Chapter 447 - Jueming Gorge

It was the twenty-fourth of the seventh month, three days later. The sky was bright and clear overhead when Xiao Chen arrived at a town called the Shishi Town—the Town of the Stone Lion, a little settlement at the edges of the Eastern Continent. He came here before when he was heading to the Middle Continent with Murong Xian’er.

In a stroke of luck and coincidence, he passed before the same Humen Armed Escort Agency and a man came forward to accost him, grinning broadly. “You three looking for some security on your journey to Xianyong City? The Humen Armed… Wait a minute! You!” He gasped with surprise when he recognized Xiao Chen.

“It’s been quite a long time, Thunderbolt,” Xiao Chen greeted.

It was Thunderbolt, an armed escort of this agency. It was also he who had chaperoned Xiao Chen and Murong Xian’er before when they were heading for Xianyong City, although Xiao Chen’s easy and short work of the hitmen from Ling Family left him in awe.

Still reeling with joy and surprise, Thunderbolt suddenly realized Xiao Chen’s white hair. “My friend… your hair…”

“It’s fine,” Xiao Chen waved him off gently, smiling. He turned to Qingluan and her sister. “Let’s journey on with the convoy.”

Thunderbolt beamed, “Very well! But this time, I’ll collect no payment from you!”

They arranged to travel with the armed convoy and hopped on to one of their horse-drawn carriages and that allowed them to make good headway. This time, Thunderbolt was friendlier and more amicable than before, “Have you heard about this year’s Wind and Cloud Meeting on August 15th, my friend?”

“Can’t say I haven’t.” Xiao Chen nodded.

“The previous Meetings are nothing but the annual banality. But this year it’s different!” Thunderbolt revealed enthusiastically. “There are rumors that two powerful contestants are taking part. One of them the Great Devil Gu Feng, who was riling up a storm just not long ago. And the other, I’m sure must be another legendary figure emerging after being dormant for ages… Heh heh heh heh…”

Thunderbolt’s face brightened with admiration as he went on, “In the past, it had always been members of the Orthodox Sect who lead the show. But this time, I’m sure it would be different. Imagine this, heroes from all corners of the world coming to Mount Wuyue. It boils my blood only to think about the number of hermits and mages who had been living in hiding, emerging now to show the world what they are capable of!”

Thunderbolt chuckled delightedly. “The Great Devil Gu Feng. What a figure! They say he is at least a thousand years old! Somebody like him with powers that reign supreme over the lands! Makes you wonder if there’s really anyone who can pit toe-to-toe against him! Whoever is that stranger challenging him, he must also be a powerful fighter himself from the ancients!”

“Mister Bolt of Fire here got that right somehow.” Ziyun’er sniggered at the last sentence.

“It’s Thunderbolt.” the armed escort corrected her, slightly annoyed.

“All right, Mister Thunderbolt,” Ziyun’er giggled and said, “This stranger you’re talking about is indeed a powerful figure from thousands of years ago. In fact, he’s like a brother to my young lord here.”

Thunderbolt stared at her silently for seconds before he guffawed. “That’s a funny joke, little girl.” He turned to Xiao Chen and said, “So, my friend, would you be going to Mount Wuyue for this year’s Meeting?”

Unlike a vivacious and spirited Ziyun’er, Qingluan said nothing. She merely looked on, keeping a careful watch. Xiao Chen nodded. “I believe I would.” Thunderbolt rubbed his hands anxiously with brimming rhapsody. “You must. Powerful mages such as you should be there.”

Xiao Chen merely smiled and said nothing, his serene outlook belying the jitters of distress now assailing him. The ambiance in the carriage cabin darkened suddenly. But the sky was still clear and bright outside just not long ago but dark nimbuses loomed ominously overhead now. They have arrived at the Changyin Mountain Range.

No fingers of sunlight ever slid up the slopes of the Changyin Mountain Range and the inhabitants in these parts were no stranger to the dismal sight of the gloomy summits of the Mountain Range that towered over the nearby terrain. Within four hours, the convoy arrived at Xianyong City, where wide streets were customarily crammed with endless scores of people and never-ending strings of wagons and caravans of merchants and traders. Buildings stood proudly on either sides of the streets, overlooking the hustle and bustle at their feet while many a great number of floating isles bobbed lazily skyward and the entire city looked very much the rich and lively illustration of how cities in the Middle Continent looked like, unlike their more tranquil and venerable counterparts in the Eastern Continent.

Xiao Chen clambered off the carriage to behold the sight of the busy street panning out before him, remembering how worried he was about money when he first came here with Murong Xian’er because of how busy and wealthy this city was. It was a surrealistic deja vu being back here again.

“Please, my lady… I will not accept any payment from you, at least not this time…”

Xiao Chen turned around. He was engrossed in his reminiscences until the voice interrupted him and saw Ziyun’er saying, “It’s fine, Mister Bolts of Fire. It’s just payment for your services escorting us.” And she shoved an ingot of silver into Thunderbolt’s hand.

“It’s Thunderbolt…” the armed escort muttered under his breath.

“Oh, oh! Heh heh heh… I keep on mistaking your name.”

Xiao Chen strode over to join them. With a chuckle at their banter, he said to Thunderbolt, “Farewell, my friend. I wish you good fortune in your endeavors to come.”

Thunderbolt bade him farewell with a salute, saying, “Well, I’m just a brute with hardly learned in courtesy in manners. Still, I wish you fortune too. May you fare triumphantly in the upcoming Meeting, defeat all odds and rise to the top!”

After exchanging their goodbyes, Xiao Chen and his companions roamed the busy streets until dark fell. Feeling concern for Xiao Chen’s health, especially after so many days of journey, Ziyun’er said, “We should look for an inn or a tavern, my Lord. You need to rest before pressing on tomorrow.”

With his deteriorating health, Xiao Chen could not endure the thin air at high altitudes and he could only travel in carriages. He looked up into the clusters of red-yellowish scaly plumes hanging up high in the dusk sky and took a deep breath. Countless powerful mages are rising up from everywhere and yet, his powers were waning. Clan Mo would never stop coming for him to exact their vengeance, even though Mo Yu alone seemed hardly an adequate reason for their relentless attempts on his life…

They looked for an inn and ordered a table full of food; all of them were favorites of Xiao Chen. Qingluan had specifically requested that kitchen to use more salt although it hardly helped. With Xiao Chen’s present condition, he had lost all sense of taste. Everything he ate tasted like wax to him. After just a few disinterested nibbles, he withdrew back to his room.

Pale shafts of moonlight winnowed through the window into the room as the gentle whispers of the night breeze could be heard outside. But the tranquility of the evening hardly helped Xiao Chen to sleep. He got up and went outside to sit alone in the darkened courtyard, hearing only the shrill beckons of nocturnal bugs and accompanied by shadows of trees portending the growing hours of the night.

He lifted his head and gazed at the silvery orb up above and remembered how Brother Yifeng had stabbed Red Sleeve during the battle at the rear of the Summit of Mystics, all only to buy him more time.

“This is the Unsullied. It’s named after the quote ‘He who is unsullied possesses utter serenity, free of all that is evil and foul.'”

Xiao Chen drew his weapon, remembering what Yu Yifeng told him back when they met at the Three Pure Sect so many years before. The blade of the Unsullied glistened with a pale white sheen, exemplifying its name.

A soft scuffing of shoes on the ground suddenly behind him made him turn and at once, a faint fragrant whiff in the breeze met him.

“You should be resting now, My Lord.”

The night’s wind was blowing through Qingluan’s dark hair, catching strands of it and flinging them gently over her face, and the way her thin jade dress rippled and pressed over her slender shoulders could have enraptured all men and make them bend their knees for her.

Xiao Chen put away his sword and shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m just thinking. And I don’t seem to be the only one here.”

“Let me see you back to your chamber, My Lord,” Qingluan said, “Everything will be fine once we reach Jueming Gorge. There’s no need for worry.”

Xiao Chen found no intention to contradict her. No demigod, immortal, and most certainly human had ever escaped the clutches of the Ungodly Decay. Just then, out of the blue, he smiled and said, “I have never seen you smile before.”

A surprised Qingluan lowered her head, blushing.

At the break of dawn the next morning, they immediately left the city, heading for Jueming Gorge. They reached the Gorge after five days at the twenty-ninth of the seventh month, with less than half month before the Wind and Cloud Meeting at Mount Wuyue.

Jueming Gorge was at the southernmost secluded areas of the Middle Continent, a hidden utopia of rich and lush flora even in a time when most other places were languishing with the desolation of autumn. A chilly breeze, bearing the scent of grass and flowers met them as they walked through the yawning opening of the gorge and they were met by the captivating sight of dense green meadows, adorned with sprinkles of myriad colors of the flowers blooming healthily.

They could feel the air was thick with rich Spiritual Qi as they walked, until they saw a crowd of twenty to thirty people waiting under the shade of a large tree. The people were standing in a line, waiting before a little boy dressed like an acolyte and Xiao Chen immediately understood: these people must be waiting for their turn to meet this legendary physician.

Xiao Chen and his companions joined the end of the line. There were many people, all looking rich and powerful in the line in front of them. Some were even leaders of sects and schools of magecraft. They all had one thing in common: each and every one of them came bearing gifts or treasures of rare valuables and only Xiao Chen came empty-handed.

Everyone waited for almost an hour and many began to look flustered and anxious, but no one dared utter a word or grumble. Finally, another acolyte, looking in his early teens appeared from deep inside the gorge and squeaked boyishly, “There’re only three places for today. The rest of you can come back again after a month.”

“WHAT?!” Gasps and roars of indignation rose from all quarters. Some began looking at each other, sharing dark and dissatisfied looks. Only the first three men standing at the head of the line looked pleased and elated.

“Why only three places? I’ve been waiting for more than half a month!”

“One month?! I cannot afford to wait until then! Please! Tell your Master, I’ll agree to any terms he wishes!”

The clamor continued boisterously and an impatient Qingluan walked up the line and said to the boy, “There’re only three places available? Please, young one, I’m begging for your Young Master’s consideration for my lord’s ailing condition… He cannot wait any more…”

But another voice snapped at her from behind, “And you think you’re the only one here needing the physician’s advice? So are all of us here!”

The cacophony only grew worst as more irate people voiced out their discontent. The two young acolytes retorted, “These are the Young Master’s commands: come back again in a month. We’ll have no more noises here or the Young Master shall accept no one here today!”

The first three men heard this and looked visibly frightened. Before Qingluan could even say anything, they berated everyone behind them fiercely, “ENOUGH! Jueming Gorge operates on its very own set of rules and they’ll be no exceptions! Leave at once! Anger the Young Maestro and all of you shall find yourself disqualified forever!”

Ziyun’er sped forward and begged, “Please, little boys. Please send word to your Young Master! Our lord can really wait no longer! Please, we’ll do anything! Anything for the Young Maestro!”

But the two little acolytes repeated themselves with the same dull and emotionless voice, “The rest of you can come back again after a month…”

Their indifference to the plights of those who had arduously waited long for help was enough to crumble everyone’s confidence and will; most, if not all, of the people turned and left sullenly. The Young Maestro’s word was final: three places and no more and no one would ever want to risk his wrath.

Qingluan and Ziyun’er persisted in pestering the two boys for help. But they merely reiterated themselves placidly with hardly any hint of compassion in their gazes, “You two can come back again after a month…”

Standing no far away, Xiao Chen sighed. Never once he had had to beg and grovel like a poor and miserable peasant. “Qingluan. Ziyun’er. That’s enough. We’ll just go.”

But both Qingluan and Ziyun’er were loathed to just give up. But nothing they said had managed to melt the icy demeanor of the two little acolytes which was unthinkable for two little boys so young. One would have wondered if these boys would even bat an eye if anyone were to die just before them.

The two acolytes wheeled around and were about to leave when Ziyun’er screamed furiously, “JUST YOU WAIT! I’LL HAVE THIS ENTIRE GORGE UTTERLY RAZED!” “Enough with your impertinence!” Qingluan hissed at her.

The two little acolytes were hardly perturbed. But a hollow voice boomed from inside the gorge, reverberating from afar like a deafening echo, “Interesting. It’s a first, I must say. Never had anyone threatened to raze Jueming Gorge to the ground before. Very well then. I’ll show an exception just this once. Let them in.”