Chapter 41: Chapter 38 Listening to the Flute and Getting Drunk in Cangzhou
After leaving Baiyun Crossing, Zhao Rong and his two companions traveled for another twenty days and entered a towering mountain range.
According to the map, this mountain range was called Zhongnan.
The Zhongnan Mountain, located within the territory of Zhongnan Country, was not far from the Great River that stretched from south to north across the Wangque Continent. Judging by the distance they had already covered, it would only take another two to three ten-day periods.
That afternoon, Zhao Rong and his companions passed by a towering mountain.
This mountain was quite peculiar; gazing up, the southern face of the mountain appeared as though it had been flattened by an immortal with a single sword stroke. On the cut face, there were four ancient characters carved into the stone, natural as if heaven-made.
“Quietude and Inaction.”
...
Zhao Rong murmured softly.
“How did they carve such huge characters?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, her mouth wide open in surprise.
Zhao Rong was also greatly impressed. The four characters on the cliff were each a hundred zhang high, each stroke not shorter than a hundred meters, and the carving was so deep that from the angle at the base of the mountain, it was hard to see clearly; one could only vaguely make out the dense green vines and lush vegetation, with several flying spiritual beasts occasionally appearing.
“Despite Zhongnan Country’s small territory, mostly located within Zhongnan Mountain, it is well-known among dozens of surrounding nations, and even in the northern part of Wangque Continent, it is referred to as the country of Daoists and the home of hermits,” said Liu Sanbian, who was quite familiar with Zhongnan Country since it was close to his homeland, the Great Wei Dynasty.
“Although there are many hermits in Zhongnan Mountain, there is only one Immortal Sect, which is the Chongxu Temple on Taibai Mountain. It is the only Daoist orthodoxy in Zhongnan Country, and the rulers of the dynasty have always honored the Temple Master of Chongxu as the State Preceptor, so Daoism is very prosperous in this country.”
“This marvel of a cliffside inscribing is a scenic wonder of Zhongnan Mountain. As for its origins, there are various theories, but Chongxu Temple has always claimed it was the work of its founder. If that is true, then this founder truly had an incredible cultivation.”
“Moreover, there are rumors in the mountain that someone once encountered an oddly dressed elder at the base of this cliff on a moonlit night, who stood in the moonlight with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the inscriptions and talking to himself. Out of curiosity, a passerby approached to speak to him, but the elder ignored him, repeatedly muttering ‘What is inaction, and what is the purpose of inaction?’ Whenever the clouds covered the moon, this odd elder would suddenly vanish and disappear without a trace.”
“Some speculated that this was a great opportunity, so many mountain dwellers came with various bookish answers to the ‘question of inaction’ hoping to try their luck. However, the odd elder rarely appeared on moonlit nights, and even though a few lucky ones did encounter him and tried various answers and methods, they gained nothing. The elder continued muttering in the same spot, and as soon as the clouds covered the moon, he would disappear again.”
“As time went on, fewer people came in search of secrets, losing interest in the matter. Some mountain dwellers said it was just bored people making mysterious tricks; others said it might be a projection left by some ancient power, looking for a successor.”
“Now, only occasionally does a young cultivator, full of anticipation, come here looking for opportunities, but the matter no longer attracts attention from those on the mountain.”
“Brother Zhao, would you like to try it out? We can rest at the base of the cliff tonight.”
Zhao Rong withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and saw Liu Sanbian, who rarely spoke with a teasing tone, and smiled gently. “Let’s not. So many have tried without luck; how could I be so fortunate?”
Zhao Rong always kept his distance from matters of luck and raffles, not willing to engage actively. Depending on unpredictable luck instead of striving to enhance oneself felt very hollow to him.
Besides, these days under Liu Sanbian’s gentle guidance in cultivation had been extremely comfortable. Currently, even sitting on a horse made his legs tremble. If he were to rest outdoors, he would have to keep watch at night. Who could withstand that? It was better to hurry to the next city, find an inn, and rest properly for the night.
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“Huh, Zhongnan Mountain, that name sounds familiar. Oh, isn’t this place in Cang Province?” a familiar voice rang out in his mind.
Zhao Rong’s expression changed. “This is Zhongnan Country. What is Cang Province? I didn’t see this name on the map.”
“In my memory, Wangque Continent has a place called Cang Province because there is a Zhongnan Mountain there, which is one of the Daoist Seventy-two Blessed Lands, and its rank is quite high. The ancestral home of a certain Daoist lineage seems to be here. Let me think, right, the Louguan Daoist Sect.”
“Brother Sanbian mentioned that the only Daoist Immortal Sect in Zhongnan Mountain right now is Chongxu Temple.”
“Oh, it seems I’ve been away too long, and things have changed. Hmm, the spiritual energy here doesn’t match the standards of a blessed land anymore. Either the Louguan Daoist Sect has moved away, or it has been destroyed. This former blessed land now houses a mundane country, interesting. Usually, blessed lands are exclusively claimed by Immortal Sects, not accessible to ordinary people.”
“Do you know about this inscription?”
“I don’t know; I’ve never been here before. However, something about this inscription feels odd, but in my current condition, I can’t discern much.”
Zhao Rong nodded, just about to chat further when he noticed someone tugging at his sleeve.
“Um, uh-oh… Zhao Rong, if you can’t do it, perhaps let Xiaoxiao try?” The little fox demon looked up at Zhao Rong with eyes full of timid hope.
Zhao Rong was taken aback for a moment, then turned and looked at the distressed figure beside him and suddenly smiled. “Alright then.”
The next second, he handed her a few chestnuts.
To make her an afternoon dessert.
“Ah! Why did you hit me?”
“Good for you, Su Xiaoxiao.”
“Stop knocking!”
“You’re not lacking in ambition, despite your timidity.”
“Ow, it hurts!”
“Are you thinking that once you get the opportunity, you’ll instantly become a Seventh Realm Nine-tailed Fox Immortal, then skin me alive to settle your grudge?”
“Wuu wuu wuu…”
Zhao Rong teased the little fox demon for a while before letting her off.
How did he end up with such a foolish little fox demon?
Su Xiaoxiao rubbed her slightly red forehead, looking at Zhao Rong with tearful eyes.
How could Su Xiaoxiao have encountered such a bad person? Hmm, it seems like her great-grandmother never mentioned how to deal with such situations…
After all, Su Xiaoxiao’s great-grandmother could never have imagined that Su Xiaoxiao would meet a scholar like Zhao Rong, who does not play by the rules. Aren’t you men supposed to first sweet-talk a woman into winning her heart before “bullying” her? And to think someone would want to rough up Su Xiaoxiao, who even she herself wants to hold close and cherish. How could there be men who would be so cruel as to destroy such a flower?
“Stop your wild thoughts, let’s hurry on our way. Hmm, I’ll tell you a new story tonight. We finished Zhu’er’s story last time, and these past few days I’ve remembered a story about Ying Ning, hmm, this one is quite interesting.”
“Wuu wuu… Huh? Really? Is it a happy ending this time? The last story made Su Xiaoxiao sad for several days.”
“Hmm, this time I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
“Hmm, you do have a conscience after all, I forgive you. Don’t let Su Xiaoxiao down again.”
“Don’t say things that can be misunderstood, cough, Brother Sanbian, just ignore her.”
“Heehee.”
Su Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears messily with her sleeve, breaking into a smile at the thought of hearing another story that evening, making her very happy. She lifted her head to look at the bad person beside her, and suddenly, her heart trembled.
His face was even paler than before, his forehead covered in sweat.
It hadn’t seemed so serious just a moment ago.
“Are you okay?”
Su Xiaoxiao recalled the events of these past days. They had taken breaks lasting several days at each village or city they passed to perform “major training,” where Liu Sanbian personally helped Zhao Rong temper his physique. During the journey, “minor training” occurred, involving practicing fist stances and not resting during morning, noon, or night.
Initially, the training sessions were bearable, but later on, during each “major practice,” she could hear Zhao Rong’s painful screams from a distance. The screams started out loud, but got weaker towards the end, as if he no longer had the strength to spend on his voice.
The faintly audible words also made Su Xiaoxiao turn pale.
“This bone is too fragile, let me massage it for you.”
“Crack!”
“Aaahh!”
“This bone has gotten harder, it seems the medicinal bath is effective after all, the recovery is good. But… it’s still not hard enough.”
“No, no!”
“Crack, crack!”
“Aaaaahhhhh!!!”
“Get up! You can’t even handle this? Then I’d advise you to give up now. The mountain does not need such a cowardly Martial Artist, no, you don’t even deserve to be called a Martial Artist, you are useless!”
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t dare to watch, always hiding far away and covering her ears, waiting until no more sounds came before getting up to prepare a medicinal bath for healing bones and muscles, all specially prepared by Liu Sanbian. Without it, Zhao Rong would probably have ended up crippled.
Even on days when they weren’t undergoing “major training” on the road, he still seemed to struggle, his face devoid of color, always practicing fist stances whenever he had a moment, never allowing himself to slack off.
He only had a short time to rest after meals, and yet, he insisted on telling her stories. She had told him to rest and not to bother, but he would immediately sling back, “You silly fox demon, why worry about such nonsense, I can handle this pain. Just happily listen to your stories, it’s the only time you get to cheer up a bit in the whole day. Hey, what part was I at just now? What? You don’t know either? Come here, I need to give you a few more claps on the head!”
But his hand, from practicing the fist stances too often, was always clenched, as if he could never open it again.
Su Xiaoxiao thought of this and felt an inexplicable twitch in her heart.
Even though Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know why you were so determined to train so hard, she wanted to help you, so she thought about trying her luck to see if she could win the chance to obtain this stone carving and present it to you. Hmm, just keep telling Su Xiaoxiao more stories…
“Hey, what are you thinking about now, daydreaming while walking? Ah, such a silly fox demon, why hasn’t someone caught you yet? This world is too disappointing for this young master.” Zhao Rong waved his hand in front of the daydreaming Su Xiaoxiao, who finally snapped back to reality, and he sighed. “This young master is fine.”
It’s just a pain in over a dozen places on my body.
“Oh, here’s a handkerchief, wipe off the sweat.”
“Where did you get this handkerchief?”
“Bought it in that county last time, the embroidery on it is really pretty.”
A series of hoofbeats came from behind, and Zhao Rong turned to look. It was an extremely lavishly decorated carriage, driven by an elderly coachman, surrounded by many attendants on horses, all speeding towards them.
Zhao Rong turned back around without looking further, and he and his companions moved to the side of the road.
Most of the territory of Zhongnan Country, including the capital, lies within the domain of Zhongnan Mountain, and there are only two ancient paths leading into Zhongnan Mountain. This was one of them, the Meridian Road. There were many travelers, and Zhao Rong had even encountered more extravagant processions before, so it was nothing unusual to him.
However, just as the lavish carriage passed Zhao Rong and his party, someone inside lifted the curtain only to suddenly let it fall again.
Zhao Rong alertly turned his head to look, but all that remained were the swaying curtains.
The grandiose carriage quickly disappeared into the distance, leaving the road peaceful once again, with only the dust it had kicked up remaining in the air.
Zhao Rong looked at Liu Sanbian, who had also sensed something odd and shook his head, indicating he hadn’t seen anything clear.
Uh, why does that group seem vaguely familiar?