rogue_5

Yi is studying a jade cong in one of the treasure rooms of his Garden of Grotesqueries. This was his 'cut' Ji had promised him during the ceremony period. As for how much Ji made from the Candleholders in Sui's Remnant Consciousness, it is none of his business.

After carefully studying the jade's texture and patterns under the light with a magnifying glass, Yi is quite positive that it is a ritual instrument dating back to before the Hundred Clan Rebellion... a rare treasure indeed. He jumps up excitedly, only to promptly fall back into his chair meekly, not because he remembered something unpleasant or because the jade cong that Ji gave him was flawed, but because he saw Liang and the stack of documents he carries. His joy at getting his hands on a treasure is immediately overcome by his distaste for his duties.

'No, I'm not looking at them, not a single word.' Yi turns his head around, lies down on the couch, and starts throwing a tantrum.

'Is that so?' Liang takes one look at Yi, or he would have if he had eyes. 'I'll write to the Baizao Museum, then, and tell them that the Garden is not interested in cooperating—'

Before Liang can finish, Yi snatches the letter out of his hands and starts reading it.

'How many items do you plan on poaching from the Baizao Museum this time?'

'We're formally exchanging collections. Everything by the book.' Yi sits down at the desk and immediately sets about to write a response. 'Besides, you can't call it poaching when everything stays within Yan. Here's my reply.'

Liang takes the reply letter, then places down the documents he <i>really</i> needed Yi to review.

'The Sui Regulator's report, and the list of repairs requests to be submitted to the Ministry of Works.'

Yi is about to get up when Liang grabs him and pushes him back into the chair.

'And the Sui Regulator and Tianshi Bureaus' meeting minutes about the reopening of the garden, and the management committee's safety assessment of the newly-opened area...

'And—'

'Enough, enough!' Yi hastily stops Liang from listing the rest of the departments and the documents that they have sent. 'I made you so I wouldn't have to be bothered by all of this, didn't I?'

'Yes, you did.'

'Alright, then take these papers and...'

'But I can't sign them on your behalf, and you're the only one who can make the materials for the repairs. I've prepared all the forms—which areas are dangerous, which are safe, which can be opened, which still need repairs—but I still need you to sign off on them.

'Need I say any more, Yi?'

'But, but... isn't it all a little much? I still need to find a proper home for this jade cong...'

'Are you done with your futile pleading?'

'Just, four more hours, please? I need to get in the mood for work, you know?'

'The sun will have set by then. You have thirty minutes, no more.'

'T-Two hours. And I'll throw in an upgrade to your frame!'

'...One hour? I'll get on it as soon as I put this baby away!'

'...One hour?'

'One hour! I promise! Absolutely!'

Liang opens a book on the edge of the desk. The papers weave and merge into a three-dimensional model of the Garden. Yi hurriedly grabs a cloud and puts it on the side of the hill, then waves his sleeves, causing the cloud to disperse and revealing a pavilion.

'Don't forget the upgrade.' Liang disappears on the other side of the door after taking one last glance at Yi, who was nodding as quickly as he can manage.

One hour later, Yi puts away the documents on the desk in his jade rule. He wanted to sit down for a little break before going out, but he takes one look at the paper weight waregeist that Liang had left behind to keep an eye on him, and he reluctantly stands back up and walks out the door.

He walks out of the pavilion and gazes upon the lotuses blooming in the pond and the fowlbeasts singing in the air. Perhaps it is true that he should take a break from taking breaks once in a while, and fulfill his responsibility as master of the Garden of Grotesqueries. So he walks down the hill, swinging his jade rule casually, and singing a tune that has been sung for a hundred years.

Three quarters of an hour later, a long-haired man wearing a white shirt and green gown can be seen chewing on roasted seeds in a restaurant in front of the Garden's gate, chatting with visitors about interesting things in the garden.

Liang returns to the pavilion to find Yi fiddling with a sword-shaped Tongbao, which he undoubtedly 'obtained' from a visitor. How much time did Yi spend enjoying himself while Liang was away? But seeing the pile of signed and stamped documents on the desk, he does not disturb him. He collects the documents quietly and departs. This is Yi's home and garden, after all, and all the treasures within were painstakingly gathered by Yi over many years. In the garden, they ignore the passage of time and the laws of decay, forever leaving their mark in the Garden and the world. Yi may be a procrastinator, but he never neglects the care of these treasures.

Outside the pavilion, materials of all kinds are piled up even higher than the pavilion itself, neatly categorized by type. The craftsmen of the Garden have already begun to review the list of repairs, and are delivering the materials to where they are needed. The mess left by those undertaking the rite will be cleaned up in the next few months, and the Garden will be ready for visitors on schedule.

Descending from Jianzi Shrine at the summit, handing over Yi's jade rule at the Garden's gate, returning to Baizao with a crowd of Candleholders and Tianshi, reporting in at the Sui Regulator, undergoing an inspection at the Tianshi Bureaus, recounting what happened, collating reports, accepting inquiries, resolving disputes... By the time Lin Qingyan, Yun Qingping, and Zuo Le finished dealing with all these things in the wake of the ceremony, the better part of a month had passed. As for the one who suddenly dumped these responsibilities on them, the mysterious Old Tianshi had most likely already left Baizao for elsewhere, happy as can be. After being yanked around by her so much, the trio momentarily forgot their original itinerary. Several days of wandering later, they finally and unexpectedly return to Mangshan Town.

Despite the heaven-turning chaos of man and geist instigated by Mo Yi, the town was once again the picture of peace. For some reason, it is especially busy today, and the trio only finds an empty table in front of a restaurant after much searching. They order a few dishes, asking for congee, noodles, and grains according to their preferences, all while helping give cover to a shoulder pole waregeist waiter who nearly exposed himself. Upon seeing that he had guests who knew the town's secret, the shopkeep greets the trio and gives them some appetizers. While waiting for their food to be delivered, they chat about where to go next.

Lin Qingyan is preparing to return to the Tianshi Bureaus for a spell, to listen to the masters' instructions and the advice of her seniors. When the time is right, she will traverse Yan from east to west. 'How should we serve the law, and how should the law serve us?' She must observe everything from the top of the clouds in heaven to the bowels of the earth below, and learn all she can.

Yun Qingping is always prepared to wander wherever his heart takes him. Despite unexpectedly joining the Candleholders, his new identity would not hinder him on his journey south, where he will see Yanese sights quite unlike Yumen. If he is lucky, he may even make it in time for the annual grand celebration of martial artistry held in the south.

Unlike the other two who are free to roam, Zuo Le must continue to keep an eye on the motley family known as the Sui proxies. But before that, he has to return the <i>Book of Kung Fu</i> Yun Qingping wrote to Yumen, and presumably also explain to his father why the original edition is now in the care of the Sui Regulator's Chamber of Geists and could not be returned immediately.

Just after noontime, the three have eaten their fill and slaked their thirst. After some discussion, they prepare to stay in town overnight. After tonight, the trio will go their separate ways, but before that...

Zuo Le glances at the pink and teal mascot plushies of the Garden of Grotesqueries in the hands of tourists crossing the road.

Perhaps they should swing by the Garden this afternoon as tourists, to amuse themselves. Listen to the tour guide explain its history, and see its historic sites up close, all without having to chase down and slay geists in the name of the Candleholders and Tianshis.

After paying for their meal, they ask the shopkeep where they could buy tickets to the Garden. He happily points them towards an advertisement in front of the restaurant, adorned with a lotus flower. From behind the counter, he pulls out three 'tickets'. As an establishment near a tourist spot, how could he <i>not</i> get into the ticket business?

Tickets in hand, the trio wade through the bustling crowd, waiting for the tour guide at the station with a gaggle of tourists who seemed like students. According to them, other scenic parks asked for an additional fee for a guide, but the Garden's was included with the ticket. Considering the unclear variance in price between various parks across Yan, a free guide service was no doubt very attractive to perennially-penniless students. After much chattering, a minivan finally stops at the station. Its doors open, and the tour guide alights, wearing a Garden uniform, ancient yet elegant in design, clashing with the modern sun hat atop his head. On his back, he has a plush bag in the shape of the Garden's mascot, Little Ba'jie, whose hand is holding a Garden banner the guide just pulled open. On that banner, embroidered in red and green thread, are a row of big, eye-catching words:

'The Garden of Grotesqueries welcomes guests from afar.'

This 'distinct' attire immediately gets the students talking again. The guide ignores their ridicule. He adjusts his headset, clears his throat, and begins to speak.

'Good afternoon, my friends. I'm Yi, and I'll be serving as your guide for your trip through the Garden of Grotesqueries. I hope you'll end today both happier and more knowledgeable.

'I'd like to ask you all to come aboard. It'll take us roughly twenty minutes to get there, so we'll be at the main entrance in the blink of an eye. On the way, I'll be giving everyone a basic overview of the Garden and going over some key information.'

The guide skillfully double-checks the headcount, passes out brochures and gets the tourists seated in the van. The students rush aboard, leaving only the three 'Placation VIPs' rooted in place, stunned into silence.

Zuo Le's mouth opens then closes then opens again, as if he wished to say something, but even after several minutes, nothing comes out.

Yun Qingping is still trying to process the bizarre sight before him. He reflexively tries to pull out his notebook, but in his confusion, his hands rummage through empty pockets.

Lin Qingyan has weathered great storms and raging tempests, but now, it is as if she were nailed to the ground, looking the guide up and down with a face full of some emotion between amusement, amazement, and disbelief.

'Is this your first time visiting the Garden?'

The guide gives the trio a wink.

'The Garden has only just been restored, and a new area has been opened up for sightseeing. We've also taken the opportunity to display some artifacts that had been in storage for a while now. Seeing old things in a new light is a rather special feeling.

'You can't miss out.'

Five minutes later, a minivan drives down the highway, heading towards the nearby Garden of Grotesqueries.

After her ticket is inspected, Mu pushes past the turnstiles and steps into the Garden of Grotesqueries.

In truth, she had not been looking forward to this trip. When she was younger, her family would spend half a day in the car just to spend a few hours at some crowded place, leaving her with an instinctual aversion to trips. Were it not for her unwillingness to go against her friends—along with a slight interest in the exhibit itself—she would never have come to this sort of popular tourist destination.

But it is rather different from what she expected. After passing the towering Kou-wu Hill by the entrance, she does not see many people along the road. During a midday stop at Mangshan Town, she had seen great crowds, no doubt headed to the Garden. But now... despite looking all around, she sees only four or five tour groups.

On this point, the tour guide boasts of the Garden's tourist management policies. Guest flow prediction, foot traffic management, batched tours... It all sounds very logical. A moment's reflection makes it obvious that it's just the usual spiel of a tour agency, but since it seems rather effective, Mu doesn't feel the need to contradict him.

Speaking of the guide... Mu looks at the young man passionately waving the tour flag ahead of her. Why is it that whenever he introduces some aspect of the scenery with the same gushing passion, it is as if he were showing off his own private collection? Despite people asking inane questions like 'Why are these flowers and trees here?', he still provides flawless answers. Yes, she had already put him to the test. The same plants in different locations still get the same vivid explanation from the tour guide Yi, each and every one described as if he had the entire textbook memorized back to front. As if he dearly wants every visitor to see how ingenious the master of the Garden was when designing it. At least, that's the impression Mu gets.

After visiting two or three different places, Yi leads the tourists to a pavilion to rest. Mu's never seen a tour guide take people to a rest spot before, but not far from the pavilion is a tourist service center. Soon, many of the students stand up, as if commanded by an invisible force to go purchase something, she thinks. Travelers from across the land gather here to sample local fare, purchase trinkets from the gift shop, or line up to get a park seal stamped on some paper. Apparently, there are many different seals here, and indeed, there was not a single duplicate among her classmates who received one. And so, to get a full set to decorate their classroom with, even more students join the queue.

Taking advantage of their departure, Mu nestles herself in a pile of their backpacks to watch the three other visitors who were orbiting their tour group: a lady dressed like a Tianshi, always at the head of the pack and sweeping her eyes across their surroundings, giving others the impression she would be the first to fight if anything goes wrong; a handsome young man wearing some kind of mandarin's robes who always stayed at the very back of the group, fearful that someone would leave his sight; and a refined, long-horned gentleman, who constantly paced back and forth within the group, occasionally advising against uncivilized behavior from the students. Why were they being so wary? Mu looks at her ticket, then glances at the giant sign next to the service center:

'Heed well these eight 'Do Nots'.'

Could it be that there was some sort of selection of Yan's cultural parks going on, and these three were plain-clothes inspectors? After seeing the weapons and badges hanging at their hips, Mu was sure of it. She pushes her way to the side of the tour guide, quietly telling him about her discovery. The 'surprised' guide was profuse with 'thanks', eventually giving her a strangely-shaped copper coin and 'begging' her over and over to not tell anyone about it.

Their break ends, and the group sets off once more. The guide soon brings them to an observation deck. From atop it, one can see ancient complexes scattered across a distant mountain. Some are at the mountain's feet, arrayed with charming irregularity. Some are by lakes, splitting waterfalls in two. Some are secluded within the mountain's forests, only exposing a single tip of their eaves. Some are by precipitous cliffs, suspended amidst the wind and mist. She turns around, looking towards the peak, where a lonely memorial hall stands, wrapped in a sprinkle of sunshine and pink-teal mist. Dim and indistinct, those are the parts of the Garden temporarily closed to the public. Apparently they're Tianshi forest dwellings. Students who have come before explain to Mu that every time the Garden opens, there is always a new area open for tourists, and each area will inevitably have a lookout point like this one so that guests can appreciate the serene beauty of the Garden's closed-off areas. After hearing them chat about the Garden's various attractions, another of her classmates comes over, mentioning the changes in the scenery. He mentions three distinct periods: when the park is just opened after maintenance is complete, when the sights are at their most real; three months after that, when a faint layer of pink-teal mist will blanket the garden, as if enshrouded in a dream; and a further three months, when the park closes for maintenance, and the entire mountain is like a realm within a painting, its pagodas, pavilions, and plants taking on completely different forms within the pink-teal mist. Mu finds herself moved by her classmate's vivid account, and wonders when she should come by herself so she can see these changes in scenery. She inadvertently turns her head, noticing that she can see the entrance from here, and the people flowing from one spot to another. For whatever reason, this is the first time she does not hate the vast, dense, and lively crowd. Maybe it's because they're not squeezing into this observation deck, she tells herself. Or maybe...

The people are like... a fire? Mu rubs her eyes, but feels the worldly flames before her grow, herself a part of them. Fire sweeps along the ground under her feet, slowly winding its way towards the mountain's peak, searing the stagnant air into vitality, burning mount and peak to form the mortal realm.

Bam.

Someone pats Mu on the shoulder, pulling her out of her deep reverie. She turns to see the tour group about to depart to some other spot in the park. The tour guide noticed she was missing, and went to bring her back to the flock.

'When the garden closes, is there fire here?' Mu mumbles the question to herself. As if he heard it, the guide follows her gaze to the teeming crowd, and nonchalantly speaks.

'Of course there is.

'The candle's flame is bright indeed.'

'This isn't as simple as collecting stones. An atmosphere is neither living nor dead. Rather, it is like a wisp of smoke, a breath of wind, a perception, even. Tell me then, how are we meant to collect such a thing?'

Yi's hands do not stop, even as he speaks. Wheresoever his hands reach, moss climbs up the strange stone, while still waters take in the falling snow.

Liang tosses him a half-baked answer, knowing Yi is simply looking for someone to ramble at while he's busy.

'Wrong!' He is, of course, rather pleased. 'By the time you've dredged up a definition of 'atmosphere', it will have already changed. When the cold wind wears away the rocks, and the hornbeasts trudge through the snow, have they ever stopped to consider it? Such stubborn demands will only make you lose sight of the essence. The compromise we've arrived at is just right... Let me see, over here—pull in another brook, nestle it between the mount and the stream, where qi and life gather. Aha, how brilliant!'

With the 'Gardenlet' complete, Liang sends over a cup of tea and a plate of candied preserves. Yi lies down across a hornbeast's horns, and eagerly admires his own handiwork as he allows the beast to take him where it will with its swaying gait.

This hornbeast was lured over by a path through the forest that does not yet exist. This secluded forest, nestled between the mountains, was a good choice to merge with the frozen soil of Sami. Closer inspection reveals yet another sight: a wondrous forest of stone, the fragrant grass strewn about linking them together. The beast bends down to eat, and during this fateful moment, a pink 'leaf' falls upon its horn, taking on the form of a human. In the eyes of the admirer, this Gardenlet is well suited to the hornbeast, and to the hornbeast it is a veritable feast. Everyone is pleased. As its hooves gently pace by the forest's edge, the 'leaf' returns to the tree's branches, awaiting the next moment of destiny.

Yi plays about with the ancient tree he is extremely fond of. One leaf seems to have absorbed the winds of the icefield, quivering several times. This tree, its age a mystery, links together countless leaves. Some carry the scent of desert sands, others emit the damp smell of the sea, while others fill the air with the scent of oil paintings from nations no longer on the map, like secret signals sown across this great land.

Whenever Yi loafs about, ignoring his duties, Liang will always nag him a little. Only when he is fiddling about with the tree does Liang leave him undisturbed. The Garden of Grotesqueries has left him many responsibilities as its master, watching atop the Tomb, facing the memorial hall that refuses the recording of memory. The blank scrolls and pages, and the name that sticks to the tip of the tongue, unable to be read... At first, Yi simply wanted a quiet space where he would not be disturbed, that he could decorate as he pleased. However, with it falling upon this realm, how could he hope for it to stand apart from the land? One must draw in hundreds and thousands of connections if one wants to merge the sights of the land. One tree cannot hope to hold all the beauty under Heaven, but just as plants take in sunlight, and roots absorb water, and hooves tread along paths... how can you say this tree cannot collect every kind of atmosphere under Heaven?

If what brought Yi to this mortal realm was simply a memory of Sui, coalesced upon the tree, then the many leaves of that tree are the roads he has walked, the sights he has seen, the smells he has smelled. How could he ever tire of looking at it?

By the time Yi arrives outside the Tomb of Sui, it has already been tidied up by the men and women of the Sui Regulator and Tianshi Bureaus. Aside from some traces of repair work by the great gate to the tomb, there is no sign of this place having been host to a momentary recreation of the bestial Sui's death.

However, the very real fear of loss keeps its grip on him, along with his ten siblings. As Sui proxies, they know that, were the bestial Sui to reawaken, all trace of their existence would be snuffed out. Once it truly comes to pass, not even the warm fire of his youngest brother would be able to dispel the pain in Yi's heart.

Wang had entered the tomb, and the bestial Sui manifested Itself in a half-awake state. Thus, the Sui Regulator forbade all proxies from approaching the tomb. At the time, Yi was enjoying a cup of tea in the Garden of Grotesqueries, but when he sensed the stirrings of the beast, his Candleholder—who also held a post as one of the chief managers of the Garden—immediately called four Tianshis over to watch him. Soon after, the sky flashed with flames and thunder, wind and rain. Baizao dispatched the Imperial Guard, and so, during a leisurely afternoon, a war began, one that only stopped to rest in the morning of the next day.

It all happened so quickly. By the time Yi looked at the scrolls in the attic and saw only blank sheets, and leafed through books on the table devoid of words, he had already forgotten the name of the deceased. Even though he had the power to change heaven and earth, all he remembers of her is an indistinct silhouette. The only vivid detail he recalls is the name bestowed by her, one he has been using for thousands of years. 'Yi'.

Yan has always been swift and decisive with Sui-related matters. Only a few days later, he received his next duties.

Considering that the Garden is the site of the Placation, and that it just so happens to be atop where the chaos occurred, Yi has no choice but to make some renovations to the Garden, so that Sui will be suppressed a little bit more than last time.

Yi lets out a deep sigh as he picks up some rubble and looks at the gate to the tomb. There were already a hundred Great Tomb Trees buried in the Garden, driven straight into the tomb to seal the bestial Sui's tattered remains within. Even if he added a few more hammers and nails, the results were not guaranteed to be of any use. Yi rubs the rock in his hand, depression setting into his heart. Just as he is about to throw it away, he suddenly notices traces of writing on that rock.

Is this the final vestiges of her power, or a clue she left for her siblings? Yi cannot discern the mysteries within the writing, but he thinks of a plan, one that might allow these memories slowly being forgotten by everyone to become another stake to suppress the Tomb of Sui, as well as his final memento.

With the tattered pages gathered by the Sui Regulator's people who tidied up the battlefield, along with the rubble here that resembles scattered blocks of movable type, Yi brings his full power to bear before the gate to the tomb, under the watchful eye of the Candleholders, Tianshis, and Imperial Guard.

All present witness those pages adhere to the stones, flinging themselves at the rock wall before fading away. Then something falls from the sky, nailing itself into the depths of the Tomb of Sui. Soon after, Tianshis on the scene reported that at the highest point of the Garden of Grotesqueries, another memorial hall had appeared out of nowhere.

Yi had planned to give everyone an explanation about how effective the suppressive shrine would be, but when the elderly Tianshi overseeing things sees the cracks in the Tomb of Sui slowly mend, he gives him a nod of approval. Yi feels there's no need to say much more after that.

After returning to the Garden, Yi notices something odd about the memorial hall as he stands in front of it. It is a hall created from her remains, but everywhere that bore ink, whether inside or outside, had been wiped clean, without a single word in sight. Only a ragged portrait hangs in the center of the hall, reflecting their shattered memories. Every time he comes here, he has the distinct feeling that he's forgetting something. Yi is sure there are records within this hall, but in accordance with his powers, his memories of this place can only be reconstructed here. Were he to leave, everything to do with her would disappear, just like these myriad blank signs.

'This way, I, we, and everyone on this land will not forget you, sister.'

Yi proclaims this, then closes the doors to the hall.

He has said this many times over. After the end of every ceremony, he will come here, and say some variation of these words.

Until one day, a team here for the ceremony returns with a graven stick of ink.

They were unable to remember much of what happened in the shrine, but from this hall where nothing can be retained, they retained the engravings upon that inkstick.

If things here can be written down in this manner...

Will there come a day when the past everyone has forgotten is recalled?

The young man Liu hoists his backpack as he steps into one of Baizao's courtyards. It seems like everyone there had been waiting for him a long time. The moment they see him, they start yelling, quickly dragging him to the master's study. Apparently they take a hard stance against latecomers, even if by only a second.