Part Two: On the Verge of Explosion
Looking at the strange masks in the room, Xiang Wu's thoughts returned to the time before he was injured.
"A life for a life." Ayu's words struck Xiang Wu's heart like a heavy hammer.
Xiang shook his head weakly. Although he had grown dissatisfied with the Buddha these days because of what he had seen, his master's teachings over the years were still deeply imprinted in his consciousness.
“You don’t need to answer me right away,” A-Yu paused, then said, “Come back in three days.”
At this moment, Xiang Wu was caught in a fierce internal struggle, his mind churning with turmoil, and his expression was complex and indescribable.
"You have one question left. Go ahead and ask." Ayu's tone was like a calm lake, so calm that it could perfectly reflect the blue sky and mountains.
Xiang Wu's thoughts were still on the previous question, and his eyes were unfocused. Just as he had rehearsed, he asked the third question as if reciting a scripture: "There is a Senluo Temple in Xieyue Mountain, and there are three monks in the temple. I want to know their whereabouts."
For the first time, Ayu picked up a pen and wrote down the question Xiangwu had raised: "Choose one."
Looking at Xiang Wu, A Yu repeated, "Choose one. I can only investigate one person for you; the others are a different matter."
So the master and senior brother also joined in the chaos of Xiang Wunao's mind. The mud and sand were stirred up from the bottom of the water, and his thoughts became muddy and murky.
"Master," Xiang Wu finally said.
Let's go back to the present.
"I've found out where your master is," said A-Yu, who emerged from behind the screen. "However, according to the rules, you must first do something for the Unforgettable Pavilion before I can tell you."
“According to the rules of the Unforgettable Pavilion,” Xiang Wu said, half-squatting, one hand tidying the strands of hair that Lin Zhenna had brushed against her mouth, the other hand supporting his still-recovering body, teetering on the brink of collapse. “As long as you can offer something of equal value in exchange, isn’t that enough?”
"That's right."
"The news about Yanyu Tower should be considered good intelligence for you."
"That is, the information you have is not what we have," Ayu replied cautiously.
Xiang coughed incessantly, and the tearing pain in his chest exacerbated his exhaustion once again. He knew in his heart that he was already a candle flickering in the wind.
At least I should make a deal with these people using my crippled body. Xiang Wuxin thought to himself.
"Do you possess the martial arts skills of the Misty Rain Pavilion?"
Ayu's body twitched noticeably; it was the first time Xiangwu had seen him show any emotional fluctuation.
Looking at Nana's calm face, Xiang Wu silently said in his heart, "I'm sorry, Miss Nana, this little monk has to break his promise."
Perhaps because of the wound, Xiang Wu felt another pang of sorrow in his chest.
"The martial arts of the Misty Rain Pavilion in exchange for the old monk's whereabouts?" A-Yu instinctively reached to touch his chin, but his hand bumped into the mask on his face, startling him. He said truthfully, "To be honest, this exchange is more than enough. It's even too unequal."
“No,” Xiang Wu shook his head, “I don’t want my master’s whereabouts, nor will I give you the ‘Smoke and Rain Ode’.”
Xiang Wu continued, "I will give you someone who knows the 'Smoke and Rain Song,' and you can command him to do anything. In exchange, you must heal this girl and protect her until she recovers."
Ah Yu pondered the meaning behind Xiang Wu's words. He touched the chin of the mask and said, "You mean give us fish, not fishing gear."
Starting from Xiang Wu's feet, a pure white light spread out in all directions like flowing water. The candlelight in the room lost its color, and the feathers of the birds on the walls began to shimmer.
Gradually, the water flow filled the entire Unforgettable Pavilion.
Everyone was immersed in the cool colors, yet their bodies felt warm.
The taller woman raised her hand, and all the sword intent that Xiang Wu had released was sent back into his own body.
“Save your energy,” Han Yizhi put down her hand and said, “If you want to make an exchange, you’ll need at least a live fish.”
"Should we accept him, Pavilion Master?" A-Yu asked respectfully.
Wang Boyu stepped forward, walked up to Xiang Wu, and said, "Little monk, if you decide to work for the Unforgettable Pavilion from now on, we can agree to your exchange conditions."
Under Xiang Wu's gaze, Wang Boyu, wearing an exaggerated mask, slowly squatted down, looked him in the eye, and asked, "What do you think?"
~
On the other side, the doctor, who was originally lying on the patient's bed, is now lying on it.
The doors of the Qu Family Medical Clinic closed early this morning.
Qu You gripped the windowsill, staring blankly at the empty streets outside.
"Grandma, will Young Master Xiang be alright?" Qu You looked at the dark end of the road and said worriedly, "His injuries haven't healed yet, and it's pitch black, but he insisted on leaving today."
Qu Peng shook her head helplessly, looked at her granddaughter, and comforted her with great affection, "He doesn't belong here, he'll leave sooner or later."
“I know,” Qu You pursed her lips and said, “He saved my mother-in-law and he saved me. I just don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“He’s a strong kid,” Qu Peng said. “I knew that from the first day he arrived. His clothes had a lot of bloodstains, some fresh, some that he had washed many times but couldn’t get rid of.”
Speaking of this, Qu You looked at the tattered clothes that Xiang Wu had changed out of on the stool next to her, and remembered the way Xiang Wu looked after washing the blood off his face that night.
That day, Xiang Wu's hair was a mess, and the stench emanating from him was off-putting. His face, bathed in the soft light of the lamp, wasn't exactly handsome, but it was impossible to resist him.
"He must have fought through countless battles to bring Miss Lin to our doorstep," Qu Peng continued. "Since he's leaving, he must have made up his mind. He'll definitely be able to protect Miss Lin, and protect himself as well."
"I know that Young Hero Xiang likes Miss Lin," Qu You replied softly into the darkness.
Qu You turned around and looked at her mother-in-law, who was lying on her side on the bed looking at her. She immediately perked up. Her round face smiled like a little sun, and she said energetically, "I will go to Ping An Courtyard first thing tomorrow morning to pray for peace for Xiang Wu and Miss Lin."
"Of course, the most important thing is to pray for my mother-in-law's health." Qu You sat down next to her mother-in-law and held her hand: "Mother-in-law, you must get well soon. You are my lucky star, the lucky star of Wuling City."
Qu Peng laughed and said, "You flatter me like that. I'm not some lucky star of Wuling City."
~
"Clap!" Qu You clasped his hands together loudly, paying homage to the four enormous statues in front of him.
There were about seven or eight prayer cushions in front of the statue, and even then, people had to line up to worship. Some who had already prayed stood aside, either gazing at the statue from afar or muttering something with their hands clasped and eyes closed.
If it weren't for the railings keeping them at a distance, the shoes of those statues would probably have been worn smooth and shiny from being touched so much. Qu You finished making her wish and left the main hall, standing at a distance and looking at the statues, thinking to herself.
Qu You didn't believe in these things before. But when people are willing but powerless, they always need to do something to relieve and comfort themselves.
In any case, the wishes are heartfelt.
"Sister, is this the statue of the four sword gods of water, fire, wind, and thunder?" A girl tugged at Qu You's sleeve from behind and asked timidly.
Qu You snapped out of her daze and saw a tall, handsome man and woman. Their features were sharply defined, as if carved by a knife and axe, and the girl had such large, watery eyes that even Qu You, being a woman herself, couldn't help but marvel.
"Yes, is this your first time here?" Qu You could tell from their faces that the two were not from Wuling, but she still asked the question as if it were just a formality.
She had experienced the same scenario many times since she was a child. Before each sword-testing tournament, many scions of martial arts families would come to Ping An Temple to pray for peace and good fortune.
“My senior brother and I grew up listening to stories about the Sword God, and we’ve always wanted to come and see for ourselves.” Jianbing smiled sweetly, a dimple appearing on his left cheek. “We finally got our master’s permission to go out, and we were so sure we had to come here.”
Qu You couldn't help but smile and said, "This is it. Go in and pay your respects. Remember to step on the threshold when you go in."
Seeing the soldier tilting his head with a puzzled expression, Qu You explained, "This is a rule established by the four sword gods when the statue was first erected. Back then, Xue Xuanyuan of the Western Frontier wreaked havoc in the Central Plains, almost overthrowing the entire martial arts world. It was only through the combined efforts of the four sword gods and the leaders of various sects that Xue Xuanyuan was finally besieged and killed. In the end, his followers were driven out of the pass, restoring peace to the martial arts world of the Central Plains."
The supervising soldier nodded repeatedly as he listened.
"Therefore, when these statues were erected, the sword gods established a rule. When entering the hall and stepping on the threshold, one should also step on the shoulders of these predecessors. This is to remind everyone that only by working together can we maintain the stability of the world."
“It’s a little different from the story we heard,” the guard said, his eyes shining. “But the ending is the same.”
Qu You smiled and said, "People pass the story around by word of mouth, so there will always be some discrepancies. But the core of the story will not change."
"Thank you, sister." The guard took Meng Zhang's arm and walked excitedly toward the main hall.
Qu You nodded, then looked around with satisfaction at the endless stream of people going to worship, and the gloom in her heart was swept away.
What a remarkable thing it is that this spirit continues to be passed down. Qu You thought to herself. At this moment, she suddenly believed that the Sword God would protect her grandmother, Xiang Wu, and Miss Lin.
Qu You clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and bowed once more towards the direction of the main hall.
~
The guards and Meng Zhang stepped over the threshold and entered the main hall. They only stood to the side and looked up at the tall statue, without going to the front to pay their respects.
“Wind, thunder, water, fire.” The guard counted the four statues from left to right. She shook Meng Zhang’s arm and said, “Senior brother, do you think they really look like this?”
"The statues should be more dignified, right?" Meng Zhang had been looking up and carefully examining the faces of each statue, but with this thought, he gave up the idea of memorizing those faces.
Among the crowd were curious people, greedy people, some with blank expressions, and others with solemn expressions. But regardless of their purpose in coming here, at the moment of worship, their gazes were filled with utmost reverence.
Meng Zhang was neither of these types. His upbringing taught him that these people were Central Plains people who killed the previous empress by overwhelming numbers, and were not upright and chivalrous heroes.
But the colossus was so solemn, and the crowd so devout. Meng Zhang felt a little shaken.
The two followed the crowd around to the back of the statue. Among them were many devout believers who kept their hands clasped in prayer. On the wall behind the colossal statue were carved twelve other figures of varying appearances, which could only be seen by going around to the back of the statue. These twelve figures were much smaller, with very different appearances and builds, but all of them had the same expression: glaring angrily at the two of them.
"That swordsmanship is truly impressive," the supervising soldier exclaimed, pointing to one of the statues of a man on horseback.
Mist billowed from the horse's nostrils, swirling around the swordsman on its back. The swordsman, brows furrowed in anger, leaned slightly forward, his sword held horizontally at his side. The entire figure was sculpted with great dynamism, as if the sword was about to pierce through the mist and strike. But he was certain he wouldn't be able to unleash that strike; everything froze before he could deliver this powerful blow.
Even after descending to the foot of the mountain, Meng Zhang could still hear the whispers of prayers from the people in the main hall.
"Why did the Empress build the palace on a mountain?" The supervising soldier looked back at the Sword God Hall at the very top and said breathlessly, "These people are really something. After winning a battle, they turned someone else's house into a memorial hall."
"Senior brother, what's wrong?" Jianbing patted Meng Zhang on the back and teased, "You've been absent-minded since just now."
Meng Zhang shook his head, trying to cover it up, saying, "It's nothing. I was just wondering where they hid the Empress's body."
The guard put his finger to his lips, thought for a moment, then immediately gave up, saying, "I don't know either, you should think about it."
Then she said with a grin, "You can't let me down, or even your junior sister can't protect you."
Meng Zhang shook his head helplessly and said, "You."
The guard took his arm again and said cautiously, "But I see a lot of Beggar Clan disciples guarding this place. The Empress is probably still here."
As they spoke, the two walked out of the gate of Ping An Courtyard together.
“Actually, they’re quite similar to us. Let’s replace them with the four of us from now on,” Jianbing said, tightening his grip on Meng Zhang’s arm in a mischievous tone.
"Does it look like it?" Meng Zhang's mind was filled with the image of the giant Vajra with its angry glare, as well as the image of the twelve knights on the wall.
“Yes, it’s true,” the soldier said quietly, looking up into Meng Zhang’s eyes. “There are four of us too.”
"No, there are five of us: East, South, West, North, and Center." The supervisor suddenly started counting on his fingers and arguing with himself: "But now that the Central Palace is vacant, we are actually four."
Suddenly, a glint flashed in the supervisor's eyes. She excitedly shook Meng Zhang and said, "Do you think there might actually be five of them, and they might also be missing a central palace? Wouldn't that make us a perfect match?"
Meng Zhang flicked the soldier on the forehead and said, "Help me figure out where the Empress is."
The soldier was jolted awake, scratching his head and pouting as he replied, "If you want to, then you want to."
The sky faded from its dull blue, the sun lost its rising orange hue, and Wuling City gradually awoke. More people, carrying incense and paper money, headed towards Ping'an Temple. The two siblings, each with their own thoughts, clung to each other and walked against the flow of people away from this place that made them both feel somewhat nervous.
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