Xinyue grabbed Lingdang and pressed her beside Yun Ye, instructing: “Watch over husband carefully.”
She herself dragged the disheveled Na Rimu out the door. With no time to pay respects to the roomful of elders, she stretched her voice and began loudly calling for Old Qian and Old Zhao.
The sky wasn’t yet bright. At the edge of the dawning horizon, a bright star had indeed appeared. This star was very different from other stars—all the others were just points of light, but this one was oval-shaped, as if it had suddenly leaped into people’s sight.
Xinyue was so excited she couldn’t control herself. The old ancestor said he would come and came without the slightest delay. Other families also performed ancestral rites, but whose ancestors hung so brightly in the sky like this?
Old Qian and Old Zhao dropped to their knees with a thud, their heads pressed to the ground, not daring to lift them. The other servants were the same—never mind the offerings, they knelt scattered across the ground.
The Old Madam was rather courageous. She threw down her cane and respectfully performed a bow, saying loudly: “Respectfully welcoming the old ancestor! This junior has prepared ceremonial wine. Please, ancestor, partake of this junior’s offering.”
Only then did Old Qian and Old Zhao laboriously set up the offering table. Only then did those servants place the pig, sheep, and a huge red carp on the first offering table. The Yun family held the rank of marquis and couldn’t display an ox head—that was a privilege exclusive to the imperial family.
The second table was filled with whole chickens, ducks, and geese, all half-cooked, with no seasonings added—just steamed briefly in bamboo steamers. This was the so-called sacrificial livestock.
The third table was filled with various fruits. Any fruit that could be found in Chang’an was here. The ignorant Yun Shou and Yun Mu stretched out their hands wanting the red peaches on top, but Na Rimu held them tightly in her arms, not daring to let them go. The old ancestor was watching from the sky. They said he only came once every seventy-six years—they didn’t dare be presumptuous.
The longest table was filled with all kinds of pastries. A portrait of Yun Ye’s master, the Carefree One, hung on the left side. The person with immortal bearing and Daoist features in the portrait smiled as he gazed at the water and land offerings arrayed before him, as if he too was pleased.
The huge incense burner had been specially newly cast by the Yun family. Xinyue filled the large incense burner with pearl rice, and three sticks of incense as thick as a child’s arm were inserted inside. The atmosphere was very solemn.
Li Chengqian, as the person of highest status, stepped forward and added three short incense sticks to the burner. Li Tai did likewise. Behind them, Li Xiaogong, Old Qin, Old Cheng, Old Niu, Yuchi Gong and others also added incense, then took their leave one by one. What remained was the Yun family’s household feast—they weren’t suitable to stay here.
Yuan Tiangang had arrived early and insisted on staying. Seeing the great star at the edge of the sky, he nearly stuffed his entire hand into his mouth. What kind of ability was this? Was the broom star truly transformed from an ancestor of Yun Ye’s lineage? Could descendants sense it in their hearts and know in advance of the ancestor’s arrival? This was fucking impossible!
The people in this world who least believed in the existence of deities were precisely these Daoists. Because they claimed to be the closest to deities, they knew where the divine powers of deities came from. Now seeing the brilliant great star at the edge of the sky, this instant overturned Yuan Tiangang’s understanding of deities. Did deities truly exist in this world?
Yun Ye’s entire body was wrapped in fur, bundled like a ball, sitting in a soft sling, carried out by servants. Behind him followed Shishi, Xiao Wu, Di Renjie, Yun Shou, and Yun Mu. The two infant babies were also held by the trembling Xinyue and Lingdang, obediently following at the very end. Today was her husband’s master’s lineage feast. If the two of them weren’t holding children, they wouldn’t be qualified to participate either.
After offering a stick of incense, Yun Ye was carried by servants to sit below the Carefree One. Seeing the children had also offered incense, he instructed them to sit with him in front of the offering table. There was no other reason—the only reason was that Yun Ye felt very hungry at the moment.
Seeing Yun Shou and Yun Mu looking at the peaches on the plates with drool dripping, Yun Ye took peaches from the plate and gave one each to Yun Shou and Yun Mu. He also took oranges, honeydew melons, and fragrant pears to distribute to Shishi, Xiao Wu, and Di Renjie. The two little ones who had just grown teeth were each given a piece of cake, having Xinyue and Lingdang feed the children bit by bit.
Which family’s ancestor’s offerings were eaten before the ritual was even finished? Yun Ye didn’t care. He had always been full of goodwill toward unchanging things like the sun, moon, and stars, because only these unchanging constants could know that Yun Ye came from the past.
Xinyue watched as Yun Ye poured a large cup of wine, toasted his ancestor and master, then slowly drank it down. Her heart was greatly alarmed. Someone who just woke up was drinking alcohol? Looking at her husband’s sallow complexion, she didn’t know what to say.
“Xiao Wu, eat. We’re all family here. You’re usually very bold—why are your eyes swollen like peaches today? Want a peach? That won’t do. Your younger martial siblings are small—you should let them have them.” Yun Ye smiled and teased Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu suddenly ran over, knelt at Yun Ye’s knees, hugged his legs, and wailed. She had come home the day before yesterday. She had originally wanted to talk with her master, but her master was exhausted and resting, so she didn’t disturb him. Who knew that her master’s sleep would nearly cost him his life? Before, with her master present, she felt no fear, always thinking this man was strong enough to contend with heaven and earth. Now she discovered her master also had weak moments. Master Sun’s single phrase “excessive worry” made Xiao Wu understand everything. Her master, strong as a mountain, also had moments of utter weakness. She only hated that she had no ability to help this person who had given her a second life.
In the sordid environment of the Wu family, she always fantasized about having a kind father and gentle elder brother, being able to fully enjoy the indulgence of familial affection. Her master’s appearance satisfied all her fantasies. Now, she had almost lost such a person. Hearing her master speak to her, she could no longer restrain herself and cried on her master’s knees.
“Good child, good child, don’t be afraid. Xiao Wu is most brave—afraid of nothing.” Yun Ye stroked Xiao Wu’s hair, softly consoling her.
Shishi helped her master pull up the slipping fur, also prostrating on her master’s back, crying bitterly. Di Renjie faced upward toward heaven, looking at the comet, saying nothing. For the first time, he generated a powerful desire to grasp his own destiny in his own hands.
A perfectly good ritual turned into a feast of bitter tears. Yun Ye chased away all those crying, having them go fix their appearance. The ancestor was here—what did all this wailing amount to? Only he, Di Renjie, and the carefree Yun Shou and Yun Mu remained.
Di Renjie didn’t cry because Shishi and Xiao Wu had cried. He thought that among three people, one always needed to be rational. Although he also very much wanted to cry, he still held back. Yun Shou and Yun Mu didn’t cry because Yun Ye never allowed them to cry at will. How good it was to smile—always crying was a display of having no ambition.
“Master, you always speak of Bai Yujing. Now you still say we’re of the Bai Yujing lineage, and you’ve even brought out the broom star from the sky to serve as ancestor. Is it because our family’s external environment is very harsh?”
“That’s right. Your master is now like a broken drum, already at the point where everyone beats me. Although the imperial family trusts your master, I ultimately don’t bear the surname Li. The ministers believe I’m already an important figure in the imperial team, standing in opposition to them, so they want to pull out this nail that is your master.”
“When I was in Yuezhou, I already sensed it. Among those who would rather suffer losses hoping for my downfall, some were even my old friends. Quite a few had received favors from the Yun family. Why would they do such faithless things? You must know, such actions aren’t what a responsible family should do. The reason they would betray me and stab me in the back is that I’ve harmed the fundamental interests of all of them.”
“Little Jie, remember this—never be in the minority in the future. Your master can’t get past the barrier of gratitude and righteousness, so all these sins are self-inflicted. If you want to accomplish your dream, don’t oppose everyone. People who do such things generally don’t have good endings. Emperor Wen of Han was a wise ruler, wasn’t he? Chao Cuo was also an extremely intelligent figure utterly loyal to the emperor, wasn’t he? But when most people raised the banner ‘Clear the Ruler’s Side, Execute Chao Cuo,’ your master doesn’t need to tell you Chao Cuo’s fate, right?”
Di Renjie nodded and said: “Yes, interests come first. An individual is always insignificant before the general trend. Master, what do you plan to do? I’m your disciple. You can’t get past the barrier of loyalty and righteousness—your disciple is the same. What should we do? We won’t be Chao Cuo. You’re not the type to have no regrets even unto death, and neither is your disciple. Tell me, what exactly should we two do? They’ve already stacked the firewood—they’re just waiting to light it.”
Yun Ye laughed heartily and rubbed Di Renjie’s head, saying: “Our doctrine is to preserve life first. Stretching out one’s neck for execution is something only stupid pigs would do—we won’t do it. When encountering something we can’t beat, the best method is to grease the soles of our feet and run away.”
“Hehe, but before leaving, not leaving them something to remember us by really isn’t appropriate. Your master nearly got trapped in a nightmare this time unable to escape. If it weren’t for Wang Cai, who knows if I could have come back. This ill will—how can I not vent it?”
Di Renjie chuckled and said: “I’ve long heard you speak of several extraordinary friends. We might as well go visit them. Your disciple will treat it as traveling study. Coming back after three to five years would be fine too. By that time, everyone should have forgotten us, right?”
“Three to five years? That’s fine. Our whole family will travel. We’ll leave the Chang’an estate for Old Qian to watch over. We’ll have several comfortable years. We’ll take the Old Madam too.”
“Don’t know what those people will think when the Yun family suddenly completely disappears? Their expressions then will definitely be very amusing.”
“Right! Can’t I just stop playing? I’ll wander all over the world looking for immortals, can’t I? Your master has wanted to do this for a long time. Working myself to exhaustion every day without appreciation—what’s the point?”
Yun Shou and Yun Mu didn’t understand what they were saying, but hearing about going out to play, they also clapped their little hands and loudly cheered. Xinyue, hiding behind the door secretly peeking, saw the four of them talking happily, and her own mood also improved in an instant.
Yun Ye drained the wine in his hand and looked at the comet gradually being swallowed by sunlight, saying: “Old ancestor, thank you for giving me a good opportunity to escape.”