Inside Yuelai Inn in Qingyuan Town, Gu Qingyun and her companions sat having dinner in the first-floor hall. The establishment had been chosen by Steward Wei and Young Master Wei.
This inn was the largest in Qingyuan Town. Ever since becoming a constable, Gu Qingyun had never stayed in such a fine establishment, and she had initially felt reluctant to lodge in such luxury.
However, Steward Wei insisted on booking top-grade rooms so she could rest properly. Unable to decline such hospitality, Gu Qingyun had no choice but to accept with sheepish gratitude.
At that moment, the group sat eating their evening meal.
“Constable Gu, be sure to rest well after finishing dinner. I have already instructed the waiter to bring hot water to your room later. The kitchen is also brewing some medicinal tonics for you. Drinking them will do wonders for your internal injuries.”
“Thank you!” Gu Qingyun replied.
Stroking his beard, Steward Wei smiled. “You are too polite. It is only because our schedule is so tight; otherwise, we could linger in Qingyuan Town for a while. I hear there is a lantern competition tomorrow evening. The lanterns here are famed for their exquisite craftsmanship, crafted by nearly every household. The craft crowned Lantern King tonight will not only win prize money, but lanterns made in that winning style can even be sold to the imperial capital. It is a splendid opportunity to make a name for oneself.”
Head Constable Liu looked up from his bowl. “What’s so interesting about that? If you have time to gawk at lanterns, you might as well spend it practicing martial arts.”
Steward Wei’s smile froze, and he shook his head. What was the point of talking about this with such boors? They wouldn't understand anyway.
Gu Qingyun said with a smile, “I have official duties and can't step away either; otherwise, I would truly like to see what the Lantern King looks like. It must be magnificent.”
She paused, then added, “I also heard there is a clear spring on Mount Mabu here in Qingyuan Town. Its waters never run dry, and it is said to harbor a kind of silver-white fish with tender flesh that commands an exorbitant price.”
At those words, Head Constable Liu looked over at her. “Qingyun, haven't you been with us the whole time? How do you know that? Is there really a fish that delicious?”
Gu Qingyun ate in silence. They hadn’t listened to a single word of the local folklore the storyteller had just been recounting.
The waiter serving the dishes was quite sociable. Hearing their conversation, he beamed and chimed in, “Dear guests, this customer is not mistaken at all! There truly is a clear spring on our mountain. Legend has it that a century ago, an Imperishable Bone corpse emerged here. Supposedly, had it cultivated any further, it would have become a Drought Demon! It threw our entire region into sheer panic. An immortal happened to pass by and suppressed that monster in a place of extreme Yang. That mountain spring was the immortal’s handiwork! It's said that whoever ate the fish from it in the past was cured of all illnesses.”
“However, that fish isn’t easy to catch. Many people go up the mountain and cannot even find the spring. Strangely enough, the moment those fish leave the mountain, they perish instantly. As time passed, none of us ever saw the fish again, though rumors spread that wealthy families offered a thousand pieces of gold for a fish from that spring. Even so, no one has managed to buy one to this day.”
Gu Qingyun took it with a grain of salt. In matters like this, truth and fiction intertwined; it might well have been completely fabricated.
Head Constable Liu scoffed, “This is clearly made up. How could there be such a miraculous fish? If there really were, people from the capital would have fenced off the area long ago. How could they leave it to folks in Qingyuan Town to brag about it so grandly?”
Flushed with indignation, the waiter’s neck turned red. “Sir, if you don’t believe it, that's fine, but how can you say I made it up? My own ancestor lived through it! And who says the capital never sent people? In the past, people came constantly! Daoist abbeys, Buddhist temples, and even the Directorate of Astronomy sent delegates. But after searching for ages, all returned empty-handed. Look over there—those men are all martial artists. One look tells you they’re heading up the mountain to try their luck too!”
Lowering his voice, the waiter surreptitiously pointed toward a table of burly men in tight martial garb.
“Then again, it’s only natural they couldn’t find it. That was the work of an immortal! No matter how formidable we mortals are, how could we possibly find it? As the storybooks say, only those fated can obtain it.”
Gu Qingyun smoothed things over. “Go attend to your work, waiter. Head Constable Liu meant no offense. It's only natural for us to be skeptical about things we've never seen.”
Once the waiter left, Head Constable Liu ate a piece of pork and mumbled, “I don’t buy it. How could that blasted fish taste better than meat?”
...
“It’s real. That fish is real,” spoke Young Master Wei, who had been sitting quietly by the side the entire time.
His words drew everyone’s eyes to him in unison. The young boy had not uttered a single word since sitting down; this sudden remark caught them all by surprise.
Seeing everyone staring at him, the young boy repeated expressionlessly, “The fish is real. However, not just anyone can seek it; only the pious have a chance of obtaining it.”
Gu Qingyun narrowed her eyes. “Young Master Wei, do you mean to say you have seen someone who was gravely ill visit Mount Mabu and return hale and hearty?”
Afterward, no matter what Gu Qingyun asked, Young Master Wei didn’t say another word.
Steward Wei glanced helplessly at his young master, then turned to Gu Qingyun. “Please pay it no mind, Constable Gu. My young master has been a boy of few words since childhood. What he said just now is merely hearsay. Two years ago in the capital, someone in another family fell gravely ill and came here. After returning to the capital, they fully recovered, which gave rise to such claims.”
Beside them, Young Master Wei lifted his eyes to look at the two before drifting back into a daze.
Musing over the matter, Gu Qingyun prepared to head back to her room. She had no intention of fussing over a child's demeanor, planning instead to return to her room to cultivate.
As she walked past the young boy, he tugged at her sleeve. “I’m sorry.”
Gu Qingyun looked at him, sighed, and patted his head. “It’s all right. Rest early.” She was hardly petty enough to hold anything against an introverted child.
...
After a night of rest, Gu Qingyun felt refreshed the next morning. In contrast, Head Constable Liu and the others were yawning non-stop.
“Uncle Liu, didn't you sleep well last night?”
Head Constable Liu dozed on his chair. “Sigh, don’t even mention it. I regret it to death! Last night, Wu Yong claimed that since this mountain forest had been touched by an immortal, it had to be safe. He said we should find that silver fish to nurse your health, and once we found it, the rest of us would stay on the mountain while sending someone back to bring you over.”
“Who would have guessed? The moment we entered the mountain, we ran smack into a ghost wall illusion! We ended up circling the outer perimeter all night long. Qingyun, those talismans of yours didn't work at all!”
Wu Yong and the others chimed in, nodding in agreement beside him.
A shadow crossed Gu Qingyun’s face. She didn't even have the heart to mock them. Who was the one claiming so confidently that it was pure boasting? How quickly they had slapped their own faces.
“Could it be that a mountain spirit was blocking your path? You said yourselves that the talisman had no reaction; a mountain spirit isn’t an evil fiend. I appreciate your good intentions, Uncles, but don't blindly venture into the mountains next time. With woods so vast, getting lost makes it very difficult to find your way out.”
“Those Heaven-grade rooms are truly wonderful; the bed was exceptionally comfortable. Uncle Liu, what a shame none of you got to enjoy it,” Gu Qingyun added with a beaming smile.
Head Constable Liu and the others: “...” They bitterly regretted ever listening to Wu Yong; that guy’s ideas were utterly useless.
Zhao Si clapped Gu Qingyun on the back. “You're too wicked! We wandered around all night, and you still have to twist the knife like that.”
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