Chapter 5.1 – Blue Fields on a Warm Day, Mist Rises from the Jade
At this point, Nian Bing’s brain had already awoken. Ignoring Chen Chen’s attacks at him, he faced the beautiful woman and said, “Auntie, you really do look like my mama. I, I…..” Nian Bing couldn’t continue. His eyes couldn’t help but turn red thinking about his parents.
The beautiful woman consoled him and said, “Child, don’t cry. If you wish, the auntie will become your mother. How about that?” Her motherly instincts caused these words to subconsciously come out of her mouth. It was only after the words left her mouth that she became aware of how rude she was being. After all, she didn’t even know the old man and child in front of her. But with her status, how could she possibly take back the words that came out of her mouth?
Nian Bing glanced to the side and saw Chen Chen’s complexion pale. In response, he unexpectedly shook his head and said, “There’s no need. Thank you auntie, but when all’s said and done, you’re not my mother. I don’t need you to take pity on me.” His eyes displayed a trace of unwavering determination as he said this. At this instance, Nian Bing’s short and stout body actually appeared as if it was a bit taller than usual.
The beautiful woman was a little stunned within her heart. This child was so young, yet he had such a temperament! When he grows up, he will certainly grow into an impressive person. These thoughts moved her heart. She reached into her bosom and took out a jade tile and placed it in Nian Bing’s hand with a smile. “It doesn’t matter. Our meeting was brought together by fate. This jade tile represents auntie’s trust. On top of it is my name. If you ever encounter any troubles within the Profound Orchid Empire, just show them this and it should be of some use to you.
“Mom, why did you give him the Heavenly Flower Tile? I’ve asked you so many times yet you still haven’t given it to me.” Chen Chen furiously glared at Nian Bing as she said this. If her mother wasn’t by her side, she might have went over and taken it by force.
The jade tile felt sleek and warm in his hands. It appeared as if a breath of warm air flowed along the hollow of his palm and into his body, causing his body to be overcome with a comfortable feeling. A grateful light appeared within Nian Bing’s eyes and he didn’t decline it. “Thank you Auntie. Auntie, you really are a good person!”
Fearing that Nian Bing’s hypnosis seal had been broken when he faced this beautiful woman, Zha Ji pulled him away from the beautiful woman and said, “Madam, we must hasten on with our journey so we’ll be leaving first. Thank you for showing concern for this child.” Finished with his farewell, Zha Ji pulled Nian Bing to the large tree on the side. He began pushing the wooden cart onto the main road heading towards Ice Snow City.
As Captain Feng watched Nian Bing and Zha Ji return, he whispered to the beautiful woman, “Madam, isn’t wrong to give a Heavenly Flower tile to such an ordinary person, I’m afraid that his Lordship might…..”
The beautiful woman snorted in response. “What do you understand? Have you ever seen an ordinary ten year old child that is able to cast rudimentary spells in a flash before? I have a premonition that in the future, that child will surely become famous across the continent. Your eyes must look at things in the long-term Captain Feng. I suggest that you manage your own subordinates first. Quickly go eat, afterwards we’ll be preparing to be on our way. We’re returning to the carriage, Chen Chen.” Saying this, the beautiful woman held her daughter’s hand before quickly disappearing into the carriage together.
Captain Feng had met with a snag, yet he wasn’t resentful at all. He looked towards his subordinate who had previously lost his sword. With an indifferent demeanor, Captain Feng walked in front of his subordinate and said, “Hand over your Feather.”
Shaking in fear the knight tried to speak : “Captain, I…….”
The eyes of the captain grew cold as he repeated to the knight, “Hand over your Feather. I won’t say it a third time. ”
The knight seemed to lose all his strength. From his chest armor, he took out an azure feather that was approximately thirty centimeters long, and handed it over to the captain.
Captain Feng coldly said, “Letting a child snatch away your sword; you’ve already lost the right to be a Silver Feather Knight. I declare that from henceforth, that I have demoted you down to a probationary knight. You will be punished once again once we’ve returned to the regiment. Do you accept this?”
With his head down, he looked at the faint blade marks left on his silver armor, “Yes, captain.”
Captain Feng’s strict gaze swept across all the other knights and said sternly, “You all should know what you must do. Defend your knight’s honor, defend it even more dearly than your own life. Starting now, everyone must give me their 120%. If something like this happens again, the punishment will be even more severe.”
……
After talking with the beautiful woman, an intense longing flared for his mother in Nian Bing’s heart. He seemed to be even more silent than he was ordinarily. Zha Ji was worried about what he was thinking. While they were walking, Zha Ji told Nian Bing about a few interesting stories about his own experiences. Nian Bing was a child after all. After listening for a while to Zha Ji’s narration, Nian Bing’s emotions subsided and his lively nature resumed.
“Master, a moment ago that Auntie gave me a jade tile.“ Before they had departed earlier, in order to push the cart, he had pocketed the jade tile into his bosom in passing. The jade tile had an indescribable aura. Though it was mild, it was one of the reasons that his mood quickly became serene. With that said, Nian Bing only used one hand to pull the cart, with his other hand fishing out the jade tile from his bosom.
The jade tile was not large and had the shape of a rectangle. It was about the same length as Nian Bing’s pinky and was entirely milky white. It was warm to the touch, and on top of it there was a very realistic looking phoenix engraved. The eyes of the phoenix was actually a tiny red gem embedded in the jade tile, and it really completed the look of the entire jade tile. On top of the jade tile, there was a small hole which seemed to be for the purpose of threading a string through. There was a dim white mist that seemed to emit from the jade tile, covering it, and if not for the sun shining directly upon it, it would be hard to detect.
Zha Ji’s gaze rested upon Nian Bing’s hands; earlier on he had been in a rush to get away from them, and had not noticed what the beautiful woman had given Nian Bing. Now that he had taken a good look at the jade tile, he had been given a big surprise, as he was the Demon Chef in the past, he had seen a lot of the world; even though Nian Bing did not recognize the amazing object that it was, how could he not recognize it?
“The tears of an azure sea moon pearl! Blue fields on a warm day, mist rises from the jade. Heavens! The warm blue mist rising from the jade. Heavens! The enshrouding mist of treasure is so obvious, this has to be the famed Harmonic Field Jade, this woman is too generous already.
Nian Bing hesitatingly said: “ Is the Harmonic Field jade precious?”
Zha Ji took the jade tile from Nian Bing’s hands to examine it closely, and couldn’t help but exclaim in praise: “Of course it is precious, in fact, this isn’t an ordinary Harmonic Field Jade, but it is the Suet White Jade which is the rarest amongst all Harmonic Field Jade, and is the most valuable as well. I used to have a friend who was in the jade business, and he once told me that the Suet White Jade was the top quality jade amongst all jade stones, its inner radiance, a smooth creamy form as if congealed from fat, unyieldingly clean and a profound gentleness; wearing it will also bring harmony to the mind, and protecting you from evil or poisons, and is definitely of great benefit to anyone. Look at this jade tile, doesn’t it have all those qualities? Furthermore, the engraving is extremely detailed and realistic, this is definitely a real treasure, and wearing it will allow you to keep calm and peaceful. This is definitely something useful, and the ability to always keep calm is extremely useful for a chef as well.” As he said that, he looked to the back of the jade tile, and saw three words carved into the back with ancient script. “‘Yu Ru Yan’, this should be the woman’s name. It is truly the name befitting the person. Still, this is almost too generous.”
While laughing, Nian Bing said: “Auntie really is a good person, when I’m finished learning how to cook, I’ll make her something delicious to taste.”
Zha Ji thought for a while, then returned the jade tile to Nian Bing “Let’s go. When we reach the Ice Snow City I’ll buy you a red string to thread through it. So you can wear it around your neck. Its qualities will be even more evident then.”
The two of them continued on their journey. After they had moved ahead for a while, they heard rushed, yet orderly galloping from the back. Looking back, they saw it was Yu Ru Yan’s troupe that they had met earlier. This time, the troupe did not stop, instead rushed past them. As Nian Bing looked at the horse cart, he saw the covering blinds be moved aside a little, and Chen Chen glaring at him from within. Just as he was about to glare back, the troupe had already moved on too far ahead.
Zha Ji saw that Nian Bing’s face turned bright red. He said “What is it? Did you fall in love with the madam’s daughter at first sight? Although there is a huge gap in social statuses aside, that might change in the future. Leave this matter of love until you’re older.”
Hearing Zha Ji, Nian Bing replied: “Only a demon would find her attractive. As soon as people see her crafty and unruly temperament, they will quickly find her annoying.”
Zha Ji said with a faint smile, “Meeting on the road is also a sign of fate, in the future if you travel in the Profound Orchid Empire, you might meet her again. Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s get moving. It looks like we’ll finally get to rest in the city for a night.”