Parting

"The Ox Demon Great Strength technique has three forms: Ox Demon Horn Thrust, Ox Demon Hoof Stamp, and Ox Demon Skin Conditioning. Each form has a hundred variations, so they're complex and ever-changing. But once you learn the method, you can work your way up from the basics, refining your muscles, tendons, and membrane, one step at a time. Once you've mastered it, you'll have the strength of an ox throughout your body. You'll be able to draw a 120-pound Ox-Sinew Bow and fire in rapid succession, withstand punches with a force of a hundred pounds, and move with agility. You'll basically be a proper warrior who could take on a dozen men."

"I brewed this liquor back when I was cultivating in the mountains. I gathered over a hundred kinds of medicinal herbs. It greatly increases stamina, kills the nine worms inside the body, cleanses the stomach and intestines, and nourishes the liver and spleen. I call it 'Jade Nectar.' Unfortunately, this is the last gourd I have." Bai Ziyue smiled, the hair at his temples fluttering in the breeze.

Bai Ziyue shook his head. "How could that be? Only someone who'd cultivated into a Yang God might have such an ability. But I've never heard of anyone in the world achieving that. Even Meng Shenji, the mysterious leader of Taishang Dao, the most enigmatic sect of the Great Gan Dynasty, hasn't been said to have become a Yang God."

Bai Ziyue thought for a moment. "I haven't heard of anyone, but twenty years ago, Zen Master Yinyue, an elder of the Great Zen Temple, seemed to have glimpsed the realm of a Human Immortal. Unfortunately, he was surrounded and killed. The Great Gan Dynasty's two Martial Saints, Yang Tuo and Hong Xuanji, are currently renowned throughout the land. They're at the same level as me, and advancing even one step further is harder than climbing to heaven."

"Has anyone who cultivates martial arts ever reached the realm of a Human Immortal?" Hong Yi asked.

"Those four lines of verse, I wrote them on the spur of the moment. They still don't do justice to your bearing, Ziyue. If I had the time, I'd rack my brains and compose a long poem for you." Hong Yi didn't seem satisfied with his own four lines.

At the mention of martial arts, Bai Ziyue seemed to become another person, brimming with confidence as he surveyed the world from on high. "I practice the Flying Spirit Bone Refining Fist of Zhengyi Dao, but it has only a hundred and thirty moves, not as many as the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist's two hundred and six. Its effects are somewhat inferior, but after three years of practice and taking Tiger Bone Paste, I still reached the same 'bones like steel' stage. Unfortunately, it took too much time and effort."

For three to five days in a row, the snow cleared after a heavy fall. Bai Ziyue drank as he watched Hong Yi slowly practice, chatting with him as he went.

Just then, three little foxes bounded out into the snow.

"You're going to Yuantu? Then I can't go with you," Hong Yi said, regret in his voice. "But we've shared this time together, and you call me big brother. How could I take your money?"

"Big Brother Xiaoyi, we're moving. Mr. Bai and Elder Tu said this place might be discovered, so we can't stay here anymore. We're moving somewhere far away," Xiao Shu said.

Hong Yi waved goodbye, then turned away and wiped the corners of his eyes.

At last, Hong Yi finished stumbling through all three forms. He was panting, his face deathly pale, barely able to catch his breath. The Ox Demon Great Strength Fist was simply too strenuous. His body was already frail and weak, so of course practicing martial arts was a struggle.

"Poetry is born of nature; a deft hand only happens upon it by chance. If inspiration strikes, of course I can." Hong Yi pressed a finger to his temple.

"By the way, Ziyue, you said you didn't have the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist. How did you train your bones?"

"The Flying Spirit Bone Refining Fist." Hong Yi thought he'd seen the name in the Martial Classic.

"Big Brother Xiaoyi, we're leaving. Remember us, okay?"

"Although I'm one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World, I'm an ordinary human now. My Bai Family has quite a bit of influence, too. Helping the Pure Fox Clan move is no problem." Bai Ziyue smiled.

"Where are you moving? There are so many books in the stone chamber, and lots of other things. How will you get them out?"

"Come, have a drink."

The three little white foxes followed behind Bai Ziyue, looking back with every step.

"The path to enlightenment is hard, harder than climbing to heaven," Hong Yi sighed.

"The Bai Family?" Hong Yi was taken aback again. "There isn't a Bai Family in Yujing City?"

Although this volume had many gaps, it was still a comprehensive martial arts manual. And since the monks of the Great Zen Temple had added many annotations, it was well worth studying.

The fifteen-year-old peerless master, one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World, was at that moment just like an elegant young scholar.

"Take it. They won't have any use for money." Bai Ziyue tossed it to him. "There's also a Martial Classic inside. You can't practice its techniques, but you can use it for reference. You've practiced the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist these past few days, so you have a foundation for training on your own. The Martial Classic has some annotations by monks, too. They're worth reading."

In his spare time, the young scholar liked to toy with the long locks hanging beside his temples.

"Big Brother Xiaoyi, Elder Tu asked us to give you this book. And Sister Consort Yuan sent you these gold ingots. We've been very happy these past few days. But now we have to leave. It's a journey of more than a thousand li. I really wish you could come with us." Sadness showed in Xiao Shu's eyes.

"You're moving! But this place really isn't safe! No wonder Ziyue said he was leaving." Hong Yi was stunned, and a deep sense of reluctance welled up inside him. They'd only been together for about ten days, but the foxes' simple, lovable nature had left a deep impression on him.

"So my father, Marquis Wuwen, has reached the realm of a Martial Saint!" he thought.

"Xiao Shu, Xiao Sang, Xiao Fei, what are you doing out here?" Hong Yi asked.

Hush, hush, hush... Bai Ziyue's liquor was extraordinary. It had been brewed using who knew how many kinds of medicinal herbs and a special method. Whenever Hong Yi finished exercising, panting and pale, a drink would leave his whole body feeling wonderful. Without this liquor to sustain him, his frail body wouldn't have been able to keep practicing.

"Ah, if I finish it, there won't be any left for you, Ziyue." Hong Yi hurriedly handed the liquor gourd to Bai Ziyue.

"Ziyue, what kind of liquor is this?" Hong Yi's color had improved a little.

"The Great Gan army practices the Small Heavenly Cycle Strength Training Fist now, I believe... Unfortunately, someone took a copy of the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist. I never managed to get my hands on it. Otherwise, I could have taught it to you, Hong Yi, so you wouldn't have to search everywhere for a way to refine your bones when you practice on your own."

Standing in the snow, Hong Yi moved his arms and legs, practicing each move under Bai Ziyue's guidance. Whenever he made a mistake, Bai Ziyue corrected him at once, meticulous in every detail.

Hong Yi caught it with both hands and took a few swigs. Warmth spread through him; a fragrant sweetness rose from his throat to his nostrils, and his whole body felt much better.

"This is the essence of a thousand years of martial arts at the Great Zen Temple. Its greatest strength lies in how it builds a foundation. There are countless martial arts in the world, but none can compare to this Ox Demon Great Strength technique. When the Great Gan Dynasty destroyed the Great Zen Temple, it failed to get its hands on this set of forms. If it had, the Great Gan army would be even stronger now."

"Really?" Bai Ziyue's eyes flashed with delight. "'With my sword I sweep across the nine wilds, my lofty crown upholding the dark heavens; I stride alone in an age of sages, hailed as a hero in all four seas.' Those four lines are already bold and stirring. Can you really write something even more magnificent?"

Bai Ziyue seemed to recall something. As he spoke, his gaze drifted like clouds and smoke.

"I live in the north, in the Bai Family of the Yuantu Dynasty." Bai Ziyue gazed into the distance.

"You're leaving?" Hong Yi was taken aback.

"Hmm? If someone's spirit has reached the Object Manipulation realm, can they really move nearly a hundred thousand books?" Hong Yi was taken aback.

"Given your constitution, Hong Yi, even three years of hard training might not have made you a warrior. But my liquor has laid a foundation for you, so now you can train on your own. Still, though we've spent these few days together, we must eventually part." Bai Ziyue looked a little melancholy.

The Martial Classic came in dozens of volumes, and Hong Yi hadn't finished reading them all over the past few days.

During those days, the bones in Xiao Shu's throat had come apart, and she had learned to speak.

"It's getting late. Once night falls, you won't be able to leave the mountains. Though we part today, we'll meet again someday. Then we'll drink together and talk poetry and martial arts." Bai Ziyue suddenly laughed loudly, sang a song of the wine god, and walked step by step into the woods.