Chapter 24 — The Divine Sword

"Ha ha, Brother Zhang!"

All at once, Zhang Qingyue felt a heavy slap land on his shoulder.

At that moment his whole attention had been fixed on Tian Lingsu's figure receding into the distance, and he had noticed nothing of what was beside him; startled half out of his wits, he leapt aside and turned to look—and there stood Zeng Shuyan, whom he had only met that very morning.

Zeng Shuyan's face was all smiles, his manner easy. He looked Zhang Qingyue up and down, then his gaze slid over to the little monkey Xiaohui beside him.

Xiaohui, seeing this thoroughly detestable fellow come running up again, made no effort to hide his displeasure; he bared his teeth and pulled a grimace, then turned and sprang onto Da Huang's back, gave the big yellow dog's head a thump, and Da Huang glared, barked twice at Zhang Qingyue and Zeng Shuyan, and bolted off.

Zhang Qingyue frowned and called out: "Xiaohui, come back! No running off!"

Zeng: "Don't worry, don't worry—the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey is clever as can be. He won't get lost."

Zhang Qingyue shrugged, turned back, and was just about to speak with Zeng Shuyan when something stirred in his heart; he looked again, and the direction in which Da Huang had run off with Xiaohui on his back was indeed the kitchen. His heart gave a lurch, and he blurted out: "Ah, you damned monkey, are you off to—"

Zeng: "What is it?"

Zhang Qingyue cleared his throat and laughed awkwardly: "N-nothing. Nothing at all. By the way, Brother Zeng, weren't you supposed to be in the competition? How do you have time to come looking for me?"

Zeng: "Oh, I've already finished my match. Nothing to do, and I saw you standing here, so I came over to say hello."

Zhang Qingyue was startled: "What, you've already finished? How did it go?"

Zeng Shuyan snapped his fan shut with a flick and rubbed it against the dark hair at his temple: "Er—I won a round by accident. Heh heh."

Seeing his offhand manner, not at all like a man who had just been through a hard fight, Zhang Qingyue ventured cautiously: "Brother Zeng, can it be that your cultivation is very high?"

Zeng: "Ai yo, what are you saying, Brother Zhang? My piddling cultivation, how could it be fit for any stage? If my father weren't forever forcing me to cultivate, I'd never bother with all this Dao-refining business—every day tending flowers, feeding birds, reading books, now that would be a carefree life! But come to think of it—" He reached out and laid a hand on Zhang Qingyue's shoulder, steering him forward as he lowered his voice: "I never imagined that at this Seven Peaks Martial Trial, there'd be someone even worse than me."

Zhang Qingyue gave a bitter laugh: "There are plenty worse than me!"

Zeng Shuyan: "Plenty or not, I'm greedy but I wouldn't dare dream of winning to the very end. Still, I've taken quite a fancy to that Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey of yours—heh heh. Brother Zhang, how about you—"

Seeing that merchant's face on him, Zhang Qingyue said at once: "Brother Zeng, don't you go getting ideas about my Xiaohui!"

Zeng: "Then let me trade you something for him. You don't know—I keep all sorts of curious, amusing things on Fenghui Peak. A three-legged rabbit, a black-and-white peacock, a shell-less turtle, and even a snake with wings—"

Zhang Qingyue could not help saying: "There really are that many strange things?"

Zeng: "Need you ask! I've spent no end of effort collecting those treasures, and taken no end of beatings and scoldings from my father for it. But I do like that Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey of yours. Well? What do you like? I'll fetch it and trade you."

Zhang Qingyue shook his head: "No. I keep Xiaohui only because I felt a bond with him. Besides, those black-and-white rabbits and shell-less peacocks of yours—"

Zeng: "Three-legged rabbit, black-and-white peacock—and it's the turtle that has no shell!"

Zhang Qingyue stuck out his tongue: "Oh, yes, yes. But I've no interest in any of them. I still won't trade."

Zeng Shuyan's eyes rolled once more. He drew Zhang Qingyue off to a secluded spot, glanced all around, and with a most uncanny expression whispered: "Brother Zhang, then let me show you something fine. See whether you like it." So saying, he fished from his robes a thick book with a blue cover and handed it to Zhang Qingyue.

Zhang Qingyue took it and saw that the book bore no title at all, and that the cover was old and worn—plainly of considerable age. Then he looked at Zeng Shuyan: outwardly the picture of innocence, yet those quick eyes of his kept darting to every side, wary as could be, and his originally handsome face now seemed faintly uncanny, even lewd. This book, then, must record either a peerless dharma formula or a rare and unique copy.

Zhang Qingyue shook his head: "Brother Zeng, I couldn't presume to accept such a precious book. And my aptitude is too poor—it would be useless to me. Nor do I wish to trade Xiaohui for it. You'd best put it away."

Zeng: "You say that without even looking. Take a look, quick."

Seeing his strange manner, Zhang Qingyue could not help feeling a little curious about the book. He opened it—and froze on the spot, his face flushing scarlet in an instant. For this thick volume contained, besides a great deal of text, many pictures, and the pictures were all of **men and women entwined in embraces, a veritable spring-palace picture book**. It was the first time in Zhang Qingyue's life he had seen such a thing, and worse, the drawings were delicate in style, the figures rendered with lifelike vividness. His heart gave a leap, and he could not keep from crying out: "Brother Zeng, you—you—how do you come to have such a thing—"

"Shh!" Zeng Shuyan was startled; he snatched the book back and stuffed it into his robes, then carefully scanned the disciples of the same sect walking to and fro around them. He glared at Zhang Qingyue: "Not so loud."

Zhang Qingyue came to his senses, but his heart was still pounding. He lowered his voice: "Brother Zeng, how do you come to have—er—to read such a book?"

Zeng: "So what if I read it? I tell you, this is a wondrous book—they say it's the only copy in existence! I spent untold pains to get it. I guarantee that once you've read it, you'll swagger through every garden of flowers and win the hearts of all the women in the world. Well? Will you trade me your Xiaohui for it?"

Zhang Qingyue shook his head at once: "No."

Zeng: "That won't do, and this won't do—then tell me, what is it you want?"

Zhang Qingyue answered honestly: "I don't want anything."

Zeng: "Why are you like a block of wood?"

Zhang Qingyue gave a little laugh, unbothered—but his gaze drifted of its own accord into the distance, where amid the faint drifting white clouds that lovely figure now showed, now hid.

Zeng Shuyan gave up. He put the book away, flicked his fan open again with a snap, and waved it twice—when suddenly from afar bells and cauldrons rang out together; it seemed another match was beginning.

Zeng Shuyan glanced that way, then smiled abruptly, took Zhang Qingyue by the arm, and said: "Come, I'll show you the most popular figure in the Canglan Sect at this great trial."

Zhang Qingyue started, astonished: "Who?" Then he paused, and his face abruptly darkened. "Would it be Brother Qi Hao of Long Peak?"

Zeng Shuyan uttered an "Eh?" and looked at Zhang Qingyue with no little surprise, but still he shook his head: "Brother Qi's cultivation is of course tremendously famous. But haven't you heard? This time the one drawing the most attention is someone else entirely."

Zhang Qingyue thought for a long while, then still asked: "Who?"

Zeng Shuyan seemed to have forgotten their earlier disagreement in an instant; all smiles, he said mysteriously: "Come with me and you'll know!" He took Zhang Qingyue by the arm and led him forward. Zhang Qingyue had no choice but to follow, and in his heart he too felt some curiosity about this so-called mysterious figure, so he went along.