El cielo sobre los ríos y lagos está despejado

Capítulo 13

Good heavens, if he wasn't naturally thirsty, how could I have neglected him!

I swallowed hard and said, "That's easy. In the princess's residence, you can do whatever you want." I was actually influenced by him and started discussing this matter with him in a very serious manner.

He shook his head slightly: "No, there are too many people in the princess's residence. While they are serving, I feel that they are disturbing her."

I asked again, "Then, here?"

He gently kissed my lips and said, "You've been wronged too much, my princess."

I said, "It's...okay."

I felt his body gradually heat up again, and my own face flushed. I whispered to him, "Do you still... want... more?"

He actually shook his head: "No, the kang (heated brick bed) isn't warm anymore, you'll catch a cold."

After saying that, he hastily threw on some clothes, got up, jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), and stood by the door. I heard him splashing water from the basin; that water, which had been there since last night, must have been freezing cold. I closed my eyes and pulled the blanket over my head.

With a few days left until the winter solstice, I planned to stay in the village with Yi Ge for a few days, so the first thing to do during the day was to clean.

Although the house had been cleaned for a day, it looked barely habitable. I looked up at the ceiling and saw all sorts of spider webs.

When Yi Ge saw me rolling up my sleeves, he came up to stop me and said, "You rest. Just point out where it's dirty."

"How can that be?" Before I could even voice my objection, Yi Ge pointed at my clothes and said, "You'll get your clothes dirty, and you might even snag them."

I glanced down at my brocade robes and gauze dress; it seemed like cleaning them like this wouldn't do. Suddenly, a thought struck me: "Does your mother... um, no, do you have any of your mother-in-law's old clothes? Could I wear them?"

He probably sensed my stubbornness and stopped trying to dissuade me. He went to the wooden cabinet by the wall and found an indigo women's dress. I changed into it, and surprisingly, it didn't look much different.

It was already past 9 AM when some villagers passed by our courtyard on their way to work. Seeing us like this, one of them called out, "Tiezhu, do you need anything? Come and get whatever you need." Yige smiled and said, "No need, Uncle."

A young man following the older man suddenly teased, "Hey, Tiezhu, you can laugh? You've been laughing ever since I saw you today. So your wife came along after all?!"

Yi Ge just smiled and remained silent.

We were going to stay for a few days, and we didn't have enough supplies at home. Since Qian County wasn't far away, I took Yi Ge and rode a horse to Qian County. We also bought some extra salt and other things to thank the villagers who helped us.

It seems that Yi Ge is both familiar with the villagers and maintains a certain distance from them, which is probably determined by the special nature of this village.

Looking at the newly cleaned house that evening, I felt exceptionally comfortable. However, it was still quite early after dinner, and I couldn't fall asleep. Before, I could at least read a book or chat with the maids like Chunman, but now I had nothing to do. After lighting the oil lamp, Yi Ge suddenly produced several books from his robes as if by magic, saying, "Wu Bao, want to read for a while before sleeping?"

I took a look and saw that they were some collections of strange tales. I asked in surprise, "Are they in the house? I didn't see them?"

He said, "There are some books I read when I was a child in the house, but not these. I bought these when I went to Qian County, in case you were bored at night." I didn't even notice when he bought them.

A small table was placed on the kang (a heated brick bed). I snuggled under the covers and read by the light of the oil lamp. I saw Yi Ge take a wooden box from the cupboard and sit on the kang, slowly carving it. I leaned closer to look, and it seemed that one day when Bai Yifei took me to Zifeng Pavilion, Yi Ge was carving this by lamplight. I asked, "Did you make this yourself? Were you making it when you were at Qingyu Manor?"

He nodded: "The box was made at Qingyu Manor, and now it's just slowly being carved. How about you put your jewelry and incense pills in it?"

I took it and examined it. The box was only about the size of a palm, with a small wooden mechanism that required careful aiming to open the lid. Yi Ge was carving patterns on the box and lid, which appeared to be some curled grass leaves. They looked familiar to me. After a moment's thought, I took out the small ball containing incense pills that I always wore at my waist and asked, "Is this the same pattern?"

He nodded: "I see you seem to like that ball quite a bit, and the pattern is also nice, so I'll carve another one based on it."

I took a closer look at the box. Although it wasn't finished, it was already quite delicate. I couldn't help but sincerely praise it: "Yi Ge, you're so skillful. You could carve it just by looking at it once?"

He said, "I've loved playing with these things since I was a child. The pattern on your ball isn't that difficult."

I looked at the ball and said, "I have two of these balls. They're the first things I've ever bought myself, and they cost a lot of money. Oh, right, I think I bought them from street performers too."

He looked up at me and said, "Really? Where are you from? This carving is quite good."

I frowned and thought for a moment: "Oh dear, I don't remember that. I only remember that when I came out with my beautiful father, I met three or four boys selling liniments. I took a liking to this and took out my New Year's money. This is really ingenious. It was only much later that I realized that this little ball can be twisted open."

He said casually, "That's a real pity, otherwise I could have seen if I had the chance to learn from you."

"Was it in Yinzhou? Xuancheng? Oh dear, I can't remember." I was a little dejected. "It was many years ago. Every year when I went out with my parents and my beautiful father, we would encounter those young people selling their skills and medicine in the market town. Some of them were very shameless, while others were quite principled. I remember buying this because the young man saw that I had lost my silver ingot on his stall but didn't want to take the medicine, so he didn't want my money. But when I saw this ball on his body, I bought it from him."

His eyes sparkled under the light: "Oh, Wu Bao, you remember things from your childhood so well?"

I said, "No, it's not that. I saw this ball and it reminded me of this, but I really can't remember where it was or who it was from. I probably started remembering places after I was twelve years old."

He said "Oh" and then fell silent, taking the wooden box and carefully carving it with a focused expression. The shadow on half of his face under the oil lamp made him look particularly resolute.

Since the actual day of the Winter Solstice hasn't arrived yet, we're not in a hurry to pay our respects; we'll just tidy up the house and vegetable garden first.

Perhaps because of its isolation, Duwang Village is a self-sufficient village, with people from all walks of life. There are blacksmiths, millers, butchers, chicken and pig farmers, and cattle farmers, and naturally, the most numerous are farmers. I asked Yi Ge curiously, "So how did you make a living before?"

A nostalgic smile appeared on his lips: "My mother, she made tofu. The tofu and dried tofu she made were delicious, and everyone in the village loved them. On our small plot of land, besides the vegetables we ate every day, we grew beans."

"She must have had a tough time. They say there are three great hardships in the world: blacksmithing, being a soldier, and grinding tofu."

His smile faded slightly: "Yes, back then I didn't realize how hard she suffered; I thought the hardest thing was forcing me to practice martial arts." He turned his head and said, "After she left, I didn't know how to make tofu very well. For a long time, the villagers didn't eat tofu until Dazhi's family, who grew the most soybeans, slowly started making it. But I could never taste my mother's cooking again. Besides that, my mother also knew how to make incense. Maybe it was because Nandan was rich in spices, so women all knew how to blend incense. The incense that the village girls and older women used to get from my mother was all in exchange for things. I was more interested in this kind of handicraft than making tofu, so I learned how. But after she left, I didn't have the heart to make that anymore."

I remembered the jade ball in the little wooden ball, "Then the one you gave me, was it made a long time ago?"

He shook his head slightly: "No, that one was made from some spices I collected while doing a mission after the Emperor bestowed the marriage upon us. I had no gold or jade to give you, so I could only make what I could. I was afraid you would find it unappealing, but it was still from my heart."

I felt a little embarrassed: "Well, I'm afraid I'm not as good as you. That belt wasn't embroidered by me. At most, I can only embroider a purse, and it's not very pretty. It's really not presentable."

He suddenly lowered his voice and said softly, "I won't mind how ugly it is, but would you be willing to embroider it for me?"

I lowered my head, my face slightly flushed, and said, "If you're willing to wait, I'll embroider it for you one day."

He said, "Okay, I'll wait." His eyes always looked so bright when he looked at me that I felt dizzy.

Chapter Twenty-One: Winter Sacrifice

Yi Ge's mother's grave was still deep in the mountains. In fact, Duwang Village was already deep in the mountains, and the grave was in another mountain hollow. The grass was tall and the forest dense, and the path was almost invisible. Yi Ge led the way with a bamboo basket in his left hand and a machete in his right, while I followed closely behind, carrying a basket in my hand. After walking for about half an hour, we saw a tall pine tree at the foot of a low slope. Yi Ge said, "We're here. It's right there."

The grave mound was almost completely obscured by tangled trees and weeds. We put down our baskets, he cut the branches, and I pulled the weeds; it took us about an hour to clear the area. The grave wasn't made of earth; it was a stone mound with a surrounding enclosure. The tombstone in front of it stood neatly, inscribed with "Tomb of the Loving Mother, Yi Wu Niang." I remembered Yi Ge saying that he was fourteen when his mother passed away, yet he had built the grave so meticulously, which must have taken a lot of effort. He seemed to sense my thoughts and explained, "I was only fourteen then. Grandpa Gui and the villagers helped me with the grave. Grandpa Gui used to come here to visit, but he's rarely in the village; I guess he hasn't come in the last two years."

Yi Ge was meticulous; before placing the offerings, he walked around the grave, just in case some foxes or rabbits had dug holes in it.

Yi Ge took out the wine and dishes from his basket and arranged them in front of the grave. All four dishes were made by him and were said to be his mother's favorites. I also took out incense, candles, and paper decorations from my basket and arranged them carefully.

He filled his cup with wine, poured some onto the grave, and said, "Mother, Tiezhu has come to see you. Your son is unfilial; I haven't come for three years, and your grave is overgrown with weeds. Mother, this year is different. I married Wubao, I have a family, and I'm no longer alone. Mother, Wubao is beautiful and a good person; you will surely love her."

My nose tingled, and I almost burst into tears. This scene reminded me of my father's birthday every year on the tenth day of the sixth lunar month on Xuefeng Mountain. My mother would go to his portrait to pray and tell him about Qilong and me: "Brother Feng, Long'er and Wu'er have grown up a bit and started learning martial arts." "Long'er is fourteen now and has inherited his title." "Wu'er has come of age and grown into a young lady. Brother Feng, she looks more and more like our mother, but I know it's actually because she looks like you."

My mother only holds a memorial service for my father on this one day. When I asked her why only one day, she said, "I only remember his life, not his death." This June, when my mother received the news of my marriage, she must have been standing in front of my father's portrait saying to him, "Brother Feng, our Wu'er is getting married."

I involuntarily took a few steps forward, took Yi Ge's arm, and knelt down in front of the grave: "Mother, I am your daughter-in-law Qi Wu. I will live a good life with Yi Ge from now on, so please don't worry."

Yi Ge looked at me deeply, then turned to the grave and said, "Mother, I will always be good to Wu Bao and will never leave her."

I trembled and immediately hugged his waist. He slowly turned around, gently pulled me away a little, lifted my chin, sighed softly, "Wu Bao," and lowered his head to kiss my lips. Gentle and lingering, after a long time, he held me tightly in his arms and said heavily above my head, "Wu Bao, thank you for giving me a home."

It turns out that before the wedding, he genuinely thought that way, rather than just expressing his determination to my parents.

We lit incense and burned paper money, and then sat together under that tall pine tree for a long time.

On the way back to the village, we passed a peach grove. Yi Ge suddenly stopped, looked left and right for a long time, and then chose a peach branch about the thickness of a thumb and chopped it down with his old woodcutter's knife. I looked at him in confusion, and he said, "Peach branches ward off evil spirits. I wanted to make you a hairpin, but it's just a wooden hairpin." I looked at the peach branch, which was about three feet long: "I thought it would be enough to make a walking stick."

His tone remained flat: "There will always be some waste, and one branch may not be satisfactory. It's better to do more so you can pick and compare."

I smiled and said, "I don't have a wooden hairpin yet. Hurry up and make one so I can see it."

After the winter solstice, I stayed in Duwang Village for a few more days. Time passed smoothly, and I felt as if I had returned to those peaceful days in Xuefeng Mountain, only this time, Yi Ge was with me.

Yi Ge spent his days tidying up at home, but I felt he was looking for something. Every now and then he'd pull out some books—internal energy cultivation manuals, fist manuals, swordplay manuals—quite a lot. Yi Ge shook out the worn-out manuals, their covers unrecognizable, and said, "These are what my mother taught me." I flipped through them; there were knife and sword techniques. I exclaimed in surprise, "You know all of these? I've only ever seen your lightness skill." If it were Bai Yifei, he would surely say, "Not very proficient, but I'll demonstrate once for your corrections," and then he would definitely start practicing swordplay. But Yi Ge just smiled and said, "Take whatever interests you."

I examined it closely. The internal energy cultivation method was called "Tongda Gong," but I wasn't particularly interested and tossed it aside. The sword technique was the Golden Wutong Sword Technique, which seemed to belong to the Cangwu School. Although that school had declined somewhat, it was still one of the seven major martial arts schools, renowned for its sword techniques. I guessed these things were collected from various sources.

Looking at the sword manual again, it had no name (in fact, the cover was long gone), but the moves depicted seemed quite novel. The swords of the figures in the illustrations were exceptionally long and narrow, and the names of the moves were mostly related to light, such as "Flowing Light Dance" and "Chasing Light Like a Butterfly"... It seemed to be characterized by light and fast movements, so I flipped through it more closely. Yi Ge was sweeping the roof beams at that moment. Seeing me looking at it silently, he flipped it down and said, "I've practiced this sword technique before. Do you want to learn it?" I said, "I'm not very good at learning swordsmanship, but these sword moves look very beautiful. What kind of sword technique is this?"

He hesitated for a moment before saying, “Actually, I don’t know the name. My mother always calls it the ‘Sword of Ingratitude,’ which sounds very fierce, but she insists that I practice it. If I don’t practice it well, she will scold me, but even if I do practice it well, she may not be happy. I guess it has something to do with my father.”

I said "Oh," and put the other manuals back in the cabinet. Instead, I took this sword manual and placed it on the kang (heated brick bed), intending to flip through it whenever I had time.

Yi Ge is a very meticulous person.

After returning from that memorial service, I got my period that night, and I was in quite a bit of pain, perhaps because I had been sitting on the ground for too long. He thought I had eaten something bad and felt very guilty, so he planned to go to the neighbor's to get some herbs to make a decoction for me. Although I was a little embarrassed, I told him the truth. He didn't say anything, but turned around and went out. When he came back, I was already wrapped in the covers and lying down. He came in and gently nudged me: "Wu Bao, are you asleep?"

"without."

"Then sit up and drink this."

I opened my eyes and saw him sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) with a bowl in his hand. The bowl was steaming and had a sweet aroma. I obediently sat up and took two sips from his hand. It turned out to be brown sugar water. I guessed he had borrowed sugar from the neighbor and boiled water on the stove.

He said, "After you finish drinking, I'll massage you again. It was my carelessness; I made you sit on the ground outside for a long time this afternoon."

I said, "I only do this occasionally, I'm really not that delicate."

He handed me the bowl and said, "I know, I've always known."

A few days later, while Dazhi was discussing the sword techniques of the "Ingratitude Sword" with Yi Ge, he suddenly knocked on the door and said, "Tiezhu, Master Gui is back. He heard you got a new wife and said he wants to come and see her."

Yi Ge stood up in surprise: "Wu Bao, Master Gui has been kind to me, so it would be better if we went to see him."

He found the Lijiu wine we bought in Qianxian County before the winter solstice in the house, and took it with him and me out.

Grandpa Gui's house was in the center of the village, with a spacious courtyard. When we arrived, the gate was open, and seven or eight people were talking to an elderly man around fifty years old with gray hair. Yi Ge led me forward to greet the old man. There was joy in his eyes, but his voice was as cold as usual: "Grandpa Gui, you're back?" Grandpa Gui smiled and said, "Tiezhu, you're back too? I heard you brought your new wife back, and I was just about to come and see you." After saying that, his bright eyes looked me up and down. I quickly stepped forward and said, "Qi Wu greets Grandpa Gui." Grandpa Gui smiled and took out a stone from his pocket, handing it to me, saying, "This wife is very obedient. You are the first outsider to marry into the village. Grandpa Gui doesn't have anything to offer as a gift, just this stone. Keep it." I was a little surprised, but seeing that Yi Ge and the other villagers didn't seem surprised either, I honestly accepted it. It was a cross-shaped blue crystal with some patterns engraved on it. I was too embarrassed to examine it closely, so I thanked Grandpa Gui and put it away.

Just then, Uncle Gui suddenly said, "Qi Laosan, you've only been here a short while, why are you leaving without saying a word? Hmm, what's wrong with your leg? You can't walk properly?"

A villager laughed and said, "It's not that his legs are clumsy, it's his buttocks. He's had his old problem flare up again. He harassed Tie Zhu's new wife, and Uncle Pang said he should teach him a lesson, so he was hung up and whipped."

I turned to look at Yi Ge, but his face remained expressionless. Qi Laosan said, "I've already admitted my mistake, and Tie Zhu's wife is quite formidable. How could I possibly flirt with her? She's already given me a beating."

Everyone burst into laughter except for me and Yi Ge. Gui Ye also laughed loudly and said, "Alright, I don't need to make a move. There must be someone among the younger generation who can handle you, right?"

His laugh, full of energy, startled me so much that I broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively grabbed Yi Ge's hand. I felt his dry, warm hand squeeze mine tightly, while he gave me a reassuring look.

Perhaps Guiye noticed my expression, and comforted me, "Is Tiezhu's wife still angry? Qi Laosan has this problem, but he's not a bad person."

I forced a reply: "No, no. It's all in the past now."

Grandpa Gui nodded and said, "Good, Tiezhu's wife, so young yet so tolerant. Tiezhu, you have good taste. Qi Laosan, you'll remember this?"

Qi Laosan lowered his head, and despite it being the dead of winter, a layer of sweat had formed on his forehead.

I also had a thin layer of sweat on my body.

Back in my room, I closed the door and excitedly said to Yi Ge, "Is that Gui Ye the Ghost Palace disciple who was arguing with the martial arts heroes on the back mountain of Qingyu Manor that day? He must be. Although there was an echo when he spoke, I remember his laughter."

Yi Ge remained silent. I thought for a moment and then asked, "That day, you chased him past Sandao Ridge, you must have caught up with him, right? With your lightness skill, you couldn't have failed. You weren't telling the truth that day."

He remained silent.

I know everyone has their own secrets, but for some reason, just a few days ago I was quite understanding, but now I suddenly feel extremely uncomfortable.

His silence annoyed me, so I pressed him further: "Yi Ge, what exactly are you hiding from me?" My tone was already quite agitated as I said this.

He suddenly looked up and said, “Wu Bao, I caught up with him. I only found out that Gui Ye used to be a protector of the Ghost Palace when I caught up with him that day. But that’s the rule in Duwang Village—they don’t ask about the past. You can only find out if he’s willing to tell you. I thought this matter wasn’t very relevant to us, so I didn’t tell you. Wu Bao, I know that although you’re from the Dragon Mist Sect, you’re not the same as those righteous martial artists. You don’t want to get involved in things from twenty years ago, do you?”

I retorted defiantly, "So I'm a heretic in the martial arts world? I don't want to eliminate all traces of the evil sect, but I'm going to the Ghost Palace ruins eventually. Look at what Master Gui said that day, it will definitely come to fruition then, so how can it not be my business?"

He then said in a low voice, "Misty Child, you might not necessarily clash with the Ghost Palace. I heard that it was Master Gui who brought my mother to this village..."