Consultor de vida de la dinastía Song del Sur

Capítulo 53

This was an extremely handsome man, with red lips and black hair, his appearance like that of an immortal, surpassing even Pan An and Song Yu. He glanced at my father, then stood with his hands behind his back beside the snow-covered stone path, looking indifferently at my master: "Come back with me, Luo Yin (Note 1). As long as you stop interfering in Leng Buxian's affairs, I will agree to whatever you want."

The master gave a cold sneer, unmoved. Wu Wenfu stared at his master for a long time, and seeing no response, finally issued the order: "Leave no one alive except her."

—It wasn't until after my master's death that I realized Wu Wenfu loved him deeply. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to get his master's attention by slandering a girl, then relentlessly pursued her to marry her, and finally followed her into the glacier valley.

Snowflakes swept down like a tidal wave, falling piece by piece onto the streets of Chang'an.

I crawled through the knee-deep snow, step by step, inching closer to my goal—the eaves of a house beneath the gatehouse. My icy hands, like tiny claws, left marks in the flawless silver, only to be quickly swallowed by the swirling snow.

"Wait!" I heard a warm voice as I was about to lose consciousness, just like the gentle spring water in front of my house. Footsteps crunched on the snow, and a small figure ran over and covered me with a cloak that was as warm as the sun.

I was powerless to refuse, so I just kept crawling.

I heard his hearty laughter echo above my head: "Such a strange child."

I completely ignored it, not even looking up, because I wanted to conserve every bit of energy before reaching my destination.

Perhaps to his surprise, he chuckled softly as he picked me up and effortlessly settled me under the eaves. "If you encounter any difficulties, come to the Prince of Ruyang's residence. With my cloak on you, no one will stop you."

I turned my head to take a look, because I wanted to remember his face.

The young man in white met my eyes with his dark pupils. His smile was as warm as spring, and his eyes were like a bright lake: "Can you talk? What's your name?"

I turned my face away and closed my eyes.

He let out another low laugh, and at the urging of his entourage, he spurred his horse and rode away.

At the time, I had no idea that the cloak that Li Tianxiao, who was the same age as me, kindly left me would become the token for our future recognition. I had already wandered half of the Central Plains by the age of eight, while he, at the same age, lived a life of luxury, yet possessed a compassionate heart.

...

When my master appeared in front of me, I was cleaning the backyard of a brothel and doing odd jobs.

I had no fixed abode and was always worried about my enemies coming after me, so I kept blending into crowded towns and cities and traveled to many places. The easiest way to blend in was to join a group of itinerant street performers, where I would put on a painted face and go on stage to earn money for them, while also being forced to learn some folk tricks.

A chubby uncle spewed out a mouthful of fire, which I skillfully dodged; at night, when I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open, I still had to be wary of the sinister ventriloquist next door who was imitating an owl's call... The most beneficial thing for me was learning lip reading.

“The Wan Hua Lou on the west side is looking for a servant. Why don’t we send that child there? It’s not easy for him to live with us, enduring wind and rain and sleeping outdoors…” the kind aunt suggested.

The troupe leader puffed on his pipe and tapped the sole of his shoe a few times: "That place isn't exactly clean... This child has such delicate skin, she's probably a girl from a good family who ran away..."

I bowed silently in the darkness, then turned and left this place that had warmed my heart.

Wan Hua Lou truly lives up to its name.

Beautiful women, handsome young men, intricate corridors, green shade and red tassels. Every word I can think of can be found here. Every day I watched the smiling faces leaning against the railing gradually stiffen, every day I watched people come and go insincerely, until one day my master appeared before me.

As the master entered the backyard, the autumn sun cast a faint, hazy glow. She merely glanced around, and the guards dared not utter a sound.

“You can go anywhere, but not here.” She stared into my eyes and said, “This is not a place for you. You have things to do.”

I gripped the broom without saying a word. I knew her, but I didn't understand her. To me at that time, she was a stranger, even though she had agreed to my father's request.

“Your father is dead. Before he died, he told me to tell you one thing: ‘No matter what happens, you must live on.’” She said coldly, her hands behind her back, looking down at the trembling body clutching the broom. “I’m giving you a choice. If you leave this door, you will become my apprentice; if you don’t leave this door, you will become a courtesan on West Street in a few years.”

Under the shade of willows and hibiscus trellis, my master stood calmly in the autumn sun, awaiting the answer from an eight-year-old child. At that time, I didn't know that my master had severed ties with his grandmaster, Wu Wenfu—the martial arts champion who had passed the imperial examination in the same year as my father—all for the sake of a promise he had made to my father. Nor did I know that my master had followed me closely to test my ability to withstand pain and setbacks; he was like a shepherd tending his sheep.

When I became his apprentice, it was the season of heavy snowfall. In the dead of winter, when everything was silent, my master's figure stood out vividly in the snow. Because of my slowness, I did not immediately leave through the back door, and my master resolutely refused to accept me as his disciple.

“The scenery in Jiangnan is picturesque, and my family is a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. Why would I stay at home and enjoy the fruits of others’ labor? Why would I stand in the snow and patiently talk to you?” The master said coldly, his long eyebrows slanted upwards.

I knelt down, bowing deeply in the snow, speechless.

"What's making you so afraid that you've come to me?"

I was startled by the woman's sharpness.

"Are you scared? Do you think those men wouldn't have designs on the child?" Without waiting for my reply, she turned and walked towards the wooden house, coldly saying, "Let me see how much perseverance you have. Keep kneeling. If you die, I can bring you back to life."

I didn't feel cold even as the heavy snow fell on me, because I saw my master. Although she was aloof, she wouldn't hurt me. My fear of others' approach and rudeness stemmed from my very early encounters with the owl brother and the patrons of the brothel.

Time stands still in the mountains, and the cold winter months pass by unnoticed.

Time flies, and ten golden cycles have passed. I have grown to be eighteen years old, the age when I promised my master I would come out of seclusion.

Ten years of martial arts training were monotonous and tedious. Whenever I felt breathless, I would see my master's cold gaze, and thinking of how she had abandoned her family and husband for me, I gritted my teeth and persevered. My master gave me several great gifts. Although my martial arts skills weren't the strongest, these gifts were enough for me to survive in this chaotic world—moonlight, a divine weapon that straightened with a tremor in the wind, soft as water, yet turning cold in the wind, its autumn-water-like light blinding me. Medical skills allowed me to protect myself; my body, wrapped in medicine, was impervious to beatings and whips.

My father once told me a story, saying that "in the barren north there is a dark sea, which is called Tianchi." In that barren north, there is a very deep sea, which is Tianchi.

Snow-capped peaks reflected in the water, surrounded by spruce trees, the azure water like a mirror—the scenery was breathtaking. This was the magnificent sight I saw when I reached the summit. I was awestruck and stunned for the first time, standing on the mountaintop for a long time, calling out loudly: "Father, Father, is this the sea?"

No one could answer me, and I burst into tears.

Thanks to my master's introduction, I visited Mr. Zuo Jinzhi. He sized me up and scoffed, "What can a woman do?"

I bit my lip and said, "Sir, how can you teach me the art of gambling?"

"What do you want to learn gambling for?" The old man was nearly eighty, but his mind was like a child's. "That girl Luoying only saved me once, not enough for me to pass on my most secret techniques to you."

"Sir." I knelt on the ground and kowtowed to him respectfully: "How can you accept me as your disciple? I want to learn your gambling skills in order to advance in Chang'an and lure out the enemy who wiped out my family."

"Alright, I've heard that the Leng family was brutally murdered back then, and it was indeed a miscarriage of justice that remained unsolved for ten years. I won't make things difficult for you. As long as you have the courage to cross the Underworld Sea and traverse the Northern Desert, I will teach you all my gambling skills."

The vastness and depth of the sea were beyond my imagination. My slender body could not swim across alone, so I boarded a merchant's ship and met Xiaoyu.

I couldn't understand a word the people on the ship were saying, and I spent my days cowering in the kitchen, being a silent and efficient cook.

When Xiaoyu came in, the entire hold was filled with starlight. She smiled sweetly and said, "Brother, come and fetch me a bucket of water. I'll use seawater to cool the jellyfish skin and make soup for you."

I silently watched that innocent smile, feeling nothing but envy: Does such a cheerful girl not know what sorrow is?

Xiaoyu successfully took the first step in getting to know me, and then naturally stayed by my side, taking care of me when I was suffering from acclimatization problems, including teaching me the Hu language. She was like a chirping oriole, flying lightly around me, sometimes demonstrating what she called a peerless sword technique, which I later witnessed during the encirclement.

This is the second person who has been kind to me without any ulterior motives.

27. (Bonus Chapter) Past Events (Part Two)

The clouds that day spread out, each one full and like a flower bud. The memory is so vivid because I said goodbye to Xiaoyu and drifted alone at sea.

“Brother, you must be mistaken. The Underworld Sea is only recorded in ancient books; it’s a complete fabrication.” Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she stared at me with wide eyes.

I smiled calmly: "Farewell, Xiaoyu. I must try to fulfill my promise."

Xiaoyu leaned against the mast, waving goodbye reluctantly. I lay flat on the raft, my back to my head, my hands behind my head, looking at the sky, feeling incredibly peaceful.

The sky wasn't azure, but a deep purple; for the first time, I discovered something different from what was described in books. Sunlight shimmered with strange colors on the water, and large swathes of white clouds, resembling mountain ranges, gathered and disappeared into the distant sea.

But I felt lonely.

I dared not look out at the sea, for fear of realizing how alone I was. I could clearly see the rainbow reflected in the dark depths of the sea and the movement of the wind on the surface, but I could not hear a single sound of human presence.

"Father, is this why you want me to blend into the scenery? To make me feel my insignificance and loneliness?"

When I crossed the northern desert, I never imagined what kind of entanglement it would leave for my future self.

Vast plains stretched out, endless yellow sand, dark and desolate. When the sandstorm raged, the darkness deepened, and nothing could be seen. Yellow clouds surrounded the fields, meeting the sky above, which seemed so low it almost pressed down on my head. I walked alone, my mouth full of sand, but a fire seemed to ignite within me.

—We cannot give up, we cannot surrender. I have heard that some people have already made it out of this desert, so I can too.

After crawling out of the desert, I was blessed by the heavens and found an oasis, where I escaped death once again.

My father hadn't lied to me. After crossing an unknown sea and desert, a beautiful lake with snow-capped mountains and waters quietly appeared before me. I climbed the snow-capped peak, tears streaming down my face, and cried out: "Father, Father, is this the sea you spoke of?"

I reached the northernmost Heavenly Lake, I won the bet, and I left a legend for posterity.

Seeing Tianxiao again was a carefully planned strategy. He wasn't part of my plan; my target was his father.

I am very familiar with the name Prince Runan. I have been waiting for ten years to find him. Ten years ago, when I heard a young nobleman tell me to go to Prince Runan’s mansion to find him, I remembered his smiling face.

Walking along the dark and dimly lit alley, he won a great victory on his first attempt.

Murders are commonplace in Chang'an at midnight. I pretended to be a down-on-his-luck young man who had wandered into a dark alley, shrugging my shoulders in panic, and then fainted on the roadside.

"Zha zha zha..." A burst of laughter opened my eyes, and I recognized the voice. It was ingrained in my blood, waking me up every night as a child.

I drew out the moonlight.

"The starting points were different, but the sword energy was of the same order, killing all five men with a single, precise strike." The next day, when Li Tianxiao came to investigate the alley, he confidently concluded about the Six Doors constable. "Xifeng, you invited me here to analyze this sword, didn't you?"

Xi Feng Wu Ao, dressed in a gray robe, had a sharp glint in his eyes: "Young master, have you recognized the person?"

"Your swordsmanship is no less than ours, but the only weapon that can seal blood with a single strike is Moonlight."

A wall separates two people from different social classes. Li Tianxiao, dressed in flowing white robes, stands in the light, a handsome young man favored by heaven. It is said that this young master is of gentle and virtuous character, like General Xiang Chong of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, perfect beyond reproach. Leng Shuangcheng, in a white-collar worker's blue robe, hides in the shadows, toiling day and night to avenge his family, silent and forbearing like a silhouette.

I stood on the other side of the wall, concealing my presence from the two peerless masters, quietly investigating the murder that had occurred the previous day. They had no idea that I had ingested the highly poisonous "Heavenly Secret Divine Water" to enhance my internal energy. The name "Heavenly Secret" implies that heavenly secrets must not be revealed. The chilling aura that sealed my throat wasn't from the moonlight, but from the icy poison within me.

I often wonder, if I hadn't saved that person with the strange laugh that night, could my life have been rewritten?

I walked back to the inn in silence, pushed open the door, and met a pair of long, eerie eyes. He let out another strange laugh: "Little Shuangcheng, what are the rumors going on outside?"

This person has an androgynous face, alluring and radiant. Sometimes, when they stare at you, it sends chills down your spine, and other times, they smile at you with innocent charm.

"Why did those people want to kill you?" I pressed on relentlessly. This was the question he had been avoiding answering.

"Zhezhe... It seems Xiao Shuangcheng has realized his brother's difficult situation..." He floated over silently, his pale hand poised to touch my cheek again. But he overlooked one thing: I wouldn't be so easily manipulated by him now.

I grabbed his hand and snapped it off with a snap. "Owl, if you don't tell me, I'll crush you myself."

The owl let out a muffled groan, then raised his remaining hand to wipe away sweat nonchalantly. This disregard for pain left me speechless. I stepped forward and silently began to treat him.

The owl stared at me for a long time, and seeing that I was concentrating on treating him and it seemed genuine, it changed to a tone I had never heard before: "Shuangcheng, like you, I am a descendant of the mystery of the key from back then."

The pale-faced owl brother told me the whole story. My mind was a mess, but I was stunned by his calm and collected description of his experience: I realized that I was not the only one in the world who was carrying suffering. I realized that when facing suffering, the key is one's state of mind. If I were overwhelmed by pain and eroded by self-pity like I was, I would hardly achieve anything great in my life.

Looking at the owl's nonchalant face, and thinking about his current state of being ravaged beyond recognition, I deeply felt that God had been kind to me. From then on, my life was swept away from its sorrow. I am grateful for the owl's strangeness and his alternative way of living. I learned from him the principles of forbearance and patience.

I live with my brother Owl; we take care of each other and depend on each other.

I still found his stealthy movements in black eerie and terrifying. Then one day, when I saw him hanging upside down on the eaves, motionless, I devised a strategy: Owl's martial arts skills were extremely poor, but his lightness skill was among the best in the martial arts world. If he made his appearance to frighten the Princess of Runan, it would surely succeed.

Seeing the Prince of Runan again was so natural, but I never expected to meet Tianxiao first.