Chapter 48: The Great Liujiang Gathering
After the meal, the two were feeding their horses in the courtyard.
It was the last third of the first month of the lunar year. The weather was very pleasant, neither too sunny nor too cold. A gentle spring breeze blew, making the old trees outside the door rustle softly. It was very comfortable.
The woman eyed Song You's horse. “Doesn’t your horse need reins?”
“The horse is obedient.”
“And no saddle either.”
“I don’t ride it.”
“How interesting...”
The woman continued to scrutinize Song You's horse with great apparent interest, in a tone reminiscent of men discussing cars in future eras. “It looks like a Beiyuan horse.”
“Yes.”
“When I was in Yidu, I wanted to buy a Beiyuan horse too, but there were very few in the market, and they were exorbitantly priced.” She shook her head. “Couldn’t afford it.”
“Horses are scarce this year.”
“I heard the court is planning for war again.”
“I’ve heard that too.”
“Your horse looks a bit short and thin, probably due to some illness while in the womb or the mother horse being underfed. However, it’s still a Beiyuan horse and looks healthy. You’ve got yourself a bargain.”
“Yes.”
“How much did it cost?”
“It was a gift from an old friend.”
“Tsk, tsk...” The woman clicked her tongue repeatedly.
Although she praised Song You's horse, she kept attentively feeding her own horse fodder, and stroking its mane with her other hand. Clearly, she was someone who cherished her horse.
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she turned her head. “By the way, I also traveled by the water route. Why was I slower? Didn’t you rest on the way at all?”
“I rested for two days.”
“Then you did walk fast.”
“Traveling alone is quicker.”
“That’s true. I was encumbered.”
“Where are your companions?”
“We only went as far as Long Commandery, not Lingbo. A few of my Senior Brothers got severe seasickness halfway, so they disembarked at Anqing. I came here alone.” She added, “Besides, it was my decision to take this letter. No need to drag everyone along.”
“That’s reasonable.”
“Did you encounter any mountain bandits on your way?”
“I did.”
“How did you get away?”
“I told them I was just a poor, wandering Daoist, accompanied only by a cat and a horse. I asked them to let me pass.”
“That worked?”
“More or less.”
“Hmmm...”
Silence.
“Aren’t you curious if I encountered mountain bandits?”
Song You immediately caught on and respectfully asked, “Did you encounter mountain bandits?”
“I did.”
“And how did you get out of trouble?”
“Scared off one group, cut down another.”
“You have impressive martial skills.”
Song You glanced at the saber in her hand which still faintly smelled of blood. Recalling their first encounter in Yidu, her party had at least ten people. He guessed that the Xishan Sect must be a famous school in the jianghu.
The woman suddenly asked him. “Where are you headed?”
“Huh?”
“Where are you going?”
“Traveling the world, temporarily with no fixed destination.”
“Interesting.” The heroine looked him up and down, a smile forming on her lips. “A wandering Daoist?”
“Yes.”
“Just you, and your horse?”
“There’s the cat too.”
“Oh, there’s the cat too...” She couldn’t help laughing. “This is the first time I’ve seen someone bring a cat on a long journey. And this cat is so obedient, not running off without a leash. Your horse is untied too. The animals that you Daoist priests keep are all so miraculous.”
“The world is vast, and full of wonders.”
“You must have some skills. No wonder you dare to wander the jianghu alone.”
“I am a Daoist. Ordinary bandits usually won’t trouble me.”
“The world is large. It’s not that easy to travel relying solely on your Daoist robe.”
“The road may be obstructed and long, but as long as you keep walking, you’ll eventually reach your destination.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It means as long as you’re willing to walk, you’ll always get there.”
“So, where are you headed tomorrow?”
“Maybe to Anqing.”
“Anqing County?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to the Great Liujiang Gathering too?”
“Great Liujiang Gathering? What’s that?”
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t.”
“Before traveling the world, hadn’t you been involved in the jianghu?”
“I just stayed in the Daoist temple cultivating quietly.”
“Then why are you going to Anqing?”
“On my way here, I found the scenery along the way beautiful. The boatman said Anqing has the best views, so I decided to go and see.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Delivering a letter.”
“Just delivering a letter?”
“I didn’t know where to go.”
“Did you know of Long Commandery before?”
“No.”
“Interesting...” The woman looked at him a few more times.
She had initially thought he had brought the letter because it was also on the way for him. She thought that even if he was not coming to Lingbo County, then at least he was coming to Long Commandery. She never expected that he was just visiting various scenic spots, going wherever he felt like, and had come to this remote and unfamiliar place just to deliver a letter.
This Daoist priest was very intriguing, quite interesting.
“Anqing’s scenery is indeed beautiful, like a ten li gallery of paintings. Although I’ve only heard about it, this is my first time here too.” She smiled. “After seeing the scenery, you might want to check out the Great Liujiang Gathering for some excitement.”
“May I ask, what is the Great Liujiang Gathering?”
“The Great Liujiang Gathering is a grand event in the jianghu. It started as a gathering of us jianghu people from several southwestern prefectures to compete in martial arts competitions, drink, and discuss business. Since there were many people, any grudges could also be settled openly and clearly in front of everybody. It is held once every five years. If you’re not involved in the jianghu, it’s normal not to know.”
“I see.”
“However, it’s more than that,” she continued. “The gathering has expanded over time, attracting jianghu factions from the northwest, and later from the southeast. Now, it’s the largest event in the jianghu, excluding those from the extreme northwest and northeast who are too distant, drawing even those who aren’t involved in the jianghu. Some come for the excitement, others to find some business opportunities or recruit martial arts experts. In brief, it will be very lively.”
“Thank you for the information.”
“Do you want to go?”
“Yes.” Song You didn’t need to consider.
Since he came out to travel and see the world, and had the fate to encounter such a grand event, how could he miss it?
He wouldn’t say that the jianghu was unsophisticated.
Having traveled for half a year, if asked what he had learned, “don’t be arrogant and stay humble” would be among the top three lessons.
Do not be arrogant towards this world, this era, or even an old boatman.
Naturally, he couldn’t be arrogant toward the jianghu either.
Moreover, the jianghu was brilliant and varied, full of difficulties and hardships. It was an essential part of this era, yet totally different from most other parts of it. It was something one had to experience.
“May I ask, when and where is the Great Liujiang Gathering held?”
“On the 2nd of the second month of the lunar year, at Mati Mountain in Anqing.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” The woman casually waved her hand. Her horse was a purebred southwest horse, even somewhat smaller than Song You's horse. It seemed to be more or less full at the moment, and she patted its neck before asking Song You. “Where are you going this afternoon?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m going out to explore this Lingbo County. I want to see what’s special about this remote, inaccessible, mountain bandit-ridden place...Care to join me?”
“We’ll meet if fate allows.”
“Then I’ll go first!” The woman didn’t mind either. She turned around, and left.
Though she was just going out for a stroll, she still carried her long saber. However, she didn’t take her horse, but went out alone. Her figure disappeared very quickly in the bright afternoon sunlight, in quite a carefree way.
Song You also found her interesting.
After a while, seeing that Chen Han and his wife in the house had begun packing to return to Yizhou, he found it dull to stay there alone. He didn’t want to trouble Chen Han to keep him company either, so he took the cat and went out too.
Might as well explore this Lingbo County that he had accidentally come across.
Lingbo County was built on a mountain, with the whole city atop the great mountain, and the Liujiang River flowed below.
Legend had it that a great demon wreaked havoc in ancient times, taking advantage of the rainy season to cause torrential floods. The waters inundated a thousand li of the land, waves surging and didn't recede for three years. Some lucky people survived by escaping to this mountain. To prevent the demon from causing more chaos, they built a city on the mountain, naming it Lingbo.
Though called a county, it was actually quite small.
It was just this mountain area. The mountain road was difficult to traverse, taking time and physical effort to go up and down.
The locals loved eating beef. Whether it was because the sky is high and the emperor is far away[1] or local customs, the already lenient ban on private slaughter of draft cattle seemed nonexistent here. Beef stalls were everywhere, and the prices were reasonable. It was more convenient to eat beef here than in other places.
“Ox horn combs...”
Song You stopped at a stall.
He picked up a comb casually, and saw that the craftsmanship was exquisite. He liked it, and after a few strokes on the back of Lady Calico, felt it was quite handy. So he bargained and bought it.
He also bought new toothbrushes[2] in passing.
At dusk, he wandered back to Ganzao Alley.
Like Tianshui Alley, this alley entrance had a large tree planted by predecessors for the benefit of later generations. People made the most of it, coming here to rest in the cool shade at dusk and dawn or during other periods of leisure.
Adults played chess or chatted about domestic trivialities, while children ran around the tree, their shrill voices filling the air.
Today was different, though.
An old man was telling old tales.
What was telling old tales?
It was an elder narrating tales to younger people, or talking about some things the younger ones hadn’t experienced before, passing on wisdom and life experiences in this engaging way. In this era, it was an extremely important means for young people to gain wisdom and experience, as well as to understand the world.
A crowd gathered around the ancient tree. Some were sitting on stone steps, some on rocks, others brought stools to sit on, and a few kids even climbed the tree, lying on the branches to look down.
The woman surnamed Wu was there too, leaning against the wall with her saber.
Seeing Song You approaching, she waved at him.
Song You walked over, neither affecting shyness nor bothered, and sat down casually on a household’s doorstep. Lady Calico also followed obediently, sitting beside him and curiously watching the nearby children.
Some children were also fascinated by the cat, and stared at her. However, they did not dare to approach due to Song You and the woman armed with a saber.
“Is this fate?” the woman whispered to Song You, careful not to disturb the storyteller.
“Fate,” Song You whispered back.
The old man was telling a story about the previous dynasty.
This was an amateur storytelling session, lacking a professional storyteller’s skills. The structure of the narrative wasn’t that perfect. He often paused to think as he spoke, like an ordinary neighbor recounting last year’s events in a neighboring village. However, this plain style had its own charm, with people occasionally interrupting to ask questions, leading to discussions with the old man. It was very casual.
As the storytelling continued, the children grew restless.
They might have tolerated legendary tales of ancient heroes, but stories about high-ranking court officials and prime ministers bored them. In comparison, they most wanted to hear tales about gods, ghosts and demons.
The old man was soft-hearted, and doted on the children, so he started telling such tales.
1. Variation of “The mountains are high and the emperor far away.” ☜
2. A kind of Song dynasty toothbrush that was made with fragrant and medicinal herbs that acted as toothpaste. ☜
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