The carriage was heading south.
Pei Xi Jun was grinding cinnabar ink for Wei Ming, who was focusing and calming his mind as he guided his wolf-hair brush with swift, elegant strokes.
He completed the drawing in one go, but Wei Ming was not satisfied.
“What kind of ghost scribbles are you drawing, Wei Lang? Are you going to slay demons and exorcise evil spirits?”
Wei Ming did not explain much, only saying: “You’ll know in time.”
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He prioritized drawing the Beast Taming Charm, then familiarized himself with others like the Golden Light Charm, Sword Charm, Water Dragon Charm, Fireball Charm, Vine Killing Charm, Thunder Arrow Charm, Wind Blade Charm, and so on. This was to prepare for the day he could draw charms in mid-air without error.
…
During the day, everyone traveled through mountains and rivers, visiting famous scenic spots.
Because every prefecture and county had a Drunken Immortal Pavilion, they had no trouble along the way, their journey was akin to sightseeing.
Fei Ji Shi pinched the belly fat he had gained and lamented how much he had gotten heavier.
Occasionally they camped out in the wild, after all, in ancient times, transportation was not developed, and towns were far apart from one another.
Plus, they traveled leisurely, stopping to rest, recite poetry, compose verses, brew wine and burn incense whenever they encountered a beautiful scenery, and their days were filled with joy.
Like this particular night.
They set up camp in a scenic spot with mountains on one side and water on the other.
Wei Ming prepared a field barbecue for everyone, paired with a decade-old Chang’an Drunken Wine. They huddled around a bonfire, filled with laughter and merriment.
“Everyone, we’ve known each other for so long now, but I still don’t know your courtesy names. Why don’t you each reveal them?”
“I’ll go first. I’m Wei Ming, my courtesy name is Yang Ming.”
“Su Wu Ming, my courtesy name is You Ming.”
Su Wu Ming was the eldest son in his family, also known as Su Da Lang. His ancestor was Su Chuo, a prominent official of the Western Wei Dynasty. Although their family had fallen from grace, he had learned a lifetime’s worth of detective skills from Di Ren Jie, and one day he would be famous throughout the land.
Lu Ling Feng bowed: “Lu Ling Feng, my courtesy name is Fu Yao.”
Lu Ling Feng was from the Fan Yang Lu clan, the seventh son in his family, also known as Lu Qi or Lu Qi Lang. His mother was Li Ling Yue, the current Princess Taiping. He was upright and had excellent martial arts skills, aspiring to make great achievements in life.
“Old Fe, your turn.”
The usually boisterous Fei Ji Shi fell silent for a moment: “You can just call me Fei Ji Shi, or Old Fe.”
Wei Ming laughed: “Old Fe, are you trying to shirk responsibility? Everyone else has said theirs, so don’t hide it any longer. It’s just a name and a courtesy name, nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Well, I’ll say it, but you guys better not laugh at me.” Fei Ji Shi negotiated beforehand.
Wei Ming nodded and promised: “Don’t worry, we’ve all received a good family education, no matter how funny it is, we won’t laugh.”
Everyone nodded, curious to hear what kind of name and courtesy name he had that he was so reluctant to reveal.
Fei Ji Shi sighed: “My surname is Fei, my given name is Qiao, my courtesy name is Ying Jun. I’m the thirteenth in my sect, and my nickname is Ji Shi.”
“Pfft!”
“Sorry, sorry!”
“Hahaha…”
“Kukuku…I can’t help it!”
Fei Ying Jun was furious, he thundered: “We all agreed beforehand, no laughing at me! Didn’t you guys receive a good family education? How can you just laugh at someone?”
Wei Ming bowed repeatedly, with a sly smile: “Sorry, Old Fe, I didn’t finish my sentence, there’s another part, that is, unless… you can’t help it!”
Fei Ji Shi, a direct disciple of Sun Si Miao, the legendary Divine Physician, was the thirteenth in line, also known as Fei Shi San. He was a gifted and skilled physician, a super healer in the Tang Dynasty’s Ghost Squad.
After the laughter subsided, it was Xue Huan’s turn: “My turn, my turn. My name is Xue Huan. My lady said I’m a descendant of Xue Li and Xue Ren Gui, and she gave me the courtesy name Xiao Yu, meaning valiant and a rough gem.”
Pei Xi Jun bowed: “Pei Xi Jun, my courtesy name…is Queen!”
Hiss!!!
“Xi Jun, your courtesy name is a bit too domineering.”
“Did your father choose it after the name of Empress Guo, the Queen of Emperor Cao Pi of the Wei Dynasty?”
Pei Xi Jun nodded: “That’s right.”
Wei Ming laughed, so my wife is Queen!
But alas, there was one person missing.
Chu Ying Tao!
Chu Ying Tao, given name Chen Zi, courtesy name Chao Chen, the daughter of a fake Prefect and Nie Yin Ning’s teacher.
At this moment, Lu Ling Feng suddenly suggested: “Brother Wei, wouldn’t it be fitting to compose a poem for this occasion?”
“Yes, Wei Lang, compose a poem.”
“My junior brother’s poetry is unparalleled in the world.”
“Sir, should I go get some paper and ink?”
“Old Fei is a simple man, but good poetry can resonate with people everywhere.”
Wei Ming shook his head: “Let’s skip the poetry, how about I sing a song for you all?”
Everyone was startled: “Sing? You know how to sing?”
“Yes, I’ll sing a song that you’ve never heard before.”
“I’ll call it after the greatest calligraphic work of all time, the Lanting Preface!”
Wei Ming went back to the carriage to fetch Pei Xi Jun’s ancient zither, and as he strummed, he sang.
“Lanting’s calligraphy, flowing like running water…”
“No wind, no moon, I shed blood, waiting for a chance encounter.”
“The brush dips, waves surge on the other shore.”
“What is love, no matter how I write, I can’t get it right.”
“And I lack, your lifetime’s understanding…”
The moon hung high, stars twinkled, everyone was lost in the beautiful melody, and those poignant lyrics, intoxicated, captivated.
Su Wu Ming and the others realized, that song could be sung in such a way?
The rhythm was melodious and intricate, the lyrics were heartfelt and expressive, while carrying a cultural essence, they also added a touch of human sentiment.
Wonderful! Exceedingly wonderful! Too wonderful! Beyond words!
Wei Ming, truly the first talented scholar of the Tang Dynasty, worthy of the title!
Tang Dynasty has you, and is truly extraordinary!
…
The next morning, everyone continued on their journey. As dusk approached, the weather changed, dark clouds gathered, and heavy rain was expected soon.
But as they hastened their pace, passing through a mountain valley, they were startled by a young woman’s corpse, barely seventeen or eighteen years old, lying across their path.
Everyone was shocked.
Su Wu Ming went forward to examine the body and found that she had been thrown from a cliff, dying from a high-altitude fall: “And this woman died no more than half an hour ago.”
Lu Ling Feng snorted: “In broad daylight, someone dared to take a life in Guan Zhong, what a wicked villain!”
Su Wu Ming looked at the map: “It’s thirty li to Gan Tang County, but the storm is coming, even if we report this, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning.”
“Our top priority is to find shelter from the rain.”
“What about this unidentified woman’s corpse?” Lu Ling Feng asked with concern.
Wei Ming spoke up: “Let’s put her in the carriage for now. Otherwise, once the rain hits, her body will start to swell, even if her features don’t become unrecognizable, out here in the wild, she’ll be eaten by wild beasts.”
As he spoke, Wei Ming walked to the corpse, using his Spirit Summoning Charm to collect her soul. From the soul, he learned some information.
Everyone agreed, and they worked together to lift the corpse onto the carriage. Lu Ling Feng drove, Wei Ming took the reins from him, and Wei Ming held Pei Xi Jun in his arms as he rode.
They traveled for another seven or eight li, the sky rumbled, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and small raindrops began to fall.
“We’re in trouble, no town or village in sight!”
“Look, there’s a station ahead!”
“Strange, this station isn’t marked on the station map.”
“Maybe it’s a private inn, it’s no problem to stay there in the face of a heavy rain.”
Wei Ming stepped out of the carriage and looked up, the horizontal plaque above the station door read three large characters: Gan Tang Station!
Since leaving Chang’an, Wei Ming had taken every opportunity to practice drawing charms.
He had practiced hundreds of charms, including the Beast Taming Charm.
And he had reached the level where he could draw the Beast Taming Charm in mid-air.
And Gan Tang Station just happened to be a snake’s nest, a perfect opportunity to try it out.
As if thinking of something, Wei Ming turned to Xue Huan and said a few words. Xue Huan nodded and went back to the carriage.
Although they didn’t understand Wei Ming’s arrangements, they did not ask rashly.
Lu Ling Feng went forward and knocked on the door: “Is anyone home? Open the door!”
Suddenly, a pale hand with a missing finger gripped the door latch, revealing a face with swollen eyes and a pale complexion.
“Who are you?” Lu Ling Feng was startled.
The strange man wore the attire of a station guard, his voice was low and hoarse: “You knock on my door and ask who I am?”
Su Wu Ming replied: “We are officials traveling south to take up our posts. With the heavy rain approaching, we would like to spend the night at the station. Please be kind enough to let us in.”
The man’s eyes were vacant, he answered slowly: “This place is not suitable for lodging.”
With a bang, he slammed the door shut.
Su Wu Ming unfolded the station map again and shook his head: “The next station is ten li away.” He reached out and caught a few drops of drizzling rain: “It’s too late.”
Lu Ling Feng pointed at the horizontal plaque: “It clearly says Gan Tang Station, it must be a government station. Besides, he’s wearing the clothes of a station guard, so why should he refuse to let us in?”