In the future, Jinning will grow up to be a libertine youth. As this immortal lord looked at him I imagined how he would be as an adult surrounded by ten beautiful concubines all he can embrace. He"s certainly one worrying child.
I took out two gourd-shaped little jades and bent down. "This poor cleric saw that two little masters have auspicious miens. These two jades are for the little masters to form a dao connection."
Jinning easily reached over to take it, but Jinshu tugged on his sleeves. He tilted his face up and spoke to me, "This Daoist here is someone of unknown origin, giving us things, is it because you"re aiming for something?"
I laughed aloud. "Since this poor cleric could come here to do the ceremony, there should be no problem with my origins. How can ordinary people step inside the manor of Dongjun w.a.n.g? These two jades are merely to connect little masters with the dao, with no other motives."
"If the young lords wish to grant this poor cleric with something," I stroked my beard and glanced at Jinning"s hands, "he could reward this poor cleric with his bamboo tube, how does that sound?"
Jinning looked at the bamboo tube in his hands with an unexpected reluctance, and looked back to the gourd jades in my hands, dithering between the two.
Jinshu blinked and then turned his eyes to Jinning and said to me, "In that case, I shall gift this to you, Do not ask for the bamboo tube. Give us the jades, will you?" His hands moved to his waist before closing around something. He stretched out his small fist in front of me and showed me what he held, when I saw the jade pendant, my heart was elated. Perhaps to benefit this immortal lord a little, without me exerting more effort, it was delivered to me by chance.
"Many thanks, little masters." I handed over one of the jade pieces to Jinshu.
Jinning blurted out, "Ei, didn"t we agree on two jades? Why is it only one?"
I shook my head, "The little master"s gift is only enough to be exchanged with one. One thing for something similar to it, is it not a fair exchange?"
"You just said it was for free!"
I stroked my beard again. "This poor cleric did say it was for free, but now I don"t want to give it away for nothing."
Jinning"s nose wrinkled up and he glared at me. Jinshu stuffed the jade piece into his hand and said, "Forget it, don"t fuss anymore with him, I don"t care about that thing anyway. This jade is yours."
Jinning fiercely shook his head, then held out the bamboo tube toward me, "Here, give us the other one!"
This immortal lord gave him a beaming smile. "Immeasurable favour. Thank you, little master." Receiving the bamboo tube, I gave Jinning the other jade piece.
"You like that bamboo tube, why give it to him? I don"t want this jade piece."
Jinning put the jade in his hands. "Your stuff was exchanged for mine, my stuff is exchanged for yours. What we gave were things we stole from little uncle"s room anyway, we"ll be lashed if uncle or daddy recognise them."
Only then did Jinshu take the gourd-like jade and put it into his sleeves. This immortal lord turned to leave, having successfully obtained the two objects.
When we are back at the Daoist temple, I gave my string of coins to Chang Shan and thanked him for his care of me. Chang Shan laughed with unfurled brows and wide eyes. "Dao brother Guang Yun is truly too polite. If you ever come to Shangchuan in the future, you must visit Mingyue temple and look for this small daoist."
At night, I took out the bamboo tube and jade pendant and admired them gloatingly, Heng Wen stood by the bed.
"You deceived two kids and swindled two items from them, your heart must feel calm now. Does looking at the objects remind you of the man involved?"
How could this immortal lord do a dishonest thing such as swindling little kids? Those two gourd-like jades had my spell, they are treasures with incantations for keeping from harm. The jades will protect the two so that evil spirits won"t disturb their peace and well-being.
I obsequiously smiled to him. "Do you want to lean down on the bed?"
"Forget it, that bed of yours can"t beat Li Siming"s burial shroud in cleanliness."
The next day I set off from Mingyue temple and left the city of Shangchuan.
Guang Yunzi"s body is mortal. Dragged down by it, this immortal lord also couldn"t ride on clouds. I could only walk the entire way, until the ferry station. It"ll be a four to five days walk on feet.
After we had left quite a far distance from the city, Heng Wen manifested and accompanied me to walk. He took on a material body, but used the appearance of that sir Zhao, not willing to settle with appearing as a junior daoist. I journeyed together with him. Those we pa.s.sed along the way all turned their heads, finding the two of us being together a very odd marvel.
Five days later, when the day nearly gave way to night, I finally reached the guest house above the river.
It was already dusk. Inky darkness descended from the apex of the sky making the surroundings very dim. The Yangtze river"s waves surged high, hitting the riverside, only the inn"s customer-attracting-flag made noise as it blew in the wind.
I leaned onto a bamboo pole with my right hand and raised the st.u.r.dy black flag. My left hand waving the thin-haired horsetail whisk as I walked into the inn.
At first, the inn"s waiter side-eyed me with squinty eyes and couldn"t wait to turn his head away, but when he saw Heng Wen coming in, his face blossomed in an instant.
When they realised that Heng Wen and I were travelling together, I took out the silver. The waiter and innkeeper smiled so wide their eyes disappeared. They very solicitously arranged for our two rooms upstairs and again very solicitously set up the best seat in their hall downstairs and served the best food and wine.
After serving the food, a waiter poured wine with endless solicitousness, striking up a conversation with me. "Great Daoist, you are as outstanding as immortals, with only a glance it can be seen that you are someone unordinary."
I modestly said, "Oh no, no, my dao practice is meagre. I"ve only a surface knowledge, like reading fortune by face, telling bad or good luck, or predicting a person"s future."
The server"s gaze was full of reverence.
So I continued on to say, "This poor cleric also has little knowledge of the Fengshui, in observing celestial events, and Qimen Dunjia."
The respect in the server"s eyes grew even more.
So I continued to add, "In fact, if there are cases of demon possessions, or ghosts doing evil, or even untreatable perplexing diseases, this poor cleric can also have a look at it."
The server"s face was full of amazement, he promptly put down the wine pot and performed a greeting. "Daoist, you are heaven-sent! At this moment our small inn has a difficult patient, is it possible to ask for the daoist to have a heart, and check him?"
The innkeeper personally took me and Heng Wen up the stairs. There, several servants were going back and forth, bustling about very attentively.
According to the innkeeper, several days ago, an important man came to the inn with a group of people. The lord was going to cross the river, but the billowing waves were too high and it couldn"t be crossed. And so, they stayed at the inn. A gentleman from among their group also came down with something. A few days later, it was as if the lord had an urgent matter, and he left with a few of the men, while the remaining people stayed to look after the ill man. In the end, the man"s life was not good, the people accompanying him also left, one following another, until only the sick him was left behind.
"When the last of them left, he left a large sum of money, saying that they will come back in a couple of days, and told us servants to take good care of this gentleman. He also unsheathed a sword and cut clean the corner from a table, scaring our whole small inn, saying that if we don"t take good care of the gentleman, we will be just like the cut down wood." The innkeeper"s tone sounded extremely miserable.
"But that gentleman was worse by the day. No matter what doctor came to look at his condition, every one of them would say that he couldn"t be treated. Right now, he only laid on the bed and threw up blood again and again, seeming as if he was hanging by a thin thread of life. We ask Daoist to do whatever you can to save his life. If he should die in our inn, how will we explain it to that group of people when they come back……"
The innkeeper opened the door and showed me the sickly young man hanging for dear life on the bed.
The oil lamp was not bright, only enough for me to make out the appearance of the so-called dying man.
With one look I was clear on the situation. I turned to the innkeeper and said, "Feel at ease now. No matter what happens to him, he will not die."