Chapter Eighty-Three: The Figure Beneath the Rainy Night

A troop of men gave chase, but soon returned empty-handed. Halfway through the pursuit, they lost their target. It was a humiliating failure, yet they still had to report back to the master of the retreat. Such matters, if not delivered well, could easily cost them their heads.

When they returned to Willow Heart Retreat, not one dared step forward. Instead, Fan Si and Liu Kouzhang—who had just come back from a night of revelry—took in the scene and sobered up almost instantly.

Fan Si asked, “What’s happened? Why are you all gathered here instead of going in to report to the master or the silent one?”

“Hush…” Someone pulled him aside and whispered, “Brother Si, keep your voice down. Speaking too loudly could be fatal.”

“What happened?”

“Steward Zou has fled—he betrayed the master. And Bai Li Suhe and the others just came, broke into the cave, and left. The master couldn’t stop them, and… he was wounded as well.”

“Say that again?” At these words, Fan Si’s drunkenness vanished entirely, replaced by a cold sweat. Heaven above! He had always suspected discord between the silent one and the master, but never imagined it would come to this.

He clapped the man on the shoulder and said quietly, “You all go. If there’s anything else, my brother and I will pass it on.”

“Thank you, Brother Si! Thank you!” The man bowed three times in gratitude. “Please tell the master that we failed to catch the fugitive—he got away. Please, we’re leaving now.”

With that, he beckoned to the others, “Let’s go, let’s go. With Brother Si here, we can leave.” The crowd bowed in thanks. “Brother Si, thank you!”

“Go on, then.”

Liu Kouzhang arrived a moment later, saw the others leaving, and asked, “What happened?” Everything had seemed fine a moment ago—why had everyone suddenly fled?

Fan Si replied, “It’s a long story. Let’s report to the master together.”

“Good idea. Let’s go.”

When they reached Lin Mao’s courtyard, the main gate stood wide open. Lin Mao sat alone beneath the eaves, upright and motionless. The rain had come and gone swiftly; now, only a few drops dripped from the tiles, each falling as if into Lin Mao’s eyes—sharp, cold, and stinging.

Even as Fan Si and Liu Kouzhang approached, he gave no sign of noticing. Liu Kouzhang glanced at Fan Si, then summoned his courage and stepped forward. “Master?”

Lin Mao answered with a soft hum as he collected himself. “What brings you here?”

“I…” Liu Kouzhang shot Fan Si a look—hurry, you say it. He truly didn’t know how to begin.

Fan Si stepped forward and bowed. “Master, on our way here, we met Liu Mubai and the others. They said the fugitive escaped—they couldn’t catch him.”

As his words fell, a heavy silence blanketed the courtyard. Liu Kouzhang broke into a nervous sweat, fearing the master’s wrath would cost them their heads.

After a long pause, Lin Mao said, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Master?” Both men spoke at once, worried that perhaps Zou’s betrayal had shaken him too deeply.

“I’m fine. From now on, Willow Heart Retreat must rely more on the two of you. Never let anyone stab me in the heart again.”

Suddenly, Lin Mao stood, seizing their hands with earnest gravity. The two were stunned by such favor, recalling how they once envied the master’s closeness to Zou the silent one. Life, they thought, is full of unexpected turns.

Now, at last, their turn had come. They pledged, “We will never fail your trust, Master.”

***

White Gourd Mountain

Geng Ci was startled when he saw Bian Qing, bloodied from head to toe.

He quickly ushered him into Autumn Chill Cave and asked Suhe, “What happened to him?”

Suhe laid Bian Qing on the bed, gave him a healing pill, and infused him with energy to help his recovery. “We don’t know the full story yet. We’ll have to wait until our young friend wakes up to ask.”

“Where did you find him? With injuries like these, a moment’s delay would have been the end.”

“Willow Heart Retreat.”

“What?” Geng Ci cried out in shock. Willow Heart Retreat? Did he run there because of what I said…?

Suhe nodded, glancing at Huai Yin. “Brother Huai and I were exploring the Shrine of the Divine Lady to unravel the hidden mysteries we witnessed before. Unexpectedly, as the full moon rose, we found him wounded and unconscious. We were anxious to save him and didn’t ask any questions. We brought him straight to you.”

Geng Ci bowed gratefully. “Thank you, Brother Suhe, for your righteous aid. Otherwise, the boy would have died. He’s had a hard life. If not for his sister, I doubt he’d have acted so rashly.”

He sighed, and then bowed to Huai Yin as well. “I’ve long heard of your reputation. It is an honor to meet you at last.”

“Not at all,” Huai Yin replied. “You mentioned his sister—what happened?”

“It’s a long story, but to put it simply: Bian Qing’s parents died young. His sister, Bian Min, raised him and guided him onto the path of cultivation. But recently, she was taken and became a sacrifice at the Shrine of the Divine Lady.”

“That explains why he turned up at Willow Heart Retreat.”

Just then, Bian Qing woke from his coma, his gaze hazy as he saw Geng Ci and Suhe. For a moment, he thought he was dead, his spirit returned to White Gourd Mountain. But his sister was not here…

Seeing Bian Qing awake, Suhe quickly ended his healing. “You’re awake. Do you feel any discomfort?”

Geng Ci hurried to his side. “Bian Qing, how do you feel?”

“I…” The words caught in his throat, and he realized with a start that he was still alive—joy tinged with sorrow. He was glad to be alive, but grieved for his missing sister, his eyes filling with desolation. “I’m all right.”

“How could you be so reckless? If Brother Bai and Brother Huai hadn’t been with you, you’d have lost your life for sure.”

Ashamed, Bian Qing tried to rise and thank his rescuers, but Suhe pressed him back down. “You’re badly hurt—rest. Speak your mind lying down; I’m sure Brother Geng won’t mind, will you?”

“Of course not. Who did you fight? Who wounded you?”

“I… I’d been in Willow Heart Retreat for ages, searching for the full moon archway. When I finally found it, they discovered me. One of them mistook me for you,” he said, glancing at Suhe. “I couldn’t hold them off. Surrounded, I couldn’t escape. The rest you know.”

Geng Ci was momentarily stunned, worried Suhe might be upset, and quickly signaled him to let it go. “There’s no point in dwelling on it. You’re back, that’s what matters.”

“Yes.”

Suhe said, “Sorry to have caused you trouble on my behalf.”

“It’s nothing—you saved me, so we’re even,” Bian Qing replied, a shy smile dimpling his cheeks. Those dimples held not wine, but a glimmer of kindness. When he learned he’d been mistaken for someone else, he had felt anger and even murderous intent. But his defeat buried all pride and resentment.

And now, knowing he’d been saved by others, his innate decency told him that forgiving others was the greatest kindness he could offer himself.

“I’ve done what I could, but medicine is not my specialty. Brother Geng, would you examine him again, to make sure there are no lingering injuries?” Suhe then stood and said, “Brother Geng, I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t stay.”

“It’s late—why not rest here for the night? I’ll see you down the mountain in the morning.”

“No need. Tonight we’ll continue our investigation of the Shrine of the Divine Lady. There’s still blood in the air, but the corpses have vanished. Brother Huai and I want to search the area.”

“In that case, I won’t keep you. Thank you both for everything.”

“Farewell!”

***

“Farewell!”

“I’ll see you out.”

The mountain path was long and slick with mud.

After seeing them off, Geng Ci returned to Autumn Chill Cave to care for Bian Qing, while Suhe and Huai Yin did not hurry away but walked together.

Huai Yin asked, “I’ve always wanted to know—how did you discover my secret mark? They were worried you wouldn’t understand it.”

Suhe smiled. “And how were you so sure I would? What if I hadn’t, would your mark have been wasted?”

“Well… come on, we’ve known each other for years. I trust you! Enough teasing—how did you figure it out?”

“It wasn’t difficult. You used a green caterpillar as your symbol, which hints at the Twelfth Month. And the insect itself—did you borrow that from Elder Unwind’s Twin Insect Courtyard, as a nod to old traditions?”

“Correct! But I also drew wings of different sizes. What about that?”

Suhe paused and teased, “Brother Huai, your genius is beyond me—please, enlighten me.”

“Oh, come off it! Leave me some dignity. Anyway, about the corpses—where do we start searching?”

“We’ll see. The Tongliu region stretches for thousands of miles—there are countless places to hide a body.”

“I actually think the matter is simpler than it seems.”

“How so?”

“Look, the Shrine of the Divine Lady is inside Willow Heart Retreat. They can’t have gone far—if that madwoman lost control, who could handle her?”

“You’re right. That narrows our search to the vicinity of Willow Heart Retreat. If we find nothing, we can expand outward. But where to begin?”

“Well, why don’t we split up? You go east, I’ll go west; you go south, I’ll go north. Increases our chances.”

“Good idea—no time to lose, let’s go now.”

Huai Yin nodded, then hesitated. “Wait, shouldn’t we check in first? The old man and the girl are still waiting.”

“We can’t miss this chance. Whatever happened between Lin Mao and Steward Zou, it’s an opening for us. Besides, with Bian Qing wounded tonight, he’ll be too busy to intervene. If they buried the bodies, there should still be some trace.”

“Hold on—you forgot it poured tonight. Any footprints or clues will have been washed away. If we search now, we may find nothing. Better to return to the Twelfth Month Pavilion, consult with the old man, and decide our next move.”

Suhe paused, realizing that while Lin Mao’s inaction was their opportunity, the rain had also given him cover. Was fate refusing to abandon him?

“Let’s go. Midnight’s passing; we should return.”

Suhe sighed—there was nothing else to be done.

At the foot of the mountain, a figure blocked their path, back turned.

The night was pitch-black, not a hand’s breadth of vision. Only they could walk as easily as by day, seeing clearly enough. Not as well as in sunlight, but more than sufficient.

Huai Yin nudged Suhe, signaling caution. “Is he here for you?”

“Let’s go see.” Suhe hesitated, unsure whether the visitor was friend or foe.

As they approached, the figure spun around.

“It’s you?”

“That’s right.”