Chapter 2: Visitor from Beyond the Heavens

People are universally greedy for wealth, lustful, gluttonous, lazy, and vain. In the world of martial arts, there was a failed scholar named Hu Yu who, to make a living, began to flatter others by compiling lists of the world’s heroes, assassins, demons, and the wealthiest figures.

Money makes the world go round. Who is the wealthiest is known to every woman and child in the martial arts world: the Four Great Tycoons of the Jianghu—Qian Buchou, Bai Huanjin, Hao Jingming, and Ma Ruyun.

Qian Buchou runs a money exchange. His Tongbao Bank is the largest financial house in the Central Plains, holding the silver for both the righteous and the underworld factions. Qian often says, "The money in my bank is enough to last ten lifetimes, but the debts I owe in this life will take generations to repay. So, my creditors all pray for my wealth to flow like water and for me to live a long and healthy life."

Bai Huanjin is a merchant of illicit salt. Wealthy and fast-moving with his money, he loves the high life. He enjoys sailing the seas, indulging in wine and women, and is fond of saying, "Money! You can't take it with you when you die, so why not enjoy life while you're here?"

Ma Ruyun is a horse trader. His name fits him well; he owns horse farms in the Western Regions, where fine horses are as numerous as clouds. He also commands a band of forty thieves who pillage the Northwest. He has a famous saying that circulates widely: "I don't like money. I'm not interested in money; I just enjoy raising horses and robbing people."

Finally, there is Hao Jingming. He runs a pharmacy. In this world, life is the most valuable commodity, so his medicine is expensive. But life rarely goes as planned. Hao was an orphan adopted by a woman named Hao Meili, and he took her surname. He was nicknamed "The Shrewd" because of his business acumen. He didn't marry until thirty and had a daughter in his later years, whom he named Hao Meili in honor of his foster mother.

Hao Jingming was shrewd his whole life, yet he was cursed with a daughter who caused him constant worry. As the saying goes, boys must marry and girls must wed. Hao first betrothed her to Bai Huanjin’s eldest son, Bai Ping'an. Who would have thought the boy was short-lived? Shortly after the engagement, he contracted tuberculosis and, despite consuming expensive ginseng, lingzhi, and secret medicinal broths, he perished.

The second suitor was Qian Buchou. Hearing of Bai Ping'an’s death, he was secretly delighted, thinking that if his own son married Hao’s daughter, all the silver Hao deposited in his bank would eventually belong to his son. He sent a matchmaker to propose for his foolish son, Qian Youcai. But it was another hollow joy; it is said that while hunting, Qian Youcai fell into a wild boar trap and was turned into a human hedgehog by sharpened bamboo stakes.

With another marriage severed, Hao Jingming decided to find a sturdy, strong man for his daughter. He became in-laws with Nan Shi'er, the leader of the Kunlun Sect. Nan’s son, Nan Bin, was tall and strong, but shortly after the engagement, he fell ill with a strange affliction, vomiting everything he ate until he was nothing but skin and bones.

Afterward, Hao betrothed her to Zhang Bao, the son of Zhang Ruyi of the Xuanwu Gate. Within three months, Zhang Bao died during a martial arts duel. With four fiancés dead in a row, rumors spread throughout the Jianghu that although Hao Meili was beautiful, she was a "husband-killer," and anyone who proposed would surely lose their son. Even the famous lecher Hua Bubai came to propose, only to drop dead at the inn. A doggerel poem began to circulate: "The Hao girl is a tiger, five suitors have died; whoever plays matchmaker is a lecher who’ll die on the roadside."

Hao Meili is a lay disciple of the Chang Le Palace. She is beautiful and skilled in martial arts. Though kind-hearted, she is a woman of strong will. She never liked her father’s previous choices, but bound by filial duty, she obeyed. Now that four fiancés were dead, she felt a tremor of fear, for public opinion is a powerful force. Today, on the Lantern Festival, she covered her beautiful face with a veil and took her maid, Xiao Qian, to see the lanterns.

At night, the fireworks blown by the east wind fell like a rain of stars. Amidst the sound of drums and gongs, festival dancers on stilts paraded in alluring costumes, while street performers showcased acrobatics to attract fortune. The idle men, full of spirit, joined the festivities, dancing with dragon and lion puppets to forget all their troubles. The aroma of snacks from vendors warmed the joyful atmosphere, while children wove through the crowds with their lanterns. Every shop had hung lanterns to host riddle games for passersby.

In the bustling crowd, catching sight of a group of laughing maidens was like seeing a beautiful landscape. A young man, having lost his beloved in the throng, might look back in panic to find her standing in the dim light, smiling at him. Most people in the mortal world make their wishes on this night, placing them in floating lotus lamps or Kongming lanterns. Thus, many lanterns illuminated the starry night.

"May Heaven grant me a perfect husband." Hao Meili wrote her wish on a square of red paper, folded it into a paper crane, placed it inside a Kongming lantern, lit the candle, and set her hope adrift.

Xiao Bugui, in the midst of a fall, stepped onto a rising Kongming lantern and tumbled into the human world. His clothes caught fire, and like a fire-wreathed bird-man, he shouted, "I'm on fire! Help!"

He plummeted into the crowd like a fireball. As people scrambled to flee, Hao Meili said to Xiao Qian, "Xiao Qian, let's go see that talking, flaming bird-man."

Their first meeting took place in public. Hao Meili saw a man with scant clothing. He said sheepishly, "My name is Xiao Bugui. I just fell from the sky, and my clothes burned away. Could you give me something to wear?"

Hao Meili covered her eyes with her hands, though she peeked through her fingers. "You say you came from the sky? You must be a liar."

Xiao Bugui covered his privates with both hands. "I never lie. My master said lying is for bad children. I’m not lying; I’m a visitor from beyond the heavens."

Thinking of the wish she had just made, Hao Meili immediately told Xiao Qian, "Go quickly to the silk shop and buy some clothes for this gentleman."

"Yes, Miss." Xiao Qian searched several streets, but only found a shroud shop that was still open. She stepped inside and asked, "Shopkeeper, why are you open on the fifteenth?"

The shopkeeper replied, "People die on New Year's Eve, too; it's professional integrity. Why not on the fifteenth? Did someone in your family die?"

Xiao Qian retorted, "Your family is the one with the dead!"

The shopkeeper said, "If no one in your family died, why are you in my shroud shop?"

Xiao Qian said, "I'm buying for a living person."

The shopkeeper remarked, "You're buying a shroud for a living man? How much do you hate him?"

Xiao Qian placed a silver ingot on the counter and said, "Are you selling or not?"

The shopkeeper immediately smiled and said, "Selling! If you're buying, I'm selling."