Chapter 44: So Wonderful That Words Can't Describe It
The sky was turning dark, though the horizon was still bright. The mountains had become deep shadows. The yellow and blue light in the horizon, along with the silhouettes of the mountains, were reflected together in the water, tinting the river. A small boat drifted along the waves, its light appearing no larger than a soybean seed from a distance. It was also reflected in the water, but its reflection was ruffled by the evening breeze.
The boatman sat upright at the bow, holding a long pole.
The fishing line merged with the water, creating small ripples.
The boatman suddenly raised the pole, simultaneously reaching out to catch something.
It was just a small fish, which he casually tossed into the cabin.
“Plop, plop, plop...” The fish flopped around in the cabin.
The boatman just smiled at the calico cat and said, “This is for you.”
“Meow…” The calico cat responded with thanks before lowering her head to eat.
The scholar was also sitting at the side of the boat, enjoying the breeze and watching the boatman fish. Occasionally, he would reach down to touch the water, which was so close that he didn’t even need to fully extend his arm to make contact.
Suddenly, he laughed and pointed to the side, saying to the boatman, “Old man, look! You've been fishing hard all this time and only caught a sharpbelly[1] not even two fingers wide, yet here floats a fish right up to me! It's mocking you…”
As he said this, he used his other hand to prop himself against the edge of the window in order to lean out, stretching his arm as if to catch the fish.
“Don't catch it!” The boatman immediately turned his head and said.
“Huh?” The scholar retracted his hand lightning-fast and looked at the boatman. “Why not?”
The boatman's face relaxed, and he smiled as he said to the scholar, “It's best not to catch it.”
“Is there a particular reason?”
“Not really, it's just a habit of us boatmen and night fishers. When we see a fish floating near the water's edge, just out of easy reach, we don't touch it,” the boatman continued sitting at the bow fishing, his voice drifting over through the night breeze. “Just a habit.”
However, the scholar seemed intrigued. “Please tell me more.”
“There's nothing more to it...”
“There must be some particular reason!”
“Please don't make it difficult for me.”
“I wouldn’t dare to make it difficult for you! You don’t know, but I have loved hearing this kind of stories and rumors about gods and ghosts all my life. Please tell me.”
“There's really nothing to it. It's just that although this fish looks near and just out of reach, reaching out further increases the risk of falling into the water.”
“Is that all?”
“You must bear in mind that nothing falls out of the sky for free. Most things that come for no reason aren't simple,” the boatman sat still, focused on his fishing. “Just like this fish you see in front of you, it seems like you only need to lean down, reach out and grab it. However, once you lean down, if there's a little demon or little ghost beneath the water, waiting for you to be careless...”
The boatman trailed off, smiling.
“Oh?” The scholar raised his eyebrow, both fearful and excited. “Have such things happened before on this Liujiang River?”
The boatman continued smiling but remained silent, focused only on his fishing.
“Don't be stingy with your stories, old man.”
“They’re really not worth mentioning.”
“If you're willing to tell, I'll pay for some tea.”
The boatman could see that the scholar was genuinely interested in such stories, so he could no longer decline. After some hesitation, he began patiently telling his tales.
“When I was young, I heard people say that it’s best not to touch fish that you can catch by just taking a step into the water, or pluck medicinal herbs you can pick by just talking a step closer to the edge of a cliff. However, I was full of youthful vigor. I normally believed these tales. However, when it really happens to you, you often forget until you witness these kinds of events happen yourself.”
There were indeed many strange stories that happened on this Liujiang River.
The boatman told several stories in a row.
They were about people like the scholar, who coveted petty gains and thought good fortune had fallen from the sky. Or people who witnessed someone falling into water while walking along the riverbank in the middle of the night etc. In the end, they were harmed by demons or ghosts.
Song You also listened quietly from the side.
Without them noticing, the fish that had floated close to the water surface just half a meter away from the boat had already disappeared.
The demons, ghosts and monsters of this world were mostly like this.
When it came to ghosts, they had to put in some thought if they wanted to harm people unless they had a high level of cultivation.
As for demons, the differences were so great that it was hard to generalize.
For example, the fierce tiger they encountered a few days ago. The tiger was the Lord of the Mountain. Even though it hadn't gained enlightenment yet and was merely somewhat smarter than its peers, it knew how to hunt weaker prey and avoid the strong as well as how to distinguish traps. It was already too much for Liu Family Village’s strong young men and hunters to deal with. If it had intended to harm humans, the consequences would have been dire.
However, if it was just a rabbit, even if it gained enlightenment and became a demon, it might still be easily killed by a man’s stick or snatched away by an eagle if it was careless.
Take foxes which commonly appeared in stories for example.
They were carnivores at least. Many had become demons and taken human form. Yet, until they attained higher levels of cultivation, they must still avoid sharp-eyed village dogs when they infiltrated human society.
These were inborn differences. When one thought carefully, there were certain wondrous parts in them.
Minor ghosts and demons did not have sufficient ability or power. If they wanted to harm humans, they had to rely on deceit and temptation to lower their victims' guard and lure them into traps.
However, they might not always be malevolent. Many water creatures that gained wisdom used fish as bait to catch birds or other fish, and catching a human might just be accidental. It also didn't always mean there was a demon or ghost involved. Boats on the water traveled hundreds or more than a thousand li, often through uninhabited areas. Some boatmen who harbored evil intentions might kill their passengers and blame it on demons or ghosts.
After the boatman finished, the scholar loudly expressed his enjoyment.
“I'm not a good storyteller...”
“Never say that, old man. These kinds of stories are most captivating when told in the plainest way as if they had happened right next to you,” the scholar said, hurrying back into the boat. “I need to record them down quickly before I forget, or I would have wasted the five wen I paid for tea.”
Several stories for a tea fee of five wen did seem worthwhile.
The river became chilly in the night and it became cold outside.
Song You patted the jujube-red horse's neck. “I’ll have to trouble you to stay here for a few days. Don't make any noise unless necessary. If anything happens, just call out loudly for me.”
The jujube-red horse stood still and silent.
However, it was the scholar's laughter which came from behind. “Young Mister, you're truly interesting. It's still considered common to talk to cats, but now you're talking to a horse. Could it be that your horse has already become a demon and can understand human speech?”
Song You smiled and turned his head to look over.
While the boatman was telling his stories earlier, he had already caught several large fish and started brewing soup in advance. Now the little stove was steaming, and amidst the steam, the scholar was using his clothes box as a table and had laid out some rough straw paper. He put the brush he was holding into his mouth to wet it, then immersed himself in writing.
Song You also entered the cabin and took a casual look.
They were the stories the boatman had just told.
The scholar was immersed in writing madly hereafter and stopped talking.
Then he looked at the boatman. He carefully removed the meat on the fish and sliced it thinly. When the soup brewed with fish bones and fish heads was ready, he placed the translucent, exquisite fish slices into the pot. After a brief boil, they turned snowy white, and the aroma became even more tempting.
“There's nothing tasty to eat on the boat. It's always these dishes all day long. I hope you passengers won't mind,” the boatman said, retrieving bowls and chopsticks from a low cabinet.
The scholar had also finished writing just in time. He didn't stand on ceremony and immediately went to get the bowls, acting as if he was the owner of the boat. He called Song You and the family of three over, serving them soup.
Song You received a bowl and thanked him.
The air on the river was chilly, and the hot steam from the bowl in his palms contrasted sharply with the cold outside, bringing some sense of comfort even before taking a sip.
“Mm!!” The scholar's voice rang out first. “Old man, you have excellent cooking skills!”
“It's nothing special, really. It tastes the same no matter who cooks it,” the boatman laughed. “You just feel good after the first sip. After a few more days of the same fish soup or porridge with fish meat, you'll get tired of it.”
"You’re being modest, old man. Before the new year, I just traveled up the Liujiang River to Yizhou. At the time, the boatman on that boat also made the same dish, but it didn't taste as good as yours.”
“I dare not receive such praise!”
As Song You listened, he also lowered his head to take a sip.
The fish soup was seasoned only with salt and ginger, giving it a somewhat salty taste while removing any fishiness. Freshly-caught fish had a natural sweetness, but there were no other flavors, making it ordinary so far.
The key lay in the fish slices that were added later.
The fish meat had been sliced very thin, with no bones in sight, requiring some knife skills and patience. The fish meat added later was very enjoyable to eat. It was only boiled briefly in the pot, so the fish skin was still slightly crispy and springy when first eaten. It was completely different from the method where the fish meat was put into the pot from the beginning and stewed together.
The boatman had indeed been modest.
Though it was indeed not particularly fancy, simple dishes are sometimes the hardest to perfect. This simplicity was a kind of art in itself.
“Hah...” Song You exhaled a warm breath, feeling utterly relaxed.
He glanced at the calico cat beside him. “Would you like some, Lady Calico?”
The calico cat didn't respond, just shrank back.
The scholar found this amusing again.
After finishing his fish soup, he struck up a conversation with Song You again. “Where are you from, Mister?”
“I'm from Yizhou.”
“Oh? Which part of Yizhou?”
“Lingquan County.”
“Lingquan County?” The scholar immediately seemed intrigued. “I also visited Lingquan County during my trip to Yizhou.”
“And you are?”
“I actually still have not introduced myself properly, and really been quite rude!” The scholar hurriedly smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. “My surname is Fu, like the “fu” in “taifu”(Imperial Preceptor) and my name is Yu. My style name is Wendong. I come from Long Commandery, Xuzhou.”
“I’m Song You, and my style name is Menglai. I’m a hermit from Lingquan County, Yizhou.”
“Did you cultivate in Lingquan County?”
“You seem very surprised.”
“Not exactly surprised, I just have a question to ask,” the scholar cupped his hands again. “Since you cultivated in Lingquan County, have you heard of Hidden Dragon Temple on Yin-Yang Mountain?”
“I have heard of it.” Song You remained calm as he looked at him.
“To be honest, my trip to Yizhou was firstly to visit friends and relatives and secondly to go to Yin-Yang Mountain to seek Hidden Dragon Temple,” the scholar couldn’t help shaking his head with regret. “However, I searched all over when I reached Lingquan County. I managed to find Yin-Yang Mountain but though I searched the whole mountain thoroughly, there wasn't a single brick or roof tile to be seen on the mountain, let alone a temple.”
“Is Hidden Dragon Temple very famous? Where did you hear about it?”
“It's not particularly famous, but I enjoy going everywhere to collect folktales about gods, ghosts, and demons. I discovered by chance that several remarkable rumors that I have collected happened to mention this temple. Out of curiosity, I took this opportunity to go and seek it. Unfortunately, I returned with nothing and wasted many days.”
He looked at Song You as he spoke. “Could it be that the Hidden Dragon Temple isn't on Yin-Yang Mountain? Or is there another Yin-Yang Mountain? Did I get the wrong information from my inquiries?”
“You might not know this,” Song You continued to tell him indifferently, “That Hidden Dragon Temple is quite peculiar. Even if worshipers from the foot of the mountain wish to offer incense, they can only find it when the temple owner wishes to open its doors. At other times, even if you followed a familiar path, you could only return empty-handed.”
“Really?”
“It’s true.”
“How marvelous!!”
“I've heard that Hidden Dragon Temple’s owner is lazy by nature, with only one diligent disciple. You might not have missed the location but simply didn’t go at the right time.”
“So wonderful that words can't describe it…” The scholar widened his eyes, clapping his hands. “A temple so miraculous must be a famous abode on a celestial mountain. If I have another chance in the future, I will surely visit again!”
“What year in the future will that be?”
“Unfortunately, probably many years later.”
“May your wish come true.”
“Thank you, thank you...”
Song You leaned back in the cabin. Lady Calico already lay beside him. He rested his hand on her back, sharing warmth, and gradually became sleepy too.
1. Freshwater and brackish water fish native to large streams and reservoirs in China, Korea, Japan and Amur River basin. ☜
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