The villagers didn’t think he looked like someone who was short of money, and thought he was probably a scholar from a well-off family.
Believing him about eighty percent, he let go and handed the fox over.
He warned, “If you don’t come back tonight, I’ll go collect from Zhou Shanheng!”
Xin Hexue: “A gentleman’s word is as unbreakable as a four-horse chariot.”
He left with the fox.
The villager looked back and only saw the young man’s veil fluttering in the summer wind, revealing a glimpse of a snow-white neck and chin, with smooth and delicate lines.
The breeze carried a faint, cool fragrance.
The villager inexplicably blushed.
………
Cockfighting was a wildly popular pastime across all regions of Dacheng.
This competitive entertainment, where roosters fought for sport, was often closely tied to gambling. From the bustling capital to remote villages, an entire betting industry had grown up around it.
Though the rulers of Dacheng had previously banned it, cockfighting, like horse and dog racing, remained rampant. In the end, the authorities resorted to establishing official cockfighting pits and taxing them to keep things in check.
These pits, called “cockfighting pits,” were set up with wide tents for the public to watch.
Though it was blazing outside, the tent interior was cooler. But with the audience shouting and cheering, the atmosphere was fiery, and people were sweating profusely.
The county magistrate’s son had just won two matches in a row. His face flushed with excitement and sweat. “Who else wants to challenge me?”
“This is a Chang’an rooster, look at that golden crown, iron claws, high comb, and proud tail!”
The rooster he praised so highly, as if understanding the words, stood in the ring with its head held high and its red comb fluttering.
Compliments poured in.
“As expected of Li gongzi!”
“Look at that rooster! I’ve never seen such quality!”
“Li gongzi had made a killing today!”
As they spoke, someone tossed a heavy sack of silver onto the betting table, and the weight made it clatter like stones colliding.
The cockfighting host, called the “Rooster Head”, quickly recorded the bet. When he looked up, he saw a young man with a white veil covering his face. “May I ask your name, gongzi?”
The young man’s voice was cool and clear. “Surname Xin.”
Since it was a gray-market event, no one found it odd that someone wanted to stay anonymous. Rooster Head was not surprised, and he nodded at the silver. “Xin gongzi! Ten taels of silver!”
Ten taels, which was equivalent to ten thousand copper coins, was no small amount in Jiangzhou, where commoners barely earned a hundred a day.
No one at the pit had seen Xin Hexue before. Even his rooster didn’t look as impressive and majestic as Young Master Li’s rooster, and it was smaller in size.
But Xin Hexue stood there calmly.
Even when the Rooster Head bit into the silver to check its authenticity, he showed no sign of anxiety.
After all, his illusion spell would last for twelve hours unless removed voluntarily.
Seeing such a large bet, Young Master Li didn’t hesitate and he threw in fifteen taels.
However, for some reason, his Chang’an rooster, which had always sharpened its beak and claws and was fearless, was now afraid to move forward. It just dodged in the pit and did not dare to attack directly. In less than the time it took for one sand timer to empty, it lost.
Young Master Li couldn’t believe it. “What happened? Did you smear fox oil on your rooster?”
Some people cheated by rubbing fox oil made from boiled fox meat on their rooster’s head, making the rooster smell like a fox. Faced with the smell of its natural enemy, the rooster on the other side will naturally be defeated.
Beneath the veil, Xin Hexue lowered his eyes and calmly said to Rooster Head, “Feel free to inspect it.”
Someone brought a basin of water and washed the rooster thoroughly.
Seeing the veiled young man remain motionless, like a graceful bamboo shoot, the doubters among the crowd fell silent.
Young Master Li muttered, “Impossible…”
“Wait, get ready, let’s go another round!”
He had his attendant clean his rooster’s comb and the clotted blood in its mouth with a wet cloth, then used his mouth to spray water on its chest, belly, and wings to cool it down.
He threw out twenty taels in one go.
That was all his capital and winnings for today.
But this time, before even the sand timer could leak a little bit, his Chang’an rooster was defeated.
When Young Master Li saw Rooster Head take the gambling money and hand it over to Xin Hexue, he was still unable to believe it.
“You must’ve used some trickery!”
He saw the young man walking out with no attachment, already about to leave the tent, and in a panic, rushed forward to stop him and accidentally disturbed the veil covering the young man’s face.
The wind blew, and the light gauze flowed like misty waves. He suddenly locked eyes with a pair of dark, tranquil eyes, with a small mole at the corner of the eye, and light pink lips.
Like clouds in dreams, snow beyond the clouds, and spring within the snow.
Young Master Li froze on the spot, unable to say anything. Seeing the young man’s indifferent expression, he subconsciously apologized, “I was rude…”
Xin Hexue lowered his eyes and said, “It’s nothing.”
His voice was soft and low as he asked, “May I leave now, Li gongzi?”
The words “Li gongzi” were clearly spoken without any emotion, but they still inexplicably made one’s heart thump wildly.
Young Master Li: “Please, please…”
Xin Hexue carried the stolen money and walked away without blushing or a racing heart.
The victorious rooster, which was sneaky like a fox, obediently followed behind him.
Twenty-five taels, twenty-five thousand coins.
Let this gongzi from the county magistrate’s family buy himself a lesson, he had to know that gambling ruins people.
After Xin Hexue came out and walked through two alleys, he passed by the county office. He didn’t know what kind of ritual was going on inside, but the scene was grand, and the surrounding crowd was packed like sardines.
He hadn’t intended to stop and watch, but there was a pavilion outside the county office with a tea stand.
A storyteller was fanning himself with a folding fan, smacking the table with a dramatic thump as he raised his voice.
“Let’s talk about Master Du Zhi, who just arrived today in our Jiangzhou County!” the storyteller said. “He’s only twenty-five but is already a Junior Monk of Taichu Temple. I heard he was originally from Jiangzhou, raised at Huifu Temple by Master Wuneng. Later, Master Liaoyi of Fayu Temple in the capital passed by Huifu Temple, saw his potential at a glance, gave him the Dharma name Du Zhi, and brought him to the capital.”
Xin Hexue caught the words “Taichu Temple” and paused slightly in his steps.
The crowd: “Master Liaoyi… isn’t he the Imperial Monk of our dynasty? So Master Du Zhi is his disciple?”
The storyteller nodded. “Exactly.”
“If we talk about Master Du Zhi’s achievements…”
“He first rose to fame in the capital. Do you know what it was about?”
The listeners grew impatient. “What? What? Stop dragging it out and just say it!”
The storyteller: “There was a wealthy merchant in the capital with the surname Guo. He ran several money houses but lived simply. Whenever there were famines or harsh winters, he would order porridge to be given out and donate ten thousand taels of gold to the government.”
“He had no hobbies except collecting different types of koi fish from all over. But the one thing he shouldn’t have done was feeding fish with human flesh! He listened to some charlatan Taoist from the jianghu who claimed that a Blood Brocade Koi raised on the flesh of virgin boys and girls would make it grant strength and lightness, stave off hunger and aging, and turn someone into a long-living immortal.”
“During that time, several young children went missing in the capital. Rumors spread everywhere and people were in a panic. When the authorities investigated the Guo residence, they found all sixty-two people inside dead! Blood flowed like rivers, painting the streets red.”
“It turned out that the Blood Brocade Koi raised on human flesh had completed its cultivation and slaughtered everyone in the household!”
“The officials were at a loss, and it was the Emperor who personally appointed Master Du Zhi to subdue the demon.”
“That Blood Brocade Koi carried the blood sins of at least a hundred people and its demon power was greatly boosted!”
“Du Zhi battled it outside the capital for a whole day before finally suppressing it under the An Ning Pagoda…”
The storyteller shook his fan. “That was his first battle and it made his name known throughout the capital. The Emperor appreciated him and promoted him to Junior Monk of Taichu Temple.”
“Because Jiangzhou has been suffering droughts, Taichu Temple suspects it’s the work of a drought demon, so they’ve specially sent Master Du Zhi to dispel the demon and summon wind and rain.”
Xin Hexue frowned.
Over at the county office, the commotion was even louder.
He lifted the white gauze veil and looked over, just in time to see a tall monk step out.
He was wearing a monk’s robe with golden-brown trim, adorned with auspicious cloud patterns.
In his palm were agarwood Buddhist prayer beads. He had sword-like brows and phoenix eyes, and his eyes were downcast and expressionless. The tonsure scars from his monastic vows were visible on the top of his head.
Xin Hexue just took one glance before quickly pulling down the brim of his hat and retreating.
Du Zhi seemed to have sensed something. When he looked over, he only caught a glimpse of a white figure slipping away through the crowd.
