TWWDS - Chapter 35
Chapter 35
After taking their leave, Yan Kaixian asked, "Miss Chao, would you like to return to the inn, or go somewhere else to sit for a while?"
Chao Qingxiu said, "I want to have a look around the market in the city."
Yan Kaixian said casually, "Wenbei Sect treats its friends from the martial world very courteously. I thought the Gang Leader might stay another day."
To her, Chao Qingxiu was only fifteen or sixteen, precisely the age when curiosity about the martial world was strongest, so visiting another faction as a guest was perfectly normal.
Chao Qingxiu said wistfully, "I would like to visit Wenbei Sect, of course. But they are the pillar of the righteous path in Jiangnan. It would be inappropriate to disturb them casually."
Yan Kaixian thought the Gang Leader must have felt that Wenbei Sect was especially busy and did not want to add to its burden.
Chao Qingxiu thought martial sects were inherently places where incidents often happened. She worried that if she stayed any longer, she might stumble upon a case beyond her ability to solve at present.
After all, it was the foremost power in Jiangnan.
People who sold and bought goods could be found throughout Yongning Prefecture. Even if one merely stopped at the roadside for a while, three or five itinerant merchants might come up to tout their wares. Still, several ward markets were exceptionally lively, serving as market districts tacitly recognized throughout the city.
Yan Kaixian was no stranger to the city and led the Gang Leader to the area around Ande Ward. Chao Qingxiu looked inside an apothecary and found that most of the goods on sale were common, with plenty of mediocre-quality inferior goods mixed in. After browsing, she found only one thing truly rare, a length of Husu Wood.
The smoke from Husu Wood could repel insects, but even a short piece cost twenty strings of cash.
Rarity commanded a high price, and the apothecary refused to lower it. Chao Qingxiu could only regretfully pay the full price.
While browsing, Chao Qingxiu also came across someone selling fine cotton cloth. Unlike the kapok filling in the quilt she had bought before, this cloth was made from real cotton.
Because the supply was scarce, fine cotton cloth cost no less than brocade. Chao Qingxiu reflected that clothes made from silk and similar fabrics were impractical for riding a horse. She was not the emperor and could not wear each garment once before discarding it, so she bought only two bolts to try them out first.
Finally, Chao Qingxiu and Yan Kaixian visited a seller of seeds and ordered a packet of cotton seeds.
The Zizhuo Gang owned fields of its own now, so they could plant a crop and see how it fared.
Trade flourished in Great Xia. Although Chao Qingxiu had carried only a few dozen copper coins in her purse while shopping, she could easily leave the inn's address, arrange a delivery time, have the goods brought to the inn, and settle the payment afterward.
The two spent the day walking and even stopped at an entertainment house to watch a variety show. They did not return to the inn until evening.
Buer House's guest rooms were very clean. For travelers of the martial world, a good night's sleep like tonight's was a rare treat. Chao Qingxiu sat cross-legged on the bed and entered deep meditation. Only after two full hours did she blow out the lamp and go to rest.
The next day.
Though it was still early, a river of people was already flowing through the streets.
Chongming Academy stood on the outskirts of the secondary capital. It was the prefectural academy of Shouzhou, whose standing ranked below only that of the Imperial Academy in the capital.
Yan Kaixian also explained quite a bit about Chongming Academy's background. To protect the students and teachers, elite martial artists from the Wulin Alliance and Six Doors were stationed there.
Chao Qingxiu could fully appreciate the Academy's security arrangements. After all, this was an institution among the top five.
Yan Kaixian said, "Chongming Academy is near Yongning City. Sect Leader Cen has sent his sworn brother Li Guixian, Young Hero Li, to take up a post in the sect. As for the person sent by Six Doors..."
Chao Qingxiu caught the slight pause in Yan Kaixian's words. Her gaze shifted, and she immediately smiled. "Could it be Chief Constable Ruan?"
Yan Kaixian nodded. "Six Doors personnel rotate on a schedule. At this time of year, it should be her."
Chao Qingxiu blinked. "Since that is the case, should we buy some pastries and go to visit Chief Constable Ruan?"
Yan Kaixian smiled. "No need. Since we rarely come all this way, naturally we should make her treat us to a meal."
Chao Qingxiu considered this, then happily accepted Yan Kaixian's proposal.
After all, they were not local and might not know where to buy good pastries.
They first left the cloth and medicinal herbs they had bought in the inn's keeping, then rode their horses to Chongming Academy.
Chongming Academy had been built halfway up a mountain. Daylight came late there, and traces of morning mist still lingered. Seen from a distance, the mountains seemed shrouded in clouds and fog.
Yongning Prefecture was prosperous, and its outskirts were even more flourishing than those of other cities. Although Chongming Academy stood in the mountains, several roads led from the foot of the mountain to its main and side gates. It also did not have a sheer cliff directly behind it. Before they set out, Chao Qingxiu had carefully questioned Yan Kaixian about the Academy's geography. Now that she understood the situation, she was deeply relieved.
Yan Kaixian could not understand why the Gang Leader had asked. "Chongming Academy is not a martial world sect. Why would it be established in such a rugged place?"
Chao Qingxiu said, "Even a martial world sect would be better off not being built somewhere too remote and difficult to reach."
Otherwise, the very sight of it would have the sinister air of a mountain lodge in a snowstorm.
Yan Kaixian said, "The Gang Leader is absolutely right."
Although she did not entirely understand Chao Qingxiu's meaning, this did not prevent her from endorsing her superior's opinion without reservation.
The mountain on which Chongming Academy stood had originally had no name. Later, after the prefectural academy of Shouzhou was established there, local people began calling it Chongming Mountain.
The mountain road leading to the academy was paved with bluestone slabs, and the fallen leaves on the slabs bore clear marks of horse hooves. When Yan Kaixian made out the Academy's outline in the distance, she said quietly to Chao Qingxiu, "Something seems odd."
Chao Qingxiu completely understood Yan Kaixian's concern. From here, they could already see the Academy's outer grounds. At intervals of ten paces stood stern-faced guards carrying sabers.
The guards could see them, and at that moment had probably already noticed their approach.
At the Academy gate, a guard called out, "Who goes there?"
Chao Qingxiu and Yan Kaixian exchanged a glance, then dismounted and proceeded on foot. Yan Kaixian stepped forward, handed over the calling card from Old Dr. Zhou, and saluted with clasped hands. "I am here at the request of Old Dr. Zhou of Shizhou, to seek an audience with Instructor Han Xiyi."
The guard's gaze lingered on their faces.
Before setting out, Yan Kaixian had placed her saber in her saddlebag, and Chao Qingxiu beside her did not look much like a hero of the martial world. The guard studied the two for a long while, then relaxed somewhat. Perhaps one was a bodyguard accompanying the other to enroll at the Academy. "Please wait a moment," the guard said. "I will ask inside."
Chao Qingxiu waited at the gate for a quarter of an hour before the guard returned. "Instructor Han has no time to come out. He asks you both to go in and sit."
Although the guard had admitted them, his wary manner made it clear that they could not move about freely. They were forced to follow someone directly to Instructor Han Xiyi's quarters.
Instructor Han Xiyi's quarters lay on the eastern side of the Academy. As Chao Qingxiu followed the guide through the grounds, the first thing she saw was a stone stele standing at the entrance to the front courtyard. It was roughly ten feet high, and four large characters had been carved into its surface: "Discern the Subtle and Reason It Out."
"This way, please," the guide said.
Chao Qingxiu nodded to him. "Thank you for your trouble."
Inside the covered corridor, the light appeared even dimmer against the sunlight outside. Though it was plainly not raining, the air held enough moisture to give Chao Qingxiu the uncanny sense that a mountain storm was about to break.
The guide said, "I was not deliberately keeping you waiting earlier. Some time ago, the Northern Xi delegation came to Great Xia, but when it was due to depart, one group within it refused to return immediately and insisted on staying longer. Surprisingly, the court agreed. They had originally been wandering around the capital, but ten days ago they inexplicably arrived in Shouzhou. They had heard that Chongming Academy was a place of great literary distinction, so they insisted on coming to see it."
While the guide spoke, Chao Qingxiu looked from side to side. Her gaze came to rest on a wooden notice board outside the corridor.
The board was made of wood, and paper had been pasted to both its front and back. Three vermilion sheets covered the front, while several white sheets had been placed on the reverse.
The guide said casually, "What you are looking at is the Vermilion Bulletin. Chongming Academy holds a monthly examination at the beginning of each month. The names of the students in the top five are posted publicly."
Chao Qingxiu's gaze swept across the vermilion sheets. "Academy Top Five List: Gao Huaishu, Shi Sixuan, Lu Yuanshan, Du Zhiming, Jiang Rugu"; "Academy Top Five List: Lu Yuanshan, Shi Sixuan, Du Zhiming, Dai Lantai, Gao Huaishu"; "Academy Top Five List: Shi Sixuan, Lu Yuanshan, Xu Feiqu, Gao Huaishu, Dai Lantai."
Of the three vermilion sheets, the first two were older, while the last was newer.
Chao Qingxiu spotted several familiar names among them at a glance.
It seemed that once human interference had been ruled out, Xu Feiqu, the eldest of the Xu family, had made great progress with her headaches. Now she could finally leave home and travel to Shouzhou to study.
A smile came into Chao Qingxiu's eyes. "Those who can rank among them must be gifted and virtuous young talents."
The guide heard the pleasure in Chao Qingxiu's words and thought that perhaps she had not come solely to visit Instructor Han Xiyi, but also wished to learn Chongming Academy's admission standards and work toward earning excellent results.
The guide said, "There are papers on the reverse of the notice board as well, though they record some anecdotes from the Academy."
After hearing this, Chao Qingxiu deliberately walked around to the back of the board.
As she read, the guide added a few remarks of his own.
"The Academy often holds literary gatherings. The Northern Xi delegation happened to arrive when one was being held. They had come prepared to undercut Great Xia's prestige..."
The students competed with one another at the gathering, mostly in calligraphy and painting. A student named Gao Huaishu was especially skilled at painting. When he learned that the Northern Xi delegation was coming, he painted a large archway on a sheet of paper on a whim and pasted it onto a white wall. The delegation failed to see through the trick and went sprawling when they walked into it. Northern Xi had lost a little face, but the next day, several students met an unfamiliar young lord and, without the slightest suspicion, struck up a conversation with him. When they said goodbye, they heard a burst of mocking laughter from the Northern Xi delegation.
Only afterward did the students learn that the "young lord" was actually a young woman who had deliberately dressed and styled herself as a man. There was not the slightest flaw in her bearing or appearance, and even Dai Lantai, renowned for his sharp eyes, had failed to see through her.
The guide said, "Our side paints the scenery of the Academy, while they use a person as their picture. One might say they answer color with color."
At this, Chao Qingxiu and Yan Kaixian exchanged a glance.
Rather than a matter of painting skill, it was the martial world art of disguise and changing one's appearance.
The guide continued, "Afterward, Northern Xi challenged us on the classics. One of the Academy's instructors praised Miss Du, Du Zhiming, as able to recite backward without missing a word. Yet someone from the Northern Xi delegation actually did begin reciting a book backward, and it was even a newly compiled collection of examination essays from the Academy. That person was plainly a true genius with an extraordinary memory. Miss Du was young and spirited. After suffering such a defeat, she refused to see anyone for several days."
As they spoke, they had arrived. The guide saluted them with clasped hands and withdrew.
Instructor Han Xiyi's quarters were called Solitary Delight Pavilion. In truth, it was simply the faculty housing. He had hung a plaque over the gate of the small courtyard allotted to him, content to amuse himself in his own way.
According to Old Dr. Zhou, Instructor Han Xiyi was usually not especially busy. Today, however, he had been entertaining a group of guests together with the other instructors and had only returned to his quarters in the evening.
As soon as he came in, Han Xiyi repeatedly saluted with clasped hands. "I am sorry, I am sorry. I was entertaining guests with the other instructors and was delayed until now."
Hearing this, Chao Qingxiu immediately thought of the security outside the Academy. She first handed over the letter and escort cargo, then asked, "The Northern Xi delegation?"
Han Xiyi did not conceal it. "It was indeed the Northern Xi delegation."
His tone carried a trace of indignation and helplessness.
Chao Qingxiu asked slowly, "How did the Northern Xi delegation come to Shouzhou?"
There was a calmness and composure about her that did not match her age. For an instant, Han Xiyi forgot that she was a stranger he had met only moments earlier and replied almost without thinking. "The Northern Xi delegation originally went to the capital, saying that it admired Great Xia's literary culture, and brought several scholars with them. They had heard that Jiangnan was a land where great talents gathered, so they wished to come and experience it for themselves. Then Prime Minister Sun advised the emperor to treat them as visitors who had come to Great Xia to enjoy the grandeur of Great Xia. The emperor... the emperor approved."
Chao Qingxiu knew Northern Xi. She also knew that in recent years Great Xia had lost more battles against Northern Xi than it had won, so when facing Northern Xi's representatives, she could not help adopting a somewhat deferential manner.
Even so, Northern Xi should not have been allowed to wander freely through the heartland of Great Xia.
Chao Qingxiu raised an eyebrow but said nothing. After a pause, Han Xiyi gathered his spirits and said:
"It is already late today. Why don't you both stay here for the night?"
Chao Qingxiu hesitated.
She had not wanted to remain overnight at Chongming Academy, but Han Xiyi had returned far too late. If she left now, she would have to make her way along the mountain road in darkness.
Chao Qingxiu asked cautiously, "The Northern Xi have been here for ten days, and nothing has happened at the Academy, has it?"
Han Xiyi said, "Nothing." He continued, "Moreover, with the Academy Head here, even if those people wished to do something, they have had no opportunity."
Chao Qingxiu nodded.
His answer was convincing.
After ten peaceful days, surely an incident could not wait until her arrival to occur. She was not actually a renowned detective.
Moreover, Chongming Academy was an official academy, not a gang from the martial world. Statistically speaking, an unexpected incident was far less likely to occur there.
Having made up her mind, Chao Qingxiu said, "Thank you for your generous offer. We would be pleased to stay." She added, "Is Chief Constable Ruan Shifeng at the Academy now?"
Han Xiyi asked, "You know Chief Constable Ruan?"
He was also a martial artist, and he had noticed that Chao Qingxiu's breathing was long and steady, clearly indicating that she had trained in inner strength. Since Ruan Shifeng also came from a gang in the martial world, he found it entirely unsurprising.
Chao Qingxiu said, "We are old acquaintances. We rarely come to Shouzhou, so we wanted to see her while we were here."
Han Xiyi said, "The Northern Xi delegation is also at the Academy. She is probably too busy to see us today. I will have someone deliver a letter to her and see whether she can come tomorrow."
Chao Qingxiu saluted with clasped hands. "Then I thank you for your trouble."
Facing an Academy instructor who had only just finished his work for the day, Chao Qingxiu wisely did not keep him any longer. After taking a simple meal together, they went to the guest quarters arranged for them.
The next day, just as Han Xiyi had predicted, Chao Qingxiu met Ruan Shifeng.
But Ruan Shifeng was not the only one who had come.
Comments
Post a Comment