Chapter Nine: The First Breeze
Even Mu Ning didn't notice the person who appeared next to her at first.
Mu Ning wasn't sure if this person was normal. It wasn't because the man looked old, but because he was shorter than her thigh. What was especially strange were his hands: one was fair and smooth, seemingly untouched by water, while the other was as withered as a dead tree, the flesh dried up, with only dry skin clinging to it. However, she couldn't detect any ghostly aura on him. Could he be a master of a hundred years, able to conceal his ghostly aura so perfectly?
Mingjin hadn't noticed the other person at all. She looked at the various men and women walking around the street, dressed in clothes similar to those of ordinary people, seemingly normal at first glance. However, half of them lacked normal fingers, appearing instead as branches with five limbs, and others had limbs of uneven lengths, walking in a strange manner. This appeared to be a street, with many stalls on both sides. From a distance, it was impossible to see what they were selling, but the two of them were currently standing near a tea stall. A flag hung on the stall, bearing no words, only a picture of a kettle pouring water into a teacup.
Seeing that neither of them spoke, the tea stall owner could only ask again, "Would you two gentlemen like a cup of hot tea?"
The two men hadn't relaxed since they arrived, and seeing this person asking such a question, they couldn't help but wonder in their hearts, "How can anyone dare to drink this water?" Before Mu Ning and Ming Jin could react, they suddenly heard someone call their name. They looked up and saw that there was someone they had met a few times sitting in the tea shop: Hong Junyu.
"So you're Jingchun's friends. Please, have a seat." The owner, holding the kettle handle, gestured with his other hand to lead the two people to sit down with Hong Junyu. The table was small. Mu Ning sat to Hong Junyu's left, and Ming Jin sat opposite him. After they sat down, the owner came over with two empty bowls and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
"Elder Hong, where is this place?" Mu Ning asked. He was now beginning to suspect that even Hong Junyu, who was sitting opposite him, might be an imposter. Ming Jin, on the other hand, was only somewhat puzzled because he had received favors from Hong Junyu.
"Are you two familiar with the Gathering of the Forest?" Hong Junyu asked with a smile.
The master and apprentice exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing that the other was equally unaware.
"The Gathering of the Forest is a gathering of plant and tree spirits. It's an illusion created to mimic the lives of ordinary people, and the spirits who can take human form play various roles in this gathering. Of course, the shops are also legitimate businesses; if you two see any interesting trinkets, just buy them. The spirits who take human form also enjoy buying trinkets at the market outside. Decades ago, when I was traveling, I met Brother Jiang, the owner of this tea shop, and it was through his introduction that I was able to witness this scene. Today, while drinking tea, I suddenly noticed that you two were nearby, seemingly not busy, and were just about to set off back to Kongyun Mountain. So I asked Brother Jiang to lead you inside so we could all see this lively place. Our previous encounters were all brief, and we haven't had a chance to sit down and talk properly. Today might be a good opportunity."
"Then thank you very much for Elder Hong and Mr. Jiang's kindness," Mu Ning said.
Mingjin was about to express her gratitude when she saw Boss Jiang, who was about the same height as her when she sat down, standing half an arm's length behind her. Although he was smiling, his lips began to twitch. He then looked around tentatively, his cheeks moving up, down, left, and right, his lips darting about. He then let out a "hehe" laugh, leaving Mingjin stunned, wondering what he was up to. Then she heard Boss Jiang say, "I forgot what I was saying earlier. It took me a while to remember. Since you are old friends of Jingchun, there's no need to be so polite. We'll have another gathering at the Qunlin Gathering another day, and I'll invite you both for tea again."
After saying that a guest outside wanted tea, Boss Jiang turned around and went to serve the guest.
Hong Junyu was already used to this and explained, "Although spirits can cultivate human form, they are not very good at using it. They even imitate how humans speak. It is so difficult to learn to speak like that, and they easily forget it. Most of them don't have any bad intentions. They still have many problems in cultivating their physical form, let alone the idea of cultivating into human form."
Having never been to such a strange place before, Ming Jin, having received Mu Ning's approval, decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood.
Few humanoid figures formed from flowers and plants are normal; most reveal their true nature through details like the flowers on their bodies, the leaves growing from their feet, or two heads sprouting from a pair of feet. Ming Jin walked to a shop set up on the ground. The owner, a spirit resembling a ten-month-old woman, sat quietly on a low stool. Many rolled-up sheets of paper were displayed on the shop. Ming Jin opened a corner to look and found no writing on them—just blank sheets of paper. This piqued her interest even more. Ming Jin had learned painting and calligraphy from a young age and could easily distinguish the quality of art supplies. This paper felt unusual; perhaps painting on it would produce extraordinary results.
Mingjin asked the price, but the shopkeeper just smiled and looked at her without answering. Mingjin didn't understand what he meant. She saw the shopkeeper point to his mouth and shake his head, so she guessed that the shopkeeper might not have learned to speak yet, but that didn't make it possible to negotiate. Just as she was in a dilemma, Mingjin saw the shopkeeper wave his hand to his left. Immediately, two young women ran out. One was wearing a light blue dress, and the other was wearing a pink and white dress. They had the same hairstyle and were dressed the same way. They even looked eight or nine parts alike. Seeing what Mingjin was holding, the woman in green told her the price and said that if she bought more, it would be cheaper.
So Mingjin emptied his pockets and bought three rolls of paper.
The three people selling the goods were clearly delighted. The woman in green asked Mingjin to wait a moment while she went to find some thin rope to tie the items together. The woman in pink said to the shopkeeper, "Sister Caoxiu is so kind; she sold something on her very first day out."
The shop owner, named Cao Xiu, smiled at the two who had come to help. The woman in pink continued, "Whether you can speak well or not is secondary; the main thing is that Sister Cao Xiu is skillful. Otherwise, customers wouldn't come." When the two embraced, Ming Jin noticed that although the woman in pink looked normal, her hands were also wooden, while the taciturn Cao Xiu possessed perfectly normal hands. Soon, the woman in green returned, handing Ming Jin the tidied items and a budding lotus flower as a token of gratitude.
This was a deep pink flower bud, its stem cleanly cut, and it could be kept in a vase until it bloomed. Mingjin, carrying the item, admired the bud and continued walking. Suddenly, he noticed many stones of various sizes, shapes, and colors at a nearby stall. Cultivators always liked to use these natural spirit stones to enhance the magic artifacts they crafted, but spirit stones were usually scattered throughout the world and difficult to find. Seeing so many spirit stones today, Mingjin felt he had to seize this opportunity. This stall was actually set up by two women in green and pink robes. Seeing Mingjin stop, the woman in green went back and introduced him to many fine materials she herself hadn't yet noticed.
"These stones are just trinkets. If you really want them, I can give you a discount."
These words struck Mingjin, reminding her that she was penniless. She had only brought five coins with her when she came out to hunt ghosts, but fortunately, she wasn't alone. Mingjin told the girl to keep her things and then hurried back to Boss Jiang's tea stall to borrow money from Mu Ning. Mingjin didn't know what the two of them had been talking about, but Mu Ning looked rather serious. This wasn't because Hong Junyu had said any bad news, but rather because he had said something Mu Ning couldn't understand. When Mu Ning saw Mingjin returning with several scroll-like objects, she assumed she had found some antique paintings and calligraphy. However, thinking that these flower and plant spirits probably didn't have anything of value, she was a little worried that Mingjin had been cheated. Nevertheless, Mu Ning was also out hunting ghosts and only had six coins with her, so she gave them all to Mingjin, took the scrolls from her, and told her to be careful before buying anything.
Just then, other customers sat down at a table next to them. A group of three ordered a pot of newly brewed tea. Because half of Mingjin's body was outside the stall's awning, the group approached her. Mingjin looked up slowly and noticed that one of the three was keeping a step's distance from the other two. The two in front were similarly dressed in black; one was fiddling with a thumb ring on his right hand, his hair completely tied up, while the other held a folding fan, his hair half-tied. The last person was closer to them, but they didn't seem particularly intimate. Mingjin had been curious about who these people were, traveling with entourage, but the money in her hand reminded her of the spirit stones she hadn't yet obtained, so she ignored what others were saying and ran off.
"The weather is good this year, and the newly harvested tea is even better than in previous years. You might as well give it a try, sir." The person with the fan beckoned to the one in the middle of the three who was playing with a thumb ring.
Mu Ning was somewhat puzzled, as these individuals didn't seem to be from any sect or sect, and such behavior was rare among independent cultivators. Especially the one with the folding fan; he appeared dignified, and his movements were fluid and graceful, reminding Mu Ning of the wealthy nephews he'd encountered in his teens while studying for the imperial examinations. Although their writing was eloquent, it lacked logical reasoning, and they always believed their profound insights would shake the world and earn them a place in history. In reality, the teachers couldn't afford to offend them, and knowing they didn't necessarily need their writings to gain favor, they simply let them go. Originally, it had nothing to do with Mu Ning, but one day, a teacher read one of his essays, and a few days later, he learned that one of them had inserted a sentence from his own work into his own, twisting and manipulating its original meaning before placing it back in his own piece. Although it was a small matter, from that moment on, Mu Ning felt a dislike for anyone with similar attire. Years later, recalling it now still made Mu Ning feel uneasy, and he'd even forgotten half of what Hong Junyu had just said.
Ming asked about the price by weight, calculated that he could buy a lot with the few coins he had, and then happily began to choose. Seeing this, the woman in green called to the woman in pink who was still playing with the grass and said, "Zhu Lian, where did you put your little pouch?"
Zhu Lian said she put it by the bushes behind her, but the woman in green couldn't find it anywhere. Helpless, Zhu Lian had to come back and pointed to the small cloth bag under the woman's eyes: "Sister Zhu Lian, your eyesight has gotten worse these past two days because you haven't been cultivating."
"It's really not easy to transform into human form. I really envy those seniors with profound cultivation who can even travel around the human world after transforming into human form." Zhui Lian said with emotion as she handed the small pouch to Ming Jin. "However, the seniors have been cultivating for hundreds or thousands of years. We are only two hundred years old. We still have a long way to go."
Upon hearing this, Mingjin couldn't help but sigh that there are always higher heavens beyond the horizon. However, she had learned before that when plants and trees transform into human form, the color of the clothes they wear is similar to their original form. Now, hearing that each of their names contains the character "lotus," and that they had previously given her a lotus flower, she guessed that the two of them were originally lotus flowers.
Zhu Lian didn't care that Ming Jin was right next to her, and casually talked about her own affairs: "Yesterday, I was learning how to transform with Old Jiang. After learning for a long time, I went from being a bare tree branch to a tree branch with five branches. It's actually harder to do things now."
"This can be considered as some progress. However, although Old Jiang is the best at using the transformation technique among our group, he naturally possesses a spiritual energy that allows him to transform, unlike us who have to learn from scratch. When I asked Old Jiang to teach me before, I had a hard time understanding what he was saying. Moreover, although Old Jiang is very good at the transformation technique, I always feel that the appearance he transforms into doesn't quite resemble an ordinary person."
"I also want to succeed as soon as possible." Zhu Lian sighed, then suddenly looked at Ming Jin. "Fellow Daoist, I see that you are quite skillful. Do you have any insights into transformation that you would like to share with me?"
Mingjin, who was weighing the weight of the stones in his pocket, smiled helplessly upon hearing Zhulian's words: "I am a human being."
Zhu Lian paused for a moment and said, "Oh right, you're a woman. I've forgotten how to tell if someone is a person or a plant in human form." Then she ran off to find Cao Xiu. Ming Jin had also chosen what she wanted and was watching Zhu Lian calculate the price, hoping it wouldn't exceed the few coins she had.
“It was originally less than six coins, but my sister is too rude. Four coins will suffice, sir,” said Zhui Lian.
Mingjin didn't take the small matter to heart. Considering how difficult it was to collect the two jin of spirit stones she bought today, she paid Zhuilian the original price, and Zhuilian only accepted five coins. Before leaving, Mingjin still asked the two sisters where they found these things.
“It was dug out of the water,” Zhui Lian said.
"Dug out of the water?"
“We sisters were originally lotus flowers. There are many of these things under the lotus pond in our village. After we transformed into human form, we wanted to go to the human world to play, but we heard that it would cost money. We heard from Mr. Jiang, the owner of the tea stall, that some people really liked these little stones, so we found a small portion of them and set up a small stall in the style of our predecessors. We didn’t expect that customers would buy half of them in one go!” Zhui Lian said happily.
"Did you learn how to set prices from your predecessors?"
“Yes, but the things from the seniors are bigger than mine. This one,” Zhui Lian clenched her fist and showed it to Ming Jin, “costs four coins.”
After hearing Zhui Lian's words, Ming Jin angrily cursed the hateful dealers in his heart. Back when they were still studying at the academy, Pang Ming had his eye on a piece of translucent fabric. Ming Jin and Zhou Wei pooled their money to help him get it. When they returned, Yu Qiao told them that they could get it for half the price, which made Pang Ming so angry that he didn't eat well for several days.
Now, Mingjin was out of money and planned to go back to find Mu Ning to see if they had finished talking. Although she thought about coming back here again in the future, she didn't know when she could come back or how to get in.
Zhui Lian replied, "We spirits can come and go as we please. I know that seniors with high cultivation can invite people in, but I don't know how to do that. Before the Gathering of the Forest is held, someone will call out in the forest near the residence, and everyone will come with their things."
It was Boss Jiang and his companion who introduced us here. However, out of respect for Elder Hong, Ming Jin, carrying the small bag, kept thinking on his way back that he couldn't keep bothering them. It's just that there's no way to get in on his own; it's really not a very convenient option.
When she returned, Mingjin was still a few steps away when she saw the group of three people who had been there earlier getting up to leave. Their backs were to her, so she couldn't see their expressions. She suddenly remembered what Zhulian had said earlier, and realized it had been a while since she had specifically practiced the spell to see through the disguises of evil spirits. So, she jokingly started casting a spell on the three. But before she could finish the incantation, a gust of wind carrying several dry leaves rushed towards her, the dust obscuring her vision, forcing Mingjin to abandon the spell. The inexplicable wind bothered Mingjin for a second or two, then subsided, but the three people had vanished without a trace.
Seeing Mingjin return, Mu Ning realized it was getting late and prepared to leave. Hong Junyu also got up to see her off. As Mu Ning and Hong Junyu were saying their final goodbyes, Mingjin asked Boss Jiang how he could persuade her to come to the Qunlin Gathering again. Boss Jiang, holding a teapot, smiled and said, "Next time you come to the Qunlin Gathering, you will definitely come again, young lady."
But Mingjin did not fully grasp the meaning of those words.
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