Volume Five: Fallen Into Hardship, Northward Gaze at the Cloud Stele, Chapter Six: Family

Old Su lifted his wine cup and said to Zhuo Hua, “Young Master Yan, this Tusu wine is a local delicacy unique to Moon-Viewing City. Every New Year and festival, every household brings out the Tusu wine they have brewed long in advance and invites the family to drink together. They say it can ward off evil and keep calamity at bay.”

Zhuo Hua smiled, nodded, and drank a cup. At once, a warm, flowing comfort spread through his chest. Yet warmer than the wine itself were the words “family” that Old Su had spoken just now.

Ever since Lanling vanished without a trace, Zhuo Hua had never again felt the presence of “family” during all those years in the Cloud Palace. Even though he was close with Qin Ying and Old Flood Dragon, they were only trusted companions, not family.

And today, far from home, he had unexpectedly found the feeling of belonging.

Perhaps this was what people meant by the warmth of ordinary life.

After three rounds of drink and five turns of dishes, Old Su saw that the sorrow between Zhuo Hua’s brows had faded considerably, so he raised his cup and invited him to drink with him.

The moment the cup was set down, Old Su asked, “Benefactor, may this old man ask how it was that you came to such a pass?”

Zhuo Hua nodded, set down his chopsticks, swallowed the food in his mouth, and then told Old Su the same story he had just told Su Mengling: how he had encountered bandits and lost all his possessions.

But when he mentioned how the robbers had taken his Energy-Settling Pearl, Old Su frowned. “The Energy-Settling Pearl is the very lifeblood of immortal cultivation. How could Young Master Yan have been so careless as to let others seize it so easily? Could there be some hidden circumstance?”

Zhuo Hua lifted a cup of wine and covered his mouth as he drank it down. After setting the cup aside, he coughed lightly and said, “There is indeed some hidden matter that is inconvenient to speak of. A change befell my family, and that is why I was so desperate to hurry home.”

Old Su pressed further. “The Yan clansmen are mostly gathered in this Western Qi Province, yet you said just now that the place you are returning to is Northern Lun Continent. From what this old man knows, there are no Yan clansmen living there at all!”

Zhuo Hua remained silent for a long while, torn within himself over whether to tell them the truth.

At that moment, Su Mengling cried out, “Oh, Father! If Big Brother doesn’t want to say it, he must have his own reasons. Don’t force him anymore. Come now, Big Brother, eat a slice of lamb; I just finished blanching it.” As she spoke, she picked up a slice of rinsed lamb and placed it into the bowl before Zhuo Hua.

Seeing the slice of lamb in the bowl, Zhuo Hua suddenly made up his mind. He let out a long breath and said, “Actually, I was never a member of the Yan clan, nor am I even one of the Immortal Descendants. My surname is Zhuo, my given name Hua. My ancestral home is the Primordial Void, descendant of the remaining line of the Yellow Emperor. I now live in the Cloud-Tier Celestial Hall atop Mount Cangwu in Northern Lun Continent. The place I must return to is that palace in the clouds.”

Clang!

The soup spoon in Old Su’s hand slipped to the floor and shattered. Trembling, he asked, “Do you mean to say that you are that master of the Cloud Palace, the lord of all immortals, Zhuo Hua, Prime Lord?”

Zhuo Hua nodded. “Indeed.”

“Y-you... Big Brother... you are... you are that old immortal?” Su Mengling was so shocked that her mouth fell open as she stammered out the question.

From the little copper pot over the red-clay brazier came a bubbling gurgle. Before the two stunned listeners, Zhuo Hua recounted the whole story of how he had fallen to this state, leaving out only the part where Lanling had stunned him with the Three-Breath Incense. He merely glossed over it with one sentence about the villain having used deceit.

“What? You’re saying Immortal Lanling has returned? And she brought the vanguard of the Dark Fury Clan with her?” Tonight was destined to bring shock after shock, yet Su Mengling seemed to breathe a little easier.

“So Big Brother really is the head immortal! Who is this Immortal Lanling? Is she very beautiful? Why is Big Brother so afraid of her?” she asked, her mind clearly fixated on an entirely different point.

After a longer silence, Old Su suddenly said, “Then the urgent matter now is to prepare an Energy-Settling Pearl for Benefactor.”

As soon as he said this, the other two people at the table turned to look at him at once.

Su Mengling nodded gravely. “That’s right. If Big Brother can have an Energy-Settling Pearl, he’ll be able to recover his former strength. Those sneaking troublemakers will surely be driven out of our void.”

Zhuo Hua waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no. An Energy-Settling Pearl is priceless. How could I accept such a generous gift from you? Besides, once I return to the Cloud Palace, I’ll have a spare one there.”

“But Benefactor, in your present condition, even if a full escort were to guard you all the way, it would still be difficult to guarantee there will be no mishap over such a vast distance. Moreover, if you run into Dark Fury thieves again on the road, how could those guards protect you?” Old Su rose to his feet, took Zhuo Hua’s hand, and said with earnest sincerity, “This is no longer merely a matter of our Su family repaying your life-saving kindness. It is the Su family doing our small part for the realm, the nation, and all living beings. Benefactor—no, Prime Lord—please do not refuse again.”

“Yes, yes! Big Brother, don’t refuse anymore. Once you have an Energy-Settling Pearl and recover your abilities, you can take me along with you. I want to travel and enjoy the scenery with Big Brother. I just wonder whether we can go and see the Cloud-Tier Celestial Hall.” Su Mengling wore a face full of longing.

By now Zhuo Hua’s eyes were brimming with tears. He looked at the father and daughter of the Su family with blazing eyes, his heart surging violently. Suddenly he stood, straightened his robes, and gave the two of them a deep bow.

“The kindness of the Su family, Zhuo Hua will never forget for the rest of his life. Once I return to the Cloud Palace, I will surely repay it a hundredfold.”

“Oh, money and goods are only worldly things. This old man merely made some coin in his younger days by trading cattle and sheep. I had originally hoped to earn an official position and accomplish something worthwhile, but the court was dark and rotten. In less than two years I was squeezed out by my superiors, so in anger I left the capital and returned home to run the pastures.” Old Su rose and came to Zhuo Hua’s side. With deep feeling, he said, “Prime Lord, when I was young I too had a fiery heart, wanting to serve the country and bring benefit to all beneath heaven. By rights, as a mere commoner, I had no standing to speak these words to you. But, Prime Lord, look at this world. It is no longer the clear and orderly universe it once was. Since the immortal lady departed, and since you, Prime Lord, shut yourself away and turned your back on worldly affairs, the nations of the world have warred without cease. At court, corruption and cruelty run rampant. For humble common folk like us who are not of the Immortal Descendants, life is truly bitter beyond words!”

“Yes, it was indeed my fault before. I should have issued an edict of self-reproach.” Zhuo Hua’s heart was filled with shame.

“All right, all right! Father, Big Brother may have his own difficulties. Don’t blame him anymore!” Su Mengling hurried in to smooth things over.

Old Su wiped the tears from his eyes and said with a smile, “Prime Lord, I have had a few too many today and said some things I ought not to have said. I hope you will bear with me.”

Zhuo Hua also smiled. “Old Su, you jest. I have only been a common man for a little over three months. By that measure, you are my senior. To lecture a junior a few words is only natural. Come, I offer you this cup.”

The three exchanged smiles, and laughter mingled with the clink of cups and dishes from Four Seasons Pavilion in the snowy night.

The next day, Zhuo Hua slept until noon before waking, having completely forgotten how he had returned to his room the night before.

When he came to, his head was splitting with pain. He rolled out of bed, and on the very first step, his legs weakened and trembled so badly that he nearly fell.

At last he managed to make his way to the table, where he sat leaning against it and poured himself a cup of water. Only then did he raise it, intending to moisten his long-dried throat.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Big Brother, are you up?” Su Mengling’s voice came from outside.

“Oh, it’s Mengling. I’m up. Come in.” Zhuo Hua was plainly weak, and his reply was faint.

With a creak, the door opened. Su Mengling came in carrying a food box, and a gust of wind and snow rushed in with her. Zhuo Hua, dressed only in an underrobe, could not help shivering.

Seeing this, Su Mengling hurriedly set down the food box and turned to shut the door.

“Oh dear, sorry, Big Brother. I forgot to close the door.”

“It’s all right... cough, cough, cough.”

“Big Brother, have you caught cold?” Su Mengling rushed forward, draping an outer robe over him and reaching out to feel his forehead.

Zhuo Hua quickly turned his head away. “It’s nothing. Maybe I was choked by the wind that just came in.”

Su Mengling withdrew her hand, which had been left hanging in midair, and said a little awkwardly, “If Big Brother already treats us like family, why are you still being so guarded?”

Then, seeing Zhuo Hua pressing his temples with a pained frown, she asked, “Did Big Brother not sleep well last night?”

“No, it should be from drinking too much last night.” Zhuo Hua lightly tapped his head. “My skull feels as though it is about to split open.”

Su Mengling reached out with both hands and gently pressed around his forehead. At first Zhuo Hua still wanted to avoid her, but the perfectly measured pressure made him immediately abandon all resistance.

“Better?” Su Mengling asked with a grin.

“Mmm...” Zhuo Hua closed his eyes and let out a deeply satisfied sound.

After pressing for a while, Su Mengling saw that the tension between Zhuo Hua’s brows had clearly loosened, and only then did she ask whether he wanted to wash up first.

“All right, I’ll wash up first. Thank you, little sister Mengling.” Zhuo Hua rose, intending to go to the washroom.

Su Mengling pressed him back onto the embroidered stool and said with a playful smile, “Big Brother, just sit still. I’ll fetch it.” Without waiting for Zhuo Hua to answer, she skipped off to the washroom and soon returned with the washing things, then busied herself helping him rinse his mouth and wash his face without saying another word.

Seeing how flustered she looked, and how she ended up splashing water all over herself, Zhuo Hua asked, “Ling’er, I feel like you have something you want to tell me.”

When Su Mengling heard this, she looked a little shy and said, “How did Big Brother see through me so easily? This morning Father went out to the Jade Treasure Pavilion to buy an Energy-Settling Pearl, but when he came back, his face was terribly dark. I didn’t even dare ask him about it.”

“Oh? What happened?”

“Later I asked Grandpa Su, and he said that lately the Energy-Settling Pearls on the market have become fewer and fewer. Even the raw material used to make them, Moonlight Stone, is almost out of stock. I guess Father is worried about that.”