Liu Xiaolou never did make it to the Zhuoshui battlefield. When he was still more than twenty li away, cut off by Donglin Mountain, which was under Zhanglong Sect’s control, he was spotted by a patrolling steward and stopped.
As the son-in-law who married into the Su family of the Danxia Sect, and someone originally from Wulong Mountain, he was fairly well known among the Zhanglong Sect. Once he gave his name, the steward refused him entry. “Liu Xiaolou, right? I’ve heard of you. For a number of reasons, your current status isn’t really suitable for going to Zhuoshui. It’s not that we don’t trust you. After all, you are from Wulong Mountain, and just recently you even helped our sect uncover the Badong bandits’ plot, which was a real contribution. But your cultivation is still too low. If something dangerous were to happen, and you got hurt, Danxia Sect could easily take it the wrong way.”
The man spoke politely and explained things clearly, so Liu Xiaolou had nothing to argue. He simply said, “Thank you, Steward. I just wanted to see a few friends. They entrusted me with some family matters, and I owe them a reply.”
The steward was straightforward. “Who do you want to see? I’ll bring them out to you.”
So Liu Xiaolou gave the names. “Zuo Gaofeng, Tan Bajhang, Dragon Mountain Wanderer, Dai Shenggao. Mmm… do you know if Wei Hongqing is around? I heard he sent over a batch of spirit wine not long ago.”
“Wei Hongqing has already returned to Tianmu Mountain. I’ll go find the others. You wait here, and don’t head any further toward Zhuoshui.”
About an hour later, Tan Bajhang showed up in front of Liu Xiaolou, laughing loudly. “Xiaolou! Xiaolou, you’re here!”
“What about Brother Zuo and the others?” Liu Xiaolou asked.
“Brother Zuo and Dragon Mountain Wanderer went to the west bank of Zhuoshui last night and haven’t come back yet. The sect sent word, so I hurried over to see you.”
As he was speaking, he couldn’t help waving his arms in excitement. “Man, these past two months, the fighting has been fierce, day and night; it’s been a thrill! I personally struck down a Badong bandit. I shouted at him, ‘In the dark, I’ll still beat you down!’ He froze up at my roar, and right then his head burst open. Hah! He was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, a bit weaker than me. Next time I’ll take down someone at the sixth layer, or else I won’t live up to the name of Tan Bajhang, the hero!”
Seeing how happy he was, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t help but be glad for him as well. That was the way of cultivation. Life and death often brought the deepest insights. After this battle, Tan Bajhang’s skills would likely improve again.
Of course, that was assuming he managed to stay alive.
“How are our brothers from Wulong Mountain holding up?”
Tan Bajhang sighed. “Buxiaosheng and Li Pingfang are dead.”
Liu Xiaolou thought for a moment, then said with no real recollection, “Who?”
Tan Bajhang said, “Buxiaosheng from Right Mountain, and Li Pingfang from Shuangmu Ditch. You don’t remember them, Xiaolou? I didn’t know them either at first. They were friends of Old Hu Du. When they crossed the river with him to scout, they walked right into a Badong bandit ambush. The two of them died in the river to save Old Hu Du. He was the only one who made it back alive, and he cried for three days straight.”
Liu Xiaolou stood there stunned for a moment, then asked, “None of you were hurt?”
Tan Bajhang laughed. “It’s been two months. We had a big fight with the Badong bandits, and quite a few smaller clashes too. Yeah, we’ve been injured plenty of times. Getting hurt is nothing unusual!”
Liu Xiaolou took out three bottles. “In the wooden one are three Heart-Nourishing Pills, for protecting the meridians. In the white porcelain one are two Tiger-Bone Pills, for treating external wounds. And in the patterned porcelain one are two Qinghua Divine Essence Pills, for restoring spirit. Take them all and keep them for the brothers, in case of emergencies.”
Tan Bajhang was overjoyed. “That’s exactly what we were short on! Lately, whenever someone gets hurt, we just grit our teeth and endure it. Zhanglong Sect hardly gives us rogue cultivators any spirit pills. They claim they don’t have enough even for themselves. Liars! Xiaolou, did you get these from the Su family?”
“The Su family won’t let me on the battlefield. Otherwise, I’d really want to fight side by side with you all. I scraped these together with spirit stones I spent myself.”
Tan Bajhang gave Liu Xiaolou a playful punch. “Wait until you reach the sixth layer of Qi Refinement before talking about fighting shoulder to shoulder. This isn’t like the old days, where your tricks worked. Now it’s head-on combat. That’s where I, Tan Bajhang, get to show what I’m made of! I beat! Hah! Beat them in the dark!”
Liu Xiaolou pushed the three bottles into his hands. “Take them. It’s just the little I can do.”
Tan Bajhang asked, “How many spirit stones did you spend? Let me pay you back. That Badong bandit I killed had plenty of wealth on him, I got a fair bit out of it, heh heh!”
“Forget it, what would you pay me for? Oh, by the way, I’ve brought Auntie Li and Li Busan along with me to Shenwu Mountain. Tell Brother Zuo and Dragon Mountain Wanderer not to worry. And also, Brother Tan, your brothers have all been transferred here to Zhuoshui.”
Tan Bajhang nodded. “I know, I’ve already seen them.”
Liu Xiaolou went on, “As for your old father, I couldn’t persuade him to leave Tan Family Village.”
Tan Bajhang let out a sigh. “He’s just too stubborn.”
The two of them talked for a long while before finally parting, reluctant to say goodbye. A sudden bitterness welled up in Liu Xiaolou’s heart. If only his cultivation weren’t so weak. If he had the level of Jingzhao, Qu Yun, Sun Zhenliu, or Lu Yuanlang—those four top geniuses of the Jingxiang generation—wouldn’t he be able to cut through the enemy ranks? Even if not, at least he could protect Tan Bajhang and the other Wulong Mountain brothers.
When he returned to Shenwu Mountain, he checked in on Li Busan and Auntie Li, the mother and daughter, at the General's Temple. But he couldn’t bear to waste even a moment. He hurried back to Yiling Hall to cultivate.
“Susu! Susu!” As soon as he stepped inside, he began calling out for Susu everywhere.
Susu was teasing Big White when he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the bedroom. The goose in the pool squawked in protest, flapping its wings.
With the door shut behind him, Liu Xiaolou asked with complete seriousness, “Susu, will you dual cultivate with me?”
Susu’s face turned red. “Young master… are you sure you can?”
Liu Xiaolou straightened, his voice full of pride. “Don’t worry. I’ve been misunderstood by many, but this time I’ll prove myself to you.”
Curious, Susu asked, “Did something happen when you went back to visit your family? Did you take some rare pill, or have a fortuitous encounter?”
Liu Xiaolou’s heart skipped, a woman flashing in his mind. He didn’t dare answer directly, so he changed the subject. “The dual cultivation method I told you about last year, we never had the chance to test it together. But today…”
Susu toppled onto the bed, laughing softly, her eyes glistening.
Liu Xiaolou looked at her intently. “Is today alright?”
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. “Young master… Susu has long been ready. Today, I’ll entrust myself to you. I only hope I can help cure your illness…”
Liu Xiaolou gently helped her undo her clothes while saying, “Remember the mantras: Tu Guan Yang, Di Zhou Fang, Shang Zao Gang, Di Jing Xiang, Xun Zhen Kuang, Fu Zhou Huan, Xia Que Pen, Guo Feng Jin, Ru Xuan Men, Yu Jiao Jin… No, the Zhou Fang part is like this... bend the elbow and follow a square pattern…”
Susu parted her lips, her eyes fixed only on Liu Xiaolou, lost in a moment of confusion.
After a moment, she let out a soft gasp: “Young master… what are you… looking at?”
“Nothing. Just checking if Xiaohuan has returned from the back mountain…”
“Young master…”
“Huh? Susu… at a time like this… you’re still laughing? What... what's so funny?"
“Xiaohuan… won't… see …”
“Well… you never know. Who can say… whether the Su family… has any formations that can detect things... on their own..."
“Susu?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you still think your young master has an illness?”
“Young master's illness.… seems to be completely gone…”
This had to be kept from Fifth Lady; if she found out, the Su family could lock them in a dark room, confiscate all their spirit stones, and even administer 404 lashes. So Liu Xiaolou drew the bed curtains, leaving them in complete privacy.
...
After a long while, Susu finished helping him adjust his clothing. Liu Xiaolou moved toward the door and peeked through the crack, when a voice called out: “Susu! Susu! Madam wants you to come!”
Liu Xiaolou patted his chest in relief, thinking how close that was. Susu appeared in front of him carrying a basin of water. She pressed her lips into a small smile and said, “Young master, I'm going to the back mountain.”
He pointed outside the door, speaking quietly. “I knew Xiaohuan was up to something.”
Susu whispered back, “Xiaohuan has always suspected that you weren’t… so she worries about me… and she’s right.”
Liu Xiaolou nodded. “Susu, being with you makes me feel… completely at ease.”
Susu smiled brightly, gracefully pushing the door open and stepping out.