Bi Yao was startled. She looked it over carefully once more, and saw that the force and style of the brushwork in these four lines were far more delicate, utterly different from the stone inscriptions of the Heavenly Tome in the chamber just now. It seemed they had been left by another person.
And judging from the meaning of the words, they sounded like the sorrowful lament of a lovesick woman. Yet how could such words have appeared here, in the Devil Cult’s important stronghold, the “Dripping Blood Cave”? It was truly strange.
She pondered for a long time, but still could not make sense of it. At last she shook her head and was just about to give up thinking about it, when, the moment she turned around, she suddenly saw Zhang Xiaofan standing behind her. At some unknown point, he had walked silently out of the stone chamber. The expression on his face was strange—seeming pained, yet also astonished, and as though tinged with confusion. His brows were tightly furrowed, the muscles of his face faintly twisted, almost hideous.
Bi Yao was badly startled and could not help crying out, “Ah!” as she took a step back. The delicate little bell at her waist trembled lightly, letting out a clear, pleasant “ding-dang” that echoed through the cave.
When Zhang Xiaofan heard the sound of the bell, his body shuddered, as if he had suddenly awakened. His expression gradually calmed, but in its place came bewilderment.
Just now, he had been in the stone chamber, bitterly pondering the stone inscriptions of the Heavenly Tome, when suddenly the fire poker by his hand had seemed to awaken. Not only had it lit up, but that icy sensation had spread through his entire body almost in an instant. Then he had walked out as if by instinct, until he saw that pile of shattered bones.
Zhang Xiaofan looked toward the fire poker bound to his left hand. It was still glowing, suffused with a faint azure light, pointed directly at the shattered, fallen skeleton, as though mourning an old friend.
Zhang Xiaofan did not know why such a thought would suddenly occur to him. But as he looked at that skeleton, deep in his heart he actually felt a trace of sorrow. Though he clearly knew that the person who had died here must have been an important figure of the Devil Cult’s Blood Refining Hall—perhaps, just as Bi Yao had said, the Blackheart Elder himself—somehow, he felt a certain closeness to these bones.
The radiance of the fire poker gradually dimmed, returning to its ugly black color, motionless. Yet Zhang Xiaofan still gazed at the skeleton, and under Bi Yao’s stare, slowly walked forward.
Bi Yao snorted and darted in front of him, blocking his way. With a cold laugh, she said, “Though I have no fondness for that old ghost Blackheart, and though we belong to different factions, we are both disciples of the Holy Sect. We have both sworn solemn oaths before the seats of Holy Mother Youming and Heavenly Fiend Ming King. If you intend to be disrespectful toward his remains, I will not allow it.”
Zhang Xiaofan glanced at her and could not help replying, “He’s now smashed to pieces. I’m afraid that was all thanks to you!”
Bi Yao’s face reddened, but her words did not yield in the slightest. She said firmly, “Naturally, I will repent before the Holy Mother and the Ming King. But I will absolutely not permit you to show disrespect as well!”
Zhang Xiaofan looked at her, then suddenly said, “I didn’t mean that.”
Bi Yao was stunned. Seeing his calm expression, without any trace of hatred, she only felt that this youth from Qingyun Sect seemed very different from the righteous-path people she had met before, who always filled their mouths with benevolence and morality. As she hesitated, Zhang Xiaofan walked past her side. She paused for a moment, then turned to look at him.
Zhang Xiaofan walked up to the pile of bones. They were extremely old; a faint,幽 green radiance had already appeared upon the pallid bones. After Bi Yao’s heavy blow just now, everything below the chest had scattered apart. Only the skull remained intact, fallen atop all the other bones, its hollow eyes facing Zhang Xiaofan.
Zhang Xiaofan shivered. Faintly, he felt as though some soul still existed within those eyes, gazing at him. But in the end, he still stepped forward and slowly reached out to gather the scattered bones into a pile. A cold sensation came from the bones, yet there was no feeling of terror or fear.
It was as if they were old friends of many years!
Deep in Zhang Xiaofan’s heart, he seemed to feel a breath of relief, a sense of release after doing what ought to be done. Though strange, he truly did have that feeling. Secretly, he thought: This fire poker is far too bizarre. If I survive and make it back this time, it seems I must ask Shifu about it.
After finishing this, he was just about to straighten and stand when, at that moment, from the corner of his eye he glimpsed the place where the skeleton had been sitting. Because he had swept the bones aside, faint traces of writing had actually been revealed there as well. He could not help letting out a soft “Eh?”
Bi Yao, standing to one side, had originally been watching coldly as Zhang Xiaofan did these strange things. Suddenly hearing his low cry as though he had discovered something, her curiosity rose, and she walked over as well, looking toward that place. There, several lines of words were also carved.
A bitter heart, unable to bear looking back,
Regret comes too late; hard it is to be together.
The golden bell rang clear, the blood-devourer led astray,
All my life, in the end…
By the fourth line, the strokes had grown weaker and weaker. Especially at the third character, “end,” they had become scrawled, almost impossible to distinguish. At the last, a single stroke swept across and broke off there. It seemed that, at this point, the person writing had no strength left to continue.
Inside the cave, Zhang Xiaofan and Bi Yao both fell silent. Both of them faintly felt that between the lines of these two passages, there was likely a sorrowful affair of love. The woman’s heart had been broken, and in the end, the man had also been filled with remorse.
Zhang Xiaofan was somewhat lost in thought. Though he had never seen this unknown pair of lovers, somehow, seeing these remains from a thousand years ago—whether they counted as last words or not—still made him feel sad.
Bi Yao, standing beside him, frowned tightly. Her eyes fixed on those lines as she murmured, “The golden bell rang clear, the blood-devourer led astray… The golden bell rang clear, the blood-devourer led astray… Golden bell? Ah! That’s right, golden bell!”
She seemed to have thought of something. With a cry of delight, joy appeared plainly on her face. Zhang Xiaofan was startled by her and asked in surprise, “What about the golden bell?”
Bi Yao seemed extremely excited, her face full of delight. “It’s Lady Jinling! Don’t you know?”
Zhang Xiaofan shook his head blankly. Bi Yao snorted and glared at him, then said happily, “Lady Jinling was a great figure of our Holy Sect from a thousand years ago! Legend says she was supremely intelligent, with profound cultivation, and had deep comprehension of the Holy Sect’s classic, the Heavenly Tome. She single-handedly founded the Hehuan Sect within the Holy Sect. Among the women of our sect, she was truly first-rate!”
Zhang Xiaofan immediately lost interest. From what she said, he knew that this Lady Jinling had been a figure of the Devil Cult a thousand years ago, and seemed to have been very formidable. But from the very name of the faction she founded, “Hehuan,” he could tell that this old woman had not been any good person. Yet Bi Yao seemed to admire this Lady Jinling very much.
Zhang Xiaofan snorted and did not respond. Turning around, he once again tidied up the pile of bones that had been disturbed in order to read the writing. But in his heart, a strange thought arose: It seems you were also a devoted lover. Perhaps you died because of a woman too!
Naturally, the dead man did not answer him. But Zhang Xiaofan, indulging in his own wild thoughts, actually felt a few more traces of closeness toward this skeleton.
Bi Yao was delighted for a long while beside him, muttering to herself, “Who would have thought Lady Jinling actually had feelings for that damned old ghost Blackheart? Hmph, it must have been that old ghost Blackheart who betrayed her heart. A heartless man—he deserved to be struck by lightning! Best that he died!”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Zhang Xiaofan suddenly shouted beside her.
Bi Yao froze, for a moment unable to speak. Only after a while did she react, staring at him for a long time before saying strangely, “What did you say?”
The moment the words left Zhang Xiaofan’s mouth, he immediately knew something was wrong. He was someone of the righteous path, yet for no reason at all he had spoken up in defense of a vicious Devil Cult fiend from eight hundred years ago. If this reached the ears of his Qingyun Sect elders, he would immediately receive severe punishment. But at that moment, he did not know why; his heart had stirred, and the words had slipped out. Now that Bi Yao asked him back, he could only look embarrassed and say nothing.
Bi Yao gave him a strange glance. Then she suddenly remembered something, and immediately threw Zhang Xiaofan to the back of her mind. Grabbing the golden bell at her waist, she was so excited that she laughed loudly. “Ah! Then doesn’t this mean this is Lady Jinling’s Hehuan Bell?” As she spoke, she hurriedly turned the golden bell upside down and examined it carefully. Sure enough, on the inner wall of the bell, she saw three small characters.
Hehuan Bell!
Seeing Bi Yao’s face full of joy, as if she were just short of laughing herself breathless, Zhang Xiaofan figured this must be an extremely powerful magical treasure that she had accidentally obtained. A burst of discomfort rose in his heart, and he said coldly, “Have you found a way out?”
Bi Yao’s eyes were entirely fixed on the little bell before her. She answered casually, “No!”
Zhang Xiaofan turned his head away and said blandly, “Then you can hug that golden bell and die in this cave.”
Bi Yao froze. Thinking about it, she realized this was indeed the case. Right now, the most important thing was to first find a way out and escape this place. She hurriedly asked, “Did you find one?”
Zhang Xiaofan silently shook his head. The two looked at each other. Bi Yao put away her smile and said seriously, “Then let’s look for a path first!”
With life and death before them, Zhang Xiaofan silently nodded. At once, the two of them joined forces to search the tunnel and cave, carefully examining every wall, every crack. Zhang Xiaofan even ignored Bi Yao’s fierce objection and inspected the statues of Holy Mother Youming and Heavenly Fiend Ming King as well, but still found nothing.
When they met again before the pile of shattered bones, seeing the dejected expression on each other’s faces, both their complexions dimmed.
Bi Yao said hoarsely, “Are we really going to die here?”
Zhang Xiaofan lowered his head, his expression impossible to see. Bi Yao also fell silent. All at once, the shadow of death covered these two still-young lives.
After a long while, amid complete silence, with neither of them saying anything, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly sprang to his feet, turned, and walked away. Bi Yao was startled. “What are you doing?”
Zhang Xiaofan clenched his teeth and said, “I’m going to search again. There must be a way out. We definitely won’t die here!”
And in his heart, there was still another sentence he did not say aloud, echoing for a long, long time: I must see Senior Sister Ling’er again. Even if I die, I have to be buried on Big Bamboo Peak!
Bi Yao did not move. She only sat on the platform, watching Zhang Xiaofan with a tense face as, at this moment of life and death, a powerful desire to survive suddenly burst forth in him, and he searched without stopping.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Four times.
Bi Yao could no longer remember just how many times Zhang Xiaofan had gone in and out of the stone chamber and cave. Each time, he returned empty-handed, yet he still did not lose heart. She did not know why his nature was so stubborn, or whether his desire to live was truly so strong. He kept searching for a way out, constantly, endlessly…
Until his steps began to sway. Until he no longer had strength. Until he passed by Bi Yao, his body tottered, and he fell, crashing heavily to the ground, unconscious.
Bi Yao stared blankly. After hesitating for a moment, she walked over and turned his body over. After checking him, she knew there was no great danger, only that he had overexerted himself, and with hunger and thirst added on, had fainted. Only then did she feel relieved.
But suddenly she froze, asking herself deep in her heart: “Why should I be relieved? Why do I feel a breath of relief because he’s all right?”
This thought flashed through her heart like lightning.
She looked deeply at him. The boy’s still-young face was now somewhat haggard from injury, hunger, and thirst. Even his lips were cracked and dry.
Bi Yao gently laid him down and gazed at him for a long while. Softly, she said, “Since we’re destined to die here together, I don’t want to be left alone too soon. At least having someone to keep me company is better.”
She walked out to the little pool near the cave entrance and brought back some water. Then she took out some dry rations and mixed them with water, wanting to feed Zhang Xiaofan.
Unexpectedly, perhaps because Zhang Xiaofan was unconscious, he could not eat even a bit of the rations. He only drank some water in a daze from Bi Yao’s waterskin, yet never woke.
After being busy for a long time, Bi Yao herself was also tired. Seeing that Zhang Xiaofan’s condition seemed stable, she gradually closed her eyes as well and fell into a deep sleep.
She did not know how long she slept before waking. Her first reaction was to immediately look toward where Zhang Xiaofan had been. Seeing that Zhang Xiaofan was still lying there peacefully, motionless and fast asleep, she finally felt at ease. Yet she could not help muttering a low curse, “Why are you like a dead pig!”
As she spoke, she smiled herself, as if merely looking at this boy made her own mood improve. Even the death that was soon to arrive not far ahead of them was temporarily forgotten.
But suddenly she felt that although Zhang Xiaofan was still sleeping soundly, his face was flushed, and something seemed not quite right. She hurriedly reached out to check him. The moment she touched him, he was burning hot to the hand. She was immediately startled. She had not expected Zhang Xiaofan to fall ill not earlier or later, but to come down with a high fever at this critical moment.
Generally speaking, people of the cultivation path naturally had strong bodies and in ordinary times did not suffer from common illnesses. But over the past few days, Zhang Xiaofan had suffered heavy injuries one after another; not only was his mind and strength exhausted, his body had also been greatly damaged. In the end, within this Dripping Blood Cave, he had disregarded his body and desperately searched for a way out, overtaxing himself. After falling unconscious, he had actually developed a high fever.
His illness was truly not light. For a long time, the fever did not recede—inside the cave, Bi Yao did not know exactly how many days had passed. Helpless, she could only fetch more cool water to lower his temperature, but it was completely useless.
Later, with Zhang Xiaofan’s high fever not subsiding, he actually began to speak deliriously. Bi Yao was anxious and worried. Whenever she thought that from then on she might have to wait for death alone in this empty, silent cave, she nearly felt her hair stand on end. At this moment, even one delirious word from Zhang Xiaofan—even a single breath—compared to those terrifying days to come, was almost like immortal music.
But no matter how Bi Yao racked her brains for methods, in truth all she could do was fetch more water. In this cave there was neither doctor nor medicine; how could she be of any help? Zhang Xiaofan’s illness grew heavier by the day, and his delirious mutterings became more and more frequent.
On this day, Bi Yao was guarding anxiously at Zhang Xiaofan’s side as he lay unconscious, when suddenly she saw him turn over. His whole body curled up, and in his daze he cried out in terror, “Ghosts, ghosts, ghosts…” Then abruptly he gnashed his teeth. “You killed my father and mother, killed everyone in the village. I’ll fight you to the death!”
Bi Yao was startled and hurriedly hugged him, saying again and again, “No, no! There are no ghosts here!”
Whether or not her words had an effect, Zhang Xiaofan gradually quieted down. The terrified expression on his face also slowly calmed. But what followed was an expression of utter heartbreak.
His eyes remained tightly shut as he murmured, “Senior Sister, Senior Sister, don’t ignore me. I… I want… don’t ignore me…”
Bi Yao froze. A sudden pang of bitterness rose in her heart, but from somewhere, courage came to her. In a gentle voice, she said, “No. Your Senior Sister is here. She won’t ignore you.”
A smile immediately appeared on Zhang Xiaofan’s face, as though at this moment he was the happiest he had ever been. He kept murmuring, “Senior Sister, Senior Sister…”
Bi Yao looked at that face of his, where amid suffering there was a faint trace of fragile happiness, and a sliver of pain actually swept through her heart.
What kind of person was that woman he missed so deeply, that Senior Sister whom he could not forget even after losing consciousness?
She suddenly recalled that day beneath the Abyss of the Dead, the Qingyun Sect female disciple holding the blue immortal sword whom Zhang Xiaofan had desperately defended. Could it be her?
Bi Yao frowned. She remembered very clearly that the woman had been born with an incomparably beautiful face. To call her beauty enough to topple a nation would not be excessive. No wonder Zhang Xiaofan was so infatuated with her! But no matter how clever Bi Yao was, naturally she would not know that the one Zhang Xiaofan could not forget was Tian Ling’er, still on Big Bamboo Peak of Qingyun Mountain.
In the days that followed, Bi Yao remained constantly by Zhang Xiaofan’s side. From his delirious mutterings, she heard more about him. She learned that he had been born in a place called Grass Temple Village. She learned of that terrifying tragedy in which the entire village had been slaughtered. She also learned that the woman he yearned for in his heart was his Senior Sister on Big Bamboo Peak. However, she still was not very certain whether this Senior Sister was the woman holding the blue immortal sword that day.
Only, during these days of caring for Zhang Xiaofan, even Bi Yao herself felt that she had developed a strange feeling toward this boy. Gazing each day at his haggard face had almost become her only way to pass the dull time.
She often gazed at him like this for a very, very long time, yet she never thought that in the stone chamber on the other side lay the Devil Cult’s classic, wondrous text—the Heavenly Tome.
Sometimes, after Zhang Xiaofan fell asleep, she would slowly pace over to the passage of words left by Lady Jinling and gaze at it for a long while. Then she would softly say, “My lady, the ancient traditions of the sect say that you once left behind an admonition: all men in this world are faithless. But have you seen? This man named Zhang Xiaofan is truly very devoted.”
In this empty, silent cave, no one answered her question. Only when she turned away, that little golden bell let out a clear and pleasant chime beside her, echoing softly through the cave, as though telling of something.
It was as if, somewhere in the unseen, a pair of eyes gentle beyond measure, and a lingering wisp of a soul that would not depart, were gazing at them, winding around them.