Chapter 3: The River God’s Marriage

Chapter 3: The River God's Marriage

In the middle of the night, he dreamt that he was sitting in a grove of peach trees, the pink petals set against the snow. Miss Hu, dressed in white, sat opposite him with a smile in her eyes, pouring him a cup of tea and bringing it to his lips: "For years and years to come, you must come to see this peach grove, won't you?"

Although there was nothing impolite about their conversation, Qin Cang felt quite embarrassed the next morning.

With his face flushed, he saw off Miss Hu and then went to find General Chen.

General Chen was all frowns and disapproval.

Qin Cang pursed his lips, displaying a contrite expression, and called out, "Master."

General Chen snorted coldly from his nose: "I don't deserve such a title."

Qin Cang shamelessly edged closer: "Master, just consider what I said yesterday as nonsense, I was wrong."

Seeing that the old general remained silent, Qin Cang knew the old man was vain and needed to be handled delicately. He began, "Master, I've been isolated at the altar since I was young, with no one to guide me. I’ve only been with you for half a year, looking up to you as my grandfather. It was just impulsive of me to speak without restraint, you can punish me however you see fit."

Observing the old general's hesitant expression, Qin Cang exclaimed loudly: "I'll confine myself to the storeroom, not to step out for a month!"

As he was about to leave, the guards at the door were startled to see him rush out: "Young Marquis, where are you going?"

The old general waved his hand in irritation: "What's this fuss? Get back here!"

Qin Cang immediately turned around: "I knew you cared about me!"

The old general kept a stern face but didn't refuse Qin Cang's offer of a shoulder massage.

Qin Cang said, "Master, didn’t you mention a few days ago about finding a folk master who might help me gather spiritual energy? Why don't we give it another try?"

The old general opened one eye: "Weren't you adamantly against it?"

"I've repented, truly. Didn’t the Grand Astrologer say that although I'm fated to die young, if I avoid reckless thoughts, there might be a glimmer of hope? I shouldn't be courting death every other day."

"I'll send someone to invite him in a few days; prepare yourself properly."

"All right! Oh, and about Miss Hu..."

The old general, exasperated, waved him out of the tent: "If you're going to seek her company, take a few guards with you and be mindful."

Before leaving, Qin Cang had asked the Grand Astrologer about not entertaining wild ideas. The Astrologer, with his scholarly manner, gave a lengthy explanation which Qin Cang, then set on self-neglect, hadn’t listened to carefully—it was roughly about self-discipline. Today, unlike his usual self who would read storybooks until midnight, he sat earnestly at the desk, pondering a path for himself.

Before him, a piece of paper was spread out, held down by a small stone. With a pen in hand, he drew a line of ink down the middle.

On the left, he wrote "Righteous", on the right, "Delusory".

Sitting idle, neglecting cultivation, and merely waiting for a stroke of fate are delusory thoughts.

Staying up late immersed in storybooks, indulging excessively in pleasures, these too are delusory thoughts.

Acting recklessly, depending on luck in one's affairs, these are also delusory thoughts.

He counted them one by one, tallying his daily deeds, both good and bad. The right side held more than a dozen stones, while the left remained bare.

Miss Hu... After pondering, he placed a stone on the left.

This must be a righteous thought, after all, she makes me want to live a long life.

The only tavern in Qing Shui Town was quieter than usual today, and in one of the rooms upstairs, sandalwood incense had been lit.

Amidst the curling smoke, the ragged "folk master" shook his sleeves and pulled out a row of silver needles from his bag.

He spit on his hands twice, rubbed them together, and then asked Qin Cang to stretch out the palm of his hand.

The master was indeed scruffy, and Qin Cang gave him a sideways glance. Only upon seeing General Chen’s serious face did he reluctantly extend his hand.

The master's fingers rested on Qin Cang's pulse.

Moments later, the master nodded and indicated for Qin Cang to remove his clothes.

Qin Cang, eyeing the thick silver needles, thought, what if this old man is the disaster fated to end me? He diplomatically asked, "Master, is there a more conservative approach?"

The master scoffed, "Young Marquis, I should be the one fearing you as my disaster. Rest assured, even if I can't cure you, I will not harm you."

Fine then.

Qin Cang braced himself and let the master turn him into a porcupine.

After an incense stick burned down, he transformed back from a porcupine to a man. Putting on his clothes, he moved about and found his body indeed felt much lighter. He exclaimed in surprise, "Can I gather spiritual energy now?"

"Wishful thinking," the master retorted, presenting a paper full of ink writings: "Spiritual energy is like water, and those who cultivate gather it as if standing in morning mist clothed. Some fabrics absorb water quickly, others slowly. Three hundred years ago, when spiritual energy was abundant, everyone soaked in it and differences were imperceptible. Now, the world is but a parched dune—if your garments are subpar, you'll naturally die of thirst."

Qin Cang took the paper—it was a map of their Central Continent, with a dozen or so spots circled at random, some in deep forests, others right above the imperial city.

Qin Cang asked, "What does this mean?"

Master: "Regions abundant in spiritual energy," he said, gesturing to several spots. "These locations, aligned with the Big Dipper, you must avoid."

Qin Cang was secretly astonished; having followed the national advisor, he was privy to some confidential information. Some cities, although not strategically important, were heavily guarded; they were, in fact, man-made 'national treasuries' for the redistribution of spiritual energy, preventing certain areas from becoming barren and unable to yield crops.

He wondered about the origins of this master who could deduce even this. Such a talent, unused by the court, could potentially be a threat.

Qin Cang reconsidered and thought, why should this concern me? Let the national advisor worry about it. He graciously accepted the information and thanked the master.

Before leaving, taking advantage of General Chen’s absence, Qin Cang caught up with the master: "Master, I've packed two roast chickens for you. May I ask you another question?"

The master snorted coldly: "Do you think two roast chickens are enough to hire me?"

Qin Cang smiled: "I just saw you quietly slip the fruit plate into your pocket."

The master coughed: "Then ask your question."

Qin Cang asked sheepishly: "Can you calculate marital ties?"

"Fine, tell me the time and place of your first meeting, and your birthdates and times."

Qin Cang provided the details.

The master, with eyes closed, furrowed his brow tighter and tighter, then suddenly opened his eyes: "You're trying to fool me? Not one of the numbers you gave is correct."

"Huh?" Qin Cang was baffled: "I didn't deceive you."

The master waved dismissively: "Then seek someone else's counsel."

Qin Cang scoffed to himself, thinking the old man probably just wanted money to do the reading. He didn't take it to heart and instead bent his head over the map.

Qing Shui Town was an obscure, remote little town in Central Continent, under the jurisdiction of Yun Jin, which, coincidentally, was exactly where a circle had been marked on the map.

Having decided to trust the master, Qin Cang discussed with General Chen. In seven days, Vice Marshal Hong was scheduled to inspect Yun Jin's defenses, passing through dozens of towns, large and small, and traversing several mountain ranges. It was arranged for Qin Cang to accompany him; perhaps he would find a place where spiritual energy converged.

The timing was perfect; it would coincide with the Leap Month Festival just before their departure.

Qin Cang had only recently learned that in this region, at the end of winter and beginning of spring, the town would select a night with a bright moon for unmarried young men and women to gather around a bonfire to sing and dance. If mutual affection was found, they would exchange tokens of love and discuss marriage.

Qin Cang was calculating in his heart, pondering whether he could invite Miss Hu to join him at the festival.

The next day, he used the excuse of never having attended the Moon-Leap Festival and needing to buy some clothes to bring Miss Hu to the town fair.

Although Qin Cang had spent over a decade amidst the splendor of the imperial city, he had never properly explored outside the palace. Thus, everything at the small town market seemed fresh and endearing to him.

Walking a few steps, he picked up a hairpin and said, "This peach blossom hairpin isn't bad." Holding it up to Miss Hu's hair, he asked, "Do you think it looks good?"

Miss Hu remained silent.

Qin Cang nodded, "It's pretty in shape, but the material is a bit rough. If it were carved from white jade, that would be worthy of you."

He purchased the hairpin, tucking it into his own pocket with an embarrassed smile, "I'll have a better one carved and give it to you later."

He strolled and shopped along the way, buying anything that slightly caught his eye. Miss Hu spoke little, but Qin Cang took her quiet nature in stride, not pressing her. As long as she was not displeased, he could enjoy the conversation by himself.

Eventually, they entered the town's finest fabric shop, and Qin Cang inquired, "Shopkeeper, do you have any clothes for the Moon-Leap Festival?"

The shopkeeper, seeing the assortment of trinkets in Qin Cang's hands, thought the sale promising and greeted them with a beaming smile, "Yes, yes, for the young lady or for you, sir?"

"Both," Qin Cang replied, glancing at Miss Hu and seeing no objection, then whispered to the shopkeeper, "The best would be matching styles."

The shopkeeper also whispered back, "You've come to the right place. The finer festival garments are intricate and usually custom-made. Luckily, I had a few orders canceled recently. The material is top-notch and the sizes should match the lady well. I assure you, they'll be matching."

Qin Cang nodded as the shopkeeper presented the clothes, which indeed looked much more exquisite than the ones on display. Curiously, Qin Cang asked, "Your clothes are quite nice. Why were there so many cancellations?"

The shopkeeper's face fell, "That's not on me. Who would have guessed that this year's River God's wedding would coincide with the Moon-Leap Festival? The selected ones left their orders with me and didn't look back. I'm at a loss here."

Qin Cang frowned, "The River God's wedding?"

The shopkeeper explained, "You must be from out of town, not knowing is normal. In the past, the River God's wedding would wait until the end of spring when the river thaws. But for some reason, it's been moved up this year."

Qin Cang asked, "When you say the River God's wedding, do you mean to say that the ritual involves sinking a woman into the river?"

The shopkeeper, noticing Qin Cang's displeasure and realizing he wasn't a local, became anxious, fearing he might have spoken out of turn. But then he thought it shouldn't matter too much to a young stranger like him.

After hesitating, the shopkeeper feigned ignorance with a forced smile, hoping they would purchase the clothes and leave quickly.

As Qin Cang looked over the clothes, feeling uneasy, a hoarse voice came from the door, "Shopkeeper, I've come for my clothes."

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