Joy of Life

The sunshine in the valley seemed to have turned into a solid substance, enshrouding everything. The clouds parted in waves as if being disturbed by an oar. Most of the fog had dispersed, and only a small amount of mist remained between the cliff walls like smoke, floating through the sparsely-grown saplings.

The area just above the small cave jutted out a bit. The opposing cliff wall was far away, as was the bottom of the valley. Even with his excellent hearing, it took Fan Xian a long time to faintly make out the sounds from the bottom. Shangjing’s Brocade Guards were probably searching the bottom for the bodies of Fan Xian and Xiao En.

It should be dark and damp down there. Fan Xian believed the search party would eventually realize he and Xiao En did not fall to the bottom and would continue their search outwards. However, He dared not underestimate Shen Zhong; he didn’t know when someone would cast their eyes onto this mirror-smooth cliff wall. As for Lang Tao, Fan Xian knew from their initial clash that this senior disciple of Haitang was indeed one of the strongest men in this world; with his unwavering spirit, Lang Tao wasn’t someone Fan Xian could fool easily.

There was a slight mountain breeze, and Xiao En’s deathly-pale face quivered. The old man had fallen unconscious; he could die at any moment. The sun outside didn’t seem to deliver any warmth to this dying old man’s body.

Fan Xian scratched his head. The old man’s face was starting to look like the skin of a tangerine covered in white paint. He thought for a moment and carefully took out that small blue pill.

The pill gave off the faint scent of ephedra leaves. It had already been split in half before. Fan Xian crushed the remaining half and put it into Xiao En’s mouth. He then took out the water tube from his sleeve and gave Xiao En some water from the water bag hidden under his clothes.

A while later, the dying Xiao En regained consciousness. The scarlet tinge in the old man’s eyes, which had mostly faded away, reappeared. This old man, right before his own death, seemed to have regained some of his former power.

“What did you give me?”

“A blue pill.” Fan Xian smiled. “To stimulate your spirits. But it’s not going to bring back your former vigor.”

Of course, old Xiao En did not understand Fan Xian’s joke.

“You took it before making your move, didn’t you?” There was now strength in Xiao En’s breathing, and he was no longer dispirited. If terminal lucidity wasn’t at work here, then it meant the blue pill was activating the remaining lifeforce in the old man’s body.

Fan Xian didn’t reply immediately. He checked Xiao En’s pulse, and discovered that it was vigorous yet somewhat disorderly. Fan Xian knew the pill was working. However, such a primitive stimulant could only give Xiao En a momentary boost; the old man’s life had already passed the point of no return.

Fan Xian took a deep breath and calmly said to Xiao En, “Against Lang Tao and Friar He, we couldn’t win even if we worked together, since I broke your legs. That’s why I had to take some drugs. I am curious, however, as to why only the two of them were sent to deal with us instead of a large group.

Xiao En coughed violently; the pill was releasing its intense effects. Waving his hand with great difficulty, Xiao En said, “They didn’t want to make too big of a scene. If they couldn’t hide it from that little emperor, there would be trouble waiting for them.”

Fan Xian gave him a look. The emperor’s reason to spare Xiao En was the same as Fan Xian’s. However, he did not continue the topic.

“You saved me because of that secret I hold.” Xiao En watched the chirping birds flying through the valley; a hint of jealousy suddenly flashed across his eyes. “But in the end, why does that secret matter? The emperor wants the temple’s aid to rule the world. Why do you want to go to the temple?”

“I have my own reason, of course.”

“Would you let me hear it?”

Two secret agent leaders, one young and one old, each with his own history, were now chatting calmly like a couple of villagers.

“Sure, I’ll tell you a part of it.” Fan Xian squinted, feeling his body becoming a bit weak. The effects of the ephedra pill were going away, making his spirit fatigued. “I don’t know if you’d believe this, but I, living in this world, am like a traveler most of the time. I want to walk to every interesting corner of this world, and the temple... is no doubt the place that interests me the most.”

“Traveler?” With his blood-shot eyes, Xiao En stared at Fan Xian’s face, which appeared most ordinary after disguise.

Fan Xian laughed, “Is that strange? The world is just a temporary lodging place for all living things, and we are just visitors here while our time allows. Since you and I are living in this giant inn known as the world, naturally we would like to see what is inside each of its rooms.”

“There might be a venomous snake in the backmost room on the second floor.” With great difficulty, Xiao En shifted back, feeling the dry heat in his body. He knew he was near death, so he wanted to take a more comfortable position.

“Or, there might be a beauty bathing in a tub.” Fan Xian grinned.

Xiao En looked at this young man and shook his head. “Curiosity killed the old cat. To think you saved me over such an unbelievable reason, only to seal your own fate. Do you regret doing so now?”

Fan Xian looked back at the cliffs. He sighed without saying a word.

“What a fool.” Xiao En was smiling. “Paying for a worthless secret with your own life.”

Fan Xian smiled bitterly. “You’re right. Before death, all secrets become unimportant.”

Xiao En suddenly looked at Fan Xian strangely. “Could I beg of you one request?”

Fan Xian was shocked. While this old man was long past his prime, his status and background were no less valid. In the entire journey up north, there had never been one “beg”. Fan Xian asked, “What do you want?”

Xiao En’s voice sounded strange, “I am not afraid of death... But after I die, with you trapped in this cave alone, you will probably start to take interest in my body when starvation leaves you no choice.”

Fan Xian was dazed for an instant, then he realized what the old man feared. He said with disgust, “Just look at your old arms and legs; I don’t want to break my teeth trying to take a bite out of you.”

Xiao En smiled bitterly. “When you’re starved to your limits, what wouldn’t you do?”

Fan Xian frowned. “You’re not afraid of death, but you’re afraid of me eating your body?”

Xiao En watched Fan Xian steadily. “In this world, there are many who aren’t afraid of death, but they are afraid of cockroaches.” He paused before continuing, “I don’t fear death, but I fear being eaten by you after I’m dead. It gives me a very bad feeling.”

Xiao En began to speak more fluently as the blue pill gave a temporary boost to his focus. His wounds had also stopped bleeding. But the redness remained in his eyes, which was not a good sign at all.

Fan Xian gave Xiao En a look and shook his head. “Don’t worry. If you die, I’d immediately toss you down to the bottom,” Suddenly, Fan Xian’s pupils contracted as something occurred to him. He quietly asked Xiao En, “Old man, you’ve eaten human flesh before, haven’t you?”

The cave suddenly became silent. A long pause later, the old man spoke, devoid of emotions, “When I went to the temple, I was trapped on the mountain by snowstorms. Running out of food, I had no other choice.”

Fan Xian could feel his heart skip a bit. Although he had done gravedigging since he was young, the thought of cannibalism still made his stomach churn. He purposely removed his gaze from Xiao En’s dried-up lips.

Xiao En cackled, “Human flesh tastes terrible... But back then, Ku He enjoyed it much more than I did.”

Fan Xian’s heart skipped another beat. One of the Great Grandmasters, revered by so many people, once also engaged in cannibalism?

He immediately figured out the connections. Xiao En knew where the temple was. Ku He was an inheritor of the temple’s techniques. The two of them must have gone to the temple at the same time. For two such powerful figures to resort to cannibalism, Fan Xian could only guess how perilous the journey must have been. But he still couldn’t understand why Ku He was so determined to kill Xiao En. Was it merely to hide the fact that he had eaten human flesh?

“When did you and Ku He go to the temple?”

Of course, Xiao En chose this moment to shut his mouth. Fan Xian felt like a famished diner at a restaurant watching a waiter come by with a sumptuous platter, only to see the waiter swerve in the other direction and take the platter away. Fan Xian felt a ball of anger in his chest and let loose. “Seeing as how both of us are going to die soon, can’t you let me die with some satisfaction?”

Xiao En rolled his eyes and jeered, “You fool.”

Fan Xian sighed, “This secret isn’t going to save your life anymore, so why keep it hidden?”

“The temple is to the north.”

Very suddenly, very unexpectedly, Xiao En spoke.

“How far north?”

“In the northernmost tundra. After going through North Keep Pass, you still have to travel more than three months.”

Outside the cave, the sky was getting dark. Fan Xian’s expression was unchanged, but he felt slightly nervous. Finding out the general location of the temple meant he was already half-successful. The mountain breeze started to pick up intensely, and it was getting slightly chilly. Fan Xian looked at Xiao En, who had closed his eyes and was waiting for death, and casually spoke as if chatting to a friend, “Dying old man, what is the scenery like around the temple?”

Xiao En did not open his eyes. He sighed lightly. “What scenery? It’s just a big temple. And you? Which rock did you jump out from?”

Fan Xian yawned. “I’m from Danzhou. Danzhou isn’t much to look at either. But there were two trees in my backyard growing up. One was a date tree; the other was also a date tree.”