Chapter 19#
The Bustle of the Mortal World#
“Although this is a travelogue, it mentions the ‘Unheard Bell’ magical artifact, and naturally, it also mentions Yuntai Town.”
The early morning at Baihua Peak was unusually lively. Disciples were running around in their dormitories, calling out to their companions to prepare the things they needed for their journey. Golden autumn leaves were piled up, staining the mountain path paved with blue stone. Sunlight poured down through the gaps between the tree branches, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
Xiao Man, Qu Hanxing, and Wei Chuyun sat around a stone table, opening the travelogue borrowed from Tan Wenzhou and pushing it to the center.
After the injury to his soul had healed, staying up all night was a small matter. His expression showed no fatigue, and his voice remained clear, like a spring dripping from a deserted mountain.
He continued:
“According to the travelogue’s description, the Unheard Bell is indeed a bell, placed in a deserted place in Yuntai Town—since it is a deserted place, no one goes to ring it, so naturally, no sound can be heard.”
“This is probably the origin of the name Unheard Bell.”
“So it’s actually a bell that can ring.” Qu Hanxing finished reading the short travelogue entry and slowly slumped onto the table, his eyes darting around as he spoke in a low voice.
Mo Juntian let out a long breath: “Finally, we have a clue.”
Wei Chuyun’s expression was thoughtful: “In that case, what we need to do now is go to Yuntai Town, find such a deserted place, and then obtain this bell from it.”
Xiao Man nodded: “Mm.” But a moment later, he frowned and asked Wei Chuyun: “Could it be a bit too simple?”
“First of all, finding the clue to this bell that no one rings isn’t simple at all.” Qu Hanxing shook a finger in front of Xiao Man’s face in disagreement, then suddenly sat up straight, changed his index finger to a thumb pointing up, and smiled: “As expected of Brother Man! How did you think of looking in a travelogue?”
“Just a coincidence.” Xiao Man replied nonchalantly, then added: “We don’t know the situation in Yuntai Town yet, so it’s indeed not right to conclude whether it’s simple or not.”
Qu Hanxing stretched: “That’s true. Then let’s prepare and set off! I’ve prepared pills for bruises, stopping bleeding, replenishing qi, and clearing the heart and detoxifying. You don’t need to bring too many.”
“I have swords here—but they aren’t top-quality swords, just comparable to the ones Baihua Peak issues us. However, I don’t think we’ll need very good weapons for a mission of our level.”
As he spoke, Mo Juntian took two bundles of iron swords from his Qiankun Ring and placed them on the table, making a series of clanking sounds.
Xiao Man did a rough count; there were twenty-seven of them.
“Juntian, do you have a secret hobby of hoarding swords?” Qu Hanxing was shocked by Mo Juntian’s move.
“They were all given to me by Instructor Yang over the past three years. He likes blacksmithing in private, and after learning about my situation, he found ways to reward me with these things so I could sell them for money.” Mo Juntian explained.
“Why didn’t you sell them?” Xiao Man asked.
Mo Juntian smiled, a bit of embarrassment appearing on his face: “These are what’s left over from selling.”
“Next are the talismans and magical artifacts. As for magical artifacts, we can check out the shops after we head down the mountain. Regarding talismans…” Qu Hanxing got a headache just thinking about the Way of Talismans and couldn’t help but tap his head with his folding fan.
“I have prepared the talismans.” Wei Chuyun said gently.
Qu Hanxing immediately cupped his hands towards him, his eyes curving into smiles: “Thank you for your hard work, Brother Wei! Thank you, Brother Wei!”
Xiao Man looked at the sky and the shadows cast by the sun, rose from the stone bench, brushed a fallen leaf off his shoulder, and said: “Since everything is prepared and the time agreed upon with Senior Bai is approaching, let’s set off.”
“Okay.”
The group headed towards the flying beast station.
The sparrow that often came to find Xiao Man brought some fruit after learning he was going far away. It flew beside the Peng bird and followed them for the whole journey. The other three were long since used to this, and Qu Hanxing even snapped a tree branch to tease it.
The flying beasts of Gushan cannot leave the sect. Even if Xiao Man is a phoenix they are all close to, they wouldn’t dare break this rule.
Baihua Peak and Gushan’s mountain gate are not far apart. Before long, the Peng birds landed on the ground and let the people on their backs down. After leaving the mountain gate, the rest of the journey would be on foot.
Fortunately, it was the season of crisp autumn air. The stifling heat had receded, and the mountain breeze was cool. Walking through the mountains was very pleasant. In addition, Qu Hanxing always had lightness talismans ready in his Qiankun Ring, so they arrived at Huaman City earlier than some fellow disciples who had set off first.
Huaman City was very lively. Pedestrians flowed incessantly on the long streets, and various stalls were set up on both sides of the road, selling a dazzling array of goods. The cries of vendors rose one after another.
Xiao Man stood at the entrance of the street, looking at the houses and buildings stretching out at different heights, the flags hanging high in front of teahouses and wine shops, the flowers pinned to girls’ temples still damp with dew, and people bargaining with vendors. Everything was long-lost yet unfamiliar.
Calculating carefully, this should be his second time in Huaman City.
When Yan Wushu brought him to Gushan years ago, they had passed through here, but back then he sat in a carriage and only lifted the curtain to take two looks outside, so his impression wasn’t very deep.
It turned out the mortal world was so bustling and beautiful.
“Where is the Full of Fortune Inn?” Wei Chuyun was also observing the street, but unlike Xiao Man, he wasn’t marveling at the world; he was looking for the agreed-upon meeting place.
“Of course it’s—”
Qu Hanxing was quite familiar with Huaman City. Just as he was about to answer, he heard a nearby auntie say: “Young Immortal Masters, you must be leaving the sect to perform a mission, right? Go straight down this street, turn right at the third intersection, and you’ll see Full of Fortune!”
“Have a pot of ‘Full of Fortune’, and I guarantee your mission will go smoothly!”
“Thank you, Auntie.” Wei Chuyun thanked the auntie, then asked: “Excuse me, how do I get to the Yiqing Trading House?”
The auntie pointed in a direction: “The Yiqing Trading House? Just turn left at the second intersection.”
Wei Chuyun thanked her again.
The four began walking down the street. Their pace wasn’t fast because they noticed Xiao Man seemed to have never been to such a place and was very curious about the things on the street.
On second thought, it made sense. Xiao Man had always stayed in temples before, and temples were almost all on mountains, so such a scene was naturally rare.
Qu Hanxing spun the folding fan in his hand and turned to ask Wei Chuyun: “Brother Wei, are you going to the trading house?”
“To pick up some talismans.” Wei Chuyun said.
Qu Hanxing made a “hiss” sound and came up with a guess: “You used the word ‘pick up’ instead of ‘buy’. A trading house isn’t specifically for selling talismans, and there’s no need to pre-order them. Could it be… that your Wei family’s business has reached the foot of Gushan?”
Wei Chuyun didn’t hide it, his tone calm: “It is indeed an industry of the Wei family.”
“As expected of Brother Wei!” Qu Hanxing’s face was full of admiration.
Wei Chuyun smiled: “You guys go to Full of Fortune, I’ll pick up the talismans and meet up with you.”
“Okay.” Xiao Man nodded.
Xiao Man, Qu Hanxing, and Mo Juntian continued to walk forward slowly. He observed the people and things on the street, and the people on the street were also observing him.
Huaman City is adjacent to Gushan and is a mandatory path for entering and leaving the sect. The people in the city have seen too many Immortal Masters, but someone like Xiao Man was rare.
His every move had a sense of being beyond the mortal world. He wore a robe as pure as snow, his black hair tied behind his back like sandalwood. The corners of his clothes and the tips of his hair rose and fell in the wind. There were only two colors on him: black and white.
His eyes were even more distinct in black and white, clear as if washed by water, pure and clean.
Xiao Man’s gaze lingered for a moment on an old man carrying candied haws. Mo Juntian noticed it, pointed, and said: “Should I go buy a stick for you?”
“Actually, I’ve eaten them before.” Xiao Man hesitated for a moment and said in a small voice.
In the next moment, he made a decision, and his volume increased slightly: “I’ll go myself.”
Xiao Man picked the stick with the most beautiful color. After he finished buying the candied haws and returned, Qu Hanxing couldn’t help but ask: “Brother Man, have you been in a temple since you were born?”
“Not really.” Xiao Man shook his head. “I was too young back then, and my memories are no longer very clear.”
And what I saw wasn’t this.
Xiao Man took a bite of a candied haw and continued walking towards the destination. By the time he had finished the entire stick, he finally turned right at the third intersection.
His eyesight was excellent. Looking from afar, he saw that those sitting in the lobby of the Full of Fortune restaurant were all familiar faces. It seemed that the tradition of Gushan people eating a ‘Full of Fortune’ pot before heading out on a mission was being continued by their batch of disciples.
However, everything in front of them was empty; the ‘Full of Fortune’ pot hadn’t been served yet. Xiao Man’s curiosity about this thing grew a bit more, and he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.
The waiter enthusiastically welcomed them in, and Xiao Man chose an empty table by the window.
They ordered a ‘Full of Fortune’ pot suitable for five people and several specialty stir-fries. While waiting, Xiao Man noticed that many fellow disciples had gone to the same small shop before coming to the restaurant.
That shop had nothing to do with cultivators; it was just an ordinary butcher shop. He couldn’t help but wonder: “What are they doing there?”
Qu Hanxing looked at where Xiao Man was pointing and said “Oh”: “They’re going to pick up letters and items sent from home.”
Then he explained: “Not everyone can afford to use the Taoist sect’s messengers, and mortal channels can’t be sent into Gushan. The owner of that shop is kind and will help keep them until the disciples come down the mountain to collect them.”
“I see.” Xiao Man understood.
At this time, a fellow disciple walked into the restaurant and shouted at Xiao Man’s table: “Old Qu, there’s something for you at the butcher shop!”
“Eh? Is there something for me?” Qu Hanxing had a look of surprise and hurriedly stood up, “I’ll go take a look!”
He was very energetic and walked quickly. Xiao Man let out a light laugh, turned over the teacups that were face down on the plate, picked up the teapot, poured three bowls of tea, pushed one to Mo Juntian across from him, and placed the other two at the positions on his left and right.
It was cheap Kuding tea, and the tea liquor was very dark.
“Wait for me a moment.” Mo Juntian suddenly stood up, walked through the aisle between the tables and chairs, and headed towards the back kitchen.
After about three or four minutes, Mo Juntian returned carrying a new pot and said: “This contains plain water.”
“Thank you.” Xiao Man smiled slightly.
Qu Hanxing’s figure appeared outside the window, chasing a fellow disciple to grab the item in his hand. His bright yellow robe fluttered in the wind, and his movements were extremely cunning. With the help of the lightness talisman under his feet, he snatched the item back in just a few moves.
But although he got the item, he couldn’t control his fellow disciple’s mouth: “Hahahaha, you’ll never guess what Old Qu’s family sent him!”
The fellow disciple came into the restaurant lobby, clutching his stomach and laughing as he spoke.
“What is it? What is it?” someone asked curiously.
He said: “A stack of portraits of young ladies! His family is planning to arrange a marriage for him!”
Qu Hanxing walked into the restaurant, clutching the stack of portraits, his eyes wide as he glared at him: “Hey!”
“Is there anyone you like?” Xiao Man took a sip of plain water and asked with a smile.
“Brother Man, you’re making fun of me too!” Qu Hanxing shouted in dissatisfaction, but a moment later his eyes darted around, and he revealed a cunning smile.
He turned the portraits to the front and walked over to that fellow disciple: “Buddy, why don’t you take a look too? Is there anyone you like? If so, you must tell me! I think this girl is quite delicate and suits you… Don’t be shy, I’m happy to help facilitate your marriage!”
“No, no, no.” That fellow disciple turned and ran.
“Don’t go! Weren’t you very excited just now?” Qu Hanxing chased after him, not forgetting to say those words to others as well.
Everyone fled or scattered. Qu Hanxing sat back in his seat with satisfaction. Seeing Xiao Man drinking water, he smiled again.
“Come, come, come, Brother Man, take a look and see if there’s anyone you like!” Qu Hanxing enthusiastically pushed the portraits in front of Xiao Man.
Xiao Man waved his hand hurriedly: “I won’t look.”
Qu Hanxing squinted his eyes and leaned forward: “Could it be that you already have someone in your heart?”
“…No.” Xiao Man leaned back slightly and only answered after a pause.
“Really no?” Qu Hanxing pretended not to believe him.
“No.” Xiao Man’s tone was more certain this time.
“Since you don’t have anyone you like, then just take a look!” Qu Hanxing pushed the pile of portraits forward another few inches, “Looking won’t hurt!”
Xiao Man was helpless against Qu Hanxing. He let out a sigh and said he would take a look.
He flipped through them extremely quickly, one after another, and finally placed one of them on the table, saying: “This one is not bad.”
Qu Hanxing looked down: “Willow-leaf eyebrows, a melon-seed face, and almond eyes. She looks quite lively. Wow, Brother Man, so you like this type!”
Then he looked at the small characters in the bottom left corner: “Oh, it’s a girl from the Zhang family of Gusu. I’ll go contact her for you!”
“Pffft—”
In a private room on the second floor, someone heard the conversation below and suddenly spat out a mouthful of tea.
Water splashed in mid-air, every drop crystal clear, but he didn’t care about that and hurriedly looked up to see Yan Wushu’s expression across from him.