Chapter 54#
The Sound of the Zither Has Not Dissipated#
The sun was gradually setting.
In Bailu Island, all the major sects had arrived. The evening glow was brilliant. Someone was singing late on the river, and dots of lamplight were beginning to shine. A gentle breeze blew past; it was a scene of great liveliness.
The place where the Gushan party resided was by the water. Xiao Man’s seniority was extremely high, so he stayed in a room alone. At this moment, pushing open the window, he could see the setting sun in the west, its radiance reflected on the water’s surface, red as if it were burning. Lotuses were planted in the water. It was only April, so the lotus leaves couldn’t yet reach the sky in a single expanse of green; the leaves, dyed somewhat dark, swayed gently and slowly in the twilight wind.
Xiao Man watched for a while, then suddenly heard a knock on the door. His divine sense swept out, identified the visitor, and he said, “Come in.”
The visitor was Wei Chuyun. He pushed open the door and entered, saying warmly, “Brother Xiao.”
“Brother Wei.” Xiao Man turned from the window, his pitch-black eyes fixed on Wei Chuyun.
“I passed by a theater on the way here. The play being performed was quite novel. Would you like to go see it?” Wei Chuyun swept a glance over the situation in Xiao Man’s room almost imperceptibly, walked to his side, and stood with him by the window.
Xiao Man turned back to continue looking at the lotuses and said to Wei Chuyun, “No need. I already saw it in the afternoon.”
Wei Chuyun lowered his eyes, fell silent for a moment, and said apologetically, “I was delayed by some matters in the afternoon and couldn’t tour Guangling with you.”
“It’s no matter,” Xiao Man said.
Wei Chuyun cast his gaze toward the lotus leaves. Seeing fish in the water, he took out a bag of fish food from his Qiankun Ring and scattered a handful onto the water’s surface.
Instantly, the fish beneath the lotus leaves swam up, scrambling for the food. Their colors were all different, and gathering in one place added a few more touches of vividness to the evening scene.
He handed the fish food to Xiao Man. Xiao Man hesitated for a few moments, but finally reached out, grabbed a handful, and threw it into the water.
Xiao Man threw his toward the other side. Before long, a second spot of splendor surged on the water’s surface.
Wei Chuyun smiled and turned his head to look at Xiao Man. “Last time you said your appetite was poor. How do you feel now?”
“Much better,” Xiao Man replied.
“In that case, why don’t we go—”
Wei Chuyun intended to invite Xiao Man to a famous restaurant in Guangling City. Unexpectedly, at that moment, Qu Hanxing’s voice came from outside: “Brother Man, are you really much better? It seems the hawthorn cakes Senior Brother Song Ci bought for our Little Grand-Senior Uncle really had some effect!”
Qu Hanxing walked in with brisk steps. Wei Chuyun hadn’t closed the door earlier—a gentleman acts openly and has no need for concealment—but he hadn’t expected it would make it easy for Qu Hanxing to come in and interrupt.
“Brother Man, Brother Wei, let me tell you, I’ve truly witnessed today what it means by ‘different regions, different customs’.” Qu Hanxing wasn’t polite at all. He pulled up a chair and sat down, pouring himself a cup of water, and talked incessantly as he drank.
“These Guangling people, they especially love grilling things to eat. Their grilling isn’t like ours, where we grill directly over a fire. Instead, they place an iron plate over firewood or charcoal, brush oil on the plate, slice the meat, and spread it out to grill.”
“To let you all see for yourselves, I brought back one of those iron plates!”
At this point, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers, raising his voice: “Xiao Mo-zi, quickly present the item to Us—”
“You sound more like the head eunuch serving by the emperor’s side.” Mo Juntian’s voice, disparaging him, and the sound of rolling came from the corridor outside, approaching from afar. A few breaths later, they arrived at the door.
What appeared in Xiao Man’s eyes was a square object, as tall as a table, with an iron plate fitted on top and firewood and charcoal placed below. Four wheels were rolling underneath as it was pushed along by Mo Juntian.
Encountering the threshold, Mo Juntian flicked his finger and moved it into the room.
Qu Hanxing noisily set out four stools around it and greeted Xiao Man and Wei Chuyun: “Brothers, don’t be polite with me!”
Wei Chuyun looked at Xiao Man and asked, “It is quite novel. Why don’t we try it?”
“We can,” Xiao Man said.
“Brother Man, please light the fire!” After Xiao Man sat down, Qu Hanxing smiled and reached out toward him.
Qu Hanxing had prepared a lot of meat. As he had said before, after the iron plate was heated, he brushed on a layer of oil. After the oil heated for a while, he put on the meat.
Sizzling sounds soon rang out. Qu Hanxing flipped the meat skillfully and took the time to grill other ingredients. When the first piece of meat was ready, he showed off his skill; with a toss of the spatula, he sent the meat through the air into Xiao Man’s bowl.
Mo Juntian distributed the dipping sauce to everyone. Xiao Man picked up his chopsticks, dipped the meat in the seasoning, and put it in his mouth.
“How is it? Is the meat tender?” Qu Hanxing’s eyes sparkled as he watched him, but he saw Xiao Man’s expression become a bit strange.
“Brother Man?” Qu Hanxing asked in confusion.
Xiao Man put down his chopsticks and pursed his lips slightly. “The seasoning your master mixed.”
Amazement instantly filled Qu Hanxing’s eyes. He waved his spatula and said, “You can even taste that? I secretly brought it out from Xueyi Peak. He makes it better than I do!”
“You’ve eaten… things made by Peak Master Yan?” Wei Chuyun looked at Xiao Man, asking as if in passing.
Xiao Man gave an “Mhm”.
“My master actually quite likes cooking,” Qu Hanxing said.
Wei Chuyun did not continue this topic.
They talked about other things—mostly Qu Hanxing talking. After a noisy hour, they finally finished grilling and eating all the meat.
Chef Qu handed meat to Xiao Man from time to time; by the end, he had eaten quite a bit.
After the meal, Qu Hanxing and Mo Juntian packed up the iron plate and took their leave. Wei Chuyun intended to stay longer, but he was called away by an elder of Xingyun Peak to speak about some matters regarding tomorrow.
After the people dispersed, the room became quiet. The wind blew in from the window, swaying the lamplight’s shadow on the wall.
Xiao Man sat cross-legged, his hands in a fixed mudra, and began to regulate his breathing. But before long, a bothersome fellow came uninvited—entering through the window.
“Little Grand-Senior Uncle—” Yan Wushu sat opposite Xiao Man, blowing a breath toward a lock of hair hanging before Xiao Man’s shoulder. “Was the grilled meat good?”
“You had Qu Hanxing send it over.” Xiao Man immediately understood the hidden meaning in his words and lifted his eyelids.
“You’re still scorning me. If I had brought it over personally, would you have eaten it?” Yan Wushu’s tone was faint, then he smiled and said, “Since you’re full, come hatch the egg.”
“This is a task you insisted on taking on,” Xiao Man said coldly to him.
Yan Wushu said solemnly, “I didn’t know back then that its hatching speed would be much faster with you by its side.”
Ignoring Xiao Man’s opposition, he took the egg and the nest from his sleeve and placed them between himself and Xiao Man.
The silver markings on the eggshell flowed with a faint light, swaying slightly with the subtle vibrations caused by the spiritual power fluctuations. Xiao Man watched it for a while, then reached out and gently covered it.
A’tu seemed to be moving inside.
Yan Wushu watched Xiao Man without blinking, his eyes narrowing unconsciously. However, he didn’t forget the other purpose of his visit. He took a roll from his Qiankun Ring and handed it to Xiao Man.
“The match list is out. Shufeng Tower has divided this vast crowd of over a hundred people into more than twenty small groups. You’re in the twelfth group. There are four people in a group, fighting in pairs. The loser is eliminated, and the winner advances to the next round.”
Hearing him say this, Xiao Man opened the list.
Yan Wushu continued, “Your opponent tomorrow is a disciple of Liefeng Fort. His realm is in the Early Guiyuan Realm; he’s just here to see the world, so there’s no need to worry. The other two in your group also have nothing special about them…”
He explained his analysis to Xiao Man one by one. After Xiao Man finished listening, he said softly, “Thanks.”
“Between you and me, there’s no need for thanks.” Yan Wushu smiled.
Xiao Man ignored these words and cast him a slight glance.
Yan Wushu sensed the meaning in his eyes and leaned forward. “Little Phoenix, do you want to drive me away again?”
“I will keep A’tu by my side,” Xiao Man said coldly, moving the egg a bit toward himself.
“Then what about A’tu’s father?” Yan Wushu again put on a hurt expression. “The room Shufeng Tower assigned to A’tu’s father leaks wind and rain.”
Nonsense.
Xiao Man looked at him expressionlessly.
“The inns are also packed with people here to watch the matches, and the streets are even more crowded. I have nowhere to go,” Yan Wushu added.
Xiao Man: “The world is vast, the four seas are wide; there is nowhere you cannot go.”
These words, however, earned a successful smile from Yan Wushu. He asked Xiao Man, “Doesn’t this room count as being within the world and the four seas?”
“…”
“You said there’s nowhere I cannot go. You said it yourself—if I’m not allowed to ‘go’ to this room, isn’t that a self-contradiction?”
“…”
“Aren’t you going to give your disciple some reminders and instructions?” Xiao Man finally found a reason to refuse him.
“I gave him the list and left him a note.” Yan Wushu smiled again, pulled the egg into his arms, and became serious. “I’ll still be the one to carry A’tu. You’re someone who’s going to go onto the arena and into the secret realm; it’s very easy for it to get bumped or hit.”
Xiao Man stared at him with a deadpan face for a long time, flicked his sleeves, stood up, and moved to another spot. “Suit yourself.”
He went below the window and resumed his mudra, meditating and regulating his breathing.
The window had never been closed. In the dark blue sky, the stars were suspended. Their light spilled down, dyeing his plain white clothes as if plating them with a layer of holy brilliance.
Yan Wushu watched Xiao Man for a while, then stopped disturbing him and went to the other side of the room to continue tinkering with the array he had been studying on the Cloud Boat.
The next day at noon, the Guangling Trial began. This was a grand event in the cultivation world, attracting thousands of people to watch. The area below the arena was crowded to the point of being impenetrable.
The various sects participating in the battle were arranged in special seats—up in the air, with a circular viewing platform raised by an array. The disciples sat suspended in the air. They only needed to lower their eyes to have a clear view of the situation on the stage.
The numbers Xiao Man and the others had drawn were not at the beginning, so they still had the leisure for small talk. Qu Hanxing pulled out a bag of dried sweet potatoes. Thinking of the match arrangements, he shook his head and said, “This kind of competition is actually very cruel. A loss is a loss, with not a single chance for reversal.”
“If it were life, death is death, also with no chance for reversal,” Xiao Man said softly.
Qu Hanxing’s eyes widened upon hearing this, then he swallowed a piece of dried sweet potato in one gulp, seemingly having an epiphany. “Brother Man, your words are so philosophical.”
“Of course Little Grand-Senior Uncle’s words are philosophical.” Song Ci poked his head over. “Who’s in the first match?”
Wei Chuyun scanned the list and said, “Bie Beilou of Medicine Valley and Lu Renjia of Jiuchong Gate.”
“Medicine Valley? Aren’t they medical cultivators? Medical cultivators also come up to fight?” Qu Hanxing suddenly didn’t understand.
Medical cultivators practiced the Dao of Medicine, which was very different from their Martial Dao. Whether their ability was high or low was not determined by their realm; it all depended on a pair of eyes, a heart, and a pair of hands. If they could bring someone back from the brink of death, even in the mere Baoxu Realm, they could win respect from all directions.
“Did Medicine Valley participate in this competition before?” Mo Juntian asked.
The one who answered was still Wei Chuyun. “They participate occasionally, but more often they contribute in the subsequent secret realm competition.”
While they were talking, the two competing parties walked onto the arena.
Bie Beilou had the title of “Little Holy Hand” and had treated countless people. His reputation in the pugilistic world was quite resonant. As soon as he appeared, people began to shout and cheer for him.
He was handsome, with a temperament that was three parts detached and three parts sorrowful. A strip of white silk was tied over his eyes. It was heard that no one had ever seen his eyes.
“He’s actually blind?” Qu Hanxing and Song Ci exclaimed at the same time.
Xiao Man had already seen him yesterday, and his expression remained unchanged.
On the arena, Bie Beilou held the zither from yesterday. After standing still, he didn’t salute his opponent, but turned his head toward the direction where Gushan was located and “looked” at Xiao Man.
At this moment, Xiao Man felt a slight surprise in his heart—he had met Bie Beilou’s gaze; he had felt Bie Beilou’s look.
Could it be that he wasn’t blind?
Xiao Man felt a doubt. Just as he was about to investigate, Bie Beilou had already turned back and bowed to his opponent with his zither.
With the thud of a drum, the first match began.
Lu Renjia of Jiuchong Gate made a flourish with his blade. He moved extremely fast, intending to seize the initiative. Bie Beilou stood in place without moving, seemingly completely unaware.
Having caught that split-second gaze just now, Xiao Man didn’t think he was sitting and waiting for death, and he secretly looked forward to his move.
Bie Beilou didn’t let Xiao Man wait for long. Just at the moment Lu Renjia crossed the half-field, he turned the zither sideways and brushed the strings.
Zheng—
With a clear and chilling sound, the person who had rushed at him with a blade was lifted from the ground into mid-air by a blast of qi, flying backward and crossing the arena’s boundary, falling into the crowd of onlookers outside.
the open string was still vibrating.