Chapter 6 : No Regrets
6: No Regrets
The next day, Fu Peibai rose early. She shouldered a bamboo basket and headed to Deji Hall in the city. When she arrived, the hour was still early and the shop hadn't opened yet. She stood there straight and stiff like a pole. A quarter of an hour later, the main door finally creaked open. The drowsy medicine shop assistant saw her, patted away a yawn, and said, "Hey, stop standing there. Come inside."
Fu Peibai turned and entered. She pulled the list from her chest and handed it over without a word. The assistant accepted the list, then raised his eyes to secretly size up the other person. It was an unfamiliar face. This person had never come to their shop to buy medicine before. Judging by the attire, it looked like a servant from some household.
The reason the assistant didn't take Fu Peibai for a beggar was that she had changed her outfit. Though still coarse hemp clothes, she was wearing Old Man Wen's clean garments. They were a bit large, so she had taken scissors to them herself, tightening the cuffs and pant legs to make a neat, practical short outfit. She had also bound her chest with cloth. Her messy hair had been cut away in large chunks with a knife, and what remained was gathered and tied into a short ponytail at the back of her head. Though the injuries on her face were still present, the redness and swelling had faded, revealing features full of heroic spirit.
The assistant quickly selected the corresponding herbs according to the list and laid them out one by one on the table. He asked, "How much does the young brother want?" After saying this, he looked again at the large bamboo basket she carried on her back, thinking happily to himself that his luck was excellent today. A big sale right at opening.
But Fu Peibai only silently stared at these herbs. After her gaze swept over each one, she simply said, "No need." Then she turned and walked out of the shop.
The assistant stood there stunned. After a moment, he cursed loudly at Fu Peibai's retreating figure.
Two hours later, Fu Peibai arrived at Zhangming Mountain, the place Old Man Wen had mentioned.
The mountain was overgrown with wild grass and weeds. Finding all the herbs was quite difficult. Fortunately, she had a good memory from childhood. Though there were more than a dozen herbs on the list, she had memorized them all one by one. By the time she had gathered everything, the bamboo basket was full to the brim. The hour was getting late. The sun hung in the west, about to set. She returned to the official road and walked toward Xingyang City, thinking as she went about how to train during the little more than a month that remained.
As she walked, she suddenly heard rapid hoofbeats ahead. It sounded like a large company of riders coming her way. She quickly stood to one side of the road, preparing to wait until the horse team passed before continuing.
The hoofbeats grew nearer. She lowered her head and stared at her straw sandals. A horse team passed majestically beside her. The sound of carriage wheels rolling reached her ears, and that familiar fragrance drifted on the wind.
She abruptly raised her head to look. The horse team had already gone far. She could only catch a glimpse of the carriage positioned in the middle of the procession, its white gauze curtain swaying in the wind.
It was them.
Fu Peibai recognized them. She gazed at the fading silhouette of the horse team in the distance. Only when she could no longer see it did she continue walking toward Xingyang City.
When she returned to Old Man Wen's courtyard, she saw him chasing Ding Yi around the yard with a thin willow switch, striking at him as Ding I dodged and hid. Old Man Wen cursed while he hit, "Beating you, you thief! Better off dead!"
The courtyard was in complete chaos.
Ding Yi saw Fu Peibai standing at the gate. It was like seeing a rescuer. He quickly hid behind her and shouted, "I told you I didn't steal anything! You old man, why won't you believe me!"
Old Man Wen stopped his movements. He was so angry his chest heaved violently. "Come out here! Let me break your hands and feet! Miss Fu, step aside. Don't protect him. This fellow has hands and feet but spends his days doing nothing but thieving. Old Man must teach him a lesson!"
Fu Peibai didn't move. She turned her head to look at Ding Yi, whose face was full of innocence, and said, "Uncle Wen, how about letting him explain first? If he truly did something illegal, then you can beat him."
Old Man Wen threw down the willow switch, disappointed and frustrated. "Speak!"
Ding Yi emerged from behind Fu Peibai. His tone was rather aggrieved. "I told you I didn't steal. This wine and meat were leftovers from the wedding banquet for the Zhang family's young master in the south of the city. I have some connection with a kitchen servant there, and he gave them to me. I really didn't steal them."
Old Man Wen narrowed his eyes. "Really?"
Ding Yi nodded vigorously.
Fu Peibai thought back and said, "He probably isn't lying. When I left the city this morning, I went through the south gate. On the road, I saw a large household with red lanterns hanging. It was probably the Zhang family he mentioned."
With Fu Peibai's testimony, Old Man Wen naturally no longer doubted. However, he couldn't bring himself to apologize to a young whippersnapper. He could only cough awkwardly twice. "Fine. I believe Miss Fu. I'll let you off this time."
Ding Yi breathed a sigh of relief and ran into the room, beckoning. "Come in quickly. Tonight we will eat well."
Fu Peibai set down her bamboo basket and entered the room with Old Man Wen. The table was already spread with a lavish feast. There were even two jars of good wine.
Ding Yi said cheerfully, "Don't worry, don't worry. It's all clean. No one touched it. It was left over from the kitchen."
Old Man Wen said nothing with his mouth, but his eyes had already lit up when he saw the wine jars.
The three of them sat down. Without much conversation, they devoured the food like a whirlwind. Half an hour later, they had eaten and drunk their fill. Ding Yi and Old Man Wen leaned back in their chairs, rubbing their bellies and belching from the wine. Their movements were so synchronized, they looked like grandfather and grandson.
Fu Peibai hadn't drunk much wine before, so she only lightly sipped a few cups. Her dark cheeks showed a hint of red.
It was May. The weather wasn't hot yet. The evening breeze blew, exceptionally pleasant. Fu Peibai looked at the swaying willow tree outside the courtyard, slightly lost in thought. Only when her shoulder was patted, not too lightly and not too heavily, did she return to her senses.
"What are you thinking about, Little Bai?" Ding Yi had two patches of red on his face. He grinned, showing a chipped tooth, looking utterly foolish.
Fu Peibai's brow furrowed slightly. She slowly spoke two words. "Thinking of home."
Even though Ding Yi was three parts drunk, he knew this wasn't the time for jokes. Seeing Fu Peibai's mood dip a little, he took the initiative to comfort her. "I don't have a family either, Little Bai. So I understand how you feel. But the dead are gone. Those who are living must live well. Your family beneath the nine springs surely hope you live a healthy and happy life."
Fu Peibai lowered her head. A light sigh escaped between her teeth. "Thank you, Ding Yi."
"It's nothing. I really do feel a special connection with you. I want to be your friend."
Fu Peibai didn't respond. She looked at Ding Yi's expression and asked softly, "What happened to your family?"
Ding Yi's face showed no distress. He spoke lightly. "It's a long story. Let me tell you simply. It's the story of a prostitute falling in love with a heartless man. My mother was pregnant with me and insisted on giving birth. My father ran away the moment he heard, never to be seen again. After that, my mother was driven out of the brothel. She had no money and no family. She went hungry every day. By the time she gave birth to me, she was so thin she didn't even look human anymore. She was so foolish. She still hoped my father would come back. She waited bitterly like that. Before long, she fell ill and died. Later, I don't know how I ended up in Xingyang City. Anyway, for as long as I can remember, I've been begging to survive. But I always had a jade pendant on me. I guess my bastard father left it for my mother. Even when she died of illness, my mother refused to pawn that jade pendant. Later, she left it to me. But what's even more ridiculous is that when I got a little older, I was fighting over territory with a group of hoodlums. They saw the jade I was wearing and snatched it from me. A few days later, they came back and returned it. They said it was fake. Even the pawnshop wouldn't take it. Hahahaha. Tell me, wasn't my mother foolish? She was deceived by my father from beginning to end. Even their love token was fake. There, I'm done. Isn't that a terribly cliché story?" After saying this, he looked at Fu Peibai with a grin and pulled out that jade pendant from his collar, waving it about.
Fu Peibai paused for a moment. The other person was clearly smiling, yet there was not a trace of laughter in his eyes. She shook her head seriously, then asked, "Then... why don't you go find your father? You're his biological son. He would have to acknowledge you."
Ding Yi laughed self-deprecatingly. "I've never seen my father. I don't even know his name. Besides, with this ugly mark on my face, I figure even if that scum of a father saw me, he wouldn't acknowledge me."
Fu Peibai didn't know how to comfort people. She could only pat the other person's shoulder. "What are your plans for the future? Begging forever isn't a solution."
Ding Yi scratched his head and replied, "Never really thought about it. Just take it one day at a time."
Fu Peibai, no matter how mature for her age, was still just a child of sixteen. She couldn't offer any life advice to Ding Yi. She could only fall silent.
In the small farmhouse courtyard, two young people leaned back in their chairs, gazing together at the round moon. Behind them, the old man sprawled across the table, snoring rhythmically. Accompanied by nightingales and frog songs, together they formed a tranquil, comfortable scene.
And so Fu Peibai settled into Old Man Wen's small courtyard. Every day, she practiced martial arts while also drinking down a large bowl of pitch black medicinal soup. After taking it, her body would alternate between hot and cold. Old Man Wen said this was a normal phenomenon because the medicine disrupted the balance of yin and yang in her body. Once it stabilized, her body temperature would be slightly lower than normal, and she might even develop the problem of perpetually cold hands and feet.
But Fu Peibai paid no attention to these things. She rose at the rooster's crow every day. So as not to disturb Old Man Wen's rest, she went to an empty lot in the suburbs to practice. She trained for an entire day, then returned at dusk.
Ding Yi came to visit her every few days. The days cycled on like this. Soon it was the end of May. It was time for Fu Peibai to depart.
On the day of departure, Old Man Wen rose early. Ding Yi also hurried over. The three looked at each other in silence. In the end, Ding Yi spoke first. His tone was reluctant. "Little Bai, this journey takes you far away over mountains and rivers. Take good care of yourself. Remember to come back and visit us in the future."
Old Man Wen stroked his beard and spoke earnestly. "Miss Fu, I won't say much else. Old Man wishes you smooth sailing on this journey and that all your wishes come true."
Fu Peibai returned their courtesies one by one. After more than a month together, she had long let down her guard. She had formed a genuine friendship with this old man and young man.
A thousand words of thanks couldn't be spoken aloud. She could only gaze deeply at the two of them, silently promising herself that she would repay this kindness in the future.
She tightened the traveling pack on her back. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Old Man Wen grabbed her arm.
"Right, right. I almost forgot something so important. Little Bai, if you successfully enter the Heavenly Pole Sect, help me ask around whether there's someone named Meng Yan in the sect. If there is, give this item to him. And pass on a message for me. Just say that after a long separation, I hope to meet again." As he spoke, Old Man Wen handed an object to Fu Peibai.
Ding Yi grinned mischievously. "Oh, your old flame?"
Old Man Wen slapped Ding Yi on the back and roared, "Flame, my foot! Does that name sound like a woman's? You brat, what are you thinking about all day?"
Fu Peibai accepted the object. It was an iron plate with the character "Wen" clearly engraved on it. She didn't ask about the reasons behind it. She simply agreed.
Parting moments were always torturous, but they would come eventually. Fu Peibai walked toward the east, facing the first ray of sunlight that burst forth. She stepped onto the unknown path with trepidation in her heart. No matter what hardships and dangers lay ahead, no matter what storms and divergent roads awaited.
This journey, she would never regret.