Chapter 14

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“Don’t kill me.”

After the day they collided in the trees, Rong Luoyun started avoiding the tree-filled areas. Fortunately, the past few days have been uneventful. He rarely showed his face and mostly stayed cooped up in his Nameless Abode all day.

Two strings of steam rose in the room, one from the incense stick and the other from the boiling pot of water. The door and windows were all shut tightly, leaving these two streams of smoke nowhere to go. A chessboard sat on the writing desk. The white pieces on it were arranged into the Qimen technique’s Eighth Form of Yang [1].

Rong Luoyun was not wearing an outer robe. He rolled up his sleeves and casually picked up a chess piece. “Eight gates grant me answers—” He started chanting but was interrupted by the footsteps outside. He waited for the person to knock on the door before he said in annoyance: “Scram.”

The knocking came to a stop and was replaced with an aggrieved “Second Brother.”

Rong Luoyun swallowed his previous words: “Come in.” With thirty percent annoyance and seventy percent helplessness, he watched the door get pushed open and an impatient Lu Zhun barged in. He lifted his eyes and gave the other a scan from head to toe, his annoyance rising to eighty percent.

Normally, Lu Zhun wore brocade robes and extravagant hair crowns. He had always wished to deck out in gold and jade. The pouch of money he carried on his waist seemed to never run out. At this moment, it was as if the sky had fallen and the earth overturned. He wore a plain hemp robe, a plain hair crown, and the worry between his brows was evident, making people sigh in sorrow that riches and honor can slip through one’s fingers like clouds.

He cried out sullenly: “Second Brother, I’m suffering so much.”

Rong Luoyun’s eyes showed concern, but in reality, he was not convinced. This kid had come to pretend to be pitiful. He lowered his eyes to look at the board. He observed the Star Gates Divination and the Eighth Form and saw that it was an extremely auspicious sign.

Lu Zhun walked over: “Second Brother, can you read the board to see if my future contains good luck?”

Rong Luoyun said with utmost seriousness: “If you don’t bother me, luck will find you. If you bother me, there will be a great calamity.”

After hearing this, worry loomed on Lu Zhun’s face. He had lost thousands after thousands of taels. It was too late to go back, too late to get his gold and silver back. He could only start from the bottom again. He was good at nothing but plundering and robbing, but ever since he had attacked and killed the Imperial Vanguards, things had been going downhill for him. Rong Luoyun had even forbidden him from leaving beyond the city walls.

“Second Brother,” he asked, “I have no other choice right now. Is it okay if I go steal some stuff?”

His tone sounded mournful and pitiful. Anyone who heard this would feel their hearts go soft, but Rong Luoyun wasn’t just any regular person. He made up some nonsense: “The Heavenly Stems show the retribution of the snake [2], a great disaster is coming. To avoid this calamity, you must lay low and guard against this misfortune.” He let out a sigh and grabbed hold of Lu Zhun’s shoulder, “Third Bro, ever since you killed the Imperial Vanguards, ill fortune has plagued you. These interlocked events have been happening one after the other. You have to stay put and be good to evade further misfortunes.”

Lu Zhun’s face was bleak. He was silent for a moment before saying: “Second Brother, your words are never wrong.”

But for someone who would die for money, what disaster was worse than poverty? He thought of something and grabbed Rong Luoyun’s arm: “Second Brother, it’s true that it won’t do for me to go alone, but wouldn’t it be fine if you came with me?”

Rong Luoyun choked, scolding the other in his head for being troublesome. He pretended to agree: “Wait for me outside. I’ll go with you once I finish arranging this board.” After he finished talking, he watched Lu Zhun obediently close the door behind him. He listened and heard the noises of the other picking fruits in his courtyard to eat.

Rong Luoyun bowed his head and continued to observe the board, his lips moving as he read: Fleabane meets the heavenly branch, the northwestern tree falls and the birds flee…… the tiger enters the cave.

Rong Luoyun mulled over this. Northwest. Could there be trouble at the border?

In reality, he had overcomplicated things. Northwest of the Nameless Abode was the Thousand Opportunities Hall. In the small courtyard, Huo Linfeng swung his blade to chop down an old tree. The birds perched on it were frightened into flying away. Bugs and such came rushing about, causing the yard to become like a wild forest.

Huo Linfeng ladled some spring water to quench his thirst. He suddenly heard the chirping of crickets and reckoned that it was Diao Yuliang who had come again. “Du Zhong.” Sure enough, it was Diao Yuliang who had managed to climb atop the wall, “Want to go fishing with me?”

The other seemed to be quite enthusiastic. Moreover, Huo Linfeng wanted to win his trust, so he readily agreed. He washed his hands and changed his clothes before following Diao Yuliang out of Thousand Opportunities Hall. A small carriage had already been prepared and was waiting outside. He drove the carriage and led the horse galloping towards the Palace gates. As they passed by the Hidden Gold Pavilion, Diao Yuliang was surprised: “That one surnamed Lu had been pestering me to death lately. How come he’s so quiet today?”

With someone talking about him behind his back, Lu Zhun’s nose suddenly felt a little itch: “—Achoo!”

In the bedroom, Rong Luoyun’s movements briefly stopped. He lightly wore his outer robes properly and pushed open the window. In a flying leap, he exited the room and was out of the Nameless Abode in one breath, leaving Lu Zhun behind. Like a dragonfly lightly touching the surface of the water, he made his escape.

Just as he was about to slow to a stop, he nearly bumped directly into the speeding carriage around the corner.

“Yu!” Huo Linfeng was startled and quickly yanked the reins. The carriage skidded to an abrupt stop, causing Diao Yuliang to be flung off his seat. “Second Brother?” Diao Yuliang saw him and couldn’t wait to announce his great merits, “We’re going fishing. To catch you some red carp!”

The sounds of Lu Zhun’s shouting in the distance could be vaguely discerned. It seemed as if he was about to catch up. Rong Luoyun spoke: “I’m coming too.” As he said this, he urgently stepped into the carriage. His wide sleeves brushed across Huo Linfeng’s face. As if this wasn’t enough, he also went and patted the other’s broad shoulders, urging him to make haste.

Huo Linfeng sent the horse speeding out of the Palace with a lash of the horsewhip.

Outside the Extraordinary Palace, the spring breeze brushed over the blooming flowers. The scenery was refreshing to look at. Rong Luoyun tied up the curtains and leaned lazily against the carriage as the landscape flew by. After traveling for a few li, he asked: “Where are you going to fish?”

Diao Yuliang answered: “Spirit Jade Stream.”

Rong Luoyun frowned. That Spirit Jade Stream was below the mountain range, hidden away in the dense forest. They were traveling more than a hundred li just to catch fish, requiring so much work for such an unimportant thing. Diao Yuliang had a guilty conscience and laughed awkwardly to cover it up, making Rong Luoyun lose his heart to scold him.

At this time, Huo Linfeng asked: “Palace Lord, how do you get to that Spirit whatever Stream?”

Diao Yuliang let out a dejected sigh and switched places with Huo Linfeng. The inside was cramped with a wooden tub and bamboo poles. Huo Linfeng’s two long legs had no place to rest.

When Rong Luoyun saw this, he huddled in and made some space for him. Huo Linfeng said softly: “My thanks to the Palace Lord.”

They were so close that the folds of their clothing overlapped. The moment they raised their heads, they would be looking directly at each other. There was no way to avoid one another.

Rong Luoyun simply turned his face away and stared at Diao Yuliang’s small braid. After staring at it for a long time, he couldn’t help himself and reached over to grab it. The hand he reached out was his previously injured right hand. The sunlight illuminating it made his skin look almost transparent, contrasting the red of his wound. His sleeves swept over, sending out a gust of the fragrance of ginger.

Diao Yuliang laughed: “Second Brother, you’re going to make me bald.”

Rong Luoyun chuckled too: “Three thousand annoying strands. You’ll be fine if you go bald.”

He let go and turned around. His eyes met Huo Linfeng’s head-on. The other looked at him and showed no signs of looking away. He asked indifferently: “What are you looking at?”

Huo Linfeng also didn’t know what he was looking at. Perhaps it was Rong Luoyun’s right hand that had yet to scab, or those smiling lips, those eyes, those rebellious loose strands of hair at his temples, or those delicate ears.

On this bumpy road trip through the forest, those eyes looked like the calm waters in an ancient well.

The carriage took a sharp turn towards the east and rolled over a stone in the road, jolting the carriage wildly.

Huo Linfeng had let down his guard. As a result, he was thrown forward without warning. He reached his hand out toward the carriage wall to stabilize himself. However, he hadn’t even touched the wall when he felt a pain in his abdomen. He stifled his groan. The curtains unfurled from the shaking, blocking out the spring breeze. The narrow space immediately dimmed.

Huo Linfeng lowered his head to take a look. Rong Luoyun bent his leg slightly and had his white silk shoe on his stomach, preventing him from getting any closer. That kick had carried some force, enough to stomp his heart into skipping a beat …

As the carriage gradually stabilized, Rong Luoyun retracted his foot and started fiddling with the jade pendant hanging on his waist as if nothing happened. Huo Linfeng hugged his abdomen and sat down properly before explaining himself: “I know my manners. I won’t smash into you.”

For the rest of the journey, the two said not a word more. They arrived at Spirit Jade Stream in silence.

“Yu!” Diao Yuliang tightened the reins. Before the carriage had even halted, he leaped off towards the lakeside. He stripped stark naked and hopped into the water like a fish.

Their surroundings were covered mostly in a lush green. The trees were clustered closely and their leaves dense. A light mist hovered over the water as dozens of waterfalls poured down from the high peaks and steep cliffs. Beyond the mountain caves were the vast water and boundless waves.

Huo Linfeng had never seen this kind of scenery before and couldn’t get enough of it. As he was busy taking it all in, his shoulder suddenly went numb. A bamboo fishing pole jabbed his acupuncture point. He turned around and saw that it was Rong Luoyun assaulting him again.

Rong Luoyun commanded: “Unload the wooden tub.”

How unfortunate it was for this Young Master of the Marquis Manor, the general of Saibei, who had never done a speck of work and was pampered since young. There had always been the servants, the butlers, and the maids serving him. Huo Linfeng massaged his shoulders and said unhappily: “The Palace Lord is so violent and is always either hitting or kicking someone.”

Rong Luoyun stared. This person was this big, yet he was acting like a spoiled child who’d been wronged? It took a while for him to recover. He weighed the bamboo pole in his hand and said, embarrassed: “I didn’t use that much force though.”

Huo Linfeng switched to massaging his stomach and was a little unsatisfied: “But you stepped on one of the vital spots. It was my Mingmen[3] point.”

Rong Luoyun retorted: “Your Mingmen is fragile like paper. You are rather one delicate Great Disciple.” He drew closer until they almost touched shoulders and looked at the other who was radiating arrogance: “Did you think I want to touch you?”

Huo Linfeng blurted: “I’m not a beautiful, delicate maiden, so of course the Palace Lord won’t want to.” Once the words came out of his mouth, he instantly felt that they were too inappropriate. He looked at Rong Luoyun again. The other’s eyes turned slightly cold, his eyebrows knitted faintly, and gave him an angry and hateful look.

By the lakeside, Rong Luoyun found a large rock by himself and settled down to fish. He hooked bait at the end of the fishing pole, tossed it into the water, and sat there quietly. Splash! Diao Yuliang broke through the water’s surface with a large flailing fish in his hands. Dinner was settled.

“Du Zhong!” Diao Yuliang hollered, “Come down!”

Huo Linfeng took off his clothes and left on his inner robes, refusing to be completely naked. He entered the water. The cold made him shiver and it took him a while to adjust. He swam with Diao Yuliang to a waterfall. He held his breath and passed through the screen of water, entering a hidden cave.

The depths of the lake were hard to make out. The deeper they swam, the colder the water became. Only after half an incense time did they finally reach the cave’s mouth. This place was lit up brightly. The red carp infused with the golden sunlight swimming beneath the clear blue water seemed like an auspicious sign. Diao Yuliang said: “Let’s each catch two and bring them back for Second Brother.”

Huo Linfeng suddenly asked: “Fourth Palace Lord, I’m nine years older than you. Why are you so willing to hang out with me?”

First, during the martial arts contest, he had come to ask for his name. Then, at the trial to become Great Disciple, he had been lenient with him. He had even decided to show him around the Palace. Today, he came to find him to go have fun. He was truly curious why this little kid was so interested in him. Unexpectedly, Diao Yuliang answered: “Because all thanks to you, I won so much money.”

“……” Huo Linfeng stared, “You used me to bet?”

Diao Yuliang replied: “Second Brother told me to choose you and even gave me more money to bet with.”

Huo Linfeng’s bewilderment grew. He came to Jianghu as a nobody, so why would Rong Luoyun choose him? He even raised the bet, meaning he had confidence in him. Where did that confidence come from?

He couldn’t think of an answer. He swam towards the school of fish and chased after them under the water. He took off his inner robe and caught two. Even when he was swimming back, he still couldn’t understand why…

On the large rock, the wooden tub was still empty. Rong Luoyun hugged his fishing pole with his head lowered. The spots of light escaping through the small cracks of the densely clustered leaves floated around him. The lake’s crystalline surface glistened as he slept soundly in the light. Not even the fish could bear to bite the hook and wake him up.

The fish couldn’t bear it, but there was a person who could.

Huo Linfeng swam to the large rock and floated lightly in the water. He raised his head and watched Rong Luoyun doze. Stomping on his stomach, jabbing him in his shoulder, flicking him in the face with his wide sleeves. He had done all the provocative things he could have done, yet now he looked so soft and innocent.

Huo Linfeng suddenly felt mischievous. He caught hold of the fish hook and gave it a gentle shake.

The bamboo pole moved slightly. Rong Luoyun dazedly opened his eyes and gave the pole a tug. He realized that it wasn’t that easy to pull up. His sleepiness faded away as he happily hauled the bamboo pole up. He exerted more strength only to realize that it was very heavy and couldn’t contain his joy: “Fourth Bro, I caught a big one.”

It truly was a big one, one bigger than eight chi with a body composed of flesh and bones as tough as iron, and was currently hanging unwaveringly onto the hook, refusing to budge. Rong Luoyun stood and exerted all his strength in hauling, yet still wasn’t able to pull it up. He carefully stepped closer to the edge by half a step but didn’t dare get any closer.

Huo Linfeng, who was hidden under the water, was contemplating if he should exert more force. Being the barbaric general that he was, he suddenly gave the hook a hard yank.

Rong Luoyun’s face was full of horror as his body was dragged forward. He was thrown off balance on the slippery wet rock and tumbled into the lake.

The moment he touched the water, his face became devoid of color. The surrounding water crashed over and engulfed him. He sank lower and lower, his robes flowed in the water like floating duckweeds.

His moving lips couldn’t produce a cry for help as he submerged into the endless chilling abyss. There seemed to be someone coming, but his fear grew. He suddenly felt like he was suffocating at the bottom of the lake. At this time, a pair of large hands caught hold of his waist and held onto him steadily. With a splash, he broke through the water’s surface and saw the sky again.

Rong Luoyun’s eyes were unfocused. The rims of his eyes were red. He had suffered a shock and had been drenched in cold. At this moment, he was like a child who did not even have the strength to truss a chicken, completely contrasting to when he had ruthlessly killed in every direction.

“Palace Lord?” Huo Linfeng called out urgently, “Palace Lord?!”

He hugged Rong Luoyun close. The chest that Rong Luoyun leaned on was heaving up and down violently. The two red carp took advantage of the situation and escaped, swimming around them with their tails wagging. Rong Luoyun’s eyes were empty as if he was trapped in a nightmare.

Huo Linfeng’s sturdy arm was wrapped around his waist. With his other hand, he patted Rong Luoyun’s face. When this didn’t work, he held Rong Luoyun’s nape and kneaded it gently. Seeing that he had overstepped his boundaries, he apologized: “It was me who was wrong—”

He hadn’t finished his words when two drops of tears welled up in Rong Luoyun’s red eyes. They fell onto the lake’s surface, forming small ripples. His thin lips moved as he murmured something. His body turned soft. His whole person seemed vulnerable as he leaned on Huo Linfeng’s shoulder, trembling.

Huo Linfeng’s heart seemed to stop beating. Those soft lips that stuck close to his ear kept repeating — “Don’t kill me.”

… The sorrow in these words cut into his heart.

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Notes

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