Xie Yanke used his lightness skills to leap and bound up the precipitous cliffs. His internal energy cultivation had grown even more refined in recent years, and having spent a full several decades in this place, he moved like a swift swallow without a single pause, even across the most perilous stretches.
Gouge moved with a familiarity as though he had simply returned home, following closely behind Xie Yanke without the slightest hurry or flurry, not even drawing a heavy breath.
Climbing to the base of a sheer, upright peak, Xie Yanke grasped a thick iron chain dangling from the mountain face and hauled himself up with a strong flick of his wrists. The peak was choked with tall, wild grass without a single handhold or foothold; but for this bare iron chain, scaling it would have been no easy feat.
Nimbly making his way up the chain, Xie Yanke felt rather pleased with his rock-climbing speed. He stroked his beard and glanced back at Gouge—only to be utterly astonished by what he saw.
Gouge had no need for the chain at all. With the casual, leisurely stride of a stroll in a courtyard, he simply stepped on the jutting rocks, gave a push with both feet, and soared straight up.
Xie Yanke stood frozen in a daze for a long while, unable to help reining in his pride regarding his lightness skills, marveling that there were always people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens.
"Gouge, it is fortunate you are young. Had you been born twenty years earlier, I would have had to yield my title of the Sky-Scraping Hermit to you!"
Standing now upon the summit, Gouge looked out over a peak of majestic and rugged grandeur with an expansive terrain. Gazing far into the distance, he felt the surrounding sea of clouds and swirling mist made for a scene of breathtaking beauty. The first time Xie Yanke had hauled him up here, Gouge had been thrown into a great panic, but times were different now. Standing steadily atop the peak, taking in the picturesque vista of misty clouds and mountain ranges with a single glance, he could not help but feel a profound sense of delight.
"Old mister, returning here feels just like coming home to me."
"Gouge, you truly are a blockhead. Others who come to my Sky-Scraping Cliff are scared out of their wits the moment they cast a single glance downward. But not you—you treat this place like a home. If word of this got out, goodness knows how many people's jaws would drop."
"Ha-ha, old mister, I actually think there is nothing bad about being far away from crowds. Look at Xiake Island—isn't it also isolated overseas? Yet the Two Masters of Long and Mu Islands happen to be such formidable figures. I admire them to no end."
A flash of puzzlement crossed Xie Yanke's face. "Gouge, when you were at the Snow Mountain Sect, you went to Xiake Island in place of Master Wude Bai Zizai. I haven't had the chance to ask how you managed to get away safely. Did you secretly hijack a boat and flee, or did you never go to the island at all? And who are these Two Masters of Long and Mu Islands? Isolated overseas... hmph-hmph, after just a few days apart, you've gone and turned into an old scholar, speaking all scholarly and refined. It makes it terribly hard for this old man to get used to."
Shi Potian smiled sheepishly and said, "Old mister, I didn't know these terms originally either; Axiu taught them to me."
"Who is Axiu?"
"She's the daughter of Bai Wanjian—Qi Chilling the Northwest—Master Bai, and the granddaughter of the Snow Mountain Sect leader, the old master Bai. Heh-heh, my master said he is going to betroth Axiu to me as my wife. Oh, my master is the founder of the Gold Crow Sect, and I am her Ladyship's sole closing-door disciple, Shi Yidao."
Xie Yanke listened in total bafflement. What was this about one knife or two? He had never cared much for such trivial, motherly matters anyway, so he immediately waved a hand and said, "If you've got a wife, that's a good thing. Gouge, once there's someone to keep you in line, I can finally set my mind at ease, lest you remain clueless about the ways of the world and go about suffering grievances everywhere, letting yourself be used as a human shield without even knowing it—nearly rushing off to accept some Reward-Good-and-Punish-Evil Order. That little life of yours really was picked back out of the hands of the King of Hell."
Gouge gave a gentle smile and said, "Old mister, you are truly good to me. Ever since I came up this mountain several years ago, you have treated me just like my mother, teaching me martial arts and letting me eat and lodge here. And now you've even been helping Master Shi and Madam Shi discipline big brother Shi Zhongyu. I truly don't know how to thank you. Old mister, you are genuinely the kindest-hearted person I have ever known; you are a wonderful person."
Hearing these eccentric words of his, Xie Yanke could neither laugh nor cry. In his daily life, he struck ruthlessly and had made quite a few enemies, but relying on his formidable martial arts, he cared nothing for the so-called renowned experts down the mountain.
His greatest aversion in life was the rigid framework of feudal moral teachings, and he had never regarded so-called benevolence, righteousness, and morality. He acted entirely according to personal likes and dislikes. If anyone else had called him a good person, he would have assumed they were mocking him and likely struck them dead with a single palm strike. Yet when Gouge spoke these words, he was utterly sincere, displaying a pure, childlike innocence without a trace of pretense.
Xie Yanke wryly smiled. "Gouge, you silly lad really do talk wild nonsense. This latter half of my life has truly been dragged down by you."
As the two of them spoke, they walked into a cave and saw black smoke curling up—someone was cooking food. When Xie Yanke stepped in for a look, it turned out that Shi Zhongyu had deliberately placed the portable hearth and pot right at the cave entrance to cook, only to be choked by the smoke into a fit of continuous coughing.
On the stone table sat a pitch-black mess, and there was rice in the pot as well, except too much water had been added so that it was almost like porridge, thick and gluey.
Xie Yanke felt a severe headache coming on. He had originally thought his own cooking was bad enough, but he hadn't expected Shi Zhongyu to be even more extraordinary; the stuff he cooked was likely something even Ah Huang the dog would shake its head at.
Gouge looked at the dark, murky dishes on the stone table—which looked rather amusing, provided they were edible—and also gave a wry smile. He stepped forward and said, "Big brother Shi Zhongyu, leave it be for now. I'll make the meal."
At that moment, Shi Zhongyu's face was streaming with tears from the smoke, and his forehead was charred black with soot. He raised his head for a look and saw that this fellow was actually the chief culprit who had sent him up to this Sky-Scraping Cliff, whereupon he flew into a rage and said, "Who wants your good intentions? Pah! If it weren't for you, how would young master here have met with retribution, coming to this bird-forsaken place to suffer and endure hardships? And now you're here playing the hypocritical good guy! If you want to cook, go ahead and cook—I'm not serving you."
Shi Potian was not intimidated in the least. He washed the dried cured meat clean, chopped it up finely, and re-boiled it into a fresh pot, setting to work busily on his own.
With a stern expression, Xie Yanke hauled Shi Zhongyu up and tossed him out the door, forbidding him from causing a disturbance. Shi Zhongyu could only sneer dismissively, content to take it easy.
Before long, a rich, savory aroma drifted out. Xie Yanke scooped up a spoonful with a wooden ladle, highly pleased. Sure enough, this meat soup was immensely delicious—a hundred times more brilliant than what Shi Zhongyu had cooked—and it was precisely the taste he remembered from years gone by. A wave of joy washed over him; today he was truly in for a treat. He immediately burst into a cheerful laugh, fetched his own bowl and chopsticks, served himself some rice, and began to eat. Shi Potian was not hungry and simply watched him eat.
Once Xie Yanke had eaten his fill—leaving only a little bit of broth, some bones, and a small bowl of rice—he leisurely allowed Shi Zhongyu to come in and eat the leftovers. To his surprise, far from showing disgust, Shi Zhongyu was rather pleased; after all, over the past few months he hadn't managed to eat a single decent meal, and the food he cooked himself was barely swallowable even for him, let alone something Xie Yanke could stomach.
And so, although Gouge had merely displayed a bit of culinary skill, the two of them were practically ready to lick the bottom of the pot clean, nearly eating the bowls as well.
Gouge found it quite amusing, and over the next few days he prepared dishes for them in all sorts of variations.
One moment it was roe deer meat soup; the next, cured meat stir-fried with wild greens.
One moment it was braised pork; the next, wild greens fried rice. He even made a special trip to the market to buy salt, oil, vinegar, and seasonings that lasted a long time.
He also prepared enough cured meat to last several months, air-drying it inside the cave. Fearing that Xie Yanke might grow tired of it, he went out and bought a heap of dried meat strips and candied fruit snacks.
Only in these past few days did Xie Yanke truly re-experience the joy he had felt back when Gouge was around, and consequently, his attitude toward Shi Zhongyu relaxed as well.
Shi Zhongyu also shared in the windfall. During the few days Gouge was here, he enjoyed a good deal of ease and leisure, and his palate was well satisfied to boot.
After a few days, Gouge intended to head down the mountain to the Snow Mountain Sect to wed Axiu at the earliest possible date, and he asked Xie Yanke whether he would go along with him.
After pondering for a long time, Xie Yanke decided to go along to have a look, though he would not attend the ceremony itself; he would simply watch Gouge get married from the shadows.
Even so, Gouge was overjoyed, gripping Xie Yanke's hand and refusing to let go, which left Old Xie touched for quite a long time, moved that someone in this world still cared so much about him. Turning his gaze to the incorrigible Shi Zhongyu, he felt that if he had previously agreed to Gouge's invitation and looked after this burden only out of reluctant obligation, now there was a genuine sincerity to it.
He did not expect to forge a second Gouge, but at the very least, cooking was a skill one had to possess; learning a few dishes from Gouge should be doable. He couldn't keep having meals full of stove soot like before—let alone eating them, just looking at them made his stomach turn.
Before leaving, Gouge went to the place where he had originally practiced his cultivation and said to Xie Yanke, "Old mister, it was right here that you asked me whether I wanted to practice martial arts. I never imagined so much time would pass."
Xie Yanke's old face flushed red, thinking to himself that when he told the boy to practice martial arts, it certainly hadn't been for his own good; the harder Gouge had practiced back then, the closer he had taken a step toward the gates of hell. He hadn't harbored any kind intentions; a master's method of training a disciple was practically praying for him to report to the netherworld.
Gouge leaped upward, soaring swiftly up from the tree. By now, his lightness skills had attained the essence of the Taixuan Scripture martial arts; with a light tap of his feet, his body darted upward like a streak of wind, landing with a *shuu* atop a pine tree. Lending a tiny bit of momentum, he moved straight up and down with extreme nimbleness and lightness, effortless as though unhindered by the bonds of Earth's gravity. Just at that moment, a sparrow flew past.
He had achieved a state where his body followed his intent, and his intent followed his mind, retracting and releasing entirely at will. With a delicate movement, he caught the bird and landed lightly on the ground.
Gouge smiled and said, "Old mister, back then you asked me if I wanted to learn the art of making birds fly without wings. Now I am able to do it."
With that, he opened his palm. The bird fluttered its wings, eager to fly off, but the moment it fluffed its feathers and struggled upward, it was held back by an invisible force. Thus, though the sparrow beat its wings incessantly, it could never leave Shi Potian's palm. After a brief moment, Gouge flicked his hand, and the bird beat its wings and flew away.
Stroking his beard, Xie Yanke looked at Gouge with a trace of reverence in his eyes, never expecting his internal energy to be so profound at such a tender age.
Gouge smiled and said, "Old mister, thank you for your guidance. As for that big brother Shi Zhongyu, you must also teach him to become a good person before letting him down the mountain. I am leaving now, but when I have time, I will bring Axiu to see you."
Xie Yanke said with sorrow, "Gouge, human hearts down the mountain are treacherous like ghosts; you cannot trust others easily. Ah, on your wedding day, this old man has nothing to give you. This jade flute has been with me for half a lifetime—take it." With that, he handed over the jade flute.
Gouge earnestly tucked the jade flute into his bosom, knelt down, and kowtowed three loud times to Xie Yanke, then dropped straight down from the precipitous cliff. His figure flickered amidst the clouds and mist and vanished from sight. Xie Yanke stood gazing at the direction of his departure with a whirl of emotions, lamenting that ever since his rebellious former disciple, no one else had ever made him care so deeply. Watching the retreating figure, Xie Yanke stood dazed for a long while before letting out a long sigh and turning back into the cave.
Xie Yanke thought once more of that former disciple he had taken in—someone who, just like Shi Potian, was prime material for martial arts, yet lacked upright character and didn't possess even a tenth of Shi Potian's gratitude. He could not help letting out another long sigh.