Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 42

Yun Qing looked up and saw Chu Yanzhang standing at the bottom of the steps. Everyone had been so engaged in conversation that they hadn’t noticed his arrival.

Today he wore deep red clothing, his attire as neat and meticulous as always. He frowned as he looked at them, the corners of his mouth turned downward, his face full of disapproval.

Fu Xue stood on the steps with her hands on her hips and looked down at Chu Yanzhang, saying, “Why can’t we go?”

Chu Yanhe, who revered her big brother, didn’t dare speak up and quietly hid behind Yun Qing.

Chu Yanchuan, however, didn’t hide, standing silently to one side, clearly not supporting his eldest brother either.

Chu Yanzhang glanced at his brother and sister but ultimately ignored them, instead addressing everyone. “I presume you all know that Linglong City offended the mountain god, resulting in many people inexplicably becoming mentally impaired each year. My Chu family hasn’t been spared—my second uncle and my great-uncle unfortunately suffered this fate. Do you know why Linglong City offended the mountain god?”

Yun Qing stepped forward and said, “If you’re referring to the woman who refused to become the mountain god’s bride over two hundred years ago, we already know about that.”

“Then why would you still take such a risk?”

“Precisely because we don’t want more pitiful girls to appear in this world. Isn’t that reason enough?”

“I know you have chivalrous hearts, but have you considered what would happen if this angers the mountain god and brings down even more punishment?”

“I don’t know. I only know that Linglong City, to avoid such potential punishment, sends innocent girls to their deaths every year. Do these girls deserve to die? Sacrificing the few for the many—is this Linglong City’s sense of justice? I’m sorry, but I cannot accept such justice.”

Chu Yanchuan listened with excitement, looking at Yun Qing with admiration.

Chu Yanzhang shook his head with a bitter smile, his gaze falling on a slightly yellowed patch of grass by the pond, his eyes filled with sadness. He said softly, “Do you think I don’t understand these principles? But what good is understanding? If you were the city lord of Linglong, would you choose the death of one person or an entire city?”

“City Lord Chu,” Yun Qing crossed her arms and looked into his eyes, asking, “Do you think the woman who took her own life over two hundred years ago was wrong?”

Chu Yanzhang remained silent.

Yun Qing continued, “I don’t think she was wrong. She was just a pitiable person whose fate was not her own. To be honest, I even admire her a little. She couldn’t decide her destiny, but at least she could decide her life.”

Chu Yanzhang suddenly raised his head, his phoenix eyes filled with shock.

Yun Qing added, “If I were the city lord of Linglong City, I would find a way to control my own fate, and would never put lives in the hands of a vague and distant mountain god. Whether it’s one life or the life of an entire city.”

“By what right?” he asked.

She smiled slightly and replied, “By the right of the sword in my hand.”

****

After Chu Yanzhang left, Chu Yanchuan said, “Yun Qing, don’t be angry. My big brother, as the city lord of Linglong City, has his difficulties.”

“Yes, yes,” Chu Yanhe said, “Big brother is actually a very good person, just somewhat cold on the outside but warm-hearted inside. When he heard about the severe border troubles in the northwest and how the people were suffering, he left a letter and went to join the army. He was only seventeen then and took only a spear with him. He stayed at the border for many years and even became a general, receiving praise from the emperor! He only returned last year when our father fell seriously ill.”

Cheng Suiyan nodded, “So it was him. I think I’ve heard of his exploits.” Though at the time, it was just casual conversation he had listened to without remembering the name.

Fu Xue smiled, “I wouldn’t have guessed that this city lord is also a person with such passion for justice.”

“Yes, and sometimes he’s quite adorable. A few days ago, I bought many tanghulu candies to share with everyone. He refused to eat any, but I caught him secretly eating them when no one was looking.”

Fu Xue, as if having found a kindred spirit, exclaimed, “Well, how bad can someone who loves tanghulu really be?”

Cheng Suiyan was very interested in Yun Qing’s divination skills and said, “Yun Qing, why don’t you divine whether our mission will be successful?”

Yun Qing thought for a moment, “Very well.”

Divination had always been ever-changing and full of wondrous techniques. All things connect to the Dao, and in theory, all things could serve as materials for divination.

For instance, Le Chenzi had previously used tortoise shells, feathers, tea, and even fruit pits left by Fu Xue for divination.

Yun Qing noticed that Cheng Suiyan and the Chu siblings were staring at her with bright eyes, and Jiang Baiyu was also watching her with a smile.

Being young and spirited, she felt the urge to show off, so she plucked a pale yellow chrysanthemum for divination.

On the stone table in the pavilion, she used the small brush that Cheng Suiyan had been taking notes with to draw a simple Hetu and Luoshu diagram. Yun Qing delicately held the chrysanthemum, channeled her cultivation, held spiritual energy in her mouth, and gently blew on the flower.

The fresh petals floated down, scattering across the Hetu and Luoshu diagram.

Yun Qing observed the distribution of petals on the diagram while stroking her chin, and said, “Earth fire illuminates the darkness, obscurity transforms to brightness, fortune and misfortune intermingled, wind and rain alternating with clear skies.”

“Fortune and misfortune intermingled, fortune and misfortune intermingled,” Cheng Suiyan repeated these four words, then asked Yun Qing, “What’s the fortune, and what’s the misfortune?”

Yun Qing shook her head, “I don’t know. I can’t divine that precisely yet.”

Fu Xue said, “The fortune must surely apply to my senior sister, and as for the misfortune…” she looked at Cheng Suiyan, “your spiritual power is the weakest, so it will most likely fall upon you.”

“Why can’t it be you?” he asked.

“Impossible! I’m carrying an invincible treasure that my senior sister refined for me.”

“Really? Let’s see it.”

Fu Xue proudly raised her head and took something out from her pouch of treasures at her waist, extending her hand toward Cheng Suiyan without even looking at it.

Chu Yanchuan and Chu Yanhe were also curious, but when they saw what was in her hand, the siblings’ expressions froze.

Cheng Suiyan burst into laughter. “Your invincible treasure is a century egg? Indeed invincible—you pull out a century egg while fighting, your opponent would be stunned, creating an opportunity to strike. Hahaha!”

Fu Xue’s expression changed as she looked down at her hand. Her face flushed red, and she quickly withdrew her hand. “No, no, that’s wrong, it’s not this.”

Cheng Suiyan laughed, “You don’t need to explain. It is this! I truly appreciate century eggs; they suit you perfectly, haha!”

“You’re making me furious! Taste my sword!”

****

From the thirteenth to the fifteenth of August, the dock hosted three days of opera performances, along with acrobatics, oral performances, and magic shows. At night, there were even fireworks, making it as festive as the Lantern Festival.

The bride-sending was always a grand occasion in Linglong City.

Not far from the dock stood a residence decorated with red flowers, red silk, and red lanterns, making it look like a huge mountain of red flowers. The red cloth almost turned a corner of the sky red.

A banquet was being held in the courtyard.

People were drinking and laughing, one by one approaching to congratulate a certain man. This man was thin and dark, wearing newly tailored clothes made of fine silk, looking like a monkey who had stolen human clothing.

He stood in the middle of the crowd, awkwardly not knowing where to put his hands and feet, forcing a smile as people came up to congratulate him for raising a good daughter who would become the mountain god’s wife.

The man accepted all toasts, drinking one cup after another. On his fingers that held the wine cup remained a layer of black dirt beneath the nails that couldn’t be washed clean.

In a room in the back courtyard of this residence, a woman wearing an exquisite red wedding dress sat on a large red bed.

The woman’s features were somewhat delicate, her face powdered, while the skin on her neck and the backs of her hands was darker in color.

Even through the door, she could hear the joyful sounds from the banquet outside, as well as the faint noises from the distant dock.

People had always been skilled at disguising horror with festivities and masking the sinister with celebration.

The woman listened to those sounds, her expression darkening as she looked down blankly at a large red flower made of silk in her hands. After a moment, small wet spots appeared on the red flower.

Standing beside the woman was a brightly dressed woman who looked like a matchmaker. Seeing her cry, the matchmaker frowned and said, “Today is Fifth Miss’s big day, it’s not good to cry, you might bring bad luck.”

The woman addressed as Fifth Miss sighed and replied, “Do you think I don’t know what day this is? In hundreds of years, of hundreds of mountain god wives, has even one ever returned alive?”

The matchmaker opened her mouth but said nothing.

Fifth Miss said, “My parents raised me to adulthood, and today I will repay their kindness with my life. You’ve watched over me for a year, which must have been hard work. Go have a drink.”

The matchmaker smiled awkwardly, saying, “It wasn’t hard at all,” but didn’t dare to go for a drink.

After the banquet ended, Fifth Miss got into the bridal sedan chair.

The wedding procession included a matchmaker, four musicians, and two shifts of eight sedan bearers. Since it would take three hours to walk from the dock to where the bride would alight, the bearers would take turns.

Everyone at the dock came to see the bride depart. Amid the cheerful and festive music, the fire-red sedan chair bobbed along as it departed.

Fifth Miss’s heart gradually grew cold.

After some time, the sedan chair stopped.

Fifth Miss gripped her hands tightly, almost breaking her rough fingers.

Suddenly, a hand lifted the sedan curtain. Fifth Miss saw the ground outside the door illuminated white by the moon, and half of a slender, upright figure.

Then a voice said, “Come out.” It was an extremely pleasant female voice.

So the mountain god was a woman?

Fifth Miss was stunned for a moment before lifting her skirt and stepping out of the sedan chair. Her legs were sore from sitting for so long, and she almost fell.

The figure caught her with one hand.

In the moonlight, Fifth Miss saw that it was an extremely beautiful young woman, also wearing a red wedding dress. Behind her stood about eight or nine people, while the entire wedding procession lay scattered on the ground.

Seeing her confusion, the woman smiled and said, “You are free now.”

In that instant, Fifth Miss felt she must have encountered an immortal.

Without thinking, she fell to her knees with a thud. “Immortal lady!”

Yun Qing: “…” Not again.

Yun Qing skillfully helped her up and asked, “Do you want to go home, or would you like us to escort you away, to leave Linglong City forever?”

Fifth Miss suddenly burst into tears. “I won’t go home. My parents sold me to the Chongshen Society. I never want to see them again in my life!”

Yun Qing then said to someone behind her, “Chu Xing, I’ll leave this to you.”

Chu Xing bowed to Yun Qing. “My lady, please rest assured. I will safely escort her to Guangling. Our young miss’s maternal family is the Zhang clan of Guangling, and they will surely take good care of this lady.”

Chu Xing and his group had naturally been sent by Chu Yanhe.

When Chu Yanhe heard they were taking action tonight, she insisted on participating. Chu Yanchuan knew this was wishful thinking and persuaded her not to cause trouble for Yun Qing and the others, only suggesting that Yun Qing take along Chu Xing and several other guards from the city lord’s mansion.

Before Chu Xing left with Fifth Miss, Yun Qing said to her, “Consider that you’ve died once today.”

Fifth Miss nodded and, gathering her courage, asked, “Immortal lady, why did you save me?”

Yun Qing smiled silently. “I was once saved by someone too.”

“Then I will also save others in the future!”

“Good.”