Chapter 407: Beside the Ruoshui River

At the foot of Mount Zhong, a village gathered. Everyone there bore the surname Chen, no one exempted. The Chen Village stayed at the foot of the mountain for so long, that nobody even the eldest among them could remember. That person who lived over a thousand years old, was the Honourable Witch.

It can be inferred upon that innumerable joys and sorrows had been experienced by a person who had lived for over a thousand, witnessing dynasties after dynasties being replaced. But for this small village, a thousand years was no different from one year. Not a lot of people left the village, neither were there people coming in, because the Ruoshui River that separated Mount Zhong from the outside world was difficult to cross. Only the Mountain God who resided in the temple atop the mountain could bring them out.

Chen was also the surname of the Mountain God. Whether or not he was a member of the village was beyond anyone’s guess. But it was because of him that the villagers could live in Mount Zhong, as the mountain was so vast that it needed two years to walk from one end to another. That part of the mountain was very much the Ruoshui River, where neither goose feathers nor bamboo could float.

Other than the Mountain God, only the divine servant could fly over those waters and see the outside world.

The divine servant was selected from the Chen Village. It was possible to gain an incomparable amount of power during a short time as long as one became the divine servant of the Mountain God. However, the power was not given by the Mountain God, but as all of the villagers were descendants of the God, the Mountain Gods had mastery over the key which could unlock the powers from their bodies.

In fact, should they be able to go out, they would realize how different they were, for even the ordinary members of Chen Village could run for a month with no sleep or rest towards the direction where the rays of the sun touched the mountain. They could even fight most beasts bare-handed. The only thing was that the light from Mount Zhong was not enough, and at every interval, there will be mass reproduction of animals, and if not for the shelter of the Mountain God, the village will be razed to the ground.

The Mountain God undoubtedly had always protected Chen Village, yet did not descend from the mountain even during the selection of the divine servant. Instead, the Honourable Witch was to choose and send the candidate to the temple. The Honourable Witch could communicate with the Mountain God, and could also heal sick villagers, but what the villagers were most in awe of was a transparent crystal ball which the Honourable Witch kept in her room. With it, one could see the outside world.

The youth in the village yearn for the outside world. Their yearning was so strong it went over and beyond their desire to become a divine servant who had the powerful strength and vast knowledge.

Mount Zhong was huge, but it was also small; land there was vast, the boring life there made it small.

A young heart could not tolerate boredom. They wish to breathe as if their breath was the breath of heaven and earth. They dread to experience stimulating experiences both imaginable and unimaginable.

Of all the youth who had peeped inside the Honourable Witch’s room, one of them was especially calm, even though he followed his friends up to the Honourable Witch’s room, he quietly sat under a tall tree and squatted looking down at the ants on the floor. He was deeply interested to watch the ants move their nest. When the wooden door slowly creaked open, the peeping youth scattered like frightened birds and beasts. He was the only one to stand up, with respect he greeted the Honourable Witch and smiled humbly.

“Chen Jinchan, why are you looking at the ants moving their nest?” Came the voice of the Honourable Witch, clear as the still water on an autumn day. From the clear distance, she looked like one of the teen girls from the village, rivaling their beauty even, save for those pair of eyes that were always endlessly cold, the village’s youth could easily have bad dreams after having seen them.

Even the grown-ups of the village dared not meet her gaze.

Chen Jinchan was the only exception, as he could not be considered as one from the Chen Village. He came to Mount Zhong as a baby, floating on the Ruoshui River. The waters brought him here. Originally, nothing could stay afloat on the river, but the wooden bucket that contained him could do that. He was quiet in the bucket neither did he cried nor made noise, the only belongings he had was a golden cicada carved out of yellow jade.

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The Chen Village had not seen many outsiders, and Chen Jinchan’s appearance caused quite a bit of a stir. Contrary to being rebuked, he received much love from the villagers. But as he grew older, the villagers realized he was a weak and sickly boy, with little strength and incapable of hunting.

In actual fact, he could not have been considered weak, but in comparison to the other villagers, his strength was clearly much lesser.

Everyone was afraid that he would encounter some sort of danger since the teenagers would always bring him along to their group activities. Fifteen years passed by in a flash, and Chen Jinchan seemed to have gotten used to these kind of days.

The youths that have scattered were not that far away, and from the distance, they watched Chen Jinchan, worried that the Honourable Witch might reprimand him.

Because he was quiet by nature, Chan Jinchan had a quality unlike them, so he gained quite a bit of popularity.

Having heard the Honourable Witch’s question, he softly replied, “Dear Honourable Witch, I’ve observed the ants moving their nest countless times, and I noticed that every single time they move from the low ground to higher up, the rain come not long after. I think this is a very curious phenomenon, that is why I was thinking about it.”

The Honourable Witch then said, “Even the most humble of creatures have perception. Small as these ants may be, the perception they have is particularly heightened. That is why they can predict the dangers that come from the natural world and make preparations to flee and save their lives. You, being able to notice this phenomenon, is no small feat. If you wish to deepen your knowledge, I can be your teacher. Are you willing to learn?”

Chen Jinchan was a bit surprised, as his status was that of an outsider. Furthermore, the Honourable Witch did not accept disciples. He absolutely never would have thought that the opportunity would knock on his door. Even though he never desired for anything, he could not be happier, and immediately nodded with assent.

Faintly came the answer, “According to etiquette, the apprentice must present something for the master. Go to the Ruoshui River and bring back one fish.”

Chen Jinchan had no reason to disagree, he waved goodbye and left. The other kids quickly surrounded him and he then told them the details, earning the admiration of everyone. However they were worried that something might happen to him at the Ruoshui River, and so they bravely volunteered to help him.

He declined, as he knew that the Honourable Witch would not be very happy if she found out that others had helped him.

After he borrowed a set of fishing gear and a straw rain cape, he quickly set off in the direction of the river. He admitted that he had never read before, but he knew the principle that undue delay may give rise to hitches, hence he departed as soon as he could. But as soon as he reached to the river bank, there was wind and rain. Even though he expected the rain, he did not think that it would come so fast. Fortunately, he was wearing the straw rain cape.

In fact, his quiet demeanor gave him added advantages in fishing, compared to the rest of his friends. Even when he cast the bait into the water, calmly, he could feel the undercurrent below the surface of the water. More than that, he could even picture the fish taking the lure, it was floating clearly in his mind, and this was something he never told anyone.

But that day was odd. Not even a single fish appeared in the river. He then saw something even more incomprehensible, he did not know when, but at some point in time, not far from him, there appeared a delicate young person, who managed to hook a fish and placed it in his own basket. Chen Jinchan’s opened his eyes wide and enhanced his perception to its peak, but noticed that the waters were completely empty and devoid of fish.

He thought he was seeing things, but the young person then hooked up a second fish. He look at Chen Jinchan and smiled at him, just like the spring wind and autumn rain, which left Chen Jinchan feeling a sense of familiarity and comfort.