Chapter 54

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

However, after chasing out no more than one or two hundred steps, that grey shadow left no trace, leaving Shaowei thoroughly frustrated.

Shaowei, who grew bolder with every setback in every respect, caught this person red-handed again on the night five days later; this time her reaction was even swifter, and she leapt out the window before the other could react.

That "timid household slave" was of considerable stature, a genuine burly man, yet his movements were light as a leaf and swift as lightning; leaping over eaves and running along walls, threading through forests and stepping across streams without making a sound. Shaowei pursued with all her might, barely catching up to a li and more outside, before losing the person again.

Seven days later, this game of you chase me flee was once again performed in the dead of night; Shaowei chased all the way out of Taoxi Township, ran out of a peach grove, and saw a river before her eyes, yet the other's figure was nowhere to be seen.

Shaowei was exhausted, so she simply sat by the river and stewed in anger; she was angry that she was so inferior to others, failing three times in a row to even catch up to half a corner of the other's clothing.

The master had not a shred of proper form and loved telling little lies when there was nothing else to do.

The disciple had excessive competitiveness and would easily get petty over small things.

And what was even more infuriating was that, when Shaowei was exhausted to the point of looking inhuman, dragging her weary body back to the small courtyard, it was already broad daylight, only to see a small table suddenly placed in the courtyard, with a wine jar and two wine bowls on it.

So... after drawing her away and shaking her off, the other actually turned back and came to drink a morning tipple?

The wine bowls were empty and the person was gone, leaving only Jiang Fu sitting cross-legged on the straw mat, propping his head with his elbow, looking helplessly tipsy: "Why not sleep soundly when you should, why must you chase him?"

Shaowei was too exhausted to have any emotion, only wanting to return to her room to find her bed; as she passed by Jiang Fu, her voice was already listless and scattered, yet she still refused to give up: "You mind your own business..."

Jiang Fu clicked his tongue and shook his head: "Just how many mills must a donkey pull before it's willing to give up..."

The little donkey had no sense of weight when pulling the mill, but the master could not truly let things go unchecked; if it pulled itself to ruin, the master would still have to mend and patch it up.

From then on, the frequency of that "household slave" delivering items at night was fixed at once every ten days—Shaowei gradually figured out this pattern, and on the other days she slept soundly without waiting in vain.

Shaowei had never been able to see the other's face, and the two had never spoken a word, yet in one chase after another they inexplicably developed a certain tacit understanding.

Shaowei, who wanted to claim any impressive thing she saw, learned quickly in one swift chase after another, while the other sometimes deliberately slowed down a step, exposing his movement technique before Shaowei.

That night, Shaowei lost the person she was chasing once again, and sat down defeated by the river once again.

It was the hot summer of June, and even at night the heat still steamed; Shaowei's head was drenched in sweat, she edged closer to the water, scooped up a large handful of cool river water and splashed it on her face, then rolled up her sleeves and rinsed her arms as well.

Just then, she saw something floating down from upstream; Shaowei quickly leaned forward and reached out, grabbing it up in one hand.

It was a section of green bamboo tube, stuffed with a piece of hemp cloth; when the hemp cloth was unfolded, by the bright moonlight one could see a line of writing on it in charcoal, the characters large and ugly, the meaning shallow and plain: 【I am too fast; you are no longer slow.】

"..." Shaowei looked in the direction of upstream with a complex expression; after resting for a while, she clutched that ball of cloth in her hand and strode away.

Over these past two months, Shaowei's foot strength and leg strength had indeed improved greatly; when she returned to the small courtyard this time, the sky had not yet begun to lighten. She ran into the house, kicked off her shoes, and threw herself onto the bed, falling asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Because she had expended too much physical strength, she slept too deeply, not even changing her sleeping posture once; when she woke at noon, half her face bore red marks from the bamboo mat.

Shaowei got up with half her face bright red and sleepy eyes, went outside, and saw a pile of fresh things in the hall, knowing that the "household slave" must have come again while she was asleep.

Whether they met or not no longer mattered; after all, Shaowei now only coveted his lightness skill, and had no great obsession with seeing the true face of this timid household slave.

Jiang Fu came over wearing a brand-new deep green deep clothes with curved hem, raising his wide sleeves and turning leisurely in front of Shaowei, asking in high spirits: "Is this new outfit good-looking or not?"

As he spoke, he lifted his skirt with one hand and raised one foot, revealing round-toed shoes with double soles embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns in colored thread, shaking his toes: "Colored-thread round-toed shoes; I hear they are the latest style in Chang'an City; do you want a pair too?"

While Jiang Fu chattered on, Mo Li, a grey fox wearing an apron with his sleeves rolled up, strode into the hall carrying a bowl of boiled eggs.

Only then, after Shaowei had just gulped down a bowl of cool tea, did she realize that today was Jiang Fu's birthday.

Jiang Fu was very enthusiastic about celebrating birthdays; last year he did the same, wearing new clothes happily, boiling many eggs, rolling them from head to toe, saying it could remove the bad luck of the coming year.

Mo Li cooked meat and vegetable rice in a proper manner, also tossing kale, steaming river fish, and blanching shrimp.

Jiang Fu had Shaowei, after washing up, bring out the jar of new wine bought two days ago; pouring clear wine into bowls, adding several fresh yangmei soaked in salt water, and throwing in the ice that the "household slave" had somehow procured.

Shaowei and Mo Li did not drink wine, so each held a bowl of iced yangmei honey water, refreshing and thirst-quenching, also dispelling summer heat.

The three sat around the low table; Zhan Zhan also got a yangmei, holding it with one claw and bringing it to his beak to eat with great seriousness; after pecking one yangmei clean, he tossed the pit away with his claw, spread his wings in place contentedly and shook them, stepping on the ground leisurely with both claws, and whistled with his beak.

Jiang Fu heard the bird's whistle and called it celestial music.

And casually said: "Chang'an Palace also has parrots presented by foreign states, but those parrots are not even half as clever as Zhan Zhan, and are sickly all day, very hard to keep alive! Today they were fed a few more grains, and they dare to drop dead one for you to see. Tomorrow if they don't drink mountain spring water, they drop dead another one for you to see. The day after tomorrow if the palace attendant raising them accidentally enters the door with the left foot first, they also dare to drop dead for you to see... Still, our Zhan Zhan has a tough life and a healthy body."

As he spoke, he did not forget to turn and affirm Shaowei: "In the end, it is still our Shaowei who is skilled in the way of taming birds; if those palace attendants who raise birds in the palace had the fortune to see Shaowei King, they would surely bow their heads and kneel, weeping and begging day and night, until the King was willing to teach them this way of taming birds."

She was already fifty or sixty percent drunk, yet her flattery was still smooth and unhindered; Shaowei pretended to be casual and asked along with it: "... How do you know how birds are raised in the palace?"

Shaowei had countless curiosities about Jiang Fu's origins, and this curiosity did not decrease but increased with day after day of getting along.

But matters of origins required mutual exchange to proceed naturally in conversation; unfortunately, Jiang Fu never asked about Shaowei's background, and every time Shaowei couldn't help but inquire, she would always encounter Jiang Fu's skillful evasion with nonsense; Shaowei felt stifled, but since she was the one who had warmly stuck her face to someone's cold backside first, she couldn't well flare up, and often chose to swallow a bout of sullen anger between being angry and feeling aggrieved.

Thus, even though she couldn't help but inquire at this moment, she also put on an air of nonchalance.

Jiang Fu didn't know if it was because he had drunk too much wine; this time he did not evade, and while pouring wine he answered: "My father served in the palace, so I naturally know quite a bit about palace affairs."

He took a sip of wine and added: "My father was a eunuch in his lifetime."

Shaowei's face was full of astonishment; she no longer bothered to disguise her nonchalance: "Nonsense, how can a eunuch have a daughter? I heard eunuchs are all without descendants."

"What great insight, you actually know eunuchs are without descendants." Jiang Fu sighed in admiration, then smiled with narrowed eyes: "Then you probably don't know that eunuchs were not born eunuchs; I am his daughter born before he became a eunuch."

This somewhat exceeded Shaowei's understanding; for a moment she couldn't tell whether Jiang Fu was talking nonsense, and tentatively took it as truth, so she continued to ask: "... Then is your enemy also from Chang'an? From the palace?"

These past days, Shaowei chased that "household slave" late at night, and every time on the way back she couldn't help but think: even a household slave is so formidable, presumably Jiang Fu's family is very formidable; being so formidable yet having to come out to hide from enemies, doesn't that mean the enemy is even more formidable?

"Little brat, why are you inquiring about this?" Jiang Fu looked at Shaowei with a tipsy, smiling face: "What, do you want to fight enemies for me while I'm alive, or avenge me after I die?"

Shaowei hadn't spoken yet when Jiang Fu gently shook his head, smiling as he said: "I believe in heavenly secrets; if the heavenly secrets say I will die by a blade at the third watch, I will wash my neck clean at the second watch. Everyone has their own fate; there is no need to avenge me."

Shaowei turned her face away: "I have no time to do these things for you; I have my own matters to attend to."

"That's right." Jiang Fu smiled and put his arm around Shaowei's shoulder, rubbing his head against hers: "You should just go do your own matters."

Shaowei twisted her shoulder and struggled twice, but was tightly entangled by this drunk person, who then demanded some gift from her again: "For your master's birthday, you didn't prepare a gift? Coming empty-handed is not auspicious; how about this: I ask you a question, and if you answer truthfully, it will count as a birthday gift."

Shaowei didn't move, but turned her eyeballs and glanced at Jiang Fu—this person had finally started to be curious and inquire about her affairs?

Shaowei was cold on the surface and noncommittal, but inwardly eager and impatient. She urgently thought about how to seize this opportunity to return all the grievances she had suffered in the past.

But Jiang Fu asked, "On what day were you born? Do you know your Eight Characters of Birth? Later, as your master, I can arrange a birthday gift for you."

This question came out of nowhere and struck Shaowei's Reverse Scale; before her eyes flashed the Eight Characters carved on the wooden tablet she had discarded, and the rebirth those Eight Characters represented was not expected, but rather like a Curse.

Shaowei's body tensed silently and slightly, her voice becoming flat and cold: "I have no birthday, and I do not wish to celebrate one."

"It doesn't matter if you don't answer." Jiang Fu gave a heh laugh: "Then let me kiss you; a birthday gift must be made up for somehow—"

As Jiang Fu spoke, she brought her mouth toward Shaowei's cheek; Shaowei was startled and dodged, Jiang Fu pouted her lips and followed, Shaowei dodged again, Jiang Fu chased again... one pouting lips for two li, one dodging face for three li.

This scene greatly resembled the times Jiang Fu had wanted to kiss the family cat at home but was rejected.

Jiang Fu fooled around for a good while, but in the end could not withstand the wine, and fell into a deep sleep.

Shaowei carried her back to the Inner Room, threw her onto the Bed, then went out to help Mo Li clear away the leftover food and wine in the Hall, before returning to the room to make up for today's Static Sitting.

Zhan Zhan stayed beside Shaowei—in truth she had fallen asleep, lying on her back on a Cushion, her Claws drawn in, exposing her furry belly, with some bayberry Juice on the Feathers around her neck, looking inexplicably several parts drunk and dreaming.

After Shaowei finished Static Sitting for a little less than half an hour, her whole body was almost soaked with Sweat.

The summer heat was unbearable, and it was hard to stay in the house in the afternoon; over the next few days, Shaowei often went to read by the river behind the house in the afternoon.

Under the old Willow Tree by the river was a flat Giant Stone; Shaowei liked to lie barefoot on it to cool off, at this time one arm pillowed behind her head, one hand holding a Bamboo Slip, murmuring as she read.

The green ox was also afraid of the heat, so Jiang Fu had Shaowei shear its hair; Shaowei's skill was poor and her patience lacking, and the places she had sheared looked as if a mad dog had hastily gnawed them.

The sheared green ox still could not stand the heat; at this time Shaowei was reading by the river, and it soaked in the river to cool off by swimming.

Zhan Zhan at first feared it would drown, always circling it and chirping to urge the ox ashore, but later, apparently realizing this ox was not afraid of water, she changed her panicked posture and stood mightily on the green ox's head, spreading her Feather Crown, like a great general commanding a warship.

The wind by the river was cooler than elsewhere; blowing on the body it could dispel summer restlessness. Shaowei had finished reading half a Scroll and felt very content, just about to take a short rest, when she faintly sensed a Gaze seeking her out.

That Gaze was not aggressive, so it did not raise Shaowei's alertness; she kept her posture unchanged, only turned her head, and through the green Willow branches saw a boy in gray clothes ten steps away grazing Sheep.

Shaowei followed the boy's Gaze, and her sight fell back onto the Bamboo Slip in her hand.

When Shaowei looked up again, the boy had already averted his Gaze and was chasing a running Lamb.

This boy was someone Shaowei knew; it was the person who, when Shaowei first moved to Taoxi Township last year, called Shaowei "little child" and loudly reminded her not to walk around in the Mountain.

Probably because Shaowei had not responded to him that time, making him feel Shaowei was not easy to get along with, so even though they met several times afterward, he never took the initiative to speak, but each time he nodded gently in greeting, looking quite well-educated.

Seeing him go chase the Lamb, Shaowei turned her head back, put the Bamboo Slip behind her neck as a pillow, closed her eyes, and began to rest.

I don't know how long she slept, when a rolling thunder from the South Sky woke Shaowei.

The rain on a summer afternoon came especially suddenly; the green ox had already gone ashore under Zhan Zhan's command, Shaowei jumped down from the Stone and ran barefoot to lead the ox.

Many villagers were also hurrying home; there were not so many formalities in the countryside fields, and many sturdy women rolled up their sleeves to expose their arms, barefoot with feet covered in Clay, carrying Grass Shoes in hand and shouldering farm tools, laughing and talking as they ran toward home.

The rain came fast and went fast; by early morning the next day it had cleared up again.

After a rain on a hot day, Heaven and Earth became like a steamer basket on a stove; when Shaowei practiced Stick Fighting, she only wished she could knock over this steamer basket with one stick.

By afternoon, she would still have to go read by the river.

The road after the rain was muddy and damp; today Shaowei did not forget to wear shoes, and when she took large strides to the Giant Stone, she saw a slender figure like Bamboo standing there, as if waiting for her; seeing her come, he hurried forward two steps.