Human customs were not the same as those of demons. Rather than devour their companions, humans preferred to fight shoulder to shoulder.
In an instant, the sense of support Wan Yuntao had found in the village vanished. The vast difference between demonic and human ways of thinking plunged him into an immense emptiness once more. He had the appearance of a demon, but his thoughts were those of a human.
At this moment, the only thing linking Wan Yuntao and Ren Yijue together was Qian Xuelang.
Wan Yuntao wanted to see him.
The next day, Wan Yuntao accompanied some warmhearted villagers to deliver food and bedding to the Sword Sect disciples. Everyone was busy preparing for the festival, with no time to spare for these visitors. Even the villagers delivering supplies came and went in a hurry. Only Wan Yuntao, who was not involved in the preparations, and Wuhui, who was responsible for protecting the village, had time to themselves.
The disciples had risen early. Hearing the thunder of gongs and drums outside, several younger disciples leaned against the windows, curious about the celebration, while the older ones remained full of worry.
Wan Yuntao pointed toward the fruit and vegetables in the wicker baskets. “The village is remote, and outsiders hardly ever come here. We don’t have anyone to wait on you. The next few days are devoted to the grand festival honoring the Demon Mother, so your business will have to wait until afterward. Someone will bring you food. There’s firewood behind the house. For now, you’ll have to look after yourselves.”
A young-faced disciple began, “Um… about this Demon Mother…”
Tang Wenxian glared at him. Swallowing, the disciple changed course. “I mean, can we take part in the festival? Or are you going to keep us locked up here?”
His face was still boyish, and he was clearly at the age when a good time and some excitement were irresistible. Even after his senior brother’s glare, he stuck his neck out and forced himself to ask.
“No one intends to lock you up. But our customs are very different here. If you accidentally violate a taboo, I may not be able to protect you.” Wan Yuntao paused, then continued, “Besides, the Demon Mother’s festival is still being prepared. Everyone is busy. There won’t be anyone free to entertain you.”
The disciple muttered, “The festival itself looks entertaining enough.”
Ning Zhou shook his head. Seeing that Tang Wenxian had no intention of speaking, he stepped forward to smooth things over. “Eldest Senior Brother has yet to wake. We’ve given him medicinal pills, and we need a few days of rest ourselves. We’re grateful for the villagers’ generous hospitality. Please convey our thanks. There will be time enough to discuss important matters when Senior Brother regains consciousness.”
There was nothing to fault in such an impeccably polite response.
Wan Yuntao glanced at the bed and saw that someone really was lying there. “Will he be all right? If you need anything, the village has some medicinal herbs.”
“He’ll be fine. Eldest Senior Brother was already injured, and after fighting with… your people, he exhausted himself and fainted.” Ning Zhou tried to put it as tactfully as possible, then asked, “By the way, may I ask how to address you?”
“Wan Yuntao.”
One disciple exclaimed in surprise, “Eh? Your name is the same as Eldest Senior Brother’s. What a coincidence.”
Tang Wenxian snorted. “Quite a coincidence.”
Wan Yuntao paid the remark no attention. His eyes were fixed entirely on Qian Xuelang, who was walking toward him. When the others saw him fall silent, they followed his gaze. The frosty senior cultivator spoke. “And what about me?”
Qian Xuelang asked, “To avoid misunderstandings and conflict, it would be better if they didn’t act on their own. But what about me?”
Wan Yuntao watched him quietly. “What would you like to do, honored guest?”
“I don’t know either,” Qian Xuelang replied calmly. “I have responsibilities that require me to investigate matters connected with the Heavenly Demon. But I have no wish to hurt people who have done nothing wrong… As you can see, the village’s restrictions may work on these Sword Sect disciples, but they have no effect on me.”
His voice was cool and clear, bringing a breath of winter into the warmth of the summer day. He had no intention of looking down on anyone, yet several of the more thoughtful disciples felt an awkward discomfort.
“True. Rules have meaning only to people willing to obey them.” Wan Yuntao smiled faintly and looked toward the sword case on Qian Xuelang’s back. “We certainly aren’t strong enough to compel you to observe ours. It seems I have no choice but to satisfy our honored guest.”
The disciples stared in stupefaction. The conversation was far beyond anything they had imagined. Even Ning Zhou, the eldest among them, was taken aback. Respectable orthodox sects prized adherence to rules and established procedures. They seldom heard the crude principle that the strongest fist decided everything stated so openly. They understood it well enough, but the ease with which these two discussed it left them dumbfounded.
Qian Xuelang regarded Wan Yuntao coolly. He had not intended to respond, but after some thought, he explained, “I’m not an unreasonable person. That’s why I’m standing here talking to you, trying to find a solution acceptable to both sides. If that displeases you, I can simply act as I see fit.”
That sounded even more like a threat. The disciples were horrified.
An inscrutable expression crossed Wan Yuntao’s face. Half smiling, he said, “Very well. Please come with me.”
The two walked away, leaving the Sword Sect disciples exchanging baffled looks. One muttered, “Heavens, is this how mighty cultivators speak to each other? They’re so arrogant, domineering, utterly convinced of their own supremacy… But… but it actually sounds rather satisfying…”
Qian Xuelang cared nothing for what the disciples thought.
He followed Wan Yuntao outside. In the sunlight, the village looked even more like an idyllic refuge, peaceful and unhurried. The villagers were busy with their daily tasks, no different from ordinary mortals. Old people wove bamboo wares, children gathered flowers, women handled bolts of cloth, and men carried stone and timber.
Apart from differences in appearance, humans and demons seemed no different at all. Everyone bustled cheerfully about, greeting one another. When they saw Wan Yuntao, they would press little snacks and berries into his hands for him to taste.
Qian Xuelang walked behind Wan Yuntao, his expression detached, sunlight shining through his pale skin until he seemed carved from ice. The villagers were naturally drawn to his beauty, but his chilly demeanor made him difficult to approach. They ventured only a few cautious glances, handed Wan Yuntao twice as many treats, and dared not attempt much conversation.
After they had walked for a while and reached a small stream, Wan Yuntao suddenly said, “I’ve got too many things in my hands. I can’t carry anything else. Look around and see if you can find some leaves we could use. The bigger, the better.”
Qian Xuelang frowned and surveyed the lush greenery. Several plants did indeed have enormous leaves. In Dongxun City, he had seen vendors use lotus leaves and similar foliage to wrap food, so he casually selected a plant and was about to pluck a leaf when a voice sounded behind him. “Not that one. It’s poisonous. You’ll get a red rash on your hands if you pick it.”
A rash would hardly bother him, but poisonous leaves were obviously unsuitable for wrapping food. He chose another plant.
“Here.”
Wan Yuntao gave him a look of amused curiosity, then laughed. “Aren’t you going to wash it? It’s covered in morning dew, but people often pass through here. If you don’t clean it, there may be all sorts of invisible insects and dried mud on it. Wouldn’t that dirty the food?”
Qian Xuelang had no choice but to wash the broad, thick leaf. At last, Wan Yuntao made no further objection and deposited the food he had gathered into it.
“We’ve walked quite a way. This is a good place to rest our feet.”
Wan Yuntao popped a fruit into his mouth and glanced at Qian Xuelang. The latter was washing his hands with unhurried care, then drying them slowly before finding a clean stone on which to sit. He merely gazed around, expression faint and distant, his thoughts impossible to guess.
“Are you angry, honored guest?” Wan Yuntao offered him a fruit.
The red fruit was fairly large, but in Wan Yuntao’s hand it looked almost adorably small.
After a moment’s consideration, Qian Xuelang accepted it. His hands were somewhat larger than an ordinary man’s, yet beside Wan Yuntao’s palm they looked so slender and delicate, almost like a woman’s, as though that enormous hand might enclose them effortlessly.
The oppression and discomfort Qian Xuelang had felt that day had stemmed from the demon’s powerfully built, towering frame. In this moment, he gained a new understanding of it.
“Why would I be angry?” Qian Xuelang withdrew his hand at once and spoke coolly.
Wan Yuntao smiled. “You don’t look like someone who does these little chores.”
“There’s nothing difficult about them. I suspect what you mean isn’t that I don’t look the sort, but that I wouldn’t want to do them.”
Wan Yuntao laughed heartily. “Quibbling over words and picking apart every phrase? That seems even less like your style.”
Qian Xuelang ate the red fruit at his own leisurely pace. “You’ve known me for no more than a day. What do you know about what sort of person I am?”
Wan Yuntao was abruptly at a loss. That was right. The one who had stayed with the Jade Beauty day and night was Ren Yijue. The one who had taken liberties with the Jade Beauty at the Earth-Mother Womb Pool was an unnamed demon. And Wan Yuntao… Wan Yuntao was merely a demon living in this little village.
“And you?” Wan Yuntao retorted. “You’ve known me for no more than a day. How do you know what sort of demon I am? Aren’t you afraid this fruit might be poisoned?”
In truth, Wan Yuntao was nothing like Ren Yijue. Their faces differed, their builds differed, even their temperaments were vastly different. Yet for some reason, Qian Xuelang found Wan Yuntao strikingly like Ren Yijue. Such pointless and baffling questions were exactly the sort Ren Yijue would ask.
Such roundabout, subtle probing hardly seemed the behavior of a straightforward demon.
Qian Xuelang looked at him curiously. “Is it?”
Wan Yuntao did not answer. Instead he propped up his cheek and teased, “Even if it is, you’ve already eaten it. Does it matter now whether it’s poisoned?”
“Then what difference does it make whether I’m afraid?” Qian Xuelang said evenly. “If it’s poisoned, I’ll wait for the poison to take effect. If not, so much the better. Why ask?”
Wan Yuntao could not help bursting into laughter. “Has it never occurred to you that you could have refused the fruit and avoided the risk entirely? It’s not as though I could force-feed it to you.”
Qian Xuelang said, “Was there any need?”
Wan Yuntao fell silent. He let out a soft sigh and said nothing more, merely watching Qian Xuelang in silence.
Qian Xuelang was puzzled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Wan Yuntao said slowly, “I like looking at you.”
“What did you say?” Qian Xuelang frowned.
“I said that when a man wants to look at the person he loves, it’s simply instinct. He doesn’t need any reason or explanation.”