HCAW 118

Chapter 118: Burning with Anxiety

The clouds were like white cotton, the wind rolled like a stream, and a bamboo bridge spanned the sword-like peaks. On the bridge, two figures could be seen, one carrying the other, climbing up the bamboo tube, crossing to the other side.

That person was the only survivor among the Yingzhou soldiers—a youth named Ah Que, with thick brows, large eyes, and dark skin. He now carried the unconscious Fang Jingyu on his back, struggling forward step by step.

Fang Jingyu had lost a hand, his body ravaged with wounds, the fire-poison still not purged. Not long after parting from Chu Kuang, he had fallen into a coma. Following Chu Kuang’s orders, Ah Que evaded enemy patrols and fled past Daiyu’s city gate, heading for Yuanqiao. Most likely thanks to Chu Kuang’s diversion, they had not encountered much resistance along the way. But now, glancing back, Ah Que saw the riverbank crawling with dark shadows—pursuers whose minds had been corrupted by the Gu Bi Guard, their pitch-black eyes locked onto him, and sweat poured down his back.

The little nine-tentacled squid clung to Ah Que’s head and shouted, “Ah Que, give it your all! Yuanqiao is on the other side—we’re almost there!”

“Great Immortal, I’m already using every bit of strength I’ve got,” Ah Que gritted his teeth. “But the Gu Bi Guard’s men are cutting the ropes with blades! If they break, we’ll be smashed to meat patties!”

As soon as he spoke, a sharp crack sounded—the rope bridge broke. Ah Que suddenly felt weightless, as if sucked into a vortex, his body plunging downward at terrifying speed. The bamboo bridge turned into a whipping lash, flinging him toward the gorge. Ah Que cried out, “Great Immortal!” Xiao Jiao shouted, “Watch me!”

As the words fell, she spread her nine tiny tentacles, they flailed in the air as if she was drawing an invisible incantation, chanting:

“Script of Taiwei, name of Clarity, summon the soul beneath the sun, transform this form of mine…”

Suddenly, the little octopus’body rapidly swelled into a round, bloated ball, planting itself in front of Ah Chue. Ah Que stared, dumbfounded. Xiao Jiao smugly asked, “Well? Frightened by my immortal might?” Ah Que replied, “Great Immortal, you look like a pig’s bladder.”

Xiao Jiao flew into a rage, flailing her arms wildly, bouncing and trembling like a rubber ball. But before they could exchange more words, the wind roared like a flood, blasting against their faces until it nearly peeled their skin off. Ah Que no longer had the energy for banter. He desperately shielded Fang Jingyu’s head and face, feeling himself tossed high into the air before being flung toward the other side. The world spun, flipped, crashed like churning rivers. He was hurled into the forest, branches scraping him as he crashed to the ground in agonizing pain, feeling as though his body had been torn apart.

Groaning in pain, Ah Que finally crawled up and looked around. Green shade shimmered around him, mist swirled among the trees—they had fallen into Yuanqiao’s territory.

Looking down, he saw the little octopus stretched out like a rug. Thankfully, it had cushioned his fall at the last moment, saving him from being smashed to a pulp.

“Thank you, Great Immortal, thank you!” Ah Que hurriedly kowtowed to Xiao Jiao. Xiao Jiao withdrew her power and shrank back to palm-size, saying, “Now do you see the value of a pig’s bladder?”

They looked back at the other side—only mist and steep cliffs remained. Ah Que shivered. Had there been the slightest misstep, they truly would have died. The Gu Bi Guard was merciless, caring nothing for their lives.

Ah Que gently set Fang Jingyu down, then removed a waterskin and fed him a few sips. Fang Jingyu was still delirious, the cloth wrapped around his severed hand already soaked through with blood. Xiao Jiao crawled over, extended a dark tentacle, and laid it over the wound—suddenly, the bleeding stopped. Ah Que was stunned.

Seven small eyes on Xiao Jiao’s body glanced sideways at him. She suddenly asked:

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Afraid of you?”

“I… I’m a talking octopus, nothing like you people…”

Ah Que sheepishly rubbed his cheek. “After we were washed ashore at Daiyu, we were quickly thrown into the Gu Bi Guard’s dungeon. But from the guards, I overheard a lot about Daiyu. Aren’t you the ‘Great Immortal Yonghe’ worshipped here? Immortals are supposed to be different from mortals anyway. And Ah Chu told me to trust you.” Xiao Jiao felt a sudden warmth in her heart, thinking, That stupid laborer Chu… who kept saying to gourd-mouth not to save me, but in the end, he still trusted me after all.

Ah Que lowered his eyes again and said, “I don’t have any real skills. Just a boatman. When my mother gave birth to me, we had nothing at home—not even a full bowl—so she named me ‘Ah Que.’¹“缺”(Que) means “lacking”, “missing”, or “incomplete.” Since I was little, I’ve lacked everything—height, clothes, food… even chipped a tooth on a stone. I mess up everything I try. In the rebel force, I was the most useless one. You, Great Immortal, don’t mind someone like me—that’s already my good fortune. How could I dare comment on your appearance?”

His fingers twisted tightly around his tattered hemp tunic. “Everyone in the Lei Ze Camp was too capable. They all charged ahead to protect His Highness and ended up dying one by one… leaving only a cowardly rat like me behind.”

The little nine-tentacled squid crawled over and gently patted his knee. “What nonsense are you saying? You got Tight-lipped gourd all the way here—that already means you’re no coward.”

As they spoke, a rustling sound reached their ears. They turned and saw several dark figures emerging from the red-leafed bushes—farmers with hair in topknots and brown robes, carrying iron hoes. Their pupils were pitch black, like walking corpses. The little squid cried out in alarm:

“There… there are Gu Bi Guard’s pawns here too!”

Ah Que was horrified. Only now did he realize why the enemies corrupted by the Gu Bi Guard hadn’t chased them earlier and had only cut the rope bridge—it was because there were already ambushes set up on the Yuanqiao side. Even if they survived the fall, they’d be caught here.

Clumsy and panicked, Ah Que tried to draw Fang Jingyu’s Vipashiyin Blade, but the weapon was as heavy as a mountain. As the drooling farmers brandished their iron tools and closed in, Ah Que’s heart pounded in his throat and he cried, “Great Immortal, please—do something!”

Xiao Jiao panicked as well. She could control minds and heal wounds—but she was fragile as dust. “Wait!” She shouted, and quickly darted into Fang Jingyu’s ear.

Just as the farmers raised their weapons and closed in, the unconscious Fang Jingyu suddenly staggered to his feet. His eyes opened slightly, faintly glimmering with a line of inky black. His gaze was as sharp as frost, murderous intent soaring skyward. But the moment Xiao Jiao, controlling him, reached out to grab the Vipashiyin Blade, his whole body collapsed. From inside his ear, Xiao Jiao yelled, “He has no bones left! He can’t use any strength!”

Ah Que was drenched in sweat. “Great Immortal, you’re really not even as useful as a pig’s bladder!”

Just as the farmers were about to strike and smash their skulls, shadows suddenly swept in from the side—thud, thud!—and the farmers fell one after another. Ah Que, still in shock, looked up to see a group of figures surging forward like black sludge. Most wore monks’ robes and had their faces covered with porcelain bowls. Some who didn’t wear bowls had six or seven eyes on their faces, looking quite similar to Xiao Jiao.

It was this strange group of monks who suddenly appeared and thoroughly beat down the Gu Bi Guard’s minions. Ah Sue was slack-jawed—by this point, nothing could surprise him anymore. The monks crowded around Xiao Jiao, calling out excitedly in many voices, “榊籹! 榊籹!” Xiao Jiao, delighted, turned to Aque and said, “These are my former forms. Though we’ve long since been cut off, they’ve developed independent divine will—but they won’t harm us.”

From among the black-mud-like monks stepped a venerable old nun. Her face was covered by a painted lotus-pattern bowl, and she wore a ritual crown. She gestured for them to follow. Xiao Jiao said, “Follow her.” Ah Que quickly hoisted Fang Jingyu onto his back and followed behind.

They walked through barren peaks and shadowed forests, crickets chirping in the gloom. Eventually, they arrived before an ancient temple. Moss covered the gate; the bell and drum towers were in ruins. Xiao Jiao exchanged a few chirping words with the old nun, then turned to Ah Que and said, “We’ll rest here for now. This master says that though the Gu Bi Guard once planted spies in Yuanqiao, they’ve already been quietly eliminated. Staying here, we’ll be safe.”

Following instructions, Ah Que found a monk’s room within the temple to stay in. He boiled water and prepared medicine, applied Ten-Ash Powder to Fang Jingyu’s wounds, then used scalded and dried clean cloth to wrap the severed arm. The old nun with the bowl-covered face came by once and said the temple had a lotus pond, nourished by divine spring water—bathing in it would speed recovery.

More than half a day passed before Fang Jingyu finally awoke. His face was pale, hair drenched with cold sweat and clinging to his forehead in strands. The moment he opened his eyes, he suddenly sat up. The pain made him suck in a sharp breath, but he still struggled and asked:

“Where is Chu Kuang?”

Ah Que, sorting through some bags nearby, heard the sound and rushed over in surprise and joy. “Your Highness, you’re awake!” But Fang Jingyu’s eyes were bloodshot. He nearly leapt from the bed, his usual calm gone, and growled, “Where is Chu Kuang?”

Aque’s lips trembled. After a long moment, he answered, “He… he stayed behind in Daiyu…”

“Then where is this place? Is this Daiyu?”

“This is Yuanqiao…”

Fang Jingyu’s eyes seemed to blaze with fire. He looked around and recognized the surroundings—the dusty beams once crowded with monks, the mat where he had slept alongside Chu Kuang, the tattered reed fan… everything stirred memories of the past. He asked again, “Why am I here?”

Aque panicked. “Ah Chu said… he told me to take Your Highness away. Retreat to Yuanqiao to wait out the storm, and if that fails, flee to Yingzhou…”

“Then why didn’t he come with us?”

Just then, Xiao Jiao climbed in through the window, wearing a serious expression and came to Ah Que’s rescue. “Laborer Chu said he would stay behind to stall the enemy. But because the tope bridge was cut off by the Gu Bi Guard’s subordinates, he couldn’t return to Yuanqiao. But rest assured, he’s still alive. That laborer has burrows in every hill—he’s sly as a fox.”

“How can you speak with such certainty?!”

“Because he also ate ‘Immortal Elixir’—he’s considered one of my followers. I know he hasn’t died yet.”

The little octopus’s eyes suddenly grew very solemn, her voice slow and tinged with barely perceptible sorrow.

“Rest, Gourd Mouth. You’re too tired. Sleep for a while, and then continue onward. No one died for you. Everyone is still alive. The comrades from the Yingzhou, Young Master Zheng, and Chu the laborer—they’ll still be at Your Highness’s side. So close your eyes, once you shut them, you’ll be able to see them again.”

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  “缺”(Que) means “lacking”, “missing”, or “incomplete.”