Chapter 144 — A Chance Encounter

Among them, Zhou Yixuan was struck dumb for a moment when he heard the news, then fell into long thought, shook his head, and thereafter sighed all day long, saying, "Where in the world are we supposed to flee to?"

The others were not so worried as he. Mingli and the Wild Wolf Daoist both wore the look of men burdened with heavy thoughts, while little Wan seemed not to take the crisis—which still sounded rather distant—to heart at all. To her, playing with Little Gray in ordinary days, and now and then looking after Mingli and talking with him, made life quite flavorful enough.

Nevertheless, at Zhou Yixuan's insistence, the party at last set out northward. By Zhou Yixuan's reckoning, the farther from the south the better—at least a body could live a little easier. But as refugees from the south grew more and more numerous along the road, the situation in the tidings seemed ever worse. The monstrous beasts and alien tribes out of the Ten Thousand Mountains of Wilderness were sweeping all before them, devouring everything in their path, and had gradually pressed into the heartland of the Central Plains.

A few days earlier, one report among the many even claimed that the monstrous beasts and alien tribes had slaughtered their way to a city only a few hundred li behind them, frightening Zhou Yixuan and little Wan into hurried marching. Though it was learned soon after that the report was a rumor, the fear and panic in men's hearts could be seen from this alone.

That night, deep in the night, the party camped in the wild, built a fire on a small hilltop, and sat around it—all save Mingli, who sat some distance away.

Little Gray came bounding out of the darkness, clutching a number of wild fruits in its arms—where it had picked them, no one knew—and with two or three leaps climbed onto Mingli's shoulder, settled itself, and fell to eating with gusto.

Zhou Yixuan glanced in that direction, pondered a while, looked at little Wan and the Wild Wolf Daoist beside him, and said, "There is something I have been meaning to tell you."

Little Wan found this odd, glanced at Zhou Yixuan, and said, "Grandpa, what is it?"

Zhou Yixuan was just about to speak when Little Gray, perched on Mingli's shoulder, suddenly seemed to sense something and began chattering loudly, "Zhi zhi!" Everyone was startled, not knowing what was the matter, and rose to their feet one after another, going to stand behind Little Gray and looking in the direction it was waving its hands and feet. There, in the dim light, on the ancient road at the foot of the hill, a group of people came walking—men and women, old and young, all of them looking utterly exhausted, yet still trudging doggedly onward.

Zhou Yixuan watched for a long while, then sighed and said, "Refugees, come from the south."

A silence fell over the group; no one spoke. After a moment Zhou Yixuan said, "This is in fact what I wanted to say. We don't know what on earth is happening down in the south, but that a host of monstrous beasts and savage tribes have suddenly appeared and kill every living soul they see—that much cannot be wrong. These past days we have all seen crowds of people fleeing north. I say we too must quicken our pace and run north."

Little Wan frowned and said, "Grandpa, going north is right enough—we've always drifted from place to place anyway. But the north is so vast, and they say those monstrous beasts and alien tribes move uncommonly fast. Do you know a good place where we can hide?"

Zhou Yixuan glared at her and said, "Have you not heard what the people have been saying all these days? Among those monsters are some with no small abilities—some with keen noses, some with sharp ears. Hide up a tree, bury yourself in a cellar, flee into the deep mountains—they will find you out and eat you all the same. With cursed monsters like that about, where am I supposed to find a place to hide?"

Little Wan's face fell, and she said, "Then what are we to do? Are we to be eaten by those demons sooner or later?"

Zhou Yixuan snorted and said, "Nonsense! I, the great Immortal Zhou, with my matchless foresight, am not about to die in the mouths of these brutes. I have long since reckoned it out: in all the world today, there is only one place that is safest of all."

Little Wan was startled; beside her the Wild Wolf Daoist, and even Mingli, stirred and turned to look at Zhou Yixuan. Zhou Yixuan could not help feeling a little smug and gave a chuckling laugh. Little Wan, both alarmed and delighted, said, "Grandpa, is there really such a place? Tell me quickly!"

Zhou Yixuan cleared his throat twice, then said with great solemnity, "Mount Canglan."

The Wild Wolf Daoist's expression changed; Mingli turned his head away. Only little Wan looked surprised, and said, "I know Mount Canglan is where the Canglan Sect is, and that there are many cultivators there. But after all it is only one sect's strength. Facing those monstrous beasts and alien tribes, it will be doing well just to protect itself—how would it have any thought for us?"

Zhou Yixuan laughed heartily and said, "That is just what you do not know. Though no word has come yet, I am certain the Burning Cloud Valley and the Brahma Sound Temple and the other sects will surely meet in alliance at Qingyun—because that old fellow Yun Yifeng is at Qingyun at this very moment. And moreover, in the battle of Qingyun ten years ago, the Canglan Sect's 'Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation'..."

At these four words, Mingli, sitting off to the side, gave a violent shudder.

Zhou Yixuan did not notice him, and went on cheerfully, "The Canglan Sect's Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation covered itself in glory. Everyone knows that formation possesses heaven-shaking, earth-moving power. So if the alliance is held at Qingyun, there will at least be one more layer of safety. I reckon that within a few days most of the Orthodox cultivators under heaven will be heading for Qingyun to stand together against this calamity such as has never been seen since ancient times. If we reach Qingyun, then we shall have reached the safest place of all. With so many lofty cultivators about, surely they will not stand by and watch us common folk die!" The more he thought it over, the more pleased he became, and he could not help laughing aloud.

A cold snort, however, cut suddenly through his laughter. Zhou Yixuan started, and looked with little Wan and the Wild Wolf Daoist; Mingli had slowly risen from the shadows, but did not turn around, and said coldly, "I fear those lofty Orthodox cultivators of yours will not only stand by and watch you die—they will give you a kick in the back as you go."

Zhou Yixuan, mocked to his face, could not keep his countenance and said angrily, "Bah! You are a crooked demon anyway—go there and you will only be driven out..."

Little Wan suddenly cried out loudly, "Grandpa!"

Zhou Yixuan glanced at little Wan, knew he had spoken too harshly, and shut his mouth in sullen vexation. Little Wan turned to look at Mingli, hesitated a little, but at last said, "You—don't listen to my grandpa. He is just like that, he lets his tongue run away with him..."

Zhou Yixuan flew into a rage and broke in, "You dare say your own grandpa lets his tongue run away with him!"

Little Wan paid him no heed, and went on to Mingli, "But things really are bad now. You had better come with us after all—it will be safer there than anywhere else, at least..."

Before little Wan could finish, Mingli said mildly, "No need. The world is vast; I have my own place to go." With that he stirred and walked forward.

Little Wan was taken aback, anxiety rising on her face, and said urgently, "Zhang—you, where are you going?"

Mingli did not answer. His figure, moving forward, went from slow to swift. Little Gray, perched on his shoulder, turned its head and, looking back at little Wan, who stood staring blankly from the hilltop, grinned and raised a hand to wave.