Chapter 4 The sword that is heavier than a rock
As soon as Su Zhen left the cave, the hot, humid air hit his face, and the sun blinded him for a moment. He had barely taken ten steps when he heard familiar voices in the distance, calling his name. Su Zhen stopped and looked at the sword. In the sunlight, the scabbard appeared majestic: black leather adorned with gold and precious stones. The black pearl-handled hilt had an intricate golden pommel and guard.
He unsheathed the sword halfway and took a closer look at the steel. Damask steel, with a fine pattern—the sword of an aristocrat, perhaps even a prince. The narrow blade and elegant hilt gave it a somewhat feminine grace.
A sword like that would cost a fortune—no less than a house. Maybe even a whole town.
"I need to hide it until I figure out a good explanation," Zhen decided.
He glanced around, spotted a suitable tree that he could use as a landmark later, and dug a long, shallow pit with a stick. He carefully lined the bottom of the pit with fern leaves, set the sword down on them, covered it with more leaves, and shoveled earth over it.
"I'll handle it later," he muttered.
Clenching his teeth, Su Zhen quickened his pace toward the voices and the smeltery smoke, visible through the trees.
When he felt he had moved far enough from the cave, he called out in reply:
"Dad! I'm here! I'm coming!"
"Su Zhen! Su Zhen!"
Finally, he saw his father and Uncle Lin among the trees, holding long spears.
"Where have you been?! We saw tiger tracks! We found your shirt and thought it had dragged you off."
"I... I managed to run away from it!"
"Run away from a tiger?! The gods must truly favor you!" Uncle Lin exclaimed with genuine astonishment.
"Alright, no more going into the forest for now," his father said sternly. "As long as that tiger is roaming around, it's too dangerous. Hunters will come tomorrow." He patted his son on the head. "
"The main thing is you're safe. Let's head home. We'll have to properly thank the gods."
"Indeed!" Uncle Lin confirmed, taking the horn from his belt.
He blew the horn to signal the end of the search, and the whole team started to gather.
When they returned to the smeltery, the workers greeted Su Zhen warmly, clapping him on the shoulder. But beneath the smiles, there was still a sense of unease. Su Zhen avoided looking anyone in the eye, feeling the weight in his heart because he couldn't tell the truth. The sword remained hidden nearby, but that was only the first of many problems. He still had to come up with plausible explanations for the future.
---
That evening, a light rain began to fall. A pleasant numbness enveloped Zhen's mind as soon as his head touched the pillow. For the first time in a long while, he dreamed nothing. The sleep was empty and serene — like a deep, dark river.
But when he woke just before dawn, he realized: the nightmare with the old man had crossed over from the dream world into reality.
Before, he could wake up and know — his father was nearby, his mother in the next room, Uncle Lin would come running at the first cry for help. All his worries had been clear and simple: listen to his parents, avoid the elder's hot temper, don't fail at the forge. Childhood fears.
Now, something heavy hung over him. So heavy that it could crush his parents, and perhaps even the entire town.
He had sworn an oath. Not to his brothers, not to his father, not to the elder of the town. He had sworn to the strange old man in the dark cave, surrounded by the ancient magic. The oaths had been spoken — and they could not be undone.
This old man could clearly read minds, enter dreams, and control beasts. What else could he do? Could he stop his or his parents' hearts from a distance?
Su Zhen lay there, staring at the dark ceiling beams, and for the first time, he sharply felt: he was alone.
No one — not his father, not his mother, not Uncle Lin — could help him if something went wrong. It was better not to involve them at all, lest he become the cause of their demise.
The heavy weight of responsibility pressed down on his chest harder than a rock.
"I chose this myself," he told himself.
Outside, the dull, overcast dawn was breaking.
---
Bai Xiao was a local herbalist and healer. He lived in solitude in a small mansion, with neither a wife, nor children, nor even apprentices. Though he was already forty years old, that was considered strange and even improper by others. But he was respected in the town for his knowledge and help. He even offered discounts to those in urgent need of medicine, and sometimes would lend pills. Some even considered him a saint.
On that day, healer Bai was meditating under the shade of a plane tree in his garden.
He was barely past forty, yet whole strands of his hair were already white as snow. Bai Xiao believed that due to improper cultivation in his youth, his Jing had been depleted to the state of the 'stopping' trigram — Gen (☶, 艮), which led to blockages in his acupuncture points and a severe illness that hindered the cultivation of Qi. He had long since given up hope that the illness would ever be cured. Yet, he continued to meditate year after year, simply to keep his mind focused and clear. It was no secret technique, just simple concentration on the navel and breathing.
In an instant, everything changed. A light appeared before his inner eye, as if emanating from a single point. The light spot expanded, gradually filling the entire space of his mind. And in that light, a figure of a person appeared, just a silhouette, barely discernible. Bai Xiao's body tensed, stretching like a drawn string. Cold sweat poured down his back and temples, turning his light jade hanfu into a damp rag.
A thunderous voice sounded, authoritative and commanding:
"Bai Xiao! In your town, there is a boy named Su Zhen. The middle son of the blacksmith Su. Take him as your apprentice and teach him all that you know. But do not try to bind him with oaths or promises.
The boy has a secret; do not try to uncover it, or you will die. Let him go into the forest for practice whenever he wishes. If you take good care of the boy, I will grant you spiritual practice, so that you may live a long life.
As an advance reward for your service, I give you this pill formula. It will heal you and bring wealth.
When the pills are prepared, Su Zhen must be given 12 pills for free. You and your clients may take the pills at any time you wish. But Su Zhen must take a total of 12 pills over the course of the year, one each lunar month. The first pill should be taken on the new moon, and the subsequent pills according to the 12 sub-phases from new moon to full moon. The final pill must be taken during the full moon phase."
A golden text with the formula appeared before the healer's eyes. Word by word, it burned into his brain, and after the last word, it instantly collapsed along with the light and the silhouette into a single black point that dissolved into the void. Bai Xiao collapsed, exhausted and drenched, onto his crossed legs.