Chapter 4 The Jingchuan Temple, though humble, serves the people. ...
The scholar leaned back, drew the jade belt from his waist with his other hand. It was actually a soft sword. The silver-white sword light was like a swimming dragon. His movements were swift, neat and swift. The bloodstains on his palm were not affected at all. In fact, the blood light increased, and a misty mist with a scorching aura rushed towards him.
Jiang Yu's hair was blown by the wind in the distance, revealing half of his face behind the window. He never expected that this seemingly ordinary scholar would be so capable.
Shen Jiuxu remained calmly standing opposite, his sword raised to meet the scholar's, sparks flying where the two swords met.
Jiang Yu inexplicably felt that this person was "posing and flaunting," with flashy movements, as if showing off his skills, even though there were clearly no pretty girls watching him.
The scholar staggered back several steps, his soft sword being deflected by Shen Jiuxu and crashing against the wall with a clang.
He was forced to stand still, his stiff arms hanging down. As soon as someone approached, he punched Shen Jiuxu in the chest, placed his right hand on Shen Jiuxu's shoulder, and flipped him over. His calf swept into the air. The originally calm and composed Sect Master Shen's face turned ugly, and he glanced at the position where Jiang Yu was standing.
"Are you even capable of fighting?"
Jiang Yu was helpless. It seemed to her husband hadn't just lost his memory, but had simply gone completely insane!
He couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he grabbed the window frame with both hands, ready to jump off.
Shen Jiuxu raised his sword and brought it down. In an instant, the sword light was as bright as day, and the surroundings fell silent, as if no one had been there. The slightly trembling door revealed the traces of the fight that had just taken place.
The scholar was pinned stiffly to the wall, his nose twitched, and he gave the person in front of him a strange smile. "Who are you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden doors on both sides of the street crashed down, smashing towards Shen Jiuxu. He picked up the scholar with one hand, leaped into the air, his sword flashing, and brought the man into the house.
Jiang Yu, with keen insight, took out a rope he had found somewhere, wrapped it around the scholar three times, and tied him up like a skinny dumpling. He even tied a perfect knot before nodding in satisfaction.
"Why are you looking at me?" He inadvertently caught Shen Jiuxu's gaze.
Shen Jiuxu's lips twitched a few times, but when he met Jiang Yu's unromantic eyes, he decided to remain silent. Asking would only make him look foolish.
Seeing that he didn't speak and looked awkward, like a taciturn person, Jiang Yu guessed what was going on. "Alright, I was just saying that to praise him casually. Did you really take it seriously?"
He stood by the candlelight, his face shrouded in a hazy glow, his frail appearance subtly transformed into a gentle tenderness that sent a shiver down Shen Jiuxu's spine.
"No, I didn't."
The hypocrite turned around and took the prayer pot from the scholar's hand. This thing was too strange; it was better to stay away from him.
"What did you wish for him?"
Seeing that he was sensible, Jiang Yu took on the task of interrogating the scholar. He casually leaned back on the couch and said, "Tonight is your seventh day after death. It's not easy for you to come back. Young Master Shen and I are good people. We would never murder you for money. We just want to find out the truth."
The scholar shuddered. Although he couldn't see, his mind was still sharp. He was skeptical of Jiang Yu's self-praise and couldn't help but take a few steps back. However, the rope was too tight, and he fell to the ground.
Fortunately, it was a ghost and had no physical form, otherwise it would probably have a big bump on its forehead.
Jiang Yu felt a little annoyed by his questioning gaze. She subconsciously moved closer to Shen Jiuxu, her arms slightly outstretched, as if she wanted to hug him, but she held back in the end.
“I didn’t lay a hand on you. Although this young master Shen beat you up into this grotesque state, you were the one who started it. We’re just giving him a taste of his own medicine…right?”
"Besides, you didn't go back to see your family on the seventh night after your death, so there must be a reason why you came here. Now that we've run into each other, I can't just ignore it."
Jiang Yu spoke with such confidence that Shen Jiuxu couldn't help but steal a glance at him. He was quite adept at deceiving people!
"I died here, my body was incomplete, I couldn't cross the Bridge of Helplessness, so I could only wander in the Nine Netherworlds. The judge was merciful and let me be a ghost who burns fire."
The scholar suddenly became solemn, displaying the integrity of a learned man: "I have studied diligently for many years, vowing to cleanse the officialdom and eliminate evil, seeking a peaceful and prosperous world. Although I may die one day and my body be mutilated, only able to remain underground, I cannot remain here forever."
"Later, the King of Hell said that as long as I regain my eyes, I can be reincarnated and study hard for another ten years so that I can take the imperial examination again. I am insignificant, but I am only here for the people."
He's a bookworm who speaks in circles, but he's still quite ambitious.
Jiang Yu fell into deep thought. "Then why were you all the way here, constantly dripping wet or on fire, and even injuring people with a sword?"
"Ah—" Fang Xiyan was bound by ropes and could not move. "I swam here from the Nine Netherworld and burned a fire there for seven days. It's normal for my clothes to be dripping wet if I can't control myself for a moment. But the story about me injuring someone with a sword is definitely fabricated. How could I, a mere scholar, possibly wield a sword?"
...
That makes a lot of sense.
"Untie him." Jiang Yu poked Shen Jiuxu's waist with his finger, lowering his voice and sounding very guilty.
Shen Jiuxu prided himself on being upright and righteous, but when that person's fingertips, warm through the thin fabric, touched his body, he realized for the "first time" that his waist was a sensitive area.
"Don't...move."
"What's wrong?"
“...Itchy.” Shen Jiuxu forced out a few words through gritted teeth. He moved his fingers, and the rope came off the scholar’s body. The man stiffly swung his arms and legs back and forth, trying to pick up the sword on the ground, but suddenly his arms went limp, and he almost fell down as well.
"I really didn't do it just now," the scholar explained again.
"I understand," Jiang Yu indicated that he knew, then tilted his head and whispered, "Should we treat his injuries?"
A gentle spiritual energy emanated from Shen Jiuxu's hand and entered the scholar's body. He didn't even know why he listened to Jiang Yu so much.
"What did you do before you died?" Shen Jiuxu stood in front, deliberately keeping a distance from Jiang Yu. This person was too strange; his heart was beating so fast that even reciting the Heart-Clearing Mantra was useless.
The scholar sat upright, his blue robe stained with blood, yet as elegant as a bamboo shoot. “I was preparing to go to the capital to take the imperial examination. I specially chose a mule that could run fast. Who knew it would die like this? I had a lot of ambition, but unfortunately I couldn’t serve the country or rid the people of this scourge. It is truly unfortunate.”
His hair was mostly burned off by the fire of the Netherworld, scattered unevenly on both sides, lacking the usual scholar's discipline and stubbornness, but instead revealing a kind of unruliness.
What about this one?
Shen Jiuxu handed him the Qi'an pot he had taken off, "You must have changed after you met it. What did you do with this thing?"
"I prayed to it. My mother specially went to the temple to get it. Although I don't believe in this, it was her good intention. Everyone in our area knows about the Prayer Pot. It is very effective. She went to great lengths to get one."
The elderly woman carefully packed the things into a blue, coarsely patterned cloth bundle, watching her son's departing figure with expectant eyes. He felt sad whenever she thought about him.
“We live far from Yunshui City, so she probably doesn’t know the news yet.” As the scholar finished speaking, his emotions got the better of him, and tears dripped from the corners of his eyes onto his pale, lifeless wrists, making a “hissing” sound.
"If it's so effective, why don't you believe it?" Shen Jiuxu tapped him on the head. "Did you make a wish?"
"I only said that I wished to pass the exam and live a long life. Could it really be this prayer pot that caused this trouble? Please don't tell my mother, she will be so ashamed if she finds out. Just say that I failed the exam and am so ashamed that I refuse to go home. I will fulfill my filial duty when I return home in a better future."
The sky in the distance was gradually turning a pale blue. Jiang Yu looked at the time; it was already the end of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). If a soul had not been reincarnated after the seventh day after death, it would have to stay in the Netherworld forever.
"Which temple did you pray to?" Jiang Yu suddenly interjected.
Jingchuan Temple.
Shen Jiuxu understood his meaning. He took the sword in one hand, grabbed the scholar with the other, and jumped down from the window with Jiang Yu. The sword floated in the air, carrying the people away.
The scholar trembled as he squatted on the sword, tightly hugging Shen Jiuxu's leg. "Ahhh, what are you two doing? People will die if you fall."
"Do you still want to be a local official who benefits the people? Find your eyes before dawn, and then you can still be reincarnated." Jiang Yu sat leisurely on the sword, swinging his legs back and forth. "When you achieve fame and success, don't forget our names, and remember to send me a pot of wine."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jiuxu realized that he didn't even know the man's name, and had only called him Young Master Jiang along with the waiter. He was taken aback.
He and Jiang Yu made eye contact unintentionally. Unlike Jiang Yu, Shen Jiuxu was not casual. He stood upright on top, and from this angle, he looked down at people with a superior feeling. Jiang Yu was completely exposed to him.
The smile in those eyes was faint, but Shen Jiuxu saw a hint of longing in them. Was he looking at others through his own eyes? Or what did he mean?
He didn't want to know anymore and suddenly sped up.
Occasionally, one can hear birdsong in the sky. Jingchuan Temple is nestled among the mountains and fields. In front of it are long stone steps, with a few green pines dotting the middle. The deep red gate is solemn and majestic.
The scholar was covered in blood and dressed in rags, looking nothing like a normal person. Shen Jiuxu felt a headache coming on. After discussing it, they decided to leave the scholar in the woods while he and Jiang Yu went to look for his eyes.
Jiang Yu intended to go straight in, but unexpectedly, as soon as he climbed over the wall, he saw two men dressed in gray standing behind the door with brooms in their hands, staring straight at him.
This is awkward.
Jiang Yu's hands, gripping the roof tiles, bulged with veins. He peered over to look for Shen Jiuxu, but found no one beside him; the man stood quietly behind him.
With his cultivation level, he had already heard the commotion behind the door, but Jiang Yu didn't take it seriously, only thinking about finishing the battle quickly, as he really couldn't bear to lose face like that.
The wall wasn't high, but it was very thick.
Jiang Yu's face must be thicker than a wall. He readily accepted the fact that his husband was too thin-skinned to travel with him. He sat directly on the wall with both hands and greeted the two monks, "Hi."
"Young master, what brings you here so late at night?"
"May I ask for lodging? I also have a guard outside. Could you please open the door for me? Thank you." Jiang Yu sighed, jumped down from the wall, patted Shen Jiuxu's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "Don't give yourself away later. When I say you're my guard, remember what to call me."
Jingchuan Temple has always been a popular place of worship. Before the Qi'an pot was confiscated, the narrow mountain road leading to the temple was always crowded with people before dawn, and people who wanted to come here often had to queue for several hours.
"Please come in, gentlemen. The temple is small, and there is only one room left." A monk cautiously looked back and forth between the two men and led them inside. The Taoist temple was filled with the smell of incense. In the hall in front of them was a golden statue of a deity with bulging eyes and straight lips, which did not have the slightest appearance of kindness.
"Since this is our first time here, let's go and pay our respects, according to the rules of conduct, don't you think?"
The person in question paused, remembering Jiang Yu's words, and replied, "Yes, Young Master Jiang."
"Your master should also consider getting married. Go and ask if you can find me a beautiful woman?"
Jiang Yu stood inside the hall, staring at the statue for a while. Looking at the yellow prayer mat laid out on the ground, he knelt down and bowed a few times with "sincere" intentions. The "guard" stood beside him, seemingly lost in thought.
“Young master, you are so young and handsome, and your attitude is so sincere. You will surely move the heavens and your wishes will be fulfilled.” The monk smiled at them and said, “Please come this way, both of you. In a few hours, our elder here will wake up. You can go and have your fortune told by him. You might have some unexpected gains.”
"OK."
The monk escorted them into the house and then left.
Jiang Yu lit a candle, and the dim candlelight illuminated the small room, allowing him to see the decorations clearly. There was a painting on each of the three walls, with various jade pots placed on the table, and different people kneeling below them, men, women, old and young, scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants, not a single one was missing.
"Shen Qinggui, do you think if we just tear up or burn this painting, will that pretentious god come out?" Jiang Yu asked abruptly.
A note from the author:
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A bookworm meets two people with more cunning than a hornet's nest.
Fang Xiyan: They are such nice people, sob sob sob.
(Ber, have you forgotten that you two just had a fight?)
Fang Xiyan: That must be for my own good. When I become an official, I will definitely repay them properly.
I vowed to change the chapter titles in this book, and I've been racking my brains every day trying to come up with new ones. It's giving me a headache. Being a perfectionist, I've decided that for the next book, I'll go back to the old titles: Jade Gathering Song (Part 1), Jade Gathering Song (Part 2), Jade Gathering Song (Part 3). At least that way I'll have fewer titles to think of. [Sigh]
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