Mountains and Rivers Bear Witness, Memories of Bygone Fires Chapter Thirteen: Recollections of the Southern Capital (Part Four)

In years past, there was a fine brew in the southern capital, known as Osmanthus Wine. That year, a young man clad in white arrived there and befriended six masters of martial arts. The six invited him to drink, though the man in white never touched alcohol. They set him up and tricked him into tasting the famed Osmanthus Wine of the southern capital. It was his first time drinking, yet he fell deeply in love with the flavor. Before departing, he asked for several jars to take with him. Years later, the southern capital became infamous as the City of Sin—a place so feared that none dared approach, let alone enter. Then, contrary to all, the man in white strode calmly into the city, watched by the hidden eyes of many factions. This time, he demanded a few jars of Osmanthus Wine from the City of Sin. With each sip, he took a life, eradicating all the lurking forces beyond the city’s walls. He killed his way three thousand miles from the city, and when his wine was gone, he left unchallenged. From then on, no power dared set foot within three thousand miles of the southern capital.

Many years later, the man in white returned to the city, but the southern capital had no more wine, nor any osmanthus trees.

…

Deep within the cemetery, Chen Zhiming and his companions followed the Second City Lord to a more open space, where the graves were sparse and only a single, unremarkable tombstone stood. Before it knelt a man, with several others standing by his side.

The Second City Lord approached. As the group saw the man in white, smiles lit their faces. “Ah, so that’s why the bells rang today, and the city was filled with swirling petals. It’s you, isn’t it?”

Jiang Wuyou shot him a glance. “Old man, spare me the pleasantries. You knew full well I was coming, didn’t you? I bet you knew before I even reached the city gates.”

The man only turned aside, muttering quietly, “You circled the gates but didn’t come in, knocked instead of entering directly, and didn’t even choose my door. Could it be you still blame me for cheating you out of a couple taels of silver last time?”

Jiang Wuyou laughed. “Do I seem so petty? I’m here only for a promise—to protect someone’s safety.” As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Zhiming.

Chen Zhiming was confused by his words and the way he kept looking at him. Not just Jiang Wuyou, but the other men were also staring at him, making Chen Zhiming uneasy. He thought to himself, “Didn’t Jiang Wuyou sneak into our group? Why does it sound like he came just to protect me?”

Feeling their gazes, Chen Zhiming quickly changed the subject, turning to the Second City Lord. “Second City Lord, are these the seniors you brought us to meet?”

His tactic worked, drawing everyone’s attention back to the Second City Lord.

Remembering his purpose, the Second City Lord looked at Yu Ansheng and pointed to the man still kneeling before the tomb. “That is Yi Yun Song, your uncle.”

The word “uncle” drew the men’s scrutiny, their eyes openly assessing Yu Ansheng. In their gaze, Yu Ansheng sensed a strange emotion, but without hesitation, he drew a jade pendant from his robe and, passing the others, walked directly to the kneeling man. With anxious reverence, he spoke, “Are you my uncle? My name is Yu Ansheng. My mother is Yi Qingxue. She asked me to find you in Lingwu, but you weren’t there—only your daughter was at home. She said you were away, so we went to the Lingwu post station, where we learned you’d traveled to my hometown, Wubang County. So we…” Before he could finish, the kneeling man stirred, startling Yu Ansheng into silence.

The man shifted, his joints cracking from kneeling so long. Slowly, he rose and turned to face them. “So you’re all here. Good. Now I can rest easy.”

Because the man had been kneeling and the others engrossed in conversation, Jiang Wuyou hadn’t noticed him until he stood. Now, Jiang realized something was wrong—the man looked gravely ill, as if at death’s door.

The man gazed at Yu Ansheng, repeating softly, “You look so much like her.”

He gently touched Yu Ansheng’s hair at the temples, his face full of affection. “Child, you’ve suffered much. Your mother is gone, and now your uncle must leave as well. From now on, you’ll be alone. Poor child…”

Yu Ansheng, bewildered, asked, “Leave? Where are you going, Uncle?”

The man looked back at the tombstone. “To see your grandmother, and your mother.”

Yu Ansheng immediately knelt, his eyes welling with tears. “Why? Uncle, you’re fine now. I’ve only just found you. Little Ling is still waiting for you at home…”

The man’s gaze drifted into the distance. “There’s little time left. Since fate has brought you here, I must not keep secrets from you. Listen well—what I’m about to tell you is your mother’s past.”

…

“I was your mother’s elder brother. When I was three or four, your mother was only a year and a half. We still lived with our mother then, in a vast city filled with flowering trees. One day, our mother handed us over to some people, and they brought us to a strange place and entrusted us to another family. Years passed, and we grew up. I was fortunate to take a master and left home to travel far and wide. Later, my master took in a young woman as a disciple, and she became my junior. In time, we fell in love, graduated together, and settled in Lingwu as husband and wife. When I next saw your mother, she had fallen for a destitute scholar. I tried to persuade her otherwise, but she was determined to marry him. I couldn’t stop her. The last time I saw her, she was already gone forever. I regret to this day that I failed as an elder brother, for if I’d done my duty, she would not have died so young.

“Afterward, while seeking a resting place for your mother near Wubang County, I discovered a place shrouded in deathly stillness. Exploring it, I found this city, and memories long buried were awakened. As if driven by fate, I arrived at the city gate and encountered the six City Lords. They tested my skill, but when they saw the half of a jade pendant I wore, they immediately recognized me as the child they had entrusted to that family years ago. Thus, I learned my origins and how my mother perished defending the city. I secretly returned to Lingwu to bid farewell to my master and left the other half of the jade pendant there. Having settled all affairs, I returned to Muyun, determined to avenge my mother. That day, I stormed the Prince’s manor, but there were too many experts. I was gravely wounded before I could even see the Prince and had to flee back here, intending to spend my final days with my mother. I still had unfulfilled wishes, but the City Lords could not leave the city. Still, seeing you at the end of my days, I have no regrets.”

He finished, bowing deeply to the six City Lords, then looked skyward and murmured, “If we meet again, that promise may never be fulfilled.”

Slowly, he sat as an old man might, eyes gazing into the distance.

In a haze, he seemed to hear the sound of flutes and oars slicing through water, to see a lake shrouded in mist, a small boat, a woman standing at the prow playing her flute, and a man—his very image—dancing with a sword on the shore. When the song ended, a young girl’s voice rang out; she had somehow appeared on the boat, clapping joyfully and shouting, “Father, you’re amazing!”

The woman tucked her flute into her sash, took the girl’s hand, and the child called softly, “Father, come, it’s time to go.”

The man replied gently, “Alright.”

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, Yu Ansheng could no longer hold back his tears. He pressed his forehead to the earth and wept bitterly. “I have no family left…”

Jiang Wuyou turned to the City Lords. “For him to survive this long, you must have paid a heavy price.”

One of the City Lords sighed. “If only we were stronger. We did all we could just to grant him a few more days.”

They all bowed their heads. It was not for lack of will, but the city’s scarcity of resources—they simply could not save him.

Jiang Wuyou looked at the kneeling Yu Ansheng and asked what should be done with him. Unexpectedly, Yu Ansheng stood, walked to the City Lords, knelt, and kowtowed several times with resolve. “Please, Masters, take me as your disciple. I wish to learn martial arts.”

The City Lords asked, “Are you sure? Martial arts is not a game. You must be certain.”

Yu Ansheng met their gaze, his voice steady. “I am certain. I want to learn. Take me as your disciple. I will pay any price, as long as you teach me.”

Seeing his determination, the City Lords considered, then spoke. “Very well, we will accept you. But we have a condition.”

Yu Ansheng asked, “What condition?”

“In eight years, you must defeat at least one of us. If not, we will personally cripple your skills and expel you from the southern capital.”

Gu Wen stepped forward, protesting, “Eight years? That’s impossible! You are all masters with decades of training. Even if he trained day and night for eight years, he couldn’t beat you. Isn’t this just making things hard for him?”

One of the City Lords replied, “What do you know, little girl? Some people can awaken in a day, rise from powerless to peerless overnight. Eight years is more than enough.”

As they argued, a voice interrupted, “Very well, I accept.”

Yu Ansheng kowtowed three times. “Masters, please accept your disciple.”

“Rise,” they commanded with a wave.

“Thank you, Masters.”

Yu Ansheng rose, then turned to Chen Zhiming and Gu Wen, embracing them both. “I cannot leave with you, but don’t worry. When the day comes that I can defeat my masters, I will seek you out.”

Chen Zhiming clapped him on the shoulder. “Then you’d better train hard. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll get the urge to learn martial arts too. If I end up stronger than you, don’t go crying about it.”

Yu Ansheng burst out laughing. “If that day ever comes, I’ll be second best in the world, and I’ll let you claim first.”

They both laughed heartily.

The next day, after the man was buried, affairs here drew to a close. All feasts must end; the three friends said their last farewells. Jiang Wuyou also bid goodbye to the City Lords, though his farewell consisted of taking several jars of their treasured Osmanthus Wine. The city’s only osmanthus tree had died the year before, so these jars were the last. They’d meant to give him just one, but he seized the chance to take more. By the time they realized, he was already many miles away. They gave chase, but it was clear they were only playing, as children might.

Just as Chen Zhiming and Gu Wen finished their goodbyes, they spotted Jiang Wuyou being chased. He ran up, shouting for them to retreat. Chen Zhiming, puzzled, was pulled away by Gu Wen. Soon, the three were outside the city gates. Chen Zhiming asked why they’d run so fast, and Jiang Wuyou waved the jars of wine before them. Chen Zhiming sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead—how had he ended up with such a companion?

The three did not linger, though on the road they would sometimes look back—back at the southern capital, at the elders who’d lost their children, at the six City Lords who had bound themselves for life to the city, and at the youth who, having lost all kin, resolutely chose the martial path.

We shall meet again someday.