Qi Hao and Zeng Shushu, seeing Zhang Xiaofan there, both smiled and greeted him to one degree or another. Only Lu Xueqi remained as indifferent as ever, though her gaze still flicked toward him. Deep in her eyes, some nameless emotion seemed to pass, only to vanish in the blink of an eye.
Daoxuan Zhenren looked at the four people below the hall and said with a smile, “I have called the four of you here today because there is a matter for which I want you to descend the mountain and temper yourselves.”
Qi Hao and the others were all moved.
Daoxuan Zhenren then recounted the matter of Kongsang Mountain’s “Ancient Cave of Ten Thousand Bats” from the other day, and added, “This matter is of great importance. The four of you are elites of our sect, which is why you are being dispatched to investigate. But the evildoers of the demonic sect are treacherous and vicious. You must all proceed with caution.”
The four answered in unison, “Yes.”
Daoxuan Zhenren nodded and said, “In addition, aside from our Qingyun Sect, Incense Valley and Tianyin Temple have both sent outstanding disciples to join the investigation. Before others, you must not be discourteous, but neither may you diminish the bearing of our Qingyun Sect. Furthermore, your Senior Brother Xiao Yicai of the main branch has already gone to Kongsang Mountain to investigate this matter. If you find him, consult with him in all things.”
The four exchanged a glance, then again answered in unison.
Daoxuan Zhenren carefully looked over these four disciples of the younger generation. At last, his gaze fell on Qi Hao, and he beckoned. “Qi Hao, come here.”
Qi Hao was startled for a moment, then walked forward. Daoxuan Zhenren looked him up and down, then turned to Cangsong Daoren with a smile and said, “Junior Brother, your Dragonhead Peak has worthy successors!”
Cangsong Daoren’s expression had not been very pleasant since earlier, but now at last a hint of a smile appeared on his face. He said, “Senior Brother, you jest.”
Daoxuan Zhenren smiled as he took something from within his robes and handed it to Qi Hao. “Accept this.”
Qi Hao received it and looked. It was a small mirror, ancient and simple in shape, with openwork bronze edging. A dragon was engraved above it and a tiger below, while the positions of the Eight Trigrams were carved upon the mirror’s surface. Yet the mirror at its center was not like an ordinary bronze mirror; it was hazy and yellow, impossible to see clearly.
Before Qi Hao could react, Cangsong Zhenren beside him was already delighted and shouted, “Silly boy, what are you standing there for? Hurry and kneel to give thanks.”
Qi Hao immediately came to his senses, realizing that this unremarkable object in his hand was most likely the magic treasure, the “Six Harmonies Mirror.” He hurriedly knelt and said, “Many thanks, Martial Uncle Sect Leader.”
Daoxuan Zhenren smiled and said, “No need, no need. Rise.” Then he said to the others, “You may go out first.”
Everyone knew he was going to impart to Qi Hao the secrets of the Six Harmonies Mirror, so they all withdrew together.
Outside the hall, Zhang Xiaofan first walked to one side with Tian Buyi. Tian Buyi glanced at him and said mildly, “You now bear an important responsibility, so don’t return to Big Bamboo Peak. In a moment, descend the mountain with the three of them. I will explain things at Big Bamboo Peak for you.”
Zhang Xiaofan was startled. Then he lowered his head and said softly, “Yes, Master.”
Tian Buyi said, “During this month while you were recovering from your injuries, I heard that your master’s wife taught you some sword-riding methods and Daoist arts. Have you memorized them all?”
Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said, “Yes, your disciple has memorized them all.”
Tian Buyi turned away and said slowly, “Good. Although your aptitude is poor, you are still a disciple of my Big Bamboo Peak. Once you go out, don’t embarrass me.”
Zhang Xiaofan immediately said, “Yes, Master. Your disciple will absolutely not bring shame upon you.”
Tian Buyi gave a snort. With his back turned, Zhang Xiaofan could not see his face and did not know what expression he wore, but from his voice, there seemed to be no anger. After a long while, Tian Buyi seemed to sigh. He turned his head and looked at Zhang Xiaofan, but said nothing more. With a wave of his hand that counted as a farewell, he summoned his immortal sword and broke through the air.
Zhang Xiaofan stared blankly as his master’s figure became a streak of crimson light and vanished into the horizon. It was only when someone patted his shoulder that he was startled and quickly turned around. It was none other than the grinning Zeng Shushu. Looking around, the heads of the other branches had all left. Only the two of them remained, along with Lu Xueqi standing alone in the distance.
Zeng Shushu said with a laugh, “You’re lucky. I was worried you wouldn’t make it through this time!”
Being with him, Zhang Xiaofan immediately felt much more at ease. Hearing this, he smiled and said, “That’s right. I was scared half to death too.”
Zeng Shushu patted his shoulder, looked him up and down, then whispered, “Why didn’t you bring Xiao Hui?”
Zhang Xiaofan said with a bitter face, “Master brought me here early this morning. I didn’t expect we’d descend the mountain right away. I didn’t bring anything. How could I have thought of Xiao Hui?”
Zeng Shushu smiled. “No matter. I can lend you clothes, or we can buy some once we reach Heyang City at the foot of the mountain.” As he spoke, he winked at Zhang Xiaofan and whispered, “Heh heh, in any case, we’ve made a profit this time.”
Zhang Xiaofan did not understand. “What?”
Zeng Shushu waggled his brows, glanced behind him, and snickered. “We have a beauty traveling with us!”
Zhang Xiaofan was both annoyed and amused, but still glanced toward Lu Xueqi. At the same time, as though Lu Xueqi had sensed it, she also looked over. Their gazes met from afar. Zhang Xiaofan only felt that her eyes were like frost, and he was startled, hastily shifting his gaze away.
The two of them chatted and joked for a while. Zeng Shushu was stealthily telling him about what it would be like traveling with Lu Xueqi from now on when he suddenly noticed that the smile on Zhang Xiaofan’s face had stiffened, and his eyes had gone fixed, staring behind him.
Zeng Shushu felt slightly puzzled and turned to look. Below the long flight of steps, a man was stumbling his way up. He was in his forties. His clothes were still fairly clean, but his face was blank, his eyes dull, and his mouth babbled nonsense that made no sense from one sentence to the next:
“It’s raining, the sky’s dark, rotten mother, ah, immortals, immortals, heh heh, immortals…”
Under the gazes of Zeng Shushu and Lu Xueqi watching from afar, Zhang Xiaofan walked over. He walked very, very slowly, as though after a very long time, he finally arrived beside that man.
As if he had walked back to the side of the past.
“Second Uncle Wang, are you well?” He desperately suppressed the agitation in his heart and spoke in a low voice.
But in that man’s eyes, Zhang Xiaofan seemed not to exist at all. He continued muttering to himself, shook Zhang Xiaofan off, and walked past. Before long, he disappeared behind the main hall.
“Who is he?” Zeng Shushu walked to his side and asked.
Zhang Xiaofan looked toward the place where Second Uncle Wang had disappeared and said miserably, “A madman!”
Seeing his expression, Zeng Shushu tactfully did not ask further. After a while, Qi Hao came out of the main hall, his face full of delight, and greeted the three of them.
Zhang Xiaofan, absentminded, walked over together with Zeng Shushu. After the few of them discussed it, they decided to descend the mountain first and go to Heyang City.
Zeng Shushu smiled and said to Qi Hao, “Senior Brother Qi, is the Six Harmonies Mirror that Martial Uncle Sect Leader passed to you powerful?”
Qi Hao smiled. “The Six Harmonies Mirror is a supreme treasure of our Qingyun Sect, so naturally it is powerful. I only fear that my cultivation is insufficient! Heh heh, all right. This is the summit, and except for the heads of the Seven Peaks, other disciples may not ride swords here. Let us go down to the Sea of Clouds, then fly by sword from there to Heyang City.”
Lu Xueqi was expressionless. Zhang Xiaofan nodded blankly. Only Zeng Shushu was all smiles. It seemed that descending the mountain was truly a happy occasion for someone as fond of fun as he was.
※※※
From Qingyun Sect to Heyang City, along this journey, the four most “outstanding” disciples of Qingyun Sect came riding their swords. The others were all relaxed and at ease, but Zhang Xiaofan inevitably found it somewhat strenuous.
During the month he had spent recovering, Su Ru seemed to have expected long ago that nothing would happen to him, and had taught him some secrets of Qingyun Sect’s Daoist arts, along with the method of using a magic treasure to fly through the air. In truth, it was simple enough: as long as one’s cultivation was deep enough and one’s magic treasure was not too inferior, one could use Qingyun Daoist arts supplemented by willpower to drive the magic treasure. But Zhang Xiaofan’s cultivation was not deep. His magic treasure was certainly not poor, but it was exceedingly strange, and he was also quite unfamiliar with the Qingyun Sect Daoist arts he had just learned. Once he tried to use them, it became extremely troublesome.
Back then, Su Ru had not expected that as soon as he went up to Heaven-Reaching Peak, he would immediately have to descend the mountain. She had only intended to have him memorize the incantations first, then practice more after returning to Big Bamboo Peak. Naturally, the heads of the other branches also did not know this strange boy’s true situation. Seeing his performance in the Seven Peaks Martial Meet, they took it for granted that he knew the most basic Daoist arts of sword-riding. They had no idea that Zhang Xiaofan had secretly learned Daoist arts and muddled his way into the “object-driving” realm, but as for any actual skill in riding a sword, how could he know it?
Watching the others summon their immortal swords—Qi Hao’s white immortal sword, “Hanbing”; Lu Xueqi’s blue immortal sword, “Tianya”; and Zeng Shushu’s immortal sword faintly wreathed in purple qi, “Xuanyuan”—Zhang Xiaofan grew nervous. He forced himself to summon the “fire poker,” but it somehow felt a bit off, lacking the handy, obedient feeling it had had on the day of the Seven Peaks Martial Meet.
Piercing clouds and crossing mountains, this stretch of road should originally have taken half a day, but the four of them did not arrive at Heyang City until the sun had set. To avoid suspicion, Zhang Xiaofan and the other three landed in a secluded place outside Heyang City. By then, he was drenched from head to toe, his face pale. Judging from his state, he seemed to have had an even harder time than during the competition that day.
Along the way through the sky, he had lost control of the fire poker several times. If not for Qi Hao and the others noticing something was wrong and not daring to stray too far from him, lending aid in time, this newly minted “outstanding disciple” of Qingyun Sect might well have fallen from the heights and smashed himself to pieces before he ever had a chance to bring honor to his sect, instead leaving behind eternal infamy and making Qingyun Sect lose all face. Qi Hao and the others decided to stop outside the city and enter on foot. Though there was indeed an intention to avoid suspicion, it was also because they were terrified that, in the bustling streets of the city, under countless watching eyes, Zhang Xiaofan might make one misstep and topple down. Then the lofty prestige that Qingyun Sect had painstakingly built here over two thousand years would be destroyed in a single day—alas and woe!
After resting briefly, and once Zhang Xiaofan had caught his breath, the four of them walked in the sunset toward the tall and imposing Heyang City. Zhang Xiaofan walked at the rear, sensing Qi Hao and Lu Xueqi ahead casting puzzled looks back at him from time to time. Clearly, they could not understand why someone who had shone so brilliantly in the Seven Peaks Martial Meet could not even manage ordinary sword-riding properly. Zeng Shushu, however, still walked beside Zhang Xiaofan with a smile, never mentioning what had just happened, instead endlessly introducing Heyang City to him:
“Within a radius of a hundred li, this is the largest and most prosperous place. The common people living in this city number at least two or three hundred thousand. Its location is excellent, and there are many traveling merchants coming and going, making it even livelier…”
As Zhang Xiaofan listened, he truly admired Zeng Shushu’s breadth of knowledge and said, “Shushu, how do you know everything?”
Zeng Shushu looked pleased with himself. “What’s so special about that? Read enough books and naturally you’ll know.” As he spoke, a sly smile appeared on his face. He secretly leaned close to Zhang Xiaofan’s ear and whispered, “Actually, I’ve come here many times before. All of them were when I snuck down the mountain.”
Zhang Xiaofan was shocked. “You, you…”
Zeng Shushu curled his lip. “Look how scared you are. What’s the big deal? Ever since I started practicing the art of sword-riding, naturally I needed to practice often. Flying and flying until I reached this place, then going down to stroll around the streets when I got tired—what’s so remarkable about that?”
Zhang Xiaofan was rendered speechless.
Listening to the two of them muttering behind him, Qi Hao smiled faintly and said to Lu Xueqi beside him, “Junior Sister Lu, the sky is already late. Tonight, let us stay here for the night and continue on our way tomorrow.”
Lu Xueqi’s face was as cold as frost, without the slightest expression. She merely nodded lightly.
After entering the city, they had already changed out of their Qingyun Sect disciple robes early on to avoid trouble, so they did not arouse much suspicion. But Lu Xueqi’s appearance was extraordinarily beautiful, and it caused no small stir, drawing many passersby to stop and stare. Zhang Xiaofan glanced at Lu Xueqi from the side and saw that although her face was expressionless, a trace of anger flashed through her bright eyes. He could not help worrying for these passersby. If Tianya were to leave its sheath, this ancient city with its long history might lose half of itself first.
However, Lu Xueqi’s self-restraint was clearly much better than Zhang Xiaofan had imagined. Even by the time they checked into an inn called “Shanhai Garden,” Lu Xueqi made no move. Qi Hao had the most experience among them, and the four faintly took him as their leader. Matters such as finding lodging were also handled by him. Afterward, the innkeeper arranged for them to stay in the finest rear garden.
This Shanhai Garden was quite large in scale. In the rear garden there were four separate courtyards. The four of them stayed in the western courtyard, each with a room. After returning to rest for a while, Qi Hao called everyone out to eat at the restaurant in front.
Shanhai Garden had its own restaurant, located on the liveliest street in Heyang City. But inside the distinguished guests’ hall on the third floor, it was very quiet. In the spacious hall there were fewer than ten tables, and at present there were probably five tables of guests eating. Qi Hao called over a waiter and ordered several dishes. Judging by how familiar he seemed with the place, he was most likely a regular customer.
Zhang Xiaofan thought this to himself. He had been born to a farming family and had never been to such a luxurious place as Shanhai Garden. When they had passed through the second floor just now, he had seen that the hall was rich and resplendent, but once they reached the third floor, he saw carved dragons and painted phoenixes, redwood beams, and an antique elegance, completely different from the second floor. Naturally, he did not know that when people in the world reached places of wealth and status, they instead began to pursue identity and taste. Even if some people liked splendor and luxury, in order to have others say that they possessed some refinement, it was also common to affect elegance.
The four of them sat at a small table by the window. Zeng Shushu glanced at the hall’s furnishings and said to Qi Hao, “Senior Brother Qi, the prices here can’t be cheap, can they?”
Qi Hao smiled faintly. “This is the best restaurant in Heyang City, so naturally it won’t be cheap. But our Qingyun Sect has always had a reputation here, and their owner would be delighted to have us come. They won’t charge us much.”
Zeng Shushu said, “Ah,” and nodded. After a while, the waiter brought several plates of freshly stir-fried side dishes to the table. In particular, the final dish was a plate of freshly stewed fish. Looking at it, the fish’s body was elongated, the front part nearly round, the rear laterally narrow, its body dark brown, with two pairs of whiskers, thick and long. Most important of all, the flesh was white and tender, and its fragrance drifted in every direction, immediately whetting one’s appetite.
Zhang Xiaofan had always been interested in cooking, and had never seen this kind of fish before. He could not help saying to the waiter, “Waiter, what is this fish called, and how is it cooked?”
The waiter chuckled and said, “Honored guest, you truly have a good eye. This dish, ‘Clear-Stewed Mei Fish,’ is the signature dish of our Shanhai Garden. It is fragrant, smooth, tender, and sweet upon entering the mouth. Within a hundred li of Heyang City, it is exceedingly famous…”
Zhang Xiaofan swallowed, picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and put it into his mouth. He immediately closed his eyes and nodded repeatedly. “Ah, the texture of the meat is excellent, but the cooking is even better. The sweetness comes from a bit of sugar, and ginger slices were added to remove the fishiness. Mm, there is the aroma of fried scallion, so fresh small scallion bulbs must have been used. Ah, and the most difficult part is how well the pepper, five-spice… eh, right, and the sesame oil have been matched. Impressive, impressive!”
The look of utter intoxication on his face left Qi Hao and Zeng Shushu dumbstruck. Even Lu Xueqi looked at him with a strange expression. But the waiter standing at the side was truly filled with admiration and loudly praised, “Honored guest, you are truly an expert. You know your food!”
Only then did Zhang Xiaofan notice the expressions of everyone around him. His face reddened and he quickly put down his chopsticks, but still could not help asking one more question. “May I ask, waiter, where does this mei fish come from?”
Before the waiter could speak, a woman’s voice suddenly came from beside a large table nearby. “This mei fish is a specialty of Zhugou Mountain in the south, a thousand li away from here. How could it be transported here? Is your establishment not deceiving people?”
Everyone was startled and looked over. At that large table sat eight people: six men dressed in yellow, and two women. One woman wore a pale purple long dress and had a light veil over her face, making her features impossible to see clearly, though the few glimpses of skin that were exposed were snow-white. The other woman was the one who had spoken. She was not old, appearing only sixteen or seventeen, dressed in water-green clothes. Her appearance was delicate and beautiful, with fine brows, snow-like skin, and a pair of bright, lively eyes that made people’s eyes light up. Even compared with Lu Xueqi, she did not lose by much.
Zhang Xiaofan gave an “Ah,” but after that young woman finished speaking, her gaze fell upon Lu Xueqi at their table. She seemed also to be startled by Lu Xueqi’s beauty. Women loved beauty; even a woman as cold as frost on ordinary days as Lu Xueqi could not help looking at that girl a moment longer.
At this moment, the waiter smiled apologetically and said, “This honored guest is correct, but there is something you may not know. A hundred years ago, this mei fish was indeed found only in Zhugou Mountain in the south. But later, when Daoxuan Zhenren of Qingyun Sect passed by Zhugou Mountain, he specially brought this mei fish back and placed it in the Hongchuan on the shaded side of Qingyun Mountain. By now, not only has it survived, it has gradually flourished. We are all blessed by Immortal Daoxuan of Qingyun Mountain, and only because of that do we have the good fortune to taste it!” As he spoke, an expression of utmost reverence appeared on his face.
When Zhang Xiaofan and the other Qingyun disciples saw this, they were naturally all happy, smiles appearing on their faces. But after that young girl heard it, she turned and exchanged a glance with the veiled woman, then sat back down, though she gave a little snort.
※※※
After finishing the delicious dinner, Zhang Xiaofan and the others returned to their lodgings thoroughly satisfied. At the entrance to the western courtyard, Qi Hao said to everyone, “Tonight, everyone should rest here first. Tomorrow morning, we will set out for Kongsang Mountain.”
Zhang Xiaofan and Zeng Shushu answered. Lu Xueqi, however, said nothing at all and walked straight back to her room, closing the door with a bang. Qi Hao froze for a moment, then gave the two of them a wry smile. “Junior Brothers, you should also rest early.”
Zhang Xiaofan glanced at his handsome face. Under the setting sun, Qi Hao’s bearing was not the slightest bit inferior to usual; instead, he even seemed to possess a touch of otherworldliness. Suddenly, Zhang Xiaofan felt disheartened and listless. He forced himself to greet Zeng Shushu, but actually ignored Qi Hao and walked back to his room by himself.
Zeng Shushu chuckled and exchanged a few joking words with Qi Hao, then the two of them also returned separately to their rooms to rest.
This night was the first time Zhang Xiaofan had left Qingyun Mountain in five years. He tossed and turned, and for some reason did not sleep well the entire night. At midnight, he finally drifted into a muddled sleep, only to suddenly dream that he stood amid a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his whole body stained with gore, his face savage. At the same time, from deep within his heart surged an indescribably feverish killing intent, as though the red blood before his eyes were sweet spring water, attracting him, tempting him, making him unable to resist wanting to obtain it all through slaughter.
“Ah!”
Zhang Xiaofan woke from the dream with a start. He abruptly sat up, gasping for breath, his whole body drenched in sweat. Only after quite a while did his violently pounding heart slowly calm.
He sat blankly in the darkness for a long time. Unintentionally, he reached out and touched the fire poker placed beside his pillow, and an icy feeling enveloped him. This dream was extremely similar to the nightmares he had constantly dreamed over the years: that scene in which he seemed to become another person, that blood-devouring fiend in the dream, frightened even himself.
All was silent. Darkness surrounded him on every side.
He crossed his legs and sat upright in the dark, breathing deeply. He closed his eyes, and placed his palms together before him.
The darkness was like a gentle woman, softly wrapping around his body. A faint layer of golden light, indistinct and wavering, radiated from within him. Reflected by that thin glow, Zhang Xiaofan’s face seemed also to be covered in a solemnity he should not have possessed.
No one knew how much time passed before that layer of golden light gradually faded. Zhang Xiaofan opened his eyes in the darkness, his heart peaceful. Whenever this moment came, he missed that kindly monk Puzhi especially.
He no longer felt any sleepiness. He went to the door, opened it, and walked out. The nearby rooms were all pitch-black; presumably Qi Hao and the others had fallen asleep. The rear garden of Shanhai Garden had been built within a flower garden, and in the four directions of east, south, west, and north stood four separate courtyards. Zhang Xiaofan walked out from the western courtyard where he was staying and arrived at the central garden.
By now, it was deep night. Looking up at the heavens, the sky was filled with stars, and a full moon hung at the edge of the sky. The night breeze blew gently, carrying with it the faintest fragrance. The winding path was secluded and deep, leading to some unknown place ahead. Beside the path, green grass, shrubs, and flowers of every color bloomed everywhere.
A wave of melancholy rose in Zhang Xiaofan’s heart. He followed the path onward, the breeze brushing his face and bringing threads of coolness.
On such a quiet night, a young man walked alone through a deep garden, savoring the memories of the past.
Beside the path, a small flower trembled lightly in the night wind. A crystal-clear dewdrop clung to its pale pink petals, exquisite and translucent. Zhang Xiaofan stopped in his tracks, and without realizing it, stared at it in a daze.
A faint, hidden fragrance drifted over.
Suddenly, a delicate jade hand seemed to reach out from the depths of eternal darkness. Bearing a trace of cool, secluded beauty, reflecting the moonlight and starlight in the sky, it extended toward that flower.
And plucked it.
At that instant, there was a boom in Zhang Xiaofan’s mind, as though the moonlight filling the sky had lost all radiance, and the garden had plunged into darkness all at once.
He turned his head and looked over, carrying a trace of inexplicable hatred.
A young girl in water-green clothes stood there, as though she had drawn all the light in the sky to herself. She gently brought the flower to her nose and inhaled deeply.
※※※
Note 1: The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Classic of Mountains, Volume Four, Zhugou Mountain: “Again south by water for five hundred li is called Zhugou Mountain. It has no plants or trees, and much sand and stone. This mountain is a hundred li in breadth and circumference, and has many mei fish.”