Chapter 14: Calming Incense
Du Yu gently swirled the thick medicinal soup in the bowl. He wondered if his relatives in the Du residence knew about his poisoning. Or rather, were they involved in it? Images flashed through his mind: the dignified Grand Master Du, the worried Du Ying, the expressionless Du Yao, and his parents with blurred faces. He truly hoped his relatives in the Du residence were kind, pure, and warm-hearted. His experiences in the Du residence over the past day had already given him a favorable impression of his biological family.
His wrist stopped moving, but the medicinal soup in the bowl continued to tremble due to inertia, shimmering with white light.
Did Master know about it?
Master only taught him the Boundless Art, a technique that provided zero combat power. Its only arguably useful effect was detoxification. Was this just a coincidence?
While Du Yu was pondering, a faint knock came from the door, followed by a woman’s voice: “Third Brother, can I come in?” It was Du Yao returning. Du Yu said “Please come in,” and saw Du Yao walking in gracefully, dressed in black.
In this era, women rarely wore black. In the Jianghu, black clothes generally belonged only to thieves, bandits, and assassins, representing unspeakable secrets and unfathomable thoughts.
After several interactions, Du Yu felt that black suited his sister very well. Quiet, deep, and mysterious.
“Third Brother, don’t go to the Scorched Land again next time.” Du Yao held a stick of incense in her hand and inserted it into the incense burner.
“What is this?” Du Yu asked curiously.
“This is my specially made Calming Incense. Burning it will make the room fragrant for a day. The scent has a calming effect on the mind, and even more mysteriously, it has the function of making wishes come true and turning one’s luck around.” Du Yao lit the Calming Incense with a fire starter. “Even the officials in the county town regularly purchase our Calming Incense. Making this incense is time-consuming and laborious; every stick is extremely precious.”
Du Yao had her back to Du Yu as she inserted the incense. The long black dress outlined her waistline even more gracefully. Accentuated by her slender waist, her upturned buttocks were like full, ripe peaches, and the stretched black silk fabric seemed to reveal a hint of flesh color. Du Yu turned his head away. He felt he was deviating further and further from the broad road of a model disciple. He didn’t know what was wrong with him; as soon as the little novice monk saw a white arm, he thought about that kind of thing, thinking about it day and night as if possessed.
“Did you make it by hand yourself?”
“Yes. Only I know how in the Du family. I opened a small shop selling some rare handmade items.” Du Yao turned back. “Third Brother, you can go take a look when you have time.”
Du Yu nodded. He assumed Du Yao’s small shop was just an ordinary lady’s shop selling exquisite toys. He had read in “Dream of the Capital” that young ladies from wealthy families in the capital would make calligraphy scrolls and curios themselves and trade them at monthly poetry gatherings. If a talented scholar from out of town fancied a young lady, he would buy her calligraphy or curios. After some back and forth, it would become a romance between a scholar and a beauty.
“Third Brother, promise me first, never go to the Scorched Land again.”
Du Yu shook his head. He prided himself on being a good man who didn’t lie. That poison forest was related to the truth of why he couldn’t practice martial arts; he couldn’t possibly not investigate it.
“You’re as stubborn as before.” Du Yao sighed. “Do you remember? You fell seriously ill after coming back from the Scorched Land back then. Mom and Dad couldn’t find a cure, so they sent you up Mount Seeking Immortals? Do you still remember that it was… forget it…”
Du Yu was stunned. Did he get sick back then because he had been to the poison forest? It couldn’t be, right? Although the poison forest was highly toxic, it wouldn’t make someone sick from a distance, would it? Was he a fool back then who ran into the poison forest to chew on tree branches?
“Du Yao, my good sister, tell me more about my past. Maybe I’ll remember something?” Du Yu said.
Du Yao didn’t think for too long. She nodded slightly. “There are too many things in the past; I can’t tell them all. I’ll just pick a few simple ones.”
“Third Brother, you were the smartest of us four siblings back then. Mom and Dad said that even in the provincial capital, there were few children as smart as you.”
Du Yu rubbed his chin. Why didn’t he feel particularly smart?
“Back then… back then, you took the most care of me. Big Brother and Second Brother both had boyish tempers and rarely understood others’ feelings. You were different, Third Brother. During the Lotus Festival, you secretly took me to the county town to eat snacks. When the teacher at the private school beat my palms with a ruler, you always deliberately interrupted him to change the subject. Later, when Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me study literature and insisted I learn martial arts, you brought your handwritten copybooks at night to teach me reading and writing…” Speaking of the past, Du Yao seemed like a different person, her mouth opening and closing non-stop.
Du Yu looked at her slightly excited expression, thinking she might be very disappointed now. The Third Brother from back then had become Du Yu of the Boundless Sect, a boring and old-fashioned person.
“At that time, Li Qingya was the most annoying. Relying on being a few years older than us, she always bullied us. Whatever we did, she had to tag along…”
Du Yu interrupted her, “Wait, you said Li Qingya knew me a long time ago?”
“Didn’t you know?” Du Yao was slightly surprised, her eyes shifting. “…It doesn’t matter much anyway. She wasn’t close to us.”
No wonder Li Qingya always had a vague hostility towards him; it turned out to be a childhood grudge. Du Yu thought.
Du Yao gave a dry laugh. “…Li Qingya can really hold it in…”
Her voice was a bit low, like a mutter, and Du Yu didn’t hear clearly. “What did you say?”
“I said Li Qingya used to always call you a country bumpkin.”
Du Yu nodded. “She does seem like the type to get angry easily.”
Du Yao continued, “You had an average relationship with Second Brother before, but a very good relationship with Big Brother. Actually, the reason Big Brother went out to apprentice and learn arts was because of you, or rather, related to you.”
“Related to me?”
“Mm. It was only after you were sent up Mount Seeking Immortals that Big Brother was stimulated. He felt that as the eldest son, failing to protect his brother was a serious dereliction of duty. I don’t know how his muscle brain works, but he finally decided to go to the big city to learn martial arts and become the number one expert in the world. Thanks to his muscle brain, he practiced kung fu fast. I heard that in the Jianghu, Big Brother seems to have a bit of fame.” Du Yao said a lot in one breath, her mouth getting a bit dry. “He will come back for the New Year this year. You’ll know when you see him then. Anyway, he’s weird now. Let me imitate him for you; he talks like this… ‘Is it Little Sister, gwa! Suddenly grew so tall, yee! How much rice can you eat now, wah? What height has your martial arts reached?'”
Seeing her comical tone, Du Yu couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Big Brother is that weird?”
“Yes! He’s simply a weirdo seen once in a century in the entire Lotus Seed Town. That year, he made a new set of red clothes for his sword—made clothes for a sword—and ran to our dad saying, ‘Mm, husband and wife, I want to marry it! Can you pick an auspicious day, wah?'”
The siblings couldn’t help laughing together. Du Yao subconsciously leaned closer to Du Yu, sitting tightly beside him. The girl’s warm breath hit his arm, making Du Yu suddenly feel if they were too close.
“Du Yao.”
“Mm?”
“Will you blame me?”
“…For what?”
“You told so many interesting stories, but I can’t remember a single one. These must be precious memories for you. When you talk about these things, your radiant expression is completely different from your usual gloomy look.”
“…” Du Yao fell silent.
Only the sound of their breathing remained in the air. Du Yao’s breathing was deliberately suppressed, fine and rustling.
“Third Brother. It’s good that you’re back,” Du Yao whispered.
Du Yu felt a warmth in his heart and couldn’t help hugging her. “…Thank you.”
Du Yao’s body stiffened. It took her a long while to adapt to the embrace of her now-adult Third Brother. She didn’t tell her Third Brother that everyone missed him very much. Among them, her longing was the most intense, so intense that Li Qingya couldn’t compare, so intense that there was no room left for any Junior Sister.
No matter who it was, they couldn’t compare.
Du Yu’s eyelids felt heavy. He thought perhaps the Calming Incense was taking effect.
Du Yao slowly laid him down on the bed and covered him with the quilt. “Third Brother, have a good sleep. The Calming Incense can reveal the most beautiful vision in the bottom of your heart… Rest well…”
Her voice drifted further and further away. Du Yu closed his eyes, unsure if she had walked away or if he had fallen into a dream.
