Chapter 25: Mysteries Upon Mysteries
Ding Songyan had picked up the brush again, intending to polish the first part of the story. It hovered frozen above the paper, narrowly dripping a blot of ink. This contrasted with the inexplicable horror in his heart, and his imagination raced.
No nation’s imperial court and no major sect has a complete Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, yet I seem to have one in my hands?
Well, the Zhen household should also have gotten the copy from Chen Yuliang...
But what gave Chen Yuliang the ability to judge the Secret Classic as genuine and complete?
If it truly is complete or close to complete, where did this version come from?
The mysteries and dangers hidden behind this are likely far greater than I imagined!
I had been thinking of trading this relatively complete Secret Classic for a chance to join the Brightnight Sect. Now it seems the Brightnight Sect would certainly value the content, but what they’d value far more is who produced this version and where it came from...
Ding Songyan composed himself and set brush to paper, recording several lines of good dialogue he had just thought up, not revealing the storm raging inside him to Xiaoqing. Meanwhile, she was rereading the deeply painful reunion scene between Xu Xian and Xu Shilin and did not look up.
Having written those lines, Ding Songyan furrowed his brow slightly.
Chen Yuliang’s Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas should have fallen into the hands of the Zhen household. The follow-up to Xu Chang’an’s master’s death is also under their control. Both matters have sunk like stones into the sea, with no further word...
Before, I assumed it was a relatively "common" version—the Zhen household has a Grandmaster, they’ve seen it all—so no follow-up seemed normal. But now it’s clear this version of the Secret Classic is extraordinarily rare, possibly the only one of its kind. Has the Zhen household truly not noticed anything strange? Are they truly not curious about its origins? Are they truly not going to question me and Xu Chang’an further? Wait—is Master Yu following me because of this, and it has nothing to do with the "distinguished guest"?
Beyond that, Xiaoqing’s group and the True Spirit Sect that Ren Youyang represents have both come for the Zhen household...
The Zhen household is also harboring a deeply mysterious and suspicious "distinguished guest"...
They told me to guard the secret strictly, yet placed no restrictions on me whatsoever. They didn’t even make me sign a written pledge...
At this thought, Ding Songyan suddenly regretted accepting the assignment to tell stories for the "distinguished guest."
He felt that storm clouds were gathering over the Zhen household. Change was inevitable. Something was going to happen.
If this were him fresh out of university, he would have thrown himself in eagerly, certain that his intelligence could navigate any danger and yield rewards. The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish that would be thrown up.
But now, after reality had beaten him down, all he wanted was to stay far away. Wait for the situation to fully erupt, for everything to shatter into "fragments," and then see if there were any pieces worth picking up.
Speed things up. Finish the storytelling for the "distinguished guest" as quickly as possible, and get out early? Ding Songyan began to calculate.
Xiaoqing set down the paper in her hand and said with an obvious nasal voice, "When Xu Shilin was begging desperately at the door and wasn’t allowed in, I really wanted to curse Xu Xian. But then seeing how much pain Xu Xian was in on the other side of that door, I felt... Sigh...
"It reminded me of a lyric you used earlier—Unfated ones cannot hold hands even face to face.
"Add one more line and it would fit this scene perfectly: Unfated ones cannot hold hands even face to face; from this day forth they meet but do not see."
You’re quite the literary one... Ding Songyan mulled it over.
"That line is good. May I add it to the story?"
Best to give his "benefactor" more of a sense of participation.
"Of course!" Xiaoqing, having received validation, shook off some of her gloomy mood.
Ding Songyan pretended to chat casually.
"When I heard people mention the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas the other day, they said the book was originally everywhere, and was only later destroyed by various imperial courts and sects and noble houses, each keeping their own private copy. I had no idea that it was ’secretly transmitted’ from the very beginning, and only later leaked into the jianghu."
"Jianghu rumors are like that. Truth and falsehood all mixed together, false more often than true." Xiaoqing was dismissive. "Besides, tall trees catch the wind. People in the jianghu love to criticize the top factions and blame them for everything. They wouldn’t dare say it to their faces, but they have the courage to whisper behind their backs."
She stood and waved farewell to Ding Songyan, then vanished from the room like smoke dissolving into the night.
Ding Songyan felt as though he had just woken from a dream, or watched a mirage scatter.
He tidied the papers, brushes, ink, and chests, blew out the oil lamp, and lay on his bed, gazing at the ceiling beams where dim moonlight drifted. He thought carefully.
He thought about the past, the present, the many details he had overlooked, and the possible developments in the future.
...
The next day.
As they reached Fengshui Bridge, Xu Chang’an turned to look at Ding Songyan.
"Brother Ding, did you not sleep well last night?"
Ding Songyan rubbed his slightly puffy eye bags and smiled wryly.
"Perhaps it’s because I’ve been telling The Legend of the White Snake so often lately. Last night I dreamed a huge white snake was chasing me."
"Just a case of dreaming at night of things you think about in the day," Xu Chang’an offered comfort.
Today he wore a light-colored scholar’s robe with a square cap, and looked considerably less shifty.
Ding Songyan stepped onto the stone bridge and changed the subject.
"You’re not working today?"
"With Master’s silver, I could go two years without working." Xu Chang’an laughed. "Brother Ding, you were right before. How can someone who aspires to be a great thief steal from scribes or old women selling vegetables?"
When bellies are full, shame follows.
Xu Chang’an then looked somewhat troubled.
"I’m planning to visit various martial halls and see if there’s a cultivation method that suits me and my future as a great thief. At least I haven’t refined any apertures yet, so I don’t need to worry about conflicts.
"But that means the silver won’t last two years..."
"Cross that bridge when you come to it. Learn first, worry about money later." Ding Songyan had originally wanted to ask Master Yu today when his own arrangement at a martial hall for body tempering and qi cultivation would be set up, but he was already somewhat afraid of going to the Zhen estate.
Outwardly calm but inwardly agitated, he looked at Xu Chang’an and gave a word of warning in passing,"Not working for now is the right call. Your master had a bit of a reputation at the yamen. My father came home yesterday from work and mentioned that Constable Xue has learned that your master offended the Zhen household and fled. He’s planning to put pressure on you younger disciples, to make sure that without your master’s oversight, you don’t get too reckless. Don’t become the chicken that gets slaughtered to warn the monkeys."
A few more threats, and maybe I can push you onto the permanent path for good.
Xu Chang’an’s face went white instantly.
"I understand, I understand!"
As a bottom-rung petty thief, the person he feared most was Constable Xue.
Wait, are you really that easily frightened? Ding Songyan found Xu Chang’an’s reaction excessive and asked with some amusement, "What year were you born?"
Don’t tell me he just looks old for his age?
"Early in the eighteenth year of Xingping." Xu Chang’an did not understand why Brother Ding was suddenly asking this.
Ding Songyan blinked.
"And you call me ’Brother’?"
He was over a year older than this body!
"You’re Qingyan’s older brother." Xu Chang’an wore a look of "what’s wrong with that?" "Besides, these past few days, I often feel you really should be the elder. You’re calmer than me, smarter than me, have better judgment than me, more knowledgeable than me."
Stop, stop. When I was twenty, aside from being smart, I had none of those things... Ding Songyan waved with the hand carrying his bamboo basket, and parted ways with Xu Chang’an on the far side of Fengshui Bridge. One headed to Dangkang Temple, the other to visit martial halls.
Xiaoqing and her maidservant had arrived early as usual to wait outside Dangkang Temple. As Ding Songyan followed yesterday’s outline to narrate Xu Shilin’s childhood and youth, he felt the character was still not fleshed out enough, so he wove in several experiences from his own adolescence—becoming addicted to video games and being yanked back on track by his parents; rubbernecking at a crime scene and nearly being knocked down by the fleeing criminal lurking nearby; going fishing in the mountains and almost stepping into an area being electrofished...
These episodes were adapted to fit the ancient setting and Xu Shilin’s character.
Relying on his innate strength, he bullied his fellow martial hall peers. After being taught a lesson by his weeping aunt and uncle, he gradually understood right from wrong. When he encountered the yamen attempting to arrest a fugitive, he bravely stepped forward and killed the other party with three punches. When he went fishing in the mountains, he encountered a ferocious tiger and jumped onto its back to pummel it senseless...
With these details added, when the brave, principled Xu Shilin stood crying and pounding at the temple door, begging to see Xu Xian just once, every listener present was wiping their eyes. And when Ding Songyan delivered the closing verse—Unfated ones cannot hold hands even face to face; from this day forth they meet but do not see—some wept aloud.
"You tell it better than you write it." After the crowd dispersed, Xiaoqing, her eyes still red, praised Ding Songyan.
I’m the improvising type. That’s exactly how I used to win over investors... Before Ding Songyan could say anything to Xiaoqing, she had already slipped into the crowd with her maidservant, apparently genuinely intending to help him catch whoever was tailing him.
He shook his head. He planned to use visiting his father as an excuse to stop by the county office, then decide based on the situation whether to go to the Zhen estate.
Ding Songyan was about to take his first step when someone approached.
The man wore a cyan jacket and a plain cap, dressed like a commoner. Puffy eyelids, pale and plump. It was unmistakably Ren Youyang of the True Spirit Sect.
"Brother Youyang, what’s this?" Ding Songyan asked in surprise.
"Don’t I look more like an ordinary person now?" Ren Youyang smiled and gestured at himself.
"Ordinary people... aren’t this well-fed." Ding Songyan chose his words.
Ren Youyang had an epiphany.
"No wonder people always see through me when I travel incognito."
"Brother Youyang, do you need something from me?" Ding Songyan asked.
Ren Youyang’s expression turned serious. He cleared his throat.
"Let me go with you to the Zhen estate. Whatever happens, I can’t promise much, but if it’s only a matter of keeping you alive, Patriarch Zhen will still give me some face."
Ding Songyan was momentarily stunned. He had not expected Ren Youyang to help him to this extent.
Catching a tail and finding the person behind it was fun and interesting. It was natural for Ren Youyang to want to do that. But the Zhen household was tied to the very reason the True Spirit Sect had sent people to Dingjiang Prefecture. And Ren Youyang was actually prepared to disrupt the Zhen household’s plans for someone he had met only once in passing.
It might not be a direct conflict, but it would certainly damage goodwill.
As these thoughts raced through him, Ding Songyan could not help but say emotively, "Brother Youyang, you truly have the style of an ancient hero!"
Ren Youyang clearly had not expected such praise. He blinked, then laughed heartily.
"How could our generation fall short of the ancients?"
Delight spread across his face, his smile radiant.
...
After Ren Youyang came to the Zhen estate with Ding Songyan, he did not follow him inside. He went directly to pay his respects to Patriarch Zhen.
Meanwhile, Ding Songyan followed the same routine as yesterday. Under Master Yu’s guidance, he came to the flower-shrouded building, was blindfolded, and was led through twisting passages until he arrived at the room with the heavy iron door.
Throughout this process, Master Yu made no mention of Ding Songyan’s visit to the North Lane pleasure quarter or his encounter with Ren Youyang. He maintained his silence.
Seated in the chair, Ding Songyan opened his folding fan and was about to begin.
Suddenly, he had the same feeling of the crown of his head opening and a cool energy descending into it.
The aged, rasping voice echoed in his mind with a laugh.
"Discovered that the Zhen household has been tailing you. Worried they have sinister intentions, are we?"
Ding Songyan was startled for a moment, then understanding struck.
This "distinguished guest" hadn’t used his numerology yesterday to prove anything. His true purpose was to use the encounter to draw Ding Songyan "into the game."
