Of Weddings and Wakes | Chapter 18 | A Pure Heart | Novela.app

Although Chai Shuxin had left in a fit of pique, he still ascended the mountain the following day, carrying a food container. The trio had already returned to the Ginkgo Study. They were currently lined up in the water pavilion, kneeling in punishment, each of them sporting a face full of bruises. The day before, Song Wentong and Wu Nie hadn't fought to their hearts' content, so Song Wentong had chased her across the city with his Crimson-Licked Blade. Wu Zixu, having hurriedly finished his wedding wine, had rushed with Mu Gesheng to stop them. In an instant, the entire city of Fengdu knew that the troublemakers of the Ginkgo Study were back at it again. They nearly disturbed the Ten Yama Kings before the Master of the Ginkgo Study personally descended to Fengdu to collect the rowdy bunch. The bruises on their faces weren't from the Heavenly Calculator’s hand, but from the three of them brawling with each other. "I only sent you down the mountain for the Winter Solstice to eat some dumplings, not to upend the entire Underworld," the Master of the Ginkgo Study said leisurely, holding Zhu Yinxiao in his arms, showing no sign of anger. "Tell me, who was responsible for the Jinwu Lantern Night?" Wu Zixu looked at Song Wentong; Song Wentong looked at Mu Gesheng. Mu Gesheng had no one left to look at, so he simply pointed at Zhu Yinxiao and passed the buck entirely. "Old Fifth did it." Old Fifth couldn't speak yet, offering only a series of babbles and coos. "I am asking for the mastermind," the Master countered. "Did Yinxiao climb into the great cauldron on the city wall by himself?" Mu Gesheng blinked. "It’s not impossible." Before he could finish, Song Wentong kicked him. Seeing that Mu Gesheng’s lies were failing to hold water, Wu Zixu knelt forward and bowed his head. "Master, I am the primary culprit. Please, punish me." "Oh? There is no rush for punishment. Confess first," the Master said with a smile. "If you are the mastermind, who were your accomplices? How was it executed? And what was the motive?" Wu Zixu steeled himself and recounted the tale of the Yama King’s daughter’s wedding, though he omitted the part about the phoenix crown. He claimed they simply couldn't find a suitable wedding gift and finally thought of the Jinwu Lantern Night. He finished with a deep bow. "Your student acted recklessly." "Not so fast. Yesterday’s Jinwu Lantern Night used Vermilion Bird feathers as fuel. Tell me, who gave you that idea?" Wu Zixu said, "...It was Great Aunt Wu Nie." Song Wentong froze, then snarled in anger, "So you intentionally let that woman fight me?" "Peace," the Master said, waving a hand. "So the Tai Sui gave you the method. Then I assume it was also the Tai Sui who did the deed? Plucking Yinxiao bald?" Wu Zixu trembled, determined to keep Mu Gesheng out of it at all costs. "...Yes." "I see." The Master nodded, summarizing the events. "So, Zixu was the mastermind. He lured Yinxiao into Fengdu, then asked the Tai Sui to pick a fight with Wentong to draw him away. He then took the opportunity to snatch the child from Gesheng, plucked his feathers, and finally lit the Jinwu lanterns." "Useless!" Song Wentong shouted, pointing at Mu Gesheng’s nose. "I leave you with one chicken and you can't even hold onto it!" "Pot calling the kettle black," Mu Gesheng retorted righteously. "Even you couldn't beat her. If she wanted to pluck Old Fifth’s feathers, could I have stopped her?" "You were uncharacteristically well-behaved this time." The Master looked at Mu Gesheng with a half-smile. "Quite a regression, to be outmaneuvered by Zixu." "Not at all, not at all," Mu Gesheng chuckled. "I just wanted to cause less trouble and ease Master's worries." The Master gave him a meaningful look before continuing, "Though Zixu was the mastermind, it was not for selfish gain but for the sake of the Yin-Yang family. It is excusable." "As for Wentong, you acted without discerning the cause, which shows a lack of composure. To draw your blade against an elder like the Tai Sui is a mark of disrespect—you deserve the harshest punishment. Go to the ancestral hall and kneel for three days. You are forbidden from leaving the mountain for a month, and the Crimson-Licked Blade shall be sealed for half a year." "Yes." Song Wentong kowtowed and left to serve his sentence. "Very well." The Master looked at the remaining two. "Wentong has been fooled. Now, which of you will confess?" Wu Zixu broke into a cold sweat. "I'll do it, I'll do it." Mu Gesheng rubbed his nose and revealed the part about the phoenix crown, explaining the situation with the Yama King’s wedding in full. "Old Third was truly in a bind, so he pulled me in. We plotted together, consulted Great Aunt Wu Nie, and then conspired to trick Old Second." "I see," the Master said. "So the one who plucked the feathers wasn't the Tai Sui, but you?" "Yes and no." Mu Gesheng nodded. "Old Fifth’s feathers weren't plucked; they fell out on their own. Great Aunt Tai Sui took him to the Ghost Market and fed him something. While Old Second was fighting, I took Old Fifth for a stroll around Fengdu, and before long, he started shedding." "It was a Wu family elixir," Wu Zixu added hastily. "Great Aunt told me it was a pill specifically for nourishing spiritual energy to aid the Vermilion Bird’s transformation. It wouldn't harm his body." "A well-laid plan indeed." The Master nodded. "In that case, Zixu, for pulling Gesheng into your scheme as the mastermind, you are punished—you may not leave the mountain for a month, you must keep regular hours, and you are forbidden from managing the Wu family business. You will attend all lectures at the study without absence." "Yes." Wu Zixu bowed deeply and departed. Only the Master and his disciple remained in the pavilion. The Master turned his wheelchair to face Mu Gesheng. "Alright, Zixu has been fooled. Now, tell the truth." Mu Gesheng chuckled. "Nothing escapes Master." "Zixu is easy to hoodwink, but I know better. The transformation of a Vermilion Bird is no simple feat; how could a few elixirs suffice? Tell me, what did you really do?" Only then did Mu Gesheng speak the truth, recounting everything regarding the West City Pass. He concluded, "Master, please don't tell Old Third. He worries too much. If he knew I entered the West City Pass for this, he’d probably lose all his hair from stress." "Was the idea to enter the West City Pass given to you by the Tai Sui?" "No, that was my own idea." Mu Gesheng scratched his head. "I knew the Vermilion Bird needed a massive amount of spiritual energy to transform. After thinking it over, the West City Pass was the only suitable place. Great Aunt Tai Sui only helped me by distracting Old Second; I wouldn't dare trouble her with anything else." "And Shuxin accompanied you into the Pass?" "Yes, though Sanjiutian was purely tricked into it by me. He just helped with the fighting. A man as upright as him has to be dragged into doing something bad," Mu Gesheng said. "Please don't punish him." "The Lingshuzi is not an official student of this study; it is not my place to punish him." The Master shook his head. "You are quite the calculator, spinning so many versions of a story that everyone is left spinning in circles." "Not at all," Mu Gesheng grinned. "I still couldn't hide it from Master." "Though your intentions were good, you must still be punished." The Master shook his head and handed Zhu Yinxiao over. "Since Wentong is busy reflecting in the ancestral hall, your punishment is to help him look after Yinxiao. Raising a child is no game; mind your manners." "Understood!" Mu Gesheng happily took the child and walked off humming a tune. "Alright, that one is fooled as well," the Master sighed. "You can come out now." A figure stepped out from behind the pavilion. It was Chai Shuxin. "If I don't live a long life, it will be because of these little brats. Each one is more troublesome than the last." The Master pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you learn? To fool someone like Gesheng, you must do it like this—layer upon layer, until he is trapped in the very web he thinks he's weaving. Only then will he believe you." Chai Shuxin said softly, "He thinks you don't know about the White Jade Choke." "Yes, and I roughly understand why he didn't want me to know." The Master turned his wheelchair toward the water’s edge and sighed. "He was truly reckless this time. If not for the Mountain Ghost Coin protecting him, I fear I would have been an old man burying his young." Chai Shuxin bowed deeply. "I am not blaming you. Gesheng thought about looking for the White Jade Choke years ago. Back then, he wanted to heal my legs, but while it can cure ten thousand ailments, it isn't suited for my condition." The Master smiled. "However, it should be the right remedy for the eldest Miss Chai. A chronic illness of many years cannot be cured in a day; it requires patient nurturing." Chai Shuxin acknowledged, "I will keep your kindness in mind, Master." "Enough. With Miss Chai’s recovery in sight, a weight has been lifted from your heart. For the next few days, live the life of a youth. I have confined the others to the study; you should stay for a while as well. You are all successors of the Seven Houses; the days of youth are precious." "Yes." "Come to think of it, though you are fellow students, you haven't spent much time together." The Master looked at Chai Shuxin, his interest piqued. "What do you think of them?" Chai Shuxin pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "The Mozi, Song Wentong, is a man of passion—brave and capable. The Wuchangzi, Wu Zixu, is meticulous and thoughtful—refined, yet possessing great moral character. Both are heads of their houses, young and promising, and deeply loyal to their friends." "Well said." The Master laughed. "As for the other three, you have only met Juansheng a few times and are still strangers; Yinxiao is too young to judge. That leaves Gesheng. Not to mention your difficulty in reaching a verdict, even I find my disciple... difficult to describe in a single word." "Regarding Mu Gesheng, I did find him difficult to get along with at first. I felt we were not of the same path," Chai Shuxin said. "But time reveals a person’s heart. Through our recent experiences, though I hesitate to give a final judgment, there is one thing I can say." "Speak." Chai Shuxin straightened his back and looked at the Master. "A pure heart." Knowing the ways of the world yet remaining untainted by them; having experienced sophistication yet retaining innocence. The wind whistled through the corridor as the Heavenly Calculator smiled faintly. "Good." Looking at everyone in the Ginkgo Study, Chai Shuxin had a pair of hands that could heal the world, Song Wentong had a blade that was invincible, and Wu Zixu had a voice that could enchant all living beings. Only Mu Gesheng was a drifter, idling his days away without ambition. If one truly had to judge him, the word "scoundrel" would likely suffice. But a youthful scoundrel is hardly a scoundrel at all. No matter how wild or reckless, it can all be summed up in one phrase: "a young man." Time is always generous with its credit to the young. A youth’s proper place is to lie drunk amidst the light of spring. Chai Shuxin walked out of the long corridor and into the front courtyard. The sunlight was like water, pouring down with warmth. "Sanjiutian!" Mu Gesheng, holding Zhu Yinxiao, came running excitedly from the other side of the yard, shouting from afar. "I knew you were here! I saw a First-Rank Pot in the small kitchen. Did you bring it?" "Yes." "Fantastic!" Mu Gesheng was beaming. "Old Second is kneeling in punishment today and has nothing to eat. Let's take the pot to the ancestral hall and eat it right in front of him. We'll starve him with the smell, hahaha..." Zhu Yinxiao seemed to like Chai Shuxin very much, reaching out his hands to be held. Chai Shuxin took the child into his arms and smiled. "Alright." Mu Gesheng froze, staring for a long while before saying, "Am I seeing things... Did you just smile?" Chai Shuxin didn't say a word, walking forward with the child. Once Mu Gesheng recovered from his shock, he teased him relentlessly all the way. "Did you smile? You did, didn't you? Don't stay silent! Sanjiutian, you look so good, why don't you smile again?" Wu Zixu poked his head out from the library. "Brother Chai rarely smiles. Old Fourth, give the man a break." Song Wentong, who was on his way to the ancestral hall, snorted. "Old Third, don't bother. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile." "True enough." Wu Zixu smiled helplessly. "But speaking of which, now that Brother Chai has smiled and the ice has melted, perhaps it's time to change that nickname 'Sanjiutian.' What do you say, Old Fourth?" "Not at all. That name has a grand origin." Mu Gesheng walked behind Chai Shuxin with his hands behind his back, his voice ringing out. "On that day, when I first met the young master of the Medicine family under the lanterns, I saw only a visage of jade and eyes of frost." His voice carried a smile, using the lingering, soulful tones of a traditional ballad. His sharp eyes caught the reddening tips of the ears of the man in front of him. "A cold face but a heart not frozen; a man like a vibrant red plum." "Thus, he is named Sanjiutian." *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 一品锅 | First-Rank Pot (Yipinguo) | A traditional Huizhou-style layered hot pot dish. 赤子之心 | Pure heart / Innocent heart | Literally "the heart of a newborn," referring to someone who remains untainted by worldly cynicism. 三九天 | Sanjiutian | Literally the three nine-day periods following the Winter Solstice, the coldest days of winter. Used as a nickname for Chai Shuxin. 白玉噎 | White Jade Choke (Baiyuye) | A rare medicinal ingredient mentioned in the text, capable of curing many ailments. 山鬼花钱 | Mountain Ghost Coin | A type of numismatic charm or amulet used for protection against evil spirits.