicious County. Large chunks of mutton were stewed until fall-apart tender in a ground-stone casserole, their juices mingling with the broth beneath a floating layer of oil droplets. The mere sight made one's mouth water.

Then came a sprinkling of fennel greens, chopped wild scallions, and ground pepper. One bite sent rich, fragrant juices bursting through the mouth, and the soft chunks of meat fell apart with the lightest chew. Eating it left the whole body feeling comfortable.

One huge bowl of mutton cost twenty copper zhu, enough to buy four jin of fine white rice.

Xu Da restrained himself and ate four bowls.

Wang Qilin cursed at him, "You rice bucket!"

Knowing he had eaten a lot, Xu Da could hardly argue. He could only give an awkward smile and look over at Wang Qilin's place, where he spotted five bowls!

He exploded. "You ate even more than me?"

Wang Qilin loosened his belt. "One more bowl, old sir."

Xu Da was beside himself. "You can still eat?"

Wang Qilin said, "No, I'm full. I'll take this one back for dinner."

Xu Da said, "You can do that?"

Wang Qilin took that bowl back for Du Cao. The meat did its work: after eating it, Du Cao was much more energetic that afternoon, and his face was no longer waxy yellow, with some color returning to it.

Another day passed. It was the fourteenth day of the third month.

The old almanac said today was auspicious for sacrifices, prayers for blessings, prayers for children, fasting rites, and coming-of-age ceremonies, but inauspicious for consecrations, weddings, digging wells, burials, and visits.

Wang Qilin thought it over. Their trip to the Zhong Clan at Dismount Ridge today could count as a visit, so he took a writing brush and blotted out the last two characters in the almanac.

Xu Da saw him and asked, "What are you doing?"

Wang Qilin said, "In this life, you must hold your destiny in your own hands, because you're the only one you can rely on."

Xu Da froze. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean my destiny is screwed?"

Deeply worried by this, he spotted a peddler selling sugar-roasted chestnuts from carrying baskets on the street and spent six copper zhu on a packet to comfort himself.

Their destination, Dismount Ridge, was a small, steep ridge, but the land at its foot was fertile. Several villages had once existed around it, each belonging to a different surname.

Time flew and the world changed. After generations of striving, the Zhong family had driven out the other families entrenched at the foot of the ridge and taken the entire place for themselves.

Du Cao commented, "The Zhong Clan is formidable. Though tucked away in the countryside, they're tightly knit and produce talented people generation after generation. They were outsiders. At first, only a dozen or so households came to Dismount Ridge as refugees, but a few generations later, the Zhong Clan was the only clan left here."

Dismount Ridge was more than twenty li from town, a journey of many hours on foot, so Xu Da hired a horse-drawn carriage.

After a jolting ride, a long ridge stretching across the plain finally came into view. This was Dismount Ridge. It was not particularly tall, but it was certainly precipitous, with some peaks rising almost straight up and down.

Fields dotted the foot of the ridge. Farther up, houses stood scattered in an orderly arrangement among the rocks. Those were the Zhong Clan's residences.

Once they entered the Zhong Clan's village, Xu Da explained to him, "The Zhong Clan divides its residences by elevation. The ones below are called the lower residences, where tenant farmers, shepherds, swineherds, and other people without status live. The ones above are called the upper residences, and they're home to the people with standing in the clan."

Rain had been plentiful since the Qingming Festival, and the spring plowing season brought plenty of work in the fields. Everyone from the lower residences was out working. Only in the upper residences could they see a few old men leaning against walls, watching children.

A checkpoint stood between the upper and lower residences. A middle-aged man in a long robe called down from above, "Stop there. Who are you?"

Several mischievous children echoed him. "Who are you? Hey, big dark fellow, what are you eating?"

Xu Da's face darkened, and he barked, "Quiet! Can't you see the black brocade robe I'm wearing? The Heaven-Listening Bureau is investigating a case. Get whoever's in charge out here!"

The black brocade short robe was exclusive to the Heaven-Listening Bureau and looked even more imposing than soldiers' armor.

The children fled in fright. Once the middle-aged man got a clear look at their clothes, he hurried down, bowing repeatedly. "Officers, my apologies. I must have been blind..."

"Bring out Zhong Youfu," Du Cao said gravely.

The middle-aged man looked troubled. "Our... our clan head-no, our former clan head has passed away. Shall I fetch our current clan head to pay his respects to you, sirs?"

"When did he die?"

"About four or five days ago."

Du Cao asked again, "Who is your current clan head?"

The middle-aged man's expression turned somewhat strange. "Zhong Youshou."

"Take us to him," Du Cao said evenly.

The middle-aged man cupped his hands again. "How could I trouble you gentlemen to walk all that way? I'll go call him out at once."

Zhong Youshou was a little hunchbacked old man with thinning hair and a yellowish face. The middle-aged man soon fetched him.

The little old man's legs were not very good, either, and he limped along the mountain path. A large yellow dog followed beside him, limping as well.

At first, the three thought the dog also had a lame leg, but when the middle-aged man waved and scolded it, it lifted its legs and ran toward them perfectly normally.

Amused, Xu Da asked Zhong Youshou, "Old fellow, is your dog fierce? Will it bite if I pet it?"

Zhong Youshou grinned. "My dog's well behaved. He doesn't bite. Pet him all you like."

Reassured, Xu Da reached out to stroke the dog's head, only for the big yellow dog to suddenly open its jaws and snap at him.

The Lunar Soul-Severing Saber emphasized speed. With a flick of his wrist, Wang Qilin thrust his scabbard into the big yellow dog's mouth, giving it a deep throat.

Having narrowly escaped, Xu Da glared at Zhong Youshou and roared, "Didn't you say your dog doesn't bite?"

Zhong Youshou said timidly, "But this isn't my dog."

Du Cao turned to look down the ridge, a smile tugging at his lips.

Wang Qilin laughed without restraint.

Xu Da said sourly, "Is this old fellow not quite right in the head?"

The middle-aged man stammered, "I'm terribly sorry, officer. Our new clan head, he... he..."

He glanced hesitantly at Zhong Youshou, but in the end, nothing followed that "he."

One bold child, however, ran up and said with a grin, "Grandpa Shou's an idiot. If you don't believe me, give me a few chestnuts and I'll prove it."

Xu Da grabbed five or six sugar-roasted chestnuts for the child, who held one in his left hand and two in his right for Zhong Youshou to see. "Grandpa Shou, which do you want?"

Zhong Youshou reached out and took the two chestnuts from the child's right hand.

The child grinned at Xu Da. "See?"

Xu Da was puzzled. "See what? Did he choose wrong?"

The child widened his eyes. "Of course he did. Let me choose."

Utterly baffled, Xu Da held out one chestnut in one hand and two in the other. "Which do you choose?"

The child took all three chestnuts. "I want them all."

Xu Da stared dumbly. "Fuck!"

The child consoled him. "You're not stupid. Grandpa Shou used to be stupid. He always picked the single chestnut before. Haha, we always tease him like this."

Wang Qilin looked at Zhong Youshou's ingratiating smile and instinctively felt that the old man might not be stupid.

Could an idiot become clan head?

Who were they kidding!