CH 14

Eh? Who?

Qin Wanwan tilted her head and saw the Gongzi dressed in white with a white veiled hat at the door. A staff with paper money lay gracefully in his arms. After careful identification, she realized that it was a mourning staff[1].

Qin Wanwan was perplexed when she saw him, “Do you know me?”

“Guniang.” A pair of grandfather and son she met at the town gate walked behind the white-clothed Gongzi and saluted Qin Wanwan. Then they turned to Jian Xingzhi behind Qin Wanwan and saluted, “Gongzi.”

“Ah, so it’s you.” Qin Wanwan reacted. The Gongzi in white smiled, “Just before, my Shishu was embarrassed in front of the town gate. Fortunately, thanks to Guniang drawing her sword to uphold justice, my Shishu can get into the city smoothly. When Bai-mou[2] heard about this, Bai-mou hurried to find Guniang to thank Guniang. Bai-mou didn’t expect Guniang to run into a fight, if Bai-mou came earlier, Bai-mou would never let Guniang encounter this.”

“See what I said!” 38 chirped, “Jian Zhiyan won’t let you get into trouble for nothing. He sent the plot right to your doorstep!”

“I don’t need this kind of plot delivery!” Qin Wanwan gnashed her teeth. 

“Heh, a little white face[3],” as the Gongzi in white was talking, the person behind him sneered, “Which sect are you from, to meddle in our business?”

“Me?”

The Gongzi in white merely smiled when he heard the words. He spun around to face the speaker. 

The speaker saw what was in his hand, and the expression on his face twisted. The Gongzi in white smiled reservedly and gave a slight nod toward him, “Guicheng, Bai Suiyou. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

All the people were as quiet as a mouse when they heard it.

The cultivation world was divided into four major Cities and three major Sects. The remaining small sects and towns were under the jurisdiction of these four Cities and three Sects.

The three Sects were Wen Xin Sect, Tian Jian Sect, and Wu Xiang Sect.

The four Cities were Huacheng in the East, Guicheng in the West, Huangcheng in the North where Ning Buxiu was from, and Lecheng in the South where Jun Shu was from[4].

Among the three Sects, the Wu Xiang Sect was the most mysterious. It was hidden from the world all year round.

Among the four Cities, the Guicheng was the most ferocious, hiding evil spirits under their human skins. 

When they heard Bai Suiyou was from Guicheng, everyone shut their mouths. 

Bai Suiyou motioned with his hand to Qin Wanwan with respect, “If Guniang doesn’t mind it, may Guniang take a seat on the second floor? Bai-mou’s Shishu wishes to thank Guniang.”

Qin Wanwan glanced at the people with brandished knives around and nodded without hesitation. The old man behind Bai Suiyou saluted Jian Xingzhi, “May Gongzi follows, too.”

Jian Xingzhi put down the peanuts in his hand. He took a vigilant look at Bai Suiyou. In the end, he followed Qin Wanwan to go upstairs with Bai Suiyou.

In the room on the second floor, five people sat. As Bai Suiyou ordered food, they looked at each other. Qin Wanwan coughed lightly and glanced at the silent old man and child, “May I know the names of these two gentlemen?”

“I am Mu Yi, and this is my nephew Mu Qing.”

The old man smiled and curtsied, “Many years ago, my golden pill was damaged, so I became a mortal and settled in the countryside. It happened that my nephew was anxious about participating in Tian Jian Sect’s Sword Trial Conference, so I wished to meet him in the town. Unexpectedly, I met those officers and guards at the town gate. If a tiger leaves the deep mountain, it can be bullied by dogs[5]. It was thanks to Guniang that they were taught a good lesson. This old man would like to replace the wine with tea,” Mu Yi picked up his glass to Qin Wanwan’s direction, “to give a toast to Guniang.”

“Sword Trial Conference?”

As Qin Wanwan drank her cup of tea, she picked up the keywords from Mu Yi, “Is it held at the Sword Mound…”

“That’s right,” said Bai Suiyou, as if he were an NPC whose task was to assign a quest. “The Sword Mound of the Tian Jian sect is open once every ten years. All disciples below the Golden Pill of all sects can participate in the Sword Trial Conference. If they win the top ten of the Sword Trial Conference, they can enter the Sword Mound to choose their swords. Are Fellow Daoists here to participate in the Sword Trial Conference? I still don’t know Fellow Daoists’ names and Sects, may I know it?”

When he asked about their name, Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi inadvertently glanced at each other. They were hesitating whether to give their real name or a pseudonym when a loud discussion sounded downstairs, “Have you heard? The Wen Xin Sect was raided and flattened to the ground!”

“Flattened? Shen Zhiming’s cultivation is in the Tribulation Crossing! With his ability, who can flatten the Wen Xin Sect?”

“Don’t ask me ah. Maybe it’s the Demons[6]?”

“No, how come. The Demons have been annihilated for nearly a thousand years. It must be the person from Guicheng in the West! They have always been cruel and vicious…”

“Heh,” Bai Suiyou sneered with mockery when he heard this. He turned to Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi and comforted them. “Don’t worry, you two. Although the people from Guicheng may be fierce, we are by no means wicked and still have moral standards. The Wen Xin Sect has no grievances or grudges against Guicheng. This matter is not the work of Guicheng. You two can rest assured.”

“We know, we know you didn’t do it.” Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi, the true culprits, quickly pecked their heads ups and downs.

Bai Suiyou wrung out a wry smile.

“I don’t expect you two will be willing to believe in our Guicheng. I don’t know which Demons are causing trouble and framing Guicheng. Shall I find the truth in the future, the people of my Guicheng will certainly tear these Demons into pieces!”

With that said, Bai Suiyou recalled the topic just now, “Sorry, I was too engrossed and lost myself, what are your names again?”

This time, neither Qin Wanwan nor Jian Xingzhi hesitate.

“My name is Zhang San.” Jian Xingzhi was solemn.

“My name is Li Si.” Qin Wanwan was as solemn as Jian Xingzhi. 

“Then, what about the Fellow Daoists’ Shifu?”

“We are loose cultivators,” Qin Wanwan brought out an excuse, “As for our Shifu, Shifu does not care for fame and is practicing deep in the mountain, so I won’t say much.”

Bai Suiyou nodded. Out of politeness, he didn’t delve deeply. Qin Wanwan’s mind was full of the Sword Trial Conference. When she heard about “Sword Mound”, she knew it was closely related to her task. She continued to inquire, “About the Sword Trial Conference you just said, may I ask how we participate in it?”

“Did Guniang’s Shifu never say anything about it?” Bai Suiyou was a bit puzzled. Qin Wanwan nodded awkwardly. “I went down the mountain in a hurry and didn’t get the chance to ask about it.”

Jian Xingzhi sent a cold snort at her. In a hurry indeed. They blew up the Sect, after all.

Bai Suiyou smiled again, “It seems that Guniang has lived in seclusion in the mountain for a long time so Guniang doesn’t know a lot of news. How about you two join me at the Sword Trial Conference? What does Guniang think about it?”

“Okay.”

“No need to bother.”

Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi gave two completely different answers simultaneously. Jian Xingzhi stared hard at her. Qin Wanwan pretended not to see his stare and looked at Bai Suiyou with a gentle expression, “My cultivation is not high and I’m quite new here. I hope Bai-xiong can take care of me.”

“No big deal,” Bai Suiyou smiled, “I’m a cultivator with Wood Spiritual Root. This time, I am here only to join in the excitement. I hope Guniang won’t dislike me in the future.”

The two complimented each other while Jian Xingzhi sat around with his hands crossed on his chest, watching coldly from the side.

Qin Wanwan and Bai Suiyou chatted as they enjoyed the food. Soon, Qin Wanwan figured out the specific process of the Sword Trial Conference.

To participate in the Sword Trial Conference., one must obtain an admission quota. This admission quota was obtained from completing some tasks given by the Tian Jian Sect. At present, the tasks given by the Tian Jian sect were divided into two, either catch 100 criminals above the Grade 3 of the Earthly level or catch one of the wanted criminals posted by the Tian Jian Sect.

“The people who are listed on the wanted list are at least in the Golden Pill base. Currently, there is only one wanted person in the vicinity of Xunxian Town,” Bai Shiyou pointed to the map at Qin Wanwan, “The flower-picking thief, Qian Liu.”

“That’s good,” Jian Xingzhi heard Qian Liu’s name and hurriedly advised Qin Wanwan, “Catch a hundred and catch one. You say, which one is more cost-effective?”

Qin Wanwan glanced at Jian Xingzhi as if looking at a fool, “It’s definitely the one hundred Grade 3 Earthly-level criminals. Don’t only look at the quantity, but also at the quality.”

Jian Xingzhi choked on Qin Wanwan’s words. Qin Wanwan continued to discuss with Bai Suiyou, “Where can I find these one hundred Grade 3 Earthly-level criminals?”

“There is a forest outside the town,” Bai Suiyou pointed to the forest outside the town. “I heard that there is a group of Illusion[7] Ants there. They specifically intimidate ordinary people passing through the forest. As a result, one must travel around the dense forest to reach Taiping Town from Xunxian Town and vice versa. It is inconvenient to do business like that. There are a large number of Illusion Ants. They will create an illusion of the most fearsome thing in people’s hearts…”

“That’s pretty terrible,” Jian Xingzhi interrupted Bai Suiyou and looked at Qin Wanwan. “Look. Flower-picking thieves are only greedy for beauty and not as lethal as these ants that can scare you to death.”

“But, they aren’t lethal…” Bai Suiyou considered Jian Xingzhi’s words and was puzzled by his insistence to catch Qian Liu, “They will merely faint, that’s all.”

“That’s it.” Qin Wanwan decided, “Tomorrow I’ll catch the Illusion Ants. Come on,” Qin Wanwan picked up her chopsticks, “Let’s have dinner first.”

Qin Wanwan had a very pleasant meal with chatters and laughs. After dinner, Bai Suiyou went to pay while Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi returned to their room together.

As soon as they entered the room, Jian Xingzhi blocked Qin Wanwan’s way. “Go and catch Qian Liu.”

“For what reason ah?” Qin Wanwan went to the bathroom. She put the water in the bathtub with water beads, then started undressing.

Jian Xingzhi stood outside the screen with his back to her, and reasoned justly, “As a cultivator, you should challenge yourself and face the difficulties!”

Qin Wanwan ignored him. She went into the bathtub and began to wash her hair.

She could smell the aquatic plants and grass on her body. She remembered the scene of fleeing into a river during the day and her gaze gradually moved to the shadow on the screen.

She resolved her heart, she must send this man away as soon as possible!

Jian Xingzhi was unaware of Qin Wanwan’s fury. He racked his brains to think about how to persuade Qin Wanwan to catch Qian Liu.

“A brave person must confront hardships!”

“A striving person must be active to forge the way ahead!”

“A cultivator who practices the Dao must have backbone, courage, and the heart to be their best self!”

Jian Xingzhi’s words went in one ear and out the other of Qin Wanwan’s ears. She fully treated his words as scriptures chanting. After bathing, she came out of the screen in her pajamas and wiped her hair. Looking at Jian Xingzhi who was still trying so hard to convince herself, she walked up to Jian Xingzhi and placed her hands on Jian Xingzhi’s shoulder.

“Zhiyan.”

“Do you agree to catch Qian Liu?”

“Do you have any dreams?” She looked at him tenderly with affection, “Have you ever thought about what kind of life and career you want in the future? Have you ever considered being a miner or farmer considering your digging skill?”

“Why do you ask this?” Jian Xingzhi frowned, not understanding Qin Wanwan’s words.

Qin Wanwan kept smiling, “Zhiyan, the road of cultivation is so hard. How can I bear to let you suffer with me? So, tell me what your dream is and I’ll make arrangements for you.”

Jian Xingzhi then understood what she meant. His brows scrunched further, “You want to dump me?”

“No.” Qin Wanwan was guilty and swiftly denied, “I’m not such a person. I just want to give you a better life.”

“Then I have one dream,” Jian Xingzhi was persistent, “Let’s catch Qian Liu.”

Qin Wanwan was silent. She was in pain as she looked at this NPC. 

She had already sensed that catching Qian Liu might be part of the plot related to ‘Jian Zhiyan’ who was responsible for causing her trouble.

She took a deep breath and reluctantly compromised with him, “If I catch Qian Liu, will you be good and leave me to live a good life?”

“No,” Jian Xingzhi refused, “My goal is to be with you all the time and accompany you to ascend.”

“You love me so much?” Qin Wanwan was in agony.

Jian Xingzhi could see through her planning and sneered in his heart, but he kept a serious expression outside, “Of course. I’ve dug so many tunnels for you. You are not the kind of scum who burns the bridge after you cross the river, are you? ”

“Of course, I’m not.” Qin Wanwan laughed out of pain.

“Then, it’s all set.” Jian Xingzhi crossed his legs on the small couch.” I’m going to start meditating and practicing. Don’t worry, I’ll try my best to catch up with you and accompany you to ascend. Before that, the Qiankun Bag will be with me, ” Jian Xingzhi put his hands on his knees and closed his eyes, “I’ll take good care of you.”

Qin Wanwan, “……”

How did she get the illusion that this “Jian Zhiyan” didn’t really love “Qin Wan”. Instead, he was here just to make money.

She took a deep breath again and went to bed. She looked at the “Today’s Cultivation Time Left: 4 hours” in her mind. She sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes, and began to meditate.

From meditating to falling asleep, it took no time.

Soon, Qin Wanwan vaguely began to dream.

Still the same dream.

In her dream, she came to the seaside again. The surrounding dragons cruised around the island. She turned her head on the ladder, and the Deng Xian Gate was still shining with gold.

The familiar ballad sounded again, became clearer each time, “The Linglong Jade opens the Immortal Gate; The White Jade is broken to pieces, the suffering of all living creatures; A place where all Swords rest, a place to wait for someone to return.”

Qin Wanwan climbed the ladder in her dream. The breath around her abruptly changed, and the Qinglong’s breath seemed to surround her.

Jian Xingzhi closed his eyes and meditated as if he hadn’t heard anything. 

Outside the door of the room, a rustling black shadow climbed towards the room where the two of them were. As it approached the window, a burst of golden light flashed and the black shadow disappeared in a blink.

Qin Wanwan dazedly woke up, and she subconsciously called out, “Jian Zhiyan?”

“Nothing,” Jian Xingzhi opened his eyes and glanced out of the window. His tone was without fluctuation as if there had never been any abnormality, “Go back to sleep.”

[Mini Theater]

Jian Xingzhi: “I am a repeat offender[8].”

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Footnotes

[1] 哭丧棒 – kūsāngbàng. Mourning staff/stick draped in white to express grief. An important prop in traditional funerals. ↵

[2] 某 – mǒu, a demonstrative pronoun. Referring to oneself. “This Bai”. “I, Bai”, “I.”↵

[3] 小白脸 – xiǎo bái liǎn. Someone who only has their face as their advantage. ↵

[4] 花城 – huāchéng; Flower City, 鬼城 – guǐchéng; Ghost City, 荒城 – huāngchéng; Barren City, and 乐城 – lèchéng; Music City respectively. ↵

[5] 虎落平阳被犬欺 – hǔ luò píngyáng bèi quǎn qī. A person who loses position and influence may be subjected to many indignities. ↵

[6] 魔 – mó. As in Demonic/Evil Cultivator, not 妖 – yāo, a Demon/youkai (such as an ant transformed into a human, or bamboo spirit into a human, etc). ↵

[7] 惑心 – huòxīn. Lit. Mind/Heart-confusing. ↵

[8] 法外狂徒 – fǎwài kuángtú. Lit. madman beyond the law. Referring to a criminal who has committed multiple crimes. So, this is actually a joke of JXZ’s pseudonym, Zhang San. It stems from Luo Xiang, a Chinese jurist, and also a criminal law professor. Every time he makes a case study or example, the perpetrator will always be Zhang San. And soon, 法外狂徒张三, fǎwài kuángtú Zhāng Sān a.ka Zhang San the Criminal became the internet catchphrase. ↵

Lei’s Corner

[TN: Changed Exquisite Jade to Linglong Jade.]

An example of Zhang San is in a case study video about “endangering public safety,” Zhang San releases 985 snakes into a park to celebrate his son’s admission to a top university. If the snakes are not venomous, Zhang San may walks away free. The absurdity of these stories is intentional— lure you in with an easy laugh, then drop the heavy intricacies of Chinese criminal law.

As a starter pack, there is also a meme of “365 ways for Zhang San to die,” a video edited by a die-hard fan who put together sound bites from Luo’s lectures describing imaginary scenarios where Zhang San dies from murders, incidents, and murders-turned-incidents.

And some mashed up Luo Xiang (left) with the criminal prosecutor Miles Edgeworth (center) from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Perhaps MSB got the inspiration for Bai Suiyou (百岁忧 – Bǎi Suìyōu) from Bai Wuchang (白无常/白無常 – Bái Wúcháng; White Impermanence) with all the white robe and white mourning stick, bc at first, Bai Suiyou’s name is actually written as Bai Wuyou (百无忧 – Bǎi Wúyōu). In fact, there are still typos of Bai Wuyou’s name instead of Bai Suiyou in the novel.

Bai Wuchang

It has been a long time since I read the opening Arc that I thought I remembered Bai Suiyou’s name wrong haha.

Evil spirit is 恶鬼 – è guǐ. In Guicheng, the people have human skin, but under it, their hearts are full of e gui.

I’m malding thanks to my Uni. Send Help.