Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Upon hearing this, Xie Yulin got up to change his clothes and told Luo Yun to go get something.

No matter how anxious Attendant Cheng was to take him back to the palace, he could only wait obediently to the side. He kept glancing up to see if Xie Yulin was ready, pacing in circles but not daring to say a word to hurry him up.

"Attendant Cheng, please safeguard this item and bring it into the palace with you."

Luo Yun emerged and handed a wooden box to Attendant Cheng.

Items Xie Yulin intended to bring into the palace were never subject to inspection. Attendant Cheng had no curiosity, only wishing to enter the palace quickly.

After a while, Xie Yulin finally appeared. He had changed into clean clothes and gloves; he was meticulous in every detail, his entire person so impeccably neat he seemed to glow.

Attendant Cheng instinctively stepped back, maintaining a certain distance.

Youyang Imperial City.

The Emperor's bedchamber was littered with shattered ceramic shards.

As Xie Yulin entered, a piece of a broken bowl bounced right to his feet.

The floor ahead was covered in fine ceramic dust. Xie Yulin frowned slightly and halted, unwilling to go further.

"Your subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Xie Yulin stood in place, cupping his hands in salute. Only then did Emperor Wu look up. He shot a glare at Attendant Cheng, then glanced somewhat guiltily at Xie Yulin. "I smashed them behind closed doors. No outsiders saw, so no one can criticize me."

Emperor Wu, Li Xing, came from the common streets. He had never received any formal education in etiquette, was illiterate, and knew nothing of propriety. This had long been a point of criticism among court officials and noble families.

In earlier years, because of these shortcomings, Emperor Wu often lost his temper in court.

But the more he raged, the more criticism he faced.

Unable to do otherwise, he could only endure for the time being, planning to deal with them one by one later.

However, to be honest, Li Xing wasn't truly afraid of those noble families, but he was genuinely afraid of Xie Yulin.

That gaze of his was chilling to the bone.

This wasn't allowed, that wasn't permitted. This was improper, that violated etiquette.

Rule after rule, it was truly terrifying.

Yet, the other man was his sworn brother who had risked his life for him, making it impossible for Li Xing to vent his anger on him.

To speak an unspoken truth, he didn't quite dare to lose his temper with Xie Yulin.

Li Xing hurriedly continued explaining, hoping Xie Yulin wouldn't truly be angry with him.

"You have no idea how outrageous that Northern Envoy was. I merely kicked them once. I didn't even mention how their nonsense during the ancestral worship ceremony disrupted the rites, yet they're making a life-or-death fuss over that one kick. They say if we don't cede territory and pay reparations, the Northern Country will send a massive army to our borders and teach us a lesson."

As he spoke, Li Xing walked over to Xie Yulin's side, kicking away the broken ceramic shards near his feet.

"Younger Brother Xie, the floor is clean now. Why don't we talk inside?"

Xie Yulin lowered his gaze and took a detour, avoiding the dusty areas.

"Ah, being emperor is exhausting. Even when you're being scolded like a grandson, you can only do it behind closed doors."

Li Xing muttered as he followed Xie Yulin, plopping down casually on a small couch and pouring tea for him.

"This is the stuff you like to drink, Younger Brother Xie. Don't worry, these cups are perfectly clean."

Xie Yulin glanced and nodded but made no move.

Li Xing set down the teapot, took the cup he had poured for Xie Yulin, and brought it to his own lips. He took a sip and clicked his tongue. "This stuff is really awful, not as good as sweet water. Tell me, has your cleanliness obsession gotten worse? When we first met, you'd just wipe the cups when we were outside."

"Those were cups I brought myself," Xie Yulin said.

Li Xing was speechless for a moment. Adhering to the principle of not wasting, he frowned and finished the tea.

"This quirk of yours is really strange," he said curiously. "So how do you kiss women? Or sleep with them?"

Xie Yulin's frown became visibly tighter. Li Xing exclaimed in surprise, "Don't tell me, your old brother, that you've never kissed anyone or slept with anyone?"

"Your Majesty, you should refer to yourself as 'Zhen' (the royal We)," Xie Yulin reminded him.

"Between us brothers in private, why so many rules? It's a pain. Don't change the subject. Zhen asks you, have you never kissed anyone?"

Li Xing stared wide-eyed, looking like he was waiting for a good show, anticipating Xie Yulin's answer.

Unable to withstand his gaze, Xie Yulin gently massaged his temples. "Your subject dislikes physical contact. Not yet."

Li Xing's eyes lit up. He stared at Xie Yulin, looking him up and down as if examining a rare specimen.

He raised a hand, holding up three fingers. "Younger Brother Xie, you'll be thirty in two years, and you've never even kissed anyone? Hahahahahaha, you're such a failure as a man. This quirk is no good, really no good. You're missing out on all the fun of being a man."

Xie Yulin pretended not to hear, waiting until Li Xing finished laughing on his own. Then, with great seriousness, Li Xing asked him, "Isn't the Northern Country talking about a marriage alliance? Anyway, our Wu Country has no princesses, but they have quite a few in the Northern Country. At your age, you really should settle down. You and I are sworn brothers. Even if you held a knife to my neck, I wouldn't think you meant to kill me. So, Younger Brother Xie, don't worry that I'd become wary if you had heirs after starting a family."

"With your background, to be honest, marrying a Northern princess would be more than sufficient. Since it's a marriage alliance anyway, if you want to take a wife, your old brother will handle it for you. If only my daughter weren't so young, having you as my son-in-law would really put my mind at ease."

Li Xing, who harbored ambitions of becoming Xie Yulin's father-in-law, smacked his lips, feeling rather regretful.

Xie Yulin was long accustomed to Li Xing's whimsical ideas. He said, "There's no hurry."

Li Xing scoffed. "At your age, and you say there's no hurry? If I hadn't been too poor to marry early, my son would be over ten by now. We're only a month apart in age. My son is almost ten, my daughter is six. And you don't even have a wife yet, and you say there's no hurry?"

Then Li Xing added, "But this quirk of yours where you can't touch people is a real problem. Ah, if the other person was thoroughly cleaned, could you touch them then?"

Xie Yulin took a deep breath, his voice cold. "Your Majesty, your subject believes this is not a topic a ruler of a nation should discuss with his subject."

Li Xing waved it off. "You noble-born types are all shy on the surface, but in reality, you play around more than us street folks. It's just bedroom matters. What's wrong with us brothers talking about it? Besides, I didn't say anything outrageous."

"You can't stay alone your whole life because of this, can you? Even monks aren't as restrained as you."

"Your Majesty, let us return to the matter of the Northern Country. Your subject's personal affairs are not worth mentioning," Xie Yulin said, forcefully steering the conversation back on track. Li Xing wanted to say more, but seeing Xie Yulin's handsome, snow-like face and those dark, emotionless eyes, he immediately fell silent.

Thinking that showing such fear was unmanly, he simply waved his sleeve and began cursing the Northern Country instead.

"Speaking of this, I—*ahem*—*Zhen* gets angry. Those Northern bastards insist that burning paper money is the only orthodox practice, and burning cloth and silk is fake. What a load of bullshit! Isn't it just because they have paper and want to show off? If they didn't have paper, let's see if burning cloth and silk would be considered orthodox!"

The more Li Xing spoke, the angrier he became, forgetting the previous matter and focusing entirely on venting. "As if no one knows where their imperial family's paper comes from? Damn it, they forcibly seized it from the Westmoon Country, and they really think they're hot stuff, capable of anything? That King of Westmoon is also a cowardly good-for-nothing. Robbed by those Northern bandits, he still kneels to polish their shoes, shamelessly smiling and calling the Northern Country 'Father'."

After cursing, he didn't forget to ask Xie Yulin, "Younger Brother Xie, tell me, is what Zhen said right? Isn't that the truth?"

Xie Yulin looked back at Attendant Cheng. Sensing the gaze, Attendant Cheng quickly understood and stepped forward to present the wooden box in his hands, then retreated to the side, standing so quietly it was as if no one was there.

"The orthodoxy issue is solvable."

Xie Yulin opened the wooden box, and Li Xing's eyes snapped to it immediately. Upon seeing what was inside, he hurriedly stood up.

He pulled out what was inside and held it up to the light to examine.

Xie Yulin paused for a moment before speaking. "This paper is not from the North Country; it is from our Wu Country. Shen Yuan of Qingyun County provided the papermaking method. I sent people to work on it, and we succeeded just a few days ago."

Hearing that this paper was produced in their own Wu Country, Li Xing examined it closely again and again.

The more he looked, the happier he became. He scrambled up from the ground, chuckling. "That 'Little Immortal Shen' who tells stories? Now there's a talent! Bringing glory to Wu Country and to me! Go and bring him to the palace. I'll make him a high official."

As Li Xing spoke, he delightedly turned the paper over in his hands. "Seems to me, ancestor worship should involve burning paper money. Anyone can get cloth and silk, no matter how expensive. Burning paper money is better; this stuff isn't for just anybody. And let me tell you, our Wu Country paper is much better than that from the North Country, hey."

Xie Yulin said, "Tall trees catch the wind. The one who provided the papermaking method must be kept secret for now. If it cannot be kept hidden, just say it came from me."

Li Xing of course understood this logic. He’d gotten where he was by never sticking his neck out first. He carefully placed the paper back into the box, saying amusedly, "You're really something else. In the past, you wouldn't have considered such things."

Xie Yulin's expression remained indifferent. "It's different."

Li Xing grew curious again. "How's it different? Is that child really an immortal?"

Xie Yulin shook his head. "He is still too young."

Li Xing clearly didn't believe it. "To you and me, seventeen might seem young, but most that age are already fathers. How's that young?"

"Besides, there are many juniors in your Xie family younger than him. I've never seen you look out for or make allowances for them like this. I heard that your family's juniors were made to kneel in the snow until they almost died, and you still made them kneel without a hint of pity."

Li Xing made his case logically, waiting for Xie Yulin to continue the conversation.

But Xie Yulin didn't utter another word, making Li Xing unbearably curious and fidgety, to the point where he even forgot his anger at the Northern envoy.

He thought resentfully: This brother Xie is really shrewd! Not only did he make me forget my anger at the Northern envoy, but I won't be able to sleep tonight either! I'll be up all night wondering what's *really* going on.

...

Ji Pingan ended up staying at Shen Yuan's for a full half-month. Shen Yuan put him to work, having him teach the children self-defense martial arts.

Shen Liushu, the four Ji family children, and the children from Auntie Ping's and Village Head Liu's families all joined in to learn together.

Shen Yuan wrote chapters of *The Path to Immortality* inside the house, listening to the occasional shouts and grunts from outside. The days were peaceful, warm, and fulfilling.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Lantern Festival. At the dilapidated Taoist temple on the peak of Cuiming Mountain, there was only one old Taoist priest and two young acolytes.

The old Taoist priest had a grizzled beard and wore a thin Taoist robe. The cloth shoes on his feet were patched and re-patched, worn through, and nearly falling apart.

The two young acolytes were no better off. Their clothes didn't even fit properly, probably hand-me-downs from an older disciple.

The three stuffed some dry grass into their thin, worn robes and headed down the mountain against the cold wind.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, the Qingyun County government would put on a lantern festival. The streets would be lit all night for everyone to enjoy.

Although it was still morning, Qingyun County town was already bustling.

The Storytellers' Union was also opening for business today.

Previously, Wang Sanhu and Fang Zaoshang had trained the newly recruited storytellers. Today was their trial run.

Many small tables appeared on street corners and alleyways. On each table was a pot of tea, an earthenware bowl, and a storyteller's block.

The storytellers sat on stools, slapped the block, and began the story of *The Swordsman*.

At the base of the city wall, the docks, various street ends, and alley entrances—wherever there was a storyteller's stall—it was surrounded by people.

From the crowd came frequent cheers. Everyone listened, enthralled, their hearts racing with the plot.

The old Taoist priest led his two young acolytes and squeezed into a stall at the base of the city wall, listening so intently they forgot themselves.

The acolyte named Guiyi, with his hair in two small buns, asked, "Master, does internal energy really exist? How is it different from the qi we cultivate?"

The old Taoist priest listened while replying, "No different."

The other acolyte, Guijiu, asked, "Master, what is a great hero?"

The old Taoist priest: "A person."

Guiyi and Guijiu, having received their answers, said respectfully, "Thank you for explaining, Master. We understand."

The old Taoist priest stared intently in the direction of the storyteller, answering his two young disciples absently, "You're welcome, my good disciples."

After a while, the younger Guiyi couldn't help but pull on the old Taoist's hand, looking up pitifully. "Master, I'm hungry."

The old Taoist priest's stomach rumbled. He could no longer focus on the story. "What a coincidence, I'm hungry too."

Guijiu asked, "Master, didn't we come down the mountain to find food? Why are we listening to stories here?"

"Because we haven't found food, and the story is good." Simply too hungry to bear it, the old Taoist priest had to abandon the story. He pulled his two disciples along. "Come, your master will take you to find food to fill your bellies."

"I performed a divination before leaving today. The hexagram was very auspicious. The three of us are sure to get a good meal."

Guiyi and Guijiu felt a surge of hope. They hadn't eaten their fill in a long time.

The hexagram indicated heading east. The old Taoist priest led his two disciples, walking until they reached the back door of the Storytellers' Union.

As soon as Auntie Yang opened the door, she saw one large and two small Taoists.

She said cheerfully, "Well now, perfect timing! I just opened the door, and here you are. Come on in and get your meal first. The weather's cold. Get your food now and you can get back to warmth sooner."

The old Taoist hadn't expected that two copper coins could get them a meal. He hurriedly took his two disciples inside.

Auntie Yang and the others thought Ji Shuang was a pro at packing in the food, but today they encountered someone even more skilled.

The old Taoist took out two copper coins, poured the food from the earthenware bowl into a cloth bag, filling it more than halfway.

Returning to the dilapidated temple, the old Taoist sorted the food into various earthenware bowls and first made an offering to the deities.

After leading his two young disciples in worship, he began asking if it was okay to give the offered food to the devotees. The old Taoist asked many, many times before finally throwing the divination sticks.

Receiving an affirmative answer, the old Taoist and his two young disciples carried these bowls to another side, offering them to the patriarchs.

After worshiping, they continued asking if it was permissible for the young disciples to eat. He went through the same drawn-out process, asking repeatedly before tossing the sticks.

Finally, the master-disciple trio ate the fragrant, cold rice. They were too hungry to wait and heat it up.

Guiyi ate until he was stuffed. The hexagram was truly accurate; he really had a full meal today.

Full and satisfied, Guiyi rubbed his round belly and asked the old Taoist, "Why did Master ask so many times before throwing the divination sticks? If you only asked once, wouldn't we have gotten to eat much faster?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said with a straight face, "See, you don't understand. Asking just once isn't enough—what if they didn't hear it?"

In truth, he was thinking that if he annoyed the gods and ancestors enough with his questions, they would surely grant him the food. But such matters were better left unsaid to the children, lest they tarnish his lofty image as their master.

"Now that we're full, let's tidy up the temple."

Guiyi said, "But no devotees are coming up the mountain today. Can't we clean tomorrow, Master? I'm so stuffed I can't even get up!"

The old priest pulled his little disciple closer, gently massaging the child's belly with his broad, bony hand. "Even if no devotees come, we mustn't neglect the gods and ancestors. Besides, aren't we devotees ourselves? We'll feel better seeing it tidy."

Guiyi nodded. "You're right, Master."

As night fell, Qingyun County grew even livelier.

The streets were lit up brightly, bustling with excitement.

There were jugglers, opera singers, dancers, storytellers, lantern riddles, and floating lanterns... it was a dazzling spectacle.

The Ji family's teahouse remained brightly lit as well, with both floors packed to the brim.

This was Shen Yuan's first time storytelling at night.

Cheers echoed without end as the new tale, *The Path to Immortality*, began.