Chapter 3 The Blind Man
Hei Xiazi thought that either he was still half asleep and was having a severe hallucination, or the Zhang Qiling in front of him had been possessed by some ancient zombie.
Come back? Stay by his side?
He understood each word individually, but when Zhang Qiling said them together, it sounded utterly ridiculous! Shouldn't this guy be staying in that godforsaken place, Changbai Mountain, guarding that damn ultimate realm, and scheming about how to entrust the Wu family's little ancestor to him, this "reliable" cheap nanny?
Smoke still lingered between the two, Zhang Qiling's breath close at hand, carrying the chill of melting snow on a mountain peak, yet strangely scorching. Hei Xiazi knew that look all too well; it was the look of someone fixing their gaze on a target, not allowing the prey to escape. Before, that look was reserved for zombies and enemies; now, it was firmly fixed on him, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Cough..." Black Bear leaned back abruptly, trying to create some distance, his back hitting the back of the old sofa with a dull thud. He instinctively tried to push his sunglasses back to cover up any emotions he might be revealing, but he found nothing—the sunglasses were still comically perched on the bridge of his nose.
He simply shoved the cigarette back into his mouth, took a deep drag, forced himself to calm down, and put on his usual nonchalant smile again: "'Guard...guard me?'" Black Bear felt his tongue getting tied. "Mute Zhang, you fucking...get your facts straight! What happened? Is something chasing you from inside the Bronze Gate? Or are you..." He looked Zhang Qiling up and down, trying to find some signs of injury or possession, "...you've really been possessed by something?"
Zhang Qiling's hand was icy cold, yet it gripped his wrist firmly like an iron clamp. The strength wasn't great, but there was absolutely no way to break free. That sensation made Hei Xiazi's heart skip a beat.
"I'm fine." Zhang Qiling looked at him, his tone calm, yet carrying an undeniable seriousness.
It's no wonder he thought that way. The Zhang Qiling before him, though still possessing that same cold, aloof exterior, seemed to harbor a volcano on the verge of eruption beneath. His eyes were burning with an intensity that Hei Xiazi couldn't decipher, yet instinctively felt a chill run down his spine. This was absolutely not the mute Zhang he knew, whose emotions were as bland as water!
Zhang Qiling did not answer his barrage of questions. He simply took a step forward, getting closer, so close that Hei Xiazi could clearly see the bloodshot in his eyes and the trembling fingertips that he was trying to suppress but still managed to reveal.
“Nothing is chasing me.” Zhang Qiling’s voice was low and hoarse, with an almost weary stubbornness. “Neither is it possessing anyone.”
"So what are you up to?!" Hei Xiazi was getting a little anxious. This feeling of being completely out of control made him very uncomfortable. He was used to maintaining that kind of distant, tacit understanding with Zhang Qiling, not this... closeness that almost tore down all boundaries.
Zhang Qiling's gaze fell on the hand holding the cigarette, which was still emitting wisps of smoke. He suddenly reached out, not to take the cigarette, but to grasp Hei Xiazi's wrist.
His fingers were icy cold, yet incredibly strong, carrying an unyielding resolve that left no room for escape.
Black Bear stiffened, instinctively trying to shake him off, but seemed rooted to the spot. Zhang Qiling's fingertips lightly caressed the old scar on the inside of his wrist. That scar was from an accident a few years ago; it was very shallow, and Black Bear himself had almost forgotten about it.
“This scar,” Zhang Qiling’s voice lowered, as if confirming something, or as if talking to himself, “was it to push me away…”
Hei Xiazi's heart skipped a beat. He had never told anyone in detail about the origin of this scar, so how could Zhang Qiling know? And with such a knowing yet heart-wrenching tone?
"You..." Hei Xiazi opened his mouth, an absurd thought uncontrollably popping into his head, "...When you went through that door, did you...see something?" He had heard some eerie legends about the bronze door, about its ability to reflect people's hearts and even glimpse the future. Could it be that Zhang Qiling saw...something very bad about him inside?
Zhang Qiling's body trembled almost imperceptibly. He raised his eyes, his gaze as tangible as a physical object, fixed on Hei Xiazi, the surging pain and regret within them almost overflowing.
“I saw it,” he admitted hoarsely, each word seemingly squeezed from the depths of his throat, “I saw you… shed too much blood for me.”
His fingers tightened unconsciously, almost crushing the black bear's wrist bones.
"Seeing me... has caused you too much pain."
Black Bear was stunned. He bled and got injured for him? Wasn't that commonplace? In their line of work, wasn't it always a dangerous business? How did it become so…serious coming from Zhang Qiling's mouth?
"No, you mute, listen to me..." Black Bear tried to explain, feeling that this guy might have really misunderstood something, "In our line of work, getting injured is inevitable. Getting injured for you was my own choice, it has nothing to do with you..."
"It's related!" Zhang Qiling abruptly interrupted him, his emotions clearly spiraling out of control for the first time. He raised his other hand, grabbing Hei Xiazi's other arm and practically slamming him against the sofa back, their noses almost touching. "It's related! It's me... it's me who dragged you into danger time and time again! It's me who took it for granted! It's me... and in the end..."
His words came to an abrupt halt, as if what followed was too cruel to be spoken. He clenched his teeth tightly, his jawline taut, and his eyes were faintly red.
Hei Xiazi was completely stunned. He looked at the face so close to his own, at the surging pain and self-blame in those usually indifferent eyes that almost overwhelmed him. His heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, both sore and swollen.
What the hell is going on?
Zhang Qiling wasn't afraid because he saw him in danger; he was... suffering immense torment because of the "harm" that "might" happen or that has already happened in the future he "sees."
What exactly did this silent fellow go through inside? What kind of scenes did he see that could turn him into this state?
Just as Hei Xiazi's mind was in complete chaos, Zhang Qiling suddenly released his grip on him, took a half-step back, as if he had used all his strength to barely control himself. He turned his head, took a few deep breaths, and when he turned back, the turmoil in his eyes had been forcibly suppressed, leaving only a bottomless weariness and an even more determined...stubbornness.
"I'm sorry." Zhang Qiling looked at him and said these three words with utmost seriousness.
Black Bear's throat tightened, and he couldn't utter a single word.
"Those things," Zhang Qiling's voice returned to its usual coldness, but carried a resolute strength, "will never happen again."
“I will never leave you alone again,” he repeated, as if making a vow, or as if warning himself, “From today onwards, wherever you are, I will be.”
Hei Xiazi looked at him, at this familiar yet unfamiliar Zhang Qiling, at the unwavering resolve in his eyes, and a huge, indescribable, complex emotion surged into his heart. There was absurdity, confusion, and a barely perceptible...thrill, but more than anything, there was a heavy, almost suffocating premonition.
Damn it... this bronze door, could it really have replaced Zhang the mute's soul?
And it seems that Hei Xiazi... has gotten himself into big trouble.
Over the next few days, Hei Xiazi personally experienced what it meant to be "wherever you are, I am there".
Zhang Qiling was like his shadow, or rather, like a top-tier bodyguard programmed with his own agenda. When Hei Xiazi got up, Zhang Qiling had already bought breakfast (though it was usually just cold steamed buns and soy milk); when Hei Xiazi went out for a stroll, Zhang Qiling followed him at a distance; when Hei Xiazi took on a small job gathering information, Zhang Qiling would investigate any potentially dangerous factors before Hei Xiazi could even do so.
He even began to interfere with Hei Xiazi's lifestyle.
"You're still injured, so avoid alcohol." Zhang Qiling said expressionlessly as he took the bottle of Erguotou that Hei Xiazi had just opened.
"Smoke less." He stared at Hei Xiazi as he lit his cigarette until the man sheepishly stubbed it out.
Hei Xiazi was practically going crazy. In all his years, when had he ever been treated like this? The worst part was, the person treating him was Zhang Qiling! This was even more terrifying than going into a tomb!
He tried protesting, tried joking around, tried sneaking away in the middle of the night, but nothing worked. Zhang Qiling had plenty of ways to "invite" him back, and his attitude was firm and unquestionable.
What alarmed Hei Xiazi the most was Zhang Qiling's frighteningly cold attitude towards the messages from Wu Xie.
Wu Xie seemed to be trying to find out about Zhang Qiling through Xie Yuchen, his tone anxious. When Hei Xiazi tentatively brought it up, Zhang Qiling simply replied, "It has nothing to do with him."
The detachment and indifference in that tone sent a chill down Hei Xiazi's spine. This was absolutely not the attitude of someone who had just gone through life and death with Wu Xie and was even willing to enter the Bronze Gate for him.
The changes are too great. So great that they're unsettling.
That night, Hei Xiazi finally lost his temper and cornered Zhang Qiling in the house: "Dumb Zhang, we need to talk! What the hell do you want? What's with you following me around every day?"
Zhang Qiling looked at him, remained silent for a moment, then walked to the wall, where a crumpled, simple map hung—a map that Hei Xiazi had scribbled on many years ago, a map that even Hei Xiazi himself had almost forgotten. On the map, in an inconspicuous corner, there was a cross lightly drawn with a pencil.
That was a small tomb that Hei Xiazi had mentioned casually before, a place that might contain rare medicinal herbs. It was said to have miraculous effects on treating old injuries, but its location was remote and full of traps, so he had never made up his mind to go there.
Zhang Qiling's finger landed precisely on the fork.
“Tomorrow,” he looked at Black Bear, his eyes calm yet carrying a knowing glint, “go here.”
Black Bear's pupils shrank sharply: "What are you doing there?!"
Zhang Qiling's gaze slowly swept over his left shoulder—there was an old wound from many years ago that would ache faintly on rainy days.
"Find the medicine." He said succinctly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.
Hei Xiazi stood rooted to the spot, struck dumb. He looked at Zhang Qiling, at those eyes that seemed to see through all his secrets, and a more absurd thought, yet one that seemed to explain all the anomalies, flashed into his mind like lightning—
This Zhang Qiling...
damn it……
Could it be... the ability to foresee the future?!
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