Chapter 6 The Everlasting Lamp He had never liked the scent of flowers
That's enough, you've had enough bad luck.
There's no need to give her another dressing down. You can't just fleece one sheep at a time; what good will it do if you fleece them all?
Trying to force growth is not advisable; only a steady, gradual approach is the key, God.
After reciting a few words in her mind, Yu Nie curled up her lips and chuckled foolishly. She slowly climbed down the ladder, her voice becoming sweet and coquettish: "Hey... Captain, you're joking. Look at my thin arms and legs. What can a weak woman like me lift? At most, I can only lift a book."
Zi Jing straightened up with a faint smile, slowly walked over, crossed his arms, and remained silent, his amorous peach blossom eyes fixed on her.
Even though she was born with a pair of expressive eyes, there was not a trace of affection in them; they were like a hook hidden in a cold pool, looking down arrogantly at all things.
She felt that the gaze coming towards her was inexplicably familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen it before.
Perhaps it was because the lights were dim last night that I couldn't see clearly. Now, looking closely, the boy's skin, which was originally as pale as snow in the dead of winter, did not appear sickly or dejected, but rather exuded a chilling aura like frost and snow.
Seeing that the court official remained silent, Yu Nie realized that if he didn't find a suitable reason to explain his reckless words, he would probably have a hard time getting through this day.
He's relentlessly pursuing this against her; it's a shame she thought he was a kind person just yesterday.
Despite her inner fear, she remained calm, blinked twice, and said nonchalantly:
“Oh dear, look at me,” she said, mimicking the female roles on the opera stage, speaking in a soft, gentle voice, “It’s all my fault for speaking unclearly, causing misunderstandings for you, sir. I didn’t say anything about the ‘dog court.’ Who would dare say those three words? That’s a capital offense.”
As she spoke, she turned to Lang Xi and the others, winking and asking for help: "Senior Sister, Senior Brother, don't you think this makes sense?"
Langxi and Ahui had never encountered anything like this before, and their minds were a complete mess. They weren't good at acting, so they couldn't find a way to deal with it and could only nod vigorously in agreement.
Zi Jing approached the group, raising an eyebrow. "So you're my servant." He glanced at Yu Nie, who was a step away, and said with a forced smile, "Then may I ask, young Taoist priest, what were you saying just now?"
Hearing his question, Yu Nie, feeling delicate and embarrassed, said, "Oh dear, Captain, how could I possibly answer such a question?"
Zi Jing's lips curved gently, and he lightly rubbed the jade thumb ring on his arm: "Speak freely."
When he pressed her for an answer, she quickly came up with a response: "It's 'Gao Chaoting' that Xiaodao says 'Gao Chaoting,' it's a dialect word," she smiled sincerely, "It means this pastry is quite delicious, and it's not about whether it's 'lifted' or not, it's just that a group of us sisters are going to the shops in the city to buy things."
After his skillful explanation, Yu Nie's back was drenched in cold sweat.
The laws of Beiye are harsh, especially in Huaiyuan.
Within a radius of three hundred li around Huaiyuan, everyone knows that the magistrate of Huaiyuan County is extremely cruel and tyrannical.
Elsewhere, bandits may roam freely, and chaos may abound. But once you step into Huaiyuan, in this place, no one dares to pick up a candle stub that has fallen on the ground; no one picks up lost items on the road.
Not to mention criticizing the imperial court; that's tantamount to risking one's life.
Death is impossible; it would be too unjust to lose one's life for saying the wrong thing.
Even knowing it's being forced and coerced, you still have to act as if you really think and do it, and play the whole act.
As the saying goes, if you tell a lie a hundred times, even the ancestral tablets in the Sanqing Hall will have to nod in agreement.
With this belief in mind, she smiled sweetly and charmingly, her gentle and moving gaze unwavering, fixed on the person in front of her without the slightest hint of timidity.
Hearing her voice, Ah Hui and Lang Xi looked towards where she was standing. Their expressions towards her were completely different from their usual Japanese demeanor; they seemed utterly used to it.
"You little Taoist are incredibly audacious." Zi Jing didn't speak, but his attendant followed up with displeasure, "Commoners stop their eyes on officials when they see them; monks and Taoists exchange a quick glance before bowing. Don't you think it's offensive to look at my captain like that?"
Reminded, Yu Nie then remembered the matter.
She glanced at the attendant, who had a solemn expression, a thin, long beard, and a long, slender face. He looked to be about thirty-four years old.
I didn't see this person last night.
Langxi was perceptive enough to tug at Yu Nie's wrist. Although she didn't think Zi Jing was the kind of official who would bully the people, she still signaled to her junior sister to be mindful of her behavior.
Given the current global turmoil, caution is advised.
"Please don't take it to heart, Attendant Lu. It's just a small matter." Zi Jing stretched, seemingly uninterested in pursuing her slip of the tongue any further. He glanced at the sky: "It's getting late. The eternal lamp must be offered before dusk. We mustn't miss the appointed time."
He glanced at Yu Nie, then left without lingering, saying only, "Go quickly and invite the abbot here," before striding off towards the pharmacy.
"Yes, sir." The thin, dark-faced attendant Lu gave her a displeased look before leaving, and then followed her.
I had prepared a long speech, but it ended abruptly with the other party leaving.
Yu Nie watched the receding figure, completely bewildered.
Just a moment ago they seemed determined to get away with it, but before they could even blink, it was all over.
She wondered to herself what kind of temperament this captain was.
Unable to come up with an answer, she simply gave up.
Since she had escaped unscathed, and he wasn't going to pursue the matter, wasn't that exactly what she wanted?
Lang Xi, however, was a little hesitant: "Junior sister, that captain... he probably won't pursue the matter any further, right?"
Yu Nie shook her head: "Don't worry, Junior Sister. If he wanted to punish me, he wouldn't let it go so easily. Now that he's gone, he definitely won't come after me again."
Upon hearing this, Langxi and Ahui, who were listening nearby, immediately felt relieved.
*
Yu Nie had already finished cleaning the altar in front of the paper window.
Having arrived, she tidied herself up, changed her clothes, and went to the main hall to change the lamps.
Before the lamp-offering ceremony, all the lamps in the hall must be replaced with sea lanterns. In addition, the first person to offer a lamp must also have it "consecrated".
Upon inquiry by Cui Miaochang, it was revealed that this was not the first time Zijing had made offerings, so the consecration ceremony was waived.
Before replacing the lamp and lighting the ever-burning lamp, one must also recite scriptures and make a request.
Yu Nie knelt alone on the prayer mat, holding a bell in his hand, closed his eyes and began to chant sutras, saying: "To deliver all beings from suffering and to liberate all beings from calamity. Goodness is like a shadow in the light, and an echo in the valley."
She could recite these mantras by heart.
After she finished reciting it once, she heard footsteps outside the door.
Cui Miaochang wore the same crimson-purple, double-breasted celestial robe she always wore for religious ceremonies. Despite having worn it many times, the robe remained as new as ever.
"Yu Nie, have you finished chanting the lamp-lighting incantation?" Cui Miaochang called out as she stepped into the hall.
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie stood up, lifting his Taoist robe, and ran happily to Cui Miaochang: "I've finished reciting, Uncle-Master. Now I'm just waiting for you and this Captain to arrive."
When she mentioned the word "Captain," she glanced at Zijing quickly, her eyes crinkling with a smile, as if what happened half an hour ago had never happened.
Zi Jing's brown eyes were also filled with laughter as he politely said to her, "It is my honor to have a young Taoist priest protecting me today."
"Not at all," Yu Nie said politely. "You are too kind, Captain. This is just my duty."
She remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she couldn't help but think, "This person is strange. He was just about to settle scores with me, but now he's smiling and thanking me."
With all preparations complete before the lamp, Cui Miaochang wasted no more time. After reciting three true words, she took the steps of Yu the Great, shook the imperial bell, and circled the altar three times to the left and right.
Zijing knelt before the statue of the Three Pure Ones, his expression solemn, his hands clasped together. From the side, he appeared refined and serene, seemingly indifferent.
Langxi and Ahui carried the lanterns in and placed them on the lotus lamp stands to the left of the statue, then left.
This is the first ever-burning lamp enshrined in the main hall.
The ever-burning lamp can be offered to deities, ancestors, the deceased, and even all living beings. Its meaning is interpreted differently by different people.
It was only before the altar that Yu Nie realized that the ever-burning lamps here were offered by him for the soldiers of Xuan Ce's army who died in battle the previous night.
Her gaze involuntarily turned to the kneeling man, who was shaking the imperial bell in his hand. This was such a rare act that she had never seen it before.
The ceremony continued. Cui Miaochang, holding a jade tablet and with a solemn expression, placed the sword on the altar, then picked up a bowl of pure water and instructed Yu Nie to pass incense to Zi Jing.
After understanding, Yu Nie walked to the incense table, took three unlit incense sticks as lit, bowed three times to the statue of the god, and then turned around and handed them to the person kneeling on the prayer mat.
Despite being a worshipper of the dead, she showed no sorrow or grief in his eyes; instead, she appeared rather cold.
He took the sandalwood incense from her hand, held it to his eyebrows, and gazed at the tall, compassionate statue of the deity. Without uttering a word, he inserted the incense into the burner.
The lamp-offering ceremony is not a grand fast; the rituals are simplified.
After the incense was offered and Cui Miaochang sprinkled water, the imperial bell in Yu Nie's hand stopped, and the ceremony ended.
The air inside the main hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Cui Miaochang said to Zijing, who had just stood up, "From now on, I will offer a lamp every seven days until the forty-ninth day has passed. You can rest assured, Captain."
"You're too kind, Abbot. Of course I'm at ease. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here to offer this lamp." Zijing always spoke with a hint of a smile, his eyes slightly curved, making him a pleasant sight. "On the contrary, I'm sorry to be bothering your esteemed temple for a few days and causing you inconvenience."
As they spoke, the group left the main hall. Zi Jing stood at the door with his hands behind his back and said, "I hope the abbot will forgive us."
Her small mouth was as sweet as honey. She didn't realize that if she had that kind of eloquence, she could talk a brick wall down with her words.
Why worry about travel expenses? That's just needless worry.
Perhaps because he had received a lot of money at noon, Cui Miaochang was unusually calm towards an official: "Sir, you really know how to talk. I have seen many officials, and few of them do not ride on people's heads and piss on them. There are even fewer who can live in such a cramped place as ours."
"Your humility makes me feel embarrassed," Cui Miaochang said. "I have already arranged your accommodation. It was originally in the guest room in the backyard, but Guard Xie said that you have something to discuss."
She pointed to the alchemy room on the east side: "Look, that room is small, but my two disciples cleaned it up and burned some new incense this afternoon. I hope you won't find it offensive."
Zi Jing didn't care much about where he stayed. He looked in the direction Cui Miaochang pointed, then thanked her.
After exchanging pleasantries, Cui Miaochang instructed Yu Nie, who was beside her, to take good care of the guests, and then returned to her bedroom to meditate.
The task of taking care of Huan Zijing inexplicably fell to her, so Yu Nie had no choice but to agree.
She led him to the alchemy room to rest, and as she bent down to lift the curtain and enter, Zijing smelled a delicate jasmine fragrance.
He has never liked the fragrance of flowers, yet he didn't cover his mouth and nose.
Seeing him stop out of the corner of her eye, Yu Nie turned around and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, sir?"
He glanced around the room; the layout was simple, the furniture basic, but it was clean enough. "Nothing's wrong."
Yu Nie stopped asking questions and went to the table to pour him tea and water.
A white shadow suddenly darted out from under the wooden bed, which was about half a meter away from her, and ran away, stepping on her instep.
Startled, she immediately jumped up, staggered backward, tripped on the table leg with her cloud-patterned shoes, and fell face down.
A note from the author:
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The female protagonist's recitation, "To deliver all from calamities and liberate all suffering beings. Goodness is like a shadow in light, an echo in a valley," is from the *Beidou Jing* (The Northern Dipper Sutra).
Furthermore, the jade thumb ring worn by the male protagonist is actually a thumb ring. It has two meanings: firstly, it serves a decorative purpose, and secondly, it is used to hold the bowstring in archery. In the context of this story, we will use the last meaning.
Wearing a jade thumb ring can also signify adulthood, or it may be worn by young people when they get married. The male protagonist was underage and unmarried at this time; he wore it simply because he enjoyed archery.
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