Liu Xiaolou had wanted to defy orders and not return, but the thought of losing more than thirty spirit stones made him waver. Even worse, what if the Su family, humiliated and angry, decided to take it out on him?
But after Tigerhead Dragon’s persuasion, he gave up the idea of resisting. The reasoning was simple: Tigerhead Dragon told him to just bring the people he needed to look after to Shenwu Mountain. It was far from the battlefield, and surely much safer. Tigerhead even promised that if Shenwu Mountain refused to take them in, the Jiao family would.
Liu Xiaolou thought that made sense, so he agreed. After some effort, he managed to persuade Li Busan and Auntie Li, mother and daughter, to get on the cart. He drove it himself all the way back to Shenwu Mountain.
He had also hoped to take Old Master Tan with them, but the old man was stubborn. Though he no longer waved his staff to chase Liu Xiaolou away, he still refused to leave his home.
He told Liu Xiaolou that in his lifetime he had already seen seven wars against the cultivators of Badong, and not once had those scoundrels gotten the upper hand. Stroking his beard, he added that if the battle really turned against them, he was prepared to go to Zhuoshui and fight. If he ran off to Shenwu Mountain now, how would he ever make it in time?
Those words settled Liu Xiaolou’s nerves, easing much of his worry.
Once back at Shenwu Mountain, he arranged for Li Busan and Auntie Li with her daughter to stay at General’s Temple, just outside the mountain gate, and instructed Steward Su to look after them. Only then did he return to the SunRain Hibiscus Garden.
When he arrived, Susu came hurrying to greet him. “Young master, you’re back!” she said happily as she brought him fresh water to wash with and helped him change clothes.
After that, Susu went to feed the big white goose. Stroking the soft, smooth feathers along its neck, she said, “Big White, we’re out of golden dragon-whisker carp. All I have are these ordinary fish, so just make do with them. And where’s Little Black? Why don’t I see him?”
Little Black, of course, was hiding somewhere under the eaves or in the flowerbeds. When it didn’t want to show itself, even Liu Xiaolou couldn’t find it, let alone Susu.
After washing up and changing clothes, Liu Xiaolou glanced at the tightly closed window on the second floor and asked, “Where’s Fifth Lady?”
“She went to the back mountain earlier with Xiaojuan to continue her cultivation,” replied Susu.
“She didn’t take you with her this time?”
“My talent isn’t as good as Xiaohuan’s. I haven’t finished fully grasping the gains from our last trip to the Grotto-Heaven, so I didn’t go to the back mountain.”
“You should have gone, Susu.”
“If you came home and there was no one here to look after you, what then?”
“Susu… all right, all right. But next time you really must go. Opportunities like that are rare. Cultivation has to come first.”
Finding that Su Xi wasn’t around, Liu Xiaolou felt a bit more at ease. For some reason, he was starting to feel uneasy about facing her.
“Susu, I brought some relatives and friends’ families and settled them at General’s Temple. Please look after them for me. Make sure they have plenty of food and clothing.”
“I understand, young master. I’ll go check on them in a bit.”
By evening, Liu Xiaolou took Susu to General’s Temple. Auntie Li was cooking, while Granny Li sat by the oil lamp sewing soles for shoes. When they saw Liu Xiaolou, they all came forward to pay their respects. He asked them a few questions, looked over the firewood, water jars, rice, meat, and vegetables stacked in the side rooms, and gave a few words of instruction with a nod.
Li Busan was in his room cultivating, holding a spirit stone in his mouth while practicing the cultivation method his teacher, Dragon Mountain Wanderer, had passed down to him. His practice was rather unusual: when cultivating, his posture looked odd, with both legs flipped up over his shoulders while his palms supported his body from below. This was called “the Root of the Dao Turned Over.”
On that point, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t really guide him, so he could only share his own experience when Li Busan ran into difficulties. Having just entered the path a year ago, Li Busan was cultivating the Foot Greater Yang Meridian, the very first meridian in the Dragon Mountain Wanderer lineage. Since he was only starting now, it was harder for him. That meridian had forty-five acupoints on one side alone, and he had only managed to open nine. No one knew if he could ever reach the level his master had achieved.
Dragon Mountain Wanderer’s cultivation was among the very best in Wulong Mountain, and so was his wealth. He had left Li Busan three spirit stones, enough to sustain his cultivation for more than three months. Of course, if Dragon Mountain Wanderer were to truly fall in this great war, then Liu Xiaolou would have to look after Li Busan. That was both his personal promise to Dragon Mountain Wanderer and a rule of Wulong Mountain.
As for Auntie Li, her pregnancy hadn’t begun to show yet, so her daily routines and light chores weren’t a problem. Still, Liu Xiaolou thought to himself that if Zuo Gaofeng never returned, once the child was born and its spiritual aptitude tested, the baby would probably have to be taken into his own Sanxuan Sect.
At only twenty-one years old, Liu Xiaolou suddenly found such a heavy burden placed on his shoulders. The weight of it made him uneasy, and so he longed all the more for good news to come from Zhuoshui.
That day, Yun Ao came again to the SunRain Hibiscus Garden. With a broad smile he said, “I heard that Brother Liu had returned home to the mountain, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing you ever since. At last, here you are! This truly is a great joy! Come, come, come; it's been far too long since we entered the formation, and I’ve been eager for it.”
“On my way back,” Liu Xiaolou said, “I ran into the Gengsang Cave forces invading Western Xiang, so I was delayed quite a bit… Brother Yun, do you know how the fighting is going there?”
“I’ve heard they’ve already fought once. No clear winner yet, but the battle was fierce, with heavy casualties on both sides.”
Liu Xiaolou’s heart tightened. “Brother Yun, do you know who was wounded or killed?”
Yun Ao shook his head. “That I don’t know. But don’t worry, Brother Liu. No matter how fierce it gets, the Zhanglong Sect isn’t about to call on you here at Shenwu Mountain. Come now, come now; I still have five chances left, let’s use one today.”
This time when he came out, Yun Ao was full of praise on the spot. “The arrangement’s been changed inside, Brother Liu! How come I never noticed it before?”
Liu Xiaolou laughed. “Illusions are born of the heart. Whatever sights appear within the formation come from your own mind, Brother Yun. They have nothing to do with me.”
Yun Ao didn’t linger. He had to hurry back home, several dozen li away. Not that he couldn’t afford the time. After entering the formation, his body and spirit could stay vigorous for half a month. It was just that right now he was in peak condition, enough to satisfy his wife, so he clasped his hands in farewell and bolted off like a galloping horse.
A few days later, Xiong Xi came knocking. “Well, well, I heard there’s something new inside the formation. I just had to come see for myself. I still have four chances left!”
Knowing that these fellows always rushed off as soon as they were done, Liu Xiaolou asked his question first. “Brother Xiong, do you know the situation in Zhuoshui?”
Xiong Xi said, “They’ve already fought one battle, a head-on clash. Both sides had great formations protecting them, so casualties weren’t too high. But I heard there were plenty of smaller skirmishes outside the main fight. The Zhanglong Sect took losses. Two of their inner disciples, Zang Qianli and Xu Hengshan, were wounded. The rogue cultivators suffered more deaths and injuries, though I don’t know who exactly.”
Liu Xiaolou’s heart sank again.
After watching inside the formation, Xiong Xi left in high spirits, running off just as quickly. Liu Xiaolou packed up the formation disk, told Susu to take good care of Li Busan and Auntie Li’s family, then went down the mountain to Tianmen Market.
To his delight, he found Yan Sanfei, slippery as ever, hawking Miao Feng Mountain’s spirit pills in the streets. Without a word, Liu Xiaolou swept up all of the healing pills he had for sale, paying eight spirit stones for the lot, then set off at once for Zhuoshui without stopping.