Volume Two: Blood on the Bodhi Tree Chapter Seven: Li Bai Awakens

The firelight of the campfire flickered and wavered. Xiao Yan told his story very slowly, stopping now and then in the middle to gather his thoughts, sort through his memories, and then continue.

“Yang Guo said to Little Dragon Maiden, ‘Mistress, if I have ever done wrong, then strike me, scold me, even cut me down with one sword if you must! But you cannot disown me! ...’”

At first, She Qianqian only stared at Xiao Yan and waited patiently. Later, she could not help urging him in a low voice, “Then what happened?”

In truth, at her age, if this were modern times, she would still be a high school student, utterly unable to resist a martial-arts romance like The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Xiao Yan was unhurried. After a moment’s thought, he went on: “Yang Guo said, all that business about master and disciple, all that talk of chastity and purity, is complete nonsense. Whether I die or live, I do not want us to be lonely and helpless, because from this day on you are no longer my master. You are my wife...”

“Mm.” She Qianqian nodded, though she still wore that cool, aloof expression.

The night deepened, and Xiao Yan had already been telling The Return of the Condor Heroes for the better part of an hour. Then, mimicking the emphatic tone of a radio storyteller, he said, “All right, if you want to know what happens next, listen to the next installment.”

“Huh?”

She Qianqian had been completely absorbed in the tale, and when she suddenly heard this, she was momentarily at a loss.

“Keep going...”

“Not telling.”

Of course Xiao Yan knew just how desperate a listener felt upon hearing those words, “to be continued.”

Back in the day, he had also listened to The Return of the Condor Heroes by a radio, so he understood She Qianqian’s feelings very well.

Still, understanding was one thing; dangling a story in front of someone like this was truly delicious fun.

“You...” She Qianqian was a little annoyed, but she quickly realized she had lost her composure. In an instant she fell silent again and resumed that cool demeanor.

“Ha... I can keep going, if you want. But... heh heh...” Xiao Yan stopped there and studied She Qianqian from head to toe.

His expression was utterly sleazy.

“Looking for trouble?” In a flash, She Qianqian drew a knife and thrust it into the ground before Xiao Yan with a sharp swish.

“Pardon the interruption...”

Xiao Yan shrugged, then walked toward the tent without looking back.

She Qianqian was about to go and feed Li Bai his medicine, but after taking only a couple of steps, she heard Li Bai cough softly. He seemed to be waking up.

Hastily, she darted forward, placed the bowl of medicine into Xiao Yan’s hands, and said, “You feed him.”

“But...”

Xiao Yan could only shake his head and walk over.

Sure enough, Li Bai had already woken. It seemed the medicine truly worked.

“You’re Xiao Yan? No... how is the grain situation?” Li Bai’s first thought was still for the famine-stricken refugees.

Xiao Yan found this rather amusing, so he shook his head, stepped forward, pressed him back down to the ground, and said, “Don’t worry, it’s fine. Everyone’s eaten. Each person got a bowl this size.”

As he spoke, Xiao Yan gestured with the bowl in his hand.

“How could that be...? Right, Yue the Blade Tyrant... no, I have to go see for myself.” Li Bai still struggled to get up, plainly unwilling to believe it.

Given the situation at the time, with the grain theft failing, they had clearly already lost completely. In his view, there was no possible way to turn things around.

“Hey, Li Bai, you’re no longer a hero. Sit down and rest.” Xiao Yan lifted Li Bai’s empty sleeve and held it out before him, continuing, “There’s nothing you can do now.”

Li Bai looked at his sleeve, his face utterly expressionless. “No matter what, I have to go back and see.”

Xiao Yan had no choice but to shake his head, and from the moment Li Bai had been defeated, he slowly recounted the entire sequence of events and the final outcome.

When speaking of himself, Xiao Yan only said he had been a young monk.

“So Chen Bufan produced a fine son after all! A fine bit of feinting east while striking west! Well done! Though the method was a little... it was still a good plan...” Li Bai praised him when he heard that Chen Buqun had stepped forward to speak with the ten great clans.

“And then?”

Li Bai listened very carefully and pressed him further.

Xiao Yan smiled and continued telling him what had happened.

When Li Bai heard that, on the tenth day of the eighth month, everyone had finally eaten their fill, a smile gradually appeared on his face.

Xiao Yan could tell it was a smile of satisfaction.

After hearing it all, Li Bai finally believed him. Yet as he pieced everything together, he slowly realized that the young monk had been the crucial figure.

Though it had been Chen Buqun who stood in front of everyone, it was the little monk who had devised the whole scheme from behind the scenes. And if the little monk had not appeared afterward, the ten great clans might well have been cowed by Yue the Blade Tyrant, and no one would have donated grain at all.

So he stared at Xiao Yan with wide eyes and asked, somewhat puzzled, “But this little monk... where did he come from? Don’t tell me it was you?”

“Cough, cough...”

Li Bai’s sudden question nearly made Xiao Yan choke on his own saliva.

“This...”

Xiao Yan’s eyes darted about, and then he said, “Probably some wandering monk from who knows where. How should I know...”

“Is that so...” Seeing that Xiao Yan refused to admit it, Li Bai shook his head in disappointment and sighed, “That is the true hero... he brushes off the dust from his sleeves and hides both merit and name... I am ashamed to compare myself... Thinking of it now, I truly was of no help at all... ha ha...”

With that, Li Bai gave a somewhat self-mocking laugh.

“Ha ha... In the end, the result was good, and that’s what matters, right?” Xiao Yan said.

Li Bai nodded, then smiled. “The little master sees things clearly.”

Xiao Yan gave a soft chuckle as well and handed him the bowl of medicine. “Can you drink it yourself?”

“Yes.” Li Bai struggled to sit up and extended his remaining left hand. It was a little difficult, but he could still manage on his own.

“I never expected you were the one who saved me... Can you also heal people?” Li Bai asked after taking a sip.

“Ha ha... not me...” Xiao Yan shook his head and pointed toward the figure behind the tree.

The night was rather dark, and Li Bai could not make it out clearly, so he could only call out loudly, “Thank you for saving my life.”

There was no answer from behind the tree. Li Bai frowned in some confusion, though he did not dwell on it.

After finishing the medicine, Li Bai tried to get up again. Looking around, he asked in puzzlement, “Little master, have you seen my Azure Lotus Treasure Sword?”

“Hm? Treasure sword?” Xiao Yan frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized. “Oh... I know. Speaking of that, I do remember it. Thanks to your sword being so hefty, I took it to sell. The shopkeeper was really quite a decent man—he even weighed it for me and bought it by the pound. It was enough to trade for two steamed buns...”

???

Li Bai was utterly bewildered. He stared at Xiao Yan for a long while, as though looking at some kind of monster.

The Azure Lotus Treasure Sword was an invaluable treasure that countless people dreamed of possessing...

And yet, in this fellow’s hands, it had been exchanged for only two steamed buns?

If word of this got out among the martial world, someone might well be driven to cough up blood from sheer rage.

“Forget it, forget it...” Li Bai shook his head and sighed. “In any case, I can never practice martial arts again. A treasure sword belongs with a hero; I only hope the Azure Lotus Treasure Sword finds a good home.”

“Mm, don’t worry. It should.” Xiao Yan nodded, frowning as he tried to remember.

That sword had apparently been sold to a butcher, who had even praised it for being incomparably sharp, making slaughtering pigs effortless...

At that thought, a bead of sweat slid down Xiao Yan’s forehead.