Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 33

The room fell silent after Fu Xue’s statement.

After a moment, Li Siniang said, “This young lady isn’t wrong. There are indeed more fools in Linglong City than in other places.”

Cheng Suiyan asked, “Why is that?”

Li Siniang replied, “I’ve heard it’s because a long time ago, the people of Linglong City offended the mountain god, and this is the punishment he brought down. Many people suddenly lose their minds without warning. My Sanlang also…”

“How did they offend the mountain god? Tell us.”

Li Siniang shook her head with difficulty. “I don’t know any more than that.”

Yun Qing stood up, walked to the bed, and reached out toward Liu Sanlang, saying, “Let me feel this child.”

Li Siniang thought she wanted to get closer to the child, so she placed Liu Sanlang on her lap and pushed him forward.

However, Yun Qing cupped both hands around his forehead, alternately pressing her thumbs against the center of his forehead.

Then, keeping her thumbs pressed against his skin, she slowly moved them along his eyebrows toward both sides, stopping at his temples to squeeze and massage.

Afterward, her right hand moved to the back of his head, pinching upward to the crown.

Liu Sanlang quietly allowed her to continue.

Li Siniang found this set of techniques extremely strange yet mysterious, and held her breath, not daring to speak.

After finishing, Yun Qing said, “Your child’s brain hasn’t been injured.”

Li Siniang asked excitedly, “Really?”

Fu Xue said, “Don’t worry, our Longshou Sect’s bone-feeling technique has never failed.”

Yun Qing explained, “If his brain were injured, his sea of consciousness would be correspondingly damaged. I just examined him, and your son’s sea of consciousness is normal.”

“That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful,” Li Siniang happily stroked Liu Sanlang’s arm, her eyes gleaming with hope. She murmured to herself, then asked, “But my Sanlang—”

“I haven’t finished,” Yun Qing interrupted. “His body isn’t injured, but he has lost one of his souls.”

“What?!”

“A person has three souls and seven spirits. The three souls of heaven, earth, and human are also called womb light, bright spirit, and hidden essence. The heaven soul governs life, the earth soul governs intelligence, and the human soul governs desire.

Sanlang has lost his earth soul, the bright spirit. Without the soul of intelligence, a person naturally becomes foolish.”

Li Siniang’s lips trembled, finding it hard to believe. She had only heard about ghosts and souls in stories before, and this was the first time someone had clearly explained it to her.

Her instinct told her that the woman before her was right.

Li Siniang fell from the bed and knelt on the ground. “Immortal lady!”

Yun Qing touched her forehead helplessly. Here we go again.

Li Siniang wanted to tug at Yun Qing’s trouser leg but feared being disrespectful. She nervously pinched her fingers and said tearfully, “Immortal lady, please save my child!”

Yun Qing pulled her up and said, “To save him, we must find his lost soul.”

“Where do we find it?”

Yun Qing frowned and answered, “I don’t know. However, if we can discover why he lost his soul, perhaps we can recover the earth soul.”

Hearing this, Cheng Suiyan couldn’t help saying, “If that’s the case, let’s go to Linglong City and see. Look how pitiful they are.”

Fu Xue nodded in agreement.

Yun Qing, however, remained silent, stroking her chin.

Jiang Baiyu asked, “Yun Qing, do you have some concerns?”

Yun Qing shook her head. “It’s nothing. Perhaps I’m overthinking. Let’s go to Linglong City.”

****

Linglong City was situated at the foot of Linglong Mountain.

The peaks of Linglong Mountain stretched continuously. It was said that the mountain contained countless interconnected caves, naturally formed yet magnificent, hence the name Linglong Mountain.

A great river wound its way past the southern side of Linglong Mountain. Originally called Wangqing River, people later named it Linglong River after the mountain.

At the foot of Linglong Mountain, Linglong River had carved out a stretch of fertile fields. Linglong City was built alongside the mountain and river, enjoying the majestic landscape and abundant rice and fish, making it a prosperous and wealthy city.

If one stood on the highest peak of Linglong Mountain and looked down, the entire mountain resembled a graceful beauty lying with her head toward the south, with Linglong River like a necklace wrapped around her neck.

Naturally, Linglong City was the brilliant pearl adorning this necklace.

In the entire kingdom’s territory, Linglong City was a unique existence.

Legend had it that three hundred years ago, a man named Chu Xiangzhi fought alongside the founding emperor in conquests across the land. After establishing the empire, fearing the emperor might grow suspicious of his merits, he requested to retire to the mountains.

The emperor, not wanting to appear ungrateful to those who had helped him, decreed that Linglong City be granted to him and made him a king of different surname.

Chu Xiangzhi was a man who knew how to handle situations. Although the emperor made him a king of different surname, he refused to call himself king, preferring to be known as the Lord of Linglong City. He repeatedly claimed he was merely the emperor’s servant, helping the emperor manage Linglong City, and requested that the court send troops and local officials to co-manage the city.

The emperor, pleased with his wisdom, naturally complied.

Thus, they reached a balance.

As Lord of Linglong City, Chu Xiangzhi was the most prestigious person in the city. He kept half of the city’s tax revenue for himself while submitting the other half to the imperial court.

Furthermore, the Chu family had considerable power in appointing and removing officials in Linglong City, essentially controlling the local government.

The imperial court, meanwhile, controlled Linglong City’s military, maintaining supervision and control over the city. Considering this arrangement, even after the regime stabilized, the emperor wasn’t in a hurry to reduce the Chu family’s power.

It was said that over three hundred years, the imperial court had considered eliminating the Chu family and completely taking over Linglong City, but strangely, these plans always faded away.

The Chu family gradually took root and flourished in Linglong City. After three hundred years, their family branches were numerous. Therefore, Linglong City also had another name: “Chu Family City.”

……

They rented a carriage and traveled west along the river.

It was early autumn, with autumn waters stretching beneath the vast sky, forests tinged with color, wild geese flying in formation overhead, and reeds swaying as oranges ripened.

The group stood by the riverside, playing their swords and singing to the red sun over the river. The sunset stretched the shadows of the young people very long.

The carriage carrying Li Siniang and her son reached Linglong City after three days.

From a distance, they saw a towering city wall. Many people carrying loads or driving carts moved in and out of the city gate, creating a steady stream of traffic.

Fu Xue was excited. Since leaving Guangling City, it had been a long time since she had seen such a large city. She tugged at Yun Qing’s sleeve, pointing at the soldiers checking identities in front of the city gate. “Senior sister, look!”

Yun Qing stood before the city, surveying it, but didn’t notice anything unusual.

After verifying their identities, they entered the city smoothly.

Linglong City was different from Guangling City. Guangling City had both water and land routes, developed transportation, and gathered merchants. Its people, influenced by commerce, were generally quick-witted.

Linglong City had naturally advantageous farmland. The common people depended on the weather for their livelihoods, lived comfortably, and lacked the “pioneering spirit,” leading to a more leisurely and comfortable life.

Merchants from distant places came to Linglong City bringing various specialties like fabrics, porcelain, treasures, and spices, exchanging them for grain and fine wine from Linglong City.

Linglong City produced a type of fine wine reportedly invented by Chu Xiangzhi. Legend had it that after drinking it, Chu Xiangzhi had once slept for three years. Upon waking, he asked his family what year it was, thus the wine was named “Don’t Know the Year.”

Yun Qing and her companions naturally wanted to taste this special wine, but first, they needed to accompany Li Siniang back to the Liu family.

The Liu family lived in the southeast corner of Linglong City. To reach the Liu household, they needed to follow Zhuque Street eastward.

Zhuque Street was more than ten zhang wide and very bustling. Yun Qing carefully observed the street and indeed saw foolish-looking beggars, and quite a few of them.

In an elegant room on the second floor of a grand, beautiful restaurant by Zhuque Street, two people sat facing each other, with four or five attendants serving them.

The two seated individuals, a man and a woman, were quite distinct. The man was fair and handsome, refined in appearance, with natural smiling eyes.

The woman was extremely pretty, with willow-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes that tilted slightly upward. Her red lips moved as she spoke, while the man listened quietly, occasionally nodding in agreement.

From a distance, they noticed several eye-catching men and women walking on Zhuque Street, accompanied by a carriage. Due to the crowded street, they weren’t moving quickly.

These individuals were strikingly handsome and beautiful, causing passersby to turn and look.

“Brother Ai, look!” The phoenix-eyed woman pointed at them and said to the man before her.

The smiling-eyed man looked in the direction she indicated. When he saw them, amazement flashed in his eyes. “My, are there such people in Linglong City? I wasn’t aware. They must be outsiders.”

The phoenix-eyed woman raised her hand to summon one of her attendants, a man with deep, fierce features, and said, “Chu Xing, come and look.”

The man named Chu Xing respectfully replied “Yes,” walked to the window, looked down, and then sincerely evaluated:

“Those two women are indeed beautiful, but far less beautiful than you, Young Miss. Those two men are indeed handsome, but far less refined than the Second Young Master.”

The phoenix-eyed woman rolled her eyes. “Did I ask you to look at their faces? Look at their swords!”

Chu Xing quickly said, “That giant sword, and the dark sword of the woman in red, are truly extraordinary.”

The phoenix-eyed woman seemed somewhat satisfied. “Chu Xing, in your opinion, among those four people, who has the best swordsmanship?”

“In this servant’s view, the woman in red has the best swordsmanship.”

The smiling-eyed man was surprised and looked out the window again. “It’s her? A girl?”

Whoosh—

As he finished speaking, a pink figure flew out the window.

The smiling-eyed man called out anxiously, “Hey, little sister!”

Chu Xing explained, “The Young Miss has gone to challenge her to a sword duel.”

“I know! Quick, stop her!”