Man from the Wild South

by Lei En Na

  “In spite of what you have said, Young Master stays here alone? Is it not dangerous?”

  “Well, I do have servants so I am not exactly alone. Besides, there are several villages around here – which I do visit once in a while.”

  Thinking of his unusual looks, Shang Guan Jing can guess why he has chosen to stay in isolation, away from prying eyes and her heart ache in sympathy. The awkward silence is broken by the sound of her stomach ramblings and at her obvious embarrassment, the man bites back a smile. “I think Miss must be hungry.”

  “Hmm, just a little.” She figures that it has been 3 to 4 days since her last meal.

  He smiles and seems to have gotten over their initial unease. “My servants have prepared a simple meal and if you do not mind, please help yourself to the food. They have also made some herbal soup which is very good at dispelling the effects of the poison gases. Come, please help yourself to the food.”

  Shang Guan thanks her host and pushes herself off the bed. But as if she is not embarrassed enough with her rumbling stomach, her face fell when she realizes that her collar is gaping wide open. Worse, the binding cloth that she used to bind her breast has started to unwind beneath her clothing!

  As she clutches at her collar without trying to be too obvious that her binds are unravelling, her hands froze in shock. She pats her torso and when she did not encounter the familiar object, her heart sinks at the realization that her precious token has gone missing!

  “Are you looking for this?”

  Seeing a metal tablet between his fingers, Shang Guan Jing looks at the man in white with utmost gratitude. The token that is more important than her life! What is she to do if she has lost it? She takes a deep breath to control her panic but the hand that reaches out to take the token is still shaking from shock.

  “When I noticed that your face has gone pale and that you are sweating profusely I…. thought to loosen your bindings so that you can breathe easier. I saw the token while I… I was…. loosening your binds and because it is heavy which hinders your breathing, I kept it away for safekeeping. I have no ill intentions and hope Miss does not misunderstand. Oh, and your sword! I have placed it on that table. And goodness, the food is turning cold. Does Miss want to eat now?”

  The weird sense of male-female reversal hits her once more at his obvious fluster over her state of undress. His gentle manners also call out to her motherly instincts and in that moment, Shang Guan Jing has mentally labelled him as someone vulnerable and is in need of protection.

  She adjusts her clothes quickly and walks over to the table laden with food. She makes some small talk and they finally got around to exchanging names. “My name is Shang Guan Jing. How may I address Young Master?”

  “My name is Feng Jin. ‘Feng’ as in phoenix. ‘Jin’ as in beautiful fabric.” He smiles politely, and raises both fist in greeting. He puts various dishes into her bowl and settles elegantly in the seat opposite hers. “What brings Miss Shang Guan to Nan Man?”

  Shang Guan Jing pauses in chewing and considers how to answer. “Since Master Feng is local, have you heard of the Diao family?”

  “Diao family? Hmmm….”

  “Yes, the Diao family. I need to find them.”

  “What does Miss Shang Guan need from them?”

  “Actually, I do not know.”

  “You do not know?”

  “I really do not know, unbelievable as it sounds.” She grimaces. “I am from Ling Feng Sect of the Western Seas. My Teacher, the Sage of Ling Feng, has sent me to look for the Diao family and said that I would know what to do next once I have found them.”

  “Really? What a mysterious statement!”

  “So has Master Feng heard of them?”

  He places a piece of meat in her bowl. “No, I have never heard of them.”

  ********

  “What do you know about Ling Feng Sect of the Western Seas?”

  Standing under a blue moon, the man’s white robes glows with a violet hue.

  Yes, the moon is blue tonight but to the guard who has been around for ages, the sight is not surprising. Who knows if it is really the moon he is seeing in the sky, let alone a blue moon, green moon or pink moon?

  “The Western Seas is a vast lake situated at the western edge of the central plans. From what I heard, it is so big that someone standing on one side of the shoreline will not be able to see the opposite shore. There are five mountains surrounding the lake and Yu Ling Feng is the tallest peak on these mountains.” Yan Ying digs further into his memory. “According to our clan elders, we have some clansman who left Nan Man several generations ago and they have settled on the western mountains after discovering gold there. Could Miss Shang Guan be a descendent of that particular family-branch?”

  “No she is not.” The man smiles cynically. The wind caught his sleeves and causes it to bellow around his slender frame. “But the carvings on her sword and her token is interesting. It may be worthwhile to investigate further.”

  “Yes Feng Zhu. I will start checking on this at once.”

  Just when Yan Ying is about to leave, Feng Jin calls out after him. “My, aren’t you in a hurry to leave. Don’t you want to stay and talk to me?”

  Yan Ying sighs inwardly but maintains his outward calm. “Your humble servant…. is more than happy talk with Master if you are in the mood.”

  “Ha-ha, I like your answer.” Feng Jin folds his hands behind him and the movement smoothen his sleeves in an elegant wave. Beneath the blue moonlight, his pretty features looks a little mesmerizing – if one can ignore the scary, uneven skin tone that is. Yan Ying tries to stem the cold sweat from breaking out at his neck and lowers his eyes to the ground so that he can avoid direct eye contact with his mercurial employer.

  “By the way, if you come across any more thieves or robbers dumb enough to cross my forest, do not chase them away. Let me have some fun with them first.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Yan Ying peers up and seeing that his employer has walked away, he quickly follows. His employer may not be good at martial arts, but when he walks, he makes no sound like a qinggong master. The blue moonlight is quite dim but he thinks that he sees excitement on his employer’s face. But no matter what is getting him excited, Yan Ying is pretty sure that the Feng Jin is up to No Good.

  “Do you know? She said that she wanted to save me. She said she can rescue me. Ha-ha. What do you think? Should I let her rescue me? This is so rare and she seems so earnest about it. If I do not let her save me, will it makes me too petty?”

  Although Yan Ying has not checked out the background their guest, he is very sure that the lady must have done something Very Bad in her last life, so much so that retribution has finally caught up with her in this life.

  “Do you know that her face actually turned red when she saw my face? Ha-ha-ha, it is so funny to see her face changing colour when I did not cast a spell.” Feng Jin’s eyes gleam with delight. “This kind of change without using magic is fun. Outright interesting I say. What do you think?”

  Yan Ying tries to remain stone-face. “Your humble servant thinks that this is truely an unexpected find. As the saying goes – you can wear out a pair of shoes with iron sole with searching, only to find that person that you are looking for is right in front of you. Since she did barge into your forest and not the other way around, this should be fate. And since it is fate, one must not go against the wills of heaven.”

  Miss Shang Guan…. good luck to you.

  Feng Jin laughter has a nice, musical ring to it, but the hint of malice beneath the laughter is unmistakable. “I like your answer.”

  Chapter 2

  * * *

  Shang Guan Jing enters a cave and moves quickly to where a mirror made from polished white jade rests against a rocky wall. She flicks 3 levers next to the jade mirror like the way Teacher has shown her and steps fully into the cave.

  “Teacher? Where are you?” She is quite sure that Teacher is no longer around but being the
persistent sort, she needs to find Teacher’s body before she can be convinced that Teacher has died. Ignoring the blood dripping from left shoulder (a ‘souvenir’ from the fight with Da Shi Jie’s), she checks the cave.

  She is disappointed that there is no trace of Teacher but just as she is about to leave, the jade mirror suddenly glows until it lit up the entire cave with its brightness. She holds up a hand to shield her eyes from the blinding light when suddenly, she hears a most familiar voice echoing the same instructions over and over. Sometimes the voice seems to be coming from the left; sometimes, it seems to coming from the right. Sometimes, the voice is loud like thunder and sometimes the voice is soft, but despite the intonation, the words are the same.

  “Travel to the South. Take the leader’s token with you and make sure you do not lose it.”

  “Jing’er, find the Diao family. The token will lead you to them.”

  “Once you have found them, you will know what to do next. Don’t be afraid, Jing’er. Don’t be afraid.”

  “Teacher!”

  *******

  Shang Guan Jing wakes up with a jerk. The last thing she remembers from the dream is a clap of thunder followed by the shattering of the jade mirror. In its ruins, she saw the token that signifies its possessor as the leader of Ling Feng Sect and she left the cave with it.

  Before this incident, Da Shi Jie has overthrown Teacher and taken control of their sect. Following her teacher’s instructions, Shang Guan Jing has travelled to the far south. She knows that Da Shi Jie is trying to search for her and she has been careful to conceal her trail during the journey south. The stress of travelling plus her initial adjustment to a different climate has caused her to be bed-ridden for 3 full days. Even till now, which is 2 weeks since she was rescued from the forest, she has yet to fully recover to her strength.

  She is well enough to explore her surroundings however and walks around the guest house often. The house she is staying in is made of bamboo and has a small garden surrounding it. In one corner of the garden, clear spring water sprouts out from a bamboo snout and the small stream of water meanders across the garden before disappearing into a bamboo groove fencing the house.

  Her host lives in another bamboo house behind the bamboo groove but he is apparently a big believer of peace and quiet. He may join her for meals from time to time, but otherwise, she is left to her own devices. Besides Feng Jin, the only people around are the servants who clean her room, and place fresh water, fruits and meals in her room every day.

  When she has gotten stronger, she has walked to a nearby village to enquire about the Diao family. Feng Jin did not restrict her movements and gave her a sachet of herbs to hang on her belt which he told her can to ward off insects. He has also shown her which mint leaves can be eaten should she inhale any poison gases by accident and need to dispel its effects.

  She is deeply thankful for Feng Jin’s help and promises herself that she will not impose on him any more than necessary. The moment she finds the whereabouts of the Diao family, she will leave. But after checking out all 4 villages in the area, she only found out that the villagers have heard about a Diao family who stays in Nan Man, but one can tell her where she can find them. Sometimes, she would also show her teacher’s token to the villagers but they would shake their head and tell her that they have no idea what the strange carving and symbols on the token mean.

  What is she going to do next if she cannot find the Diaos?

  And back to villagers, their behavior is really strange. They seem like honest, simple folks but for some strange reason, they will clam up whenever she mentions that she is staying at Feng Jin’s bamboo house. They will stare at her strangely, open their mouth as if to speak, but ultimately, all of them would clear their throats and refrain from telling her more.

  Shang Guan Jing suspects that their hesitation is due to Feng Jin’s peculiar looks but her instincts tell her that this cannot be the only reason. Which is why when she spotted Feng Jin in one of the village one sunny evening, she decides that she shall follow him secretly.

  She is not stalking him, she tells herself, but since she has stumbled across him without him noticing her…

  He is wearing his customary white robes and carrying a woven basket behind his back. His long hair is tied neatly behind him and he looks neat and fresh. He has mentioned over breakfast this morning that he is going to gather herbs in the forest and from the heap of leaves in his basket, he must have a successful ‘harvest’.

  She does not know if he is a doctor but she has noticed some unfamiliar plants growing in his garden instead of the normal fruits, vegetables or flowers that one would expect to find in a garden. When asked about the plants, he has answered that the plants are native herbs with medicinal value and can also help to repel insects and rodents. During the 3 days when she was bedridden, she did not see a doctor and drank Feng Jin’s home brew. Since she did get better after taking his medicine, she has not doubted his doctoring skills ever since.

  Maybe her instincts are wrong and the villagers are only avoiding him because of how he look?

  Deep down, she pities him and finds it sad that a nice man like him is an outcast. She follows him from a safe distance and from where he is heading, he seems to be going home. Under a setting sun, he walks past a rice field, and she sees that the farmers have stopped working in their fields to gawk at him. Shang Guan Jing cannot see Feng Jin’s expression since he is back-facing her but having known him for nearly 2 weeks by now, she imagines that he must be behaving as if everything is normal, in spite of all the obvious staring.

  How does it feel, she wonders, if people dare not come within 3 meters of you and stare at you as if you have a contagious disease?

  Heart heavy, she continues to follow him and this time, he walks past some children playing by the road. The children stopped playing as he approaches and she can see the face of the older children turning pale. Some of the smaller children started quivering and in the next second, some of the youngest children have burst out crying.

  He walks on as if unaware of the commotion he has caused and Shang Guan Jing feels even worse than before. If he has not been so calm, so accepting of fate, perhaps she would have felt better for him as a person. Just as she has enough of him being ostracized and is about to walk up to him to accompany him openly, the accident happened.

  2 oxens suddenly barge out of the rice field on his left and charge at him without any warning! She has never seen any oxens move beyond a snail’s pace before, much less TWO oxens charging at the same time. What strangeness is this?

  “Look out!”

  She shouts out a warning but he seems oblivious to the danger. In the next second, she has caught up with him and drags him backwards by the shoulder. As the first oxen charge pass, it trips over her leg and tumbles painfully to the ground. At this moment, the second oxen is upon them and Shang Guan Jing reacts by instinct.

  She grabs Feng Jin by the shoulder once more and pulls him out of harm’s way. Turning around, she sends 2 swift chops on the second oxen’s back on where she thinks its accupoints are. She must have hit her mark for the next instant, the oxen’s legs give way and the beast tumbles to the ground with a painful grunt.

  Danger adverted; she turns to check on Feng Jin. “Are you alright? You….oh my god!”

  Feng Jin has been pushed to the ground. He has dirt on his back and legs, and there are also specks of mud on his face and hair. He is quick to recover from sudden turn of events and smiles at her in greeting.

  Shang Guan Jing has not meant to be so rough but she must have used more strength than she has thought when pulling him away. She apologize profusely and tries to explain. “I was behind you just now just as I was about to walk up to you, I saw 2 oxens charging at you. I tried to warn you but you did not react so I… I…”

  Gosh, he looks like a mess with mud all over his body; how is he able to smile so graciously?

  “I should have been more alert and in any case, I am not hu
rt. The oxens though, seems less fortunate. They are very precious to the farmer you know and if they are injured and cannot work the field, it will affect the farmer’s livelihood.”

  “I did not mean to hurt them but it was an emergency! Besides, it will not do if you are hurt either.” She has seen someone being gored in the stomach by a bull before. Such injuries are difficult to treat and it is highly likely for someone to die after such an accident.

  “My life is not worth that much.”

  Her throat constricts at the matter-of-fact manner that he views his worth and she tries to help him up. However, he waves her away as he is worried that he will dirty her clothes. She tells him that she does not mind but he continues to reject her help until she has enough.

  “Stop.” She is upset by his inferiority complex and helps him up without another word. As he hoists himself to his feet, his fingers through hers, she gets the weirdest feeling that she is in the middle of a hoax.

  Hoax?

  She shakes her head to clear the ridiculous thought and the next thought that comes to mind is that he is actually quite tall. She has never stood close enough to him to notice their height difference and she is so close right at this moment that she can see the faint stubble beneath his chin. She reminds herself that Feng Jin is a man afterall despite his pretty looks and blotchy skin, men have stubbles. Why does she find it difficult to look away?

  They remain like that, hands entwined, for several heartbeats before she comes back to reality. She tries to retract her hand but he held her hand firmly while looking at her unwaveringly. Embarrassed, she tries to shake him out of his reverie. “Master Feng, are you able to stand by yourself now?”

  He releases her hand hurriedly. “I thank Miss Shang Guan most sincerely for lending a hand.” Shaking his head, he walks over to the 2 oxens and looks down at them. “Such a pity…”