abnabooks Chapter 431: An Extraordinary Origin
Chapter 431: An Extraordinary Origin
Li Jinlai trembled on the boat for a while, while the woman on board frantically tried to take care of him. However, she obviously did not know how to handle the situation properly. It was not until another boat approached, whose boatman was able to help, that the man finally received the correct assistance.After taking off his wet robes, they wiped his body with a cotton towel, then wrapped him in clean clothes. They pinched his philtrum, drained the abdominal fluid, and gave him two mouthfuls of ginger soup before Li Jinlai finally caught his breath.
What was supposed to be a night full of anticipation turned into a night of lingering terror. Li Jinlai was extremely grateful to the boatman who had come to his rescue and even gave him half a string of coins as a token of his gratitude. He knew that this might truly have been a life-saving act.
The boatman was naturally in a good mood after receiving the half-string of cash. He had his brothers on his boat row alongside them as he helped Li Jinlai steer the painted boat back to shore. Given Li Jinlai’s current condition, he certainly couldn’t row properly.
The boatman who had helped left happily after Li Jinlai’s painted boat docked. After all, he hadn’t actually gone into the water to rescue anyone; the other man had simply climbed ashore, exhausted and cold. Getting half a string of cash for helping out was a great bargain.
Li Jinlai was wrapped in two blankets on the soft couch of the painted boat, while the woman tended to him. Now that they had both calmed down, they no longer acted in such a panicked and flustered manner.
The Chunhui Prefecture docks were relatively quiet at this moment, as most of the flower boats, tower ships, painted barges, and small boats had sailed away from the shore.
Once the boatman who had helped him left, Li Jinlai, who had been trembling and listless, immediately perked up. He first looked outside, then looked at the woman beside him.
“Xiaoyu, that person said I climbed onto the boat myself. What did you tell him?”
The woman replied, still shaken.
“I told him I was so scared at the time, I thought you were going to drown, and when I came to my senses you were already on the boat.”
The woman was telling the whole truth, but Li Jinlai clapped his hands after hearing it.
“Well said! That’s exactly right!”
Li Jinlai knew his own condition. He reached up and touched his forehead. The spot where he had been hit by the stool leg was red and swollen, and it hurt when he touched it.
“Ouch…”
The woman didn’t dare look at him when she saw this.
“Young Master Li, I didn’t mean to…”
“Hey, hey, it’s alright, it’s alright. Maybe without your blow, nothing would have happened!”
Li Jinlai waved his hand, his face showing only excitement and little reproach. He loosened his grip on the blanket, pulled out a red brocade pouch hanging around his neck, and carefully untied it, revealing the talisman inside.
Under the woman’s curious gaze, Li Jinlai unfolded the talisman and saw a faint blue light flash across it.
“It’s done! Hahahaha…”
After laughing for a while, Li Jinlai suddenly stopped. He looked around and glanced at the window of the painted boat. He felt that he shouldn’t be so smug on the boat; at least, he should go home first. So he quickly stuffed the talisman back into the brocade pouch, but he couldn’t hide the joy on his face.
“Hehe, Xiaoyu, you’ve done me a great favor tonight. In a couple of days, I’ll help you redeem yourself and take you home as my concubine.”
The woman’s face lit up with delight. These women, though seemingly elegant and glamorous, were still brothel girls. Escaping their lowly status as soon as possible was almost everyone’s dream.
“Really?”
“Of course, I’m telling the truth! When have I ever lied to you?”
Li Jinlai rubbed the woman’s small hand, chuckling to himself, but his heart was filled with something else entirely.
Beside the small painted boat where Ji Yuan and Bai Qi stood, the big black carp had returned, stirring up ripples in the water below the bow.
“Big black carp, you’re amazing! You saved another person!”
Hu Yun stretched out its claws to paddle in the water, his eyes and mouth full of praise. Although Hu Yun sometimes disliked people — or rather, disliked certain types of people — after a long time under Ji Yuan’s influence, he had developed a clear sense of right and wrong. The big black carp was truly commendable.
The large black carp in the water responded with a series of impressive movements, swaying its body and fins in the ripples, as if to say that this was no big deal.
“What do you think, sir?”
Bai Qi didn’t initially think there was anything special about the person who fell into the water. Instead, he was amused by the woman’s “divine actions.” However, when the big black carp carried the unconscious man ashore, he saw a faint spiritual light flash across the unconscious man’s body, indicating that he had come prepared.
Ji Yuan looked at Bai Qi.
“Mr. Bai is the righteous god of Chunmu River, so naturally you are in charge of what happens on the river.”
…
The next morning, Li Jinlai, carrying the brocade pouch, excitedly wandered through the streets and alleys of Chunhui Prefecture, heading towards the expert’s residence.
Soon, Li Jin arrived at the secluded Liu Ye1 Alley and found an exquisite mansion. Unlike other houses, whose gates were painted vermillion or other bright colors, this residence was adorned with two simple paintings: one of a strange animal with fangs, and the other of a bird draw in simple lines.
Li Jinlai knocked on the door. After waiting for a while, he heard footsteps approaching, followed by the sound of the door latch being opened from the inside. The person who opened the door for him was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old. He wore a blue silk robe with flowing cloud-patterned cuffs, and a small hairpin crown adorned with a fine jade hairpin. He had a striking appearance, with red lips and white teeth.
“Oh, thank you for opening the gate, young master. I, Li, have come to bother you again!”
Li Jinlai dared not be presumptuous at all and quickly bowed to the boy.
“Yes, come in, Master is inside!”
The boy nodded to Li Jinlai, then stepped aside. After Li Jinlai entered the yard, the boy closed the gate again.
Although the courtyard had no pavilions or towers, it had a front courtyard, a back courtyard, and several wings. Upon reaching the back courtyard, a faint sandalwood fragrance wafted through the air.
Inside one of the houses in the back courtyard, an elderly man in a long robe sat cross-legged on a cushion with his eyes closed, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom. In front of him was a small table with an incense burner, a teapot, and teacups. A stick of sandalwood incense had already been lit. He looked serene and tranquil.
Upon seeing this scene, Li Jinlai excitement intensified. He wanted to quicken his pace, but he still followed the unhurried boy over, not daring to step in front of him.
Soon, the two arrived at the front of the room. The boy stood outside and respectfully greeted the man inside.
“Master, Mr. Li has arrived.”
“Hmm!”
The old man slowly opened his eyes and looked at the visibly delighted Li Jinlai.
“It seems Mr. Li has gained something?”
Li Jinlai could no longer contain his joy, and a smile spread across his face.
“Thank you, Master, for bestowing this spell upon me. Last night, I pretended to be drowning in the Chunmu River. It almost became real, but I think I managed to attract the divine fish, which rescued me and brought me back onto the boat. Here is the talisman.”
As he spoke, Li Jinlai pulled out the brocade pouch hanging from the red rope, took a few steps closer to the old man, and presented it with both hands.
The old man smiled, reached out, and took the brocade pouch, then opened it to examine the talisman. He was surprised to see that there was indeed a faint blue light flowing through it.
‘Is there really a divine fish that can save lives?’
However, the surprise in his eyes was fleeting. Because he was looking down at the talisman, Li Jinlai couldn’t see it.
“Yes, it has indeed been imbued with spiritual light. If you find a skilled craftsman to carve a fish statue, and then hide this talisman inside the fish’s belly and offer it frequent prayers, the divine fish will be able to sense it.”
As he spoke, the old man handed the talisman back to Li Jinlai, who accepted it and bowed repeatedly.
“Thank you, thank you for your guidance, Master. This is just a small token of my appreciation!”
Li Jinlai took out a silver note from the local Datong Money Exchange from a hidden pocket in his sleeve. The note had a face value of ten taels of silver.
“Hmm, disciple.”
The old man gave a reminder, and the boy next to them quickly came over to accept the silver note and put it in a small box nearby. Then he led Li Jinlai away, as the latter was eager to go home and find the craftsman.
As soon as the two left, the old man with the air of a hermit immediately got up from the futon and bumped into the table, causing the teapot and teacups on it to jingle.
He walked to the small box, opened it, took out the banknote and examined it carefully. He recognized the red seal and signature on it, as well as some barely perceptible patterns on the banknote, and confirmed its authenticity.
Seeing that the banknote was real was gratifying, but it also brought a strange sense of sorrow.
‘Alas, if I hadn’t become so desperate to stay in the capital, I wouldn’t have cared about ten taels of silver!’
“Alas…”
His thoughts escaped his lips in the form of a sigh.
“Haha, this expert has just received a considerable sum of money, so why the long face?”
The unfamiliar voice made the old man tremble involuntarily, but he quickly regained his composure. He turned around with a calm expression and a hint of anger on his face and saw a middle-aged scholar in a brocade robe standing outside the house.
“I sigh at the people of this world, still so greedy for gold and silver. They give up gold and silver today in order to gain more in the future. Alas…”
Shaking his head and sighing, the old man stared intently at the newcomer before asking a question.
“Who are you? Although I already knew you had entered the courtyard, it is still impolite of you to come in so quietly.”
The man outside nodded and said with a smile.
“Indeed, my name is Bai Qi, and I am the righteous god of Chunmu River. May I ask your esteemed name?”
Bai Qi had long seen through the man’s shallow cultivation, and judging from his attitude towards gold and silver, he was even less likely to be an expert.
“Hahahaha… The River God of Chunmu River? Hahahaha… Young man, don’t make this old man laugh!”
The old man burst into laughter before straightening up. He could clearly see that the middle-aged man in the brocade robe in front of him was just an ordinary person, at most a martial artist, who was actually impersonating the River God of Chunmu River.
Bai Qi looked at him with a half-smile, waiting for the old man to continue.
Actually, the method the old man just taught Li Jinlai wouldn’t harm Qingqing at all; in fact, it might even be somewhat beneficial, although the benefits wouldn’t be substantial due to his greed. However, it wouldn’t benefit Li Jinlai at all. Well, perhaps it would offer some psychological comfort and make him a little bolder. Therefore, Bai Qi wasn’t in a hurry or annoyed, and simply waited for the old man to speak.
The old man looked at Bai Qi’s appearance and guessed that he was someone who was arrogant about his martial arts skills, so he thought he had to be careful to scare him away.
“Hmph, I am a disciple of the reclusive immortal Ji Yuan, and a Celestial Master appointed by the late Emperor of Dazhen. I am Du Changsheng!”2
With that, the old man was very satisfied at the change in the man’s astonished expression. He had thought he would have to use some “methods” to deal with the man, but he did not expect him to be so easily frightened.
Bai Qi’s face showed undisguised surprise, and he exclaimed in disbelief.
“A disciple of… Mr. Ji?”
T/n: ???? oh boy everyone, Du Changsheng is in for it now
柳 (liǔ): willow, 叶 (yè): leaf OR 叶 (xié): state of harmony T/n: … oh buddy you f***ed up
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