Shisan, Run for Your Life

Space rippled, and a streak of sword light blazed like a rainbow.

It circled once, then landed outside the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion.

An old man with a red beard stood there.

Even his eyebrows and hair were red.

He had the bearing of an immortal, with kind brows and gentle eyes.

He looked quite benevolent, utterly unlike Bai Wuqi, who looked vicious at first glance.

After kneeling on a cushion since early morning and waiting a full hour to welcome him, Lin Shisan finally received Lei Shi.

"Welcome, honored Immortal Lord."

Copying Feng Qingye's movements, Lin Shisan hurriedly kowtowed in respectful greeting.

Lei Shi's eyes were unfocused. He glanced indifferently at Lin Shisan, as though looking at a tiny ant on the ground.

"Who are you?"

"This junior is Lin Shisan. I only arrived at the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion a few days ago."

Lin Shisan's heart hammered.

This is my first time welcoming someone this important. Please don't let anything go wrong.

In a fluster, he picked up the Seven-Day Immortal beside him and respectfully offered it with both hands.

"Honored Immortal Lord, Steward Feng specifically instructed me to prepare this Seven-Day Immortal for you. It's been aged for a hundred years. Please accept it."

Seeing the Seven-Day Immortal, Lei Shi's gaze softened a little.

He opened his right hand. The Seven-Day Immortal floated up, then vanished into his Storage Ring in a flash of light.

Only then did Lin Shisan breathe a sigh of relief.

Once he accepts the gift, things will be easier to discuss. If he refuses, what comes next will be hard to handle.

"You think one jar of wine will send me on my way?"

"Where's that Feng brat? Why hasn't he come?"

"Putting on airs in front of me, is he? I'll go kick that little bastard to death."

Lin Shisan pursed his lips.

Lei Shi kept calling him "that Feng brat" and "that little bastard." Perhaps they really were close this time.

His thoughts raced. After considering it, he decided to tell the truth.

If Lei Shi was willing to help, there might be hope for Feng Qingye's dantian.

After all, Feng Qingye had suffered that injury in his place. He couldn't just stand by.

"To tell you the truth, honored Immortal Lord, Steward Feng was injured. He still can't get out of bed."

"Perhaps we failed to serve Immortal Lord Bai properly last time, so he didn't draw the Cultivation Manuals and Combat Skills he wanted and was in a poor mood."

"He struck a little harder than intended."

Lin Shisan tried to phrase everything as tactfully and politely as possible.

He couldn't lose his own life by angering this important man while trying to give Feng Qingye a chance.

A fierce gust swept over him, chilling Lin Shisan to the bone.

"What do you mean, failed to serve him properly? He just didn't draw anything good, did he?"

"At his age, he's still so hotheaded and brainless. Opening blind boxes is a matter of luck to begin with. What does it have to do with you?"

Lei Shi's deeply lined old face twitched several times.

He really is a benevolent Immortal Lord.

He abandoned the blind boxes altogether and stormed straight to Feng Qingye's quarters.

"Feng brat..."

"Uncle-Master Lei..."

Feng Qingye gave a helpless, bitter smile. "Uncle-Master Lei, as you can see, it isn't that this disciple refused to kneel in welcome. I simply couldn't go."

Lei Shi's gaze blazed like a torch.

Both Feng Qingye and Lin Shisan couldn't help shuddering under it.

Weren't they supposed to know each other? Why is he so furious now?

Why does he seem even angrier than Bai Wuqi?

"Wuqi has gone too far! The dantian is a cultivator's foundation. Destroying it like this is even more infuriating than killing someone."

"Please calm down, Uncle-Master. Please calm down."

Feng Qingye hurriedly said, "Uncle-Master, what happened to this disciple is a small matter. You mustn't ruin your relationship over something so trivial."

"If this is a small matter, then what counts as a major one?"

Lei Shi was beside himself with rage.

Even his red beard trembled with fury.

"Doesn't this encourage rotten conduct in the sect? This time, I'll make sure he learns his lesson. He can reflect on his actions in confinement on the Back Mountain."

"Uncle-Master... Uncle-Master..."

Watching Lei Shi sweep his sleeve and leave, Feng Qingye's expression grew increasingly grim.

The little color that a few days of eating pig's trotters had restored to his face vanished completely.

He looked like a condemned prisoner being led to the execution ground, with nothing left to live for.

"...Brother Ye... Brother Ye..."

Lin Shisan stood bewildered for quite a while before hurrying over to rouse Feng Qingye, who lay nearly as stiff as a corpse.

"Brother Ye, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick again? What do you want to eat, pig's trotters or braised beef? I'll buy some later."

"Ah... I suppose I should eat something."

His old face crumpled, Feng Qingye said in a voice that all but shook, "Don't forget to buy two jars of liquor. No, get something better-Seven-Day Immortal. This time, I'll pay and you do the legwork. We brothers can eat and drink together. This might be our last meal."

"No... Brother Ye, you... what do you mean?"

Lin Shisan was utterly confused.

What does he mean, our last meal?

Lei Shi is going to teach Bai Wuqi a lesson. That's a good thing. Why is he acting as though we're parting forever?

"Ah, Shisan, do you think it's a good thing that Uncle-Master Lei is standing up for us?"

"Isn't it? After this, Bai Wuqi definitely won't dare take his anger out on us again. Isn't that good?"

"You're still too young."

Feng Qingye took Lin Shisan's hand.

He said meaningfully, "If Uncle-Master Lei doesn't punish Bai Wuqi, the two of us can still live in peace."

"But if he really gets confined to reflect on his actions, our days are numbered."

"Because of his status and the sect rules, Bai Wuqi won't do anything to us openly. But if he really wants us dead, does he need to do it himself?"

"All he has to do is blink. Even if we brothers had ten lives each, they wouldn't be enough for him to take."

"Some random man in black could come along. Or we could fall into a ditch while out walking. Or choke to death drinking water..."

"Anyway, if he wants us dead, he has at least ten thousand ways to make our deaths look perfectly reasonable while keeping his own hands spotless."

As Lin Shisan listened, his heart twisted into a knot again.

Even his dark face gleamed. So this is another dead end?

When Feng Qingye reached the most heartfelt part, tears began streaming down his face again.

"B-Brother Ye, why don't... why don't we go find Uncle-Master Lei again and beg him to show mercy?"

"Find him again? Every extra visit will only hasten our deaths."

Lin Shisan lowered his head.

It really did seem to be the case.

Chen Yang had done things that way before. Every time, he had an alibi, and he had only gone from strength to strength.

"Here's what we'll do, Shisan. Tomorrow morning-no, don't wait until tomorrow. Leave today, right now. Before curfew starts, hurry and run for your life."

"Run for my life?"

Lin Shisan's opinion of Feng Qingye rose to a whole new level.

He really was a good man.

He seemed like a greedy little old man who was always squeezing him dry, yet at this critical moment, he was so loyal and kind.

"What will you do if I leave? You can't even get out of bed. Why don't... why don't we escape together?"

Lin Shisan was so moved that tears nearly burst from his eyes. "I'll carry you down the mountain. We'll find somewhere deserted and live a good life."

"What are you saying, you dark-skinned brat?"

Feng Qingye shook his head. "I grew up in the Tai Chi Hall. To me, this is my home. Where could I go if I left home? Besides, I'm a registered Outer Sect Disciple of Deer Gate Peak. They won't kill me. At most, they'll give me another vicious beating."

"But..."

Lin Shisan was still unwilling.

Abandoning Feng Qingye like this would make him worse than a beast.

"No buts."

For the first time, a kindly smile appeared on Feng Qingye's face.

"I'm an old man. Now my cultivation has fallen, and my dantian can't be healed. At the very most, I can live another twenty or thirty years."

"You're different. You're still young, with a long road ahead of you. Find somewhere to settle down, marry a wife, and live well. Just think of me now and then."

"I haven't saved much over all these years. Just these few Spirit Stones and a Low-Tier Cultivation Manual. Keep them as a memento."

Feng Qingye extended his right hand.

There was a small bag of Lower-Grade Spirit Stones and a darkened cultivation manual scroll.

There were also several limp, almost dried-out medicinal herbs, two small bottles of Body Tempering Liquid, and four dull-colored Body Tempering Pills.

"No. These are your life's savings. I can't take them, and I can't leave."

Lin Shisan pushed the things back and said firmly, "I'm the one who caused this trouble. I should be the one to bear it."

"Meow, meow..."

A Demon Beast three or four meters long stirred up a vicious gust and lunged straight at Lin Shisan.

"So soon?"

Feng Qingye's face turned ashen. He rolled over and fell beneath the bed.

Somehow, by an uncanny coincidence, he also gave Lin Shisan a shove on the way.