Chapter 9: Xingzhi Temple (9)
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The candlelight in the study cast flickering shadows on the wall as the wind lamp under the eaves made a rusty rattling sound.
Yuanwu turned his head and pulled the attendant close. “Come on, kid, let’s go outside.”
His own hand…
Lin Zikui realized belatedly that he had touched the Second Young Miss!
The wise words from the sages flooded Lin Zikui’s mind as if facing a great enemy. “I-I didn’t mean to, Second Young Miss, I was half asleep and didn’t know what I was doing.”
Feeling both startled and scared, Lin Zikui tried to sit up, but he was pinned down by his hand.
Xiao Fu’s voice suddenly turned hoarse. “Why are you moving? Don’t fidget.”
The Second Young Miss!’s tone sounded off, making Lin Zikui stiffen all over. “I’m sorry…”
Being this close, Lin Zikui could distinctly feel Xiao Fu’s strong physique, the warmth of his breath, the powerful arms… It was a very awkward sensation.
He thought, if he wasn’t certain that the Second Young Miss! was a woman, he would have suspected whether she was actually the young master?
Feeling ashamed, Lin Zikui closed his eyes, not knowing where to put his hands and feet. “Can I…. get up now?”
With a nasal “Hmm,” Xiao Fu nodded, his long black lashes hiding his deep eyes.
Lin Zikui dared not touch him, rolling away from the ground and awkwardly scrambling to his feet, his movements stiff and his expression embarrassed.
Xiao Fu felt a sense of loss as Lin Zikui left his embrace, as if he had lost something valuable. He was a little unhappy.
He didn’t want Lin Zikui to get up, but if he continued holding him, Lin Zikui, no matter how clueless, would eventually notice his reaction and realize that he was a man.
Seeing Xiao Fu with his eyes closed, breathing heavily, Lin Zikui cautiously spoke up from the side. “Second Young Miss, are you… are you okay?”
“Not really.”
“But, but did I accidentally hurt you just now?”
“You touched me here.” Xiao Fu half propped himself up on his elbow, pointing to his chest with one hand and looking at him with his chin up. “What do you think we should do?”
Lin Zikui’s pupils dilated, recalling the full and elastic sensation he had felt earlier. His mind was filled with the teachings of the sages, relentlessly whipping his conscience. He took a step back, finally plopping down on the ground with a thud, stammering an apology. “I… I didn’t mean to, Second Young Miss, I’m not a decent person! Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll personally go to the Xiao Residence to apologize!”
“Why would you go to the Xiao Residence to apologize?”
“I…”
Before Lin Zikui could finish his sentence, Xiao Fu interrupted with a laugh. “You shouldn’t apologize to me.”
Biting his lip, Lin Zikui went from sitting to kneeling directly on the ground. “I… Second Young Miss, please punish me. Hit me, I… I won’t resist!”
His hair disheveled, his expression full of self-blame, even his eyes were red.
Xiao Fu’s heart was itching with discomfort.
“Lin Lang…” He reached out, his palm perfectly landing on Lin Zikui’s head, naturally trailing down along the smooth strands of hair, fingertips gently touching his ear.
With his head buried, Lin Zikui didn’t dare to make a sound. In the stagnant atmosphere, he strangely felt a sticky danger.
Was Second Young Miss…. going to slap him?
He closed his eyes.
Xiao Fu’s fingers lingered on his earlobe, rubbing it a few times. Lin Zikui remained silent, but the trembling sensation still made him grip his fingers tightly. He felt that her palm was large, and her fingers calloused. A moment of confusion struck him: had Second Young Miss been practicing martial arts since childhood?
However, he wasn’t as clear-minded as usual at this moment, and he didn’t think it through in his daze. Then, with his ears burning, Xiao Fu’s voice appeared, “Tell me, how should I punish you?”
“However… however Second Young Miss prefers.”
Xiao Fu leaned closer to look at him, his tone falling on the side of his face. “I brought a fur coat for you just now. Remember to wear it, don’t give it back to me.”
“…Huh?” Instead of the expected slap, Lin Zikui heard this sentence. He hesitated, half-opening his eyes, meeting Xiao Fu’s peach blossom-like eyes head-on.
His heart skipped a beat, and he closed his eyes in bewilderment.
Xiao Fu gently rubbed his head. “I’ll punish you by making you dress better when you see me. Don’t come to me looking all disheveled and dirty. I don’t like that.”
“Uh…” Lin Zikui hadn’t expected this kind of punishment. He raised his eyes. “Second Young Miss, aren’t you going to hit me?”
“Do you think I can bear to?”
Lin Zikui didn’t speak, his face flushing red.
He had thin skin, and these days he blushed at the drop of a hat.
Xiao Fu’s hand fell. “Shouldn’t you pull me up now?”
Lin Zikui finally realized. “I-I should get up now…” He got up first, then used his sleeve to cover his hand before grabbing Xiao Fu’s.
Xiao Fu didn’t continue teasing him. This upright and pure scholar truly had no ulterior motives.
With a gentle tug, Xiao Fu stood up straight. “Lin Lang, it’s late. I should leave.”
Lin Zikui asked Mo Liu to escort him, but Xiao Fu refused. “I have my bodyguard.” With a wave, he draped his black fox fur cloak over his shoulders and smiled back at Lin Zikui before departing.
As Xao Fu and his guard left in the night, Lin Zikui only then heard Mo Liu say, “Ah! Young Master, this was sent specifically by Second Young Miss for you.”
Lin Zikui lowered his head to look and saw a wooden box. Mo Liu had already squatted down to open it, revealing a fine silver mink coat inside, with silver threads embroidered subtly into the thick fur, gleaming in the candlelight with luxurious radiance.
Lin Zikui couldn’t see clearly. “Is this… a rabbit fur coat?”
“Wow…” Mo Liu was stunned. “This doesn’t look like rabbit fur. When you touch it, it feels more like mink fur. Young Master, take a look!” Even though he hadn’t worn it, he had seen such things in Jinling. He wasn’t a country bumpkin who didn’t know quality.
But Lin Zikui’s first reaction was, “This isn’t right. This is such a valuable item; I should return it to Second Young Miss!”
But then he remembered the punishment Xao Fu had given him earlier.
He had to dress nicely to see her.
But Lin Zikui had come to Xingzhi Guan to study, and he hadn’t brought two sets of clothes. The cloak he was wearing had been worn for three years.
However, Mo Liu picked up a piece of golden paper from the box. “Young Master, there’s a message! It’s from Second Young Miss.”
“Let me see!” Lin Zikui reached out, bringing his face close to the candlelight to read. It was written in a rather ugly hand, not at all pleasing to the eyes of Lin Zikui, who had been accustomed to seeing calligraphy from famous masters since childhood. But the content was simple, it said:
[Lin Lang, remember to wear this rabbit fur coat for me tomorrow.
Zhao Ling.]
The first line of the characters was ugly, but the two characters at the end, presumably written frequently, had much smoother and elegant strokes.
“Zhaoling.”
Lin Zikui murmured with his head bowed, “Second Young Miss, is this your pseudonym?”
He cherished the golden paper and tucked it into a book, then placed it into a box.
The next morning, Lin Zikui put on the cloak and went to see Xao Fu. The cloak was a bit large, but it kept him exceptionally warm and made him sweat a little.
Arriving at the Cold Plum Hall, Lin Zikui learned that Xao Fu had not yet risen. Yuanwu said, “Unfortunately, my master loves to sleep in. He might not wake up until noon. It’s not even morning yet, Young Master Lin. Would you like to come back later?”
Lin Zikui thanked him and asked, “Would it be convenient to inquire about Second Young Miss’s usual favorite foods?”
Mo Liu, on the side, naturally pulled out a bag of money and handed it over.
Yuanwu glanced at it but didn’t take it, saying, “My master doesn’t have much of an appetite.”
A person without a sense of taste, eats the same regardless of what it is. Often, Xiao Fu even forgets to eat. So, despite his martial arts training since childhood, his limbs are slender and symmetrical, and his stature is not as robust as the two brothers.
Mo Liu thought he was aloof and didn’t want money, so he quietly took it back.
With that kind of response, Lin Zikui felt awkward and didn’t know what else to ask. Then Yuanwu said, “My master doesn’t have any other hobbies. He just likes to have fun.”
Lin Zikui instinctively asked, “What kind of fun?”
“Anything that makes him happy, brings him joy.”
“For example…” Lin Zikui pondered, “hiking? Writing poetry? Playing chess? Reading?”
When it came to chess, Jinzun, who was sitting there playing with chess pieces, glanced at him.
Yuanwu shook his head, “Young Master Lin, let me tell you the truth. My master’s favorite thing is drinking.”
Alcohol, with its unique lack of taste, only brings a burning sensation through the throat, warmth in the belly, and a sense of liberation in the chest. Xiao Fu can’t taste it, so he can only rely on his other senses to compensate for this deficiency.
“Alcohol…”
Indeed, the Second Young Miss is not an ordinary woman.
Lin Zikui thanked them politely, “I’ll remember that, thank you, Brother.”
Chen Yuanwu: “My surname is Chen.”
“Thank you, Brother Chen. I’ll come back after noon.” Since Brother Chen refused money, Lin Zikui gave him a bag of pear candies and said, “Give them to the kid.”
That day, when he saw this young man with the Second Young Miss, he wasn’t too happy. But later, when he got closer and found out it was just a child, his mood improved.
The next day, Lin Zikui had arranged to meet Ling Yuan’s Master Uncle, Taoist Lingbo at the Qingxin Pavilion. But Taoist Ling Yuan mentioned that the Master Uncle loved to eat chicken legs. Although there were chickens in the temple, they were not easy to buy or sell. Lin Zikui heard from a Taoist that there were households in the mountains who raised dozens of chickens, so he changed out of his precious fur coat and took Mo Liu up the mountain.
After a tiring half-hour walk, they finally arrived. Lin Zikui was panting heavily. With the money left from selling the inkstone Brother Tang gave him, Lin Zikui bought two chickens and a basket of eggs from the household. He then asked the chicken farmer, “Uncle, do people here in Sixteen Caves Mountain brew their own liquor?”
The old man, who was seventy-five, was delighted, “I have my own homemade plum wine here! Young man, would you like some?”
“Plum wine?”
“Come on! Try it!” The old man turned and went into the house, warmly inviting Lin Zikui in and filling a glass for him. Lin Zikui had never drunk alcohol before. He tried to take a sip, but it was bitter and spicy, and he couldn’t help but cough.
“After you finish, have some more. This is good wine!”
Lin Zikui took another small sip but still coughed. The old man said, “Take it slow, take it slow!”
Coughing, Lin Zikui praised the taste as excellent. The old man smiled happily and handed a full glass to Mo Li. Lin Zikui shook his head, “He’s too young, he can’t drink.”
But Mo Liu looked at the wine with longing eyes, “Young Master…”
Lin Zikui reluctantly agreed, “Okay, but you can only have one sip.”
Mo Liu took a sip, and like Lin Zikui, he choked painfully. The old man laughed heartily and asked Lin Zikui, “Young scholar, do you like this wine?”
Lin Zikui didn’t understand and didn’t know if it was good or bad. Should he bring it back and ask someone?
He nodded and said he liked it, so the old man poured him a bottle, “Here, you don’t know how to drink, right? If you think it’s good, come back and ask me for more! If you want to give good wine as a gift, go down from Sixteen Caves Mountain to a village called Peach Blossom Village. There’s a kind of peach blossom wine in the village that even the wealthy in Jinling love. The taste… oh, it’s priceless!”
“Peach Blossom Village? Peach Blossom Wine?”
Lin Zikui made a mental note. He carried a basket of eggs, two chickens, and a bottle of wine, walked for half an hour, and returned to the study.
“Taoist Lingbo likes chicken legs. Here are two chickens, four legs. Two legs for Taoist Lingbo, Mo Liu, you have one, and one left…”
Lin Zikui thought about sending the freshly stewed chicken soup to Second Young Miss later.
Just after noon, Mo Liu had already fallen asleep under his blanket, with a faint scent of alcohol on his face and the sound of snoring from his nose.
Being small in stature, Mo Liu couldn’t handle alcohol well. The effects of the wine hit him faster than they did Lin Zikui.
Lin Zikui packed the stewed chicken soup into a bamboo basket and took it to the East Hall, saying, “Brother Chen, this is freshly stewed old hen soup. Is Second Young Miss awake now?”
Chen Yuanwu took it and asked, “Just woke up. Should I go and inform her?”
Lin Zikui waved his hand, “No, there’s no need.”
Chen Yuanwu glanced at him, “Why aren’t you wearing the cloak Master gave you?”
“It’s too precious. I took it off in the kitchen just now because I was afraid of getting it dirty.” Covered in charcoal dust and having slaughtered chickens, Lin Zikui felt unkempt and embarrassed to meet Second Young Miss. Moreover, she had said not to come if he looked ugly. So he quickly took leave after delivering the chicken soup, “Brother Chen, I’ll take my leave.”
Watching him leave again, Yuanwu shook his head, “This scholar Lin…”
He lowered his head and smelled the chicken soup, “It smells really good. I didn’t expect this scholar to be able to cook?”
Unfortunately, Marquis Xiao couldn’t taste anything. After drinking a bowl of soup and picking at the chicken legs, he asked, “What do you think this soup tastes like?”
Yuanwu couldn’t describe it and said, “Lord Marquis, it just tastes like chicken soup.”
“Sweet? Sour? Bitter? Or spicy?”
Yuanwu: “None of those, it’s just fragrant. This chicken meat is good.”
Xiao Fu couldn’t imagine it. He could barely smell the fragrance, but when he drank it, it was just like plain water.
“Boring,” Xiao Fu set down his bowl, stretched lazily, “I’d rather go play with Lin Lang.”
Meanwhile, Lin Zikui had already left Xingzhi Temple.
Earlier, he met Taoist Ling Yuan, who happened to be going down the mountain. Lin Zikui asked him, “Taoist, do you know where Peach Blossom Village is?”
“It’s not far from the foot of the mountain. The peach blossom wine from that village is famous far and wide.”
Lin Zikui’s eyes lit up. “I’m just about to go to Peach Blossom Village! Taoist Ling Yuan, may I accompany you?”
“Of course, let’s go. I know your eyesight isn’t good, so you can follow me, and I’ll guide you.”
Under the midday sun, with Ling Yuan wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a water bag, and Lin Zikui wearing his old cloak, the two of them slowly descended the mountain. Ling Yuan added, “By the way, Benefactor Lin, Master Uncle Lingbo said for you to bring him chicken legs tomorrow. He participated in the imperial examinations a few years ago. He said if you have any questions, you can ask him, as long as you bring him chicken legs to eat.”
Lin Zikui nodded. “I’ve already bought the chicken legs and cooked them. I’m going to buy the peach blossom wine now.”
“Does Benefactor Lin like drinking?”
“I’m delivering…” He paused for a moment, then said, “It’s for me to drink.”
“I guess so. I could smell the alcohol on you, and your face is a bit flushed. Just had a drink, right?”
Lin Zikui could only shyly nod, admitting that he was a bit of a drinker.
After all, Ling Yuan had been at Xingzhi Temple for so many years. The shortcut he found was much closer. When they were close to the foot of the mountain, Ling Yuan pointed to a road on the right. “This road leads to Peach Blossom Village. It’s winter now, so the peach blossoms haven’t bloomed yet. Oh, by the way, Benefactor Lin, do you recognize peach trees?”
Lin Zikui nodded. “Yes, I do. My family is in Huainan, and we have peach trees at home.”
“That’s good then. Once you see the peach trees, just follow the path and you’ll come across people’s homes. Every household has the peach blossom wine you’re looking for. You can taste them all, but don’t overindulge. I’m afraid you’ll get dizzy later!”
Lin Zikui thanked him.
Before parting ways, Ling Yuan remembered something. “Benefactor Lin, you have eye problems, and your attendant isn’t here. How will you get back later?”
“I left a message for Mo Liu. When he wakes up, he’ll come to Peach Blossom Village to find me. Along the way, I’ve marked the path with white lime. He just needs to follow it.”
“Your attendant is clever. Alright then, I’ll leave first.” After Ling Yuan left, Lin Zikui picked up a wooden stick as a makeshift cane. He wasn’t completely blind, but within ten meters, it was difficult to distinguish between people and animals, making it easy to trip over stones or branches. Lin Zikui walked slowly, but before long, he successfully found Peach Blossom Village.
Inside the Hall of Purifying the Heart, Xiao Fu noticed that there seemed to be no one inside, and the door was wide open, so he walked in.
There was no one on the bed, Lin Zikui was not there, but his attendant was. Yuan Wu glanced at him. “It seems like this kid got drunk.”
Xiao Fu noticed a note on the table, so he picked it up and read it.
His eyebrows raised slightly. “How did a blind man go down the mountain to buy wine?”
Yuanwu remembered, “Early this morning, Young Master Lin tried to bribe me, asking about your preferences, what you like to eat. I told him you don’t like to eat, but you like to drink.”
Xiao Fu’s lips curled up after hearing this. So, the young scholar went to buy wine for him.
He turned his head. “Did you accept his bribe?”
Yuanwu replied firmly, “Of course not! I’m with you, Lord Marquis, I don’t need that bit of money!”
Xiao Fu said, “Next time, remember to accept it. If he doesn’t have money, he won’t be able to buy good wine. Then he’ll have to make it himself next time, won’t he?”
“………”
Yuan Wu pondered, “Should I go to this village and bring Graduate Lin back?”
“Who asked you to go? Don’t I know how to go myself?” Xiao Fu put the note back in its place and walked out of the Hall of Purifying the Heart. Yuanwu saw the white lime powder left on the road down the mountain and heard his Lord Marquis happily saying, “My Lin Lang is thoughtful, even leaving a mark for me to find him.”
Author’s Note:
“The Sixteen Caves” in Taoism refers to Wuyi Mountain, while “Hall of Purifying the Heart” is based on the prototype of “Zhi Zhi An” in Wuyi Mountain. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi was exiled to this area to manage the Taoist temple. Because he was too happy, he lived to be 70 years old…
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