But in all truth
the water's language was a wonder,
a story of some kind about some thing,
some unchanging thing that seemed
like starlight, like the swift flash of mica,
like a divination of disaster.
- On the Bank, Arseny Tarkovsky (trans. Robert Chandler)
"I do wish that you're less impulsive Su'er, but it perhaps is the fire in you…"
Yun Zisu kept her head low. "Zisu apologizes, Shifu."
The woman sighed and waved her hand. "You've already repented in the Ancestral Hall, and I know who you are. Furthermore, to save a friend… It is admirable. The sect knows, too, and has taken it into account."
Yun Zisu retained her bland smile, gaze locked to the floor. Some sections of it were laid out with jade. Opulent, this room was; as the study of an elder of the Vermilion Sun Sect, it had to reflect her status. Yun Zisu’s shifu, Nong Furong, had not been an elder for long, but she was known for her competence and femininity both. With her name fragrant in the wulin, she had to keep up with her appearance. A gold statue of a zhuque perched atop a field of jade flowers was a gaudy centerpiece of the room, eclipsing in presence the four treasures of the study.
She tried her best in raising her disciples, and she was not a bad teacher. These were points Yun Zisu knew well in her heart. She ought not to be an impudent child.
It was just…
“Still, as a cultivator, the road of life is long. The sect sympathizes with you, but it also thinks that it’s best you don’t leave this matter hanging in the air. This disciple of Immortal Master Ning Shan, you already have such a bond with him, why skirt around it so shyly?”
That part.
The gardens of Vermilion Sun Sect’s inner gate was vast, connecting to the residences of the various elders and associated buildings. Flowering bushes abound, as did large weeping willows— it was a sight for sore eyes, especially those that had seen human matters for far too long. Past the railings that had lines of gold paint and the exquisite bronze statues of the Four Guardians1The Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North. that sat by the entrances, there was a refreshing field of green. Of course, it was still smeared gold by the numerous inner gate disciples walking past…
Yun Zisu sighed.
After being punished to kneel and then shut away to cultivate in seclusion, Yun Zisu had a lot of time to think. And she thought about a lot of things, too. Time almost wasn’t enough, stretching like silk as it was; and yet, despite all that, she was no closer to closure for any of her worries.
How was Tian Ling? What happened after with Wan Yu and Ye Xiyang? What about those disciples that were rescued? She only got the barest of news, and it was not a good one… Whenever she pressed, the people she talked to just told her not to worry about it. As for Tian Ling, even her shifu asked her to stop pursuing the matter…
Somehow, looking at the sunlit gardens, Yun Zisu felt like she was in strange lands.
But in the end, the inner gate of Vermilion Sun Sect was her home. These were the gardens she played in as a child, those paved roads that circled its large complex were where she ran barefoot every morning; these facts smoothed over the awkward edges of disquieting thoughts until they merged back with the land, until they sank back into the walls and floors. After a week, people stopped giving her side glances or looks of surprise. After two, she was allowed to go down the inner gate again. The two seniors who manned the mission and exchange hall no longer thought too hard about allowing her to take up tasks outside of the sect grounds.
It was bizarre, she mused wryly as she patrolled the medicinal gardens, bright moon of later autumn overhead. Yun Zisu hadn’t been punished for long; though she broke multiple rules, her shifu had spoken up for her. In the end it had led to the rescue of disciples kidnapped by Celestial Alignment Sect, too, so with that taken into consideration Yun Zisu got off light. But Tian Ling had smeared Vermilion Sun Sect’s face in front of everyone, most of all the Frozen Dragon Sect… Yun Zisu didn’t know whether the matter was publicly known or not.
At least Tian Ling wasn’t expelled from the sect. Her path into cultivation had barely started…
“Yun-shijie,” a young voice politely spoke up. Snapping out of her thoughts, Yun Zisu resumed her route. Behind her were these two juvenile disciples, above her the clear sky and the steadily waning moon. Ahead of her...
Moonlight was a warm blanket upon them, still brilliant despite the Mid-Autumn having passed— still, the rustling bushes and swaying herbs that formed neat lines cast shadows on the small roads carved between these plots. To navigate these fields it was easy: follow the gap between leaves and branches, where a path had already been laid out, carved. That way, you never had to look down and see the pitch black space on which you were treading.
____
At the tail end of autumn, the world seemed to have grown tired of the years— the sky was drab even after evening fell, draping over the night like a sopping wet cloth. In a quiet field outside of Qunan, two silhouettes, one big one small, seemed to be dragged slow by the lethargy of the season. Under Wan Yu’s tired yet watchful eyes, Quan Su was repeating a set of thrusting moves with a peach wood sword.
“That’s thirty times,” Quan Su grumbled, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “Are we done for the day yet?”
“Not quite.” Wan Yu had been keeping an eye on her, quick to correct her stance lest she learned wrong and ruined the flow of her qi. “Where’s the umbrella Ye Xiyang gave you?”
That made her pause. After a moment, though, she slowly pulled out the umbrella from her pouch— the umbrella that hadn’t seen the light of day since that dusk.
“How’d you know?”
“A hunch,” he answered, perfunctory and unhelpful. After checking it and fiddling with opening and closing it, he returned it to her. “Try not to lose it. Remind me to take you to buy a short sword later, for safety. After that, unless you pick fights with a cultivator, you'll be pretty set to defend yourself."
"Are you leaving?" she asked.
"Date uncertain." He looked at the darkened skies for a moment before looking back at her. "You can stay here if you want. Auntie Wang could always use the help."
Quan Su pursed her lips and turned away.
Sighing, Wan Yu took the peach wood sword and put it away. “Let’s go. It’s getting late.”
With the shortening of the day, curfew crept in sooner, too. As they walked down the main road, mule carts and horse-drawn carriages would hurry past every now and then, the rich and poor both too disgruntled by the weather to deal with facing patrolling guards. Falling leaves crunched underneath, smearing the stone-paved roads with flakes of red. Quan Su could hear the cracking as they stepped on it. It sounded like something ignored shattering.
Upon arriving, they ate. Quan Su retired soon after, going into their shared room and bundling herself up with three blankets— her constitution was not the best, after what she’d gone through. Wan Yu lit up the small brazier near her bed before leaving the room. It would be extinguished once he prepared for bed, but for now it blinked with sleepy, curious eyes, those spots of ember in the coals.
“Yibi… Where is it? It sounds far.”
And now he was back in the kitchen, lit by the gentle glow of a quiet candle. Auntie Wang was taking stock before tomorrow's grocery trip before dawn, but really, they were here to talk. Leaning against the wall, Wan Yu's arms were crossed. Auntie Wang sat on a stool— it was moved in when she'd gotten pregnant and needed to rest her feet, and had never been moved out since.
“It’s further north. It’s a small town, it’s normal that Auntie hasn’t heard of it. One of the coldest mountains around.”
Her eyebrows were furrowed. “You’re taking Xiao Su with you? Then don’t go in winter ah, how will she wade through the extreme cold like that.”
“Spring,” Wan Yu acquiesced. “It’ll take several weeks to head there, it’ll be thawing when we arrive. Well, I don't know about 'we.' Xiao Su might stay here.”
"I really don't think so… She's attached to you. If you leave her behind, I think she'd be very upset."
“...It’s not exactly safe, least of all to someone unprepared,” he admitted. “For her safety, she ought to stay here.”
Auntie Wang went silent, though worry was still knitting her brows. In the end, she sighed. “Well, it’s still months until you’re planning to leave. Take your time thinking about it.”
____
"Auntie, I'd like what hot soup you have on offer today, please."
At the gates of winter, though Qunan was free of snow, the cold had already marched in. The small inn tucked into this district was somewhat quiet, but perhaps it was the weather instilling lethargy. When the hooded young woman walked in, she was met with some people sitting round the brazier set up by the wall, each doing their own tasks. Two cultivators chatted on a table in quiet voices, eating seeds whenever the conversation lulled. As Yun Zisu lowered her hood, Auntie Wang stood up and waved at her, heading straight into the kitchen. On the way, she said, "Xiao Wan is up on the roof right now, fixing it. Sit down, sit down, I'll bring you your food. Spicy, right?"
"Please and thank you."
It seemed that she didn't have to wait, though. Just as Yun Zisu was approaching Quan Su who sat by the brazier, Wan Yu walked out from the back room, hair tussled, clothes dirtied, and wiping his hands and arms clean with a rag. Catching sight of her, he paused mid-step.
"Oh, hey. I'll be back in a second, I'm going to wash and change."
Heading upstairs, his quiet footsteps disappeared before his figure did.
"Xiao Su?" Yun Zisu whispered as she passed on a bag of candies, "What happened?"
Quan Su had been peeling potatoes in her corner of the table. Uncle Li, his toddler on his lap, understood the atmosphere and moved to leave, but both Quan Su and Yun Zisu shook their heads and moved instead. Once they sat on a table pressed against the wall, Quan Su glanced at the bag she’d been given, but she didn’t peek inside. Instead, her attention was back on Yun Zisu. "I dunno. He's… It's after surnamed Ye talked to him after that day."
Yun Zisu frowned. That villain…
“It’s somewhat scary,” Quan Su admitted, voice no louder than a fly. “He’s solemn and intense now, all the time. He could still fake enthusiasm when there are people, but it’s temporary. The only times he lightens up is when he’s playing with the baby, but even then it’s a lot less…”
Carefree.
Yun Zisu looked up to see Quan Zisu’s expectant gaze, and she said wryly, “I’ve known him for longer, but you’ve lived with him far longer than I have, Xiao Su. But I’ll try to ask. He’s… Well, you’ve heard what happened back then.”
The topic was put on hold when Yun Zisu’s soup arrived. Quan Su, after a moment, shook her head and returned to peeling potatoes. Sounds from the kitchen seemed to be kicked back on; Yun Zisu supposed she’d arrived at an awkward time, the hour tucked in between lunch and the early descent of the winter sun. Soon enough, most people would be returning to their dwellings.
It couldn’t be helped, though. She was sneaking in as is.
"All right, I'm back.” She looked up from her food; Wan Yu was already over, sitting down opposite her. Up close, Yun Zisu was struck by how this person almost didn’t strike her as her friend. There was distance in his eyes measurable only in terms of seas. “Sorry about that, had to fix the roof after some foxes broke in to make nest for winter. It's great seeing you again, Zisu."
Behind him, Quan Su rose from her seat and went into the kitchen, returning with some tea and a bowl of seeds. Once she placed it on their table, she returned to her task, but her eyes kept darting to their direction. Yun Zisu suspected she wanted to listen in.
After several sips, Yun Zisu put down her spoon and got serious. "Are you feeling okay, Wan Yu? Did Ye Xiyang…"
Wan Yu sighed. His idle hand picked up the seeds and started cracking and popping them into his mouth. "It's nothing. It's a long story and I haven't untangled the threads yet. How are you doing?"
“Well, try to tell me if there is a problem.” Yun Zisu smiled wryly. “Right now I’m still under supervision, but it shouldn’t last much longer. I’ve volunteered for more events and they’re assuming I’m ‘back to normal.’”
“Things are rough on your side,” Wan Yu said in condolence. “Let me know too, if there’s anything I can do about anything else.”
“I will.”
And that was it. When Wan Yu said nothing else but started gazing off into the distance, Yun Zisu contemplated what she was seeing. Other than the change for the melancholic, he also seemed like… his cultivation had improved? It was hard for her to tell clearly, given that they were quite close in regards to cultivation, but she could sense something had changed.
Wan Yu was a single spiritual root, that of pure water. His root influenced his character greatly, almost as much as his day master2Part of bazi, (lit. Eight Characters) or Four Pillars of Destiny in Chinese astrology. The day master is the element that rules the Heavenly Stem of the birth day, and is a very important character that defines the relationship of other characters in the birth chart.; if anything, they seemed to run along the same vein. Turbulent, open, uncontainable ocean… Immortal Master Ning Shan picked up the baby on that rainy day out of momentary compassion, but also because of his potential. But this seemed to be rather a large leap for a period where Wan Yu was without his shifu’s guidance, in the midst of working in an inn of a populated town.
Yun Zisu trusted her intuition. But sometimes, there was nothing she could do about it.
“Sorry, I can’t stay long,” she said, putting down her spoon. Her bowl was empty, and she’d drunk plenty; food was wonderful, with enough heat to make her reach for the tea often. “Are you planning on going anywhere?”
Wan Yu glanced out of the window before turning back to her. “I reckon you’re going to be away for a while. No sense in staying here too long. I’ll be on the move. Any plans to be in a big city in the coming years?”
“I’ll be at Yezhou for the Wulin Sword Conference in the eighth month of next year,” Yun Zisu said. “Be careful, wherever you go. You have someone depending on you now.”
Yezhou was a large city that could be considered the center of the wulin. It was not right where an influential sect was stationed, like Yueyang. Instead, it was chosen hundreds of years ago by Heavenly Cycle School and Fire and Water Sect to be the location of their decadal Wulin Sword Conference. It being such a massive event for numerous righteous faction sects, of course everyone would want to capitalize on it. Merchants and craftsmen flocked in, trying to win over harried participants who needed things at the last minute. In the end, a marketplace was permanently established. Many craftsmen formed coalitions, some of which became guilds that required years of apprenticeship and membership fees to enter. After centuries, Yezhou ended up expanding so much as to be recategorized by the secular government in the changing dynasties.
It was a big city, comparable to a capital. Wan Yu had never set a foot there.
“Mm. You too, don’t get into trouble.”
“I should be the one telling you that,” she said, exasperated. Standing up, she secured her cloak again and laid a hand on his shoulder. “All right, take care.”
Wan Yu gave her a smile, a soft and fond one. “Go win that fight. I know you can.”
At that, Yun Zisu raised an eyebrow. “And if I don’t?”
“When you do,” he corrected, “I’ll gift you Shifu’s dao Flowering Fire.”
Yun Zisu froze. Then, “No, you can’t be serious. How are you giving that away so freely?”
Flowering Fire was different from Immortal Master Ning Shan’s collection of weapons he wanted to destroy; this was a dao that he himself created with the help of a blacksmith whose name had been lost. It was part of a rare few— Immortal Master Ning Shan did not create weapons often, unlike many of the leaders within various sects throughout all of jianghu. It was said that he had created only three so far, that with the attribute of fire, earth and wood. Yun Zisu knew that now there was a fourth, water— that was, Silvergrass. Only three people knew this fact.
“How is it freely?” Wan Yu said, exasperated. “You have to win this conference. Beat up the champion. Why wouldn’t I give you that? In any case, you’re family.”
Just the thought made her giddy, even though she knew she’d never get it on the first time she entered. The last phase of the Wulin Sword Conference often comprised people within the top 10 list of powerful people in the jianghu; she’d need forty, fifty years before she could step a foot there. Still, maybe she had a shot in the first two. Yun Zisu let out a giggle and squeezed his shoulder, punching it afterwards. “All right then. I’ll give it my best shot, do it for both of us. See you then, Wan Yu.”
With that, she turned to leave. The early winter air was already starting to teeth, but she felt warm. At the doorway, she heard Wan Yu call out: “Hey. Before you go.”
“Mm?”
“You’re doing great,” he said, voice soft. “Thanks for everything.”
