Chapter 60 — Storm

The night was pitch-black, with neither moon nor stars visible, and not a glimmer of light in the sky.

Zhang Qingyue had been kneeling at the cave entrance for nearly six hours. The disciples of the other sects had mostly gone to sleep, and even the last fire burning in the cave on Dazhu Peak had, with the greatest reluctance, slowly died out.

Inside the cave, Tian Buhui seemed to say something, and Tian Lingsu almost immediately cried out: "Father!"

There was no sound, no follow-up. Zhang Qingyue did not know what had happened, but soon Song Dayi came out.

Zhang Qingyue raised his head and looked at his eldest senior brother. Song Dayi's face was full of reluctance, but in the end he hardened his heart and said: "Little junior brother, Master says your kneeling here is vexing him. He says if you must kneel, kneel farther away."

Zhang Qingyue's heart sank, but suddenly he felt a chill on his face, cold and icy. On this pitch-black night, it had begun to rain.

He said not a word, silently rose to his feet, walked into the distance, and at the edge of the dense forest, beneath an ancient tree, knelt down.

Song Dayi watched him for a long while, but saw his little junior brother's figure gradually blur in the night rain and mist. He gave a soft sigh, shook his head, and went back.

With a great "boom," thunder rolled across the heavens, white lightning clawed its way across the sky as if the pitch-black night were splitting into pieces. A moment later, raindrops the size of beans hammered down like pebbles, striking the rocks with a pitter-patter. Soon after, the rain came down in torrents.

In an instant the whole world was a blur. Zhang Qingyue was soaked through in a matter of moments, his clothes clinging tightly to his body, an indescribable chill seeping in. He raised his head and looked ahead; the night, already pitch-black, combined with the heavy rain, made it impossible to see anything at the cave.

Between heaven and earth, it seemed only he remained, here, suffering.

He lowered his head and did not move.

And this great rain seemed to be heaven's punishment as well, for it would not stop; the downpour showed no sign of letting up, lightning flashed and thunder roared, howling savagely over him!

Rainwater streamed down from between his hair, slid along his face. Zhang Qingyue could barely keep his eyes open, but just at this moment, in this wind and rain with no one else around, he suddenly saw before him a figure appear, a pair of feet, stepping before him.

He struggled to raise his head. Lightning flashed across the sky, thunder pealed, and by that faint light he made out that beautiful, sorrowful woman standing before him.

Zhang Qingyue was struck utterly dumb.

Lu Xueqi was drenched from head to toe as well. The lightning flashed and was gone in an instant, and her figure too became a hazy shadow in the darkness. Yet Zhang Qingyue could distinctly feel that she was right there before him.

On this night of violent storm and rain, such a gentle figure softly crouched down before him.

The rain grew more urgent, the wind more savage!

Deep in the woods, it seemed as though demons howled wildly, rustling and clattering.

A cold palm, trembling slightly, brushed across the tips of Zhang Qingyue's hair, and a voice like dream-talk, on this night of wind and rain, said softly: "Don't be afraid. It will pass soon!"

"..."

"I'll stay here with you!"

"..."

"Boom!" The thunder seemed to split the night sky, to shatter the soul. Where the wild lightning flashed, amid the howling wind and rain, when icy raindrops danced like demons, that gentle face, those gentle eyes, like the sweetest figure in a hidden dream, kept him company at his side.

In the wind and rain she murmured to herself, speaking to Zhang Qingyue, and yet as if to the depths of her own heart, softly, softly saying: "You saved me and protected me, at the risk of your own life, so I shall treat you the same.

The bitterness in your heart, heaven knows and I know. I cannot share your pain, so I shall bear it together with you. I only hope that one day, you can be happily together with the one you love..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, fading away. The wind and rain grew fiercer; that figure was so frail, like a wounded blade of grass in the wind, swaying unsteadily. Zhang Qingyue's heart wandered in a daze, as in a dream.

The night was black and heavy, and the heavens were silent!

The wind and rain raged for a long while before finally abating somewhat. Zhang Qingyue's whole body was icy cold, the chill invading his body; his hands and feet had long gone numb. He knew that if this continued, he would surely fall gravely ill, but no matter what, he was unwilling to get up and take shelter.

Yet in this cold, from the arm on his right side, a faint warmth seemed to come and go, slowly circulating within his body, warding off much of the chill. It seemed to come from that magic artifact, the Mystic Fire Mirror, bound to his right hand.

Zhang Qingyue suddenly thought again of that ghost-like woman from moments ago, and in his daze believed it had been Lu Xueqi, but by now he could no longer make out where any figure was, nor whether she had left or had never appeared at all.

At the thought, a bitter smile touched the corner of his mouth. He shook his head, sending water droplets flying. But just then, he distinctly heard a voice: "Silly boy!"

Zhang Qingyue started, hurriedly turned back, and nearly cried out "Senior Sister Lu!" But he saw, from deep in the dense forest, a young woman slowly emerge, holding an umbrella against the wind and rain, smiling brightly at him. It was someone he had never expected to see here -- the demon sect girl, Bili.

By now the rain, though lighter than before, was still heavy, and anything at any distance could not be seen clearly. Zhang Qingyue thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but when he looked closely, it really was Bili, walking over prettily, a trace of a smile on her face.

She was still dressed in water-green garments, still holding that blue-green oiled-cloth umbrella. But the wind and rain were so great that several places along the edge of her light clothing were wet too. As she came closer, he could see more clearly: those wet patches clung softly to her skin, faintly visible through the fabric.

Zhang Qingyue suddenly lowered his head and did not look at her.

Bili was taken aback. She crouched down before him, looked him up and down, and with a light laugh said: "You really are a strange one. In such heavy rain, you insist on kneeling here. Is this some cultivation method of your Canglan Sect too?"

Zhang Qingyue glared at her in annoyance, but saw that Bili's pretty face, in this dark night, was unexpectedly gentle as water, and he could not help but stare for a moment.

"Boom!" Thunder rumbled, rolling in from the dark clouds at the horizon. Almost at that very moment, a huge bolt of lightning split the sky, tearing the night in two; it flashed once before fading away. With this flash and peal, the rain, already pouring across the heavens, grew heavier still.

Bili frowned and moved a little closer. Zhang Qingyue suddenly realized that the raindrops that had been stinging his body had suddenly grown fewer, and he felt as if he had been under a heavy weight and was suddenly released, lightened all at once.

He looked up and saw that Bili had shifted half the umbrella over, shielding him from the rain. But the rain was so heavy that in caring for Zhang Qingyue, Bili could not help but neglect herself, and in an instant half her body was soaked.

A warmth rose in Zhang Qingyue's heart, and he could not help reaching out to push the umbrella back toward her, saying in a low voice: "You've just been gravely ill in the Blooddrop Cave. Be careful you don't catch cold."

Bili seemed to freeze for a moment, looking at Zhang Qingyue.

Her gaze made him uneasy, and he said in surprise: "What is it?"