Chapter Seven: Lost Life

Gradually, Second Senior Sister Zhou Ling’er stepped out from the mountain path nearby. “Senior Brother, I know you are desperate to collect spells, and I’ve heard of your tragic past. Now that Third Junior Brother has obtained this Qimen Dunjia, which gathers all the world’s miraculous arts, I expected you would fight for it. The hatred born of your family’s destruction has twisted you, but would you really harm your own junior brother?”

“Thank goodness, perhaps I’m not doomed after all!” Seeing that it was his second senior sister, Fang You hurriedly cried out, “Second Senior Sister, please help me—remove the poison! I can’t take it much longer!”

“Hahaha, since you know my past, you should understand why I do what I do. I must seek justice for my family. Do not stop me, Second Sister, or don’t blame me for forgetting our shared bond as disciples!” Zhang Zhiheng’s tone carried a dangerous edge.

“Senior Brother, I’ll give you the Qimen Dunjia, just help me—please, remove the poison!” Fang You pleaded from the side.

“We are disciples of the same school. I will not let you harm Third Junior Brother today!” As Zhou Ling’er spoke, her hands formed the shape of a lotus blossom. “Spirit Immortal Barrier!”

In an instant, a transparent barrier enveloped the third junior brother.

“Second Senior Sister, please save me! I’ve been poisoned!” Fang You pleaded weakly from within the barrier.

Zhang Zhiheng glanced up at the mountain. The commotion from their earlier fight had likely alarmed other disciples of Maoshan. If others arrived, things would become troublesome.

“Hmph, in that case, I’ll let it go for today!” Zhang Zhiheng declared as he drew a talisman. “Mist Talisman!”

As the talisman ignited, a thick smoke quickly billowed out. Within the haze, Zhang Zhiheng made his escape.

“Second Senior Sister, hurry, remove the poison!” Fang You called urgently.

“Trying to run?” Zhou Ling’er said, chasing after the smoke.

“Wait, at least help me first! And why are you chasing him? Didn’t you come to save me? Why are you going after Senior Brother—why?” As Fang You spoke, Zhou Ling’er had already disappeared in pursuit of Zhang Zhiheng.

“This is bad. With the poison in my body, if no one helps channel energy from outside, there’s no way I can dispel the toxin Senior Brother so carefully prepared.” Fang You coughed up a mouthful of blood.

At that moment, a woodcutter—another Maoshan disciple—passed by.

“There’s someone! I’m saved!” Fang You called out to the young disciple carrying firewood. “Little Junior Brother, come here, quickly! Channel your energy to help clear my meridians and force out the poison!”

Hearing the call, the young disciple looked around and finally spotted Fang You collapsed on the ground.

“Senior Brother, what happened to you?” The young disciple hurried over. “Are you injured?”

“I’ve been poisoned—please, help me circulate my energy!” Fang You urged.

“Who poisoned you?” the young disciple asked.

“My senior brother, but it’s a long story—please, just help me!” Fang You pressed, feeling the poison approaching his heart. Without external assistance, he would not survive much longer.

“I see! May I ask your senior brother’s name? Is he also a Maoshan disciple? What’s his zodiac sign? How old is he? Does he have a girlfriend? Has he bought a house or a car? And—”

“Stop!” Fang You interrupted, exasperated. “Are you here to interrogate me? Just help me expel the poison!”

“If you don’t explain, how do I know I should help you? What if you’re a bad person? Wouldn’t I be aiding evil? You’d better tell me, what’s your senior brother’s zodiac sign—no, more importantly, who exactly is he?” The little disciple pressed on with existential curiosity.

“You—!” Fang You spat a thread of blood, but with the poison nearly at his heart, he had no choice. He quickly explained, “We are both Maoshan’s last disciples. On this trip down the mountain, my senior brother tried to steal the Qimen Dunjia I obtained and poisoned me in secret. Little Junior Brother, please help me!”

“Oh, if you’re both the master’s final disciples, you can’t be a bad person,” the young man said, sizing up Fang You. He noticed the white barrier around Fang You and reached out to touch it, only to be thrown back by a surge of spiritual energy.

“Senior Brother, this white barrier on you—I can’t break it. You’ll have to undo it yourself!” the young disciple said.

“Damn it, Second Senior Sister left this barrier to protect me from Senior Brother’s attacks, but now I’m too poisoned to use any spells. Little Junior Brother, please, at least try to break it!”

“I see,” the young disciple said, studying the barrier. After a moment, he slapped his own forehead. “I almost forgot—my senior brother is waiting for me to bring the firewood back for cooking. If I’m late, everyone will go hungry and I’ll be scolded. Besides, this barrier’s spiritual force is far beyond me. I’ll take my leave. Come back for a meal if you can!”

With that, the little disciple hefted his bundle of firewood and walked back toward Maoshan.

“Don’t go! At least call for help!” Fang You shouted, but it was useless—the young disciple was already disappearing into the distance.

“Am I really going to die here?” Fang You coughed up another mouthful of blood. He could feel the poison invading his heart; no medicine or skill could save him now.

“This life has been a waste. I did nothing, and now it’s ending. Master, teacher, uncles—I’m sorry, it’s over.”

The world around him was silent and empty. Occasionally the wind stirred, brushing over his body. Fang You lay amid a pool of his own blood, gazing forward with a look of helplessness.

There was loneliness, and quiet. He could feel the breeze stroking his hair; a few ants wandered near his hand. A few crows flew overhead; the whole world seemed to fall still.

Fang You watched the empty space before him. There was nothing—only a few aged pagoda trees standing silently. He reviewed his life in his mind; in those brief twenty years, there was little worth remembering. If anything, it was the happy days spent with his junior sister, Lin Xiaoyue. Even knowing she loved him, he could not give her the stable life she wanted. It was better for them to go their separate ways and live in peace.

The ground was growing cold, and his body, too, was losing its warmth. Yet his gaze remained fixed ahead, as if there was still some hope, some regret. If only he could see his junior sister once more—how wonderful that would be.

Fang You thought this, but his body could no longer move. He was as cold as the ground beneath him. Quietly, he closed his eyes, as if to settle into eternal peace.