Chapter 119: The Riddle of Silence
The black sheep stood quietly, gazing at Chen Changsheng, then suddenly lowered its head and gently nudged his forehead.
Chen Changsheng misunderstood its intent. He patted himself down, found he had brought no food, and looked up. On a tree to his right hung several fire loquats, their color indicating they had just ripened. He made a shushing gesture to the black sheep, stood on tiptoe to pick them, and offered them before its head.
The black sheep tilted its head slightly, still watching him in silence. This made him feel a bit awkward. He couldn't shake the feeling that its gaze was mocking him, leaving him at a loss. Just then, the black sheep lowered its head, took the fire loquat into its mouth, and began chewing slowly.
Chen Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though he had accomplished something remarkable.
After finishing the fruit, the black sheep nudged his knee again and then walked toward the autumn grove. Last time in the imperial palace, when it had led the way for Chen Changsheng, it had done the same. He followed it forward, wondering where it was taking him this time. As he pondered, he saw lights through the trees on the other side.
It was the same stone table, an oil lamp, a teapot, two teacups, and that mute middle-aged woman.
Chen Changsheng bowed to the middle-aged woman, his expression calm, but his heart was tense. He knew the black sheep held a special status in the Great Zhou imperial palace—rumor had it that only Mo Yu could get close to it. Yet tonight, the black sheep had followed this middle-aged woman to the Hundred Herbs Garden. Who exactly was she?
He had once thought she might be a female official in the palace, perhaps even one of those powerful leaders among the palace women. But now, it seemed her status might be even higher.
A certain possibility crossed his mind, but he immediately dismissed it. Everyone in the world knew that the Saintess shone with radiant brilliance, the most famous beauty on the continent since the Taizong era. If she truly were that Saintess, why would she deliberately alter her appearance to meet someone as insignificant as him?
Seeing that it was Chen Changsheng, the middle-aged woman showed no surprise. She merely raised an eyebrow slightly at the black sheep, as if disapproving of its bringing him here. The black sheep, perhaps guessing she didn't want to be disturbed, turned and left after leading Chen Changsheng to the autumn grove, refusing to meet her gaze.
A soft tapping sound echoed as the woman's fingers lightly struck the stone table.
Chen Changsheng sat down, picked up the teapot, and filled both teacups. Respectfully, he placed one cup before the woman.
The woman lifted her teacup with two fingers, as casually as picking up a pebble by the riverbank, and brought it to her lips, drinking slowly.
Chen Changsheng lifted his teacup with both hands, as if cradling a night pearl, and brought it to his lips, gently blowing on it.
Seeing him like this, the woman smiled silently, her expression exuding an indescribable ease and naturalness, as if laughing at his excessive caution.
"It's too hot, nothing else," Chen Changsheng explained awkwardly. Then, remembering she couldn't speak and seemed unable to hear, he set the cup down and made a few gestures.
Then came the tea drinking.
Just like that first night they met in the Hundred Herbs Garden, the woman and the boy did not engage in conversation. They simply sat across from each other, drinking tea, rarely even letting their gazes fall on one another.
Chen Changsheng was accustomed to this atmosphere. It reminded him once again of his senior brother. He wondered how his senior brother was faring in the old temple in Xining Town and when he might be willing to come to the capital.
He did not know that Mo Yu had already sent people to Xining Town, only to find the temple empty. Ji Dao Ren and his Yu Ren senior brother had vanished, their whereabouts unknown.
Chen Changsheng's gaze lingered on the middle-aged woman for a moment.
He had always wanted to enter the imperial palace to see the black dragon but had never found a way. Such a matter couldn't be entrusted to the black sheep either... Tonight, guessing that this middle-aged woman held an extraordinary position in the palace, he suddenly wanted to ask her for advice: How could one sneak into the palace? Had she ever heard of a black dragon?
No matter how you looked at it, what he was doing was suicidal—asking a mysterious palace noble how to sneak into the palace, and inquiring about a taboo as absolute as the black dragon. If that wasn't suicidal, what was?
Yet, for some reason, he felt she would be willing to tell him and wouldn't harm him.
He had grown up living with his Yu Ren senior brother and had always believed that deaf-mutes were kind-hearted people. Looking at this woman, he easily thought of his senior brother, felt a sense of closeness, and found her trustworthy—much like how many people felt upon first meeting him. Moreover, that night when she had reached out and gently touched his face, it reminded him of someone he hadn't thought of in a long time, or rather, a term he hadn't recalled in ages.
He was an orphan. Those two people, or that term, had never existed in his life. Naturally, it was hard to recall them, and easy to go a long time without doing so.
The hot tea in the teapot never seemed to run out, and the steam rising from the teacups never dissipated, though some of the mist scattered with the night breeze.
Chen Changsheng's hands moved rapidly before him, conveying his meaning.
The woman watched his gestures expressionlessly. The earlier tranquil atmosphere had been replaced by a chill. Clearly, Chen Changsheng's question had displeased her.
When he finished asking about the black dragon, she raised her right hand and casually traced a few strokes in the night air with three fingers.
Her finger movements were as elusive as a gentle breeze. If Chen Changsheng hadn't had sharp eyesight and been extremely focused, he wouldn't have been able to see them clearly, let alone understand her meaning.
Of course, understanding her meaning was nothing to celebrate.
She asked Chen Changsheng: Aren't you afraid of death?
Chen Changsheng gestured back, saying he didn't want to die, but a promise was important. Moreover, he might soon face some troublesome problems. If he couldn't resolve them, he might never have another chance to enter the palace or encounter the black dragon. That was why he had risked asking her.
The autumn grove was cold and still. The woman watched him silently for a long time, then suddenly smiled without a sound and gestured: It seems you really aren't afraid of death.
The first "Aren't you afraid of death?" represented her displeasure and threat toward him. This second "not afraid of death" represented her judgment of him.
And that was precisely what she admired most about him.
The woman dipped her finger in the teacup, wrote a character on the table, then rose and walked toward the palace.
The black sheep emerged from somewhere in the garden, followed her into the grove, and glanced back at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng had intended to escort her to the secret door on the palace wall, as he had last time, but he worried the character on the table might disappear, so he stayed.
The tea was dark tea, its liquid a rich crimson. Written on the slightly gray stone table, it was very clear.
It was the character "Bing" (ice).
Chen Changsheng didn't understand. He looked up, but the woman and the black sheep were already gone from sight.
He couldn't converse with that woman; everything was said in sign language. This character was a true riddle of silence.
(Today is actually the third day of my cold. The first two days were especially rough, and writing was particularly difficult, but I didn't feel like mentioning it. Today, though, my condition is really good, and I'm fairly satisfied with what I wrote... If only I could keep this up. I need to build up some drafts. The next chapter will probably be posted around 8:20. Let me see if I can manage to save some drafts.)