15. Flying Sword
◎Dr. Ying's smile is sweeter than osmanthus blossoms. ◎
Previously, Du Zhijin had considered how to repay Ying Jianhua for saving his life.
She skipped over the traditional folk tale of repaying someone with one's body. Gold, silver, wealth, fame, and fortune—though she couldn't offer them in the short term—were all she could, provided Ying Jianhua was willing to wait.
But after these days of contact, she discovered that Doctor Ying looked down on being an official and held a detached attitude towards money, believing that "being able to eat and be fed is enough."
In short, there's no way to begin.
But she never expected that Ying Jianhua's request would be so simple.
"Is it just to show you Jinxi City?" she asked repeatedly, receiving the same answer each time.
“Of course I don’t want you to take me on a tour,” Ying Jianhua added. “I want to… ride on your sword and take a look around. Didn’t you say that ‘the richest people in the world are not emperors but ordinary people’? I probably won’t be able to leave Jinxi City in this lifetime, so I’ll take a good look at it.”
Du Zhijin was taken aback.
Was it her words that inspired him?
Seeing her hesitation, Ying Jianhua's eyes dimmed, and she murmured softly, "Is even this not enough?"
His voice was very soft, like a feather brushing against Du Zhijin's heart, making her tremble.
She suddenly drew two swords and gestured for them to be chosen: "Please choose whichever you prefer."
Upon hearing this, he smiled with delight, a dazzling light flashing in his eyes that was captivating.
His simple linen clothes shone brightly because of his smile.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Du Zhijin touched his ears, feeling that the flying catkins in spring were really annoying.
It brushed against my earlobe, causing a ticklish sensation.
————
Of the two swords Du Zhijin wielded, Ying Jianhua and Xingyue were more familiar to him, so he naturally chose Xingyue.
However, because he lacked cultivation and could not control the sword, he had to rely on Du Zhijin to maintain it. Therefore, the two of them had to stay one in front of the other and could not be too far apart.
In response, Du Zhijin suggested, "Why don't we ride together on a single sword?"
This saves both time and effort.
Without a second thought, Ying Jianhua immediately refused: "No way."
He remembered the last time the two of them flew up the mountain on their swords, but because they only had one sword, they had to ride separately. Xingyue usually looked quite burly, but how come the two of them were so close when they stood on it?
He was so close that when he looked down, all he could see was her hair combed into a single strand.
She didn't care what she wore, much less what she used to tie her hair. So her hair tie was sometimes a sword tassel, sometimes a blade of grass, and sometimes she simply picked up a small twig and coiled it around her.
Her hairpin today is the same as the one from that day, both made of peach blossom branches.
The peach blossoms in the bouquet Lu Ping gave her.
No one knows what kind of magic she used, but several days later, the peach blossoms were still in full bloom, so bright and dazzling.
He felt uncomfortable looking at her, so he simply closed his eyes. But after closing his eyes, his other senses were amplified infinitely. He smelled the faint medicinal fragrance emanating from her, as well as the soap scent that was exactly the same as his.
Yes, they ate and lived together, so of course they smelled the same.
But for no reason, he felt flustered and his face felt hot. The mountain wind was cold, but the area near her was burning hot.
Today was better than last time; at least the two of them got two swords. Ying Jianhua breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a strange unease arose within her.
Will he fall?
"Are you scared?" Du Zhijin noticed his nervousness and asked.
Ying Jianhua firmly denied it: "I'm not afraid... Ah!"
Before he could finish speaking, a fierce gust of wind swept in. If Du Zhijin hadn't reacted in time, he would have already fallen into the abyss and been smashed to pieces.
Du Zhijin blinked, not understanding why he was pretending to be calm. Back when she first flew on a sword, many of her senior brothers were terrified and cried.
However, she boasts that she has learned a lot about how to conduct herself in the world from Honghua, and now she understands how to "see through things but not say them out loud".
So she didn't mention sharing a sword again, but instead handed over a piece of her sleeve.
"Um?"
Seeing that Ying Jianhua didn't react, she patiently explained, "Holding it like this will make it feel better."
Grabbing at the hem of his clothes? Does he think he's a prized possession?
Ying Jianhua refused to yield, saying, "I've already told you I'm not afraid."
It's just flying on a sword, what's so scary about that?
Du Zhijin pondered.
Du Zhijin suddenly realized: "Then, I'm afraid."
He whirled around, his face filled with disbelief: "Do you know what you're saying? You are..."
However, before he could even utter the words "You are a sword cultivator," she reached out and grabbed his hem, continuing her act without any hesitation: "Ah, I'm so scared, so I need to hold your hand."
Is it okay now?
Ying Jianhua pursed her lips and remained silent.
After a while, his vague compromise drifted in on the wind.
"...It's not impossible."
————
Last time was too rushed, and I didn't have time to experience it at all. Now, seeing the painting, I truly understand what it means to "ride the clouds and soar through the whirlwind."
Riding the cool breeze, I emerge from the floating clouds. I can almost touch the moon; as I walk forward, there seem to be no mountains.
Below, winding lights and rolling mountains stretch out, with the Jinxi River meandering through them like a dark ribbon, stringing together the silent villages. A mountain mist brushes the face, carrying the distant sound of temple bells, echoing the cries of vendors in the town. Houses loom in the night, only the light from the lanterns under the eaves reflected on the water, swaying with the waves, creating an illusion of the Milky Way descending to earth.
This is the world seen by cultivators.
"It's so beautiful," Du Zhijin exclaimed.
Jinxi City was not wealthy, and very few families could afford to light their lamps brightly at night. But there was one family that not only shone as brightly as day, but also built a high wall on the upper reaches of the stream, monopolizing the unique view.
This naturally caught Du Zhijin's attention. She pointed to the endless courtyard wall and asked curiously, "Whose house is this? It's so luxurious."
Ying Jianhua wrote: "This is the residence of Prince Chengduan."
“Prince Chengduan…” she murmured the name, then asked, “Does he have other fiefdoms?”
He shook his head: "No. Prince Chengduan was the third son of the late King Xian. His heir succeeded to the title of King Xian, and the other sons were enfeoffed in various cities and prefectures."
Upon hearing his words, Du Zhijin's brows furrowed even more tightly.
How did a minor prince, whose fiefdom was mainly inhabited by farmers and whose trade routes were in decline, accumulate such a vast fortune?
She had visited prosperous cities during the years she had been down the mountain, and naturally had seen many wealthy households. But even the imperial merchants along the coast probably didn't have such luxurious residences.
Perhaps it was precisely because Jinxi was located in a remote area that Prince Chengduan dared to act in this way.
She paused for a moment, then uttered four words: "The people's hard-earned money."
Ying Jianhua remained silent, letting the evening wind lift the corner of his robe, his expression obscuring in the twilight.
"Human hearts are not necessarily better than demons. You cultivators can eliminate demons, but you cannot subdue them."
Du Zhijin's lips moved slightly as she avoided his gaze, and she said, "This is worldly ties. The human world has its own laws, and for us to interfere is to overstep them."
"Do not kill people, nor use them for your own purposes."
He smiled, the curve of his lips disappearing in an instant: "Therefore, justice in this world must be earned by oneself; it cannot be relied upon by others."
Upon hearing this, Du Zhijin couldn't help but look up at him.
I have a feeling that Dr. Ying's words had a hidden meaning.
But looking closely at his expression, there was nothing unusual about it.
She couldn't help but frown.
Is it just an illusion?
With the Lanyu Festival approaching, the nights in Jinxi City are more lively than usual. From above, the city is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and throngs of tourists can be seen everywhere.
Du Zhijin was worried that Ying Jianhua's old illness would relapse if she stayed in the wind for too long, and Ying Jianhua was also worried that she would run out of energy if she flew on her sword for too long, so the two of them simply walked into the city and wandered around.
This was the first time she had ever heard of the Orchid Bathing Festival. Although it was just the atmosphere before the festival, it still intrigued her.
"Orchid bath, orchid bath, does that mean bathing with orchids?"
Du Zhijin stopped in front of the vendor, looking curiously at the bundles of flowers and plants on the stall.
Seeing that she was interested in making a purchase, the vendor enthusiastically introduced the product to her: "Young lady, are you from out of town? During the Orchid Bathing Festival, you can not only use orchids for bathing, but also all kinds of flowers and herbs, as long as they are fragrant! For example, mugwort, patchouli, and angelica. I also have dried osmanthus flowers that I dried a year in advance. Would you like a bunch?"
This explanation was truly captivating, and Du Zhijin was intrigued. Pointing to the dried osmanthus flowers that the vendor was strongly recommending, he said, "Take this bunch..." "Wait a minute."
Just as the vendor's smile broadened, a hand suddenly reached out and pressed down on the bunch of osmanthus flowers, seemingly on the verge of closing a deal.
Du Zhijin looked up and saw Ying Jianhua's face full of disapproval.
So she silently withdrew her hand that was about to take the osmanthus flower.
Ying Jianhua glanced at her, then turned her gaze to the vendor, her expression menacing: "How much?"
The vendor froze, realizing he had met his match, and sighed inwardly at his bad luck.
"Twenty coins a bundle."
"Twenty coins? You might as well rob me. Do you know how much a pound of pork costs these days? The money for your bouquet of flowers is enough to buy two pounds of pork! What, can your flowers be eaten as meat?"
The vendor argued, "We don't buy those flowers every day! This is the Orchid Bathing Festival! Who wouldn't buy a bunch or two to share in the joy? Besides, these are osmanthus flowers I've stored for a year; you can't find them anywhere else!"
"Heh." Ying Jianhua sneered, grabbed Du Zhijin's sleeve, and turned to leave. "Ten coins a bundle, take it or leave it."
Du Zhijin was still out of the loop, not understanding why they had started arguing, and, well, they really just left like that?
Seeing that she was still standing there blankly, Ying Jianhua tugged at her again, trying to convey his meaning through his eyes.
Du Zhijin then followed him outside, still a little reluctant to leave: "I've checked, and indeed only his family has osmanthus. Actually, twenty coins isn't that expensive."
"Don't look back," he warned her, lowering his voice. "Believe it or not, that flower is worth ten coins."
She shook her head, saying she didn't believe it. Ying Jianhua smiled and taught her to count to three.
“After three breaths, he will surely call us back.”
Du Zhijin did as instructed.
"one."
"two."
"three--"
Before the countdown was even finished, the vendor's exasperated voice came from behind: "Oh dear, oh dear, I'm fed up with you guys. Ten coins it is! Take it!"
Ying Jianhua's lips curved slightly upward, her eyebrows beaming with a smug smile, and she pulled her back.
And she looked at the smile in the corner of his eyes and thought.
When Dr. Ying smiles, it's more fragrant than osmanthus blossoms.
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