Fortune 018: Beaten

Superstition—this was something Nan Shi was all too familiar with.

With Guo Xingxian around, this trip to purchase goods was even quicker than Nan Shi had anticipated. The boss, Mr. Zhang, spent an hour chatting about family matters with Guo Xingxian, then, with a grand wave of his hand, sold Nan Shi twenty pieces of assorted jadeite jewelry at wholesale price—filling up the remaining half of Nan Shi’s suitcase to the brim.

“Boss Zhang’s ancestral name is the same as yours. Why is that? Tell me about it.” Nan Shi, full of curiosity, diligently picked up a slice of tripe for Guo Xingxian.

Guo Xingxian, cheeks puffed out as he called out that it was hot, quickly downed the tripe and replied helplessly, “It’s just superstition. Nothing much to say.”

“But I want to know!” Nan Shi handed him another chopstickful of shrimp paste. “This meal’s on me!”

Guo Xingxian held up a finger. “At least two meals!”

“No problem!” Nan Shi agreed immediately. “Come on, spill it!”

Guo Xingxian wiped his mouth and finally said, “I’m not too clear on the details, I was quite young at the time. My family said I was always sick as a child. Later on, my grandmother’s hometown had a custom: if a child kept falling ill, they’d have to recognize an old tree as a spiritual kin. The oldest one was a thousand-year-old apricot tree, called the Apricot Immortal by everyone in the village. So that’s how I ended up with that.”

Indeed, such customs exist in some places. Not only trees, but also rocks, wells, and the like could become spiritual family members. In some places, frail children were ceremonially adopted by monks or nuns, or simply sent to live in temples, not allowed to return home until they reached adulthood.

The idea was to bless children so they would grow as strong and enduring as old trees, or become as tough as stone. Being adopted by monks or nuns was meant to invoke the protection of the gods or Buddhas.

“So what’s the deal with your name?”

Guo Xingxian took a swig of beer, clicking his tongue in annoyance—not at Nan Shi, but at the thought that his proper name had been changed to the tacky and rustic ‘Xingxian’ for such a ridiculous reason. “Even after that, I wasn’t any better. When I was nine, I had a serious illness, maybe pneumonia or something. Almost didn’t make it—they even put me into the ICU.”

“My grandmother dreamed that night, said the Apricot Immortal appeared to her and said I was destined to die. The Immortal told her to change my name to ‘Xingxian’ to hide me from fate, to borrow its lifespan. My grandmother believed it, dragged my parents to the Civil Affairs Bureau the very next day to change my name. And wouldn’t you know, once my name was changed, I really pulled through and made a full recovery.”

Nan Shi perked up, thinking there might really have been some divine intervention. “You know, it does sound a bit mystical.”

Guo Xingxian, however, scoffed. “Pure coincidence, nothing more. I don’t believe in that crap. But ever since then, every household back in the village has been offering incense to the Apricot Immortal—superstitious as can be. My uncle Zhang, over there, burns incense every morning and night, more diligently than to his own ancestors… And really, what era is it now? My family still wants me to come back every year to burn incense and make offerings. It’s just…”

“All right, all right, that’s enough,” Nan Shi cut him off. “Whether it’s coincidence or not, you’ve already honored this spiritual kin. There’s no harm in that. Slandering your own godfather—how does that help you?”

“Tch, godfa—” Guo Xingxian didn’t finish before Nan Shi clamped a hand over his mouth. The words were only half-spoken, but whether it was the lighting or the swirling steam from the hot pot, his face appeared to darken.

And if his complexion darkened, naturally his brow did too—a dangerous sign!

“Mmm… what are you doing?”

“Enough. Eat your food.” Nan Shi pulled out a napkin, sat back down, and wiped his hands. “The ancestors taught us to respect spirits and keep our distance. Even if you don’t believe, at least pay some respect—then keep them at arm’s length.”

He looked up at Guo Xingxian. “Besides, I’m timid. If you keep tempting fate, I’m afraid your godfather will come to collect at midnight. We booked the same room—what if I run into it myself? I’d drop dead of a heart attack right there.”

“Tch, all right.” Guo Xingxian let it go. He’d gotten worked up and said some things without thinking. His family was deeply superstitious; if they learned he’d badmouthed his ‘godfather’ like this, he’d probably be dragged to the ancestral hall for a round of kneeling in repentance.

After a while, as they ate, Nan Shi asked about their plans for the next day. Guo Xingxian thought for a bit, then said, “Maybe you should just enjoy the city on your own, or head back if you want. My hometown is nearby, so I might as well go back—before New Year’s, tickets get hard to buy.”

Chopsticks in his mouth, Nan Shi asked, “Why are you heading home? Want me to go with you?”

Guo Xingxian glanced at him sideways. “Didn’t I just say? I have to make offerings to my ‘godfather’. Have to do this run every year. It’s so annoying… Aren’t you scared? I can go alone.”

Nan Shi watched as Guo Xingxian spoke. The darkness on his brow deepened yet again—proving that bringing trouble on yourself only leads to trouble. He considered, then said, “Let’s go together… In fact, why don’t we finish eating and head straight to your hometown tonight?”

“Hm? Won’t you be tired?” Guo Xingxian eyed him suspiciously.

“I read the signs—there’ll be a torrential rain tomorrow,” Nan Shi replied offhandedly. Guo Xingxian pointed out the window. It was just past five, the sun hadn’t set yet, and though dusk approached, calling it ‘night’ was stretching it.

And there was no use talking about seeing stars—here in the bustling city, even at midnight, you’d be lucky to spot any. Better to say you could see neon lights.

Guo Xingxian’s lips twitched; he pointed at the sky. “This? Since when have you developed x-ray vision?”

Nan Shi glanced at the sky himself, then, with a straight face and steady breath, said, “Exactly—just unlocked that skill tree. Trust me, you’ll see.”

Guo Xingxian realized then how Nan Shi had managed to revive that antique shop of his without knowing a thing about jade or antiques.

Maybe it was all thanks to that silver tongue.

---

In any case, after dinner, the two of them headed to the train station and bought tickets.

About three hours later, they were standing on home turf. Guo Xingxian led Nan Shi on another hour-long bus ride, and by the time they arrived at Lingnan village, night had fully fallen.

It was a very ordinary village. According to the old layout, it was divided into grids, with a two-meter-wide path slicing each grid into two uneven halves—one of houses and one of farmland.

The house belonging to Guo Xingxian’s family was empty, but a neighbor was hired to clean and air it regularly. Guo Xingxian brought Nan Shi inside, and the latter immediately shivered. “Why does your place feel so chilly?”

Guo Xingxian didn’t seem to mind, guiding Nan Shi upstairs to fetch bedding for him. “Probably the rain. The weather’s been bad lately.”

“Oh.” Nan Shi entered the room. The darkness about Guo Xingxian’s brow had only grown denser. Frankly, if Guo Xingxian saw himself in a mirror, he’d probably scare himself.

Nan Shi was worried about him—not for any other reason than that with a look that dark, illness couldn’t be far behind. If Guo Xingxian had an episode in the night, at least Nan Shi could call an ambulance in time. “I’m feeling a bit anxious… How about I sleep in your room tonight?”

Nan Shi’s cowardice was nothing new, so Guo Xingxian simply brought the bedding into his own room.

In the middle of the night, Nan Shi suddenly felt himself being pushed awake. Groggy, he looked to see Guo Xingxian tightly wrapped in his quilt, who croaked out, “I’m so cold…”

“I might be gay, but even I don’t mess around at home…” Nan Shi quipped while reaching for his forehead—sure enough, it was burning.

Clearly, his face reading hadn’t been wrong.

Guo Xingxian, possibly delirious with fever, kept wrapping himself even tighter under the blanket, yet his body was burning hot—honestly, hot enough to fry an egg.

Nan Shi had no choice but to throw his own quilt over him, then got up to wet a cold towel for his forehead, considering whether to call for an ambulance.

“So cold…” Guo Xingxian mumbled. “Everything aches… Feels like I’ve been beaten up…”

Nan Shi, unimpressed, said, “You deserve it—can’t keep your mouth shut.”

“I… What did I say… I…” Guo Xingxian started to protest, then suddenly let out a low whimper, fumbling under the covers, reaching for his back. “It hurts…”

Nan Shi instinctively reached over to touch his back—and all at once, pain shot through the back of his own hand, then a wave of heat began to spread from his chest.

He wore at his heart the phoenix feather given to him by his senior brother.

Nan Shi at once realized what was happening. He bit his lip, looking about the room. There was nothing visible out of place. Perhaps the reason was the distinction between spirits and mortals—sometimes, these things simply could not be seen.

The cool towel on Guo Xingxian’s forehead quickly warmed under his fever. Nan Shi fetched another, but thankfully, Guo Xingxian stopped complaining of pain, which meant the beating had likely stopped too.

Nan Shi stepped forward to wipe him down, lifting his shirt—there were no wounds on his back. Guo Xingxian whispered, “Cold… cover me…”

“Don’t fuss, I’m just wiping away the sweat!” Nan Shi said, gently pushing down the waistband of his pants to check further, where he discovered a swollen, red welt at the base of his back—and, upon looking lower, found that even his buttocks were puffy from the blows.

Nan Shi let out a deep sigh. As he wiped Guo Xingxian down, he muttered, “Respected Apricot Spirit, please forgive this foolish boy. He speaks with no filter—now that you’ve taught him a lesson, please don’t let the fever take him. If he burns any longer, his brain will be cooked. He’s your godson, after all… When morning comes, I’ll bring this brat before you to kneel and apologize. If he can’t get up, I’ll cart him there myself—please, just show mercy this one time!”

As he finished speaking, Guo Xingxian quieted down at last. Out of brotherly concern, Nan Shi wrung out a fresh towel and applied it to his butt.

Suddenly, he heard Guo Xingxian mumble softly, “Why are you touching my butt?”

“Nan Shi, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person!”

Seized by irritation, Nan Shi gave his rear a firm slap. To a tragic howl, Nan Shi’s voice turned especially cold and merciless: “Get up, now.”