In the pouring rain, Lĭn Xuĕyā was rushing toward the mountain road. He was already aware that there was an indescribable killing intent approaching him from behind.
“As I thought, they won’t let me go so easily. Well, what should I do about it?”
He tried to let his words sound as carefree as possible, but it was hard to say if all the drips on his white cheeks were raindrops. The pursuer in the dark was approaching at a tremendous speed. It was as if he was being chased by a ferocious tiger. The opponent was clearly superior in speed when running through the mountains. It seemed to be only a matter of time before they would catch up with him. Lĭn Xuĕyā stopped running. He estimated that it was impossible to shake them off. After a certain amount of time of standing still and looking into the darkness, two brightly glowing eyes, resembling demon fire, floated in the air.
“Thief … of … the … Wind … Dust …”
The owner of these eyes uttered with what seemed all his hatred. It sounded like a wild beast roaring. With splashing sounds, a small shadow stepped out of the darkness. The man with a crawling, forward-bending posture, wielding an oddly shaped dagger in each hand, was without a doubt Hóu Zhuă. The intense internal energy, that could evaporate even the raindrops that poured down on him, was leaking from inside his small body.
“Ghost thief ‘Star of Bad Omen shining in the Darkness1‘,” Lĭn Xuĕyā said. “That’s your nickname, isn’t it? I’ve realized it by that bizarre dagger, and the skill with which you killed Zhū Yībào. You studied the martial arts of the Lofty Peak School and reached the depths of swordsmanship and the art of concealed weapons but were excommunicated due to your overly brutal temperament. Thereafter, you degraded yourself to a thief. Your work is unparalleled in its brutality. The people in the houses you steal from, even the women, children and elderly. You will slaughter them, creating a bloodbath. Hence, no one has ever lived to see you, or so they say…”
Hóu Zhuă listened to his words in silence.
“I had heard rumours that you had died, but to think that you would be in a place like this, lured by Luán Niángzĭ’s scent.”
“Thi-Thief of the Wind Dust… I’ve seen you before…”
Hóu Zhuă rolled his large eyeballs.
“That time?” Lĭn Xuĕyā responded. When I visited a certain wealthy family and found the merchants, householders and even the servants reduced to wretched bones. You had successfully snatched everything from me… I see. At that time you were watching me from somewhere…”
Hóu Zhuă’s face showed a mixture of anger and regret.
“I-I should have killed you a-as soon as you appeared at the Mansion of the Eight Celestials… I c-can’t forgive myself for not doing that… I-if only I’d cut you down, Luán Niángzĭ wouldn’t be like that…”
“Oh. Even after seeing Luán Niángzĭ like that, your heart doesn’t change?”
“D-don’t put me with the other men!”
Hóu Zhuă became agitated.
“I-I didn’t fall in love with Lady Luán Niángzĭ’s appearance! I fell in love with her h-heart! No matter how she will change, my heart won’t!”
“Hmm. Is it a wonder that one of the evilest bandits is attracted to the heart of this matchless evil woman?”
“E-evil woman…”
Hóu Zhuă’s body shuddered at the insult to the worshipful Luán Niángzĭ.
“Q-questions and answers are no l-longer useful… Y-you are the only one I will not forgive. I will cut off your head and d-deliver it to Lady Luán Niángzĭ!”
The dense internal force that had been emanating from Hóu Zhuă’s body increased, making his small body appear twice as large. As Lĭn Xuĕyā braced himself, water splashed under Hóu Zhuă’s feet. With a strange ground-crawling movement, he instantly came within a few lengths of Lĭn Xuĕyā. From the ground upwards, a cutting wind blew into his face. A fearsome blade grazed Lĭn Xuĕyā’s bangs, as he backed away as fast as he could. He left a few silver strands of hair scattered in the place, he just jumped away from. But Hóu Zhuă had remarkable skills in qīnggōng2. His ugly face never left Lĭn Xuĕyā’s sight. He rotated in mid-air and attacked Lĭn Xuĕyā like a flash of lightning. It was as if he himself had been turned into a deadly blade. An attack was aimed at the forehead of Lĭn Xuĕyā who just avoided the previous one. His blue robes fluttered, when a shining object swept in, creating a ringing sound.
Fēibiāo3
It was shot from Hóu Zhuă’s sleeve opening, a basic technique of the Lofty Peak School’s hidden arts. With a chilling metallic sound, the flying biāo was repelled by Lĭn Xuĕyā’s kiseru. Hóu Zhuă continued to fire the biāo regardless while using his spectacular fast swordsmanship. Wherever they were concealed on his small body, the vast number of biāo being fired at Lĭn Xuĕyā was like watching a meteor shower. Lĭn Xuĕyā was able to defend himself against all of them, but he found himself slowly retreating backwards, gradually being driven back into a corner. Hóu Zhuă’s mouth twisted into a grin.
“Thi-Thief of the Wind Dust …! It’s impressive how you can only run away!”
As soon as he spoke his body began glowing in a burning red colour due to his thick aura.
Star of Bad Omen shining in the Darkness – The figure shining in the darkness is like a darting evil star.
Hóu Zhuă who had transformed into a ball of fire, sprinted towards Lĭn Xuĕyā while shooting biāo. Lĭn Xuĕyā, who defended himself just with his kiseru, had no way of dodging the next blow. Confirming his definite kill, from the depths of his uneven teeth Hóu Zhuă let out the name of the technique he would use to slaughter the hated man.
“Excerpt of the Lofty Peak Sword ‘Twin Star Glowing Moon’!!”
Two daggers, shaping the form of a moon, burned red. With a wild roar and bursting with extraordinary fierceness, he hurled himself at Lĭn Xuĕyā. Before his eyes, Hóu Zhuă saw Lĭn Xuĕyā’s figure be cut into bloody pieces. Logically the weaponless Lĭn Xuĕyā could not defend himself against Hóu Zhuă’s lethal sword. But …!
Just then, Hóu Zhuă saw a smile waft across Lĭn Xuĕyā’s face that resembled a cool breeze.
What …? he thought but in the next second Lĭn Xuĕyā turned into a dashing silver wind and sprinted away. In the next moment, the place where blood rushed from was Hóu Zhuă’s abdomen. In the rain of blood, he looked back, his pupils were dilated in astonishment. There, holding a single brightly shining sword in a horizontal line, stood Lĭn Xuĕyā, still on his guard.
“Wh … what …? A … sword …? From where?”
Along with blood, Hóu Zhuă squeezed his doubts out of his throat.
“Ah, this?”
Lĭn Xuĕyā swung the blade in his hand to flick off the blood. And, as he looked, the sword shrank and transformed into a kiseru that fitted inside his hand.
“This kiseru also has this kind of use.”
“Y … Y … Yoouuu … Thief of the Wind Dust …!”
With red gushing out of his side, Hóu Zhuă desperately gathered effort and tried to walk towards Lĭn Xuĕyā. However, that was temporary.
“Y … o … u …”
As soon as he spoke, he fell to the muddy ground. A pool of blood slowly spread around Hóu Zhuă’s dwarfish body.
There was not even time to count since the battle had begun when it already came to an abrupt conclusion. Yet, the lingering effects of the intense fierceness emanating from Hóu Zhuă’s body continued to irritate Lĭn Xuĕyā’s pure white skin. Within the blink of an eye, he had experienced the fearsome power of the man Hóu Zhuă more than enough.
“Regrettable Star of Bad Omen shining in the Darkness … How dare you make me draw the sword that I no longer intended to use, and make me kill against my will … If only he hadn’t gone astray, he would have made a name for himself as a first rank swordsman …”
With a hint of pity, Lĭn Xuĕyā mouthed the words and put his palms together in prayer.
“Lĭn Xuĕyā!”
Just then he heard a voice from behind. Looking back, he saw Xíng Hài who looked like a drowned rat.
“Hi, Xíng Hài”
When she rushed over to Lĭn Xuĕyā, who casually raised his hand to greet, she began to rattle on, sparing him no time.
“The men of the Mansion of the Eight Celestials set fire to my house. They said it was Luán Niángzĭ’s order. I don’t get it. What on earth is going on?”
“I see, Luán Niángzĭ went that far,” Lĭn Xuĕyā said with surprising composure.
“You, what did you do?”
“Why. I believe that it’s against the natural order of things that she uses an elixir to keep herself young. I mixed Zhū Yībào’s liver into your elixir. Looking her actual age, Luán Niángzĭ was so mad, I just had to mention your name. So, that Luán Niángzĭ. She may hold an unreasonable grudge.”
“How …!? How dare you!?”
Xíng Hài opened her mouth and looked at Lĭn Xuĕyā’s face seriously. However, her expression soon changed to one of resignation.
“Well, fine,” she said. Somehow she looked refreshed.
Lĭn Xuĕyā asked suspiciously, “what? I thought you would be angry.”
“I am angry! Bastard, I will let you take responsibility!”
“Responsibility?”
“My home burned down and I no longer have a place to stay. I can’t even continue my deal with Luán Niángzĭ. Although it’s impudent, I’ll accept your offer.”
“The offer … is? Well, what was it again?”
Lĭn Xuĕyā tilted his head.
“The one where I’ll go with you into the world of humans. It wasn’t my intention, but I have no choice at this point.”
Despite feigning reluctance, her heart was beating. No longer had she any second thoughts. To travel around the wide world with this man. It was strangely exciting to think about those days to come. Lĭn Xuĕyā, on the other hand, had an expression on his face that showed he didn’t understand what was being said. After thinking briefly, he said, “ah, ah, you mean that,” but followed with, “that was a lie.”
“Huh?”
Xíng Hài was stunned.
“A … lie?”
“Oh? That’s weird.”
Lĭn Xuĕyā looked puzzled.
“You yourself called my words a joke.”
“I, I did, but …”
“Exactly. As you said, it was a joke. You also said that no human man would ever want to travel around the world with a demon. That’s also true. I have no desire to travel the world with a demon. To think that you could easily see through my lies. This reminds me that as a thief, I still have a lot to learn. … You didn’t take it seriously, right?”
Speechless, Xíng Hài had a pouting look on her face.
“But, you know what’s true? When I said I’m interested in you. When I met you, I realised you were an even more worthwhile prey for teasing than Luán Niángzĭ. It would be a great pleasure to make a ruthless demon, who says that people are boring, fall in love with me. Well, did my plan work or did it not …?” Lĭn Xuĕyā chuckled.
A lie? … Did he … say it was a lie?
Absentminded, Xíng Hài continued to stare at him.
He was messing with me? Since when was he messing with me? From the moment he said he wanted to sleep with me? From the moment he said I was cute?
Gradually and progressively, her paralyzed thoughts began to move.
From when? Probably from the moment they had met. If this man said it was a lie, then everything was a lie. Every word and gesture directed at her had been a lie. If all of this had been a lie, then did that mean that the turmoil and fluttering in her own heart, caused by this man’s words, were also a lie? One mention of a lie and it will all be gone?
The first thing that arose in Xíng Hài’s heart was a feeling of loss. A chilling sadness arose at the bottom of that loss. Then it turned into a piercing pain, which then began to heat up to the point of humiliation. The heat gradually increased from a slight fever to a scorching heat that could even dissolve iron. The fire began to turn into a raging hellfire of anger.
“… I will kill you …”
A voice filled with a sombre, yet all-consuming resentment escaped Xíng Hài’s mouth. The hateful glare thrown at Lĭn Xuĕyā was like looking into the entrance of hell. Xíng Hài’s gaze glowed with intense anger as she stared at the man in front of her. It was as if she could kill with her eye power alone.
The trigger was when Lĭn Xuĕyā said indifferently, “so scary. Don’t look at me like that.”
“I will kill you!”
The anger that had been bottled up inside her finally burst through the barriers and soared up. The Live Mourning Thorn leapt furiously, harbouring her anger. Suddenly, a barrier of flames rose between those two.
“What!”
Lĭn Xuĕyā used the magic of the kiseru. The blazing barrier that once saved Xíng Hài from Zhū Yībào’s deadly attack was now separating them.
“Shit! You bastard!”
In rage, she shot the red rope towards the flames, but it only stroked the air in vain.
“That anger. It appears that my plan has worked.”
Lĭn Xuĕyā’s hatefully easy-going voice was carried over from the other side of the wall. Xíng Hài slammed the whip in the direction of the flames two, three times. However, no matter how much she tried, she did not feel the sensation of a strike.
“Now this makes me very satisfied. I see no reason to stay in this place any longer.”
“Shit! Shit!”
Xíng Hài continued to wield her whip but no longer intended to hit Lĭn Xuĕyā. She was whipping out of hysteria, to release the anger and her urge to kill that came one after another within herself. Lĭn Xuĕyā’s hateful voice continued.
“Therefore, I’m leaving. If we both stay alive, we will eventually meet again. Then you may use your necromancy to help me again. Now then, farewell.”
“Wait! Don’t run away!”
Although she shouted, he no longer answered. Xíng Hài bit her lip in frustration as the flames blocked her view and Lĭn Xuĕyā’s presence faded.
Damn you… Damn you… Damn you… Lĭn Xuĕyā … Damn you human! I will kill you, Lĭn Xuĕyā! I will destroy you, lowly human. Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you …!
The merciless rain fell on her as she stood still. Not even the cold rain could extinguish the hellfire of resentment within her.
After this, Xíng Hài, who had lost her home, moved to the Night Devil Forest, and from then on, out of hatred for humans, she continued to sharpen her fangs for a great plot to revive the demon gods and destroy mankind, which she finally carried out, but that is another story…
Driven by the strong wind, the fire, that had burned down Xíng Hài’s house, was spreading across the entire mountain. The fire was closing in on the Mansion of the Eight Celestials. Inside the mansion, Luán Niángzĭ, who had turned into a hapless old hag, was walking from room to room.
“… Someone …! Is someone there …?”
No one responded to her shouts even quietly. The men from the mansion had left to burn down Xíng Hài’s house and had not returned. Fearing the fire, everyone was beginning to descend the mountain. Even Méi Shūmíng, who had been shut in, had already fled after spotting the burning mountain forest through his latticework window. But even without the fire, would the men ever return to the transformed Luán Niángzĭ?
“… Where … Where are the men? Embrace me … Pleasure me…”
The mind of Luán Niángzĭ, who aimlessly wandered around the building while screaming, was completely broken. The ugly old self she saw in the mirror, her intense anger towards Lĭn Xuĕyā and Xíng Hài and the heartless abuse hurled at her by her men. These had shattered her sanity into pieces. The only thing left was her innate lechery. She continued to raise her voice in vain, seeking a man who could satisfy her desires.
“… Zhū Yībàooo! … Lán Gānbăooo! … Méiii Shūmíng! Where are you? Where are you? Come quickly to my bedroom … Pleasure meee … Hey, hey, where did you hiiidee …”
Her voice only came back as a cold echo.
“Hey! Hey! Come ooout!”
“L … Lady Luán Niángzĭ …”
Suddenly a voice called her name.
“Oh my, whooo is it?”
With a creepy lecherous expression slathered on her old face, Luán Niángzĭ turned around. But her face instantly changed to that of disappointment. A man, ugly as a toad, was crouching there. It was Hóu Zhuă. He was holding his side with his hand, his face contorted in anguish. Blood was gushing out of his torn side like a spring and dragged behind like a tail were his severed guts. Despite being in the throes of death, he had made it all the way back here using his last strength. It was the result of Hóu Zhuă’s extraordinary obsession to catch a glimpse of Luán Niángzĭ, whom he had loved so much, before his life would end.
“L … Lady Luán Niángzĭ … p-please run away … The f-fire, is close …”
“Ugly!”
Luán Niángzĭ slapped Hóu Zhuă with severe cussing.
“Who? Who are you? Why is such an ugly man here!? Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Are there no beautiful men!? Where is Yībào!? Where is Gānbăo!? Shūmíng come out!”
Hóu Zhuă’s back trembled. A flash of light burst from his hand after he jerked up his head. In his eyes, there was an ominous light flickering that could neither be described as hatred nor sorrow. In the next moment, Luán Niángzĭ’s old head flew high up in a spiral of blood.
Soon a fierce conflagration began to overrun the once sparkling Mansion of the Eight Celestials. The days of former debauchery and immorality, the daily life of moral decay, everything was swallowed up by the scorching fire and burned to ashes. One of the beautiful men fleeing from the forest fire may or may not have witnessed from a distance, the wailing and dancing of a small man with a fresh head clutched to his chest inside the collapsing building.
***
1Star of Bad Omen shining in the Darkness I don’t know if I have translated this title well. The original is 耀闇賽凶星.
2qīnggōng describes the skills martial artists use to move super fast or glide in the air for short distances. It is often seen in Kungfu movies.
3fēibiāo are knives that look like spearheads. Usually, they are thrown. The japanese equivalent would be a kunai.
Setsuna's Translation 