Chapter Twenty-Three: Words of an Old Friend

Qingyuan understood that the two old friends had much to discuss upon their reunion, so he tactfully took his leave, naturally bringing the mountain demon, Gu Cang, with him as well.

It seemed that Ge Yu'er was not particularly familiar with this Master Yunjing, and there were matters that even little Yu herself had no right to know. Having received Ge Lao’s subtle signal, Qingyuan took Yu'er with him as well.

Once only Master Yunjing and Ge Lao remained in the room, silence settled quickly.

Master Yunjing glanced outside and remarked, “That young man is a cultivator, though his level does not seem very advanced. But judging by his bearing, his movement—so clean and unworldly—he does not appear to be a mere novice. Looking at his innate foundation, it may well be quite extraordinary; his cultivation should, by rights, be deeper.”

Ge Lao smiled and replied, “It seems he only recently made a breakthrough. When I first met him, he hadn't yet begun his cultivation; I simply saw that his demeanor was remarkable, not one to be caged by the mundane, and so I took him in.”

“Not yet started before, and only recently broke through? That is indeed strange…”

Master Yunjing seemed intrigued, and continued, “As for the one shrouded in black, the aura of violence is overwhelming, wild and untamed. I suspect he is no ordinary being either?”

“That is a spirit beast,” Ge Lao said. “It nearly cost me and Yu'er our lives, but Qingyuan later subdued it.”

At this, Master Yunjing’s surprise deepened, although he did not dwell on the matter. Instead, he asked, “Is Yu’er the granddaughter of Lord Ming?”

Ge Lao nodded slightly. “She is Ge Zhan’s daughter.”

With a sigh, Ge Lao added quietly, “After the prime minister’s passing, I followed Ge Zhan to the battlefield a few times, but age and infirmity had already caught up with me, and I no longer went with the army. When word came of Ge Zhan’s defeat, I sensed disaster looming and managed to escape with her, sparing us from calamity. But Ge Zhan’s wife and the others had no time to flee and met their ends.”

Master Yunjing’s brow furrowed at once. “Who was responsible?”

“I do not know,” Ge Lao said with a slight shake of his head. “I have suspected many: Jiang Bojian, Yan Yu, the ambitious Hu Hao of the time; even traitors from Southern Liang or Yuanmeng, or perhaps the Baishi clan of Lindong. But there has been not a single clue…”

In the end, Master Yunjing sighed. “It is all fate.”

“Fate…” Ge Lao echoed. Then he said, “By the old custom, I ought to come again next year. But with the recent trouble with the spirit beast, it is unwise to linger, so I have arrived early.”

“That is a strange coincidence,” Master Yunjing remarked. “Miss Guo will also be arriving ahead of schedule, perhaps in a month or so.”

He added, with a touch of emotion, “After her retreat, she learned of Lord Ming’s passing, Ge Zhan’s death in battle, and the destruction of the Ge clan. She was deeply remorseful.”

“That is not her fault,” Ge Lao replied. “When she was born, the prime minister had a sage read her fate and learned she was destined for an immortal’s path. Thus, she was named Ge Guo and sent to cultivate in the mountains. The prime minister said that whatever befell the mortal world, it would not concern her…”

“But she is, after all, Lord Ming’s daughter and Ge Zhan’s own sister.”

Master Yunjing said wistfully, “So be it. To entrust Yu’er to her tutelage is perhaps for the best.”

Ge Lao nodded. “I had planned to wait another year, but a month more is no hardship.”

Master Yunjing refilled the teacups and said softly, “In the turbulence of the world, the fact that you survived is already a joy to your old friends.”

Ge Lao fell silent at that.

…

Outside in the courtyard.

Qingyuan walked with the young Daoist, taking in the sights of the monastery. Though the temple was plain, it was elegant and classical, with a feng shui layout that revealed careful planning—there was much to appreciate.

The young Daoist had entered the mountain as a child, apprenticed to Mingyuan Monastery, and received the name Qiming. As for his secular family, it seemed his surname was Zhang, but having been raised in the temple, he paid little heed to worldly ties and mentioned them only in passing.

“Master Qiming,” said Qingyuan with a smile, “I see that your monastery has clear running water and grows its own vegetables and fruits. It must be self-sufficient, without need for outside aid. Since you dwell in seclusion, untouched by the world, you must never have gone down to the city?”

The young Daoist named Qiming was taken aback, scratched his head, and finally looked up. “How could that be? You don’t know that even we Daoists must learn to engage with the world as well as withdraw from it. I have gone down the mountain—how could I not have?”

Qingyuan laughed. “If that’s so, then you must be familiar with events in Yuangjing City below?”

Qiming’s eyes flickered, and he boasted, “Naturally, I know it well.”

Qingyuan nodded and produced three tokens, setting them before the youth. “Can you identify where these three objects come from?”

“This…” Qiming hesitated, momentarily stunned.

“You don’t recognize them?” Qingyuan asked.

Qiming raised his eyebrows. “How could I not? It’s just that these tokens are very old and hard to make out. I’ll go clean them up so I can be sure. After all, Yuangjing City is large, with many clans and families.”

Qingyuan smiled. “Very well.”

Qiming hurried off with the three tokens.

Ge Yu’er blinked and said, “He’s making it up… He doesn’t know at all…”

Qingyuan chuckled. “Though we’re secluded here, the city is just at the mountain’s foot—there’s no way they have no contact whatsoever. This young Daoist may seldom go down himself, but his elder brothers and seniors surely do. He’s gone to ask them for help.”

Ge Yu’er suddenly understood. “You’re so sly, sir.”

Qingyuan laughed, reminded of Ge Lao’s method of using another’s hand to accomplish his own ends.

The mountain spirit, oblivious to such schemes, simply muttered its new name to itself: “Gu Cang… Gu Cang…”

After some time, the innocent and naïve Qiming came running back, calling out, “I know now…”

Qingyuan smiled. “What do you know?”

With pride, Qiming pointed to the three tokens in turn. “This one is from a branch of the Bai clan; that one is from the Zhao family of Yuangjing City; and the last is from the Qian family, also of Yuangjing City.”

“The Zhao family? The Qian family?” Qingyuan frowned. “What can you tell me about these two families in Yuangjing City? Are you familiar with them?”

“Well… of course… of course I’m… familiar with them,” Qiming coughed, “but it’s a bit complicated. Let me organize my thoughts so I don’t make things confusing.”

With that, he turned and hurried away once more.

Ge Yu’er stuck out her tongue and said, “Sir, every time you ask him something, he has to run off. Isn’t that poor Daoist going to wear himself out?”

Qingyuan shook his head with a smile. “He took the three tokens to ask others, and I’m sure his seniors or brothers were curious. Now, with more questions, their curiosity will deepen and they’ll grow cautious and likely come here themselves. The one who can truly answer me is bound to appear.”

Ge Yu’er gave a soft ‘oh,’ her eyes full of admiration.

At that moment, the young Daoist Zhang Qiming returned, though this time he kept his head down, clearly resigned.

Trailing behind him was an older Daoist, a young man in years but senior to Qiming.

“Junior Daoist Qiyuan, at your service, sir.”