After eating two large steamed buns, Lu Zheng went out with Liu Qingyan and the others.
He soon noticed that Du Yueyao’s eyes kept darting towards him.
“What are you looking at?”
Du Yueyao scratched her head, gave a silly grin, then asked expectantly, “Big Brother Lu, did you write that Legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai?”
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, not surprised at all.
Liu Qingyan and Du Yueyao spent all their time together, so it was perfectly normal for Liu Qingyan to share the story picture book with her.
“I didn’t write it. It’s a tale passed down in my hometown,” Lu Zheng said.
“It’s written so beautifully, and that accompanying piece, Butterfly Lovers, is utterly heart-wrenching. Every note pierces the soul, enough to make listeners weep and hearers shed tears,” Du Yueyao said, looking deeply moved.
Liu Qingyan kept nodding beside her, and even Old Liu wore an expression that said this music had touched him profoundly.
Lu Zheng smacked his lips. “Indeed, back in my hometown, this story is considered one of the more tragic ones.”
“Also, I gave the sheet music to Ting’er. She said that, played solely on the guzheng, it isn’t the best instrument for this piece. The melody is so smooth and gentle, it would suit the dongxiao or the dizi much better,” Liu Qingyan added.
Lu Zheng blinked. Bai Ting’er really knew her instruments. The Butterfly Lovers concerto was originally composed for the violin, a bowed string instrument.
In ancient Hua, stringed instruments like the yaoqin, guzheng, and pipa were mostly plucked.
The erhu? That seemed to have come from western nomadic tribes, though Lu Zheng wasn’t entirely sure.
In the Great Jing dynasty, at least, Lu Zheng had never seen a bowed string instrument, no wonder Bai Ting’er thought of the dongxiao or dizi.
Did that mean he’d have to become an instrument porter again?
Lu Zheng set the thought aside and nodded. “Bai Ting’er is right. Played on the dongxiao or dizi, it would suit the piece better than the guzheng. It’s just that I don’t particularly like blowing the xiao.”
Liu Qingyan gave him a curious glance. Come to think of it, Lu Zheng usually preferred the yaoqin, had played the zheng and se, and had blown the dizi, but never the xiao.
“Why ever not?” Du Yueyao asked in surprise. “The dongxiao has such a long, gentle, lingering tone. It’s beautiful.”
*Ahem.* Lu Zheng gave two dry coughs. “I just don’t like that way of playing, nothing more.”
“Oh, right.” Du Yueyao dropped the subject.
“By the way, these past few days we’ve prepared a little surprise for you, darling. We’ll show you on the day off,” Liu Qingyan said, changing the topic.
“Oh? What surprise?” Lu Zheng asked.
Liu Qingyan pressed her lips together, Du Yueyao covered her mouth, and both women giggled. “We can’t tell you. You’ll see the day after tomorrow.”
Keeping it secret, were they?
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, but it was clearly something good, and he wasn’t in a hurry.
“Fine, I’ll look forward to it.”
The group arrived at Benevolent Heart Hall.
“There aren’t many patients lately, so the few of us can manage. Darling, you’ve only just returned, go and see Sister Shen,” Liu Qingyan said gently.
Lu Zheng nodded, watched them enter Benevolent Heart Hall, then strolled towards the south of the city. He planned to check on his own shop first, then head to Peach Blossom Plain.
…
“Daoist brother!”
He had not walked far when he saw two monks approaching.
One was a young monk, Guangyue.
The other was middle-aged, with greying hair and beard, and a square, honest face.
“Mas…ter?”
Lu Zheng pressed his palms together in greeting. “You’re back from Sunlit Temple? And this is?”
“This is my senior brother, Guangyi,” Guangyue introduced.
“Greetings, Master Guangyi.”
“Amitabha, greetings, Layman Lu!” Guangyi returned the salute with palms together.
“I’m not suited to managing a temple. After a few years it’s still a complete mess, so my senior brother has come to help,” Guangyue explained.
Lu Zheng nodded. Although Guangyi was much older, his cultivation was lower than Guangyue’s, probably only fifty or sixty years of practice. He could deal with minor demons and ghosts, but would be helpless against real experts.
He was probably the sort who handled administration in a sect, similar to Daoist Mingguang at White Cloud Temple.
“How’s your Bright Relic doing?” Lu Zheng asked, making conversation.
Guangyue smiled. “My master-uncle purified it for forty-nine days in the Grand Shrine. The Bright Relic is now completely cleansed. Even if monks from the Glazed Buddha Kingdom come again, they won’t be able to reverse-claim it.”
Lu Zheng nodded, then raised an eyebrow. “So you’ve come to Tonglin County looking for me? The Bright Relic is complete, fancy another sparring session?”
Guangyue’s mouth twitched, his voice rather resentful. “So, Daoist brother, you didn’t know Sunlit Temple is in the Eastern Sea Heaven Dao? I’m only passing through Tonglin County on my way back to Cockcrow Temple…”
Lu Zheng: ?_?
“Haha, haha…”
Lu Zheng laughed drily. “Of course I knew, how could I not? Sunlit Temple of Yanzhou in the Sea Heaven Dao, hugely famous and awe-inspiring. I just didn’t realise you were only returning now.”
“Oh, I see. This monk overthought it. Amitabha!” Guangyue relaxed, giving an embarrassed chuckle.
That was close. Thank goodness he had browsed the introductory texts on Great Jing’s major sects in White Cloud Temple’s scripture repository. He had even paid special attention to Guangyue’s Sunlit Temple out of curiosity. He had nearly given himself away…
Lu Zheng kept a straight face, waved a hand as if it were nothing.
“Did you stay in the county last night?”
“The city gates were closed by the time we arrived last night, so we stayed in Tushan Market. We entered the city this morning and were just heading to Tongyi Lane to see if you were home when we ran into you.”
“What a coincidence. I only got back from Jizhou this morning myself,” Lu Zheng said. “You’re not rushing back to Cockcrow Temple, are you? I brought some tea from Jizhou and was about to head to Peach Blossom Plain. Why not come along?”
“Amitabha, then we shall impose,” Guangyue agreed without hesitation, completely ignoring what Lu Zheng meant by “Peach Blossom Plain”.
Lu Zheng, “…”
Fine, fine. It was broad daylight anyway, nothing could happen. They were already here.
Lu Zheng led Guangyue and Guangyi all the way to Peach Blossom Plain, skirted the bustling Peach Blossom Shrine, and arrived at Peach Blossom Manor behind it.
The moment they reached the manor gate, Shen Ying was already waiting.
“Darling Lu~”
Her joy was written all over her face.
“Let me introduce them. This is Master Guangyi from Sunlit Temple, Guangyue’s senior brother.”
Shen Ying smiled brightly. “Hello again, Master Guangyue. Greetings, Master Guangyi.”
After the introductions, Lu Zheng entered Peach Blossom Manor and discovered that all five women from Five Beauties Manor, plus Bi Xin and Bi Yu, were there too.
“What day is it today?” Lu Zheng asked in surprise.
When the women saw him, their expressions were rather odd, though they only giggled and did not answer.
Guangyue was used to it, but Guangyi was stunned.
Wasn’t Lu Zheng an outer lay disciple of White Cloud Temple? How was he so close with this whole crowd of female spirits?
Had he walked into a demon den?
He had long heard there was a thousand-year-old great demon in White Cloud Paradise, the White Crane Immortal Aunt. So this was how wild they all played?
