Lone Guest 2

"Congratulations," Qi Yin smiled at him. "Which family is the bride from? I'll come over for a wedding drink another day!"

"Their surname is Qi," the man said.

"What a coincidence, the same surname as mine." Qi Yin patted his bottom and stood up. "An arranged childhood marriage? Where did you come from to find her?"

The man nodded, "Wujiang."

Too coincidental. When Qi Yin was still with his mother, he had also lived in Wujiang. This was also what his aunt told him; supposedly, his mother was entangled by some unknown demon and moved around many places. Later, when her silver was spent, she came to seek refuge with his aunt. He still remembered when his aunt spoke of this matter, her eyes were full of teasing smiles as she covered her mouth and said, "Who knows what kind of luck your mother has, always provoking shady things. Look at your aunt, I've lived to such an old age, let alone immortals or demons, I haven't even seen a spirit that has gained sentience."

"What is her name? I've lived here a long time and know many people, maybe I can help you find her," Qi Yin said.

"Gouzai."

"Ah?" Qi Yin didn't quite catch that.

"Gouzai," the man said. "Her name is Gouzai."

Gouzai, meaning 'dog pup'? Qi Yin was somewhat speechless. This girl's name was truly chosen a bit casually.

"What does she look like? Does she have any distinguishing features?" Qi Yin asked. "Any moles on her face, or any special preferences?"

The man thought about it seriously and said, "Very cute, and likes to suck my fingers."

"..." Prompted by some unknown impulse, Qi Yin asked, "Sucking them out in the wild?"

The man nodded.

Qi Yin stopped talking. The man didn't open his mouth either, perhaps not knowing what to say. The two looked at each other, falling into a long silence.

'This is a terrifying man,' Qi Yin thought.

"There aren't many families surnamed Qi here. Two at the West Gate and three at the East Gate. Go ask around, maybe you can find her." Qi Yin scratched his head and said, "Although I don't know if I should say this, I'll still be nosy and add one thing... Don't tell others what you just said, it's not good for Miss Gouzai's reputation."

The man froze for a moment, seemingly not understanding what was bad about it.

Qi Yin asked him to wait a moment, turned around, and went inside. When he came out, he brought an old umbrella, handing it to him while smiling, "May you successfully bring your bride home."

When Qi Yin smiled, he revealed a mouthful of white teeth, exuding the vitality of a young man.

The man stared at him blankly, lowered his head to take the umbrella, and softly said, "Thank you."

The black cat jumped onto the stone lion, then leaped onto his shoulder. One person and one cat, holding the umbrella, stepped into the drizzling wind and rain. The ink-colored figure from the back looked like a hazy ink stain between the white walls and black tiles, slowly blurring out at the end of the alley. Qi Yin recalled the man's clean black eyes, reflecting the wind, rain, and water gleam of Wutang Town, carrying a tranquil and indifferent flavor.

'Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover. Although he looks honest, he's actually a beast,' Qi Yin shook his head.

"Tch, poor fellow, this old man acted cute for so long and didn't even get a bite to eat." The black cat gritted its teeth in anger. "This old man is hungry, Fu Lan!"

Fu Lan lowered his head, took out his pouch, and poured three copper coins into his palm. "Out of money."

"You're even poorer than him!"

Fu Lan ignored it, raising his head to gaze into the distance. At the end of his vision stood a tall pagoda, the highest Buddhist pagoda in Wutang Town. He closed the green bamboo oil-paper umbrella, looked for a moment, and vanished instantly. Pedestrians bustling on the street, roadside vendors busy setting up their flat-roofed stalls—no one noticed a man suddenly disappearing without a trace. In the next instant, a speck of ink at the top of the pagoda gradually expanded, revealing the figure of the young man. Fu Lan hovered at the spire and reopened the umbrella. Clear raindrops fell along the edges of the umbrella, dropping toward the distant and tiny houses and pavilions below.

He opened his right hand, and countless tiny pale cyan swimming fish surged out from his palm, blending into the wind and rain. The fish flicked their tails in the wind. Through the eyes of the little fish, he saw the shops on the East Gate Main Street opening their doors one by one. The night soil collectors rang their bells, going door-to-door to collect waste. Vegetable farmers carried their loads on shoulder poles into the town. Several small children with untied hair ran wildly in the rain... And there was also the boy he had just met, happily tucking a small mother-of-pearl box into his blanket. Under the bed was a locked chest, inside which the shell of a Stone Egg had a crack winding across it.

"How is it?" the black cat asked. "Did you find the dog pup?"

He lowered his eyes and silently shook his head.

"Looks like he's not in this town either." The black cat scratched its nose.

Fu Lan was silent for a moment. He looked down at his own palm and thought of that boy again.

He was his little bride, and also his little brother. He liked it when that boy called him brother; it was clear and pleasant to the ears.

Raising his head, he inadvertently saw the home of the boy from earlier. Fu Lan said, "There is a demon in the home of that person from earlier."

"It's none of our business," the black cat said. "We are demons too, Blockhead. Demons are our kind. Let's find a place to rest our feet, and set off tonight to the next town to look for the dog pup. He's already eighteen this year, twenty by traditional reckoning. Mortals marry when they come of age at twenty, we must find him as soon as possible."

Fu Lan put away the umbrella and leaned back, his ink-black hair scattering in the wind and rain as if he were about to fall from the high pagoda. Only, in the instant he fell, the black figure flashed, swiftly dissipating like ink, and in the blink of an eye, he was lost without a trace again.

When Qi Yin returned, the guests had already left. Perhaps they had come to deliver some letter to the house. He lay on his stomach on the bed, counting his little stash of savings. Including the silver notes his grandmother gave him, he had a total of ten taels of silver, enough to rent a small tile-roofed house outside and marry Feng Xian. He wasn't in a hurry for children; he was still young anyway, so having them a few years later would be fine. He was happy in his heart, making even this dilapidated attic look much more pleasing to the eye. The rain gradually stopped. Focusing his mind to listen to the sounds outside, he finally realized that the house was quiet, unlike usual. His aunt had a loud voice, and the house rarely had moments of peace. Today, she must have taken the wrong medicine to actually quiet down.

After a while, Qi Yin got up, put on his clothes, and went out to buy groceries. Right as he was heading out, his aunt leaned against the doorframe looking at him, her gaze rather odd. It made his hair stand on end, and he trotted out of the alley carrying his basket. Only when he reached the alley entrance did he realize he hadn't brought his money pouch, so he hurriedly doubled back to get it. The house was very quiet, with voices coming only from the main room. Qi Yin's footsteps unconsciously became lighter.

The main room had its doors and windows closed. Daylight shone on the water caltrop patterned windows, casting several hazy silhouettes. Qi Yin counted; aside from him and Xiao Yuan, all the members of the Yao Family were inside.

Prompted by some unknown impulse, he squatted under the window and listened closely to the voices inside.

"Tell me, where did this child get such dog-shit luck! His father, who has been missing for eighteen years, actually sent a letter, telling him to go to the Immortal Mountain to cultivate immortality, and is even sending someone to pick him up tomorrow!" It was his aunt's voice. The pitch was extremely high, almost trembling up to the heavens.

Qi Yin was startled in his heart and almost cried out, hastily covering his mouth.

"I said it wrong, I said it wrong. His father was already murdered while exorcising demons. It's the Wufang Immortal Mountain taking care of his father's child, wanting him to go to the Immortal Mountain." His uncle sighed and said, "Poor child, losing his father before he even met him."

"Isn't that the same thing?" His aunt gritted her teeth in anger. "My Xiaoshan is so talented, why isn't anyone coming to accept him? To let this stupid boy get the upper hand!"

His heart, which had just soared, dropped back down. Qi Yin froze in place.

Qi Yin couldn't clearly describe how he felt in his heart. It was as if he was sad, but seemingly not that sad either. The person "father" was still a stranger to him. Hearing that a stranger died, aside from "oh," he didn't have any extra feelings. It was just that somewhere in the unseen world, a connection seemed to have suddenly broken. Like an extremely, extremely thin kite string, usually trailing behind with no presence, but on the day it broke, one suddenly felt empty. It felt as if something was missing in his heart, leaking the wind.

Died exorcising demons? Qi Yin looked down at the tips of his toes. He could at least be considered a hero.

"Mother, I also want to go to the Immortal Mountain," Yao Xiaoshan said.

"Sigh, I want to let you go too, but they clearly stated they are only coming to pick up that boy Qi Yin." His aunt sighed, then added, "Mother, what do you say?"

The room was silent for a while. Qi Yin heard the click-clack of the old lady counting her Buddhist prayer beads, one by one, slowly.

His grandmother finally spoke up: "This child Xiao Yin, he looks kind-hearted, but his heart is actually very hard. When his mother died, he didn't shed a single tear, just standing there as if nothing happened. When he was little, one could tentatively say he didn't know better, but the year he turned eight, he killed a chicken for the first time without blinking an eye, slicing the chicken's neck with one stroke. In the early years when the family was poor, he was also destined to bring misfortune to his relatives. I originally wanted to throw him away, who knew someone would send him back. Raising him for all these years, he still has no prospects; he couldn't pass the imperial exams, nor can he earn silver. I originally wanted to give him some silver notes, let him marry and start a family, and move out early to live on his own. I didn't expect him to have such good fortune." The old lady paused, then continued, "It's just that you treat him so poorly. If he cultivates immortality, I'm afraid he'll leave and never come back."

"Exactly!" His aunt cried out loudly. "Look at my Xiaoshan, he became a Xiu Cai at just twenty. Why doesn't he have such luck!"

Qi Yin's heart went cold inch by inch.

"Never mind, giving him silver to marry is considered treating him right," the old lady said. "Let's do this, Madam Yu. Tonight, put some medicine in his food, make him sleep through until tomorrow. At night, secretly take his Eighteen-Bead Glazed Bracelet, lock the doors and windows. Tomorrow, when the Immortal Elder comes, you will say Xiaoshan is Qi Yin. Xiaoshan is my actual biological grandson; only if Xiaoshan goes to the Immortal Mountain will we have good days ahead. Also, that Xiao Yuan is not an honest sort. Keeping her in the house, you won't have peace. Sell her off early, out of sight, out of mind."

"What does this have to do with Xiao Yuan..." his uncle asked timidly.

"You shut up!" His aunt replied joyfully. "Our mother has the right idea. Let's do exactly that!"

Qi Yin didn't listen to what they said afterward. He left the house, carrying his basket and kicking stones as he walked on the road. The bluestone slab road shimmered with water, reflecting his blurry shadow.

So the old lady wasn't just aloof, she simply disliked him. So he hadn't wandered off when he was little; it was the old lady trying to throw him away. Right, why did they have to go to the market two miles away to buy groceries? It wasn't because the vegetables there were better; it was because they were afraid he'd find his way back on his own. Her look towards him wasn't indifferent calmness, it was cold apathy.

Right, he wasn't her biological grandson, so why should they treat him well?

Actually, he didn't care whether he went to the Immortal Mountain or not. He was long past the age of listening to storytellers talk about Sword Immortals subduing demons and monsters. The desire from his childhood to show off with the Eighteen-Bead Glazed Bracelet had been buried in the passing years. He was used to the life of a commoner. Becoming an immortal, achieving the Dao, flying high in the sky—all of that was very far from him. He couldn't imagine what it was like, nor could he muster much envy or anticipation.

As for his father, they hadn't even met anyway. When his father was alive, he had never thought of him, so why should he rush up to wear mourning clothes, smash the clay pot, and carry the spirit tablet for that man?

He raised his head. The sunlight passed over the horse-head wall and shone on his face, slightly blinding. What he wanted was actually very little—a grandmother who would give him silver to marry, a virtuous and gentle wife; that was enough. Now the grandmother was gone. He kicked a stone at his feet. The stone rolled with a clatter to the steps of the apothecary across the street. He saw Feng Xian standing behind the counter weighing herbs.

Forget it, he still had a wife anyway. He tugged at the corners of his mouth and leaned against the wall.

He didn't want to go home, wandering around outside until the sun set in the west. The egg-yolk-colored sunlight crept over the top of the wall. The shadow of the Chinese tallow tree was cast on the wall, lonely and thin.

Unconsciously, he walked back to the opposite side of the apothecary. With a sweep of his gaze, a familiar black-clothed figure caught his eye. The man he met in the early morning was standing beside the notice board, the black cat squatting next to him. Across from them was pasted a wanted poster for the demon leader, Fu Lan. The man looked at it quietly, his face expressionless, appearing neither sad nor happy. From Qi Yin's angle, his black silhouette looked like an ink bamboo stalk, standing quietly under the setting sun.

Qi Yin walked over and greeted the man.

The man turned his head to look at him, nodding in response. This person didn't seem to like talking much, quiet as an ancient mirror.

The wanted poster featured a large drawing of Fu Lan's head. He was a pig demon, covered in long hair, with two eyes as big as brass bells, and two long fangs sticking out from under his nose. Fu Lan's wanted poster had been pasted there for a long time. Soaked thoroughly by today's rain, the ink on Fu Lan's mouth had smudged downward, making it look as if he had drunk a mouth full of blood.

More than ten years ago, internal strife among demons severely damaged their vitality, forcing them to retreat and settle in the Southern Borders of Bashu. The world enjoyed a period of peace. However, a great demon named Fu Lan sprang up among these demons. Last year, he swept across the Nine Realms and killed the previous demon king. Because of him, the demons ceased their fighting and jointly honored him as the Demon Lord, making him quite majestic. Fu Lan was highly ambitious, frequently harassing the mortal realm. Recently, there was even news of entire villages being massacred at the border between the mortal realm and the Southern Border.

He had a military advisor by his side who was most cunning. This person played an indispensable role in Fu Lan's ability to sweep across the Nine Realms. He seemed to be called Yu Sang, and probably looked completely bizarre. Demons all looked like that.

"Fu Lan, stop right there! Today, this Sword Immortal will carry out the will of Heaven and chop off your pig head!" A group of children scampered past them. The two men and the cat looked over. A child was walking a dog, and was being pointed at by the other children with wooden swords.

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of you! My military advisor Yu Sang will protect me!" That child patted his mutt. "Advisor, attack!"

The mutt barked furiously at the other children, and they scattered in an uproar.

The black cat: "..."

Qi Yin laughed, "Children just love playing like this. I also play-acted as Fu Lan when I was little."

It was just that he was forced to play him by his classmates, and in the end, he was beaten black and blue by the "Sword Immortals".

The man didn't speak.

"Did you find your wife?" Qi Yin asked.

He silently shook his head.

Qi Yin more or less understood in his heart. Actually, this kind of arranged childhood marriage was very unreliable; most of them ended up falling through. Because once the statuses of the man and woman became unequal, one party would definitely want to back out of the marriage. This buddy was traveling alone with a cat, wearing very ordinary ramie cloth, and didn't look like someone with money. The woman's family moving away was probably to avoid him.

'Sigh, although he's a beast, just like me, he's also a person with a bitter fate.' A melancholy feeling of mutual sympathy arose in Qi Yin's heart.

"Relax. Actually, a wife doesn't need to come from a high-status family, as long as she's virtuous and gentle." Qi Yin pointed toward the apothecary. "See that girl? Her name is Feng Xian. Her parents are farmers, and she has two younger brothers and a younger sister. Her family is poor, but she's a good person, very gentle, and never gets angry with anyone. I plan to pick an auspicious day to go to her door and propose. The betrothal gifts are already prepared." Qi Yin patted the man's shoulder to show comfort.

Fu Lan looked in the direction of the apothecary and said, "Oh, is that the woman kissing someone else?"

Qi Yin froze. He raised his head and saw Feng Xian dodging her employer's mouth, turning her head and giggling. Only then did he realize that Feng Xian's attire had changed. Her hair was styled up high, a hairstyle for a married woman. The inferior jade hairpin from the past had been replaced with a gold hairpin; its tassels hung down, swaying and sparkling by her ear.

It felt as if something was silently collapsing in his heart. Qi Yin stood blankly on the spot.

Fu Lan recalled Qi Yin congratulating him early this morning, considering whether he should open his mouth and say something. He wasn't very good at speaking and had only made a little progress after learning from the black cat for a long time.

"Congratulations," Fu Lan finally said. "I'll come over for a wedding drink another day."