Chapter 9: Things in the Story

9 Things in the Story

Seeing this situation, how could Tang Zhao not know what was going on.

What this youth was carefully protecting were these two hidden children.

Although the thin youth's age made calling him a "youth" already quite a stretch—he was originally just a child of ten or so—the two children were even smaller and so severely emaciated that they were like hatchlings just out of the shell, fragile enough to shatter at a touch. They needed a not-so-strong adult bird to spread its wings and protect them.

He slowly crawled up, not caring that the youth had already rushed over to hug the two children, and just rubbed his elbow that had been poked into the ground from the collision, saying helplessly, "I said we aren't bad people, why won't you believe me?"

Sui Feng was also silent, putting away his Flower Spear and sitting back down. Tang Zhao also returned to the fire, turning his back to the three of them, and said, "Come sit over here, isn't it cold over there?"

After a good while, the youth also calmed down. He put down the still-sobbing children, walked forward, and forced a smile: "This lowly one..."

Tang Zhao turned his head and smiled: "Are they your younger brother and sister?"

The youth paused, his smile softening slightly, and said, "Yes."

Sui Feng nodded and said, "You've worked hard."

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "You really are a careless older brother; what if they caught a chill on such a cold night? Hurry and move over." Having said that, he moved to Sui Feng's side, leaving a large empty space.

The youth was silent for a moment, his smile slowly fading, leaving only a blank expression on his face.

Then, he led the two children, a boy and a girl, to sit back by the fire.

The firelight shone on the children's sallow, gaunt faces, reflecting some ruddiness, yet it also cast a layer of Shadow over their features, making them look strange and eerie. Tang Zhao took one look, felt uncomfortable in his heart, and looked away.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that he had been too confident just now, to the point of spouting declarations about pointing out the landscape and seeing through the ways of the world, as if he had returned to the time when he was a student, full of youthful spirit and vigor.

Now, seeing these few pitiful children, he remembered that he was nothing but duckweed drifting in the rivers and lakes.

The youth handed over a piece of dry rations. Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment, remembering it was his own portion from earlier, which had been skewered on the spearhead to roast and then flung out. Now it was roasted piping hot, and he had picked it up and returned it.

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said, "I won't eat it, it's too coarse, this YoungMaster isn't used to eating it."

The youth lowered his head, broke the dry rations into two halves, gave each child half, and silently gnawed on the portion he had initially kept for himself.

Another gust of wind blew, the flames flickered, and no one in the temple spoke, adding to the heaviness.

Tang Zhao stared at the fire, crossed his hands in front of his eyes, and suddenly said, "Since there's nothing to do, shall we tell stories for fun?"

The two children raised their heads, their eyes filled with anticipation. Sui Feng also turned his head to look at him.

Tang Zhao had found an audience and his interest was piqued. Ever since his family was gone, he liked to rely on telling stories to others to dispel his loneliness. He pondered for a moment and said, "I'll tell you a... 'Painted Skin'..."

Sui Feng interrupted: "Zhaozi!"

Tang Zhao turned his head, and Sui Feng laughed out loud, saying, "You tell it. It's pitch black, if you don't tell it well, I have a true story here to tell you when it's time to sleep."

Tang Zhao made a face, pretending not to understand, and said, "I'll tell you 'The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe'..."

In the dilapidated temple, only his voice echoed, and the flames reflected on his face like stage lights, making him the sole focus.

"The fairy asked him, 'Is the one you dropped this golden axe, or this silver axe?'..."

"'You are truly an honest person, both of these axes are yours'!"

"'No, you are not honest, so I did not find your axe'."

"In the end, that dishonest woodcutter didn't have a single axe left."

"Oh..."

This story was very simple, far less exciting than the story Tang Zhao had originally prepared, but the children listened very intently, and even the youth was drawn in.

Tang Zhao finished and was about to start another "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" when a child suddenly asked: "What does the fairy look like?"

The child was a girl, only seven or eight years old, her eyes full of stars.

Tang Zhao was taken aback, his gaze shifting, and he said: "The fairy? Probably golden eyes, silver hair, Luse armor, and wearing a Treasure Sword."

The children widened their eyes, half-believing, and Sui Feng was also stunned, following his gaze, and then he suddenly understood.

He saw that the deity statue in the shrine on the ground was sculpted with golden eyes and silver hair, wearing Luse armor and a Treasure Sword; clearly, Tang Zhao was just copying the cat to draw the tiger on the spot.

After finishing his bragging, Tang Zhao said naturally: "Do you want to hear more?"

The two children said loudly that they did, and Tang Zhao smiled at the youth: "Trouble you to pour a cup of water."

The youth was startled, took several bottles and jars from the straw pile, and poured a bowl of water for Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao drank it in one gulp and continued telling the story of Ali Baba, then told of Ma Liang and his Magic Brush, and the Three Little Pigs, until he reached the world's native myth, the "Double Sun Legend," when the two children could no longer hold on and fell asleep by the fire. Tang Zhao used a bundle cloth as a quilt to cover them, and it became quiet.

Gradually, the snoring of the two children began; the faces of sleeping children are always serene and peaceful. Tang Zhao felt his mood relax as he watched.

Yawning, Tang Zhao said: "Sleep?"

At this moment, the youth suddenly spoke: "I'll tell one too."

"Ah?" Tang Zhao was surprised, "You're telling a story too?"

The youth said: "I can't call it a story, maybe... an experience?" His voice turned light, becoming ethereal, just like the flames.

For some reason, Tang Zhao felt a chill in his heart, and the composure from telling stories just now vanished. He wanted to say he wouldn't listen, but he had been talking for a long time, and the other party had been listening the whole time; he couldn't just interrupt when the other party wanted to say one, could he?

The youth stared at the flames and said: "There was a person—never mind what he was called, he was quite unlucky anyway, suffering all kinds of disasters, let's just call him the Jinx."

Tang Zhao forcibly added: "Does Jinx refer to a comet? Comets are visitors from beyond the sky, with brilliant tails, the most spectacular of celestial phenomena; it's a pretty good name."

The youth ignored him and continued: "This Jinx, for some reason, left his home with a few younger siblings and traveled a long distance. They walked very, very far, so far they forgot where they came from. They walked during the day and slept in dilapidated temples or cold kilns at night, or made do under some bridge or in a tree. If they were lucky and some kind-hearted person took them in, they could sleep on a bed."

Tang Zhao muttered: "Poor children."

"One day they walked very late and couldn't find a place to stay, walking until the moon rose. By the way, that day, there were two moons in the sky."

Tang Zhao shuddered and blurted out: "Calamity Moon?"

Sui Feng sat up straight all at once; despite his experience in the rivers and lakes, this was the first time he had heard someone talk about the Calamity Moon in person.

The youth said: "With two moons in the sky, everyone knows you can't linger outside, but the wilderness was empty, so what else could they do? Suddenly, on the horizon, a large mansion appeared."

"That mansion was very large, the walls were very high, and from the walls, you could see lush trees inside, with Palace Lamps hanging from the branches, the lights brilliant and bright as day. The whole residence was like a ball of light, a pile of fire, so warm and bright."

"Logically speaking, with such overwhelming wealth, he would never dare to approach such a large mansion. But it was too late, and the night was too cold, and they were exhausted from the journey. One of his younger sisters couldn't walk anymore and he had to carry her. The Jinx finally decided to let the other two siblings stay outside first, while he carried his sister to knock on the door; if they were lucky enough to stay for a night, that would be best, and if the servants inside were fierce and drove them away, he could run away quickly."

Tang Zhao's gaze shifted to the faces of the two children beside him, and a wave of trepidation filled his heart.

"Arriving at the main gate, he knocked, and someone opened it immediately. The person who opened the door was a very beautiful sister. He stepped forward to explain his intentions, asking only that, for the sake of their youth, they be allowed to stay in a woodshed or straw hut for the night. The sister was very kind and led them inside."

"She led them into a great hall. The hall was very spacious, covered in brocade and embroidery, magnificent and resplendent. There was also a faint fragrance, shrouded in ethereal mist, just like the residence of an immortal. As soon as he sat down, someone brought over wine, dishes, and snacks; they were mountain delicacies he had never seen before. That sister gestured for him to eat to his heart's content, then went inside to invite the Master of the inner chamber."

"After a while, footsteps could be heard. Through several layers of curtains, a petite figure could be seen walking over slowly. As they walked closer, the figure gradually became clear from being blurry."

Although the youth's choice of words was not common, his narrative tone remained flat throughout, as if he were reciting. If Tang Zhao were to tell this story, he would certainly make it vivid and captivating. However, Tang Zhao wished he couldn't hear it at all; instead, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, almost wanting to tell him to shut up.

"At this moment, this jinx was full of joy. He hadn't seen such kind hosts in so many days; it seemed he would be able to sleep well tonight. He stood up, wanting to open his mouth to make a request. At this time, his younger sister suddenly whispered: 'Brother, shall we go?'"

"He was a bit displeased and said: 'It's hard to get a chance to sleep in a bed, do you want to go out and sleep in the wilderness again?'"

"His younger sister said: 'But it's so dark here, and dilapidated. You've also become very strange, talking to foxes and snakes. I don't want to stay here anymore.'"

The flames suddenly flared up, then suddenly dimmed.

Presumably, another gust of wind was raging.

But Tang Zhao's hands and feet were cold, his body numb, and he didn't even feel where the wind was coming from.

The youth stopped for a moment when he reached this point, staring blankly at the fire pile.

After a while, he continued to narrate in a calm tone: "The jinx heard this and almost sat on the ground, holding onto the table and shouting: 'What are you saying? Don't you see this tall house? And the Huayuan? The wine and food? The people?'"

"His younger sister wailed loudly at this time, pointing ahead and crying: 'What is that thing? It's so scary, it's coming over, Brother, let's run!' He looked up; before his eyes, there was only that petite shadow passing through layers of curtains, about to walk in front of him."

"At this moment, his mind went blank, and he turned and ran. He didn't know the direction; he just stumbled and ran outward. Even though there were thresholds and steps everywhere on the road, he couldn't care about them, charging forward with all his might, seemingly without being tripped. He kept charging until he couldn't run anymore, fell down, and hit the ground, feeling dizzy and disoriented."

"He lay there, unable to recover for a long time, until much later, when his body was frozen numb, and that lingering fear dissipated a little. Looking up again, both moons had already set, the sun had not yet risen, and there was only a white edge on the horizon. It was that time which was neither bright nor dark, the most chaotic moment. He still had lingering fears and said: 'Xiao Yan, thanks to you, otherwise I don't know what kind of monster would have bewitched me.'"

"But his younger sister did not answer. Everything around was quiet."

It was indeed quiet all around. Once the youth stopped, Silence submerged them, and Tang Zhao shrank his body again.

"Suddenly—he realized, reaching out to grope behind him, but touched nothing. It turned out his younger sister had been lost at some point."

"He ran back like a madman. He ran for a long time, but never reached that great mansion. Even though the mansion was tall and bright, and could be seen at a glance even from far away, at this moment there was only gray darkness, and nothing could be seen. Finally, he saw light. It was firelight. A team of Torches came from afar, blocking the middle of the road; it was a team of yamen runners in official uniforms. They stood in a circle like a fence, blocking people from passing."

"He lunged over, was kicked out, and told not to get in the way. He shouted: 'My younger sister is inside, I want to find her!' This time, someone was sympathetic and said: 'Another victim. Don't be anxious anymore; it's useless to be anxious now. Once caught in a Yin Calamity, there is no life to be found. Being able to escape with your life is already a blessing from heaven.'"

"He shouted: 'Let me go in, into that ghost mansion!' Someone lifted him up and said: 'Still not clear-headed, look, what mansion is there here?'"

"It turned out that only when the sky brightened could one see clearly: there was no great mansion or Huayuan inside at all, only the ruins... of a village."

Tang Zhao said with a trembling voice: "Ruins? A deserted village? Is there no one left?"

The youth said softly: "Yes, not a single person. Only broken walls and ruins, empty and desolate, as if swept by a gale that blew the entire village into the sky, then threw it down fiercely, leaving only debris everywhere. The yamen runners pointed it out to him and said: 'Get lost, you brat have great fortune. First, you were able to come out alive, and second, the officials from the Land Inspection Department haven't arrived yet. If someone from that side catches you to Ask, you'll lose a layer of skin even if you don't die.'"

"So this is a joke." He bared his teeth, "He is clearly a jinx, unlucky since birth, cursing his father, mother, and entire clan, yet he was told he had great fortune. Haha—"

He laughed abruptly twice, and the story came to an abrupt end.

Tang Zhao was dazed and lost in thought.

The youth became quiet again, turning his back to tidy up the dry grass, seemingly intending to sleep just like that.

Tang Zhao began to move along with him, his fingers twitching, and he discovered his fingertips were numb.

At this time, Sui Feng suddenly asked: "What about your younger sister? Did you find her?"

The youth's movements paused slightly, then he replied: "No, I left with the remaining two."

Sui Feng followed up: "Why not wait, wait until they finished investigating before going back to look? Even to bury..."

"I couldn't afford to wait!" The youth's voice gradually rose, becoming sharp: "What could I do? Even if there were a corpse, I wouldn't be able to bury it... When I came out, I was carrying five younger siblings from home, five people! Now only two are left! They left one by one, and I had no way to stop it. What could I do about this one?"

He covered his face with his hands, trembling all over, almost unable to control himself. Tang Zhao's face was pale, sitting to one side, wanting to comfort him but not knowing where to start; after all, his experience was too little, and he was at a loss when facing such matters.

Sui Feng frowned and shook his head, glancing at the sleeping children. Perhaps because they were too tired, or perhaps they were already used to sleeping in noise, even though the youth's voice was a bit loud, the children seemed startled but ultimately did not wake up.

The youth slowly suppressed himself, returning to silence, only still sobbing one sound after another.

Tang Zhao let out a sigh first and said: "Feng Ge, if it weren't for his kind reminder to us, he wouldn't have had to bring up this sad matter again."

Sui Feng shook his head again and stopped speaking.

The youth rearranged the bedding and said reluctantly: "I... this lowly one has been rude."

Tang Zhao felt that his words and demeanor did not seem like those of a poor child, but limited by his experience, he couldn't guess the other party's identity, and it wasn't easy to ask in detail, so he just said: "Thank you for the reminder. We will set off as soon as possible tomorrow; if you are going the same way, we can give you a ride."

The youth said dully: "Many thanks."