After Fang Chen spoke, two streams of tears ran down the statue he had slashed.
Floating Immortal Sword in hand, Fang Chen wove among the stone carvings for the time it took an incense stick to burn. At last, he found the source of the sound beneath a great tree: a white-haired old man chiseling a stone. Fang Chen could see only his back, not his face.
At the sight of the old man, Fang Chen moved the Floating Immortal Sword behind his back and walked toward him.
The old man seemed not to notice Fang Chen. He was wholly absorbed in chiseling the stone before him. As Fang Chen drew closer, he saw that the old man appeared to be carving a person.
Fang Chen stopped behind him, cupped his fists, and bowed slightly. "I am Fang Chen, junior to you. Greetings, Senior!"
But the old man kept carving, as though he had not heard a word.
Fang Chen frowned and bowed again. "I am Fang Chen, junior to you. Greetings, Senior!"
This time, Fang Chen raised his voice considerably, but the old man still gave no response.
Fang Chen frowned and tried again, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Senior? Senior, can you hear me?"
The old man still did not react.
Fang Chen studied him, his brow furrowed. Looks like this fellow is deaf!
He moved to stand in front of the old man so he could be seen. But when he came around, he found that the old man's eyes were deeply sunken and tightly shut.
Fang Chen's frown deepened. He realized the old man was blind.
Deaf and blind.
Fang Chen had intended to ask him what was going on here. He had never expected to find a deaf, blind old man.
Now he