Chapter Thirteen: An Encounter with an Elder Bearing a Request

“I wonder, sir, for what reason have you called me?”
I stepped forward a few paces, imitating Bodai’s manner, bowed deeply, and inquired respectfully.
“Young man, are you on your way to the summit of Lingyun Mountain to apprentice yourself to the Immortal Lord Zilian?”
“Yes, indeed!” I nodded. “Are you also going to the mountain to become Immortal Lord Zilian’s disciple?”
Could it truly be that anyone seeking apprenticeship need only be male, with no restrictions regarding age? Doubt filled my heart as I watched the old man draw ever closer.
His face was shriveled and parched like the bark of an ancient tree, deeply furrowed and tightly wrinkled. Short of stature, he was so gaunt as to be almost frightening; the veins on his hands bulged beneath his dark skin.
As I took in his appearance, even I—a little carp who had cultivated for over three thousand years—could not help the hair on my arms standing on end.
He grinned, his mouth opening wide. “You jest, young man. I am already in my hoary years; how could I still harbor hopes of attaining immortality? I have called you over because I have a favor to ask, and I hope you might aid me.”
“So you seek a favor,” I replied with a kindly smile, thinking that as long as he wasn’t here to compete with me for Zilian’s favor, all was well. “Please, tell me what you need. If it lies within my power, I will do everything I can to help.”
Let it not be some elixir of immortality he desires—if that were the case, even if I begged for it, I doubt they would grant it, and I might even anger someone enough to have this little demon, who has journeyed so far to seek a master, driven down the mountain.
The old man reached into his sleeve, rummaged for a long moment, and finally produced a small black wooden box. Raising his head, his tear-filled eyes looked upon me with utter misery as he said, “Within this little black box are the ashes of my ill-fated grandson.”
“Ah?”
Startled, I instinctively took a step back.
Seeing my reaction, the old man explained, “The dead have already turned to ash—there is nothing left to fear. You needn’t be afraid, young man.”
“Your words are true. I was discourteous, and I sincerely apologize.”
Standing before him, I felt a pang of guilt. The box held his grandson’s remains; he must be grieving deeply, and yet here I was, recoiling from the ashes—a gesture that must have pained him further.
He nodded slightly and continued, “My grandson was deceived by a serpent demon and lost his life, his body utterly destroyed. In this life, his soul was devoured by that demon, his three spiritual and seven corporeal souls all but annihilated. I have come here today hoping to bring his ashes to the immortals above, to beg them for a few drops of celestial dew, that my poor grandson might be delivered and gain another turn in the wheel of reincarnation.”
As he spoke, two murky tears slid down his cheeks, his expression so pitiful it wrenched the heart.
I was still pondering what to do when, to my astonishment, the old man suddenly fell to his knees before me.
“I am old, my legs unsteady. Please, young man, help carry my grandson’s ashes to the mountain’s peak, and place them in Immortal Zilian’s hands. Beg him to help us—I will kowtow to you in gratitude.”
Even as he spoke, he began knocking his head forcefully against the earth. Thankfully, the wild grass grew thick here; otherwise, with such desperate force, he would have bloodied his brow within moments.
This put me in a most difficult position. Though I had once crossed paths with Zilian, it was more than a thousand years ago, before I had taken human form. He had never seen me as I am now. After so many centuries, it is likely he would not even recall that little carp.
And now, even if I agreed to this request, I was far from certain I could fulfill it.