Chapter 43: County Gossip

The value of this copybook in Ji Yuan’s eyes was completely different from its value in Lu Shan Jun’s eyes, and he was immediately fascinated by it.

Every word on the Sword Intent Inscription had a different presence. Each stroke contained sharpness, but the whole combination gave the illusion of coherence, as if hundreds of clearly unmoving words were dancing together.

Ji Yuan was so fascinated that he lost track of time. The fox on the stone table watched Ji Yuan immerse himself in the copybook. The spiritual energy in the courtyard slowly dissipated after a few moments, but he did not dare disturb him.

Ji Yuan didn’t come back to his senses from reading the words until it had gotten very late. He couldn’t help but feel emotional.

“Good calligraphy and good swordsmanship! I didn’t expect that martial arts swordsmanship could be so sophisticated. It must be very close to the Tao!”

This copybook was not written by an immortal cultivator. Ji Yuan could feel it when he had first come into contact with this copybook: there was no spiritual energy or mysterious techniques in terms of self-cultivation.

The meaning imbued in the words was simply a gesture of wielding the pen like a sword. Merely soaking it in water could destroy the copybook; even Ji Yuan’s bamboo slips could not be easily destroyed by ordinary water and fire.

What’s more, what was recorded in the copybook was merely a swordsmanship technique in martial arts – that is to say, it was a small mortal skill that was looked down upon by immortals.

But this combination of sword intents in the characters, with different approaches but the same overall purpose, had a similar effect to a chess game. In Ji Yuan’s mind, it seemed to have become active like a swimming dragon, containing wisdom and will!

‘The martial artist who inscribed this book must be by no means just an ordinary martial artist. He must be an amazingly talented person. I wonder if he is still alive in the world? ’

Ji Yuan was pondering it, but he suddenly felt something was wrong.

‘Wait a minute, why

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are even my thoughts in such formal language? Damn, it’s contagious!’

Ji Yuan hurriedly and nervously shook his head. He turned his head away, and found that the originally drowsy fox on the table was a lot more awake. When he looked at the sky again, he found that the sun was already setting towards the west.

“Hahaha… I’m sorry, I forgot the time. I should boil medicine for you! Well, there is no medicine stove or pot…”

Ji Yuan knew very well what objects he had in his house, and he did not own a medicine stove, so he could only borrow it from the Yin family’s house.

“You stay here and don’t run around. I’ll be right back!”

With these words, and seeing how well-behaved the fox looked, Ji Yuan left the courtyard and went to the Yin family’s house.

Before had even arrived in front of the Yin family’s courtyard, he heard Yin Qing talking very excitedly.

“Mom! Mom! I heard someone talking about Mr. Ji on the way back with Dad today, they said that a red fox appeared in the market this morning, and was chased and beaten the whole way by a big yellow dog. But then the fox escaped, and it ran to the feet of Mr. Ji who was passing by, and kept kowtowing to him!”

“Ah!? Was there really such a thing?”

Inside the Yin family’s house, the mother exclaimed in surprise. Then she looked to Yin Zhaoxian, sitting by her side, who was lighting a candle with a flame stick.

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“Husband, is what Qing’er said true?”

Yin Zhaoxian finished lighting the candle and nodded at her.

“It shouldn’t be false. Many people came to me to ask about Mr. Ji. They said the red fox was dripping with blood. He escaped from the crowd by pretending to be dead, and then knelt down in front of Mr. Ji and kowtowed. There were several yellow dogs around, but they didn’t dare to step forward, and…”

“Yes, yes! Mother, let me tell you, Mr. Ji just said one word, and those big dogs backed away by themselves. Mr. Ji also gave the two fox hunters money to get them to let the fox go. Hmph, why should they get any money?”

Yin Qing’s words were filled with the emotions of a child, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

“Well, I heard that Ji Medical Hall rescued the fox later.”

…

Outside the courtyard, listening to the Yin family discussing the day’s affairs, Ji Yuan also laughed a little, and then knocked on the door.

“Dong, dong, dong…”

“Master Yin, is Mrs. Yin at home? Ji Yuan is here to visit!”

Ji Yuan’s powerful voice came from outside the courtyard, frightening the Yin family who were in the middle of discussing him. Yin Zhaoxian hurried out to open the door, and Yin Qing immediately followed.

When he opened the courtyard door, Ji Yuan was standing outside. What was especially striking was the blood stains on his sleeves and chest.

“Master Yin!”

Ji Yuan slightly bowed with cupped hands.

“Mr. Ji is here, come in, come in! Qing’er, come help your mother make a pot of tea!”

“No need! I just wanted to borrow a medicine stove and pot from you. Would Master Yin happen to have such a thing in your house?”

Recalling the rumors from the market when he came back today, Yin Zhaoxian reacted immediately and nodded.

“Yes, I have one, I’ll go get it for you!”

“Dad, here’s the medicine stove!”

Without waiting for Yin Zhaoxian to go look for it, Yin Qing came over, excitedly holding the medicine stove and pot, and handed them to Ji Yuan.

“Mr. Ji, the medicine stove!”

“Okay, thank you Xiao Yin Qing!”

Ji Yuan took it with a smile. Although he couldn’t see the details of the medicine stove, he could tell by touch that it should be some kind of rough pottery product. He could smell a little charcoal ash. The stove and pot were not very big.

“Master Yin, if there is something you need from me, please don’t hesitate to ask!”

“Okay, Mr. Ji, then I hope you will excuse me. If I can help you with anything else, please feel free to tell me. You are welcome to come by at any time!”

Yin Zhaoxian bowed to him with clasped hands, when he noticed his son rushing out of the yard to stand behind Ji Yuan.

“Qing’er, what are you doing? Come back!”

“Mr. Ji, I want to go too. I want to see the red fox. I’ve never seen a fox before. Can I go and see? I promise to be obedient!”

“Qing’er!!”

“Hehehe… Master Yin, don’t be surprised, Xiao Yin Qing is at a young and innocent age, and it is natural for him to be curious. Well, let him follow me to the small pavilion to take a look. I will send him back before dinner!”

“Hahahaha! Great!”

Yin Qing jumped up and down happily, and Yin Zhaoxian smiled awkwardly.

“Then I will be troubling Mr. Ji.”

‘Little bastard, why didn’t you ask your father to take you there to see it together!! I want to see it too!’

However, due to his concerns about his face and his scruples about Ji Yuan, Yin Zhaoxian couldn’t express his thoughts. He watched Ji Yuan and Yin Qing leave with regret and a hint of envy.

. . .

In the courtyard of Ju’an Pavilion, the red fox on the stone table heard the approaching footsteps outside the courtyard. He could also hear Yin Qing’s clear and crisp voice constantly asking Ji Yuan about the fox with curiosity. He was a little wary and wanted to stand up, but didn’t run away.

Not long after, Ji Yuan entered the yard carrying a medicine pot, followed by Yin Qing, who looked very excited.

“Oh, you can stand up?”

Ji Yuan felt more at ease. Noticing the fox’s vigilance towards Yin Qing, he continued with a smile.

“Little Red Fox, this is the son of a friend of mine. Don’t worry, Xiao Yin Qing, this is the Red Fox. It is currently seriously injured, so try not to disturb its rest, and don’t touch it, understand?”

“Okay, I understand!”

A child like Yin Qing had no resistance with regards to the furry red fox. The appearance of the cloth wrapped around its body reduced the fox’s intimidating aura of a wild beast.

He walked around the fox and looked it up and down carefully. He almost reached out to touch it, but the fox’s eyes were always fixed on Yin Qing, not letting down his guard at all.

After a while, Yin Qing asked, “Does it hurt?” and immediately backed away in fright as the fox hissed. At first, it felt like he was facing a formidable enemy, but then it sneered and ignored him. This person and this fox were not at all on the same wavelength.

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Ji Yuan found it very funny.

…

After more than half an hour, a bowl of dark and thick medicinal soup appeared in Ji Yuan’s hands. Considering that foxes had smaller stomachs, he deliberately made it thicker.

“Wuuuuu…”

The medicine didn’t smell very good, but Ji Yuan stared at him, so the Red Fox had no choice but to eat it. He obediently licked the bowl of medicinal soup that had been placed on the corner of the table, and swallowed. Yin Qing, who was watching to the side, felt even more amused. He felt that this fox was even better behaved than a dog.

There was also a trace of spiritual energy in the medicine; if the red fox could drink it before it quickly dissipated, it would help him absorb the power of the medicine.

Fortunately, it was no longer an ordinary beast. With timely treatment and the aid of spiritual energy, the Red Fox’s injury had truly stabilized.

It just so happened that it was almost time for dinner. After sending a reluctant Yin Qing home, Ji Yuan finally had time to eat his first meal of the day. He could also take this time to bring some meat back for the fox.

The story of the red fox asking for help on the street, and the yellow dogs being persuaded to walk away, had gradually become a popular topic of conversation for the people of Ning’an after dinner.

The word used here is 为毛 (wèimáo) which is Internet slang for “why.” He’s using it here to differentiate drastically from the formal language he was thinking in. The actual formal “why ” is 为什么 (wèishéme) ↩︎

It’s a common staple item in wuxia novels as a convenient, portable item for lighting fires, but it was actually a real tool. Apparently, you light the stick on fire (it’s made of a roll of flammable material in a cylinder casing), then extinguish enough until there are only embers left (think like a cigar), then you cap it and keep it in your pocket until you want to use it, in which case you blow on it to ignite. (The 21st century in me is screaming “FIRE HAZARD,” by the way.) For ye fellow D&D players, think of it like the Chinese equivalent of 50 ft of hempen rope for wuxia novels; everyone has some, don’t think too hard about it. You can learn more about it here, here, and here. ↩︎

i.e. didn’t understand each other ↩︎