Faraway Wanderers Chapter 23

Chapter 23. Old Tales

Wen Kexing's smile seemed to be hiding unspeakable sadness. "I'm surprised there's still someone who can recognize his swordsmans.h.i.+p."

Zhou Zishu fell silent. Not even Tian Chuang was entirely infallible; had it been the case then he wouldn't be able to escape in the first place. Though, it was twenty years ago when the Swordsman of the Dazzing Fall secluded himself from the world, so no one really knew what happened with him and his wife since then.

He quietly studied Wen Kexing - the other man was sitting by the fire, back curved. He was supervising Zhang Chengling's clumsy execution of what he was taught by his father long ago with a still, distant gaze. His aura exuded indifference and detachment, somewhat similar to how Wen Ruyu's manners would be in Zhou Zishu's imagination.

Then Wen Kexing began to sing. "There was the millet with drooping heads; then there was the new sacrificial millet sprouting. I moved about idly, heart in turmoil. Those who knew me spoke of my sorrows, and those who did not said I was seeking something. O distant and azure Heaven! By whom was this caused?  There was the millet with drooping heads; then there was the new sacrificial millet sprouting…"1

His voice was pitched incredibly low and was a little hoa.r.s.e, a little morose. It carried a sense of disarray with the mixed-up words, each phrase and sentence sounding like it was rumbling deep in his chest and stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.

The fire crackled. Zhang Chengling turned to them to ask for instructions as he was confused about this one move, but his steps halted at the nearby singing.

Back when King Ping of Zhou ruled over the country and having to move residence, legends had it that when the physician Chu pa.s.sed by Zongzhou2, the crumbling shrines and palace brought sadness to his face. Seeing the ground overran with weeds and millet, he thought up this sad melody.

He mourned the buried halcyon days, for the past that was no longer reachable.

Zhang Chengling, moved by the song, had numerous thoughts blooming inside of him. As young as he was, he didn't think he had the courage to return to the Zhang residence in Jiangnan, the place that held his precious childhood memories. It must have been in a great state of ruin by now, a burden that he had to carry to the end of his life.

Zhou Zishu's eyes narrowed as he fumbled for the wine pot tied around his hip. He took a big gulp with his head tilted backwards, the spiciness rus.h.i.+ng straight up to his head and gagging him, making him shed a few tears.

Those who knew me spoke of my sorrows, and those who did not said I was seeking something…

This line was sung by Wen Kexing over and over with a hint of self-deprecation. His eyes curved, as if he was finding it entertaining.

What was he seeking, really?

After a good while, no one spoke. Wen Kexing's humming died down; Zhang Chengling was already asleep, body tilted to one side, the tree branch he took pa.s.sing now enveloped in his arms like a treasured sword. Something in his dream made his lips curve up and his brows furrow profoundly.

Zhou Zishu stood up, shedding his outer robes and using it to gently cover the child. His head hung low as he sighed, "Your father's Dazzling Fall's Eighteen Patterns was said to have taken jianghu by storm. Out of the three moves you have taught the boy, none of them seemed to belong to the Patterns; but when I thought about it, the Eighteen patterns and its ever-changing nature all originated from those three moves. What excellent… successor you are, Brother Wen, to have surpa.s.sed your father."

Wen Kexing's voice also lowered when he replied calmly. "His swordsmans.h.i.+p is definitely not as good as mine, but he was good at medicine while I completely suck at it. The most I can do is bandaging wounds or battling a cold."

Then he turned to face Zhou Zishu. "Since you possess such keen apprehension of the old man's sword skills, what else do you know?"

Zhou Zishu joined him by the fire. He pulled up his collar and hid half of his hands under the sleeves while warming himself up. He spoke slowly. "In jianghu there is the elusive Shaman Medicine Valley whose medication is almost indistinguishable from poison and vice versa; and there is also the Divine Medicine Valley whose practice is solely to help people. It's said that though the latter is not well-versed in martial arts, no one dare cross them. Your mother Madame Gu was the closed-door disciple of the Valley Master and rumored to be the most beautiful woman when she was a maiden. Some times after there was news about her marriage, causing many hearts to break."

Wen Kexing laughed softly at that, teasing, "How does a grown man like you know so much gossip? Do you have nothing better to do with your life?"

Zhou Zishu smiled back, "Not really, that's why you're hearing all this."

The two went quiet for a brief moment. Wen Kexing then muttered, "Those are all stories from so long ago…"

Perhaps they did share similarities, as when Zhou Zishu heard the other's singing and sighing, he seemed to have understood something. He couldn't help but give a gentle reply, trying to be a little comforting, "Your parents were some of the rare good people in this world. They were a true match made in heaven, traveling across jianghu together then retreating to seclusion together. Were I to have such a life, I wouldn't have any regrets even if I have to die tomorrow."

Wen Kexing's smile was terribly faint. "Good people?"

He looked almost dazed in the dead silence of the night. "Can't believe after that many years there's still someone who remembers them and calls them good. Say, what makes a good person? Why do human have to be good?"

Zhou Zishu was about to answer when he detected signs of movement from Zhang Chengling. The boy seemed to be having trouble breathing before the pattern changed. Zhou Zishu didn't have to look at him to know that he was startled awake by yet another nightmare.

Zhang Chengling said nothing and merely curled in place, clutching at Zhou Zishu's robes and the tree branch while listening to them.

At that, Zhou Zishu swallowed the words he was about to say. He thought over it carefully for a while, then replied in a neutral tone. "Not everyone in the world is a good person, but a majority of them tries to be so, to the point that they're willing to fake it."

He paused for a bit before continuing. "As for why they do… I think it's because only when you are good to others will they treat you well in return. When you're good you will have friends, acquaintances, family, people who want to be near you, to be nice to you. Think about it, isn't it too miserable of a life if all you have is yourself and you treat everyone else with wariness? It's too painful, being a bad person."

Wen Kexing was stunned listening to that. After a good while, he smiled and shook his head.

Zhou Zishu said no more about it and added more wood to the fire. Wen Kexing's head lowered, eyes gazing at the sparkling flame. He shook his head again but more slowly.

Finally, his arms crossed behind his head as he lay down facing the bright starry night. A long sigh was followed by words that were almost impossible to hear. "Fair enough… Ah-Xu, you're quite a reasonable man."

Zhou Zishu only smiled at that.

Wen Kexing's next question sounded like he was talking to himself. "Can a despicable man… also be piteous?"

"Of course." Zhou Zishu answered.

Wen Kexing nodded to himself, uncaring about Zhou Zishu's possible scrutiny. He then gave a solemn comment. "Ah-Xu, I just realize even though you may not be beautiful, you still suit my taste just fine."

Zhou Zishu's mouth twitched; he knew that this man could never stay serious for long before reverting back to his lecherous ways. He chose to ignore him.

Wen Kexing propped himself up on one elbow, looking up to Zhou Zishu all smiling, "Seeing that you adore my late parents that much, you should just follow me from now on. We can travel across jianghu together and then retreat to somewhere just like them, no need to be thinking about dying tomorrow. I don't mind being with you at all, so what do you say?"

Zhou Zishu's expression remained unchanged. "Apologies, but I don't really deserve such appreciation from Brother Wen."

Wen Kexing cackled, and in a degenerate fas.h.i.+on enjoyed very much that Zhou Zishu seemed terribly annoyed with him – to the point of breaking the wooden fire stick in his hand - but had to resorted to the silent treatment as there was no outlet to vent the frustration. He felt incredibly good about himself, having shamelessly delighted in other people's misery.

The next morning, Zhang Chengling returned the robe to Zhou Zishu with a tiny voice. "Thank you, s.h.i.+fu."

Zhou Zishu took it and spared him a look. "Come on, we're going back to the Gao's."

Zhang Chengling stopped walking, then continued to follow him like a scorned young bride.

Wen Kexing ignored that and consoled him. "Your s.h.i.+fu seems pretty determined to mingle with those heroes and be in cahoots with them. He's still staying with the Gaos at the moment, so for now you should just follow Sir Zhao, you can still look for him whenever you want."

He quickly added, "Of course, you can always seek me out too."

Zhou Zishu spoke up while staying ahead of them. "When did I ever say that I want to mingle with those people?"

Wen Kexing rubbed his chin, simpering. "So you're not staying?"

Zhou Zishu frowned. "Not staying."

Wen Kexing threw Zhang Chengling a glance. "For real?"

"For real…"

Unprompted, Zhou Zishu looked at Zhang Chengling. The boy was staring at him unblinkingly, his eyes similar to that of a skittish rabbit, face showing restrained hope. The moment their eyes met, his lips thinned as he feigned seriousness. At a loss for words, Zhou Zishu merely grunted and kept walking.

Wen Kexing, eager to add fuel to the fire, patted the boy's head and exclaimed, "Hey Ah-Xu, do you think we look like a family of three?"

Zhou Zishu's steps quickened.

With a serious father-like charade, Wen Kexing's said to Zhang Chengling gently, "Since journey is long and there's nothing to do anyway, how about I tell you a story?"

Zhang Chengling nodded like the well-behaved child he was. Wen Kexing began smugly, "Once upon a time, there was a demon child living at the foot of Mount Wu Xing with other demons and ghosts. Of course, the child despised his kind, since all they did was causing troubles…"

He seemed to have a talent with storytelling. Ahead of them, Zhou Zishu heard Wen Kexing's melodic voice rendering the foolish young boy absolutely awed. He became conscious of the fact that Despicable Wen could very well be a travelling tale teller.

"…the Red Child knew that he was an individual with exceptional heritage: His mother was a white snake spirit who was called the White Maiden. She had a love affair with a human, and when a monk named Fahai found out, he sealed her under Mount Hua…"3

Zhou Zishu suddenly tripped over a stone and almost fell head first to the ground.

"…the Red Child wanted to break the mountain apart to save his mother, but the monk asked for the immortals' help to stop him. The child had the upper hand, but what he didn't antic.i.p.ate was that the ghosts he lived with also betrayed him and wanted him dead."

Zhou Zishu had nothing to comment at this point. Zhang Chengling was still rapt with attention. "Why is that?"

Wen Kexing answered. "Because there was a big big secret: The snake spirit was actually not a spirit at all; she was a mere mortal with some cultivation in her. But somehow rumors got out, and she was treated like a demon and was sealed under the mountain. Say, if she was ever released, then wouldn't their family be all normal people? Wouldn't the child be just an ordinary mortal then?"

Zhang Chengling listened to him dumbly. "Ah, mortal… I still don't understand…"

Wen Kexing laughed, "Silly child. If you're of a different race, your heart will be different from us."

Zhou Zishu startled, an idea vaguely forming in his head and went away before he had the chance to delve further into it. He heard Zhang Chengling ask, "Then did the Red Child die? Was the mountain destroyed?"

After thinking it over, Wen Kexing asked him back, "I haven't thought that part up yet, what's your idea?"

Zhang Chengling's answer was absolute. "Of course he defeated the demons, saved his mother and became an invincible hero!"

"Hm…" Wen Kexing added, "Maybe. But that's boring, most versions ended that way… What if the Red Child became an ordinary man from then on, no longer possessing his magical powers?"

Zhang Chengling "Ah"-ed, feeling like this ending was somewhat pitiful but couldn't explain why. He glanced at Wen Kexing, deciding that this senior was not that bad and having the urge to befriend him. He probed, "Will you… tell me another story, then?"

Wen Kexing, finally found a loyal listener, appreciated the boy's admiration. Consequentially, he continued to ramble on, from the tales of the owl with the red water bowl, to Jiang Ziya fighting the White Bone Spirit, to Cui Yingying throwing her beauty trunk into the water out of rage, and so on. His strange and interesting tales lasted all the way to Dong Ting.

Once the three have arrived at the Gao's Manor, they ran into Cao Weining. Zhang Chengling's appearance surprised him, and he called out, "Oh dear, young master, to where did you follow these two? Sir Zhao was driven half mad trying to find you!"

Zhou Zishu said, "We coincidentally found him running outside on his own so we chased after him. We didn't have time to warn anyone beforehand, and…"

Cao Weining tugged him inside before he could finish, "You missed the big news, quick, come inside! Everyone is a mess fighting each other right now!"

Footnotes.

1 From the poem 黍離/Drooping Millet, from the Book of Odes collection compiled by Confucius.

2 Also called Haojing (the original text calls it both Zongzhou Haojing), it's one of the two settlements that comprise the capital of the Western Zhou dynasty. King Ping moved the capital from Zongzhou to Luoyang, beginning the Eastern Zhou dynasty.

3 Wen Kexing was purposefully mixing up the legends to mess with Zhang Chengling; the tale of the Red Boy is separate from the tale of the white snake. See this and this for synopsis of the stories.

Translator's Notes. We're finally back on track! If you hadn't noticed, I'm also translating Wanderer's prequel story . Thank you so much for your patience, I know it's been a while since the last update ❤️