Chapter 10#
Half the Lake Shimmering#
The single motion of “grabbing” exhausted all of Xiao Man’s strength. His fingers loosened, and his wrist brushed against the back of Rong Yuan’s hand as it fell, his whole body toppling forward. Rong Yuan’s eyes widened, and he scrambled to catch him, but he couldn’t manage as Xiao Man was tall and he himself was too small. With a muffled thud, both of them fell onto the grass.
Rong Yuan was so scared he was nearly in tears, scrambling up and shouting: “Your Highness!”
The autumn wind by Luoyue Lake was chilly, carrying Rong Yuan’s tearful voice. Xiao Man’s eyes were closed, and he showed no reaction; not even his eyelashes flickered. His black hair spilled down behind him, making his complexion look even more dismal. Rong Yuan reached out to check Xiao Man’s breath, and tears immediately fell:
“What to do? What to do… I have to, I have to find the Peak Master!”
Xiao Man’s breathing was too weak. His realm was too low; staying at Luoyue Lake would be of no use.
This was Xueyi Peak, with restrictions personally set by the Peak Master. Outsiders couldn’t break in, and the people within the peak all recognized His Highness’s identity. Leaving His Highness here wouldn’t be dangerous.
Rong Yuan made his decision, wiped away his tears, and helped Xiao Man change his position, letting him lie flat on the grass. At least this would be more comfortable.
But just as he was halfway up, he suddenly saw Xiao Man’s brow furrow slightly as he slowly lifted his eyelids.
“Your Highness?” Rong Yuan immediately approached, asking with concern, “Your Highness, you’re awake?”
“Mm.” With Rong Yuan’s support, Xiao Man sat up and took the water skin handed to him, drinking a little. Xiao Man’s plain white clothes were covered in grass bits; Rong Yuan picked them off one by one, then knelt before him and said:
“Your Highness, I’ll go get the Peak Master.”
“No need.” Xiao Man lowered his eyes, his voice slightly raspy.
Rong Yuan stood up, gesturing as he spoke: “Your Highness, you don’t know how terrifying your face looked!”
Xiao Man said indifferently: “He was called away by the Sect Leader; you won’t be able to see him at all.”
“Then I’ll go tell Elder Yuan; he can always see the Peak Master!” Rong Yuan stood with his hands on his hips, coming up with a solution in an instant.
Xiao Man didn’t want Yan Wushu to know his condition, let alone see that face of his. It was better to let him chat happily with the junior brother he hadn’t seen for over ten years.
“Quiet.” A sharp, undeniable sternness appeared between Xiao Man’s brows.
At this time in his previous life, Xiao Man was not yet clear about the matter between Yan Wushu and Lin Wu, only considering them a pair of fellow disciples who weren’t close. It was only decades later that he learned of that past.
Yan Wushu and Lin Wu had almost become Dao companions back then. The reason it didn’t happen was because the two had a disagreement on certain matters, parting ways and having nothing to do with each other ever since.
As for what the disagreement was or what matter it concerned, Xiao Man hadn’t delved into those deeper things. For one, he feared upsetting Yan Wushu, and for another, he always thought that since Yan Wushu was already united with him, he shouldn’t be concerned about Lin Wu; bothering him with these old matters would seem petty.
Now, Xiao Man simply couldn’t be bothered with this business. In the future, the person who would part ways and have nothing to do with Yan Wushu was himself.
The sternness in Xiao Man’s eyes faded. Rong Yuan plopped down on the ground, obediently shutting his mouth, but his expression remained worried, his dark, deer-like eyes filled with disapproval.
“Such coughing of blood and fainting are common occurrences for me; I’ve long since grown accustomed to them, no need to be too alarmed.” Xiao Man glanced at him and explained.
“But in these three years, you haven’t had this even once,” Rong Yuan said with a look of shock.
Xiao Man didn’t explain much to him. He lowered his eyes, took off the Buddhist beads from his wrist, and gave other instructions: “Don’t tell Lord Lingguang about today’s matter.”
After speaking, he turned the beads one by one, silently reciting the Heart Sutra he had learned from Dazhao Temple years ago.
Others might not have noticed, but Xiao Man was very clear that the piercing sound from earlier carried a faint Buddhist aura. It was at that moment he realized it was highly likely that the Buddhist shrine Lin Wu had brought back was causing trouble.
The sudden discomfort that came after the sound was all too familiar. Before he went to Dazhao Temple to study Buddhism, he would suffer such torture every few days—it was an illness he was born with. That illness had originally been cured, but for some reason, it had been triggered again by that Buddhist aura.
Xiao Man dealt with his pain with cold familiarity, reciting the sutra verse by verse, his mind becoming calm.
The small, round Bodhi beads reflected the sunlight. After nearly an hour, the pent-up energy in Xiao Man’s chest was guided away, following his meridians to be expelled from his body.
He exhaled a breath of turbid air and lifted his eyelids.
Rong Yuan was still guarding him not far away, but he had already fallen asleep. Behind him was Luoyue Lake, its surface half shimmering and half red.
So it was near evening. Xiao Man looked up and saw the setting sun falling, the maple forest on the western mountain surging like fire in the wind.
It was time to leave.
Xiao Man lifted his foot, but unknown to him, Rong Yuan had remained alert and immediately opened his eyes upon hearing the rustling of grass.
“…Your Highness!” Rong Yuan rubbed his eyes, looked Xiao Man over, and broke into a smile, “Your complexion looks much better!”
“Of course.” Xiao Man nodded.
Rong Yuan saw Xiao Man’s posture as if he was about to leave, stood up, and patted the dust and grass from his robes, asking: “Going back to Qiyin Residence?”
“No.” Xiao Man flicked his sleeves and walked past Rong Yuan, “And there’s no need to prepare dinner; I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?” Rong Yuan asked towards Xiao Man’s back.
Xiao Man didn’t answer.
He didn’t know where to go either, but in any case, he didn’t want to be at Xueyi Peak; Yan Wushu would eventually return.
On Baihua Peak, Qu Hanxing and the others would certainly be preparing to go to Wugu Tower for dinner. Xiao Man didn’t have the peace of mind to join the crowd now. Thinking it over, there was probably only one place he could go—Xingyun Peak.
Peak Master Tan Wenzhou of Xingyun Peak should have a decent impression of him. Xiao Man wanted to find Tan Wenzhou to ask about the situation with the Buddhist shrine.
Following Gushan’s style of doing things, items brought back were rarely sent out; that shrine was ten to one kept by Gushan. In that case, he should go and investigate, to understand the situation so as to avoid trouble in the future.
The wind kept blowing, his sleeves rising and falling. Xiao Man stopped his steps and turned around, his gaze light, his features striking, forming a picture with the mountain scenery and lake light in the twilight.
“To see a friend.”
Lest Rong Yuan worry, Xiao Man said.
Yan Wushu’s master, Perfected Man Wosong, was buried at Dongfeng Chuimeng (East Wind Blowing Dreams).
This place was the burial ground for generations of Gushan’s heroes. Perfected Man Wosong’s tombstone stood behind a cloud-like green pine in the east, where one could see the boundless sky upon looking up.
He always spent little effort when coming to pay his respects. He would fetch a bucket of fresh water, clean the tombstone’s stone platform, and then offer a stick of incense. Once it burned out, he would leave.
The person was gone, having long since entered reincarnation. This kind of ritual was merely a comfort and a remembrance for the living, without much concrete meaning.
This time was no exception. Once the incense ash had been blown away by the wind, Yan Wushu closed his folding fan, picked up the wooden bucket beside him, and turned to leave.
Lin Wu stood before the stone monument, the wind blowing his hair and obscuring his profile. He listened to Yan Wushu’s footsteps, and when the person reached the pine tree, he turned around, his eyes shimmering with clear light: “Senior Brother, I heard your Taixuan Upper Realm is at completion. Could I ask you…”
“If you were injured in the Western Barrens, go to Minghua Hall; if you have doubts about the way of the sword, go back to your Qingyun Peak; if it’s something else, find the Sect Leader.” Yan Wushu interrupted him mercilessly.
“You’re unwilling to help me, you don’t even want to hear me finish my words, is it because of the Phoenix?” Lin Wu took a step forward. “I heard you two will be united next March.”
Yan Wushu: “Long before I knew the Phoenix, we were already no longer fellow disciples who helped each other.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Wu pursed his lips.
Spells were forbidden in Dongfeng Chuimeng; everything had to be done personally. Yan Wushu returned the wooden bucket to its proper place and suddenly caught a certain scent carried by the wind, frowning: “Are you still helping the Star-Plucking Guest?”
“It’s a cooperation,” Lin Wu corrected his wording.
“Sever your ties soon, lest your Dao heart be damaged.” Yan Wushu’s expression remained cold. After speaking, he shook his robes and turned to walk out of Dongfeng Chuimeng.
Lin Wu stayed where he was, staring at Yan Wushu’s retreating back. After a long while, he spoke: “So what? Senior Brother, you still can’t help but care about me.”
He spoke softly, and it was unknown if Yan Wushu heard him.
Yan Wushu didn’t return to Xueyi Peak immediately; the matter of the Buddhist shrine still needed effort. With a solemn face, he went to the Library Tower.
Gushan had over ten thousand years of heritage, and its collection of books was the most abundant in the world. Whether it was Buddhist, Daoist, or Confucian, almost every classic and secret manual of each school could be found here.
He wanted to see if there was any method for repairing that kind of Buddhist seal in the Library Tower.
The Library Tower floated in the void, a hundred feet high, almost level with the sky. It had numerous categories, and if someone unfamiliar were to walk in, it would be almost like wandering into a maze.
Yan Wushu was familiar with this place. After greeting the deacon here, he went straight to the Buddhist studies section.
This search lasted for several hours. Looking out from the vast scrolls, the bright moon and clear wind filled the mountains.
Yan Wushu closed the book in his hand, let out a sigh, and left the Library Tower.
At the hour of Haizheng (10 PM), Xueyi Peak was incomparably silent. Except for the places illuminated by moonlight, everywhere else was pitch black. The birds and beasts had returned to the forest to rest, and the only one still active outside was Rong Yuan.
He was practicing his sword by Luoyue Lake.
Luoyue Lake reflected the full moon in the sky, while the sword shadows tried to strike at the moon in the water. However, the strength was insufficient and the spiritual energy was lacking; only a moment after swinging the sword, the resulting ripples dissolved and dissipated.
Yan Wushu’s toes tapped on the tip of Rong Yuan’s sword. He looked around the lake and the lakeshore and asked: “Where is His Highness?”
Rong Yuan’s expression immediately changed, becoming somewhat panicked and hesitant.
“What?” Yan Wushu’s brow rose slightly.
Rong Yuan wanted to tell Yan Wushu about Xiao Man’s injury today, but Xiao Man had instructed him not to say anything, leaving him conflicted. Moreover, Yan Wushu was staring at him intently, making him feel a lot of pressure.
His Highness didn’t want him to tell the Peak Master, so there must be other arrangements. If he spoke out rashly, he might ruin things. Or perhaps His Highness planned to say it personally?
Then it’s better not to tell the Peak Master. Rong Yuan made up his mind, looked up to meet Yan Wushu’s gaze, and answered the previous question: “His Highness said he was going to see a friend.”
“Seeing a friend?” Yan Wushu was only slightly surprised and didn’t delve deeper. Flicking his sleeve, he landed back on the ground and nodded: “Alright, you continue practicing his sword.”
With that, he turned to leave.
Rong Yuan remembered something and ran a few steps in Yan Wushu’s direction, shouting: “But Peak Master! The direction His Highness went was Xingyun Peak!”
Yan Wushu’s footsteps paused, and he turned back: “Hm?”