Chapter 35: A Guard of Honor

Pan Jun remained silent. Although she acknowledged that Xuan Miao and Tao Ji each possessed skills superior to her own, she did not believe they were qualified to be her masters. She felt that being fellow disciples and learning from one another was perfectly adequate; after all, she also possessed a wealth of knowledge and could teach them a thing or two herself.

Traveling east from Guangxin Prefecture, they spent two days swaying along in a mule cart before entering the territory of Yushan County. They did not need to pass through the county seat to reach Mount Sanqing; they simply followed the mountain trail for half a day to arrive at their destination.

At the foot of Mount Sanqing lay a village. Tao Ji introduced it to her, saying, "This is Fen-shui Village. The cart cannot make it up the mountain, so we will find a local family to store it for us."

The village was quite large, built against the mountain and along the water. Pan Jun could see the signs of human habitation stretching along the river for several miles.

As soon as the cart entered the village, people began to greet Tao Ji and Xuan Miao warmly. Tao Ji, in particular, was surrounded by children, some calling him "Taoist Priest Tao," others "Master Tao," and some simply "Uncle Tao."

Tao Ji pulled a cloth bag from his robes and grabbed a handful of candies wrapped in transparent glutinous rice paper to hand out to them. The children cheered happily, skipping and hopping alongside the cart. Tao Ji continued to distribute the sweets as they walked. By the time he had finished one bag, they had only crossed half the village, and the children had already called over their friends, bringing even more youngsters into the fray.

Tao Ji laughed heartily, unbothered. He reached into the cart, pulled out another bag of candy, and continued to hand them out along the way.

Pan Jun sat to one side, watching blankly. Xuan Miao, her expression softening considerably, could not help but smile. When she turned and saw Pan Jun staring at the bag in Tao Ji’s hand, she reached out toward him. Tao Ji’s eyes lit up, and he placed a generous handful into his junior sister's palm. Immediately, a group of children swarmed toward Xuan Miao.

Xuan Miao picked out three candies and handed them to Pan Jun. Pan Jun looked down at the sweets in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then accepted them, watching as Xuan Miao distributed the rest to the other children.

Ahead lay a bridge crossing the river. Fearing the children might accidentally tumble into the water, Tao Ji waved them back and told them to follow behind. Once they crossed the bridge, they reached the base of the mountain. The houses became sparser, and a mountain trail hidden behind trees appeared. After walking a short distance along the trail, they saw a small house built of stone and earth.

In the open space beside the house stood a thatched shed. A bamboo pole was propped up nearby, flying a cloth banner with the large character for "Tea" written on it. When the wind blew, the banner flipped over to reveal the character for "Food" on the other side. As if sensing the arrival of guests, a breeze stirred in the mountain air, causing the banner to rotate lazily and occasionally strike the bamboo pole with a soft rhythmic sound.

Not far away, a door opened and an old man stepped out. Seeing the cart, he grinned, his face wrinkling into a myriad of folds. "Oh my, Tao the lad and Xuan Miao are back! Wait just a moment, I’ll brew you some tea."

With that, he trotted toward the tea shed. Despite his advanced age, his movements were quick and agile. As he added water and stoked the firewood, he poked his head out and shouted to the group of children, "Xiao Jing! Xiao Jing! Come here and tend the fire!"

At the back of the crowd, a tall, sturdy youth responded and pushed his way through to run over. The old man patted his shoulder. "You’re already twelve, why are you still playing with a bunch of children? It’s time you learned to do some work."

Wang Xiao Jing wiped the sweat from his face and replied casually, "I know, Great-Grandfather."

Tao Ji had finished parking the cart and, upon hearing this, laughed heartily. "Old Man Wang, Xiao Jing is still just a child; let him play if he wants to." He pulled over a long bench and sat by the roadside, waiting for the newcomers among the children to come claim their candy.

The children who had already received their sweets did not leave. Instead, they crowded around him, asking where he had been this time and what interesting things he had seen. Tao Ji spoke eloquently, "This time, I went to the capital, Beijing."

"Wow—" the children gasped in amazement, asking repeatedly, "Is Beijing big? Is it bigger than Nanjing?"

The children's enthusiasm made Tao Ji feel immensely proud. He began to regale them with stories of how massive and prosperous Beijing was, telling them which routes to take once they entered the city, where to find cheap and safe inns, and which streets sold what goods. The children provided a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs," fueling Tao Ji’s excitement and encouraging him to provide even more details.

Old Man Wang beamed, his eyes crinkling as he turned to look for tea leaves.

Pan Jun sat on the other side of the cart, lowering her gaze to the candy in her hand. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. It was malt candy—golden-orange and sugary, tasting exactly the same as the sweets she had eaten in both of her lives. The sweetness seemed to seep into her heart, and the incessant sound of Tao Ji’s chatter no longer felt so irritating.

When the water boiled, Old Man Wang brewed a bowl of tea for Tao Ji first, then brought one to Xuan Miao. Xuan Miao quickly hopped off the cart to receive it. Pan Jun turned her head to look, and it was only then that Old Man Wang noticed there was another child on the other side of the cart, previously hidden by the cargo.

"Oh my!" the old man exclaimed. Seeing her wearing a green Taoist robe similar to Xuan Miao’s, his eyes crinkled into smiles again. "There’s another little Taoist priest here. Wait a moment, I’ll cook a bowl of noodles for you."

Xuan Miao quickly declined, "We must head up the mountain once we’ve had our tea."

"Right," Tao Ji said, rising with his tea in hand and smiling. "Old Man Wang, we brought back too many things and couldn't carry them all at once. We’ll store them with you for now and come back to collect them when we have time. Please keep the cart and the mule here as well; if anyone in the village needs to use them, feel free to let them, as long as you make sure to feed the mule."

Old Man Wang agreed and told his great-grandson to come over and help move the items, while he went to boil the noodles. Tao Ji tried to stop him, "Really, there's no need. We ate on the road."

"That’s you," Old Man Wang said, brushing his hand aside. "You adults aren't hungry, but how can a child not be? There is still a long mountain road ahead of you. You might be able to endure it, but you shouldn't make the child suffer. Go ahead and move your things; I’ll handle the noodles." He scooped up flour and began to knead the dough.

Pan Jun watched silently while eating her candy. Although Old Man Wang said he was only making noodles for Pan Jun, he kneaded a large basin of dough and eventually pulled three bowls’ worth. Fortunately, the water was already boiling, so they could be cooked immediately.

The children helped Tao Ji move the supplies while sniffing the air, their mouths watering at the aroma. They were curious about Pan Jun and had wanted to approach her to play for a long time, but seeing her sitting beside Xuan Miao, as cold and distant as her senior, they had been too intimidated.

Seeing her now helping to move the items, the children jostled one another until Wang Xiao Jing was pushed to the front. Holding a cloth bag filled with medicinal herbs, he grinned at Pan Jun. "Is little sister going up the mountain to be a Taoist too?"

Pan Jun nodded. "Yes. Are you familiar with the mountain?"

Wang Xiao Jing replied, "I’m quite familiar with it. I’ve been up there a few times with my father and the others. Your mountain is... quite chilly. Oh, by the way, the apricots at my house are ripe. I’ll pick a basket for you in a moment; you can take them to Miao He for me."

Before Pan Jun could ask who Miao He was, he had already thrust the cloth bag into her arms and jumped away, shouting, "I’m going to pick them now! You must wait for me!" Wang Xiao Jing then called out to his friends, and he and seven or eight of the older children grabbed two bamboo baskets and ran off.

Pan Jun: ...

Tao Ji passed by, sniffed the air, and pulled the cloth bag from her arms. "I was wondering where this went. This needs to be taken up the mountain." He borrowed two large baskets and one small one from Old Man Wang, sorted the most urgent items into the baskets, and stored the rest in a small room at the Wang house.

This room appeared to be used specifically for miscellaneous items. The floor was padded with stones and covered with wooden boards about a hand’s breadth off the ground, keeping the items elevated to prevent dampness and cold, allowing them to be preserved for longer.

Tao Ji organized the items by category. Seeing Pan Jun observing him, he explained, "This is where Old Man Wang keeps his tea and grain. Our Taoist temple often borrows this room to store things. In the future, if you leave the mountain or return and can't carry everything, you can store your belongings here." Pan Jun made a mental note of this.

Once everything was settled, Tao Ji handed the small basket to her. "This is what you’ll be carrying. Put your luggage in here too; the mountain paths are difficult to traverse, so it’s more convenient to carry a basket."

Old Man Wang called them over to eat the noodles. Just as they were about to depart, Wang Xiao Jing and the others came running back, carrying the bamboo baskets. Tao Ji’s head began to ache when he saw the sheer volume of apricots, still attached to fresh leaves. Was he expected to carry all of this up the mountain?

He wanted to refuse, but thinking of Miao He’s round, chubby face and those sparkling eyes, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Xuan Miao said, "Leave them with me."

Tao Ji replied, "No, I’ll take them." He stuffed a roll of fabric tightly into Xuan Miao’s basket to make space, then found a large cloth bag and packed all the apricots inside. Wang Xiao Jing clearly didn't mind sacrificing his family's harvest; he had picked so many that Tao Ji’s bag was full, and there were still plenty left. He lifted it to gauge the weight—it was at least twenty catties.

Resigned to his fate, Tao Ji placed the bag into his own basket. The load created a massive bulge, which he secured with a rope woven into a net to ensure nothing would fall out. Tao Ji stood up with the basket on his back and waved. "Let’s go."

Pan Jun gave him a sympathetic look and hoisted her own small basket onto her back. The children followed them for a stretch, seeing them off with enthusiasm, and only turned back once the path grew too narrow and Tao Ji shooed them down the mountain. He promised to bring them candy when he returned in a while. The children ran off, laughing and cheering.

Wang Xiao Jing ran back to his family’s tea shed. While helping his great-grandfather clear the bowls, he discovered money left behind by Pan Jun and Xuan Miao. He picked it up. "Great-Grandfather, look."

Old Man Wang let out an "Oh," and sighed, "Why is Daoist Xuan Miao still being so polite?"

"And that little sister, she left money by her bowl too."

Old Man Wang couldn't help but mutter, "She has a temper similar to Daoist Xuan Miao. Oh dear, they paid for three bowls of noodles; we’re the ones getting the better end of the deal. Xiao Jing, remember this: the next time they come down the mountain, we must cook three bowls of noodles to make up for it." Wang Xiao Jing agreed.

Old Man Wang still favored Tao Ji the most; Tao Ji never paid for anything he ate or took, acting as if they were family, never like an outsider.

Wang Xiao Jing said, "If they refuse to take it, I’ll just add more noodles for Miao He—cook two bowls’ worth as one."

Old Man Wang said, "...Don't keep feeding Miao He like that. What if you ruin her stomach?"

"It won't happen. Her medical skills are excellent; how could she ever let herself get sick?"