Peach Blossom Debt Chapter 3
PBD chapter three
Author has something to say: Peach Blossom Debt is also open and reprinted. Patrons who'd like to, please feel free to get it *^^*
Onthe thirteenth year, fifthmonth, second day, I came down tothe sky above the ShangChuan region ona floating cloud. Thegentle wind suddenly picked up, making the peopleon the streets lookedup and around—eachand every one ofthem pulled back their necks and swiftlyran. The stallpeddlerswere ina flurry. I vaguelyheard ashout: "The sky'sovercast,it'll rain! Quickly roll thestands and gohome!" Humans arestupid, this immortal lord will not lower my self to their level. Ming Ge Xingjun ledme until we were hovering in the serene sky overlooking the southern county's king's mansion. Gesturing somewhere in the mansion's rear garden hesaid: "This is Yuanjun's corporeal body." Onacouch set upin the garden, there were twoyoung childrensurrounding a motionlessperson, climbingup and down. The unmoving one wasthe king's youngest son Li Si-ming,and also me inthe future. Iexaminedhim; his gaze was vacant andhis expression stiff, allthe while flowers and plants were being stuck onhis head bytwo small children. "This person…. seems like a fool." MingGe Xingjun forced a smile, "Cough.. this body is speciallyprepared for you, Yuanjun. Yuanjun hasnot possessed it yet sonaturally, he does not have aspirit ora soul; hecan only eat, drink andrelieve himself. Itis time. Yuanjun, please quickly possess the body." Not waiting for me tosay anymore he chanteda warping technique and went up ina blink of an eye.Suddenly, a golden light appeared in front ofmy eyes, the spark oflightning out ofthis warping technique headed sharp forthe garden. Afeeling of familiarityspread through my entire body, similar to that ofthousands of years ago. This immortal's possession ofthe body wa.s.successfully completed.
Theimmortal whohad been feather-light for how many millennia once again became aperson, feet flat onthe ground and headfar fromthe skies. My four limbs were a familiar weight. All kinds of smell filled mychest cavity while the soundof earth enteredmy ears. It was actuallyvery calming and pleasant. Heavy somethings wereclimbing and wriggling about on my body—I opened my eyes—the first thing Isaw wasa small rosyface, a pair ofround eyes that jumped around, aswell as the unpleasant grin of that small mouth—stretchedwide revealing agap oftwo missing teeth. Little jet-black paws heldup a block ofblack mud, sending itforward into mymouth. "Hehe, be good,little uncle,eat this. Be good andeat it." Ismiled kindly,lifting my handto swat at his head. "Be good, get down from your little uncle's body. Go back andlook for your mom anddad."
round eyeswere squatting twice, picking up
Hislarge round eyes blinked twice,he tilted his head, watching me. Ileaned sideways and picked up the other child onmy knee who has crawled up toreach the flowers onmy head. "Sit properly,stand straight, didyour teacher not teach you the fundamental conduct ofa person?"1
Anotherpairof ball-like round eyes stared. Withhis lips pursed, this kid looked like some goblin spirit from myths— Witha 'wah', hebawled loudly: "Mom— mom— grandfather—— Little uncle isscary!!!" Theburst ofpiercing wails attracted amaid, that maid called aguard-servant, the guard called the head servant and the wet nurse, thenurse helped their madame up to goout. Twostrong, dutiful guardsmenrushed up with the eagerness ofWu Song climbing up amountain.2 They picked up thetwo small young mastersat my side under their arms. Ismiled amiably atboth ofthem, b.u.t.the two men showed expressions offear. They rushed madly through the length ofthe winding corridor like alaunched smoke signal. Asmall round head peeked out from someplace eight zhang and two chiaway,3 he looked atme like hewas seeing aghost. Having eyes butnot recognising agenuine immortal, thisimmortal lord alsowon't lower my self totheir level.
Islowlywalked forward. Bending down with myhands supporting my body, discarding any arrogance, Icalled out indeference: "Dad." Adifferent lightspread within the king's tiger-like eyes. Hewatched this immortal carefully—the foolish son all ofa sudden became clear-headed, anyone can imagine how itwould stir up his feelings. Theagitated king was deathly white, heshook in confusion from head totoe, then hispupils moved up and stayedstuck there. He had fainted. ThisSongYaoYuanjun's transition inbecoming Li Si-ming was completelyfree from b.u.mps. The people ofthe king's manor had shakenterribly when they sawme. The next day, after Dongjun w.a.n.g hadwoken up he invited a bhāṇaka to come. The monk went up to face meholdinga peach wood sword, hebrandished itthen moved itaround, reciting, while Iwas lookingon mirthfully. Right then the monk roseup, he suddenly opened his eyes and fixed them at me. He plopped downkneeling—his head knockedso hardon the floor that itmade anechoing slam. "This small Daoist respectfully greets theHighImmortal." Iwa.s.startled. Ihadn't paid attentionto the world's affair for a long time. Ihad taken the fact that the heaven had nonewly ascended loose immortals to mean the human world's dao techniquehad deteriorated. Tothink someoneofsuch skills—to be able tomake out this immortal lord's true nature with onelook—was walking on the streets. The monk trembled with dread, maintaining hiskowtow, "This small Daoist's cultivation was insufficient,failing torecognise BaiHu Xingjun's immortal body ina glance. Iask Xingjun's pardon." "Bai Hu Xingjun?4 The eighth lord ofseventy-two heavenly constellations. Since when were there somany oldchief tigers acting lord? There werequite a few white tigers in heaven, but they allguarded the celestial gates when theygrew up. When did his qiand body switch, to nameanother lord to his palace hall? Heshifted hisknees tokowtow facingthe Dongjun w.a.n.g (kingof eastern county). "Congratulations,w.a.n.gye. Congratulations, w.a.n.gye. This poor Daoist is...o...b..ld to reveal the mystery of heavens, the young lordis indeed heaven's BaiHu Xingjun descended ashuman. w.a.n.gye's goodfortune is bountiful for your fate istwinned with immortal. This is good karma from the skies." The king sized me up, albeit hisslight trembling. "Master, are youserious? This no-good son was stupid fromchildhood anddidn't know the ways ofthe world. Suddenly he's clear on things, knows logic and isliterate, he's truly…"
The monk rose up, "w.a.n.gye, the younglord is an immortal lord whodescended, he should be differentfrom normal human. Ancientpeople havesaid the crouching tigeris like a stone. Xingjun hid hisqi for manyyears and behavedstupidly. The person looks mediocreand no one couldguess." Dongjun w.a.n.g wasvery pleasedwith his son afterhearing that he was the Great Tiger star lord descended. The reason why theyoung son was foolishwas really that the great tiger lordwas sleeping for all thosetwenty years,he also believed this groundless talk. The king eyed me with scrutiny, hefinally stopped trembling, his face also had a joyful expression. "But if as the master says, my no-good son hid his qifor many years. Why is he suddenly sober now?" Atthe table, I rubbedthe teacup,at timeswetting my throat.
The monk hadone hand on hisback and the otherhefted his beard, "The mysteries of heaven may not be divulged." He talkedbig with the air of 'I am your great ancestor'.
From then on thisimmortal lord had been getting by very comfortablyin Dongjun w.a.n.g's manor.5
Dongjun w.a.n.ghad informed theentire mansionthat theyoung Si-ming was the Great Tiger Lord. I wa.s.secretly watchedfor many daysand gradually becamefamiliarwith peoplein the mansion. When Iexplored the residence there wereoften servants pretendingthey had coincidentallypa.s.sed by, trying to have afew words with their young master.
Following the talkof theGreat Tiger Lord both olderbrothers cameto see this little brother,lookingforanew entertainment. They deliberately broughtliquor into anotherman's innergarden, taking in the night air weexchanged trivial stories.
It must be known that I, Song Yao Yuanjun, floated left and squanderedright in heaven; for millenniaI drank tea, sippedwine, played chess, and discussed dao. Afterleaving the realmof G.o.ds, no one talked to me yet save for Heng Wen Qingjun. During the discussion on the brief pointsof the method and law of governing, I wasn'tcareful for two minutes,making the sky light up.6 As a result,thetwo older brothers slept theday away, the matterof this immortal lord beingGreat Tiger star wa.s.steadily taken as the truth. Many more days pa.s.sed. Iwasin the king's residence,having more or less found out aboutNan MingDijunandTianShu Xingjun's situation from teahousesinthe market. Ming Ge Xingjun had previously told meNan Ming Dijun in this life was called Shan Sheng-ling,Tian Shu Xingjun's reincarnation was called Mu Ruo-yan. Only after afew days ofprying did Ifind out the two menhad incredible reputationsin the secularworld.Particularly, Tian Shu Xingjun can reallytorment others, he surprised me that onetime.The streets' and alleys' walls werefull of postersfor Mu Ruo-yan's arrest, in addition, there was abig half-bodyportrait of him. The storygoes that the two families, Shan and Mu, had had major ministers in the imperialcourt forgenerations; they had adeep camaraderie from those decades of brushing shoulders. Roughly ten years agoNan Ming Dijun's grandfather offended the Emperor,causing all three generations of theShan family to be executed. Mu family had secretlyrescued ShanSheng-ling, they took him into theirhome and brought himup. Nan Ming Dijunhad an undisputedposition in heaven, as amortal, he was also notone to suffer in silence. Presentdays happened tobe atumultuous time, variousstates' rulers hadgathered ma.s.sive military forces, leavinglittle of the imperial power. Shan Sheng-ling endedup ruling over the southerncounty (Nanjun). But, exactlyone month after serving as the state ruler, the King of the Southern County openly incited arebellion— in order to seizethe t.i.tle ofemperor. The emperor was furious. When he found out theMu family had keptthis little scourge, three generations of Mu familywere also executed. Of course,Jade Emperor couldn't allowTian Shu Xingjun to be carelessly beheadedso smoothly; one Mu family's servant protected theirfamily's younglord Mu Ruo-yan with hislife. At present, theywere avoiding to the east, hiding to thewest, driftingin the wilderness.
In the wanted poster, MuRuo-yan hada pointed face and thineyebrows, not charmingin the slightest. Looking atthat portrait I letout a couple ofsighs. During the time Tian ShuXingjun was inheaven he woresilk robes and jadehairpin, his voice clearand indifferent,having the airof an immortal untainted byany dirt. The Jade Emperor setting up this human sack for him in themortal world was abit too much.7 At the end ofthe day, this immortal lord still hadorders to act outa love drama withhim. You couldat least let himkeep one ortwo parts of hisappearance from when he was ahigh immortal lord. When I get ahold of himlater, how would I spout outsweet words to that face? At night, Iregulated my breath,8 wanting toshift into myimmortal self togo back to heaven andreason with Jade Emperor. Who knew Iwas actuallypinned down on this body andunable to move. Irememberedthen, thatunreasonable old Ming Ge Xingjun had once said this timeIcan't use immortal techniques outside of criticalmoments. It turns outthey had guardedagainst me giving up myduty after knowing thetruth.
With no otheroptions, Idrank tea, slept inthe king's manor, pa.s.sed throughseveral months idly.
Dongjun w.a.n.g was exceptionally affectionate towardshis immortal son—the Great Tiger lord who regained his mind—so much so, he specially allocated acourtyard for me to live in. Therethe king often drank and played chessalong with meand the twoelder brothers. Everyoneeven went together to the theatre, we listened to anumber of songs. Therelationship betweenus wasgetting better by theday.
Three months later,Ming Ge Xingjuncame downagain. He lifted up me out from Li Si-ming's body inthe middleof the night, at thesky above the king's manorhe informed me that the play wa.s.starting.
Tian Shu Xingjun had tended tohis injuries well at asecret place; protected by his retainer he had been stealthily headingtowards thesouthern county—Tian Shu intended to meet hislover, Nan MingDijun. Dongjunw.a.n.g's youngestson LiSi-ming must attackhim on his way and take Mu Ruo-yaninto the king's residence. Tomorrow morning, Mu Ruo-yan'scarriage will pa.s.s byasmall pathunderneath the mountain outsideof Shang Chuan city.
Nanjun w.a.n.g had gathered soldiers and namedhimself the emperor,Dongjun w.a.n.g alsohad troublerestraining him. The two counties' territories were connected, conflicts betweenarmed soldierswould inevitably happenat the border.Dongjun w.a.n.gand his eldest sonspent how many days inspecting andpacifying the barracks. The secondson Si-yuan was left to deal withthe matters at home and toguide the little brother, this immortallord, on handling someof theinternal affairs. Early morning of thenext day I received intel from Dongjun scouts of people entering the borderin secret. Iasked Si-yuanfor twenty to thirtyrobust men, wewill set upan ambushoutside of town beside thatmountain path.
Who'd have known thatafter waitingfrom early morning till noon wewouldn't see theslightest hint of acarriage? If there's error/something that needs explanation, comment below. This chapter is not finished being edited yet. I'll update the blog post when it's edited.
[1] Conduct of a person – their bearings reveal their education ↑
[2] Wu Song climbing a mountain – a guy named 武松 climbed up a hill where a fierce man-eating tiger lived; from the story, it seems to be referring to all brute and little forethought.↑
[3] One Zhang is 3.3 meters, one Chi is 0.3 meters. ↑
[4] Bai Hu Xingjun is the star lord of the White Tiger Star. With ‘star lords' we will also get ‘#### Star' referring to them as the personification of that star: ‘White tiger star'=Baihu xing (jun), ‘Dubhe star'=Tianshu xing (jun). Because of that, I will often use ‘#### Lord' instead. Song Yao is often called the white tiger star (lord) and this is slightly important to note for the next few chapters. If it's not clear yet, that monk was a fraud haha ↑
[5] 王府 w.a.n.gfu is a tricky thing, it can mean the manor, the household in it, or both combined. You can marry into a w.a.n.gfu, that's not marrying the house, kek. I've decided to keep the english, so dongjun w.a.n.g's mansion / the king's residence / household will be used accordingly.↑
[6] Picture J/e/sus when he talked of something holy and made the sky brighten in recognition of him, like that. Oh look, here's a human who spoke of the truth(dao)! shine some light on him! I a.s.sume it knocked out the brothers (poor mortals), if they brought alcohol they must be confident in their drinking abilities…. don't quote me ok.↑
[7] a) (Human) Skin Leather Bag, b) too much – too cruel/wicked/immoral… Song Yao will often call Jade Emperor as this, basically, he was ↑
[8] Regulated my breath – moved my energy/↑