The next day, the two rose early and ate breakfast at a stall near the city gate.
Ren Yijue could not linger there for long, so he folded a paper crane, cast a spell over it, and sent it to crouch beneath someone’s eaves and keep watch.
Qian Xuelang had no idea what he was up to and did not ask. He simply returned to the courtyard with him to rest, while Ren Yijue even leisurely set out a game board and invited Qian Xuelang to pass the time with him.
Unfortunately, Qian Xuelang was not particularly skilled at chess. He had only studied the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting rather superficially in childhood, so he declined Ren Yijue’s invitation.
Fortunately, Ren Yijue was excellent at entertaining himself. He played both sides of the board all the way until noon.
The entire day passed without incident. Since Ren Yijue never called for him, Qian Xuelang knew the paper crane must not have brought back any news, so he simply stayed in his room and quietly cultivated.
During the first night watch, Ren Yijue suddenly came pounding on the door. Bang, bang. “Has the Jade Beauty gone to bed?”
Elio’s Notes: The first night watch (一更) corresponds roughly to 7–9 p.m. in the traditional five-watch system.
Naturally, Qian Xuelang had not. He rose to open the door and nearly had Ren Yijue pitch headfirst into his arms. “What is it?”
“After spending so long with the Jade Beauty, even Ren has begun to transcend the mundane and forget the world.” Ren Yijue smiled sheepishly. “If not for a swallow beneath the eaves helping me, Ren would not even have realized I made a serious mistake.”
Qian Xuelang ignored the teasing. “Explain clearly.”
“Does the Jade Beauty know how many gates a city has?”
“One each to the east, south, west, and north. If the city is divided into inner and outer sections, there will be even more.” Qian Xuelang considered it briefly. “A city like Dongxun probably has several water gates as well. Why do you ask?”
Ren Yijue sighed lightly. “Exactly. Young City Lord Cui was in good spirits yesterday and entered through the eastern gate, but that does not mean he left through the eastern gate as well. There are many gates, yet only one paper crane. No wonder it brought back no news all day. We can at least safely rule out the water gates. Young City Lord Cui would never use those.”
A water gate was a fortified opening built where a city channeled a river through its walls and was generally not used for ordinary passage. Even if Young City Lord Cui suddenly took it into his head to go boating, he presumably would not leave the city that way.
“And what did the swallow have to do with it?” Qian Xuelang asked.
Ren Yijue raised a hand, inviting him outside. The two talked as they walked. “Well, today that paper crane happened to occupy a nesting spot a swallow had already chosen. The swallow seized the crane in its beak and flew off, meaning to throw its rival somewhere far away. It actually flew all the way from the eastern gate to the northern gate in one breath.”
Qian Xuelang offered his assessment. “Quite the temper.”
Ren Yijue nearly doubled over laughing.
Dongxun City had not yet fallen completely silent during the first night watch. Some places were still lively, and many guard disciples had already appeared on the streets to patrol. Their cultivation was fairly low, however. Never mind Qian Xuelang, even the injured Ren Yijue could avoid them.
The two made their way around all four city gates, leaving paper cranes on nearby buildings so they could track any movement. Qian Xuelang walked steadily beside Ren Yijue along the quiet streets. Ren Yijue looked perfectly composed, but Qian Xuelang could not tell whether the calm was genuine or feigned.
Qian Xuelang did not have many thoughts about the Blood Demon, but he knew Ren Yijue cared about the matter.
After walking a few steps, Ren Yijue suddenly smiled. “I thought the Jade Beauty would ask something.”
“There is nothing to ask,” Qian Xuelang said calmly. “If you want to say something, just say it.”
“You really are a Jade Beauty with a heart of ice and stone.” Ren Yijue sounded thoroughly helpless. “You look at nothing and pay attention to nothing. If you descend the mountain like this, how is it any different from staying there?”
Qian Xuelang fell thoughtful at the words. He gently removed the veiled hat from his head and toyed with it for a moment. “You are right. This hat covering my eyes is easy to remove, but the hat in my heart is indeed difficult to take off. Still, I already know what you mean to say.”
“Oh?”
“The Blood Demon is badly injured. He cannot remain near Dongxun City for long without attracting Cui Xuanchan’s attention, so he will certainly make his move within the next few days,” Qian Xuelang said calmly. “Young City Lord Cui, who goes out spring hunting, is therefore the Blood Demon’s best choice. First, the attack would not be discovered immediately. Second, a dozen or so spiritual beasts and a dozen or so cultivators would be worth several thousand ordinary people.”
“You have been watching the city gates specifically because you want to learn Young City Lord Cui’s movements, correct?”
Ren Yijue smiled faintly. “The Jade Beauty’s mind is clear and his eyes bright. It seems I have been talking too much. What a pity…”
“What is a pity?”
Ren Yijue said regretfully, “A pity we lost an entire day. If things had gone according to Ren’s original plan, perhaps we would already be staying in the city lord’s residence by now.”
“Why?”
“Well…” Ren Yijue drew the word out, lightly tapped his own cheek, and looked faintly teasing. “On the street yesterday, did the Jade Beauty truly not notice the way Young City Lord Cui was looking at Ren?”
Qian Xuelang searched his memory carefully, then shook his head. “I did not pay attention.”
Ren Yijue laughed and did not mind. “Young City Lord Cui watched me for far too long yesterday. There must be some reason behind it. Whether that reason is good or bad, he is at least somewhat interested in Ren. If we can establish a connection, the rest will naturally be much easier.”
“So that is another way to do things.” Qian Xuelang said, “There is one thing I do not quite understand.”
“The Jade Beauty may speak freely.”
Qian Xuelang said calmly, “Young City Lord Cui is indeed the best choice. But if the Blood Demon chooses him, the consequences will be endless.”
Ren Yijue shook his head with a smile. “I wondered what the problem was. So that is all. The Blood Demon can barely protect himself right now. If he attacks ordinary people, he will be discovered within a few days. If people under Cui Xuanchan’s rule are harmed, Cui Xuanchan will naturally lose face and will certainly issue orders to hunt the Blood Demon down.”
“Since making an enemy of the Cui Clan is inevitable, eating ordinary people or eating a few disciples amounts to the same thing. He might as well devour several accomplished cultivators. He will recover faster, have a better chance of escaping, and get far more value from it. A demonic cultivator like him, never knowing whether he will live to see tomorrow, is naturally more murderous than other cultivators. What does he care whether the grudge he creates is large or small?”
Every now and then, a thick scent of blood seemed to seep unconsciously through Ren Yijue’s words.
Still, anyone capable of making a name for himself in a place like Liuyanzhu, among seas of blood and mountains of corpses, must have seen and experienced a great deal.
“And that is not even mentioning Ling Baiyao.”
Qian Xuelang asked, “Ling Baiyao?”
“Exactly.” Ren Yijue’s gaze darkened slightly. “The two demons have never had dealings with each other. Why would they suddenly join forces to capture Ren? There must be someone directing them from behind the scenes. Anyone capable of driving both demons into action must possess extremely high cultivation, and whatever that person is planning cannot be small…”
Qian Xuelang held the hat in his hand. “You truly can infer the whole from the smallest signs. But how do you know what this person seeks is so substantial?”
A teasing look suddenly appeared on Ren Yijue’s face. “If they sought nothing at all, they would be like the Jade Beauty, staying in the mountains and forgetting the passage of the seasons. Even now that the Jade Beauty has something to attend to, it is only because of Ren.”
Before Qian Xuelang could react to the teasing remark, Ren Yijue continued, “The Blood Demon is cunning by nature. Ling Baiyao has not met with him for a long time, so he must already know something has gone wrong and will probably accelerate his plans. If we capture him, we can question him for plenty of clues. Better yet, we can carry his head along as an introductory gift. After that, there will be much more room to discuss what should be done and what can be done.”
Qian Xuelang said, “If he escapes, then all comes to naught. We still know nothing, and Young City Lord Cui may even lose his life. Is that right?”
Ren Yijue smiled gently. “Exactly.”
Qian Xuelang had always known that Ren Yijue was extraordinarily intelligent, but he had never understood exactly how intelligent. Only now did he suddenly realize that this young man, who had barely taken his first steps upon the Immortal Dao, possessed a gaze so far-reaching it was almost frightening.