Unsheathed

The young Daoist priest had already made up a long-winded spiel in response to the inevitable question of “who’s there?” from Chen Ping’an, but to his surprise, the gate was quickly opened, and he didn’t even have to announce his identity to the young boy inside.

As one of the narrowest alleys in the entire town, the Daoist priest’s cart couldn’t just be left outside Chen Ping’an’s yard as it would present a major hindrance to everyone trying to walk through the alley. Thankfully, even though Chen Ping’an appeared to be quite thin and lacking in physical strength, he was much stronger than he looked, and it didn’t take him much effort at all to help the Daoist priest move the rather heavy cart into his yard.

Throughout this entire process, Chen Ping’an didn’t say anything, and that left the young Daoist priest feeling rather awkward after he closed the gate of the yard behind him. It was like he had visited someone with the intention of borrowing money from them, only for the host to welcome him with open arms and exceptional hospitality, leaving him too ashamed to ask for money.

It was always going to be an awkward situation regardless of what he said or did, so the young Daoist priest decided to simply come clean right away. Thus, he removed the cotton blanket draped over his cart, revealing a young woman in black laying on her side in a fetal position. Her veiled hat was sitting on her head at a very crooked angle, but it was still stubbornly concealing her face.

As soon as the thin blanket was lifted, the smell of blood instantly began to waft through the air, and only then did Chen Ping’an notice that there was blood seeping through her black attire. Instead of pausing to consider how such a small and thin blanket had managed to mask such a strong scent of blood, Chen Ping’an hurriedly took a few steps backward as he asked, “What is the meaning of this?”

The Daoist priest replied, “We have to save her! She sustained some very severe injuries, but no one in the town is willing to help her. After weighing up my options, I decided that you were the only one who would perhaps be willing to take her in.”

“How did she sustain these injuries?” Chen Ping’an asked.

The Daoist priest had already prepared a story, and he immediately replied, “While I was pushing my cart past the archway earlier, I spotted this young woman from out of town, and she told me that she was going to make a rubbing of the inscription on the plaque that bore the idiom of ‘unmatched aura’. She had things like a rubbing pouch and a brush on her, and she quickly scaled up the archway.

“The act of rubbing an inscription is… How do I put this? It’s basically a method of replicating a piece of calligraphy or artwork. It’s something that scholars are into, and it’ll take too long for me to explain to you what the process entails. In any case, after she climbed up onto the archway, she sat down onto the horizontal beam, and I was horrified for her safety, so I stopped and warned her to be careful. Much to my chagrin, she became too absorbed in her work and failed to heed my warning, ultimately falling off the archway onto the ground.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, unlike the ground in Clay Vase Alley, the ground beneath the archway is much harder, similar to the bluestone slabs that Fortune Street is paved with, so the fall has most likely harmed even her internal organs. As a man of benevolence and upstanding character, I couldn’t just leave her there, wouldn’t you agree? On the way here, I asked many people to take her in, but they all turned away at the sight of her bloodstained clothes, saying that bringing someone like her into their homes so soon after the turn of the new year would bring bad luck to their families.

“While this is an understandable reaction, her condition is extremely urgent and must be treated without delay. If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t have come to you. If you’re not willing to take her in either, then I’m powerless to save her. I am but a mere mortal, not a deity with the ability to raise one from the dead. All I can do would be to accompany her in her final moments, and then find a place to bury her and erect a tombstone.”

The Daoist priest was intentionally speaking very quickly while telling his story and also slurring his words slightly, clearly trying to confound the young boy so that he would be swept along and agree to help before he had a chance to carefully consider the situation. In everything, the beginning was always the most difficult phase. Once the initial storm was weathered, things would generally take a turn for the better.

Chen Ping’an wore a conflicted expression as he glanced at the hopeful Daoist priest, then turned his gaze back to the frail young woman before finally arriving at a decision, nodding as he asked, “How do we save her?”

The young Daoist priest was ecstatic to hear this, and he immediately said, “The fact that you’re willing to help is already half the job done! Her injuries appear to be extremely severe, and if you just look at her, it seems like she’s already close to six feet under, but in reality, her condition isn’t as dire as you think.

“Of course, I have to be honest and say that there are some intangible factors that have allowed her to survive to this point, such as her incredibly strong will to survive, and in addition to that, she seems to have undergone some type of training that allows her to protect her vital organs. Another factor is that our town is a very remarkable place with many strange and interesting things that can be consumed or held for healing purposes to great effect.”

All of a sudden, the young Daoist priest realized that in his excitement, he had revealed too many secrets, and an awkward smile appeared on his face as he said, “Please forgive my ramblings. I’m sure you didn’t understand anything you just heard, right?”

“I didn’t, but I still remember most of what you said,” Chen Ping’an replied with an earnest expression.

“By the way, how did you know that it was me earlier? Could you tell who I was just from hearing my voice?” the Daoist priest asked.

“That’s right,” Chen Ping’an replied.

An intrigued look appeared on the Daoist priest’s face as he remarked, “You seem to have a very good memory. How well can you remember things?”

Chen Ping’an took a glance at the frail young woman, and the Daoist priest smiled as he explained, “At the moment, she’s in an extremely profound state, and in this condition, we can’t just carelessly move her body, so it’s best to wait for a moment.”

Chen Ping’an was rather skeptical of this explanation, but he still replied, “My memory is better when it comes to the things I see over the things I hear.”

“Can you give an example?” the Daoist priest asked.

Chen Ping’an considered the question for a moment, then replied, “An example would be Master Yao’s jumping burin technique. Master Yao was the best potter in all of our town’s dragon kilns, and I was able to memorize all of the movements in his jumping burin technique after seeing it just once, but…”

“But you were unable to physically replicate the technique, is that right?” the Daoist priest interjected with a smile.

Chen Ping’an’s eyes immediately lit up as he nodded eagerly in response.

A meaningful smile appeared on the Daoist priest’s face as he asked, “Have you considered what it was that made his jumping burin technique so remarkable?”

A slightly dejected look surfaced in Chen Ping’an’s eyes as he replied, “In the past, I was unable to figure it out no matter how much I thought about it, but later, Liu Xianyang told me something that Old Man Yao told him, which was that in order to execute the jumping burin technique well, one has to have a steady heart, not just a steady hand. After that, I began to understand what I was doing wrong.

“In the past, I was too hasty, and the hastier I was, the less steady my hands were, and the more mistakes I made. After making mistakes, I would become even more dismayed because I knew what I was doing wasn’t like Old Man Yao at all, and it was a negative cycle that compounded on itself. That’s why I was always the worst at pottery molding at the dragon kiln.”

“There’s an old saying that the master is only responsible for teaching the basics, while the disciple’s talent and hard work decide how far they’ll go. However, Old Man Yao never even tried to teach you the basics, so how were you supposed to make anything out of yourself?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head in response. “I had too little talent in the craft. I couldn’t even compare with the average apprentice, let alone Liu Xianyang, so it’s no wonder that Old Man Yao wasn’t willing to teach me.”

The Daoist priest suddenly smiled as he asked, “Chen Ping’an, do you know how difficult it is to reach a state where you can attain and consistently keep a steady heart? Do not be so harsh on yourself.”

However, Chen Ping’an still wasn’t convinced, and he shook his head as he said, “Think about it this way then: I can say that I’m catching fish while standing in water that’s less than knee deep, while someone with exceptional swimming skills that dives deep into the water and holds their breath for a long time is also said to be catching fish, but these are two entirely different concepts, wouldn’t you agree?”

The young Daoist priest burst into laughter and offered no response to this. Instead, he suddenly said, “We can begin saving her now.”

Chen Ping’an was rather dumbfounded by this sudden declaration, and the Daoist priest also faltered momentarily upon seeing this. “What are you just standing there for? Carry her onto the bed in your room!”

“What do I do after that?” Chen Ping’an asked.

“Well, of course, you start by changing her into a set of clean clothes, then go to the medicine shop to grab a few medicinal ingredients that’ll aid in her recovery. After that, you can leave everything to me,” the Daoist priest replied.

“Are you sure she won’t beat me to death after she wakes up?” Chen Ping’an asked with a dark expression.

“There’s no way that would happen! You are her savior; how could there possibly be someone in this world capable of turning on the one who saved their life?” the Daoist priest replied in a categorical tone.

Chen Ping’an offered no response to this.

The Daoist priest cleared his throat, and he suddenly seemed to be a lot less sure of himself as he muttered, “She probably wouldn’t do that.”

Chen Ping’an heaved a faint sigh, then proposed, “There’s a girl by the name of Zhi Gui living in the neighboring house. Can I ask her to come and help out instead?”

“I’m afraid that won’t do, and that’s where the problem lies,” the Daoist priest replied in a resigned manner.

Chen Ping’an didn’t persist with the idea, and he squatted down as he scratched his own head with tightly furrowed brows.

The Daoist priest suddenly asked, “Isn’t there anything you want to ask me? I may not be able to answer all of your questions, but I’ll be sure to answer all of the questions that I can.”

“Let’s save her first,” Chen Ping’an sighed as he rose to his feet.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself!” the Daoist priest said with a bright smile.

At the same time, he surreptitiously swept a sleeve through the air, forcibly confining the young woman’s flying sword to its scabbard.

Chen Ping’an hoisted the young woman onto his back, then made his way into his house before gently placing her down onto his plank bed, which was covered by a thin blanket. The bed had only just been repaired after it had been snapped by Liu Xianyang, and there was a bench tucked under the bed for support.

The young Daoist priest made his way into the room behind Chen Ping’an, and he looked around to find that the walls were virtually completely bare.

All of a sudden, he realized that he was forgetting something, and he gave himself a light slap on the forehead before making his way back outside to fetch some paper and a brush so he could write down the list of medicinal ingredients that he wanted Chen Ping’an to fetch.

After returning to the room, the Daoist priest shook his head and intentionally refrained from looking in the direction of the plank bed, thinking to himself that Chen Ping’an was most definitely not going to have a good time after the young woman woke up.

At this point, Chen Ping’an had already sat down on the edge of the bed and removed the young woman’s veiled hat, revealing a pale face that was covered in blood.

She was bleeding out of all of her facial orifices, and Chen Ping’an hurriedly rose to his feet upon seeing this before dragging a stool over to the bed.

He then rushed to a corner of the room, where there was a small wooden shelf that held all of his pots and pans. Beside the wooden shelf was a small water vat, which was covered by a wooden board to keep out the flies and mosquitoes.

The vat was filled with water that had just been drawn from the Iron Lock Well, and Chen Ping’an picked up a wooden tub and a gourd spoon before squatting down beside the water vat, quickly scooping water into the tub using the gourd spoon. After that, he draped a clean cotton cloth onto the edge of the tub, then carried it over to the stool by the side of the bed before wiping away the blood on the young woman’s face.

The Daoist priest turned to Chen Ping’an, then handed him a piece of paper. “There’s a small medicine shop on Fortune Street. Go and fetch me the medicinal ingredients on this list.”

“Didn’t you say I could leave the rest to you?” Chen Ping’an asked with a perplexed expression.

The Daoist priest replied, “I did tell you to leave the rest to me, but only after you’ve fetched the medicinal ingredients I asked for. Make sure to be careful on your way to the medicine shop, and don’t tell anyone what you’re doing. Otherwise, if people hear that you have a woman from out of town in your room, it could ruin both her reputation and yours.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response, and he asked while washing the cotton cloth, “Do you have money for the medicinal ingredients?”

“You don’t have any money?” the Daoist priest asked, suddenly appearing rather anxious.

Chen Ping’an set the wooden tub down onto the table, then pulled out a golden copper coin from somewhere before also placing it on the table. “I’ll exchange this with you for normal copper coins. As for how many copper coins it’s worth, I’ll leave it to you to decide that.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Daoist priest said, “This coin alone is enough to buy all of the ingredients on the list. I’ll get you the money now.”

Soon, the Daoist priest returned with a pouch of normal copper coins, along with several pieces of loose silver, all of which he gave to Chen Ping’an.

Prior to his departure, Chen Ping’an said, “Don’t tip out that tub of water, I’ll do it after I get back. My neighbor, Song Jixin, is always intrigued by new things, and if he sees you coming out of my house, he’ll start to wonder about what’s happening here.”

“Chen Ping’an, do you not have any questions that you want to ask me?” the Daoist priest asked with a serious expression.

Chen Ping’an stood on the spot as he briefly counted the copper coins and the pieces of loose silver before carefully putting them away. He then gestured for the Daoist priest to come outside with him, and after stepping out of the room, Chen Ping’an turned to the Daoist priest as he said, “I know that all of you aren’t normal people. Quite a few years ago, Old Man Yao once got drunk and told me that our town is no ordinary town, that it’s full of strange things and strange people, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what’s strange about this place, so I naturally had no idea, either.

“Earlier today, I heard from Gu Can that he saw a storyteller with a normal-looking white bowl that could pour out more water than what could fit in a large water vat. Gu Can is pretty annoying at times, but I know that he didn’t lie about this. There was also a very tall woman who came to our alley earlier today, and she flicked my forehead once, then laid her palm against my chest before telling me that I was going to die very soon. She then told me that it was a joke, but I know that she was telling the truth.”

A grim look appeared on the young Daoist priest’s face upon hearing this.

Chen Ping’an continued, “You told me that by burning the paper talisman that you gave me, I could bring good fortune to my parents in the afterlife, and to be honest, I believe you. That’s why I didn’t ask any questions when you came to me and asked me to save that woman. However, I want you to promise me one thing.

“If you agree to make that promise, I’m willing to do whatever you want me to do. However, if you refuse, then after fetching you these ingredients and helping you make the medicine required to cure that woman, I’ll have to ask both of you to leave.”

“What promise do you want me to make?” the Daoist priest asked.

Chen Ping’an had always seemed mature and steadfast beyond his years, yet at this moment, he was looking rather uneasy as he replied, “My parents passed away when I was very young, and for some reason, I can still remember many things from my childhood, but I can never clearly recall what my parents looked like.

“After my parents passed away, my neighbors kept me alive, and I was constantly going from home to home, eating whatever my neighbors were willing to spare me. One time, I inadvertently heard someone say that I was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, and judging from the tone of their voice, I figured that that wasn’t a very lucky day. There was another neighbor who was even more blunt and direct when talking about this…”

Chen Ping’an was rambling to put off what he actually wanted to say, but after a brief pause, he finally cut to the chase, lowering his head as he continued in a dejected voice, “After I help you save that woman, if, and I’m saying if, I were to suddenly die someday, can you help me reincarnate in my next life to be born to my parents again?”

The young Daoist priest offered no response.

Chen Ping’an scratched his head with a bashful smile as he said, “If it’s not possible, then just forget it. It’s ridiculous to think that anyone can manipulate what happens in the afterlife, so I’m clearly asking too much of you.”

“What are we going to do about her?” the Daoist priest asked with a wry smile.

Chen Ping’an suddenly turned around so that his back was facing the Daoist priest, and he waved his fist as he jibed, “I would be a fool not to save someone as pretty as her!”

The Daoist priest looked on as Chen Ping’an made his way out of the room.

As soon as he emerged onto Clay Vase Alley, the thought of someone seemed to have entered Chen Ping’an’s mind, and his cheerful facade instantly crumbled as tears began to flow down his face.