Zhang Fan stirred awake, dazed for a long moment, then slowly sat up as memories of the past came flooding back all at once.
Like a nightmare!
"Ah, you're awake—good." A voice drifted in from the doorway, and a figure stepped inside.
Zhang Fan looked up and recognized Song Daren — the tall, rough-featured man he had met back on Tongfeng Peak. Given his current state of mind, he could not quite explain why, but the sight of a familiar face stirred something unexpectedly warm in him.
"Brother Song," Zhang Fan called out.
Though Song Daren was a large man, he could not help but feel a pang of tenderness in his heart at this moment. He walked to the bedside, reached out, and gently patted Zhang Fan's head, saying in a soft voice: "Junior Brother, there is no need to grieve. From now on, we are family."
Zhang Fan was taken aback. "…A family?"
Song Daren smiled as he recounted how Tian Buyi had already taken him as a disciple. Of course, he knew nothing of the dispute that had broken out among the senior elders of Qingyun Sect in the Jade Clarity Hall atop Tong Peak that day.
Zhang Fan was left momentarily dazed. In the eyes of a peasant boy like himself, Qingyu Sect was truly a place of immortals — never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that one day he might have the chance to enter its gates. Yet the price demanded was not one he was willing to pay.
He gritted his teeth, knowing in the end that further deliberation was pointless, and called out: "Senior Brother Song."
Song Daren smiled and nodded. "Good. Junior Brother, you slept straight through the night — you must be hungry."
Zhang Fan hadn't noticed until then, but the moment those words were spoken, his stomach let out two rumbling growls.
Song Daren smiled and said: "Junior Brother, let's go get something to eat first. Along the way, I'll fill you in on how things work in our sect, and then we can go together to pay our respects to Master and Master's Wife, and meet the other senior brothers."
Zhang Fan nodded and climbed out of bed, only then noticing the room around him. It bore a striking resemblance to the living quarters of the Qingyu disciples on Tong Peak, though it seemed to be somewhat more spacious.
Song Daren led him outside as he spoke: "Our Dazhu Peak is unlike the other branches—we have very few disciples. Even with you added now, we number no more than ten in total, so the rooms are all rather spacious." He walked out the door into a similar courtyard, then a few steps further brought them out of the yard into a covered corridor. But here everything was visible at a glance—only a dozen or so rooms, far more modest in scale than what he had seen on Tong Peak.
Zhang Fan followed Song Daren toward the kitchen. From Song Daren's account, he learned that the Big Bamboo Peak lineage had begun with Zheng Tong, the fourth disciple under Ancestral Master Daoist Qingye, and had passed down six generations to Tian Buyi's hands — the situation had always been the same: the line was never abundant in disciples. Among the current generation of masters, beside Tian Buyi himself, there was only one other — Martial Aunt Su Ru, who happened to be Tian Buyi's wife. Together they had a daughter, Tian Ling'er, thirteen years old this year, two years Zhang Fan's senior. That made Zhang Fan the uncontested junior martial brother of the peak.
Among Tian Buyi's many disciples, Song Daren held the position of senior brother, followed in descending order by Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, He Dazhi, Lü Daxin, and Du Bishu.
Zhang Fan carefully committed them to memory: Senior Brother Yi, Senior Brother Dali, Senior Brother Dazhi, Senior Brother Daxin, Senior Brother Dashu…"
Song Daren smiled. "It's Senior Brother Du Bishu."
Zhang Fan was taken aback for a moment, then came to his senses and couldn't help asking, "Why is this Sixth Senior Brother different from the rest?"
Song Daren said, "He really was named Dashu to begin with—but try calling it out a few more times and listen."
Zhang Fan murmured, "Du Dashu, Du Dashu, Du Dashu…" Something clicked in his mind, and he burst out laughing.
Song Daren laughed as well. "So now you know. Truth be told, Master himself didn't mind all that much—but Mistress was furious. She called out his name a few times and declared that Junior Brother Du was showing disrespect to his master and the Way, and moved to give him a proper thrashing. It frightened Junior Brother Du half to death, and he hastily begged Master and Mistress to change his name for him. In the end, Mistress chose the name 'Du Bishu' for him. Now say that name aloud a few times yourself."
Zhang Fan called out: "Du Bishu, Du Bishu — sounds just like *'gamble and you'll surely lose'*…" He dissolved into laughter, doubling over.
Song Daren had intended all along to draw a laugh from him and ease his grief a little. Seeing Zhang Fan brighten up, he felt quite pleased himself, and said with a smile: "Before Sixth Junior Brother joined us, he had a deep fondness for gambling. Later, by a stroke of fate, Master brought him up the mountain and took him in. Though he no longer gambles with money, he still loves to make bets with people to get his fix — and Master's wife had a word of warning in mind with this wager of hers."
Zhang Fan's childlike nature showed itself; a smile broke across his face, and the grief weighing on his heart faded considerably. Seeing how warm and kind his senior martial brother was toward him, the fear and dread he had harbored about the future gradually began to settle.
After eating something in the kitchen, Song Daren led Zhang Fan to Dazhu Peak's main hall, the Shoushen Hall. All the members of Qingyun Sect's Dazhu Peak lineage had gathered there at this moment. The hall was paved with red bricks, supported by red-tiled stone pillars, and carved into the floor at its center was a large Taijitu symbol—altogether, a place of plain and simple character.
Two chairs had been set out in the hall, occupied by two people: one was Tian Buyi, the other a quietly graceful beauty who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, her bearing elegant and poised. Standing beside her was a girl, fine-featured and delicate, with a pair of bright eyes that shimmered like water — vivid and full of life, endearing to all who saw her.
As for the other five male disciples, they stood in a line below—some tall, some short, some burly, some lean—every gaze now fixed upon Zhang Fan.
Song Daren walked to the front of the hall and said respectfully, "Master, Mistress, this disciple has brought Junior Brother along."
Tian Buyi let out a huff, visibly impatient. It was the beautiful woman Su Ru who spared Zhang Fan a second glance. "He slept through the entire night—he must be famished by now. Take him to get something to eat first."
Song Daren replied, "To answer you, Mistress — I already took Junior Brother to the kitchen to eat just now."
Su Ru nodded, cast a glance at Tian Buyi, and said no more. Tian Buyi let out another cold snort. "…Begin, then."
Zhang Fan had no idea what was going on, when he heard Song Daren whisper behind him: "Junior Brother, quickly kneel and kowtow to take him as your master."
Zhang Fan dropped to his knees at once, kowtowing again and again in rapid succession — *thud, thud, thud* — each bow heavy and resounding.
"Heh heh." It was the girl Tian Ling'er who could not help but laugh. Su Ru smiled and said, "Good child, nine is all you need to crack."
Zhang Fan let out a yelp and finally stopped, lifting his head. Everyone saw the red patch spreading across his forehead and couldn't help bursting into laughter. But in Tian Buyi's eyes, Zhang Fan was even more unbearably dim-witted than he'd imagined — just thinking about having to teach such a fool in the future, his already sizeable head felt as though it had grown another size larger.
"Enough, let it be," said Tian Buyi, his mood foul, waving a dismissive hand. "Da Ren, take him under your charge for now. Teach him our Sect's rules and precepts, as well as the introductory cultivation methods."
Song Daren gave an affirmative, then hesitated and added, "But, Master, this disciple is still young — these entry-level disciple's lessons..."
Tian Buyi rolled his eyes. "Done." He rose to his feet and, without a backward glance, walked toward the inner hall. The disciples bowed in unison to see their master off.
No sooner had Tian Buyi left than the girl Tian Ling'er darted to Zhang Fan's side before anyone else could speak, fixing her gaze on him and studying him closely. Zhang Fan found himself staring back at that adorable lotus-blossom face hovering before him — young as she was, she was already the makings of a great beauty. Back in Grass Temple Village, he had never once laid eyes on a girl his own age so lovely, and a flush of red crept unbidden across his cheeks.
Ling'er pointed at Zhang Fan as though she had stumbled upon a rare treasure, laughing loudly: "Senior Brothers, look — he blushes when he sees me!"
The hall erupted in a roar of laughter. Zhang Fan's face flushed even redder. Su Ru walked over and scolded with a smile: "Ling'er, stop bullying your junior brother."
Tian Ling'er pulled a face but paid her mother's words no heed whatsoever. She straightened up and said to Zhang Fan: "Call me Senior Sister."
Zhang Fan's heart burned with resentment, yet the moment his eyes fell on Tian Ling'er standing before him—her bright eyes and pearly teeth, her captivating figure—a wave of bewilderment washed over him. He couldn't help himself and called out: "Senior Sister."
Tian Ling'er had always ranked last among the disciples of Big Bamboo Peak, yet now she actually found herself with a junior martial brother who ranked even below her. She was overjoyed, and immediately assumed the air of a seasoned senior, saying, "Junior martial brother, from now on you must listen to your senior sister."
Zhang Fan gave a mumbled acknowledgment.
Su Ru pulled her daughter Xu Hunao aside, then turned to Song Daren. "Daren, our junior brother is still young. The lessons are probably a bit much for him—do look after him a little more."
Song Daren replied respectfully, "Yes."
The other five disciples stood clustered nearby, snickering amongst themselves, eyes darting back and forth with undisguised schadenfreude.
Just then, Su Ru suddenly performed a most peculiar motion—she rolled her head in a full circle as though working the kinks from her neck, entirely at odds with the poised, dignified bearing she had carried until that moment. In an instant, the laughter and banter among the disciples of Big Bamboo Peak died utterly; every one of them stood slack-jawed, faces etched with the look of someone who senses impending doom.
Su Ru cleared her throat……"
"Shimu," — the cry burst out urgently from Song Daren, sweat glistening on his forehead.
Su Ru frowned?"
The other five junior martial brothers also called out in unison: "Senior Brother, what are you trying to do?"
Song Daren said hastily, "Shiniang, Junior Brother has only just joined the sect. This disciple has been ordered by Shifu to pass on the sect's rules and precepts as well as his introductory lessons—I must be off to attend to that now."
Su Ru considered for a moment, then nodded. "That's a fair point. Go on, then."
"What?" the remaining five junior brothers cried out in unison.
Song Daren let out a couple of dry laughs, said not another word, stepped forward and scooped Zhang Fan up in his arms, and without waiting for him to ask a single question, immediately headed for the door. "Junior Brother," he said as he walked, "let your senior brother here find a nice quiet spot and teach you our sect's rules first…"
Tian Ling'er smiled and followed along, finding the whole affair rather amusing — only to hear someone behind her cry out in a fury: "Senior Brother, you are utterly shameless!"
"Coward!"
……
Zhang Fan heard this and was thoroughly bewildered, thinking to himself: Senior Brother was teaching me the sect rules — how did that end up getting him called a coward?
He was still turning it over in his mind when Su Ru's voice cut through the air in a sharp rebuke—clear and cool, yet pleasant to the ear, like ice splintering or a blade cleaving snow: "Silence."
The hall fell silent at once.
Su Ru's voice rang out: "You useless lot — the moment I so much as hint at testing your cultivation, you all put on that craven look. In five years' time, Qingyun Sect holds its once-in-sixty-years Seven Veins Martial Tournament. Last time you drove your master and me half to fury; if you slack off again this time, the two of us will be shamed to death before our fellow disciples! Come on, then — all five of you at once…"
Song Daren ran faster and faster, covering ground in great bounding strides, and the moment he cleared the hall entrance he made straight for the mountain behind. Zhang Fan lay draped over his shoulder as the trees on either side blurred past with a rushing whoosh, the speed immense. Behind them, Tian Ling'er had at some point conjured a crimson jade ribbon — amber-pale throughout, nearly translucent, trailing wisps of rosy radiance in every direction — unmistakably an immortal Artifact. She now stood atop the red ribbon with perfect ease, idly forming a guiding seal with one hand; the crimson jade ribbon bore her smoothly into the air and kept close on Song Daren's heels.
Zhang Fan had never witnessed anything so wondrous in all his life. As he stood there in amazement, he watched Tian Ling'er ride the wind with effortless grace, and his eyes instantly filled with boundless envy.
Tian Ling'er caught the look on his face and felt immensely pleased with herself. She urged her silk forward, gliding up beside Zhang Fan until they were flying shoulder to shoulder. "So? I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?"
Zhang Fan nodded furiously. "Yes, yes, yes — Senior Sister, you're incredible! You can run this fast even while standing on a red ribbon!"
Tian Linger froze, then the realization struck her — she understood perfectly what he had meant by that red strip of cloth. Flustered with indignation, she spat out a sharp "Hmph!", yet couldn't help but burst out laughing all the same: "You big idiot!"
Zhang Fan was utterly baffled. Ahead of him, Song Daren's laughter rang out: "Junior Brother, what are you babbling about? The Amber Crimson Silk is the renowned Artifact our Mistress cultivated in her youth — its applications are without limit and its power tremendous. Even within our Qingyun Sect, it stands as a celebrated immortal Artifact. How could it possibly be some... some strip of red cloth?" With that, he threw his head back and roared with laughter.
Zhang Fan's face flushed crimson. He stole a glance at Tian Ling'er, only to find her watching him with a cheerful grin, two dimples appearing at the corners of her face.
After rushing about for a while, the three arrived before a hillside at the back of the mountain. Song Daren came to a stop and set Zhang Fan down. Tian Ling'er also descended to the ground and withdrew her hand seal, whereupon the "Amber Crimson Silk," as if possessed of its own spirit, coiled up on its own and wound around her waist, looking for all the world like a handsome red sash.
The hillside was blanketed in bamboo — thick stalks and slender ones alike, spreading in dense clusters and stretching into groves, lush and flourishing. Yet upon closer inspection, the bamboo here was unlike ordinary varieties: at every joint, the nodes had turned black.
Song Daren pointed at the bamboo grove and said to Zhang Fan, "Junior Brother, it is the custom of our Grand Bamboo Peak lineage that newly initiated disciples must come here to chop bamboo every day. You are still young, so for the first three months, just chop one stalk a day—as for the thickness, that is entirely up to you."
When Zhang Fan first heard about the entry-level lessons, and Su Ru had asked Song Daren to look after him, he had imagined it would be some great and daunting task. To his surprise, it turned out to be nothing more than ordinary woodcutting. Born and raised in Caomiao Village, the son of a farming family, he had gone up the mountain with the adults a few times before and swung an axe more than once. His heart eased considerably at once, and a smile spread across his face. "Senior Brother, I've chopped wood before—there's no need to worry."
Song Daren looked at him, on the verge of saying something but holding back, then smiled and said: "Good, then. Let's walk back slowly — I'll point out the path we came by, so you'll be able to find your way on your own from now on. I'll go over the sect's rules and precepts with you along the way as well."
Tian Linger laughed from the side: "Senior Brother, why did you rush all this way just to say something so inconsequential, only to trudge slowly back? Are you afraid of getting a beating from my mother?"
Song Daren's face flushed red. He ignored her and turned to Zhang Fan instead: "Junior Brother, remember this well—the first rule of our Sect: Revere the master…"
In truth, the Dazhu Peak lineage of Qingyun Sect had for its master one Tian Buyi, a man indolent by nature — conscious of face yet perpetually too lazy to discipline his disciples. He would typically impart the arts and techniques of the Way, then pay no further heed, leaving his disciples to cultivate as they saw fit. His wife Su Ru, however, was a different creature entirely. Fiercely competitive by temperament and fond of martial contest, she had in her youth built quite a name for herself — brilliant, formidable, the talk of all who knew her. Marriage to Tian Buyi had tempered her considerably, yet two things gnawed at her still: an irresistible itch in her hands that would not be denied, and disciples who stubbornly refused to amount to anything. In the Seven-Peak Martial Tournament — Qingyun Sect's grand trial held once every sixty years as a matter of course — Dazhu Peak's disciples had, over several consecutive rounds, lost battle after battle without exception. Only the eldest senior brother Song Daren had occasionally scraped together a single victory; all the rest ended in total defeat. Dazhu Peak had thus become the standing laughingstock of the entire sect, from top to bottom.
Su Ru had always been fiercely proud, and she could not swallow such humiliation. She therefore made a habit of personally "disciplining" these disciples on her husband Tian Buyi's behalf. Though her appearance was gentle and lovely, her temper was quick and her cultivation was extraordinarily high; with a moment's carelessness she would thrash the disciples until they fled in panic, covering their heads and running for their lives, their bodies bruised and battered from head to toe. It came to the point where everyone feared this beautiful and bewitching master's wife far more than they feared that short, portly husband of hers.
By then the hour had grown late. The sun had sunk toward the west, and the horizon blazed with brilliant evening clouds. The dying light fell across Dazhu Peak as the pair made their unhurried way down toward the mountain's front. From the buildings clustered at the base of the peak in the distance, long drawn-out barks of dogs drifted over at intervals, interspersed now and then with the shrill cries of pain from some wretched soul.