Twenty-one: Thoughts on it constantly, Part Three
"Senior Brother Chai, Senior Brother Chai, I need to ask you for a favor."
Duan Shuxuan jumped out of the door and rushed into the rain to say a few words to Chai Wang. Chai Wang frowned when he saw Duan Shuxuan's smiling face and the change in address, and took half a step away from him with his umbrella.
Just as Xi Xiangfeng took an umbrella from inside the house and handed it to Ming Jin, Duan Shuxuan returned. He patted the raindrops off his clothes and said, "Senior Sister Ming, I've already arranged with Jing Chu. He'll take you to the class elder first."
"Focus on your studies," Mingjin smiled at him, then turned to look at Xi Xiangfeng. "I'm leaving now."
The umbrella Xi Xiangfeng gave him wasn't very smooth; Mingjin struggled for a while before finally opening it. Meanwhile, Yazi ran out and chattered at Chai Wang several times.
Because Chai Wang was not skilled enough, Ya Zai slapped his wing. But Chai Wang still hadn't learned it, so the more Ya Zai chattered, the deeper Chai Wang's brows furrowed.
What is she doing?
When Mingjin walked over, Chai Wang asked her helplessly.
Ya Zai yelled "Gah!" at Chai Wang and disappeared.
“Thank you,” Mingjin said, “for what happened yesterday.”
“She still remembers me?” Chai Wang pointed the way, leading Ming Jin to Ban Rui’s house. “After what happened yesterday, I thought she recognized Jing Yun.”
"She's never met Jing Yun. She has an excellent memory, especially for people she's spoken to. What about Jing Yun?"
“They’re still over there,” Chai Wang said.
Chai Wang pointed to the ground, and the two turned a corner. There were rows of willow trees on both sides of the road. On the north side, there was a small waterway next to the willow trees, so when they turned, the sound of the rain hitting the water was particularly loud.
“That evil spirit isn’t in good condition and could die at any time. We won’t try to prolong its life. Elder Du went to such great lengths because of Elder Ban’s request to capture it alive. Right now, the only one who knows what to do and is on the scene is Jing Yun, so the sect leader is watching from there.”
"Did you find anything?"
“I only know a few names right now,” Chai Wang thought for a moment. “Yu Dayou and Dangen, according to Elder Ji, you have exorcised them. Besides them, Lu Yuzhu and Fuxia are also close to her, and they both seem to be her friends. Then there is someone named Zhegui, who, judging from his attitude, should be her master.”
“What about Gongshaduo?” Mingjin thought for a moment.
"You mean the one from Youran City?" Chai Wang was very familiar with the contents of the rubbing, so he quickly realized, "No. Jing Yun can't see yet, he can only hear. Lu Yuzhu, Fuxia, and Zhegui, the three of them are women, their voices are very different, and they appear frequently, so they can be identified quickly. Susu has several male voices mixed together, so we can't identify them. Let's cross this bridge."
At this point, Mingjin carefully looked around. The river narrowed considerably near here, and there were several houses on the opposite bank. Chai Wang led Mingjin across a stone bridge and pointed to a square door with several steps leading up to it. The entrance to this house was at the end of the river; including the stone bridge, the entrance appeared to be a small pond. In the pond stood five white lotus buds, ready to bloom.
There was a person standing at the door.
The person was facing the door, seemingly preparing to knock. The umbrella in their hand was tilted backward, almost completely obscuring their upper body, leaving only their lower body covered by a blue robe.
"Brother Chai."
Hearing Chai Wang and Ming Jin's footsteps, the figure slowly turned around.
She was an eleven or twelve-year-old girl with arched eyebrows, slightly narrow eyes, and a simple updo. She wore a simple green dress. She was carrying something on her back, covered by a white cloth, so Mingjin couldn't discern any clues.
"Why don't you go in?" The girl walked down the steps and stood in front of Ming Jin, looking up at the stranger. "This is Wan Guan, the daughter of Sect Leader Wan. Guan'er, this is Ming Jin, a cultivator from Kongyun Mountain, also known as Ming Tianguang."
"Wan Guan greets Senior Ming," Wan Guan said with a smile after hearing Chai Wang's introduction. He then turned his gaze to Ming Jin. "I heard from my father yesterday that Senior Ming saved Uncle Ban and exorcised several evil spirits in the vicinity. Wan Guan is very grateful to Senior Ming for saving my life. My mother also said that she will definitely thank Senior Ming in person later."
“No need to be so polite,” the child said with a smile, looking a little awkward. “The class monitor has been a mentor to me. You’re here to visit the class monitor too, let’s go in together.”
“No, no,” Wan Guan immediately shook his head. “I have to go to my master’s place this afternoon. Goodbye.”
After saying that, Wan Guan bypassed Ming Jin, ran across the bridge, and left.
Chai Wang stepped forward, pushed open the door, and came in: "Come in."
Unlike other courtyards Mingjin had seen, this place opened its gate to reveal a lush, green lawn, untouched by human footsteps. Inside and outside the courtyard grew verdant bamboo groves, swaying gently in the wind and rain. A veranda surrounded the main gate on either side, leading to two square doors at the back courtyard.
There was a side room directly opposite the main gate, with one of the two doors open. Ji Zhen was standing inside, looking at her.
"Master Ji, are you alright?"
After entering the house, the two umbrellas were folded up and thrown on a shelf next to the door.
Without disturbing their chatter, Chai Wang went straight into the inner room to check on Ban Rui's condition.
"It's alright," Ji Zhen patted Ming Jin's shoulder. "I'm still a little tired, like I haven't slept enough. I woke up not long after you left yesterday, and I rushed over as soon as I saw that ring of fire in the distance. Luckily, I got there in time."
"Where's Boss Jiang? I haven't even thanked him yet."
“He’s gone, saying we’ll meet again someday. I should thank him properly sometime,” Ji Zhen thought carefully. “Take this. Boss Jiang entrusted me to give it to you before he left.”
As they walked inside, talking, Ji Zhen took out a flat, round wooden jar from his pouch.
Mingjin pried open the lid a couple of times and found that it contained not tea leaves as she had expected, but some pills. She sniffed them carefully; the fragrance was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She handed the package to Jizhen, who took it, examined it, and shook his head, unsure of what it was either.
“I don’t know what this is either,” Mingjin said, taking it and closing the lid. “Keep it for now. If you really can’t figure it out, you can ask Mr. Jiang next time you see him.”
When Chai Wang saw them coming, he leaned closer to them.
"How is the squad leader?"
“He’s still alive,” Ji Zhen said, his tone pessimistic, “but he’s seriously injured. Master Wan and I have tried several treatments, but we’re only keeping him alive. We can’t even feed him medicine, so we really don’t dare to go far.”
Beside Chai Wang was a small table with a medicine bowl on it. It was already cold, but even standing there, Chai Wang could still smell a faint bitterness.
"How are you? Is your eye alright?"
"I feel fine," Mingjin blinked hard twice, "I'm probably just a little tired."
“I still need to stay here to keep an eye on Elder Ban’s condition. Why don’t you stay here with me for a few days?” Ji Zhen nodded. “Letting you go back to Kongyun Mountain would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. You don’t know anyone in Juxia either, so just stay here peacefully. There’s no need to rush into practicing martial arts or cultivation.”
“Yes,” Mingjin replied helplessly, “Master Ji, there was a little girl standing at the door just now.”
“I don’t remember,” Ji Zhen thought carefully. “Maybe the rain was too loud and I didn’t hear the knocking.”
“You two don’t need to worry about it,” Chai Wangcai said after Mingjin mentioned Wan Guan. “Guan’er has a good relationship with the class elder, but she’s not very good at interacting with strangers. She probably knew that Elder Ji was here, but she hesitated for a long time before daring to knock on the door. She’s gone to her master to learn the zither now, and she’ll probably come over later with the sect leader and his wife.”
At this point, Chai Wang turned and walked towards the door: "I'm leaving now."
The three said goodbye to each other, and then Chai Wang took his umbrella and left.
Mingjin and Jizhen stayed in Juxia for seven days, during which time Banrui's condition did not improve. Jizhen was so worried that his hair turned white. Wanxia was also skilled in healing arts and was a master. The two of them discussed and carried out the treatment for Banrui, but there was no improvement at all, which made the two of them look very worried.
Du Gewen also came to Juxia. Because he hadn't been able to rest and recuperate properly, his eye injury suddenly worsened, and he was recuperating in the clinic next door to his good apprentice, Mingjin.
"You're in too much of a hurry."
Mingjin bought some fruit on Juxia Street, washed it, and handed it to Dugewen.
Although it was quite boring to be here alone, Mingjin didn't want anyone to keep her company.
Dugwen's eyes were uncomfortable; even with them open, he could only see some light vaguely. His room was filled with the smell of medicine, because he had asked Jizhen to change the prescription so his eyes could recover faster.
Ji Zhen is now running back and forth between the two places. When he gets too tired, he rests for a while in the room that Xi Xiangfeng prepared, which is on the other side of Ming Jin's place.
“There’s nothing I can do,” Du Gewen took a bite of the fruit, the sweet juice spreading in his mouth, making him wipe his lips. “I’m really afraid this evil spirit will die. Yan Jia and I even planned to go drinking together after it’s all done. Besides, I heard from Jing Yun that this evil spirit has several old friends of similar strength, and a master too. I’m really worried. If Wei Zhou hadn’t shown up last time, I might not have been able to defeat her.”
Mingjin touched the water droplets on the fruit with his hand and took a bite.
“I heard it from Ji Zhen,” Du Gewen turned his gaze to Ming Jin, making Ming Jin pause in surprise, “You single-handedly dealt with five or six evil spirits and saved the three of us. You’ve grown up quite a bit, your teacher is truly gratified.”
"No, please don't say that. It's all what I should do," Mingjin said, his voice muffled as he ate fruit.
“I’ve talked to Wu Peng,” Du Gewen said. “So, have you thought it over? You want to graduate from our school.”
"Being able to graduate means that you and Master Mu both recognize my abilities, which is certainly good. But once I'm truly capable of working independently, you and Master Mu shouldn't feel lonely."
“I’m not afraid of that,” Dugwen waved his hand. “Don’t even mention that my disciple has graduated, I’m still fine even though my child is gone.”
“Master, don’t scare me. You are my master. If you said that to Master Chen, he wouldn’t be able to accept it either.”
"Old Du, I'm tough as nails," Du Gewen briefly recalled his past fifty years, "First, I couldn't stay in the imperial court, then I stole the limelight from the sect leader's disciple at the martial arts tournament. After I took on a disciple, Tianhua's parents were unhappy that she came to Kongyun Mountain to become a disciple, and they came over every few days, almost getting me beaten up. And then there's Tianyi, whose spiritual veins were damaged after she was seriously injured. When you were injured last time, I almost couldn't breathe and had to lie at home for half a day. Now you sit here properly and talk to your master; it will comfort your master."
"yes."
Hearing Du Gewen speak, Ming Jin felt uneasy, remembering what Dao Xin had said.
She was actually already dead.
She watched as Duguwen ate and nodded at the fruit, then took a bite herself, her smile faltering slightly.
I'm still alive. I'm still alive.
"Have you seen Master Wan?"
“I saw him,” Du Gewen turned around. “He hasn’t changed much over the years, he’s aged even slower than Tingran. He’s living a smooth life, and sure enough, he doesn’t look old. Our sect leader is not as good as him, his beloved girl has married someone else. He is about the same age as Sect Leader Wan, and his children are already studying at the academy.”
"When I heard that Uncle Ran had been rejected when he went to propose to her, I ended up going there by chance and taking over his awkward situation."
“Oh, I remember too. It’s both sad and funny.” Dugwin smiled helplessly.
Pei Xuanzhen had arranged to meet someone by the Zhan River, but before he could even speak, he was told he was about to get married and move to a town outside Changhe. Pei Xuanzhen, preoccupied with his marriage proposal, was stunned by this revelation and, after offering his congratulations, was utterly at a loss for words. Just then, Ming Jin and Ming Shiyu went hiking and saw Pei Xuanzhen in the distance. They ran over to greet him, but couldn't find Ming Shiyu, so they cried and begged Pei Xuanzhen to take them to find her.
Pei Xuanzhen smiled and left with Mingjin. After they left, Mingjin stopped crying, and Pei Xuanzhen couldn't help but hug Mingjin and cry.
“However,” Dugwin suddenly changed the subject, “the two of them might have something to talk about regarding the bond between master and disciple.”
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Zhou Wei pushed open the door and walked in: "Tianzuo and I are switching shifts. I came to see Master Du and Master Ji before going to the evil spirits."
It was still raining outside, and Zhou Wei's trousers were soaked. After coming in, Zhou Wei took a bundle from his pouch and handed it to Ming Jin: "This is what Master Rong asked me to bring; it contains some changes of clothes."
He then took out a food box: "This was given to me by Uncle Miao. It contains some snacks for the three of you to enjoy. There's also a plate of desserts inside, which Ah Lin prepared."
"How is Alin?" Mingjin asked. "She's about to give birth, so she doesn't need to overwork herself."
"She's doing well, and she's been busy these past few days, so she's started working again."
Du Gewen asked Zhou Wei to move a chair and sit next to Ming Jin.
“I’ve watched you two grow up, and now you’re both married and have established your own careers,” Du Gewen said, though he couldn’t see clearly, he understood. “You should advise that girl not to be so greedy for time to do things. Did you visit Deng Lin’s mother’s house this time?”
“Time is tight, and I haven’t had time yet,” Zhou Wei smiled helplessly. “It’s just that her younger brother has always resented me for marrying into Kongyun Mountain. It’s fine when I go with her, but now that I’m going by myself, I feel like I’m deliberately making things difficult for them.”
“It’s difficult to refuse favors,” Dugwin said. “How are things in the mountains now?”
“It’s alright in the mountains, but we need to send people to guard against the evil spirits, and there’s just not enough time,” Zhou Wei said slowly. “Elder Mu, Tianyi, Tianzuo, and I take turns coming over. Elder Yan and Yuanbei are also at the academy, and they need to prepare for the apprenticeship ceremony these two days. But yesterday, Elder Mu received a letter saying that his master, who seems to be an old Mr. Xu who is currently in office, has fallen ill due to old age. Master Mu rushed over there and hasn’t returned yet.”
“Big and small things keep happening one after another,” Dugwen slapped his thigh. “Alright, I’m fine. Go check on Weizhou. You two can go together.”
After speaking, Mingjin and Zhou Wei put the chairs back in their places, closed the door, and left.
"How's the apprenticeship arrangement going?"
"Because of Yu Dongmei's matter, the apprenticeship ceremony was postponed for half a year. There are very few disciples left this year. Two are preparing to become Elder Yan's disciples, one is looking for the sect leader, and the other is looking for Elder Ji."
"Didn't they say the sect leader doesn't accept disciples?"
"There's no other way. The Medicine Sect is short-handed right now. Yuanxi doesn't plan to take on any disciples, so Master Ji has Yuanxi do the sect leader's work while she trains the younger generation."
“That’s true.” Mingjin sighed.
"Tianyi said there's some new information over there, but Tianzuo still needs to keep an eye on the disciples at the academy, so he asked me to come and relieve him."
"What is it?" Mingjin asked.
"Last night, the monks on duty discovered something nearby."
"Is the evil spirit coming to save her?" Mingjin asked, frowning.
Zhou Wei pursed his lips and nodded solemnly.
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