Thief Mountain 5

"F-Fierce ghosts?" Qi Yin stuttered a little. "Is it still too late for us to leave?"

Fu Lan didn't speak. He concentrated and listened for a while, looking completely confused.

"You can hear 'them' talking?" Qi Yin asked in a low voice.

Fu Lan nodded.

"What are 'they' saying?"

Fu Lan listened for another moment, then imitated the things inside, saying, "'Brother, the moon is so round today, I like you so much.'"

"..." 'Damn it.' Qi Yin rubbed his forehead, instantly realizing who was inside.

This sect was doomed to fall sooner or later. Qi Yin pulled Fu Lan up the slope to answer nature's call on Repentance Cliff. It was open here, with no cover or obstruction; surely no one would be whispering sweet nothings here. Qi Yin loosened his waistband and stood by the edge of the cliff to relieve himself.

The night wind was icy cold, and the sea of trees sank into the hazy night. As the wind blew past, the rustling of the trees sounded like a tide, crashing over in waves. Immersed in the tidal sound of heaven and earth, a person felt even more like an insignificant mayfly. While relieving himself, Qi Yin said to Fu Lan, "Brother Blockhead, I'll sew your clothes for you. Don't just give them to others blindly. There's not a single decent person on this bird-forsaken mountain. You don't want to lose your virginity for no reason when the time comes."

Fu Lan obediently nodded.

"Uh," Qi Yin thought for a moment, then added, "If you ever have a girl you like, tell me, and I'll help you check her out."

Fu Lan didn't make a sound this time. For a moment, there were no words, only the surging sound of the rolling sea of trees. Qi Yin finished relieving himself and was just about to pull up his pants when Fu Lan suddenly grabbed the back of his collar. This fellow had tremendous strength; Qi Yin was pulled completely into his arms. Since his pants weren't properly put on yet, the moment his hands loosened, his entire pair of pants slipped down his legs.

Qi Yin internally cursed, 'Oh no, could this bastard be trying to take advantage of me while my pants are down?'

Before he could figure out how to respond, roaring flames suddenly flared up from the bottom of the cliff. A pillar of fire rushed straight up along the cliff wall, and a surging, oppressive wave of heat clawed its way to the tips of Qi Yin's toes. The vegetation where Qi Yin had just been standing turned to ashes, sticking together in pitch-black clumps.

Clinging to Fu Lan, Qi Yin was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. Damn it, if he had been a step later, let alone his family jewels, his entire body would have been turned into charcoal.

An earth-shattering roar came from the bottom of the cliff. "You little bastards of Fenghuan Mountain! You piss on my head every single day! If I don't roast your birds to teach you a lesson, you'll think the title of the Saibei Wolf King is a joke!"

A senior martial brother came running over hurriedly, hugging a wooden sign, and shouted loudly, "Calm down, Wolf King! The warning sign from before was blown away by the wind! These are newcomers who don't know the rules!" He propped the wooden sign on the ground, turned his head to see that Qi Yin and Fu Lan were mostly unharmed, and then ran off like a wisp of smoke.

Qi Yin looked closely and saw several large characters written in bold, flowing strokes on the sign:

Wolf King Below. No Relieving Oneself Here.

'Your granddaddy! Why didn't you put it out earlier? Are you trying to get someone killed?!' Qi Yin was so angry he could spit blood.

"Put your pants on," Fu Lan took a step forward. "He bullied you. I'll go beat him up."

"Wait!" Just as Qi Yin pulled up his pants, Fu Lan leaped forward. Qi Yin subconsciously reached out to grab his arm, but was pulled along. Stumbling over his own feet, he plummeted straight down the cliff. Fu Lan was visibly stunned for a moment before diving headfirst into the wind, following Qi Yin's fall. The wind howled in Qi Yin's ears. He was so terrified that his heart nearly jumped out of his throat. Suddenly, someone wrapped an arm around his waist, lifting his whole body up. Flailing wildly to brush the hair plastered over his face aside, he finally saw Fu Lan's fair jawline.

Fu Lan carried him horizontally and slowly descended. Qi Yin only breathed a sigh of relief when his feet touched solid ground. Leaning against the cliff wall, he hadn't even caught his breath yet when he saw a gigantic white wolf lying on a large boulder over there. The wolf was a full three stories high. Its golden eyes were like burning lanterns, and its snow-white fur resembled surging clouds in the moonlight. Standing in front of it, Fu Lan and Qi Yin looked like two tiny clay figurines. Even though they were separated by several zhang, Qi Yin could still feel its scorching breath, like the flames of purgatory.

"Bro, are you still going to beat him up?" Qi Yin's voice was wavering.

Fu Lan didn't speak; his gaze met the Wolf King's gloomy eyes. A bone-chilling demonic aura surged out from Fu Lan like a tide. If Qi Yin had cultivated his spiritual sense, he would be able to 'see' the two streams of demonic energy from Fu Lan and the Wolf King fiercely clashing, churning up monstrous waves where they collided. The two of them were like two reefs in the middle of a tidal wave, standing completely unmoving, while in front of them, the tide swallowed all phenomena.

Qi Yin only felt sand and stones suddenly flying all around them. The wind was so strong that he couldn't even open his eyes. Fu Lan freed one hand to pull him close. He was like a dead leaf in the tide, only able to avoid being swept away by clinging to the reef.

The wind slowly died down, and Qi Yin saw the Wolf King crouch down. He didn't know that this giant beast had just swallowed a mouthful of sweet, metallic blood.

The Wolf King spoke in a low voice: "Name."

"Fu Lan."

"I've heard of you," the Wolf King stood up from the giant boulder, looking down at Fu Lan and Qi Yin. "You are the great demon of the Southern Border. I heard you led thirty thousand demon soldiers into Jiugai to engage in a fierce battle against a horde of demons. Twenty-eight leaders died in battle, and the entire demon army was annihilated. You alone fought your way up Mount Yuan, slaughtered that old fart Weisheng Yuan, and even refined his bones into a blade."

"Mhm, that's me," Fu Lan said.

The Wolf King suddenly chuckled softly. "But your aura doesn't feel like a demon's at all, much less a yao's. I've lived for eight hundred years, and this is the first time I've smelled such a peculiar scent. It truly disgusts me."

Behind Fu Lan, Qi Yin whispered, "Brother Blockhead, how long has it been since you last took a bath?"

Fu Lan: "..."

"However," the Wolf King laughed heartily, "the younger generation is formidable. I humbly admit defeat. The two of you can go."

Qi Yin breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected the name of that pig demon from the Southern Border to be so useful. Before they even started fighting, just revealing the name made this cowardly wolf wilt. He hurriedly pulled Fu Lan, wanting to climb back up the cliff. But the cowardly wolf suddenly twitched the tip of its nose, as if smelling something, and said, "The little one in the back, come over and let me have a look at you."

Qi Yin instantly froze. He took a bath every day! Could this wolf have set its sights on him as rations?

Fu Lan yanked him behind his back and said, "He is mine. I won't let you see."

"Tch," the Wolf King spat disdainfully. "Do you really think I care? It's just that the smell of this little pup is somewhat familiar. It's like... like..." The Wolf King thought for a moment before saying, "Like that ox-nosed Daoist surnamed Qi from Wufang Mountain. Little pup, are you a relative of that Daoist?"

This cowardly wolf looked fierce but didn't seem all that hard to get along with. Qi Yin hesitated for a moment, bowed to it, and said, "This junior is Qi Yin. The Daoist surnamed Qi that the Wolf King mentioned is likely this junior's father. However, he abandoned his wife and son long ago and never cared for this junior, so he can hardly be considered my father."

The Wolf King let out a long oh. "That little bastard did indeed have the face of an ungrateful and heartless prick. I originally appreciated him and wanted to make friends with him. Who knew that just because I ate a few mortals, this brat would fall out with me? Without another word, he and that sect leader of your Fenghuan Mountain locked me up here. And I've been locked up for twenty years without him even coming to visit me once. My wolf fur, which used to be bright and smooth, is all tangled now." The Wolf King snorted and asked, "How is that guy doing? His sword skills were outstanding, and he had the seniority. He should be an elder of Wufang Sect by now, right?"

Qi Yin fell silent for a moment before saying, "He's dead. I heard he was killed in an accident recently while going to Ying River to eliminate water ghosts."

The Wolf King instantly stopped talking. Its molten gold-like eyes dimmed a bit. The bleak moonlight shone on its face, making every snow-white strand of wolf fur flow with a jade-like luster. For some reason, Qi Yin could actually see a hint of sorrow on its face.

"You two little pups, come take a walk with me." The Wolf King suddenly stepped down from the boulder and walked towards the forest.

The night wind flowed quietly, and dots of brilliant fireflies twinkled in the forest. There was a small stream ahead, the gurgling sound of water carrying from afar. A faint singing voice drifted over from a great distance, as if it had crossed mountains and rivers, delivered to their ears by the celestial wind. The Wolf King said that those were the Mermaids. They lived downstream and warmed up their voices all day long. After listening to them for twenty years, he finally realized they only knew how to sing one song.

"They're quite pretty and wear very little. If you two don't mind that they have fish tails from the waist down, you could consider them," the Wolf King said.

Qi Yin gave a dry laugh. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Wolf King, but it's better if we focus on cultivating the Dao."

A few nameless minor demons crawled out from a pile of fallen leaves. Seeing the Wolf King, they shuddered in fear and crawled right back in to play dead. Above the stream, fireflies slowly gathered, forming the silhouette of a young maiden that drifted over the water. Qi Yin asked what that was, and Fu Lan said, "A Firefly Demon. It eats people."

The singing continued, as ethereal as a wisp of smoke. They walked a stretch of the road and stopped by the stream. The Wolf King lay on the bank, gazing at the moon in the water, and said, "Little pup, don't blame your old man for being cruel. Men, well, it's inevitable they make such mistakes. I also have quite a few illegitimate cubs; who knows which edge of the world they're bouncing around in right now. The mortals I've eaten number in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, but I respect your dad as a true man. Learn well and don't disgrace your dad. Your dad was thin-skinned; he'd blush just seeing a woman take a bath."

Qi Yin didn't say anything more. It was as if he had taken the Wolf King's words to heart, and yet as if he hadn't. When he wasn't smiling, his expression was faint, as if he were separated by a vast distance from everyone else.

The two people and one wolf watched the mirrored flowers and watery moon together. Ripples slightly wavered, the fireflies glowed eerily, and everything was as tranquil as a dream.

When the moon reached the middle of the sky, Fu Lan carried Qi Yin back up to Repentance Cliff. The song of the Mermaids could no longer be heard. It was dead silent all around. With the faint moonlight, the world seemed to be shrouded in a thin layer of water. Qi Yin didn't want to go back to sleep. He sat by the edge of the cliff, letting the wind blow over him. Fu Lan kept him company. The two of them sat under the night sky, looking like two tiny, skinny black silhouettes.

"You're sad," Fu Lan said.

Qi Yin twitched the corner of his mouth and made a dry joke. "You even noticed that. You're so amazing, Brother Blockhead."

Fu Lan patted his own shoulder. "If you're sad, you can lean on my shoulder."

Qi Yin felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled and said, "Thanks. Actually, I'm not that sad. Just a little stifled. So what if I don't have a dad? You don't either, and neither do our senior martial brothers and sisters. I've been used to it for a long time. I just can't stand it when people are always prattling on about him in my ears, acting as if I do have a dad. He's a great hero, I know, slaying demons and wiping out yaos, acting with utmost loyalty. I also know his heart was set on the Great Dao, so it's excusable that he didn't come back to find my mom."

Fu Lan looked at him quietly.

"But so what? He's someone else's hero, not mine. After all..." Qi Yin lowered his head, his broken bangs covering his eyes, drooping like a wilted green foxtail grass by the side of the road. "After all, I don't even know what his name is..."

"Qi Shenwei," Fu Lan suddenly said.

Qi Yin blanked for a moment and looked up at him.

"Ah Fu told me. It's not a Daoist title, it's his real name," Fu Lan said. "Do you really want a father?"

Qi Yin scratched his head and said, "It'd be a lie to say I don't. When I was a kid, my cousin dragged me to fight with our classmates, and we were beaten until our heads were bleeding. I lay on the ground and secretly thought, it would be so great if my dad descended from the sky and beat those guys to a pulp. But in the end, it was always my uncle who came to the rescue. But he would only hold my cousin's hand and lead him away, while I could only follow behind, rubbing my scraped knees."

"Today, I helped you win," Fu Lan said.

"..." 'That's because you brought out the name of the pig demon with the same name as you to scare that Wolf King into backing down.' Qi Yin was somewhat speechless. He hadn't expected Fu Lan to be so thick-skinned.

The two were quiet for a moment before Qi Yin asked again, "Brother Blockhead, what did the Wolf King mean just now when he said your aura doesn't feel like a demon's or a yao's?"

Fu Lan looked toward the distant mountains and said, "The cat said that since I follow it, I am a cat demon. Later, Ah Fu said I am her child, so I am human." He lowered his eyes and said softly, "Xiao Yin, I don't know what I am either."

If he isn't a demon and isn't a yao, doesn't that make him human? Qi Yin scratched his head, grabbed his face to take a closer look, and said, "You've got a nose and eyes, and even our manly 'great sword'. You are a human, Brother Blockhead. Don't listen to that cat's nonsense. Look at how you learned to talk from him, what a mess you've become."

Fu Lan didn't say a word.

"Brother Blockhead," Qi Yin said while gazing at the bright moon in the sky. "Why don't you tell me about my mom? I was too young when I was with her, so I barely have any impression of her. My mom... just what kind of person was she? To be fancied by my ungrateful and heartless dad, she must have been pretty amazing, right?"

"Mhm," Fu Lan recalled that radiant woman and said, "She was very beautiful. Even more beautiful than the statue of Nuwa."

His voice was very soft, like a gust of wind, flying into the boundless night.