The carriage rocked along the road as Liang Yun leaned out the window to admire the scenery and shouted, “Zhou Ran, Zhou Ran, look! The clouds are so beautiful!”
Autumn had only just begun, yet Zhou Ran was already wrapped in a thick cloak, his small face completely bloodless. At Liang Yun’s words, he squeezed over to the window and curiously poked his head out in imitation, only to be caught by the wind and start coughing at once.
“Oh! I forgot you can’t be out in the wind.” Liang Yun smacked his forehead and hurriedly pulled Zhou Ran’s hood up. “Back inside, back inside.”
Zhou Ran looked at him with longing. “Cousin, I want to see the clouds too. Mother Consort never lets me leave the palace.”
“All right, but only for a little while.” Liang Yun put an arm around his shoulders to steady him. “Look over there. Doesn’t that one look like a puppy?”
Zhou Ran’s eyes curved with a smile. “Mm. It has a tail and ears.”
“My family keeps several big wolfhounds. Once you’re better, we’ll go hunting in the mountains together.” Liang Yun happily imagined the future. “I’ll even let you ride my thousand-li steed. It’s incredibly impressive.”
A trace of sadness crossed Zhou Ran’s eyes. “The imperial physicians all say I won’t live past fifteen. Lintu is so far away. I probably won’t ever get to go.”
“They’re talking nonsense!” Liang Yun said urgently. “You look perfectly fine to me. You’ll definitely live to a hundred!”
Zhou Ran looked at him with reddened eyes. “Really?”
“My words always come true. You’ll definitely live a long time.” Liang Yun ruffled his hair. “I heard Daoist Master Cangyangzi is a living immortal. He’ll definitely cure you.”
Zhou Ran brightened again. “Then I’ll be able to go see the puppies with you.”
“Hehe, and I’ll roast rabbit for you when the time comes.” Liang Yun reached for the maple-leaf pendant hanging from the carriage roof. “I hear the Daoists of Zushan are all amazing. There’s a competition tomorrow too. Do you think some Daoist might recognize my extraordinary natural talent and insist on taking me as a disciple?”
Zhou Ran nodded very seriously. “Cousin is amazing.”
Liang Yun gripped an imaginary sword and swung it several times through the air, brimming with heroic ambition. “Then Cousin will take you roaming through the jianghu and defeat every opponent under Heaven!”
Zhou Ran imagined it with him, his eyes shining. “Upholding justice, helping the weak, earning the admiration of the world. Maybe the history books will even remember us.”
“Hahahaha!” Liang Yun planted his hands on his hips and laughed. “By then I’ll be the Number One Hero Under Heaven, and you’ll be the Number Two Hero Under Heaven!”
Zhou Ran covered his mouth and began to cough. Liang Yun hurried to support him just as a guard called from outside the carriage, “Young Masters, we’ve arrived at Zushan.”
*
On the back mountain, Xiao Chunhe had both front paws planted against Yue Jingming’s face, his entire fox body stretched rigid in a straight line, every strand of fur broadcasting resistance.
His face pushed crooked by the fox’s paws, Yue Jingming still kept his eyes on Cen Changsheng’s hands. “Be careful. He’s afraid of pain.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve treated at least a hundred little animals. I guarantee the medicine will work.” Cen Changsheng quickly finished bandaging the fox’s hind leg. “That should do it.”
Xiao Chunhe cursed nonstop. “You bastards! How dare you touch Lord Fox’s leg? I’ll rip out your hearts and livers, cook them, and eat them with wine!”
“What is it saying?” Cen Changsheng asked curiously.
Yue Jingming settled the little fox across his arm and said with a perfectly straight face, “It says thank you.”
Xiao Chunhe jerked his head up and stared at him in shock. “Heavens, you Daoist have no shame at all!”
Yue Jingming scratched beneath his chin. “Very well. Then I’ll give you a name.”
Xiao Chunhe said, “Huh?”
Yue Jingming thought for a moment, then said gravely, “I have heard that in ancient times there was a divine fox of Qingqiu named Hu Wushu. Its body was as vast as a mountain, it could swallow the sun and moon, and it could travel ten thousand li in a single day and night. From now on, you will be called A-Wu.”
Utterly despairing, Xiao Chunhe sprawled across his arm with all four legs hanging limply in the air. “Once I can transform into human form, I’m going to beat you senseless.”
Yue Jingming held the red bean cake in his arms to the fox’s mouth. “Since you’re hungry, eat.”
Xiao Chunhe leaned over and sniffed it, turned his head away in disgust, then opened his mouth and gnawed on Yue Jingming’s wrist instead to grind his teeth.
Cen Changsheng exclaimed, “Senior Brother Yue, you’re amazing. You can actually understand fox language.”
Seeing Cen Changsheng staring at the red bean cake in his hand, Yue Jingming passed it to him. “I do not understand fox language. A junior sister once told me that when raising a fox, one should speak to it often. Even if it cannot understand, it will not feel lonely from being ignored.”
Cen Changsheng smiled. “So that’s how it is.”
The little fox sprawled over Yue Jingming’s arm lazily gnawed at his wrist, both front paws hugging his hand tightly while its fluffy tail swished back and forth. It did indeed look much livelier.
Cen Changsheng asked somewhat sheepishly, “Senior Brother Yue, are there any more red bean cakes?”
Yue Jingming generously handed the cakes over. “Practicing the sword diligently is good, but three meals a day are fundamental. Otherwise your qi and blood will be deficient, and you’ll only waste your vital essence. The loss will outweigh the gain.”
“Changsheng has learned his lesson.” Cen Changsheng happily accepted the bag of red bean cakes.
Yue Jingming took his leave with the little fox in his arms, while Cen Changsheng sat by the stream and began eating breakfast. Before long, he saw Yue Jingming in the distance leading another disciple about the same age toward the dining hall. Even from afar, he could hear their conversation.
“Eldest Senior Brother, I’m not hungry! I don’t need breakfast! I want to practice swordsmanship!”
“How are you supposed to practice on an empty stomach? Zhu Jinghui, do you not want to grow any taller?”
“…I’ve grown quite a bit this year.”
“You’re still shorter than Jingleng.”
“Hmph. I’ll definitely be taller than her in the future. Maybe I’ll even be much taller than you, and my swordsmanship will surpass yours too!”
“Then eat properly.”
“I know, I know. I want red bean cakes!”
“There are none left.”
“What?!!”
Cen Changsheng watched the two senior and junior brothers disappear into the distance, then lowered his eyes to the warming talisman that had been carefully affixed to the bag in his hands and could not help smiling.
The next day, the competition began.
There were countless sects throughout the jianghu, most of which used martial contests to make friends and test their skills. At the most basic level, fighters relied on strength and technique; those more advanced cultivated internal force. Once an ordinary practitioner’s internal arts reached a certain level, the eight extraordinary meridians could generate what was known as true qi. Yet in any sect, those capable of cultivating true qi were exceedingly rare. Every one of them was a genius.
The Zushan Sect and Cangyang Sect were the two great Daoist sects of the south and north. Naturally, everyone who had come to participate focused their attention on the two and quietly compared them. On the ranking board, countless names shifted rapidly up and down while cheers from the spectators rose without pause.
“Cousin, who is Yue Jingming? His ranking keeps climbing.” Zhou Ran stood amid the crowd and asked the person beside him.
“Yue Jingming is a direct disciple of Daoist Master Su Ji, leader of the Zushan Sect. They say he’s a genius seen only once in a century. He had already cultivated true qi in his dantian by the age of fourteen.” Liang Yun stood on tiptoe to look toward the people on the platform.
Wrapped up like a ball, Zhou Ran asked again, “What about Cen Changsheng? He’s defeated a lot of people too.”
“Cen Changsheng is Cangyangzi’s final disciple and another genius. I hear he is not only highly accomplished in martial arts, but also personally inherited Cangyangzi’s medical arts. He’s treated and saved countless people despite his young age.” Liang Yun clearly knew much more than he did. “We came all this way specifically to visit Cangyangzi. If he truly makes an exception and accepts you as a disciple, then Cen Changsheng will be your senior brother.”
Zhou Ran said, “Then I want Cen Changsheng to win.”
“This is a competition. Whoever is stronger wins. I think either Yue Jingming or Cen Changsheng could take it.” Liang Yun crossed his arms. “Besides, this is Zushan’s territory…”
“Then just use silver.” Zhou Ran looked puzzled. “Or we could take our identity plaques and go visit Su Ji and Cangyangzi. Once everything is settled, wouldn’t they simply let whoever we want win?”
Liang Yun held his forehead. “Where would the fairness be in that?”
Zhou Ran said innocently, “Imperial Brother says fairness is the least reliable thing in the world, and that any problem money and power can solve isn’t really a problem. If we had arrived two days earlier, we could simply have sent someone to kill Yue Jingming. Then Cen Changsheng would win.”
Liang Yun’s head snapped up in shock. “What did you say?”
Sensing the anger beneath his expression, Zhou Ran looked at him helplessly, like a child who had made a mistake. “Did I… say something wrong, Cousin?”
“This is a competition. Victory is supposed to depend on each person’s own ability. And it’s only a competition. How could you take someone’s life so casually?” Liang Yun demanded angrily. “Is this how His Highness the Crown Prince usually teaches you?”
Zhou Ran’s eyes abruptly reddened. “But if Yue Jingming loses and resents it, he’ll definitely make trouble for Cen Changsheng in the future. If I become his junior brother, I could easily be dragged into it too. If a problem can be foreseen and prevented, why can’t we deal with it beforehand?”
He had lived deep within the imperial palace for years and had seen schemes and plots all around him. To him, doing such a thing was as ordinary as eating and drinking. He could not understand why Liang Yun was so angry.
“You… you’re terrifying.” Liang Yun’s gaze was full of shock and reproach. “I was completely wrong about you.”
In a fury, Liang Yun turned and walked away.
“Cousin!” Zhou Ran hurried after him, but he had been frail since birth and was gasping for breath after only a few steps. Someone stepped on his cloak and pulled it from his shoulders. Clutching his chest, he collapsed painfully to his knees, yet still called out, “Cousin… Liang Yun! I… I’ll listen to you… cough, cough!”
“Are you all right?” A gentle voice sounded above him.
Zhou Ran looked up and saw a boy about his own age dressed in white Daoist robes, his hair tied in a high ponytail. His fine, bright features were filled with concern.
The boy helped him to his feet, picked up his cloak and shook the dust from it before draping it over his shoulders again. Then he pressed an acupoint on Zhou Ran’s wrist, massaged it several times, and sent a little true qi into him. Zhou Ran immediately found that he could breathe again.
“Feeling better?” the boy asked.
Zhou Ran nodded. The tears in his eyes had not yet fallen when the other boy smiled and used a handkerchief to wipe them away. “You’re a man. How can you cry at the slightest thing?”
“My cousin is angry with me.” Zhou Ran sounded miserable, then asked, “Who are you?”
“My name is Cen Changsheng. I’m a disciple of the Cangyang Sect.” Cen Changsheng handed him a small medicine bottle. “If you ever feel unable to catch your breath, smell this. It can temporarily ease the tightness in your chest.”
Zhou Ran looked a little lost. “Thank you.”
“No need.” Cen Changsheng glanced toward the platform. “My match is next. Want to watch? Once it’s over, I’ll take you to find your cousin.”
Holding the medicine bottle, Zhou Ran nodded. “All right.”
Cen Changsheng pulled over a nearby young disciple, instructed him to watch Zhou Ran carefully, then hurried onto the platform with his sword in hand.
Yue Jingming stepped onto the platform at almost exactly the same time.
As the two young geniuses faced each other for their first match, the spectators immediately erupted into thunderous cheers.
Yue Jingming looked at the young Cen Changsheng before him, and an image suddenly flashed through his mind of the man many years later, kneeling inside a formation with hollowed eyes. His instincts told him something was wrong, and the vague sense of unreality that had lingered all along abruptly intensified.
“Yue Jingming! Yue Rongxi!”
“My good fellow Daoist!”
“My good wife!!”
A faint voice was swallowed by the cheering crowd. Cen Changsheng across from him had already begun his attack. Yue Jingming suddenly turned his head and saw the little fox he had left in his room darting frantically through the crowd. Although all that came from its mouth were tiny fox yips, Yue Jingming heard the somewhat familiar voice of an adult man: “Don’t use your true qi! This place is a memory Cen Shuang condensed using the Undying Demon. He’s trying to seize your body—”
A sword flashed toward his face. Yue Jingming retreated at once to the edge of the platform. Cen Changsheng’s blade skimmed past his cheek, and Yue Jingming twisted aside. The Clear Breeze Sword at his waist hummed urgently, eager to meet the attack. The voice from moments ago was already fading swiftly from his memory, while instinct urged his body to draw his sword and fight.
Cen Changsheng looked at him in confusion. “Senior Brother Yue?”
Yue Jingming reached for the hilt. In the next instant, the tiny red fox shot from the crowd like an arrow and leapt onto the platform. Red mist burst outward. Amid the spectators’ startled cries, a red fox demon taller than a man landed on all fours. Its enormous body occupied nearly half the platform, scarlet eyes blazing viciously as it arched its back and shielded Yue Jingming behind it.
Cen Changsheng clearly had not expected this. Sword raised, he retreated several wary steps.
“You’re A-Wu?” Yue Jingming had spotted the injury on its hind leg.
“What A-Wu? I’m your husband!” Xiao Chunhe turned his head and tried to bare his teeth at him, but the moment he saw Yue Jingming’s young, still-boyish face, his anger evaporated. He stuck out his tongue and licked Yue Jingming across the face.
Yue Jingming stood rigidly in place, then just as rigidly lowered his head and looked at the robes soaked with fox saliva.
He remembered that this morning… afraid the fox might be hungry… he had fed it an entire… live chicken.
“Stop standing there! We’re in serious trouble!” Xiao Chunhe tried anxiously to wake him.
The atmosphere buried deep within his memories swallowed Yue Jingming completely. He wiped the sticky saliva from his face, slowly drew his sword, and said four words in an icy voice: “Fox demon, prepare to die.”
True qi surged within his dantian. Almost the instant he mobilized it, Cen Changsheng across from him lunged forward against his own will, shouting in alarm, “Senior Brother Yue—”
Below the platform, Liang Yun, who had returned, and Zhou Ran, who was watching the match, both raised their heads toward Cen Changsheng at the same moment.
Xiao Chunhe’s heart sank. He threw all his strength into lunging at Cen Changsheng, trying to stop him, but Cen Changsheng’s body became like an insubstantial shadow and plunged straight into the space between Yue Jingming’s brows.
“Damn.”
The scene around them froze abruptly. Everyone remained fixed in their current movements and expressions, turning into paper figures as lifeless as dead things.
The chattering voices sounded again:
“Undying Demon, demon undying, waking with human mind, dwelling in human flesh.”
“You are me, I am you; distinguish true and false, judge greed and anger.”
“The false one lives, the true one dies; anger gives birth to hatred, greed destroys itself.”
“Are you Cen Changsheng, or Cen Shuang?”
Yue Jingming’s lashes trembled. He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of green crossing their depths. His face began shifting back and forth between Cen Changsheng and Cen Shuang, while the features that originally belonged to Yue Jingming himself were gradually swallowed away.
Xiao Chunhe gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and transformed into a streak of red light that plunged into Yue Jingming’s brow as well.
Before his consciousness was completely swallowed, he thought, I really must be insane to go this far for Yue Jingming.
Forget it. He would just count it as… count it as a fox repaying a kindness.