Eleventh: Eyeing the Tiger - Part One
“After you left Weixiang, another year passed. Our army won a great victory, the villagers all went back, and we returned to the capital. In recent years, I have often been fighting outside, sometimes for a year, sometimes for three or four years. However, the flames of war have not spread to Weixiang, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
The two sat on stone benches in the Tongyang Medical Clinic. On the table beside them lay the medicinal herbs Shen Bai had prepared for Di Huan, though they were not yet wrapped. The long, yet slightly pungent, aroma of herbs filled their nostrils as they savored this rare moment of leisurely conversation in the afternoon.
"Are you heading to the military camp after you leave here?" Ji Zhen fiddled with the herbs that Di Huan had just sorted out. She knew the effects of these herbs the moment she smelled them, but if they were used on Di Huan, it meant that his serious injuries had not yet healed.
There's a drawback to a cultivator's healing spells. These spells heal external wounds first, but the internal wounds remain weakened. Sometimes, in order to prioritize external healing, internal wounds are sacrificed, leading to a worsening of the condition. This drawback is particularly pronounced in ordinary people who haven't practiced magic. Therefore, Shen Bai abandoned the strategy of using various healing spells to repair Di Huan's physical wounds, instead opting for herbal medicine to allow him to recover slowly. However, this significantly prolongs the recovery process, which is why it's been over eight months before Di Huan was able to leave.
“Of course. I was leading a group of men to launch a surprise attack from the flank, but due to a lack of knowledge of the terrain, we were ambushed by the enemy. The situation was so dire that I thought I might die there, which made me stronger than usual. I was glad I survived. Now, almost eight months later, I can stand up straight and walk a little further, so I must go back. However, even if I had died that day, the commander of the other front should have already reorganized his army and continued his advance. Since I am still alive, I cannot indulge in the tranquility of this paradise. I brought them out here, and I must take them back home,” Di Huan looked around at the place where he had lived for more than eight months. “If only the outside world could be like this.”
As soon as Di Huan finished speaking, they heard laughter and chatter outside. Then, Ming Jin, Meng Sheng, and Shen Bai walked in, still laughing and talking.
In his reply, Mingjin did not mention the purpose of Jizhen's trip. During their earlier reminiscing, Mengsheng learned that Jizhen and Di Huan were old friends. Therefore, he decided to be a good host and treat them to the famous carp and tofu dish of Huicheng. He then pulled Mingjin and Shenbai to hurry to the street to buy things. When they returned, Mingjin was carrying several bags of pastries in both hands, Mengsheng was carrying two carp, and Shenbai's basket contained some vegetables and a large piece of tofu.
As soon as the group entered the courtyard and saw Ji Zhen and Di Huan, they greeted them and then prepared to go into the kitchen to show off their culinary skills. Seeing that they were in high spirits, Ji Zhen did not intend to spoil their fun, but simply reminded Ming Jin, "Be careful, don't use your wind magic recklessly and set the kitchen on fire."
Watching the three people enter a room at the back, Di Huan asked curiously, "Is this girl your disciple? How old is she? Is she married?"
“She’s not my formally accepted disciple, but her parents are both cultivators of the same lineage as me. When she was little, if her parents weren’t around, we cultivators would take turns looking after her. I also taught her some things, but unfortunately, she’s not from my lineage. Now she’s studying with several other masters and has made some progress. She was born on the third day of the third lunar month, and will be twenty-two this year after her birthday. Her marriage is still undecided. Her mother has passed away, and she has an uncle. Her father was an orphan brought back by a senior cultivator, and he doesn’t know his parents. Now both her father and this senior cultivator have passed away, and her closest relative is her father’s senior brother. Fortunately, her master’s family is kind and can take good care of her.” Ji Zhen said, “You should be married by now, right?”
"My son is nineteen this year and is preparing for the imperial examination. He got engaged when he was fifteen, and his daughter is seventeen this year. You know my future in-law; he's the one you and Doctor Cheng saved on the road. I need to write you a letter. If you come to the capital in the future, take this letter to my steward, surnamed Guan, and we can talk again. After you saved my brother, he was so badly injured that he didn't wake up until you and Doctor Cheng left. After he woke up, he always wanted to thank you both. When we met again in Weixiang, he was serving under another general, so we didn't get to see him. Now that we have the opportunity to meet again, I can't let this opportunity pass by."
Thinking that he still had to write a post, Di Huan got up and went to Shen Bai's clinic room, where he took a pen and began to write on the draft paper on which Shen Bai was writing prescriptions.
While Di Huan was writing, Ji Zhen carefully examined the clinic room in Huicheng. There were three stools on each side of the main entrance, along with two small square tables. A large pot of green leaves sat by the door. Compared to Cheng's clinic in Weizhuang, this room was larger and brighter, with even larger and taller medicine cabinets.
Since Ji Zhen arrived at Kongyun Mountain, she rarely had to deal with things like bandaging or prescribing medicine. Jing Tang arranged for her to study ancient books on wood and water techniques that had been passed down from ancient times and were not yet fully organized. He asked her to organize them before she could study them. Ji Zhen spent three years finally completing the organization and mastering a few moves. Jing Tang thought that Ji Zhen had both ability and comprehension, so he allowed Ji Zhen to graduate from his own school. Then, he recommended Ji Zhen to Xiang Wan and Pei Xuanzhen to become the next sect leader of the Medicine Sect.
From then on, whenever someone came looking for Ji Zhen, their situation was, needless to say, precarious. If she slowed her pace even slightly, the person would be gone by the time she reached them. After Jing Tang placed her in the position of sect leader, she didn't completely abandon her; she usually kept an eye on her. If Ji Zhen made any mistakes, she would skillfully take out her bamboo clapper and give her a good whack. The two women were too far apart in age; one was too old to talk much, and the other was too busy and tired to have any free time to chat. Heart-to-heart talks were out of the question.
Eight years after Ji Zhen arrived at Kongyun Mountain, Jing Tang passed away peacefully in his sleep. Before his death, Jing Tang simply lay quietly on his bed, looking at everyone around him, leaving behind his final image in the world in silence.
The most memorable conversation between Jizhen and Jingtang was when Jizhen finished her three-year mission and came to report to Jingtang. Jingtang suddenly brought up Cheng Zhilin: "When I was teaching the first year of university, she was a stubborn person. She often couldn't understand what I was teaching and couldn't learn it, but she still came to argue with me." Jizhen didn't understand why this past event was being brought up. She thought that her advisor and new master was pointing out that she was too stupid. She felt a little uncomfortable, after all, it was the result of her hard work.
However, Jing Tang continued, "But Benyi was right about you. You are indeed quick to understand and meticulous in your work. Very good." After saying this, he let Ji Zhen leave.
Looking around, Ji Zhen recalled the days when she was still by Cheng Zhilin's side, applying medicine to injured children, checking their teeth, and prescribing medicine to regulate the stomachs of elderly people who had overindulged in fruit and wine. Although it was tedious and noisy, it was much more reassuring than dealing with silent patients. She used to be sentimental, feeling that she was only building her reputation on patients. Now, decades later, having witnessed all kinds of birth, aging, sickness, and death, she felt that being able to walk well on the road was truly a good thing, and being able to help others walk well on the road was also a truly good thing.
"You said before that you were accumulating fame and fortune by exploiting the dead," Di Huan finished writing, picked up the paper to dry it, and asked him at this moment, "Do you still think so now?"
"On my first day in Weizhuang, I talked to the village chief about relocation. He scolded me, saying that the so-called war was just two families fighting over territory, and that dragging them into it for no reason, resulting in so many deaths," Di Huan recalled the old man's angry eyes. "I felt bad too. I had seen many more soldiers die on the battlefield, so I couldn't just give up my responsibilities. As for this matter, thinking about whether I was gaining merit from the dead was a trivial matter after leaving the battlefield. I wasn't that quick-witted, so I left that time to others and let them make the decision."
The two chatted for a while longer. During their conversation, Ji Zhen learned that Di Huan's family also lived in the southeast of the capital. He figured that if he really had to go out, he would have to take Huang Jing or Mei Chong with him.
The three disciples finally finished making the carp tofu. There was no one else in the clinic today, so the five of them sat together and enjoyed the two delicious carp.
After the meal, Shen Bai packed the medicinal herbs for Di Huan. The cultivators from Huicheng who were about to descend the mountain arrived and asked Di Huan to leave with them. They also traveled by boat to a military outpost that Di Huan remembered. Because the dock was quite far away and it was the Lantern Festival, there were many people on the road. So Ji Zhen and the other three only saw Di Huan off at the clinic.
Ming Jin, not being very familiar with Di Huan, simply stood beside Ji Zhen. Shen Bai and Meng Sheng, who were often with Di Huan, were heartbroken at their parting, fearing they might never see each other again. Shen Bai, in particular, wept as he told his "Brother Di" to take good care of himself. In the end, it was Di Huan who comforted them for a while before turning and leaving with the other cultivators.
Because they needed to get back before dark, Meng Sheng and Ming Jin only spent half a day together before parting ways at the city gate. In the afternoon, the city gate was bustling with people. The two walked hand in hand to the farthest point, reluctant to part, smiling and saying goodbye until they met again.
When Mingjin and Jizhen returned to Kongyun Mountain, it was completely dark, and lanterns were hung up both on and off the mountain. However, Changhezhen had a small population, and the scattered lights, from a distance, seemed to echo the stars in the sky.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late. Mingjin thought that she had left early this morning and hadn't yet offered her Lantern Festival greetings to the elders, so she decided to give the local specialty snacks she had bought back to Du Gewen, Rong Shao, and Pei Xuanzhen. When Jizhen heard her say this, he went for a walk with her.
The two went to Pei Xuanzhen's place first, where Du Gewen happened to be there as well. Ming Jin initially thought they were gathering to drink together for the Lantern Festival, but upon asking, he learned that they had all been drinking at Du Gewen's place. Halfway through their drinks, Pei Xuanzhen received a letter from Juxia City, saying that in the forest where Ming Jin and Mu Ning had encountered the horde of evil spirits, they had found a barrier set up by the evil spirits, and that the barrier would be broken around dawn the next day.
Pei Xuanzhen had originally planned to send Mu Ning, but Mu Ning was currently at home with her nephews and nieces, releasing lanterns, and was estimated to return on the afternoon of the sixteenth. Du Gewen, following Chen Duan's instructions, was still investigating the rumors circulating in Kongyun Mountain about "gold-panning pouches," and unsure how long this matter would develop, was not the first choice. Therefore, Pei Xuanzhen decided that until Mu Ning returned, Ji Zhen would handle the matter.
"In Juxia City, although it was Elder Ban Yanjia who broke the barrier, Elder Ban is always aloof and will return to Juxia City after breaking the barrier. Sect Leader Wan has assigned Elders Zhang Xu and Zhang Sishi to take charge of the next steps. Now that we have broken into the gate of the evil spirits, we must handle whatever happens with caution."
Early the next morning, while it was still barely light, Ji Zhen, along with Ming Jin, Mei Chong, and Shen Du, headed towards the barrier. They had been worried about being late, but they hadn't anticipated that the barrier would remain unbroken upon their arrival. Meanwhile, Ban Rui and Zhang Xu, who had taken over the barrier one after the other, were arguing loudly in the local dialect. The two men, dressed in similar clothing, were locked in a fight; the former was grabbing the latter's sleeves, while the latter was pulling on the former's arm and tripping over his leg.
The two disciples, Heng Buwei and Duan Shuxuan, stood near their master, each holding a large flatbread. They stood in a line with another cultivator; all three were dressed identically, making it difficult to distinguish them without familiarity. Upon seeing Ji Zhen and the others arrive, the third person quickly informed Heng and Duan to keep their masters calm, while he himself approached Ji Zhen to speak: "I am Chai Wang, a disciple of Master Wan, and I have been waiting for you all. Because the barrier is more complex than expected, Elder Ban has not yet completed its dismantling; please wait a moment."
Upon hearing of their arrival, and out of concern for the sect's reputation as instructed by Wan Xia, Zhang Xu and Ban Rui simultaneously released their grip. Both approached Ji Zhen to speak, after which Zhang Xu invited Ji Zhen to wait in the back. They set up a table and four bamboo chairs there. Ji Zhen accepted the invitation and sat down to chat with Zhang Xu for a while, while Ban Rui continued breaking down the barrier with Heng Buwei.
"Look, that's the one, tall and thin." Ming Jin quietly gestured to Chen Du.
"So this is that cultivator surnamed Duan." Shen Du nudged Mei Chong, who was standing to the side, with his elbow. "It's not easy to see him again, aren't you going to say hello?"
"What else are you going to do?" Mei Chong asked.
"Weren't you concerned about him before? Now you don't care anymore?" Mingjin asked her.
“It’s been a while, and I can’t quite remember what I was thinking back then,” Mei Chong said, somewhat at a loss for words in response to her senior brothers and sisters’ kindness. For the past six months, she had been so busy preparing for the graduation assessment in July that she hadn’t had a chance to think about the distant man she had only met a few times and hadn’t even had a proper conversation with. “Besides, they’re still eating, so let’s not disturb them. Let’s wander around the neighborhood; maybe we’ll make some unusual discoveries.”
Besides Heng Buwei, Ban Rui also prevented outsiders from approaching the barrier, and the others did not disturb them. Duan Shuxuan and Chai Wang had not yet learned the spell to break such a large-scale ghost magic barrier, so the two of them stood behind a tree, craning their necks, but still couldn't understand it. Unfortunately, they still couldn't understand it.
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