Chapter 162: Thousands Gather, Seeking Calm Waters

Late autumn sings its evening, the wind's intent lingers.

The first snow that fell just a few days ago has not melted, and the city's heat cannot dissipate.

The city's streets and alleys are filled with people, like an invisible-headed, tailless river, secretly yet unstoppably flowing in the same direction.

There are wealthy ladies in silk and satin, escorted by servants; there are laborers in coarse cloth carrying shoulder poles, squeezing through the crowd; there are five- or six-year-old children riding on their fathers' shoulders, babbling and shouting the four characters "Celestial Master grants blessing".

When mentioning the Dharma assembly, everyone's face shows an excited expression.

Du Shanü and Chinu walk side by side through the crowd, Chinu holding her hand; they walk slowly, pushed forward by the throng, yet they are not in a hurry.

Chen Er walks ahead, his back ramrod straight, yet his whole body seems to have changed skeletons, his steps bringing wind.

He leads the two of them all the way, guiding the route, and while walking he doesn't forget to look back, shouting at them:

"You two benefactors, put your minds at ease—one hundred and eighty percent at ease. The new inn I just found for you, everyone says it's the best in the city! Stay peacefully; next door, you're guaranteed to hear nothing......"

"Mm, it's fine if there's noise! I'll stand guard for you two later at night; if anyone hears a disturbance and comes looking for you, I'll shout them back away!"

It never ends, right!

How dare you look down on her and Chinu so much!

Could it be that they two cannot choose not to sway......

Hmm......

Perhaps it won't work too well.

Chinu is gorgeous in appearance, her nature like a peony.

The peony's nature: "to sacrifice life but not the flower."

Other flowers, if their roots are unsteady, will wither before budding.

But the peony is different; once it has a bud, it must surely open.

Even if she dies tomorrow, today she must bloom splendidly, opening until the flower's end, struggling until the last drop of her essence.

And she, in fact, is the same.

Du Shanü's mouth corner twitched; she ultimately did not refute Chen Er's words, instead turning her gaze to the surroundings and the crowd.

In the distance, voices roar; along the way, incense burners are routinely set at every alley entrance.

Today's incense burners are more numerous than when she entered the city the day before, and the scent of incense is richer.

Many shops have closed; some simply set up offering tables at their doors, placing fresh flowers and vegetarian fruit, with red paper bearing the words "Welcome the Celestial Master".

Obviously, this Dharma assembly is not a one-person affair, but a city-wide event.

Everyone longs to behold the Celestial Master's honor, yearning to receive a bit of blessing from Heaven's hands.....

The louder the surrounding clamor, the denser the crowd, shoulders touching, with no gap left to slip another foot in.

Chen Er tiptoed to look ahead, then turned back and said:

"We're almost there—right now on the main street before Ciyun Temple, seeing this sea of people, there must already be several thousand."

"Benefactor, rest assured; you paid me to hire me, I will surely find a way to get you to the front, otherwise you won't even catch a glimpse of the Celestial Master's shadow."

Fact proves that as long as one can make a living, Chen Er is also someone willing to work.

He spoke while sidling his body into the crowd, shouting "Excuse me, excuse me".

Occasionally someone dissatisfied, he would grin and beg for mercy.

Occasionally someone glared angrily, he would argue with them all the way.

He alone withstood everyone's displeasure around him, and he all the way escorted Du Shanü and Chinu to nearly the frontmost position.

Du Shanü and Chinu followed behind him, Chinu with one hand guarding Du Shanü's waist, shielding her from the crowd's crush.

Du Shanü hadn't seen such bustle for many years; the street was a black mass of heads, and even though the two protected her, she still broke out in a fine sweat on her forehead.

But fortunately, from here one can already see far off the flying eaves of Ciyun Temple.

Flags flutter, incense smoke swirls.

The vermilion walls shine especially bright in the sunlight; from this distance one can still smell the sandalwood fragrance.

There are voices talking and laughing, children's wails, peddlers hawking incense, candles, and paper horses along the street, all mingling into a buzzing sound like boiling water gurgling.

Chen Er was busy mustering another ounce of strength, looking for a gap to keep pushing forward, when suddenly a loud chant came from the street behind——

"The Prefect has arrived——The Celestial Master has arrived——"

That voice was sharp and long, overpowering the whole crowd's clamor.

The originally noisy crowd seemed split by an invisible blade, all retreating to both sides in unison, making way for a wide road.

Just moments ago the street was packed tight, but in an instant it emptied, leaving only the sides densely packed with people; the bold stretched their necks to look down the middle, while the timid had already knelt.

Du Shanü, Chinu, and Chen Er were jostled by the suddenly surging crowd, nearly toppling to the ground.

But fortunately, there was nowhere to fall here; they managed to steady themselves by relying on the gaps in the pressing crowd.

Du Shanü had no time to think much, instinctively looking toward the source of the sound——

Two sedan chairs came slowly from the end of the street.

They are called sedan chairs, but not entirely.

On the four ridges of the sedan tops sit cast‑bronze divine beasts; all sides are draped with heavy curtains, deep‑purple brocade embroidered with dark patterns—when the wind blows, the curtains flutter slightly, tugging the gold tassels at the edges.

The sedan chairs are lifted by four attendants in blue‑green uniforms, their steps orderly, steady and slow.

The front sedan's curtains are thicker, almost opaque, tightly sealed; inside, shadows loom, revealing only a seated silhouette, the face completely blurred.

At the head, the procession's guards hold signs reading "Avoid" and "Silence", while constables drive back approaching pedestrians.

An elderly man, his legs a bit slow, was nearly shoved; nearby people hurried to support him, and the two knelt together.

Du Shanü narrowed her eyes slightly, fixed on the front sedan.

That is the Prefect's sedan; its curtains are so tight that nothing can be seen inside.

She was straining to see, when her gaze involuntarily slid toward the rear sedan——

That is the Celestial Master's palanquin.

The curtain's texture is similar to that of the one in front, but it is a bit thinner; when the wind lifts it, the interior scene becomes a little more visible.

Du Shanü saw a hand extend from a gap in the curtain, fingers fair and slender, resting on the edge of the palanquin window, as if lifting the curtain to look outside.

That hand lifted the curtain, opening a slit.

Just a slit, less than two fingers wide. Du Shanü's gaze happened to fall on that gap.

In the next instant, she saw a rather familiar face—

A round, plump face with a natural smile, like a doll's face.

Eyebrows and eyes curved, the corners of the mouth slightly raised, as if always smiling.

Those eyes looked out through the curtain's slit, gaze casually sweeping over the crowd, meeting Du Shanü's stare, without surprise, without panic, more like an assured certainty—as if he had long known she would stand here, had long awaited this moment.

That expression lingered for less than a breath, then the curtain fell again, completely covering that face.

And when Du Shanü saw that face, her pupils contracted sharply—

Unexpectedly, it was that little Daoist.

This so-called Celestial Master, the Celestial Master revered by myriad people, the prefect's honored guest, the gathering of scholars...

Turns out to be the young Daoist who set up a fortune-telling stall at the narrow lane entrance last night, whose stall she overturned!

?? Didn't expect that, huh. jpg

? Recently no one praises the author, this is not right, not good, I will feel sad o(╥﹏╥)o