Chapter 942: Spring Wind Goes Away

The old Taoist priest, looking as if he had stepped out of another era, stood there muttering to himself, his words indistinct. Suddenly, he kicked over the long bench and burst into laughter. "To hell with being a priest! I'm now a first-class guest official of Huishan!" Evidently, even if the old man intended to continue his fortune-telling stall, no one would be interested in seeking a divination anymore.

A teasing voice suddenly sounded in the old Taoist priest's ear. "Elder, this is Wudang Mountain, full of Taoist priests. Such talk is inappropriate here." The old Taoist, still brimming with pride, frowned and turned his head. He saw a young man whom he grudgingly acknowledged as somewhat handsome and refined. "So what if I said it?" the old Taoist snorted. "This humble priest is a first-class guest official of Huishan! Even if I were to meet Elder Chen, the immortal, and Elder Yu, the true master, I reckon I could still get a cup of tea from them!"

The young man gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "Remarkable!"

The woman beside the young man chuckled, annoyed. "Old Wu, this young master just spoke up for you. Has your mind been clouded by lard?!"

The old Taoist was taken aback. His expression immediately changed, and he put on a polite face. "This humble priest was rude. Young master, please do not take offense."

The old Taoist priest strode towards the woman's stall, his wide Taoist sleeves swaying dramatically, giving him a stately, powerful air. "Sister Han, come, come! Get two Wudang spring pancakes for me and this young master. Remember to make them large. I'm not short on money, and besides, we're not one to skimp!" The woman smiled wryly to herself, a little helpless. With nimble, practiced movements, she quickly handed each of them a substantial Wudang spring pancake, steaming hot and fragrant.

As he took the spring pancake, the old Taoist tried to discreetly touch the woman's hand, but she swiftly pulled away, thwarting his attempt. Taking a large bite of his pancake, the old Taoist smiled. "Sister Han, why are you still doing this hard, grueling work? You get up early and work late, barely earning a few coppers. Why don't you come with me to Huishan?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "What would I do in the Central Plains?"

The old Taoist chuckled. "My dear sister, don't you know what I'm thinking?"

The woman first froze, then, embarrassed and angry, snapped, "Get lost!"

Undeterred, the old Taoist pressed on. "Sister, didn't your husband pass away outside Liangzhou Pass a long time ago? What's wrong with remarrying after all these years? Your family, all orphans and a widow, it's so pitiful. It would be good to have a reliable man to take care of you. Besides, didn't you let me read your fortune before?"

The woman, now furious, turned pale. She stepped forward, snatched the spring pancake from the old Taoist's hand, and threw it to the ground. "Get out! I'd sell spring pancakes to anyone but a disgusting person like you! I wouldn't touch your money, no matter how much!"

The old Taoist, surprisingly, didn't get angry. He only sighed regretfully. "Ah, Sister Han, you are a good woman, but it's a pity you're not destined for an easy life. Well, well, let's just say we're not meant to be."

The woman ignored the impudent old man from then on.

The old Taoist priest sighed to himself for a moment, then turned to the young man and chuckled. "Alright then, this humble priest will just go enjoy life in the Central Plains by himself. Mountains remain green and rivers flow on. Young master, if you ever travel to Huishan, just mention my name."

The young man smiled. "Understood."

The old Taoist walked away with a carefree air.

The young man asked, "Elder Taoist, aren't you even taking your stall?"

Without turning around, the old Taoist waved his hand, seemingly nonchalant. "What use are those worthless things? They'd just drag me down. If you want them, they're yours!"

Once the old Taoist had gone far, the woman quietly said to the young man, "He didn't even tell you his name, yet he expects you to mention it? I've seen thick-skinned people, but never one this thick! I heard that old fellow is from Hezhou; otherwise, he'd be bringing shame upon our Beiliang."

Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Judging by your accent, Big Sister, are you from Lingzhou in our Beiliang?"

The woman looked at him oddly and, after a long pause, finally said, "Why do you ask, young master?"

Xu Fengnian, who was swallowing a Wudang spring pancake, nearly choked.

The woman covered her mouth and chuckled. "Look how scared you are! Your sister here was just teasing you."

Xu Fengnian truly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He walked towards the neighboring stall, still holding his spring pancake, and righted the long bench. He turned back, a slight smile on his face. "Big Sister, the fellow who treated me to this spring pancake has run off. How about I read a fortune for you, and we'll call it payment for the pancake?"

After the imposing woman's disturbance, the woman's stall had become quiet. She sat on the bench, gently patting her waist, and looked at the kindly smiling young man, skeptical. "You can tell fortunes?"

Xu Fengnian nodded. "It's my old trade!"

The woman smiled wryly. "Young master, you're not as good at tricking people as that old fellow. Your sister here wouldn't fall for that. Don't worry, consider the pancake my treat."

Xu Fengnian asked curiously, "Big Sister, why did you come all the way from Lingzhou to set up a stall here on Wudang Mountain?"

The woman replied calmly, "My family is from this area. A while ago, I came to the mountain to burn incense and pray for blessings. After seeing how things were here, I figured since I had these skills, and I was idle anyway, setting up a stall could earn a bit more."

Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "I suppose your children are all studying in the private schools, aren't they? That makes sense. In our Beiliang, tuition is expensive; it costs the most."

The woman fell silent again, staring blankly at Xu Fengnian.

Feeling a little frustrated, Xu Fengnian said helplessly, "Big Sister, I'm really not like that Old Wu fellow!"

The woman couldn't help but laugh. "You're easily flustered, not like the men from our Beiliang."

Xu Fengnian feigned annoyance. "Big Sister, don't scold me."

The woman waved her hand, brought over a small stool and a bowl of calming soup, and sat opposite Xu Fengnian. She smiled. "The pancake is a gift, and this bowl of calming soup will be the payment for the fortune-telling. Your sister here is illiterate, so don't you dare trick me."

After finishing his spring pancake, Xu Fengnian leaned over, took the calming soup, and took a large gulp. "How could I?"

The woman held up the bamboo cylinder with both hands, her eyes filled with reverence. Xu Fengnian sat up straight, smiling silently. After the stick fell onto the table, she picked it up by the end with her thumb and index finger; perhaps because she was illiterate, there was no need to meticulously examine it. She handed it to Xu Fengnian with both hands. That unspoken, profound solemnity felt as if she were entrusting her very life. Ordinary people, who never appear in historical records, always believe in deities watching over them. They treat death as if it were life, willing to believe in blessings in the next life, and thus willingly go to great lengths, climbing high mountains to burn incense and pray for protection.

Xu Fengnian took the bamboo stick. After reading the inscription, the corners of his mouth curved upwards, and he said softly, "'Forget your feet, and your shoes fit. Forget your waist, and your belt fits.' This is the seventy-second stick, an auspicious sign."

The woman, being illiterate, largely understood the meaning of the inscription, and the words "auspicious sign" were clear and undeniable. She smiled with relief.

Xu Fengnian put the bamboo stick back into the cylinder, took a sip of the calming soup, and chuckled, "Big Sister, good people receive good fortune."

Her smile was serene.

Afterward, the two chatted casually, mostly her talking and him listening. She spoke of the local customs of Lingzhou as she saw them, but most often, she talked about her two children's schooling. She said the elder child was quite good, not overly mischievous, though she had never heard the tutor praise him. He probably wouldn't pass the imperial exams, and even becoming a *tongsheng* (a qualified candidate at the county level) would likely be quite difficult. Yet, every time she saw him studying by lamplight, mimicking the swaying motion scholars uniquely adopted while reading, she would feel inexplicably happy. The younger child, however, gave her a headache; he'd rather work in the fields than recite texts at the private school, always dreaming of fighting and killing barbarians. Finally, she mentioned that she didn't know about other parts of Beiliang now, but for the past two years, at least in Lingzhou, tuition fees had significantly decreased. Children could get very cheap textbooks, so cheap that even a poor family like hers found them affordable. This was because of a high-ranking official named Xu in Lingzhou. It was his idea; he supposedly said that while Beiliang had few people, it could have more scholars. She didn't know if it was true, but those few primary school textbooks were indeed much cheaper than five or six years ago.

So, she said, that official named Xu was a good man, though it was a pity she heard he had left Lingzhou to become an official in Liangzhou.

Xu Fengnian's expression was gentle as he looked into the distance and murmured, "That fellow, Ju Zi, he's good at everything, except his drinking habits are a bit poor."

The woman didn't understand, nor did she ask further.

Business picked up at her stall, and the woman asked, "Young master, may I have that fortune stick?"

Xu Fengnian smiled. "I'll have to look for it. Big Sister, you go attend to your customers, and I'll bring it to you once I find it."

She nodded. After standing up, the woman suddenly blushed slightly. "Young master, you can call me 'Auntie' if you like, but please don't call me 'Big Sister' anymore!"

Xu Fengnian was completely bewildered. The woman snorted and went to attend to her neighboring stall. Xu Fengnian shook his head, not understanding. He inverted the bamboo cylinder and poured out the fortune sticks. After those for Yu Chi Duquan and Xuanyuan Qingfeng, five of the original one hundred and eight marriage sticks were now missing. He found the stick the woman had drawn, stood up, and took it to her.

She realized that this young man, who was idle enough to play a fortune teller, still hadn't understood her hint, which made her feel a little embarrassed. She glanced at the bamboo stick, then put it away, looking up to ask, "Is this the right one? Don't trick me."

Xu Fengnian shook his head and said seriously, "I wouldn't trick you."

She smiled broadly. "Go on, go on. Your sister won't keep you from tricking others out of their money."

A somewhat dejected Xu Fengnian sat down at the table, resuming his "old trade" with practiced ease, and began boldly calling out for customers. However, the goat-bearded old Taoist had left behind a mess; good news travels slow, but bad news spreads fast. Additionally, nearby vendors had decided Xu Fengnian was a charlatan obsessed with money, and being young and without a convincing Taoist robe, he naturally gave off an unreliable impression. Groups of pilgrims and tourists passed by, clearly having no interest in stopping for a divination. A rare two or three young women hesitated, wanting to step forward, but were ultimately politely discouraged by their elders or male companions. Xu Fengnian could only sullenly drink his calming soup, genuinely bored. He gradually went from sitting upright with an air of dignified piety to crossing his legs, then to sprawling on the table, shaking the fortune stick cylinder, and finally, he simply drew sticks himself, not even looking at the inscriptions, just tossing them aside.

The woman next door wiped sweat from her forehead and teased, "Who does business like you? The hardest thing in the world is taking money from someone else's pocket, and you're just... well!"

Xu Fengnian sighed. "Do I really need to borrow a Taoist robe from Wudang?"

The woman wondered, "Young master, you don't seem like someone who lacks money. Are you really so keen on those few coins?"

Xu Fengnian instinctively glanced towards the thatched hut and said with a gentle laugh, "My wife is the most unenterprising person. She only loves collecting copper coins, big or small; she doesn't mind, like a miser."

The woman burst into laughter. "Good thing your wife isn't here!"

Then she advised, "That's how women manage a household, young master. You should be more understanding."

Xu Fengnian agreed profoundly. "Swallows build nests with small bits of mud; little by little, much is accumulated. That's the truth."

The woman exhaled a long breath, raised a hand, and smoothed back the sweat-soaked hair at her temples. "Big Sister is leaving first."

Xu Fengnian asked strangely, "Going down the mountain so early? With all these scattered items, can you carry them?"

She pointed to a young woman slowly approaching along the mountain path from outside Lu Zu Pavilion and chuckled, "That's my niece. She sells cosmetics higher up the mountain at Yuqing Temple. I guess she sold out early. Usually, she comes much later to help me. Today, I'm going to be a bit lazy and head down the mountain early too."

Xu Fengnian stood up. "There's still quite a bit of mountain road from here. Big Sister, how about I help you carry some of your things for a while?"

She smiled and firmly refused. "No need. My things look like a lot, but they're not heavy."

Xu Fengnian joked, "Big Sister, just assume I have ulterior motives. How about I at least escort you to the archway at the foot of the mountain? Is that okay?"

The woman lightly clicked her tongue, then glared at the outspoken Xu Fengnian, chuckling in annoyance. "You might not mind gossip, but your sister here does! My niece is quite feisty. What, did you take a fancy to her? Your sister could even be a matchmaker then."

Xu Fengnian glanced at the approaching young woman, then gasped softly. Her waist wasn't like a slender willow; it was more like a sturdy locust tree! He gave a wry smile. "Let's just forget it."

While her young niece had not yet reached the two neighboring stalls, the woman faced Xu Fengnian, her eyes softly lowered, and asked quietly, "What is it you really want?" At that moment, she saw the young man, his appearance handsome, especially his clear eyes, as pure as the Elephant Washing Pond she had first seen when she ascended Wudang Mountain as a youth.

Xu Fengnian said, "I've been outside Liangzhou Pass, to Huaiyang Pass, and also to Hutou City."

Her expression was calm as she said, "I see."

Xu Fengnian grinned.

Without prompting, she asked, "Do you think the Northern Barbarians will march all the way here, will they reach Lingzhou?"

Xu Fengnian's expression became resolute. He said, "As long as there is one soldier left in our Beiliang Iron Cavalry, the hooves of the Northern Barbarians will not trample a single blade of grass or tree within Beiliang Pass."

She nodded, then smiled brightly. "That's a big claim. You talk as if you're a high official."

Xu Fengnian chuckled evasively. "I'm not an official."

She retorted, annoyed, "You don't need to state the obvious."

Xu Fengnian was still unwilling to give up. "Big Sister, are you really sure you don't need help carrying the load?"

Her next sentence left Xu Fengnian dumbfounded. "Stop calling me 'Big Sister, Big Sister.' These past few days, I've seen many people from the jianghu, and I heard them say that our young prince, when he was wandering the martial world, had a catchphrase: 'Nothing tastes better than dumplings, nothing's more fun than a Big Sister!'"

Xu Fengnian reached up and wiped his face, utterly heartbroken and indignant. Had no one mentioned his own famous retort, "What the hell," uttered at the peak of Great Snow Peak? Wasn't that far more impressive than this vulgar catchphrase? And besides, that particular line was something some carefree wooden-sword wanderer had heard somewhere and insisted on teaching him!

The woman's eyes narrowed mischievously, and she said no more, turning to gather her belongings. Xu Fengnian watched her back, finally not daring to call her "Big Sister" again. He simply asked, "Has the government ever deducted or withheld your pension money?"

She paused, not turning around, and said with a wry smile, "No, his old squad leader used to send us extra money often in previous years; it only stopped last year." She paused again, then softly added, "This spring, I heard that the old squad leader died in Hutou City."

She did not turn her head after that. She actually knew that the first marriage stick she had drawn was not the one she now held. She was illiterate, yet she clearly remembered the number of characters on that particular stick. But it wasn't a crucial matter. For ordinary people, no matter how hard life was, as long as there was hope, they could grit their teeth and carry on. Her hope lay with her two children. As for whether the stick she drew today was good or bad, it truly didn't matter.

Finally, before she and her niece picked up their loads and left, she inadvertently glimpsed the young man, who always seemed immaculately clean. He sat upright behind the table, hands clasped into fists on his lap, perfectly still and quiet. He didn't much resemble a young man; rather, he seemed like an old person, with the spring breeze long gone, silently basking in the warm autumn sun.