Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilds Chapter Seventeen: Angelica
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A new person had appeared in the cave.
He was a young man, dressed in a blue cloth robe with his hair tied in a topknot. His every move was nimble and efficient. He set down a bundle and a bamboo box, gesturing, “Go wash up and change into this Taoist robe. There’s food in the box—help yourself!”
Yu Ye was utterly bewildered.
The newly arrived man was about his age, but his clothing and appearance were completely unlike those of the local hunters or the Yan family’s young men. Still, he seemed to mean no harm; instead, he had brought food and clean robes.
Wait…Taoist robes?
Yu Ye couldn’t help but ask, “You are…”
The young man answered calmly, “Gu Yu.”
“Gu Yu?”
“My surname is Gu. On the day I was accepted into the sect, it happened to rain heavily. My master gave me the Taoist name Gu Yu, ‘Valley Rain.’”
The man who called himself Gu Yu was forthright, but Yu Ye’s heart grew heavy.
“I mean…where is this place?”
“Xuanhuang Mountain.”
“Ah…”
Yu Ye’s face went pale.
Gu Yu smiled slightly, turned to leave, but not before saying, “If you need anything, just call for me!”
Yu Ye stood dazed for a moment, then hurried after him, asking, “Who brought me here? Did he steal my belongings?”
Gu Yu walked quickly; in the blink of an eye, he was already at the cave’s entrance. After a few stone steps, there was a stone door. He shut it behind him, lowering his voice in warning: “This is a restricted area of Xuanhuang Mountain. Stay put and don’t ask questions. It’s not wise to talk too much…”
Bang—
Yu Ye had just reached the door when it closed. He reached out and pushed hard, but the door didn’t budge. He returned the way he’d come, looked out the left cave entrance, then turned toward the right and waded directly through a pool. Outside, the world was all cliffs and precipices, with a waterfall plunging down dozens of fathoms into a mist-shrouded lake of unknown depth. He had no choice but to return inside, his mind in turmoil.
At this moment, he was both shocked and furious.
He had been unconscious for seven days, and during that time brought to Xuanhuang Mountain.
Xuanhuang Mountain—wasn’t that precisely the spiritual mountain where Chen Qi, his nemesis, practiced Daoism?
He had been uncertain before, but now all doubt was gone. Though Yu Ye had escaped the Yan family’s pursuit, he had fallen straight into his enemy’s hands.
No need to guess—only Chen Qi could have brought him here!
Only that despicable man would stoop to such vile deeds! He still owed the Yu family village a blood debt—was he not afraid Yu Ye would seek revenge?
Bang—
New and old hatreds surged together. In his grief and rage, Yu Ye struck the ground with his fist, splitting his knuckles without noticing. Gradually, he sank down, clutching his head in agony.
His enemy was close at hand, yet not only could he not exact vengeance, he was at the man’s mercy, life and death not his to decide.
There was no greater humiliation.
But even more than humiliation, there was sorrow and helplessness.
He had barely escaped the Yan family’s dungeon, only to become a prisoner of Xuanhuang Mountain.
Now that he was in Chen Qi’s power, would that man ever let him go? Better to leap from the cliff and end it himself than die in disgrace!
Yu Ye jerked his head up, his reddened eyes filled with determination. But a moment later, guilt crept into his face as he curled up on the ground.
If he simply gave up, how could he face Uncle Qiu, Yu Ergou, and the rest of his fallen kin?
…
As dusk settled, the light in the cave ebbed. Once bright, the cave was now swallowed by twilight’s gloom.
Gu Yu, the young man, reappeared. Seeing Yu Ye still lying on the ground, unwashed, unchanged, and untouched by food, he tossed him a fur mat and left.
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The next day.
At dawn, Gu Yu appeared again.
Yu Ye was still lying there as if asleep, refusing food and water, unchanged from the day before.
“Why torment yourself like this?”
Gu Yu muttered, shaking his head and leaving. When he returned at dusk, he found Yu Ye still “sleeping” and couldn’t help but urge, “You’re just a mortal without the art of fasting. Even if your meridians are sealed, you can’t endure hunger for days. Take my advice—eat something!”
Yu Ye kept lying down, seemingly asleep, but asked without raising his head, “Where’s Chen Qi? He brought me here—why hide and not show himself?”
“So you know Senior Brother…” Gu Yu began, but cut himself off, glancing back nervously and scolding himself, “Ah, I’ve said too much again!”
Yu Ye took this as deliberate evasion and snorted, “Chen Qi, the despicable villain!”
“You dare insult Senior Brother…” Gu Yu clapped a hand over his mouth and fled, the stone door slamming behind him.
Yu Ye rolled over to stare at the ceiling.
He hadn’t eaten for days, and hunger had long since made him dizzy. But whenever he thought of Chen Qi, he forgot his hunger. That man was humiliating him in every possible way—how could he accept food thrown at him in charity?
But there was an old saying in the village: a hungry man is a lazy man.
When your belly is empty, exhaustion follows.
Yu Ye closed his eyes and drifted into a fitful sleep…
Bang—
The sound of the stone door opening roused Yu Ye. He blinked sleepily.
Another morning.
Outside the cave, mist swirled as the morning light shifted and danced. For a moment, it felt as if he were standing among the clouds, untethered and free as the wind, able to roam a thousand miles.
If only such dreams could become reality!
“Why are you starving yourself?”
No one was fasting—he simply refused to let Chen Qi’s schemes succeed.
Yu Ye gazed out, lost in thought, ignoring the voice in the cave. No matter how Gu Yu tried to persuade him, he would never lower his head in submission.
No, that wasn’t Gu Yu…
Yu Ye sat up.
Indeed, it wasn’t Gu Yu, but a young woman in a green robe.
Her face was veiled with a scarf. She was slender, hands clasped behind her back, her eyes deep and unreadable.
“Baizhi—”
Yu Ye could hardly believe it.
He knew this woman well—they had clashed before. She was Miss Bai of the Bai family, a disciple of Xuanhuang Sect, Chen Qi’s junior, Bai Zhi.
He had always regarded Chen Qi as his mortal enemy, but forgotten about Bai Zhi. Chen Qi was utterly ruthless, but as his junior, how could Bai Zhi be blameless?
“So it’s you…”
Yu Ye suddenly understood, bitterness in his voice. “You’re after the flood dragon’s pearl in my body, aren’t you?” He patted his chest. “If you want the dragon pearl, you won’t get it—but this worthless life is yours for the taking!”
He had thought Chen Qi was the only cunning one, but who would have guessed his junior was even more dangerous?
Bai Zhi had known his whereabouts and set an ambush. Clearly, his every move was within her grasp.
Bai Zhi studied Yu Ye quietly, her eyes flashing with understanding—and in that understanding, a hint of surprise.
It had only been a short while since they last met, but the once wild youth had changed beyond recognition. Now his hair was a tangled mess, his face and body filthy and bloodstained, and his ragged robe barely covered him—a truly wretched sight. Still, his gaze was unchanged: ignorant, fearless, with a wild, untamed arrogance.
Bai Zhi’s brows softened. In a gentle voice, she said, “You conspired with thieves, desecrated tombs, killed and looted—how do you answer for that? If I handed you over to the Yan family, what do you think would happen?”
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Yu Ye’s face stiffened.
His experience with the Yan family was an indelible stain. Even though he had been a victim, he could not clear his name.
Bai Zhi’s eyes glittered as she continued, “You resent my senior brother, and I cannot blame you. There were many misunderstandings over the dragon pearl. The tragedy at Yu Family Village was not as you believe. The true culprit was Gumu of Beiqi Mountain. My senior brother, unwilling to be associated with such a villain, slew him himself—consider it atonement, vengeance for your village. Even so, he violated sect rules and will be punished when he returns to Xuanhuang Mountain.”
Yu Ye snorted inwardly.
This Miss Bai, with a few deft words, absolved Chen Qi of guilt—but would the thirty-odd souls of Yu Family Village agree?
Bai Zhi seemed to see through his thoughts and went on, “Believe me or not, as you wish.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“To resolve this enmity. When my senior brother returns, you can confront him face to face. My master will preside and judge who is right or wrong. Until then, you may not leave—lest trouble arise and my efforts be in vain.”
“My pouch—where is it?”
Yu Ye, recalling his past conflicts with Bai Zhi, knew her to be proud and not one for idle talk. Yet today she spoke at length, patiently and persuasively, leaving him neither room to refute nor cause to doubt. All he could do was try to recover his belongings to soothe his wounded pride.
But every encounter with Bai Zhi had ended with him at a loss.
“Oh?”
“A pouch of deer hide, for my personal things—I kept it close to my chest…”
“I haven’t seen it.”
Yu Ye was in the midst of gesturing, but disappointment flooded his face. He had no choice but to lower his hands and say resentfully, “Let’s put aside my feud with Chen Qi—just let me go home!”
“No.”
Bai Zhi’s reply was as firm as ever.
“Why not?” Yu Ye pressed, anxious. “What right do you have to keep me here?”
Bai Zhi replied calmly, “The Yan family already knows you’re from Yu Family Village. If you go back, you’ll only bring harm to your kin again. And before you confront my senior brother, how will you prove he wronged the innocent?” Without waiting for a reply, she continued, “You cannot go home, nor let go of your grudges. You can only remain here, waiting for my senior brother’s return.”
Yu Ye fell silent again.
He was not skilled at arguing, especially in the face of a woman. Now, at the mercy of others, all he could do was cling to his silence and stubbornness.
“Xuanhuang Mountain is the Daoist sect’s domain; outsiders may not enter at will. Keeping you in this cliffside cave is a temporary measure. Leave, and you’ll violate sect rules. Remember that.”
Ever since she appeared, Bai Zhi had kept her hands behind her back. Perhaps she had said all she wished, for she now brought something out from behind her.
A bamboo staff.
Yu Ye recognized it at once. “Uncle Qiu…”
It was Uncle Qiu’s bamboo staff, lost in the wilds—he’d thought it gone forever, yet here it was in Bai Zhi’s hand.
She looked at Yu Ye, who seemed about to speak, and said, “Since it belongs to Uncle Qiu, how could you just discard it?”
Yu Ye asked in astonishment, “You…you know Uncle Qiu?”
“He’s no longer in Yu Family Village.”
She answered, but did not elaborate. She tapped the staff; though it looked ordinary, it rang with a faint metallic chime, like the clash of arms. She nodded, “This is golden bamboo, unique to the southern swamps. Hard as iron, light as rotten wood.”
“Where is Uncle Qiu?”
Yu Ye cared nothing for golden bamboo—only for Uncle Qiu’s whereabouts.
“Take it.”
Bai Zhi handed the staff to Yu Ye, leaving no room for protest. “You’re filthy and reek—clean yourself, change clothes, and eat something.” With that, she brushed her hands as if ridding herself of filth, and as she turned to leave, she tossed back—
“As for Uncle Qiu, I may know a thing or two. When the time comes, I’ll tell you.”