The Witch Nichang– Chapter 96.2
Watershed
Since she had grown up on the peak of Mount Hua, traversing these ragged mountain slopes was like walking on a flat ground for her. The wind whistled past my ears, and before long, the earthen houses scattered among the misty greenery grew from specks to something distinct. As we drew closer, a village came into view. Not a lot of folks live here as there were only a dozen or so low houses. Shrouded in mist, they looked lonely and desolate amidst the mountains.
Lian’er, never one for formalities, landed directly before the largest house, strode onto the veranda, and rapped on the door. I was shaking off the ice shards from my robe. Before I could stop her, I heard a woman called from inside, “Who’s there—?” Not wanting to make her wait, I stepped in before Lian’er could speak, “Pardon the intrusion. My sister and I are travelers on our way to Jinzhou from Liangzhou. We were caught in the storm as we were crossing the ridge and hoping to seek shelter here from the hail. Would you be so kind to let us in?”
Lian’er seemed unbothered by my interruption. The house fell into a brief silence likely because the residents were discussing. After a while, the sound of footsteps approached, and the hefty door creaked open. A middle-aged woman appeared and gave us a quick once-over before she stepped aside and said, “Well then, come on in—”
Her attitude was odd. She didn’t have the warm hospitality typical of mountain folks, yet not exactly unfriendly either, just a little indifferent. I was hesitating, but I saw Lian’er stride in unconcerned, so I could only say my thanks and follow her inside.
The sky was already overcast with clouds. It was even darker inside the house. The furnishing of the modest hall was simple and old. A layer of dust cloaked everything from furniture to the beams, looking dull and colorless. Only the embers in the central hearth were flickering, casting a faint but warm amber glow.
By the hearth sat an old woman. Out of courtesy, I cupped my fists and greeted her. “Thank you. Pardon the intrusion,” I said with respect. The old woman merely cast me a languid glance in return before letting her eyelids droop again. The middle-aged woman walked to us after shutting the door and said, “Stay here. Don’t wander around. The hail comes and goes quickly. It won’t last long.” With that, she walked to the old woman and attended to her, paying us no further heed. It didn’t bother me, but Lian’er, with her proud nature, wasn’t pleased with the indifferent attitude of this family. Thankfully, no matter how displeased she was, she had the basic courtesy. She understood these people had let us in out of kindness, so she didn’t show her feelings on her face. She merely let out a low humph, walked over to the window, and with her back to the room and sword in her hand, spaced out at the relentless patter of hailstones. I gave a perfunctory smile when I saw that the owner had no intention of making conversation and turned to join Lian’er by her side.
It wasn’t long before Old Tie caught up with us. Like Lian’er, he was never one to stand on ceremony. The moment he entered the village, he started shouting our names, unconcerned about disturbing anyone. It wasn’t until Lian’er rushed out to meet him that he finally stopped. By the time, the three of us tethered the horses under the veranda and went back inside, the hailstones had grown to nearly the size of quail eggs. Even though I kept the family informed about what we were doing with an apologetic smile, the truth was, ever since the woman had returned to the old woman’s side, neither of them had so much as glanced our way again, as if they had turned a deaf ear and treated us as if we just didn’t exist. It was hard not to grow suspicious of them.
“I’m telling you, there’s something weird about this place…”The old man stood in a corner of the room, watching the horses outside and saying to us, his voice lowered, “Did you notice?” Ever since I entered the village and started shouting, not a single soul has peeked out to see what’s going on. Even with the hail, you’d expect someone to glance out the window at least. Strange… hmm… real strange…”
“What’s the big deal?” Though Lian’er’s voice was soft, her expression was full of disdain. She flicked her sword and said, “No matter how strange this place is, you think the three of us would be afraid?”
“Alright.” Worried that other people would overhear their conversation, I quickly stopped them in a hushed voice, “We were the ones who came knocking. Just because they’re keeping to themselves doesn’t mean they’re bad people. As long as we don’t touch or drink anything, keep watch over the horses, and leave as soon as the weather clears, nothing will happen.”
And so, we stayed on our guard while waiting out the hail. What happened later seemed to prove what I had said. In less than an hour, the patter of hail began to wane, and the sky gradually cleared. As the gloom lifted, rays of sunlight broke through the clouds, chasing away some of the chill and making the scattered hailstones on the ground glisten like crystal.
Seeing that, before we could do anything, the middle-aged woman attending to the old woman spoke up. In a measured voice, she said, “The hail has passed, and it won’t return today. You’d best be on your way while there’s still light. We won’t keep you.”
Although that had been our plan, it still rankled to hear those words clearly meant to kick us out. Old Tie, bad-tempered as he was, had seen enough to keep his composure. He cupped his hands and said thanks before going out. Lian’er gave a frosty smile, said nothing, and followed him outside. I followed them to the door but couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. So, I turned back and walked over to the hearth. Cupping my hands and bowing, I said, “My companions are used to the way of jianghu. I beg your pardon for any rudeness. We’re grateful for your shelter in our time of need. Please accept this small token of gratitude.”
As I spoke, I reached for my pouch, only to realize I had no small change on me. If I showed hesitation now, it would only make things awkward, so I decided to commit to the gesture. I pulled out a silver ingot and placed it on the small wooden table beside the hearth. As I set down the silver and just about to pull my hand back, two long, withered fingers suddenly closed around my wrist!
I was on my guard when I approached them. Even so, those fingers caught me cold. Shock rippled through me. My eyes followed those two withered fingers and looked up. The one who grabbed me was the elderly woman who had sat motionless like a clay statue and never lifted her eyes!
“Old bat! What are you doing to her? Let go of her now!” A familiar shout came from behind. Lian’er must have seen what happened from the veranda. She flung open the window and jumped right in, ready to strike. I quickly extended my other hand to block her and said hastily, “Wait, Lian’er, hold on, stay calm.” That stopped her just in time. Because in that split second, I sensed that those two fingers, though holding my wrist, weren’t applying any force. They were even trembling; they were nothing like the grip of a martial artist. Even though the lightning-fast speed still baffled me.
The two women seemed to not register either Lian’er’s menace or my wariness, as if none of it concerned them. The old woman held my wrist as if reading a pulse, then slowly spoke in a hoarse voice, “We don’t have a custom of taking payment for helping people around here. But since you insist, why not let this old lady take a look at you. Consider it service for silver, and we’ll be even.”
There were a lot of eccentric people in the world, and this family did seem peculiar from the beginning. Now that I heard her say that, I thought it better to believe than to doubt, so I said respectfully, “Then I thank you for your kindness.”
Suspicion was written all over Lian’er’s face, but nonetheless she lowered her sword and stepped back, standing at the side, her eyes trained on the old woman.
Ignoring our attitude, the old woman squinted her eyes and said slowly, “You were born with a weak constitution, young lady. Now your yin is lacking, and heat rises within.[1] Since you move more than you rest, your body is probably worn-out. And also, your organs suffered injury once. Though healed, you lack proper recovery. Unwise.” At that, her fingers shifted on my pulse, adjusting their position. Then she added, “Your body already shows signs of fatigue. If you don’t take proper rest, the strain will build and turn into illness. And by then, it’ll take twice the effort to recover. Troublesome indeed.”
Listening to her explain, with every point sounding convincing, Lian’er and I exchanged a glance, and when we turned back to the old woman, she had finished speaking, took her fingers off my pulse, and closed her eyes, returning to her previous state of silence. I pulled my hand back right after, cupped my fists, and said my thanks again. Then I took Lian’er by the arm and made our way out. Just as I stepped over the threshold, suddenly, I seemed to hear a voice by my ear. The voice said, “Fate and destiny flow like river. Don’t stir a river unconnected to yours, or there’ll be no escape from death.” I whipped around. A gust of wind swept through the room, and with a resounding bang, the door slammed shut before me. I turned around to look at Lian’er; she was right beside me, but she didn’t seem to have heard anything this time. A chill crept down my spine. Just as I contemplated whether I should go in and ask for an answer, Old Tie came striding over and pulled us along, saying, “Quick, let’s go. This place gives me the creeps! Best not linger!”
Seeing the old man, one rarely fazed by anything, now pale, I wanted to ask, but before I could utter a word, I was shoved onto the horse, so I swallowed the question and let it go.
After riding out of the village, though the journey went without a hitch, none of us could wipe the pallor off our face. I couldn’t share the reason behind my pale face with anyone. That wispy voice lingered in my mind. It seemed like a dream as the time passed, impossible to tell if it had been real or an illusion. As for the reason behind Old Tie’s pale face, he refused to say even after asking him several times. I could only guess that he had seen something in the veranda. What exactly it was, I had no idea, so I could only let it go. As for the reason behind Lian’er’s pale face, I had no clue. Though she didn’t say anything at that time, I would figure it out soon enough.
To say I figured it out would be an overstatement. It was Lian’er who revealed it herself at the end. After we had descended the ridge, passed the rest stop, and entered Jincheng in Lanzhou for a brief respite, just as we were preparing to set out on the long journey to the capital, she suddenly spoke, “Let’s make a little detour south to Shaanxi. I want to visit Mount Dingjun.”
Lian’er’s was based there, so when she brought that up, no one found her request unusual. Old Tie nodded and said, “Hmm, come to think of it, it’s been more than half a year since you were back. It’s good to make a detour to check in, even just to show your face, since you are the chief.” “Mm, you’re right, Godfather.”Lian’er nodded and turned to look at me; there seemed to be something more in her eyes. It was only then that I realized that something wasn’t quite right. Then, I heard her say, “Once we reach Mount Dingjun, you should stay at the stronghold. For the journey to the capital, just Godfather and I will be enough.”
[1] Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) terminology, where health is about the balance of yin and yang energies. Yin represents cool and receptive energies, and yang represents warm and active energies. In the case of excess yang, symptoms related to heat might emerge like fever, nosebleed, and hot flushes.