Chapter 16 — Secret Transmission

This beautiful young woman was, of course, Tian Lingsu. Seeing that Zhang Qingyue had been wounded, she had grown worried and slipped quietly over to visit him, never expecting to find her mother there as well. So she had hidden herself outside the door, and only emerged after Su Wan had gone.

Now, seeing Zhang Qingyue standing there as if struck dumb, she could not help scolding him: "What are you standing there for?"

Zhang Qingyue came to his senses, his face flushing red. He was just about to invent some excuse to explain himself when he saw Tian Lingsu lower her head—Dahuang had come running over and was rubbing its head affectionately against her leg.

Tian Lingsu bent down and stroked Dahuang's head. The dog stuck out its tongue and licked her jade-like hand.

"Chee-chee-chee-chee!" came the cry of the monkey Xiaohui. The two of them and the dog all turned to look at once, and saw Xiaohui dart behind Dahuang, seize that great bushy tail, and haul backward on it, as if trying to drag Dahuang away from Tian Lingsu. Feeling Tian Lingsu's startled gaze upon it, Xiaohui looked up and suddenly bared its teeth at her in a fierce grimace.

Tian Lingsu was not angry in the least—she even made a face right back at the monkey. Ever since Xiaohui had come back with Zhang Qingyue, it had gotten along tolerably with everyone else, but it bore a particular grudge against her. Yet when she saw that Dahuang, which had always been on bad terms with Xiaohui, had turned around and, instead of flying into a rage, was playing and romping affectionately with the monkey, she was taken aback.

"What's going on here?" Tian Lingsu asked Zhang Qingyue, pointing at the monkey and the dog tangled up in their play.

Zhang Qingyue explained how Xiaohui had been won over with meat bones. Tian Lingsu burst out laughing and scolded him merrily: "I never thought this wretched monkey had that trick in him!" Then her bright eyes shifted, her gaze falling on Zhang Qingyue and sizing him up from head to toe. "By the way, my father struck you today. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Zhang Qingyue shook his head. "It's nothing now, Senior Sister."

Tian Lingsu said, rather indignantly, "Father really is too much. If he's feeling out of sorts, why take it out on you?"

Zhang Qingyue hastily said, "No, no—it was my own stupidity that made Master angry..."

Tian Lingsu glared at him, and Zhang Qingyue immediately could not go on, his mouth half open. Tian Lingsu gave a little huff and said, "It had nothing to do with you at all. It's just that my father saw how gifted those two were and felt unbalanced, so he..." She got halfway through the sentence, glanced at Zhang Qingyue, and thought to herself that this was as good as saying her junior brother was stupid. So she changed tack and said instead, "What did my mother come over for just now?"

Zhang Qingyue answered honestly, "Martial Aunt came to see how I was doing too, and she gave me two 'Dahuang Pills.' They're wonderfully effective—I took one and was completely healed."

"Dahuang Pills?" Tian Lingsu seemed startled.

"That's right," Zhang Qingyue said, looking up at her. "What is it?"

Tian Lingsu looked at her young junior brother a moment longer, then said, "Those are my father's treasures. Mother told me they're refined from twenty-three kinds of spiritual herbs, with wondrous powers. None of the senior brothers—myself included—has ever been lucky enough to taste one."

Zhang Qingyue's mouth fell open. Tian Lingsu's eyes darted about, and she murmured to herself, "Could it be that Father actually regards you differently? But somehow that doesn't look like it either."

Zhang Qingyue said, "It must be that Master is compassionate and, seeing me wounded, graciously bestowed the spiritual medicine on me. He truly is broad-minded!"

Tian Lingsu laughed aloud. "My father, broad-minded... heh, never mind, I won't say it. Eh—why is there the sound of rain?"

Zhang Qingyue cocked his ear and listened. Sure enough, from outside the house came the faint patter of rain. Tian Lingsu walked to the window and pushed it open, and at once a cool, crisp mountain wind blew in, carrying fine icy droplets that brushed across her cheek, chilling it pleasantly.

Zhang Qingyue went over and stood beside her, looking out.

In the still, dark night, rain was falling. The whole world lay sunk in blackness, and as far as the eye could see there was only the blurred shadow of the pines and tall bamboo in the little courtyard beyond the house. Threads of rain drifted down from the night sky, and in the darkness, in the eyes of young Zhang Qingyue, they seemed to hold a certain tenderness—so much so that he suddenly felt this night was beautiful, this rain was lingering and soft, and even the crisp tapping of the drops on the bamboo leaves was sweet to hear, echoing deep in his soul.

Only because beside him stood such a beautiful young woman, her head lifted, watching in a trance with a beauty that was seven parts youth, two parts joy, and even one part desolation:

This fall of rain!

Behind them, Dahuang and Xiaohui had fallen quiet at some point. Dahuang lay lazily sprawled on the bed, its doggy eyes half open and half shut, and Xiaohui, too, had grown uncommonly calm, sitting beside Dahuang and rummaging its hands through the dog's thick, soft fur.

The candle flame wavered, flaring and dimming in the mountain wind, now and then giving a soft crackle.

"It's raining," Tian Lingsu said suddenly, softly, mournfully.

Zhang Qingyue answered, "Yes."

Tian Lingsu gazed at the night a while longer, then slowly turned and went back to the table. "Xiaofan, close the window," she said in a low voice. "It's getting cold."

Zhang Qingyue nodded, closed the window, and turned back to see Tian Lingsu sitting at the table as if somewhat distracted. She took a small box from her bosom, opened it in the lamplight, and examined it closely.

The candle flame was mirrored in her charming, bright eyes, like two gentle yet blazing fires.

"Tell me, is this Qingliang Pearl pretty?" Tian Lingsu's gaze lingered on the little pearl that gave off so soft a luster; even her voice seemed to drift and float, like Zhang Qingyue's heart—hollow and empty, slowly sinking.

He walked over, summoned every ounce of courage, spent all the strength in his body merely to make himself appear so composed. Tian Lingsu looked up at him, and suddenly felt that this ordinary junior brother's eyes were, in this moment, so very bright, carrying even a trace of feverishness and pain.

Click—she softly shut the little box and asked gently, "Xiaofan, what's the matter?"

Zhang Qingyue lowered his head, was silent a moment, and said in a low voice, "I'm all right, Senior Sister."

Tian Lingsu found it strange, but did not think much of it. She stood up and said, "Well, it's late. I should be going back."

Zhang Qingyue rose woodenly. Tian Lingsu took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned, and smiled—and in that instant her beauty struck him full in the face, landing upon Zhang Qingyue's heart. "Look at my memory—I even forgot what I came here for tonight." With that, she drew a thin sheet of paper from her bosom, densely covered in small characters, and handed it to Zhang Qingyue.

Zhang Qingyue took it and read a few lines, and his expression changed at once. "The Taiji Profound Pure Dao Method!" he blurted. "Senior Sister, this is—"

Tian Lingsu shot him a look. "Why are you shouting so loud?"

Zhang Qingyue hastily lowered his voice. "Senior Sister, this is the method for the third level! You—"

"I?" Tian Lingsu gave a huff. "Naturally I mean to give it to you."

Zhang Qingyue was greatly startled. "What?"