This beautiful young woman was naturally Tian Ling’er. Seeing that Zhang Xiaofan had been injured, she had been worried and had quietly come over to visit him. She had not expected her mother to be here as well, so she hid outside the door and only showed herself after Su Ru had left.
At this moment, seeing Zhang Xiaofan standing there as if he had gone stupid, she could not help scolding, “What are you standing there for?”
Zhang Xiaofan came back to himself with a start, his face flushing. He was just about to find an excuse to explain himself when he saw Tian Ling’er lower her head. It turned out Da Huang had run over and was rubbing its head against her leg with great affection.
Tian Ling’er bent down and stroked Da Huang’s head. Da Huang stuck out its tongue and licked her jade-like hand.
“Zhizhi zhizhi.” The cries of the monkey Xiao Hui rang out. The two people and one dog looked over at the same time, and saw Xiao Hui run behind Da Huang, grab hold of its big tail, and pull backward, as if trying to drag Da Huang away from Tian Ling’er’s side. Sensing Tian Ling’er’s startled gaze, Xiao Hui raised its head and suddenly bared its teeth at her, putting on a fierce expression.
Tian Ling’er was not angry; she even made a face back at the monkey. Ever since Xiao Hui had returned with Zhang Xiaofan, it got along well enough with everyone else, but it alone bore a deep grudge against her. However, when she saw that Da Huang, who had always been at odds with Xiao Hui, had turned its head without getting angry and was instead playing and tussling with Xiao Hui quite affectionately, she was greatly surprised.
“What’s going on?” Tian Ling’er pointed at the monkey and dog wrestling together and asked Zhang Xiaofan.
Zhang Xiaofan told her about how Xiao Hui had used meat bones to curry favor. Tian Ling’er burst out laughing and scolded with a smile, “Who would’ve thought that wretched monkey knew a trick like that!” As she spoke, her bright eyes shifted, and her gaze fell on Zhang Xiaofan. She looked him up and down and said, “Oh right, my father hit you today. Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
Zhang Xiaofan shook his head and said, “I’m all right now, Senior Sister.”
Tian Ling’er said with some indignation, “Father is really too much. If he’s unhappy, why take it out on you?”
Zhang Xiaofan hurriedly said, “No, it’s because I’m stupid and made Master angry…”
Tian Ling’er glared at him. Zhang Xiaofan immediately could not continue, his mouth half open. Tian Ling’er snorted and said, “Actually, it had nothing to do with you at all. Wasn’t it just because my father saw how good those two people’s aptitude was and felt unbalanced, so he…” Halfway through, she glanced at Zhang Xiaofan and thought that saying this would be the same as calling her junior brother very stupid. She changed course and did not continue, instead switching topics. “What did my mother come over for just now?”
Zhang Xiaofan answered honestly, “Shiniang also came to visit me. She even bestowed two ‘Dahuang Pills’ on me. They were very effective. I took one and was completely better.”
“Dahuang Pills?” Tian Ling’er seemed startled.
“Yes,” Zhang Xiaofan raised his head and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
Tian Ling’er looked at this little junior brother a couple more times and said, “That is one of my father’s treasures. I heard Mother say it was refined from twenty-three kinds of spiritual herbs, and its effects are wondrous. None of the senior brothers, including me, have ever had the fortune to take one.”
Zhang Xiaofan’s mouth fell open. Tian Ling’er’s eyes turned, and she muttered to herself, “Could it be that Father actually looks at you differently? But no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it.”
Zhang Xiaofan said, “It must be that Master is merciful. Seeing that I was injured, he bestowed spirit medicine upon me. The old master truly has a broad and generous heart!”
Tian Ling’er laughed despite herself. “My father, broad and generous… heh heh. Forget it, I’m not going to talk about this with you. Eh, why does it sound like rain?”
Zhang Xiaofan listened carefully, and sure enough, he heard the faint sound of rain drifting in from outside: pattering and falling. Tian Ling’er walked to the window and pushed it open. A clear, cold mountain wind immediately blew in, carrying chilly misty rain that brushed across their faces, cool and fine.
Zhang Xiaofan walked over and stood beside her, looking outside.
In the silent, dark night, rain fell from the sky. All heaven and earth were deep and black. As far as the eye could see, there were only the vague shadows of pines and slender bamboo in the small courtyard outside the house. Threads of rain fell from the night sky. In the dark night, in the eyes of the young Zhang Xiaofan, they seemed to carry a few traces of tenderness. He even suddenly felt that this night was beautiful, that this rain was lingering, and even the crisp sound of raindrops striking bamboo leaves was pleasant to hear, echoing in the depths of his soul.
All because beside him, there was such a beautiful young woman, her head raised, bearing a beauty that was seven parts youth, two parts joy, and even one part desolation, staring in a daze at:
This rain!
Behind them, Da Huang and Xiao Hui had fallen quiet at some point. Da Huang lay lazily on the bed, its dog eyes half open and half closed. Xiao Hui, too, was rarely so calm, sitting beside Da Huang, both hands rummaging through Da Huang’s thick, soft fur.
The candle flame swayed, now bright, now dim in the mountain wind, occasionally making a crackling sound.
“It’s raining,” Tian Ling’er suddenly said softly.
Zhang Xiaofan answered, “Yes.”
Tian Ling’er gazed into the night for a while longer, then slowly turned around and returned to the table. In a low voice, she said, “Xiaofan, close the window. It’s a little cold.”
Zhang Xiaofan nodded, closed the window, and turned back to see Tian Ling’er sitting at the table, seemingly somewhat distracted. She took a small box from her robes, opened it under the lamplight, and looked at it closely.
The candlelight was reflected in her charming, bright eyes like two gentle yet blazing flames.
“Tell me, is this Qingliang Pearl pretty?” Tian Ling’er’s gaze rested on the little pearl emitting a soft luster. Even her voice seemed to drift uncertainly, just like Zhang Xiaofan’s heart—empty and hollow, slowly sinking down.
He walked over, gathering all his courage and using every ounce of strength in his body before he could make himself appear so calm. Tian Ling’er raised her head and looked at him, and suddenly discovered that this ordinary junior brother’s eyes, at this moment, were actually so bright, even carrying a trace of fervor and pain.
With a soft “pa,” she closed the little box and asked gently, “Xiaofan, what’s wrong?”
Zhang Xiaofan lowered his head, fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “I’m fine, Senior Sister.”
Tian Ling’er found it strange, but did not think too much of it. She stood up and said, “All right, it’s late. I should go back.”
Zhang Xiaofan rose woodenly. Tian Ling’er took a few steps, then suddenly stopped. Turning back, she smiled. In that instant, her beauty swept over him and struck Zhang Xiaofan’s heart. “Look at my memory. I even forgot what I came here to do tonight.” As she spoke, she took a thin sheet of paper from her robes. It was densely covered with small characters. She handed it to Zhang Xiaofan.
Zhang Xiaofan took it and glanced over it a few times. His expression changed at once, and he cried out involuntarily, “The Tai Chi Xuanqing Dao incantation! Senior Sister, this…”
Zhang Xiaofan hurriedly lowered his voice and said, “Senior Sister, this is the incantation for the third level. You…”
“Me?” Tian Ling’er snorted and said, “Of course I’m giving it to you.”
Zhang Xiaofan was greatly shocked. “What?”
Tian Ling’er said, “I know Father has always looked down on you, and today he lost his temper at you for no reason at all. Hmph, he can’t teach his own disciple properly and then turns around and blames you. I can’t stand it. Take this incantation and secretly cultivate it yourself. When you’ve cultivated something worthwhile, show my father. Don’t be as embarrassing as you were today ever again.”
Zhang Xiaofan frowned tightly. “But Senior Sister, if Master and Shiniang find out, won’t they scold you?”
Tian Ling’er said impatiently, “You said it yourself, scold me. At most they’ll scold me a few times and confine me for a while. So what? In any case, I can’t let you be bullied!”
Zhang Xiaofan’s whole body trembled, and heat suddenly surged through his heart. Looking at Tian Ling’er’s graceful figure, he could not say a single word. At this moment, hot blood surged in his heart; even if he were asked to die for the woman before him, he would not hesitate in the slightest.
Tian Ling’er said again, “Remember to work harder on your own. Try to fight that arrogant Lin Jingyu to a draw as soon as possible. But no matter how much you train, you still won’t be able to compare to Senior Brother Qi Hao, so don’t bother thinking about that.” At this point, she waved her hand and gave one last reminder: “Keep it secret.” With that, she walked out the door and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
“No matter how much you train, you still won’t be able to compare to Senior Brother Qi Hao!”
Those thirteen words, each one, struck heavily upon Zhang Xiaofan’s heart. His face suddenly lost all color, and without realizing it, he tightened his grip on the white sheet of paper in his hand.
Mountain rain fell in a melancholy patter, heaven and earth solemn and still. Who was there to see that youth in the night, walking into the rain and lifting his head to gaze up at the firmament?
※※※
Early morning, after the rain. The damp mountain wind carried a chill as it blew over the summit of Big Bamboo Peak. Zhang Xiaofan came to the familiar kitchen and lit the fire to boil water.
Firewood crackled in the stove. The bright yellow flames were like frenzied demon spirits dancing upon the wood, casting his face red. Zhang Xiaofan held a thin piece of firewood as a fire poker, poking at the burning logs in the stove now and then, his mind wandering.
“No matter how much you train, you still won’t be able to compare to Senior Brother Qi Hao!”
He had recited those words in his heart thousands, tens of thousands of times. Each time he read them, his heart hurt once more. He knew it was foolish. Senior Sister had not meant any harm; she had only spoken a truth everyone acknowledged.
But he still could not help thinking about it, thinking about it desperately, as if there were a wild flame burning in his heart, endlessly scorching his soul, until the flames burned his hand.
“Ah!” Zhang Xiaofan cried out in alarm and leapt backward. It turned out that while he had been lost in thought, the stove fire had caught the thin piece of wood in his hand and burned along it, scorching his hand.
He held his hand and blew repeatedly on the painful spot, then ran to the water vat and plunged his hand into the cool water. A surge of icy cold poured back up. Zhang Xiaofan gave a low, bitter laugh. What he needed most right now was not anything else, but a fire poker.
“Wu, wu, wu.” Several muffled calls sounded from the doorway. Zhang Xiaofan recognized them as Da Huang’s cries, but could not understand how the usual “woof woof woof” had become “wu wu wu.” He walked to the door and looked out, then could not help laughing. It turned out Da Huang and Xiao Hui were tussling, with Da Huang biting a short black stick in its mouth while the other end was grasped in Xiao Hui’s hands. Xiao Hui was pulling hard, and neither side would give in. Da Huang cried out, but because it was biting the short stick, the sound came out muffled and unclear, becoming that strange “wu wu wu.”
Zhang Xiaofan walked forward, reached out to grab the short stick, and waved Xiao Hui and Da Huang away. Unexpectedly, the two of them were still rather unwilling, crying “woof woof woof” and “zhizhi zhizhi” nonstop. Zhang Xiaofan waved his hand threateningly and said, “Go, go, go. Don’t make trouble here. Otherwise, I won’t give you lunch.”
Da Huang and Xiao Hui looked at each other. One gave a bark, the other made a big face, then Xiao Hui leapt onto the dog’s back. Carrying it, Da Huang swaggered away from Zhang Xiaofan with an air of contempt, leaving Zhang Xiaofan choked with anger.
After cursing at those two beasts, Zhang Xiaofan turned and entered the kitchen. Only then did he realize with a start that the short stick in his hand was, astonishingly, the strange black short stick from his trip to the secluded valley half a year ago. Presumably Xiao Hui, being mischievous, had dug it out from some corner at some unknown time and brought it to play with Da Huang.
Zhang Xiaofan sighed, then suddenly had an idea. He quickly walked to the stove and used the black short stick as a fire poker, stirring the fire a few times. To his surprise, it was extremely handy. Moreover, he did not know what material the stick was made of, but it did not catch fire and did not conduct heat. After being roasted for quite a while, it was still cool to the touch. Zhang Xiaofan nodded repeatedly, thinking that this was just right to use.
Pitiful was the late Demonic Sect elder, the Blackheart Elder. If he knew that the “Blood-devouring Pearl,” which he had spent his entire life’s effort refining, a supreme treasure of the Demonic Sect that had once roamed unhindered under heaven, had actually fallen to the point of being used as a fire poker, perhaps he would be so furious that he would come back to life from his grave only to die all over again.
At noon that day, everyone of Big Bamboo Peak sat in the dining hall. Tian Buyi was the last to enter. He sat down in his seat and raised his eyes to look over his disciples. When his gaze fell on Zhang Xiaofan, it paused for a moment. Zhang Xiaofan lowered his head, and Tian Buyi immediately shifted his gaze away.
“You all saw what happened yesterday?” Tian Buyi said indifferently.
Everyone fell silent. Only Song Daren forced a smile and said, “Yes. Master displayed your divine might and took action to punish those two…”
“Bullshit!” Tian Buyi suddenly shouted, his voice shaking the entire hall. Everyone fell silent as cicadas in winter, and they heard Tian Buyi angrily say, “What you should have seen from yesterday’s matter was the profound cultivation of our fellow senior and junior brothers from other branches. Let alone that Qi Hao—even the little fellow who only entered the sect three years ago actually surpassed most of you and came to Big Bamboo Peak to throw his weight around. Do you understand?”
Everyone was silent. Only Zhang Xiaofan suddenly raised his head.
Tian Buyi said coldly, “The Seven Peaks Martial Tournament is almost upon us. You useless lot—starting today, all of you will go into seclusion. If you don’t cultivate into some proper shape, see if I don’t flay your hides!”
Everyone’s faces turned bitter, but not a single word dared to be spoken. Tian Ling’er cautiously asked, “Father, then I…”
“You too!” Tian Buyi said decisively.
Tian Ling’er’s lips jutted out, and she was just about to speak when her mother secretly tugged at her. She turned and looked at Su Ru’s expression, and the words that had nearly reached her lips shrank back again.
Tian Buyi’s voice echoed through Shoujing Hall. “From now on, aside from Old Seven being responsible for meals, none of you are to go out during this next year and a half. All of you will enter seclusion and cultivate. Do you understand?”
…
And so, time hurried by. Beneath the peaceful atmosphere of Big Bamboo Peak, an unprecedented tension settled over everything. All the disciples devoted themselves to cultivating Daoist arts—except for one leisurely yellow dog, one mischievous gray monkey, and one bored cook.