Chapter 34: The Lean Jujube-Red Horse

Chapter 34: The Lean Jujube-Red Horse

“Daoist priest, you seem very happy today.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You didn't manage to buy a horse. What are you happy about?” Lady Calico tilted her head and looked up at Song You doubtfully. Her little face was really very cute.

“Even though I didn't manage to buy a horse, I enjoyed the hustle and bustle.”

“You like the hustle and bustle.”

“Sometimes I do.”

“When are we going to buy a horse?”

“No rush, no rush.”

As they approached the courtyard house in Tianshui Alley, they found two people already waiting at the entrance. The two were dressed in thick Daoist robes and leading a horse. They were Yingfeng and Chuyun, two Daoist priests from Fuqing Temple.

Song You was very surprised to see them and quickly stepped forward to welcome them.

“Daoist priests, what brings you here?”

“Greetings, Senior Daoist Brother.”

The two breathed in the chilly air and bowed towards him. They noticed the little girl next to him and couldn't help but ask. “Who is this...”

“Lady Calico.”

“Lady Calico!”

“Greetings, Lady Calico!”

The two hurriedly bowed to Lady Calico, their eyes filled with astonishment. They had only heard stories of demons transforming into humans from their elders in the temple, but with their limited Daoist cultivation skills, this was their first time seeing one.

Lady Calico returned their bow, imitating them.

Yingfeng then said, “The temple owner knew that you intended to travel the world but lacked a mount. The Yuewang Temple Fair opens today and he guessed you would go to look for a horse or mule. However, with the northern frontier lacking horses recently, he suspected you would most likely not find a suitable mount. By chance, we were also coming to the fair to buy some things and socialize with the Daoist priests in Yidu. Coincidentally, there was a worshiper in our temple with some connections, so the owner asked us to bring a nag here as a gift for you. Even if you don’t ride it, it can at least help carry your luggage on the long journey.”

Chuyun added, “We were worried that you might have already bought a horse or mule by the time we found you. If that happened, we'd have to lead it back. Luckily, it seems you haven't.”

Song You looked at the two of them. The Daoist robes provided limited protection against the cold, and in the cold winter night, their lips were already blue from the cold. The night fog made their eyebrows and the ends of their hair moist, adding to the damp chill.

As for this horse, it was far from being a nag.

Although it was not very tall and nothing special to look at, one could see that it had a large head with a short neck and a sturdy build. Its chest was broad, its mane long, and it had a thick skin with a coarse coat. It was clearly a Beiyuan horse.

At most, it could be considered physically unattractive for a Beiyuan horse but it was still a Beiyuan horse which was most suited for long journeys.

Song You stood still, his gaze flickering.

The two were anxious.

After a few seconds, Song You reached out, smiling, and took the reins of the horse.

“Thank you very much then.”

The two quickly heaved a sigh of relief.

Lady Calico reluctantly tore her eyes away from the horse and ran to open the door.

Standing outside was Constable Luo, dressed in black clothes and boots. He wore a saber at his waist.

With the temple fair these few days, many jianghu people had arrived in the city. Since there were crooks mixed in with the honest folk in the crowd, the constables had switched from their usual iron rulers to steel sabers.

Seeing that it was the little girl again that day, Constable Luo's expression changed slightly, but not only did he not show it, he adhered to the tacit agreement of not calling her Lady Calico. He just cupped his hands and asked, “Is the master back?”

“He's back...” Just as Lady Calico said this, she turned to see Song You approaching from behind.

“Chief, you haven’t gotten off work?”

“Another mysterious case has come up. I came to consult you.”

Ever since Song You had thought things through before Start of Winter, he no longer deliberately avoided human entanglements. Nowadays, when Constable Luo encountered mysterious cases, he no longer went everywhere to search for masters in temples or among the commoners but directly went opposite to consult Song You. Song You could provide answers most of the time, and Constable Luo brought small tokens of gratitude which Song You usually accepted.

They had developed a good rapport with each other.

Song You invited him to state his case.

“Today, the yamen received reports from several nobles claiming that their silver was mysteriously stolen. Most of these thefts occurred while they were watching performances of conjuring tricks,” Constable Luo described in detail.

“While the temple fair is chaotic to begin with and small-time criminals hiding in the crowd are common, what's strange is that only officially minted silver was stolen, not pieces of silver or copper coins. Some victims had their money securely bundled up.

“Some officials had gone out in sedan chairs and had placed all their money into boxes within the sedan chairs. Yet they still lost silver but only the officially minted silver.”

“Do you have any suspects?”

“Among these street performers, there are those with sticky fingers and some with strange abilities. I suspect that those street performers are committing thefts on the run.” Constable Luo stealthily observed Song You. “Among them, there is a group performing the 'Three Immortals Returning to the Cave' trick[2], who can make objects disappear and reappear. Not only is their act related, most of the thefts reported by nobles happened while watching their shows. I wanted to ask if there's a way to steal silver from a distance.”

“There's a kind of magic known as the ‘Art of Telekinesis’ which has difficult requirements for learning. Not many among the people know it but practitioners who have mastered it can fetch objects from a distance without being detected by their owners and also make them disappear into thin air.”

Constable Luo continued to observe Song You’s expression.

It seemed like Song You was merely answering his question. However, having interacted with him for several months, Constable Luo could tell from his tone and expression that Song You was actually affirming his conjecture.

“Even so, such tricks are hard to prove. The law is strict, and if we can’t find evidence, it would be troublesome if we arrested people randomly.”

“With this kind of magic, if the practitioner had the ability to fetch an object from a thousand li away, a hundred li, ten li, or even a li away, he wouldn't need to perform conjuring tricks.” Song You said. “Since the stolen silver was taken from close by, it can't be placed far away.”

Constable Luo's expression hardened and he immediately understood. Then, with a sharp sound, he quickly cupped one fist in the other hand towards Song You in a salute. “Thank you, Mister! I'll take my leave now!”

As soon as he said this, he walked out energetically.

As he reached the door, he suddenly paused, and turned to look in the direction of the bamboo grove. He quickly added, “Did you buy a horse at the temple fair? If it's inconvenient to keep it here, the yamen has a special stable. If you need it, I can help you bring it over to be kept at the yamen. The expenses will be funded by the court.”

Song You couldn’t help smiling and hurriedly thanked him.

The footsteps outside quickly faded away.

He remembered that the conjuror hadn’t packed up yet when they returned from Yuewang Temple. It was just uncertain if Constable Luo could still find the performer if he went now.

1. Traditional Chinese color. A deep reddish-brown color resembling the color of jujube/red dates. Often used to describe horses. ☜

2. Traditional Chinese magic trick that involves moving three balls between two upturned bowls while using a single chopstick. ☜