26: Chapter 26 Taipu Shang

Every family on the mountain was busy with their spiritual fields and land, and since there were fewer items to trade, far fewer people came here.

When Jiang Chengning arrived, Shopkeeper Xie was peeling a fruit behind the counter.

"Uncle Chengning, what are you trading today?"

Jiang Chengning placed his items on the counter.

A small bag of spiritual rice, two stalks of Puxin Grass, and half a tael of Moyin Sand.

"I'm not trading for medicine," he said. "My family has taken over those accounts from the Feng Family, and we also need to look after the well-fields at Niubei Hollow. In the future, we'll inevitably have dealings with other families. I would like to ask you, Shopkeeper, to tell me about the trade routes of the families at Duansang Ridge and what kind of spiritual resources they have available for exchange."

Shopkeeper Xie looked up at him.

He first picked up some of the Puxin Grass to keep, then pushed the rest back.

"As for trade routes, that's not hard to explain."

Shopkeeper Xie said slowly:

"The Sun Family guards the water outlet at North Ravine and often produces Jianxin Dew, Fine Flowing Water, and Cold Moss Water. These items aren't expensive, but their advantage is that they are available every year, and they can be used for decocting medicine or adjusting Rainwater Qi."

"Old Crow Chen's side is a medicinal field; Black Mulberry Core, Huilu Moss, Puxin Leaves, and Rainline Grass are available sporadically. He has a sharp tongue, but he truly won't cheat you on the goods."

"The He Family's Xiaoliu Ravine has Yin Vines; the vine skin can be used to make talisman tendons or twisted into binding ropes. Recently, they have been close with the Ji Family, and they have some history with you, so if you want to trade, the price might not be good."

"The Wang Family's South Slope produces Red Vein Sand, which is useful for enhancing the quality of furnace fires, drawing fire talismans, and refining low-grade Spiritual Artifacts."

"The Shi Family guards the Qingli Sand Pit at Shimen Gap. That sand can stabilize formations and be used to make talisman ink. The Main Peak also accepts it, but the price has never been high."

Jiang Chengning's expression didn't change, he only asked:

"Besides the spiritual resources these families produce themselves, is there anything else?"

Shopkeeper Xie thought for a moment.

"There isn't much else. The Shi Family has an old object that suppresses the water vapor at the bottom of the sand pit. I haven't seen it, but I've heard the Shi family members mention it. They say that during the rainy season, it's pressed to the bottom of the sand pit to keep the pit water from churning and the sand from scattering. It doesn't fetch a good price, and the Shi family is reluctant to bring it out, so they've just kept it suppressed."

Jiang Chengning nodded.

"I'll make a note of that."

Shopkeeper Xie chuckled, just looking at him without speaking.

Outside, a gong suddenly sounded a few times.

It wasn't struck loudly, nor was it rhythmic.

Shopkeeper Xie glanced outside the door.

"That Blind Old Man at the tea shack is starting up again."

Jiang Chengning turned to look.

In the tea and wine shack on the west side of the small market sat a white-haired old man. One of his eyes was cloudy, and the other wasn't very clear either, with a bamboo clapper laid across his knees.

A dozen or so people sat around the table, mostly porters, herbalists, and idlers.

The old man tapped the bamboo clapper twice; his voice was hoarse, yet it could suppress the noise in the shack.

"Today, I will tell an ancient play."

"It is called 'The Death of Taipu'."

Jiang Chengning had intended to leave, but upon hearing these three words, his footsteps paused slightly.

The old man said: "When heaven and earth had not yet separated, there was first a single thing."

"To say it was a human, it did not resemble a human. To say it was a god, it did not resemble a god. It had no eyes, yet it could see. It had no ears, yet it could hear. It had no mouth, yet it could breathe. It had no body, yet it was everywhere. Later generations did not know what to call it, so they called it Taipu."

"At that time, when heaven and earth had just opened, there was only a vast expanse of chaotic water. There was nothing in the water, yet it seemed to hide everything."

"Later generations called that water the 'Water of No-Before'."

"Because at that time, there was no concept of before or after."

Someone in the tea shack laughed:

"Old blind man, you're speaking quite clearly this time."

The old man also laughed:

"Before, I spoke too abstractly, and since you all couldn't understand, you wouldn't pay. Now that I speak more plainly, it would be good if you could reward me with a couple of copper coins."

The crowd laughed and cursed a few times.

The old man tapped the bamboo clapper again.

"Taipu slept in the Water of No-Before."

"It was perfect, not because it had much, but because it lacked nothing."

"Later, it had a dream, and in the dream, it gave birth to four children."

"The eldest son was Spring, named Qingxu; the second son was Summer, named Zhuming; the third son was Autumn, named Baishang; the youngest son was Winter, named Xuanzang."

"When Qingxu woke, heaven and earth had an East."

"When Zhuming woke, heaven and earth had a South."

"When Baishang woke, heaven and earth had a West."

"When Xuanzang woke, heaven and earth had a North."

"Thus the four seasons rotated, cold and heat had order, and plants, birds, fish, insects, beasts, humans, and ghosts all walked out of Taipu's dream one by one."

On the other side of the mountain, Jiang Xingchuan and Jiang Shoushan had already walked to the foot of Leisang Slope.

Leisang Slope was not high; ten years ago, it had been struck by lightning fire, leaving the whole slope covered in scorched mulberry trees.

Later, the Zhou Family's mountain patrollers came several times, and the usable scorched mulberry roots, thunder-split wood, and Awakening of Insects Sand had long been picked over.

Jiang Xingchuan squatted beside a broken root, using the tip of his knife to pry open the charred bark; inside, there was only grayish-white wood shavings left.

"It's empty."

Jiang Shoushan stood on the slope, looking toward the further mountain ridge.

"Someone has been through here."

"The Main Peak?"

"Most likely."

Jiang Shoushan walked down the slope.

"In recent years, the Main Peak won't let any good things found in the mountains slip through to the Cold Households, especially after your Awakening of Insects appeared."

Jiang Xingchuan didn't answer.

The Awakening of Insects within his body had felt some agitation upon hearing the words 'Leisang Slope', but once they truly arrived, it conversely calmed down.

Searching for spiritual resources sounds like going into the mountains to try one's luck.

Only after truly entering the mountains does one realize that the mountains also have owners; there is no such thing as picking up scraps in this world.

The two of them went to the outer edge of Duansang Ravine to take a look.

The black mud at the bottom of the ravine was still there, but after the spring floods, that wisp of Awakening of Insects Qi from years ago had long since dissipated.

Jiang Shoushan wouldn't let him go down into the deep ravine, only picking out a few pieces of mulberry bark with charred patterns on the outside, which was better than nothing.

In the afternoon, the two found a rock and sat on it to eat their dry rations.

Jiang Xingchuan looked toward the south.

"There's nothing left in the main family's mountains."

Jiang Shoushan nodded.

"We have to go to the outer mountains."

There are two places in the outer mountains.

One is called Cangya Ridge, located southwest of Qingsang Main Peak. The forest is deep and full of beasts, with Yao Beasts entrenched there all year round.

According to Old Crow Chen, there are Iron-Toothed Badgers, Green-Backed Wolves, and an old mountain ape that is about to open its spiritual intelligence in the ridge.

Places with many Yao Beasts also have many spiritual resources, but if a person goes in, they might not come out.

The other place is called Baili Mountain, located in the southeast. The mountain body is white, there is little vegetation, and the Spiritual Qi is thin, but its advantage is that no one wants to manage it.

Barren mountains occasionally produce strange items, especially after rain, between rock crevices, abandoned ditches, and dried-up springs; one can find things that don't catch the eye of the Main Peak.

Jiang Shoushan thought for a moment and said: "Let's go to Baili Mountain first."

"Baili Mountain is so desolate."

"Desolate mountains have fewer people, and fewer people means fewer eyes."

Jiang Xingchuan glanced at him and finally nodded.

"I'll listen to you."

In the Sangyin Small Market, the old man's bamboo clapper sounded again.

"After Taipu dreamed of all things, the Five Organs appeared in the world."

"Wood is the tendons, fire is the spirit, earth is the flesh, metal is the bones, and water is the blood."

"Plants have the Wood Organ, so they can sprout branches."

"Birds and beasts have the Fire Organ, so they know fear."

"Rocks have the Earth Organ, so they can bear weight."

"Fish and dragons have the Water Organ, so they can swim in the depths."

"Humans have the Metal Organ, so they can stand with bones."

"The four children saw all things like this, so they turned back to look at Taipu."

"Taipu was still sleeping in the Water of No-Before, without tendons, without spirit, without flesh, without bones, without blood."

"The eldest son, Qingxu, sighed, saying that Father gave birth to us, and also gave birth to all things; all things have the Five Organs, yet only Father has none—is this not a lack?"

"The second son, Zhuming, said: 'Father treats us with great kindness; we should repay him.'"

"The third son, Baishang, said: 'Let us go and take the best things of the Five Elements to supplement Father's body, so that Father may also be as complete as all things.'"

"The youngest son, Xuanzang, did not speak, only dropping a bit of cold water from his sleeve onto the ground, saying: 'If this is to be the repayment, then we may try.'"

The old man's eyes crinkled with a smile; he looked around, deliberately struck the clapper, and paused.