Chapter 95 — Three Quiet Days
CHAPTER 95
Three Quiet Days
“You're closing?” Yan Meizhen asked.
“For three days,” Shi Feng replied.
The Bone Refinement buyer looked at her finished order, then at the emptied furnace table. Shi Feng already washed the copper bowl and packed his personal tools. Even Gao Yuan's shouting outside sounded less important with the work done.
“Are you ill?” Yan Meizhen asked.
“No,” Shi Feng said.
“Going somewhere profitable?” Yan Meizhen asked.
“Somewhere quiet,” Shi Feng replied.
Yan Meizhen glanced toward the door as Gao Yuan demanded payment for a cracked stool.
“Then charge extra when you find it,” Yan Meizhen said.
She paid her balance and left. Every promised delivery was finished. Shi Feng refused two new requests that morning instead of taking advances and making customers wait without warning.
He wasn't rich enough to stop working for months. Three days belonged to him, though. He finally earned that much freedom.
The little stone hut stood beyond Hengyun's usual hunting trails. A low ridge hid it from the road, and a dry streambed ran behind the walls. Its owner kept tools there during the busy season and rented it when he could.
Old Man Luo opened the door with a key tied to his belt. He was an elderly Qi Condensation cultivator with a crooked shoulder and no interest in why a hooded man wanted silence.
“Nothing inside belongs to you,” Old Man Luo said.
“I don't want your rake,” Shi Feng replied.
“The last tenant said that too,” Old Man Luo muttered.
He pointed out the old stove, the water jar, and a patched roof. Shi Feng checked them himself, then paid for three days. The price included being left alone.
“If you hear beasts, stay inside,” Old Man Luo warned. “The bigger ones sometimes come down after dark.”
“I'll remember,” Shi Feng said.
“Remember the rake too,” Old Man Luo added.
He took his key and left. Shi Feng listened until the old man's steps faded. Then he walked around the hut and checked the ridge, streambed, and nearest trees.
No one waited nearby. No busy path overlooked the door. This wasn't a grand hidden cave, but he didn't need a legend to sit quietly and cultivate.
He needed walls, privacy, and no furnace owner asking whether the air cost extra.
Before staying there, he returned home once. Ling Qingzhu was waiting with a basket beside the courtyard gate.
“The flower market,” Ling Qingzhu said before he spoke.
“I remember,” Shi Feng replied.
“You looked as if you were going to explain why you forgot,” Ling Qingzhu said.
“I was going to say I've finished the deliveries,” Shi Feng replied.
She lifted the basket. “Then come,” Ling Qingzhu said.
They went while the afternoon light still filled the streets. The flower sellers called prices beneath rows of hanging pots. Ling Qingzhu spent a long time comparing two small white-flowered plants, then chose the cheaper one because its roots looked stronger.
Shi Feng said nothing until they left the stall.
“What?” Ling Qingzhu asked.
“You counted,” Shi Feng said.
“I inspected,” Ling Qingzhu replied.
“So do I,” Shi Feng said.
“Your inspection always ends in an argument,” Ling Qingzhu answered.
He laughed and took the heavier side of the basket. They bought no grand spirit blossom and attracted no new young master. For once, choosing a plant was only choosing a plant.
At home, they put it near the courtyard wall. Ling Qingzhu insisted it needed morning sunlight. Shi Feng warned that the pear tree might become jealous.
She told him to stop insulting the tree after using its shade every day.
He watched her kneel beside the new pot and press the soil gently. Her black hair slipped over her shoulder. When she looked up to ask for water, he already held the cup.
The warm look she gave him stayed with him after she turned back. Shi Feng thought, I want to return to this. That isn't difficult to understand.
“I'll be away for a few days,” Shi Feng said after supper.
Ling Qingzhu's spoon stopped.
“Another expedition?” Ling Qingzhu asked.
“No,” Shi Feng replied. “Some private practice. I've rented a quiet place.”
She looked at the medicine packed beside his ordinary sword. Her expression became guarded. She still thought his meridians ruined, and stubborn practice sounded like a good way to hurt himself.
“Don't let anyone sell you a miracle,” Ling Qingzhu said.
“I rented a hut,” Shi Feng replied. “The miracle wasn't included.”
“I'm serious,” Ling Qingzhu said.
“So am I,” Shi Feng answered, more gently.
She lowered her eyes to the bowl. He wasn't asking her permission, and she knew it. Still, she wanted to tell him to stay where she could see whether he was injured.
“When will you return?” Ling Qingzhu asked.
“After three days, unless I need to extend the rent,” Shi Feng replied. “I'll send word if I do.”
“Then send word,” Ling Qingzhu said. “Don't make me wonder whether you've fallen in a ditch.”
“I'll avoid the ditches,” Shi Feng replied.
She didn't smile, but she packed a little cooked food for his first day. He accepted it without teasing her. She watched him put the parcel beside his medicine, then fetched a second piece of cloth.
“For the bowl,” Ling Qingzhu said. “The first wrapping isn't thick enough.”
“I'm carrying it, not throwing it,” Shi Feng replied.
“Then carry it properly,” Ling Qingzhu said.
He let her wrap it again. Her fingers worked more carefully than they did while mending his sleeve. She checked the knot twice, then pushed the parcel back without looking up.
“Will you eat?” Ling Qingzhu asked.
“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.
“Some people forget during practice,” Ling Qingzhu said.
“I haven't forgotten a meal you've watched me eat,” Shi Feng replied.
She looked annoyed at having her concern noticed. He put the food away before she could take it back.
At the gate, she stood beneath the pear tree and watched him leave. Shi Feng turned once. She immediately looked toward the new flowerpot, pretending that was what brought her outside.
He smiled and continued down the lane. Three quiet days suddenly sounded longer than they did at the furnace. Still, he wanted to return with the step completed. The stronger he became, the less he would need to accept anyone else deciding his future.
In the hut, Shi Feng laid out the final medicine and sat with his back away from the cold wall. The door was barred. His sword rested beside his knee.
He began with the weaker portions. Their force flowed through his meridians and reached the stubborn unfinished parts of his skeleton. Golden light strengthened along his spine, then moved toward the remaining joints.
The ordinary Bone Refinement ended long ago. This was the second refinement, the taboo change begun by his Ancestral Bone. Every completed section now joined the others more smoothly.
He swallowed another pill.
Heat gathered. He guided it slowly rather than pushing blindly into the last resistant places. One section finished, then another. He could feel exactly which parts remained different.
By midnight, he opened his eyes and checked his hand. The skin looked ordinary. Beneath it, the bones shone gold without a break.
He pressed his palm against a loose stone by the door. It sank into the surface before he released even half his strength.
Shi Feng felt excited. He drew his hand back and examined the shallow mark.
“Still not all of it,” Shi Feng said quietly.
The last change waited deeper in his body. He took out the strongest prepared portion and placed it before him.
Beyond the wall, the night remained quiet. His customers had their medicine. His wife knew where the next three days went. There was nothing left to interrupt the work.
Shi Feng closed his eyes and swallowed.