Chapter 6: Golden Python
Since the theft in Wang Ye's house, Wang Ye seemed to have been 'scared out of his wits' and had not left the yard for seven or eight days. He hid in the house every day and refused to go out. However, there were two days when he couldn't avoid going out, which was on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, when he went to the Taoist temple to burn incense.
Before long, it was August 1st again, and the day to burn incense had arrived. After breakfast, Zhao Zhan came to the Taoist temple with Xian Xi, Feng Xi, and two small yellow gates, kowtowed to the three clear ancestors, burned incense, and then listened to Qingyun explain the "Tao Te Ching". "The heaven and earth were originally a chaotic piece, Pangu opened up the sky and the earth, Nüwa molded humans and creatures with yellow mud."
In the past few lectures, Qingyun's storytelling had put Wang Ye to sleep, making him feel extremely disappointed. This time, he changed his approach and started with Daoist stories in an attempt to spark Wang Ye's interest. His idea wasn't bad, but he couldn't have anticipated that Zhao Che's soul was from a later era, where these mythological stories had been told repeatedly since kindergarten, in picture books, cartoons, and animations, leaving nothing new or exciting. Even the processed versions from later eras were more impressive than Qingyun's original storytelling.
"Ah" Zhao Zhe promptly covered his mouth, suppressing the yawn that had just reached his throat. The several guys next to Jian Xi listened with great interest, while Qing Yun in front of him was enthusiastically telling a story, trying to make it more vivid with various facial expressions. Although Lao Dao was making such an effort, Zhao Zhe couldn't muster up any interest and eventually closed his eyes, falling asleep.
"Alas, the king is not a man of my way." Qingyun saw that Zhao Che was asleep again, and he secretly sighed, hastily ending his lecture. He instructed his two disciples to send the king to the quiet room, and himself hid in the Dan Fang.
"Second Master, I heard that there is a golden python being raised in the backyard. Is this true?" Qingyun's senior apprentice Mingyue brought over a bowl of iced sour plum soup and asked with a smile while sitting down beside him.
"No, I've never seen it before. Have you heard of it?" Zhao was taken aback, he indeed had not seen this thing in the garden before. "No, neither have I!" Xian Xi shook her head and said.
"Heh heh, Second Master, don't deceive me anymore. I met Old Zhang, the gardener from the flower garden, a few days ago, and he told me personally that the giant python is covered in golden scales all over its body, with two protrusions on its head, like a pair of horns. The master said it's a spiritual object, and if one cultivates successfully and survives the heavenly tribulation, they can transform into a true dragon!" Mingyue didn't believe Zhao Che's words, thinking he was being deceived.
"Cut it out, Old Zhang's eyes are dim and he's talking nonsense, no wonder he mistook a tree root for a giant python! Zhao Ke took a sip of sour plum tea and chuckled, saying that in the past, such stories about ghosts and monsters were often proven to be mere nonsense. Even if you told him snakes could turn into dragons, he wouldn't believe it."
"It's like, I and Second Master were playing in the garden every day recently, never saw him, nor did Old Zhang mention him, he must be cheating on you!" Xianji pointed at him and said. "Oh, I understand, you wanted to come to our garden to play, but couldn't get in, so you made up a story to cheat us, right?" Xianji seemed to suddenly understand, laughing as she spoke.
"Xǐ yé, you're wronging Xiao Dao to death! Old Zhang's grandson was possessed by an evil spirit and came to the temple to ask for a talisman to drive it out. He said it in front of everyone, and even Master heard it. At first, we didn't believe him either, but he swore on his life that he saw a giant python spitting clouds and mist on the fake mountain in the morning. How could he be lying?" Ming Yue's face turned red with anxiety as she spoke, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Alright, let's just assume what you said is true. This afternoon when we get back, we'll ask Old Zhang about it. If you're lying, your master will hit you with a board!" Xian Yu and Ming Yue hurriedly said with a smile.
"If I'm lying, let Master beat me with a board, but what I said is true, you have to take me to that giant python that communicates with spirits!" Mingyue said fearlessly.
"It's settled then, you just wait for a beating!" Jian Xi said with a smile.
At noon, several people ate a vegetarian meal in the Taoist temple. Although they were ordinary things, they had a different flavor after being made by the little Taoist priest. There was no one watching here, and Zhao Che also had a full meal. After lunch, he took a short nap in the quiet room, then ran to Qingyun's warehouse to search for something, with small pots and jars held by Xiao Huangmen, only then did he leave the temple satisfied.
This mansion was originally a villa built by a Shilang in the capital, intended for retirement. However, he encountered trouble before old age and was exiled to Jiangnan as a member of the Yuanyou party before the house was completed. The mansion and estate were confiscated by the government, which benefited Zhao Shi.
The entire courtyard is divided into three paths, with the main buildings concentrated in the middle path. The central building faces south and has a five-bay-wide front gate, behind which are the front hall, back hall, rear wing room, and east-west wing rooms, all of which have a width of five bays. The courtyard is surrounded by connected houses, and finally, there is a garden. On the west side, there is a horse stable and a carriage house, followed by a warehouse, and at the very end, a Buddhist temple has been converted into a small Taoist temple, where Qingyun Old Dao, who "suppresses evil", lives with his several disciples. The east path is their main living area, with an ancestral hall, a large kitchen, and a theater in front, and behind it are divided into four courtyards: Chunyuan, Xiayun, Qiuzhuang, and Dongzhi.
Behind the main hall, there are two doors. From here to the back, it all belongs to the inner courtyard and is managed by the palace maids. Others are not allowed to enter or exit at will. The front part is called the outer courtyard and is taken care of by the stewards of the mansion. Zhao Yi is only seven years old now and has not married yet, so he occupies only the Winter Garden, while the others are empty and uninhabited. Both sides border on the flower garden, and as long as you pass through two side doors, you can cross the flower garden and return to your residence on East Road.
"Where are the guards?" Zhao asked, walking to the front of the garden gate after turning around the corner of the Taoist temple. In the past, the miscellaneous servants from the outer courtyard's watch house used to guard here, preventing people from the outer courtyard from entering. But now they were nowhere to be seen.
"Second Master, these days everyone has been taking turns keeping watch at night to prevent theft. Everyone is exhausted and I don't know where he's run off to slack off!" Xian Xi immediately replied.
"Hum, why don't you care? You scoundrel, with women in the inner courtyard, can outsiders come and go as they please? Arrange for someone to keep watch immediately, don't let outsiders enter!" Zhao Zhan scolded, these people had forgotten their pain after their wounds healed, seeing that nothing happened in the past few days, they relaxed their vigilance.
"Yes, yes, I'll go back and teach them a lesson, and arrange for someone to keep watch!" Xian Xi replied as he walked away. "Second Master, what you said last month, was it true? Will there be a big python in the garden?" Xian Xi asked again.
"Who knows, anyway I've never seen one." Zhao Che said nonchalantly. The garden had trees and water, and snakes liked cool places, so it wasn't strange to have snakes, but this garden was newly built, and the possibility of having a large snake was still very small.
"Second Master, it's still early now, shall we go and take a look?" After entering the garden, he saw Xi ordering Xiao Huangmen to lock the door tightly, and quickly followed up with Wang Ye, smiling as he spoke.
"Hmm?" Zhao Xiang nodded, and seeing the excitement on everyone's faces, he couldn't help but shake his head in a bitter smile. Although these people were all disabled, they were also young teenagers at the age of 14 or 15, full of energy and curiosity. Cooped up in the house for days, they too felt suffocated. Hearing something new and exciting, their curiosity was piqued, and they all wanted to go and take a look. "Alright, I'm curious about this 'Moon-Board' thing too, let's go see if we can find out what it is!"
"Alright, Xiang Xi, you first send the king's things to the small study room and report to Da Guan, just say that the king wants to play in the garden for a while before returning!" Seeing Zhao Xiang nodded, Xian Xi smiled slightly, turned around and instructed Xiang Xi. Although Xiang Xi was unwilling in his heart, he didn't dare disobey, so he reluctantly agreed and left first.
The backyard is very large, covering more than 30 acres of land. Although it's not as well-maintained as the palace, it still has pavilions, kiosks, and towers. The surrounding area is paved with a rain corridor, so even on rainy days, your feet won't get muddy. Now is the time when hundreds of flowers are in full bloom, and the garden is filled with fragrance.
"Old Zhang, what are you and Mingyue talking about? There's a big python in our garden, where is it?" Turning around the corner of the corridor, he saw Xi and rushed towards an old man who was leading two flower artisans to trim the flowers.
"Master Xi has arrived!" The old man raised his head, put down the flower shears and bowed, saying, "Oh, Master Er is also here. You haven't been to the garden for a while. A few days ago, I don't know where it came from, but there was a huge python behind the fake mountain, it was really scary!" The old man spoke loudly with a trembling voice, and Zhao saw the fear all over his face, which didn't seem like he was lying.
"Nonsense! Our Second Master is a dragon breed, that snake would have to surrender if it saw him!" Xīn hummed, "But Old Zhang, you'd better not try to fool us, or I'll come back and knock out your teeth!"
"I wouldn't dare, I just went to water it earlier and that snake was basking in the sun on a rock in front of the pavilion at the back mountain waist, it should still be there now, be careful not to get bitten!" Old Zhang pointed to the artificial hill, his words full of concern.
"Alright, let's go!" Xian Xi went to the side and pulled out a few wooden poles with hooks from the rack. He handed one to each of the two little yellow gates and kept the longest one for himself. "You two walk in front, be careful not to scare it away!" Xian Xi instructed the two little yellow gates to walk ahead, while he escorted Zhao Che behind them, ignoring Old Zhang's head.
The artificial hill was piled up with mud from the pond, with the highest point over ten meters high. The top was planted with flowers and trees, and various strange-shaped lake rocks were placed on it. Several pavilions of different shapes were scattered on it, and a small path paved with bluestone slabs led to the top of the hill, which had a beautiful view. A few young men were busy looking for pythons, following the directions of the old master craftsman to the back mountain, without any thought of appreciating these flowers and plants.
As he walked, Zhao suddenly felt a sense of unease. The lush vegetation on the mountain made it impossible for people below to notice anything that might be happening above. If someone wanted to do him harm, this would be an ideal place.
"Second Master, we're almost there. I wonder if we can make it to the Great Python?" Xian Xi said excitedly, not noticing Zhao Che's concerns, as she pulled his hand.
"Oh!" Zhao answered hastily, and then felt that he might be a little too nervous. He had come here on a sudden impulse, how could anyone have known to lay an ambush here? He patted the pistol hidden in his waist and calmed down.
