Song in the Peach Blossoms - Chapter 22.3

“Young Master Mingyu.”

I looked at Xiao Xuan, and he looked right back at me.

“I’ve never heard of him,” I said.

Xiao Xuan reached over to pat my head. “It’s normal not to know about matters of the jianghuterally “rivers and lakes,” a term used in Chinese literature to refer to the martial arts underworld",
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“Then tell me about it,” I said, curious.

Xiao Xuan said, “There’s a legend. When Zijin was born, he had a piece of jade in his mouth…”

I slipped and landed squarely on the ground.

Alarmed, Xiao Xuan asked, “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Struggling to get up, I said, “It’s fine. Go on.”

“Right. The story goes that he was born with a piece of jade in his mouth. When the jade meets the wind, it makes a clear, melodious sound, pleasant to the ear. It can also neutralise a hundred poisons, a rare treasure indeed.”

I cut in, “Then why isn’t he called Song Baoyu instead?”

Xiao Xuan shot me a sidelong glance. “I asked Zijing privately later. He said it’s just a legend. The jade is real, though. It’s a family heirloom. He’s the only grandson, and when he was born, Old Master Song gave him the jade.”

“I see,” I said. “I thought he came from humble beginnings.”

“He more or less did. When he was two, the Song family fell into ruin overnight, and their entire household was massacred. His father fled with him, evading assassins and living a wandering life in the jianghu. It wasn’t until he was fourteen that his maternal grandfather, Lord Jingchang, found him and secretly helped him restore the family business.”

“So… you also helped him?”

Xiao Xuan gave a faint smile. “Close friends help each other, but it’s also a matter of mutual benefit.”

“Then, him entering the Xie household, that was your arrangement?”

“Exactly. He’s been in the capital gathering intelligence for me.”

I sighed. “Everyone has a few untellable stories in their past.”

“Indeed.” Xiao Xuan sighed as well.

I asked, “How’s the search for Zhang Qiuyang’s disciples going?”

“The people I’ve sent have been repeatedly blocked by the Zhao faction. I dare not make it huge either. The Zhao faction will stop at nothing; I’m worried they might harm Master Zhang’s disciples.”

I nodded. “The yanhua san yue may have a long incubation period, but poison is poison. It’s best to cure it early. Don’t overexert yourself in the meantime. If it strikes, all your great achievements and long-term ambitions will vanish into nothing.”

Xiao Xuan agreed. We stepped out of the small grove, and my view suddenly opened up. It turns out we were on a high spot, overlooking an endless stretch of grassland.

I stretched, inhaling deeply the fresh air of the plains.

Xiao Xuan said, “You must be bored after being cooped up these past few days. I’ll take you around.”

“That works for me. I’ve rested enough and want to do something useful.”

“Actually, reading and embroidery are also proper work,” Xiao Xuan said.

“Actually, sitting for the imperial examinations and serving the country is a man’s true duty,” I replied.

Xiao Xuan looked up at the sky. “Ah, I just remembered.”

I grinned. “Remembered what?”

“Yes. The nearby herders might need a doctor.”

I nodded. “You really know what’s what, truly a man with fine senses.”

Xiao Xuan led me around to familiarise myself with the surroundings. The grassland is nothing like the city; it’s flat and open, the scenery looking much the same in every direction, so it’s easy to get lost. He gave me a finely crafted compass and a miniature sheepskin map, then taught me how to use them.

Of course, I knew how to use a compass. What baffled me was the map, abstract to the point of looking like Picasso’s later works. Even with Xiao Xuan guiding me and telling me to visualise it, I couldn’t turn those worm-like lines into mountains in my head.

Xiao Xuan grew impatient. “Can’t you use your brain for once?”

I retorted, “With such inaccurate terrain, such unstandardised drawing, such vague descriptions, and such an otherworldly style of mapping, if I could understand this, I’d have long unified the world and lived forever.”

Xiao Xuan snapped, “At least you know east, south, west, and north, right? Stand here with the map like this. Look, the southeast is the Southern Tianshan Mountains; past that is Taizhou. The East is all grassland. To the northwest is Xiyao City, and further north is the Liao Kingdom. Don’t wander that way. The central area is all grassland with some nomadic tribes. It’s not very safe there, so stay away.”

“So that means I can only move around in the south.”

“The south isn’t safe either, Zhao faction spies have infiltrated there. If they catch you, they’ll carry you off like a chicken.”

“Don’t you people know how to catch spies?”

Xiao Xuan asked, “Have you ever seen anyone wipe out every last rat and cockroach?”

That made sense. Still… “If I can’t go here, and I can’t go there, isn’t that boring?”

Xiao Xuan scolded, “Are you here to hide from danger or to have fun?”

I scratched my head.