Twenty-seven: Fan Zhang's Chicken and Millet - Part One
"It looks like it's going to rain," Shen Bai looked up at the sky, worried. "I wonder how long it will last."
Shen Bai had never been to Kongyun Mountain before. Now, standing at the entrance of the academy, he could see glimpses of the town's scenery and even a corner of the mountain from within the academy's courtyard. Therefore, he was extremely curious about everything around him.
"Um."
Meng Sheng looked listless, with only one hand resting on his teacup.
"Why are you here?"
Mingjin stepped into the academy and saw Gao Dai standing to the side with a teapot in his hand. He gave Gao Dai a wink, and Gao Dai quietly left through the side door.
“The advisor left some things for the master, and the master asked me to pass some on to you as a token of his gratitude. I asked Ya Zai to deliver a message, but there was no response for a long time. I was worried that something might have happened since this wasn’t your usual behavior, so I came to check on you,” Meng Sheng said, sitting down with a cloth in his hand. “Since you’re not home, we thought we’d come to the academy to ask someone, and that’s when we met that cultivator from earlier. He said you went up the mountain and there was something going on with Yuan Bei.”
"You're all here, where's Ji'er?"
Mingjin didn't want to make the atmosphere too sad.
“When my master and mistress returned from their retreat, they saw the child and liked him very much, so they entrusted him to their care.”
Shen Bai leaned against the door, watching the two of them talk inside.
“Such a big thing happened, you should have sent me a message,” Meng Sheng said with a hint of reproach. “I didn’t even know myself, otherwise I would have come to help sooner. You rest for a while, we’ll go with you to take a look.”
“It’s alright,” Mingjin said, inviting Shen Bai in to sit down. Shen Bai said he preferred to enjoy the view from the courtyard. “Yuan Bei’s matter is still unresolved. I’ve been busy all morning. Also, someone in the town on the mountain is helping with Yuan Bei’s funeral arrangements. I didn’t think of that at the time.”
"Is there anything else?" Meng Sheng asked.
Mingjin briefly recounted what had happened. Meng Sheng looked grave, but before he could speak, he suddenly heard voices outside. Shen Bai, who had just been leisurely in the courtyard, immediately went inside and found a corner to sit down when he saw outsiders.
"What brings you here?"
Gao Dai stayed nearby and rushed over to check when he heard the commotion at the door.
"I have come to pay my respects to Master Ming, Master Mingguang."
"May I ask your name?"
“We are cultivators from Juxia,” the other party said slowly. “I am Heng Buwei, a disciple of an elder of Juxia Class. These two are Juxia disciples who came with me, Chai Wang and Duan Shuxuan.”
Gao Dai asked them to wait at the door, then quickly came in: "Senior Sister, there are three people from Juxia outside looking for you."
"Wait a moment."
Ming Jin grabbed Meng Sheng's hand and walked outside, where he met the gaze of Duan Shuxuan, who was looking around: "Senior Sister Tianguang! Master Fu was right when he said you were here."
After exchanging greetings, Mingjin asked them how they got here.
Heng Buwei said, "Master learned of the misfortune that befell Senior Sister's family, but Master and Uncle still have to focus on investigating the evil spirits first, so we have come to offer our condolences on their behalf."
"Thank you for your concern. Have the elders already gone?" The three of them arrived almost at the same time as him. Mingjin hadn't expected them to come so early and for the meeting to end so quickly.
“I received the letter from my master this morning, and the two elders rushed over,” Chai Wang said. “We went up the mountain to find out what happened and that there are still some ghosts whose lives are hanging by a thread. Everyone should go over there and check the situation first.”
“Master said that because it was a message sent by Sect Leader Pei, he even went to our Sect Leader Chai’s place. If it were you, Senior Sister, who sent the message, we could have arrived last night,” Duan Shuxuan said, the ease on his face gradually disappearing. “I never thought that we would reunite for this reason after we parted ways in Huicheng last time.”
Mingjin wanted to say something, but suddenly felt she lacked the strength to speak, so she just sighed. Seeing this, Uncle Duan ran over, put his arm around Mingjin's shoulder, and hugged her.
This completely confused Mingjin.
Gao Dai sat on a small stool in the back watching the situation. When he saw Duan Shuxuan do this, he got up angrily, the stool was thrown out and rolled twice on the ground. He walked over in a few steps, grabbed Duan Shuxuan by the shoulder and pulled him away.
What are you doing?
Then, Gao Dai hugged Ming Jin and began to sob again.
"I thought you were up to something." Mingjin said helplessly, putting his arm around Gao Dai.
Seeing this, Meng Sheng and Shen Bai, who were observing the situation from the doorway, also came out. After Gao Dai let go, Meng Sheng wiped away his tears and hugged Ming Jin.
Knowing that Duan Shuxuan was capable of anything when excited, Heng Buwei and Chai Wang exchanged a glance, preparing to seize the opportunity created by Duan Shuxuan. Unexpectedly, Gao Dai intervened, and then a man dressed in Huicheng, appearing out of nowhere, intercepted their plans. Heng Buwei waited anxiously, his arms crossed, until finally, after Mingjin and Shen Bai gently embraced, he followed suit with a big hug. Seeing this, Mingjin was somewhat amused.
Take care.
After the last hug, Chai Wang said softly.
Why are there so many people today?
When no one was paying attention, a person came out from behind the academy. Seeing the different outfits, he asked Gao Dai, who was wiping away tears, "What's wrong with you?"
"Time!"
In the crowd, Chi Hui met a face.
"Jingxun!"
Chi Hui was quite surprised to see her friend in Juxia after so long. The two immediately opened their arms and hugged each other. Duan Shuxuan's face was originally filled with the joy of seeing his friend again, but when he looked up and saw a white patch on Chi Hui's forehead, he immediately thought that things were different now, and his mood inevitably became low.
“Let’s have a drink together in town after this is all over,” Chi Hui said, patting Duan Shuxuan on the shoulder.
“Alright, my alcohol tolerance has improved now, I can drink a whole jar without any problem,” Duan Shuxuan smiled. “Last time my senior brother brought me some good wine from your town, let’s have a drink together.”
Mentioning wine inevitably brings to mind Mei Chong, the daughter of that family. Chi Hui's spirits, which had been slightly lifted, weakened. She didn't speak, but simply nodded with a smile. Then she looked up at Ming Jin and said, "Senior Sister, Senior Sister Tianhua just sent word that there will be heavy rain tomorrow. Sister Pang has decided to send Yuan Bei's coffin up the mountain this afternoon."
"So urgent?" Gao Dai exclaimed in surprise.
Chi Hui explained, "We'll just send the coffin up the mountain first, and then leave it at home for a few more days."
“Walking on mountain paths in the rain is dangerous enough, let alone with a coffin,” Mingjin knew Pang Ling’s personality and could understand. “I’ll go take a look.”
“Let’s go too,” Shen Bai said, pulling Meng Sheng along. “The weather is bad, things are urgent, and many things haven’t been done properly. We can help out.”
“Yes, we’ll go too,” Duan Shuxuan said as he saw Gao Dai carrying a bundle of white cloth out of the house. He quickly grabbed one and tied it around his waist. “This is also what our master wanted.”
Seeing this, Mingjin couldn't refuse any longer. Everyone took a path and walked along the alley for a while, soon merging into a sea of white people. Because they had met at Juxia, the trio, after paying their respects to the deceased and their families, came to greet Jizhen. Due to the double exhaustion of body and mind, Jizhen didn't look well, and it would be good for her to have a few more people to talk to.
Upon seeing Meng Sheng and Shen Bai's attire from the capital, Ji Zhen couldn't help but recall his own days studying at the lecture hall, and thus inquired about Hong Junyu's recent situation. Due to the frequent accidents, Ming Jin had completely forgotten about yesterday's events. Upon learning from Meng Sheng that Hong Junyu, with whom he had a teacher-student relationship, had passed away, Ji Zhen was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness and wasted time, leaving him feeling suffocated.
A storm was brewing, and the wind whipped through the thick black hair and flowing fabric before him. Ji Zhen watched as everyone bustled about in disarray, constantly recalling how he had dealt with such situations in the past.
"I'm getting old."
Looking at Huang Jing, Ji Zhen suddenly said this.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"In my youth, I rallied myself with regrets, but looking back now, all I see is destitution. Even with my medical skills, I can hardly live a long life."
"Master, please don't say that," Huang Jing said worriedly.
“It’s alright, don’t worry about me,” Ji Zhen said, linking arms with Huang Jing. “It’s okay to let off steam sometimes. Once things have calmed down, I’ll go find Tingran Mingyan and pass the position of Medicine Sect Master to you.”
"You're just a little tired, you'll be fine after a rest."
“Yes, I am indeed tired,” Ji Zhen smiled with relief. “As the eldest disciple, I should help my master with some things and help him out of the chaos.”
Seeing this, Huang Jing naturally didn't mince words and replied, "This disciple will certainly do it."
Music drifted in from outside, signaling that they were to ascend the mountain. However, Ji Zhen could not go, as Wu Rang's condition had worsened, and Pei Xuanzhen needed all cultivators skilled in metal arts to accompany him. So, watching others head up the mountain, with Huang Jing, Gao Dai, and Chi Hui reassuring them not to worry, the two set off.
It's rare to witness the subtle changes that occur when a malevolent spirit disappears. Normally, malevolent spirits vanish instantly, or they fight cultivators to the death, leaving the cultivators no time to notice their transformations. Thus, in this scene, the malevolent spirit begins to disintegrate into tiny fragments, starting from the five extremities of its torso and extending internally from its dantian. These fragments tremble briefly before disappearing.
When Mingjin and Jizhen arrived, Wu Rang's hands and feet had disappeared, his eyebrows and above were gone, and a piece was missing near his dantian.
“There will definitely be limitations. We can’t possibly start from scratch and look at the ghost’s memories. Each person can only see some fragments, but the fragments that each person sees seem to be quite different. So, only the two of you can come here so that we can learn as much as possible.” Banrui, who had been observing the changes in the ghost, came over to explain when he saw them arrive.
“I understand,” Ji Zhen said.
Mingjin had already come once in the morning and tried again, only to find that he could still see the same content. He even looked at the events of last night, but this only confirmed his suspicions. Without knowing the information provided by Pinghe, it would be difficult to discern what it was.
So I stepped back first and discussed what I had learned with Banrui.
Pei Xuanzhen sent Shen Du, Chu Ying, and Jie Yan back first. Before Ming Jin and Ji Zhen arrived, Pei Xuanzhen, Mu Ning, Du Gewen, Ban Rui, and Zhang Xu remained nearby. Currently, apart from Pei Xuanzhen who was merely keeping watch around, the others were still casting spells.
"You came here this morning?" Ban Rui asked worriedly.
“Yes,” Mingjin and Banrui sat together on a large rock, watching Pei Xuanzhen’s back as he surveyed the surroundings, along with several other elders. “I didn’t know what the situation was like here, so I rushed over to check it out as soon as I woke up this morning.”
“If I had known beforehand, I would have told Sect Leader Pei not to call you over,” Ban Rui sighed. “This is the last chapter of our earthly relationship. You should go back.”
“No, I don’t like seeing people around me crying. It makes me feel worse than the events themselves,” Mingjin said. “Everyone is different. I actually prefer to stay here quietly and think about the past and the future. So this place is fine.”
"I just want you to be comfortable."
Seeing this, Banrui stopped talking and just watched the ghost's condition.
After the conversation ended, Mingjin felt somewhat blank. Although she was watching everything unfold before her, she wasn't actually thinking at all. Her eyes were like the surface of water, reflecting everything, yet ultimately unrelated to the water's color. Time, like wind and water, passed through her without leaving a trace.
"What?"
Ban Rui suddenly said something, but Ming Jin didn't hear it clearly.
"You have to come after I die."
For some reason, Ban Rui thought of this, and Ming Jin found it somewhat amusing, so he joked, "Of course I will go, but I can't come back empty-handed. The class elder has to leave something for us juniors."
"Although Elder Ban is middle-aged, he's penniless and has nothing," Ban Rui continued, picking up on the joke. "It seems I have to work hard and earn some inheritance for you younger generations. Otherwise, my apprentice will also end up empty-handed. How about this: Elder Ban is penniless, so each of you can take a wall to walk on, what do you say?"
“Then I don’t want a wall, I want a roof,” Mingjin said, “to be built on my roof. If the sky collapses, your roof will protect it first.”
Ban Rui generously replied, "Whatever, whatever. Just take it and be happy."
Before the two could finish speaking, Pei Xuanzhen listened to what was being said with one ear and looked over with the other. Almost simultaneously, the group stopped, took a step back, and looked at the evil spirit in the cage.
The three people on the outside quickly followed.
"The spell had no effect."
Seeing Ban Rui running over, Zhang Xu said.
Inside the cage, Wu Rang's eyes were tightly closed, unresponsive to any movement from the outside world. Half of his limbs had disappeared, and his head was completely gone, leaving only a dark scar on his neck. Initially, the rate at which his body disappeared was relatively even, but after his head was gone, the remaining parts were like pieces of paper burning in the wind; the heat quickly dissipated, and his form was blown away.
“It seems that the head is also very important to the evil spirits,” Banri said, holding his head in his hands. “But this little devil is also an unexpectedly important character.”
“Yes, he knows almost everything,” Mu Ning said. “Unfortunately, he’s not an elder, so he can’t figure out the origins of Yishan from the beginning, but he does understand everything about Youran City.”
"Gentlemen."
Banrui looked at Pei Xuanzhen, who crossed his arms and nodded. Then, Banrui waved his hand, and a scroll and brush formed by magic floated out, ready to be written on.
"Let's all say something and see where the original thing was."
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