Village Expedition

Wang Jingyuan awoke to the chirping of birds. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, taking in the smoldering pile of ashes, the dirt ground, and the unconscious man lying at the far end of the cave. Right. She got hit by a van, appeared in a new world, and saved a mysterious, wounded man. All in the span of one day.

Outside, the rain had long stopped. Wang Jingyuan stepped outside and breathed in the fresh morning air. It was a slightly cloudy day, and the sun peeked out intermittently. Everywhere, last night's rain clung to leaves and grass. Wang Jingyuan's stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day, at school, and now she was very hungry.

"I wonder if there are any villages nearby?" Wang Jingyuan thought aloud. She decided to try and walk down this mountain today. Returning to the cave, she took the empty medicine pouch and filled it with all of the man's silver coins. He was still unconscious, but he didn't look as deathly pale as when she found him.

"I'm going to try and find a village," Wang Jingyuan told the man. "I'll buy us some food and some medicine for you. Please don't run off when I'm not here, okay?"

Of course, the man did not answer. Wang Jingyuan contemplated bringing the man's sword with her as protection but decided against it because she didn't know how to wield it properly. Even though she had read many wuxia novels, watched many wuxia dramas, and even took a few years of martial arts lessons, Wang Jingyuan was not good at kung fu. But maybe, if she had really transmigrated to a wuxia world, she could learn?

Wang Jingyuan dragged over a large leafy branch that had fallen and covered the entrance of the cave. If the man was being pursued and hunted for by enemies, she didn't want him to be found and killed when she spent so long saving him. Then she headed downhill.

It was noon when Wang Jingyuan emerged out of the trees and onto a dirt path. Looking back, she saw that the entire mountain was very large and so tall that its tip was hidden within the clouds. Trees covered the entire mountainside. She estimated that the cave was only about one-third of the way up the mountain.

The dirt path that travelled east, so Wang Jingyuan followed the path as it curved and winded until a village came into view. Tucked right at the foot of the mountain, the village was a peaceful place to live. There were people working in the fields to the south, and children ran around at the front of the village. They stopped to look at Wang Jingyuan curiously as she walked past them.

Once inside the village, Wang Jingyuan approached a middle-aged woman who was washing clothes on a washboard outside her home. "Excuse me, auntie [1]; do you know where I can buy some food?"

The woman looked up. She took in Wang Jingyuan's appearance, and Wang Jingyuan realized how out of place she must look with her muddied blouse and jeans. These people were all wearing hanfus and traditional Chinese clothing. She would have to buy herself a new set of clothes if she wanted to fit in.

"You're not from around here." The woman said. "Are you a traveler?"

Wang Jingyuan nodded. The woman must've have seen how tired and nervous Wang Jingyuan looked because she wiped her hands on her apron, stood up, and smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, dear. If there's anything our village has, it's an abundance of warm-hearted people. Travelers pass through here every now and then, and we always make sure they have something to eat. I have a stack of buns in the oven; I'll get some for you. Wait here, dear." The woman disappeared into her home. Wang Jingyuan stood awkwardly outside until the woman returned with four large buns in a paper bag.

"Here, these have white radish fillings. My husband and son love them. Try it." The woman held the bag out to Wang Jingyuan, who gratefully took it. The buns were warm, and smelled like heaven. She bit into one, and the delicious flavor of white radish filled her mouth. Usually she was ambivalent towards white radish, but here, they tasted like the most delicious food in the world.

Wang Jingyuan wolfed down an entire bun. "Thank you, auntie! It's very delicious."

The woman beamed. "Dear, do you have a place to stay? I have an extra room, you're welcome to stay with us for the night," the woman offered.

Wang Jingyuan shook her head. "Thank you for your generous offer, but I have to go back up the mountain. My, um, mentor is waiting for me to bring back food." She decided that for the time-being, the mystery man could be her shifu, her mentor.

"Oh, you and your mentor are going to Xuanyan Mountain? Are you guys visiting the Xuanyan Sect at the top?" The woman looked surprised. "I didn't know you trained in martial arts, dear. But you should be careful; a lot of people were searching the area yesterday, and they didn't look very kind. My husband told me that they all had weapons, and that something big had happened in the martial arts world. Of course, us villagers wouldn't know. Do you know what happened?"

People with weapons, searching the area? Could they be from other sects and hunting for the mystery man? "No, I don't know what happened, auntie. My mentor and I only arrived today."

Wanting to change the subject, Wang Jingyuan reached into the drawstring pouch and took out a silver coin. "Here, auntie. Thank you for the buns."

The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, darling, that is way too much money for four radish buns! Even if I was to sell them, they would only be a copper coin each!"

"Is it?" Wang Jingyuan looked at the silver coin. She didn't know its value in this world. "I don't have any copper coins, though. Would you be able to give me change?"

"We don't have that many copper coins, dear." The woman shook her head. "It's a thousand copper coins to a silver coin, don't you know?"

Wang Jingyuan's eyes widened slightly. Suddenly, the money in the pouch became a lot heavier. "Oh. Sorry, I forgot." She gave an embarrassed laugh.

"How about this—do you need to buy other supplies? Maybe I can help you get those, and then we'll add up everything and see if I have enough copper coins for change then," the woman suggested.

"Okay. Um, I would like to buy a new set of clothes, some medicine, and some more food to bring back," Wang Jingyuan told the woman, who nodded confidently.

"No problem. Follow me, dear."

By the time Wang Jingyuan was about to leave the village in mid-afternoon, she was wearing a new light-green linen hanfu. The woman had helpfully told the tailor that Wang Jingyuan was a martial arts disciple so she was able to get clothes that were more boyish in style and more suited for fighting and movement. Although the feminine hanfus were pretty, Wang Jingyuan did not want to buy one just to dirty the skirts as soon as she walked through the forest.

Wang Jingyuan also carried a linen bag with her old clothes (now washed), more buns, some dried jerky, two water canteens, bandages, and medicine for treating weapon-induced wounds. The woman walked with her all the way to the entrance of the village.

"You got everything you needed, right?" The woman asked.

"Yes. Thank you so much, auntie." Wang Jingyuan was so grateful for the woman's help. She pressed two silver coins into the woman's hand. "Please take these; you've helped me so much."

"Darling, this is way too much money! Even one silver coin is more than enough to cover everything you've bought." The woman shook her head and tried to give the coins back.

"No, please, take them. I am so grateful for all your help." Wang Jingyuan refused to take them back. Finally, the woman relented.

"Alright, dear. I'll keep the coins for now. If you ever need more supplies, come back and I'll get them for you!"

"Okay, auntie, I will." Wang Jingyuan smiled at the woman and waved goodbye. Then she began her trek back to the cave, wondering if the mystery man had regained consciousness yet.