Part3 (1/2)
In my head, I envision Nan Man to be a place like ancient Singapore, with dangerous tropical forests, dense vegetation and hot, humid weather. Or Thailand or Vietnam since we don't have rice fields in Singapore. While the author probably has Vietnam in mind since it is geographically south of china's border just like Nan Man, some of the magical stuff in the story reminds me of the black magic in Thailand. I have only heard a handful of black magic or jiang tou stories that exists in Thailand but it is enough for me to have a healthy fear of them. Although the enchantment that Shang Guan Jing encountered today is nothing vicious like jiang tou, I nonetheless thought that she should have been more careful. The black magic of South East Asia is nothing to scoff at.
Chapter 2 (Part 1 of 2)
Shang Guan Jing enters a cave and moves quickly to where a mirror made from polished white jade rests against a rocky wall. She flicks 3 levers next to the jade mirror like the way Teacher has shown her and steps fully into the cave.
”Teacher? Where are you?” She is quite sure that Teacher is no longer around but being the persistent sort, she needs to find Teacher's body before she can be convinced that Teacher has died. Ignoring the blood dripping from left shoulder (a 'souvenir' from the fight with Da s.h.i.+ Jie's), she checks the cave.
She is disappointed that there is no trace of Teacher but just as she is about to leave, the jade mirror suddenly glows until it lit up the entire cave with its brightness. She holds up a hand to s.h.i.+eld her eyes from the blinding light when suddenly, she hears a most familiar voice echoing the same instructions over and over. Sometimes the voice seems to be coming from the left; sometimes, it seems to coming from the right. Sometimes, the voice is loud like thunder and sometimes the voice is soft, but despite the intonation, the words are the same.
”Travel to the South. Take the leader's token with you and make sure you do not lose it.”
”Jing'er, find the Diao family. The token will lead you to them.”
”Once you have found them, you will know what to do next. Don't be afraid, Jing'er. Don't be afraid.”
”Teacher!”
*******
Shang Guan Jing wakes up with a jerk. The last thing she remembers from the dream is a clap of thunder followed by the shattering of the jade mirror. In its ruins, she saw the token that signifies its possessor as the leader of Ling Feng Sect and she left the cave with it.
Before this incident, Da s.h.i.+ Jie has overthrown Teacher and taken control of their sect. Following her teacher's instructions, Shang Guan Jing has travelled to the far south. She knows that Da s.h.i.+ Jie is trying to search for her and she has been careful to conceal her trail during the journey south. The stress of travelling plus her initial adjustment to a different climate has caused her to be bed-ridden for 3 full days. Even till now, which is 2 weeks since she was rescued from the forest, she has yet to fully recover to her strength.
She is well enough to explore her surroundings however and walks around the guest house often. The house she is staying in is made of bamboo and has a small garden surrounding it. In one corner of the garden, clear spring water sprouts out from a bamboo snout and the small stream of water meanders across the garden before disappearing into a bamboo groove fencing the house.
Her host lives in another bamboo house behind the bamboo groove but he is apparently a big believer of peace and quiet. He may join her for meals from time to time, but otherwise, she is left to her own devices. Besides Feng Jin, the only people around are the servants who clean her room, and place fresh water, fruits and meals in her room every day.
When she has gotten stronger, she has walked to a nearby village to enquire about the Diao family. Feng Jin did not restrict her movements and gave her a sachet of herbs to hang on her belt which he told her can to ward off insects. He has also shown her which mint leaves can be eaten should she inhale any poison gases by accident and need to dispel its effects.
She is deeply thankful for Feng Jin's help and promises herself that she will not impose on him any more than necessary. The moment she finds the whereabouts of the Diao family, she will leave. But after checking out all 4 villages in the area, she only found out that the villagers have heard about a Diao family who stays in Nan Man, but one can tell her where she can find them. Sometimes, she would also show her teacher's token to the villagers but they would shake their head and tell her that they have no idea what the strange carving and symbols on the token mean.
What is she going to do next if she cannot find the Diaos?
And back to villagers, their behavior is really strange. They seem like honest, simple folks but for some strange reason, they will clam up whenever she mentions that she is staying at Feng Jin's bamboo house. They will stare at her strangely, open their mouth as if to speak, but ultimately, all of them would clear their throats and refrain from telling her more.
Shang Guan Jing suspects that their hesitation is due to Feng Jin's peculiar looks but her instincts tell her that this cannot be the only reason. Which is why when she spotted Feng Jin in one of the village one sunny evening, she decides that she shall follow him secretly.
She is not stalking him, she tells herself, but since she has stumbled across him without him noticing her…
He is wearing his customary white robes and carrying a woven basket behind his back. His long hair is tied neatly behind him and he looks neat and fresh. He has mentioned over breakfast this morning that he is going to gather herbs in the forest and from the heap of leaves in his basket, he must have a successful 'harvest'.
She does not know if he is a doctor but she has noticed some unfamiliar plants growing in his garden instead of the normal fruits, vegetables or flowers that one would expect to find in a garden. When asked about the plants, he has answered that the plants are native herbs with medicinal value and can also help to repel insects and rodents. During the 3 days when she was bedridden, she did not see a doctor and drank Feng Jin's home brew. Since she did get better after taking his medicine, she has not doubted his doctoring skills ever since.
Maybe her instincts are wrong and the villagers are only avoiding him because of how he look?
Deep down, she pities him and finds it sad that a nice man like him is an outcast. She follows him from a safe distance and from where he is heading, he seems to be going home. Under a setting sun, he walks past a rice field, and she sees that the farmers have stopped working in their fields to gawk at him. Shang Guan Jing cannot see Feng Jin's expression since he is back-facing her but having known him for nearly 2 weeks by now, she imagines that he must be behaving as if everything is normal, in spite of all the obvious staring.
How does it feel, she wonders, if people dare not come within 3 meters of you and stare at you as if you have a contagious disease?
Heart heavy, she continues to follow him and this time, he walks past some children playing by the road. The children stopped playing as he approaches and she can see the face of the older children turning pale. Some of the smaller children started quivering and in the next second, some of the youngest children have burst out crying.