Zhan Zhao Adventures - Chapter Four (Part X)

Chapter Four: Partridge Sky (Part X)

Huo Little Brother only felt his head throbbing, and his overturned thoughts were just like these recurrent gusts of night wind. He dashed along aimlessly, and before he knew it, he had already run over ten miles.
 
Beside him, Chang Hongbi’s hand had been gripped until it ached, and his face had been blown painfully by the mountain wind, yet this strange youth stubbornly endured it without making a sound. Being held by the arm by Huo Little Brother seemed, to him, already to be deeply satisfying.
 
As they were running, Huo Little Brother suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. This was because he had already blurted out: "No! This isn't right!"
 
Under his abrupt halt, Chang Hongbi, possessing not a shred of martial arts, stumbled and could not help but fall forward.
 
Only then did Huo Little Brother realize he was still gripping Chang Hongbi's arm; he hurriedly caught him and said gently, "Be careful!"
 
In the darkness of the night, what he met was Chang Hongbi's fervent eyes. His tiny eyes, though still harboring terror, were for the first time devoid of wariness and suspicion.
 
Huo Little Brother suddenly felt a wave of pity. He squatted down and said warmly, "I know you are the Hanshui Palace’s Chang Hongbi, and my name is Huo Little Brother. Do not be afraid, I will not harm you."
 
Chang Hongbi nodded and, still with some difficulty, said, "I know—"
 
Huo Little Brother asked curiously, "What do you know?"
 
Chang Hongbi said, "I—know you won't—harm me—"
 
Huo Little Brother could not help but smile, saying, "And how do you know that?"
 
This question seemed to stump Chang Hongbi. After hesitating for a long time, this unusual boy stammered, "I don’t know—why, I—just—know."
 
Listening to these words that completely defied logic, Huo Little Brother could not help but smile again and said, "Rest assured, I will definitely send you to a safe place, a place where the people of the Hanshui Palace cannot find you."
 
His expression grew solemn, and he continued, "But before we set out, you must tell me, how is it that you can speak now? You couldn't have been pretending to be mute to deceive me all along the way, could you?"
 
Chang Hongbi gave a bashful smile and said slowly, "I didn't—deceive—you. Just now—I felt a strange—itch in my throat, and my entire—body felt unendurably—fretful. Seeing you strike at that black-robed gentleman, without realizing it, I—shouted aloud."
 
The moment he mentioned Zhan Rifei, Huo Little Brother inexplicably began to daze off again, muttering, "This isn't right!"
 
Chang Hongbi looked at him, asking curiously yet carefully, "What did you say just now—wasn't right?"
 
Somehow, these words of his seemed to transform into the roaring shouts of thousands of people in Huo Little Brother's ears. He looked exactly as if he had been struck by a whip, suddenly jumping up and saying, "I mean there was something off back there just now!"
 
Chang Hongbi said, "What was off?"
 
Huo Little Brother's countenance had already changed. A thought had begun to press down upon his heart like a massive boulder, weighing on him so heavily that he could not catch his breath, and his hands turned icy cold in an instant.
 
His voice also became bitter: "I—must—go—back—and—ask—him!"
 
Without waiting for Chang Hongbi to speak, he pulled him along and flew out like an arrow shot from a bow.
 
An arrow turning back.
 
By the time Huo Little Brother burst into that dilapidated little temple, his heart was already thumping wildly. Even he himself did not know why he was so tense.
 
It was only when he saw Zhan Rifei's face that his tightly strung heart finally relaxed.
 
Zhan Rifei's complexion looked significantly better. More precisely, looking at the way he was now, it was as if the person who had been tortured half to death by "At First Sight Like Old Friends" just moments ago had absolutely nothing to do with him.
 
Huo Little Brother only now discovered that he truly knew far too little about the martial arts of the black-robed man before him.
 
—Every time he struck, it seemed he had failed to see it clearly.
 
—Before encountering him, he was clearly already afflicted by the Asura Cult's "At First Sight Like Old Friends" and the Shangqing Temple's "Great Compassion Palm," yet he could still subdue Mu Xiuquan first, and battle the two envoys of the Hanshui Palace afterward.
 
—Just how many secrets were hidden upon this black-robed man's body?
 
Strangely, Zhan Rifei did not seem surprised at all to see him and Chang Hongbi return. Huo Little Brother, however, suddenly found that blundering back like this made him look exactly like a rabbit with seven wolves chasing close behind.
 
The two of them looked at each other, and neither spoke a word.
 
Finally, Huo Little Brother could not help but say, "Why don't you say something?"
 
Zhan Rifei said, "I wonder what Brother Huo wishes for me to say?" A trace of a smile slowly welled up within his eyes.
 
Huo Little Brother stamped his foot and said, "You—! Do you really insist that I say it aloud?!"
 
Zhan Rifei said, "Brother Huo's mind is exquisite and ever-changing; this humble one truly cannot guess it. —Is the sentence Brother Huo wishes for me to ask, 'Hasn't Brother Huo already departed, so why have you returned after leaving?'"
 
Huo Little Brother said, "Exactly! I returned after leaving because I couldn't figure it out!"
 
"If you truly killed Mu Xiuquan for the sake of the Chang Hongbi, you could have easily waited until after Mu Xiuquan killed me to strike. Wouldn't that have left you with even fewer worries about future consequences? Once Mu Xiuquan and I were eliminated, who among those present could have stopped you?"
 
"If you were fighting the Hanshui Palace for the Chang Hongbi, you could have also easily waited until the Hanshui Palace and I fought to a mutual destruction, rather than intercepting me beforehand."
 
"If you were after the Chang Hongbi, why did you bother to tell me that this child is the Chang Hongbi, thereby creating an extra enemy out of thin air?"
 
He said huffily, "Everything I just thought of is clearly a flaw in the logic, so why didn't you defend yourself? Did you deliberately mean to make me look foolish?"
 
—The moment the words left his mouth, he only then remembered: when had he ever granted him an opportunity to defend himself?
 
—Despite this, he still felt aggrieved regardless of anything else, as if all of this fault were entirely Zhan Rifei's fault.
 
Zhan Rifei, however, gave a slight smile and said, "Even if I do not defend myself, has not Brother Huo already seen through everything? Haven't you come back again?"
 
He continued slowly, "I know that in your heart, you still didn't believe your own deductions. If you had believed your deductions, that finger strike would have already subdued me to the point of death. If you had believed your deductions, you would have stabbed me to death with a sword long ago; how could we be speaking here so leisurely?"
 
Huo Little Brother said, "Don't you celebrate too early either! Just because there were flaws in my previous deductions doesn't mean you are entirely free of suspicion. If you are innocent, how could the Shangqing Temple’s exclusive absolute art, the 'Great Compassion Palm,' have jumped under your flank by itself?"
 
Zhan Rifei hesitated for a long while before saying, "If I do not tell you, I fear there will never be peace. Since you have already made an enemy of the Xiangyang Prince's Mansion, you are bound to find out sooner or later regardless—to tell you the truth, those who can use this 'Great Compassion Palm' have long ceased to be limited to the Shangqing Temple alone."
 
Huo Little Brother said, "Aside from the Shangqing Temple, who else could possibly know this palm technique? The Shangqing Temple has stood for a century with generations of capable experts; would they let the palm manual of the 'Great Compassion Palm' be stolen away by someone?"
 
Zhan Rifei said, "In truth, this 'Great Compassion Palm' has never had a palm manual; the inheritance of the palm technique through generations has always been entirely verbal. There is simply no way to steal it."
 
Huo Little Brother said, "Then how could anyone else have learned this set of palm techniques? Don't tell me you mean to say that the Shangqing Temple has already submitted to the Prince of Xiangyang?" He shook his head and frowned, adding, "But this doesn't align with the temple rules of the Shangqing Temple either."
 
Zhan Rifei said, "Although the Shangqing Temple has not submitted to the Prince of Xiangyang, this 'Great Compassion Palm' has indeed been leaked to the outside world in the past. And regarding the matter of this palm technique being leaked, the monks of the Shangqing Temple have always kept it strictly confidential."
 
He let out a soft sigh and added, "Sometimes, reputation and face are indeed very important."
 
Huo Little Brother said, "Just who exactly is the person who learned the 'Great Compassion Palm'?"
 
Zhan Rifei said, "This person who knows the 'Great Compassion Palm' has a profound connection with the Prince of Xiangyang. Brother Huo has most likely crossed paths with him inside the Xiangyang Prince's Mansion."
 
He watched Huo Little Brother, saying word by word, "This person is the 'Ever-Changing Black Demon Fox'!"
 
Huo Little Brother could nearly not believe his ears: "You mean Zhi Hua?"
 
Zhan Rifei said, "If not him, who else could it be."
 
Huo Little Brother said, "This fox has never become a monk, and even if he did, how could he become one at the Shangqing Temple right off the bat? If he has no connection to the Shangqing Temple, how could he have covertly learned the 'Great Compassion Palm'?"
 
Zhan Rifei said, "Though he has never been a monk, he does indeed have connections with the Shangqing Temple. His learning of this 'Great Compassion Palm' actually shouldn't be considered covert learning. It is just that not many people in the martial forest know about this matter. Although I knew the 'Great Compassion Palm' had been leaked outside, if he hadn't struck this palm onto my left flank, I wouldn't have known that the person who knows this palm technique is him!"
 
Huo Little Brother said curiously, "Since the monks of the Shangqing Temple knew this matter was of monumental gravity, and they pride themselves on being aloof and pure with strict temple rules, never dealing with the authorities—if they learned that Zhi Hua had acquired this palm technique, how could they sit by and do nothing? Since when did they become afraid of the authorities?"
 
Zhan Rifei said, "It is simply because they are completely helpless. Although the person who passed down this palm technique did so under deception, allowing Zhi Hua to acquire this martial art, it was done entirely legitimately, leaving anyone with nothing to say."
 
Huo Little Brother's eyes lit up, and he said, "Looking at it this way, six years ago when the abbot of the Shangqing Temple suffered a sudden illness and passed away into the Western Paradise the very next day, it probably had more or less to do with the 'Great Compassion Palm' falling into the hands of an outsider."
 
Zhan Rifei said, "The hidden reasons within this are likely something no one will ever be able to know." Though he spoke thus, a look of admiration had already revealed itself within his eyes.
 
Huo Little Brother countered, "Did you say this just to preserve the face of the Shangqing Temple? Have you yourself not long since guessed the hidden mystery behind this?"
 
Zhan Rifei did not answer his question, but deflected the topic, saying, "Brother Huo and I are, after all, mere chance acquaintances. Since you harbor doubts regarding Zhan in your heart, I originally had no intention of speaking further on the inner reasons. Brother Huo, your purpose has been achieved, so let us take our leave here."
 
Huo Little Brother rolled his eyes and said, "You say take our leave, and we just take our leave? You want to leave without explaining things clearly; I'm afraid it won't be that easy!"
 
Zhan Rifei only now discovered that when the people of the Linglong Mountain Villa refused to be reasonable, they were even more of a headache than women.
 
Therefore, even though he knew Huo Little Brother was going to jump up, he still had to speak the words aloud: "If Brother Huo does not leave quickly with Chang Hongbi, I fear that in a short while, you won't be able to leave at all."
 
This time, Huo Little Brother acted entirely outside his expectations and did not jump up. He said with total composure, "As long as Little Shao is not here, I don't need to leave for the time being."
 
Zhan Rifei said, "Brother Huo, do not forget that if the pursuing troops discover our tracks, Commander Shao will follow closely behind very quickly."
 
Speaking to here, his expression changed, and he let out a bitter smile: "They have come so quickly! I fear that to leave now is already too late."
 
Huo Little Brother, possessing the "Little Tower All Night Hears Flower Words" internal energy, also faintly caught the sound of countless subtle rustlings coming from outside the temple doors, deep within the mountains.
 
—It was the sound of night-travelers' garments brushing against the branches in the thickets, as well as the faint squelching of boots occasionally sinking into the mud due to consecutive days of overcast rain.
 
However, these subtle noises were very quickly swallowed up by another kind of clamor!
 
The moonlight suddenly vanished.
 
No, the moonlight had not vanished; it was the night birds across the entire sky that had been startled into flight, fluttering their wings in dense, massive numbers, blotting out the entirety of the heavens.
 
The black wings beat against the rain-laced air.
 
Beneath the sky spread wide with black wings came the sound of horse hooves approaching from afar, trampling the mud on the ground into flying splatters.
 
—The pursuing troops had finally arrived!
 
Zhan Rifei gave a slight smile and said, "This time, even if you wish to leave, you can no longer do so."
 
[Note] The title of the tune "Zhegu Tian" (Partridge Sky) was chosen for this section because the ancients wrote of partridges to express sorrow over parting, as their cry sounds like "You cannot go, brother!" Here, however, it depicts Zhan Rifei being repeatedly subdued and suspected, with no path to leave and no way to extricate himself.