Chapter 139 – Crane City
The light, gentle words fell, and a fine electric current swept across Chou Bodeng’s eardrums, raising an indescribable, subtle tingle. For the first time ever, his face grew warm, flushing a faint red. Belatedly, he realized he seemed to have lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot, digging a pit for himself to jump into.
Shi Wuluo’s eyelashes were lowered, his faint shadow clear and sparse, calm and noble.
“Master.”
He called out again in a low voice.
The originally respectful title, uttered amidst romantic intimacy, made the two simple and respectful words take on a forbidden meaning. In his cool breath, Chou Bodeng’s ears and spine tingled with a sandy itch.
This person being too obedient wasn’t necessarily a good thing…
Chou Bodeng thought randomly, yet he couldn’t suppress the peachy color on his face.
Just as he was thinking, he saw Shi Wuluo seem to want to call out a third time, and he hurriedly reached out to stop him.
As his index finger pressed against Shi Wuluo’s lips, he saw a rare smile flash across those silver-gray eyes under the moonlight, light and shallow, like the melting of primeval glaciers reflecting the sunlight.
Not a speck of dust on it.
…He smiled.
The thought flashed by.
Followed immediately by: This person did it on purpose.
For a moment, Chou Bodeng didn’t know whether he was more happy or more speechless. He just felt that the rock sugar and hawthorn in the candied haws he had just eaten had a rather strong aftertaste, the sourness and sweetness lingering for a long time.
Finally, he himself burst out laughing, laughing until the corners of his eyes were slightly moist, yet his eyes were equally bright.
“Learned to be bad? Hmm?” Chou Bodeng pressed his forehead against Shi Wuluo’s, his voice rising at the end as he asked.
Shi Wuluo didn’t answer, but just carefully held him, his arms wrapped around his back. They rolled off the small black rock together, falling into the snow. Chou Bodeng’s red robes overlapped with his blood-red robes, creating a double red of joy in the vast, pure white. Shi Wuluo rolled over, one hand pressed into the snow, propping himself up.
Their fingers intertwined, and the Kui Dragon bracelets collided.
Fine snow ground against their hair, red robes spread out like a bed, blood-red robes wrinkled into a blanket. The ancient forest by the water surrounded them like a river, the high white moon hung down like a cottage, and the red plum blossoms on the lonely cliff fell like colorful decorations.
“What is this? This is…”
Chou Bodeng had a strand of sweaty hair in his mouth, speaking intermittently.
“…insubordination.”
Shi Wuluo let out a soft laugh.
His pale, thin face was stained with the red of a cold plum, creating a cold, fierce, yet demonic swordsman under the moon. His originally cool, jade-like voice carried a hint of hoarseness, restrained yet inexplicably alluring. Chou Bodeng was about to turn his head away, but was drawn in by that line of red and reached out to touch his cheekbone.
As their cheeks drew close, Shi Wuluo’s well-defined fingers clasped the back of his neck, and with a flip, he became a true insubordinate.
“Mmph.”
Chou Bodeng let out a muffled grunt, his right hand pressing into the snow. He was about to fall sideways when Shi Wuluo caught him.
Black stone, white water, drooping plum branches.
Shi Wuluo’s hair was scattered on his blood-red robes, with flowers tangled in it. Perhaps the moonlight was too beautiful, or perhaps the plum blossoms were too noble, but the coldness on him had all retreated, and he had become a young lover of the mortal world. The moonlight flowed over his lean but not thin chest. The scars from his previous life had all disappeared, leaving only streamlined, powerful muscles.
“As for insubordination, will you teach me?” He paused, then called out in a low voice, “Master.”
“…”
He had truly lifted a rock only to smash his own foot.
Chou Bodeng barely managed to maintain the demeanor of a teacher and reprimanded him, “Nonsense.”
But A Luo was looking at him.
All the snow and moonlight here had turned into the light of his silver-gray eyes.
“Gently.”
Chou Bodeng turned his face away, pressing his hand on Shi Wuluo’s shoulder, guiding him to support him.
A patch of accumulated snow slid from the petals of a golden-dusted plum, falling softly. A crimson plum blossom fell from between his dark hair, landing on the youth’s delicate collarbone. The young man and the youth embraced under the snow and flowers, fooling around. They forgot the thousands of years of life and death, the twelve years of love and separation, and they also forgot the grievances between heaven and the mortal realm.
At least until dawn, they still had a long time.
Whether it was fighting or balancing.
Let’s talk about it tomorrow.
***
The next day, snow covered the heavenly mountain.
Last night, after the watch was set, there were no incidents in Plum City, so Lu Jing and Monk Budu were somewhat relieved. They didn’t go looking for Chou Bodeng and Shi Wuluo—anyway, with Chou Bodeng around, even if Shi Wuluo really lost control, it probably wouldn’t be a big problem. As for the news of the Heavenly Dao’s fall to a demon… since it had spread, there was no way to solve it for the time being.
So they could only focus on Lou Jiang’s matter first.
In the courtyard on Heavenly Lake Mountain, Chou Bodeng and Shi Wuluo had not yet returned, but they had sent a message saying they were going to check the feng shui changes in Plum City to make the final calculations for setting the star chart.
Upon receiving this news, Lu Jing and Monk Budu were on one hand completely relieved, but on the other hand, they had a headache… Chou Bodeng’s side was almost ready, but the Mountain Sea Pavilion had run into trouble transporting the materials for the star chart.
“Wei Mountain… Changliu Mountain…”
Lu Jing muttered to himself as he checked the Geomantic Map of the West Continent. He had taken out a sheet of Xuan paper and was writing and drawing, trying to figure out a location where Lou Jiang had run into trouble based on the new information from Zuo Yuesheng.
“Jishi River…”
In recent years, Lou Jiang’s fame had waned considerably. He had faded into obscurity in the martial world, becoming a fleeting meteor.
But in fact, Lou Jiang’s cultivation had progressed extremely quickly. The sword intent of his three-foot azure-edge sword was already faintly reaching the realm of turning the rotten into the miraculous. It was just that his choice was the same as his father’s: he was willing to become the secret guard and shadow of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, intentionally fading from the public eye.
“…Hey,” Lu Jing suddenly stopped his brush and asked Monk Budu, “Why would old mother Lou choose this route? The miasma in Jishi River is much thicker than in other places. It’s not an easy path.”
Monk Budu leaned over to take a look and said, “He probably wasn’t planning to go through Jishi River, but intended to cross through the middle of the Glazed Sea. Going through the Glazed Sea is more stable than going through Leyou Mountain. There were two or three demon-summoning incidents on Leyou Mountain before. If he were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but he was transporting the materials for the star chart, so it’s best to avoid it if possible… Hmm…”
At this point, Monk Budu suddenly paused and looked up sharply at Lu Jing.
“You were responsible for dealing with the Demon Summoning Lure incident on Leyou Mountain. Didn’t I say at the time that I felt those two demon summonings were a bit weak?”
“That’s because this young master is strong, brave, and wise, so they collapsed,” Lu Jing subconsciously defended himself for a couple of sentences, but he quickly understood what Monk Budu meant. “Are you saying…”
“The Demon Summoning Lure incident on Leyou Mountain was set up specifically for Lou Jiang,” Monk Budu said with a grave expression. “It was to make him lead the Mountain Sea Pavilion’s flying boats to take the route through the Glazed Sea!”
Lu Jing’s brush hovered in the air. A moment later, he suddenly dropped the brush and took out his God-Listening tablet.
“What are you doing?” Monk Budu asked.
“I’m sending a message to my brother,” Lu Jing said. “My third brother left for the Medicine Valley the day before yesterday after delivering the Qionghua Mirror to the great Young Master Chou… He’s also taking the Glazed Sea route.”
As they were speaking, Ye Cang rushed in.
“…Little Martial Ancestor, that guy from the Beast Taming Sect ran away,” Ye Cang looked up and was stunned for a moment. “Why are only you two here? Where’s the Little Martial Ancestor?”
“He left the city,” Monk Budu replied, then frowned. “You just said that Benefactor Zhuang from the Beast Taming Sect ran away? What happened?”
“It’s my fault,” Ye Cang said guiltily. “I was careless…”
***
The howling north wind swept across the land.
The broken, towering mountains and ravines of the West Continent became a vast, ten-stringed zither in winter. The ridges were the strings, and the north wind was the player.
“Why is the wind so cold this year?”
A round, stout merchant squatted at the head of a flying boat, rubbing his hands together, shivering from the cold.
“The harsh winds came early, and the whale pods came late. The glaciers are almost pushing into Sea City. How could it not be cold?” The person who answered him was a Beast Taming Sect disciple as thin as a bamboo pole. He was steering the boat while looking at the wind-vane pole at the bow. “…We’ll be there in half a day. In about half an incense stick’s time, you go in and tell them to sort and pack the water chestnuts, bitter herbs, and pondweed. Don’t let it be a mess when we get there.”
“Alright, alright,” the fat merchant readily agreed.
Seeing that the Beast Taming Sect disciple receiving the boat this time was friendly, the fat merchant rubbed his hands together, thought for a long time, and cautiously probed, “Um… Immortal Elder, this little one has heard that the West Sea Sea Demons and the great demons of the Thirty-Six Islands have joined forces to stir up trouble before that… that Immortal-Demon Alliance Meeting… and that the Divine Lord has ordered the Beast Taming Sect to yield to the West Sea Demon Race. Is this… true or false?”
The Beast Taming Sect disciple’s expression instantly darkened.
Seeing his expression change, the fat merchant hurriedly waved his hands and said, “I just heard some people shouting nonsense in a teahouse. Oh my, this mouth of mine,” the fat merchant said, giving himself a loud but light slap on the face. “I told you not to spout nonsense, I told you not to spout nonsense!” He then put on a smile. “Immortal Elder, please don’t be offended, please don’t be offended!”
The Beast Taming Sect disciple, Shi Nan, who was steering the boat, gave a bitter smile and said, “It’s true that there is such a matter.”
“It’s true?”
The fat merchant’s eyes immediately widened, looking extremely shocked.
Shi Nan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I heard from my master that the Divine Lord sent a message to the Sect Master three days ago… If we follow the Divine Lord’s wishes, our Beast Taming Sect will have to abolish the established blood contracts within a year.”
“What?” The fat merchant’s mouth fell open, and he swallowed a large mouthful of the north wind, coughing up a storm. Then he slapped his thigh. “Break all the blood contracts? Isn’t this… isn’t this setting all the demons free? Demons are demons! What will happen if the blood contracts are broken!”
Shi Nan frowned, wanting to say something but unable to, and finally could only shake his head.
The fat merchant next to him stood there like a wooden block for a long time, breaking out in a sweat in the middle of winter from the shock of this news.
Their city’s land was barren and not suitable for growing anything other than the Yunling grass needed for the blood contracts. In the past, they were one of the Beast Taming Sect’s major supply areas, relying on the gold and silver they received from transporting Yunling flowers to the Beast Taming Sect every year to survive… If this blood contract was really abolished! Wouldn’t their city be ruined?
…Aunt Six’s family grew it, and Second Uncle’s family grew even more.
The fat merchant quickly calculated in his head, and the calculation made him dizzy.
Yunling grass grew under the snow, looking like a withered vine. It grew through the cold of winter and the light of spring, only blooming in late spring each year. Last year’s harvest was almost used up by this winter, and everyone was waiting for winter to pass and spring to come so they could harvest the Yunling flowers in exchange for the new year’s money. If the Beast Taming Sect’s blood contracts were really abolished, then this year… wouldn’t it be…
Before the fat merchant could worry himself to a conclusion, the flying boat shook and entered the wintering grounds of the immortal cranes of the West Continent.
A sea as blue as the sky, reflecting the clear light, spread out in the fjord.
The Glazed Sea.
The West Continent was mostly high and cold. Once the inland seas entered the east, they were mostly sealed by ice. Only the southern end of this Glazed Sea had no freezing period due to its topography. The Beast Taming Sect had set up a formation here to weaken the harsh winds of the northwest, making it a winter habitat for many of the immortal cranes in the West Continent. But the food in the southern bay of the Glazed Sea was limited and could not support nearly three-quarters of the immortal crane population in the West Continent.
Every winter, the Beast Taming Sect had to spend a lot of silver to transport large quantities of water chestnuts and other food from several warmer regions in the south of the West Continent to Crane City on the southern shore of the Glazed Sea.
The fat merchant squatting in the cold at the bow of the flying boat had spent a lot of silver the year before last to win this job from an elder of the Beast Taming Sect.
The Glazed Sea was here, not far from the crane habitat.
The disciple steering the boat urged him on. Although the fat merchant was worried about the livelihood of his family and friends back home next year, for now, he could only go into the cabin to inform the others.
As soon as he entered the flying boat’s cabin, he was hit squarely by someone rolling down from the top of the corridor.
“Ouch!” the fat merchant cried out. “Where did…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a piece of colorful cloth was stuffed into his mouth.
On the other side, a Startled Swan White Colt Boat arrived at Crane City earlier than these Beast Taming Sect grain transport boats.
Lu Xiaoxiao and her little junior brother came down from the flying boat with unsteady steps and retched by the sea for a long time.
The little junior brother coughed and asked with a tearful face, “Great Aunt, we chased after him to catch him without waiting for Senior Brother Ye’s permission… Will we really not cause trouble? If Senior Brother Ye finds out, he’ll be furious.”
“Don’t you understand ‘opportunity knocks but once’?” Lu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and stood up. “As they say, ‘speed is paramount in warfare.’ If we had waited for Senior Brother Ye’s permission, would we have been able to catch up with this Zhuang fellow? Besides, the reason this Zhuang fellow was able to escape was because you drank too much last night! Stop wasting time and just follow me… Hmm, the flying boat he jumped onto is a Beast Taming Sect grain transport boat. Let’s go squat at the Immortal Crane Shoal.”
As she spoke, she ground her teeth and gave a sinister, murderous smile.
“He went to Plum City when the Little Martial Ancestor was in Plum City. Who would believe that’s a coincidence?… Hmph, there’s nothing good about the Beast Taming Sect! Let this great aunt see what kind of conspiracy this guy had when he was sneakily following us before!”