Jin Se

Chapter 5

That day Shi Wuduan arranged the Jiu Xing Ceng Di, drawing the fury of the thunder gods on the nine layers of heavens, Cangyun valley got struck with a huge gaping hole stretching from the middle of the valley to where the spirits build their hiding space. While the main culprit can just shake it off and just leave with his luggage, the smaller spirits all over Cangyun valley all got frightened to death, living every day in anxiety.

No one noticed, in that gap that was struck open by thunder, every day at from eleven at night to one in the morning there would be some faint dark smoke arising from it.

Shi Wuduan, having just descended from the mountain, sees everything as new, everything as intriguing. He stands in the middle of a market, having long thrown away 'Jianghua' ' Hehua' Sangren to the back of the mind, and feels he has never been able to see so many people crowding together, male, female, young, and old, they come in all shapes and sizes, even the stones that laid their path, everything seems so magical.

When he was young shifu always talked about 'the big wide world' 'the common mass' whatever, he used to just understand the sound of these phrases but not the meaning. Now, he is able to soak them in.

Shi Wuduan shoulders his luggage and lets the jade sparrow rest on his shoulder, his round eyes flicker in all directions like they are not enough for him to see all. His cheeks are puffed up, holding a still smoking bun between his teeth - even though this bun was only bought from a small shop near the side street, it is still proof of the warmth of the world, he feels like it smells so many times nicer than the bland, white porridge from the old geezer's place.

Shi Wuduan only takes two to three bites to finish one bun, yet he still feels it is not enough. He pats his stomach, still thinking silently: how good would it be if Xiao Li Zi follows me.

Then his attention is immediately drawn to something else. He feels like finding Jianghua Sanren is not that urgent a matter, so he throws away everything and indulges himself to the maximum.

Shi Wuduan does not know that the Jianghua Sanren he wants to find is currently on Jiulu mountain. No one knows when he climbed the mountain, how he climbed the mountain, it was like he truly came with the blowing wind under the bright moonlight that even layers upon layers under Jiulu mountain cannot detect.

The Taoist master is sitting cross-legged beside the giant constellation tablet in the courtyard. He was not calculating anything, merely hovering a hand over the constellation tablet, letting the star threads hang on his fingers playfully. Next to him is a small stove, on it is a pot of wine.

When Jianghua Sanren appears behind him, the Taoist master does not lift up his head, just points to a place beside him and says: "You came. Sit down.: Jianghua is no stickler for formalities, he pushes away his clothes' helms before sitting down on the ground by his side. He picks up a cup, takes the jar of wine on the stove to pour himself one full cup, swallows half of it with just one sip and asks: "Where's your little monkey, sent him on some errand out?"

The Taoist master lowers his eyes, twirling the star threads on his fingers. He has cultivated for a century but does not look over middle-aged. Yet in these few days, his features have considerably become more worn out, if you look carefully at his side profile, at the tip of the eyebrows near his hairline there is already some grey.

The Taoist master says: "That child Wuduan, I entrust to you for a few years."

Jianghua Sanren looks like he wants to say something, but in the end only sighs, finishing the other half of his wine cup. The two of them stay silent for a while before he asks: "I came from the valley behind the mountain and saw a heaven-made hole from afar, what is that?"