Chapter 158 — Struggle

Silence once more covered everything. Outside the window the rain was heavy, and in the wind there seemed still to drift a low sound of sobbing. Beyond the little house, at the edge of the bamboo grove, Master Shuijing stood silently, holding an oiled-cloth blue umbrella, staring blankly at that house amid wind and rain.

Then she slowly turned and walked away, vanishing into the bamboo grove.

Between heaven and earth, the wind and rain sighed—a desolate hour indeed.

********

In He Yin City, it was raining as well. Zhou Yixuan, Xiao Wan, and the Wild Wolf Daoist emerged from another out-of-the-way alley and merged into the crowded main street. They took a few steps, then retreated to the roadside and stood there—first, because there were simply too many people to walk, and second, to take shelter from the rain and discuss matters.

By now the three had split into two camps. Xiao Wan insisted they return to that gloomy manor of the Yizhuang to take another look, while Zhou Yixuan refused outright no matter what; and this time, for the first time in his life, the Wild Wolf Daoist sided with Zhou Yixuan.

Xiao Wan was outnumbered, but she was quick-tongued, and argued alone against two. Moreover, though the Wild Wolf Daoist disagreed with her this time, a single glare from Xiao Wan usually left him speechless, so most of the time it was Zhou Yixuan alone who opposed her.

Standing by the roadside now, Zhou Yixuan lowered his voice: "You silly girl, what would you go back to such a dangerous place for? To go back and die?"

Xiao Wan curled her lip. "For all the years you've lived, Grandpa, haven't you ever heard of a thing called moral duty?"

Zhou Yixuan said angrily, "Moral duty? Moral duty my ass! What good is moral duty once you're dead? That ghost-like fellow is fearsome beyond measure—going back would be walking straight to our deaths!"

The Wild Wolf Daoist nodded beside him. "Quite right, going back is indeed unwise..." Xiao Wan's gaze swung over and gave him a white-eyed glare; his heart skipped, and he immediately could not continue.

Xiao Wan turned back to Zhou Yixuan. "Grandpa, if that person hadn't saved us last night, we'd have been dead long ago, and we wouldn't be standing here arguing about moral duty at all. Now can't we at least go back and take a look?"

Zhou Yixuan's expression did not change. "Precisely because he saved us, we ought to cherish our own lives all the more. Otherwise, if we walk right into the net and fall into the tiger's mouth again, would we not be betraying Ming Li's kindness?"

Xiao Wan was stumped, and for a moment actually could think of nothing to retort. Seeing this, Zhou Yixuan could not help but gloat, chuckling, "Nothing to say now, eh?"

Xiao Wan said angrily, "You know full well that man is steeped in ghostly aura and unfathomable, yet you don't care in the least about your own savior?"

Zhou Yixuan was utterly composed. "Set your mind at ease. That fellow Ming Li has cultivation to spare and magic treasures to spare; in ghostly aura I daresay he's gloomier than that coffin itself. Dying would be hard for him even if he wanted to. What are you worrying about?" He paused, then added, "Besides, didn't you read his fortune for him ten years ago? You said then that he had the 'Chaos-Demon physiognomy,' one in ten thousand—full of storms and twists, yes, but not a fate of early death. So what are you still worried about..."

"What, you once read my fortune?" Suddenly a voice popped out beside them. The three started violently and turned to look—Ming Li had appeared beside them at some unknown moment; in broad daylight, he seemed to have flashed out of the rainwater itself.

Though the rain had grown rather heavy by now, there were simply too many refugees in He Yin City, and most people, their hearts full of dread of the coming beast demons, paid the rain no mind. In truth, these past days the city had seen no few common folk driven to breakdown by overwrought nerves; fortunately, the Canglan Sect disciples were all in the city keeping order, and most such cases were handled within a short time. Still, with everyone on edge, the whole city was steeped day and night in an atmosphere teetering on the edge of madness.

Xiao Wan and the other two were all taken aback; then Xiao Wan was overjoyed, and could not help crying softly, "It's you..."

But Zhou Yixuan and the Wild Wolf Daoist both frowned at the same moment, and Zhou Yixuan gave a cold hum and actually said the same words: "It's you..."

Ming Li ignored Zhou Yixuan and the other; he first glanced at Xiao Wan, and seeing the unmistakable genuine joy on her young face, he could not help a trace of warmth in his own eyes. He nodded slightly and said, "It's me."

At this moment the monkey Xiao Hui, draped over Ming Li's shoulder, its fur soaked through by the rain, also chirped twice at Xiao Wan and grinned, seeming likewise very glad to see her.

Xiao Wan beamed. "So you still remember me, huh." Then she looked up at Ming Li, hesitated a moment, and said, "Last night, were—were you all right?"

Ming Li nodded. "I'm fine."

Only then did Xiao Wan relax. She looked at Ming Li a couple more times, and then, somehow, her face suddenly flushed; she quickly turned her eyes to Xiao Hui, smiled, and opened her arms. "Come, come let me hold you."

Xiao Hui gave two silly chirps, then suddenly kicked off, sprang from Ming Li's shoulder, and leaped straight into Xiao Wan's arms. Xiao Wan giggled, feeling that the monkey was soaking wet, and was about to take out a cloth to wipe it down, when the monkey, seeming to find its own condition uncomfortable, suddenly shook its whole body, sending droplets flying everywhere. Xiao Wan gave a startled cry, yet was unwilling to drop the monkey, and could only squeeze her eyes shut; a moment later her face, her body, and the front of her clothes were all covered in droplets by the little beast.

Xiao Wan opened her eyes and shot Xiao Hui a glare; the monkey's three eyes blinked and blinked, motionless. Xiao Wan snorted, tossed with both hands, and threw Xiao Hui back onto Ming Li; the monkey scrambled up to Ming Li's shoulder in a few quick steps, and watching Xiao Wan hurriedly straighten her clothes, could not help chirping with laughter again.

Xiao Wan did not know whether to laugh or cry; biting her lower lip, she stole a glance at Ming Li, then lowered her head to tidy her garments. Ming Li turned and glanced at Zhou Yixuan, who felt somewhat guilty and said, "Hey, you brat, I was your savior back then—you—you mustn't do anything rash."

Ming Li pondered a moment and looked around; seeing that the common folk nearby were all absorbed in their own affairs and no one was paying attention here, he asked Zhou Yixuan, "Just who are you?"

Zhou Yixuan raised his head. "I am a man of lofty attainment."

Beside him, Xiao Wan and the Wild Wolf Daoist both gave a shudder—plainly the answer struck them as profoundly bizarre. Ming Li, however, clearly disregarded this "man of lofty attainment" and asked directly, without any change of expression, "Your earth-escape art last night—it has been lost for a very long time. But legend says such arts were the skill of Canglan Zi, founder of the Canglan Sect, when he roamed the jianghu in those years. How is it that you have it?"

He looked deeply at Zhou Yixuan. "What connection do you have with the Canglan Sect?"

Zhou Yixuan was silent a moment, then said, "Very well, matters having come to this, I will hide nothing from you..." Xiao Wan and the Wild Wolf Daoist both started; seeing that Zhou Yixuan's expression was grave and he did not seem to be joking, they could not help but grow serious.