1
The scrolls were spread across Wei Chen's floor like a great paper garden.
Tomás knelt among them, careful not to touch them with dirty hands. Some were old, yellowed, the edges frayed. Others were newer, copied by Wei Chen's father or grandfather. All of them smelled of age and wisdom.
Wei Chen sat across from him, watching with quiet pleasure.
I have been looking since you asked. These are the ones that mention spiritual lands.
Tomás picked up the first scroll carefully. The characters were small, elegant, written with a brush that must have been very fine.
Can you read it to me? Slowly?
Wei Chen nodded and began.
"In the high mountains, where the mist never lifts, there are places where the líng pools like water. The trees there grow tall, their leaves bright as jade. The beasts there are strong, their eyes like stars. Cultivators seek these places, for to sit in them is to feel the líng enter your bones."
Tomás wrote quickly in his notebook, translating as best he could.
Pools like water. So líng can accumulate. Like water in a valley.
Wei Chen nodded.
Yes. That is the idea. Some places have more. Some have less.
Tomás pointed to the next line.
What does this say? About the trees?
Wei Chen read:
"The trees in such places are not like common trees. Their roots go deep, deeper than mountains. They drink the líng from the earth and give it to the air. Birds that nest in them grow bright feathers. Insects that live on them glow in the dark."
Tomás felt the pieces clicking together.
The trees are like... pumps? They bring líng up from the soil and share it. With birds, with insects, with everything around them.
Wei Chen considered this.
Pump? I do not know this word.
Tomás made a motion with his hands, like water moving up.
Like a well. But the tree does the work.
Wei Chen nodded slowly.
Yes. The tree is the heart. The líng flows from it.
2
The second scroll was different. More poetic, less practical.
"The earth has veins, like a body. Líng flows through them, unseen. Where the veins come close to the surface, strange plants grow. Where they are deep, only the great trees can reach them."
Tomás looked up.
Veins. Like in our bodies. Blood vessels.
Wei Chen nodded.
Yes. The old ones saw the world as a living thing. With a heart, with blood, with breath.
Tomás thought about this. A living world. An ecosystem. The metaphor was different, but the idea was the same. Connections. Flows. Cycles.
This is amazing - he said - Your ancestors understood. They just described it differently.
Wei Chen smiled.
They understood that everything is connected. They just did not have your words for it.
3
The third scroll was the most interesting.
It showed a map. Crude, but recognizable. Mountains in the north. A river running south. And scattered across the land, small marks that looked like trees or springs.
Wei Chen pointed to one mark near the river.
This is our village. Or near it. The old name is different, but the location is the same.
Tomás leaned closer. Near the village mark, there was another mark. A small circle with lines radiating out. Like a sun, or maybe a flower.
What is this?
Wei Chen studied it.
I think... a spiritual place. A small one. The text says: "Where the spring meets the sun, líng gathers in the grass."
Tomás felt a thrill.
A spring? There is a spring near here?
Wei Chen thought.
Yes. To the east. A small hill with a spring. People go there sometimes for water. It is said to be clean, sweet.
Tomás looked at the map again.
Can we go there? You and me? And maybe Hunter Shi?
Wei Chen nodded slowly.
If you want. It is not far. Half a morning walk.
Tomás smiled.
I want. Very much.
4
That afternoon, Tomás found Hunter Shi near the forest.
Shi. I need your help again.
Shi looked up from the trap he was mending. Said nothing. Waited.
Tomás showed him the map.
There is a place. A spring. Wei Chen says it might be special. Plants there might be different. I want to see.
Shi studied the map for a long moment. Then he nodded.
I know this place. Small hill. Water good. Plants... some different.
Tomás felt his heart beat faster.
Can you take me? Tomorrow?
Shi nodded again.
Morning. Early.
Tomás smiled.
Xièxiè, Shi.
Shi nodded once and went back to his work.
5
That evening, Tomás told the children.
Tomorrow, I am going to a special place. A spring on a hill. Hunter Shi will take me.
Xiao Wang's eyes went wide.
Can we come?
Tomás shook his head.
Not this time. It might be far. Maybe a little dangerous. But I will bring back samples. Soil, plants, maybe water. And you can help me study them.
The children nodded, disappointed but understanding.
Mei spoke quietly:
Will you write everything? In your book?
Tomás smiled.
Everything. Every plant, every rock, every drop of water. I will write it all.
Mei nodded, satisfied.
Li Wei raised his hand.
Can we watch the líng cǎo experiment while you are gone?
Tomás thought about this. The children had been observing every day. They knew the plants well.
Yes. You can watch. You can write what you see. And when I come back, you will tell me everything.
Li Wei puffed up with pride.
We will be good scientists.
Tomás laughed.
I know you will.
6
That night, Tomás prepared.
He sharpened his digging stick. He cleaned his sample cloths. He made sure his notebook had enough blank pages. He wrapped a small amount of food, enough for a day.
Then he sat by the fire and thought about what he might find.
A spring. A place where líng gathers. The old texts said strange plants grew there. Maybe the líng cǎo would be different there. Brighter. Stronger. Maybe there would be new species, never documented.
He thought about the map, the veins of the earth, the living world.
Esto es como la primera vez que fui al campo con mi abuelo, he thought. This is like the first time I went to the field with my grandfather. The same excitement. The same feeling of discovery.
He smiled.
El mundo es grande y lleno de misterios. The world is big and full of mysteries.
He closed his eyes and slept.
7
Before dawn, Hunter Shi appeared at his door.
Tomás was ready. He grabbed his bag and followed without a word.
They walked through the sleeping village, past the Shenmu, past the fields, into the grassland beyond. The sky was just beginning to lighten, the stars fading one by one.
Shi walked quickly, silently. Tomás followed, his mind already at the spring.
The world was waking around them. Birds called. Insects buzzed. The grass swayed in the morning breeze.
And somewhere ahead, on a small hill, a spring waited. A place where líng gathered. A place the old ones knew.
Tomás smiled and walked on.