The Stars Beyond

Chapter 38: Searching In The Rain

As the sun dipped below the horizon, its fading light painted the sky in shades of amber and rose. Qing Mu leaned against his car, chain-smoking cigarettes while he waited for Wang Xuan to exit the design institute where he worked. His mind was clouded with worry; it had been years since he'd seen his master, Old Chen, act so erratically. What on Earth happened to send him fleeing to the New World?

Wang Xuan was in high spirits as he left the building. A heavy weight had been lifted from his chest, and he exchanged jovial banter with his colleagues as they left for the day.

"Hey, Little Wang. Over here," Qing Mu called out.

"I've got someone waiting for me. See you guys tomorrow." Wang Xuan waved to his colleagues and quickly made his way toward Qing Mu's car.

As the evening sky deepened into twilight, a flock of birds flew off into the distance, further bringing out the beauty of autumn. Qing Mu drove Wang Xuan to a restaurant and wasted no time grilling him for information. When he heard that Old Chen had scheduled an appointment with an ascended Immortal—likely referring to someone related to the Ascension Stones—he nearly ran into the car in front of him.

"Watch the road! Be careful!" Wang Xuan hastily warned.

In the midst of the bustling streets, filled with cars stuck in the after-work gridlock, Qing Mu felt equally stifled. What on earth is going on? Has Old Chen really been spooked by a deceased female practitioner?

He knew full well that Old Chen was an exceedingly formidable person who was a rarity even among those skilled in the Old Arts. The man was both shrewd and competent, and was a person who would never lose his cool. And yet, he was apparently in a peculiar situation.

On the other hand, Wang Xuan was rather relaxed. With the female practitioner no longer haunting his dreams, his attention was free to wander. He glanced out the car window at the red maple trees lining the road. Their leaves seemed especially vibrant in the evening light, and he wondered if the female practitioner had followed Old Chen all the way to the New World.

"Do you think my master will be alright?" Qing Mu asked, once he'd gotten the gist of the situation. The notion that someone dead for three millennia could appear in dreams felt preposterous to him.

"Old Chen is a good man. I’m sure he'll be just fine," Wang Xuan reassured him.

As a person who was never short on money, Qing Mu chose a high-end restaurant. The private dining room was spacious there. It provided the perfect setting for a serious conversation. Once they had ordered, he began to quietly inquire about the details of what had transpired.

"So, you're saying Old Chen took on some sort of curse in your stead?" Qing Mu choked on his smoke, feeling rather incredulous.

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"Don't read too much into it. This has nothing to do with me. The female practitioner haunted me in dreams because everyone involved in the underground experiments at the Greater Khingan Range is complicit in some way. Old Qing, you should also be careful these days," Wang Xuan warned while enjoying his dinner.

Wang Xuan felt refreshed, his appetite was back. As he indulged in the meal, he advised Qing Mu to prepare some talismans, a subject in which Old Chen was particularly knowledgeable. After the incidents began, Old Chen had immediately covered himself with numerous talismans.

Wang Xuan also mused to himself that Old Chen was being stingy. When he had sought Old Chen's help over the weekend, the old man had only given him one talisman. Yet when trouble struck Old Chen, he plastered himself with so many talismans that he looked like a mummy.

Listening to Wang Xuan's nonsensical warnings and complaints, Qing Mu grinned wryly as he wordlessly puffed out a ring of smoke.

"With great power comes great responsibility, " Wang Xuan commented.

Qing Mu shot him a look. What sort of nonsense is that? You're acting like you're doing him a favor after benefiting from him.

"So, how do we help him?" Qing Mu furrowed his brows, genuinely concerned for Old Chen. After all, the old man was his master.

"I don't think it's a big deal. Old Chen has gone to the New World. The female practitioner will be out of her element there. I suspect she'll eventually make him come back," Wang Xuan speculated.

What kind of logic is that? Qing Mu shot Wang Xuan another incredulous look before discussing the possibility of sending him to the new star to assist and take care of Old Chen.

Wang Xuan immediately declined. "I've just gotten out of trouble. Who in their right mind would jump back in?"

He glanced at Qing Mu, adding, "Instead of worrying about Old Chen, maybe you should start worrying about yourself."

"What do you mean?" Qing Mu extinguished his cigarette.

Wang Xuan looked back at him, explaining, "What else could I mean? Old Chen chickened out and ran off to the New World. He's definitely not solving the female practitioner's problems. If she comes back, it's probably your turn."

"Shut it! Your words are like poison," Qing Mu was genuinely unnerved now. He had a nagging feeling that this was probably how Old Chen got involved in the first place.

He seriously suspected that the female practitioner might have sought out Old Chen because she could hear Wang Xuan's reckless speculations. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.

He sternly warned Wang Xuan, "Eat your meal, and leave as soon as you're done! Don't contact me for a while, and don't mutter any nonsense when you're alone. In fact, don't even mention my name for the foreseeable future!"

"Old Qing, that's really not fair. You make it sound as if my words are cursed or something," Wang Xuan argued, dissatisfied. He felt that he had nothing to do with this and was a victim himself.

"No more talking. Let's just keep our distance for now. Don't contact me," Qing Mu insisted, ready to pay the bill and leave. He had barely touched his food and couldn't wait to get out of there.

Wang Xuan interjected, "Don't rush off. When will that five million be deposited into my account? That's my compensation for risking my life at Qingcheng Mountain."

"It'll be in your account tomorrow," Qing Mu said, getting up to leave. He didn't mind parting with the money. The silver beast scroll they had obtained hadn't been deciphered yet, but experts unanimously believed its value to be astonishing. Otherwise, a Transcendent Practitioner wouldn't have kept an eye on it until his dying moment.

"Great!" Wang Xuan was thrilled. For a recent graduate, a windfall like this was nothing short of astonishing.

"You should eat something." Wang Xuan urged Qing Mu before adding, "Are you really leaving? You're not going to drop me off?"

Ignoring him, Qing Mu quickened his pace and disappeared in no time. He made up his mind to steer clear away from Wang Xuan for the time being.

The next day, Wang Xuan received a text message from his bank notifying him of a large deposit. After counting the zeros, he confirmed it was indeed 5 million yuan and was elated. But then a thought crossed his mind: are taxes being covered? He hurriedly called Qing Mu to inquire, but Qing Mu ignored him and hung up on him five times straight.

Finally, probably unable to take it anymore, Qing Mu texted Wang Xuan to let him know that he had already handled the tax payments and that the 5 million was post-tax.

"Old Qing, you're amazing!" Wang Xuan texted back immediately.

Upon reading the text, Qing Mu blocked him. He felt more and more that mingling with Wang Xuan these days would spell trouble. Reflecting on it, he should not have invited him for dinner; Old Chen served as a warning.

That evening, Wang Xuan called his parents to inform them he'd be coming home for the weekend. As a preemptive measure, he said, "I won the lottery!"

For the next two days, Wang Xuan delved into studying Taoist scriptures, practicing foundational methods, and contemplating the mysteries of the Ascension Stones. When he went home this time, he was determined to visit that mountain to see if anything had been left behind.

After work on Friday, Wang Xuan rushed to the station. His home was in a neighboring small town just over a hundred kilometers away. It was relatively close to the city when compared to many other townships.

Upon arriving home that evening, his parents were initially very happy to see him, but their excitement was much more subdued than he had expected. In his father's words, "What's the use of having so much money? As long as you have enough to spend, that's all that matters." This attitude perhaps contributed to Wang Xuan's somewhat carefree disposition.

"Keep it for yourself. Buy a house and get married soon," his father said cheerfully, never missing an opportunity to nudge him toward marriage.

Wang Xuan visited his parents every week or two, so while they were pleased to see him, their excitement was relatively tempered.

"I've just graduated. It’s too soon to get married. Let's wait a couple of years. For now, I'll let you keep the money for me," Wang Xuan said, and promptly completed the transfer.

After dinner that night, he inquired about the Great Black Mountain, located several dozen kilometers away from their small town. The mountain was always the subject of legends about some fairy or goddess.

Wang Xuan recalled that when he was a child, there used to be a Taoist temple on the mountain. However, due to years of neglect and a lack of caretakers, the temple had completely collapsed. He wondered what the current state of the area was.

Old Wang reminisced, "Ah, that place does have its legends. When I was young, the incense offerings were quite popular. But over time, the villages at the foot of the mountain were demolished, people moved away, mostly into the city, and the worship gradually declined. In the end, not even a single Taoist priest remained. Nowadays, the place is overgrown with weeds, and I heard you can't even find the foundation of the old temple."

Wang Xuan said, "I plan to go there with a couple of my childhood friends tomorrow. It's been a long time since I've been to the Great Black Mountain. Autumn is the perfect time to look for hazelnuts and wild walnuts."

That evening, he began to make plans with his friends, both of whom were thrilled to hear he was back in town. One promised to prepare a car for the journey, and the other offered to borrow some hunting dogs to chase rabbits in the mountains.

However, the weather had other plans. Though the forecast had initially promised a transition from sunny to cloudy, it ended up raining steadily and increasingly heavily. Disappointed, his friends suggested rescheduling their adventure to the following Sunday.

Wang Xuan could not despite the heavy rain. As someone who practiced the Old Arts, he was not affected by it. That was why he opted to move out on his own.

Donning his rain gear, he left his home and exited the small town, then began to sprint all the way to the Great Black Mountain. Part of the reason for this was that the legend of the immortal woman seemed to be related to rainwater. Taking advantage of this environment, he decided to enter the mountain to take a look. After reaching the fourth layer of his Golden Body technique, even a distance of several dozen miles was not a big deal for Wang Xuan.

Finally, he entered the mountain. The rocks on the mountain were dark, and if not for the grass and trees, it would indeed look like light ink from a distance, hence the name Great Black Mountain.

Following his memory, Wang Xuan headed straight for one of the peaks and quickly climbed it. However, once he reached the summit, he became puzzled. There was no sign of the Taoist temple. Even in such a state, there should be foundations and debris scattered nearby. Why is it bare? He thought. Someone must’ve dug up the foundations!

Wang Xuan searched on other peaks, climbing several of them in succession, but still failed to find any ruins of the collapsed Taoist temple.

Boom!

A clap of thunder echoed in the heavens and earth. A blinding flash of lightning cut through the curtain of rain, illuminating the dark sky and briefly lighting up the entirety of the Great Black Mountain.

Inadvertently, Wang Xuan looked up. What did I see?

On the main peak where he originally thought the collapsed Taoist temple was located, a creature had appeared. It was large, a Hou—a mythical creature resembling a monkey—carrying a person as it descended the mountain.

Moreover, as the Hou ran down, the ground began to tremble slightly, and it seemed to be heading towards him!