31: Running water never stagnates - Part 1
The winter was exceptionally quiet.
It was also because after returning from Yishan, Mingjin had been living in Lu Ying's old house on the mountain. Although she often came to play before, she had never stayed here for several months in a row. In addition, the place was relatively remote, with no one around, which was completely different from the lively atmosphere in the town.
The surroundings were quiet, making even the slightest sounds around her particularly noticeable. In the study, Mingjin set up the brazier and began grinding ink. Listening to the sounds of falling snow and crackling charcoal, she quietly made a few strokes.
With the number of evil spirits in the vicinity drastically reduced, the pressure on the cultivators to go out hunting has lessened considerably. With the heavy snow blocking the mountain pass, the people of Kongyun Mountain could comfortably stay indoors by the fire, savoring this hard-won peace.
He planned to paint a pair of door gods for the Chinese New Year, but he hadn't painted any detailed portraits in a long time, and his brush was becoming unruly. Mingjin had to restrain himself and regain control of his brush.
The pen tip scratched on the paper.
Unlike Youran City, Yishan's barrier held for about a day after Gao Lang disappeared before finally collapsing. It failed to prevent some of the evil spirits from escaping, but many disciples outside the barrier, though unable to withstand the ghostly energy within, were still capable of exorcising the evil spirits. With combined efforts from both inside and outside, they finally eradicated most of this scourge.
Some people were unable to return from Yishan.
Zhang Xu collapsed on the city wall, dying from exhaustion.
Huang Jing and Zhou Wei rushed to the north as fast as they could, but they still couldn't stop Gao Dai and Chu Ying from passing away. As for who else was there, Ming Jin didn't bother to remember their names. Because when she saw Du Gewen and Yan Junyou return with their two junior brothers, all she could hear and hear in her mind were their cries, and some lingering, trembling sounds from within her heart.
That day, after leaving the barrier with Meng Xi, they first performed a simple healing spell on Jiang Chao and Li E outside. Then, at Su Huan's request, they were led by the cultivators who remained outside to return to the town to rest.
When they first came out, Mingjin looked quite unwell, so much so that Yuqiao burst into tears the moment she saw her and immediately hugged Mingjin tightly. However, Mingjin herself was confused about what had happened. Huang Jing later said that she was probably exhausted and slowly being eroded by the ghostly energy, so by the time everyone noticed her, she was already collapsed. It was fortunate that she was saved.
With the main targets eliminated, everyone quickly withdrew from the barrier on the first day. Most cultivators slept until noon the next day, and no one wanted to disturb them. If it weren't for needing to take their medicine, Xi Xiangfeng probably wouldn't have come knocking on everyone's doors.
Mingjin was in better condition, probably because she was basically fighting alone. Although it was dangerous, she was less worried about the consequences. In addition, she went to bed early, and got up as soon as it was fully light the next day.
Meng Sheng wasn't in the room, but left a note for Ming Jin. She, along with Huang Jing, Ji Zhen, and the very reluctant Meng Xi, took the last opportunity to investigate Yi Shan, and instructed her to go out for a meal and medicine after she woke up.
Having slept for too long, his mind was foggy, as if he had been separated from the world for too long, so he couldn't quite recover. Mingjin sat on the stool for a while longer, then suddenly felt hungry and prepared to go out to find something to eat. Before he got too close, he smelled the aroma of medicine being boiled.
It was specifically designed to alleviate the effects of ghostly energy.
When Duan Shuxuan answered, he was still chopping medicinal herbs. His face was somewhat pale, and he rarely looked up. His words of greeting echoed in Mingjin's mind, but she ultimately did not say them aloud. Instead, she went straight to the dining room.
At that time, Ming Jin was unaware of Zhang Xu's situation, but Duan Shuxuan was. Naturally, Duan Shuxuan was also unaware of Kongyun Mountain's situation, but Ming Jin was.
When the head chef saw that it was Ming Jin, he remembered that he had talked about his family's recipes with that girl who left early this morning.
So I cooked her a bowl of noodles and told her to eat it well.
Since there were hardly any people around, Mingjin finished her meal and sat quietly for a while. She only became aware of the second person entering, then cleared away the dishes, preparing to leave. The chef said to leave them there, and he would collect them later, but Mingjin didn't realize this. Not knowing where to put the dishes, she could only leave them on the outside table.
When Xi Xiangfeng saw her come out, he asked her the time and handed her a bowl of medicine.
It was the same kind that Huang Jing brought yesterday, with a few more medicinal herbs added from Wan Xia and Su Huan. The taste was alright, though the smell was deceptive and made your tongue suffer. But since the two of them insisted that he drink it for another half a month, once a day, and Fu Nai insisted on using Pei Xuanzhen's name, Ming Jin was able to swallow it whole.
Mingjin felt nauseous, perhaps because the drink was so unpleasant. If it weren't for the fact that her complexion was only slightly pale and otherwise normal while washing up, Mingjin would have felt as exhausted as an old tree about to fall.
She felt dazed and confused, which seemed to be an effect of the ghostly energy. She spent three days like this until Fu Nai announced that he was going back, and then she felt that it was "over".
So they returned to Kongyun Mountain.
The words he spoke when bidding farewell to Meng Sheng, Jiang Chao, and others felt somewhat unreal, to the point that even now, Ming Jin doubts whether he has remembered them incorrectly. The funerals for all three families were held before the heavy snow fell. Afterwards, Ming Jin received letters from Juxia, Guicheng, and Huicheng, which clarified some things for him.
The letters from Huicheng were written by Meng Sheng and Wei Jing, and Ming Jin replied to each of them. They mainly inquired about each other's well-being and provided updates on everyone's situation after the siege ended. A banquet was held in Huicheng to commemorate the occasion. The elders who, due to age and other reasons, were unable to attend the banquet in person at Yishan, drank and wept, reflecting on the traumas they had suffered. Their past seemed unbelievable and incomprehensible to the newly grown children, but they themselves could finally let go of some of it.
Everyone gradually moved from silence to conversation, and things weren't so worrying anymore. Only Meng Xi wasn't so happy, because she hadn't expected that after all these years, she would still be the one to avenge Huicheng.
Furthermore, on the letter bearing a small handprint, Meng Sheng wrote that Su Huan, when revising the post-war records, specified Meng Xi's assistance in the victory. As a result, rumors in the capital escalated, transforming Meng Xi into a hermit who had lived in anonymity for decades, solely for revenge. Su Huan stated that he himself was not entirely aware of the situation and that unless Meng Xi returned to revise it, he would simply write it as it was.
"The two of them often argued, and now it seems they've always been like that, so I no longer care."
Ming Jin still wrote a letter to inquire about Meng Xi's daily life and to convey the dangers of using metal magic.
Meng Xi's reply came quickly, containing only nine words.
"I'm fine. Got it. Take care."
After the post-battle ceremony at Kongyun Mountain, Pei Xuanzhen ordered Mingjin, Zhou Wei, and Chi Hui to stay at home, minimizing their movements, listening, speaking, and actions, and to rest for a full hundred days before discussing anything further. Therefore, aside from the new soup that He Gengtang had developed, the three of them were basically unaware of what was happening outside.
It was only when Mingjin was talking to Huang Jingxian that he learned that Mu Ning and Ji Zhen had attended Zhang Xu's funeral.
She wrote letters to Xi Xiangfeng and Duan Shuxuan, and later received an additional reply from Chai Wang. Xi Xiangfeng's writing skills were somewhat weak, so his letter could only vaguely state some things, and the beginning and end of the text were even incoherent, which Ming Jin could not quite understand.
The handwriting on Duan Shuxuan's reply was somewhat messy, clearly indicating that the writer was not at peace. He merely inquired about Mingjin's well-being, answering only the questions asked, his usually restless heart seemingly somewhat subdued. He then briefly mentioned that he was currently cultivating under the guidance of his senior brother and Jiang Wen, and that his graduation ceremony next year would likely be held alongside the grand banquet. He invited Mingjin to attend if he had the time.
As for Chai Wang's letter, it was because Xi Xiangfeng asked him how to reply. He gave some advice, but then felt that writing could not be mastered in a short time, so he took it upon himself to write another letter to Mingjin.
The letter was concise and to the point, directly addressing Zhang Xu's funeral arrangements, Guo Hao's condition and recovery progress, and assuring Duan Shuxuan and Jiang Wen that they were under the care of their advisor and senior brother, and there was no need to worry. Ban Rui was discussing with Wan Xia whether to seal away the golden arts, but nothing was decided yet. He also thanked Ming Jin for his care of Jiang Chao in Yishan, who had now almost fully recovered, "though not quite as good as before, his playing skills are gradually improving."
Because Guo Hao was ill and recuperating, Chai Wang took over some of Guo Hao's responsibilities and had a better understanding of the situation. Ming Jin was more at ease after learning this, so he wrote back to express his gratitude.
When Xi Xiangfeng and Duan Shuxuan replied, Mingjin wanted to ask Boss Jiang about the situation. Since leaving Yishan, she had been among crowds, a situation where spirits would stay away. However, upon returning to Kongyun Mountain, it was already winter, and spirits would have hidden themselves away, so Mingjin couldn't find them despite having the token. Today, she took out the token again, and it was still just an ordinary, fresh piece of ginger, indicating that Boss Jiang was safely spending the winter somewhere. Since that was the case, Mingjin decided not to disturb him further and planned to wait until spring to visit Boss Jiang for tea at the Qunlin Gathering.
Letters piled up on the table as people came and went. Ya Zai flew away with the last letter, and Ming Jin collected the letters from the table and put them in a special box for storing mail.
As a result, ruining several sheets of paper with drawings every day became Mingjin's daily routine.
Tired of drawing, Mingjin got up to tidy up the study. Most of the things were things she had moved in before; they were just sitting on the desks and cabinets, not really necessary to tidy up. But after neglecting them for so long, she couldn't even tell what was actually there anymore.
As he walked up to the shelf, Mingjin suddenly wanted to see what the yard looked like, so he opened a window with a slit.
The study is now located at the very back of the house. The house is built against a hillside, and there is a sloping path behind it. Walking along the path, you will exit through the back door and into the courtyard. Right outside, you will see a set of bluestone steps leading up the hill. Lu Ying laid them herself when she was alive. Ming Jin seemed to have helped a bit when she played with them again, or perhaps she made a mess of it; she herself couldn't remember clearly.
The path is lined with flowers and plants that Lu Ying planted, probably from Xiang Wan, because he himself was terrible at tending to them; in fact, the farther away they were from the plants, the better they grew. So, outside of winter, opening the window reveals a beautiful scene.
There are two boxes next to the shelf.
Inside a flatter box was Lu Ying's bracelet. Despite surviving another great battle, it hadn't faded at all. After drifting around in the sky, it lay here unharmed, quietly enjoying the snowy scenery.
Xiang Wan's bracelet has been returned to Zhou Wei. Upon learning that Ming Jin used it to activate the golden magic array, Zhou Wei was still worried that something might be missing from Xiang Wan's belongings, and criticized Ming Jin for his extreme thinking. However, he ultimately felt moved that the treasure of a virtuous person would continue to protect future generations even many years after its owner's death.
The other was a square box containing Pang Ming's pendant, which Ming Jin had repaired. She hadn't made any major alterations; she had simply used a thread from the materials Su Huan had given her to connect the pendant. The blueprints for the artifact were still somewhat complex, and she hadn't fully mastered them yet, nor did she want to make any further modifications while her skills and energy were insufficient.
A breeze blew in through the cracks, and it got a little cold.
But the snow was really beautiful.
There was also a glass bowl on the table. Mingjin took it, brought some snow from the window, filled a bowl with it, and placed it on the shelf.
She closed the window, returned to her desk, and continued her writing.
It was still snowing outside, and the wind was blowing up some snowflakes.
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