Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 40

“Sister Yun Qing, you say a demon has entered the mansion?!”

“Yes,” Yun Qing nodded with a serious expression. “I’m sure I didn’t make a mistake.”

At this moment, several people were sitting in the Flower Pavilion, where maids had served hot tea and night snacks.

Yun Qing held a cup of tea and continued. “I chased it all the way to your family temple, where I lost track of it. While searching, I happened to meet City Lord Chu.” After speaking, she secretly observed Chu Yanzhang.

Chu Yanzhang lightly stroked the edge of his chin with his index finger. Noticing Yun Qing watching him, he awkwardly withdrew his hand and said:

“I was handling official documents when I heard someone passing across the roof. I went out to follow and investigate, but acted before asking questions. That was my mistake.”

Yun Qing could understand Chu Yanzhang. Putting herself in his position, if a stranger ran into one’s family temple in the middle of the night to rifle through ancestral tablets, that was indeed suspicious behavior—any response would be justified.

She smiled and shook her head, “City Lord Chu is too polite.”

Chu Yanchuan said, “Big Brother, you’re working too hard. The paperwork never ends, but you still need proper rest.”

Chu Yanhe seemed to remember something and looked anxiously toward Chu Yanzhang, “Big Brother, it really has come!”

Yun Qing raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you know what this creature is?”

Chu Yanchuan explained, “We don’t know. But last year a wandering Daoist passed through here, met my eldest brother on the road, and said he would face a calamity in his twenty-seventh year. That’s this year.”

Chu Yanzhang frowned and said, “Why do you take the nonsense of a street charlatan seriously? I have lived an upright life and fear no evil spirits or heretics.”

Yun Qing had initially wanted to ask for his birth details to calculate his fortune, but hearing him speak this way, she abandoned the idea.

This City Lord Chu made a good point. Even with the highest level of divination skill, no one could be absolutely certain—there was always room for variables. It was said this was the sliver of hope left by Fu Xi when he first drew the trigrams.

Since the Chu siblings had treated them well, Yun Qing thought for a moment and said, “Please bring me some red thread.”

A maid quickly entered carrying a tray. Jiang Baiyu, knowing what Yun Qing intended to do, reached toward the tray and spoke his first words since entering the pavilion. “Let me do it.”

Yun Qing thought this was fine—after all, Baiyu’s cultivation level was higher than hers.

Jiang Baiyu took the thread between his fingers, lowered his gaze, and softly chanted an incantation. The delicate murmuring echoed in the quiet room. Chu Yanhe held her breath, listening to the mysterious whispers, her mind momentarily dazed.

After completing the spell, Jiang Baiyu placed the thread back on the tray, and the maid brought it before Chu Yanzhang.

Jiang Baiyu said, “Tie this thread around your wrist. Ordinary demons won’t be able to approach you. If you’re attacked by a powerful demon, we’ll know immediately.”

Chu Yanzhang nodded, “Thank you.”

With that matter settled, Yun Qing brought up another issue. “Who is the figure sitting in the shrine of the eastern side hall in your family temple? I’ve never seen such a statue before.”

Chu Yanzhang answered, “This is a household deity worshipped by our Chu family. His origins are mysterious and lost to time. I only know he’s called ‘Qingcheng Zi’.”

Yun Qing thought to herself that this was the first time she’d encountered such a narcissistic Daoist title.

“Why does he have no face?” she asked.

All three siblings shook their heads in bewilderment.

Yun Qing and Jiang Baiyu exchanged a glance but said nothing more.

****

Early the next morning, after Fu Xue and Cheng Suiyan woke up, the four of them had breakfast together, and Yun Qing told them about the previous night’s events.

Fu Xue held a steamed bun shaped like a peony flower, tearing off the layered petals one by one to eat, while saying:

“What kind of person would give themselves the title ‘City-Toppling One’? When I attain enlightenment, I’ll call myself ‘Heavenly Fairy.'”

(TL: 傾城子 Qingchengzi= 傾城 (qīng chéng) = “city-toppling” or “to cause a city to fall,” which is often used to describe someone extraordinarily beautiful, like “a beauty that could topple a city” in Chinese literature.)

Cheng Suiyan laughed, “Then when I attain enlightenment, I’ll call myself ‘Handsome Man.’ Yun Qing, what Daoist name would you choose?”

“I haven’t decided,” Yun Qing shook her head, then smiled at Jiang Baiyu and asked him, “Baiyu, do you have a Daoist name?”

Daoist names were typically chosen after attaining enlightenment, and some people even changed their names if they weren’t satisfied. Yun Qing believed that with Jiang Baiyu’s cultivation level, he must have attained enlightenment, but she didn’t know if he had chosen a name.

Jiang Baiyu saw her smiling eyes and sensed mischief. He indeed hadn’t chosen a Daoist name yet, so he silently shook his head.

Yun Qing: “Let me give you a Daoist name, shall I?”

“Hmm?”

“From now on, you shall be called—Fragrant Young Master.”

“Hahaha!” Cheng Suiyan and Fu Xue roared with laughter, holding their peony buns.

A muscle twitched at Jiang Baiyu’s brow as he made a motion to draw his sword. “You rogue, taste my blade!”

Yun Qing giggled and pressed down on his arm. “Calm down, calm down. I have something serious to discuss.”

Jiang Baiyu glanced at her hand on his arm and said, “Speak.”

“The faceless household deity—what does it remind you of?”

Fu Xue stirred a bowl of rice porridge flavored with osmanthus honey and answered, “I can only think of the Way of Formlessness.”

Jiang Baiyu nodded. “That was my first thought as well.”

So was Yun Qing’s.

Cheng Suiyan, seeing them exchanging glances and nodding as if speaking in riddles, grew impatient. “What is the Way of Formlessness? Tell me quickly.”

Fu Xue explained it to him.

The Way of Formlessness cultivated changeability. Those who attained enlightenment could transform into the appearance of others. The higher their cultivation, the more forms they could take. Upon reaching a certain level, they could transform not only into other people but also into birds and beasts.

It was said that after ascending to immortality, practitioners of the Way of Formlessness became even more protean—they could transform into gold and silver vessels, plants and rocks, all manner of things—even becoming a white cloud or a gentle breeze.

A thousand changes and ten thousand transformations—all forms becoming formlessness—hence the name Way of Formlessness.

“Currently, the most famous practitioner of the Way of Formlessness in the jianghu is the wife of the Huayang Sect leader, Qin Ranqing, whose Daoist name is Thousand Mechanisms Immortal. That’s Baiyu’s mother.”

Cheng Suiyan looked at Jiang Baiyu and asked eagerly, “Really? Can your mother transform to look like me?”

Jiang Baiyu made an affirmative sound and added, “Just the appearance is the same.”

“That’s still amazing. Perhaps she knows this Qingcheng Zi.”

Jiang Baiyu pressed his lips together but ultimately said nothing.

……

Today, the Chu siblings took Yun Qing’s group to a villa in the outskirts.

Besides its exquisite pavilions, towers, bridges, and flowing waters, this villa’s most distinctive feature was its many osmanthus trees, each two to three hundred years old—a magnificent sight.

Hence the villa was called “Osmanthus Garden.”

In this season, the autumn wind carried the scent of the ancient osmanthus trees, filling the entire garden with a rich fragrance.

The Chu siblings had invited familiar friends to join them and arranged a crab feast in the garden. Each crab weighed six to seven ounces, served steaming hot and bright red, along with pre-marinated drunken crabs.

Yun Qing disliked the trouble of eating crab. She admitted the leg meat was delicious, but extracting it was too much effort.

Fu Xue prepared a shell full of crab roe and leg meat, smiling as she handed it to her. “Senior Sister, this is for you.”

Cheng Suiyan joined in, offering his own preparation, “Yun Qing, eat mine.”

Jiang Baiyu remained silent, simply placing his prepared crab roe and meat in front of Yun Qing.

Just then, Chu Yanhe came running with a crab shell, her pale yellow sash embroidered with osmanthus flowers fluttering as she ran.

She ran while smiling like a flower, proudly announcing. “Sister Yun Qing, I prepared this for you!”

Yun Qing looked down at the four portions of prepared crab meat and roe in front of her, then glanced at the four faces, swallowing.

For some reason, the atmosphere felt somewhat tense.

Cheng Suiyan hadn’t expected that being a sycophant would be so competitive, which roused his competitive spirit. He looked at Yun Qing with a half-smile and asked, “Which one will you eat?”

The other three also silently watched Yun Qing.

“I’ll eat them all. I can eat as many as there are,” Yun Qing gave an entirely correct answer.

Seeing this, Chu Yanchuan smiled and advised, “Crabs are extremely cold in nature. Women shouldn’t eat too many.”

Yun Qing laughed, “My yang fire is strong—I don’t fear cold foods.”

She gathered all the prepared crab into one large plate and poured a cup of wine, intending to eat slowly.

Unexpectedly, Fu Xue suddenly asked, “Which one will you eat first?” With this question, the others’ gazes turned to her again.

Yun Qing: “……”

Good junior sister, you’re really making things difficult…

Under their watchful eyes, Yun Qing reached for a large bowl of rice on the table, dumped all the crab roe and meat into it, mixed it thoroughly with the rice, and smiled, “Of course I’ll eat them all together.”

She thought to herself, I’m really so clever.

……

Halfway through the banquet, Jiang Baiyu stood by the pond watching small deer grazing on the grass at the foot of a distant hill. Chu Yanchuan approached and said, “Baiyu, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

The two walked behind a corridor and stood under an osmanthus tree.

Chu Yanchuan chatted pleasantly with Jiang Baiyu, asking about his hometown, then about his parents and family.

Jiang Baiyu wasn’t talkative; usually Chu Yanchuan asked, and he answered.

After an awkward conversation for a while, Chu Yanchuan suddenly asked, “Baiyu, do you have someone you care for?”

Jiang Baiyu remained silent for a moment, then said, “What are you trying to say?”

“If you don’t have someone in your heart, what do you think of my younger sister? Though she’s somewhat spoiled, she’s innocent, kind-hearted, and lively. One quiet, one active—you two would make a good match.”

Jiang Baiyu frowned slightly. In his eyes, Chu Yanhe was just a rambunctious young girl—how could they be a good match?

Seeing his frown, Chu Yanchuan smiled, “To be honest, my eldest brother and I have been worrying about our sister’s marriage. We’ve looked at many families these past two years, but she didn’t like any of them and doesn’t want to marry far away.

I’ve noticed she seems to have a good impression of you. If you married her, you could live in Linglong City. Our Chu family would certainly treat you well, and naturally, it wouldn’t affect your cultivation.

You could also return to Huayang Mountain if you wished, just come back to stay for two or three months each year… Why not spend these days getting to know each other better? Fate is a curious thing.”

Jiang Baiyu patiently listened to the end, then shook his head. “I’m devoted to seeking the Dao and have no interest in such matters. You should find another good match for your sister.”

Chu Yanchuan hadn’t expected him to refuse so directly, especially since in his eyes, his sister was truly a clever and adorable young woman with striking features.

He shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “If that’s the case, I won’t insist. Should you change your mind after spending time together these days, be sure to let me know.”

“Won’t change my mind.”

After Chu Yanchuan left, Jiang Baiyu said to the space behind him, “Come out.”

A figure in fiery red emerged from behind the corridor.

Yun Qing walked slowly before him with her hands behind her back. The breeze scattered osmanthus blossoms, and autumn transformed into golden fragments that settled on her shoulders.

She smiled, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

Jiang Baiyu made an affirmative sound, but thinking about the content Yun Qing had overheard made him feel uncomfortable.

Yun Qing hadn’t noticed this. She folded her arms, tilted her head slightly as she looked at him, and said with a grin:

“They were so sincere—why not accept their proposal? Yanhe is clever and adorable. Becoming the son-in-law of Linglong City would be quite prestigious. I think this marriage would be excellent, tsk tsk.”

Her teasing tone when discussing his lifelong commitment suddenly made him angry.

Mixed with the anger was a hint of grievance, sour and astringent, like eating an unripe green tangerine.

Emotions surged to his head in waves, and Jiang Baiyu suddenly gave a cold laugh, saying, “If you’re attracted to their wealth and status, you should stay. No need to speak of me.”

Yun Qing was momentarily stunned.

This was the first time she had seen him angry. As if witnessing something novel, she tilted her head and stared at his face. “Are you angry?”

Jiang Baiyu turned his face away, neither looking at her nor speaking, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles at the corners of his mouth bulged slightly.

Yun Qing suddenly felt this person had become more animated. He was usually so reserved and controlled, even his smile carried traces of detachment, like an immortal in a painting rather than a living person.

“When you get angry—” Yun Qing smiled, “you seem more human.” She had initially wanted to say “more alive,” but fearing she might touch on unpleasant memories, she swallowed the word “alive.”

However, these words sounded particularly sarcastic to Jiang Baiyu. What logic was this—how was he not human before?

“What do you mean? Did I look like a dog before?” After saying this, he stormed off.

Yun Qing watched his retreating figure and awkwardly rubbed her nose.

What should she do? He seemed even angrier now…

How could she console him?