Lone Guest 1

It was raining. Threads of rain cascaded down the fish-scale roof tiles, weaving dense stitches across the bluestone paved ground. The sky had just brightened, and with the rain falling again, everything was shrouded in a hazy mist. Above the upturned eaves of neighboring houses hung the grayish-white shadow of the moon, a very dim, incomplete circle that seemed as if it would dissipate with just another blink.

Qi Yin woke up to a 'tap-tap' sound. With a sweep of his gaze, he saw raindrops dripping in from the broken tiles outside, hitting the wooden floorboards and wetting a patch. He sat up, dragged a wooden basin from under the bed, and placed it beneath the leak, allowing the water to drip into the basin. He slept in the attic. A strong wind had blown a few tiles away the day before yesterday, and he hadn't had time to patch it. As he rustled into his clothes, he thought about mentioning it to his aunt later during breakfast. He could patch the roof himself, as long as he had the materials.

Descending the ladder, he found the rest of the family still asleep. It was very quiet everywhere; the only sound was the rustling of raindrops pouring into the gray, misty courtyard. He went into the kitchen, chopped wood, lit the fire, and made breakfast. This was his mandatory chore every morning. As someone without parents living under another's roof, he had to be self-aware.

According to his aunt, he lost his mother when he was five. She was dragged away by a water ghost one day while washing clothes by the river. Five was too young, so he didn't remember anything anymore. His aunt said he was skipping stones nearby at the time, and when his mother plunged into the water, he thought she was going for a swim, cheerfully asking her to catch a fish for him to eat. However, his mother never surfaced again.

He was his mother's illegitimate child, born out of wedlock. His biological father was said to be a Sword Immortal from some Immortal Mountain, who had a fleeting romance with his mother before flying back on his sword to cultivate immortality. The only thing left behind was the Eighteen-Bead Glazed Bracelet on his wrist. Each emerald green glazed bead bore golden runic patterns of varying depths, which were said to ward off demons and ensure safety.

Immortals did not care for trivialities, so his failure to marry his mother seemed understandable. Since childhood, Qi Yin knew how to make excuses for his father whom he had never met. He guessed that his father just so happened to be busy sealing a world-destroying demon, which was why he couldn't rush back to take him and his mother to the Immortal Mountain. He made himself believe this to be true, harboring this excuse to explain why his father hadn't come to fetch him, all while showing off his Eighteen-Bead Glazed Bracelet to the snot-nosed little neighbors and the classmates who got their palms smacked alongside him. His aunt also held onto this hope, anticipating that one day in the future, his father would descend from the sky and take him away, and in order to repay his aunt for raising him, he would conveniently bring his cousin along, so the two brothers could joyfully cultivate immortality together.

It was just that his father had been sealing this demon for eighteen years, and up till now, there was still no sign of him. A few years ago, his aunt entrusted a wandering old Daoist to deliver a message to Wufang Mountain, but there was no response. Everyone gradually realized that Qi Yin was an illegitimate child, with a mother who died early and a father who didn't want him.

His aunt's attitude towards him gradually changed. In the past, he slept in the main room with a moon window together with his cousin. Now, he could only sleep in the attic with a broken roof. If not for the fear of neighborhood gossip, he probably wouldn't have even been able to finish his primary schooling. His aunt kept him purely because buying servants was expensive. At the beginning of the year before last, the family bought a maidservant, which made his aunt's heart ache over the cost for a long time, wishing she could break the maidservant in half to do the work of two people.

Qi Yin had no grand ambitions. Ever since he recognized the reality that he had no father and no mother, he earnestly took up the role of a hired helper in his aunt's house. He was just this kind of person—without the opportunity, he couldn't cultivate immortality, and he didn't have the brains to pass the imperial examinations. He was ordinary, with a lifetime that could be seen straight to its end.

He stoked the firewood, placed donkey-hide gelatin and prepared rehmannia root into the medicine pot, and poured in water. This was the beauty soup his aunt had to drink every morning and evening. She was getting on in years but refused to accept old age. In fact, the person she hated most in the house was not Qi Yin, but the maidservant Xiao Yuan. When Xiao Yuan first entered the household at thirteen, she was a scrawny little girl, as withered as weeds by the roadside. Having stayed in the house for three years, she had surprisingly blossomed into a beautiful young woman with red lips and white teeth. With her snow-white neck and rounded shoulders, revealing beauty like three-inch golden lotuses the size of bamboo shoots when she walked, the men in the house all looked at her with shining eyes, except for Qi Yin.

"Up so early?" An embroidered shoe in peony red stepped over the threshold. Qi Yin turned his head and saw Xiao Yuan smiling at him.

Qi Yin scratched his head and said, "Boiling medicine. Aunt has been waking up early lately."

The medicine pot was boiling, making a bubbling sound. He turned around to get the steamer to steam mantou. As he lowered his head, he caught sight of two buttock imprints pressed into the coal ash on the stove. The imprints were plump and round; it was obvious that their owner was very voluptuous. He unconsciously glanced at Xiao Yuan beside him. She was kneading dough, wearing a black vine bracelet on her wrist that clung so tightly to her flesh that not even a handkerchief could be tucked in.

Perhaps sensing Qi Yin's gaze, Xiao Yuan turned her head to look at him, a teasing smile in her eyes. Qi Yin sheepishly withdrew his gaze, silently wiped the imprints clean, and placed the steamer into the stove.

"Ah, I'm sweating. My hair is stuck to my neck, help me lift it up a bit," Xiao Yuan said.

Qi Yin looked over. A lock of raven-black hair rested on her smooth, white neck. For some unknown reason, Qi Yin inexplicably thought of the white pork hanging on the meat racks at the market. Qi Yin placed a stack of wet cloths in front of her and said, "Wipe your hands and do it yourself." Then he walked out.

Xiao Yuan's face stiffened, and she threw the dough onto the chopping board. "Tch, what are you pretending for! Wild bastard."

She didn't intentionally lower her voice, and the sound floated straight into Qi Yin's ears. Qi Yin ignored her and stepped over the threshold.

He knew Xiao Yuan and his uncle were having an affair. They had gotten together during the New Year this year. The spiked beauty soup helped them make his aunt sleep like a pig. The kitchen was right below the attic, and the attic's windows were not sturdy. Every time his uncle had his fun, the sounds would drift up, and Qi Yin would lie there with his eyes open, staring at the roof amidst the muffled sounds of pleasure. However, he didn't dislike Xiao Yuan because of her deceitful mind, but because he already had someone in his heart. There was an apothecary across the street, and he liked the maidservant there, Feng Xian.

Every time he fetched medicine for his aunt, he would go to that apothecary. It had a pitch-black counter and uniform medicine drawers with cloud-shaped pulls. Upon entering, one would smell a faint bitterness that was exceptionally refreshing. Feng Xian would stand behind the counter, holding a small scale and weighing the medicine carefully. Her shiny black hair bun hung low, revealing a poorly made, low-quality jade hairpin. Beneath the loose strands of hair were lowered brows and eyes, possessing a quiet beauty. He suspected that she liked him too, because she smiled at him every time. When she cast her watery gaze over, his legs would go weak as he walked out the door. The most compelling evidence was last time when she weighed out an extra mace of prepared rehmannia root for him. When he said he didn't need that much, she smiled, blinked, and said, "Just consider it a gift for you."

He had already thought it through. He had saved up a little silver from doing short-term jobs outside over the years. He would rent a room outside, find a long-term job, save money for two years, and then go to her door to propose marriage. Feng Xian's family was also poor, so the bride price they asked for wouldn't be much. He was confident.

The rain was still falling, but daylight was already piercing through the clouds in a brilliant gold. Holding his mouthwash, Qi Yin stared at the shimmering reflection on the bluestone floor and chuckled foolishly. After he finished laughing and looked up, he saw his cousin Yao Xiaoshan staring at him with the look of someone looking at an idiot.

Qi Yin: "..."

"Let's discuss something," Yao Xiaoshan squatted beside him shiftily and pulled a Stone Egg out from his robes. "My mother has nothing better to do after eating and is always inspecting my room. Keep this egg in your place, help me store it well."

Yao Xiaoshan was his cousin. He had passed the county examination to become a scholar at a young age, so his aunt doted on him dearly, serving him exotic delicacies every day. But lately, not knowing what kind of wrong medicine he had taken, he often sneaked off to the West Market to fool around, claiming he was seeking immortal destiny. In truth, for commoners like them, the chance of cultivating immortality was incredibly small. The four great Immortal Mountains were distant and traceless, and Wutang Town was an obscure backwater corner. Even demons didn't bother to cause trouble here, let alone meeting a Sword Immortal.

However, Qi Yin had always been good-natured and didn't burst his bubble, only saying, "What is this thing? Last time you left a stack of talisman papers in my room, they all turned into toads. I had to spend the whole night catching them and still got scolded by Aunt."

Yao Xiaoshan chuckled and said, "Last time was an accident, an accident." He cupped the Stone Egg in front of Qi Yin's nose and said mysteriously, "This is a Qilin Egg. It's said that if you incubate it for a hundred or eighty years, a little Qilin will hatch. I bought it as a collector's item. Who knows, maybe by my son's generation, our family will have a Qilin to guard the house."

Qilins laid fucking eggs? Qi Yin was a bit speechless.

"If you don't help me, I'll tell my mother that you like Xiao Yuan," Yao Xiaoshan said.

Qi Yin was startled, nearly biting his own tongue, and hurriedly glared at him, saying, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Yao Xiaoshan said, "I saw you two exchanging glances just now, and Xiao Yuan even asked you to help lift her hair."

"You!" Qi Yin truly felt he couldn't wash himself clean even if he jumped into a river. Dejectedly, he said, "Fine, fine, fine, I'll help you hide it. I beg you, absolutely do not talk nonsense, it could cost someone's life!"

Yao Xiaoshan was finally satisfied. He stuffed the Stone Egg into Qi Yin's arms and swaggered away.

He and his cousin were truly nemeses. When they attended the private school, Qi Yin had to help him copy the Four Books and Five Classics as punishment. At home, he had to take the blame for his cousin's misdeeds. Even when Yao Xiaoshan provoked street thugs and local gangsters outside, he would drag Qi Yin along to share the beating. But Qi Yin really had no other choice. Living under their roof, he had to be at their beck and call, consciously living as his aunt's servant boy and his cousin's underling. Clutching the Stone Egg in his hand, it felt icy cold. Qi Yin studied it for a long time but couldn't see how it resembled an immortal egg. That brat had probably been scammed again. Qi Yin sighed and locked the Stone Egg in his chest, lest it hatch into some toad again.

Just as he went downstairs, he heard a clamor in the main room. Someone smashed a bowl, and someone else was crying. Qi Yin heard his aunt's scolding voice drifting over from afar. "You cheap little tramp, who are you trying to seduce dressing up so enchantingly?! If you dare seduce my son and disturb his studies, watch me peel off your skin! You low-class good-for-nothing, all you know is how to seduce men!" Then he saw Xiao Yuan run out sobbing, clutching a black lacquered tray.

"Alright, alright, scolding her is enough." It was his uncle trying to persuade her.

His aunt was still cursing: "Every single one of you, none of you gives me peace of mind! And Xiao Yin, look at him! What's the use of his birth mother following an immortal? The man flew off on his sword and disappeared in a flash, wasn't it all for nothing?! She gave birth to a son who just freeloads at my house. He's almost eighteen, and hasn't amounted to anything!"

"Hey, hey, hey, why bring Xiao Yin into this again? Careful he doesn't hear you."

Qi Yin stood absentmindedly under the corridor for a while, then silently walked into the side courtyard. The rain fell softly. The rain in Jiangnan was always like this—not heavy, but dense and continuous, as if it would never end. The old lady had already gotten up as well, leaning against a reclining chair and embroidering flowers. For someone her age, a large portion of her hair had turned white. Having endured too much hardship in her early years, her face had been tanned to an ochre yellow, and coupled with her face full of fine wrinkles, she looked like a dried slice of sweet potato. The old lady was an indifferent woman; she wasn't close to anyone and didn't interfere much in household affairs, only embroidering handkerchiefs day by day to help subsidize the family's expenses. Even though he had no blood relation to the old lady, he followed Yao Xiaoshan in calling her Grandmother.

The sound of scolding from the front courtyard could be faintly heard. Qi Yin didn't know if the old lady heard it, but he awkwardly wanted to go wait outside the back door. The old lady tilted her head up, glanced at Qi Yin, waved at him, and patted the folding stool next to her. Qi Yin went over and sat down. The old lady hunched her back, went into the house, brought out a mother-of-pearl inlaid box, and placed it in Qi Yin's hands.

"Grandmother?" Qi Yin opened the box. Inside was a stack of silver banknotes. Qi Yin was stunned for a moment, looking at the old woman in confusion.

The old lady looked at him with a smile. "I've saved this for a good number of years. By my calculations, there's at least five taels here. To hire a matchmaker, purchase some gold and silver jewelry, and host a banquet, it should be barely enough. Spend it frugally; raising a child in the future will cost a lot of money."

Qi Yin was still dumbfounded.

"Little Feng Xian from across the street, do you like her?" The old woman blinked at him.

Qi Yin's face immediately turned red, and he became so flustered he couldn't even speak clearly. "...How, how did you know?"

The old lady lowered her head to embroider, poking the fine silver needle into the fabric. "Every time you need to buy medicine, you rush to go. This old woman got curious, so last time I went to take a look. Hmm, she looks nice and has a big bottom; she has the appearance of someone who'll bear children well."

Qi Yin's face was so red it could bleed. He stuttered, "She's also a good person, very gentle. You can tell at a glance that she's virtuous."

The old lady shot him a sidelong glance. "She hasn't even married into the family yet, and you've already learned to speak up for your wife."

Qi Yin wanted to say he wasn't, but the old lady smiled and gave him a gentle push. "Alright, hide it well, don't let your aunt find out. Go on."

He nodded vigorously and jogged back to the front courtyard, just in time to see a guest arrive at the door wearing a black hat and a round-collar shirt. It seemed to be a courier from the government post station. His aunt came out of the main room, smiling and shouting as she welcomed the guest. Qi Yin hurriedly turned his feet and went back to the side courtyard. The old lady pointed to the back door, and Qi Yin understood. He stepped over the threshold, closed the door, and squatted beneath the stone lion. He would wait until his aunt returned to her room before going back, to avoid being discovered by her.

He tightly hugged that small, book-sized box. In summer, it was a bit cold when it rained, but his heart was warm. He remembered when he was little, the old lady would often take him to the market two miles away to buy groceries. The tiny little guy would hold the old woman's hand, carrying a basket in the crook of his arm, greeting everyone he saw. One time, he accidentally got separated from the old lady and stood waiting under a memorial archway hugging the basket. Fortunately, because he usually had a sweet mouth, the passersby recognized him and guided him back home.

He smiled at his reflection in the puddle. It didn't matter that his aunt disliked him; he still had his grandmother, and he still had Feng Xian.

A shadow suddenly fell over his head. He looked up and saw a man standing beside him, with black hair and black clothes, entirely drenched. Squatting on his shoulder was a fat black cat, water dripping from its fur. He could only see the man's side profile—cold and white, with very long eyelashes that appeared cream-colored under the daylight, like a moth's wings.

'Taking shelter from the rain?' Qi Yin thought.

That black cat turned its head, saw him, and jumped down from the man's shoulder. This black cat was truly a bit too fat; when it jumped down, it looked like a furball. The black cat rubbed against Qi Yin's feet and let out a soft meow. Qi Yin smiled and stroked its fur. The man also turned his head, and Qi Yin saw his face—handsome features with large, dark eyes that reflected a whole world of wind and rain, along with Qi Yin squatting on the ground.

"You look unfamiliar, are you from out of town?" Qi Yin asked.

The man didn't seem accustomed to conversing with others. He looked down at him for a while before nodding.

"Are you here looking for relatives? Or just passing through?" he asked again.

"My bride is here," the man said, his voice light and faint like a gust of wind. "I have come to find them and get married."