Chapter 27: Chapter 27: The Two Exchange Glances (Please Follow) Chapter 27: Chapter 27: The Two Exchange Glances (Please Follow) Chapter 26: The storyteller brings his worldly society
The sun began to tilt westward,
In a small courtyard within Jiazifang,
A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, while ripples appeared on the surface of the pond.
Before the house, there was a wooden recliner,
Chen Yuan took a brief rest in the spring sunshine, replenishing his spirits.
At his feet, White Fox lay next to him, its head curled up, its abdomen wrapped in a layer of gauze.
And that squirrel, was curled up on top of Chen Yuan’s head, forming a little ball.
The courtyard, a picture of tranquility and harmony.
However, as the view ascends beyond the town,
At this moment, a one-armed man entered Qingshan County, travel-weary and covered in dust.
Several young men armed with swords on their waists had been looking around at the city gate,
Upon seeing the middle-aged man appear, they immediately came forward to greet him.
“You’ve finally returned.
The young disciples looked at their own inn master with eyes full of tension and anticipation.
The one-armed man, initially serious in expression, soon widened his smile, revealing his teeth.
“Mission accomplished, I did not let that dignitary down!”
“All the demons in the county have submitted.”
“Go, tell the others, the demon disaster in Yunlu County has been settled.”
Upon hearing this, the martial arts disciples’ faces lit up with excitement.
Then, they ran up the street, shouting.
“Fellow villagers, the demon disaster in Yunlu County has been settled.”
“You can go back now.”
“You can go back now!”
The people of Yunlu County who had been wandering the streets with nowhere to go crowded around upon hearing the news.
“Are you telling the truth?”
“You must be joking.”
“There are demons everywhere eating people, where have they all been killed.”
Everyone was having their say, a buzz of conversation.
One of the martial arts disciples, quite emotional, immediately thumped his chest:
“This is no lie, everyone, do you know?
That Military Officer Captain is immensely powerful, last night, he ordered my master to replace him in slaying demons and banishing evil.
If you reside in Yunlu County, you must have heard of him, he is very well-known….”
Before the disciple could finish speaking,
A palm large as a winnowing fan, smacked him on the head, sending him to one side.
With that, Wu Shan stepped out, gave the indiscreet disciple a glare with his tiger-like eyes, then raised a single hand to greet the villagers with his fist enclosed.
“Folks, I, Wu Shan, was commanded last night by that dignitary, wielding the officer’s Imperial Decree weapon, have made those demons submit.
You can all safely return now.”
Everyone believed them to a large extent.
If it was that Military Officer Captain who acted, then it made sense.
The common people again grew excited, full of gratitude.
Many were eager, wanting to rush back home.
But suddenly, someone unexpectedly said,
“You go back if you want, I don’t want to go back.”
“There’s a demon turmoil every two or three days, you can’t live like that.
I’m staying right here, I’ve heard that dignitary is in Qingshan County, I pray for his protection, at least I can find peace of mind.”
This statement struck a chord with many others.
“Yeah, yeah, I feel the same.”
People divided into two groups.
Each had their own choice,
Some set off on the road home, where their loved ones and the ties of their hometown awaited.
Others opted to settle down in Qingshan County, because that dignitary resided there.
Some disciples asked Wu Shan,
“Master, what about us?”
Wu Shan thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“First let’s find a place to stay here.”
He then looked down at his own arm that was simply bandaged, the wound somewhat fierce and angry.
“This injury will probably take a while to heal!”
Outside the city, the setting sun was like blood.
Golden scales shimmered on the surface of the river.
There were fishing songs at dusk, and birds returning to their nests.
To the east about a dozen miles away, at this time, a flat boat sailed atop the river.
At the bow, stood an old man with a goatee, wearing a scholarly robe scrubbed clean, and a straw hat hanging behind his neck.
He was punting with a boat pole, bellowing a song in a loud voice.
“Law, law, law, law without the law,
Void, void, void yet not void.
Silence, noise, speech, muteness inherently the same.
Never have I spoken of dreams in dreams
His voice was melodious and resonant, winding through the wilderness under the sunset, with a mysterious charm.
Just then, a series of crisp splashing sounds came from behind.
The goateed elder ceased his singing and looked back.
In the light of the setting sun, a figure in a red dress, sword on her back, galloping on a horse, traversed the river.
Passing by, the woman on its back took a glance at the old man, frowning slightly,
The red dress accompanied by the sunset, gradually disappeared from the distant riverscape.
The goat-bearded elder watched the figure recede.
He exclaimed thrice in a row:
“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!”
Then, reaching out, he drew a scroll and a fine brush from his sleeve.
He moistened the brush tip with his mouth, lifted his hand, and wrote upon the scroll.
“Bing Shen day, 7 p.m., west of Yunlu County, above the Nu River”
“A red dress, unmatched in beauty, a sword on her back, galloping through the worldly society, a sight so stunning.”
After writing the comment, the bearded elder seemed quite pleased with himself, nodding, then adding a few more strokes.
Afterward, he put away the paper and pen, glanced into the distance, and muttered,
“According to the map, if I continue down this way, I should arrive in Qingshan County.”
“Along the way, the counties have been thrown into chaos by demon cult disasters!”
“I hope all is well here, so this old man can find a place to rest his feet!”
Soon, as the sun set behind the Western mountains,
the land plunged into darkness.
The entire Qingshan County was engulfed by this behemoth, shrouded in shadows.
In Jiazifang, a small courtyard, figures flickered.
In the middle of the courtyard, Chen Yuan held Little Squirrel, pointing to the pile of rice.
“Little Hua, return these
things to their rightful owners.”
He had not forgotten about this.
If not returned, his reputation would probably be ruined in Jiazifang.
Little Squirrel squeaked, sucked in its belly, then in a single breath, began drawing in the rice pile.
and in no time, hundreds of pounds of rice were sucked into its belly.
Then, the little creature effortlessly scaled walls and flipped over courtyards, disappearing into the night.
Its “business” was quite proficient.
Chen Yuan followed behind.
In about one pot of tea’s time, all the rice was returned to their owners.
Having wrapped up this affair, Chen Yuan let the little fellow climb up onto his shoulder.
Then, with it, he patrolled through the night-shrouded streets of the county.
Not long after, atop the pointed eaves of the city gate’s drum tower,
Chen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, eyes sparkling with silver light, looking at the mountains drowning in darkness outside the city.
Suddenly, he pricked his ears!
His eyes glinted as he turned his head, looking in the direction of the river outside the city.
“Clip-clop clip-clop”
The sound of horse hooves drew closer in the darkness.
Slowly, a red silhouette appeared in his line of sight.
A red dress, sword on her back, galloping towards Qingshan County!
Her dress as fiery as a flame, her hair like cascading willows, her face as the bright moon.
And those beautiful eyes shone in the night, glancing towards Chen Yuan.
(ps: The last day of May, the genius asks for all kinds of votes and support, don’t waste them, thank you, everyone!)