Chapter 133 Xiao An should have shone brightly, should have been...
"Yanzi is back!!"
"My God, it really is an eave!"
Upon seeing Qiu Feiyan, the female soldier on the earthen wall shouted excitedly and loudly announced inside, "Someone, quickly inform Master Qiu!! Our Feiyan is back!"
Along the way, Qiu Feiyan told Yun Tianjiao and the others about the origin of Ji'an Township.
Ji'an Township originated from a Ji'an Hall, the origin of which is unknown; some say it dates back hundreds of years, others say over a thousand. Legend has it that there was once a young lady from a prominent family, but because so much time has passed, no one knows her surname anymore, only that her given name contains the character "An," so everyone called her Xiao An.
Xiao An was extremely gentle and beautiful. She was the only daughter in her family, but because of a small mole under her eye, she was considered unlucky, and families of similar social standing were very picky about her. She was also a woman of strong character and refused to marry down. Relying on her parents' love, she openly declared that she would never marry.
As Xiao An grew older, her relatives began to covet her family's wealth. While her father was still alive, Xiao An used all the family's savings to establish Ji'an Hall, a place specifically for women who had vowed never to marry or who would not remarry after their husbands died.
Once a woman entered the Ji'an Hall, she became a sister, helping and supporting each other, and supporting herself. After several struggles, the locals gradually reached a tacit understanding that once a woman entered the Ji'an Hall, she could no longer be forced into marriage. Xiao'an gradually became a protector for the women in the area.
Unfortunately, her good fortune didn't last long. Xiao An offended someone and was falsely accused of having an affair with a man. This matter caused quite a stir, and the prestige of Ji'an Hall was also damaged. Seeing that many families came to Ji'an Hall to try to take back their daughters who had entered the hall, Xiao An decided to prove her innocence by hanging herself on a pole in front of the hall. In such a tragic way, she saved Ji'an Hall.
The sisters in the hall knew that Xiao An was innocent, and they erected a statue and built a monument for her in remembrance. From then on, the women in Ji'an Hall were united and began to fight violence with violence. They gradually drove out the residents of the surrounding villages and towns, and gradually formed the Ji'an Township of today.
There are no men in Ji'an Township; they only take in women who have nowhere else to go.
"Ever since that Emperor Shen died, the world has been in chaos. The prefectures and counties around here have all been occupied by a man who calls himself Marquis Pingwei. I don't know where Marquis Pingwei heard it from, but that the current Celestial Venerable is dead, and the most promising candidate to become the next Celestial Venerable is the Divine Venerable Mobei. So he wants to bet on this in advance and build a temple to the Divine Venerable Mobei in his prefectures and counties. He has his eye on the feng shui of our Ji'an Hall and wants to demolish it and replace it with a temple to the Divine Venerable Mobei. How can we agree to this?!"
When Qiu Feiyan talked about this on the road, he was filled with righteous indignation, and his eyebrows stood up.
“Our entire village is determined to fight them to the death! That Pingwei Marquis’s men kidnapped me, intending to threaten us into submission! Bah! Even if I die, I will never let them succeed! Ji’an Hall is the soul of our Ji’an Village, and Xiao’an is our god. What do we care about that Mo Bei God? He has no say here!”
The earthen gate of Ji'an Township opened, and two female soldiers came forward, holding Qiu Feiyan's hand and asking her about her well-being as if she were their own daughter. When they saw the wounds on her body, they felt so sorry for her that tears came to their eyes.
"They dared to hurt you? Those damned bastards, if they dare come back again, they'll be slaughtered like dogs!"
"Aunt Li, Aunt Zhao, I'm fine. Ever since they caught me, I've been trying to escape. I inevitably got beaten up a few times, but in the end, I still managed to get away!" Qiu Feiyan showed no fear of escaping from the jaws of death, his face full of smugness.
"By the way, we also owe a lot to these friends for their help!" Qiu Feiyan didn't forget to introduce Yun Tianjiao and the others to the villagers.
Seeing Zhiwei's ethereal beauty, holding a black cat in her arms, and Shen Qiongzhi's lovely appearance, yet carrying an unconscious girl on her back and with a paper umbrella hanging above her head, the two female soldiers felt something was amiss and couldn't help but become wary.
"May I ask where you esteemed guests come from, and where you intend to go?"
Zhiwei had already prepared her explanation and calmly said, "We are just wandering immortals in the martial world, and we wish to visit the former site of Xuanxiao Sect."
Most people in the mortal world keep their distance from those who cultivate Taoism. The two men were more respectful, but still remained wary. “You have come from afar and have helped our Yanzi. You are indeed honored guests. However, please stay here for a while while we go and report to the hall master.”
Qiu Feiyan seemed puzzled as to why Yun Tianjiao and the others couldn't enter the city together, but were instead forcibly dragged in by two female soldiers.
The city gate closed again, and after about fifteen minutes it reopened. This time, a slightly tall and strong woman emerged. She was in her thirties, her hair was neatly wrapped in a cloth, she was dressed in short clothes, her skin was slightly dark, and her eyes were bright and piercing.
This must be the current head of Ji'an Township, the "Master Qiu" mentioned by the female soldiers.
"Please forgive me, gentlemen. My daughter must have told you about Marquis Pingwei. Some time ago, we received information from our informants that Marquis Pingwei had hired several wandering sorcerers to sneak into the city and demolish Ji'an Hall at night. Therefore, we guards of the city inevitably misunderstood and dared not directly welcome you into the village."
Master Qiu clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed to Zhiwei and Shen Qiongzhi in apology.
Zhiwei disliked the people from Ji'an Township who had caused his little black cat to be exposed to the scorching sun for so long, so he deliberately made things difficult for him and asked coldly, "Then, how can Master Qiu be so sure that we were not sent by Marquis Pingwei?"
Master Qiu said sincerely, "We just listened carefully to Yanzi's account of her journey. She accompanied you all here and is convinced that you are all people of noble character. We trust her judgment."
Shen Qiongzhi was always exceptionally protective of those she took a liking to. She liked Qiu Feiyan, and even the people of Ji'an Township developed a good impression of her, so they came out to help smooth things over: "Alright, in this world, you can't be too careful. Anyway, the misunderstanding has been cleared up now, so let's go in and take a look. I admire that Senior Xiao An very much and want to go and pay my respects to her statue."
Yun Tianjiao also nudged Zhiwei twice with his paw, signaling him that it was enough.
For some reason, Zhiwei suddenly laughed with delight, scratching Yun Tianjiao's cat's head twice. "Fine, my little cat says she forgives you. This won't happen again."
Yun Tianjiao: "..."
Master Qiu's gaze also fell on Yun Tianjiao, and he smiled and said, "I heard from Yanzi that she was able to escape this time thanks to the help of this cat immortal."
"Cat Immortal?" Shen Qiongzhi laughed until her face hurt. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, she winked at Yun Tianjiao mischievously, "That's a good nickname!"
Yun Tianjiao was a little depressed. She didn't want to pretend to be a cat anymore, but unfortunately, during her stay in Ji'an Township, in order to reduce trouble, she had no choice but to temporarily humble herself as a cat.
Qiu Tangzhu led the villagers in warmly welcoming Zhiwei and Shen Qiongzhi, and even thoughtfully found a female doctor who was proficient in pharmacology to take care of Zhu Jing.
As Qiu Feiyan said, there is not a single man in this village. Women do all the work, even the physically demanding jobs like slaughtering pigs and blacksmithing.
Master Qiu hosted a banquet. Although the food was simple and plain, it was delicious and made with fresh ingredients.
Qiu Feiyan was happy and pulled Shen Qiongzhi to drink, and also told her about his background.
“I am not my mother’s biological daughter. I was abandoned by my family when I was a child. I begged for food all the way and happened to come here, where my mother adopted me.”
Shen Qiongzhi thought to herself, "There are no men in your village, so how could you possibly be your mother's biological child?"
"Qiu Feiyan is such a unique name. Did Master Qiu give it to you?"
"I suppose so!" Qiu Feiyan said, beaming. "Miss Chen, guess what I used to be called?"
"What should I call you?" Shen Qiongzhi asked cooperatively.
"My name is Feiyan, but I don't remember my surname! This should be the name my biological parents gave me. I didn't like it and kept pestering my mother to change it. I kept complaining about why girls have to be named Yan or Hua. I just want to be a chivalrous hero who can fly over rooftops and leap across walls!"
Shen Qiongzhi pinched Qiu Feiyan's thin arm and said, "With your looks, you still want to be a hero?"
"So what?" Qiu Feiyan retorted, "I'm still young. If I practice more, I can grow taller and my muscles can become stronger!"
As the only man in the village at this moment, Zhiwei was in a very awkward situation.
The women seemed unwilling to get too close to him, especially Master Qiu, who guarded against him like the plague, fearing that his bewitching and enchanting appearance would arouse the hearts of the women in the village.
So Zhiwei could only hold Yun Tianjiao and place him far away in a corner of the banquet.
With no one around, Yun Tianjiao, perched on Zhiwei's lap, was able to speak.
She couldn't help but sigh, "Most women in the world have surnames but no given names. Before marriage, their maiden names are not to be revealed. After marriage, they take their husband's surname and are never called by their given names again. But this Xiao An is the opposite. People don't know her surname, but they remember her given name. She is herself, not someone's daughter, someone's wife, or someone's mother. This is what it means to have truly lived."
"Does Your Highness also wish for the world to remember your name?" Zhiwei asked softly.
Yun Tianjiao looked up at the dark night sky. Not far away, women lit a bonfire and led the girls in dancing and singing. In this idyllic place, the unbalanced community structure did not seem to cause any trouble. On the contrary, the women's strength was gentle yet powerful. The women who came to Ji'an Township had all suffered trauma. They gathered here and found a rare sense of security and trust, leaning on and supporting each other.
But now, even this small harbor is in imminent danger.
She was engrossed in watching when Zhiwei suddenly asked her this question, and she couldn't help but turn her head to look at him.
Zhiwei picked up the black cat from her lap, and the two of them gazed at each other quietly in the lamplight of the night. To outsiders, it might seem a little comical, but only they knew how solemn their gazes were at each other at that moment.
"Does Your Highness also wish for the world to remember your name?"
Zhiwei asked again.
He knew all of Yu Meng's experiences. He accompanied her through every step of her journey, her humiliation, her injustice, her pain... even more so than she herself, who had lost her memory and undergone a complete transformation.
She should have shone brightly, should have been worshipped and revered by the world, and should have stood high in the temple.
All the praise, worship, incense offerings, money, and power in the world... should have belonged to her.
"As long as Your Highness is willing, I am willing to help Your Highness restore your title at any cost, so that the whole world and the three realms will know your name, worship you and remember you for generations to come."
At this moment, Yun Tianjiao seemed to see that boy running in the rainy night again, his ardent and sincere gaze, like the bright sun, like a raging fire, looking at him. He was like a bundle of dry and pure firewood in the world, burning only for himself.
However, he had clearly burned himself out for her many times, burning until the oil was exhausted and the lamp went out, burning until he was reduced to ashes.
How many times can dead ashes reignite?
The black cat raised one of its front paws and gently pressed it against Zhiwei's face.
The plush texture of the small animal lessened the ambiguity of the gesture, but it made Zhiwei's heart tremble slightly, and she felt a tenderness that transcended romantic love.
This is a divine comfort.
"All I want now is for you to take good care of yourself and not die for me again," Yun Tianjiao said softly. "Although I haven't regained my memories of Yu Meng, I am still me. Knowing myself, if I really cared about being remembered for eternity, I wouldn't have severed the Heavenly Pillar."
"Is that so? But when Your Highness mentioned Xiao An just now, you were clearly very envious." Zhiwei seemed to have doubts about Yun Tianjiao's words.
Yun Tianjiao said, "What I admire is the justice that Xiao An provided. She offered a certain justice for women, but unfortunately, she still died in injustice in the end."
Zhiwei immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Yun Tianjiao's words.
Back then, the gods of the heavens falsely accused Yu Meng of having an affair with a mortal general, claiming that she destroyed the Heavenly Pillar to save the general. She was reincarnated as Princess Yan Meng of the Ghost Realm, and the Ghost Queen Zhu Miao was also falsely accused of having an affair with the Heavenly Emperor Yuan Si. Elder Xi Yuan of the Xuanxiao Sect plotted to murder the sect leader, and after the sect leader's wife, Liu Ruqing, discovered the truth, she was also falsely accused of having an incestuous relationship with a disciple of the sect and was publicly executed.
Even in Yun Tianjiao's current life, in a country with open social customs, she, as the beloved princess, is still rumored to have slept with several men every night and have countless male lovers...
The world is never kind to women. Even those who seek justice like Xiao An inevitably meet a tragic end, dying young and suffering disgrace.
"Zhiwei, should we lend them a hand?" Yun Tianjiao suddenly asked.
...
Shen Qiongzhi was very curious about Xiao An. She had drunk too much the night before and fell asleep immediately. When she woke up the next day, she asked Master Qiu if she could go to Ji'an Hall to take a look.
Master Qiu readily agreed. After breakfast, he arranged for someone to accompany them on a visit to Ji'an Hall.
Ji'an Hall is a large four-courtyard house. Behind the main house is another courtyard with many side rooms. It is said that at its peak, it could accommodate a hundred women.
Today, Ji'an Hall is more like a spiritual symbol, having been converted into a school for girls in the village. The real Ji'an Hall has become Ji'an Township.
"Look, that statue in the main hall is of Senior Xiao An. It's said to look very much like him!" Qiu Feiyan said, pointing ahead as he led the group through the main gate.
As the black cat, Yun Tianjiao walked in front of the crowd and was the first to clearly see Xiao An's statue.
She was taken aback, feeling that Xiao An looked somewhat familiar.
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