Yue Buqun’s birthday celebration was a complete success.
The Five Mountains Sword Sects all showed their respect, while other martial artists from the jianghu either came in person or sent juniors with gifts.
All were attentive and courteous. Huashan was not stingy either; tables upon tables were laid out with chicken, duck, fish, meat, wine, and snacks—an abundant spread of good food and drink that perfectly suited the tastes of the jianghu crowd.
The Hengshan Sect, being composed of monks, sat separately at a table with vegetarian dishes.
Although the flavor of the vegetarian meat and noodles was decent, it simply couldn’t compare to roast chicken or braised pork, leaving them a bit unsatisfied.
Zhong Lingshou filled her stomach but had nothing else to do, so she began observing the various heroes, noting their appearances and temperaments.
Her face twisted from time to time.
Jianghu heroes are heroic when settling scores, but in daily life, they’re quite a different story.
Some wiped their noses while eating chicken legs, casually spat on the ground, exchanged curses like “Your grandmother!” or “Your mother!” at the slightest provocation, tore into dishes as soon as they were served, urinated and defecated wherever they pleased when drunk and needing relief.
Looking at them, then at the nuns of the Hengshan Sect—who adhered strictly to their vows, spoke little, dressed plainly and cleanly—was like comparing hell and heaven.
Zhong Lingshou exhaled in relief, deeply grateful that her novice village was Hengshan.
No internal strife, no conspiracies, sisters looking after one another, kind and wise masters—the kind of place you’d never find even if you searched with a lantern.
Being a nun wasn’t bad at all.
She picked up her chopsticks and scooped two more servings of tofu into her bowl.
Yizhen, who was about her age and also a little restless, whispered, “Still craving meat?”
“Hold on a bit longer,” Yiqing comforted her, counting her prayer beads. “We have to wait until the banquet ends.”
“We could just leave,” Yizhen muttered, “No one’s paying attention anyway.”
All Hengshan disciples were women. Along with Emei and Huashan’s female disciples, they sat in a side hall. After the opening toast to the birthday guest, no one paid them much mind. However, the group of nuns understood etiquette and didn’t leave early after eating their fill, saving Huashan’s face.
Yiqing glanced around and saw that Abbess Dingjing had closed her eyes and was counting her Buddhist beads. She understood the unspoken cue and gave Zhong Lingshou a slight nod.
Zhong Lingshou was grateful and stood up, slipping quietly along the wall out of the main hall, heading straight for the kitchen.
The banquet was halfway through, and the kitchen’s assistants and cooks had all gone to rest, leaving only one stove ember warm for boiling water or soup at a moment’s notice.
By the stove, among a pile of straw, Linghu Chong sat with a wine jar in his arms, his eyes blurry from drinking. Seeing her appear, he excitedly straightened up, “Junior Sister Yixiu, want some wine?”
“I want to find something else to eat.” Since no one else was around, Zhong Lingshou spared herself the niceties, lifting the nearby bamboo steamer’s cover. Sure enough, she found half a roast chicken, two pieces of Dongpo pork, and a plate of boiled lamb meat hidden by the kitchen staff.
She grabbed a clean bowl and took some of each.
The water jar had clean water, but it was cold and raw. There wasn’t time to boil it, so drinking wine was more hygienic. She took a wine cup and poured nearly half a bowl from the jar.
A bite of lamb dipped in the Dongpo pork sauce tasted rich and delicious. Then a sip of the strong wine, its warmth burning the lips and tongue, greatly whetted her appetite.
Linghu Chong watched her, hugging two bowls and eating heartily, secretly amused. He thought he was daring enough, but to see a little nun breaking the rules by sneaking out multiple times to drink wine and eat meat was truly something else.
Tsk, monks who enjoy wine and meat are common, but wine and meat nuns—that’s a first.
“Junior Sister Yixiu,” he slurred as the wine went to his head, “I’ll show you a special skill.”
“What skill? Did you learn the ‘Nine Swords of Dugu’?”
Linghu Chong grinned, gripping the wine jar with both hands and using his inner energy to swirl the liquid into a vortex. The wine then shot out in a stream, perfectly landing in his open mouth.
Zhong Lingshou: “…” Boring.
She said, “I’ll show you a special skill too.”
Linghu Chong’s disappointment quickly vanished, and he sat up straight. “What is it?”
“Swallowing a chicken leg whole.” She grabbed the roast chicken leg from her bowl, stuffed it entirely into her mouth, twisted her wrist and wrist again, bit off the meat, and skillfully pulled out the bone intact. Muffled, she asked, “How’s that?”
Linghu Chong found it both funny and kindred spirit–like, nodding, “Junior Sister is no ordinary person.”
Zhong Lingshou wanted to retort, but her mouth was full of chicken meat she hadn’t yet chewed. She could only bury her head and chew, chew, chew, swallowing piece by piece.
She almost choked.
She pounded her chest and gulped down some strong wine. The cold liquid slid down her throat, making her tremble all over. She quickly circulated her inner energy to ward off any chill or blockage.
The bright moon moved across the window. The distant clamoring outside remained loud and lively.
Zhong Lingshou bit into a piece of fatty lamb meat and sighed deeply for some reason.
If where there are people there is the jianghu, then today, with heroes gathered at Huashan, that was already the jianghu.
She had stepped into the jianghu.
Yet, it felt utterly unreal.
The birthday banquet was over, and this journey was drawing to a close.
The Hengshan Sect disliked noise and was the first to take their leave. Yue Buqun begged them repeatedly to stay, but to no avail. He had no choice but to personally escort them to the mountain gate.
Huashan was remote, with no merchant caravans offering rides, so each day’s journey tested one’s endurance.
Abbess Dingjing deliberately toughened her disciples by having them either find lodging on their own or ask for directions. But those who had traveled knew not every stranger pointed the right way. Unfamiliar with the land, a single misstep could lead one astray.
Zhong Lingshou encountered sleeping outdoors for the first time.
Her shoes soaked with mud and water, both soles freezing cold. Her body shivered uncontrollably, forcing her to continuously circulate energy to dry and warm herself. She finally found a ruined temple to stay the night, but there was no straw for firewood—only damp twigs that produced choking smoke when lit.
After clearing a small spot to sit, she took out a gourd dipper from her bundle, heated water over the fire, added a pinch of coarse salt, and crumbled dry bread into the broth. She ate the warm bread soup.
The cold wind blew through cracks in the broken temple, pressing in from all directions.
With no bedding, sleep was impossible. They circled the campfire chanting sutras, reciting Buddha’s name, meditating in silence.
At that moment, Zhong Lingshou was deeply grateful for her past wisdom. Who said climbing mountains and carrying water in winter was useless? At least it had trained her cold resistance. Once her inner energy was circulating, she wasn’t cold at all.
Training was truly essential.
The jianghu environment was harsh—either sleeping outdoors or facing fierce winds and scorching sun. Without some inner energy, one could easily die in the wilderness.
The night passed smoothly, with no unlucky souls pursued or ambushed by black-clad assassins or guards.
The journey continued.
Then, because of her nun identity, she was shunned and had to find lodging elsewhere.
Next, Yi and others were deceived by unscrupulous merchants and bought moldy rations!
Zhong Lingshou scavenged two bird eggs on the road, skipping the rations herself. The others ate them and suffered vomiting and diarrhea through the night. She rushed into town in the middle of the night, pounding on the pharmacy door, sword in hand, begging the doctor for medicine.
The medicine was expensive, consuming their travel funds.
No money left…
Is this jianghu?! So thrilling.
The last five days of the journey back to Hengshan were full of adventures for the greenhorn nuns.
They arrived home safely.
The trip lasted one month and twelve days.
Hengshan’s weather had warmed. Zhong Lingshou took a good hot bath, changed into clean cloth clothes, and hugged a coarse cotton quilt to sleep.
She slept for a full five hours, from evening until the early morning around four o’clock, waking with her usual biological rhythm.
But this time, she did not get up to practice immediately. Instead, she sat on the simple wooden bed, hugging the quilt and lost in thought.
When she was at Hengshan, she longed to enter the jianghu. Having entered it, she realized she had already taken Hengshan as home.
Zhong Lingshou rubbed her cheek and got up to train.
The peach blossoms in the mountains bloomed and withered; the summer heat was blocked by the dense forest canopy.
Maple leaves in autumn reddened beneath the swinging long swords.
Early snow began to fall in early October.
In the twelfth lunar month, Zhong Lingshou was assigned to go down the mountain to prepare New Year supplies: flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, mountain goods, vegetarian wine, window paper-cuttings, candles. She carried two full loads.
The skilled cook grandmother busied herself in the kitchen for three to five days, wrapping dumplings, making candied pumpkin, steaming buns—quietly and warmly celebrating the New Year’s Eve.
In February, the Hengshan Sect received a letter from Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect, stating that the Demon Sect had become active recently, and there might be some changes. He requested the sects to investigate as much as possible.
Zuo Lengchan was the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, and this concerned their righteous efforts against the Demon Sect.
After receiving the message, Hengshan discussed and decided to send Abbess Dingyi and disciples to investigate.
Abbess Dingyi assessed everyone’s martial skills and named Yiqing, Yihe, Yizhi, and Yixiu.
Zhong Lingshou naturally agreed. Before fighting the infamous elite monster Tian Bolong, gaining experience by dealing with unknown minions of the Demon Sect wasn’t bad.
She packed her small bundle again and followed her sect down the mountain for training.
… Five days later, they parted ways.
Not because they got lost or were chased, but because during Abbess Dingyi’s visit with local heroes in Taiyuan, they learned that Tian Bolong was committing crimes around Zhengzhou. His cousin feared for his daughter’s safety and had brought his two children out visiting relatives.
Tian Bolong, known as the “Lone Walker for Ten Thousand Miles,” was elusive. It was rare to hear news of his whereabouts, so it would be a shame to let it slip.
After careful thought, Zhong Lingshou asked Abbess Dingyi for permission to arrive in Zhengzhou ahead of the group to investigate.
Abbess Dingyi was reluctant to let her face a notorious womanizer alone but Zhong Lingshou repeatedly swore she would not seek direct revenge, only gather information and follow from afar until reuniting with the sect before taking action.
“Will you act rashly?”
“No.”
“Will you face the enemy alone?”
“No.”
“Will you think carefully before acting?”
“I swear.”
Considering her usual prudence, Abbess Dingyi thought it over for half a day and reluctantly agreed.
Yihe, out of loyalty, wanted to accompany her, but Zhong Lingshou looked at her shiny bald head and politely declined, “I have hair; disguising as a boy will be more convenient.”
Tian Bolong was a lecherous scoundrel; he certainly wouldn’t stay overnight at a good girl’s home. Most likely, he slept around in brothels filled with all kinds of unsavory characters. Zhong Lingshou had seen enough of such scenes and wasn’t afraid. Yihe and the others couldn’t handle it—not wanting to break their Buddhist hearts.
So she set out alone.
Abbess Dingyi gave her thirty taels of silver, which she didn’t use. Instead, leveraging her connections with senior martial artists and pretending to deliver a letter, she found a caravan escort agency heading to Zhengzhou and hitched a ride.
The caravan hesitated at first, seeing her young and innocent appearance, doubting her martial arts skills, but then considered: a child doesn’t eat much, so why not? They reluctantly agreed.
Sensing their mood, Zhong Lingshou spent twenty copper coins before leaving to buy a jar of cheap wine. At night during breaks, she toasted the escorts in turn, “A boy travels far from home, relying entirely on uncles’ care. If I have offended anyone, please forgive my youth and ignorance.”
She raised her head and downed it in one gulp.