Chapter 10 Part1 (1/2)
My original plan was to incorporate part of this chapter in last week's post but alas, things are pretty hectic recently so I'll just stick to the book's pacing. As it is, the next and last post for ”Man from Wild South” will likely take 2 weeks instead of 1, as it requires substantial editing.
We meet 2 other ladies today and though their appearances are short, Shang Guan Jin's Fourth s.h.i.+ Mei and Xiao s.h.i.+ Mei are very likable characters. That said, I miss Feng Jin, who is out of the picture for once, and this gives Shang Guan Jin some s.p.a.ce to digest what the man means to her and vice versa. Hopefully and unlikely, it will not be a divorce but we'll see about that in the next and last chapter. Until then, have a smooth-sailing week ahead.
Chapter 10 (Part 1)
It has been a week since Du Qing Qing was rescued from the cave but Shang Guan Jing and Su Xue Ying have yet to find a way to seal the cave. Today, Su Xue Ying was wondering out loud if they should approach Feng Jin for help when Qing Qing pips in helpfully. ”We do not need Feng Jin, I can roll back the rock entrance and seal the cave.”
Qing Qing was very frail when she was found and has been bedridden until 3 days ago. Even then, she could only walk around her room until today when she is finally much better. When both her s.h.i.+ jie look at her in surprise, Qing Qing continues. ”I do not know how I became this way but I have always feel this special … something, inside me. It can get pretty uncomfortable, even painful, at times and it has gotten pretty bad in the last 2 years.”
”When I told s.h.i.+ Fu about this, she taught me to meditate and also set of breathing tactic which is different from the breathing tactic we used for fighting. Her method works and the qi in my body no longer makes me uncomfortable. s.h.i.+ Fu said that my make-up is slightly different from normal people and although it is unusual for the qi to surface only when I turn fourteen, it is not totally unheard of and told me that I can slowly learn to control that part of me.”
Su Xue Ying is amazed but Shang Guan Jing merely nods, as if this something she comes across everyday. ”So you mean to say that Teacher has discovered your special ability around 2 years ago and has taught you the way to control it?”
”Yes.” Qing Qing nods solemnly. ”s.h.i.+ Fu said that since this qi only surfaced when I'm such a big girl, she cannot predict how much how much I can do with it nor how far I can go. At that time, San s.h.i.+ Jie was roaming around the pugilist world while Si s.h.i.+ Jie has gotten married and moved to Western Desert, so there isn't much to do here expect to meditate and practice my swordplay. All was normal until one day, Er s.h.i.+ Ge and Da s.h.i.+ Jie seems to have gotten very close all of a sudden and… ouch”
Qing Qing looks woefully at Su Xue Ying who has pinched her waist. Hard. Qing Qing's woe-puppy look and Xue Ying's consternation makes Shang Guan Jing smile and she tells them fondly. ”I am alright, it doesn't matter and I have put the past behind. Do continue with your story.”
Yes she has been miserable over her failed relation with Er s.h.i.+ Ge once upon a time but it is now another man who weighs on her mind. More so than ”Bo Lan Zhou”, it is the mention of 'Feng Jin' that will make her heart ache. Sometimes when Xue Ying mentions his name, her heart would ache so much that even her body would shake with the intensity of it.
Qing Qing rubs her abused waist meekly and continues. ”One day, everything just fell apart. At first, I did not know what was happening and was meditating in my room when suddenly, I thought I heard s.h.i.+ Fu telling me to go to the sacred cave and to do it quickly. When I got there, the rock entrance was already opened, revealing the cave behind. So I walk in.” She pauses as her eyes dim with the memory. ”I thought s.h.i.+ Fu was inside, but in actual fact, she was ….. she was already gone at that time. I heard her voice again, saying that her body has perished and she is unsure how long her spirit can linger…”
The 3 disciples start crying at this and it takes a while until any of them can speak again. Shang Guan Jing is the first to recover and tries to ask more. ”Did you manage to speak with Teacher after that?”
Qing Qing rubs her tears away and sniffles. ”The cave entrance has sealed by itself not long after I stepped in but I can still hear s.h.i.+ Fu's voice. She told me that I need to calm myself and meditate. At first, I wasn't able to do that but slowly, my mind settled down and it is as if my spirit has travelled to another plane. In that place I saw s.h.i.+ Fu…”
Both Shang Guan Jing and Su Xue Ying reach out to hold her hands tightly and she squeezes their hands back. ”s.h.i.+ Fu said that I need to stay there temporarily and regulate my breathing like a good girl.” She crinkles her nose as she recalls the torturous process. ”I told her that it is too difficult. I'm sure s.h.i.+ Jie has heard about the story of Venerable Da Mo and how Venerable Da Mo is able to live and meditate in a small cave for 9 years. 9 years! But that is because he is the great Venerable Da Mo! I am only Du Qing Qing and I have no aspiration to be like old master Da Mo. Besides, I doubt I can be like him even if I wanted to.”
Su Xue Ying smiles through her tears. ”I bet Teacher probably boxed your ears when you said that.”
Qing Qing tugs at her pigtails and nods. ”Si s.h.i.+ Jie, it wasn't just a ‘box’; s.h.i.+ Fu gave me ‘cartons’!”
”There is no food or water inside the purple jadeite cave.” Shang Guan Jing pats her hand gently. ”s.h.i.+ Fu needs your mind to remain where you were so that your physical body can sustain the absence of food and water while it stay out of harm way inside the cave. Teacher probably planned for you to wait for me while I seek out the person who can help us in Nan Man.”
Qing Qing nods in understanding. ”s.h.i.+ Fu said that I need to make full use of my time and taught me more breathing tactics. s.h.i.+ Fu also mentioned that if Yu Ling peak is no more, it is its fate and we should not cling on to it. After a long time, s.h.i.+ Fu got a little fuzzy around the edges and her voice got softer and softer, until one day…. one day…. she just disappeared and never appeared again.” She looks sorrowfully at Shang Guan Jing. ”So I followed her instructions and stayed in that place while I meditate and meditate. I can sense it when the door of the purple jadeite cave opened, but I do not quite know how to leave the place until I saw a man with a golden glow. He told me to follow him and then I was back.”
Shang Guan Jing smiles fondly at her Xiao s.h.i.+ Mei and soothes the hair back from her face while Su Xue Ying concludes after listening to the whole story. ”s.h.i.+ Jie, I think s.h.i.+ Fu and the man you brought back are probably relatives. What do you think?”
The saga of the purple jadeite cave has made it beyond doubt for Shang Guan Jing that their sect's ancestors descended from the Diao family. There may not be any no gold or treasure in the cave, but there are several paintings in a corner of the cave depicting the early lives of their ancestors:- how they have travelled from a tropical forest to settle down in the mountains and how they overcame the challenges of settling in a new place,.
When she was looking at the drawings, Shang Guan Jing has paid close attention to a man who seems to be the leader of the early settlers. Feng Jin suspected that her ancestor probably left Nan Man to have a clean break with his cousin. No one will ever know the truth for something that has happened so long ago, but somehow, Shang Guan Jing buys the story.
This may be a controversial romance but it totally fits the character of Diao decedents, Shang Guan Jing privately thinks, gauging with her past interactions with other members from the Diao family. If the same thing happens to the current Feng Zhu for instance, she has full faith that he would toss other people's opinion out of the window and would pester his love interest until the latter caves in. He will probably be like the twines of the southern forest that spiral around the trunks of ancient trees, seemingly soft but yet tenacious and unyielding. Both twine and tree can live together or die together, but not matter what happens, they will be together.