Of Weddings and Wakes | Chapter 42 | The Echoes of the Seven Houses | Novela.app

Chapter 42 - The Echoes of the Seven Houses The rasping melody of the strings faded into the corners of the teahouse. The storyteller brought his gavel down with a sharp *clack*, the sound echoing like a sudden crack of thunder, startling the patrons from their reverie. The tea in the cups had grown lukewarm. Zhu Yinxiao concluded his long narrative and set his porcelain cup down with a soft sigh. "And so, the Heavenly Calculator met his end at Penglai." He paused, his phoenix eyes reflecting the dim, flickering light of the establishment. "That fragment of history from a century ago is what we now call the 'Seven Houses Incident.'" An Ping sat motionless, his mind reeling. The weight of the story felt like a physical pressure in his chest. It took several long moments before he could find his voice. "...Why are you telling me all this?" "The Mountain Ghost Seal is shifting again," Zhu Yinxiao replied, his tone uncharacteristically grave. "The Seven Houses will inevitably be alerted. Fengdu has already sent an envoy with a summons, requesting a gathering of the lineages. This coming year is bound to be... eventful." He turned his gaze toward An Ping, searching the young man’s face. "Old Fourth trusts you, and you are no longer a mere bystander. When the fog rolls in, it’s better to have at least a small lantern to guide you. I’d rather you hear the truth from me than go wandering into the dark, making wild guesses based on rumors." The sheer volume of information was staggering. An Ping struggled to organize his thoughts, his words coming out in a disjointed rush. "I... I need some time to process this. It’s a lot." "Of course. You’re retracing those memories through Old Fourth’s blood, and even his recollections are fragmented. It’s natural to have questions." Zhu Yinxiao offered a small, knowing smile. "But my brother retrieved the Mountain Ghost Coins from the Yin-Yang Ladder recently; he should be remembering quite a bit himself. Don’t ignore your dreams, An Ping. They often hold the truths that time has tried to bury." An Ping fell into a pensive silence for a moment. "There are a few things I don’t quite understand." "Ask away." "According to your story, you were quite young when the Seven Houses Incident occurred. You didn't witness the events yourself," An Ping said, looking directly at Zhu Yinxiao. "How do you know all these details so clearly?" "A fair question," Zhu Yinxiao nodded. "Do you remember 'Old Second'?" "The Mohist, Song Wentong?" "Precisely." Zhu Yinxiao leaned back. "Back then, he was in a deep coma from his injuries. By the time he finally woke up in Penglai, Old Fourth had already passed away. However, 'Old Third' had woken up much earlier. He witnessed everything and eventually recounted the whole tragedy to him." Zhu Yinxiao’s expression turned distant. "As for what Old Second did in Penglai after learning the truth... that, I don't know. Eventually, he descended the mountain with his blade on his back and traveled until he reached the hidden lands of the Vermilion Bird. He lived with my family for many years. It was during those years that he slowly told me these stories." "Is the Mohist still alive then?" An Ping asked hopefully. Zhu Yinxiao shook his head slowly. "Of those who once gathered at the Ginkgo Study, I am the only one left. Old Second was the only other one to pass away peacefully of old age. I traveled the mortal world with him for a few years after my cultivation showed some progress. He lived to be eighty. His only legacy was the Lihong Blade, which he left to my brother." "Only the Mohist died of old age?" An Ping asked, his voice rising in disbelief. "What about the Impermanence Sage?" "You mean the previous one? Wu Biyou’s father, Old Third—Wu Zixu." Zhu Yinxiao gave a wry smile. "Do you know why Wu Biyou hates Old Fourth so much?" An Ping recalled the boy's hostility. "He seemed to imply... that the 'Half-Immortal' was responsible for his father's death." Zhu Yinxiao let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Old Fourth harming Old Third? Do you really believe that?" An Ping didn't. If Zhu Yinxiao’s account was true, Mu Gesheng had sacrificed his own dignity and safety during the Seven Houses Incident specifically to save Wu Zixu’s life. While the finer details remained obscured, the core of Zhu Yinxiao’s words felt like the truth. Zhu Yinxiao refilled his tea, his movements slow and deliberate. "Old Third was less than a hundred years old when he passed." An Ping was confused. If Song Wentong lived to eighty and that was considered a "peaceful end," why was Wu Zixu’s death before a hundred considered premature? "The bloodlines of the Mohist and the Yin-Yang houses are different," Zhu Yinxiao explained, sensing An Ping’s confusion. "The Yin-Yang practitioners possess semi-spectral bodies. Their lifespans are naturally much longer than ordinary humans. He should have lived far longer. But the wounds inflicted by the Ghost Soldiers were no small matter, and he had performed the General’s Nuo Dance—an act that invited a massive amount of baleful aura into his body. Even though he recovered in Penglai, his fundamental essence was damaged. He didn't make it to a century." "But what does that have to do with Mu Gesheng?" "The elders of the Wu clan believe that Old Third was only involved in the Ghost Soldier rebellion because he was 'bewitched' by Old Fourth. They blame him for the fact that Wu Zixu used the Nuo Dance, which led to his shortened life." Zhu Yinxiao spread his hands. "In their logic, Old Fourth essentially killed Old Third." An Ping was speechless. The unfairness of the accusation was staggering. "And you don't know the truth of Wu Biyou’s birth," Zhu Yinxiao continued. "My 'nephew' is a ghost fetus." "A ghost fetus?" "You’ve likely heard of the Yin-Yang inheritance—the next Impermanence Sage is chosen before birth. Because the ghostly energy in the womb is so overwhelming, the mother is destined to die during childbirth; her soul is often consumed entirely. Old Third loathed this. He didn't even want to leave an heir. But man proposes, and Heaven disposes—he eventually met the love of his life in the mortal world." Zhu Yinxiao chuckled, though there was no mirth in it. "It gave my brother and the others a massive headache. The Wu elders refused to let the direct bloodline end, but Old Third refused to let his wife die. Eventually, they reached a compromise. Old Third and his wife lived in the mortal world for decades without children, right up until she passed away." "Then where did Wu Biyou come from?" An Ping asked, utterly lost. "As I said, he’s a ghost fetus. After his wife died, she settled in Fengdu because of her connection to the Yin-Yang family. It was only then that she conceived. By nurturing a ghost fetus within a ghost body, the baleful aura was neutralized. That’s why my nephew is so young—his parents waited a very long time. The mortal world had already been practicing family planning for decades by the time he was born." Zhu Yinxiao raised a hand to preempt An Ping’s next question. "The reason no one in the Yin-Yang family had used this method before is that ghost fetuses are incredibly unstable. The children are either born with a violent, ghostly nature or are sickly and die young. No one wanted to take the risk. Old Third only dared to do it because my brother is the Rakshasa—a fate of supreme misfortune that can suppress any ghostly energy. The malice of a ghost fetus is nothing compared to him." He smiled. "That’s also why my nephew is so terrified of him." "In the beginning, my nephew and Old Fourth got along famously. He was practically glued to his 'godfather' every day." Zhu Yinxiao’s eyes softened with memory. "Old Fourth treated him much better than he treated me back in the day. At least he didn't toss the boy into a vegetable patch to crawl around." "But the good times didn't last. When my nephew was ten, Old Third passed away. He was the only Impermanence Sage in history whose soul had a clear destination; he returned to Fengdu so calmly that he gave the Ten Yama Kings a fright. The Wu clan wanted him to stay, but he was tired. He and his wife entered the cycle of reincarnation together." "Isn't that a good thing?" An Ping interrupted. "Don't be in such a hurry, lad. Let me finish." Zhu Yinxiao waved him off. "After Old Third left, my nephew had no one. The Wu clan took him back to Fengdu to be raised by the elders." "What about his godfather?" "You know Old Fourth’s constitution. He died and came back, but his body is as fragile as glass. That period happened to be his 'hibernation' phase. He slept for several years. My brother was too busy caring for him to look after my nephew." An Ping suddenly remembered something. "Wait... didn't the 'Half-Immortal' die in the Seven Houses Incident? Then the person he is now... and why did the Master of the Spiritual Pivot become the Rakshasa?" "That," Zhu Yinxiao said with a mysterious glint in his eye, "is another story entirely. And it’s not one I am permitted to tell you." *Great,* An Ping thought. *He tells me half the story and leaves me hanging. He should have just stayed on the stage as a professional storyteller.* An Ping’s mind was a whirlwind of questions. "Could you not have looked after the Impermanence Sage?" "I am of the Zhu family. It’s not appropriate for me to interfere directly in the internal affairs of the Yin-Yang house." Zhu Yinxiao spread his hands. "Besides, by the lifespan of a Vermilion Bird, I’ve only just reached adulthood myself. Who would trust me with a child?" He added with a smirk, "Wu Biyou barely tolerates calling me 'brother' now. If I asked him to call me 'Uncle,' he’d probably explode." The seniority and relationships among these people were a tangled mess that An Ping still couldn't quite map out. Looking at Zhu Yinxiao’s flamboyant female attire, he suggested, "You could try having him call you 'Auntie.'" "Tried it. Didn't work." "...Forget I said anything." "Because of the Ghost Soldier incident, the Wu elders already had a grudge against Old Fourth. Once they had my nephew in their clutches, they poured all that poison into his ears." Zhu Yinxiao sighed. "That’s how those old men brainwashed him. I don't know what kind of nonsense they fed him... but by the time 'father and daughter' met again, they were enemies." An Ping finally managed to untangle this web of love and hate. Compared to the world-shaking tragedies of the past, this particular drama felt almost absurd. "And the Half-Immortal doesn't explain? He just lets it happen?" "He says my nephew is at the age of 'Middle School Syndrome' and there's no point in trying to cure a natural phase of life." Zhu Yinxiao shook his head. "But I think I can guess his real intention." "Which is?" "The position of the Heavenly Calculator is precarious right now. Many parties have ill intentions. Being too close to him would only bring trouble. Maintaining this 'love-hate' dynamic is actually a form of protection for my niece." *Nephew, niece, son, daughter...* An Ping realized that in the world of the Seven Houses, gender was apparently a fluid concept that didn't matter much. Zhu Yinxiao shrugged. "And it doesn't really matter. Everyone has their period of youthful rebellion. If the 'father' wants to be hands-off, I’m still here to look after him." An Ping looked at Zhu Yinxiao and realized where Mu Gesheng’s confidence came from. Even in his absence, the boy was surrounded by protectors of immense power. Zhu Yinxiao picked up the letter sent by Cui Ziyu. "If I don't take this letter, the task of delivering it will eventually fall on my niece. The Seven Houses have declined, and the Yin-Yang family is struggling even in Fengdu. As an elder, I’ll help where I can." An Ping blinked. "The Seven Houses have declined?" "Haven't you noticed?" Zhu Yinxiao countered. "The Zhu family has been in seclusion for years, and the Mohist inheritance has all but vanished... This is the nature of the era. During the decades the Heavenly Calculator remained silent, the authority of Fate gradually eroded. The Seven Houses are now little more than scattered sand." He looked out the window at the spectral city. "Tonight, Fengdu holds its Lantern Festival. Everyone is celebrating. But if you asked any of them, would a single soul know that deep in the heights of the Fengdu sky, there are still ninety-three thousand and seventy-two Golden Crow Lamps hanging?" He turned back to An Ping. "Do you know the difference between a festival lantern and a Golden Crow Lamp?" "...What is it?" "To light a festival lantern, an individual must pay money. But the price to light the Golden Crow Lamps is borne entirely by the Vermilion Bird." "The Zhu clan are descendants of the gods, but in this age where the divine has faded, people have grown weary of offering worship." Zhu Yinxiao shook his head. "They would rather pay the price themselves, even if they don't understand the difference, or whether they can actually afford what is being asked of them." "The Zhu family has been hidden for a long time. I am the only Vermilion Bird still willing to walk the mortal realm. All things must eventually fade. The end of a thousand-year path is something no one can avoid." An Ping didn't know how to respond. He searched for the right words. "Does it really have to be this way?" He had seen the visions of those young men—the ones who drew their swords and changed the world, who settled the heavens with a single divination, who broke the boundaries of life and death with a blade, and who calmed the mountains with a dance. He had seen the brilliance of the Golden Crow Lamps that turned night into day. Those magnificent, tragic, and spirited memories... they shouldn't just be a dream that dissolves into nothing. Zhu Yinxiao smiled sadly. "The wind and rain wash away all elegance." "The seeds of the Seven Houses' ruin were sown a century ago, long before the last great chaos began. It’s just that in times of peace, the rot isn't visible. When the chaos arrived, the Master tried to turn the tide, but it was more than one man could achieve." "The tragedy Old Fourth and the others endured was simply the final snowflake that caused the avalanche." An Ping only half-understood, listening to Zhu Yinxiao’s quiet monologue. "Everything has its moment of extinction. Destruction leads to creation; it is the cycle of the heavens. Perhaps it isn't a bad thing." "The danger is when the 'hundred-legged insect' refuses to die, even when it’s rotting. A lingering corpse spreading poison... that is the truly terrifying thing." As midnight approached, the storytelling session ended, and the teahouse surged with renewed energy. Wu Biyou hurried into the private room, looking like he had just come from a fan rally, clutching banners and glow sticks. "Are you two done with your tea yet?" He kicked the door open. "If you're finished, let's go. The Lantern Festival is about to start." "Is Ghost Sanji’s concert over?" Zhu Yinxiao stood up. "How was the show?" Wu Biyou rolled his eyes. "Duh. It was incredible, obviously." Outside the teahouse, the streets were packed with vendors selling lanterns. Long bamboo racks were draped with glowing ornaments. An Ping noticed that most of the lanterns were now electric, designed to stay lit for a long time even in the gloom of the underworld. A massive dragon boat soared through the air above them, intricately carved and painted. A woman sat upon the dragon’s head, her voice melodious and enchanting as she sang. "That’s Ghost Sanji." Zhu Yinxiao nudged An Ping. "She has a bit of a connection with my nephew." An Ping was surprised. "She was my sister-in-law’s apprentice. My nephew calls her 'Senior Sister,'" Zhu Yinxiao explained. "You probably never met my sister-in-law. She was once a *qingguan* at Guanshan Yue. She even performed *The Romance of the Western Chamber* with Old Fourth and the others." "It was quite a coincidence. That was the first time she and Old Third shared a stage. They played the roles of Yingying and Zhang Sheng." Zhu Yinxiao laughed. "Fate has a funny way of working." An Ping caught a fleeting memory of that scene. He suddenly realized why, during that New Year’s Eve dinner in the vision, Zhu Yinxiao hadn't sung the role of the lead maiden, Yingying, but had instead chosen the role of the matchmaker, Hongniang. *** **GLOSSARY OF NEW TERMS** | Chinese | English | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 七家事变 | Seven Houses Incident | The historical tragedy involving the seven lineages a century ago. | | 金吾灯 | Golden Crow Lamps | Divine lamps in Fengdu maintained by the Vermilion Bird lineage. | | 鬼胎 | Ghost Fetus | A child conceived or nurtured by a ghost; often unstable or dangerous. | | 计划生育 | Family Planning | A modern reference used humorously to explain the age gap. | | 中二病 | Middle School Syndrome | Chuunibyou; a slang term for adolescent delusions of grandeur. | | 鬼三姬 | Ghost Sanji | A famous spectral idol/performer in Fengdu. | | 莺莺, 张生 | Yingying, Zhang Sheng | The lead lovers in the classic play *The Romance of the Western Chamber*. | | 红娘 | Hongniang | The clever maid/matchmaker in *The Romance of the Western Chamber*. |