CH 71

The thirteenth day of the seventh month, the Country of You.

A stone tablet with the words “You Capital” engraved on it greeted the eyes of newcomers. Several li ahead lay the city gates.

It was said that upon crossing the city gates, one would immediately see the most magnificent gates in the world. Many literary men and poets had described the You Capital’s city walls in their works.

You Capital.

Hé Qingmo realized that since he left his sect to travel and went down the mountain, he had visited many places, but never the You Capital.

“These gates are indeed a lot taller and more beautiful than others, but I would not call them awe-inspiring. People who say such words have probably never travelled to distant places!”

A young man, standing at the gates, laughed, sharing his thoughts that were similar to Hé Qingmo’s.

Hé Qingmo looked at him once, but didn’t keep the conversation going.

They met like patches of drifting duckweed would, and shared a shallow friendship. Very soon, they would go separate ways and pick up their reins; there was no need at all to become excessively attached.

Go separate ways and pick up their reins: to part

Zhang Jie noticed his attitude and thought him to be a disciple of a prominent sect looking down on Zhang Jie’s unorthodox methods. He ah-ed in a low voice, and entered the city first.

“Daoxiong Hé, don’t feel offended. Daoyou Zhang is a bit prideful, but he’s not a bad companion.”

Compared to Zhang Jie, Hè Xiyun, who was now trying to smooth things over, seemed a lot more amiable.

It was not because she was a woman, but because she could handle affairs better than Zhang Jie.

Hé Qingmo shook his head: “It doesn’t matter.”

His impression of Hè Xiyun was a little bit better, so he was willing to say a few words.

“Although this city is the capital of You, there are many talented and capable people here, hidden dragons and crouching tigers can remain devout hermits even in a bustling city. Daoyou Hè, you should be careful inside the city walls.”

Hè Xiyun nodded with a smile: “Many thanks for the reminder, daoyou Hé. I’ve heard that a large-scale sin expiation puja will be held on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the You Capital, and the majority of those who worship the Buddha will gather here to participate. Although I’m not a disciple of a Buddhist sect, I also decided to come and watch the commotion. Daoyou Hé has seen a lot and knows much, surely, he knows whether the puja is what rumors describe it to be. Can you tell this girl about it?”

Before Hé Qingmo could say that he also had never visited it, he saw something so stunning that he forgot what his answer was going to be.

The same thing happened to Hè Xiyun.

What lay before their eyes were many exquisite houses, scattered everywhere in a picturesque order as if they were built by the same person.

The roof tiles had probably been fired with a certain kind of glass. Although they weren’t completely glass-like, they were glittering in the sunlight, as if they were glowing themselves.

Lotuses had been planted in front of almost every house belonging to the common people. It was precisely the time when lotuses were in bloom, and the whole city was filled with their fragrance, bathing in dew. The road under their feet was the main way leading to the Imperial City.

At the end of that road, the tall imperial palace was towering above the Imperial City’s gates. It was visible from far away, like the mythical Land of Deities of Buddhism, hazy yet clear.

Magnificent and holy.

Suddenly they heard ringing in the wind.

He Qingmo looked at the source of this sound. Copper bells were hanging under the eaves of the houses. As the slightest wind blew, hundreds and thousands of bells started to tinkle, as if playing wonderful music more meaningful than thousands of human words.

There was no need to chant boring tenets of Buddhism, since they were coming from hearts.

Even Zhang Jie was staring at it in a daze, not to mention Hé Qingmo and Hè Xiyun. It took a long time for him to recover, and he finally let out a long sigh.

That was how most of those who entered the You Capital for the first time reacted, but the local common people didn’t see it as bewildering anymore.

Hè Xiyun exclaimed in surprise: “As you would expect from the You Capital worshipping Buddhist sects, everything is influenced by Buddhism!”

Apart from being surprised, she also felt envious.

Everyone in the You Capital, from the imperial court to the common people, was devout in revering Buddhism. Naturally, the Wanlian Buddhist Temple had a high status in the You Capital, and gained much influence.

By contrast, although Daoist sects were also venerated, their status couldn’t be compared to the Buddhists’.

However, this had just a slight influence on the secular world, and only showed that cultivators from Buddhist sects were more familiar with the rules of the court games than the Daoists. But the world of cultivators revered the strongest; the ones who cut the ears of an ox were still the Wanjian Immortal Clan and the Celestial Abode Shenxiao, and nothing could match them.

Cut the ears of an ox: occupy a leading position. By ancient custom, the hegemon of a union of kingdoms cut the left ear of a sacrificial ox to seal the alliance with its blood

Thinking about this, Hè Xiyun felt a lot more comfortable.

The man standing next to her, who was a disciple of the Celestial Abode Shexiao, seemed even more mighty now.

“Before we entered these gates, I didn’t know that there was such a magnificent city in the world. No wonder the You Capital is also known as the capital of Buddhism!”

Hè Xiyun seemed to have remembered something. She started looking around.

“Where is the Wanlian Buddhist Temple, the second most influential Buddhist clan?”

“There,” Hé Qingmo pointed into the distance.

There, halfway up a mountain, they could vaguely see buildings in the clouds. Their gold tips were glittering, neither close nor far away.

“I heard that the Wanlian Buddhist Temple is second among the Buddhist sects as they are inferior to the Qingyun School. Who would’ve thought their status was so high in the You Capital? When I was told about it before, I didn’t really believe it.”

When Zhang Jie saw that Hé Qingmo, a person originating from a famous sect, was staring at it like a country bumpkin just like Zhang Jie himself, he was rather satisfied, and his attitude changed for the better.

Hè Xiyun said: “Daoyous, why don’t we find a place to stay first? I heard that as the fifteenth day of the seventh month is drawing closer, the You Capital is bustling with activity five days before and even after the occasion. We can go out and walk around after the sky gets dark.”

Of course, Zhang Jie had no objections. He had left his sect to travel anyway, and didn’t care where he went.

But Hé Qingmo said: “Go ahead, I’ll take a stroll here. If we are so fated, we’ll meet again. Farewell!”

Hè Xiyun shouted to stop him: “Hey, daoyou Hé!”

Not willing to stay any longer, Hé Qingmo had already left.

Zhang Jie sneered: “Look at him! I told you he won’t condescend to be our companion! Why would a direct disciple of the master of the Celestial Adobe Shenxiao, such a dignified and formidable man, pay attention to disciples from a small sect like us?”

Hè Xiyun sighed, a bit disappointed. Originally, she thought she had a chance to exchange some experience with Hé Qingmo.

“Don’t be oversensitive, daoyou Zhang, maybe daoyou Hé really has some business here. We met by accident, and it’d be inappropriate to ask many questions. Don’t think too much of it.”

Zhang Jie snorted.

The Qingbei Mountain was indeed a small sect whose name never appeared in historical notes, and the only one there who was somewhat famous was Elder Lu Zhiyuan. But Hé Xiyun’s shifu wasn’t on friendly terms with Lu Zhiyuan. When Hè Xiyun left the Yellow Springs, narrowly escaping death, she returned to the Qingbei Mountain only to find that her shifu had perished trying to break through a barrier. She couldn’t even see her master for one last time. After a period of mourning, Hè Xiyun bid farewell to the sect master, and went down the mountain to travel, never to return.

Zhang Jie’s origins were even less worthy of mention, and Hè Xiyun had never even heard of his sect. But Zhang Jie’s aptitude was quite high, and if Hè Xiyun hadn’t gained experience in the Yellow Springs, she would have only been able to equal him in a fight now.

“Disciples of famous sects have always looked down on everyone else. Hé Qingmo is neither the first one, nor the last. I’ve long since gotten used to it!”

Zhang Jie didn’t approve of her few words of comfort.

“The higher their cultivation, the more haughty they become. I’ve seen a lot of people like this!”

“You’re wrong.”

At least one person isn’t like this.

Hè Xiyun suddenly recalled one man.

He said that his name was Changming, he didn’t come from a famous sect, and had lost his memory; but he was almost blindingly strong, and would often leave everyone dazzled and stunned.

If it wasn’t for him, she would have died in that frightening place long ago, and even her bones would have disappeared.

She didn’t know how he was living now in the Qixian Sect.

“Right, daoyou Zhang, you’ve told me that you came from the Longxue Mountain. There is a sect nearby, and I have an old friend there, his name is Changming. I left him at the foot of the Qixian Sect’s mountains. Have you heard of him?”

“The Qixian Sect? The Qixian Sect was destroyed, didn’t you know?”

Hè Xiyun was astounded.

“When?!”

Zhang Jie: “I don’t know either. I also had a friend in the Qixian Sect, and I wanted to visit him a while ago. But, when I arrived at the foot of the mountains, I realized that the whole village there was deserted, and there was no one around, even food was left uncooked. The Qixian Sect on the mountains was like this as well, as if… as if everyone had suddenly disappeared. I asked about this later, and I was told that the Jianxue Clan and every sect around it were exterminated, and no one knows who is the culprit.”

Hè Xiyun was shocked beyond expression: “The master of the Jianxue Clan, Zhou Keyi, is one of the most skilled masters of our generation. Could it be that something unforeseen happened to him?”

Zhang Jie: “Demonic sects have always had many enemies. I’ve heard that Zhou Keyi would simply grab anyone he didn’t like and turn them into a cultivation furnace to advance his cultivation. Perhaps he had caught a favorite disciple of some grandmaster, and suffered retribution for this! Ai, it’s a pity that that friend of mine had the pond fish disaster for no reason. I have seen neither him nor his body, and still don’t know what happened!”

The pond fish disaster: implicated in trouble. When the city gates are on fire, fish in the ponds suffer

Then, Changming…

Hè Xiyun was so upset that even the scenery of the You Capital didn’t amuse her anymore. Zhang Jie chose a random guest house to rest, and she cultivated for the second half of the day up until nightfall. Only then did she finally ease up a bit.

Zhang Jie found her and invited her out for a walk. Hè Xiyun accepted.

Although people in the You Capital venerated Buddhism, it wasn’t the case that they didn’t sing, dance or amuse themselves at all. It was said that there were two markets here, just like in the Luo Capital, one on the East and one on the West, that were full of music and fun throughout the whole night, and shone brightly in the darkness till the dawn. Most guests from other regions, who arrived at the You Capital, stayed there.

Hè Xiyun and Zhang Jie were staying in a guest house near the West Market, so it was easy for them to go there. They only had to make a few steps, crossing one street.

Contrary to their expectations, they quickly met their companion, who had just left them, in the West Market.

“Daoyou Hé!”

Hé Qingmo, who was walking through a boisterous crowd, turned his head. He looked surprised.

“It’s you?”

Hè Xiyun swiftly came near him, and saw his surprise turn into disappointment.

“Whom were you expecting?”

Hé Qinigmo: “No one. I thought I saw an old friend just now, but I was probably mistaken.”

Hè Xiyun remembered what had happened to Changming, and felt distressed again.

“Daoyou Hé parted with us so hurriedly because you wanted to find that old friend?”

Hé Qingmo shook his head: “I visited the Wanlian Buddhist Temple.”

Hè Xiyun: “You had an appointment?”

Hé Qingmo: “No, I was just looking from outside.”

When he was approaching the Wanlian Buddhist Temple just now, he noticed that it was blocked by many layers of formations and barriers. The best in setting formations in the Shenxiao Abode was none other than Hé Qingmo himself, but he spent a lot of time standing outside the Wanlian Buddhist Temple, and still found no gaps. When he saw that he would soon be exposed, Hé Qingmo turned around and left.

Hè Xiyun felt that Hè Qingmo, unlike them, came here with a specific plan—perhaps, he came to see a person or to do something. But he said nothing, and it wasn’t the right time for her to ask.

Zhang Jie disliked Hé Qingmo from the very beginning, so he wasn’t willing to stay with them now, and quickly took several steps forward to walk alone.

Lanterns were lit, and the Human World was sparkling.

Far away, many lanterns were merging together, shining brightly above the heads of the streams of people busily coming and going. It was so bright in You Capital as if it were broad daylight.

The Ghost Festival was drawing near, and many vendors’ stands had masks of ghosts and monsters on them; some depicted life-like, sinister features of beasts, some were cute and colorful. For human beings, the Ghost Festival wasn’t just about sorrow and longing. They also made sacrifices for ghosts and gods, prayed for blessings and peace, and asked for soft winds and mild rains, as well as good health for their families.

Ghost Festival: 7/15, the day when the worlds of the dead and the human world are connected. Basically, a festival to worship the dead. The puja is happening because of it

Hé Qingmo and his two companions were cultivators, and they weren’t used to the customs of the Ghost Festivals, and, like most travellers, had a superficial understanding of the customs of the locals of the You Capital based on cursory observation.

Casual conversations of the common people reached their ears occasionally.

“Dad, why haven’t we burnt paper money yet? Weren’t we going to burn it a year ago?” an immature child asked.

“Nonsense, we burn it every year on the fifteenth. You remembered it wrongly.”

“We’ll eat roast duck on the day of burning paper!”

“You’re only thinking about food! We’ll be able to eat only after the ghosts and deities finish eating! Stop talking nonsense and beware of being caught as a substitute!”

“What’s a substitute?”

…

The voices of a father preaching to his son were getting quieter in the distance. Hè Xiyun recalled her shifu making speeches to her when she was young, and couldn’t help but reveal an understanding smile.

“There is a noodle stall over there. Why don’t we sit there?”

Had Hé Qingmo suggested this, undoubtedly, Zhang Jie would have refused. But, after all that, he still gave Hè Xiyun some face.

They found places to sit. Hè Xiyun ordered a bowl of “cat ears” soup, while Hé Qingmo and Zhang Jie only asked for noodles with minced meat.

Full bowls were brought up to them. The quality of the dishes was nothing special, but it didn’t cost them much. They wouldn’t have been able to buy food of this quality in the Luo Capital for the same price.

Zhang Jie looked at Hé Qingmo eating the noodles, and felt his mouth itch. He couldn’t help but to ridicule him: “I would have never expected daoyou Hé who came from a prominent sect to enjoy food from the secular world like we do. I thought you were practising bigu on a daily basis.”

Hé Qingmo remained unperturbed: “Bigu is fine, and daoyou Zhang can practise it if you want to. But, if one is not in deep mountain forests, why would they treat themselves harshly?”

Hè Xiyun was afraid that they would start quarreling, so she quickly interrupted them: “This ‘cat ears’ soup is too bland, and they didn’t use even a pinch of salt. What about yours?”

Zhang Jie: “Mine is also tasteless.”

He asked the shopkeeper to add some salt and vinegar, but his soup with chopped meat was still bland and tasteless.

The three of them were a bit disappointed. They quickly finished eating and paid for the food before leaving the stall.

“What’s so special about things in the You Capital? They sure are cheap, but the noodles were flavorless, it felt like drinking plain boiled water. Why are so many people eating here, have they lost their sense of taste?” Zhang Jie complained.

As if Hè Xiyun had felt something, after taking a few steps, she stopped and looked back.

Many people were indeed eating noodles there.

They all lowered their heads to the bowls, as if they had been starving for three days straight.

But, judging by their neat outfits, although they weren’t excessively rich, they certainly had enough money to afford a bowl of noodles.

An ominous feeling rose in Hè Xiyun’s heart.

She looked at the stall keeper.

He seemed to be observing them. At that moment, he happened to be watching her as well, and their eyes met for a second—then, the shopkeeper smiled at Hè Xiyun.

It was a weird smile.

The hairs on Hè Xiyun’s body stood up, and she turned abruptly, rushing towards the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper was startled.

“Lady, what happened?”

Hè Xiyun’s pretty eyes were watching him closely.

The shopkeeper seemed innocently scared by her aura. He wanted to retreat, but didn’t dare to.

It was a normal reaction, as if everything had just been her imagination.

Hè Xiyun looked at the guests sitting by tables again.

Someone finished eating and stood up to go away, leaving tips on their table; only one table was still occupied by a family of three who were talking and laughing.

“Daoyou Hè, what happened?”

She heard Hé Qingmo’s voice and stopped frowning.

“Nothing, it must have been my imagination. Where’s daoyou Zhang?”

Hé Qingmo didn’t pay attention to him: “Perhaps he had already left, and lost contact with us.”

Crowds of people were coming and going, and they couldn’t see far ahead. How would they spot a trace of Zhang Jie?

Even if he got lost, it was fine. After all, he wasn’t a child, and could return to their guest house himself.

But Hè Xiyun felt that something was wrong.

She had not walked far when she turned back to look at the noodle stall and paled.

“The noodle stall?!”

Hé Qingmo turned back, feeling something abnormal as well.

The big noodle stall had suddenly disappeared from their sight, and had turned into a stand selling sweet cakes.

“Sweet cakes! Sweet cakes for sale! Ladies and gentlemen, come, buy a cake, I guarantee that it’s sweet!”

The vendor changed his appearance as well, and looked nothing like that middle-aged shopkeeper.

Hè Xiyun: “What happened to the noodle stall?!”

The vendor was puzzled: “What noodle stall? There are no noodle stalls around. I’ve been selling sweet cakes here for two years!”

Hè Xiyun wanted to say more, but Hé Qingmo stopped her.

He pulled her aside.

“This person isn’t a cultivator.”

“But just now…”

“I’ve been uncomfortable ever since we entered the city,” Hé Qingmo said. He thought that he just wasn’t used to the smell of the Buddhists’ sandalwood and lotuses, and didn’t give it much thought. But now, alarm bells were ringing inside his head. It was the natural vigilance of a cultivator.

He noticed that what was making him feel bad was a smell that was coming from everywhere.

It wasn’t sandalwood, or air exhaled by the motley crowd, but rather—

Ghost qi.

Like streaks of smoke, the ghost qi had infiltrated the whole place.

“Look!” Hè Xiyun raised her voice suddenly, pulling him to the ground forcibly, “What is that!”

Hé Qingmo was looking at a cake pierced with a chopstick. This originally white and soft sweet cake, which tempted people’s appetite, was stirring in the lantern light.

It was a giant maggot.

Then, the noodles they had just eaten…

Hè Xiyun didn’t dare to elaborate any further, but felt that she probably wouldn’t eat noodles ever again.

Hé Qingmo suddenly stretched out his hand to grab the vendor. The latter let him do it without struggling, and only started begging for mercy in a weak voice.

“Gen, tle, man, what, are, you, do, ing—”

Hé Qingmo tightened his grip, and, unexpectedly, the vendor’s head fell to his shoulder, and then rolled off.

“Mur, der!”

“You, kil, ler!”

Voices rose from every side, asking questions; but all these questions sounded gloomy, not like normal human speech.

Hè Xiyun saw that all the people who were strolling around were now looking at them. Even those who had had their backs turned towards them remained in the same position, and only their heads were twisted, their gazes fixed on Hé Xiyun and her companion. All these faces were expressionless, but their mouths were open, as if they were wearing masks. It looked absolutely terrifying.

Obviously, it was a ghost market!

Pairs of hands stretched out towards them, and Hé Qingmo unsheathed his long sword, slashing through the crowd mercilessly. Wherever the sword glow passed, countless people’s heads and bones fell to the ground, but even more new people appeared, and he couldn’t finish killing them.

The two of them were already surrounded.

Hè Xiyun wanted to use her spiritual power, but realized that her dantian was completely empty. She looked at Hé Qingmo’s sword. Although it had a formidable force, it was coming only from the sword’s aura itself, not Hé Qingmo’s art of sword control.

What happened to their spiritual powers?!

“If you kill, you must pay with your lives. Stay here.”

A sneer sounded out of nowhere, faint and aggrieved, neither from close by nor at a distance. But it carried an obvious strength, and pulled thousands of the ghosts’ hands, drawing nearer to Hé Qingmo and Hè Xiyun.

At a crucial point, a hand stretched from behind, grabbing his shoulder.

At first, Hé Qingmo wanted to attack them with his sword, but noticed that the hand seemed to be ready to intercept any assault easily, as it pressed his shoulder more tightly.

“Come with me.”

A somewhat familiar voice made the two of them turn their heads simultaneously.

His long hair was pinned with a jade hairpin, and he was wearing long white robes. His face features were profound, and he appeared as lofty as a mountain.

Such a bearing made people feel even more ignorant than what Hè Xiyun had seen that day under the Qing Mountain.

Tn:

Again, He Xiyun and He Qingmo have different surnames.

Hè Xiyun: Hè — congratulate; Xiyun — cherish clouds.

Hé Qingmo: Hé — question word; Qingmo — blue ink.

It isn’t really important though.

cat ears soup (google)

“saozi” (noodles with minced meat)