With a splash, water flew in all directions. Fortunately the basin did not fall, but droplets scattered across the tabletop.
“Wipe it clean,” Qian Xuelang said.
Only then did Cui Shensi recover his senses. He wrung out the cloth again, hurriedly moved the basin onto a chair, and began wiping the table.
The cloth had been soaked in water, and however tightly he wrung it, it still left damp traces. After rubbing the surface several times without drying it, Cui Shensi shut his eyes, steeled himself, and used a corner of his sleeve instead.
“Have you never done any work?”
Cui Shensi blushed, standing meekly to one side with his hands folded. Thoroughly embarrassed, he admitted in a small voice, “I’ve… never really done this sort of work.”
“Pick up the basin,” Qian Xuelang instructed. “Take a look.”
Cui Shensi lifted it and saw a ring of moisture beneath. His embarrassment deepened. He gripped the basin with both hands, unable to speak. He wanted to wipe the spot, yet feared leaving another wet mark. For a moment he could not decide what to do.
“Put it back,” Qian Xuelang said. “You may go.”
Cui Shensi opened his mouth. He sensed some deeper meaning in the instruction, but could not understand it. Silently he replaced the basin. At the doorway, he summoned his courage and turned back. “Senior is trying to teach this disciple something, aren’t you?”
“If you cannot understand it, it is no teaching at all,” Qian Xuelang said evenly. “Go.”
Cui Shensi hesitated. He still wished to ask about the Young City Lord, but did not dare ask another question and had no choice but to leave.
Ren Yijue had repaired the zither that morning. Qian Xuelang took it from its case, laid it on the table, and gently ran his fingers across the strings.
The blood Ren Yijue had shed yesterday had fallen not only onto the red string but also upon the instrument’s body, staining it with a striking trace of color. A zither that had merely stood there as an ornament now carried the scent of blood.
Qian Xuelang seldom played the zither, though not because he lacked talent. His gift for it might even surpass He Tianjun’s. But the zither gave voice to the heart, and his own heart had not stirred in many years.
If the heart is unmoved, how can it give rise to music?
Lowering his face, Qian Xuelang remembered how his master had taught him the zither when he was little, teasing him about his proud nature and saying that only while playing would he ever see Qian lower his head.
What had I said in return?
Qian Xuelang suddenly smiled.
That’s right. He had told his master that once he grew taller than him, his master would see him lower his head every day. Looking back, his youthful pride had been blatant indeed. No wonder his master had teased him.
He was in excellent spirits today and became completely absorbed in his playing. Without noticing the passage of time, he played one piece after another, enjoying himself immensely.
By the time Qian Xuelang stopped, the sky had darkened. Deprived of the zither’s music, the unlit room held nothing but darkness and silence. Night was no obstacle to someone of his cultivation. He ran ten fingers over the strings and said calmly, “How much longer are you going to stand there?”
“I’m coming in now.”
Ren Yijue entered with a cheerful smile. He took a fire striker from his sleeve as naturally as if he belonged there and lit the lamps. Soon all seven lampstands were burning, illuminating the little tower.
“What brings you here?”
“Well, I heard the music, so naturally I was drawn here.” Ren Yijue extinguished the fire striker, then added, “By the way, the Jade Beauty played of your own accord. That can’t count toward the bargain we made.”
Qian Xuelang gave a faint snort. “Do you really think I’m that petty?”
“Not exactly.” Ren Yijue paused deliberately, a crafty light in his eyes. Half smiling, he said, “It’s just that you aren’t especially generous either.”
Qian Xuelang ignored him.
Ren Yijue was not offended by the lack of response. He even consoled himself with the prospect of mastering the art of holding entire conversations alone. “What put the Jade Beauty in such fine spirits?”
“Nothing in particular,” Qian Xuelang said. “I’ve solved the mystery of Cui Jingchun.”
Ren Yijue sighed. “Should Ren be astonished or delighted? But did the joy in the Jade Beauty’s music really come from the Young City Lord? If so, I may have to be jealous.”
“My good spirits are one thing,” Qian Xuelang said. “Cui Jingchun is another.”
Ren Yijue pretended to be enlightened. “So ‘nothing in particular’ was your answer, and Cui Jingchun is a separate subject. Very well. Ren has no reason for jealousy now, and some time to spare, so we ought to discuss it.”
“Discuss?”
A discussion required both parties to understand the subject well enough to exchange views.
If one person knew everything and the other nothing, it was not a discussion but an attempt to extract information.
Only then did Ren Yijue realize what Qian Xuelang meant. Unsure whether he felt amused or thrilled, he became interested at once. “Without discussing it, how am I to know whether the Jade Beauty has really worked it out, rather than merely trying to bluff Ren?”
It was a rude thing to say. Had Qian Xuelang been ten years younger, Ren Yijue would certainly have suffered for it.
“Look at the basin on the table,” Qian Xuelang said. “If you can understand what it shows, you win.”
Ren Yijue went over for a look. The spilled water had dried, leaving only the marks Cui Shensi had failed to wipe away. Droplets still ran down the basin’s sides, showing it had been jostled.
Gazing at his reflection in the water, he smiled. “I wonder who was the last person to look at himself here?”
“Cui Shensi.”
“Then I imagine he saw nothing at all.” Ren Yijue said, “The Jade Beauty has so rarely felt inclined to teach someone, yet you encountered young friend Shensi. He thinks too deeply and errs too easily. I’m afraid he’ll only go further astray.”
“If that alone sends him astray, then he was already walking the wrong path,” Qian Xuelang said.
“What a strict Jade Beauty.” Ren Yijue spoke lightly. “Water can carry a boat, and it can overturn one. By that saying, ordinary people and the great families alike are the water in this basin. Am I wrong?”
Limin referred to ordinary commoners, while baixing here signified the powerful families. Qian Xuelang glanced at him. “You’re insisting that commoners and noble families are both water. Then where is the boat?”
“When has there ever been a boat in this basin?” Ren Yijue gently stirred the clear water. “Has Cui Jingchun abused his power? Has the spirit cavalry become resentful? Are the townspeople deeply aggrieved? Since there’s no danger of any boat capsizing, why talk about an empty boat?”
“Cui Jingchun is water too,” Qian Xuelang said. “But everyone sees him as the boat.”
“Exactly. Ordinary people cannot see clearly, but the Jade Beauty can.” Ren Yijue suddenly smiled. “The basin holds water; the people are water, and the city is the basin. Cui Shensi can see water spilled out of the basin, but not the water trapped beneath its weight.”
“So it seems the Jade Beauty really does understand, just as Ren does.”
Qian Xuelang remained expressionless. “What’s so pleasing about being more perceptive than Cui Shensi?”
Ren Yijue choked on his answer.
After a moment, he said helplessly, “Very well. Call Ren incompetent, only a little better than young friend Shensi. But how did the Jade Beauty learn all this? Every time Ren goes away, you seem to encounter something remarkable, while I never manage to stumble across any of it.”
“Do you need to?”
Qian Xuelang had no intention of explaining. He had indulged himself enough for one day, and rose. “I haven’t invited you to stay, and we’ve talked quite enough. If there’s anything else, discuss it tomorrow.”
Though they had not known each other for long, Ren Yijue understood that Qian Xuelang never went back on his word. Even with a thousand things left to say, he could only swallow them and obediently return to his own lodging to rest.
Unable to let the question go, Ren Yijue lay on his bed thinking for a while, then suddenly smiled.
Ren Yijue, Ren Yijue, you really are a fool… Didn’t the Jade Beauty already give you the clue?
It seemed he would have to visit young friend Shensi the next day.
Early the following morning, Ren Yijue rose and asked the patrolling disciples where Cui Shensi might be found. Then he sought out the unfortunate, overthinking young man.
Cui Shensi looked even more distracted than Ren Yijue, with two enormous dark circles beneath his eyes. Plainly he had not slept a wink.
Ren Yijue found this rather amusing. He knew Cui Shensi must have spent the night struggling with Qian Xuelang’s basin-of-water riddle. The young man’s tendency to think deeply and worry about distant possibilities could be an advantage, but not necessarily on the path to understanding the Dao.
Sometimes thinking too much only made one’s thoughts more tangled. Where in the world was there a flawless garment without a seam, or an all-encompassing principle without an exception? Trap yourself in such reasoning and trouble would follow.
“Why is young friend Shensi looking so worn out?” Ren Yijue asked, pretending to pass by chance.
After a sleepless night, Cui Shensi was dazed and slow to respond. “Oh, Senior Ren… This disciple… I…”
Remembering that Ren Yijue traveled with Qian Xuelang, he wanted desperately to ask for help, but could not open his mouth. The words seemed lodged in his throat.
Senior Qian had so rarely offered guidance. If he asked someone else for the answer, even if he learned it, he would not have found the proper path himself.
Seeing his hesitation, Ren Yijue smiled. “If something troubles you, why not tell me? Surely that’s better than keeping it bottled up. If it’s a difficult obstacle in your cultivation, we can simply discuss the Dao. That ought to be better than thinking yourself in circles.”
Cui Shensi flushed. “Senior Ren is so kind. This disciple would be ungracious to refuse.”
He told Ren Yijue about the riddle of the basin. Ren had already guessed that much and was not surprised. “How strange. Ren can’t make heads or tails of it either. Hmm… But what took young friend Shensi to Bright Moon Mist Tower in the first place?”
Cui Shensi then recounted all that had led up to his visit. Ren Yijue’s gaze sharpened, and he interrupted, “Hmm… You say the Jade Beauty asked you several questions along the way? What were they? Would it be convenient to tell me?”
“Well… there’s no reason I can’t.” After a moment’s hesitation, Cui Shensi related every question and answer in detail.
Six questions.
Just six questions, and the Jade Beauty had grasped the entire affair from beginning to end.
Ren Yijue marveled inwardly. It seems my understanding of the Jade Beauty is still far from complete.
First, he had asked who the couple were, establishing the connection. Second, he had asked about comradeship among the spirit cavalry. Third, he had asked what Cui Jingchun meant to the unit. Fourth, he had asked why some members bore other surnames. Fifth, he had asked about the root of the matter. Sixth, he had asked about their pay.
“It seems… that day outside the city…” Ren Yijue smiled at the bewildered Cui Shensi. “The Jade Beauty really did see everything quite clearly.”
He was referring to Qian Xuelang’s assessment of Cui Jingchun after the two had visited him yesterday.
Cui Shensi knew nothing of that conversation and naturally could not understand the implication. He looked utterly baffled, then ventured another explanation. “What did Senior mean by ‘see clearly’? Are you saying Senior Qian noticed an obstacle in this disciple’s cultivation and was trying to help me overcome it?”
Ren Yijue laughed aloud. “Very well. To thank young friend Shensi for that answer, Ren will offer you a saying of my own.”
Cui Shensi straightened solemnly. “Please instruct me, Senior.”
“Within the small space of another person’s heart lie a thousand mountains and seas. How is yours any different?”
Cui Shensi froze. He could understand the words, but why would Senior Ren give him this particular advice?
Everyone’s thoughts were different, divided as though by thousands of mountains and seas. But if that were so, how did one person differ from another?
The words were easy to explain. Understanding them was another matter.
Cui Shensi only half understood. He had a sinking feeling that he might not sleep tonight either.