In the end, neither the lute, nor the lyre was brought in the orchard; it was decided that they will simply take a stroll down the garden and then in the orchard and then go back. There were plenty of reasons why Wei Zhiruo decided to take this trip to the peach orchard. She wanted to see whether the dark guards who were staring at her would still follow (which she thought they would do, without doubt if it meant chief surveillance), and find the materials for forging a human puppet. The later being the main focus of this little adventure.
After draining the source of energy in the pond, Wei Zhiruo was aware that there was still the mechanism left untouched in the deep. She hadn't seen the artefact which filtered the spiritual energy, most probably it was shielded through more advanced arrays and restrictions. Which led to another of her realizations that the Wei house is quite central in all this planning. There might be other deep reasons for it, but one thing was sure. There might be a very high-official in-charge of the workings here in Jinghai, who directly had contact with monks. And after seeing that pavilion, she had a certain premonition that it would be one of the central elements of all this, the existence of a separate space in itself was a grave warning. What was inside the pavilion? That, that could only prove another one of her conjectures. Those memories of the girl cursing a 'Song Yiren', the massacre without any raging soul or negative energy, existence of wrathful creature like that yellow eyed one, or the one always smelling of corpses or even the one now inside her chamber - everything alluded to an undergoing magic– most probably, a sacrificial ceremony.
Wei Zhiruo wasn’t shocked from her guesses. Her guesses in fact were based on this world being a mortal realm, with almost no trace of spiritual, or say magical energy. Without these forces, the hands behind it all will have no source to activate the artefact, there must be some spiritual stones (if that thing exist here) but the portal will be heavily restricted from exchanging these materials – it was the 'rule' restriction applied by heavenly laws itself. If there is actually a smuggling, there wouldn't be constant supply or endless one at that due to heavy risks. She still didn’t know by what channel these monks had interfered in this completely mortal realm, or she had been more sure of her guesses.
What could replace the source of energy from spiritual stones though? Human blood, one with deep emotions and undergoing through right rituals, have great power, and have been in use by monks of all kind through the ages, whether orthodox or from the demonic sects. Even in mortal realm it was the only thing that was recognized as valid in heavy ceremonies for equal exchange from the heavenly rules. You want rain in the famine? Exchange it through willing blood. You want the world to be at peace? Exchange more blood to tilt a balance of the heavenly scale. Destiny altering rituals would always have the human blood in it, sometime willing sometime unwilling. Human sacrifice was a recognized ritual here just like many mortal realms she had a chance to know of. Constant blood from humans will supply the artefact that source needed to activate when there is no spiritual stones– and the artefact can only be the most likely luck-based artefact that drained heavenly luck from the sacrifices, built entirely based on the heavenly precept of equal exchange. But still, there were many doubts lingering around it, as if it was not even this. Her six-sense was tingling as a bell. Red woman in wedding dress, Song Yiren...?
Supposing one of them was the original face of yellow eyed, or water ghosts, wraith - than it must be from her, Wei family that was once sacrificed. The Chaos has altered a lot of their qualities but nevertheless it must have been a deeply anguished human soul once. Then why was there no negative energy, or any wrathful soul there? That pickling as well, how could one maintain that much magical energy without letting it overwhelm the artefact, polluting and turning it into a demonic artefact?
“Niuniu, how long have you been living in the Wei house now? You told me you were sold here pretty young?”
“Not that young ninth miss, no! I, this maid was brought in when I was thirteen in my years and I had nowhere else to go. This year will be this slaves seventeenth year, if I remember correctly, since I was born.”
“Really! You’re so old. I still have a long way to reach your age, you know. But I will grow faster.” Wei Zhiruo smiled cheerfully as she caught up with big strides of the maid as they slipped through bending shell-covered passages into the orchard. There stroll has been going up for quite some while, engrossed in their own musings. “Here, here, this place looks pretty!” Finding a good-looking peach tree, that happened to be equally huge and old from its look, the maid Yunxi carefully spread a clean looking soft mat made of woven dried leaves of some kind, over which was spread soft rug made of animal fur and then finally the bamboo baskets were put forth, spreading the various porcelain in order – spreading delicious snacks and sweets. There were cakes made of glutinous rice, beautifully crafted and colored sweets from condensed milk, and other materials and yam porridge, sweetened, soft and appetizing. Everything was still warm; vapor could be seen coming off from the porridge.
Wei Zhiruo then begged her maid to give her some branches of the peach tree, playfully tugging at her maids sleeve and explaining ' it was all to drive away the nightmares she had been having in the night.'
“Say, Niuniu, have you seen my sisters?” She asked, waving around the two branches in front of her face, while still holding a chopstick in another.
“Second miss? I haven’t seen her, though I have heard a lot.” There was still the same hesitation and unfamiliarity on the maids’ face as she handed the rest of utensils properly to Wei Zhiruo.
“Have you ever tasted these glutinous rice cakes? Here, have this -”
“No, no, miss, I –
“Please do. I like to eat with someone, I like to share. You see nobody comes to my courtyard to play usually. I thought you liked me, won't you have some of it?” Bending her neck down, hiding her face slowly from the other sight, when there was still the hanging silence in between. Wei Zhiruo gently set down her chopsticks. The flustered young woman in front of the child didn’t know what to do.
“No, miss it’s not that. It was your blessing that I can live in such a nice courtyard right now. You don’t know miss; how grateful I am to you! You don’t know how much those people in the kitchen troubled me miss, but here you are so kind and generous and I have got plenty of time to look after the things I like to do, miss please don’t cry. You are my benefactor, indeed.” Maid Yunxi, pleaded with tears in her eyes, finally having the courage to speak her mind.
“Oh no you silly! How can you start crying like that! If anyone saw you now, they would think you are the child among us. It’s okay, I believe you. I don’t want to force you to eat, or do anything of such matter. It just that I want you to talk to me. I spend the whole day sitting in my room, without anyone to talk. And now that you are there too, we can talk often. You can tell me about all the things in the house and I can also hear about all these fun anecdotes. I haven’t heard from eldest sister, or second sister or anyone, you know since a long, long while ago. I think they might have forgotten me!”
“It cannot be so, pretty little lady. I heard the second prince had come to stay in Jinghai. That’s why eldest miss hasn’t come to you.” Yunxi stressed hands waved around in a jerking reassurance. Perhaps she really believed so in her heart. Or how could she explain the weird treatment of ninth miss in her own mind. After coming out of the kitchen-compound Yunxi thought she would only be sent here for a while, but instead, she was raised to a regular maid by the second mistress and was to take care of little lady. After tiring all day long, working for some copper ingots, she was now raised to a salary of a proper maid in the inner chamber. It was a very good treatment, a position that any of their servants should rush to at first sight. But it wasn’t so here. It appeared as if ninth miss lived in a separate space entirely from others. She could never meet others, but there was no restriction on her movement. People, servants alike ignored this chamber or even consciously stayed away from here as if, this place was cursed or sheltered some kind of monster.
She though, couldn’t decide whether this thing was good for her or not. But even if she is confused, it was never the ninth miss’s fault in her heart. This sickly-looking child, who seldom reaches out to other was taking her in such confidence – how dare she not take care of her tender feelings? So, Yunxi began recalling tales she had heard and listened to so often in the kitchen compound, trying to let go of her inhibitions. Gossips about various ladies and young misses, the concubines of master and the constant tussle between Concubine Hua and Second mistress who both come from the same clan and are equally treated by master; about eldest misses’ relationship with the second-prince, which she heard the maid’s gossip about in the washing place that there was another miss brought from the capital among the royal entourage and she isn’t related to prince by blood. So scandalous! After the loneliness of always being in the fringe among people, never comprehending each other’s way or reason, Yunxi became quite animated in her recounting in time, which flowed through her mouth like interesting tales, or rather a glimpse of a world through an eye which couldn’t comprehend all the rush or the colors in its actuality. It was interesting. Wei Zhiruo surmised and smiled a little more freely looking at the pretty maiden.
She looked up at the sky and the chirping young woman beside herself, while her mouth took tiny bites from the rice cake. The day was really pleasant, the sky was clear and uplifting. And a childish soul accompanying you in this kind of solitary wanderings – a nice day, well spent. The recounting took a long while, as Wei Zhiruo seldom interrupted but encouraged through her shining eyes whenever they happened to meet Yunxi's own.
“But, was there something sad a few days ago? Did someone die? I saw that it was all vegetarian food that was served?”
“Yesterday, miss? Yes, it was the death-day of Matriarch Wei’s two eldest daughter. They will be your aunts in relation. You might not remember it miss, but usually a small ceremony like this is observed each year on this day by Old Mistress for her two daughters.”
“My aunts? What happened to them? How did they die?”
“I heard they were killed by bandits on their return journey from visiting their maternal family. I don't know whether it is the truth as it happened a long time ago, way back when I was still in my village.”
“Oh! It’s so pitiful.”
“No miss, you might not realize being so young, what’s more pitiful is the elders sending their young children away in front of them. I even heard there was another daughter of Mistress Jiang –your mother, who is said to have disappeared after mistresses’ death. Old Mistress was taken to bed for such a long time!”
“Died? Mother’s daughter, that means, my eldest, eldest sister?”
“Yes, ninth miss, it’s all sad business.”
A brief silence filled the mulling air between to somber figures.
“Okay then, lets recall something happy. Are you aware of what we will have for dinner tonight? Can you please make some meat for me? I’ve been eating vegetarian and sick food for so long. All day porridge, porridge. I don’t want to eat it anymore! But the kitchen wouldn’t send me anything else.”
“Okay miss, let me ask it for you, maybe they will make something good since there will be a banquet tonight.”
“Is there? Thank God, I finally have something good to eat. Let’s go, I have had my fill of this strolling business, for the day. Now we can return and wait happily for the dinner. Lets go!” Wei Zhiruo caught a glimpse of the black shadow hiding pretty close-by, perched high up in the peach tree. If you weren’t following it deliberately, such covert hiding spots will escape your notice. But Wei Zhiruo had her eyes on that figure for some while now, and was sure that was not a human-being by any chance. It looks like she still is a common favorite of these creatures roaming freely in the Wei house. She even wondered if the yin in her body had unconsciously increased – but no, there was no such negative development in her physique.
She could feel the yellow pupils gorging at her. Alas! It was so difficult to move in this house. This was one of the reasons that Wei Zhiruo didn’t want to start her annihilation plan from here, Jinghai. And since she had gotten enough lead as to the possibility of it all being based on human sacrifice, she could just begin her journey soon. Her only trouble – no troubles were, her small body restricting any free movement (but since she had decided to dedicate herself to be a worthy protector of this realm, ha, she could try stretching her muscles a bit earlier and begin the body training she had in her mind) and greater than that was the trouble related to the human puppet. She had heard enough anecdotes to know how some puppet of the family reigned out of control and gained consciousness that she had to give it all a great thought before starting any puppet making business. But she really couldn’t find an alternative around this. She had to leave Jinghai, at any cost. It was like waiting under the guillotine, staying here doing nothing. And she couldn’t dream to start her practice in this mortal realm with no clue to spiritual trace at all. She had to find the passage leading to immortal realm, and within a few years. Her body was good, roots were good – but never heaven defying enough to create their own source of energy. In summary, that thing in the dark had to be dealt tonight at first so that her puppet doesn’t get swallowed in the first night she is away.
‘Tch! Headaches. So much trouble.’ Wei Zhiruo looked up at the sky, her head starting to really ache with worry. How much she hated being put in such pedestals.
*
“Hold it in for a while. We can do this. Brother Xiutian, look we will enter the forbidden region of Dayu soon. Please, please don’t give up, for our sake –
“Hurry, run! They will catch up soon –
“Where is third sister? Third sister this way! Hold my hands –
“They killed Xiaobai! Ah!”
Twelve figures could be seen running heedlessly towards what they surmised was the east. It was the moment just before the dawn would break out in the sky. The voices rang aloud in the valley, echoed in the mountains and rushed among the blood of the several children as their feet stumbled, fell down and was dragged forward by the running companions. They fell, looked back, fell, stood up once more on their tired feet and then hurriedly dragged as many hands forward as they could grasp. It was a weird beginning that recalled to them all the pain and shame they had suffered till now – this feeling pumping the rage in their eyes and tired breath, making them drag another figure forward as they ran for their life in the ragged ground between the mountains and desert of Dayu. It was just a while; they could see the torch bearers from the chasing party chasing them on horse-back. Such impossible escape – yet the feet never stopped.
“Brother Xiutian, I see a crack here, tell everyone to move in that direction. We can’t outrun them. Let’s hide our traces here. Its already dawn.”
“Second brother, you know what it means do you? What if they caught us all in one go?”
“So, what do you want, third, can you tell me? Ruin everyone as they run against horses? Its impossible to outrun, what remaining chances we do have is to bet whether they want to sweep through every crevice on this mountain in search of us or go back for more support. If its later we can simultaneously take a breath and try to escape after they leave us alone in completely different direction from our plan.”
“No, your second brother is right. Call everyone back in that cave. Hopefully it is an empty. Go, I and third will see if anything is inside the cave.” Temier Xiutian decisively stated as he took a deep breath leaning his tired figure on his younger brother’s body. “Call everyone as soon as possible. They will catch up to us sooner than imagined.” His eyes gravely looking at the torch flames becoming bigger by moment from a small dot to a clear outline.
“Hurry! Here! Over here, brother is here!”
Several groups halted in their run after the voice echoed and changed direction decisively. Inside the small crack in the rock, Temier Xiutian was dragged by his younger brother on his shoulder. They both looked with the remaining light from the torch they held in their hands for traces of occupation.
“There might be poisonous snakes, or scorpions, be careful not to be bitten.” Temier Xiutian reminded as they both looked inside to gauge the depth of this natural cave. Fortunately, from the small it could be surmised that no big animal had made its home here. The rest were not big issues. Soon a shocking revelation overtook the two brothers, as they found that the previously thought natural cave was in fact, a passage leading somewhere. Both the brothers looked gravely at each other but still decided to stick together there inside the cave and not go any further, before the others could join them.
"Hopefully it shouldn't be an enemies den, right?"
"Its a passage anyway, better than sticking to our previous suicidal march. Lets explore, when the rest join us. It might be the heavens blessing on our Temier clan."
