Unsheathed

Chen Ping’an’s journey north would be more than halfway complete once he passed Burial River, the river that cut across the Great Quan Empire.

On this night, the convoy from the Yao Clan stayed in a relay station to the south of Burial River. They were only two hundred meters from Burial River, so Yao Zhen asked Chen Ping’an to accompany him to the river to enjoy the scenery and relax his mind.

Just now, they had dinner and enjoyed a local specialty. The carp from Burial River were top-notch; they had golden scales and crimson fins and they didn’t taste too fishy, whether they were steamed, cooked in sweet and sour sauce, or braised in soy sauce. They were incredibly tasty, to the extent that they were used as offerings to the imperial court of the empire.

However, it was a shame that the renowned water god temple of Burial River was located quite some distance away from the relay station, about 150 kilometers. Many literati from a number of different nations left their precious thoughts and poems on the walls of the water god temple, and the earliest writing on the walls could be traced back six hundred years.

Moreover, many renowned literati from different generations would reply to each other’s poems or thoughts, beautifully complementing each other’s works. Of course, there were also subtle competitions between literati using the same topics and genres, and there were also remarks and comments left by famous literati from future generations.

This caused the water god temple to shine with the dazzling brilliance of literary talent. There was abundant scholarly fortune in the water god temple, and it surprisingly seemed even more abundant than the scholarly fortune in the Confucian temple located in Mirage City.

They were split into three groups as they strolled along the river. At the very front, there was Yao Zhen and Chen Ping’an walking side by side. Pei Qian was holding her hiking pole and walking slightly behind them.

The second group consisted of the two guest elders from the Great Quan Empire as well as Yao Zhen’s three grandchildren.

The two guest elders were a Daoist master and his disciple. They weren’t dressed in their eye-catching Daoist robes right now because they were traveling with the Yao Clan’s convoy in secret. Thus, they were carrying standard army sabers by their waists instead, using this to conceal their identities. The two Daoist priests remained distant from the others the entire time.

The young disciple was a handsome man who possessed a gentle aura. He appeared much like a young master from an extremely wealthy clan.

Wei Xian, Zhu Lian, Lu Baixiang, and Sui Youbian appeared together in a rare sight, and the four of them made up the third group at the very end.

Yao Zhen genuinely enjoyed Chen Ping’an’s company, and this was the case even though Chen Ping’an seldom said anything most of the time. The old general was always serious and unsmiling when in the army and at home, yet he became far more relaxed and talkative when he interacted with Chen Ping’an.

Right now, he was explaining the ranking system of mountain and river deities in the Great Quan Empire to Chen Ping’an. Apart from the formal gods of the Five Mountains, the water god of this Burial River was the highest-ranking among the deities of mountains and rivers in the Great Quan Empire. The water god was a commandery governor, and not only could they build their own official residence, but they were even allowed to do so according to the standards afforded to vassal kings.

However, the water god’s residence was always closed off, and they almost never interacted with people from the mortal world. In fact, the water god had only shown their true form a mere few times during the past two hundred years. Most of the time, they would be like an elusive dragon that one could barely see.

The water god temple was flourishing and enjoying huge amounts of incense offerings, so much so that it was even superior to the most orthodox formal gods of the Five Mountains. Every time a temple fair rolled around, more than one hundred thousand people would gather on the northern and southern banks of Burial River, causing the gold statue worshiped in the water god temple to be shrouded in mist and incense smoke all year round.

Yao Zhen laughed heartily and said, “If the empire suffers a drought, then the emperor will personally visit the water god temple to pray for rain. Even if the emperor is unable to personally visit, he’ll definitely send a member of the Imperial Liu Clan as well as the head minister of the Ministry of Rites to travel south to the water god temple. This is very effective, and the water god of Burial River has never disappointed the people of the Great Quan Empire before.”

After hearing this explanation from Yao Zhen, Chen Ping’an started to feel a little disappointed that they wouldn’t pass the water god temple. Otherwise, he could have drunk some green plum wine while inscribing his experiences onto his bamboo slips.

They walked two or three kilometers downstream following the churning Burial River, and it was here that they came across an old man squatting by the riverbank and dazedly staring at the river.

Yao Zhen glanced back at the old guest elder, and the latter nodded softly in response. Only then did the old general stride toward the old man squatting by the riverbank.

The old man didn’t look like anything special, but he semeed very healthy and strong. However, he was frightened by Yao Zhen and the others, so he hurriedly stood up in a flustered manner, with his Adam’s apple moving slightly as he gulped. He timidly greeted Yao Zhen as “Lord Official,” yet he didn’t know what to say after this. He didn’t know what to do with his hands either.

Yao Zhen called him old brother and told him that he didn’t need to worry. He then casually asked the old man where he lived and what he did for a living. The old man didn’t dare to lie, so he honestly answered each of Yao Zhen’s questions. However, his answer to the second question astonished everyone.

As it turned out, the old man was more than just a farmer. He also worked as a corpse collector, and he would often wander along the banks of Burial River for this job. According to the rules passed down through the generations, he referred to himself as a water ghost.

Yao Zhen was extremely curious about this, so he started to ask more detailed questions about water ghosts and their job of collecting corpses. The old man was slightly hesitant, and he most likely felt too ashamed to talk about his position and job. He was afraid that these officials and nobility would feel unhappy after hearing his explanation.

Yao Zhen comforted the old man, and only then did he start to slowly explain these local customs. There were indeed many secrets in this occupation. As it turned out, these boatmen who referred to themselves as water ghosts could be hired by people to search for corpses in the river.

Alternatively, these boatmen could collect corpses from the river whenever they came across them. If people heard about this and hurried over to inquire, the boatmen wouldn’t be allowed to actively ask for money. They could accept payment if the living people offered money, while they could only let things be and treat their actions as a form of earning hidden virtue if the living people didn’t offer money.

Otherwise, they would be cursed with three years of bad fortune if they broke this rule. Of course, the living relatives of the deceased would also suffer misfortune if they refused to pay and even refused to treat the boatmen a meal.

Perhaps due to Yao Zhen and Chen Ping’an’s friendly appearances, the old man gradually became more and more comfortable as he spoke. At the same time, his initially unclear speech using the official dialect of the Great Quan Empire also became clearer and clearer. He voluntarily started to explain the rules of collecting corpses to Yao Zhen, and a faint smile appeared on the honest old man’s face as he spoke.

“Perhaps you’re not aware of this, Lord Official, but men will definitely float face down after they drown to death. On the other hand, women will float face up. I’ve never come across an exception. A single glance from the bank of the river, and I can immediately tell whether they’re a man or a woman.

“After collecting the corpses and bringing them to shore, we’ll have to help bury them at someplace near the water god temple if no one comes to collect them. Afterward, we’ll need to offer three sticks of incense in the temple and ask for a small red ribbon outside the temple. We’ll tie this ribbon around our wrist, and this signifies that we’ve done a good deed, so we’ll also receive good fortune in the future.”

The old man glanced at the surface of Burial River, and his expression became solemn as he continued, “However, there are two types of corpses that we can’t collect. One type is corpses that float upright in the river, regardless of whether they’re male or female. We’re not allowed to collect these corpses. Another type is corpses whose appearances are covered by their hair. We don’t dare to collect such corpses no matter how much we’re paid.

“In addition to this, there’s also a rule regarding unmarried women who have committed suicide by jumping into the river. If we fail to collect their corpse after three attempts, then we’re not allowed to make any further attempts. Those who dare to flout this rule are bound to suffer misfortune.”

Pei Qian listened with keen interest in the beginning, yet the more she listened, the more her skin started to crawl. She didn’t even dare to look at the river anymore.

The old man relaxed his expression and said with an honest chuckle, “When I retire from my job as a water ghost, I’ll find a sunny day to come to the riverbank to wash my hands. That will be my way of informing the water god of my retirement.”

Yao Zhen nodded and asked, “Old Brother, how many corpses have you collected after all these years?”

The old man pondered for a moment before shaking his head and replying, “I don’t remember anymore.”

“Good people will experience good fortune, so don’t feel like collecting corpses is an embarrassing job,” Yao Zhen said in a serious voice. “This is a job where you can do good and accumulate merit. It’s very good.”

The old man smiled in embarrassment and remarked, “Lord Official is definitely a good and incorruptible official.”

After wracking his brains for a while, this was the best praise that the old man could come up with.

It was getting late, so Yao Zhen smiled and bade farewell to the old man.

Chen Ping’an said that he would stay for a while longer.

In the end, only the old man, Chen Ping’an, Pei Qian, and Zhu Lian remained. The others all returned to the relay station.

Zhu Lian continued to walk downstream.

Chen Ping’an sat beside the old man and offered him his wine gourd, asking with a smile, “Do you drink, Old Uncle?”

The old man hurriedly shook his hands and replied, “Please don’t waste your good wine on me. Leave it for yourself to drink.”

Chen Ping’an extended his arm a bit further and said, “Which means you do drink.”

The old man still didn’t dare to accept the wine gourd, so Chen Ping’an chuckled softly and revealed, “You might not believe this, Old Uncle, but I was also born in a poor family. I worked in a kiln for many years.”

Seeing that the young boy had no intention of retracting his arm, the old man could only carefully accept the wine gourd and raise it high into the air, tilting his head back and drinking a mouthful of wine. He then hurriedly returned the wine gourd to Chen Ping’an.

Gulping down the wine, the old man most likely wasn’t able to taste anything at all. However, his face was already flushed red, and it was clear that he was very happy.

Chen Ping’an also took a swig of green plum wine before asking, “Old Uncle, are you here to look for floating corpses today?”

The old man shook his head and replied, “The river is fairly dry right now, so it won’t be easy to find any corpses.”

However, seemingly feeling like he had said something wrong, the old man became slightly embarrassed as he corrected, “It’s a good thing to not find any corpses.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in response as he quietly continued to drink wine.

The old man was actually a taciturn person, so he had already said more to Yao Zhen than the sum of what he would usually speak in an entire year.

Gazing at the flowing river in front of him, Chen Ping’an was reminded of his hometown’s Dragon Whisker River and Iron Talisman River.

The old man suddenly turned around and chuckled, “Young Master, you’ve already pulled through the difficult times and become very impressive.”

Chen Ping’an scratched his head, not knowing how to respond. If he said he was poor, that would appear quite insincere and dishonest. If he admitted that he was impressive, however, that would also appear quite pretentious and conceited.

Pei Qian was feeling very puzzled. How extremely strange! What was there to talk about with this old man? She had never seen Chen Ping’an say so much to Old General Yao before.

The three of them fell silent for a long time. The old man squatting on the riverbank suddenly heaved a sigh, looking at the surface of Burial River and saying, “I’m going to say some inauspicious words, Young Master, so please don’t get angry at me.”

Chen Ping’an nodded and replied, “Please go ahead, Old Uncle.”

The old man’s voice was quiet as he said, “When my son was around the same age as you, he came across a pitiful person he shouldn’t have collected. However, he refused to listen and insisted on bringing that person to shore. A few days later, my son passed away. I should have stopped him.”

There wasn’t too much grief on the old man’s face as he recounted this tragic experience.

In the end, the old man thanked Chen Ping’an before leaving, saying that he had never drunk such delicious wine in his life.

Chen Ping’an stood up and watched the old man disappear into the distance.

Pei Qian still didn’t dare to look at Burial River.

Zhu Lian also walked back over, and this gave Pei Qian some more courage.

Chen Ping’an sat cross-legged and gazed at the river as well as the opposite shore. He told Zhu Lian to bring Pei Qian back to the relay station first, yet Pei Qian was unwilling to leave and insisted on staying with Chen Ping’an no matter what. In the end, Zhu Lian could only accompany her and stay by the riverbank as well.

Chen Ping’an closed his eyes as if he were asleep.

Pei Qian grabbed a bunch of stones in boredom, yet she didn’t dare to toss them into the river, afraid that she would hit a floating corpse by accident. She couldn’t help but get goosebumps when she thought about a female corpse floating face up on the river with her hair flowing all around her. Pei Qian instinctively shuffled closer to Chen Ping’an and tightened her grip on her hiking pole. At the same time, she started to silently recite the passages of that book in her mind to boost her own courage.

Zhu Lian stood hunchbacked as he peered into the distance.

Mountains gods, water deities, ghosts, and spirits?

Martial Arts Maniac Zhu Lian naturally wasn’t afraid of these things.

A long time passed, and it was already deep into the night when Pei Qian suddenly exclaimed in astonishment, “Why is there a bridge above the river?”

Zhu Lian faltered upon hearing this, and he looked over following Pei Qian’s gaze. However, was there any bridge in sight? There was nothing but churning water.

Pei Qian widened her gleaming eyes as much as she could, and she exclaimed again, “Wow! It’s a golden bridge!”

Zhu Lian glanced at Chen Ping’an first, and he saw that the young boy didn’t react at all.

The hunchbacked old man didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, and he simply treated this as a case of the mischievous little girl spewing nonsense again. In any case, it would have been far more believable if she had lied about a corpse floating on the river rather than a golden bridge appearing above the river.

Pei Qian was slightly baffled.

This was because she could seemingly hear Chen Ping’an reading, with the contents of what he was reading exactly the same as what he had asked Pei Qian to memorize. This was the only thing that Chen Ping’an had asked her to memorize in addition to that Confucian book. In fact, he had especially used the Wind and Snow Awl to write these few lines at the end of that Confucian book, causing Pei Qian to have a very deep impression of it.

Chen Ping’an was never willing to explain any principles to her, and he was only willing to explain those principles that existed outside the books to Cao Qinglang. Thus, Pei Qian felt like this writing at the end of the book was the only area where she was superior to that little bookworm.

Feeling extremely aggrieved at this moment, Pei Qian started to loudly recite the words that Chen Ping’an had written.

There was, “The stars follow and revolve alongside one another, while the sun and the moon replace one another in a perpetual cycle. The seasons take turns controlling the weather, while Yin and Yang give rise to the world. The wind and the rain nurture all things, providing them with the vitality required to grow…”

And there was, “Noble people don’t move rashly, their movements always adhere to the Dao. Noble people don’t speak carelessly, their speech always adheres to reason. Noble people don’t demand excessively, their demands always adhere to justice. Noble people don’t act aimlessly, their actions always adhere to righteousness!”[1]

1. This is derived from the Analects of Confucius, and these are the four things that noble people don’t do (君子四不为). ☜