Chapter 2: Pan Yue-lang

In the barren mountains, human presence became increasingly sparse. Besides, the three of them were not walking on a main road. Along the way, their companions were the sun, moon, stars, and mountain spirits. As Di Jiang had said, when they saw the trio, they assumed they were of the same kind, and no one bothered them.

“Are they not curious about us?”

“Curious?” Di Jiang smiled. “In their eyes, we are the same as them. Moreover, there aren’t many idle people like you in this world. Everyone has their own affairs to attend to, whether ghosts or humans, each has their own life. Who has the time to meddle with others?”

Wen Yao pouted and then asked, “Shopkeeper, I’ve known you for so long, what exactly is your true identity? You don’t seem like a fox, but you have some of the charm of the fox clan. There’s also something pure like a lotus, untouched by mud. You’re a bit of everything, yet without any aura of a demon... Could you be an immortal?”

“I am neither human nor immortal,” Di Jiang answered casually and walked over to the stream to wash her face.

The winter water was icy cold, chilling to the bone, and Di Jiang couldn’t help but shiver.

“So cold.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be immune to the cold if you’re not human?” Wen Yao asked, puzzled.

Di Jiang remained expressionless: “Even non-humans can choose to live in a mortal way.”

“That’s true…” Wen Yao nodded. Seeing that Di Jiang didn’t want to continue the conversation, she knew that, as usual, Di Jiang wouldn’t elaborate further on this topic. Over the years, she had asked this question countless times, but no matter how often she asked, she never received an answer.

Wen Yao sighed deeply, feeling quite dejected.

At this moment, Di Jiang said indifferently, “It’s not that I don’t want to answer, it’s just that I don’t know what form I truly am. Perhaps no one in this world can give me an answer. So, might as well not think about it. Live one day at a time, be happy when you can. What do you think?”

Wen Yao and Shuxiang nodded repeatedly.

Di Jiang laughed heartily and led the two onward.

“Shopkeeper, are we really going to sleep out here in the wilderness tonight?” Wen Yao looked around with a sideways glance. Apart from a small stream flowing in front of them, all around were only dead branches and broken stones, stretching endlessly, making it impossible to rest.

Di Jiang pondered for a moment, realizing staying here wasn’t a long-term solution. She grabbed Wen Yao and Shuxiang’s hands and took two steps forward. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery changed entirely.

“Condensing the earth into inches?” Wen Yao’s eyes widened. “The art of condensation?!” She exclaimed again, “Shopkeeper, didn’t you say you couldn’t use it where there were people!”

“Shut up,” Di Jiang covered her mouth and shushed her. “Do you want to wake everyone up?”

Di Jiang glanced at the houses nearby; it was bedtime for every household. With her loud voice, a couple of shouts would wake up the entire village.

Wen Yao secretly gave a thumbs up, blinking rapidly at Di Jiang, who finally let go of her.

As soon as Wen Yao broke free, she immediately complained, “Shopkeeper, why didn’t you tell me earlier! If I had known, we should’ve used it back in Taiping Prefecture. Why did we have to walk so far and endure so much hardship? And why did I have to drink three bowls of catfish soup!”

“Suffering ends suffering; enjoying blessings dissipates them.” Di Jiang glared at her and turned to Shuxiang, “Go ahead and see if there are any households still awake. Ask them for a roof tile to shelter under.”

“Yes.” Without saying more, Shuxiang nodded and went ahead.

“Better bring back a bowl of hot soup too!” Wen Yao shouted, immediately earning herself another hard smack from Di Jiang. She quickly turned around, looking pitifully at Di Jiang, and complained, “Shopkeeper, I’m really hungry.”

“Didn’t three bowls of catfish soup fill you up?”

“Ugh...” At the mention of ‘catfish,’ Wen Yao’s face immediately changed, and she clung to the tree trunk, dry heaving. From above, Di Jiang seemed to see green light emanating from Wen Yao’s cheeks.

While Shuxiang was scouting the area, Di Jiang and Wen Yao took a thorough look around the small village.

“Shopkeeper, this Scholar Village is so tiny, it doesn’t live up to its name!”

“Who told you this was Scholar Village?”

“It’s not Scholar Village?” Wen Yao was shocked and turned back, “Then where are we?”

Di Jiang shook her head. “I don’t know either, but it shouldn’t be far from Scholar Village. The art of condensation isn’t very precise to begin with. Besides, if we arrived before Zhong Xu, wouldn’t that be too conspicuous? We need to stay low-key...”

Wen Yao pouted and fell silent.

Just then, Shuxiang returned and said, “Shopkeeper, this town is small. Every household is dark, likely already asleep.”

“Let’s check out the mountain shrine,” Di Jiang said, leading the two up the mountain. According to local customs, there might not be temples here, but nestled against the mountains and waters, a mountain shrine would surely exist. Sure enough, after walking less than half a mile, they spotted a lit-up tiled house halfway up the mountain.

A perpetual lamp burned at the entrance of the mountain shrine. The sides of the shrine were made of slate, the roof covered with asbestos tiles and topped with plenty of straw. Inside, though the furnishings were simple, everything was neatly arranged. Surprisingly tidy, it appeared someone lived here.

Di Jiang lifted the sutra banner and entered the inner chamber, where she saw a person lying behind the mountain deity statue, sound asleep.

“Someone actually lives here!” Wen Yao was startled, tugging at Shuxiang’s clothes.

“What’s worrying you!” Shuxiang rubbed his forehead, feeling awkward by her dramatic reaction. Their conversation woke the person sleeping on the straw mat.

The youth, about thirteen or fourteen years old, had a steadiness in his eyes uncommon for his age. Clearly, he’d been living here for some time, having seen many travelers like them, which explained his calm demeanor.

He sat up, drowsy-eyed, and looked at Di Jiang and the others without surprise. Pointing to a nearby straw mat, he said, “There’s only one quilt, and Mrs. Zhang took the stove. You’ll have to make do.”

“Thank you, young man,” Di Jiang bowed in gratitude.

“You’re welcome,” the youth replied and lay back down to sleep.

Di Jiang noticed he wore thin clothing, covered only by a thin quilt. It was hard to imagine how he survived the harsh winter without freezing. His resistance to the cold deserved five stars.

“Shopkeeper, I’m so hungry,” Wen Yao’s stomach growled loudly.

Di Jiang knew she wasn’t lying, but the conditions made it inconvenient to find food for her. She pointed to the youth sleeping in the corner and said, “Look at him, he’s younger than you and not as troublesome. Why are you so immature?”

“Shopkeeper, I don’t want to be either, but this catfish noodle seems to digest particularly quickly...”

At this moment, the youth behind the statue suddenly opened his eyes. He slowly sat up and pushed two steamed buns in front of him, addressing Di Jiang, “These are all I have left. Share them among the three of you.”

“Food!” Wen Yao’s eyes lit up, and she lunged forward.

Seeing her ravenous appearance, Di Jiang felt drained. She handed one bun to Shuxiang and one to Wen Yao, not minding if she ate or not. But she became interested in the boy.

Approaching him, Di Jiang realized he was extremely emaciated, his cheeks sunken, cheekbones protruding, but his eyes were clear and bright. However, he wore complete and clean clothes, spoke appropriately, and didn’t resemble an ordinary beggar. Instead, he seemed like a child from a wealthy family who had gotten lost in the wild.

“Why don’t you go home?” Di Jiang asked.

“Home is too far,” the youth yawned, forcing himself to stay awake.

“Where is your home?”

“Scholar Village… several dozen miles away.”

Di Jiang was surprised. “You’ve spent the entire winter here?”

The youth nodded. “After the private school closed for vacation, I’ve been staying here. I didn’t even return for the New Year.”

“Why? A few dozen miles is only a few days’ journey. Isn’t home warmer than here?” Di Jiang was astonished. For mortals, New Year’s Eve was more exciting than the celestial swordsmanship conference in the immortal realm. Yet he was hiding alone in this dilapidated temple, which was heartbreaking.

The youth was now fully awake and sat up straight to chat with Di Jiang. He sighed and slowly said, “My family isn’t well off. Whenever I have free time, I try to earn more money to ease my father’s burden.”

“And your mother? Does she bear letting you suffer here?”

When Di Jiang mentioned this, the youth sneered, startling her.

Then he coldly said, “As long as I’m not bullied by my mother, outside hardships feel sweet.”

“Oh? Bullied by your mother?” Di Jiang frowned. People often say children are flesh of their mother’s flesh; how could a mother not love her child?

The youth continued, “Since I was little, my father has always been bullied by my mother. My mother looks down on him, and others do too. They say my mother is too strong-willed, and my father can’t give her what she wants. She will eventually leave.”

“And who are ‘they’?”

“The neighbors.”

“Has your mother left?”

“No. But I wish she would hurry up and go,” the youth unconsciously clenched his fists, his face filled with resentment. “Because of her, my father and I have become the laughingstock of the whole village. Everyone points fingers at my father’s back and curses him.”

“Cursing your father?” Di Jiang was shocked again.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“They say my mother has cheated on my father numerous times, yet he remains silently enduring. My father truly has nothing. After breaking his leg, he earns money by writing letters for others. But he loves us dearly, giving everything he has to my mother. Compared to those who keep most for themselves, my father is too good. Tell me, if my mother despises my father, why doesn’t she remarry sooner? Why let everyone laugh at us year after year?” The youth grew angrier as he spoke, raising his head to glare furiously at Di Jiang, as if seeing her as his mother.

But Di Jiang was not his mother and didn’t know what his mother thought.

Di Jiang was not the youth, either, and didn’t know what he had experienced to make him hate the mother who raised him.

Wanting to do something for him, Di Jiang smiled and said, “I’m going to Scholar Village too. Do you want me to bring something back for you?”

“You’re going to Scholar Village?!” The youth suddenly stood up and shouted.

Di Jiang nodded. “We’ll depart tomorrow.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier!” The youth glared at Di Jiang angrily and ran out of the house, not returning all night.