Chapter Ten: A Life in the Mortal World - Part One
"This child really has no taste, looking so much like Fu Shihe!" Shen Du said to Ming Jin, holding the child, quite puzzled.
Fu Nai and Ming Jin stood on either side of Shen Du. Ming Jin held a newly bought rattle drum and shook it in front of the child. The little rattle delighted the child, who reached out to grab it. The child smiled happily but quietly, completely unaware of who the three large heads surrounding him were.
"Because this is my son. Don't talk nonsense in front of the child, or other children will overhear you." Hearing Shen Du say this, Fu Nai knew that he was up to something again, so he quickly stopped him.
"That kid has no taste. He doesn't even look up to my senior sister. He'll definitely be a famous handsome man in Kongyun Mountain in the future. What a pity," Ming Jin continued, following up on Chen Du's words.
“That’s right. Let the child’s father play with him himself. Tianguang, come on, let’s go inside.” After saying that, Chen Du put the child on the crib, dodged Fu Nai’s fist that was about to hit him, and went with Ming Jin to the inner room to visit Zhu Zhenyun.
Zhu Zhenyun sat on the bed in the inner room and, hearing the three of them talking, smiled at her junior brothers and sisters who walked in and said, "Alright, you two, it's better for the child to look like his father than like his uncle. I don't want to relive those chaotic days with my older and younger brothers."
In early July, Zhu Zhenyun gave birth to a son.
Zhu Zhenyun was the senior disciple of Ming Jin and Shen Du. She had taken care of them when they first joined the sect, and their bond as fellow disciples had deepened over the years. After completing her apprenticeship, Zhu Zhenyun worked for Elder Chen Duan, and a little over a year later, she married Fu Nai. Now, two years into their marriage, their child was born safely and at full term. During the delivery, Ming Jin and Mu Ning were out hunting ghosts, while Fu Nai, Du Gewen, and Rong Shao accompanied them. Huang Jing and Mei Chong assisted with the delivery, so Shen Du had to do two jobs. Today was the first day after the birth, and only then did the two of them have time to come and visit.
When the news reached Zhu Zhenyun's parents in Juxia City, the two elders rushed over that very day. Because they had been busy with ghost hunting in the past few days, they were unable to be by Zhu Zhenyun's side during childbirth. Seeing that their daughter was safe and their grandson was healthy, the two elders felt a little less guilty, but they still decided to stay here for two months before returning home.
When Ming Jin and Shen Du entered, they greeted the two seniors. Zhu Zhenyun had brought Ming Jin and Shen Du to her home before, so they were all somewhat acquainted. The Zhu couple knew that the disciples hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they didn't disturb their conversation and went out to accompany Fu Nai and take care of the child. Fu Nai's parents both passed away before he was ten years old, and he lived with his grandfather for a period of time afterward. After his grandfather passed away due to unresolved depression, he was raised by Pei Xuanzhen and became Pei Xuanzhen's disciple. Therefore, if it weren't for Du Gewen and Rong Shao, as well as Zhu Zhenyun's parents who often came to visit before the birth, the couple would have felt quite lonely and helpless taking care of the child.
Mingjin bought many toys, all of which her cousins' children had played with when they were little. Sheng Liyan had gotten suggestions from two of the children while shopping in Juxia, and she and Mei Chong bought many of them. Unfortunately, Zhu Zhenyun didn't have enough space in front of her to display all the things Mingjin brought back. Besides, thinking about Zhu Zhenyun's postpartum weakness, she and Shen Du went out and bought a chicken and a basket of eggs before coming. Although they also found walnut cake, which Zhu Zhenyun loved, Huang Jing advised against it after childbirth, so even though the shopkeeper had tried to dissuade them, they ultimately gave up.
“I really want to eat too. I wish I could get out of bed soon. I was in bed for five or six days before giving birth because I wasn’t feeling well, and it was really boring,” Zhu Zhenyun said, lowering her voice and whispering to the two of them, “I’m really bored with that kid too. Although I was full of energy when I was pregnant, thinking about the birth of my child, after these nine months of this ordeal, plus yesterday’s labor pains, I suddenly don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
“Senior Sister, you’ve had a tough pregnancy. Master Chen told you to come back and rest when you were seven months along, but you waited until you were over eight months before stopping your work. Your body has been through so much, it’s no wonder your mind is affected. If you eat the free-range chickens that we carefully selected from the circle, it will definitely be very nourishing, and you’ll be in great physical and mental condition, still the best disciple of our Kongyun Mountain. When you married Shihe, countless men in Changhe Town were heartbroken and secretly shed tears before going to bed.”
Seeing Chen Du gesturing wildly and talking non-stop in front of her bed, Zhu Zhenyun felt a little relieved: "Alright, I know you two have been very busy lately. Besides what's for me, my parents also brought some snacks from Juxia, which are in the cabinet over there. You two can have some of those later, and take some back to share with the others."
"When did Master Chen come? I haven't seen her in a while."
Ming Jin hadn't run into Chen Duan during this time, thinking that Chen Duan would definitely come to see Zhu Zhenyun after she gave birth, but she didn't expect to come several times without seeing her.
“Master Chen came before I gave birth. He said he would go into seclusion afterward and wouldn’t come out. He gave me a lot of things and prayed for my safety. He also told me to rest well after giving birth and not to rush back,” Zhu Zhenyun replied.
“I do remember Elder Chen coming to see the sect leader, saying she wanted to find some kind of magical artifact inside Zuan’en Tower. Hearing Master Chen say that, the sect leader personally led the way for her. I just watched from the outside and don’t know what the secret is. However, Master Chen never tells anyone before she has achieved something, so let’s wait and see,” Fu Nai said.
For the next few months, nothing major happened. After returning from the Gathering of the Forest, Mingjin tried again to break the disguise of the evil spirits while cultivating, and inadvertently mentioned to Mu Ning that his spell had failed. Although Mingjin himself didn't take it to heart, Mu Ning suddenly realized that she had been so caught up in the past that she hadn't paid close attention to the trio, and felt that she shouldn't have acted that way, so she couldn't help but become wary.
This relatively peaceful life continued until the end of the year.
The unmarried cultivators on Kongyun Mountain traditionally eat and celebrate the New Year on the mountain. Married cultivators are also welcome, but they must lend a hand in preparing meals during their free time. Mu Ning goes down the mountain every year to her hometown to celebrate the New Year with her parents. She leaves on the 27th and returns on the 3rd. Ming Jin is currently training with Mu Ning, and their ghost-hunting schedules are tied together. When Mu Ning is away, Ming Jin has some free time. Usually, she either helps Huang Jing on the mountain, paints New Year pictures in Changhe Town, or goes with Pei Xuanzhen to sweep the graves of deceased seniors.
But there's something else going on this year. Around the middle of last year, she painted a landscape scroll and showed it to Yu Qiao. Yu Qiao took a liking to it and hung it in her shop, but it was later bought by someone else. This year, when Yu Qiao returned to visit Chen Duan for the New Year, the two met on the mountain and talked about this. Yu Qiao said that if Ming Jinruo still had any spare brushes, she could try hanging them up herself.
“We should bring out all the good paintings and stop storing old ones in the study.”
This reminded Mingjin of the many treasures he had bought from the Qunlin Association but had been left unused. After returning home that day, he cleaned the house and laid out his brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, preparing to paint a picture.
On New Year's Eve, a dozen people gathered at He Geng Tang to do what Manager Miao had instructed. Since Du Gewen and Yan Junyou were both celebrating at home, Gao Dai, Chi Hui, and Chu sat at one table. Some slacked off, while others caused a ruckus, infuriating Miao Sheng for a while. He stormed out of the kitchen, waving a large spatula, demanding they behave and threatening to go out and complain to their master.
Mingjin and Jizhen were sitting at a table against the wall, chatting and making wontons when Yazi brought a letter from Mengsheng from Huicheng. Chi Hui, who was tired from playing and was sitting lazily to the side, suddenly perked up when she heard that it was the first letter from the martial arts competition. She touched the dough and started working, listening intently to hear what was going on.
The letter was quite ordinary, consisting mainly of greetings until the second page when it changed the subject: "The rescued man is named Di Huan, and is now safe and sound. He was originally a general, who said he was exhausted from fighting on the battlefield and collapsed, not knowing why he was there that day. When you told me about what happened that day, Di heard that you and Elder Mu were there. We plan to send him down the mountain on the afternoon of the Lantern Festival. Please write back to let us know. Sincerely, Meng Sheng."
After reading the letter, Chi Hui asked Ming Jin what it was about. Ming Jin knew what he was planning and, thinking that there was nothing he couldn't tell others about what was written in the letter, he answered frankly: "When Master Mu and I were hunting ghosts, we rescued a stranger named Di Huan. He was seriously injured and unconscious at the time, and the cultivators in the city kindly took him back to treat him. Now that his injuries have improved, they are preparing to send him back. However, this Mr. Di wants to thank Master Mu and me in person, so he wrote this letter to help. But according to Master Mu's arrangement, I can only go on the Lantern Festival."
“I’d like to go see Huicheng too. But let’s skip it on the Lantern Festival,” Chi Hui said regretfully.
Ji Zhen reacted differently to what Ming Jin had just said, so he asked Ming Jin if he could show her the letter. Ming Jin agreed, and Ji Zhen quickly clapped the flour off his hands and carefully searched for the name. Seeing this, Ming Jin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Master Ji, what's wrong?"
Ming Jin grew up on Kongyun Mountain. When her parents were away, the mountain's cultivators took turns looking after her. Besides Lu Ying, Ji Zhen was the one who cared for Ming Jin the most, so the two were particularly close. Ji Zhen inherited Kongyun Mountain's strict teacher style, and since she didn't know how to interact with a five- or six-year-old child, she had Ming Jin memorize medical books. However, Ming Jin had little achievement in medicine; despite her early training, her healing skills were mediocre. Especially compared to Huang Jing, a disciple of the Medicine Sect who was considered exceptionally talented even in fifty years, Ming Jin's level was truly questionable.
"Before I came to Kongyun Mountain, my master and I were itinerant doctors. By chance, I entered the army twice and served as military doctors for a few months. During that time, I met a young general. After I came to Kongyun Mountain, I never saw him again. His name was also Di Huan. He was one of the few people I knew well in my youth, an old acquaintance. Although I don't know if it's the same person, I can't miss the chance to see him again. Tian Guang, I will go with you to the capital on the day you go."
During the New Year's holiday, Mingjin ate several bowls of wontons before going out ghost hunting with Mu Ning again. During their outing, they discussed Meng Sheng's letter. Mu Ning felt that she hadn't contributed much to the rescue efforts, and that returning home for the Lantern Festival was more important. Furthermore, Ji Zhen was also going, and the sudden arrival of the two sect leaders of Kongyun Mountain in the capital seemed like a significant event that might cause a stir. Mu Ning shared this concern with Mingjin, suggesting that she go with Ji Zhen, thus fulfilling Di Huan's wishes while also respecting Meng Sheng's intentions in writing the letter.
Huicheng had been built for many years, and its way of celebrating the Lantern Festival was much more exciting than that of Kongyun Mountain. When Mingjin and Jizhen arrived, it was not yet noon, but they could hear the lively and bustling sounds from the streets from afar. At this time, the New Year was not yet over, and as the two of them walked along, there were many children gathered together setting off firecrackers.
Since receiving Mingjin's reply, Mengsheng had been eagerly anticipating her friend's arrival. She asked her senior brother for leave, saying she had to entertain guests today, and was exempted from her studies. Mingjin had already specified her arrival time in the letter, but she still ate breakfast and found a good spot to watch the only way into the city.
Mingjin and Jizhen appeared in Mengsheng's sight right on time. She quickly ran out to find them, carrying a lantern. After paying her respects to Jizhen, she gave the goldfish lantern in her hand to Mingjin, saying it was a little gift for the New Year.
This time, Mingjin didn't come empty-handed either. After winning first place in the last martial arts tournament, Mingjin felt it wouldn't be right to come empty-handed. So, he bought two jin of spirit stones at the Qunlin Association last time and has been busy in his study for months, finally making a bracelet with twenty beads.
Mingjin learned his skill in making ritual implements from Chen Duan, using the oldest style in Juxia City: eighteen round wooden beads, with two more unique ones at the front and back. Mingjin added two lustrous tourmalines to Meng Sheng's bracelet. For aesthetic purposes, Mingjin specially braided a flower knot with matching cord and added a few small beads. Mingjin's craftsmanship wasn't the best, but he would never make anything Chen Duan hadn't taught him, thus giving this bracelet an antique beauty.
When Meng Sheng saw the bracelet, he was naturally delighted and held it up to the sun to examine it. But then he remembered that he still had guests with him, so after thanking Ming Jin, he quickly put the bracelet away and took Ji Zhen and Ming Jin to the clinic where Di Huan was recuperating.
The cultivators of Huicheng are skilled in wood magic. Huicheng is nestled among mountains, surrounded by lush vegetation, making it an ideal place to practice wood magic. Of the many medical clinics established in Huicheng over three hundred years ago, the Tongyang Medical Clinic, where the three of them have now arrived, is the oldest.
Tongyang Medical Clinic is located at the foot of Huicheng Mountain, somewhat far from the towns below, but also quieter, as those who come for treatment are all seriously injured and need to recuperate in peace. The clinic is surrounded by many century-old sycamore trees, spaced far apart, their canopies at the top growing like full, rounded flower crowns. In Huicheng, the leaves haven't yet fallen in winter; only a few branches and trunks are bare, their white branches peeking out under the clear winter sky.
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