Chapter 18

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After only a few knocks, the large black-lacquered door swung open.

Today, they were expecting guests, so the door was left ajar, ready to be opened. A middle-aged man, over six feet tall with broad shoulders, pulled the door wide. Wiping the light sweat from his brow from rushing over, he clasped his hands in greeting and said: “Apologies, apologies. I was just helping move a large jar of pickled vegetables and wasn’t here to open the door, making the young sir wait outside.”

As he opened the door, there was a table and chairs nearby, complete with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

On the paper, a few things had already been written—guest names and the items they had brought, all of them valuable. Some were luxurious silks from the prefectural city, while others were rare Golden Phoenix paper, a high-quality stationery favored by scholars and refined guests, with an expensive price tag.

The middle-aged man sat down, inquired about Qi Wuhuo’s name, and, noticing the mountain goods the young man was carrying, smiled and said:

“Alright, thank you, young sir. Huh… mountain goods are quite rare this time of year.”

“The master and madam will certainly enjoy them.”

“I just wonder if we, the workers, might get a small share to taste.”

Laughing, he noted it down, then took a red envelope from the side. Judging by the look of it, it contained at least fifty large coins, enough to buy seven pounds of pork, five good-quality brushes, or an exquisite ink slab. It was quite a sum. The middle-aged man smiled and said: “We’re merely inviting guests for a simple meal, not to profit. It’s only right to give and receive.”

“Though, I must say, these mountain goods young sir has brought are not easily come by.”

Footsteps echoed from nearby.

“Senior Brother Qi? Is Senior Brother Qi here?!”

Li Puyu, dressed in fresh clothes, hurried over. Ever since his last encounter with Qi Wuhuo, where he was unintentionally intimidated by the latter’s release of his Primordial Spirit, Li Puyu had felt an inexplicable sense of awe toward him. He had been waiting inside early in the morning, and upon hearing the conversation outside, he rushed over quickly.

When he saw Qi Wuhuo again, he only felt that the latter’s aura was gentle and clear, without the same intangible sense of oppression as before.

Li Puyu secretly let out a sigh of relief, though he wasn’t sure why.

Qi Wuhuo greeted: “Brother Li.”

Li Puyu replied: “Why call me Brother Li? Just call me Puyu. Come on, don’t just stand here.”

“Uncle Li, I’ll leave these things to you. Come, Senior Brother Qi, my father was delighted to hear you were coming and has been waiting for you for a while.”

Li Puyu was only fifteen years old, so he grabbed Qi Wuhuo by the arm and rushed him inside. The first thing they passed was a stone screen with the character “Fortune” written on it. Around the screen was a narrow corridor, but as they went further, the space opened up. Li Puyu’s father, Li Yuelin, looked like a kind-hearted middle-aged man. Despite his wealth, he resembled a humble farmer more than a rich landowner.

It seemed he had overworked himself, as his hair was already streaked with white.

After Qi Wuhuo greeted him, Li Yuelin responded warmly, showing genuine kindness and only asking about his daily life in a casual manner.

He then said that his own son wasn’t very accomplished and asked Wuhuo to take more care of him.

Qi Wuhuo started: “Li…”

He paused and corrected himself: “I mean, Puyu is talented and will surely have good fortune.”

Li Yuelin shook his head with a smile and said lightly: “Do you think I don’t know exactly how much he’s worth?”

Li Puyu’s expression froze.

Insulting his own son in front of others.

Dad, you really are my dad!

Li Yuelin paid no mind to his son’s stiff face. From his wide sleeve, he took out a silver envelope, grabbed Qi Wuhuo’s hand, and with a grin said: “Ha… In another month, it will be the New Year. Actually, today could count as an early New Year’s visit. We’ll be heading to the provincial city for the celebration, so I might as well give you this year’s New Year’s gift now.”

“Not much, just enough for you to buy some meat and fatten up a bit. Look at you, so thin.”

“Speaking of which, Wuhuo, you’re already fourteen, and after the new year, you’ll be fifteen. Have you taken a liking to any girl? Have you…?”

Li Puyu’s scalp tingled with embarrassment.

“Father, we’re going to find Second Uncle now!”

“Father, drink your tea!”

“Father, we’ll take our leave!”

He quickly grabbed Qi Wuhuo by the arm and hurriedly dragged him away, only releasing him after they passed through two courtyards. Letting out a sigh of relief, Li Puyu apologized:

“Sorry about that, Senior Brother Qi. My dad is just like that.”

“He’s stern when it comes to big decisions, but in daily life, he’s so chatty.”

“Always loves to give lectures.”

Li Puyu’s second uncle was a man who appeared younger, though his face bore the signs of years spent traveling. He heard he had been a merchant, wandering all over the country, and had gained a wealth of experience. This year, after making a significant profit, he returned home with plans to settle down. When Li Puyu and Qi Wuhuo arrived, the newly wealthy man was reclining on a peachwood chair in the sun, sipping from a long-necked wine jug, exuding a relaxed, somewhat lazy, and decadent air.

It wasn’t until he saw Li Puyu that he lazily lifted his gaze and smiled slightly:

“Puyu, you’re here?”

“Second Uncle, please stop drinking. Why are you drinking so early in the day?”

Li Puyu quickly snatched the wine cup from his second uncle, Li Yixian, then said: “This is my senior brother… Qi Wuhuo.”

“He’s quite interested in the sights and customs of the capital. Second Uncle, weren’t you a traveling merchant in the capital? Talk more about what it’s like there.”

He then added with a smile:

“I’m quite interested as well.”

Li Yixian burst into hearty laughter. “I see. It looks like you hold your Senior Brother Qi in high regard!”

“Come, sit here with me.”

Qi Wuhuo thanked him and sat down next to him. Li Yixian reeked of alcohol, his demeanor slovenly and dispirited. He idly chatted about the customs and sights of various regions, speaking of things that a simple merchant might encounter. These were just the kinds of stories that could easily captivate a youth like Qi Wuhuo. However, while Li Yixian was dressed in fine silk and brocade, the air of despondency about him was hard to ignore. He hardly seemed like a prosperous merchant returning home in glory.

In Qi Wuhuo’s mind, thoughts swirled. He wondered how much connection there was between the things he had dreamt of and the reality before him.

Was it merely a simple dream?

Or was it a glimpse, a subtle hint of things to come?

As Li Yixian continued his casual conversation, the family banquet of the Li clan had begun. Li Yuelin sat at the head of the table, while the Li family members from various towns engaged in small talk. Li Yixian stared intently at a pot of wine, seemingly no longer interested in speaking. Qi Wuhuo picked up a wine cup and suddenly remarked: “But, Mr. Li, you’re quite remarkable.”

Li Yixian, half-drunk, mumbled: “Hmm?”

Qi Wuhuo said: “Three years ago, the imperial court issued the [Proclamation of the Virtuous Ascension], stating that all military officers and government officials involved in commerce, whether in villages, towns, or city markets, must be treated the same as the common folk and not granted any undue advantage.”

“In such circumstances, to still manage to earn a fortune in the capital. That’s no small feat.”

The decree had been issued when the emperor ascended the throne three years ago, forbidding military and government personnel from receiving special privileges in business dealings. They were to be treated like ordinary citizens.

Li Yixian, in his half-drunken haze, instinctively responded: “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“A good thing? I thought that under such conditions, the military and officials were implicitly encouraged to engage in commerce. Their connections, influence, and even their early knowledge of political trends give them advantages that ordinary people can’t hope to match. When common folk collaborate with them, they are completely drained, losing not just their earnings but often even the capital they started with.”

“In the end, they leave the capital in disgrace, too ashamed to return home, often disappearing along the way…”

Li Yixian suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and the drunken haze vanished in an instant!

He quickly raised his head.

He saw the young man in a simple blue robe looking at him, his gaze calm and serene.

It felt as if this youth, still far from the capital, had easily seen through all of his experiences.

Qi Wuhuo said: “That’s what Teacher Su said.”

“Ah… is, is that so…”

“Ha, haha, there may be such people, but I am different.”

Li Yixian forced a stiff smile.

Then, he lowered his head and continued drinking.

At that moment, after Li Yuelin’s opening remarks, the elders began requesting the younger generation to showcase their talents before them.

Sitting beside Qi Wuhuo, Li Puyu’s entire body stiffened.

He had been diligently practicing the qin for some time. After visiting Qi Wuhuo earlier, he had originally intended to seek out his second uncle, but instead, he was dragged away to practice the qin, all to avoid embarrassment on this very day. As the others focused on the younger generation’s musical performances, Li Yixian was the only one distracted by Qi Wuhuo’s earlier remarks, still shaken by the youth’s insight and paying more attention to him.

Without realizing it, he began to reveal more details, speaking of all the various sights and events he had witnessed in the capital.

Some of the names Qi Wuhuo had once encountered and heard of seemed to match.

But the events didn’t fully align.

Like a dream yet not a dream, real but not real.

Qi Wuhuo remained silent for a while, then asked: “Then, outside the capital, there is a mountain called Dingyan Peak. Mr. Li, do you know of it?”

“I know it, of course. The mountain is shaped like a cauldron, and during the day, smoke rises from it. There’s even a Daoist temple at the summit.”

“I’ve been there to pay my respects.”

“Is that so? Then, is the deity worshipped there the Mountain God Qiong Yu?”

Li Yixian paused mid-drink and, puzzled, replied: “Naturally, the temple enshrines the founder of the Daoist sect.“

“Why would it worship a mountain god?”

“Qiong Yu? Which mountain god bears such a name?”

Qi Wuhuo fell silent for a moment before smiling and saying:

“I see… Then, I must have remembered it wrong.”

Qi Wuhuo lowered his head, gazing at the ripples forming in his cup. Suddenly, he smiled softly, feeling a strange sensation. Those in the capital—those who had once been his friends or enemies—were living lives that seemed familiar yet different from what he knew. Even some of the names didn’t match with those in his dreams. Real yet false, false yet real.

And yet, here I stand, alone.

He felt an indescribable feeling, as though he had stepped out of something, or perhaps, he was still continuing that dream.

Is it a dream or reality? Did Qi Wuhuo rise to power as a general and official in the dream, or did he, after achieving such a position, return to his youth?

Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly, or was it the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou?

Li Yixian didn’t hear the youth’s earlier question. He looked up in confusion, seeing the young man in the blue robe sitting there, lost in thought. At this moment, Li Puyu finally finished playing his piece, barely holding it together under the pressure of his father’s deepening frown and the intense gaze of the instructor, who looked like he might pull out his own beard in frustration. Letting out a long sigh of relief, Li Puyu pushed the qin aside and exclaimed: “Your turn, your turn!”

After sitting down, he suddenly remembered that Qi Wuhuo was next to him.

Not his younger cousin, who was supposed to be the next to play.

Qi Wuhuo had always been poor; it was unlikely that he could play the qin. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the blue-robed youth place his fingers on the ancient qin.

His fingers pressed down slightly.

In the next moment.

The sound of the qin rang out, sharp and clear, like the tearing of silk.

The room, filled with idle chatter moments ago, fell into complete silence. The clear and piercing melody of the qin echoed through the entire hall, gripping the hearts of all who heard it.

Inside the room and beyond.

Among the humans and non-humans.

For a moment, everything was utterly still.

“The sound of the qin enters the Dao, the Primordial Spirit is born?!”

Outside the Li family estate, a Daoist’s expression changed drastically.

PS: Inspired by an edict from the Tang Muzong period.