Lizheng: This is great. With your drawing, we can issue wanted posters to find the feather man.
Yenisei: ...
Lizheng: You stay silent. Any questions or concerns?
Yenisei: You mentioned a former employee of the Zhící ... Or should I call her the Zhílǐ?
Yenisei: You said she had seen the feather man and the animals he brought. Then maybe he will come again today. If he shows up with our horse teammates ...
Lizheng: That is to say, the feather man she saw is the same person you met.
The old man follows his train of thought to its destination, frowns and ponders, before taking the brush from its holder yet again.
He neatly spreads out a new piece of paper, rubs an ink stick on the slab, and begins to write with a calm and swift hand.
Lizheng: In this case, a visit to the Zhící might be a good choice for you.
Lizheng: I will write a letter for you. Please take it to the Zhící and show it to Jiǔ Niángzǐ, the current Zhílǐ. If the feather man has been there, you can take over the animals he brought to her.
Lizheng: Even if he hasn't, you can still proceed with the letter, since Jiǔ Niángzǐ is very warm-hearted. She should be in the Zhící right now. You can find her there.
Yenisei: Thank you.
With this glimmer of hope, the turbulent emotions of these two strangers in a strange land find themselves anchored, temporarily at least.
After receiving their pass, they are finally permitted into the city. Colorful silks hanging between pointed eaves. People bustle around, taking no notice of the extraordinary beauty around them.
On both sides of the street, there is a silver or copper charcoal pot in front of every house, crackling subtly and bringing spots of warmth to the cold day.
Yenisei: ...
Bessmert: We should go, Yeni.
They walk in the direction indicated by Lǐzhèng, from the silent neighborhood, to the dusty and bustling market.
The peddlers and street performers lay a steady claim to their spaces, forming eddies in the stream of pedestrians that flows toward the center of the main boulevard.
The more people flow toward that intersection, the more crowded it becomes. Until it becomes a slow-moving throng, impeding anyone wishing to move through it.
Yenisei: This is going to take forever if we have to follow the crowd.
Yenisei: Madam, do you think we can take the gaps between the houses? Or find a shortcut. That'd be even better ...
Citizen I: Ahh!
Insisting on politeness in a crowded space like this can often lead to such accidents.
Bessmert: Careful. What's wrong?
Yenisei: Sorry, we were in a hurry. Are you alright?
Citizen I: No problem. Don't worry about the bumping. Oh, aren't you the foreigners? I've never seen any red hair in the city. It's pretty.
Citizen I: It's holiday time. It's fine to stumble into people. But what's with the rush? Where are you going?
Yenisei: We are going to the Zhící.
Citizen I: Oh. But the way there is crowded with visitors. Maybe you can take the other road.
The gaudily-dressed woman frowns, clearly pondering how to describe it, but is just as soon distracted by a commotion.
A group of strange black creatures appear from somewhere nearby, dragging their long tails before soaring into the air.
Citizen I: Huh? They are ... Oh no, they are Zhúyès! What are they doing in the street during the daytime?!
Yenisei: Zhúyè? What's that? Some kind of critter?
Zhuye the Monster?: Squeak ... Coo ... Squeak!
They jump down from the eaves, flapping their sticky little wings and violently raising a wave of flying dust accompanied by strangely fragrant drops of water.
Bessmert: Umm, an extraordinary smell. Like liquor.
The travelers on the street run away, harangued by the creatures flapping their wings at them everywhere they turn.
Citizen II: Why are they here? Oh! I smell liquor. A lot of liquor!
Citizen II: Who broke the liquor jar and attracted them here?!
???: People! A Zhúyè in the street during daytime is a sign of auspiciousness. Stay calm!
Yenisei: It's coming our way! Watch out, Madam!
It seems as though the ringleader's movements are even more exaggerated than the others, perhaps realizing that it is being underestimated.
It flies straight toward the center of the crowd, readying its talons.
Zhuye the Monster: Coo!
COMBAT
Zhuye the Monster: Coo! Squeak! Squeak!
The Zhúyè's ambition to dominate the street is ended by the sudden intrusion of rampaging livestock that burst into the scene.
The milieu of beasts, pedestrians, and fliers soon becomes so entirely chaotic, that no one present seems to have any grasp of what is happening beyond the end of their nose.
???: Um ... S-sorry!
???: You ... You guys! COME BACK!
???: Bad boys and girls!
Zhuye the Monster: Coo coo! Coo! Coo!
Bessmert: What's going on? All this shouting and running about ...?!
Bessmert: I smell liquor and dust. What happened?
Yenisei: A kind of local animal named Zhúyè popped up in the street. Maybe they are arcane creatures? I don't know. I've never seen one in books. The liquor smell probably comes from them.
Yenisei: And ... I think a herd of livestock rushed out of the fence over there, but I can't see it clearly.
Yenisei: Sorry, Madam. We are not supposed to stop here.
Ignoring the chaos around them, the two travelers decide to leave before even more commotion starts.
This bizarre scene of animals, critters and people leaping every which way and everywhere was never part of their plan.
Citizen I: We are already having enough trouble with the Zhúyè. Who let out these Festive Animals now?
It seems life has seen fit to frustrate their plans yet again.
Citizen I: Wait ...
Citizen I: Jiǔ Niángzǐ?!
—The familiar name hums in Yenisei's mind.
Citizen I: Jiǔ Niángzǐ, aren't you supposed to be in the Zhící during work hours? What are you ...
Jiu Niangzi: Um ... I ...
Jiu Niangzi: No time for explaining!
Jiu Niangzi: Anyway ... They're escaping!
Jiu Niangzi: And I'm ... I'm losing them!!
Yenisei: Jiǔ Niángzǐ? That's the one Lǐzhèng told us to talk to, isn't it?
The girl named Jiǔ Niángzǐ tries to sound as relaxed as possible in reply, but the scene before her is one obviously and rapidly spiraling out of her control.
A panicked sweat drips down her forehead.
If she lets go now, these wild creatures will wreak havoc on the market street and everyone on it.
Yenisei: Madam, I ...
Yenisei's instincts tell her to step forward. She looks toward the Zhící, still out-of-sight in the distance, then turns back to look at Bessmert.
Bessmert can feel her gaze and nods gently.
Bessmert: Go. I will wait here.
Jiu Niangzi: Er ...
Two of the horses suddenly bolt forward, as if testing the strength of the people behind them.
Jiu Niangzi: Whoa!
Jiu Niangzi: Please, please, guys ... I can't hold on anymore!
The girl in the center of the crowd strains to keep her eyes fixed on the horde of animals more than outmatching her strength.
Her obviously waning control does nothing to contain the chaos. All she can do is twist the hemp rope tightly in her hand, winding it one hoop after another, until it is so tight that rough-edged rope cuts into her hand.
Citizen IV: Oh, let me help!
Citizen II: Yeah! I'll help, too!
Citizen II: I wonder how these animals got out ...
It is at this moment that finally—heeding the call to come to their senses, the crowd begins to rush forward to assist.
Jiu Niangzi: Thank you! Thanks ... everyone ...
Jiu Niangzi: Please ... help me ... pull harder!
Jiu Niangzi: Hold on!
Jiu Niangzi: You all get a drink on the house!
After a short while, with help from the other streetgoers, she manages to get the rampaging, if festively decorated, animals back under control.
She deftly ties the quelled animals to the flagpole, then, breathing a well-earned sigh of relief, lets the rope finally slack down from her hands.
Jiu Niangzi: Oh dear, thank you so much ...
Jiu Niangzi: I couldn't do this without you ... Making so much trouble on the first day of work ...
She pants heavily, still recovering from her battle—a battle to defend her hometown.
Citizen I: Where were you, Jiǔ Niángzǐ? I didn't see you in the tavern.
Jiu Niangzi: Me? I was in the Zhící.
Citizen III: What were you doing there?
Citizen I: Oh, Mr. Liǔ, did you forget again? The former Zhílǐ went back to her hometown. Jiǔ Niángzǐ is the new Zhílǐ now.
Jiu Niangzi: No, no, that's not it. I'm just, um, covering for her! I was counting the Festive Animals, and then I heard the noise outside ...
Citizen II: Haha, you must have been distracted by the Storyteller, huh? He was telling the end of the story today, so you would never miss it.
Jiu Niangzi: Well, yeah. I thought he might tell the story of Xiángruì, so I hurried out and forgot to lock the fence. Hmm ...
Citizen I: You're talking about Xiángruì again. People would think you were another Storyteller if they didn't know you just really like these tales.
Citizen III: Are your palms bruised? Go to my clinic for medicine if it hurts.
Citizen II: Remember the drinks on the house!
Jiu Niangzi: Of course, I will! Thank you so so much!
She speaks with warm familiarity to the other residents, but keeps an eye in the direction of the tea house—as though anxious to confirm whether the Storyteller from before is still there.
After seeing his swaying figure in the distance, a look of joy lightens up her face.
Yenisei: ...
Yenisei quietly observes the scene and retreats, turning around to walk toward Bessmert. The conversations among the locals flow into her ears, allowing her to confirm a crucial fact.
Yenisei: Please follow me, Madam. That lady must be the "Zhílǐ" that Lǐzhèng mentioned.
Yenisei: Please mind your steps, as we are walking in a mess now. We need to follow the crowd and see if we will have a chance to talk to her.
Storyteller: Let's put aside the Zhúyè for now ...
Yenisei: ...?
Little sooner than they reach the tea house, do they notice the crowd rushing toward a stone platform, filling up every nearby space before they have a chance to find a seat.
The crowd fills the tea house tightly. The surge of people pushes Bessmert and Yenisei right in front of the Storyteller.
Storyteller: ... And talk about Emperor Yáo. He had seen strange beasts like this many times ...
He speaks with eloquence, as if possessing some strange magic that naturally attracts even those who didn't go there to hear him.
Storyteller: It was the seventh year of his reign. Yáo granted an audience to an envoy offering a treasure from the Jiéxiōng Kingdom. The envoy had a strange face and a bulgy chest. He claimed to have come from somewhere millions of miles away from the Yùmén Pass.
Storyteller: "This bird is born with the talent for human languages and the phoenix's voice. Our people see it as a Xiángruì, and I am here to offer it to you, Your Majesty!"
Storyteller: Then Yáo and his people saw a real giant bird. It was as huge as a mountain and as dazzling as a phoenix. It had an azure body and red tail feathers!
Citizen II: Was it really a phoenix?
Storyteller: Oh no, no. The bird was called Mièméng. It was said to be able to read one's bones, change their fate, and even remove misfortune!
Storyteller: Yáo was pleased with the gift and kept the bird in Dùshuò Mountain. Naturally, that very bird was the ancestor of all the Mièméngs nowadays.
The envy in the eyes of the girl clad in green matches her attire completely.
Jiu Niangzi: H-have you seen a Mièméng with your own eyes?
Storyteller: Be patient and listen. Mièméngs tend to inhabit silent and clean environments, so since the ancient times, the people have always cleaned their yards carefully from time to time, hoping the Xiángruìs will gather and stay beside them. It may not work immediately, but it makes things possible in the long term.
Citizen III: So that's why we have the tradition of cleaning the yards on Shuòrì?
Storyteller: Exactly. Some even make Mièméng statues with jewelry and use them to decorate their homes, hoping the Mièméngs will bless the family. Remember the "chicken" statues on your roof? Actually, they are not chickens but Mièméngs, so are those birds you see in the paper-cutouts on the doors.
After saying this, he lifts a piece of red paper, carved in the shape of a peculiarly familiar bird.
Storyteller: Look, everyone. This is the Mièméng.
The crowd expresses an underwhelmed disappointment.
Jiu Niangzi: Hmm. But this looks like a normal chicken ...
Yenisei: More like a capercaillie to me.
Yenisei: And like the bird I just drew, isn't it?
Bessmert: The way he is speaking is interesting, rhythmic, like singing. It would be great if there was some music to accompany him. Something is missing in his story without the music.
Bessmert: If he could ...
Before Bessmert can finish speaking, the red paper instantly ignites in the hands of the Storyteller, and before touching his fingers, it becomes ashes and falls onto the stone platform.
The little boy standing beside him stands on his tiptoes, quickly taking the initiative to sweep the ashes into the charcoal pot below.
Storyteller: Among the Five Elements, Mièméng belongs to the Fire. That's why people set fire in spring to drive away misfortunes. Speaking of ...
Yenisei's attention is diverted. She witnesses the child's movements, but doesn't yet understand the meaning behind them, choosing to stare ahead until a crackling sound explodes behind her.
Bessmert: What is this noise?
It seems no one cares about the noise of the cracker. Only Jiǔ Niángzǐ, who had previously worked so hard to restore order to the bustling city, turns around with the two of them.
As she turns around, she seems to remember something and shows a remorseful look.
Jiu Niangzi: The cracker ... Shoot. I almost forgot!
Jiu Niangzi: Sorry, excuse me! Please let me go out ...
Citizen II: You won't listen to the rest? It's still early. Oh, are you going back to the tavern to make our drinks?
Jiu Niangzi: Not drinks, but other stuff! Oh, and "drinks on the house" tomorrow!
Everyone chuckles warmly, making way for Jiǔ Niángzǐ. Yenisei holds onto Bessmert to prevent her from falling behind.
This time, they follow her without incident. Despite the strangers' otherwise eye-catching hair, everyone's attention seems focused intently on the Storyteller telling the legend.