Final Victory
Xiao Xingchen had drawn the short straw today, so he was currently feeling gently around the plump end of an aubergine, testing its softness and trying to feel for any bruises or signs of decay. He never minded drawing the short straw when he and Chengmei played to see whose turn it was to fetch the groceries; usually it worked out pretty evenly - Chengmei had, in fact, lost the draw the last two times - and besides, it was a little activity to fill the fairly empty days and Xiao Xingchen liked doing these simple domestic tasks to care for his little family – even if Chengmei did, more often than not, sigh in exasperation when going through the basket of groceries that Xiao Xingchen brought back, as, inevitably, there would be something spoiled or past its best that the vendors had persuaded him to buy. His frustration was always alleviated, though, when Xiao Xingchen pulled a fresh sweet from his sleeve and pressed it into his palm with a gentle smile.
The aubergine felt ok; Xiao Xingchen handed over a small coin and placed the vegetable in his basket. He was just turning away from the stall to wander deeper into the market, when his ears caught a snatch of conversation between two women, and he snapped his face in their direction, unseeing, but his attention firmly focussed on the shocked and distraught voices.
"…a miracle that she made it across the field to our house, injured as she was! The rest of the family had been completely butchered - when A-Feng went over to the farmhouse afterwards to check, he was nearly sick at the sight of the bodies strewn about, blood everywhere and limbs hacked off. I just can't think why anyone would attack that family, they have such a good reputation."
"It's a terrifying thought," the second woman replied, a shudder in her voice. "Who could have done such a thing? And how did Wu Yan escape without being noticed?"
"She did the smart thing and played dead; that terrible man had hurt her so badly, she was bleeding so much, it's no wonder that he would assume she was dead, and then once he'd left, the brave girl managed to pull herself together enough to get over to us. And here's the thing – if he had killed her, like the rest of the family, no one would ever know who did it, and he obviously assumed that was the case as he made no secret of his identity – bragged about it, even, as he filched the money bag from Wu Yan's father and slit his throat!"
The second woman gasped. "So Wu Yan knows his name?"
"That's right – and you'll never guess who it was," the first woman paused, seeming to relish having her companion's full attention as she recounted the gory affair, and now shared the juiciest part. "It was none other than that infamous murderer, Xue Yang!"
The basket of vegetables slipped from Xiao Xingchen's fingers. Xue Yang! Xue Yang was still alive, was free, was here and murdering! Xiao Xingchen stood frozen, the voices around him all fading to a tinny sound in the background as his mind brought forth the memory of that wild, hysterical, mad laugh, and a fierce, mocking grin on a blood-spattered face.
"Eh? Daozhang?" A hand settled lightly on his arm and Xiao Xingchen jerked suddenly, his head whipping round. The sounds of the bustling market flooded back. "Daozhang, are you ok?" Xiao Xingchen recognised the concerned voice of the vegetable seller. He gave a short nod, unable to find his voice to speak and not knowing what he would say anyway. OK? How could he be ok? Xue Yang was here, and he had murdered an entire family!
Kneeling, Xiao Xingchen hurriedly fumbled around with trembling hands and grabbed whatever he could find of the groceries that had tumbled out of the basket, throwing them back in haphazardly, not paying any mind to brushing off the dust of the road or whether the potatoes were squashing the aubergine and tomatoes. He hauled himself back to his feet and hurried off up the road away from the town and towards the quiet coffin house that he shared with Chengmei and A-Qing.
Chengmei was sprawling lazily on the steps in front of the kitchen when Xiao Xingchen hurried through the gate. From the sound of someone moving around pots and pans, A-Qing must have been just inside. Chengmei called out a greeting when he saw Xiao Xingchen, and the noises from the kitchen suddenly stopped. There was a patter of feet and a pair of slim arms slid around his waist. "Daozhang!" A-Qing exclaimed happily, giving him a squeeze. "You're back! Did you bring anything nice for me from the market?"
Xiao Xingchen smiled weakly and gave her head a gentle pat. "Oh," he said, "Um. Nothing special today, I'm sorry, A-Qing. I brought some vegetables though, here, why don't you take them into the kitchen?" He passed her the basket, feeling a twinge of guilt at her small whine of disappointment, but it couldn't be helped; today, there was something much more important at stake than bringing A-Qing more candy.
He heard A-Qing move towards the house, but heavier footsteps came towards him, stopping just a few feet away, and he knew that Chengmei was there. Chengmei didn't say anything for a few moments and Xiao Xingchen felt an unexpected surge of anxiety, wondering what Chengmei was reading on his face. He felt restless and ill at ease, his fingers itching to reach for Shuanghua. Then, Chengmei spoke.
"Are you alright, Daozhang? You don't look well." He sounded concerned.
Xiao Xingchen hesitated, then gave a small smile and nod as he said in a quiet voice, "I am okay, my friend, don't worry. But it's just that I heard, in the town… Well. There is something important I must see to, and without delay."
Chengmei took another step closer and Xiao Xingchen felt his hand warm upon his forearm. His heart, already beating erratically from the shock of Xue Yang, seemed to speed up a notch faster and he felt his breath catch in his throat. This wasn't the first time his body had reacted in this way to Chengmei, in fact it seemed to be happening more and more, with each casual touch of Chengmei's hand, whenever he linked arms with Xiao Xingchen or sat close enough for their thighs to press together. He was becoming finely tuned in to Chengmei, and every time Chengmei moved away, the air seemed to turn cool and he felt almost bereft of his soothing and comforting presence.
He shook off those thoughts now though, as his mind was too unsettled to think much beyond Xue Yang, and he tried to focus as Chengmei tugged on his arm and repeated himself, a hint of irritation lacing his tone.
"Hey, Daozhang, are you listening? What did you hear in town? What do you need to do?" He leaned even closer to Xiao Xingchen, his breath ghosting across his face. "Are you sure you're really alright?" Even though he couldn't see him, Xiao Xingchen could imagine the expression on Chengmei's face, his forehead creased in a frown as he peered closely at Xiao Xingchen, his gaze intent enough that Xiao Xingchen's own cheeks reddened slightly with heat.
Xiao Xingchen gently extracted himself from Chengmei's grip and took a step back. He bowed his head. "A family has been murdered… The one who did it is someone I tried to bring to justice many years ago, but he escaped. It is my duty to find him now and finally make him face justice for the many atrocities he has committed."
Chengmei was silent for a long moment, clearly absorbing the terrible news. "An entire family murdered?" he said at last. "Who would do such a thing? You say you know who did it? For sure?"
"I know who. You have probably heard of him too. He is a notorious criminal, a butcher of innocents. An abomination. Xue Yang!" Xiao Xingchen spat the name, his whole body starting to tremble with his anger and devastation. Beside him, Chengmei sucked in a loud breath.
"Xue Yang, hanging around Yi City? This dead end dump?" he said in disbelief. "Really, Daozhang, how can you be sure it was him?"
"Because there was a witness! A lone survivor, a poor, young girl who barely escaped with her life but heard him declare his name. Chengmei, I have to go, I can't wait any longer. I have to find Xue Yang, and deal with him once and for all."
Agitated, Xiao Xingchen turned and started walking back towards the road down into the town.
"Daozhang, wait!" Chengmei called, jogging up to him and falling into step beside him. "This Xue Yang, I've heard of him. You mustn't go looking for him, he's too dangerous."
"I have fought him before and captured him, I can do so again."
"Was that before or after you lost your sight?" Chengmei asked pointedly. Xiao Xingchen's footsteps faltered for a moment, but he kept walking.
"Before. But I know I can still beat him. And in any case, I have to try. He can't be allowed to continue."
"Daozhang…"
Xiao Xingchen stopped and turned to his companion. "Friend," he said with a hint of frustration, "I appreciate your concern, but I must go, and you will not change my mind."
"Then let me come with you," Chengmei replied. "I can help."
Xiao Xingchen gave a small smile, touched by his friend's offer, but shook his head. "No, my friend. I would not ask you to put yourself at such risk."
"You're not asking, I'm offering," Chengmei replied with a teasing lilt to his voice. Xiao Xingchen's smile widened and he gave a low chuckle.
"Still, my friend, I cannot allow it." He took a step forward, but stopped at the tug of Chengmei's hand on his arm again.
"And I cannot allow you to go alone, Daozhang. I insist," Chengmei said, a steely twist to his tone now. "We'll go together. Let's go back to the market first and see if we can gather any more information about where this Xue Yang may be hiding out, and then we can find him and bring him to justice once and for all."
Xiao Xingchen hesitated, but finally nodded. He hated that he was putting Chengmei in danger, the thought of Xue Yang having any notion of Chengmei's existence and his connection to Xiao Xingchen made his skin crawl. After what had happened to Song Lan… Xiao Xingchen couldn't stand the thought of another person he cared for being hurt. Yet, he felt touched that Chengmei was equally concerned for his safety, and it was true that he was more disadvantaged now than he had been when confronting Xue Yang before… Maybe it would be helpful to have Chengmei's eyes looking out for him, just as he had on all those night hunts the two had gone on together.
When they reached the market, they wandered through for a short while, keeping their ears open and asking around a few of the vendors, but before long Chengmei turned to Xiao Xingchen.
"Daozhang, I wonder if we would find out more information if we split up and ask around individually? Why don't we meet up again in an hour at the tea house and see what we've both found out and make a plan from then?"
"Oh. OK," Xiao Xingchen agreed, slightly surprised that Chengmei wanted to go around separately, though it did sound like a fair plan.
"Promise me though – if you find out anything, you won't go off on your own looking for Xue Yang, you'll wait for me?"
"Yes, of course. I promise."
"OK, good. You go straight on, I'll head left, down the road towards the temple. See you in an hour, Daozhang!"
Xue Yang stood and watched Xiao Xingchen for a moment as he wandered down the wide street lined with market stalls, stopping here and there to talk to vendors and customers in his search for information, then he spun on his heel and marched down the side street. The simpering smile he had pasted on for Xiao Xingchen slid from his face as his lip curled in a silent snarl. He only had an hour before Xiao Xingchen would be expecting to regroup with his friend 'Chengmei'… But luckily, thanks to the Daozhang and those loose-lipped women, he knew exactly where to go. There was only one other house in the near vicinity of that farm, after all.
Wu Yan shifted slightly in the bed. She felt exhausted; her body was still badly injured and healing, but she had also hardly been able to rest, feeling constantly terrified and on edge, even with the reassuring presence of Zhou Feng and his family in the house; after all, that terrifying man had killed everyone else in her family, and very nearly her herself, so Zhou Feng's family could hardly offer any more protection.
Still, the bed was soft and warm, and food had been plentiful, and the sound of the family's activity downstairs had eventually lulled her into a deep sleep.
Now though, she stirred as a soft breeze danced over her skin, ruffling her hair against her forehead, tickling her. The air felt nice, cool and refreshing; the room had been quite stuffy, with the doors and windows all closed even though the afternoon was hot.
She paused, her throat suddenly constricting. Where was the breeze coming from? Had someone come in and left the doors open? But she hadn't heard anyone come in - in fact, now that she was more awake and listening closely, she could no longer hear any of the family moving around downstairs. Gripped by sudden panic, Wu Yan's eyes flew open. A pair of wide, mad eyes looked back at her, a broad grin splitting that familiar, hateful, malevolent face. Xue Yang!
She gasped and tried to struggle backwards, her wounded body cramping in pain, but she had barely moved when Xue Yang leaned over and clamped a heavy hand over her mouth. Wu Yan's eyes widened in fear as he spun a wicked-looking knife in his spare hand, the blade already red with hot, sticky blood. He tapped the flat edge against her cheek, leaving a frightful bloody smear across her skin.
"Shh, little one, no need to struggle," he whispered, sounding almost gleeful. "Just stay quiet and come with me; I'll take care of you – promise." He couldn't help a chuckle. Wu Yan tried to turn her head but his grip was too tight and she was too weak. He struck out with the hilt of the knife against her temple and she slumped in a daze, unable to resist as he slung her small and fragile body over his shoulder.
Xiao Xingchen was worried. It had been more than an hour and Chengmei hadn't yet arrived at the teahouse. Xiao Xingchen hadn't been able to find out much more information from the townspeople, but he and Chengmei had each been asking around about Xue Yang – what if Xue Yang was in hiding in the city and had caught wind of them trying to track him down? Xiao Xingchen was an accomplished cultivator, even without his sight, but Chengmei didn't have the same level of skill. If he was cornered by Xue Yang, there was no way he would beat him in a fight. He hadn't wanted Chengmei to get involved for that very reason, and hadn't expected them to go in separate directions; he should have insisted that Chengmei stick with him, who knew what had happened to him now?
At the thought, Xiao Xingchen felt too restless to stay any longer; he placed a small coin on the table and stood up, intending to start searching for his friend, when there came a familiar and very welcome voice.
"Daozhang!" Chengmei called across the room to him, sounding excited.
"My friend!" Xiao Xingchen replied, relieved. "I have been waiting for some time. Where have you been?"
Chengmei joined him at the table and gripped his arm tightly. "Daozhang, I've tracked him! I know where you can find Xue Yang!"
Xiao Xingchen whipped his head around. "What? You tracked him? Chengmei… You didn't engage with him, did you?" he asked anxiously, reaching out to grab Chengmei's arm in turn and subconsciously feeling for any injuries or loss of qi.
"No, don't worry, Daozhang. I didn't need to anyway, he was looking in pretty bad shape actually. Must have sustained some bad wounds, I guess the people he attacked must've fought back. He hadn't even got too far away from the farmhouse. He was alive though. I can show you the way, if you like?"
Xiao Xingchen was silent for a long moment, his mouth slightly open. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Well done, my friend. Though I do hope you didn't get too close to him… I wish you had stayed with me and we could have found him together."
"It was better to have split off and spread the search," Chengmei refuted. "You needn't worry, Daozhang," his voice softened and he squeezed Xiao Xingchen's arm. "Shall we go? Come on, Daozhang, I'll take you to him, you can deal with him once and for all, and then everything will be better, won't it?"
Xiao Xingchen still felt unsettled, but he realised that he had had this sick feeling in his stomach since he had heard the two women in the market say Xue Yang's name. Chengmei was right; it was time to finish this mess with Xue Yang and find closure. Only now, with Xue Yang's presence in Yi City oppressing his thoughts like a black cloud, did Xiao Xingchen realise how much he was still affected, even now, even here, by the tragedies of his past. He finally had a chance to confront that past and right the injustice, and in doing so, protect others as Xue Yang had evidently never changed his murderous ways.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Xingchen turned to Chengmei, gave a decisive nod and allowed him to lead him out of the teahouse and to Xue Yang.
Xue Yang couldn't keep the elated grin off his face as he sauntered out of the teahouse, Xiao Xingchen following closely behind him. The stupid Daozhang was so gullible, believing so wholeheartedly in his 'friend', it was all so easy! Usually Xue Yang preferred a more challenging puzzle, but this long game with Xiao Xingchen was proving deliciously fun. He had thought he'd played far enough away from Yi City and the coffin house last night, targeting the lonely farmhouse beyond the town, so it had given him quite a jolt to hear that he'd been careless and let one little brat get away - particularly when Xiao Xingchen himself had managed to get on the case. Typical of him really, he always managed to stick his nose in Xue Yang's business.
Still, in the end, he'd managed to turn it to his advantage as usual and, he thought, had come up with a pretty good solution to kill two birds with one stone, as it were, especially given so little time to plan.
They were approaching the farmhouse now and Xue Yang placed a hand on Xiao Xingchen's arm, making him pause. He turned to him and said in a low voice,
"He's just up here, Daozhang, slumped under a tree in that field. I think he's too injured to get up, but we'd better go as quietly as possible."
Xiao Xingchen nodded and silently drew Shuanghua, feeling his heart speed up. Xue Yang held onto his arm as he steered him across the field, a trail of blood spatters leading the way towards a small, lone figure propped up against the foot of a tree.
As they drew closer, Xue Yang smirked to himself when he saw the figure was just as he had left it, legs bound at the ankle, arms pinned back tightly and strapped to the trunk with coarse rope that dug into the soft flesh of the young girl's wrists. Wu Yan's eyes widened in fear when she saw Xue Yang approaching her, manic glee written across his face, his eyes wide and popping, his lips pulled back over his teeth in a frightening leer. She tried to struggle but her bonds were too tight and her body, so badly beaten and abused the night before, was oozing fresh blood from old wounds, staining the homespun clothes kindly lent to her by the Zhou family. She couldn't even cry out; even if she hadn't been gagged and had been able to open her mouth, one would only have been able to see darkness and the bleeding stump of her tongue, truncated by Xue Yang's eager knife.
Xue Yang stopped a few feet away and squeezed Xiao Xingchen's arm, checking that Xiao Xingchen had stopped walking too. He let go and silently moved around Wu Yan until he was standing just behind her. Then, he crouched down so that his body was tucked behind her back and his face was next to hers. She flinched but couldn't move away, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. Xue Yang picked up a stone and tossed it, so that it scudded across a few stones on the side as though 'Chengmei' had scuffed them with his shoe.
"Who's there? Who the hell are you?" he said, aiming his voice towards 'Chengmei's' direction and affecting a tone of weakness and exhaustion. He noted with delight how good it felt to use his own real voice after so long.
'Chengmei' didn't reply, of course, but as he expected, Xiao Xingchen stepped forward, sword pointing out in front of him.
"Xue Yang!" he spat in a hard voice, anger and disgust causing it to tremble.
"Huh? Is that really Xiao Xingchen-Daozhang?" Xue Yang replied, unable to keep the amusement out of his tone. "Wow! What are you doing here, Daozhang? Don't tell me you followed me out to this remote dump! Just can't keep away from me, huh?" he teased.
Xiao Xingchen's lip curled in disgust. "I'm here to finally make you pay!"
"Ah, I'm sorry, Daozhang, but you're out of luck. See, check my pockets, you'll find them empty of coin!" Xue Yang replied, being deliberately obtuse.
"I meant, pay for your crimes!" Xiao Xingchen corrected him coldly.
"Oh? Which ones? The Chang clan? You already tried to make me pay for that, unsuccessfully too, I might add. Or do you mean the fun I had last night at that farm over there? Or at the house this morning?"
Xiao Xingchen's face blanched and his sword wavered in front of him. "The house this morning?" he asked, his voice faltering.
"Yeah," Xue Yang replied, eagerly drinking in every sign of Xiao Xingchen's pain and discomfort. "The house on the other side of this field. The neighbours of the farm, they stuck their noses into my business, had to clean up, you know. They put up a decent fight though, I'll give them that!" He pretended to give a wet, hacking cough, as though caused by a serious injury.
"You really are disgusting, Xue Yang!" Xiao Xingchen barked, steadying his sword in front of him.
"Yeah, yeah, Daozhang! Come on, be original and tell me something I've not heard before! Besides, what are you gonna do about it, huh? Even when you chased me down before, you couldn't deal with me and just passed me off to someone else; now you're just standing there yapping. You gonna do anything with that sword, Daozhang? Or you gonna get this other guy here to do it instead? Who is this guy anyway? A poor replacement for your Song Lan?" he mocked, laughing hysterically at Xiao Xingchen, who turned protectively in the direction where he thought 'Chengmei' was standing. Beside him, Wu Yan cringed, Xue Yang's laugh loud in her ear. He eyed her sideways, a cruel smile lifting his lips.
"Shut up!" Xiao Xingchen snapped, his face flushing red. "That's enough! I will deal with you now, once and for all!" he insisted.
"Do it, then!" Xue Yang taunted, "What are you waiting for? Do a dying man a favour, go on!"
He had barely finished speaking when Xiao Xingchen lunged forward, plunging his sword deep into Wu Yan's chest. Behind her, Xue Yang lurched back, out of reach of Shuanghua's tip. He looked up at Xiao Xingchen with delight. "Well, well, Daozhang, you actually did it!" he exclaimed, making his voice thready as though he was in pain. He laughed, wild and insane, until Xiao Xingchen gritted his teeth, pulled back the blade and slashed Wu Yan's throat in one smooth movement. Xue Yang cut his laughter off instantly, peering up at Xiao Xingchen with wide, gleeful eyes.
Xiao Xingchen stepped back, suddenly flustered. His sword arm dropped to his side and he turned on the spot.
"Chengmei?" he asked tentatively. "Was it enough? Is it done?"
Xue Yang rose and stepped silently around. Affecting the voice of Xiao Xingchen's 'friend', he said, "Yes, Daozhang, it's done. Xue Yang is dead!"
Xiao Xingchen expelled a deep sigh of relief and bowed his head. His chest rose and fell rapidly and Xue Yang realised he was shaking slightly.
"It's over, you can rest easy now," he reassured him in a soothing voice, "He's gone for good, he'll never hurt anyone again. You did that, Daozhang; think of all those people you've just saved!" Tipping his head, he bit his lip as he contemplated Xiao Xingchen, and then stepped forward purposefully, a grin spreading over his face. Standing in front of Xiao Xingchen, he ran his right hand up his arm, noting with amusement the shiver that ran through Xiao Xingchen. When he reached his shoulder, he moved to grasp his chin, tilting Xiao Xingchen's face towards his. He leaned in close and whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Daozhang!", then brushed his lips lightly against Xiao Xingchen's, his eyes slit open to watch his reaction.
Xiao Xingchen made a noise of surprise, but didn't move away. When Xue Yang pressed his lips more firmly to his, Xiao Xingchen leaned in to meet him. Breaking the kiss, Xue Yang stroked Xiao Xingchen's chin with his thumb. He was highly amused to see that the flush that had decorated Xiao Xingchen's cheeks when he had confronted Xue Yang had now deepened and spread to the tips of his ears.
Stepping back, he said, "Put your sword away now, Daozhang, and let's go home. A-Qing'll be waiting."
Xiao Xingchen nodded and flicked the blood off Shuanghua before sheathing it.
Xue Yang cast a glance at Wu Yan's slumped corpse underneath the tree and made a mental note to return later that night to bury it before any of the townsfolk stumbled across it and word got back to Xiao Xingchen that a girl's body had been found instead of Xue Yang's. He turned away and stepped up to Xiao Xingchen, slipping his hand into his to lead him away.
Xiao Xingchen faltered in surprise for a moment and then smiled. As he and Chengmei made their way out of the field, he couldn't help letting out a burst of laughter, a wide grin settling on his face.
His chest felt lighter than ever. After so many years, after so much pain, he was walking home, hand in hand with the man he loved, to the feisty, young girl who had become his daughter, and Xue Yang was gone from the world forever.
