Chapter 17 — Object Driving

"Master sent me down the mountain for one year, that was the agreement. But I played around too long—er, no, I spent an extra half year searching before I found good materials to refine my magic treasure. I'm afraid Master will scold me. Come with me."

Zhang Qingyue shot him a look. "And you said you came to see me first. By the way, Sixth Brother, what magic treasure did you refine?"

"Ha, of course I came to see you first, little junior brother. Come on, come on." And with that he pulled Zhang Qingyue along.

A short while later, Da Huang, hiding in some corner gnawing his meat bone, and Xiao Hui, perched on his back picking fleas, both heard a furious roar from the Shoujing Hall: "Ungrateful wretch! You'll be the death of me!"

At dinner, the whole of Dazhu Peak gathered around one table for their first great reunion in two years. Once everyone was seated, Tian Buhui was still furious. After greeting Du Biyan, the disciples could not help whispering to him: "Sixth Brother, how did you make Master this angry the moment he saw you?"

Du Biyan looked awkward and talked of this and that, while Zhang Qingyue, sitting beside him, wore a broad smile he dared not let loose, cutting a rather odd figure.

At last Tian Lingsu, seated across from them, could hold back no longer and was the first to ask Tian Buhui: "Father, Sixth Brother has barely come home. Why are you still so angry?"

Du Biyan stole a glance at Tian Buhui, who glared back, frightening him into dropping his head at once. Tian Buhui gave a cold snort. "Sixth, why don't you bring out your magic treasure and show everyone?"

Du Biyan opened his mouth and stammered, unable to speak. He cast a pleading look at his mistress, Su Wan, who smiled and said: "Bishu, just take it out and show everyone. Let them see for themselves why your master is angry."

Seeing no way out, Du Biyan dawdled over his little bundle, gave it a shake or two, and took out several objects, setting them on the table.

Every eye was fixed on him, unblinking, afraid of missing something; the dining hall fell utterly silent. On the table lay three objects that seemed carved from some hard wood, each about half a fist in size, six-sided cubes, white throughout, carved on every face with various numbers of dots—three dice.

The assembly sat like wooden statues, dumbstruck. A moment later, the room erupted in laughter.

Du Biyan's face went scarlet. Tian Buhui stared at him in a rage and spat: "Rotten wood that cannot be carved!"

Su Wan smiled and shook her head. "Enough, it's no great matter. Dice or no dice, the treasure is for his own use after all."

Tian Buhui glared at his disciple and said to Su Wan: "How do you know he won't use them to swindle people?"

"Master, Mistress, your disciple would never dare do anything so base and shameless. It's only that earlier this year, by the banks of the Red Water in the south, I found a thousand-year Three-Pearl Tree (Note 1), full of spiritual power. I took its essence and carved these three dice—it was purely a whim, I never meant anything else by it…"

Tian Buhui's anger would not subside. "You're pleased with yourself, eh? Hmph. Cultivate whatever you like, but now you've refined a set of gambling tools, and when the Seven Veins Martial Contest comes a month from now, you'll go up on stage and show them off—how am I supposed to hold my head up?"

Du Biyan dared not say another word. Su Wan shook her head and said softly: "Buyi, this is what he loves. Don't force him. Do you remember Senior Brother Wan…"

Tian Buhui started and turned to look at Su Wan. She sighed faintly and said to Du Bi: "Your master and I have never forced you to cultivate the immortal sword as the disciples of the other veins do, but magic treasures often matter greatly. You must be careful in what you do."

Du Biyan stole a look at Tian Buhui and saw his master's face dark with sullen anger. He dared not say more, only nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes."

Su Wan glanced at her husband again, then addressed them all: "Time flies. Next month is the great Seven Veins Martial Contest. We will all go together to Jietian Peak, where the head sect resides. Make your preparations early." Here her beautiful, gentle face turned suddenly stern, and she said sharply: "This time, do not disappoint your master and me again. Understood?"

The disciples' hearts skipped, and they answered in unison: "Yes!"

"M-mistress." Amid the ringing answers came a small, discordant voice. Su Wan looked and saw it was the youngest, the seventh, Zhang Qingyue. She frowned. "What is it, Xiaofan?"

Zhang Qingyue said cautiously: "Does what you just said mean… that I'm going too?"

Su Wan was taken aback. She glanced at Tian Buhui, and a smile rose to her face. "Why, yes. Aren't you a disciple of Dazhu Peak as well?"

Zhang Qingyue was overjoyed. He crowed and leapt up, slapping palms with Du Biyan beside him in celebration, utterly ignoring Tian Buhui's cold muttering from afar: "There are nine places anyway. Give one to an idiot and it's still one wasted—might as well use it as not."

That night, Zhang Qingyue returned to his room to find Da Huang and Xiao Hui had long since gone to his bed to rest. A year and a half ago, Da Huang, being so close to Xiao Hui, had moved into Zhang Qingyue's room to sleep. At first it had given Tian Buhui a fright—he could not find his beloved dog anywhere—and when he learned the reason he only gave a cold snort and walked off without a word. Seeing his master raise no objection, Zhang Qingyue did not drive Da Huang out (in truth, he could not have driven him out; Da Huang took half the bed, and Xiao Hui half of that half, which tells you all you need to know of the room's master's state of mind).

But as time went on, whether from getting used to the crowding or from growing accustomed to each other, Zhang Qingyue stopped grumbling about Da Huang and Xiao Hui sleeping with him. Tonight he was in splendid spirits. He came in, sat down at the table, and caught sight of Da Huang sprawled lazily, while Xiao Hui had at some point slipped back to the kitchen and stolen his black iron rod again, and was now rubbing it against Da Huang's body.

Something stirred in him; he had a vague sense that Xiao Hui was rather taken with the rod. But he had no mood now to think on it—his heart was wholly filled with joy that his master had unexpectedly allowed him to attend the Seven Veins Martial Contest.

Had Da Huang and Xiao Hui looked at Zhang Qingyue then, they would have seen a human whose eyes shone with light. His eyes were on the monkey and the dog, but he seemed to be speaking to the air: "Look at that—I actually get a chance to go to the Seven Veins Martial Contest. That's wonderful. Master is truly magnanimous; even though I'm stupid, he's taking me along to broaden my horizons. Er—maybe I'll even get to see Jingyu then."

At this he seemed to recall something, and muttered softly to himself: "But if I really go up on stage, I'll probably disgrace Master. Oh well, what will be will be. Da Huang, Xiao Hui, don't you agree?"

"Chee-chee-chee-chee!"

Zhang Qingyue looked up and saw that Xiao Hui's mind was all in Da Huang's fur, carefully picking fleas, and had only cried out a few times to humor him, while Da Huang was even more direct—both dog ears drooping, not even glancing his way.

"You damn dog!" Zhang Qingyue cursed in indignation. Suddenly his vision went dark—Xiao Hui had hurled the black iron rod at him. He yelped and dodged; the rod struck the table, bounced twice, and fell to the floor.

"Chee-chee-chee-chee, woof woof woof!" This time the dog and monkey made a symphony of it. Zhang Qingyue pulled a face at the two beasts and sat down in vexation. Somehow the image of Qi Hao's heroic bearing on Dazhu Peak two years ago floated up in his mind again.