He Xi was settled in her own study. The interior was simply decorated, a heavy curtain hanging in the doorway and a rug with whorling lines of holy fire spread out on the ground. A stone-crafted bookshelf was arranged next to the wall, its front lined fully with books, the majority of which were central plains’ medical texts written in its respective characters. A stone table was lined with brushes, ink, inkstones, and paper. A few oil lamps dotted the wall, casting a weak light on He Xi’s profile. Warmth was always wan in these stone-constructed rooms.
He Xi sat before the table, focusing on leafing through the medical text in her hands.
“Lady Saintess.” A Na’s voice came through from outside the stone door.
“Enter.” He Xi’s awareness was pulled out of the book.
A Na pushed open the door and walked in. His right hand slanted in front of his chest, saluting He Xi, who nodded slightly.
“According to this subordinate’s understanding, a few hamlets below the mountain have cases of febrile disease to varying degrees.” A Na had been appointed by He Xi to investigate the febrile disease down the mountain, “The city’s medicine stock will run out soon, and many people come from elsewhere to seek medical treatment.”
“I will go down to see the hamlets tomorrow. Please prepare.” He Xi closed the medical text in her hands, “We’ll take some medicine. Also, have some others go to Longxi to bring back some more medicine.”
“Understood.” A Na accepted the order. His eyes shifted, then said, “Lady Saintess, our disciples have not fallen ill. Presumably it’s a blessing from our Father[1]For more context, see extended note at the end of the chapter.”
“What are you thinking of?” He Xi tilted her head, peering at him with her amber-colored irises, seeming pensive. This central plains person is actually more devoted to the Father than she was.
“What this subordinate intends is to ask, may we perform missionary work in those hamlets?” A Na spoke his thoughts. Since Luo Zhu began managing the Cult of Light, they had performed few missions outside of Xiyu.
“As you will.”
“Understood.” With He Xi’s permission, A Na retreated.
The study once again became quiet. He Xi leaned back in her chair. The recent events relating to the febrile disease had left her somewhat at a loss. While the disease was always resolved with treatment, the unending stream of patients was difficult to manage. She looked through both her Xiyu and central plains medical texts, but she was still unclear. She covered her eyes with an arm and sighed deeply.
“Father?” He Xi had followed Luo Zhu, who was passionate about the culture of the central plains, since she was little. She had also been influenced by this deep love of his, so she had declined to comment on A Na’s words.
The next day, He Xi donned a veil and brought Ye Qi and A Na along on camels to travel to the hamlets outside of the city with the most severe cases of the febrile disease.
The sandy sea once again resounded with the ‘ting ting ting’ of the bells.
The small group had not traveled far before they saw a follower hurry toward He Xi on camelback. He flipped off the camel, knelt with one knee on the ground, and saluted He Xi.
“Lady Saintess, this subordinate saw a youth from the central plains ahead. They seem to be dying.” The follower related to He Xi.
“From the central plains?” Ye Qi said, “Let the central plains people help them. We are not some sort of charitable sect, saving every dog and cat[2]阿狗阿猫: lit. A-Dog, A-Cat, meaning any random person, i.e. Joe Shmoe, Tom, Dick, and Harry that wanders in.” There would often be central plains people lost in the desert who would die of dehydration or starvation, eventually being buried by the yellow sand. These kinds of things were not rare occurrences.
“There’s no need. Feed them some water. The rest will be up to them.” He Xi ordered. At the moment, He Xi did not feel any excessive sympathy for this unfamiliar central plains person. She had more important things to deal with now.
“B-but.” The follower stammered.
“But what, the Lady Saintess has matters to attend to. Hurry and withdraw.” A Na reprimanded. This follower was truly not sensible.
“The youth has the holy fire on his wrist.” The follower said. Originally, whether or not they saved a central plains person was up to fate, but they had seen that the jewel hanging from the youth’s wrist was engraved with the holy fire. They had not seen the youth in the following before, but it was a central tenet of the Cult of Light’s teachings to view other believers as one’s own brother. When they saw He Xi leave the city, they rushed over to report.
“Holy fire?” He Xi frowned. Aside from her, no one had the holy fire. Perhaps this follower had baked in the sun too long and lost their senses.
“It wasn’t the holy fire. There’s a bracelet on the youth’s wrist with a cornelian gem engraved with the sacred holy fire.” The follower discovered the error in his report and hurried to correct himself.
“…” He Xi seemed to have realized something. Could that youth be her? Why would she be here? She was full of doubts.
“You wait here. I will go and look.” He Xi unexpectedly had Ye Qi remain in place as she called the follower to lead her over.
Yellow sand puffed up behind the camels’ heels as they galloped away.
That turquoise silhouette, which was half-covered in yellow sand, was gradually revealed. Her hair wrap of the same color fluttered in the wind, the coiled hair at the crown of her head loosening, a few wisps of black hair sticking to her face. Her cheeks were abnormally ruddy, her lips pale and dry. Her wrist, which lay exposed, bore the cornelian as crimson as a fireball.
He Xi jumped off the camel. She squatted beside the youth and caressed their face. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a small breath.
It was her.
He Xi pulled Jiang Ling out of the sand and laid her flat on the ground.
“Water.” He Xi quickly told the follower to pass the water over.
“Understood.” The follower passed a flask of water from the camel to He Xi.
She opened the flask and poured the water into Jiang Ling’s mouth to make her drink.
Jiang Ling was lifeless. All of the water dribbled out of the corner of her mouth.
There was no alternative. He Xi looked around to be sure Ye Qi and the others had not come over, “You. Turn around.”
The follower did not know why the Lady Saintess was suddenly using such stern words, but he could only accept the order and turn around.
He Xi removed her veil and took a large mouthful of water, passing the water from her mouth to Jiang Ling’s like a flowing spring of life.
Jiang Ling’s throat moved, swallowing the water.
Jiang Ling’s spiritual consciousness was muddled. She only felt that she was burning up where she lay in a raging inferno when suddenly the flames were extinguished by a cool spring.
She slowly opened her eyes. Entering her sight was that pair of amber irises that she could never forget.
“He Xi…” Jiang Ling did not know if she was dreaming. Even if she was dreaming, she wanted to take revenge for her shixiong.
He Xi saw Jiang Ling open her eyes and felt a surge of joy, but immediately after, Jiang Ling struck out with a palm. Her palm strike was feeble, lacking any form of destructive power. He Xi lightly grabbed her hand.
“You’re already like this and you still want to kill me?” He Xi tilted her head and looked at Jiang Ling closely.
The follower heard He Xi say that the youth wanted to kill her, so he hurriedly turned back around and pulled Jiang Ling away. He stood in between them and pointed his blade at Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling was thrown back onto the sand. While the sand may have been soft, Jiang Ling’s back was wounded, so this motion hurt so much Jiang Ling’s brow twisted in pain. She curled up on her side, moans spilling out of her mouth.
He Xi immediately berated the follower and had him withdraw, then rushed to support Jiang Ling’s shoulder and half lifted her up.
“Jiang Ling, what’s wrong?” He Xi realized that Jiang Ling was not simply dehydrated.
“Hurts, it hurts.” Jiang Ling said in agony.
“Hurts?” He Xi felt a stickiness on her palm. She raised her hand and found it was covered in blood.
He Xi’s breath caught. She pulled off Jiang Ling’s waist belt, and the robe slipped off, revealing a body covered in gauze. Blood seeped through the bandaging, staining her robe red.
“What happened to you?”
“…”
The only response she received was Jiang Ling’s weak breaths. She had sunken into another stupor.
He Xi put Jiang Ling’s clothing back on for her, placed her on her camel so she could lean on her own back, then took her on the same camel back to Ye Qi’s location.
Ye Qi and A Na had both been waiting for a long time and saw that He Xi had truly brought this central plains person back with her. A Na found the youth’s face slightly familiar, and he looked her up and down closely for a moment.
Ye Qi saw that, while the youth looked sickly, upon closer inspection, their appearance was handsome and pretty. Without additional thought, he looked back at He Xi.
“Saintess, what shall we do now?” Ye Qi asked He Xi first.
“Going back.”
The entire group was taken aback. Saintess He Xi had unexpectedly called off their plans because of a central plains person.
He Xi remembered Jiang Ling’s wound and directed her camel to the back of the group.
“Ai, is that holy fire bracelet the Saintess’?” Ye Qi brought his camel closer to A Na’s and whispered.
“Seems to be, I’ve seen it before. I haven’t seen the Saintess bring it with her these last few years. She must have given it to this central plains person, then.” A Na answered.
Sometimes, Ye Qi really admired A Na. He was clearly someone born in the central plains, but in his heart, he was more like someone from Xiyu than people born in Xiyu. The way he said ‘central plains person’ made him seem like he already considered himself entirely from Xiyu.
“So the Saintess likes this kind of person.” Ye Qi teased.
“You should speak less of the Saintess’ matters.” A Na patted the camel’s side with the arch of his foot, opening up some distance between himself and Ye Qi.
“Ye Qi.” He Xi’s voice called off from further away.
Ye Qi acknowledged and came up to her.
“Go find A Xi and bring her to me.”
A Xi was a female witch doctor.
“Understood.” Ye Qi accepted his orders and entered the city immediately.
Once He Xi entered the city, she dismissed the others and instructed them not to speak of her bringing back a central plains person. The others obeyed and departed.
Although the acting leader Luo Zhu would not reject a central plains person, and it was perfectly acceptable for a central plains person like A Na to follow her, the people of the Zhuli Sect, especially the Dharma Protector, Na Cuo, did not like central plains people. To avoid unnecessary conflict, He Xi brought Jiang Ling to her own residence and arranged another, out-of-the-way room for her, telling the servant girl to bring her over when the witch doctor arrived.
She carried Jiang Ling and gently placed her on the divan and helped her lay flat. Jiang Ling’s brow scrunched up, her temples dotted with sweat as she slept tumultuously. He Xi wanted to smooth her brow, but no matter what she did, they remained scrunched.
After a while, the servant girl, Na Xin, brought Ye Qi and the witch doctor in. The witch doctor was from Xiyu and about sixty years of age. The marks of age lined her face, and her hair had already turned white.
He Xi welcomed the doctor in, saying as she let the heavy door curtain fall, “A wounded back.”
The witch doctor listened and went to remove Jiang Ling’s robe. Na Xin came forward to help. He Xi watched as the two of them worked together, not needing her help, so she stayed back to avoid troubling them. She looked on nervously.
“A girl?” The witch doctor said in realization. When she had heard that the Saintess had saved a man, she wondered why they had sought her out, since there were many capable, male witch doctors in the city. So it was because the patient was a girl.
“Mm, I met her in the central plains. She’s a…friend.” He Xi had received treatment from this witch doctor for illnesses or injuries ever since she was small, so she could feel at ease handing Jiang Ling over to her.
The bloodstained bandages on Jiang Ling’s back were shocking. The blood had already dried, the gauze and skin stuck together. The witch doctor unconsciously knitted her brows together, “She’s injured so severely.”
Ooooh so the reunion has happened!
I appreciate the write up about manichaeism its interesting stuff
I had just assumed the Manichaeism stuff was made up for the purpose of the story. First time I’ve heard of it, very interesting! Also I’m loving the pacing of this story. I figured it would have taken like 6 more chapters at least for the reunion.