Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

21. The Mysterious Old Man

 

Translator: Flying Lines

 

Xiao ShengNian galloped all the way into the east after leaving the capital, arriving at Qing City after a whole day’s travel. He stayed in an inn for the night and got himself a new horse before heading to Mount Mengqi the next day.

Mount Mengqi was a towering mountain to the north of Qing City where beasts and animals of all kinds were rampant. An army was stationed at the foot of the mountain to prevent the beasts from hurting folks. Instead of stopping the hunters from hunting in the mountain, the soldiers would even provide some help.

Xiao ShengNian, instead of exposing himself to the soldiers, chose a secret path where chirps of birds could be heard and the mixed fragrance of earth and flowers could be smelt along the way. After three turns, the path became wider which led to a wooden shed standing quietly among the flowers, constituting a picturesque scene in a fairyland.

In front of the wooden shed lay a tiger in his nap as a parrot perched on the doorframe repeated in a clumsy language upon seeing Xiao ShengNian, “Disciple comes. Disciple comes.”

The napping tiger, disturbed, turned around and roared to the annoying parrot before turning back to look at Xiao ShengNian. Strangely, the tiger didn’t attack when seeing him. Instead, it went back to his nap.

Clam and composed, Xiao ShengNian walked to the door of the shed and knocked before saying in a loud yet respectful voice, “Teacher, your humble student come to visit you.”

The man living in this shed was the few respected by Xiao ShengNian.

The door opened after quite a while, revealing a hale and hearty old man in grey robe and a pair of ragged cloth shoes. He wore an indifferent look and his turbid eyes gave the impression that he had been through a turbulent past.

“Teacher.” Xiao ShengNian greeted with heart-felt respect in his eyes. Clearly, this old man was important to him.

However, the old man just tossed him a bland glance and said in a cold tone, “An old man like me doesn’t needs frequent visiting. What brings you here from the capital?”

“My apologies. This humble student shouldn’t have disturbed you.” Xiao ShengNian apologized in a sincere tone, not a bit irritated by the old man’s cold attitude.

“What’s the matter?” The old man knew Xiao ShengNian had always been a man of prudence who wouldn’t come to visit him for trivia. Therefore, he stepped aside to let Xiao ShengNian in.

After getting in the shed, Xiao ShengNian took the jade pendant hanging by his waist off and said, “Teacher, I found this by accident and was shocked when I see the pattern on it. It is identical with that on the medicine case you gave me.”

Zhou Zaiyue closed the door and turned to glance at the jade pendant, unmoved.

Xiao ShengNian looked at his teacher and waited for his response in silence.

Zhou Zaiyue didn’t speak a word. Instead, he sat in the chair, picked up the bowl on the table and began to drink the cool water in it.

He lowered his gaze as if he was staring at the water in the bowl, thus Xiao ShengNian didn’t notice that the old man’s previous turbid eyes now lit up like the clear sky after the clouds dispersed.

Zhou Zaiyue finished all the cool water in the bowl at one sitting, trying to soothe his turbulent heart but failed. However, he managed to speak in a calm voice that didn’t give Xiao ShengNian any chance to see through his mind, “Let me take a good look at it.”

Xiao ShengNian did as the old man said.