A Hot Bath in the Wild Mountains-What Bliss!

The sudden shout startled several ravens in the trees. The flutter of their wings tore through the dead silence of the cold night, lending a little life to the desolate mountain hollow.

Zhang Xuan opened his eyes to the monk's rugged face in the firelight and the worried gaze Ji Anning cast his way.

"My lord, did you have a nightmare?" the monk asked gently, concern in his voice.

Zhang Xuan shook his groggy head, his voice slightly hoarse. "I dreamed of that dead master of mine."

Just then, Ji Anning approached with light steps, holding a crude wooden cup. Its surface was uncarved, the grain clearly visible, and a few splinters even remained along the rim. Clearly, the monk had whittled it on the spot.

The tea in the cup glowed a faint fluorescent green. A few slender Pine Needles drifted gently in the water, giving off a crisp pine fragrance.

She came before Zhang Xuan, lowered her head slightly, and offered the wooden cup with both hands. Her voice was respectful and soft. "My lord, this humble... Anning picked some fresh Pine Needles in the woods and brewed tea with them. Father told me this tea clears the mind."

When Zhang Xuan looked over, Ji Anning grew inexplicably uneasy. She hurried to explain, "My lord, Anning washed all these Pine Needles. They aren't dirty."

Zhang Xuan accepted the wooden cup and glanced down at the tea. The Pine Needles unfurled in the water, as though they still carried the breath of the mountains. He blew gently across the rim, and steam laden with pine fragrance brushed his face, lifting his spirits.

"Thank you," he said quietly, then took a sip.

The tea was warm and slightly bitter at first, but sweetness soon spread across his tongue. Pine fragrance lingered in his mouth, dispelling some of his grogginess.

At Zhang Xuan's thanks, Ji Anning froze, seemingly at a loss. Then his thin frame dropped to the ground before him, and his forehead, freshly bandaged by the monk with clean, fine cloth, pressed against the earth once more.

"Anning does not deserve even a word of thanks from you, my lord. Ji Anning asks only to be a loyal hound at your side. That would be enough."

Zhang Xuan let out a helpless laugh and turned to the monk. "It seems Great Zhou's officials don't have much of a reputation."

The Dagger in the monk's hand paused, wood shavings falling in a soft shower. He said nothing, merely nodding silently.

If Great Zhou's officials had acted like human beings a little more often, they would never have driven Ji Anning to shout those words earlier: "Four rounds of taxes a year forced our whole family to leave our home behind..."

Zhang Xuan sighed as he looked at the thin figure kneeling before him. After a moment of silence, he said, "I know you're afraid of me. You fear I'll break my word and no longer avenge your mother. You also fear I'll consider you useless and stop taking you along, so you won't be able to see your enemies die with your own eyes."

Prostrate on the ground, Ji Anning shuddered violently, like a startled cat.

"I'm afraid of death, and I'm afraid of trouble."

At that, Zhang Xuan gave a self-mocking smile. "When you first begged me earlier, I told you to get lost because I didn't want trouble. Run into enough trouble, and you're liable to die. As I just told you, I'm afraid of death."

Whether it was the warm tea he was drinking or the pill he had taken earlier, Zhang Xuan felt much better than before.

As he spoke, he slowly raised his head, his gaze passing beyond the barren rock face and sinking into the ink-black night sky...

"But there's one good thing about me. Once I agree to something, I'll see it through, even if I have to stake my life on it."

With that, Zhang Xuan rose to his feet. A sweep of his right hand sent his crimson cloak flaring in a sharp arc, revealing the beast-fang pendant hanging at his waist beside the Azure Phoenix Jade Pendant. "Look, I've already accepted your payment. How could I go back on my word?"

"This is a transaction. A perfectly fair transaction."

Still prostrate on the ground, Ji Anning fought back the mist gathering in his eyes. He had already cried enough today.

Ji Anning stood and bowed respectfully to Zhang Xuan with his hands clasped. "I still have to thank you, my lord. Thank you for being willing to make this transaction with me."

Zhang Xuan smiled, accepting his thanks.

More than half the tea was gone, leaving a layer of green Pine Needles clinging to the bottom of the cup. Zhang Xuan handed it back to him. "The night is cold. Brew yourself a cup too."

Ji Anning respectfully accepted the wooden cup and shook his head. "The master and I both had some while you were resting, my lord."

Suddenly, Zhang Xuan's expression stiffened. He hurriedly asked, "How long was I asleep? What time is it?"

"The hour of the pig has just begun—nine to eleven at night," came the monk's voice from nearby.

"The hour of the pig? Good. Otherwise, I'd have taken a huge loss." Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He still had one chance to ask the Celestial Master's Ordination a question today. He couldn't let it go to waste.

Seeing the monk still bent over, carving something with his Dagger, Zhang Xuan moved closer in curiosity. "What are you busy with?"

The monk held out the wooden wedge in his hand. "Making a wedge for bathing."

Zhang Xuan took the piece of wood, fiddled with it for a moment, then tossed it back to the monk with a teasing grin. "And you say you aren't an ascetic monk! Scraping yourself with wood—is that how you monks bathe? You certainly get creative!"

Utterly resigned, the monk rose and walked over to a large tree. He raised his fan-sized hand to roughly the height of his head and gripped the trunk. His five fingers tightened, and he tore out a large chunk of wood by sheer force, sending chips flying like snow.

He had gouged a palm-sized notch out of the thick trunk.

Then the monk turned and walked back to the campfire, wrapping a thick cloth around the indigo bronze kettle.

The campfire had scorched the bottom of the kettle pitch-black.

The monk fitted the kettle, which weighed a hundred jin, into the notch in the trunk, then inserted the wedge he had just carved to secure it.

The kettle was cleverly fixed at an angle, and hot water flowed steadily from its spout, scattering in a lovely cascade.

Zhang Xuan reached out to touch it and found it pleasantly warm. The temperature was just right.

His mouth formed a circle as he stared at the monk in astonishment. Could this fellow actually be a genius? He'd thought up a way to take a hot bath out here in the wild mountains...

What bliss!

The monk laughed heartily. "Spend enough time dining on wind and drinking dew, and you come up with a few tricks. My lord, please go first."

There was no denying the monk's thoughtfulness. The spot he had chosen faced away from the campfire, sparing Ji Anning any embarrassment, and it was sheltered from the wind. It was simply perfect.

Zhang Xuan tilted his head back and let the hot water pour through his hair, tracing a silver arc beneath the moonlight. Steam rose and curled around him, as though it would wash away every shadow of the past few days.

"Phew..." He let out a long breath, his taut muscles gradually relaxing as hot water streamed down his back. Zhang Xuan closed his eyes, feeling every inch of his flesh greedily soak up the warmth.

The crackling of the campfire drifted over from afar, mingling with the waves of rustling pines and bringing an inexplicable sense of peace.

After bathing for roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Xuan put his robes back on. He tied his wet hair behind his head with a red cord borrowed from the monk, then emerged from behind the tree feeling thoroughly refreshed.

"Monk," Zhang Xuan said, "with skills like yours, it's a shame you don't open a bathhouse."

The monk laughed heartily. After days spent hovering on the edge of life and death, this was the most relaxed moment the two had shared.

Zhang Xuan pointed at the large tree behind him. "Who's next?"

The monk beckoned to Ji Anning, who sat opposite them, nodding off. "You go first, young benefactor."

Ji Anning instinctively raised his head to look at Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan let out a helpless laugh. "Why are you looking at me? If he tells you to go, then go. Be careful, and don't get your wound wet."