The sun, like a diligent overseer, ran its course according to its predetermined rhythm, indifferent to whether you wished it to linger or not. Not even the most authoritative person could persuade it to stay an extra moment.
I, for one, desperately wished the sun wouldn't set. Zhang Dabiao shared my sentiment, as Wang Defa, with a thunderous expression, was furiously banging on the car door, on the verge of dismantling it entirely.
“Old Wang, what are you doing? Trying to break in?” Zhang Dabiao yawned, rolling down the car window.
“You two scoundrels, sleeping soundly in the car while I was outside serving people and doing this and that. Do you have any conscience?” Wang Defa’s face was as black as the sole of a shoe, his grievances practically etched onto his features.
“I have a family, so it’s inconvenient for me to serve others. Qingyun is still a child; you wouldn’t expect a child to serve someone, would you? So, this important task naturally fell to you.”
“Shameless,” Wang Defa cursed vehemently, then added, “She’s rested now and wants you both to come over. She said she has something to tell you.”
“Alright, we’ll be right there,” Zhang Dabiao readily agreed.
Wang Defa said no more, turning and walking away as if speaking another word to us made him uncomfortable.
Zhang Dabiao rolled down the window completely, lit a cigarette, and watched Wang Defa’s retreating back. “Brother, what do you think?”
I blinked, not quite grasping the meaning of his question.
“I mean Qingyun. She could have told us what happened on Qingfeng Mountain right away, but she chose not to…”
“This… she wouldn’t have any ulterior motives, would she? If she did, wouldn’t that make her too insidious?”
Zhang Dabiao looked at me with a disappointed expression. “Qingyun, you’re just too trusting. Have you ever watched Stephen Chow’s movies?”
I nodded. “Yes, I have. He’s my idol.”
“Then you must have seen The Deer and the Cauldron. I remember a line: ‘When the benefits to be gained reach a certain level, even one’s own father can be fooled…’ Do you recall that?”
I certainly remembered that line, and it was my favorite movie. It was unexpected that a movie quote would appear in reality. I wondered if it was a satire, or if Stephen Chow had long seen through the falsity of the world.
Only he would know the answer to that. I glanced at Yue’er, still in a vegetative state, and hoped she would wake up soon. Without her as my protective charm, I felt unsettled.
“Whether she’s genuinely fooling us or just a fake, we just need to be careful. Besides, there are only two of us. At worst, we can just leave. What can she do to us?” I looked at Wu Yun, who was talking to Wang Defa. At that moment, she also looked at me, our gazes meeting and then parting in mid-air.
“Heh heh… that’s what I was about to say. The world is vast, and survival is paramount. What does their fate have to do with us? There’s absolutely no need to get involved with them.”
Having confirmed their shared thoughts, we got out of the car. The sun had already dipped behind the mountains. It had rained the night before, and the mountain air was heavy with moisture. Before the sun had fully set, Wang Defa had already started a bonfire. Beside the fire was a pile of damp firewood, crackling as it was roasted.
The four of us sat around the fire, silent, creating a rather eerie atmosphere. Wu Yun, the only woman present, was well taken care of by Wang Defa. She was the only one with a cup of hot tea in her hand. Zhang Dabiao and I were completely ignored. Wang Defa, on the other hand, held a can of beer and was drinking it with relish.
Zhang Dabiao muttered something about stinginess and then rummaged through the car Wang Defa drove. He found drinks and beer, tossed me a drink, and then opened a beer for himself.
If this were a picnic, drinking beer and sitting by the fire under the night sky would be pure enjoyment. But given that this was the scene of a murder, it felt completely out of place.
After a period of silence, as darkness began to fall, Wu Yun finally spoke. “Don’t you want to know what happened on Qingfeng Mountain? Aren’t you curious?”
Neither Zhang Dabiao nor I spoke. Instead, we looked at Wang Defa, implying that he, as the leader of this team, should answer. Were we, the two mere soldiers, supposed to speak?
“You two despicable fellows,” Wang Defa muttered under his breath before asking, “What happened on Qingfeng Mountain? Who fought with the Sleeping Daoist and Master Fang? You’re back, but where are the Sleeping Daoist and Master Fang? And what about Hu Sixi?”
“Dead,” Wu Yun delivered an answer that struck like a thunderbolt.
“D-dead? Do you mean the Sleeping Daoist is dead, or… Master Fang…”
Before Wang Defa could finish, Wu Yun interjected, “They’re all dead. I’m the only one who survived.”
Wang Defa felt a darkness engulf his vision, and his body slumped to the side. Fortunately, I was sitting next to him, and with quick reflexes, I caught him. Otherwise, his head would have plunged into the bonfire, which would have been no laughing matter.
Wang Defa took two deep breaths, forcing down his grief and sorrow, and asked Wu Yun again to confirm if they were truly dead and if she had witnessed it.
“They’re all dead. I saw it with my own eyes,” Wu Yun stated with absolute certainty.
“I don’t believe you! You’re lying to me, aren’t you? The Sleeping Daoist and Master Fang were both powerful beings who had reached the Heaven Ascending realm! How could they have perished on Qingfeng Mountain…” Wang Defa roared to the sky in agitation. If Wu Yun hadn’t been so weak, he would have grabbed her and interrogated her relentlessly.
Everyone present understood why Wang Defa was so upset. The elders of two thousand-year-old sects had died so inexplicably. This was not just taking his life; even the powerful figure behind him would find it hard to believe this fact.
Everyone knew Qingfeng Mountain was dangerous, but not to the extent that powerful beings at the Heaven Ascending realm would perish. If that were the case, it wouldn’t have been just the Sleeping Daoist and Master Fang; powerful figures from all over would have gathered.
After observing for a while, I finally spoke. “If the Sleeping Daoist and Master Fang have fallen, what about Hu Sixi? He’s an old fox. Has he fallen too?”
After his outburst, Wang Defa finally remembered that Hu Sixi, a great immortal who had entered the mountain, was also a powerful being at the Heaven Ascending realm.
“What about Hu Sixi? Why didn’t he return with you?” Wang Defa looked at Wu Yun with a hopeful gaze, wishing to hear a different answer from her.
“Hu Sixi?” Wu Yun’s lips curled with a hint of disgust and confusion. “He was the one who ambushed the Sleeping Daoist and then killed Master Fang. If I didn’t have my life-bound蛊 to save me, I too…”
“You… you’re saying Hu Sixi did this? He not only killed Master Fang but also the Sleeping Daoist? Has he gone mad?” Wang Defa asked, his voice trembling.
“He has gone mad…”