Volume 2 | After One Stepped Down, Another Would Step Up
Previously, when Zhou Zishu arrived at the Pingan Bank, he could always enter straight away. Today, however, after the shopkeeper had let him into the main hall, the shopkeeper first poured him and Wen Kexing, who was peering at his surroundings like a villager from the rural areas in the city, a cup of tea each. Next, he stood to the side, all smiles as he said, “Please wait for a little while more, Master Zhou. Lord Seventh is here today, and the boss has gone in to pass on news of your arrival.”
Zhou Zishu’s heart leapt, his emotions suddenly in a tentative jumble at being so close to meeting an old friend once more.
Yet, Wen Kexing heartlessly commented, “Hey, didn’t they say that Gu Xiang and Zhang Chengling are here? Can’t they just lead those two dumb kids out? What news do they have to pass on? It’s like we entered a lord’s manor.”
Zhou Zishu remained silent, thinking that Wen Kexing was truly a person of divinity, for every guess he made to be correct.
After a short while, Pingan walked out at a brisk pace, and said, “Master Zhou, my master and the Great Shaman are waiting for you inside.”
When Wen Kexing heard the two words “Great Shaman”, he was stunned. He thought: could it really be that the impossibly mysterious great shaman of Nanjiang had arrived?
–This pugilist world of the Central Plains was really becoming more and more chaotic.
Before he could muse further upon it, Wen Kexing followed Zhou Zishu into the inner hall. Pushing open an aged wooden door, a courtyard in which a row of sweet osmanthus flowers were planted lay beyond; entering, they could catch a whiff of a faint fragrance. Pingan brought the two of them into a house. Once he pulled the curtain aside, the warm air within rushed out at them. Lifting his gaze to peer in, Wen Kexing discovered that apart from Gu Xiang and Zhang Chengling, there were two other men inside.
His gaze involuntarily drifted to meet with that of the man in black. In that instant, without prior agreement, the two men nodded to each other and shifted their gazes away, as a show of cession to each other out of courtesy.
Wen Kexing regarded the other man, guessing that this man was probably the “Lord Seventh” that the shopkeeper had mentioned. At first glance, he could not help but privately gasp. He reckoned that of all of the good-looking individuals in the world, he had seen a considerable number of them. Yet, none of them could compare to this man–those eyes and brows came off as somewhat insouciant in their beauty, but were balanced by an air of affluence about him, thereby revealing only a little hint of that indefinable, loose charisma. It was like the idiom “a noble as outstanding as orchids and jade trees” had been thought up to describe him specifically.
The next moment, he heard Zhou Zishu call respectfully, “Lord Seventh, Great Shaman.”
Smiling cheerily, Lord Seventh made to help him up and examined that face of his, sighing nostalgically, “After many years of not seeing you, Zishu, your tastes…are truly becoming something fewer and fewer people would dare agree with.”
Zhou Zishu laughed and reached up a hand to wipe lightly at his face. Plucking the human skin mask off, he carried it in his arms and smiled wryly. “After so many years, other than young maidens, the only person I know who dares to ‘hide behind’ a beautiful face is that fool Jiuxiao.”
That shidi who had died in the battle of the capital all those years ago, Liang Jiuxiao, was the regret of his lifetime. All along, Zhou Zishu had dared not mention him–after so long had passed, that scene was like a dream to him. But here, faced with an acquaintance from the past, he felt like he had returned to the capital of that ten-mile Moon-Gazing Riverbank1️⃣⭐. Those past acquaintances and past events flashed in succession before his eyes, and, astonishingly, he had spoken that person’s name without a second thought.
➖⭐1️⃣
For those who don’t have the context of Lord Seventh, this river runs through the capital and is the centre of glamour and celebration of the city.
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In actual fact, it was nothing much to say it aloud. It merely felt like something had been cast out of his chest; like he was missing a piece of it, hollow
Lord Seventh’s smile froze. He sighed, looking Zhou Zishu over another time, and then frowned. “Why have you become this thin?”
Zhou Zishu shook his head, dropped his gaze and chuckled. “It is a long story. It is most probably that…I am growing old.”
Wen Kexing was a person who lusted after men to begin with; upon entering, he had admired the man at first, opining that this “Lord Seventh” was truly peerless. Yet, at this moment, he was starting to grow dissatisfied. He considered how he had pestered and badgered Zhou Zishu for so long, and the fact that if it weren’t for Yu Qiufeng and company giving them trouble, he might not even have had the chance to witness that person’s true face up till now. This man, however, could make him wipe off his human skin mask within two to three sentences upon his arrival, and even knew his real name…
Indignance rose within Wen Kexing.
Pingan invited the two of them to sit, and served them tea. Lord Seventh asked, “Has all been well…in the capital?”
Leaning against the backrest, Zhou Zishu seemed to have relaxed himself entirely, and spoke slowly, “There are those leaving on expedition as commanders, and there are those returning to the palace as premiers. The Young Marquis He Yunxing has married Princess Jingan. The couple are faraway in the Northwest, and can be said to have set their roots down over there. The Emperor…is quite well. A little prince has just been delivered to him this year, but I had to leave early, and couldn’t make it for the Third Prince’s full-moon feast2️⃣⭐”
➖⭐2️⃣
The Chinese traditionally celebrate a baby’s 满月, which marks a full month after the birth of the child.
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Between the two of them, one asked and the other answered, their conversation neither hasty or slow. The Great Shaman did not interrupt, but merely sat to the side and listened silently. Smoke rose gently from the incense burner. It was as if time had slowed.
Wen Kexing sensed that there was an odd atmosphere between the two of them. He had never seen such a Zhou Zishu, who sat drinking tea and chatting quietly with a serene expression on his face, and felt that they were like old kindred souls who had not seen each other for many years. Though this reunion might have come out of the blue, joy did not show on their faces, and they talked about inane, dull things that could have done without being said. Yet, it was like they shared a silent, mutual understanding in their hearts.
He began to find this “Lord Seventh” unpleasant to the eye, thinking, where did this pretty boy pop up from? He keeps going by “Lord Seventh”, “Lord Seventh”, and doesn’t even dare to give us a name. He cannot be a decent fellow.
Thus, very unhappily, Wen Kexing ripped the human skin mask from his face, and beckoned at Gu Xiang and Zhang Chengling, who were staring, flabbergasted. “Get over here, you little tykes.”
At once, the gazes of the three people shifted onto him. The faint trace of nostalgia had not yet faded from Lord Seventh’s face, so he asked in passing, “And this is?”
Zhou Zishu hesitated slightly, then replied, “A…friend…from the jianghu….”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Wen Kexing quickly snatched Zhou Zishu’s hand from where it was resting on the small table and placed it over his own chest. Slanting his gaze at Zhou Zishu, he whined, “A friend from the jianghu? That’s not what you said to me previously, why, A-Xu, are you planning on abandoning me after you’ve toyed with me?”
In that instant, Lord Seventh’s expression could be described as “stunned”. Even the Great Shaman who had remained silent thus far beside him paused, his inky pupils darting back and forth between the two of them, before landing on the hand Wen Kexing was holding with a strange gaze.
Zhou Zishu freed his other hand, and skilfully flicked at the ulnar nerve3️⃣⭐ at Wen Kexing’s elbow, forcing him to let go. Then he calmly lifted the tea bowl, and as if nothing had happened, said, “He’s called Wen Kexing. He is quite batty, and always speaks untrue nonsense. Lord Seventh, please do not take it amiss.”
➖⭐3️⃣
Commonly referred to as “funny bone”.
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Lord Seventh was mute for a beat before he could not stand watching them any longer, and said, “Pingan, what are your eyes for? Hurry and top up Master Zhou’s bowl.”
Like he had just been startled from a dream, Zhou Zishu set down his empty tea bowl, and shot a venomous glare at Wen Kexing. Wen Kexing suffered it willingly, producing a dumb smile that made one’s teeth itch with detestation.
With the intent to stir the pot, Lord Seventh sighed. “To think of the wealth and glamour of those years, now transformed so completely that I can no longer recognise them. Who knows what has become of the Moon-Gazing River, constructed upon heaps and heaps of rouge and powder, and all those magnificent and ornate buildings along it today? That year, during the crisis of the capital, you and I made an oath on the tower. If we lived to see long, leisurely days, we would not retire our cups before we were drunk. I have been waiting in Nanjiang for so long that the wine has grown cold, yet, an old friend does not even have the slightest intent to visit.”
Subsequently, he shifted the topic, a mischievous light flashing in his amorous eyes as he deliberately mentioned, “Zishu, you have broken with our promise to meet, but I have not. Until now, I still remember that you asked me to procure you a slim-waisted Nanjiang girl, and I have taken note of many. I am not sure if you…”
The Great Shaman coughed lightly, traces of laughter appearing on his aloof face. Zhou Zishu felt that he could stay here no longer, and stood up to slap his palm over his fist in a sloppy salute, saying hastily, “Ah…what’s that, Lord Seventh has just arrived in Dongting, and must be exhausted from travelling by carriage. We’ll not intrude any longer…”
Lord Seventh said, “Actually, we aren’t tired at all.”
Almost at the same time, Wen Kexing exclaimed, “What? A-Xu, you’ve even said something of this sort?”
The room descended into silence. The few of them stared at each other speechlessly, until Gu Xiang, who was more insensitive to the situation, suddenly patted Zhang Chengling, who was spacing out, on the head and lamented, “This is called ‘How well can you know another after a night of longing; be utterly ignorant as you sleep like the dead in spring’4️⃣⭐. Little Chengling, I think we, the two of us, should go rescue Cao-dage. Every one of them only cares about fighting for a lover’s attention, and isn’t reliable at all.”
➖⭐4️⃣
Gu Xiang, having learnt from Cao Weining, is bastardising idioms here.
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Lord Seventh laughed. “This little maiden doesn’t have to worry. You said that Cao-dage of yours is from the Qingfeng Sword Sect, so those strange people will not dare to do anything to him. Instead, if you hurry there without sufficient preparations, you will be cementing his guilt, and do nothing but cause more trouble for him–Zishu, only so little time has passed, and you want to leave? Sit for a while longer. As the ancients frequently lament, “There is no company to share the beautiful days of youth with”, you and I have met again in a rare reunion, but have barely reminisced enough about the past to fill a cup to the brim. Why are you so eager to leave?”
Wen Kexing felt that this person spoke confusingly by using pretentious references from literary works and cobbling unrelated events together. He found him unreliable and increasingly unpleasant to the eye, and thought that the words “The genteel sophisticated accumulate great falsehoods, while the simple boorish accumulate great virtue” were indeed true: a person who talked a lot of nonsense indeed inspired his loathing, even if he was a beauty, or an absolute beauty. Tugging Zhou Zishu along, Wen Kexing said, “Yes, yes, yes, we won’t disturb your rest, we still have some matters to see to…”
However, the Great Shaman set down the chess piece he was fiddling with, as he shook his head and smiled. Rising to his feet, he said, “Manor Lord Zhou, I see that you are not in great spirits, and your countenance appears to be somewhat languishing. Could I take your pulse?”
Zhou Zishu hesitated, but Wen Kexing’s hand on him tightened abruptly.
The playful mischief on Lord Seventh’s face had vanished. He frowned, asking, “What is it?”
The Great Shaman said, “I will need to take a look before I can tell with accuracy. Though, forgive me for saying so directly, Manor Lord Zhou—looking at you now, you show signs of a person on their last legs. What, exactly, has happened?”
Upon hearing this, Wen Kexing released Zhou Zishu slowly, his irreverent expression growing serious.
Out of the blue, Lord Seventh said, “Why, does Helian Yi refuse to spare even you?”
“Helian Yi” was the true name5️⃣⭐ of the current Emperor, yet, he uttered it so nonchalantly. No one at present noticed this minute detail, though; all those in the know and outside of it were looking at Zhou Zishu.
➖⭐5️⃣
The term here is 名讳, which means something like “name taboo” – in ancient China, as a sign of respect, no other person can use the characters that are in his name; they would have to use another character, or leave out a few strokes. Much less speak it aloud directly, like what Lord Seventh is doing here.
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Zhou Zishu only chuckled lightly, stretching out his wrist to lay it flat in the Great Shaman’s hand. “Lord Seventh, what kind of place that is, and…what kind of person he is, shouldn’t you know more clearly than I do?”
The Great Shaman placed three fingers over Zhou Zishu’s pulse. His brow knitted more severely, and after a long while, he finally released Zhou Zishu. Gently, he sighed, and asked, “I have heard that Tian Chuang has a Three-Autumn Nails of the Seven Acupunctures…”
“Indeed.”
“You have nailed one into your body every three months, allowing them to grow into your body and letting your meridians wilt bit by bit, so that you would not lose your mind and can still retain a few levels of core strength. Am I correct?”
Lord Seventh’s eyelid twitched. Still, Zhou Zishu smiled, and said, “The Great Shaman has an observant eye.”
Yet, the Great Shaman ignored him, clasping his hands behind his back and pacing around the room slowly. Wen Kexing felt an abrupt sense of panic and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, it was Lord Seventh who helped him ask, “Wu Xi, do you have a solution?”
The Great Shaman did not speak for a long while; upon hearing this, he thought for some time, before shaking his head slowly. “If you had hammered in seven nails at the same time, although your mind might be disoriented, I might still have been able to come up with a solution to remove them. If you recuperated with great care afterwards, you will be able to recover some. But once the nails in your body are removed, the core strength you possess will undoubtedly flood your nearly-desiccated meridians and destroy them. By then, not even a god can save you…”
Ye Baiyi had already said these words once; Zhou Zishu flapped a hand, indicating that he was unwilling to hear them a second time. Just now, when the Great Shaman had spoken, he still had a few slivers of hope, even if he did not make them known. Otherwise, he would not have presented his wrist.
He, too, did not know when it had begun–maybe it was because of these few noisy people by his side, or maybe it was because he had been dragged into those troublesome affairs, that he had begun to be sentimentally attached to this mortal dust.
Upon hearing the Great Shaman say this now, a few smidgens of gloom rose in his heart. With effort, he chuckled and said, “You should have told me this earlier. If I had known that the Great Shaman has such divine knowledge that he even knows how to remove the Three-Autumn Nails of the Seven Acupunctures, I would definitely have told Tian Chuang to switch to a more foolproof method, so that not even one person could escape our net.”
The Great Shaman looked at him. Still thinking deeply about a solution, he did not answer. So Zhou Zishu nodded to Lord Seventh and said, “We’ll take our leave first, and come visit another day.”
They had just walked to the door, when they heard the Great Shaman suddenly utter, “Hold on, or…”
Before Zhou Zishu could react, Wen Kexing had already taken hold of him. His hand was like metal clamped around Zhou Zishu’s wrist, pinning him steadfast in place. Turning his head, he said in a polite and proper tone that was rare of him, “What did the Great Shaman think of?”
The Great Shaman hesitated for a moment, then said, “Manor Lord Zhou, if…if you incapacitate yourself by ridding yourself of your martial ability, I may have a fifth of confidence that I can save your…”
Yet, when Zhou Zishu had heard the words “ridding yourself of your martial ability”, a smile surfaced on his pale face. It was difficult to tell what emotion was behind it. He lifted a hand to cut him off, and gently replied, “What else do I have left, if I rid this body of mine of martial ability? Will I still be myself? If I am no longer myself, why should I still keep living?”
He fought free of Wen Kexing, turned, and left. The Great Shaman’s words were on the tip of his tongue, but he did not utter them in the end, the words dissolving into a nearly imperceptible sigh—
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Fragrant Incense 8 