How To Polish A Pearl

Chapter 5 - Clearing

Wen Ke Xing wets his lips as he walks along the pathway from the Hua Men Pavilion, towards the Jianshan Pavilion (1), the part of 'Wu Ying Manor' (2) that he himself had taken over just a few months back. The blood on his lips and around his mouth is too dry to have any real flavor and he sighs disappointed. Though he appalls blood or filth, for some reason he doesn't mind the taste of it. The moment had been fleeting yet very satisfying. This man was utterly unexpected and not part of the plan, but he just couldn't help himself. Zhou Xu... As he repeats the name a few times in his mind, he smiles.

Stealthily, he slips back into Jianshan pavilion without anyone having known that he ever left. These idiots. How had they survived this far in Ghost Valley without being thrown off a cliff? Not that he was afraid of anyone knowing that he had visited the bride to be. He could do whatever to whomever he wanted. By setting the entire Ghost Valley on fire, he had finally clawed his way to the top by stepping over hundreds of dead corpses, including the one of his 'Shifu' (3) – the former Guigu Guzhu.

Entering his bed chambers, he grabs two of the three wine bottles that have been placed on the usual table, ignoring the plates of food. The bottles are old with the red Jiangsu dirt (4) falling off in crumbles as they sway in his hands. Stopping in front of a window he looks out at the moonlit valley below. The manor is built on the slopes of Long Jiao (5), the highest peak in the Ghost Valley Qingya mountains (6), with his own pavilion in the upper far edge.

Looking up at the moon, the cold light reflecting in sharp contrast to his black eyes, he finishes the first bottle in one go. Wine running along his chin and neck, partially washing away the bloodstains, discoloring the silver robe as it soaks up the mixed liquids. Throwing the bottle out the window, it is only visible for a few seconds before it is swallowed by the night.

This man was more interesting than he had expected. To be fair, when he had asked for the ghosts to find him a bride, it was only to distract them. There had never been a wedding here and they had no idea what to do. Watching them run around like headless chickens gave him more leeway as he moved around unnoticed outside Ghost Valley.

When he said he wanted to take a bride, they had all thought he would take Ah-Xiang as a wife. The wild girl who had followed him since she wasn't even tall enough to reach the shelf where he kept the good wine. Starting out as an annoyance but through her persistence, later becoming something between a daughter and a little sister. Marrying her was out of the question. Plus, she is a girl. Just the thought of laying with a woman made his skin crawl as he opened the second bottle.

Thinking back to the soft feel of that delicate wrist as he broke through the skin, turning it sticky in the darkness. Through those violent kisses, though filled with the taste of his blood, he'd still been able to taste the real man underneath.

Wen Ke Xing closes his eyes and continues to sip on his wine, the warm flavorful liquid somehow helping him keep his mind clear and the memories vivid. Once you taste the ocean, there is no other body of water that can compare. (7)

"Guzhu, do you..."

Snap.

The ghost who had dared to interrupt Wen Ke Xing's thoughts, being the flavor of Zhou Xu's final breath, never got to finish his fourth word. His lifeless body, its head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, was rushing through the night as gravity pulls it towards the ground. Turning around, Wen Ke Xing sighs again and finishes the wine, licking his lips to have one final taste.

Walking away from the window towards the bowl of now lukewarm water on the dressing table, the dead ghost is already gone from his mind. In all these years he had sent ghosts off cliffs all over the valley, some still alive as gravity greeted them with certain death, he had never once paid any attention to how far the drop was.

⊙o⊙

Waking up, Zhou Xu feels well rested, like he has slept for days—which, technically, he had. The fog has been lifted, almost like things had been sorted and filed away in some hidden part of his mind, and along it—the headache. The Water of Lethe had thrashed its way through his system, doing its best to erase his most powerful regrets and memories and set him free to live a life in oblivion of the past.

The thing was though—that for Zhou Xu—the memories hadn't been erased. His reluctance to let them go had caused them to compartmentalize. Some of his memories were still vivid, whilst others were locked away, leaving him confused as to the meaning of the remaining ones.

Sorting through his mind, more than a little bit thankful that it was without that intense metal taste in his mouth, he could see part of his plan so clearly. Infiltrate Ghost Valley and get close to the new Guzhu in order to find out... Find out what...? He knew the answer was somewhere in his mind, he just needed to figure out a way to access it.

Though he wasn't certain if this particular situation had been part of the plan, his infiltration had for better or worse been successful. He couldn't get much closer to the Guzhu than this. He just needed to figure out a way to keep him close. Just not as close as the other night.

A bit more relieved than he would like to admit, he sighs silently through slightly dry lips. Breathing in, he realizes that the restraints are gone, no longer holding him in place, and that he can breathe freely. The realization automatically flicks open his eyes, reflexively closing them instantly, flinging his hands over his face to shield him from the blinding light. The blindfold is also gone.

Having been deprived from any form of light for over a week, his eyes water behind the closed eyelids, sending tears rolling down his temples. Rubbing his eyes and forehead, he blinks a few times, his eyelashes gently tickling his palms.

When he feels that he can keep his eyes open for a few seconds without the blinding light forcing him to blink, his hands continue upward. He combs through the long hair with his fingers, then leaving them relaxed as he rests his forearms on the top of his head.

"Hey,Qingfu." (8)

⊙ o ⊙

Author's (many many) notes:

(1) 'Jianshan' means 'seeing a mountain'.

(2) Wu Ying, or Wú yǐng (无影) means Shadowless, more of a nickname of this 'Ghost Valley Manor' as it spreads into the mountain, therefore – not having a shadow.

(3) Shifu or shīfù (师傅) – is the title for, and the role of a skillful person or master. 师傅 specifically means 'master-father'. The father in the honorific is also why the disciples calls each other older/younger sister/brother – or more specifically 'biggest brother/sister' and 'second biggest brother/sister'.

(4) Jiangsu is a province in China known for their liquor. They appear to have red clay so I envision after they dug up the pots of rice wine, some of that may be stuck to it.

Side note: There is a saying in the liquor world, "Siberian tiger, northwest wolf, but they can't drink Jiangsu sheep". This shows that Jiangsu people can drink enough. Back in the day, Jiangsu province was known for adding their rice wine to their dishes as well.

(5) 'Long jiao' or lóng jiǎo (龙角) means 'dragon horns'.

(6) Mount Qingya or Qīng yáshān (青崖山) - this is the mountain that is mentioned in The Wanderer, as well as Word of Honor. There are actually lots of mountains called Qingya throughout China.

(7) 'Once you see the ocean, there is no other body of water that can compare' - This translation is from a love poem written by Yuan Zhen. This famous love poem is written to the author's dead wife and talks about how no one else can compare – romantic right? The ironic part is that in the second part of the poem, he talks about all the other women he sleeps with now and that he only partly misses her 'now passing through the flower bed, yet I wouldn't look back'. I am thinking that maybe it is the reverse for Wen Ke Xing – he has already passed through the beds of the powdered beauties and is now finding the ocean.

(8) Qingfu, or Qíngfù (情妇), means mistress in the context of a woman (or in this case a man) having a sexual relationship with a married man. I.e. my Ah-Xiang is a little bit jealous.