To guard the tomb of the Mountain-Moving Daoist, the action team had specifically acquired a courtyard house in the town at the foot of the mountain, and Ding Mao, A'Hua, and Ye Dan had been staying there these past days.
Once matters at the ancient tomb were settled, Zhu Shi'an returned with Ding Mao to the courtyard at the foot of the mountain. Zhu Shi'an wrote out a prescription for a medicinal bath and handed it to Ding Mao: "Gather the ingredients as quickly as you can and have them use it. The longer we delay, the worse their recovery will be."
Ding Mao was also a Daoist, and counted as half a physician besides; he recognized all the herbs on the list, and they weren't too hard to find. He said, "I'll go to the herbal purchasing station in town to look for the ingredients. If I can't find them all, I'll search the surrounding areas, and if I still can't find them, I'll go to the county seat. I'll definitely have those two soaking in the medicinal bath today."
"Then get going quickly. I'll perform acupuncture on them now."
"Alright."
After Ding Mao ran off to find the herbs, Zhu Shi'an told Zhu Changfeng to keep watch at the front gate, and had Second Granny lay the unconscious Ye Dan and the mobility-impaired A'Hua on the beds.
While performing acupuncture on A'Hua's legs, Zhu Shi'an said to Second Granny, "Take off Ye Dan's clothes and turn her face-down."
Second Granny was strong. Hearing Zhu Shi'an's words, she held Ye Dan by the shoulders and flipped her over onto the bed, thoughtfully turning her face to the side so her breathing wouldn't be impeded.
Zhu Shi'an inserted the needles with speed and precision. In the short time it took A'Hua to turn her head to look at Ye Dan, the acupuncture on her legs was done. She groaned softly, her brow knotted tight.
"What's wrong? Does it hurt?"
A'Hua shook her head. "It doesn't hurt, it feels good. After that demonic Daoist's ghost head bit me last night, my legs felt like they'd fallen into an ice hole—so cold they went numb. Hmph, if I hadn't reacted quickly and sealed the yin poison in my lower body, I'd probably have ended up like Ye Dan. Right now I can feel a stream of heat crashing through my meridians—it hurts and it burns, but it feels wonderful."
Zhu Shi'an set her mind at ease, saying, "That feeling is perfectly normal. Don't worry about it, just rest. By the time you wake up, your legs should be able to move."
"Master Zhu, did you use some secret technique? Ordinary doctors of Chinese medicine don't get results like this from acupuncture." A'Hua was a witch; witches understood the use of medicines, and though she wasn't skilled in acupuncture, she knew good work when she saw it.
"Mm, I'm no ordinary doctor of Chinese medicine. I'm a Daoist physician."
Zhu Shi'an was unwilling to elaborate, and A'Hua didn't press further, laughing awkwardly a couple of times. "I was just asking casually, no other meaning to it."
Zhu Shi'an smiled. "I didn't mean anything by it either—I'm just busy right now and have no time to chat. You didn't rest all night, so get some sleep now."
"Okay."
A'Hua closed her eyes to rest, and within minutes of closing them, she was snoring.
Second Granny laughed. "This girl A'Hua looks sturdy enough, and her snoring is louder than most women's."
"She was busy all night and nearly lost her life, and she's been on edge until now—she must be exhausted," Zhu Shi'an replied offhandedly.
Ye Dan was covered in needles from head to toe, and Second Granny watched as the dark bruising on Ye Dan's body was driven from her head down to her toes, her feet—still a relatively normal color—slowly turning black.
Zhu Shi'an lit a stick of soul-chasing incense and pulled out the gold needles from Ye Dan's feet. Yin qi drifted out along the needle holes, and before it could disperse, the soul-chasing incense swept it up and annihilated it.
Watching this miraculous scene, Second Granny sighed, "Our Zhu family ancestors passed such wonderful things down to us. What a pity—we unworthy descendants nearly let the lineage die out."
"If it dies out someday, then it dies out. It's all the will of Heaven." Zhu Shi'an didn't believe that, given the current tide of the Heavenly Dao, the mystical sects or the Zhu family could continue on intact.
As the yin qi in her body slowly dissipated, color returned to Ye Dan's face.
Second Granny wiped Ye Dan's face with a cloth and said, "When I was young, I traveled all over with the elders collecting fine medicinal herbs. The herb gatherers mostly lived deep in the mountains, and the elders often warned us: don't go into the mountains in small numbers. Back then we only thought the elders were afraid we'd run into bandits entrenched in the deep mountains, afraid we'd be robbed on the road. We never imagined we'd encounter the kind of demons and fiends from the stories."
"You're of my grandfather's generation—didn't you ever hear him talk about it?"
"Your grandfather said that if you walk too many night roads, you'll run into ghosts, and that ordinary folk like us should stay clear of such matters—no good comes of it."
"That's true enough."
Thinking of something, Second Granny smiled again. "When I was little, there was fighting everywhere outside. Later, when I was old enough to go out and do business, the big wars were over, but bandit suppression was still going on everywhere, so things weren't entirely peaceful either. In those chaotic years of war, deaths were commonplace. Dead was dead—no one investigated how exactly a person died. Whether bandits cut you down or demons and fiends took your life, there wasn't much difference."
If one really wanted to compare, the past ten-odd years, chaotic as they were, had been relatively stable days compared to the world of Second Granny's youth.
At the very least, human lives were taken seriously these days. If someone died without cause anywhere, it was a major matter.
Second Granny sighed faintly, "Having rules is better than having no rules."
Even a rotten set of rules was better than a lawless world of chaos.
Zhu Shi'an nodded silently. The mystical sects these days were rather short on rules.
Without a great sect that everyone acknowledged taking the lead, even the state's formation of the so-called action teams could only serve as patching holes.
The problem with the mystical world now was that it was too disorganized, with no leader capable of commanding the scene. Those who schemed in the shadows had nothing to fear—and that was not a good thing.
A'Hua and Ye Dan woke at noon. Upon waking, both could move their bodies, but they were starving.
Second Granny found rice and flour in the kitchen and made them a meal of fried-egg and greens noodles. The two buried their heads in their bowls and ate until sweat poured off them.
A'Hua cried out in delight, "Sweating is exactly what we need."
After eating, A'Hua didn't go lie down in the room either; she pulled Ye Dan out to bask in the sun in the courtyard, saying they needed to replenish their yang qi.
Ye Dan turned her head looking for her savior but couldn't find her, and asked where Master Zhu had gone.
Second Granny smiled. "My family's eldest girl found some cinnabar and yellow paper in the house, and while she has a free moment she's busy drawing talismans indoors. She said all these talismans are to be left for you."
A'Hua said, "They must be Ding Mao's things. I'm a witch, I don't know those arts."
Ye Dan had just learned from A'Hua about how Zhu Shi'an had saved her, and she said gratefully, "Master Zhu has already exhausted herself so much saving us, and now we're to take her talismans too—I'm truly embarrassed."
"Director Ye needn't be so polite. To use my eldest girl's words, what you do is good work for the nation and the people. Our Zhu family may not be able to help with the big things, but small favors we can manage."
Ye Dan was not a person of the mystical sects. After leaving the army she had transferred to work with the action team, and Ding Mao's saying she handled paperwork wasn't wrong—but her position was director of the Central Region action team.
Zhu Changfeng, who had gone out to gather information, returned. He said to Zhu Shi'an, "There's a boat to Shanghai this evening. Do we leave this evening, or wait and set out tomorrow morning?"
Zhu Shi'an didn't answer the question, instead asking Ding Mao—no, asking, "He hasn't come back yet?"
"Master Ding went to the nearby county seat at noon to buy herbs. Counting the travel time, he should be back soon."
That morning Ding Mao had run to the town's herbal purchasing station, then made a round of the barefoot doctors in the nearby countryside who gathered their own herbs, and still hadn't collected everything on the list. Having no choice, he had gone to the county seat to purchase the missing herbs.
Zhu Shi'an said, "If Ding Mao can make it back before evening, we leave. If he can't, we leave first thing tomorrow."
"That works too. We left ourselves a few days of leeway when we set out, so even leaving tomorrow morning we'll definitely make the exam."
The front gate stood open, and as Zhu Changfeng and Zhu Shi'an talked inside, Ye Dan and A'Hua out in the courtyard heard everything.
Ye Dan asked with concern, "What exam is Master Zhu in such a hurry to take in Shanghai?"
Second Granny smiled. "Our family's eldest girl is going to Shanghai to test for an individual medical practitioner's license. It's a rare opportunity—if it weren't for your action team's help, we'd never have gotten the chance."
The action team's people ran all over the country, many keeping single-line contact, so Ye Dan knew nothing about any individual practitioner's license, let alone that the action team had helped in the matter. Only after Second Granny explained it in detail did she suddenly understand.
"Master Zhu, since circumstances forced this upon you, I'll file a report with the action team headquarters and ask them to hold a slot for you. Even if you're a day or two late it won't matter—you'll definitely get to sit the exam."
Second Granny hastily said, "Oh my, then thank you so much, Director Ye."
"It is I who should thank you. Without your rescue, not only would the three of us have died long ago, but if the things in that ancient tomb had leaked out, who knows how many more would have died."
While the two were exchanging thanks back and forth, Ding Mao returned from buying herbs in the county seat, half a sack of medicinal ingredients slung over his back.
Ding Mao came through the gate covered in rank sweat, tossed the herbs down, and plopped onto the threshold wiping his brow. "I've bought the herbs. Eldest girl, come check if they're right."
Zhu Changfeng helped open the sack and took out the separately wrapped herbs inside. Zhu Shi'an went over and inspected them—the herbs were fine.
The herbs Ding Mao had bought were enough for four doses of the medicinal bath. Zhu Shi'an portioned them out and wrapped them, then said to Ding Mao, "Matters here are in your hands. We have other business—we leave shortly."
"Leaving shortly? Not waiting for tomorrow?"
"Not waiting. We can't afford the delay."
Ding Mao had assumed Zhu Shi'an wouldn't leave until tomorrow, and had been hoping to ask her tonight how she'd broken the three demonic Daoists' formation. Alas—the chance was gone.
Ding Mao hadn't slept all night and had spent the day running around buying herbs; he was utterly exhausted. He could only say, "Once things here are wrapped up, I'll definitely be heading back to the Southwest action team. I'll come find you in Zhenshan County then."
Zhu Shi'an nodded.
When Zhu Shi'an left, Ye Dan and A'Hua wanted to see her off at the dock, but Zhu Shi'an said there was no need: "Between the three of you, some are injured and some exhausted. Rest well."
A'Hua thought that made sense, and she smiled. "Mountains and rivers meet again. We part today, but we're sure to meet again someday."
Ye Dan saw Zhu Shi'an's trio to the gate. "Master Zhu, farewell."
"Farewell."
With Zhu Shi'an gone, Ding Mao sprawled into a chair and didn't want to get up, ready to fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes.
A'Hua kicked him. "Go boil water for us. Master Zhu said we need to soak in the medicinal bath as soon as possible."
Ding Mao didn't want to move. "Aiyo, dear sisters, you two can move now—can't you boil your own water? Let me rest."
A'Hua put her hands on her hips and said fiercely, "If I could lift a water bucket myself, why would I be calling you?"
"Tsk tsk, you were putting on such a proper act in front of Zhu Shi'an just now—how is it the moment she's gone your true colors show?"
A'Hua yanked at him. "Less nonsense, get to work."
"No."
"Are you going or not?"
Ding Mao simply wouldn't budge.
Ye Dan gave A'Hua a meaningful look, which A'Hua didn't catch. "What do you mean?"
Ye Dan had to spell it out: "Where did they put the talismans Master Zhu just drew?"
Ho, the talismans!
"Ah, the talismans—where are they?"
A'Hua forgot all about Ding Mao, and on still-unsteady legs she hobbled at a trot toward the house—only to be overtaken by Ding Mao, who had sprung up in a single bound. Before she even reached the door, Ding Mao inside was going mad with joy, sprawled over the talismans on the table, laughing wildly.
"I'm rich, I'm rich! How is Zhu Shi'an this incredible? Good heavens—these talismans she drew in a day would take me a month to draw!"
A'Hua leaned against the doorframe, winded. "Share and share alike—the three of us split them evenly."
"Pah, they used my yellow paper and my cinnabar—why should I split them with you? They're all mine!" Having never been well-off since childhood, Ding Mao kept stuffing talismans into his pockets—humph, nobody gets any.
A'Hua laughed coldly. "Fine, take all the benefits. Are you going to boil the water or not?"
"Boil, boil, boil—how dare I disobey Sister A'Hua's word? I'll go boil water for my two dear sisters right now."
Ding Mao dashed excitedly off to the kitchen to boil water, missing the smile Ye Dan and A'Hua exchanged.
Ye Dan was an ordinary person; given talismans, she couldn't use them—at most she'd gift them to other mystics. As for A'Hua, she was a witch who worked with incantations and gu insects, and rarely used talismans.
For Ye Dan and A'Hua, talismans were nice to have but hardly essential. Those talismans were meant for Ding Mao anyway, so using them to get him working was no loss at all.
A'Hua said to Ye Dan, "Director Ye, Master Zhu did us a great kindness. Sooner or later we must repay this debt."
Ye Dan nodded. "I'll remember it."
Hearing Ye Dan say this put A'Hua at ease.
She and Ding Mao were both straightforward types, not skilled in social niceties. Ye Dan was different. Though she was merely the director of the Central Region action team, she had broad connections and knew how to handle people—as long as she gave her word, things would be easy to manage in the future.
A'Hua said, "Ours is a friendship forged in life and death. If Director Ye ever needs us for anything, just say the word."
Ye Dan sighed. "What could an ordinary person like me need? The troubles are all with the team's work—it's getting harder and harder to handle."
A'Hua was unconcerned. "Hard or not, it still has to be done. Everything in this world has its rises and falls. If we endure through this rough stretch, things are bound to get better."
Ye Dan smiled. Hopefully so.
The two helped each other over to the chairs to sit and wait, and A'Hua bellowed toward the kitchen: "Brew it for the full time, get all the medicinal potency out—don't you mess up my and Ye Dan's recovery!"
"It's brewing, it's brewing—don't I know that much?"
While A'Hua and Ding Mao bickered, Zhu Shi'an's trio had already boarded the boat. Zhu Shi'an was also tired after a long day; finding her cabin, she tidied up briefly and went to sleep.
In the middle of that night, action team members who had rushed over upon receiving news of trouble at the ancient tomb arrived in town. Leading them was the newly appointed deputy director of the Central Region action team, Lin Guangde—a hereditary mystic of nearly forty, counted among the talisman sects.
Reaching the lodging, they pushed the door open to see Ding Mao lying in a deck chair swatting mosquitoes, and Zhang Guangde and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The tomb is safe?"
"Safe, oh so safe—so safe that none of you could even find where the tomb is."
"..." What was with the sarcastic tone?
Ding Mao jumped up in fury. "If your young master here hadn't had good luck, by the time you lot came to rescue me, you'd have been too late even to collect my corpse—I'd already have been refined into a ghost corpse by those three demonic Daoists!"
"Daoist Ding, don't be angry. We set out the moment we received word. You know our Central Region action team's director and deputy director both fell at Bear Mountain, and the new team has only just been assembled—we—"
Ding Mao cut him off. "Spare me the excuses. All I know is that because of your botched arrangements, your young master here nearly died. If you knew this tomb was a juicy prize in those demonic Daoists' eyes, why didn't you send more men?"
Outside, Ding Mao traded barbs with the reinforcements led by Zhang Guangde; inside, A'Hua, woken by the noise, turned over and went back to sleep.
That boy Ding Mao's claims of exhaustion were clearly fake. If he were really tired, he'd be too dead asleep to get up—where would he find the energy to argue?
Ding Mao was the sort who responded to gentle handling. The reinforcements coaxed him along, praising him again and again, until his anger finally subsided and he was in the mood to recount the whole affair to them.
Lin Guangde said, "I know of the Zhu family's eldest girl. Previously the director of your Southwest action team, Li Qingyuan, sent word to headquarters saying that Zhu Shi'an, heir of the Zhu family of Zhenshan County, was exceptionally skilled in formations and had personally repaired the Three Purities Supreme Ultimate Formation."
Ding Mao asked him, "How do you know that?"
Lin Guangde said, "I was originally with action team headquarters. I was transferred here because the Central Region team was short on people."
Zhang Guangde had originally been with headquarters too; after the Central Region team suffered horrific casualties in the battle of Bear Mountain, he had been temporarily transferred here to serve as deputy director.
Ding Mao snorted coldly. So what if he was from headquarters? So what if he was deputy director? The fact remained that Lin Guangde and his people had arrived late and nearly gotten him killed—and he held grudges.
How the action team handled its manpower shortage and coordination was its own affair. When Zhu Shi'an happened upon such things, she lent a hand, and once done, let it go—she never took such matters to heart.
They rested on the boat for some ten days, switching to another boat midway, before arriving in Shanghai.
After disembarking, Zhu Changfeng was just about to find someone to ask for directions when he spotted Zhu Changzhen waiting at the dock, and hurried over. "When did you all arrive?"
"Two days before you." Having said this, Zhu Changzhen introduced the person beside him. "Changfeng-ge, this is Zhu Liang—eighteen this year, just finished the college entrance exams a few days ago. His father saw he had free time and arranged for him to come wait for us at the dock every day. The day before yesterday, right as we got off the boat, we saw him standing there holding up a sign. In this heat, the boy really had it hard."
Zhu Liang waved his hand. "It wasn't hard for me—you're the ones who had it hard, coming all this way by boat."
The Zhu family had few clansmen on the Shanghai side, but the moment Zhu Changzhen mentioned Zhu Liang's name, Zhu Changfeng recalled that Zhu Liang's father was called Zhu Xing.
Zhu Xing was from a branch line of the Zhu family. While serving in the army he'd met his wife, a Shanghai girl. After his parents died he had no close kin left at home, so upon demobilization he went to Shanghai with his wife, married, and settled there.
Zhu Xing had two daughters and a son; Zhu Liang was the youngest boy, and Zhu Changfeng remembered he'd been born during the three years of natural disaster. In '65, when the family of five returned to the old hometown to honor their ancestors, Zhu Changfeng had met Zhu Liang—he'd been only five then.
Zhu Changfeng clapped Zhu Liang on the shoulder. "Good lad. How did the exams go?"
"I think I did pretty well. My parents worry all day that I won't get in—they're so anxious."
Zhu Shi'an walked over with Second Granny, and the moment Zhu Liang saw Zhu Shi'an his breath caught for an instant. Zhu Shi'an turned and glanced at him; Zhu Liang flushed liver-red, not daring to speak, only lowering his head in silence.
Zhu Shi'an asked Zhu Changzhen, "Where are Feng-niang and the others?"
"Feng-niang's party is staying at the guesthouse on Maple Tree Street. Shouguang-ye and Shouxin-ye went to collect their exam admission cards yesterday. They wanted to collect yours for you, but it wasn't allowed—you must collect it in person and bring a passport photo for the records, to prevent anyone from sitting the exam in another's place."
Zhu Shi'an nodded. "Then let's go."
"Yes."
Zhu Changzhen led the way, with Zhu Shi'an and Second Granny following behind.
Zhu Liang still stood there in a daze. Zhu Changfeng patted his back. "Are you coming with us to Maple Tree Street, or heading home?"
Zhu Liang had originally planned to go home—who'd want to run around in a sun this big? But now he stammered, "How about, I, I see you to Maple Tree Street."
Zhu Changfeng laughed. "Changzhen knows the way, so no need to trouble yourself with the trip. Go home and rest. Tell your father that the family head has arrived."
Zhu Liang had heard from his father that the Zhu family's head of this generation was named Zhu Shi'an, a month or so younger than himself—that must be the young woman just now.
Young women these days favored braids—long or short, one braid or two—or the cropped cadre cut. One rarely saw a style like hers: half her hair coiled into a bun atop her head with a hairpin, the lower half left loose. She wore a slanted-front dress of fine bluish-grey linen, and the whole of her looked nothing like the youth of today—she looked like someone from ancient times.
She was clearly young, yet her gaze just now had been somehow different—a single look told you she was not someone easily approached. Zhu Liang wanted to strike up a conversation but didn't dare overstep.
Curious about Zhu Shi'an, Zhu Liang followed Zhu Changfeng and the others back. The group rode the bus for six stops, then walked a li before reaching the guesthouse on Maple Tree Street.
All along the way many people secretly sized up Zhu Shi'an's somewhat unfashionable attire; Zhu Shi'an simply pretended not to notice.
All the clothes she'd brought were dirty, and this fine linen dress was the only clean outfit left—what else was she supposed to wear?
When Zhu Shi'an arrived at the guesthouse, Feng-niang took one look at her and said distressedly, "Just look at you—and you wanted to travel alone. Without me looking after you, you've grown thin these past days."
Having said this, Zhu Fengqin added to Second Granny, "I'm not saying you looked after her poorly."
Second Granny laughed. "I do think the eldest girl has gotten a bit thinner."
"See? Ah, when you're on the road you can't be particular about food and clothing—there's no helping it."
Zhu Fengqin said to Zhu Shi'an, "Once the exam's done and you've got that license, we'll go home, and Feng-niang will make you good food and build your health back up."
Hearing the eldest girl had arrived, Zhu Shouguang and Zhu Shouxin, who had been downstairs exchanging notes with other veteran doctors of Chinese medicine who'd come for the exam, came over and reminded her: "The school hasn't closed for the day yet—eldest girl, hurry and get your admission card processed."
"The exam is at a school?" Zhu Shi'an asked.
Zhu Shouguang said, "The building next to the guesthouse was originally a textile school; after that shut down it became a primary school. Now, with Chinese medicine academies being restored all over the country, the Maple Tree Road Primary School has been merged with another primary school, and the vacated buildings were transferred to the Shanghai College of Chinese Medicine. The college doesn't open until September, and the campus sits empty—perfect for lending us their school for the exam."
Zhu Changfeng said admiringly, "Shouguang-ye, you've only been here two days and you've already found all this out?"
Zhu Shouguang laughed. "Aiyo, apart from the three of us who came from afar, all the veteran doctors taking this exam are Shanghai locals, or from nearby at the furthest. Would locals not know local affairs?"
Zhu Shouxin said, "By the way—the examiner for this test is none other than the president of that yet-to-open Shanghai College of Chinese Medicine."
Hearing all this, Zhu Changfeng sighed with feeling. "This impromptu exam really is impromptu. If we hadn't pulled connections to get registered, we'd never have made it in time."
"Isn't that the truth."
Registration closed the day before the exam. When the name list reached the invigilation committee, the names and household registrations of the three Zhu family members stood out conspicuously.
"Remarkable—traveling a thousand li to take the exam. Two days later and they'd have missed it."
"Everyone, does the Zhu family ring any bells? The submitted materials say the Zhu family's medical arts have been passed down for dozens of generations."
"Really? Is this family that fortunate? A family line unbroken for a thousand years?"
"The Zhu family says it wasn't."
Chief examiner He Zhonghou said, "It's true. The Zhu family's application materials were submitted through the Ministry of State Security. True or false, they'd certainly have reached a conclusion."
The officials chatting idly in the office instantly fell silent. Ho—the Zhu family actually had such connections; they must have real ability.
True gold fears no fire. The exam was tomorrow—then they'd see just how much genuine substance the Zhu family's veteran doctors had.
