The Quiet Erosion

Hearing Gouwa's shout, the door creaked open.

Gao Zhijian, bare-chested, frowned at him. Despite the cold weather, sweat steamed off his body in rivulets.

"Smell that? Yang Xiaohai and his big wife are steaming buns today! Pork and scallion!"

Seeing Gouwa's smarmy expression, Gao Zhijian slammed the door shut again.

Through the door, he listened to Gouwa's complaints fade into the distance. "Ah, no fun. Lü Xiucai's way more interesting. Wonder where that kid went. Been a while. Kinda miss him, actually."

Only when the voice was completely gone did Gao Zhijian turn around. With both hands steady, he gripped the heavy halberd shaft. With a low grunt, he yanked it upward.

The enormous halberd was made exclusively for Peng Longteng. In Gao Zhijian's hands, it looked grotesquely mismatched, like a child straddling a grown man's horse.

He wobbled through a few swings, then—with a tremor that shook the ground—the halberd's blade slammed into the stone floor, shattering the slabs into a web of cracks.

Panting heavily, Gao Zhijian stared down at his trembling hands. Blood was seeping through the bursting veins.

He walked to the front of the room and lifted a book with both hands—the military text he had taken from the dead Peng Longteng.

As he smeared the trembling blood from his hand across the page, an entirely different content appeared before him. This was a military cultivator's training manual!

He sat cross-legged, glaring, and followed the text's instructions. He focused his mind entirely, condensing killing intent, shaping it according to the steps, and circulating it through his body in a full cycle.

Gao Zhijian rotated the qi cycle over and over. Seated there, he resembled one of those glaring Arhat statues in a temple—unbearable to look at directly. Wisps of barely visible blood-qi rose from his body, and his frame seemed to swell.

A passing insect caught his eye. With a single sweep of his gaze, the bug's body went rigid and dropped dead on the spot.

"Food's ready! Food's ready!!"

Yang Xiaohai's shout made Gao Zhijian slowly close his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was once more the same simple, honest Gao Zhijian.

He had seen what Peng Longteng had become. He always felt this thing was dangerous, so he wanted to try it first himself—if it worked well, he would tell the others later.

Gao Zhijian walked to the courtyard well. He hauled up a bucket of icy well water and poured it over his head, washing away the sweat. Then he dressed, opened the door, and headed toward the kitchen.

When he arrived, everyone else was already drinking hot congee and eating fragrant meat buns.

Without anyone supervising, they were completely at ease. Men and women alike sat however they pleased, chatting as they ate.

Gao Zhijian picked up a basin, used his chopsticks to count out fifty buns, and sat down alone to eat. He didn't ladle any congee from the pot—instead, he poured a bowl of dark vinegar.

He took a bite first, dipped the open edge of the bun into the vinegar until it soaked through, then stuffed it into his mouth. He ate slowly, occasionally glancing toward the door.

As people gradually dispersed, Yang Xiaohai scratched his head in confusion. "Is Senior Sister Xiaoman not eating again?"

After thinking a moment, he covered a bowl of buns with a plate, then started scrubbing the pots and steaming baskets with the round-faced woman.

Seeing this, Gao Zhijian stuffed the last bun from his basin into his mouth, drained the remaining vinegar in one gulp, picked up the covered bowl of buns, and walked outside.

His target was clear: the Bai family ancestral hall. He twisted the three monkeys arranged in a row, and a hidden door opened before him.

Gao Zhijian bent down and entered. The oil lamps along the walls had all been filled, making the previously grim staircase much brighter.

When he reached the main hall inside, he found Chun Xiaoman chanting quietly.

"Disciple raises eyes to see the azure sky. All masters stand by my side. Twenty-four flavors of heavens aid the disciple's ruler-measure and dragging blade. The dragging blade turns to goose feather. The iron ruler turns to lamp wick. The heart-rolled stone turns to water bubble."

Hearing footsteps, Chun Xiaoman turned. When she saw Gao Zhijian, her eyes lit up. "Zhijian, come look! Am I reciting it wrong? Why isn't it working?"

Gao Zhijian took the book from her hands and studied it for a moment. Then he first pushed the bowl of buns toward her. "Eat."

Ever since last time, Chun Xiaoman had noticed that Gao Zhijian seemed to have found his rhythm again. From then on, he spoke in single words—as long as he could make his meaning clear, that was enough.

"I'm not eating. First, look at the contents for me." Chun Xiaoman was impatient. She pushed the bowl away.

Gao Zhijian didn't budge. He pushed the bowl back toward her. "Eat." His attitude was clear: no food, no explanation.

Xiaoman had no choice but to accept. She ate the buns in small but rapid bites, asking between mouthfuls, "Has Miaomiao come back yet?"

Studying the book in his hands, Gao Zhijian shook his head.

"Where has that damn girl gone? She couldn't even send me a reply." Just as she finished complaining, Chun Xiaoman suddenly thought of something. Her heart lurched. "You don't think she's…"

She stopped herself, then quickly tried to comfort herself: "No. She wouldn't do anything stupid again."

Eating quickly while her mind wandered with all sorts of worries, Chun Xiaoman unsurprisingly choked. She clutched her throat and hiccupped.

Gao Zhijian put the book down. His broad palm lightly patted her back, helping her swallow.

Once she had caught her breath, Chun Xiaoman turned to him and said, "If it comes to it, let's gather everyone and search the place where Miaomiao disappeared again. Not a single word from her—I really can't rest easy."

"Mm." Gao Zhijian nodded.

Just as Chun Xiaoman was continuing to eat her bun, Gouwa came bounding down from above, waving a letter excitedly. "Hey! Junior Sister Bai sent a letter!"

Chun Xiaoman shot to her feet, tense. "Where is she now? What does the letter say?"

"What kind of question is that? I can't read." Gouwa handed the letter over to Gao Zhijian.

Through Gao Zhijian's interpretation, Chun Xiaoman finally understood: Bai Lingmiao was fine. She had gone to Shangjing to handle some errands and would come back when she was done.

"As long as she's okay, as long as she's okay…" After so many days of fear and worry, Chun Xiaoman finally let out a long sigh of relief. Every day Bai Lingmiao was gone, she had been having nightmares.

Gao Zhijian brought the letter close to his face, studying it carefully for a long time, before speaking haltingly: "Th-this… this… i-is… is Senior Brother Li's handwriting!" Only Senior Brother Li would like writing those square, neat characters with charcoal.

"Haha." Gouwa pointed at Chun Xiaoman and laughed mockingly. "What did I tell you? That couple was just having a spat. You, an outsider, shouldn't meddle. Maybe you were helping her curse out her husband, but the next day they'd make up in bed. See? Was I right or what?"