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Chapter 5
Yan Zhengming’s att.i.tude was impertinent. His gesture of beckoning Cheng Qian was like calling a dog. His words and behaviors instantly brought Cheng Qian to himself from the amazement. Cheng Qian had never been liked by others since birth. As a result, he fundamentally felt inferior. As time pa.s.sed, the sense of inferiority seeped into his bones and transformed into intense self-esteem verging on paranoia. A simple look would be enough to arouse his hostility, much less such an offensive gesture. Cheng Qian looked as if he’d had a bucket of cold water poured over him in a severe winter. With no expression on his frozen face, he moved forward and evaded Yan Zhengming’s outstretched hand, then he routinely bowed to him in salute saying, “First Senior Brother.” Yan Zhengming craned to have a good look at him. With his move, a whiff of perfume of orchids, which was strong enough to expel worms, enveloped Cheng Qian. G.o.d knows how many times he had scented his clothes.
But this young master was seemingly bad at reading other’s face, at least he didn’t take note that Cheng Qian was on the edge of an eruption of anger. He even leisurely sized Cheng Qian up as if he was examining the goods. He probably reckoned Cheng Qian to be pa.s.sably pleasing to the eye, as he nodded negligently and expressed his sincere hope for his junior brother regardless of others’ reactions. “Not bad. Hope time will not ruin your face.” He said bluntly. With that, to display the due amiability of first senior brother, the young master stretched himself to brush his palm over Cheng Qian’s head and took it as a friendly pat. Then he instructed perfunctorily, “Now I have seen the ‘Grievance’ and ‘Injustice’ (make fun of Han Yuan’s name), Master, you can lead them off — um, Yu-er [1](a maid), give some pine-nut candies to him… each of them.” Muchun Zhenren’s face twitched a bit. He suddenly had a strange feeling that the two kids he brought was not the unworthy apprentice’s junior brothers but rather his maids. … and maids whose appearances weren’t very pleasing. Pine-nut candies were not common candies. They were kept in a small exquisite sachet with every one being plump. There was a glittering and translucent frosting on the surface, giving off an ineffable refreshing fragrance. In reality, poor children would hardly get the chance to eat such exquisite snacks. But Cheng Qian showed no interest. No sooner had he walked out of the room than he thrusted the sachet into Han Yuan’s hand. “This is for Junior Brother.” He said offhandedly. Han Yuan was dumbfounded by his “generosity”. Embarra.s.sed, he took it with mixed feelings. In the world where people like him were all struggling for survival like stray dogs, the little beggar had been accustomed to scrambling for food all the time. Who would have the energy to care for others? Han Yuan felt a momentary warmth in the heart and got a big, crazy misunderstanding simultaneously — maybe his little senior brother wasn’t weak or vulnerable at all. Instead, he was really magnanimous and treated him sincerely. Muchun Zhenren wasn’t easily fooled. He clearly saw Cheng Qian clap his hands with antipathy as if he had touched something dirty. He understood at once that Cheng Qian’s giving away his candies was not an act of modesty but because he was purely disinclined to show respect for his monster-like first senior brother. But by the way, the strongest temptation a kid at his age could face was no more than food and drinks, Cheng Qian actually resisted that without even a look. Muchun Zhenren thought with a tinge of emotion, “This brat is too hard-hearted. He is doomed to be a demon if he fails to be a hero.” As thus, little b.a.s.t.a.r.d Cheng Qian was formally admitted into Fuyao Sect. He had a dreamless sleep in Qing’an Dwelling for the first night until a quarter to four the next day, having no trouble sleeping in a new place and no nostalgia for home. The next morning, Xueqing changed his clothes into a robe and combed a knot out of his hair, dressing him up smartly. Normally, kids under twenty didn’t need to bind up their hair and wear caps. But according to Xueqing, he was no longer an ordinary kid since he was now in an immortal sect. The biggest distinction between poultry sects and pheasant ones was that pheasant sects were entirely mucking about, while poultry sects apparently had considerable resources even though their historical sources were not quite clear. For example, the talismans. Priceless talismans in legends were almost everywhere, even trees and stones were carved with charms. Pointing at the charms on the root of a tree, Xueqing said to Cheng Qian, “If Third Martial Uncle gets lost in the mountain, just ask these stones and trees.” Xueqing came forward to do a demonstration. He whispered to the root, “To ‘Unknown Hall’ — Unknown Hall is Sect Leader’s residence. Martial Uncle, today you should go there and receive a lecture to be initiated into the sect.” Cheng Qian forgot to reply, because he was caught up in the spectacular scene that the root was giving off faint fluorescence. The sky just got light but the sun was yet to come up. Luminous spots as shiny as moonlight cl.u.s.tered together and decorated the dark, suffusing the forest with some magical auras. These tiny spots floated through the air and attached themselves to other stones and trees, and finally twisted into a gleaming pathway through the woods. Although this wasn’t the first magic tool Cheng Qian had seen, it was the first useful one! Xueqing was a good mind reader. He knew this kid was odd-natured and willful, so seeing he was fascinated, Xueqing didn’t point it out straightforward and waited until he recovered. Then he reminded collectedly, “Third Martial Uncle, this way, please. Follow the light.” Only when he was walking on the path paved with fluorescence, did Cheng Qian start to feel that he was turning into another kind of person and was going to lead another kind of life. “Brother Xueqing, who made these?” Asked Cheng Qian. Xueqing failed to correct Cheng Qian’s form of address, so he just let him be. Hearing the question, he answered, “Sect Leader.” Cheng Qian was shocked again, he found it hard to believe. Not long ago, in Cheng Qian’s eyes, his master was still a funny long-neck pheasant that was neither attractive nor useful — could it be possible that he was actually not a swindler? Could he have any uncanny powers? Was Master invincible and able to control the forces of nature? Cheng Qian imagined that with sort of disbelief, but found it remained difficult for him to generate real awe of his master. Following the gleaming pathway, Xueqing led Cheng Qian to the Unknown Hall. In fact, “Unknown Hall” was a small thatched cottage, with no magic tools and no tablet above the door. There was a palm-sized plate at the entrance, though, crudely carved with a beast head, which Cheng Qian found vaguely familiar, but the name just escaped him for the moment. Next to the beast head was a line of characters, it read “not know a thing”. The cottage suddenly gave Cheng a false impression that he was back at his home in the countryside, for it was too modest with nearly nothing. There was a lonely yard in front of the door; a table with three legs was set there and a stone was placed where the fourth leg should be. Cracks appeared everywhere on the tabletop. Muchun Zhenren sat bolt upright behind the table, staring at a saucer attentively. The saucer was a roughly made pottery, whose shape was between round and square and the bottom was uneven. Several rusty copper coins were scattered on it, they together created an indescribable eerie atmosphere. Cheng Qian paused in spite of himself, for a split second, he felt the master staring at the coins was quite awe-inspiring. “What does Sect Leader detect from the Divinatory Trigrams today?” Xueqing smiled. Hearing that, the sect leader put away the copper coins solemnly. Tucking his hands into sleeves, he said slowly, “Tao of Heaven implies, chicken stewed with mushrooms should be on today’s menu.” When he said that, he stuck up his mustache a bit, rolled his eyes and sniffed slightly, expressing his true pulse of craving. The instant Cheng Qian saw his expression, he found it familiar. Then he suddenly connected it with the plate at the entrance and the conclusion came to his mind — the beast head on the plate was a weasel! Ignorant countrymen knew nothing about oracles, much less Buddhist and Taoist scriptures. Even the G.o.ds they pray to were totally fake, and hence unorthodox “immortals” like “Immortal Yellow” and “Immortal Green” had wormed their way into orthodox ones, and became household names. “Immortal Yellow” referred to weasel spirits, and “Immortal Green” referred to snake spirits, which was also called “House-Protecting Snake”. It was said that enshrining the two immortals could protect one’s house and keep his family safe and sound. Cheng Qian had seen a memorial tablet set up for Immortal Yellow in his village, there was just such a beast head on it. Come to think of this and take a look at Muchun, he saw that he was scrawny with a small head, a lantern jaw, a long waist and short legs… he looked like a weasel spirit in every aspect. With such inexpressible doubts and complicated emotions, Cheng Qian stepped forward and saluted to his master who was suspected to be a weasel spirit. His master gestured at him and chuckled, “Don’t stand on ceremony, that’s pedantic. Fuyao Sect doesn’t have such etiquettes.” “What do you have then? Chicken stewed with mushrooms?” Cheng Qian thought bitingly. At the very moment, Han Yan’s shouting penetrated through the air into their ears, “Master! Senior Brother!” He practiced what his master had only just preached, exclaiming right after he entered the room, “My G.o.d! What a shabby house!” Then he walked around the yard with the familiarity of a house owner, and stopped right before Cheng Qian. The little beggar with no long-term vision had been bought off with a sachet of candies. Now he firmly believed that Cheng Qian was genuinely good to him, and thus he stopped calling him “Senior Brother” enigmatically. He came up to pull Cheng Qian’s sleeves intimately, “Xiao-Qian [1], why didn’t you come to play with me yesterday?” Cheng Qian got annoyed on seeing him. He took a half step backwards quietly and withdrew his sleeves from his grasp, then he said stiffly, “Fourth Junior Brother.” Xueqing dressed Cheng Qian up as an adult. So he looked elegant and fine like a man made of jade, with his smooth forehead and slender eyebrows exposed. Supposing a man was made of jade, his solitariness would be forgivable. Han Yuan himself was a beggar without parents and cultivation. He was simple-minded — if he couldn’t bear the sight of someone, he would never possibly like him; while if he bought into the belief that someone a nice person, he would treat him well in turn — now for him, Cheng Qian was exactly the later. So he didn’t take offense at Cheng Qian’s indifference in the slightest, and he thought delightedly, “Unlike us that had a vagrant life, domesticated kids are shy; I have to look after him in future.” Although that was only his one-sided thinking. Muchun Zhenren’s eyes were small but very piercing. He stood aloof and looked on with indifference for a moment, but he finally couldn’t help interrupting Han Yuan’s acting cheap, “Xiao-Yuan, come here.” Han Yuan walked to the shaky table cheerfully, “Master, what do you want me for?” Looking him up and down, Muchun Zhenren said solemnly, “You’re older than your third senior brother, although you’re admitted into our sect later. So I have to admonish you first.” Weasel-like Master was ultimately Master. As he rarely adopted a stern countenance, Han Yuan straightened up his back involuntarily. “You have an active disposition; frivolity is your weakness.” Said Muchun, “I shall grant you ‘Solid Rock’ as your precept, which warns that you should avoid opportunism, vanity and distraction; which reminds you to focus your thoughts and not to slack off in any case. Understand?” Han Yuan lifted his head and wiped his runny nose. “Ah?” he uttered fuzzily — he didn’t understand a single word of the preach. Fortunately, Muchun paid no attention to his impoliteness. He turned to Cheng Qian after finishing his words. Only then did Cheng Qian find out that his master wasn’t born with a pair of bird eyes, but his eyelids folded inward slightly. In addition, his eyes were normally half closed and therefore looked as if they were roving. Now he opened his limpid eyes, revealing the contrast of black and white. His expression suddenly became very grave.
Yan Zhengming’s att.i.tude was impertinent. His gesture of beckoning Cheng Qian was like calling a dog. His words and behaviors instantly brought Cheng Qian to himself from the amazement. Cheng Qian had never been liked by others since birth. As a result, he fundamentally felt inferior. As time pa.s.sed, the sense of inferiority seeped into his bones and transformed into intense self-esteem verging on paranoia. A simple look would be enough to arouse his hostility, much less such an offensive gesture. Cheng Qian looked as if he’d had a bucket of cold water poured over him in a severe winter. With no expression on his frozen face, he moved forward and evaded Yan Zhengming’s outstretched hand, then he routinely bowed to him in salute saying, “First Senior Brother.” Yan Zhengming craned to have a good look at him. With his move, a whiff of perfume of orchids, which was strong enough to expel worms, enveloped Cheng Qian. G.o.d knows how many times he had scented his clothes.
But this young master was seemingly bad at reading other’s face, at least he didn’t take note that Cheng Qian was on the edge of an eruption of anger. He even leisurely sized Cheng Qian up as if he was examining the goods. He probably reckoned Cheng Qian to be pa.s.sably pleasing to the eye, as he nodded negligently and expressed his sincere hope for his junior brother regardless of others’ reactions. “Not bad. Hope time will not ruin your face.” He said bluntly. With that, to display the due amiability of first senior brother, the young master stretched himself to brush his palm over Cheng Qian’s head and took it as a friendly pat. Then he instructed perfunctorily, “Now I have seen the ‘Grievance’ and ‘Injustice’ (make fun of Han Yuan’s name), Master, you can lead them off — um, Yu-er [1](a maid), give some pine-nut candies to him… each of them.” Muchun Zhenren’s face twitched a bit. He suddenly had a strange feeling that the two kids he brought was not the unworthy apprentice’s junior brothers but rather his maids. … and maids whose appearances weren’t very pleasing. Pine-nut candies were not common candies. They were kept in a small exquisite sachet with every one being plump. There was a glittering and translucent frosting on the surface, giving off an ineffable refreshing fragrance. In reality, poor children would hardly get the chance to eat such exquisite snacks. But Cheng Qian showed no interest. No sooner had he walked out of the room than he thrusted the sachet into Han Yuan’s hand. “This is for Junior Brother.” He said offhandedly. Han Yuan was dumbfounded by his “generosity”. Embarra.s.sed, he took it with mixed feelings. In the world where people like him were all struggling for survival like stray dogs, the little beggar had been accustomed to scrambling for food all the time. Who would have the energy to care for others? Han Yuan felt a momentary warmth in the heart and got a big, crazy misunderstanding simultaneously — maybe his little senior brother wasn’t weak or vulnerable at all. Instead, he was really magnanimous and treated him sincerely. Muchun Zhenren wasn’t easily fooled. He clearly saw Cheng Qian clap his hands with antipathy as if he had touched something dirty. He understood at once that Cheng Qian’s giving away his candies was not an act of modesty but because he was purely disinclined to show respect for his monster-like first senior brother. But by the way, the strongest temptation a kid at his age could face was no more than food and drinks, Cheng Qian actually resisted that without even a look. Muchun Zhenren thought with a tinge of emotion, “This brat is too hard-hearted. He is doomed to be a demon if he fails to be a hero.” As thus, little b.a.s.t.a.r.d Cheng Qian was formally admitted into Fuyao Sect. He had a dreamless sleep in Qing’an Dwelling for the first night until a quarter to four the next day, having no trouble sleeping in a new place and no nostalgia for home. The next morning, Xueqing changed his clothes into a robe and combed a knot out of his hair, dressing him up smartly. Normally, kids under twenty didn’t need to bind up their hair and wear caps. But according to Xueqing, he was no longer an ordinary kid since he was now in an immortal sect. The biggest distinction between poultry sects and pheasant ones was that pheasant sects were entirely mucking about, while poultry sects apparently had considerable resources even though their historical sources were not quite clear. For example, the talismans. Priceless talismans in legends were almost everywhere, even trees and stones were carved with charms. Pointing at the charms on the root of a tree, Xueqing said to Cheng Qian, “If Third Martial Uncle gets lost in the mountain, just ask these stones and trees.” Xueqing came forward to do a demonstration. He whispered to the root, “To ‘Unknown Hall’ — Unknown Hall is Sect Leader’s residence. Martial Uncle, today you should go there and receive a lecture to be initiated into the sect.” Cheng Qian forgot to reply, because he was caught up in the spectacular scene that the root was giving off faint fluorescence. The sky just got light but the sun was yet to come up. Luminous spots as shiny as moonlight cl.u.s.tered together and decorated the dark, suffusing the forest with some magical auras. These tiny spots floated through the air and attached themselves to other stones and trees, and finally twisted into a gleaming pathway through the woods. Although this wasn’t the first magic tool Cheng Qian had seen, it was the first useful one! Xueqing was a good mind reader. He knew this kid was odd-natured and willful, so seeing he was fascinated, Xueqing didn’t point it out straightforward and waited until he recovered. Then he reminded collectedly, “Third Martial Uncle, this way, please. Follow the light.” Only when he was walking on the path paved with fluorescence, did Cheng Qian start to feel that he was turning into another kind of person and was going to lead another kind of life. “Brother Xueqing, who made these?” Asked Cheng Qian. Xueqing failed to correct Cheng Qian’s form of address, so he just let him be. Hearing the question, he answered, “Sect Leader.” Cheng Qian was shocked again, he found it hard to believe. Not long ago, in Cheng Qian’s eyes, his master was still a funny long-neck pheasant that was neither attractive nor useful — could it be possible that he was actually not a swindler? Could he have any uncanny powers? Was Master invincible and able to control the forces of nature? Cheng Qian imagined that with sort of disbelief, but found it remained difficult for him to generate real awe of his master. Following the gleaming pathway, Xueqing led Cheng Qian to the Unknown Hall. In fact, “Unknown Hall” was a small thatched cottage, with no magic tools and no tablet above the door. There was a palm-sized plate at the entrance, though, crudely carved with a beast head, which Cheng Qian found vaguely familiar, but the name just escaped him for the moment. Next to the beast head was a line of characters, it read “not know a thing”. The cottage suddenly gave Cheng a false impression that he was back at his home in the countryside, for it was too modest with nearly nothing. There was a lonely yard in front of the door; a table with three legs was set there and a stone was placed where the fourth leg should be. Cracks appeared everywhere on the tabletop. Muchun Zhenren sat bolt upright behind the table, staring at a saucer attentively. The saucer was a roughly made pottery, whose shape was between round and square and the bottom was uneven. Several rusty copper coins were scattered on it, they together created an indescribable eerie atmosphere. Cheng Qian paused in spite of himself, for a split second, he felt the master staring at the coins was quite awe-inspiring. “What does Sect Leader detect from the Divinatory Trigrams today?” Xueqing smiled. Hearing that, the sect leader put away the copper coins solemnly. Tucking his hands into sleeves, he said slowly, “Tao of Heaven implies, chicken stewed with mushrooms should be on today’s menu.” When he said that, he stuck up his mustache a bit, rolled his eyes and sniffed slightly, expressing his true pulse of craving. The instant Cheng Qian saw his expression, he found it familiar. Then he suddenly connected it with the plate at the entrance and the conclusion came to his mind — the beast head on the plate was a weasel! Ignorant countrymen knew nothing about oracles, much less Buddhist and Taoist scriptures. Even the G.o.ds they pray to were totally fake, and hence unorthodox “immortals” like “Immortal Yellow” and “Immortal Green” had wormed their way into orthodox ones, and became household names. “Immortal Yellow” referred to weasel spirits, and “Immortal Green” referred to snake spirits, which was also called “House-Protecting Snake”. It was said that enshrining the two immortals could protect one’s house and keep his family safe and sound. Cheng Qian had seen a memorial tablet set up for Immortal Yellow in his village, there was just such a beast head on it. Come to think of this and take a look at Muchun, he saw that he was scrawny with a small head, a lantern jaw, a long waist and short legs… he looked like a weasel spirit in every aspect. With such inexpressible doubts and complicated emotions, Cheng Qian stepped forward and saluted to his master who was suspected to be a weasel spirit. His master gestured at him and chuckled, “Don’t stand on ceremony, that’s pedantic. Fuyao Sect doesn’t have such etiquettes.” “What do you have then? Chicken stewed with mushrooms?” Cheng Qian thought bitingly. At the very moment, Han Yan’s shouting penetrated through the air into their ears, “Master! Senior Brother!” He practiced what his master had only just preached, exclaiming right after he entered the room, “My G.o.d! What a shabby house!” Then he walked around the yard with the familiarity of a house owner, and stopped right before Cheng Qian. The little beggar with no long-term vision had been bought off with a sachet of candies. Now he firmly believed that Cheng Qian was genuinely good to him, and thus he stopped calling him “Senior Brother” enigmatically. He came up to pull Cheng Qian’s sleeves intimately, “Xiao-Qian [1], why didn’t you come to play with me yesterday?” Cheng Qian got annoyed on seeing him. He took a half step backwards quietly and withdrew his sleeves from his grasp, then he said stiffly, “Fourth Junior Brother.” Xueqing dressed Cheng Qian up as an adult. So he looked elegant and fine like a man made of jade, with his smooth forehead and slender eyebrows exposed. Supposing a man was made of jade, his solitariness would be forgivable. Han Yuan himself was a beggar without parents and cultivation. He was simple-minded — if he couldn’t bear the sight of someone, he would never possibly like him; while if he bought into the belief that someone a nice person, he would treat him well in turn — now for him, Cheng Qian was exactly the later. So he didn’t take offense at Cheng Qian’s indifference in the slightest, and he thought delightedly, “Unlike us that had a vagrant life, domesticated kids are shy; I have to look after him in future.” Although that was only his one-sided thinking. Muchun Zhenren’s eyes were small but very piercing. He stood aloof and looked on with indifference for a moment, but he finally couldn’t help interrupting Han Yuan’s acting cheap, “Xiao-Yuan, come here.” Han Yuan walked to the shaky table cheerfully, “Master, what do you want me for?” Looking him up and down, Muchun Zhenren said solemnly, “You’re older than your third senior brother, although you’re admitted into our sect later. So I have to admonish you first.” Weasel-like Master was ultimately Master. As he rarely adopted a stern countenance, Han Yuan straightened up his back involuntarily. “You have an active disposition; frivolity is your weakness.” Said Muchun, “I shall grant you ‘Solid Rock’ as your precept, which warns that you should avoid opportunism, vanity and distraction; which reminds you to focus your thoughts and not to slack off in any case. Understand?” Han Yuan lifted his head and wiped his runny nose. “Ah?” he uttered fuzzily — he didn’t understand a single word of the preach. Fortunately, Muchun paid no attention to his impoliteness. He turned to Cheng Qian after finishing his words. Only then did Cheng Qian find out that his master wasn’t born with a pair of bird eyes, but his eyelids folded inward slightly. In addition, his eyes were normally half closed and therefore looked as if they were roving. Now he opened his limpid eyes, revealing the contrast of black and white. His expression suddenly became very grave.
