The Shiyan Blade was a magical sword. It stirs and vibrates restlessly whenever it detects the presence of evil and supernatural entities. This made it extremely potent in comparison to the two other common-looking swords which were only special because they were imbued with Father's enchantments to ward off evil.
But the Shiyan Blade, unlike the two other swords which will only warn me about the presence of enemies, would also alert me to any imminent dangers as well.
The wind merely sustained for mere minutes before it gradually subsided. But the Shiyan Blade, still shuddering restively in its scabbard, did not stop cautioning me of danger! I picked it up with a frown of concern and grasped at its handle with a hand. Immediately, like a bolt from the blue, the tingling sensation of premonition assailed my senses!
Sensing something wrong himself, Lin Feng raised a hand to motion for silence. "Quiet! Listen!" He said to everyone. Every voice
The dawning of Godmother's statement surprised me. I squashed the stubble of my cigarette. "That's it," I said, looking at Godmother, "What I felt, was like being gripped at the throat by an invisible hand. The dense aura of malice and evil was so strong and powerful that we could barely move an inch. This could be why we were still unhurt despite being in such dangers." Godmother nodded. "Despite my magic and being able to turn into human form, I am a still beast. My senses are more acute than you. That is why I felt the stupefying presence even when the gust of thrashing wind began. I too was petrified by the terrifying presence that I could not move." Indeed, I mused, even Godmother, with all her magical powers notwithstanding, was still a demon nonetheless. This made her susceptible to any magic affecting foul and evil entities. "Mother," I said brusquely, "You know who took Aunt Ulan's soul, do you not? Please just tell us now! I'm afraid that whoeve
As soon as the short old man had revealed that he knew Father, I was perplexed with astonishment! He knew Father?! Could he be the one that Godmother was speaking about? Amid my bewilderment, my eyes wandered to Godmother, staring at her as if hoping that her face might contain answers to my suspicion. But what I received was merely a doubtful nod from her. But the reverberating rebutted harshly, "Nephew, you say? Is your hoodwinking of them with your magic a fitting gesture of hospitality by an elder for younger kin?" "The boy is a medium himself! Wading through dangers are his bread and butter! These simple obstacles were merely trials for him! Consider this a necessary but much-needed lesson from a concerned elder for him!" Instead, the faceless voice broke into a less frosty sneer, "Hahaha! Let me tell you then, in case it has slipped your notice. Murong Hai's daughter-in-law is also present! As an elder, you have deceived them with your magic and have frightened t
We decided to take up lodgings at the old man's burrow that evening. For the first time in many nights, I finally had a proper rest. Edelweiss shook me awake the next morning after she had brought me water to wash up. As I sat up groggily, I could not help feeling touched at being able to enjoy the bliss of having a young woman like Edelweiss taking care of me. We had meat again for breakfast. It was the only food available since winter began ravaging across the wilderness. In contrast to Yuan Chongxi who wolfed down his food with tremendous vigor, I merely took a few disinterested bites. I was fortunate somehow that our host hardly has an eye for detail. He did not notice my reluctance for our breakfast and I kept from troubling him any further. I was already grateful enough for his hospitality thus far. The old man urged that we should set out as soon as possible, for 'the other old man' waiting at the other side of the canyon must be anxious to see us.
Old Shang turned forlorn and mournful once he heard about Old Man Chen losing his eyesight. His son judiciously ushered us out of the main hall. He made some arrangements for our accommodations and had a manservant lead us to our rooms while he attended to his father and prepared the feast tonight. Later, Shang the younger came to me and he told me what he knew about Old Men Shang and Chen many years ago. It was the year 1976; a year recurring so frequently in this story of ours. The same year when the calamitous Tangshan Earthquake took place. Everywhere was turmoil and pandemonium in the entire northeastern region of Hebei province following the huge disaster, so was the Underworld due to the great loss of lives. Fearing that evil parties might exploit the turmoil to exact their insidious schemes, the Underworld mustered help from all mediums and practitioners of magic from across the lands to help restore peace. The message from the Underworld was conv
Old Shang began laughing loudly. "Hahahahah! That squat shorty is the Fifth of the Six Terrors! A friend as close as a brother of mine!" He gulped down his liquor and went on, "We enjoyed quite a reputation out here away from the borders. Hence, people began calling us the Six Terrors of the Frontier! All six of us served during the relief of the great earthquake long ago and we met your father then. It was during our battles together that we came to respect and admire him. He is not one of the Six, but he remains a brother to us. I'm the Third of the Six, so you can call me Third Uncle. The shorty is the Fifth, so you can just call him Fifth Uncle too." So these are the Six Terrors, I thought to myself. The name of the Six Terrors traveled far and wide; their exploits were known to all practitioners of magic and arcane skills across the land. Each of the Six was rumored to possess extraordinary powers or skills, but they rarely ventured away into China proper, preferr
So this was magic of Zhu Mei, the Fifth of the Six Terrors: the magic to control the earth and enable its user to control the movements of a target! This was the sorcery behind the mysterious trap-like enchantment that had us walking around the Labyrinthian Canyon like mice in a maze! This is one of the two most fascinating magic used to manipulate movements, said Old Shang, with the other being Father's Autumn Decline. So this was the reason Godmother would have wanted me to learn something from Zhu Mei, I reflected. Father's magic was like a fairy tale and myth from a bygone age to me; I would never be able to perform the things that he could do nor would I be able to achieve the feats that he did. Learning Zhu Mei's magic, on the other hand, seemed more realistically doable to me. Everyone laid drunkenly sprawled on the floors of the fortress when the feast ended. Delirious and badly-stoned, Old Shang tugged on my arm, asking me to stay for a few more
I could hardly believe my ears when I heard Aunt Ulan uttered the words. So this was the true reason she was so anxious to expedite matters! She wanted me to bring her to Wu Zhong where she could once again see Father! "Is this even fine?" I collapsed into a chair and fumbled miserably for other options. Still, my mind was completely blank! Just as I was still grappling for ways to answer, Godmother spoke suddenly, "Sister, I think it's better if you stay here." Aunt Ulan stared at her, shocked by her words. Quietly, she turned to Godmother, who promptly continued, "There was indeed passion between Murong Hai and us, Sister. But the time has long gone, and you are a mortal. Mortals grow old. Even today, Murong Hai maintains a youthful and exuberant appearance, while you are now a frail old lady? Do you really wish to let him see you like this? Frankly, Sister, even I... Even I would never dare show myself before him again!" Godmother must have remembered
Mr. Zhang and Uncle Quan knew nothing about the history behind Old Man Chen's blindness. In fact, not many at the Institute knew about the affair, not even Old Man Xie, his former comrade, realized that Old Man Chen had gone blind decades ago because he tried to help Shang Pei. Old Man Chen stopped to take a heave from his cigarette. "That nitwit Shang Pei came to Tangshan immediately after the earthquake that year and Brother Hai assigned him to serve at Wu Zhong, as part of a team that comprised of me and Old Xie here. He would spearhead any offense with his sorceries while we provided him our support. We depended much on him especially in duels!" "Quit trying to be humble, Blind Master," Lin Feng added, "Old Shang was full of praises for you both when we met him. He could not stop bragging about how powerful you were! You three were even known as the Triune of Wu Zhong!" "Humph... The Triune of Wu Zhong..." Old Man Xie snorted coldly, albeit, with an a