Chapter 33 — Down the Mountain

In the month he had spent healing, Su Wan had apparently foreseen that nothing would come of him, and had taught him some secrets of the Canglan Sect's Dao, and along the way the method of driving a treasure to fly through the air. In truth it was simple enough: so long as one's cultivation ran deep and one's treasure was not too poor, one need only use the Qingyun Dao methods aided by the power of thought to drive the treasure. But Zhang Qingyue's cultivation was shallow, and though his treasure was certainly not poor, it was decidedly odd, and the Canglan Sect's Dao methods, newly learned, were quite unfamiliar to him; put to use, they made great trouble.

Su Wan had never imagined that the moment he set foot on Jietian Peak he would be sent down the mountain; she had thought to have him memorize the formulae first and practice them more after he returned to Dazhu Peak. Nor did the heads of the other peaks know the true measure of this odd boy; from his showing in the Seven Peaks Martial Trial they simply assumed he knew the most basic art of sword-flight. They did not know that Zhang Qingyue had stolen his learning of the Dao, and had muddled his way to the "driving objects" stage without ever learning anything of sword-flight at all.

He watched the others summon their immortal swords: Qi Hao's white "Cold Ice," Lu Xueqi's blue "Celestial Pivot," Zeng Shuyan's "Xuanyuan," which carried a faint purple aura. Zhang Qingyue's heart raced; straining, he summoned the "Dark Iron Staff," yet somehow it felt wrong, lacking the effortless mastery he had known on the day of the Seven Peaks Martial Trial.

Piercing clouds and crossing mountains, a journey that should have taken half a day took the four until sunset to reach Heyin City. When Zhang Qingyue and the other three landed to avoid notice in a quiet spot outside the city, he was soaked through and pale as paper; by the look of him, he had fared worse than on the day of the contest.

All along the way through the sky he had several times lost control of the Dark Iron Staff. Had Qi Hao and the others not seen something amiss and dared not stray far from him, lending a hand in time, this newly minted "outstanding disciple" of the Canglan Sect would likely have fallen from the heights and been dashed to pieces, bringing everlasting shame upon himself before he had won any glory for his sect and covering the Canglan Sect in utter disgrace. Qi Hao and the others decided to stop outside the city and walk in—partly to avoid notice, but also for fear that if Zhang Qingyue plunged from the sky in some crowded street before all those eyes, the lofty prestige the Canglan Sect had painstakingly built here over two thousand years would be ruined in a single moment. Alas and alack!

After a brief rest, when Zhang Qingyue had caught his breath, the four set off through the setting sun toward the towering city of Heyin. Zhang Qingyue walked last, and felt the puzzled glances Qi Hao and Lu Xueqi cast back at him from time to time; plainly they could not understand how a man who had shone so brilliantly at the Seven Peaks Martial Trial could not even manage ordinary sword-flight. Zeng Shuyan, though, walked along with Zhang Qingyue as cheerful as ever, never once mentioning what had just happened, and chattering without pause to introduce him to Heyin City:

"Within a hundred li around, this is the biggest and busiest place there is. The common folk who live here number at least two or three hundred thousand, and the location is fine besides—merchants and travelers come and go in great numbers, so it's all the livelier."

Zhang Qingyue listened and listened, and felt genuine admiration for Zeng: "?"

Zeng: "What's so strange about that? Watch." A sly grin came over his face; he leaned close to Zhang Qingyue's ear and whispered: "Truth is, I've been here many times—always slipping down the mountain on the sly."

Zhang Qingyue was greatly startled. "You—you—"

Zeng: "What's with that look? What's so strange about it? Once I started learning sword-flight, naturally I had to practice often; and flying along, when I got this far, I'd come down and stroll about the streets. What's so remarkable about that!"

Zhang Qingyue was left speechless.

Hearing the two of them murmuring behind him, Qi Hao smiled faintly and said to Lu Xueqi beside him: "Junior Sister Lu, it's growing late. Tonight we'll stay here, and set out again tomorrow."

Lu Xueqi's face was cold as ice and frost, utterly without expression; she gave only a faint nod.

Once inside the city, to avoid trouble they had early on changed out of the Canglan Sect disciple's garb, and so roused no particular suspicion; but Lu Xueqi's beauty was such that it caused no small stir, drawing many passersby to stop and stare. Zhang Qingyue stole a glance at her from the side and saw that though her face was blank, a flicker of anger had crossed her bright eyes; he could not help but worry for these bystanders—if the Celestial Pivot left its sheath, this ancient city of long history would likely lose half of itself.

But Lu Xueqi's self-restraint proved far greater than Zhang Qingyue had supposed. It was not until they had taken rooms at an inn called the "Mountain and Sea Garden" that she showed any sign at all. Qi Hao, the most traveled of them, was tacitly the leader of the four; it was he who went forward to arrange such matters as lodging, and afterward the innkeeper settled them in the finest rooms of the rear garden.

The Mountain and Sea Garden was a sizable establishment; its rear garden held four separate courts, and the four of them took the western court, one room apiece. After resting a while, Qi Hao gathered them and went to the restaurant in front to eat.

The Mountain and Sea Garden kept its own restaurant, situated on Heyin City's busiest street; but in the private hall on the third floor all was quiet. The spacious hall held fewer than ten tables, of which some five now had guests at dinner. Qi Hao called the waiter over and ordered several dishes; from his manner he knew the place well, and was likely a regular.

Zhang Qingyue thought as much to himself. Born of a farming family, he had never been to so luxurious a place as the Mountain and Sea Garden. Passing the second floor earlier he had seen the main hall richly adorned; but on the third floor he found carved dragons and painted phoenixes, beams of red wood, an air of antiquity quite unlike the second floor. He did not know that when people of the world attain wealth and station, they turn instead to chasing refinement; and though some delight in gaudy splendor, yet to have others say they possess some cultivation, many will affect elegance as well.

The four sat at a small table by the window. Zeng Shuyan glanced around the hall and said to Qi Hao: "Senior Brother Qi, the prices here can't be cheap, surely?"

Qi Hao smiled faintly. "This is the finest restaurant in Heyin City; naturally it's not cheap. But our Canglan Sect has long enjoyed a name here; the owner would be only too glad to have us, and won't charge us much."

Zeng Shuyan said "Ah" and nodded. After a while the waiter brought out several plates of delicacies and fresh stir-fries, and last of all a dish of freshly stewed fish. The fish was elongated, nearly round at the front, narrow and flattened toward the rear, dark brown in body, with two pairs of long, thick barbels. Most important of all, its flesh was white and lustrous and its fragrance spilled everywhere, setting the mouth to watering at once.

Zhang Qingyue had always taken an interest in cooking, and had never seen such a fish; he could not refrain from asking the waiter: "Waiter, what is this fish called, and how is it cooked?"

The waiter chuckled. "The gentleman has a keen eye. This 'Clear-Stewed Dream Fish' is our Mountain and Sea Garden's signature dish—fragrant and silken-smooth, sweet on the tongue. Within a hundred li of Heyin City it's famous indeed."