Chapter 5, Longing on a Starry Night

Translator: StarReader

 

Bone-chilling winds whistled through the gaps in the thatched roof of the firewood shed on that freezing winter night. Through one of the holes, one could glimpse the dark sky dotted with stars.

 

The shed had no bedding, but fortunately, there were piles of dry grass stacked inside, which could serve as blankets. Su Chen and Ah Chou spread out the thick grass on the cold ground and crawled in, finding it warmer than cotton quilts, though the sharp edges of the grass did prick their skin.

 

The gaps in the shed were already stuffed with grass to block out the draft.

 

The boys huddled together, their warmth creating a comforting cocoon.

 

“By the way, Su Chen, why are you here alone this time? Usually you come with your father to sell fish, don’t you?”

 

Ah Chou sounded curious.

 

“I didn’t come to sell. I ran away…”

 

Su Chen shook his head, his body curled up in the thick straw pile. His clear, innocent eyes gazed sadly through the hole in the roof at the star-filled sky, his youthful face filled with confusion.

 

He told Ah Chou the whole story.

 

Things were very tough back home this year—they still owed taxes to the constable and fees to Whale Gang. His parents planned to sell him to a kind family in the city to be their serf. He also shared details about his strange illness.

 

Su Chen explained he couldn’t bear the thought of becoming a slave, nor could he stay in Zhou Village anymore. So here he was, alone in Gusu County City, trying to make a living.

 

But since he had no relatives or acquaintances in the county city, he couldn’t find a place to stay. He could only ask his brother Ah Chou for help first, at least having a place to live and something to eat, so that he wouldn’t end up starving or freezing to death on the streets.

 

Ah Chou almost jumped up in alarm, growing frantic. “Brother Chen, you can’t sell yourself! In the city, those rich families treat their serfs no better than pigs or dogs. If they die, nobody cares.

 

“I may be just a lowly server at the Heaven Falcon Inn, often scolded and shouted at by the owner and guests, but they never took it too far. If they killed me, the magistrate would surely send constables to arrest them and throw them in jail.

 

“But if you sell yourself, you’ll be lower than servers. If you made any mistake, they’d beat you to death with rods, and no one would speak up for you. The constable would only fine your master a couple of silver taels at most.

 

“Don’t listen to them when they say things like ‘kind-hearted’ or ‘cruel;’ it’s all nonsense! Even if the family is somewhat kind, what happens when they get tired of you? They’d sell you to someone else. Can you guarantee that the next master would be kind too? If you sell yourself as a slave, everything about your life will be controlled by others—you won’t even have the freedom to choose.”

 

Ah Chou grew so upset his face turned red, fearing Su Chen might have a soft heart and make a rash decision to sell himself.

 

“I’m not willing to become a slave either; that’s why I left home and came to Gusu County City, trying to find some work to support myself,” Su Chen said sadly, looking at Ah Chou’s strong reaction with puzzlement. “But Ah Chou, why are you so worked up? You’re more anxious than me!”

 

Ah Chou’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression filled with deep sorrow. He buried his head and said, “You know I’m an orphan. Since I was young, I’ve had no parents to care for me—I only knew my surname was Fei… But actually, I do have an older sister. It was she who raised me when I was young. One winter, I contracted a cough that couldn’t be cured due to lack of money. I was near death when she, desperate to save me, had no choice but to sell herself to a wealthy family as their slave. Unluckily, after only half a month there, the lady of the house accused her of tempting the master and sold her to a brothel in the city. I’ve worked as a server in the inn all these years, day and night, to earn money, hoping one day I could redeem my sister from the brothel… But alas, I’m so useless! I can’t save up more than a few copper coins a year!”

 

Su Chen was silent, at a loss for how to comfort Ah Chou.

 

Even without asking about the ransom, Su Chen knew it would be an astronomical sum—likely tens of taels of silver. That alone was harder to come by than paying the annual taxes to the county constable or dealing with the Whale Gang’s extortion. It wasn’t that Ah Chou was lazy; such a large sum was simply impossible for a twelve-year-old server to earn.

 

After a long while, Ah Chou pulled himself out of his sorrow and asked in puzzlement, “Oh, by the way, Brother Chen, what about your illness with the blue stone tears? I’ve never heard you mention it before.”

 

Su Chen replied softly, “My condition is quite strange. Every time I cry, tears of a blue fall from my eyes, quickly solidifying into tiny stones—right here in this bag. Then, I’ll fall gravely ill, losing my strength. It takes at least one decade-old wild ginseng to recover.”

 

As Su Chen spoke, he pulled out a small cloth pouch from his chest and poured out more than ten small bluestones inside, letting them scatter into the light.

 

These were stones he had accumulated throughout his life, kept close to himself. Each one was smooth and round, resembling teardrops, faintly emitting a soft blue glow that added to their air of mystery.

 

However, as Su Chen thought about how these blue stones had nearly cost him half his life, the mere sight of them filled him with lingering dread.

 

“These are beautiful,” Ah Chou remarked curiously, picking one up and biting it hard. The stone was so tough it almost chipped his tooth. “They’re as hard as nails!”

 

He examined it closely but couldn’t make much sense of it, only noting that the stones were indeed very pretty, resembling small pearls or jade.

 

“Some healers looked at them,” Su Chen said, sighing softly. “They called them sickness stones and wouldn’t touch them! But I’ve been carrying them with me since I was a child, treating them no differently than ordinary pebbles. And my younger brother and sister slept in the same bed as me—they didn’t catch that illness either.”

 

This strange illness of his had always been a deep-seated fear since childhood, something he never talked about with others. Ah Chou, however, didn’t know this either.

 

Ah Chou seemed unfazed by the illness but was fascinated by the shiny blue stones. He grinned and said, “My sister always says, ‘If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger!'” It’s surprising that you’ve survived all these years without dying from crying. I bet you’ll be very fortunate in the future. Brother Chen, do you think these blue stones could be valuable jewels? I remember seeing a jewelry store in town that sells strange little colored stones like these, specifically to wealthy young ladies. Those stones are super expensive! If these blue stones are valuable, you’re going to strike it rich!”

 

Su Chen rolled his eyes and sighed sadly, shaking his head. “They’re definitely not jewels. Otherwise, the healers would’ve recognized them. My father once asked the great Temple Abbot of Han Mountain Daoist Temple, Daoist Han Shan, about them. Even he couldn’t figure out what they were. If they were valuable, Daoist Han Shan would have immediately known. We wouldn’t be struggling to afford medicinal herbs anymore. Just one ginseng plant can cost a whole silver tael! We’re almost desperate.”

 

Ah Chou scratched his head and agreed thoughtfully, feeling sorry for Su Chen’s condition. “I work as a server and earn three copper coins a day. It takes me a whole year to barely make one silver coin. The money I earn through hard labor is just enough for my basic needs. Helping you earn money for medicinal herbs would be impossible. Dust Brother, since you’ve run away from home, what kind of job do you plan to take up?”

 

Su Chen replied seriously, “When I was at the west gate pier earlier, I overheard a wealthy merchant mention that Medicine King Group will recruit a batch of disciples in the coming Lunar New Year. I thought about it all afternoon and decided to try joining the Medicine King Group tomorrow. If I become an apprentice of the Medicine King Group, maybe I won’t need to spend money on medicinal herbs anymore. Plus, I might get the chance to learn herbal medicine and become a respected pharmacist.”

 

“Are you really planning to join Medicine King Group?” Ah Chou exclaimed in shock.

 

“It’s a martial group! You’re going to brave the dangers of martial arts? In the martial world, your life is hanging by a thread. If someone kills you, the authorities won’t even bother to investigate!”

 

For ordinary citizens in Gusu County, the martial world was a completely separate world.

 

In the Wu Region, the martial artists from the groups were known for their outrageous behavior and extravagant spending, holding positions of high esteem that not even the constables challenged. Common folk held them in great fear.

 

Yet, the immense power and wealth they possessed were hard-won through exceptional martial strength and at great personal risk.

 

In county towns, if a household lost a serf, the constable would dispatch officials to inquire into the cause and levy fines. However, when it came to deaths among martial artists, the constable would turn a blind eye, pretending nothing had occurred.

 

“Ah, I didn’t think that far ahead. If this blue stone tears illness goes untreated, someday soon, I might fall critically ill, unable to use medicinal herbs for healing and die. By joining the Medicine King Group, perhaps I could gain a few more years of life—it’d be like gaining extra chances at survival.”

 

Su Chen shook his head, showing he didn’t much care about martial dangers.

 

No danger could be worse than his illness, which was truly deadly.

 

Since leaving home, he had little to worry about, focusing solely on sustaining himself.

 

If he could risk everything to become a pharmacist, that would make him a respected figure in the county city. That would mean his life was finally turning around—no more hardship, no more people looking down on him.

 

“Brother Chen, so you’ve really decided to venture into the martial world?”

 

Ah Chou’s eyes immediately filled with adoration as he looked at Su Chen.

 

He had worked as a waiter at Heaven Falcon Inn for several years. He had seen countless martial heroes and always held them in deep respect. But he had never entertained the notion of becoming a martial hero himself.

 

[Brother Chen is going to venture into the martial world… Why not? Why don’t I also try to make a name for myself? Maybe I could even become a renowned hero!]

 

A gleam of determination flashed in Ah Chou’s eyes. His heart surged with passion and excitement, making his face flush.

 

He didn’t want to spend his life as a lowly kitchen boy at Heaven Falcon Inn, being bossed around by Owner Wang, suffering abuse day after day, living like a nobody. He wanted to rise above!

 

If one day he became a martial hero, then no longer would he endure being pushed around and insulted. Every day he could feast on delicacies at Heaven Falcon Inn. The self-important owner would have to wait on him, serving tea and wine and addressing him as ‘Sir Chou.’

 

Even more so, there was a chance to earn a lot of money and redeem his sister from her servitude.

 

A server at the inn could barely make any money; only by venturing into the martial world and becoming a great hero could one achieve true wealth and honor.

 

[That’s right!]

 

[Let’s do it! ]

 

“If Brother Chen is going to venture into the martial world, I’ll join you as well. I’ve long been fed up with this crappy inn. I’m always bullied by the owner and the senior servers, who shout and scold at me day after day. It’s enough to drive a man mad! If you’re going to join the Medicine King Group, I’ll join the Heaven Falcon Group instead. I’ll learn some powerful martial arts, become a great hero, rise above the crowd, and achieve fame and glory!”

 

Ah Chou resolved in his heart and clenched his fists with determination.

 

He had no interest in the medicine arts of the Medicine King Group but was deeply envious of the martial skills of the wealthy patrons at the Heaven Falcon Inn. Why not just join the Heaven Eagle Sect?

 

The Heaven Falcon Inn was a branch of the Heaven Eagle Sect, and Ah Chou was already somewhat familiar with its operations.

 

“Okay! I’ll go to Medicine King Group to learn medicine, and you go to Heaven Falcon Group to learn martial arts. In the future, when we become skilled, one of us will be a great pharmacist, and the other a great martial hero, and we’ll travel the world together!”

 

Su Chen was overjoyed when he heard that Ah Chou also wanted to go into the martial arts together. This way, he would have a good helper on the road to martial arts.

 

“As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, we’ll set off to join the groups!”

 

The two ignorant and reckless boys became more and more excited as they talked, imagining that after joining Medicine King Group and Heaven Falcon Group, they would become masters in the gangs and their status would rise rapidly.

 

Their desire to stand out had never been so strong as at this moment!

 

After chatting for more than an hour, Su Chen and Ah Chou grew tired and sleepy, and the small shed became quiet.

 

In the middle of the night, the cold wind whistled as sharp as a knife into the shabby shed, making it that much colder.

 

Ah Chou was having a sweet dream, dreamily punching around and muttering to himself, occasionally letting out a giggle. In his dream, he became a young hero wandering through the martial world, defeating the mighty Owner Wang and his gang with ease, leaving no one daring to bully him anymore.

 

Su Chen was shivering and huddling deeper into the straws for warmth. He endured the discomfort of the straws poking at him, quietly reflecting on Merchant Li’s words.

 

[Every winter, the Medicine King Group recruits a batch of disciples. It’s probably around this time of year! Tomorrow morning, I’ll join the Medicine King Group! From tomorrow on, everything will change for the better; life will become easier!]

 

Su Chen finally drifted off to sleep from exaustion, slipping into one beautiful dream after another. In his dream, he envisioned joining the Medicine King Group. After studying hard for more than ten years, he became a great pharmacist, a celebrity in the martial world, and even had the honor to meet Daoist Han Shan in the Wu Region again.

 

Indeed, Daoist Han Shan was the eminent figure of the martial world, as rumors had it. He revealed to Su Chen how to cure this mysterious illness.

 

Once cured of his illness, Su Chen would no longer be a burden to his family. Returning to Zhou Village in style, he would be held in high esteem by the villagers, becoming the pride of his parents and siblings and the mainstay of his household.

 

Then, he returned to the Medicine King Group and honed his martial arts skills. After twenty years of hard training, he became a formidable figure in the martial world. Wielding his blue sword, he stood firm on the waves of Vastest Lake, soundly defeating the Whale Gang, who had been terrorizing the area, leaving them crying for their mothers and fathers, scattered in all directions. This act of retribution satisfied his deep-seated hatred, and from then on, no martial gang dared to oppress the villagers of Zhou Village.

 

The thatched shed was freezing cold, often waking Su Chen from his sleep only to have him sink back into a daze.

 

Su Chen curled up weakly in the bundle of rice straws, the thought of joining the Medicine King Group growing increasingly clear and compelling in his mind.