“Temple steward, there’s no need for that, I can do it myself.”
Ji Yuan didn’t an to refuse the temple steward’s kindness; he was rely afraid the temple steward would be overly attentive, perhaps even going so far as to serve him food. Ji Yuan, both in his past and present lives, disliked people constantly serving him food, even if it was out of kindness.
The temple steward was a shrewd man; he knew when to stop so as never to offend anyone. He quickly responded after setting down the chopsticks.
“Mr. Ji is a guest from afar, this is my way of showing hospitality. By the way, now that everyone has arrived, Mr. Liu, Madam Liu, shall we begin our al?”
“Master Zhao, you are the temple steward, you have the final say.”
Mr. Liu responded amiably. Seeing that Ji Yuan had no objections, the temple steward made the announcent without hesitation.
“Everyone, let’s eat!”
Everyone then picked up their bowls and chopsticks and began to eat.
“Here, wife, have a piece of longevity cake.”1
Mr. Liu carried his bowl and served food to his wife, while the people around him also started eating.
The table was laden with food today. Not only did Mr. Liu bring plenty of fish and at, but he also brought a cook. Although the temple staff at the Land God Temple could cook, their skills were limited. Mr. Liu’s cook, however, was different. Each dish was a feast for all the senses.
So of the dishes on the table were clearly specialties of Moyuan County or the country of Tingliang, things Ji Yuan had never seen before. He was already in a good mood, and his mood improved even more as he began to sample these local delicacies.
Although the temple steward was eating, he kept an eye on Ji Yuan out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that Ji Yuan was smiling as he ate, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the food would not suit his taste.
“Sir, please let fill your cup.”
One of the servants of the Liu family stood up, picked up a wine jar, and poured Mr. Liu so wine. He then poured so for Madam Liu as well, before moving on to the others at the table and himself. When he reached the temple steward, the latter waved his hand.
“Thank you, I can do it myself!”
The temple steward took the wine jar but did not pour himself any of it. Instead, he looked to Ji Yuan, who was enjoying his al.
“Mr. Ji, would you like a drink? This is a famous wine from our Moyuan County. Outsiders will have only heard of our ink, but our wine is a hidden treasure. It tastes excellent.”
Ji Yuan was a man who loved wine, so how could he refuse? He smiled and nodded. The temple steward filled Ji Yuan’s cup with wine before pouring so for himself.
Upon taking a sip, Ji Yuan imdiately discerned the nuances of this Moyuan County wine. It had a slightly higher alcohol content, and seed ordinary at first sip, but it had a very pleasant aftertaste. It needed to be drunk slowly, to savor the flavors before swallowing.
Mr. Liu could tell at a glance that Ji Yuan must either have drunk Moyuan County wine before, or was a wine connoisseur. Any other stranger drinking Moyuan County wine for the first ti would not have been able to appreciate its flavor.
He had been observing Ji Yuan for quite so ti. The man wore a plain white robe without any patterns or accessories, but his deanor and temperant were extraordinary. The jade hairpin on his head was also not sothing that could be commonly found, so it must be an object of importance.
“May I ask where this gentleman is from? Have you ever drunk Moyuan County wine before?”
For the first ti, Mr. Liu took the initiative to speak to Ji Yuan.
Chatting at the dinner table was perfectly normal for ordinary people, so Ji Yuan put down his wine glass and replied.
“I am from Dazhen. I have never Moyuan County wine before, but I have drunk quite a bit before, and I know more about wine than the average person.”
“Oh! So you’re a refined gentleman from the Dazhen!”
Everyone present, including Mr. Liu and the temple steward, was taken aback. Dazhen was quite far from Moyuan County; to ordinary people, it was practically a world away. In addition, the relationship between the country of Zuyue and Dazhen was extrely poor, and it was extrely rare for a Dazhen rchant caravan to co to Moyuan County. Most of the ink from Dazhen that was sold in Zuyue was brought over by rchants from the country of Tingliang, or smuggled from the country of Zuyue through rchant middlen.
“So what brings you to Moyuan County? Would you mind sharing?”
“Ahem, well, Mr. Liu, Mr. Ji is a close friend of our local temple and a distinguished guest. He may have other important matters to attend to, so let’s not ask any further questions.”
Mr. Liu assud that Ji Yuan had smuggled himself in to the country, bypassing the country of Zuyue, and dared not ask any further questions.
“Oh, yes, Master Zhao is absolutely right. Let’s talk about sothing else. By the way, I heard from rchants who have been to Dazhen that Dazhen is now a prosperous and powerful nation. Is this true?”
Ji Yuan smiled.
“It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst either. Dazhen is indeed excellent, but Tingliang is not bad either.”
“Alas, Mr. Ji, you are mistaken. My Moyuan County is certainly prosperous, but other parts of the country of Tingliang are another story. There are quite a few people who are go hungry or poorly clothed.”
“Hmm.”
Ji Yuan stopped smiling and nodded. Their words did make sense.
“By the way, I also have a question I’d like to ask Mr. Liu and the temple steward. Have you two ever heard of Daliang Monastery?”
Although the chess pieces indicated that Monk Huitong was doing well, and he knew that the country of Tingliang was relatively stable, he still didn’t know any specifics. At the very least, it was not truly overrun by demons and monsters, and the culprit who killed the Black Dragon had been identified.
But since he was already in the country of Tingliang, Ji Yuan decided to ask a couple of questions anyway.
“Mr. Ji, you know of Daliang Monastery? Of course I’ve heard of Daliang Monastery. It’s a famous Buddhist temple in the north, said to have produced many eminent monks, and is spiritually quite effective. There’s also an interesting related story that has been circulating for the past couple years, but I don’t know if it’s true or not.”
Upon hearing Mr. Liu’s words, Madam Liu covered her mouth and laughed, and even the temple steward smiled.
“Is Mr. Liu referring to that affair with the handso monk?”
“Hahaha… What else could it be? Of course.”
Seeing the smiles on these people’s faces, and the general amusent on the faces of those around him, Ji Yuan inexplicably connected the dots. A handso face appeared in his mind… well, a face with a bald head.
‘It can’t be who I’m thinking of, can it?’
“What is this about a handso monk?”
Ji Yuan pretended not to know anything and asked a question with a puzzled look.
The temple steward glanced at Mr. Liu and, seeing that the man seed about to speak, promptly shut his mouth. Sure enough, Mr. Liu took a sip of wine and said with a smile.
“Sir, you may not be aware, but there is a high-ranking monk at Daliang Monastery nad Huitong. Although he is quite old, he still looks young and extrely handso. When he wears his cassock, he is even more radiant. He has captivated countless female pilgrims, and many won from wealthy families, rchants, and noble families are infatuated with him. There was even a ridiculous princess who went to Daliang Monastery to ask Master Huitong if he could leave the monastic life…”2
Indeed, it really was him!
Ji Yuan tried to remain serious, but couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hahaha, this is truly interesting. Did Master Huitong agree?”
“Hahaha, of course he didn’t agree, but people kept trying. For a while, Daliang Monastery was filled and prospering with incense, but abnormally so, due to the unusually large number of won!”
The temple keeper added with a smile.
“So later, Monk Huitong probably got a little scared, so he simply stopped staying at Daliang Monastery and often went on pilgrimages, sotis for a year, two years, or even several years at a ti. I believe other monks who go on pilgrimages go to cultivate their Buddhism, but Monk Huitong was probably hiding from won! Unfortunately, no matter how much ti he spent away, his efforts were always in vain. A few years ago, when he returned to Daliang Monastery, he was almost kidnapped by the Princess, hahahahaha…”
“Hahahaha…”
“Yes, yes, hahahaha…”
“Hahahaha…”
Laughter filled the temple kitchen, and Ji Yuan joined in. It seed that Monk Huitong was living a rather comfortable life… or, at least, a rather exciting one.
Although the Sword Intent Inscription had been hidden in his sleeve, considering the presence of more than a hundred lively little ones inside, Ji Yuan deliberately did not isolate the them from seeing or hearing the outside world, rely from letting any sound escape the scroll. Therefore, the laughter within the Sword Intent Inscription was even more lively.
After the laughter subsided, the atmosphere at the dinner table beca noticeably more harmonious, and the toasting and pouring of drinks beca more casual. With the prompting questions from Mr. Liu and the others at the table, Ji Yuan also told many interesting stories, not limited to his ti in Dazhen, but rather encompassing all the experiences he had had over the years.
He also told so supernatural tales, and though he often prefaced them with a label like “sothing I heard of” or “a rumor,” he described them in great detail, making the listeners feel as if they were truly present. Mr. Ji’s tone remained calm throughout, making him even more mysterious than so storytellers. Many people forgot to pick up their chopsticks several tis throughout the story, their hearts pounding.
“Oh dear… these fish balls have no flavor at all, and they don’t have any elasticity?”
Mr. Liu suddenly exclaid. He picked up another fish ball with his spoon, only to discover that this one had flavor.
The temple steward quickly shouted exaggeratedly.
“Congratulations, Mr. Liu! You have eaten a fish ball that the Land God himself has tried! You will be blessed!”
As he said this, the temple steward glanced nervously at Ji Yuan, afraid that the other party would expose him. After all, he had been making up this story for many years. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ji Yuan did not react.
“Oh, right, right. I’ve always heard tell that things eaten by the Land God lose their original flavor. Well then!”
Mr. Liu gritted his teeth, quickly put the half-eaten fish ball back into his mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.
Ji Yuan could only pretend not to see it. It was indeed sothing the Land God had eaten, but to say that it would bring wealth and good fortune was rely wishful thinking. It certainly had little nutritional value, and eating too much of it would only fill the stomach.
The al was a pleasant one for both the host and guests. Even Ji Yuan hadn’t expected it to be so enjoyable. When he returned to his room, the local Land God imdiately appeared, carrying a large box in his hands.
“Mr. Ji, I have prepared a box of top-quality pine soot ink for you, with a total of 163 standard ink sticks. Don’t worry, this is not all. I will help you get the best ink from Moyuan County. Please keep these for now!”
Ji Yuan bowed and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for your help, Land God.”
“Oh, I’m glad you like it. I’ll take my leave now!”
The Land God didn’t linger and simply disappeared back into the ground.
Ji Yuan didn’t say that a hundred yuan was enough, not because he was ungrateful, but because that coin was definitely worth more good ink.
He walked to the box and picked up a piece of pine soot ink. It had embossed patterns and gold threads, and a faint, unique ink fragrance wafted through the air around it. It was indeed better than the ink the small characters had eaten before.
He took out the “Sword Intent Inscription” and spread it on the table. Looking at the small characters on it that seed rather restless, Ji Yuan spoke so words of reassurance.
“Don’t rush. The way you eat is too wasteful. You’ll feel bloated if you eat too much, and it’s not the best way for you to cultivate!”
Ji Yuan quickly put the whole box of ink into his sleeve, leaving only one ink stick, and then took out an inkstone, a brush holder, and a wolf hair brush.
“Everyone, calm down. I’ll help you apply the ink.”
Seeing this, all his little disciples understood that their master was going to use a wolf-hair brush dipped in ink to brush it on them. They were all extrely excited. The entire “Sword Intent Inscription” constantly swayed on the table, as if a breeze were blowing through it.
T/n: Hi friends! Life has been getting a little chaotic and I unfortunately haven’t been able to keep up with the translations. I will be taking a ntal health break for about a week, and resu posting Monday March 2nd. Hope you all are doing well and taking care of yourselves. ❤
A longevity cake is a traditional celebration cake shaped like a peach, which references the legendary Peaches of Immortality, and is often decorated with red, gold, or other auspicious symbols The man seems pretty firmly aro-ace, RIP. That’s gotta be an awkward situation
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