Chapter 17: Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 17: Where My Heart Finds Peace Is My Home

Volume One: Mountain Ghost Rumor, Chapter 17: Where My Heart Finds Peace Is My Home

Wu Ting saw the mud on Zhao Chan's hands: "Come, wash your hands."

Squatting by the stream to wash away the mud, Zhao Chan took ten copper coins from his bosom and handed them to her.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I have already bought a coffin for Lao Liu, and the coffin shop will deliver it to my house at noon. I would like to ask Sister Wu Ting to help me lay Lao Liu to rest."

Wu Ting said indignantly: "Zhao Chan! Who do you take me for? Do you think I'm someone who only cares about money?!"

"Listen to my explanation."

"Fine, speak, I'm listening."

"Sister Wu, after all, has no relation to Lao Liu and shouldn't help for nothing. Besides, in the past, when Lao Liu and I finished gathering lacquer and came down the mountain, we often went to Sister Wu's house to sponge off your food and drink..."

"I still don't want it."

Zhao Chan said helplessly: "If you don't accept it, I will have no choice but to bury Lao Liu myself."

"Good sister, please just accept it!"

"If you don't take it, my conscience will be uneasy. Lao Liu was the master who taught me how to gather lacquer; it is only right and proper for me to see him off, but Sister Wu does not have that obligation."

Wu Ting took the ten copper coins and sighed: "I can't win against you."

Zhao Chan beamed with joy: "It's getting late, I must return to town. Sister Wu Ting, I have joined the Demon Slayer Division, so I won't be short of money in the future; you don't need to worry."

"You..." Wu Ting was greatly shocked and asked hurriedly, "You, you joined the Demon Slayer Division?"

"Mm." Zhao Chan smiled in a relaxed manner.

"Zhao Chan!" Wu Ting said angrily, "Don't you realize how dangerous Demon Slayers are? There are so many Demons in the mountains; you are but a mortal of flesh and blood, how could you be a match for those beasts!"

Zhao Chan ran off, leaving her standing by the stream stamping her feet in anxiety, and he waved his hand with a smile: "Someone has to do these things."

Watching him run toward Youju Town, Wu Ting shouted: "You used to treasure your life so much!"

"Perhaps... people change," the youth replied, leaving only his back in view.

Wu Ting sat back down on the stone by the stream, heavy-hearted, and reached out to wash her clothes, when she suddenly paused.

"Zhao Chan has become more talkative."

"And more cheerful."

"Not as gloomy as he was these past few years."

"Zhao Chan is right, people do change."

A Ping and the sisters Bai Yuqing and Bai Youjun carefully examined the tiger demon that had been slashed in two; it was indeed a Lower Grade Qi Gathering Realm, no mistake.

A Ping's breathing grew rapid as it finally dawned on him: Zhao Chan's talent for cultivation was stunningly brilliant. If he could kill a Lower Grade Qi Gathering Realm Demon now, wouldn't it shock the cultivation world if he were sent to the Xuanwei Sect and nurtured at any cost?

Zhao Chan would be the heaven-sent prodigy to restore the Xuanwei Sect!

Bai Yuqing seemed to perceive his thoughts and sneered: "This small temple of the Xuanwei Sect cannot contain such a great Buddha."

A Ping ignored her completely and turned to leave; he needed to find Junior Sister Xie to discuss this matter.

"Big Sister! Is he going to snatch the young master away?" Bai Youjun asked in a low voice.

Bai Yuqing said with disdain: "Given Zhao Chan's mind, he will not go to the Xuanwei Sect."

"What if they kidnap the young master?"

"Qing, why are you being silly at a time like this? Could it be that in your eyes, Big Sister cannot beat them?"

Bai Youjun immediately hugged her arm and begged: "Big Sister, can we take the young master back to Da'e Mountain? It's too complicated down the mountain, I'm afraid the young master will suffer."

"Suffer?"

Bai Yuqing scoffed and patted Bai Youjun's little head: "You have seen Zhao Chan's series of actions clearly. With such a kind face but a black heart, do you think he could suffer?"

"Oh, Big Sister, don't pat my head, I won't grow tall," she said, annoyed. "The young master is clearly a simple and honest person."

"Simple and honest?" Bai Yuqing was stunned and retorted, "If Zhao Chan were truly a simple and honest person, he would have been hacked to death at his own doorstep by that Outsider long ago!"

"Hmph, being simple and honest doesn't mean being pedantic and rigid."

"Qing, have you been hit by a love-gu?"

"Big Sister was the one who pointed out this marriage for us..."

"I..." Bai Yuqing had nothing to say; had she known it would come to this, she would never have meddled in matchmaking.

The two were in no rush, returning to Youju Town as if sightseeing.

According to their original plan, they were only stopping in Youju Town to rest and have some fun for a few days; they had not expected this turn of events.

The two passed by Wu Ting, who was washing clothes.

Wu Ting turned her head to look and gave them a polite smile.

Bai Yuqing murmured to herself: "This girl, her talent is slightly inferior to Zhao Chan's, but she is still a person of fine quality. If a great sect on the mountain were to take her away, in a few years, her cultivation and Daoist attainments would be accomplished."

"A small place surrounded by mountains and rivers truly opens one's eyes."

"What is Big Sister saying?"

"Qing, go ask that girl washing clothes for her name."

"Okay."

Bai Youjun hopped over to Wu Ting's side and asked playfully: "This sister, you are so beautiful, may I ask for your lovely name?"

Being suddenly called beautiful, Wu Ting was momentarily at a loss. Looking at Bai Youjun's jade-like face, she instinctively felt she was not a bad person. After composing herself, Wu Ting said in a low voice: "I dare not accept the word 'ask'; my surname is Wu, and my given name is Ting."

"Is it the 'Ting' from 'graceful and elegant'?"

"Ah?" Wu Ting did not understand what 'graceful and elegant' meant; she had never been to school.

Bai Youjun picked up a twig and wrote the character 'Ting' on the grass by the water.

Wu Ting blushed and replied: "Yes, that is the 'Ting'."

"Sorry to bother you, see you again!" Bai Youjun waved goodbye.

"Did you ask?"

"That sister is named Wu Ting."

Bai Yuqing nodded: "Understood."

"What does big sister want to do?"

"Perhaps I can sell a great favor."

"Ha, I know now, big sister wants to introduce Wu Ting to a Mountain Sect!"

"You're the sharp one!" Bai Yuqing teased with a smile.

A scattering of melon seed shells remained at the entrance of Youju Town.

It seems the Shadow Puppet show last night left the common folk feeling satisfied.

Running to the front of Sunset Inn, the Landlady Xie Wan sat on a bench, cracking melon seeds.

"Little Toad!"

"Hello, sister Wan'er."

"Are you returning from outside? Don't tell me you were keeping watch at the Demon Slayer office," she asked skeptically.

"I went into the mountains to look at the lacquer trees."

"You are a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer office now, don't tell me you still need to harvest lacquer?" Xie Wan joked.

Zhao Chan smiled: "It's a way to earn money, after all."

Xie Wan gripped the melon seeds, stuffed them into his hand, and specifically took a few looks at his hands.

Tree lacquer is hard to wash off once it touches the hands; his hands were clean now, yet there was residual dirt in his fingernails that hadn't been washed away.

"You didn't sleep last night, you went up the mountain to dig in the dirt?" Xie Wan asked, "You didn't even bring a lacquer knife."

If he didn't even bring a lacquer knife, how could he check if the lacquer trees were suitable for harvesting?

Little Toad is lying.

Xie Wan was a little unhappy.

Zhao Chan did not change his expression and remained calm; he did not want to explain and changed the subject: "Does sister Wan'er still need temporary help?"

"Heh." Xie Wan looked at him deeply, "Little Toad..."

"Goodbye, sister Wan'er, I still have to go to the Demon Slayer office." Zhao Chan ran toward Nongsui Lane.

Xie Wan froze in place.

He has changed.

Not only does he talk more, but he also can't be bothered to be "kind" to people anymore.

Xie Wan's face sank.

Little Toad has started to become confident; he used to be terrified that one wrong word would make people look down on him.

Like an ant living with extreme caution.

"What happened to you?"

Zhang Cuicui set up her wonton stall early.

Yang Yun, who hadn't slept all night, was still in good spirits and bowed to Zhang Cuicui: "A bowl of chive-filled wontons."

"I've made it for you." She carried the steaming wontons and placed them in front of Yang Yun.

Yang Yun stirred the broth with a spoon and smiled: "Brother Zhao is truly a rare talent."

"Oh? How so?"

He recounted the time he spent explaining the way of calligraphy to Zhao Chan last night and sighed: "Brother is so talented and handsome; if he could calm his heart and study the books of sages diligently, he would surely stand out and pass the imperial examinations."

Zhang Cuicui listened quietly.

"Good morning, sister Cui Cui, good morning, brother Yang."

"Brother!" Yang Yun put down his spoon, stood up to bow, but just as he was about to speak, he saw that Zhao Chan had already run far away.

"Sigh! Why is brother in such a hurry! I still wanted to continue discussing calligraphy with you." Yang Yun shook his head and sat down to eat his wontons.

Zhang Cuicui frowned tightly.

It was impossible for Zhao Chan to have been on duty at the Demon Slayer office last night; she knew the rules of the Demon Slayer office, and many commoners in Youju Town knew them too. Newcomers like Zhao Chan had to be evaluated for a period of time first, and only after passing the evaluation would they be assigned tasks, such as keeping watch at the Demon Slayer office...

Then, he returned from outside the town; where did he go last night?

A faint doubt lingered in her heart.

Zhang Cuicui asked as if casually: "You discussed for the whole night?"

"No. Brother only left at dawn."

"Your brother doesn't seem to have gone home to sleep."

Yang Yun smiled: "Young man, you know, full of energy. He must have been so excited after hearing me explain the way of calligraphy that he went off to exercise early in the morning.

A scholar must never only read the books of sages and neglect his body; one must know that a healthy body is the capital for long-term study."

Zhang Cuicui sat opposite him and watched him quietly: "What about you? You only know how to read all day and night and don't care about your own body at all."

"Young lady, that statement is incorrect. It is precisely because I have a strong physique that I am able to study the books of sages diligently."

"You lack a wife to take care of you while you study."

"I am left with nothing but a clean breeze in my sleeves; where would I find the money to take a wife?"

"There are surely women in this world who only care about the person you are and not about wealth or status. You often speak of finding joy in poverty and following the Dao; could there not be a woman who likewise feels 'where my heart is at peace, there is my home'?"

Yang Yun chewed his wontons and said indistinctly: "Hard to find, hard to find."

"I happen to know such a woman."

"Do I know them?"

"Not only do you know them, you are actually quite familiar with them."

"Who is it?!"

"Far away at the edge of the sky, yet right before your eyes." Zhang Cuicui's gaze was clear; after saying this, she let out a long breath, her whole body instantly feeling light—she had forgotten how long she had kept these words bottled up in her heart.

Yang Yun was at a loss, putting down his spoon, "I still have studies to attend to, excuse me!"

She hardened her heart and blocked his path: "Yang Yun, I just like you!"

People walking on Caiyan Street stopped one after another to watch the spectacle.

Zhang Cuicui, that pretty widow surrounded by gossip, was actually confessing to Yang Yun, the book-stupid scab-head!

This matter was enough for the women of the streets and alleys to chew over for several years.

Liang You and Wang Lvshui happened to be in the crowd as well.

Wang Lvshui watched with great relish, while Liang You was utterly dejected.

"Look, I told you, Zhang Cuicui definitely has a thing with him. She must have seen that she has a child and, having no other choice, decided to plan on remarrying that scab-head Yang Yun," Wang Lvshui said, turning her head.

Standing behind her, standing on tiptoes to watch the excitement, was Ma Lan.

Yesterday, Liang You had gotten into an argument with Wang Lvshui at Zhang Cuicui's wonton stall, and it was Ma Lan who dragged them back to Xiao Hua Xiang.

As a famous gossip of Youju Town, Ma Lan naturally wouldn't let such a rare opportunity pass, spreading rumors about Zhang Cuicui: "Hard to say, who knows if the brat in her belly is even that scab-head Yang Yun's."

"Ha, you're right about that," Wang Lvshui sneered.

Liang You felt uncomfortable and said, "Say less."

"Liang You, are you still pining for that vixen?" Ma Lan rolled her eyes at him, "It's a pity, the vixen doesn't fancy you; only our Lvshui is blind enough to be good to you."

Wang Lvshui sneered, "Get your ass home later! There's so much mold growing in the house, scrape it all off for me. If you don't finish scraping it today, watch your skin."

Ma Lan wondered aloud, "It never grew mold when it rained in previous years, I don't know what's wrong this year, it's molding like crazy."

"Who else can you blame? It's all that vixen Zhang Cuicui's fault! She's a jinx! Bah, cheap slut, sooner or later she'll catch a filthy disease and rot away."

Liang You sighed several times and walked toward Xiao Hua Xiang, lost in thought.

Passing in front of Nongsui Lane, Zhao Chan ran out.

He glanced at the dejected-looking Liang You, then caught sight of a crowd surrounding Cui Cui's wonton stall.

He hid his silver and secret manual, tidied up his home a bit, and prepared to hurry to the Demon Slaying Division.

He hadn't expected that something would happen at Cui Cui's wonton stall.

Zhao Chan had no choice but to squeeze through the crowd to see if he could help Cui Cui resolve the trouble.

Zhang Cuicui was crying.

Tears gushed like a spring.

She wiped them away time and time again, but the tears were truly too many; no matter how hard she tried, Yang Yun remained blurry in her eyes.

She didn't want to see him unclearly, so she used all her strength, and even though she rubbed her eyes red and swollen, the tears still poured down like a broken dam.

"Cui Cui," Zhao Chan walked to her side and grabbed her wrist.

Zhang Cuicui shook off Zhao Chan's hand and struggled to open her eyes wide; she had to see the man standing opposite her clearly.

She still had many things to say, but her lips were trembling violently, and she couldn't utter a single word.

"Brother Yang?"

Yang Yun stared blankly at Zhang Cuicui, as if he had been stunned into stupidity.

Zhao Chan didn't need to ask; from the chatter of the onlookers, he already knew the ins and outs of the matter.

So, Cui Cui had confessed to Brother Yang.

All these years, Cui Cui only sold chive-filling wontons and refused to sell any other fillings. Zhao Chan had once asked why she didn't prepare more varieties to satisfy the different tastes of different people.

Cui Cui would just smile and say nothing, and he had caught a look of happiness on her face.

At the time he didn't understand, but now he knew.

The person who frequented the wonton stall the most over the years was Brother Yang; he particularly loved eating chive-filling wontons and never grew tired of them.

Cui Cui had set up the wonton stall for Brother Yang alone.

Therefore.

Zhao Chan reminded Yang Yun: "Brother Yang, you are well-read in books, you should understand that words can kill!"

No matter what, if Yang Yun didn't accept Zhang Cuicui today, she would have no face left to live in Youju Town.

Yang Yun sighed heavily; contrary to Zhao Chan's expectations, he walked up to Zhang Cuicui, opened his arms, and hugged her.

The onlookers gasped in unison.

Yang Yun, the book-stupid scab-head, had the immense courage to hug the widow Zhang Cuicui tightly in front of everyone.

"When I was little, I loved eating the wontons my mother made the most; now, I love eating the wontons you make the most."

There were no more scholarly affectations in his speech.

"Cui Cui, after my mother passed away, I was heartbroken. I hated myself for not being able to keep my mother in this world to serve her day and night, so I had to numb myself with the classics of the sages. Heh, I acted like a fool, but who knew the pain in my heart?"

"After I met you, I buried myself even deeper in my studies."

"The chive-filling wontons you make do indeed taste the same as the ones my mother made, or even better, but I didn't care. Food is just food, after all; as long as I don't starve to death, that's enough."