Chapter 65 — The Long Journey to The Capital
Edited by DancingDolphinsYo
On this side, the General’s estate was in chaos due to the General vomiting three litres of blood, while on another side, Wu Xingzi, who had been on his way to the capital for some time already, finally felt at ease, and even had the mood to pull up the curtains of the carriage and look around.
Rancui had originally said that they would be leaving together, but at the last moment, he suddenly said that he could only leave two days later. It was an easy matter to catch up with them on a horse, so they arranged to meet in a little city called Lishui four days later.
Wu Xingzi had been on this very path a few times already, and the scenery was fairly much the same. However, perhaps because his mood was different, the scenery this time was so much more brilliant and enchanting than the previous times. The rays of the sun were like gold, scattering its light across the gravel, the grass, the trees and the brook.
“Wow, sister, take a look. There’s a field of flowers over there, what flower is that?” Osmanthus was also seated by the window, pointing at the colourful scene dancing in the wind.
“Hmm…” Mint and Osmanthus shared similar knowledge, and she naturally did not recognise the flowers as well. After all, they rarely saw such delicate and pretty things in Bastion City.
“Those should be irises,” Wu Xingzi answered, turning to look at them.
Hearing that, the two girls looked at Wu Xingzi with worshipful eyes. They listened to him explain gently, “In The Classic of Herbal Medicine, it says: The iris is bitter and balanced. It mainly treats gu toxins and evil qi, demonic influx and various toxins. It breaks concretions and conglomerations, accumulations and gatherings, removes water, and precipitates the three kinds of worms. It grows in mountains and valleys.1 For a place like this with no mountains or valleys, someone must have planted them intentionally.”
“Master, you know everything!” Mint’s eyes shone brightly, almost about to treat Wu Xingzi like a god.
“It’s only something that I read when I was younger, and didn’t forget.” Wu Xingzi smiled. Inside his bag were a few books that his father had left behind, and one of them was The Classic of Herbal Medicine. There was only an old physician back in their hometown, and so his father had always dealt with any of their small ailments and pains himself.
It was now March, and the spring weather was perfect. The temperature down south turned warmer earlier compared to the rest of the country, the warm breeze drifting past their skin, leaving behind a pleasant heat.
Hei’er drove the carriage steadily. In the carriage, Wu Xingzi and the two girls only felt a slight swaying, and it was not uncomfortable at all. Along with the spring wind, drowsiness descended upon them.
Unknowingly, Wu Xingzi closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Osmanthus carefully covered him with a cloak. After exchanging a look with her sister, the joy on her little fair face swiftly faded away.
They were a little apprehensive. Although they did not face any obstruction or trouble when leaving and their departure was unbelievably successful, when they thought about how they would be dealt with when the General finally found them, chills ran down their spines. Unable to control themselves, they shuddered.
“Commander Hei, say, how long can we hide from the General?” Afraid of waking Wu Xingzi up, Mint and Osmanthus climbed out of the carriage and sat next to Hei’er, quietly asking him.
“You don’t have to worry. When it’s time for the General to find us, he will find us.” Hei’er turned to calm the two girls down. He himself was also unsure, as at the end of the day, the entire matter had been orchestrated by Rancui and Man Yue. He was only a puppet, listening to instructions and following his orders. His main duty was still to protect Wu Xingzi from any danger.
The girls’ little faces twisted even more after listening to him, as though they had just taken the most bitter medicine.
“I hope the General won’t be too angry with Master.” In the end, this was the only thing Mint could say. They had seen before how the General, bathed in blood, cut through his enemies. He was still very good-looking, similar to a beautiful statue. However, his aura was like that of a demon climbing up from hell, and one look could make a person tremble with fear, afraid that their souls would be sucked away and swallowed down.
“Don’t be afraid.” Hei’er thought that no matter what happened, there would still be Man Yue to block the blows.
Four days later, Wu Xingzi and the rest met Rancui in the place they had agreed upon. Under Rancui’s suggestion, they stopped there temporarily to browse the flower-and-bird market. This market only happened once every three years in Lishui. Every time, there would not only be strange and rare flowers, even the species of birds that could be seen were very exotic. The market was held for ten bustling days, and it could be called the most famous event in the south.
No wonder Rancui had specially chosen this city to meet. He probably wanted to help improve Wu Xingzi’s mood.
When Wu Xingzi made the decision to leave, he had long thrown everything about Bastion City to the back of his head. He could not say that he did not miss anything about it, but he did not feel the slightest bit of regret. Even though Guan Shanjin’s image was still very much vivid and present in his heart, he had never thought about the what-ifs if he were to stay.
It was just that sometimes, while sleeping at night, Wu Xingzi would have the mistaken impression that he was in a warm and familiar embrace. He would then wake up in surprise from his dream, unconsciously reaching out next to him. Shuddering from the coolness of the sheets, he would toss and turn for the entire night before finally managing to doze off.
However, he thought, sooner or later, this would pass as well. After all, he had left Bastion City for some time already, and Guan Shanjin should have already brought Mr. Lu along with him to the capital, right? Would there be a possibility that they would bump into each other along the way? As Wu Xingzi thought, he could not help but feel a little worried.
Rancui seemed to have seen through his bewilderment, and did not hurry them along on their journey. He had always been capable of handling anyone, and he was good at treating people cordially. Although Lishui was only a small place, it had many scenic spots to explore. Unwittingly, they stayed in Lishui until the market was over, and all the tourists had left as well. Only then did Wu Xingzi realise that he had stayed there for so long, and that after walking through the entire city, his longing for Guan Shanjin too decreased considerably.
When they continued on their journey again, it was nearly the end of March.
There was some slight embarrassment during this period of time. They had very quickly packed up all their belongings, continuing on their way to the capital, and they estimated that they would arrive in about two or three months. Rancui gave Wu Xingzi a few versions of The Pengornisseur, wanting him to make more friends.
Speaking about making friends, Wu Xingzi of course was more than happy to do so. The capital’s edition of The Pengornisseur was truly amazing! Skimming through the many great people listed within, they all had impressive family backgrounds, education and careers!
Clearly aware of Wu Xingzi’s preferences, Rancui smiled. “Don’t worry, Mr. Wu. I’ve specially gone through this edition of The Pengornisseur, and they’re all exceptional and mighty pengornises with great ability. Just send them letters all you want, no matter where we are, I’ll be able to get all the replies back to you, and increase your hoard of pengornises.”
Ignoring the hoard of pengornises Rancui mentioned, the embarrassment of having been seen through caused Wu Xingzi’s blush to spread to his neck in an instant. For the next few days, he dared not read The Pengornisseur at all. He was afraid that his thoughts would be obscene. While looking at all the good, handsome or beautiful men, all he could think of were the exceptional and mighty pengornises.
However, what troubled him were not these pengornises, but that Qingming would soon arrive.
For Wu Xingzi, paying respects to his ancestors and the rites involved was a great matter. After all, both his paternal and maternal ancestors only had him as a descendent left. Whether it was Qingming or other occasions, he could not miss a single one out. If not, his ancestors would definitely visit him in his dreams and scold him.
Qingcheng County was on the way to the capital, and it would not be troublesome to stop by and pay his respects. It was just that…
Spiritless, Wu Xingzi curled up in one corner of the carriage.
He still remembered that Guan Shanjin had said that he would accompany him back to Qingcheng County for Qingming. However, before the day could arrive, Wu Xingzi had long fled. Still, Wu Xingzi’s roots remained in Qingcheng County, and he believed that Guan Shanjin would not deliberately seek him out. Now that he captured his will-o-wisp, why would he still need its shadow?
For some reason, Wu Xingzi inexplicably felt a little guilty. The night before he left, Guan Shanjin had made such promises to him, and even if they were not sincere, to have embarrassed him like this, would Guan Shanjin be angry with him? If that was the case, Guan Shanjin might even be waiting at Qingcheng County for him to return and pay his respects to his ancestors… And Guan Shanjin would definitely succeed, as no matter where Wu Xingzi ran off to, he would never forget about his ancestors.
Feeling anxious, there were a few times he wanted to discuss the matter with Rancui, only for him to swallow it back down when it was on the tip of his tongue. Dragging it on and on like this, before he could say anything, they had already reached the outskirts of Qingcheng County.
“Mr. Wu,” Rancui suddenly spoke up. “It’ll be Qingming in a few more days. Do you plan on returning home to clean up your ancestors’ graves?”
Not expecting this question, Wu Xingzi froze, then nodded vigorously. “Yes yes yes! Ai, I’ve been wanting to discuss this with you!”
“Discuss?” Rancui tilted his head, then laughed. “Are you afraid that Guan Shanjin would be waiting for you at Qingcheng County?” He had hit the nail on the head.
Wu Xingzi scratched the back of his neck, secretly looking around. He confirmed that the two girls weren’t in the carriage, and heard their clear voices travelling through the curtains from outside. They seemed to have seen something interesting, and were insisting that Hei’er explain it to them.
“I’ve made a joke of myself.” Wu Xingzi was shame-faced, and he hung his head. “I know that I’m thinking too much as well. Haiwang has Mr. Lu now, and he’s currently enjoying his success, so how would he have the time to spend on someone like me? But…”
Guan Shanjin had said that he would help Wu Xingzi take care of his grave. Wu Xingzi felt a pang in his heart, and he rubbed at his aching chest.
“You’re not thinking too much. We’ve all seen what the Great Southern Garrison General is like.” Sarcasm could be heard in Rancui’s tone. He snorted, glaring at the curtains.
“The General has always doted upon the people he liked, and we’ve definitely seen this for ourselves.” Hei’er’s placid voice could be heard from beyond the curtain.
Despite knowing that he would have nothing good coming to him if he was caught by the General, Hei’er still could not allow Rancui’s periodic insults about the General to pass.
“Hmph!” Rancui spat, then replaced his expression with a smile when he looked at Wu Xingzi. “How about this, we’ll go two days after Qingming, and you can pay your respects at night? Mr. Wu, would you be scared?”
“No.” Wu Xingzi shook his head. He still felt a little apologetic, whether it was towards Rancui, Hei’er, Mint and Osmanthus, or to his ancestors.
However, it seemed like this was the safest plan. If he were to return to Qingcheng County in broad daylight, who knew what sort of difficulty would befall upon him?
Having come to a decision, Rancui calculated the time. He asked Hei’er to make a slight detour to the nearby Xingyi County for a short trip. Xingyi County produced tung oil, and so tung trees were planted everywhere. Right now, it was the season when they would bloom. The petals of the tung flowers were a snowy white, their receptacles a light red and their centers a bright yellow. The flowers grew in clusters, and looking from afar, it seemed as though the trees were covered in snow. Many literary men would make a special trip to Xingyi to admire the tung flowers.
Even though Qingcheng County was not far from Xingyi County, they would still need 3 days to arrive on an ox carriage. With a horse, they only needed about a day and a half. Wu Xingzi had naturally heard about Xingyi’s scene of snow in spring, but never had the fortune to see it before. Hearing Rancui’s arrangement, he could not help but be delighted, and his previous unease had dissipated by a great amount.
Xingyi County was truly a nice place, and the tung flowers were really a feast for the eyes. Carrying a bamboo basket filled with snacks, Rancui led Wu Xingzi into the mountain.
Hei’er trusted Rancui very much, and did not follow. He only instructed Mint and Osmanthus to take care of Wu Xingzi, before turning and disappearing.
Towards this, Rancui snorted coldly. Some disapproval and anger appeared on his beautiful face, but the expression was quickly wiped away. With great familiarity, he brought Wu Xingzi and the girls around the mountain, spending the entire day there. When the sun was setting, they returned to the inn, but Hei’er had yet to be back.
“I should have sewn this fellow’s mouth shut,” Rancui snorted. It was clear that he was aware of where Hei’er went. Due to the ugly expression on his face, Mint and Osmanthus dared not ask him anything, and instead dragged Wu Xingzi back to his room to wash up.
This disappearance of Hei’er lasted for nearly four days. When he returned, he looked a lot paler, and seemed to be exhausted.
Seeing that he was back, Rancui went forward and hit him. Although he was tired, Hei’er was still very alert, twisting his body and dodging him. No one guessed that Rancui was only feinting, and he ended up kicking the back of Hei’er’s knee. The tall, sturdy man swayed, nearly falling over.
“What an exceptional dog, with your staunch loyalty,” Rancui spat with a smiling face. He reached out, grabbing Hei’er’s chin with narrowed eyes. “If you spoil my plans, don’t blame me for being vicious.”
“You’re thinking too much.” Hei’er was so tired that his footsteps were weak. He no longer had the energy to handle this fox-like manager of the Peng Society. Calmly, he removed Rancui’s hand, and walked over to Wu Xingzi who had been shocked silly. “Master, I’ve checked it out. The General has been in Qingcheng County for the past few days, and it seems like he’ll be staying there for at least a couple more weeks. There are also people guarding the cemetery at night. I think… it’s going to be very difficult for us to go back.”
“He really has too much time on his hands.” Rancui pursed his lips. They were currently eating, and Rancui picked up a peanut from the kung pao chicken dish, placing it in his mouth.
“Take a seat first, Hei’er. Have you eaten?” Wu Xingzi hurriedly invited Hei’er to sit, and Mint and Osmanthus smartly placed another set of bowl and chopsticks on the table.
“Many thanks, Master.” Hei’er picked up his bowl and started eating. Whatever they would do next, Rancui naturally would be the one making the decisions, and he did not plan on saying anything else.
This meal still progressed very carefreely. After all, it was very difficult for Wu Xingzi to think about matters that were too difficult when eating. He would normally finish eating before he would consider such matters.
Rancui looked at Wu Xingzi, then looked at Hei’er. The corner of his lips quirked up, no one knowing what he was planning.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m