Chapter 91: Joyful Atmosphere Rising

Ji Yuan's luggage was now a bit more substantial. A grey cloth bundle contained a martial arts manual capable of causing great strife among martial artists. An oiled paper umbrella was still tucked under his arm. The Green Vine Sword, wrapped in strips of an inner garment taken from his bag, was slung diagonally across his back. The heavy, shoe-box-sized nanmu box was too awkward for the bundle, so he carried it in his hand.

Although Ji Yuan had stopped and started on his journey before, he was always preoccupied with Grandmaster Zuo's legacy. Now that he had the manual and the precious sword, he felt much more relaxed, like a primary school student finally finishing all their summer homework at the end of the holidays.

According to the Sword Intent Scroll, Zuo Li's ancestral home was Juntian Prefecture, Yizhou, and he grew up in Juntian Prefecture's capital city.

As the saying goes, "poor scholars, rich martial artists." For Zuo Li to have free access to martial arts and achieve extraordinary feats, his family must have been wealthy and prominent, in addition to his own innate genius.

Furthermore, Zuo Kuangtu (the madman Zuo) should have been somewhat famous in Juntian Prefecture. It's unclear what has become of the Zuo family now, but they were likely troubled by martial artists for some time after Zuo Li went into seclusion and died.

As he walked along the official road, Ji Yuan maintained a pace that appeared slow but actually covered great distances. His feet barely lifted off the ground. This not only required exceptionally high martial arts mastery but, to achieve Ji Yuan's natural gait, also demanded an understanding of the "roaming dragon" style. This seeming contradiction of slow steps and rapid progress could create the illusion of shrinking distances for any observer.

He traveled all night and most of the next day, seeing the dawn glow and then basking in the fierce afternoon sun. Shortbelly Mountain was now far behind him.

After walking for so long, he finally heard the sounds of people in the distance ahead; it must have been another group of travelers.

Ji Yuan sighed faintly in relief. He must be nearing a more populated area along the official road, so he slowed his pace, walking slightly faster than an ordinary person to catch up.

A little further ahead, four people were walking and chatting. From their conversation, they seemed to be villagers from a nearby settlement, apparently on their way to a wedding feast.

"I heard they slaughtered two sheep and a pig for the feast in the village. There'll definitely be enough meat!"

"Stop, stop talking about it! You're making my mouth water!"

Listening to their words, someone beside them swallowed hard. Only at large gatherings like wedding feasts could one eat and drink to their heart's content.

"That Zhao Dongmu is lucky, isn't he? Marrying Xiaolian from the neighboring village. She can do as much farm work as a man!"

"Indeed, so many tried to arrange a match, but none succeeded. He got a real bargain!"

The others chimed in with agreement.

"Let's walk faster, the sun's setting. We need to hurry back, or Uncle Zhao will get anxious!"

"Right, they're about to start eating. If there's not enough wine, Uncle Zhao will definitely blame us!"

"Heh heh, don't worry, we'll make it in time. The four of us might even get a bonus red envelope later."

"Hahaha, I'm just thinking about the food. Uncle Zhao is only generous with a couple of coppers!"

"Hahahaha, true!"

The four men continued to chat as they walked. Judging by their heavy breathing and footsteps, they seemed to be carrying something substantial.

As Ji Yuan got closer, he could vaguely make out that two of them were carrying a large jar, and based on their previous conversation, it was likely filled with wine.

A wedding feast, eh? Should I join them for a meal? It's not like I wouldn't offer a red envelope!

Thinking this, Ji Yuan quickened his pace and called out to them.

"A moment, sirs, please slow down!"

The four men carrying the wine heard the distant shout from behind and instinctively slowed down to look back. They saw a refined-looking gentleman in a wide-sleeved robe hurrying towards them on the official road, an umbrella tucked under one arm and a wooden box carried in his other hand.

Ji Yuan appeared slightly out of breath, with some sweat on his face.

"Gentlemen, I've been traveling for a long time. There's no village ahead and no inn behind. I'm so relieved to finally see people! It'll be dark in another two hours, and the road feels quite desolate!"

"Uh, esteemed sir, where are you from?"

The men merely slowed their pace to allow Ji Yuan to catch up but did not stop completely.

"I've come from Yongtai County and am on my way to Juntian Prefecture."

"Oh! Both where you've come from and where you're going are quite far. You're very brave to travel alone, esteemed sir!"

Ji Yuan simply smiled.

"Indeed. Are you gentlemen from a nearby village? Would you mind if I asked for some water and perhaps a place to stay for the night? I wouldn't impose for free, of course!"

Since Ji Yuan had already explained his situation, the young villagers naturally invited him to Zhaojia Village.

"Esteemed sir, if you don't mind, please come with us to Zhaojia Village. There's a wedding feast going on there. You look like a scholar, so Uncle Zhao will surely invite you to join the banquet."

"Yes, esteemed sir, but you'll have to keep up. We're rushing back because Uncle Zhao's family doesn't have quite enough wine, and they're waiting for these two large jars."

"Alright, alright, I'm confident in my walking pace. You gentlemen just keep going; I won't get lost!"

Ji Yuan smiled and quickened his steps to walk closer to them, wondering if there were any local specialties he could try. He also took the opportunity to chat casually with the young men and get acquainted.

"Why aren't you using an ox-cart or something? Isn't carrying all this tiresome?"

"Oh, we bought the wine from a town on the other side of Kuimao Mountain, taking a mountain path. An ox-cart wouldn't be convenient there, and it's faster to carry it ourselves!"

"Wow, that must be quite a distance, right?"

"You bet, it took us half the day!"

The young men were also quite talkative. After realizing that Ji Yuan was a literate scholar who could write and had even traveled as far as Jizhou, they became even more excited, stating directly that Uncle Zhao would definitely invite the scholar to drink wedding wine.

As they walked and chatted, Ji Yuan's eloquent conversation allowed them to become much better acquainted with the four men.

Along the way, the barren land gave way to more and more dense farmlands and irrigation canals.

After turning off the main road onto a small path and walking for another fifteen minutes, they could already see the outlines of Zhaojia Village. A middle-aged man was looking down the road and quickly ran up when he saw the four returning.

"Oh, why are you only just getting back? The banquet's about to start!"

Then the man suddenly noticed Ji Yuan and asked in surprise, "Who is this?"

Ji Yuan immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

"My name is Ji Yuan. I'm a traveler passing through. As it's getting late, I hoped to ask for some water and perhaps a place to stay for the night!"

"Second Uncle, this Mr. Ji is a scholar; he's come all the way from Jizhou!"

One of the young men quickly offered a reminder. Looking at Ji Yuan's elegant attire, though somewhat dusty from travel, the older man believed them somewhat. Even if it weren't entirely true, it was a day of great celebration in the village, and they couldn't turn anyone away.

"Oh... so you've come from so far, sir. It's a joyful day, so you must come to the village and share in the wedding wine. Come, come..."

The man also clasped his hands towards Ji Yuan before gesturing for him to come along.

"Thank you for your hospitality!"

The six of them exchanged pleasantries as they walked towards the village. Inside, it was bustling with activity; the bride and groom had already completed their rites at the auspicious hour.

Both inside and outside a courtyard wall, there were over twenty tables set up, a mix of round and square. Colorful decorations and red hangings were everywhere, along with "囍" (double happiness) characters. Villagers chatted, waiting for the banquet to begin, while a dozen or so older women, aunts and the like, bustled about washing vegetables and cooking, making for an incredibly lively atmosphere.

"A guest has arrived!"

The shouts from inside were exceptionally loud. Before long, Ji Yuan's identity as a distant visiting scholar was known to the joyful hosts, who specially came out to greet him and assured him to make himself comfortable at the table.

Although it was still bright, there were no light bulbs in this era, so an outdoor banquet would certainly begin before dark.

The banquet hadn't started yet, and Ji Yuan sat at a table on the periphery. Although most of the villagers were strangers to him, one of the young men who had just carried the wine back sat beside him, chatting constantly and asking about Jizhou, full of longing for the world beyond their village.

As they were talking, a burst of laughter erupted from the main house. Ji Yuan heard someone shout, "Wrong, wrong! Why does the left side have two more characters than the right?"

And other voices saying, "Confused, confused..."

"Wasn't there an esteemed scholar from out of town just now? Can he write? Let him write one!"

"Right, right! That esteemed scholar looks just like the county teacher, he must be very knowledgeable!"

"Uncle Zhao, quickly go invite the scholar!"

Writing celebratory couplets before the evening feast was a local custom. Unless truly impoverished, families with any standing would not omit this tradition for a wedding.

As the commotion erupted from that side, several middle-aged men and older figures approached Ji Yuan with embarrassed smiles. Before they could speak, Ji Yuan stood up with a smile.

"Are you perhaps looking for someone to write celebratory couplets? Let me, Ji, write a pair as a token of thanks for Lord Zhao's hospitality and the wedding wine."

"That would be wonderful, esteemed sir, thank you so much!"

"Come, come, let's watch the esteemed scholar write the couplets!"

"I want to see too!"

The only literate person in all of Zhaojia Village was the old village head. In the past, he was always called upon to write for any significant event. Although he didn't possess much scholarly knowledge, he could at least write legibly, but now his eyesight was failing with age.

Ji Yuan, too, was infected by the villagers' simple warmth and showed great enthusiasm.

He walked to the Eight Immortals table in the main house and saw several cut red paper strips. Two of them had rather ordinary characters written on them: the left read "Many joyous events in new marriage," and the right read "Soon bear a fat son." The character for "son" (小子) was noticeably smaller than the others, perhaps due to fewer strokes, which made Ji Yuan smile.

"Esteemed sir, the brush!"

Ji Yuan saw that the well-dressed groom, adorned with red cloth flowers, personally handed him the brush. Judging by his cheerful demeanor, it was a moment of rising joy.

"Groom, pay close attention!"

Ji Yuan held the brush in his right hand, pulled up his sleeve with his left, and with a flourish, wrote the celebratory couplets on the two flattened red paper strips.

"A hundred years of loving grace, two hearts entwined."

"A thousand miles of destined love, tied by a single thread."

Then he took another red paper, placed it horizontally, and wrote four more characters: "Great joy in new marriage."

His brushstrokes flowed like a dragon and serpent, the power penetrating the paper, and a subtle aura of spiritual elegance remained hidden from ordinary sight.

As he wrote, the old village head beside him read the words aloud. Even though most people were illiterate, they could tell that the esteemed scholar's calligraphy was exceptionally beautiful—truly excellent writing.

The children nearby clapped their hands enthusiastically, and the adults around them burst into cheers.

Old Man Zhao insisted on pulling Ji Yuan to the main table. Under the urging of others, the evening feast was finally about to begin, and the kitchen helpers started bringing out dishes one by one.

"The feast begins!"

The usher's loud cry rang out, and amidst the fiery red sunset, the wedding feast officially commenced.

Ji Yuan's eyes widened slightly. He looked around the banquet, inside and out, with a joyful smile, as waves of "auspicious energy" surged, even more so after the celebratory couplets were affixed.

With a thought, he held a game piece in his sleeve, and wisps of auspicious energy that were about to dissipate gathered once more, drawn towards the piece.

"Excellent, excellent, the auspicious energy is strong!"

The Green Vine Sword, still wrapped in cloth and slung across his back, also pulsed with spiritual radiance.