Acai's Sky

Chapter 874 The Little Nun Going Down the Mountain 16

Yuanyang City

The little Taoist nun Acai followed the crowd into the city. The crowd lined up behind Zhou the peddler, talking and laughing as they walked into the city.

The late spring sun slanted across the battlements, dyeing the blue-grey city walls a warm gold. A few clusters of dandelions sprouted from the cracks in the bricks, twirling in the wind, and in a trance, they looked like fairy sleeves floating out of the brick paintings.

When Ah Cai crossed the bluestone bridge clutching the hem of her Taoist robe, the waves under the bridge just happened to crush the plaque with the word "Yuan Yang" on the top of the city wall. The gold foil-like spots of light bounced in clusters on the stone railings as she swayed the jade pendant.

"Look at the moss in the cracks of the bricks, it's three times greener than the chessboard of the old scholar in the city." The peddler Lao Zhou who was traveling with us was carrying a lacquer box. The copper bells on the lacquer box jingled with his steps, startling the peacocks squatting at the city gate.

Ah Cai looked up at the city wall that was two meters high. The copper bells hanging under the eaves were whispering to the wind. The drooping red silk tassels swept across the brick surface, casting tiny shadows in the sunlight, as if the ancient city wall was pinned with tassels.

The city gate was quite deep, and the draft brought in the green and fishy smell of the rice fields outside the city, causing the osmanthus flowers on Rong Mama's temples to tremble slightly.

The moment I stepped out of the shadows, the whole city suddenly spread out in the skylight - white steam was rising from the teahouse with the green tile roof.

The glazed banners hanging on the eaves made a clear sound when blown by the wind. An embroiderer in a moon-white skirt walked across the bluestone road with a bamboo basket on her shoulder. The newly picked wisteria flowers in the basket trembled and brushed against Acai's Taoist robe, leaving a few stars of light purple and pink.

"Little nun, look here!" The old man selling sugar paintings waved the copper pot of sugar toward Ah Cai. The amber syrup curved across the bluestone slabs like a crane spreading its wings. "How about I draw you a phoenix?"

Before Ah Cai could reply, Xiao Shun, standing behind her, had already tiptoed to the sugar painting stall, his nose almost brushing against the shiny sugar flakes. "Old man, are you kidding me? This phoenix only has half a wing?"

Before he could finish his words, Xiao Yi grabbed him by the collar and said, "You little brat are greedier than a sparrow."

The old locust tree at the foot of the city wall is shedding fine white flowers. Among the mottled shadows of the tree, you can see the scattered houses with pink walls and black tiles. The blue-dyed cloth drying under the eaves is blown up by the wind, revealing the mugwort and tangerine peel drying underneath. Mixed with the bean fragrance wafting from the tofu shop on the corner, it weaves a gentle net in the warm air.

Ah Cai suddenly caught a glimpse of a crooked pear tree at the foot of the wall. Its branches had actually struggled out from the cracks in the rocks, and a few clusters of white flowers as thin as cicada wings were blooming. The petals fell into an old pottery jar at the foot of the wall. The jar was filled with rainwater that someone had collected, and half a piece of blue cloud shadow was floating in it.

"My uncle-in-law at the temple always says I'm too obsessed with worldly affairs." Ah Cai's fingertips brushed across the mottled brickwork of the stone wall. Half a faded peach charm was still embedded in a dent somewhere. "But look at these bricks. Every crack has a story. Look at that dent. Could it be left by an arrowhead from the general defending the city a hundred years ago?"

She suddenly pointed to a light brown mark on the city wall and smiled with her eyes curved.

Old Zhou followed her finger and saw that the mark looked like a curled-up raccoon cat. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Little fairy, you're making up stories. Be careful, the Earth God hears you, or he'll take you in as a storyteller."

The sound of a pipa came from the teahouse on the corner of the street. The tune was a popular song at the time. Ah Cai hummed a few lines along with the tune, and suddenly saw a small sedan chair covered with green gauze coming out of the alley ahead. A little maid holding a brocade bag followed by the sedan chair, who was bargaining with the woman selling rouge.

The sunlight was suddenly blocked by drifting clouds, but the copper bells on the city wall rang even more happily. When golden light leaked through the gaps in the clouds, several children were seen running across the cobblestone road chasing kites. The cinnabar cranes painted on the kites echoed the phoenix painted by the old man with sugar painting, which made Ah Er shout that he wanted to go buy a kite.

"It's getting late. I should go to the West Market to look for a list of goods." Old Zhou glanced at the sun, and the copper bell on the lacquer box rang again with his movement.

Ah Cai squatted down and picked up the silk flowers that fell on the ground for the little girl chasing the kite. The pearl tassels on the silk flowers brushed across her palm, and the cool touch reminded her of the bamboo leaves in the temple that were wet with morning dew.

When I stood up, I suddenly saw an old plum tree standing in the shadow of the city wall. Although there were no flowers on the branches, there was a gray bird pecking at the bark with its head tilted, and its delicate claws stepped on the moss, which looked like a moving seal added to the ancient city wall.

As she walked through the bustling streets, Ah Cai suddenly recalled the scene she had just seen at the city gate: sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, flowing like a river on the bricks of the city wall; dandelions at the base of the wall were carried by the wind across the bluestone slabs; in a trance, it seemed as if the entire city was swaying gently in the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds.

She touched the sachet around her waist, and suddenly felt that the daily life of this world was more like a living painting than the morning bells and evening drums in the temple - every tile was filled with sunshine, every brick held a story, and even the soft Wu dialect drifting from the street corner seemed to add a touch of flowing color to the painting.

"Master, please hurry up, the sugar painting is about to melt!" Xiao Shun jumped in front holding the newly bought phoenix sugar painting. Tiny sugar threads had already appeared on the edge of the sugar painting, pulling out shiny lines in the wind.

Ah Cai smiled and quickened her pace, the tassels on her Taoist robe brushing against the newly grown fern sprouts in the cracks of the rocks. Looking up, she saw the city walls gradually being gilded in the twilight. The lanterns at the city gate lit up one after another, stretching the shadows of the returning people very long, while the shadows of the clouds above her head were still lingering, as if reluctant to leave the lights of this world.

...

They found an inn in the city and decided to rest there.

Aunt Rong tidied the room briskly, saying as she did so, "Young lady seems quite fond of Yuanyang City. How about having Ah Da find a house to rent and stay a few days?"

Nanny Gu nodded repeatedly, agreeing, "The scenery of Yuanyang City is indeed unique, but who knows if there are any dark things hidden behind this prosperity? Miss, please stay a few more days, and we can take this opportunity to have a good look around."

At this moment, 00541 was squatting on top of the Golden Raccoon Dog and asked curiously, "Good host, what kind of talisman did you put on that peddler Zhou?"

Ah Cai smiled slightly, gently tapped 00541's head, and said angrily, "You're the one with the sharp eyes! When he was paying the city entrance fee just now, I saw he only had three cents in his pocket. He looked so pitiful, so I casually gave him two talismans, one for attracting wealth and the other for warding off misfortune."

"Wow, these talismans can both attract wealth and ward off disasters. You are so generous, host! You gave them away so easily." 00541 smacked his lips in surprise, feeling very surprised at the generosity of his host.

Ah Cai waved her hand nonchalantly and explained, "I drew these two talismans when I was practicing the talismans of this plane in Xu Ming Temple. They are only valid today."

00541 Rolling your eyes, you don’t know the talismans you drew yourself, but those old Taoist priests in Xu Ming Temple know them very well, and the effects are amazing, right?