Chapter 283: Chapter 280: "If the Beam is not Straight Above, the One Below Will Go Askew
Chapter 280: When the Top Beam is Awry, the Bottom Beam Will Follow
A water bucket was hoisted up from the well.
The half-grown youth standing beside the well, his upper body bare, displayed a sturdy frame. He lifted a full bucket of water with one hand and then walked over to the kitchen in the yard, emptying the water into the vat.
Then, the youth carried the bucket back to the well and hoisted more water.
After several back-and-forth trips, the vat beside the kitchen was finally full.
Only then did the youth wipe the sweat from his forehead and exhale a breath.
He focused on the position of the sun, but again ran to the other side of the kitchen, grabbed the axe from the ground, weighed it in his hand a few times, and began chopping wood.
Suddenly, a berry was thrown over, hitting the youth squarely on the head.
The youth raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.
Another berry came flying, and suddenly, in mid-air, a glint of cold light flashed!
A shadow of an axe precisely split the berry in half while it was still aloft!
"Erya, if you’ve nothing to do, go help me kill the chickens instead of bothering me while I’m working," the youth grumbled in a hollow voice, lowering the axe in his hand and looking up.
In the yard, atop an osmanthus tree, Situ Beixuan sat on a branch, holding a thread-bound book and pretending to nod and shake his head thoughtfully. However, his other hand was holding several berries.
"I’ve told you countless times, call me Situ Beixuan!" Erya set the book aside and complained discontentedly, "Have you ever heard me calling you Tiezhu?"
"It’s just a name; call it whatever you like. Besides, the name Tiezhu was given by our master, and I think it sounds quite nice," replied the youth.
"What’s wrong with the name Nangong Yin?" Erya yelled back, frustrated, "I read through so many books to come up with such a nice name for you!"
"Because I’m not surnamed Nangong," the youth shook his head and said.
"I’m not surnamed Situ either." Erya pouted. "Our parents never raised us, so why should we keep our original surnames? What’s wrong with picking a name that’s nice and sounds good?"
"If you like it, that’s fine; I think Tiezhu is a good name." The youth looked at Erya and frowned. "You really won’t help me kill the chicken?"
"Master said that I practice the Yin-Yang Technique, and I should avoid karma; I should commit the act of killing as little as possible."
"...Once it’s cooked, I don’t see you eating any less."
"Nangong Yin, you took the path of martial arts; killing is part of your cultivation, so you should kill the chicken yourself."
"Then at least help me catch it," said the youth.
"I’ve said it before, I can’t get involved with karma! Even if I don’t kill the chicken, helping you catch it would still make me complicit," Erya retorted.
"Lazybones, you sure can come up with plenty of excuses. No wonder you love to read so much; did you learn all of this from books?"
As the two kids bantered back and forth, the youth had already split dozens of logs with steady chops.
He then casually planted the axe into a stump and ran into the kitchen.
There, he fished out an orangey-yellow corn cob from the steaming basket on the stove, walked out to the yard, glanced at Erya sitting in the tree, thought for a moment, then forcefully broke it in two, tossing one half over to her.
Erya caught it and chewed on it with a smile, "Senior Brother is always so good to me."
"Hmph."
The youth quickly polished off the corn cob, turning around to throw the remaining half into the furnace to be burned.
He casually scooped up a handful of water from the tank to rinse his mouth as well.
Turning his head, he saw Erya sitting atop the tree branch, daintily nibbling away.
Shortly thereafter, the courtyard was filled with Wu Daodao’s annoyed shouting.
"My steamed corn? I needed it for making medicine!! Where did it go?!"
The boy wore a simple and honest look of bewilderment, hands spread, but his gaze drifted towards the osmanthus tree.
Wu Daodao, seeing Erya sitting in the osmanthus tree with her hands behind her back, yet a kernel of corn still lingering at the corner of her mouth...
Wu Daodao cursed as he took off his slipper and ran over, grabbing his disciple by the foot and yanking her down from the tree, then promptly greeting her backside with the sole of his shoe.
Listening to his junior sister’s cries and his master’s scolding, the boy sighed, turned away, and continued chopping wood.
Ah... Life at the sect was actually quite agreeable.
***
「Below the Cross Slope.」
A decrepit tractor rolled to a stop at the foot of the hill, soon followed by a boy jumping off.
He pulled out his wallet, handed over two notes to the old farmer driving the tractor, then took out a pack of cigarettes, pulling out a Red Jinling and offering it to the man.
The old farmer, grinning from ear to ear, tucked it behind his ear and waved as he drove away.
Chen Nuo looked up at the not-so-tall mound of earth.
Bluestone steps, laid piece by piece, led up to the top.
Behind a sparse cluster of low trees, part of a courtyard wall emerged, with a red base and white walls.
The gate was an overhanging roof with double doors wide open, topped with green tiles.
Walking up the hill along the steps, Chen Nuo had a relaxed look as he glanced at the plaque above the gate.
Qingyun... heh, not afraid of being sued for copyright infringement, huh?
Looking inside, he saw in the large courtyard, under an osmanthus tree, that little Erya he had seen before... Well, the Iris kid, listlessly kneeling there, arms held high, balancing a washboard with a bowl of water on top.
"Hold it level! If you spill it, you’ll kneel for an extra half hour!"
A plain-looking middle-aged woman in a grey cotton-padded jacket, holding a stick in her hand, stood beside her and ordered coldly.
To any onlooker, she seemed like an ordinary rural woman, but upon closer inspection, Chen Nuo’s heart skipped a beat!
His sharp senses immediately perceived a vibrant and fiercely burning spiritual power!
Looking again, he saw Wu Daodao sitting on a small stool at the entrance of a hall.
His face, however, was bruised, and he was grimacing as he applied an ointment to his cheek.
"Getting bolder by the day!"
The middle-aged woman’s face was a grim shade as she scolded Erya, "Your master disciplines you, and you even dare to fight back! This is called being disrespectful to your master—do you understand?!"
Erya’s face was a picture of misery as she plaintively said, "Mistress, how would I dare to hit Master? I’ve been truly wronged! It was clearly Master who hit me. I was dodging and running away when he himself stumbled and scraped his face on the doorframe! Even if I’m ill-mannered, I would never lay a hand on my Master..."
"Still arguing back! If your Master disciplines you, why do you run? Can’t you just kneel down and accept the punishment?" the middle-aged woman scolded with wide eyes.
"Well...who wouldn’t run from a beating!" Erya’s eyes darted around. "If you were teaching your disciple a lesson, wouldn’t he run too?"
"Of course not! Our sect has a rule! When a Master disciplines a disciple, the disciple should accept the punishment honestly! That’s the principle!" the middle-aged woman declared sternly.
Erya immediately shook her head, "Mistress, I don’t believe it! My Eldest Brother Tiezhu would definitely not be so obedient. He’d run too if you punished him."
Standing in the kitchen and enjoying the show, Tiezhu suddenly felt a chill!
Damn it! Here comes little junior sister’s revenge!
Just as he was about to run away, the middle-aged woman turned and locked her gaze on him.
"Tiezhu, come here."
"...Mistress." The young man approached with a smile. "I’ve been working just now; I don’t know anything."
"I told you to come here and kneel. Are you going to listen?" The middle-aged woman glared at her disciple.
The young man was stunned, glanced helplessly at Erya who was kneeling.
Erya gave him a glare.
The young man sighed, slowly walked over, and with a PLOP, knelt down next to Erya.
"If Mistress wants to punish me, of course, I won’t run. Whatever you want your disciple to do, I shall obey."
"Good, then you can kneel together with Erya," said the middle-aged woman with a huff.
With that, she walked over, stood beside the boy, and said with a stern face, "So young, and already so full of schemes! One by one, you don’t learn what is good and take after your no-good Master in character! Tiezhu, I thought you were a straightforward person, how come you’ve also started to turn bad! What kind of Eldest Senior Brother are you! You don’t set an example at all! Erya is your junior sister, if you have any issue with her, you should take on the responsibility of an elder brother and appropriately discipline her! This sort of backhanded scheming is a disgrace to our sect! And you, Erya! Being cunning in front of me! If you can’t stand being outwitted by your senior brother, you could just tell me honestly instead. What’s with all this plotting! The two of you, no supper tonight! Keep kneeling! Reflect on yourselves!"
With that, the middle-aged woman sighed, "None of you give me peace of mind!"
Then she cast a glance at Wu Daodao, who was grimacing and applying ointment, "The old are troublesome, and the young are no good! A crooked beam leads to a crooked column! It seems in our sect, only Sanpang is honest!"
Upon hearing this, Erya rolled her eyes and muttered, "He’s the real troublemaker, okay! That slab of cured meat hanging from the beam some days ago, do you really think it was taken by a stray cat as he said?"
The middle-aged woman heard this and immediately glared, "What did you say!"
"I didn’t say anything." Erya shook her head.
"Sanpang!!"
The middle-aged woman let out a thunderous shout!
PLOP!
Suddenly, a chubby figure fell from the beam, rolling into a ball on the floor before slowly getting up, wiping his chubby face, and saying with a smile, "Mistress called me? I... I didn’t know anything! I was meditating and sleeping on the beam."
The middle-aged woman’s face turned stern, "Your Second Senior Sister said that you stole the cured meat?"
"Nonsense!" Sanpang declared confidently, "You and Master always taught me that taking without asking is thievery! I, Ouyang Shanhe, am upright in both my deeds and in my life; I’m proper and honest in my actions. How could I do such a despicable act!"
While saying this, he looked at Erya and said earnestly, "Senior Sister, do not tarnish my innocence!"
Erya snorted and disregarded him, turning to the middle-aged woman, "Mistress, such a large piece of cured meat can’t be finished in one meal."
The middle-aged woman’s eyelids twitched, and she turned to Sanpang, inhaled deeply, "Where did you hide the leftovers?"
"What are you talking about, Mistress? How would I know... It was clearly taken by a cat... OUCH!!"
Halfway through his words, a cry of pain burst out!
A whip had suddenly appeared in the middle-aged woman’s hand and struck Sanpang’s behind.
The guy jumped three feet high, both hands clutching his buttocks.
"Speak, where did you hide it? Don’t make me ask a third time!" the middle-aged woman said frostily.
"...I wrapped it in oilcloth and hid it under the ancestral tablet," Sanpang confessed everything quickly and pointed at Tiezhu. "It was Eldest Brother’s idea! He said hiding it under the ancestral tablet was safest, and you wouldn’t flip the tablet over!"
The middle-aged woman turned pale with fury, "Alright then! The eldest, the second, and the third... none of you are decent! It seems only the fourth..."
She stopped abruptly and said no more.
The middle-aged woman rushed into the inner room, and soon dragged out a little girl.
A little girl with twin horn braids was led out by the middle-aged woman.
The little girl, seemingly still drowsy from a nap, rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Siyatou, tell me, what’s the best way to cook cured meat?" the middle-aged woman asked softly, feigning a smile. "Mistress will make it for you tonight."
"Steam it! After steaming it, slice it and sandwich it with steamed buns... it’s so delicious." The plump little girl said as she wiped away the drool from the corner of her mouth...
Suddenly, a glance at the courtyard revealed Tiezhu and Erya kneeling there, while Sanpang was beside them, both hands covering his butt.
The little one instantly felt a jolt and her eyeballs whirled a few times before she let out an "Ouch!" and clutched her stomach, "Mistress, my stomach hurts, it hurts a lot... I need to go to the outhouse..."
She had only run a few steps when her braid was grabbed and she was yanked back.
PLOP! The little girl immediately knelt down, covering her face with her hands, "It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me... when they were stealing the meat... I was just helping to keep watch..."
Seeing the Mistress’s face growing increasingly stern...
"Wait! Where did you get the money to buy steamed buns?"
"Er... about that..." The little girl was caught off guard and became distressed.
As the Mistress slowly raised the whip in her hand...
In desperation, the little girl let out a piercing scream!
"We found the master’s secret stash of money!!"
SWISH!
The whip, raised halfway, was gently lowered.
"Damn it!"
Wu Daodao instantly sprang up from the ground and exclaimed, "Disciple spouting lies! I..."
"Under the half brick at the bottom of the water tank! Wrapped in oilcloth!"
Wu Daodao paused, exchanged glances with the middle-aged woman, and without another word, took off running!
The woman’s face turned to steel, and she chased after him with the whip in hand.
Chen Nuo: "..."
Standing outside the threshold, Chen Xiaoguo thought for a moment before finally deciding to knock on the door frame first.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Wu Daodao heard it and immediately rushed over. A whip struck his heel from behind, causing him to hop and nearly dive straight into Chen Nuo’s arms.
Chen Nuo quickly steadied Wu Daodao with both hands, "Uh... Senior Brother..."
"Junior Brother, save me!!"
As the middle-aged woman approached, Chen Nuo quickly pulled Wu Daodao behind him and blocked the way with a smile, "This must be Sister-in-law..."
"Step aside!"
The middle-aged woman coldly shouted, lifting her hand as the whip snaked past Chen Nuo, aiming for Wu Daodao behind him.
Chen Nuo reached out to grab the whip, and the woman gave a surprised "huh," flicking her wrist subtly. Chen Nuo was about to grasp the whip when suddenly, his hand grasped at empty air!
A thought flashed through Chen Nuo’s mind! His strength had already recovered by about a third by now, and with his grabbing motion, not to mention a whip, he ought to be able to catch even a bullet!
"Wu Daodao! Come back!" The woman squinted at Chen Nuo, uncertain of his origins but instinctively called for her husband first.
"He’s my junior brother!" Wu Daodao peeked out from behind Chen Nuo.
The middle-aged woman’s gaze shifted, "Junior brother? From Jinling City?"
"...Yes, I suppose you’re talking about me," Chen Nuo smiled politely. "Hello, Sister-in-law, my name is Chen Nuo."
The wariness on the middle-aged woman’s face instantly vanished, and the whip in her hand flicked away and disappeared.
Chen Nuo understood; the slim whip’s material was a mystery, and with a gentle shake from the woman, it coiled up on its own, retracting back into her sleeve.
This skill was indeed very impressive!
The middle-aged woman scrutinized Chen Nuo carefully, then thoughtfully nodded, "I’ve always heard him mention you, the junior brother from Jinling City... I heard you’re quite a big deal, very capable..."
Chen Nuo was about to modestly decline the compliment.
But he heard the woman sigh lightly, shaking her head slightly, "...Is this all?"
The smile on Chen Nuo’s face froze in place.
The middle-aged woman narrowed her eyes and glanced at Wu Daodao behind Chen Nuo, "We have a guest today, I’ll let you off the hook. Come in!"
"Heh!"
Wu Daodao breathed a sigh of relief and was about to come back.
"I said to let Chen Nuo in! Did I say you could come in?!"
The middle-aged woman glared, and Wu Daodao instantly shrank in size.
"You stay out here and reflect properly! Whenever you’ve realized your mistake, that’s when you may enter," the middle-aged woman said coldly.
Then she glanced at Chen Nuo, "Since you’ve come from afar, please come in for a drink."
***
Well, this middle-aged woman was indeed straightforward. When she said to have a drink, she really meant just a drink!
A small table was set up in the courtyard, and Chen Nuo sat on a small stool.
In front of him on the table, there was a bowl of water!
The water was clear, guaranteeing not even a speck of tea leaf.
The middle-aged woman sat quietly across from Chen Nuo.
"Mr. Chen Nuo, instead of staying in Jinling, you came to our sect. Is there something you need?"
Chen Nuo also observed the middle-aged woman.
She was highly skilled, and previously, when he probed her spiritual power from afar with his newly acquired "perception" ability without a detailed investigation, he noted she had very strong spiritual energy.
She looked very ordinary, dressed in the typical attire of a rural woman, and nothing stood out except for her eyes.
Her eyeballs were oddly disproportionate, with more white than black, giving her a somewhat eerie appearance.
"Indeed, there’s a matter," Chen Nuo pondered and smiled. "Some days ago, I received assistance from Senior Brother Wu who visited my home. I encountered some trouble, and it was thanks to Senior Brother’s help, ah yes, and your disciple Erya... Situ Beixuan, the young friend..."
"So you came to express gratitude?" the middle-aged woman inquired.
"Uh... I guess you could say that."
The middle-aged woman heard this, sized up Chen Nuo, and shook her head, "That’s not appropriate."
"Huh? What’s not appropriate?"
The woman spoke in a blunt tone, coldly saying, "Since it’s such an effort for you, travelling so far just to express your gratitude in person. But I see you, not even carrying a bag, coming to thank someone with empty hands?"
"Uh..."
"From Jinling to here, if you came by bus, the ticket must have cost several tens of yuan. Coming here to say thanks, not to mention bringing some gifts, but at least you could have bought some meat from the market at the village entrance. Coming with empty hands like this, and considering it’s getting late, I’ll likely have to invite you for dinner... Are you here to express gratitude, or are you here to freeload a meal? How come young people these days have no sense of propriety?"
Even though he was known as the Saintly Dog, Chen Yanluo couldn’t help but feel uneasy and his face burnt with embarrassment upon hearing these words.
"Sister-in-law makes a good point, indeed!"
Chen Xiaoguo was quite straightforward. He looked up at the house in the courtyard, and his eyes instantly fixed on the statues and tablets in the central hall...
Having thought, he slowly said, "But Sister-in-law has misunderstood me. How could I be so thoughtless! I was thinking, if I just bought some vulgar food or ordinary gifts, it wouldn’t convey my gratitude towards my Senior Brother and his sect! How about this, I also have some assets, and this time I’ve come, I’d like to contribute, help my Senior Brother, and rebuild the golden statue for the Qingyun Sect! How’s that?"
"Rebuild the golden statue?" The middle-aged woman’s expression suddenly became much more amiable.
"Yes!"
"That’s... not going to be cheap."
"No problem, I’ll pay for it," Chen Nuo said with a smile.
WHOOSH!!
The middle-aged woman, grinning, suddenly took out a notebook and a pen from under the table and slapped them onto the surface!
She flipped to a new page, picked up the pen, and swiftly began to write:
"Hereby recorded is the benevolent layman Chen Nuo, wholeheartedly devoted to the path, with a sincere and compassionate heart! To promote the teachings of the sect, he generously donates:
Gold powder: eight taels and eight mace.
Top-grade cinnabar: ten jars.
Tung oil: ten barrels.
Incense candles: ten rolls.
For materials and miscellaneous expenses required for the statue, pledged donation:"
At this point, the woman looked up at Chen Nuo, "Junior Brother Chen, aside from those major materials... the money for these other miscellaneous items will also amount to some."
Chen Nuo did some quick mental calculations.
Major materials like gold powder and tung oil had already been accounted for. The rest, mainly the main body of the statue, wouldn’t actually cost much. In the countryside, hiring some workers, plasterers, carpenters, etc., for building and sculpting the statue, the sand, stone, timber, plus labor charges, wouldn’t amount to much. The prices in 2001 were low. Three to five thousand yuan should suffice. To appear more generous, double the amount would do.
Chen Nuo then said with a smile, "Then I’ll donate another eight..."
"Good, let’s make it eighty thousand," the woman quickly interjected, swiftly writing the number "eighty thousand" on the paper.
Chen Xiaoguo was stunned!
The woman quickly finished writing, then with a SWISH, she tore the paper off and pushed it towards Chen Nuo.
She said with a smug smile, "Junior Brother, verbal promises are no proof. Since it’s a donation, there should be a written record. Come on, please sign your name below. Right, and your handprint too, please!"
After saying that, she tossed an inkpad towards Chen Nuo.
Chen Nuo looked at the paper and inkpad in front of him...
Then at the four disciples kneeling in the courtyard receiving their punishment.
And at Wu Daodao, squatting outside the gate in reflection...
Finally, back at the woman before him.
Fuck! This Qingyun Sect, the top beam is crooked and the bottom beams are askew! The root cause lies with you!