Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Chapter 26: Accumulated Water Becomes an Abyss

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Lin Rufei and Gu Xuandu chat by the riverside for a long time. 

Even when the sky turned completely dark, they did not see Jiang Chaoer come back. Gu Xuandu said that according to his estimate, a round trip on the river will take the whole night. It’ll take at least until tomorrow morning for Jiang Chaoer to come back.

Lin Rufei said: “Tomorrow morning, won’t the evil jiao be awake then?”  

Gu Xuandu said, “Not necessarily.”

But looking at Jiang Chaoer’s skills, it was obvious that he has done this kind of thing more than once or twice. Lin Rufei was finally a little relieved. After seeing that it was getting late, he went back to the inn. 

After nightfall, the inn was much quieter. The hall was empty with no one in sight.

The Xiao Er led Lin Rufei to the upper room. Inside, Fu Hua and Yu Rui had prepared freshly boiled water and they helped him wash up. 

Lin Rufei changed his clothes and under Gu Xuandu’s urging, he bitterly drank a dose of medicine. His whole face wrinkled together with the bitter taste and muttered that he hasn’t been coughing that much anymore so it was fine if he didn’t drink the medicine. 

Gu Xuandu just looked at him and did not say anything until Lin Rufei sighed and crawled into bed. He lifted up the covers and wrapped himself tightly. 

“Lights out.” Gu Xuandu said.

Lin Rufei hummed an agreement and the room turned dark. The sound of waves resounded in his ears. The wind was bitterly cold and he didn’t know what the weather would be like tomorrow.

The next day, it was light rain.

The inn, which was mixed with fishes and dragons[1], was bustling with activity early in the morning. The lobby was full of talking and yelling, and there were even drinking buddies playing morra[2]. Although it could never compare to the quietness of Kunlun, there was still some mundaneness to it. 

Lin Rufei’s cough was better compared to a few days ago, however, he still did not sleep well. He lazily sat up and saw Gu Xuandu leaning on the side of the bed. He was looking at the morning river scenery, when he saw him wake up, he smiled, and said good morning to him.

“Good morning.” Lin Rufei rubbed his eyes, he wasn’t even out of bed yet. Gu Xuandu helped him fetch his clothes and then helped him change. Looking at his actions, he was even more skilled than Fu Hua and Yu Rui.

Lin Rufei’s sleepy eyes were lax, and before he could react, his clothes were already on.

“That boy is back.” Gu Xuandu helped Lin Rufei fasten his last jade belt and said, “He came back at dawn, which was earlier than I estimated.” The sky wasn’t bright at dawn during this season, and the dragon lurking in the river had yet to wake up, so it was naturally much safer than the daytime.

“Back?” Lin Rufei muttered in confusion, “It’s good that he came back ……”

Gu Xuandu looked at his appearance and really wanted to laugh. Everytime Lin Rufei wakes up from his sleep, he’ll be confused for a while before completely waking up. During that period, he would be incomparably obedient. If you tell him to do something, he’ll do it. On Kunlun, he would throw a few temper tantrums and refuse to drink the medicine so his older siblings would take advantage of him when he just woke up. They’ll coax him to drink the medicine. Of course, after drinking the medicine, Lin Rufei would sober up. The cough medicine was as bitter as could be, no matter who drank it their face would wrinkle in bitterness.  

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After washing up, Lin Rufei’s consciousness gradually cleared up. He stayed in the room and ate the breakfast brought by his maids. Currently, he was having a discussion with Gu Xuandu: “Then do you think we can take that little guy’s boat to cross the river?”

Gu Xuandu said, “Of course we can, just because God can’t control it doesn’t mean we have to be bullied by a little jiao.” 

Lin Rufei said, “Little jiao?”

Gu Xuandu said, “The jiao matures after a thousand years. I calculated, he is only six hundred years old so he is a little guy.” 

Lin Rufei thought to himself, “six hundred years old” and the word “little guy” doesn’t seem to go together. 

“This rain will stop around the afternoon. We can leave tonight.” Gu Xuandu chewed on the food from the inn. He didn’t really like it, “This inn is full of fishes and dragons, very annoying.”

Lin Rufei said, “Okay.”

After he finished his breakfast, he went down the stairs to the inn lobby. Before he even arrived, he heard Jiang Chaoer’s energetic voice. The little teenager was drinking from his recently filled wine gourd. He danced around and was telling the crowd that he almost died on the river last night. He vaguely saw the bad-tempered jiao, but it was a good thing the jiao didn’t see this shrimp so he sank back into the water to sleep.

(t/n: the shrimp is referring to JCE) 

The people who were listening started to laugh saying, ‘Jiang Chaoer, you should stop drinking, you’re already spouting drunk nonsense. Who dares to cross the river at night, you’re bragging is too exaggerated.’ 

Even though people mocked Jiang Chaoer, he was not the least bit annoyed. Instead, he laughed and changed the subject. When he saw Lin Rufei coming down from the stairs, his black eyes lit up, and in a sweet voice, he called out: “Lin Gongzi——”

Lin Rufei smiled, “Drinking so early?”

Jiang Chaoer said, “I didn’t sleep well last night, so I have some wine during the day to refresh myself.” He yawned, “Has gongzi decided when to cross the river?”

Lin Rufei said, “Tonight.”

“What?” Jiang Chaoer thought he had heard wrong.

“I said we will cross the river tonight and take your boat.” Lin Rufei said in a warm voice.

When these words came out, the entire inn fell silent. Everyone looked at Lin Rufei with incredulous eyes, all with the expression of “what kind of medicine did this gongzi take,” even Jiang Chaoer himself looked at him incredulously.

He stammered, “Gong-Gongzi, w-what did you say?” He thought he had misheard.

Lin Rufei then repeated what he had just said again.

After hearing this, Jiang Chaoer burst out laughing and leaped up to Lin Rufei like a monkey. He was jumping up and down. He was so excited that he almost spilled the wine. He gazed at Lin Rufei and said loudly: “Gongzi, you’re not joking?”  

Lin Rufei said, “I never make uninteresting jokes.”

Jiang Chao howled with excitement, and if not for Fu Hua and Yu Rui, he would have hugged Lin Rufei and spun him around.

(t/n: for those who might be confused at why sometimes it’s Jiang Chaoer and sometimes it’s Jiang Chao, the -er at the end is kind of a dialect thing so it doesn’t change the name ^-^, sometimes -er can be used as an endearment too)

The people in the inn all looked like they had seen a ghost and some kind-hearted people advised, “Gongzi, you must not listen to this kid’s nonsense. He never goes down the river, if you go on his boat, it’s the same as entering the gates of hell!” 

As Lin Rufei listened to these words, he simply smiled and did not respond. Someone, who was watching the situation, became a little angry. He was about to open his mouth and say something aggressive to this ungrateful gongzi when he saw a flash of white light in front of his eyes. After coming back to his senses, the wooden table in front of him had been cut in half. 

“Be careful of what you say, everyone.” Fu Hua, who had been silent behind Lin Rufei, threatened in a cold voice.

Jiang Chaoer was indifferent. He was still smiling brightly and said he looked at the weather. This evening there would be no rain, he would take Lin Rufei to cross the river. However, he couldn’t take the carriage over, but if they could dismantle anything valuable inside the carriage that would be good and also sell the horse.  

Lin Rufei said no need. The two horses were very spiritual and can be released today. After a few days, they will return to Kunlun on their own. 

When Jiang Chaoer heard the word Kunlun, his expression changed slightly, and his big grin was reduced. He said, “Gongzi …… is an exiled immortal from Kunlun?”

Lin Rufei said, “I am not.” He pointed to Fu Hua and Yu Rui who were standing beside him, “They are.”

Jiang Chaoer’s pupil straightened. Although Lin Rufei said he was not an exiled immortal, but being able to have exiled immortals as maids, this gongzi must be very powerful. 

“Although they are exiled immortals, this river crossing still depends on you.” Lin Rufei said, “Do you think tonight is okay?” 

(t/n: might not have made sense, but exiled immortals are just immortals living in the human realm. Because they aren’t in the heaven realm, people call them “exiled” hope that makes sense)

“Naturally it’s okay, naturally it’s okay.” Jiang Chaoer was excited.

The matter was settled. Lin Rufei and Jiang Chaoer booked the time and price. The time was set at around midnight and as for the price, Lin Rufei took a piece of broken gold from his sleeve. He said that as long as they were able to cross, this was the reward money for Jiang Chaoer. Jiang Chaoer was so happy his face turned red. After a few more gulps of wine, he said he was going to rest for half a day. At night, he would come to find Lin Rufei and finally, reluctantly left.  

After Fu Hua showed her skills, no one in the inn dared to offend Lin Rufei. Even in the area where he sat, there was no one around. 

Lin Rufei drank a cup of tea and was called outside by Gu Xuandu.

At this time it was still drizzling. A layer of dense fog rose up on the river. Under the fog was the turbulent river. The river was dim and huge dark shadows could be seen hovering and swimming. It made the people watching shiver in fear. 

“Tonight won’t be peaceful. When something happens, don’t use your hands to block.” Gu Xuandu took off Gu Yu that was hanging on his waist. He handed it to Lin Rufei, “Just use Gu Yu.”

Lin Rufei said, “Is it appropriate?”

“There is nothing inappropriate.” Gu Xuandu said lazily, “I also wanted to give you Shuang Jiang, but ……”

Lin Rufei said, “But what?”

Gu Xuandu didn’t say anything and simply handed Shuang Jiang to Lin Rufei. Lin Rufei curiously reached out to hold it and he almost broke his back. Luckily, Gu Xuandu helped him so he didn’t fall down, but he couldn’t help but marvel when he stood up, “It’s heavy.”

“Although Shuang Jiang is small, in the end, it is still thirteen pounds.” Gu Xuandu laughed and said, “Hanging a thirteen-pound iron on the waist…….” Before he could finish his sentence, Shuang Jiang, which was currently in Lin Rufei’s hands, emitted an unpleasant buzzing sound. It was as if rebuking Gu Xuandu for calling him heavy.  

Gu Xuandu took Shuang Jiang and said in a warm voice: “Gu Yu is just right for you right now.”

Lin Rufei took hold of Gu Yu. For some reason, he was slightly nervous, and with a slight force on his right hand, he pulled the snow-white blade of Gu Yu out of its scabbard.

The body of Gu Yu was black. It was three foot seven and weighed around eight pounds and seven taels. The blade was engraved with several deep horizontal lines. Even if Lin Rufei did not understand swords, he knew it must be a good sword. The fact that it was easy to pull it out also means that Gu Yu acknowledged him. Lin Rufei’s heart was pleased and he reached out to brush the blade—feeling the coldness of the metal. Gu Yu buzzed and trembled in response.

Lin Rufei tenderly gazed at the sword in his hand for a long time. When he looked up, he saw that Gu Xuandu also showed the same expression. Only, he was looking at the sword and Gu Xuandu was looking at him.

“Let’s go back. It’s cold outside, don’t catch a cold again.” Gu Xuandu said softly.

Lin Rufei smiled: “Okay, let’s go.”

He suddenly had an extra sword at his waist and was worried that Fu Hua and Yu Rui would ask. But the two maids were very self-aware and did not show anything different from the beginning to the end. This was a relief for Lin Rufei, who did not have to think about how to explain.

The rain stopped in the afternoon, but the sky was still cloudy and not clear.

Fu Hua packed the stuff on the carriage. She hesitantly asked Lin Rufei whether they really intended to cross the river with Jiang Chao, that little guy. After getting a positive answer from Lin Rufei, she let out a sigh. She bit her lower lip and showed a distressed look. 

Lin Rufei roughly guessed what she was thinking. He gently patted her head and said: “Don’t worry, that Jiang Chaoer is a great boatman.”

Fu Hua said: “But he is still so small ……”

Lin Rufei laughed: “He is fourteen this year, you are not much older than him, ah.”

“That’s not the same.” Fu Hua muttered.

“It’s the same, the same. He might be skinny, but he is quite reliable.” Lin Rufei said, “I saw him cross the Canglan River alone last night and he only came back this morning.” 

“Really?” Fu Hua was surprised.

Lin Rufei said, “Naturally.”

With his words, Fu Hua reluctantly put herself at ease, however, she was still a bit apprehensive. She walked around the corridor with a cold expression. Those who knew her knew that she was nervous. Those that don’t know her, would think that she was sulking.

The night was getting late. Lin Rufei had just finished his dinner when Jiang Chaoer, who was carrying his wine gourd, rushed into the inn in a blaze of glory and called out to Lin Rufei with a smile, “Lin gongzi——”

Lin Rufei said, “You’re here?”

“I’m here, I’m here.” Jiang Chaoer wiped his face, “After I eat something, we will leave.”

As he said this, he asked the Xiao Er for a few steamed buns. He devoured them cleanly with tea. He patted the crumbs off of his hands and then waved at Lin Rufei, signaling for him to follow him. 

When the two of them were talking, the people in the inn didn’t say anything, but most of them had mocking looks on their faces. Some were even laughing and gloating. They obviously thought that Lin Rufei, this gongzi-ge, had water in his brains. He actually trusted Jiang Chaoer, a half-grown boy who was not even hairy.

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Towards these kinds of things, Lin Rufei had always been too lazy to explain. With Fu Hua and Yu Rui in tow, they followed Jiang Chaoer out of the inn.

Outside the inn, there was a stone-paved path. Following the path, they would reach the river. On the riverside, there was a simple dock. The dock had a lot of ropes tied to a number of boats. There were beautiful big boats, but also small fishing boats like Jiang Chaoer’s.

Perhaps because he felt that his boat wasn’t very beautiful, Jiang Chaoer was a little embarrassed and said, “The boat is small, I hope gongzi won’t mind.”

Lin Rufei found the boat interesting and smiled, “How long has this boat been used?”

“It was handed down from my ancestors, and it’s been lucky. It has never been overturned.” As Jiang Chaoer said this, his eyes drooped in despair. He murmured in a small voice, “If my father had used this boat then he probably wouldn’t have……..” He paused but then smiled, “You don’t have to worry about it being simple. I mend it often. It works very well!” 

The boat was indeed very small. The cabin could barely accommodate three people. Lin Rufei let Fu Hua and Yu Rui stay inside. He sat on the deck and watched Jiang Chaoer skillfully release the rope before holding onto the oars.

The ropes were released and the swaying boat entered the river. Gu Xuandu sat opposite Lin Rufei. He bent sideways and ran his hands through the dim yellow river water.  

“Gongzi, it is windy and rough on the river so you should sit firmly.” Jiang Chaoer raised a bright smile and gave a long yell, “Leaving the river——” As he said this, he swung the oars in his hand. The boat followed the turbulent water and headed straight towards the heart of the river.  

On the shore of the inn, many people stood watching. When they saw Jiang Chaoer’s boat actually leave the pier and enter the Canglan River, many people were amazed.

Until just now, everyone took Jiang Chaoer’s words as a bragging joke. Now that the boat had entered the river and Jiang Chaoer was swinging the oar, the crowd suddenly woke up. The child was actually serious.  

The river wind was strong. It sent Lin Rufei’s black hair flying and his two sleeves swinging. The boat underneath him swayed in the river as if in the next moment it would be capsized by the big waves. Jiang Chaoer, who was standing in the bow of the boat, became the ship’s anchor. The river water splashed up and soaked his shirt hem, but the young man’s face still hung an exaggerated smile. He drank a mouthful of wine from the gourd in his arms and said: “Young master, attention—we’re gonna turn—” As he said that, he pulled up the sail violently and adjusted the direction of the boat.

The boat was blown by the wind and turned a corner. It avoided the hidden reef beneath. Lin Rufei’s first time crossing the river was such a novel experience. He found it particularly interesting and watched with rapt attention.

“Gongzi, hold on tight!” Jiang Chaoer shouted.

Another violent wave hit and the boat made a toothache-ing creak. Lin Rufei held the mast and looked at the river whistling on both sides. He raised his voice: “How many times have you been back and forth?”

“I don’t remember—” Jiang Chaoer laughed, “After my father died, I was the only one left in the family. I thought that my family’s craft could not be buried like this, so I wanted to be a ferryman. But unfortunately, I am young and thin, so not many customers believe me!”

Made sense. Compared with other robust ferrymen, Jiang Chaoer’s appearance really made it hard for people to believe. In addition, the Canglan River was dangerous, which ferryman would dare to joke with his own life?

“But it doesn’t matter, when I am older, I will be the most powerful ferryman here. If gongzi wants to take a boat, come to me, I promise to bring you safely to your destination—” The wildness of this teenager was not annoying to him. Jiang Chaoer smiled frankly and used a childish tone while saying the wildest words.

Lin Rufei was infected by his smile and laughed along with him.

“After this big bend, it will be the area where the evil jiao is perched.” Jiang Chaoer reached out and wiped a handful of water off his face. He yelled to the point of straining, “There are more reefs and whirlpools. Gongzi you best sit down, be careful not to slip into the water!”

Both sides of the river were as steep as canyons. When people crossed the river, it was as if they were the mayflies in the sky. The mayflies followed the river, turned the corner on a steep bend before disappearing in the eyes of the inn crowd.

The sky was too dark and the crowd could no longer see clearly the appearance of Jiang Chaoer. However, they could vaguely see a small boat swaying downstream. The river was rapid, but could not capsize the boat. The boatman that scolded Jiang Liu before, lowered his head and spit at the ground. He said: “That boy must be laughing again.” After saying this, he couldn’t help but reveal a smile as well.

After the big bend in the canyon, the scenery on both sides gradually changed. Pines and cypresses stood on the steep cliff walls, decorating the bare yellow rocks into a green color. Birds were chirping and apes were crying, however, the loudest sound was still the river flowing under their feet.

“It will take at least three hours to get there and back. Leaving is quite quick, but coming back is troublesome.” Jiang Chaoer saw that Lin Rufei was full of curiosity so he started to introduce the Canglan River, “But the good thing is that in the early morning, the river wind will blow south. I ride the south wind back. It isn’t too tiring, but I need to pay more attention.”

Lin Rufei said, “Have you encountered the evil jiao before?”

“Sigh. I’ve long realized. The jiao often comes out during the day to eat people, but when night comes, there isn’t much movement. I have never encountered it during my nightly crossings, but when the early morning comes, I need to be careful.” Jiang Chaoer laughed, “Not many people dare to cross at night …… when the river starts to rage, it’s almost as difficult as the jiao.” 

The river was turbulent at night and the view wasn’t good. Unless absolutely necessary, almost no one crossed at night. It was also when Jiang Chaoer, this fearless bold boy, took the chance to go back and forth, memorizing the entire river.

The boat went forward for a while and seemed to have passed the most dangerous position. Jiang Chaoer sounded the horn in a good mood. However, Gu Xuandu, who was sitting opposite Lin Rufei and was watching the mountain scenery with leisure, suddenly stood up and gave a tsk as if he was dissatisfied.

“Senior?” Lin Rufei sensitively perceived something.

As expected, Gu Xuandu said, “Here it comes.”

The original rapids of the river suddenly began to gurgle and bubble, and when Jiang Chaoer saw this sight, his face changed greatly. He looked at the side of the boat in horror.

Although the sky was very dark, they could vaguely see a huge shadow slowly moving underwater before it eventually enveloped the whole boat.

The two people who had been in the cabin, Fu Hua and Yu Rui, also perceived something and raised their hands to lift the curtain.

“How, how?!” Jiang Chaoer was full of despair. He watched as the shadows around the boat gradually rose to the surface. His voice trembled, “Doesn’t it sleep at night, how can it be—”

The shadows were becoming more and more obvious, and even the raised dorsal fins were beginning to surface. The dorsal fins were full of tight black scales and sharp bone spines. Without needing to guess, it was obvious who the owner of the shadow was.  

Circle after circle, the shadows slowly surrounded the dilapidated boat. Followed by a long hiss, the water rumbled and a huge object slowly rose from the river. It brought a sense of oppression that covered the sky. Above the giant, sat a pair of long narrow eyes emitting a yellowish glow. The erected pupils looked incomparably evil.

This night, lurking in the river, the evil jiao actually did not sleep. Jiang Chaoer sat on the boat floor dumbfoundedly. His eyes looked at the behemoth in front of him.

Compared with the evil jiao, his boat was not even the size of his finger. It seemed that with one breath, the wooden boat would easily break into several pieces.  

“Gongzi …… Gongzi, hurry and escape……” He didn’t know when he mustered the courage, but Jiang Chaoer grabbed the oar. His body was shaking as he grit his teeth and stood up. He blocked in front of Lin Rufei, and in a trembling voice said, “Quickly let your maids take you and escape. I, I will stop him.”

A hand gently rested on Jiang Chaoer’s shoulder. He turned around and saw the gongzi he had spoken of. The gongzi’s face was still smiling, and the smile was not forced. His smile seemed to be comforting him. He slowly spoke: “You go in first and hide with them.”

Jiang Chaoer froze.

Then, the gongzi said a sentence to Jiang Chaoer that he would never forget. He said, “Go. Don’t stand outside, lest the river water soaks your body later.”

Gongzi …… was just worried about him getting wet? Jiang Chaoer was lost in thought. As if in response to his thoughts, the huge evil jiao in front of him suddenly opened his mouth and issued a violent hiss. The wind carried a fishy smell and it pounded his face, he even saw the jiao’s mouth, which was filled with rows of fine sharp teeth …… If it really bit down, it would be very painful ……This was Jiang Chaoer’s last thought before he fainted.

Gu Xuandu stepped forward and stood in front of Lin Rufei. He faced the oncoming fishy wind and very unhappily pinched his nose with his hand. He even reached out his hand to fan the air and said with disgust: “Stop shouting, you have bad breath.” 

When the words came out, Lin Rufei saw that on the evil jiao’s face, an expression of being wronged surfaced. 

********

The author has something to say:  

Gu Xuandu: Xiao Jiu purposefully fumigated me!

Lin Rufei thought for a while, then gave Gu Xuandu two big garlic chive buns.

Gu Xuandu: ………….

He felt it, his throat hurts as if he was stuffed with something really bad _(：з」∠)_