Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Chapter 40: Old Friend from Nanyin

Fu Hua and Yu Rui’s eyes have not yet healed so the task of cooking fell onto Lin Rufei. He has been pampered for twenty years as he stared at the pots, pans, and bowls. Gu Xuandu, a senior who had lived for hundreds of years, was no better than him and even tried to help Lin Rufei. In the end, the two of them worked together and succeeded in making food that was completely inedible.

Lin Rufei knew for the first time that chicken soup could be stewed so badly ……

“How did this chicken get stewed like this?” Lin Rufei looked at the boiling iron pot in front of him with concern. Other people’s chicken stew was fragrant, but the result of his stew was strange. Let alone putting it into the mouth, just the smell alone could make people feel sick to the stomach. 

“Maybe it’s a different breed of chicken.” Gu Xuandu pretended to be calm as he analyzed with a serious face, “I think it must be because this chicken was raised in the bandit den and ended up being tainted with banditry ……”

Lin Rufei stared with wide eyes as he listened to Gu Xuandu’s nonsense.

Maybe because Lin Rufei’s stare was too obvious, Gu Xuandu laughed embarrassingly: “How about we eat something else?” 

In the end, they could only eat something else. Lin Rufei was lost in thought; if Yu Rui drank this chicken soup, not only would it not nourish her body, he might also have to go down the mountain to find a doctor for the two…… 

Only after a long time did Lin Rufei learn why the chicken soup he stewed turned out like this—he took a whole chicken and stuffed it directly into the iron pot, including the chicken’s innards. In other words, he stewed chicken poop and other things with the chicken, only a ghost would find it delicious. 

The two people who failed at cooking had to make do with what they had and eat dry food for about ten days. Lin Rufei ate to the point that his eyes emitted a green light[1] before the two maids finally regained their eyesight.

On the night of their recovery, Fu Hua went to the mountain fortress and caught some rabbits before roasting them for Lin Rufei to add to the meal. The rabbits in the mountains were very fatty. After they were marinated, Fu Hua sprinkled it with her special seasoning and roasted it as the oil bubbled. A rich meat fragrance scattered off making Lin Rufei gulp. He was usually not too fond of meat, but after so many days of eating raw and hard dry food, he had some craving for meat.

Fu Hua smiled and cut up the rabbit meat and handed it to Lin Rufei.

Lin Rufei happily ate it, and Gu Xuandu, the not-so-reliable senior, stood next to him and asked sourly, “Delicious?”

Lin Rufei nodded.

Gu Xuandu said, “I want to eat it too.”

Lin Rufei said righteously, “This rabbit was raised in a bandit den, so I’m afraid it’s not a righteous rabbit.”

Gu Xuandu: “……” This grudge-holding little guy. 

When Fu Hua and Yu Rui heard this, they were unable to make sense of it. They didn’t know why Lin Rufei suddenly said such a sentence. 

Lin Rufei said again: “But it doesn’t matter whether it is righteous or not as long as it’s delicious.” After saying that, he smiled and took another bite.

Gu Xuandu looked at Lin Rufei for a long time and did not say anything. He was angry to the point of grinding his teeth, but he could not find words to refute. Lin Rufei saw his rare defeated look and rejoiced in his misfortune.

The four of them went on the road again after Fu Hua and Yu Rui recovered. Although they lost the horses they were riding before, fortunately, there were still many horses in the bandit den and it was enough for them to use.

But there was a very troublesome problem, they no longer had Zhaocai. They simply do not know the way. The Xiliang Mountains were so big, even with the sword, it would take about ten days. If they were to aimlessly walk, they don’t know how long it would take.

Gu Xuandu volunteered. He said he knew the way around the Xiliang Mountains. Lin Rufei decided to believe him once again.

So they walked about halfway until they saw a striking main road, only then did Lin Rufei relax.   

Gu Xuandu found that after a long period of time, his prestige as a senior was increasingly losing its worth. He was a bit gloomy as he said: “Xiao Jiu, why don’t you believe me? I am your senior…….come, call it for me to hear?” 

Lin Rufei’s eyes were forward and didn’t pay attention to him at all. 

Gu Xuandu: “Are you ignoring me?”

Lin Rufei slowly said: “The day is really hot.”

“Is young master hot? Do you want to reduce a layer of clothing?” Yu Rui thought her young master was talking to her so she chewed a corn candy and said vaguely, “The mountains are getting hotter and hotter, and I don’t know how much longer we have to travel ……”

Lin Rufei did not speak again.

Gu Xuandu said, “You’re really going to ignore me, huh?”

Seeing that Lin Rufei did not say anything, Gu Xuandu turned around and climbed onto the horse behind Lin Rufei. He came up to Lin Rufei’s ear and said eerily, “Has Xiao Jiu heard the story of the Severed Head Buddha?”

At this time it was getting late, it was dusk and the mountain wind was bitterly cold as it rustled the treetops.  

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Then Gu Xuandu told a story that forced cold air into Lin Rufei’s ear.

He said that one day, a scholar was in a hurry to go to take the examination and was rushing through the Xiliang Mountains at night. However, it suddenly began to rain heavily and he happened to come across a broken temple on the side of the road, so he went into the temple to escape the rain. The broken temple was in disrepair and the scholar saw a broken Buddha statue after entering the door. It was in tatters, especially the head that was cut off by a sharp instrument and was missing. The scholar was a little scared but the rain outside was too heavy, so he had to hide in the corner of the temple, intending to make do with it for the night. The scholar was very tired, so very quickly, he fell asleep and in his sleep, he saw a man in a robe bowing to him, begging him for alms. The scholar said yes in his sleepiness and fell back into a deep sleep again.

The next day, the weather was Sunny. The scholar opened his eyes in a daze and found that his position had moved. He was no longer lying in the corner and was actually floating in mid-air. Lowering his head, he was able to see the whole temple. He suddenly noticed a familiar person lying in the corner of the temple. He looked carefully and found that the person lying there was actually himself! And his head seemed to have been cut off by someone and only half of his body remained. The scholar was horrified. He looked towards his own body only to find that his head was actually pressed onto the neck of the Buddha statue.

As Gu Xuandu finished his last sentence, an evil wind picked up in the mountain forest. The sky was quite clear but in a few moments it became covered in dark clouds and it seemed liked it was about to rain.

Lin Rufei turned his head to look at him and his eyes were full of reproach. He thought this senior was very childish. Telling a ghost story wasn’t enough but he also deliberately made it a cloudy day to scare people.

Gu Xuandu helplessly defended: “I didn’t do it!”

Lin Rufei gave a tsk of disbelief.

Gu Xuandu: “……” It really wasn’t him.

Fu Hua and Yu Rui saw the sky darkening and thought it was about to rain. They said they were going to check out the area and see if they could find a place to hide from the rain.

This Summer was not like Spring. The rain would come whenever it was mentioned, very capricious.  

“Hey, isn’t that a temple over there?” Yu Rui suddenly said. She raised her hand and pointed to the deep forest.

Lin Rufei looked in the direction she pointed and really saw a broken temple. Seeing this scene, Lin Rufei turned his head and cast a glance towards Gu Xuandu.

Gu Xuandu’s face was full of innocence: “It really has nothing to do with me—”

“Young master, should we go to the temple to take shelter from the rain?” Fu Hua asked.

The Summer rain comes quickly and at this time, there were already tiny raindrops smashed against the leaves above their heads. Looking at this situation, it seems it would be raining heavily soon.

Lin Rufei said, “May as well.” He looked at Gu Xuandu again and the meaning of his gaze was already very obvious.

Even with a mouth, Gu Xuandu couldn’t explain. In his heart, he only wanted to scare Lin Rufei. Who knew such a coincidence would happen? But in the world, there was no story without coincidence. When they entered the temple, they saw a statue of a Buddha with a broken head in the middle of the temple. Now Gu Xuandu really wouldn’t be able to wash himself clean even if he jumps into the Yellow River[2]……

While Fu Hua and Yu Rui were collecting firewood, Lin Rufei smiled and said to Gu Xuandu: “You were even able to bring this out, not easy, ah.” 

Gu Xuandu said, “I didn’t…… forget it.” He wanted to say that it had nothing to do with him, but the rain outside and this Buddha statue in front of him made him disbelieve himself, so he simply did not bother to explain.

Lin Rufei looked around and briefly surveyed the broken temple that appeared very abruptly.

The temple wasn’t very big and there was only a headless Buddha statue in the middle. In front of the Buddha statue were a broken merit box and two dusty praying mats[3]. There were also vaguely visible traces of incense left that year.

There were no windows in the temple, only an old wooden door. Lin Rufei took out a cloth from his dimensional ring, spread it on the ground, and sat down.

Fu Hua and Yu Rui just returned to the temple when it started to rain heavily outside. The rain was overwhelming, like a downpour, as it was accompanied by lightning and thunder. For a while, it even sounded a bit scary.

Three people sat in the temple around a campfire. Lin Rufei looked at his two maids’ faces in the flickering firelight and suddenly let out a wry smile: “Have you guys ever heard the story of the Severed Head Buddha?……”

Gu Xuandu: “……” Xiao Jiu, you bad thing.

Fu Hua and Yu Rui both honestly said they had not heard of it, so Lin Rufei then vividly repeated the story Gu Xuandu had told. Accompanied by the sound of roaring thunderstorms, the entire atmosphere in the temple turned spooky. Although Fu Hua and Yu Rui’s cultivation was very high, in the end, they were still girls. After listening to Lin Rufei’s story, they were ashened, especially Yu Rui. From time to time, she would look towards the headless Buddha. She held onto Fu Hua’s arm and trembled incessantly. Fu Hua pretended to be calm, but in fact, she was also a little bit panicked. She held onto Yu Rui and forced herself to be calm: “Don’t …… don’t be afraid. There is no such thing as ghosts in the world.” 

Lin Rufei looked at his maids’ appearance and finally understood why Gu Xuandu had such a bad taste. Watching others shiver because of his own stories was indeed pretty interesting.

He was not afraid at all and said with a smile, “It’s late, it’s time to rest. I’ll sleep first.”

As he said this, he went to sleep and deliberately pulled the blanket to cover half of his face.

Gu Xuandu helplessly sat beside Lin Rufei. He found that if this young master’s conscience really turned bad, people really wouldn’t be able to stand up against him. 

The two of them comforted each other for a long time before they reluctantly calmed down by leaning on each other’s shoulders.

The sound of wind and rain outside the temple remained and it was still accompanied by rolling thunder—they were destined to not rest well tonight.

Lin Rufei suddenly had a cough in the middle of the night. He woke up in a daze to see that the campfire in the temple was half-lit and about to go out. Fu Hua and Yu Rui were sleeping on the side and he did not wake up the two of them. He sat up, casually took the firewood next to him, and put it into the campfire. When he saw the fire rekindle again, he sat back down.

Outside, the rain was still falling, but it was getting much smaller than before and seemed to be stopping soon. The Summer rain was always like this, it comes and goes quickly. However, every time it rains, the weather would get hotter, and the smell of Summer would gradually thicken.

Lin Rufei drank some cold water to suppress the itch in his throat. He couldn’t sleep so he leaned against the wall and stared at the Buddha statue in the temple. He didn’t know what Gu Xuandu was doing right now since he didn’t see him. As Lin Rufei was thinking about this, he suddenly noticed something. He let out a “huh,” stood up, and approached the Buddha statue. He found that the Buddha statue was silently turned around. It was originally facing the direction of the main door, but now it was facing him. Logically speaking, when someone saw this scene they should be afraid. However, Lin Rufei immediately remembered Gu Xuandu, this senior with bad taste, so his expression did not change. He took a few steps towards the Buddha statue before carefully looking at the Buddha statue in front of him.

In the daytime, he didn’t look carefully. At this time, he borrowed the firelight and Lin Rufei was able to observe this Buddha statue a bit more carefully. Although it was very worn, he could vaguely see that its carving workmanship was very exquisite. Every detail on it was vivid and lifelike, but it was a pity that the most wonderful part, the Buddha’s head, had been cut off.

Many people who stole cultural relics would choose to cut off the Buddha’s head because it was the most valuable part of the Buddha’s statue. And in the very middle of the Buddha’s body, there was a very inconspicuous thin line that looked like it had been cut along by some sharp instrument. It destroyed the entire sense of integrity of the statue. Lin Rufei felt some pity in his heart and sighed lightly. However, he heard a soft “patron[4]” behind the Buddha statue and when he looked for the location of the sound, he saw a monk in simple clothes. He stood in the corner of the broken temple and held a broken bowl in his hand. His black eyes were still like water as he stared at him. 

This monk looked very handsome, dignified, and his character, strict. Only he suddenly appeared in the rundown temple at this time. No matter how one looked at it, it was untimely. 

Lin Rufei said, “How come little master is here?”

“Shouldn’t I ask patron that?” The monk smiled and said, “This temple is the monk’s usual residence.”

Lin Rufei said, “Is that so. When we came in, we didn’t see you……”

The monk smiled, “Just now this monk went out to make a living[5] and came back when the rain stopped, but I didn’t expect to see patron and others……”

Lin Rufei said, “What did you get?” Don’t be a head or something.

The monk shook his head.

Lin Rufei looked at him with a burning gaze.

The monk was puzzled by Lin Rufei’s stare and said, “Why is patron looking at me like that?”

Lin Rufei said, “I am waiting for your next words.”

The monk wondered, “Next words?”

Lin Rufei said, “You don’t need me to give alms?”

The monk said, “If patron is willing to give alms, then naturally it is best.”

“Not willing.” Lin Rufei said, “I don’t have anything.”

The monk looked stunned, seemingly not expecting Lin Rufei to be so petty. Even his attitude was a little aggressive. He frowned slightly and was about to say something when two harsh screams rang out around him. It was Fu Hua and Yu Rui who woke up due to Lin Rufei and the monk’s conversation. The two just woke up when they heard the monk’s “if patron is willing to give alms” ……

This was almost exactly the same as the situation in the ghost story.

The monk was confused and asked, “Why did they scream?”

Lin Rufei said, “Maybe they are afraid of you.”

Monk: “……”

After Fu Hua and Yu Rui finished screaming, they drew their swords and rushed in front of Lin Rufei. They were chanting for the demons to retreat and did not stop gesticulating at the monk. The monk was stunned by this scene and the bowl in his hand fell directly to the ground with an ear-splitting crunch. He couldn’t figure out what the three people in front of him were doing. Was he born that fierce and vicious and as horrible as a Rakshasa? 

The two maids continued to chant for a while. After seeing that the monk had no reaction, they stopped their actions and suspiciously stepped forward. Yu Rui boldly stretched out a finger to poke the monk’s cheek and said in embarrassment: “How is it warm ……”

The monk was also good-tempered. When Yu Rui poked, he was not angry. Instead, he laughed: “If I’m not warm, then should I be cold?” 

“Aren’t you a ghost?” Yu Rui asked in a whisper.

The monk said, “How do I look like a ghost?”

Fu Hua and Yu Rui look at each other, and at the same time looked at Lin Rufei with some bewilderment in their eyes.

This monk seemed to be a real person. He just didn’t know if he had a relationship with Gu Xuandu. 

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Lin Rufei bowed to the monk with folded hands and sincerely apologized, saying that he did not mean to offend. It was just that he had heard a ghost story and who knew that everything in the temple was in line with that ghost story.  

After listening to Lin Rufei’s explanation, the monk did not take it personally. He instead showed a smile: “I wonder what kind of story it was that scared the two female patrons into such a state?”

Lin Rufei then repeated the story that Gu Xuandu told.

Who knew that after hearing the story, the monk’s black eyes moved slightly and said, “I wonder where the person who told this story to patron is now?”

Lin Rufei did not want to reveal the existence of Gu Xuandu, so he told a small lie: “I saw it in an old book, the book is too old, and there is no cover. I do not know what the name is.”

“So that’s how it is.” The monk sighed slightly, showing some despondent look, “I thought ……” He stopped talking and softly recited Amitabha Buddha.

Lin Rufei was interested: “Does this story have anything to do with the little master?”

The monk laughed: “I have an old friend who has a hostile temperament and likes to tease people. I had nothing to do so I used this story to scare his beloved one. Who knew that his beloved one was not only not afraid, they even struck at the Buddha’s statue splitting it directly into two, causing this young monk to be severely reprimanded by the Abbot.”

Lin Rufei laughed, “That’s interesting.”

“Interesting indeed.” The monk said, “It’s just a pity ……”

Without asking what it was that was a pity, Lin Rufei had already guessed most of it. The world was unpredictable and old people and old things always made people nostalgic.

The monk said, “The sky is clear outside. If patrons are in a hurry, you must take advantage. In another twenty days or so, I’m afraid it will rain heavily in the mountains for several days, so patrons better leave the mountains quickly.”

Lin Rufei raised his eyes and realized that it was already bright outside the window. The rain had cleared and the mountain air was filled with the fragrance of the earth. The time passed so quickly that Lin Rufei only felt that he had spoken a few words with the monk before the sky already turned bright. He saw the monk make a gesture of sending off guests and felt that it wasn’t appropriate to continue to disturb. Before they left, he thought about it and asked Fu Hua to fetch some dry food and respectfully handed it to the monk, apologizing for the misunderstanding last night.

(t/n: b-but…I thought there were no windows?…)

The monk gave a meek smile and did not refuse Lin Rufei’s kindness. He took the dry food and took out a Buddhist bead from his pocket. He handed it to Lin Rufei, saying that Lin Rufei and him were brought together by fate and that this Buddhist bead would be considered as a gift in return.

Lin Rufei took the bead and thanked the monk.

Under the monk’s watchful eye, the three led their horses out of the broken temple and walked outside on the muddy mountain road.

Gu Xuandu, who had disappeared all night, suddenly appeared on the horse. Lin Rufei saw that his red clothes were stained with some mud and said in a small voice, “Where did you go last night?”

Gu Xuandu said, “I went to catch ghosts.”

Lin Rufei: “……” He kind of understood. This Gu Xuandu was not willing to tell him what he went to do so he would casually say that he was “catching ghosts.” Fortunately, he asked seriously the first two times otherwise he really thought this senior could exorcise demons and break evil spells.

“I met a monk in the temple.” Lin Rufei casually said what he just encountered, “Broken temple, Buddha statue, if the monk wasn’t a living person, I would have thought you made it.”

Gu Xuandu: “…… I’m not that kind of frivolous person.”

Lin Rufei looked at him suspiciously.

Gu Xuandu was helpless from his stare: “Okay, at least I wasn’t that frivolous yesterday.”

Lin Rufei said, “He also gave me a bead.” As he talked, he took the bead out of his sleeve. He looked at it carefully and found that on the bead, the word Nanyin was engraved. He was surprised, “This monk is actually from the Nanyin Temple?”

The Nanyin Temple was famous for its Buddhism in Jianghu and it was rumored that the disciples inside practice Buddhism which could help the spirits of grievances cross as well as calming heart demons. However, the Nanyin Temple was located in a remote corner of the Yaoguang Continent and the number of disciples were not many. So although the fame was great, it was really rare. He didn’t expect that the handsome monk he saw just now, was a disciple of the Nanyin Temple. 

Gu Xuandu also just listened and didn’t have the intention to continue the conversation. 

Lin Rufei said: “Has senior heard of the Nanyin Temple?”

Gu Xuandu said, “Yes, I have heard of it, but I don’t like it very much. There are too many rules, give up on this, give up on that, it is very troublesome.”

Lin Rufei laughed and said, “That’s true.”

Because they had the monk’s warning, they did not dare delay this time. Under Gu Xuandu’s guidance, they crossed the Xialiang Mountains overnight and finally arrived at the town on the border of the Xiliang Mountains before the rainy season. After more than ten days of travel and hardship around in the mountains, Lin Rufei’s body was already a bit overwhelmed. When he arrived at the inn in the town, he slept for half a day before he could barely relieve his fatigue. However, he was still a bit limp and not very energetic. After waking up, he was a little hungry, so he wanted to go to Fu Hua and ask her to make some food for him. But before he entered Fu Hua’s room, he heard the worried conversations of the maids inside the house.

“I’m really worried about young master.” …… Hmm? Why were they worried about me? Lin Rufei thought in confusion.

“Yes, I am also worried. Say, do you think that young master was scared in the temple that day.”

“I think it’s possible, otherwise how could the self-talk become so serious in the past few days. It scared me to the point that I thought he was bewitched.”

“Shall we find a doctor for young master?”

“Don’t, don’t stimulate young master. I’ll go ask first, see if I could get some calming medicine prescribed. This thing is a bit evil, it’s best to be careful.”

“Then alright. I’ll go to the city to ask the doctor when I’m free today.”

Lin Rufei listened with a complicated expression. He twisted his head and looked at the person standing beside him.

Gu Xuandu, who was being stared at by Lin Rufei, still had a calm expression. He even blinked at him and acted cute: “I look good, right?” 

Lin Rufei said seriously, “You do look good.” 

Before Gu Xuandu had the chance to smile, he heard this young master, whose mouth was becoming more and more powerful, say: “If you’re ugly, how can you bewitch someone?” 

Gu Xuandu: “……”

********

The author has something to say:

Gu Xuandu: Xiao Jiu, why are you not scared of ghosts?

Lin Rufei: Do you think you’re a human now?

Gu Xuandu: ……………

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[1] The green light in the eyes describes a person’s nature as non-benevolent, greedy, or lustful. 

[2] Very common saying in China, the Yellow River refers to the 2nd longest River in China and this phrase means: “there’s nothing you can do to remove the stigma off your name.” 

[3] Praying mat. 

[4] So the word here is 施主 which is a designation of a person by a monk. I did some research and some sites translate it as “Patron,” or “Donor.” I thought “Patron” sounded the best so I will be using that ^~^ 

[5] In his case, he is begging for money.