Danxia Mountain was out of the question for Dong Wei, so Liu Xiaolou chose a spot on Hanshu Plain, at Black Cat Mountain, a full eighty li away from Danxia.
Dong Wei looked over the wide open plateau, circled the area once, and, seeing no sign of an ambush, finally eased his guard.
By the reckoning of time, their agreement was made yesterday, the duel set for today. After nearly a hundred li of hard travel, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t possibly have arranged an ambush here.
But when Dong Wei thought back on what he’d been through this past month, when he remembered Linhu Courtyard in Danxia Grotto-Heaven, a shiver ran down his spine. The whole affair was unspeakable. To think he had mistaken those two for alluring women, and gone so far as to…
His anger now fell squarely on Liu Xiaolou. If not for the drug, how could he have been so humiliated? Whatever else happened today, he swore he would not touch so much as a cup of tea again. Whatever Liu Xiaolou offered, he would not take it.
“Why here?” Dong Wei asked.
“You called for a duel to the death,” Liu Xiaolou replied, “and I thought this place was perfect. It’s quiet and peaceful, the soil rich enough to preserve a body for years. I once came here with an elder in search of rare materials. He disappeared not long after, and only the grass remains. Seeing it again brings back old memories. If I fall today, I ask only that you leave my body here and raise a small mound over it. For that, I would be deeply grateful.”
“Knowing full well it meant death, you still came to keep this duel. For that, I truly admire you! Since you’re ready, let’s begin!”
“Wait, Brother Dong. There’s something I’ve long wondered. Before we fight, I hope you’ll answer me.”
“Speak.”
“I can’t think of a single wrong I’ve done you. In fact, back on Wulong Mountain, I even saved your life. So why have you hounded me all this time, insisting on a duel to the death?”
“You dare pretend innocence? You drugged me, left me in disgrace, made me suffer shame beyond words. And you still say you’ve done me no wrong? Who else should I hold to account, if not you?”
“The path of dual cultivation requires one who gives and one who receives. If you insist one side suffers, it’s the one who receives. As far as I know, Brother Dong, you were the one who gave.”
Dong Wei’s eyes went bloodshot. “Shut your filthy mouth! Why don’t you try being the one to give, and see how vile it is? Two old men, one a lecher, twisting below in a woman’s pose… Disgusting! I’ll kill you for this!”
Liu Xiaolou sighed. “If you ask me, you brought it on yourself. Had you not slandered me to Tu Er that day, telling him lies about me, it never would have fallen to you. What happened was Heaven’s retribution, nothing more. How can you blame me?”
Dong Wei spat bitterly, “If not for your wild lies back then, how would the Su family have shut me out? I should have been the one to marry into their household! And as for what I suffered at Linhu Courtyard, I’ll see that you taste the same. I’ve already had that traitor Cai beneath me, and traitor Tu as well; what’s one more traitor, Liu? If you take your own life now, I’ll let you off. But if you dare resist, once I’ve got you down, I’ll see you whipped and broken, run through a thousand times over!”
Liu Xiaolou shuddered with disgust. “And you still claim you’re not gay?”
Dong Wei roared, “Nonsense! Why don’t you try it yourself? With those two bastards pulling every vile trick they knew, they’d bend any man straight or not!”
Liu Xiaolou tried to reason with him. “Since that’s the case, Brother Dong, why not just accept it? Think of them as women; soft, delicate, eager to please.”
Hearing such words, as if from wolves and tigers, Dong Wei’s throat went dry. He swallowed hard, then barked, “Enough! Stop your filthy talk and die!” He tore the chessboard from his back and hurled a piece straight at Liu Xiaolou.
The plateau here was strange. Though wide and open, no wind passed through. If they had talked longer, perhaps everything might have been laid bare. But Dong Wei was unwilling, and with the Bewildering Fragrance not yet fully taken effect, he struck first.
Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to throw out the The Abyssal Blackstone Formation Disk, trapping Dong Wei inside the formation. Back when he was only at the third layer of Qi Refinement, he had once used this very formation to hold down Yun Ao, the White-Robed Swordsman, who was already at the sixth layer. At the time, he could barely last an hour before being completely drained, with no strength left to attempt any other techniques.
A year had passed. Now at the fourth level, facing another opponent at the sixth, Liu Xiaolou felt the formation was at least a little easier to maintain. Only a little, though. By his estimate, he could keep it up for perhaps an hour more, but once his true qi was spent, he would still have to flee in haste.
Even so, the benefits of his progress were clear. At last he had spare strength to “season” the formation. Just as Xishan Hermit had once rained down crossbow bolts upon him inside a formation, Liu Xiaolou now added his own twist. Not arrows, but incense.
The moment Dong Wei was caught inside, he found himself standing in a small courtyard, with pavilions and waterside halls. He immediately realized it was an illusion formation. Recognizing this, he did not panic. Instead, he flung chess pieces from his board, sending them flying like hail. Bamboo leaves rattled down in sheets. Plantain trees swayed wildly. White walls cracked and pitted. Fish in the pond darted for cover.
Yet none of these were the formation’s core. His gaze settled on the lone small building in the courtyard. Forming seals, he sent another volley of pieces crashing into its carved doors. The panels shook and boomed, then at last burst wide open.
Got it!
Cradling the chessboard in his arms and leading with a handful of pieces, Dong Wei stepped inside. A quick glance was all it took to see what lay at the far end of the room: a great bed veiled by gauzy curtains. Soft lamplight shone through the thin fabric, and within, two shadowy figures were entwined, like a pair of mandarin ducks in the water.
Dong Wei drew a sharp breath. He tried to suppress the sudden rush of heat in his chest, the restless stirring in his heart, but no matter how hard he fought it, the feeling only grew stronger.
Almost against his will, he pulled a brocade stool closer and slowly sat down. Just a moment, he told himself. Just a moment’s look…
But his consciousness was already blurring. Little by little, he forgot where he even was.
Liu Xiaolou held the formation a moment longer. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadow moving in the distant branches: Tu Er, unable to hold back any longer, creeping carefully from cover.
Liu Xiaolou waved him over.
Like a leopard, Tu Er dropped from the tree and bounded across the ground in an instant. His eyes locked greedily on Dong Wei, who sat dazed in midair, body twisting faintly. His gaze was unfocused, his breath ragged, his face flushed scarlet. Tu Er’s heart leapt with joy at the sight.
As soon as Liu Xiaolou withdrew the formation plate, Tu Er pulled out a huge sack from who knows where and dropped it straight over Dong Wei’s head. The man was still lost in his own haze, oblivious. Tu Er laughed and praised, “That’s the spirit! Younger brother, your persuasion works wonders. Elder Cai and I never managed to get him to this point; always fell just a little short.”
Liu Xiaolou waved him on. “Take him quickly. Six, maybe eight hours at most. You’d better not waste time, Second Brother, or the effect will wear off.”
Tu Er nodded, hefted the sack over his shoulder, and turned to leave.
Silence settled over Hanshu Plain. Liu Xiaolou shook his head, gazing at the surrounding mountains, and couldn’t help recalling the days he had spent searching for rare materials with Lord Xingde. He wondered how Lord Xingde and Lady Zhou Qiniang were faring now.
As he descended the slope, a black cat poked its head out from a tree and meowed at him. Liu Xiaolou chuckled and greeted it, “Shh, don’t tell anyone, all right? Haha!”
Then he strode away.