Chapter 158 — Struggle

Zhou Yixuan began slowly: "The truth of the matter is this. When I, old sir, was young, I was handsome and dashing, elegant and refined, endowed with extraordinary talent, and brilliant beyond compare... er, don't look at me like that—I'll go on, I'll go on. When I, old sir, was young, I made my living gathering herbs. Once I went deep into the mountains to gather herbs and accidentally fell into a bottomless cliff..."

Ming Li, Xiaowan, and the Wild Wolf Daoist all frowned at once, but Zhou Yixuan seemed to grow more and more pleased as he spoke. He continued, "But I, old sir, was fated for longevity. My clothes snagged on a pine tree in midair, which broke most of my fall, and then I dropped further—only to find, to my astonishment, that at the bottom of the cliff lay a pool of water. And so I, old sir, escaped death by sheer luck..."

Xiaowan could not help cutting in, "Grandpa, this story of yours—why does it feel like I've heard it somewhere before? And it seems plenty of people tell it this way. In so many romances and storytellers' tales, the great heroes always have to fall off a cliff at least once..."

Zhou Yixuan glared at Xiaowan. "Am I telling this or are you? Shut up. Er—where was I? Ah, yes, I fell off the cliff, but I, old sir, was fated for longevity and escaped death by luck. What came next—I stumbled by chance upon a secret manual left behind by some venerable master from I know not how many years past. I, old sir, being naturally gifted, comprehended the manual there beneath the cliff, fed upon the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, and as time flowed past, I at last attained the fruits of cultivation and became an immortal..."

Ming Li said coldly, "Apart from your name, is there any part of you that resembles an immortal?"

Zhou Yixuan choked for a moment, his face somewhat embarrassed, but he quickly recovered his composure and declared with dignity, "I, old sir, act for the sake of the world's common people, doing good and accumulating merit—that is why I play my part among mortals."

Ming Li said mildly, "Then are you about to tell me that your earth-escape art was learned from that secret manual?"

Zhou Yixuan nodded vigorously and said solemnly, "Precisely so. The child is teachable." But when he had finished, he turned to look at the others around him—not Ming Li, but Xiaowan and the Wild Wolf Daoist, on whose faces the word "disbelief" was written plainly and unmistakably.

Ming Li regarded the man. Naturally he did not believe such nonsense either, but since Zhou Yixuan had spoken thus, it was clear that, whatever the case, he was unwilling to reveal his true origins and identity. Yet though this man seemed to have some tie to Canglan Mountain, Ming Li had spent time in his company before without anything untoward coming of it. Moreover, in Ming Li's heart, he had always, to one degree or another, regarded Zhou Yixuan and his two companions with a certain special favor.

At that thought, Ming Li was unwilling to press him further—though he was also unwilling to say much more. He was just about to bid the few of them a word or two and take his leave when suddenly, at that very moment, from the distant crowd to the south of He Yin City, a chorus of terrified shrieks burst forth, the sound shrill and ghastly in the extreme.

Everyone started and turned to look back. Along the crowded street, the common folk all turned their heads as one. In the distance, the high city wall—which had also been thronged with people—was now a scene of people running in every direction. Through the misty rain, a shrill shriek rang out across the sky. A colossal bird of prey spread its wings and swooped down from the heavens, its great eyes flickering with a sinister blood-red light. Its outstretched wings, astonishingly, spanned the width of half a city gate—truly horrifying.

The giant bird stirred up a tremendous wind, and the gale came howling in. The masts atop the city wall were snapped clean by the ferocious blast and came crashing down. The people on the wall, terrified beyond measure, fled in all directions. The giant bird descended from the sky with a shriek, and its huge, razor-sharp talons, like a demon's hands, seized two fleeing people outright, then soared back into the heavens, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.

The whole of He Yin City fell instantly into a dead silence. A long while later, no one knew who was the first to scream aloud: "Beast-demons—the beast-demons are here! We're done for!..."

In an instant the entire city was plunged into hysteria. Countless people wailed and wept, cries of grief rising on every side, and all was chaos.

Only the misty rain between heaven and earth went on falling quietly, as though nothing had happened at all.