The moon was at its highest and the early summer breeze was blowing through the window, bringing with it a little coolness. The incessant croaking of frogs could make people nervous. Yu Xiang took out the medicine box given to her by Miracle Physician Pu. She poured all of the medicine inside out onto the baoguo,[1] then rolled it up and took it away.
"Young Miss, it's past choushi (1 am - 3 am), the city gates are closed. Where can you go? Can't we discuss this tomorrow?" Liu Lu hurriedly went to grab the baoguo.
"Young Miss, why do you want to leave for no reason? Did you dream of the Marquis being in danger?" Tao Hong asked as she packed her clothes.
With her hands still trembling, Yu Xiang poured herself a cup of hot tea. After gulping it down, she finally regained a bit of her poise and said in a raspy voice, "I dreamt that my elder brother was hit by a stray arrow and fell into a harsh turbulent river and disappeared. There were still many pursuers trying to sneak attack him by firing arrows at him from the riverbank."
Other people's dreams could be illusory, but her master's dreams were realistic foresight. Tao Hong and Liu Lu drew in a cold breath. They finally understood why she had to leave the city in the middle of the night. From past experiences, this hadn't happened yet. Thus, the Marquis would be able to be vigilant if they are able to inform him.
"But Young Miss, you can have someone send a letter to the Marquis. Why do you have to go personally? That is the Western Frontier, where war is raging and roving bandits and barbarians are everywhere. It is not a place where ordinary people should go." Liu Lu discouraged solemnly.
Yu Xiang waved her hand and said firmly, "I must deliver the letter personally. I won't feel at ease unless I see Elder Brother for myself."
"But Young Master[2] won't approve." Tao Hong spoke softly and cautiously.
Yu Xiang fell silent for a moment. Then she responded, "I don't need his approval. I will tell him tomorrow that my legs hurt and I would like to seek medical help at Zhen Guo Temple. Consequently, I will take the opportunity to stay there. The monks at Zhen Guo Temple are all skilled in martial arts, so it would be fine if I ask Master Ku Hai to lend me a few monks as guards throughout the journey."
Shen Yuan Qi would never agree to let her go to the Western Frontier because she was a girl. Even if guards were hired to accompany her, it was not one-hundred percent that she would be safe. It was different if it were the monks from Zhen Guo Temple, where they would definitely be safe and secured. The main problem now was to convince Master Ku Hai.
Having made up her mind, Yu Xiang lay back down on her couch, but she was unable to sleep for the rest of the night. The next morning, she pretended that her legs hurt and asked Shen Yuan Qi to send her to the mountain to seek medical treatments. The source of her illness was in her bones and Ku Hui would not be able to discern it (the lie) for a while. Seeing that she wished to stay in Zhenguo temple, he agreed.
Shen Yuan Qi could not delay his official duties. Thus, he took his younger sister and warned her repeatedly before reluctantly heading down the mountain.
When he was out of sight, Yu Xiang immediately went to meet Master Ku Hai. The two of them talked for a long time in the meditation room, but Ku Hai was not a match against Yu Xiang's sharp tongue. He said that if she drew the 'Emperor stick', he would personally take her to the Western Frontier.
Yu Xiang's heart was beating like a drum, and she felt uneasy. She knelt and prayed in front of the Chien Tung for half a shichen (an hour) before starting to turn it... Then, she drew the 'Emperor stick' again.
Ku Hai stared with eyes as wide as the size of a brass bell. He took the 'Emperor stick' and flipped it around to examine it. He picked up the rest of the bamboo sticks and inspected them one by one, fearing that the Chien Tung[3] had been tampered with and was replaced with 70% to 80% of 'Emperor stick'. Who in the world could win three times in a row when the chance was one in a billion? Yu Xiang was indeed well-loved by the heavens.
A monk should not be deceitful, so Ku Hai had no choice but to pack a baoguo and send her off with a few monks who were highly skilled in martial arts. Recalling the time when her elder brother was shot by an arrow, Yu Xiang tried her best to persuade Ku Hui to go with her. Ku Hai had always liked to travel. His face and the Zheng Guo Temple's monk attire were the best way to travel. Therefore, Yu Xiang and her maidservants put on makeup to look like ordinary-looking postulants and blended in with the monks, and they did not draw attention to themselves.
When she left, she wrote a letter to Shen Yuan Qi, giving an account of what had happened. She wanted to write a letter to the Old Madam as well. However, she was concerned that she could not handle it because of her old age. Thus, she did not do so.
Five days after Yu Xiang left, a young monk came to the Shen manor with the letter. After reading the letter, Shen Yuan Qi's whole body shook with fury after he finished reading the letter. He finally understood how much his sister loved Yu Pin Yan. If she didn't love him more than her life, how could she be willing to go to the Western Frontier at the risk of her own safety just because of an inexplicable dream? Her courage was a hundred times greater than that of Yu Miao Qi!
"Ridiculous, it's just a dream!" In any event, Shen Yuan Qi refused to believe everything his younger sister had said. How could anyone foresee the future based on a dream? It must be a delirium caused by longing.
After being angry, he immediately sent someone after her. However, she had a five day's head start and it was too late to catch up to her even if it was on a fast horse.
[Yu Manor] ‒ The Old Madam has been gravely ill ever since Yu Xiang left. Still, she stubbornly forced herself to make plans for Yu Si Yu's marriage. Every time Yu Xiang came to visit, she would send her away and say many things that would break her heart.
Ma Momo concocted the medicine and waited for her master to drink it slowly. Seeing that she appeared to age more these days, she could not help persuade her master, "Old Madam, please grant Marquis' and Young Miss' wish. After all, they are not biological siblings and they grew up together. Their relationship is very deep..."
"You shut your mouth!" The Old Madam slammed her empty bowl and coughed as she spoke with difficulty, "It's because they grew up together that they can't be together. So what if they weren't biological siblings? In the eyes of outsiders, they were once blood-related siblings and that can't be erased. There are so many people in the capital who could drown Marquis Yongle manor with spits."
"Let others say what they like. Our Marquis Yongle manor has no reputation to speak of. It doesn't lack this dirty water." Ma Momo was so worried that she spoke the truth. When she noticed her master's fierce glare, she hastily covered her mouth and hung her head.
The only sound left in the room was the sound of Wan Qiu cleaning up the broken bowls. Sounds of <clanging> could make a person feel annoyed.
When Wan Qiu had left, Ma Momo pondered and summoned up her courage to say, "Old Madam, have you forgotten? Master Ku Hai once said that the marquis had the sign of dying at an early age and Miss Xiang'er was his Taiyi nobleman[1] who could help him change his fate. The two of them would be a perfect match and both would be happy. If you drive Miss Xiang'er out now, wouldn't it block the Marquis' fate? The Marquis is now fighting for his life in the desserts of the Western Frontier..." As she said about this particular part, she stopped herself from saying anything further.
The Old Madam, who hadn't thought of that idea, gave a strong shiver after she heard it. She had gradually forgotten about what Master Ku Hai had said as the Marquis had prospered over the years and her grandson was safe and sound. However, now that Ma Momo mentioned it, it was like a thunderbolt striking on her head, splitting her soul into pieces.
However, she had at least experienced many ups and downs in life that she was able to hold her ground. She grit her teeth and waved her hand, "No, Yan'er has been fine for so many years, so that fate of death has passed. There is no such thing as a biological brother and sister being married to one another. I will never agree." Just the thought of her grandchildren becoming a husband and wife from siblings made her feel nauseous. After all was said and done, she couldn't get past the moral and ethical barrier.
As for fate, these illusory things couldn't be determined. What if Master Ku Hai was wrong?
When Ma Momo saw that her eyes were closed and began to chant sutras, she knew that her mind was already made up. She could only retreat.
It took Yu Xiang only a month to reach the Western Frontier. Before she even set foot on the border of Wulan Province,[2] she heard that the Han army had been defeated and lost two cities consecutively. Moreover, Yu Pin Yan, the commander of the Han army, had been killed by an arrow from the Second Prince of the Western barbarians, Chaganbala. His body had fallen into the Wu River without a trace.
Being looked upon sympathetically by the group of monks, Yu Xiang's mind went blank for a moment. Right after her hands became laxed and the teapot fell. Tao Hong and Liu Lu quickly leaned over to help her wipe the hot tea. As they did so, their eyes turned red and gritted their teeth to hold back the sobs that were about to escape.
"What are you crying for? Why are you crying if Elder Brother isn't dead? Quickly wipe your tears." Yu Xiang slowly clenched her fist and said in a decisive manner.
"Ku Hai, aren't you the most proficient at fortune telling? Help my Elder Brother to do a reading."
"Amitabha, Master Yu is blessed with great fortune and will certainly be able to turn an inauspicious start into a blessing."
"Good. Very well said. As expected of Master Ku Hai who foresees things like a god. My elder brother is definitely all right. Quickly pack your things and set off, we'll go to the Kuoshui Forest." She lifted the baoguo and the pale blue fabric was immediately stained with a few drops of blood. She had actually punctured her own palm.
Ku Hui asked in confusion, "What are we going to Kuoshui Forest for?" The forest was located at the upstream of the Wu River, and it was a primaeval forest with no end in sight. It was like walking into a labyrinth, with ferocious beasts lurking in the shadows waiting for the opportunity to strike. It was so much so that even the Western Barbarians, who had been devouring raw meat and fowls; slashing and burning agriculture for years would not dare to set foot in the death zone.
"To find my Elder Brother." Yu Xiang replied without any hesitation. A voice in her heart was guiding her in that direction.
"Benefactor Yu fell into the Wu River, we should be looking downstream. So why are we heading upstream? Although there are many tribes of Western Barbarians along the downstream, they would not kill monks of Zhen Guo Temple. You just need to shave off your hair and put on a robe and would be able to come and go freely." Ku Hai suggested.
Yu Xiang turned her head to look at him and replied seriously, "It's not that I am unwilling to part with my hair, I'm just convinced that my Elder Brother is in the Kuoshui Forest and is still alive and well. That feeling is like the guidance given by the Buddha in the dark, do you understand?"
With the mention of Buddha, Ku Hai turned solemn and respectful, and prayed sincerely. The rest of the Great monks did not speak a word. They obediently followed to wherever Yu Xiang pointed.
On this day, they lodge for the night in a small town at the border. Not far away was the dark Kuoshui Forest, like a beast with its mouth wide open to devour all who set foot in it.
However, these people did not include the monks of Zhen Guo Temple, especially Ku Hai and Ku Hui. Both of them enjoyed travelling. In the past, they had travelled across deserts and over mountains, covering the entire continent. Their ability to survive in the wild was unparalleled. A place like the Kuoshui Forest would be extremely dangerous to others, could be familiarized by them in just ten days and a half.
The two of them prepared a compass, dry food, medicine and daggers. They also explained many wilderness survival skills to Yu Xiang before returning to their rooms to rest.
Yu Xiang huddled together with Tao Hong and Liu Lu on the kang.[3] Due to over-exhaustion, she fell asleep once her eyes were closed. Then, she had another strange dream. This time, she was standing in a simple, imposing mansion, surrounded by officials and soldiers with swords and halberds. She looked around and suddenly realized that this was the Marquis Yongle manor, which she had not been to for a long time...
[1] 太乙贵人(tài yǐ guì rén)- Tianyi nobleman, one of the four pillar gods. Originating from ancient Taoist myths and legends, the gods include the gods of good fortune and evil. That can cause misfortune to mankind. The nobleman of Tianyi is the god of good fortune in Hou Tianyu, who is the leader of alleviating dangers.
[2] 乌兰察布(Wūlánchábù)- Wulan Province also known as Ulanqab/Ulan Chabu City is a region administered as a prefecture-level city in south central Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.
[3] 炕(kàng)- Kang is a heatable brick bed