296 Admirable Desolation Solitary Wind
Amidst the ruins, a person was slowly riding on his horse. He carried a staff on his shoulder, and a wine gourd was dangling from the staff. He attracted attention wherever he walked, because he had a head of completely white hair and also because he wore a red-coloured mask of an evil ghost.
The carvings on the mask were so lifelike that when he walked on the road, children who accidentally saw him would start to cry.
"The new ghosts cry their grievances, the old ghosts weep bitterly. Days are overcast and grim, the rain falls on mournful wails."
The ghost-masked person had a raspy voice, as if he was deliberately deepening his voice. He looked at the drizzling rain before him and suddenly reined in his horse. With a light shake of his hand, the wine gourd swung in front of him. He raised his head and took a sip before exhaling with content. "This is really good wine."
"This time last year, I stood before this door." A voice came from a distance.
"Your beautiful face was as pink as a peach blossom in bloom." The voice seemed to be coming closer.
"I know not where your face has gone." The voice appeared almost right in his ears.
"The peach blossoms are still blooming in the warm spring breeze." A figure stood on top of one of the walls of the ruins. The man was holding a spear, his long hair fluttering as he looked into the distance. His tone was somewhat emotional.
"Spear Immortal." The ghost-masked person shook his hand slightly, and the wine gourd on his staff flew up and landed in Sikong Changfeng's hand. Sikong Changfeng shook it gently. "You’re passing me this wine that you’ve just drunk from. Isn’t that a little insincere? You obviously have a new flask at your waist."
"This flask." The ghost-masked person gently patted the flask at his waist, and looked into the distance. "Is to present to the Citymaster of that Miserable Desolation City over there."
"Miserable Desolation City." Sikong Changfeng raised his head and took a sip of wine. "No one has mentioned this name for a long time."
"Back when Beili was founded, this used to be a prosperous and busy place. Back then, this area was adjacent to the Western Regions country and that city was the main city guarding the west of the imperial city. However, the climate fluctuated a lot, the Western Regions country moved south and the border was replaced by Biluo City. In the end, this area was left in ruins, the city over there also emptied out, and people nicknamed it the Miserable Desolation City. But later, a Sword Immortal lived there all by himself, so it became admired by everyone, and it became the Admirable Desolation City." The ghost-masked person touched the wine flask at his waist. "To hold a city on his own, this kind of courage is truly respectable."
"Since you’re here, you’ve come to look for that person?" Sikong Changfeng raised his eyebrows.
"Obviously, I’m not here to witness this rare drizzle of rain in the desert. Someone wants to go home, but that Sword Immortal in that city may want to go stop him. It just so happens that I’m the white tiger who’s supposed to guard him. I got to do my part, after all." The ghost-masked person laughed. "Isn’t the Spear Immortal also Zhuque?"
"That’s all in the past. Back when we were young, people called us Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque and Xuanwu, and there was always a kind of domineering and awe-inspiring feeling. But listening to these names at my age, I feel a kind of… shame that’s difficult to describe." Sikong Changfeng took a flying leap, jumped off the wall of the ruins, and landed steadily on a maroon horse that galloped out of the corner. "I’m past that age now. I’m just here to help my future… daughter’s husband."
"The Spear Immortal wants to be the father-in-law of the Emperor?" The ghost-masked person had a fluctuating voice and one could not tell if he was serious or joking.
"So vulgar." Sikong Changfeng laughed and scolded at the same time. "Since you’ve already waited for me to arrive, then let's go."
The ghost-masked person asked in confusion, "Does the Spear Immortal think that I stopped here to wait for you?"
"Otherwise, do you think you can stop Luo Qingyang?" Sikong Changfeng snorted disdainfully and flung the wine flask back to the ghost-masked person. Then, he kicked his horse’s belly and galloped in the direction of Admirable Desolation City.
"I’ve been disparaged." The ghost-masked person sighed, then kicked his horse’s belly to follow.
"Senior Spear Immortal has entered the third tier of the Ultimate Experts List, but you’re still one tier below Luo Qingyang. Is Spear Immortal confident of stopping him?" The ghost-masked person said quietly.
"My shixiong, Baili Dongjun, is also in the second tier. Would you believe that back in Snow Moon City, I beat him up every day?" Sikong Changfeng raised his eyebrows. "He takes the position of First Citymaster, but all he does is drink wine and brew wine every day. Whenever I see this kind of person, I’ll beat him up."
"The Spear Immortal is so impressive." The ghost-masked person chuckled.
Finally, the image of Admirable Desolation City became clearer and clearer.
The city gates were huge. High above the city gates was a plaque, but the words on the plaque were already mottled and no longer legible. But there was a mark on it made by a sword that ran through the entire plaque.
"One sword in ten years, and the sword aura lingers. It could be called everlasting." The ghost-masked person said with emotion. "No wonder he was always called the most powerful of the five great sword immortals."
"Let’s do it here." Sikong Changfeng stopped.
They were still a few hundred steps away from the gates of Admirable Desolation City, but Sikong Changfeng stopped his horse, and the ghost-masked person did not protest. He also came to a stop.
About an incense stick of time passed. Sikong Changfeng still held his spear, his back as straight as a pole. The ghost-masked person shook his empty wine flask, raised his head and drank the last few drops. Then, he licked his lips and reached out to touch the still full flask at his waist, feeling a little restless.
"He’s here." Sikong Changfeng suddenly raised his head.
The eyes under that mask of a ferocious ghost suddenly gleamed.
A sword was coming from the west.
No, it was only the sword’s sheath!
The sheath was extremely long, almost twice the length of an ordinary sword. There was only one sword which could be placed inside this sheath.
Sword name, Nine Songs. The sword had never left its sheath but it had defeated all swordsmen under Heaven. It was not among the top ten famous swords, but its reputation was no less than the rest.
And at this moment, the sword came out of its sheath!
The sword sheath flew towards Sikong Changfeng, stirring up a cloud of dust. Sikong Changfeng's expression did not change, until the sheath was right in front of him. Then, he slammed his spear.
The long spear collided against the sword sheath.
A deep ditch tens of zhang long appeared suddenly!
The wind blew wildly over the ground and the ghost-masked person flicked his long staff gently, dispersing the gust of wind in front of him.
Sikong Changfeng swung his spear, and the sword sheath flew straight back.
The sheath came out, but the sword had yet to appear!
Sikong Changfeng suddenly turned his horse's head, and lowered his spear. "Let's go."
"Truly worthy of a duel between experts on the Ultimate Experts List. It was really poetic." The ghost-masked person said with emotion.
"He has no intention of leaving his city."
"How do you know?"
"The sword intent on the sheath told me."
"Poetic, indeed." The ghost-masked person turned his head. "But I haven’t sent over my gift yet."
"You can do what Luo Qingyang did. Sword flying over ten miles." Sikong Changfeng said without turning around.
"I’ll try." The ghost-masked person flicked his long staff and knocked the wine flask at his waist into the air. He swung a heavy blow, hitting the flask, and swept it in the direction of the city gates.
A gray figure suddenly appeared on the city wall and reached out to catch the wine flask.
"The gift has been received. Let’s go." The ghost-masked person rode his horse and galloped away at fast speed, but in a different direction from Sikong Changfeng.
Sikong Changfeng turned his head at this moment, looked at his back thoughtfully, and whispered, "Baihu…"
*
Poetry note:
新鬼烦冤旧鬼哭，天阴雨湿声啾啾。
The new ghosts cry their grievances, the old ghosts weep bitterly. Days are overcast and grim, the rain falls on mournful wails.
The line is from 《兵车行》 (Soldiers and Chariots) by Tang dynasty poet, Du Fu. The poem was used to describe a desolate and grim landscape, especially of the frontier wilderness or battlefields of the past.
*
去年今日此门中，人面桃花相映红。
人面不知何处去，桃花依旧笑春风。
This time last year, I stood before this door. Your beautiful face was as pink as a peach blossom in bloom.
I know not where your face has gone. The peach blossoms are still blooming in the warm spring breeze.
Sikong Changfeng’s lines are from 《题都城南庄》 by Tang dynasty poet, Cui Hu. The story goes that during a trip, he stopped by a farmhouse to ask for a cup of water and a girl opened the door. He was struck by her beauty but when he came again the following year, the gate was locked. So, he wrote this poem and left it for the girl. Sikong Changfeng recited this poem as a hint that the masked person is a girl and that although the scene is similar to what he saw in the past, something has changed, i.e., the person wearing the mask (Baihu) is not the Baihu of his time.