Chapter Twenty-Seven: Jin Yan'er of the Heavenly Path Sect

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The Daoist nun strode toward Elder Dugu, clasped her hands, and bowed with a smile. “Brother Dugu, you finally decided to come. Did you come all this way especially for me, or are you merely passing through for a rest?”

Elder Dugu made no attempt to hide his intentions. “Of course I came straight to you.”

The nun looked him up and down and teased, “You came to see me, yet you brought nothing—not even a token of courtesy.”

Elder Dugu threw back his head and laughed. “You know what I’m like. If I leave here without taking something from you, you should count yourself lucky.”

Meng Xiaoli followed behind them. Listening to their easy banter, she found it strange that a woman in her early thirties who had renounced the world should call a sixty-year-old man “Brother,” while Elder Dugu was more relaxed and cheerful than she had ever seen him, entirely at ease. The two of them must surely share some familial bond.

As they spoke, the three arrived at the reception hall. Elder Dugu took the seat of honor, the nun sat beside him, and Meng Xiaoli took the guest seat.

Only then did the nun notice Meng Xiaoli. She asked Elder Dugu, “And who is this?”

“My disciple,” Elder Dugu replied bluntly.

Meng Xiaoli’s heart gave a start. Why had he not let her say they were master and disciple, yet announced it himself to someone else? She stared at him in astonishment.

Elder Dugu explained, “There’s no harm in it. Mistress Jin is the only person in this world I truly trust. With everyone else, it is merely friendship.”

The nun opened her mouth wide and stared from Elder Dugu to Meng Xiaoli as if she had just heard some earth-shattering secret.

Elder Dugu introduced her. “This is Jin Yan’er, the mistress of the Heavenward Cult, known throughout the world as the Living Guanyin. She is my closest confidante.”

Then he turned to Jin Yan’er. “Her name is Meng Xiaoli.”

Jin Yan’er turned to Meng Xiaoli and praised her. “Young brother, if he was willing to accept you as his disciple, you must have some remarkable qualities.”

“She isn’t a man,” Elder Dugu interrupted.

Jin Yan’er’s brows rose again. She widened her eyes and examined Meng Xiaoli from head to toe.

“A woman? An extraordinary woman indeed. If you can stay here for a while, I must seek your advice. How did you manage to bring such an unruly wastrel back to his senses?”

Elder Dugu took up the thread. “If it is convenient for you, I may indeed have to stay here for some time.”

“That would be wonderful!” Jin Yan’er exclaimed delightedly. She immediately summoned one of her subordinates and ordered, “Quickly prepare two guest rooms, and tell the kitchen to make several simple dishes.”

The subordinate accepted the order and left.

Jin Yan’er continued, “Life in Qingzhou is difficult. Brother Dugu, Miss Xiaoli, please do not take offense if our hospitality is lacking.”

Elder Dugu nodded, then asked, “The Heavenward Cult was only established recently. How many people do you have now?”

“Several hundred. But I believe that once I have crossed swords with them and shown everyone what I am capable of, the Heavenward Cult will answer my call as one.”

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The two spoke with great delight, chatting animatedly for some time. Later, Jin Yan’er joined Elder Dugu and Meng Xiaoli for a meal. Amid the clinking of cups, Jin Yan’er turned to Meng Xiaoli and said, “It is obvious that Brother Dugu trusts you deeply. I shall not treat you as an outsider either. If you decide I am a wicked person, you need only stop speaking to me from this day onward.”

She sighed before continuing. “The old emperor built palaces and dug canals, conscripting most of the able-bodied men in the city. My husband and my father were among them, and neither met a good end. My mother fell gravely ill and died as well. Seeing my fellow townsmen suffering in misery, I had no family left to worry about, so I resolved to establish the Heavenward Cult and fight for the common people.”

Hearing this, Meng Xiaoli realized that Jin Yan’er must harbor thoughts of rebellion. How had such a dangerous woman come to share so close a friendship with Elder Dugu? Could Elder Dugu himself also be contemplating rebellion?

Elder Dugu continued, “The old emperor is ruthless, but he is not a fool. The Ming Empire is powerful, and the southern lands are wealthy. To oppose the imperial court would ultimately be nothing more than an egg striking a rock. It is never an easy road.”

Jin Yan’er sighed. “Whatever the result, I simply cannot sit here and wait for death. The old emperor destroyed my family. Even if I cannot kill him, I must at least make him suffer.”

The three of them spoke deep into the night. By the time they finally retired to their rooms, all were hazy with drink.

Early the following morning, Jin Yan’er led Elder Dugu and Meng Xiaoli out of the city. They came to a mountain hollow surrounded on all sides by peaks, a place called Weiqi Ridge. After turning left and right through the mountains and passing through a cavern, they emerged into a hidden world.

It resembled a secluded village from a paradise beyond the reach of worldly troubles. This was Peaceful Village. Men and women, old and young alike, were sharpening blades and forging weapons, the clang of metal ringing without end.

So this village was the Heavenward Cult’s stronghold, Meng Xiaoli thought. All its followers were secretly making weapons, ready to rise in rebellion at any moment.

Jin Yan’er brought Elder Dugu to the watchtower and pointed toward the surrounding mountains. “I have defenses in place at every pass. Obstacles and traps have been laid everywhere. It will not be easy for imperial soldiers to enter.”

Elder Dugu gazed into the distance and nodded silently.

Jin Yan’er smiled. “Why do I feel that you have changed so much since you came back this time?”

Elder Dugu looked slightly taken aback. “How have I changed? Have I grown even older?”

Resting her hands on the wooden railing, Jin Yan’er shook her head. “Not older in the face—older in the heart. You have become steadier. That is unlike your usual manner. You always thought of yourself as a young man. Why have you lost so much of your carefree spirit? Elder Dugu, you are no longer dashing!”

Elder Dugu frowned unconsciously. “Have I?”

Jin Yan’er lowered her eyes to Meng Xiaoli, who was practicing below, and asked curiously, “Is it because of that young woman?”

Elder Dugu thought for a moment, then braced both hands against the railing. “Perhaps. All my life I have pursued freedom, but never managed to understand it. Loneliness has followed me like a shadow. I once believed that only by casting off every attachment could I be free. Now I have realized that striving for the sake of those one cares about is also a meaning of existence. I have traveled alone for so long, and then suddenly discovered that someone was thinking of me. It was as though my loneliness had been shattered in an instant, leaving me with the faint desire to settle down.”

Jin Yan’er turned and looked at him seriously. “Is it the feeling of, ‘I was born before you, and when you were born, I was already old’?”

“No, no, no.” Elder Dugu waved his hands repeatedly. “It is more like being both her master and her father.”

Jin Yan’er nodded in understanding and smiled knowingly.

That evening, Jin Yan’er found an empty thatched hut for Meng Xiaoli. As she made the bed, she said, “This is no county town. The living conditions are poor, so I hope you will not mind. The people here are unpretentious; everyone lives in thatched huts.”

Meng Xiaoli swept the room and laughed. “I was born into poverty myself. I am not spoiled. I have slept in ruined temples, abandoned houses, and street corners.”

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Meng Xiaoli set down the broom and came to the table to pour Jin Yan’er some tea. The two women sat together, and after accepting the cup, Jin Yan’er said with a gentle smile, “All my family have left me. I was grief-stricken and fought the soldiers who were conscripting the people. I nearly died, but Brother Dugu saved me. He healed my wounds and instructed me in the methods of internal cultivation. With his help, my inner power leaped forward from the end of the fourth level. I have now reached the middle of the sixth level.”

She smiled. “Do not be fooled by the fact that he drinks, gambles, visits brothels, and seems willing to do anything. He is not a wicked man. He merely follows his nature, so long as he does not harm others.”

Meng Xiaoli nodded in agreement. “Without him, I would have died long ago beneath the poisonous palms of the Moon-Shooting Divine Sect.”

Jin Yan’er continued, “You have been with him for so long that you know what he is like. He was not always this way. He was once the most unrestrained madman imaginable. He obeyed no one’s rules, claiming that Heaven’s greatest master was above and he himself was the greatest master beneath it. He treated the world as a game and lived as though nothing could touch him. That is why it astonished me when he suddenly said he had taken a disciple. It felt as if one age had passed, and another had begun.”

Meng Xiaoli said, “He has mentioned you to me. He said that although you are only in your thirties, you are the person in this world whom he admires most. Even a man needs courage, he said—much less a frail woman like you. He regards you not only as family but with boundless admiration.”

Jin Yan’er laughed heartily. “That is true. He has said more than once that he admires me and that I am a bodhisattva come into the world. He exaggerates terribly. Still, to be admired by a master of his age and skill is a great honor.”

She continued, “He is very particular about his friends. Once he finds someone he can speak with, age no longer matters. We are friends across generations. Since you have become his disciple, we must be traveling the same road. From now on, we are all family.”

With that, Jin Yan’er rose and took her leave. “It is getting late. I shall not keep you any longer. Go to sleep early.”

Meng Xiaoli escorted her outside, then returned to her room and went to bed.

When April arrived, Meng Xiaoli learned from Jin Yan’er that Elder Dugu’s birthday fell that month. Remembering the longevity noodles he had once given her and the bond between master and disciple, she joined the members of the Heavenward Cult in distributing porridge to the people in the city.

She had little money and could afford only a single red cord. She decided to tie it into a decorative knot and give it to Elder Dugu as a birthday gift.

After returning to Peaceful Village on Weiqi Ridge, the Heavenward Cult’s stronghold, she spent half a day twisting and knotting the cord. At last, she managed to form an auspicious knot.

Overjoyed, she ran to Elder Dugu and said, “You gave me longevity noodles on my birthday. They are difficult to obtain here, and I do not have much money, so I made you an auspicious knot instead. May you enjoy health and peace on your birthday.”

As she spoke, she held out the bright red knot.

Elder Dugu took it and examined it. “Wearing this thing is not half as satisfying as a good drink. Next time, just give me a jar of wine. It might even add ten years to my cultivation.”

As he spoke, he casually tucked the knot into his robe and turned to leave.

Meng Xiaoli assumed that Elder Dugu simply disliked such a girlish trinket. She hurried after him and explained, “It is not that I was unwilling to buy wine. I really am short of money. Next time, I will certainly give you a jar. No, not just one—even ten jars!”

Elder Dugu ignored her.