Rustle, rustle, rustle...
Fine rain fell outside the cave that night, and snatches of conversation sounded nearby:
"As expected of the Corpse Ancestor. I, Old Bull, am convinced. We picked the right man to follow this time..."
"Let me say something discouraging. The Corpse Ancestor is formidable, but Old Devil Xie clearly isn't some minor figure either. Besides, a just cause draws plenty of support. On the fifteenth of the seventh month, the Righteous Path will definitely bring an army to our doorstep. Even if the Corpse Ancestor can escape, we won't be able to..."
"So what are you saying?"
"How about we sneak off and surrender to the Righteous Path while the Corpse Ancestor is away? That would give us a sliver of hope..."
"He, say another word of that sect-betraying talk and I'll cut your tongue out!"
"Chunniang, I'm thinking of your future too. You're still young. Being a bedchamber maid in the Danyang Marquis Household would be better than being a wandering ghost here... ah!" The voices came in fits and starts.
In his daze, Yang Huaxian heard them with utter bewilderment. A weakness that left him unable to truss a chicken filled his entire body, as though he had returned to three hundred years ago, when he had first climbed the mountain to seek the Dao. Only after taking a long while to recover did he open his eyes and look around.
He found himself in a cave. A campfire burned nearby, with a wild pheasant roasting over it. Beside it, a rabbit with some of its fur plucked out huddled in a corner, trembling.
Four figures in different styles of dress sat beside the fire. The Ox-Head and Horse-Face brothers were helping pin down a young man, while the Rabbit Spirit in a cloak held