Zhang He was a rigorous person who would never go back on his word. Therefore, even though many of the practices and styles of Wangshu Pavilion left him feeling very confused, he still remained at Wangshu Pavilion.
In recent days, he had traveled far and wide, met many people, and witnessed the suffering and loss of ordinary people. Although he was still worried about his disciple, he gradually understood why Yin Ji could no longer return to the Jiutian Sect.
Although he obeyed Bu Ting’s orders, wrong was wrong. Ordinary people also had joys, sorrows, and sorrows, and cultivators were no more noble than ordinary people.
January passed, and the apricot moon arrived, and the weather began to warm. More and more painting boats and flat boats gradually appeared on the lake, passing gracefully by the gate of Wangshu Pavilion, seemingly unafraid of Wangshu Pavilion, a cultivation sect.
Even more so, when facing the large hawksbill turtle in Lanyue Lake, they recited a few lines of poetry such as “Turtle’s Longevity” and “Turtle’s Long Longevity”, showing no fear at all.
The hawksbill turtle seemed to enjoy the poets’ adulation, often appearing in the lake and splashing water. That was fine, but when Zhang He saw the hawksbill turtle carrying a Wangshu Pavilion disciple on its back while fishing in the lake, and even helping Wangshu Pavilion grill the fish, he finally couldn’t help but wonder, “Whose mount is this hawksbill turtle?”
“Mount?” Jiu Hui shook her head as she ate the grilled fish made by Prime Minister Wu. “Prime Minister Wu isn’t a mount. He’s a… friend that my grandmaster brought back?”
She turned her head to look at Prime Minister Wu, who was lying on the grass. “Prime Minister Wu, were you friends?”
“You could say that. If he hadn’t begged me so earnestly back then, why would I have come here?” Prime Minister Wu raised his head proudly. “I’ve been guarding this body of water in Wangshu Pavilion for the past few hundred years.”
“Yes, yes.” The disciples of Wangshu Pavilion nodded in unison, cooperating with Prime Minister Wu’s self-flattery.
There was no other reason. Prime Minister Wu’s grilled fish was delicious.
Zhang He pondered. So this hawksbill turtle was the guardian yao beast of Wangshu Pavilion.
He never thought that Wangshu Pavilion would even have a sect-guarding yao beast. They’re quite particular.
Watching Zhang He’s departing figure, Chang He hesitated and said, “Did the Grand Elder misunderstand something?”
He always felt that the way Zhang He looked at Minister Wu was too profound.
“He must have been stunned by this Prime Minister’s charm.” Prime Minister Wu was very proud.
Jiu Hui nodded. “Yes, yes, yes.“carpreads.pages.dev
Zhi You nodded in agreement. “Prime Minister Wu is absolutely right.”
-—–
Zhang He returned to his courtyard and found a string of bright red wild berries on the stone table in the yard. He looked up at the sparrows in the treetops and said, “Thank you.”
Since he had casually fished a drunken sparrow that had eaten fermented fruit out of the water a few days ago, the little yaos on the island had often sent him all sorts of fruits.
Some of these fruits were sour and some were sweet, but he knew that if he didn’t eat two of them, this little bird yao wouldn’t leave.
After picking two fruits and putting them in his mouth, the sparrows in the treetops happily chirped a few times and left, satisfied.
“Chirp chirp! Quack quack!”
“Meow! Woof!”
Fortunately, Zhang He didn’t know what these little yaos were talking about, or he definitely wouldn’t have been able to swallow these fruits.
“This old man is really pitiful. He has no disciples, no master, and usually plays alone.”
“How pitiful, how pitiful.”
“Go find Boss Jiu Hui and have her take the old man to the city to have some fun.”
The next morning, Zhang He came out of the courtyard and saw Jiu Hui and Zhi You hovering outside his door. He asked in confusion, “What’s the matter?”
“Grand Elder, you’ve been in our Wangshu Pavilion for some time now. It’s not good to stay on the island all the time. Today, the sun is shining brightly, and the apricot blossoms are in full bloom. Zhi You and I will accompany you to the city for a walk to relax.”
Zhang He shook his head. “Forget it. I’ve always been fond of peace and quiet, so I won’t go.”
“How can that be?” Jiu Hui grabbed his sleeve. “It would be a waste to stay indoors on such a beautiful spring day.”
The disciples of the Jiutian Sect had always been both respectful and fearful of their Grand Elder, Zhang He. When had he ever encountered someone like Jiu Hui, who would grab his sleeve and act coquettishly at the drop of a hat?
When he came to his senses, he had already been pulled by Jiu Hui onto the back of Prime Minister Wu, and they were heading towards Taolin City along the river.
On the turtle’s back was the little sparrow he had saved. It was not until they entered the city that the little sparrow chirped twice at Jiu Hui.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of the Grand Elder.” Jiu Hui waved at the little sparrow. “You can go back with peace of mind.”
“It…” Zhang He was stunned. Did this sparrow come into the city with him on purpose?
“This little sparrow was worried that you’d be bored alone in the sect, so it specially asked me to accompany you on a tour,” Jiu Hui patted her chest. “Rest assured, Zhi You and I still have some face in Taolin City. I guarantee you’ll eat well and have fun.”
The sect disciples taking the Grand Elder to the city to eat, drink, and have fun. What kind of sect rule was this?
Reason told Zhang He that this was not quite right, but looking at the peaceful and serene people on this street, he couldn’t help but follow Jiu Hui’s steps into the crowd.
Along the short path, countless commoners chatted with Jiu Hui and Zhi You, so Zhang He finally believed that Jiu Hui hadn’t lied. She really did have some face in Taolin City.
After sampling the street snacks with Jiu Hui, buying many small trinkets, and going to the teahouse to drink tea and listen to stories, Zhang He was also infected by the laughter and joy of the people in the teahouse, and a smile appeared on his face.
When they left the teahouse, the sky was already ablaze with the colors of sunset. It was hard to believe that the day had passed so quickly.
“Miss Jiu Hui, who is this old gentleman?”
“He’s a famous teacher that our master specially invited back. He’s especially formidable and especially knowledgeable.”
“Wow! The old man’s demeanor shows that he’s not an ordinary person.”
“Yes, yes, yes, look at that, it’s a big shot.”
Listening to the exclamations of the townspeople, and seeing the adoration on their faces, Zhang He’s old face flushed slightly. He had never been praised so openly and directly before.
“That’s right. My master had been looking forward to the old teacher’s arrival for a long time.”
When the people of Taolin City heard this, they were afraid that the old man would leave in the future, so they quickly praised Jiu Hui again and again, and said that if he came to the city to buy things in the future, they would definitely give him a discount.
Zhang He left Taolin City’s gate in a cheerful and peaceful mood. He was about to ask Jiu Hui why she had concealed her cultivator identity from the common people when he saw a group of people wearing shackles appear in front of him.
“Those are prisoners who committed crimes in Taolin City. They do hard labor during the day and rest in prison at night.” Jiu Hui looked at Zhang He and said meaningfully, “City Lord Tao enforces the law fairly and will not wrong any good person. These prisoners all deserve their punishment, but as long as they work hard to reform themselves, there will come a day when they will regain their freedom.”
“That’s great…” Zhang He stopped speaking halfway, suddenly pausing. He stared fixedly at the person at the end of the line, almost unable to believe his eyes.
The man at the end of the line wore a short, coarse linen jacket and black cloth shoes. His hair was tied up high with a blue cloth strip, and the ends of his hair stuck out, making him look particularly strong.
“Zhang San, what are you spacing out for?”
A guard saw Zhang San suddenly stop moving and quickly shouted a reminder, “There’s an extra meal tonight, all meat. Don’t fall behind.”
The guards treated Zhang San quite well, because he could do the work of ten men by himself, and he never complained. He was more useful than the donkey at the village entrance.
“Brothers, this is Zhang San’s relative, who came to Taolin City to visit him.” Jiu Hui walked up to the guards. “Please be accommodating. I’ll personally take him back later.”
“Since it’s someone you know, Miss Jiu Hui, then it’s definitely fine.” The guard knew that Jiu Hui had a good relationship with the City Lord and the two young masters, so he immediately agreed. “However, you must return before midnight tonight. You know the rules of the City Lord’s mansion.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands in thanks. “Rest assured, I will not embarrass you.”
“You’re too kind.” The guard thought for a moment, took out a key to unlock Zhang San’s shackles, and cupped his hands at Jiu Hui. “Farewell.”
“Thank you.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands in salute. “Farewell.”
She looked back at the master and disciple who were looking at each other, but did not dare to speak or approach. She took Zhi You’s hand and walked to the side, allowing the master and disciple to have a good chat.
“Master…” Zhang San took two steps forward in a daze. Recalling the mistakes he had made previously, he lowered his head, unable to face him.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before he felt a warm hand on the top of his head.
“It’s good that you’re still alive, it’s good that you’re still alive.”
“Master, your disciple was wrong.” The warmth of the palm caused Zhang San’s rationality to be drowned by guilt. He heavily knelt on the ground, his eyes red, “Your disciple was wrong!”
“You are at fault, but it is also because your master did not teach you well.” Zhang He’s hands trembled. “If I had known this would happen, I should not have pushed you to improve every day, nor should I have let you shoulder the responsibility of the sect too early.”
During his time at Wangshu Pavilion, he saw a new way of life. Every time the night was quiet, he would think that if he had been an Elder of Wangshu Pavilion from the beginning, and if Yin Ji had grown up in Wangshu Pavilion, perhaps they would not have taken this wrong path.
Before the hour of the Zi*, Jiu Hui and Zhi You accompanied Zhang He to return Zhang San to the City Lord’s prison.
TN: 11pm-1am
Jiu Hui gave the lotus leaf chickens she had bought to the jailer, then turned her head to look at Zhang San, who was walking into the prison gate.
“Miss Jiu Hui, I know what you want to say.” The current Zhang San had become calm and composed, and he seemed more like a living person. “I committed a crime and deserve to be punished. I’m already very satisfied that I was able to reunite with my master in Taolin City.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t say I’d help you get a lighter sentence by pulling strings. I just wanted you to know that you’ll have plenty of chances to reunite with the Grand Elder in the future.”
“Great Elder?” Zhang San asked with a face full of confusion.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I poached the Jiutian Sect’s people. Now your master is our Wangshu Pavilion’s Grand Elder!” Jiu Hui smiled and said, “Are you surprised or not? Are you shocked or not?”
“Master, you actually did this for me, your unworthy disciple…”
“Ahem.” Zhang He coughed lightly. “It’s not for you either.”
“Look at you, you’re not that old, but you’re still quite narcissistic.” Jiu Hui grabbed Zhang He’s clothing corner, smiling radiantly as she shook it. “It has nothing to do with you.”
Zhang San looked at Zhang He’s hem, then at Jiu Hui’s hand that was pulling on the hem, and then at his master and Jiu Hui’s grandfatherly and amicable appearance. His expression was dazed.
He had only been in labor reform for a few months, not years or even decades, but the changes outside were so great?
-—–
“The yaos’ actions are actually this big?” The sect masters of the ten great sects sat together, their expressions filled with confusion. “Their whereabouts have been causing a huge commotion in the cultivation world this month, just to scatter the ashes of some dead evil yaos?”
“Why are they doing this?” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect pondered all night long, but he still couldn’t figure it out. “Could there be some kind of conflict within the yao clan?”
“Three incense sticks ago, I received a jade slip from Wangshu Pavilion.” Qiu Hua handed the jade slip to the nearby Changshou Palace Master. “Twenty days ago, a fox yao that had died and come back to life appeared in Taolin City. Fortunately, they discovered it in time and killed the fox yao.”
The Sect Master of Wenxing School and the Sect Master of Wanhuo Sect, who were neighbors to Wangshu Pavilion, both showed expressions of complete ignorance.
“Something that happened nearly a month ago is only being reported now?”
“The incident happened suddenly, and they probably didn’t know the relationship between this fox yao and the recent actions of the yao clan. After hearing about the yao clan’s movements, they hurriedly reported it.” Qiu Hua interrupted the sect master’s accusation against Wangshu Pavilion.
“Perhaps the recent actions of the yao clan are to prevent the resurrection of the evil yaos, so as to avoid them wreaking havoc on the world?”
The other sect masters were somewhat skeptical. Could the yaos be so honest?
Author Note:
Yao clan: This human world will fall apart without our protection~