Chapter 89 — A Good Man, a Wild Dog
劍問蒼天 · Page 2 of 6
"Here, take the umbrella!" the Wild Wolf Daoist said in a savage voice, as though he were defying someone.
Xiaowan stood up, astonished. "Daoist, you..."
The Wild Wolf Daoist's gaze flicked across her face, and he saw that on Xiaowan's faintly startled features, crystalline drops were quietly sliding down, some catching on her long, fine lashes and mirroring the beautiful light in her glistening eyes—breathtaking.
The Wild Wolf Daoist felt as if scorched by fire. He shoved the umbrella into her hand and immediately strode off, heedless of the storm, shouting, "You little girls, always pretending to be so pitiful all day long—wretched, wretched!"
Xiaowan held the umbrella and watched the Wild Wolf Daoist's retreating back, then suddenly laughed aloud, her voice clear and sweet as a wind chime in the rain. "Daoist, you're a good man!"
The Wild Wolf Daoist did not dare turn around. He spat. "Nonsense! Your Daoist was born from the seed of a villain and will spend his whole life fighting you righteous, good folk to the bitter end!"
Xiaowan stood holding the umbrella, smiling as she watched the Wild Wolf Daoist's figure.
No sooner had the umbrella left the Wild Wolf Daoist's hand than he was drenched from head to toe. He glanced around but could find no place to shelter. In the end he walked over to the small tree where Zhou Yixuan sat, gave a huff, and copied Zhou Yixuan's pose, tugging his collar up over his head and covering himself, silent, letting the wind and rain beat down on him.
Zhou Yixuan glanced sidelong at the Wild Wolf Daoist's ugly face and saw it twisted with confusion, now vexed, now embarrassed. He suddenly laughed aloud, and once he began he could not stop; he nearly forgot to keep holding up his robe, and "hahahaha" laughed and laughed.
The Wild Wolf Daoist flew into a shameful rage. "What are you laughing at?"
Zhou Yixuan pointed at him, roaring with laughter, heedless even of the rain on his face. "I'm a villain, I'm a villain..."
The Wild Wolf Daoist turned crimson. So Zhou Yixuan's ears were sharp indeed—what Xiaowan had not heard clearly, he had caught from a distance.
Now Zhou Yixuan saw the Wild Wolf Daoist, having done a good deed, acting as though he had violated some principle and looking thoroughly furious, and could not help but burst out laughing again, nearly doubling over.
The Wild Wolf Daoist was enraged. He sprang to his feet. Zhou Yixuan started and, still laughing, shuffled backward—but the rain had made the ground slippery, and his foot slipped. With a thud he fell backward into a mud pit, covered in muck.
The Wild Wolf Daoist was stunned. Seeing Zhou Yixuan flailing about, comical to no end, his fury melted away at once, and he too could not help but laugh aloud.
The two of them mocked and jeered at each other, then bickered without cease. Xiaowan stood off at a distance, smiling faintly, and did not go near.
By now the rain was pouring in torrents, as though the storm had grown fiercer still, and heaven and earth were grim and silent. Yet within this deadly, perilous marsh, there was still one place where a faint warmth lingered.
At dusk, the rain suddenly stopped short. A moment before, the sky had been so dark it seemed the rain would fall until doomsday; the next, the clouds had parted and the mist scattered. Perhaps this was a weather peculiar to the Dead Marsh.
Xiaowan let out a long breath, folded the umbrella, and looked up at the sky. Though it was the dim hour of dusk, after the downpour the mist had thinned, and the sky seemed a shade brighter than it had been by day.
Even the rotting stench in the air had, for the moment, vanished.