In Jianghuang City, there were two occasions when Ma San had connected with Mo San. The first time, he spoke to me about Wuling. The second time was after they parted ways with Shang Taizong.
Faced with the fact that the Four Rules Mirror cannot be mended, the prerequisite is to obtain the method of its creation from the True Man of the Mirror.
At that time, Mo San said a lot of things to me.
Certainly, the only concepts he articulated were those of the finest ideas, along with his anticipations concerning them.
The details, however, must be handled by myself.
To accomplish these tasks, we still need to seek the assistance of Wuling.
…
The night had deepened.
As I followed the address given by Mo San and knocked on the door of a small courtyard, I saw Wuling.
He was a man in his thirties, robust and vigorous.
Even in the late autumn, the weather was already very cold, especially in the towns and villages at the foot of the mountains. Yet, he wore only a vest, exposing the sturdy muscles on his arms.
Looking at us, Wuling showed a confused expression.
"Who are you looking for?" His voice was deep and carried a trace of youthful vigor.
"Mr. Mao asked us to find you," I said calmly.
Wuling's expression changed slightly, he appeared to be more alert. He peeked around, quickly inviting me and Huanying into the courtyard and then closed the door.
The fragrance of medicinal herbs was naturally subtle, but it was quite intense here.
Looking around, the tidy courtyard, which was as clean as it could be, had many bamboo frames set up, drying a variety of medicinal herbs.
There were also some flat bamboo basins on the ground, filled with roots and stems of Chinese medicinal herbs.
"Hmm…"
Wuling let out a heavy breath, first glancing at me, then at Huanying, with a hint of reluctance.
"Mr. Mo said that only one person would come, and you likely wouldn't bring a woman," he said with a hint of difficulty.
"Women are inconvenient and will make things difficult."
Huanying's expression was slightly unnatural.
Wuling added, "…Women might cause trouble."
Me: "…"
"I assure you, Huanying won't cause any trouble," I said, exhaling slightly.
"Hmm… perhaps, it's not that they will really do anything bad, you may not understand. Sometimes, just being around them might cause trouble. I'll explain it to you like this, it's hard to put into words. Mr. Mo only told me that there might be certain situations where things like this could happen, such as when you are in a state of concentration during meditation, or when you need to accomplish something crucial. Suddenly, an unexpected incident occurs, yes, the fortune and opportunities can be somewhat disrupted."
Wuling, with his simple and hearty appearance, took what he said very seriously.
I furrowed my brows.
Huanying's body trembled lightly, and her cheeks looked pale.
"First, rest. Both of you have traveled by boat and carriage, but there's only one room. You can stay in my room, and I'll sleep on the ground outside," Wuling said to Huanying.
"No need, we'll share a room," I interrupted Wuling.
"This…" Wuling looked slightly perplexed, and looked at me with a pair of eyes.
Suddenly, he took a step forward and stood in front of me, with only one palm's distance between us.
My pupils contracted slightly.
He moves so quickly!
In the next moment, he lifted his hand and grabbed my wrist, pressing two fingers onto my wrist pulse.
Instinctively, I wanted to push him away or step back.
Huanying immediately gave me a look, indicating that I should remain calm.
"Very powerful, very vigorous, very solid."
"This yang vitality… it's enough to be forceful."
Wuling released my hand, and his eyes shone with a sharp light and joy.
I furrowed my brows slightly, and even Huanying, had a peculiar look in her eyes.
"Er… please don't take offense, I have a rough understanding of diagnostic techniques. Mr. Mao said that you should maintain your pure yang. I thought that with a woman by your side, you must have lost your virginity, but I didn't expect that, as a lone man and woman living together for a long time, you still adhere to your principles. So, if you share a room with her, I have no objections."
"But if she doesn't leave, she can't leave the room anymore, right. If there are any Daoists here, she must still leave, and should not be discovered, otherwise it will cause trouble," Wuling's words were very logical and serious.
"All right," Huanying nodded, though her cheeks were slightly flushed.
It's similar to the shyness caused by Wuling's previous words.
I sighed and nodded in agreement.
As Mr. Mao San's arrangement has its own rationale, there's no need for haggling; it's better not to risk things failing.
Upon entering the room pointed out by Wuling, I found that it was fully equipped. It seemed that this room had been prepared in advance, and no one was allowed to leave. Even the bathroom was available.
I indicated that Huanying should sleep on the bed, while I would sleep on the ground.
Huanying pulled out the bedding layers and also searched through the cabinet in the room, pulling out another set of blankets.
After they washed up, I lay on the ground, and Huanying lay diagonally, with her hand under her head, staring at me intently.
The ground kept sending a cold sensation.
The energy here is not the same as the energy elsewhere.
A hint of confusion appeared in Huanying's eyes.
She pursed her lips and suddenly asked, "Do you think I interrupted you with something?"
"How could I ask that?" I looked at Huanying, my brow furrowed.
"What are you asking?" I looked at Huanying, furrowing my brow. "Mr. Mo San did mention some things before, but you never mentioned it. I had thought about it many times, but I didn't want to bring it up. It was only Wuling who brought it up, so please think carefully. Have we really encountered something that was caused by bad luck?" Huanying asked me seriously.
"No," I answered.
Huanying still pursed her lips, but her eyes began to redden, as if holding back tears.
"Really… no?" She spoke with a hint of choking.
For some reason, a feeling of weightlessness surged in my heart.
"No," I said again, my tone particularly resolute.
"Then… I suddenly think that, like when you first entered meditation… even if it was close by, at the High Daoist Hall, the High Temple, and so on, there were many small details…"
Huanying became increasingly uneasy and increasingly confused.
"Who has ever had smooth sailing in life?" I didn't lie down but sat up instead, my gaze becoming solemn.
"According to Mr. Mo San's words, if I haven't had smooth sailing in life, then it's your fault?"
"I don't think so."
"Did I finally enter meditation? At the High Temple, were we caught by the twin monks? And at the High Daoist Hall, didn't we come out safely?"
"But… you wasted time, and you damaged the Four Regulations Mirror…"
"It's not about this," I reached out my arms, grabbing Huanying's shoulders, and shook her vigorously.
"Clear your head! The mind can spawn demons of the heart. Don't indulge in idle thoughts and blame yourself for this!" My voice became heavy.
"Old Gong, come out!" At the same time, I whispered.
The bag containing Old Gong's night jar was already on the bedside table. His head emerged, but only half of it, showing a sense of caution.
"Tell Huanying she's just thinking nonsense," I said in a low voice.
At the same time, I said to Huanying, "The golden teeth and divine land can be believed in some ways. What he says has some credibility."
Huanying pursed her lips and looked at Old Gong, her expression suggesting she was on the verge of tears.
"Ah… ehh…" Old Gong looked in pain.
"Old Gong, you can't deceive me," Huanying clenched her teeth tightly and spoke each word carefully.
"Aah… me…" Old Gong looked thoroughly confused and tormented.
"Alas… Miss… how should I say… how do I put it…"
"Master, my heart… it aches… oh, where is my heart?"
Old Gong zoomed back into the night jar in a split second.
Huanying was quick, grabbing Old Gong's hair with a firm grip.
She still pursed her lips, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Ouch… ouch… Ah, Miss, it hurts! Ouch…"
