The Peach Blossom Spring, Part One

Long queues formed at the city gates of Wuling City, with everyone entering subject to inspection by the Beggars' Sect. Leaving the city was much easier; there were no checkpoints, and people could go out freely. Thus, at the solemn city gates, one half was a main thoroughfare, wide enough for carriages and horses to travel on, while the other half was like a beautifully strung bracelet of beads, with people in brightly colored clothes walking side by side, all taking small, quick steps.

However, at this critical juncture, few people besides farmers were willing to go out. The long queues to enter the city often deterred people from even considering leaving.

"Name." The beggar at the table, without looking up, mechanically took the travel document handed to him, unfolded it, and asked in a curt tone.

"Kim Ji-won." It was a girl's voice.

The beggar next to him, who was checking the bundle, kicked the leg of his stool without making a sound.

The beggar who was making the record looked up and saw a well-dressed young woman smiling at them.

The beggar's tone softened considerably as he asked, "Where are you from, young lady, and where are you headed?"

"I came from the capital," Kim Ji-won replied softly, stroking the sword on the platform, "to go to Heuksan for a sword duel. My family told me to come to Heanwon first to meet the four sword masters."

The beggar, as if bathed in a gentle breeze, asked softly, "Are you all alone? Do you have any relatives in Wuling?"

Kim Ji-won pursed her lips and shook her head, replying, "No, it's just me."

The beggar tidied up the bundle and handed it to Kim Ji-won, saying carefully, "I'm afraid we won't be able to go to Ping An Temple today. Due to the special circumstances recently, you need to make an appointment with the government in advance to enter the temple for worship."

"Can we meet up tomorrow?" Kim Ji-won asked, blinking her eyes.

The beggar at the table scribbled something in the booklet, then handed the document back to Kim Ji-won, patiently explaining, "Two to three days in advance should be about right."

"But isn't it Brother Xiongzhen who's in charge of the repairs?" The standing beggar looked at the other person as if seeking confirmation.

"Yes, the elder will have Xiong Zhen do this."

“Brother Xiongzhen is always kind-hearted. If you talk to him, perhaps you can get in sooner.” The beggar smiled at Kim Ji-won and said earnestly, “He’s right at the entrance of Ping An Courtyard.”

"Thank you both, esteemed heroes." Kim Ji-won smiled gently, thanked them, and then continued on her way.

The two men felt a pang of disappointment and then said, "Miss, next time you can come through the North Gate. The area outside the West Gate is mostly farmland, with many farmers. The North Gate is mainly for tourists, so there's less of a queue."

"Understood, thank you, hero." Kim Ji-won smiled and walked lightly into the city. The black tassel on her sword swayed gently, with a hint of bright gold hidden in the calm black.

~

Upon entering the city, Kim Ji-won could see the dilapidated Ping'an Temple atop the mountain in the distance, with many wooden scaffolds surrounding the main hall. Tiny dots, no bigger than sesame seeds, moved slowly through the mountains—these were the workers repairing the temple and the people coming to pay their respects.

Everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt. Even the three golden statues that stood firm seemed to have dimmed a little.

Heading east along the main road in the city, or more precisely, southeast, if you ignore the buildings and keep going east, you'll probably reach the foot of Mashou Mountain very quickly.

Kim Ji-won followed the smooth stone-paved road in the city. Scattered vendors began to appear on the street. Some set up tables to sell soup noodles, some carried baskets to sell pastries and sugar balls, and some carried dripping wet vegetables to sell as they walked.

There were also some clanging and tinkling sounds coming from who-knows-where.

Kim Ji-won took a few coins from her belt and bought a string of candied hawthorns, eating them as she walked.

Before long, Kim Ji-won passed a bustling street corner. Looking inside, she saw stalls selling fresh meat and vegetables on both sides. The ground was completely wet, with water used to water vegetable leaves and probably blood from fresh meat scattered around, forming puddles.

Those people carrying vegetables earlier were probably heading back to this street corner. The street was fairly wide, but it was already packed with people, making it difficult to move. Those arriving at this hour would find it hard to find a good spot to sell their produce. So some people simply left their baskets at the street corner and started hawking their wares.

The sounds of knives chopping on wooden tables, fish splashing in basins, roosters crowing, and ducks quacking filled the air. The calls of vendors and the sounds of haggling created a lively atmosphere.

However, almost no one waved to Kim Ji-won, probably because she didn't seem like the type to manage a household.

Kim Ji-won walked extra carefully along this stretch of road at the street corner, as some water of an unknown mixture had already flowed out onto the street. Even so, some water inevitably splashed onto the hem of her black skirt.

After crossing the street corner, you can still see a few scattered vegetable farmers sitting by the roadside selling their produce.

As you walk a little further, the streets gradually become more orderly. There are no more street vendors; instead, there are shops, and the wood in the houses looks much more refined. The ground is covered with dry, flat, gray-white flagstones.

Soon, Kim Ji-won spotted two towering buildings that stood out from the crowd. Even though it wasn't mealtime yet, the buildings were already packed with people enjoying tea. On the top floor, some were gazing into the distance from the railing, while others leaned out, waving to someone they couldn't quite place.

Kim Ji-won looked up from the crowd, squinting at the upper floors, unable to hear what the people shouting were saying. She could only see their mouths agape, their faces flushed, and them waving their arms vigorously.

This is a completely different kind of liveliness.

There were no hawking or shouting here; all the sounds came from natural conversation. Almost everyone was talking animatedly with their companions, their faces showing either joy or sorrow. No one used excessive volume to emphasize anything or attract anyone's attention. These subtle sounds converged into a powerful torrent, filling Kim Ji-won's cochlea.

The person standing on high ground raised his arms and shouted, but he was completely detached from the torrent, so his voice was also rejected by the torrent.

Kim Ji-won looked at him as if she were watching a vivid pantomime.

“This building is quite nice, rather grand,” Kim Ji-won said as she followed the crowd to the foot of the two tall buildings. She looked up and surveyed them, thinking to herself, “This is probably not a local shopkeeper.”

After passing Changfeng Pavilion and Xihe Building, and walking for a while longer, Kim Ji-won finally escaped the bustling crowd. Although there were still quite a few pedestrians on the road, the space was much more spacious, and it wasn't like they were shoulder to shoulder.

After turning a few street corners, Kim Ji-won entered a quiet, long alley.

~

"Knock knock knock".

A slow, deliberate knocking came from the end of the alley.

"Knock knock knock".

Kim Ji-won squinted and looked up at the sky, her hand still resting on the closed door. The sun was almost directly overhead.

Kim Ji-won looked around, but there were no pedestrians in the alley to ask. She then glanced at the sign above the door, noticing that it was inexplicably covered by a piece of coarse blue cloth.

Kim Ji-won took the sword from her waist, held the end of the scabbard, and raised the sword high, lifting a corner of the coarse cloth.

Just then, a creaking sound was heard, the distinctive rising tone of an old wooden door. A young woman peeked out from a neighboring house.

Kim Ji-won released her grip, and the longsword slid down. The tip of the sword struck the ground with a short, muffled thud.

The woman, holding a swaddled baby, squeezed through the narrow doorway and asked warmly, "Sister, are you looking for Granny Qu?"

"I'm sorry," Kim Ji-won said apologetically.

The woman shook her head, and said with some delight, "It's alright."

Kim Ji-won placed the back of her hand on the child's chubby cheek, stroking it as she said, "So beautiful, you'll definitely be as pretty as your mother when you grow up."

A blush inexplicably spread across the woman's face.

"Is Dr. Qu out?" Kim Ji-won asked, withdrawing her hand.

“Dr. Qu’s family moved away,” the woman said. “They moved away not long after the incident at Ping An Hospital.”

The woman glanced at the plaque covered with coarse cloth and said, "But the plaque is still there; perhaps it will come back."

"What happened at Ping An Yuan?" Kim Ji-won asked curiously. "When I came here, I noticed that all the statues were gone."

"Did you just arrive in Wuling, sister?" The woman's eyes lit up suddenly, and she said cautiously, "The Ping'an Courtyard has collapsed due to deep-seated resentment."

"The resentment runs deep." Kim Ji-won looked puzzled.

"Too many people go to make wishes, and many of them are not decent people," the woman said mysteriously. "The sins have piled up so much that even the Peace House can't bear it anymore."

The woman continued, "That statue didn't just disappear; it collapsed and smashed through the ground."

"Everyone says it's because of too many bad deeds that he was overwhelmed." The woman seemed to be adding other people's opinions to prove her point.

Kim Ji-won neither confirmed nor denied the woman's statement, feigning confusion, and said, "I heard from others that there was an explosion."

“There was an explosion.” The woman became even more excited and said, “The sky was filled with red light, like flowers dripping with blood, it was terrifying.”

“But she’s also very beautiful.” As if she felt her description was somewhat inaccurate, the woman added, “It’s the kind of beauty that’s a little frightening.”

Kim Ji-won felt that the woman was getting more and more mysterious, so she steered the conversation back on track and asked, "When did Dr. Qu move out?"

The woman looked up and thought for a moment, then said, "About two days after the explosion."

“I think Granny Qu is probably possessed by an evil spirit.” The woman glanced around shrewdly and said something startling, “That’s why her granddaughter hurriedly took her away.”

"What happened to them?" Kim Ji-won knew that what she was talking about was probably some unreliable ghost story, but she still couldn't help but be intrigued.

"It was a bright, sunny day, but at night it thundered and snowed in Ping An Courtyard." The woman approached Kim Ji-won and said cautiously, "I'm telling you this, but don't tell anyone else."

Kim Ji-won nodded seriously.

“Someone saw it snowing in the yard that day.” A glint flashed in the woman’s eyes as she said to Kim Ji-won, “This kind of inexplicable snowfall, do you think someone has been wronged?”

Kim Ji-won nodded in agreement.

"Miss Qu helped her mother-in-law back very late, by which time the red light had already disappeared," the woman said, getting back to the main point. "The two of them came back from the direction of Ping'an Courtyard."

“I asked her if she had come back from Ping An Hospital,” the woman described vividly. “She said yes.”

"I asked again, have you seen the snow?" The woman paused intentionally, looking at Kim Ji-won with expectant eyes.

Kim Ji-won feigned urgency: "What did she say?"

"They all said they didn't see it."

"Does it actually exist?" Kim Ji-won looked at the woman expectantly.

“That’s the key point I’m trying to make,” the woman said, her face flushed. “I saw it on my mother-in-law’s shoulder as they walked past me, though it was just a tiny bit.”

"That's absolutely genuine snowflakes." For the first time, the woman didn't rely on someone else's opinion; she made the conclusion herself.

The child in the woman's arms suddenly burst into a loud cry.

"Ouch—ouch—" The woman shook the child in her arms in a flustered manner, and said lovingly, "My little one is awake."

The woman walked around in circles while trying to soothe the child.

Walking up to Kim Ji-won, the woman said to the child, "See, pretty sister? You'll be just as pretty when you grow up, won't you?"

Those big, watery eyes darted around before finally settling on Kim Ji-won's face. As if all her energy had been drained, her chubby face still had her mouth wide open, but she didn't utter another sound of crying.

Kim Ji-won gently stroked the child's delicate nose, leaned close to her and said, "Grow up well and be as beautiful as your mother when you grow up."

"I'm sorry to have bothered you today," Kim Ji-won said, straightening up.

"I'm feeling really bored," the woman said, somewhat embarrassed. "It's so nice to have you here to talk to me."

After saying goodbye, Kim Ji-won looked back at the covered plaque and waved goodbye again to the woman who was standing there.

Kim Ji-won turned around and continued on to the next place.