WangXian Forever 4

Chapter 39 Conch Shell

The last echo from the sound of the conch shell faded into complete silence.

Wei Ying stared at his daughter, who was gazing at the shell in her little hands, amazed at how it had sounded.

But even more strange, was that every single person around them were kneeling on the ground, with the exception of Lan Zhan, SiZhui and himself. Even the vendor was kneeling. No one made a sound. It was so quiet, Wei Ying could hear each individual beat of his heart.

He looked at Lan Zhan to see what he made of this, but he just smiled. So Wei Ying turned to the vendor.

"Please, why are you kneeling? You can stand up."

The vendor shook his head. "That conch shell is special. There is a specific legend relating to it."

"Really?" Wei Ying asked, wanting to doubt him. "And you just had it out here, where anyone could take it."

"Nobody would steal that." He replied, adamantly. "Until now, the legend said, only one person could play that shell."

"No way!" Wei Ying held out his hand for the shell, trying to ignore all the people around them still kneeling.

Li XiWang gave it to him immediately.

He wiped its opening with his sleeve and took a deep breath. He blew into it with all his might, but nothing happened. He tried again but it was the same result.

He handed it back to the vendor, but to his surprise, the man shook his head.

"It does not belong to me now." He stared at Li XiWang.

"Um, Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying called him, completely taken aback at this man.

Lan Zhan pulled out his purse, but the man refused payment.

"If I take something as cheap as money for this item, I will be dishonouring myself and that priceless shell. It has found its new owner."

He started packing up his goods.

"Well then, I think we should go now." Wei Ying gave the shell to Li XiWang.

She put it in her secret pouch, and thanked the vendor.

They decided not to stay in the town, given the strange looks they were receiving. All of them were quiet, thinking about the vendor and his peculiar comments.

"Oh my!" Wei Ying suddenly said, feeling quite upset.

"Mn?"

"Lan Zhan, I forgot to ask the vendor who could play the shell! He said, until now only one person could, right?"

"Mn."

"And Li XiWang just played it in front of him. So there has to be someone else."

"Does Wei Ying want to go back and ask?" Lan Zhan stopped walking, and looked back on the road they had already travelled.

"No." He sighed, wistfully. "I suppose it's not that important.  If it is, I'm sure we'll find out."

Lan Zhan held his hand, and that small contact made him feel a whole lot better.

"Why do you think they all bowed to her? And Lan Zhan, did you feel strange at all, when she played it?" Wei Ying whispered all this, not wanting to alarm his little girl, who was chattering away to SiZhui in front of them.

"Wei Ying felt strange? How?" Lan Zhan deftly manoeuvred his wrist so he could check Wei Ying's pulse.

"Not bad funny, good funny, I think." Wei Ying let him do everything he wanted to before they continued to walk on. "I think my core was affected, similar to when we were meditating in my Grandmother's cave."

"Mn. How do you feel now?" Golden eyes appraised him.

"Great! I feel fine. I'm just saying it was like that. Nothing else." Wei Ying started swinging their joint hands.

Lan Zhan suggested in that quiet way of his, that they should camp outside of town this evening. Both he and Wei Ying didn't like the fact that so many people had noticed them in the previous town, and word travelled faster than they could.

Sure, they could take on any threat, but why invite trouble? There was safety in being unknown, and Wei Ying was well aware of this.

He kept an eye on his daughter too, worried that the day's events would trouble her, but she seemed to be taking it well. Their evening passed in quiet joviality.

"Father? Can you please tell us a story?" Her quiet request had Wei Ying shuffling to her side.

"Of course, little rabbit. What would you like it to be about?"

She thought for a moment, and looking up into the sky, she pointed at the stars.

Wei Ying leaned back and stared at the canopy of twinkling lights like scattered diamonds on a velvet cape.

"Once upon a time, there was a great egg in the sky. When it broke open, Chaos was born. His energy was so great, and so unpredictable, that the Gods decided to break him apart. They tried and succeeded only in making two parts, and these two parts became the opposites of this world.

"One part became the kingdom of the moon and the stars, the rising tides and flow of nature. All the creatures that thrived in the darkness had a home, because now they belonged to the night.

"The second part became the kingdom of the sun, always hot and growing. All beings benefitted from its rays, flourishing under the heat and resting at night. The wind and the rain nourished their crops and thus, a balance was achieved. This is what we call Yin and Yang." He looked towards his daughter, who had fallen asleep a while ago, listening to his voice.

Wei Ying bent and kissed her cheek, tucking the blanket securely around her shoulders. Next, he checked on SiZhui, who smiled at him sleepily. Wei Ying kissed his forehead.

"Sleep now, SiZhui. You are safe. Sweet dreams."

The boy obediently closed his eyes, his breathing even, and undisturbed.

Wei Ying got up as quietly as he could. He sat down in Lan Zhan's lap and made himself comfortable.

"Have you got a goodnight kiss for me, my love?"

Lan Zhan smiled just for him. "Mn."

He did not need to be asked twice.