Chapter 96: Guarding Heaven's Pass pt. 17

After a long time, the sound of fireworks ceased and ten thousand sounds were utterly still.(1) Jiang Linzhai’s white breath was visible as he turned to say, “It’s all finished, let’s go, ba. In a moment the snowfall will grow heavier.” 

Lin Changming stood there for a long time, saying nothing before following him back.

After that night, their lives seemed unchanged. Lin Changming continued to buy groceries and cook daily, practising his swordsmanship in his spare time. He hung the Fire Fish lantern by his bed, looking at it eight or nine times before sleeping each night.

Jiang Linzhai still sat in the tree, either reading storybooks or pretending to sleep. The little beggars often came to the door asking for food, and out of respect for his Shifu, Lin Changming took care of them. The snow fell for several more months, and soon, spring arrived.

One day, as usual, Lin Changming went to the street to buy buns. The bun seller had prospered and now had a shop, with a booming business. Lin Changming queued up, listening to the customers ahead chatting.

A customer said, “Last night, my dog was calling incessantly. It was so noisy and kept everyone awake. Look at me with black and blue circles under my eyes.”

The bun seller, working quickly, wiping tables as he spoke, asked, “Was there a thief? Why else would the dog bark?”

The customer replied, “Not so much a thief as it was a wedding procession.”

The bun seller said, “I've seen wedding processions at dusk, but never heard of anyone sending off a bride in the middle of the night.”

The customer said, “I haven't either. And that procession was strange—silent, carrying the sedan chair without playing any music. If it weren't for the dog's keen ears, we might not have noticed it at all.”

The people in line were intrigued and gathered to discuss.

"Whoever heard of a silent wedding procession? Maybe you encountered something supernatural!"

"We have the River God protecting this place. No evil spirit would dare cause trouble here. I think some family must have been unhappy with the marriage, so they sent the bride away at night."

They continued to chatter, but Lin Changming found it dull and was about to leave with his buns. Just then, another person said, "Speaking of strange events, that's not the only one. Last night, a child went missing in the southern part of the city!"

The bun seller said, "Another one? The children who disappeared a few days ago still haven't been found."

The person said, "That's why it's so strange. The parents of those children all said the kids were in their rooms, and in the time it took them to take a nap, the children vanished without a trace."

Everyone was astonished, and the person continued, "The incident was reported to the city's immortal master, but the children are still missing. It's really baffling."

While they were still sighing and exclaiming, Lin Changming turned pale. He remembered the information he had gathered before entering the array: the River God of this city had fallen because someone had sacrificed children to it. Now, with such incidents happening again, could it mean Jiang Linzhai's condition was worsening?

He hurried home, but Jiang Linzhai was nowhere to be seen. A few little beggars were sitting under the tree, fighting over buns. He asked, "Where is Shifu?"

One of the beggars said, "Da-Wang went out."

Jiang Linzhai would never leave the courtyard easily unless there was something urgent. Lin Changming, heart pounding, pressed on, "Why did he go out? Where did he go? Did he say anything?"

The beggars were already afraid of him, and hearing his stern tone, they scattered like birds. One of them said, "Someone came to ask the Da-Wang to get rid of some wicked spirit. They went towards the south of the city."

Lin Changming immediately set out towards the southern part of the city. He stopped people along the way to ask, but no one had seen Jiang Linzhai. His heart grew heavier, and by the time he reached the southern area, it was already dark.

This area was mostly residential, so there were no lanterns from inns or shops to light the way. The sky was covered with thick clouds, making the streets and alleys even harder to navigate. Lin Changming knocked on doors and asked, "Dare I ask where the families whose children have gone missing recently live?"

Many people shut their doors and ignored him. After much effort, he finally got an address, but it was already late at night. He rushed to the house, only to hear the couple inside say, "The Immortal Master has already left."

Lin Changming asked, "Left? Where did he go?"

The couple looked frightened. "We don't know where he went. We only know that when the immortal master left, there was a bridal sedan chair waiting at the door. There was also a matchmaker who said she came to pick up the Immortal Master. We were too scared to ask further and just watched the Immortal Master get into the sedan chair."

Lin Changming's expression changed, and he turned to leave. He knew there was only one place the sedan chair could be headed: the River God Temple.

Why did Jiang Linzhai go to the River God Temple alone? According to the original plot, he should have taken him along!

Lin Changming hurried on, moving like the wind, and finally caught up with the sedan chair in the street. It was just as the customer had described, eerily silent like a ghostly coffin. Desperate to see Jiang Linzhai, he rushed forward and stopped the sedan chair, shouting, "Shifu!"

But when he lifted the curtain, the inside was empty.

Lin Changming's heart pounded wildly. He didn't know if this was the River God's arrangement or Jiang Linzhai's plan. He continued to pursue, encountering seven or eight more sedan chairs along the way, all empty.

He ran towards the River God Temple, only to find that tonight was eerily silent; all sounds of human voices and dog barks had vanished. The city seemed to have reverted to the state it was in when he first arrived.

The only constant was the River God Temple, standing as if untouched by time.

Lin Changming entered the temple, finding the front hall empty. He called out, "Shifu, where are you?"

The silver lamps in the hall shimmered like a beaded curtain, obstructing his view. He hurried forward and pushed aside the lamps, revealing a figure in moon-white robes lying in a pool of blood. Panic surged through him as he rushed to the figure's side and lifted them up.

The figure turned, revealing a familiar face—Jian Yi. Jian Yi grasped Lin Changming's arm, laughing hoarsely. "Lin Changming, you enjoy impersonating me, but I wonder if your Shifu will go mad again when he sees me lying here!"

Lin Changming was horrified, recognizing the voice. "It's you!"

Jian Yi—or perhaps he should be called the River God. The River God said, "Yes, it's me. I've been waiting for this chance for days."

Lin Changming tried to free his arm, shouting, "Wicked god, how dare you come here after all the evil you've done? I was wondering how to get you off him!"

The River God laughed. "Why the rush? Watch carefully. Your Shifu might not want to leave me. Without me, how could he indulge in this beautiful dream? You should know, it was he who killed his own disciple!"

Lin Changming drew his sword. "You tricked him into madness. I won't let you live another day!"

The River God replied, "You speak so righteously. Do you have a plan to save him after you kill me? Besides, he did kill his disciple. Once you return to reality, he will no longer be fit to be the leader of the Four Mountains. Everyone will know that Jiang Linzhai is a heartless, useless waste!"

Lin Changming could listen no more. He roared, "Shut your mouth!"

He struck the River God, but the god floated back into the blood pool like a paper figure. The laughter echoed around him, and Lin Changming's anger flared. Countless silver lamps rushed at him, their reflections multiplying into numerous figures surrounding him.

"Lin Changming, you've taken my place. Give me back my Shifu!"

Lin Changming shouted, "I haven't! I never wanted to be Jian Yi!"

The figures said, "You're lying to yourself. If you didn't want to be Jian Yi, why did you impersonate him? You approached him and deceived him as Jian Yi. You're more disgusting than the River God!"

Lin Changming swung his sword, cutting through the phantoms. "You won't break my Heavenly Pass!"

The figures laughed again. "You used Jian Yi's name to commit vile deeds..."

Lin Changming, furious, shouted, "Shut up!"

The River God whispered in his ear, "Foolish. Do you know why I endured and didn't act in this array? Because Jiang Linzhai, despite his madness, had no openings. He wouldn't leave the array to kill you, so I had to find another opportunity. Lin Changming, you are my opportunity."

Lin Changming pointed his sword at the shadows, but pain suddenly overwhelmed him. His chest and back felt like they were being stabbed with needles, and black threads of parasitism crawled up his neck.

At that moment, the sound of rain came from the entrance. Jiang Linzhai had arrived.

The Author Has Something to Say

"Why is there less and less food?" (slaps forehead) (feigning surprise) (pushes the food cart and mutters to self while leaving)

Foot Notes

1. 万籁俱寂 (wànlàijùjì) is an idiom which is similar to “not a sound could be heard.”