Chapter 96: Entering the Qiu Residence at Night

Because of Song Mu’s poem urging the pursuit of learning, the atmosphere atop Zhangwen Terrace grew livelier today. Everyone openly expressed their aspirations and began discussing ideals at length, composing several impressive poems and verses in the process.

This scene brought a greater sense of harmony to the gathering, and Song Mu himself was not spared, having been pressed to drink several cups of wine.

As night deepened, both Prefect Qiu and Tutor Fan could no longer endure, and the banquet hastily drew to a close.

Supporting the utterly drunk Kong Zong, Song Mu helped him into a carriage bound for the Kong residence.

Kong Zong, the prefect’s son, had done well in the recent academy examination and was naturally surrounded by many scholars. Being straightforward and genuine, he never measured his drinking when among friends.

As a result, he ended up drinking even more than Song Mu.

The two staggered back to the Kong mansion in the carriage. Midway, Kong Zong vomited once, muttering unintelligibly.

Upon arrival, the elder of the Kong household bustled about with concern, but Song Mu, not wanting to trouble them, excused himself to vomit again. Then he fetched a warm cup of water sweetened with syrup and returned to his room to soothe his stomach.

By now, three-quarters of Song Mu’s intoxication had faded. After washing up, he activated the literary energy within himself, hastening the dissipation of the remaining drunkenness.

In this age, rice wine mostly caused bloating when overconsumed, and since scholars possessed literary energy, if not for the fleeting temptation of intoxication, a mere spell of inebriation was hardly worth noting.

Having dealt with this, Song Mu did not immediately lie down. Instead, his expression brightened as his mind turned to another matter.

That phrase he had seen that day on the academy’s sandy grounds:

“At midnight, come to the Qiu residence; a certain fate awaits you.”

When the examination results were announced today, the words resurfaced in Song Mu’s thoughts. During the banquet, he had even tested the prefect’s disposition several times.

Yet the man seemed utterly unaware of any such arrangement.

This left Song Mu perplexed, unable to fathom who might want to see him at the Qiu household.

After much contemplation, Song Mu concluded that the matter posed no harm to himself. After all, it was the residence of the honorable prefect, a man of the scholarly elite. Could anyone be foolish enough to plot against him there?

With this reasoning settled, Song Mu resolved to go and see for himself. He trusted in his own resources and felt confident enough.

Thinking thus, he deemed the time appropriate. Extinguishing his candle, he noted the stillness in Kong Zong’s room and quietly opened the window before slipping out the back gate of the mansion.

The night in Jizhou Prefecture was profoundly silent. Occasionally, patrolmen and clerks passed by, but the streets were otherwise deserted.

Song Mu changed into dark clothing and hurried forward with his head lowered.

He muttered inwardly, wondering what secret compelled the other party to summon him in the dead of night.

Drawing on his knowledge of the city from recent days’ wanderings, Song Mu soon located the Qiu residence. After some careful footsteps, he arrived at a small gate on the courtyard’s rear side.

Who would have imagined that the once proud top scholar Song Anshou, so confident in the pavilion just moments before, now stealthily approached another’s gate?

The Qiu residence was not heavily guarded, perhaps because a military training ground lay nearby. If anything went wrong here, soldiers stationed there could quickly respond.

Song Mu stood before the gate, about to knock, but his hand hesitated midway.

Who could say if someone was even waiting here for him?

He mulled this over, unable to decide, and merely stood pondering.

Just then, a splash came from the nearby stream.

Turning silently, Song Mu scanned the calm water surface, which showed no disturbance.

He muttered under his breath, yet the splash came again. He turned swiftly and instinctively emitted mental energy to probe the surroundings.

Finding nothing, he grew wary.

At night in Jizhou City, he resolved to be cautious.

As he ruminated, his gaze caught movement on the water’s surface. Ripples suddenly spread across the narrow stream.

Song Mu gasped and stepped closer to see more clearly, only to see several more ripples forming.

The ripples turned turbulent, and upon closer inspection, something began to materialize.

Swallowing nervously, Song Mu beheld a strange creature fashioned from water slowly emerging. Shocked, he looked left and right, only to find two more such monsters appearing, blocking his escape routes.

Faced with this, Song Mu’s mind momentarily froze.

He had been in this city for months but never encountered such bizarre beings.

Now, the three creatures advanced toward him.

Forcing calm, Song Mu considered his meager arsenal: a single literary talisman written by Master Xun, plus his own literary and mental energies.

Yet these creatures were mysterious; their strength unknown. Rashly attacking could lead to disaster.

Then he thought of the courtyard walls behind him. Without further hesitation, he knocked loudly on the door.

The sound echoed, and he shouted a few times, but there was no response—not even from neighboring houses.

Meanwhile, the monsters quickened their pace toward him.

With no other option, Song Mu steeled himself, took two steps back, and leapt at the wall.

Empowered by his literary energy, the sturdy and strong Song Mu, standing about six feet tall, easily grasped the top of the wall and pulled himself over.

The monsters arrived just as he scrambled inside.

Breathless, he looked around when a voice suddenly spoke.

“Hey, why are you climbing over the wall?”

The voice sounded close, making Song Mu shudder with tension. Without thinking, he slapped out instinctively.

A sharp “ouch” sounded, and the darkness seemed to flicker. By moonlight, Song Mu finally made out the scene before him.

A man in white robes crouched nearby, clutching his face and groaning.

Song Mu paid no heed and peered through the door crack. After scanning around, he saw no sign of the three water monsters, and the man had risen.

“Apologies. I am the newly appointed scholar Song Mu. I came seeking someone, but there appear to be monsters outside. Please, notify Prefect Qiu at once.”

He brandished the talisman given by his master, ready to defend.

But after a long moment of silence behind him, Song Mu turned to look.

Had this man not retained some semblance of humanity, Song Mu might have shouted in surprise.

The man wore a white robe, his long black hair disheveled and falling to his waist. His face was pale, ringed with dark circles, and he held one hand to his face in pain.

“You... boy...” came a hoarse voice.

Song Mu instinctively stepped back two paces, suddenly recalling the water monsters.

Regardless of who this man was, he sprinted for the side, shouting as he ran:

“Leave here quickly! Go notify Prefect Qiu! Monsters are roaming outside!”

The man said nothing further, but suddenly a transparent barrier appeared before Song Mu.

He could no longer move forward. A flash of puzzlement crossed his mind, then sudden realization.

If he did not understand this place by now, he must be foolish indeed.

Turning, Song Mu met the gaze of the disheveled man. The man looked at him with disbelief and softly spoke:

“An otherworldly realm?”

The man finally raised his eyes and said gently,

“You’re smarter than I thought.”

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Tao Fengming—the one who set the ants on you that day.”

...