When Zhang Xiaofan awoke, the sky had already gone completely dark. He must have slept for at least five or six shichen, yet Biyao still had not woken. Her hands clutched tightly at his clothes, and she looked like a frightened, timid child. Who could have imagined that she was, in truth, an important figure in the Demon Sect?
Zhang Xiaofan put his hands beneath his head and listened to the mountain wind rustling through the trees, making a soft “sasa” sound. All at once, he thought of Qingyun Mountain’s Dazhu Peak, and those stretches of bamboo forest there—did they not make the same sound?
These past days, I’ve been missing beneath the Wanfu Ancient Cave. The news has probably already reached Dazhu Peak. I wonder, after Senior Sister Ling’er hears of it, will she be a little sad? But if I suddenly appear before her, she’ll surely be happy too, won’t she? She’ll definitely grab my hand at once, excited beyond measure, laughing and scolding me: Stinking brat, I knew you wouldn’t die that easily!
In the gradually deepening darkness of night, a smile rose on his face. Even his eyes seemed so bright in the blackness. Yet he did not see that beside him was another pair of bright eyes, gazing at him quietly, no one knew since when.
※※※
Day broke again, and birdsong rang out in the mountains, crisp and pleasing to the ear.
Zhang Xiaofan walked to the side of the stream, cupped his hands together, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it onto his face. The cool sensation seemed to seep straight into his heart. He checked his left hand, removed the bandage, and found that the broken bone had actually more or less healed. Delighted, he took the fire poker that had been bound to his hand and tucked it at his waist, then moved his left hand vigorously. Sure enough, there was nothing seriously wrong.
“Is your hand better?” Biyao walked over from behind him, glanced at him, then crouched down to wash her face with the stream water.
“Yeah.” Zhang Xiaofan said, beaming with joy, “It’s nothing serious now. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
Biyao gently wiped away the droplets on her face with her sleeve and said, “Don’t move it around recklessly either. Injuries to muscles and bones need more time to rest before they’re truly healed.”
“I know.” Zhang Xiaofan answered offhandedly, then looked at Biyao. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Miss Biyao, now that by great fortune we’ve preserved our lives and escaped from within that mountain, you and I can be considered to have, well, made friends. But in the end, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Let us part here today.”
Biyao crouched by the water and did not rise, but her body seemed to tremble. Zhang Xiaofan could not see her expression. After a while, he heard her say in a low voice, “Oh, so our paths are different?”
Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said, “Yes. I belong to the righteous path, and you are of the Demon Sect. Since I was young, my teachers and elders taught me that righteousness and evil cannot coexist. The next time we meet, I fear you and I will be enemies rather than friends. In the belly of that mountain, you looked after me and saved me. I am truly grateful in my heart. For this kindness, if fate allows in the future, I will naturally repay you.”
Biyao stared blankly at the hazy figure reflected in the clear water and murmured, “Repay me?”
Zhang Xiaofan answered, “Yes. We distinguish clearly between gratitude and grudges. If not for you saving me, I would never have survived. In the future, if there is any place where I can be of service, I will naturally do what I can.” At this point, he suddenly felt that something was amiss and hurriedly added, “But you cannot ask me to do anything that betrays my sect or the principles of righteousness.”
Biyao suddenly stood up, turned her head, and said, “I think you count as a talent. Why not join our Holy Sect? I’ll recommend you to my father. He has always cherished talented people, and he will surely be willing to make important use of you. That would be far better than being an unknown cook on Dazhu Peak.”
Zhang Xiaofan’s face immediately darkened. “Miss Biyao, do not speak nonsense. I am a person of the righteous path. I would rather die than enter the demonic way. In my view, being a lowly little cook on Dazhu Peak is far better than calling wind and summoning rain in your Demon Sect.”
A trace of a cold smile appeared at the corner of Biyao’s mouth, and her words became sharp and icy. “A person of the righteous path? The sins committed by you people of the righteous path are no fewer than those committed by us people of the demonic way. Back then, during the great war between righteousness and demons, weren’t those immortal ancestral masters of yours the same, killing everyone they saw, sparing not even the old, the weak, women, and children!”
“Nonsense!” Zhang Xiaofan flew into a rage. “Those are all fine deeds done by your Demon Sect. Do you think I don’t know? Back then, you slaughtered people across the fields and plunged all living beings into misery…”
Biyao said angrily, “Did you see any of that with your own eyes? Wasn’t it all told to you by your teachers and elders? For the sake of their own face, how could they possibly tell you the truth?”
Zhang Xiaofan gave a cold laugh and said, “Then did you see it with your own eyes? You stand here telling me that the righteous path was evil and the Demon Sect was righteous—aren’t those also words your elders used to whitewash their own ancestors?”
Biyao was stunned and, for a moment, could not speak. Zhang Xiaofan looked at her twice, then thought back to how they had lived and died together these past few days. His heart softened, and he lowered his voice, saying gently, “Miss Biyao, no matter what those before us did, let us not bother with them. It is only that the rules of our Qingyun Sect are strict, and disciples are strictly forbidden from associating with people of the Demon Sect. I grew up in Qingyun and do not dare violate them. Let us part here today. If fate allows, we may meet again in the future. If you can wake from your errors and abandon darkness for the light, I, Zhang Xiaofan, will certainly stake my life and all I have to vouch for you, so that you may enter the righteous path…”
He spoke with conviction, but as he went on, he stopped. He only saw Biyao’s face full of mockery, her cold laughter unceasing. “You so-called righteous path people are nothing but dogshit. Even if you begged me to go, I wouldn’t. And you still talk about abandoning darkness for the light. Fine then. I showed you a bright road, and you refuse to walk it, so go be your righteous-path person. When we meet again one day, I’ll be the first to take your head!”
Zhang Xiaofan was startled, only feeling that this woman changed her face faster than turning a page. But in the end, he had no heart to argue. Moreover, facing Biyao, he always felt there was something he owed her. At once, he cupped his hands and said, “Take care.” With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
Biyao watched him walk farther and farther away. He truly did not turn back even once. After his figure disappeared into the forest, her heart suddenly felt hollow, as though she had lost something important. All at once, her whole person seemed to lose its spirit, and she slowly sat down. Her gaze drifted about and inadvertently swept over the pile of ashes from the fire where Zhang Xiaofan had roasted the rabbit last night. She froze there, and without realizing it, tears began to fall.
She looked at that pile of ashes and simply sat there, not knowing how much time had passed, until she suddenly discovered that the crisp birdsong that had originally filled the forest behind her had all gone still, as if the birds had sensed some ominous, deadly aura and did not dare make a sound.
Then she saw a black shadow slowly move out from behind her, enveloping her within it.
Though it was daytime, for some reason, it seemed as if the sky had grown overcast as well.
Biyao abruptly turned back and stared blankly at the person behind her. After a long while, she suddenly cried out in a grief-stricken voice, “Father!…” and threw herself into that person’s arms.
That shadow seemed also to be stunned for a moment, as though he had never imagined Biyao would make such a gesture. Yet seeing his daughter escape a great calamity, that joy could no longer be concealed.
※※※
Zhang Xiaofan walked through the mountain forest for an entire day before leaving the boundaries of Kongsang Mountain. Originally, if he had flown through the air, he could have made it out in half a day, but mindful of the injury to his left hand, he was still willing to walk the extra distance. It was just that Kongsang Mountain had always been sparsely populated, and along the way he did not even see a single person.
After spending a night in the wild mountains, Zhang Xiaofan stepped onto the official road. Not only did the road become broad and open, but people gradually became more numerous as well. He asked travelers on the road, inquired about the direction, and headed north.
At noon that day, the sun was directly overhead and the heat was intense. Zhang Xiaofan had hurried on for half the day and was quite hungry and thirsty. Seeing a small tea stall by the roadside, set up beneath a large tree, with already five or six customers sitting inside, he thought it looked cool and shaded, so he walked over, bought a bowl of tea to drink, and sat down to rest along the way.
Not to mention, the tea from this little tea stall was actually quite cool and thirst-quenching. After Zhang Xiaofan drank a bowl, he felt comfortable from head to toe, as though even the day was no longer so hot. In his heart, he began to ponder: judging by how the injury on his hand had already greatly improved, in the afternoon he would find some deserted, quiet place and fly back through the air. That would be faster and would let him see his master sooner.
As he thought and thought, he naturally thought of how he would soon be able to see his senior sister Tian Ling’er, and could not help feeling warmth stir in his heart. Just then, from one side of the main road, a gentle voice sounded: “Boss, bring me a bowl of tea.”
A rare breeze at noon blew past, stirring the branches and leaves of the large tree. Flecks of broken sunlight filtered through and scattered over the ground. The tea-stall owner, who looked to be over fifty, acknowledged the request and bent down to pour the tea. Zhang Xiaofan glanced over casually, and then could no longer pull his gaze away.
It was a middle-aged scholar, with slender brows and a square face. His features looked refined and elegant, but his eyes shone brightly, and his forehead was full. Within that scholarly grace was an imposing air that commanded awe without anger. He wore a scholar’s robe, and at his waist hung a pale purple jade pendant, exquisitely carved and translucent, faintly carrying an auspicious aura. One glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary object.
Zhang Xiaofan looked for a long while before suddenly realizing that he had actually been taken in by this middle-aged scholar’s bearing. He only felt that the moment this man entered, the five or six customers originally drinking tea in the stall—including himself—had all fallen silent, unable to speak, suppressed by this person’s presence.
Zhang Xiaofan withdrew his gaze, but inwardly he was faintly amazed, and greatly admired the middle-aged scholar’s bearing. Though the man did not appear especially handsome, this aura that came from within was truly rare.
The scholar entered the tea stall, accepted the tea the owner handed him, sat down casually, and began slowly savoring it. The surrounding customers, who had originally been chatting and laughing, now fell silent one by one. Within the tea stall, the atmosphere became strangely quiet for a time. Only that middle-aged scholar remained calm and composed, not seeming to notice the situation around him in the slightest as he drank tea and rested by himself.
After a while, the other customers, whether they had rested enough or finished their tea, paid their bills and left one after another. The owner came over to clear away the bowls. Beneath this large tree, only Zhang Xiaofan and that middle-aged scholar remained.
Zhang Xiaofan did not feel particularly uncomfortable, but after sitting a while longer, he felt he had rested enough and was just thinking of paying and leaving when he suddenly heard a voice behind him: “Little brother.”
Zhang Xiaofan was startled. Hearing that gentle, familiar voice, he turned his head and saw the scholar smiling at him calmly. Surprised, he said, “Sir, were you calling me?”
The scholar nodded with a smile and said, “Precisely.” As he spoke, he stood and walked over slowly. Zhang Xiaofan rose as well. When the man came near, Zhang Xiaofan cupped his fist and said, “May I ask what matter you have, sir?”
The middle-aged scholar looked Zhang Xiaofan up and down and said, “Nothing. It is only that the journey is lonely, and I find little brother pleasing to the eye, so I came over to chat a little. Little brother, you do not mind, do you?”
Zhang Xiaofan hurriedly shook his head and said, “Not at all. Sir, please sit.”
The scholar smiled and nodded. “Come, little brother, you sit as well.”
The two sat down. The scholar looked at Zhang Xiaofan and said, “May I ask little brother’s honorable surname and great name?”
Zhang Xiaofan had grown up in Caomiao Village since childhood, and was later taken in by Qingyun Sect. Over the years, aside from his fellow disciples on Qingyun Mountain’s Dazhu Peak, he had almost never spoken with outsiders. Of course, the days when he and that Demon Sect girl Biyao had been trapped beneath the Dead Spirit Abyss did not count. Speaking with this scholar now, for some reason, he first felt a measure of respect for this man in his heart. At once, he said respectfully, “I would not dare. I am Zhang Xiaofan. May I ask your great name, sir?”
The scholar first repeated, “Zhang Xiaofan,” then nodded, smiled faintly, and said, “My surname is Wan, courtesy name Renwang.”
“Wan Renwang!” Zhang Xiaofan repeated the name in his heart. The name sounded ordinary when spoken, yet it gave one a sense of golden spears and iron horses. Zhang Xiaofan could not help looking at him. Wan Renwang’s face was gentle, but the might between his brows seemed almost innate, extraordinarily heavy. Paired with this name, there was faintly a meaning of commanding the multitudes.
Wan Renwang looked Zhang Xiaofan up and down and smiled. “Forgive me for asking one more question. Might Little Brother Zhang perhaps be a cultivator?”
Zhang Xiaofan was startled. After he and Qi Hao and the others had descended the mountain, for the sake of convenience on the road, they had all changed out of their Qingyun clothing and put on ordinary garments. He looked no different from an ordinary person. He did not know how this middle-aged man had seen through it.
While he was still surprised and about to ask how the middle-aged man knew, he saw the man smile faintly and point toward the north. “May I ask, Little Brother Zhang, are you a disciple of Qingyun Mountain, the foremost great sect of the righteous path today?”
Zhang Xiaofan’s shock grew even greater. He could not help standing up, looking at Wan Renwang, and said in astonishment, “May I ask, Brother Wan, how… how did you know?”
Wan Renwang waved his hand with a smile. “Please sit, please sit.”
Only after Zhang Xiaofan slowly sat down did Wan Renwang smile and say, “I saw that Little Brother Zhang’s spirit is full and his qi abundant. Having traveled all this way, you show no signs of fatigue. Though you look young, you surpass many men in their prime. In today’s world, the practice of cultivation flourishes. I thought that you must certainly possess extraordinary skills.”
Zhang Xiaofan lowered his head and thanked him modestly, but could not help asking, “Then how did you know my sect, sir?”
Wan Renwang smiled casually. “Nothing special. I saw that little brother was travel-worn and kept gazing north, your face bearing an expression of longing, as if your heart had already flown home. And to the north, the closest and most famous cultivation sect to this place is Qingyun Sect. Speaking of it, I was merely making a random guess and speaking nonsense offhand. I have made Little Brother Zhang laugh at me.”
Zhang Xiaofan hurriedly said, “Not at all, not at all. Sir, your insight is so keen. You and I have never met, yet you could see it with one glance. I truly admire you, truly admire you!” These words came sincerely from his heart.
Wan Renwang smiled faintly and said, “The Qingyun Sect has long been famous in the cultivation path of this world. Its origins are deep and enduring, its Daoist arts profound, and it is admired by all under heaven. Little brother, to have entered such a renowned sect at such a young age, your future prospects are limitless!”
When Zhang Xiaofan heard the words “limitless prospects,” his heart stirred, and for no reason at all, he thought of Qi Hao from Longshou Peak. At the end, the image of Lin Jingyu also flashed through his mind. He shook his head and said, “Sir, you praise me too highly. In Qingyun Sect, disciples of hidden dragons and crouching tigers abound. I am but a piece of rotten wood, unworthy of being shaped into anything.”
Wan Renwang was startled, then laughed despite himself. “I did not expect that Little Brother Zhang could tell jokes as well.”
Zhang Xiaofan did not wish to argue with him on this topic, so he asked him, “Brother Wan, you look travel-worn yourself. I wonder where you are headed?”
Wan Renwang rose leisurely, clasped his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and said, “The world is vast, boundless and without end. I travel through the mortal realm, going wherever I please, whether to great mountains or ancient marshes.”
“Ah!” Zhang Xiaofan exclaimed in admiration. “So that is how it is.”
Wan Renwang turned back to look at Zhang Xiaofan, and a strange smile suddenly flashed across his face. “Since Little Brother Zhang is a disciple of Qingyun, your Daoist arts must be profound.”
Zhang Xiaofan hurriedly shook his head. “No, no. I am merely an unworthy person in Qingyun Sect. How could my Daoist arts be called profound?”
Wan Renwang smiled faintly and said, “Little Brother Zhang is too modest. I have an unreasonable request. I hope Little Brother Zhang might grant it.”
Zhang Xiaofan was startled. “Brother Wan, please speak.”
Wan Renwang said, “Since childhood, I have admired eminent cultivators such as yourself. Unfortunately, my fate was insufficient, and I could not enter the proper gate. Moreover, the ability of such lofty people to ride magic treasures through the nine heavens is something I have dreamed of day and night. For decades, there has not been a single day when I have not longed to behold an immortal family’s magic treasure. Little Brother Zhang is a disciple of a renowned sect. Might you fulfill this small wish of mine?” After speaking, he actually bowed deeply and performed a great salute.
Zhang Xiaofan was left speechless. Seeing Wan Renwang bow, he became even more flustered and hurriedly supported him. In his heart, he was truly troubled. After hesitating for a moment, he saw that Wan Renwang was still looking at him with a face full of expectation. He sighed and said, “I do not fear Brother Wan laughing at me. It is not that I am unwilling to let Brother Wan see it. It is just that… just that my magic treasure is not presentable. I fear it may be unworthy…”
Wan Renwang immediately said, “What does that matter? An immortal family’s magic treasure—how could there be any reason it would be unpresentable?”
Zhang Xiaofan’s face flushed slightly. In the end, he could not let go of his pride. He pulled the fire poker from his waist and handed it over. Seeing him pass over such an object, a look of surprise also flashed across Wan Renwang’s face, but it vanished immediately, and he accepted it solemnly.
Zhang Xiaofan saw his expression and smiled bitterly. “Not to mention you—even those in my own sect often laugh at me.” After saying this, Zhang Xiaofan’s heart suddenly jumped. He only felt that he was acting very strangely today. Before this person whom he had never met, why did it seem as if he was willing to tell him anything?
Wan Renwang, however, did not notice Zhang Xiaofan. His gaze was entirely fixed on that fire poker. Originally, his face was solemn, though there was still some casualness in his eyes. But gradually, he seemed to see something. Not only did his expression darken, but his eyes stared fixedly at this black, ugly stick.
Zhang Xiaofan watched from the side and only felt that Wan Renwang looked very strange. He held the foot-long fire poker before him, examining it carefully, supporting it with his right hand while the five slender fingers of his left hand gently stroked and lightly tapped along the body of the stick, with extreme care. Zhang Xiaofan could not help asking, “Brother Wan, is something wrong?”
Wan Renwang seemed to wake from a dream. After hesitating for a moment, he returned the fire poker to Zhang Xiaofan and said, “Little Brother Zhang, because I admire the immortal path, I have read some books in this area. There are some things I would like to ask Little Brother Zhang about.”
Zhang Xiaofan said, “Please ask.”
Wan Renwang’s gaze swept over the fire poker. “May I ask, Little Brother Zhang, does this magic treasure contain your blood essence?”
Zhang Xiaofan was greatly shocked. In an instant, the terrifying scene from that year in the secluded valley behind Dazhu Peak flashed through his mind. He abruptly stood up, pointed at Wan Renwang, and said, “You… what did you say?”
Wan Renwang looked at him and slowly said, “May I ask, Little Brother Zhang, was this magic treasure formed by combining two objects into one?”
One of the secrets Zhang Xiaofan had hidden in the deepest recesses of his heart had now actually been spoken aloud by this man. This shock was no small matter. He only felt a buzzing in his head and could not speak.
Wan Renwang looked at Zhang Xiaofan’s astonished expression and naturally understood that his guess had been correct. He seemed to lower his head slightly, as if recalling something, and faintly sighed. “You do not know, do you? The bead on this stick was originally a sacred object of the Demon Sect.”
Zhang Xiaofan grew more and more shocked, almost holding his breath. Yet deep in his heart, there was a voice that seemed to laugh coldly: You knew long ago. You knew long ago. This stick is so sinister; naturally, it is an evil object of the Demon Sect.
“You… what did you say?” Zhang Xiaofan panted heavily, staring at him, speaking word by word.
“This bead is a relic left behind eight hundred years ago by the Demon Sect’s ancestral master, Old Man Blackheart.” Wan Renwang’s words were like nails, driving one by one into the tip of Zhang Xiaofan’s heart. “Its name is the ‘Blood-devouring Bead.’”
Zhang Xiaofan’s entire body went still. He held his breath, but countless thoughts surged and twisted through his mind. Yet there was one image he could not shake away: that skeleton in the secret cave within the belly of Kongsang Mountain!
Wan Renwang looked at his shocked appearance, paused for a moment, then said lightly, “Little Brother Zhang, now that you know the origin of this bead, I wonder whether you are still willing to know the origin of this black short staff?”
Zhang Xiaofan’s body trembled. He could not speak, only stared straight at Wan Renwang.