Biyao solemnly and devoutly kowtowed three times before she rose to her feet. She glanced at Zhang Xiaofan and saw him looking elsewhere, standing there motionless. Her brows drew together, but she said nothing, only saying mildly, “Let’s go!”
When Zhang Xiaofan had walked in with her through that tunnel, he had felt a certain fondness and closeness toward this girl. But now, seeing these two evil gods, he was immediately reminded of the division between their sects, and of the teachings his elders had instilled in him since childhood. His expression naturally cooled. He nodded slightly and said, “All right.”
Biyao looked at him, then headed farther inside. Zhang Xiaofan followed behind her. This time they did not go far before entering another spacious area. Yet unlike the stone chamber outside, which had clearly been furnished, this was a cavern of hanging stalactites and jagged stones. Within the cave, stalactites of every kind took on bizarre shapes and brilliant colors. Before the two of them, at the cave entrance, stood an enormous stone stele. Upon it, in bold, sweeping strokes, were carved ten large characters: Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs!
Each of those ten characters was nearly half a man tall. The brushwork was ancient and unadorned, the strokes vigorous and forceful, moving like dragons and serpents, with a momentum that seemed ready to surge straight out and roar into the firmament.
At first glance, Zhang Xiaofan felt nothing. But after staring for a moment, his head suddenly swam, and his whole body involuntarily took a step back.
He was greatly shocked and hurriedly composed himself. Yet the characters were still on the stele, utterly unmoving; it was only that their aura was truly frightening.
Alarmed, Zhang Xiaofan turned and saw Biyao already circling around the great stele and walking deeper into the cave. He followed. Once around the stone tablet, he saw strange stalactites everywhere behind it. The two wound through the stone forest for a while, until Biyao, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and cried out softly in surprise.
Almost at the same moment, Zhang Xiaofan abruptly realized that the fire poker he was using to brace his arm had begun to glow with a strange light. In particular, the bead set at the front of the fire poker shone with an unusual green radiance. This time, however, the light was gentle, like one meeting an old friend, an old acquaintance not seen for many years, carrying endless longing and attachment.
Zhang Xiaofan looked ahead in astonishment. Through the space beside Biyao, he saw the scene that had startled her: at the end of the cave was a smooth stone wall, with a tunnel on either side leading to unknown places. Beneath the stone wall, however, stood a bluestone platform, and upon it there was actually a skeleton, seated upright and quietly in place.
And the bead on the fire poker was now facing that skeleton, giving off a soft green glow.
Standing in front, Biyao did not notice Zhang Xiaofan’s strange expression or the changes in the fire poker in his hand. After her initial fright, she quickly calmed down.
After all, she was of the Demon Sect; how could she be afraid of a mere skeleton? She immediately stepped forward and examined it carefully, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Turning back to Zhang Xiaofan, she smiled and said, “Maybe this is that old Blackheart ghost who shook the world eight hundred years ago!”
Zhang Xiaofan naturally had no good impression of anyone from the Demon Sect. He snorted and said, “Shouldn’t we hurry and look for a way out?”
Biyao glanced at him, pursed her lips, and said, “If you want to look, look by yourself.”
Zhang Xiaofan froze for a moment. Feeling somewhat unable to back down, he snorted and actually turned around, walking straight into the tunnel on the left.
After only a couple of steps, he secretly shook his head at himself, feeling that whenever he faced this girl from the Demon Sect, he was somehow unable to keep calm. With the slightest provocation, he would react so strongly. Perhaps at this very moment she was watching and secretly mocking him.
But thoughts were thoughts. Since he had already taken the first step, there was no turning back. After walking a few paces, he heard no movement behind him; it seemed Biyao had not followed. For some reason, Zhang Xiaofan felt a faint sense of loss in his heart, but he immediately cursed himself for being “spineless,” gathered his spirits, and carefully continued deeper into the tunnel. The tunnel Zhang Xiaofan was now in was no different from the path they had taken from outside, except that it was much deeper and quieter. Looking into its depths, all was nearly dim and obscure, and the passage seemed longer as well. It was truly hard to understand how the people of the Demon Sect’s Blood Refining Hall had managed to carry out such a vast undertaking back then.
After walking like this for quite some time, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly noticed that it was gradually growing brighter ahead. His heart leapt, and he quickened his pace. At the end of the path before him, a gentle light shone out, exceptionally clear in the darkness, like tender tendrils tempting the people of the world.
Zhang Xiaofan took a deep breath and stepped into that brightness.
Biyao watched Zhang Xiaofan’s figure disappear into that tunnel and stood blankly for a moment, her expression darkening. Her father was a man of great authority within the Demon Sect, and since childhood she had been like a princess. Who had ever dared defy her?
Unexpectedly, in this desperate situation today, she had run into a fellow from the righteous path who was not very old yet had no small temper. How could she not be angry?
Strictly speaking, when Zhang Xiaofan had been on Qingyun Mountain, he had also been an amiable youth. Why was it that when he was with Biyao, they kept clashing? Aside from sectarian prejudice, perhaps even he himself could not say clearly.
Naturally, Biyao knew nothing of these matters. But she had truly seen Zhang Xiaofan go against her again and again, and she felt extremely displeased. Yet at present, both of them were trapped in a deadly place, so it was not convenient to take action and teach this brat a lesson. She could only snort and remember it in her heart. But as for asking Biyao to wrong herself and follow Zhang Xiaofan, that was absolutely impossible.
Almost without thinking, she turned and walked into the tunnel on the right.
After a few steps, Biyao felt that this path was much the same as the tunnel outside, only there were fewer glowing things in the stone walls on either side, making the passage rather dim.
Fortunately, this path was not very long. Soon, Biyao reached the end and once more stepped into a stone chamber.
It was a medium-sized stone chamber. On one side stood many shelves; on the other was a pile of junk, mostly iron implements such as sabers, swords, spears, and the like, most of them badly damaged. The most conspicuous item was an axe casually thrown on top. Its whole body was iron, quite large and still intact, looking as if it had been cast entirely from iron.
Biyao looked at it twice, then lost interest. She turned and went over to the shelves. After a quick look, her face first showed great delight, but before long it involuntarily changed to disappointment.
On the shelves, each compartment had a label. Some of the writing had long since blurred, but a few words were still barely legible, and each was enough to make one’s heart pound. They were names such as “Divine Halberd of the Five Peaks,” “Moon-Gazing Cord,” and “Parting Awl.”
Biyao had grown up in the Demon Sect, and her father was an extraordinary man of vast learning and wide knowledge. With such deep family learning, she naturally knew that these were all first-rate magical artifacts and secret treasures from Demon Sect legends. How could she not be delighted? Unfortunately, most of these shelves had labels but no objects, leaving her joy empty.
She sighed, yet still held on to a sliver of hope and examined the shelves one by one. Each shelf was empty. Perhaps Heaven does not disappoint the determined, for in the very last compartment she actually found a small iron box still sitting there. But there was no label on this shelf, so she had no idea what was inside.
Joy stirred in Biyao’s heart. She cautiously reached out and picked up the box, finding it rather heavy in her hand. She shook it gently a few times, but no sound came from within.
Biyao pondered briefly, then set the iron box on the ground. Taking a deep breath, she focused her mind and remained on guard. With a wave of her right hand, white light immediately rose in the stone chamber, and a flower like jade suddenly appeared in midair, giving off a faint,幽 fragrance.
Biyao’s expression was solemn. She turned her right hand, and the small flower hovering in the air shone brilliantly, flying above the iron box. White light enveloped the entire box.
Only then did Biyao cautiously reach out to open the little box. As soon as she pressed the lid, she felt that the box seemed not to be locked. Her brows furrowed, the vigilance in her eyes deepening. Gritting her pearly teeth, she steeled herself and opened the iron lid.
There was only a soft click. Before she could see what was inside the iron box, a stream of black vapor rose from it first.
Biyao’s expression changed drastically. She flipped backward almost as if struck by lightning, while the small white flower above the iron box instantly plunged down. The black vapor was immediately trapped by the white light. It surged several times but could not break free. A moment later, the black vapor gradually shrank, while that jade-like white flower slowly turned black, actually absorbing the black vapor into itself.
Only after the black vapor had completely dissipated did Biyao wait a good while longer before walking over. She focused on her little flower. The marvelous treasure her father had painstakingly refined specially for her, the “Heartbreak Wonderflower,” now had petals that were no longer white like jade at all, but had turned entirely purplish black, looking somewhat sinister.
Biyao’s expression changed slightly. In a low voice, she said, “‘Ancient Corpse Poison’! Blackheart Elder really did have a black heart, refining something like this!”
As she muttered curses at Blackheart Elder, that senior of the Demon Sect, she looked into the iron box.
Inside, it was very simple. The small iron box contained only one thing: a small bell of golden color, perfectly intact.
Biyao was stunned for a moment. She had not expected that this iron box, guarded by such a rare and deadly poison as Ancient Corpse Poison, would contain only this little bell. She looked it over from left to right but could not see anything strange about it. After pondering for a moment, she slowly reached out and picked up the little bell.
“Ding-dang.”
A clear, crisp sound, as if echoing in the heart, rang out within this secret stone chamber that had been silent for eight hundred years.
Biyao lifted the bell and saw that its clapper was exquisite and delicate. A thin iron chain was attached to the body of the bell. With the slightest shake, the clapper gently struck the bell, sounding once more.
“Ding… ding-dang.”
Biyao looked at it, and with a young girl’s nature, liked it very much. Her earlier disappointment faded considerably. She carefully examined it again and found that there was indeed nothing strange about it. It seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary, exquisitely crafted bell.
Still, since Blackheart Elder had stored it away so mysteriously and cautiously, this bell must have something extraordinary about it. Once she had a chance to get out, she could ask her father.
With this thought, Biyao settled her mind. Yet the more she looked at the little bell, the more she liked it, so she tied it at her waist. When she turned, it indeed gave off a series of crisp chimes, extremely pleasant to the ear. Biyao was greatly pleased and nodded repeatedly.
After that, she carefully searched the stone chamber again, but found nothing more. She even went through the pile of junk, yet there was nothing worth noting, let alone any way out.
When she finished, Biyao slowly stood up. It was time to go see how things were with that foolish boy.
Before leaving the stone chamber, she looked back one last time. The room was still in disorder, and after she had rummaged through the pile of junk, it was even messier. All kinds of weapons had been thrown across the floor, and that large axe had also been casually tossed into the corner.
Then she walked out of the stone chamber.
The tunnel on the left that Zhang Xiaofan had entered earlier was far longer than the right-hand path Biyao had taken. Biyao walked for quite some time before she saw light ahead, but she still could not make out the situation inside. For some reason, there was no movement within at all. A faint worry rose in her heart. There were many strange and cruel things in this Demon Sect place, uncanny and unpredictable. Could it be…
Unconsciously, she quickened her steps and entered that stone chamber. After looking carefully, she finally relaxed. Zhang Xiaofan was standing in the middle of the stone chamber, staring at the stone wall, lost in a daze.
Biyao let out a breath of relief, then carefully observed this stone chamber. It was much larger than the one she had just entered, yet it was completely empty, with nothing inside. However, on the hard stone walls of the chamber were densely carved lines of text. What Zhang Xiaofan was now looking at with furrowed brows was precisely these things.
Biyao frowned, walked forward, and looked. Immediately, delight appeared on her face. At the beginning of this entire stone inscription, only two large characters were carved.
Heavenly Book!
“The Heavenly Book! This is the Heavenly Book!” Biyao could not help crying out in joy.
Zhang Xiaofan’s body shook. Only then did he realize that Biyao had come to his side, but his attention seemed fixed only on her words. “Heavenly Book? Do you know what this Heavenly Book is?”
Biyao glared at him and said, “How could I not know? This ‘Heavenly Book’ is the sacred scripture of our Holy Sect, passed down from ancient times to the present. All the divine abilities and great arts of the disciples of our Holy Sect were comprehended from this Heavenly Book.”
Zhang Xiaofan’s body shook again. His face was filled with bewilderment. He turned his head and stared at the stone inscriptions on the wall. After a long while, he murmured, “No. That’s impossible!”
Biyao’s face darkened. “This is the sacred scripture of our Holy Sect, an absolute secret of our path. Didn’t you say we are evil demons and heretics? Then why are you still secretly reading it?”
Yet Zhang Xiaofan seemed not to hear her. In his eyes, there were only the words carved upon the wall.
“Heavenly Book, Volume One”
Now, of the creation and transformation of Heaven and Earth: in the time of chaos, when the murky and dim had not yet divided, the sun and moon held their radiance within, and Heaven and Earth mingled their forms. Once that vastness changed, the clear and the turbid were set forth.
The reason Heaven and Earth can be long-lasting is that they do not live for themselves, and so can endure. Yet Heaven, Earth, and all things each possess their marks. All beings are sunk in delusion, confused by the mark of self, the mark of others, the mark of sentient beings, and the mark of a life span. Because they take these many marks to be real, the heart gives rise to the three poisons, the three fears, and the three terrors, and cannot endure long.
The signs of Heaven have no form; the Great Dao has no name. Thus it is said: no self, no others, no sentient beings, no life span; then one attains brightness. Hold fast to the one true Dao, inwardly embody one’s own nature, for Heaven and Earth take the root as their heart.
Thus movement and rest within the earth reveal the heart of Heaven and Earth.
Thus there is neither real nor false.
Thus Heaven and Earth follow nature, acting without contrivance and creating without intent.
Thus, if things do not all exist together, it is not enough to be complete!
…
Biyao snorted. She had meant to grow angry, but after a second thought, she said nothing and also looked toward the wall. After reading only a few lines, she felt her head grow dizzy. She could not help admiring Zhang Xiaofan a little; he could actually keep reading such dry and obscure writing.
But when she turned to look at Zhang Xiaofan, she was slightly startled. His face was filled with pain and confusion, and his whole body was trembling faintly, an indescribably strange sight.
In truth, perhaps no one else in the world would have been as emotionally shaken as Zhang Xiaofan was at this moment. This “Heavenly Book,” called the scripture of the Demon Sect, and this passage, called its general outline, appeared in Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes almost like blades, each word stabbing straight into the bottom of his heart. The impact was even a hundred times greater than when, as a child, he had discovered that the Daoist cultivation methods of Qingyun Sect were completely opposed to the Buddhist cultivation method of the Great Brahma Prajna that Puzhi had taught him.
From this passage, he shockingly discovered that the Daoist and Buddhist cultivation methods he had secretly believed since childhood to be fundamentally different were here showing faint signs of reaching the same destination by different paths. Even that, though it shocked him, he could still accept. But as he continued reading, his face gradually turned pale, for within this “Heavenly Book,” called the scripture of the Demon Sect, he discovered a great secret.
The many supernatural powers and strange arts of the Demon Sect were extreme and peculiar, yet at their root, they lay within this “Heavenly Book.” Daoism emphasized governing the body through the natural forces of creation; Buddhism focused on realizing one’s own nature. Yet within the Heavenly Book, it seemed to encompass everything, containing both Daoist thought and the great methods of Buddhism.
If it had been another person, such as Biyao, reading these words, naturally there would have been no particular thought; she would merely assume it was some great divine ability left behind by her sect’s patriarch. But to Zhang Xiaofan, the only person in the world who understood the true methods of both Daoism and Buddhism, this matter was utterly terrifying.
A thought he had never had before wrapped around him, refusing to leave.
What, in the end, was right?
He could not help continuing to read. His face was pale, his mind surging, with fervor and a strange, hungry curiosity. Vaguely, he felt that a great secret was right before his eyes, yet he could never touch it or see it, and it only drew him in further, urging him toward that goal.
Yet in his heart, there was also a measure of fear. Was this something he should do?
Biyao watched Zhang Xiaofan for a long while. Seeing that he remained wholly absorbed in the stone inscriptions on the wall, his expression strange, as if he had completely forgotten she was standing beside him, a burst of irritation rose in her heart for no reason. She gave a cold snort, but to her surprise, Zhang Xiaofan turned a deaf ear and made no response at all.
Biyao pursed her lips, greatly annoyed. Yet for some reason, she simply did not want to attack and teach this person a lesson. She turned away resentfully and walked out. As she left, she deliberately stomped loudly, but unfortunately, that foolish boy still showed no reaction whatsoever.
Fuming, Biyao walked out of the stone chamber and returned to the stalactite cave, sulking at that skeleton. Originally, thinking it over, it was not much of anything, but the more she looked at that boy, the more displeasing he seemed. The more she thought, the angrier she became. Then, seeing that the “Heartbreak Flower” in her hand, originally so beautiful, was now completely black, she immediately transferred her anger onto Blackheart Elder.
She pointed at the skeleton and snapped, “You dead old ghost! Dead for eight hundred years and still harming people, harming me, making my jade flower turn… turn…”
Unable to finish the sentence, Biyao’s fury burned hotter. Without another word, she waved her sleeve, and the “Heartbreak Flower” flew out, circled around the skeleton, then returned. A moment later, the grating sound of bones cracking rang out. Amid a series of cracks, that skeleton actually broke apart and collapsed in pieces.
Only after acting did Biyao’s anger ease somewhat, and she could not help feeling a little regretful, not knowing where such a great temper had come from. But when she looked again, she was startled. It turned out that on the stone wall previously hidden by the skeleton, there were actually several lines of writing. She hurried over and examined them carefully, seeing four lines written on the wall.
The bell sobs; a hundred flowers wither,
A figure grows thin, temples frosted like snow.
Deep love is bitter; a lifetime bitter,
Infatuation suffers only for the heartless.
Note One: The general outline passage here draws upon the following works: Dao De Jing, Diamond Sutra, Platform Sutra, Book of Jin: Biography of Ji Zhan, and Commentary on the Tuan of the Fu Hexagram in the Book of Changes, among others.