Huo Xiao Di leaned forward, his head craning like Bao Zheng of Kaifeng [a renowned judge in Chinese folklore], as though interrogating a suspect. His expression was both gleeful and cautiously hopeful as he asked, “So, how did you come to know Ming Zhuer?”
—“Could it be that the two of them played tricks on you as well?”
—“But how could they ever manage to fool you?”
Zhan Ri Fei chuckled. “No, they didn’t play tricks on me, but they’ve caused plenty of trouble. The children of Dongjing have even turned their exploits into nursery rhymes. That incident of tricking someone into delivering coffins isn’t even their most famous deed.”
A trace of pride flickered across Huo Xiao Di’s face, as though hearing praise for these antics was enough to satisfy him. Quietly, he murmured, “Even their servants are this capable.” He glanced at the sleeping boy and muttered to himself, “If I send you to Nan Qing Palace, won’t he bully you to death?”
It was unclear whether the “he” referred to Little Zhao or the “Fright to the Gods” Zhao Zhi’er.
Zhan Ri Fei’s lips seemed to curl into a faint smile, though he appeared not to notice Huo Xiao Di’s inner thoughts. Changing the subject, he asked, “Brother Huo, have you considered—what is this boy’s true origin?”
* * *
Outside the ruined temple, a night bird called “coo-coo” a few times before the forest fell silent again.
At the sound of the bird, a flicker of alertness crossed Zhan Ri Fei’s face, but he quickly relaxed.
The snapping and crackling of the bonfire cast flickering shadows on Huo Xiao Di’s pensive face.
The frail boy was still deep in slumber, but Huo Xiao Di’s thoughts had already shifted to Zhan Ri Fei’s question.
For the first time, he sat silently for a long while before speaking.
Zhan Ri Fei suddenly noticed that when Huo Xiao Di was silent and frowned like this, he bore a striking resemblance to Huo Feng, the young master of Ling Long Manor.
But while Huo Xiao Di often frowned, getting him to frown and stay quiet seemed harder than climbing to the heavens.
At last, Huo Xiao Di admitted frankly, “What I originally wanted to know was indeed the secret this boy knows.”
He couldn’t help shooting a glare at Zhan Ri Fei, as if to say, So, you guessed it. Under Zhan Ri Fei’s deep, all-knowing gaze, his tone unconsciously became defensive.
—“First it was Xing Yun Manor and the Tang Sect, and now even Han Shui Palace seems deeply interested in the secret this boy knows. Am I not allowed to be curious too?”
—“Ge Yunfei is dead, and the people from Xing Yun Manor who came with him have all been slaughtered by the Tang Sect. Now, the whereabouts of whatever Xing Yun Manor and the Tang Sect were fighting over might really only be known by this boy.”
He let out a soft sigh and said, “Thinking about it now, it feels as though everything has turned into a tangled mess.”
Zhan Ri Fei pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, “This entire situation has been peculiar from the beginning. The more I think about it, the more it seems there are two threads involved—two threads that can’t seem to be connected.”
Huo Xiao Di asked, “Which two threads are you talking about?”
Zhan Ri Fei replied, “The first thread is the one involving Xing Yun Manor and the Tang Sect. This boy, being disabled and unable to wield martial arts—how did he end up entangled with the people of Xing Yun Manor in the first place? What puzzles me is that Xing Yun Manor is known for using those with utility and discarding those without. Why would they take along a boy who can’t fight? According to what you’ve said, Brother Huo, the boy supposedly knows the secret of their treasure. But how could someone like him come to know the whereabouts of such a prized possession?”
Hearing this, Huo Xiao Di couldn’t let it rest either. Tilting his head, he said, “When I first met this boy, I thought about sending him to Xing Yun Manor. But the moment he heard the name, he was terrified. If this boy is a sworn enemy of Xing Yun Manor, or perhaps the child of an enemy, that might explain things. —The people of Xing Yun Manor could have either taken him back to the manor or used him as a hostage. Spending time with them on their travels, he might have inadvertently discovered their secret!”
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