Chapter Twelve: The Road to Escape (Part Two)

Seeing everyone return to normal, Baiyue urged them to rest early, saying the rabbit left over would be killed in the morning when they awoke. She and Baixing picked up their bundles and strode off with Bu Jingxian.

The elders hurried after them, anxiously asking what they were about. When they heard the three intended to forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms, they protested that such menial tasks should be left to them.

“How could our revered leader lower herself to such humble work? Please, allow your subordinates to handle this.”

“Rest,” Baiyue replied. “As I’ve said, we are fallen now. Baixing, Young Master Zuo, and I are more able to endure hardship than the rest of you. Such matters must fall to us.”

The disciples of the Twilight Glow Sect knelt, pleading bitterly to take over the task. Yet Baiyue, moved in recent days by Bu Jingxian’s willingness to toil, had resolved to go herself. She brought forth her authority as sect leader and issued a stern command; the others, both moved and ashamed, could only watch as the three departed.

Following Bu Jingxian, Baiyue and Baixing scoured the foraging grounds, but found little to gather.

“There’ll be less for breakfast tomorrow than there was for dinner tonight,” Baixing sighed.

“Let’s search further—perhaps we’ll find fruit trees or game,” Baiyue suggested, unwilling to give up.

“Very well.”

Neither sister had known much hardship before. They pressed on now, supported only by their sense of responsibility as leaders. Their clothes and hair were drenched with fragrant sweat, and after a day’s travel they were dusty and disheveled, but neither uttered a word of complaint. Gritting their teeth, they climbed alongside Bu Jingxian, searching for food.

Bu Jingxian had most feared the sisters would collapse from exhaustion—were that to happen, the Twilight Glow Sect would lose its pillars and fall into despair. But seeing their perseverance, he couldn’t help but feel a deep respect.

They searched until nearly midnight, but still found nothing.

Climbing a wooded slope, Baiyue and Baixing were both panting for breath. Bu Jingxian suggested they rest a moment.

As they sat, faint voices drifted by. Baiyue and Baixing thought someone was nearby, but Bu Jingxian tilted his head, listening intently. Suddenly, his face lit up with delight. “We’re saved! It’s the Clatterfruit!”

He brought them swiftly into the hollow where, beneath the moonlight, a grove of fruit trees shimmered in hues both bright and dim. The flat, round Clatterfruits hung from the branches; as the trio approached, every fruit opened its eyes and mouths, leaping and cheering with joy.

“Come eat me! I’m the sweetest, sweeter than all the rest! Come eat me, come eat me…”

The clamor shattered the midnight silence of the mountains, as raucous as a bustling market.

Staring at the abundance of fruit, Baiyue and Baixing were so overcome with joy that tears welled in their eyes and choked their throats. After enduring hunger and fatigue all day, chilled and exhausted in the deep mountains, hope had seemed lost—until, in the blink of an eye, deliverance appeared. Such joy could only move one to tears.

“Sister, it’s enough! There are so many, everyone will have their fill!” Baixing cried, running forward to pick the fruit.

Bu Jingxian urged the still-stunned Baiyue to gather some quickly as well.

“Let’s leave some for morning. If we gather more at dawn, we’ll have enough for breakfast and to carry through to midday. The rabbit and mushrooms will do for tomorrow’s supper.”

Returning to camp, their bundles spilled Clatterfruits across the ground. The mountains echoed with the cheerful cries of “Eat me! I’m the sweetest!” The sight of so many fruits brought delight to all; each person grabbed one to eat, clutching two more in their arms.

Even the sour ones were devoured without complaint.

Bu Jingxian ate two himself. Seeing the group’s spirits restored after their meal, their fighting spirit rekindled, he felt a quiet relief and urged the exhausted Baiyue and Baixing to sleep.

The night passed without incident. At dawn, Bu Jingxian woke first and slipped away to gather more Clatterfruit. On the way, he met Baiyue and Baixing, who had come looking for him.

“Why did you leave us behind?”

“It was too far; you needed your rest. If you collapsed, what would become of the Twilight Glow Sect?” Seeing their displeasure, he laughed. “No more politeness now. Since you’re here, let’s return together. With food secured for today, we can travel faster.”

The return journey was not short, and all were weary from the previous night. Baiyue, having rested well, asked about Ghostbane.

“Your internal skills are formidable. Why not teach Ghostbane yourself, instead of having him become my disciple? The Twilight Glow Sect may have some standing in Chen, but we are hardly first-rate in the martial world…”

“To be honest, my internal style cannot be used with any martial techniques. I’m not sure myself if it’s a blessing or a curse—how could I dare teach it to him?”

Baiyue suddenly understood. “No wonder you’ve always seemed uncertain in learning our sect’s martial arts.” She sighed. “Still, even the worst techniques of North Spirit Mountain must surpass ours.”

“I have my reasons. To be frank, though I know little of martial forms, I know much about internal cultivation. The Twilight Glow Sect’s internal methods aren’t poor, but they’re not exceptional either. Baixing once recited the first layer of the Twilight Glow Formula; I found seventeen flaws in its verses. It wasn’t my place to criticize, but as we’re now in the same boat…”

He noticed the sisters’ peculiar expressions and hastened to clarify, “We’re all family now. There’s no need for secrets. When we reach Chu, if you’re willing, I believe I can make some improvements to your internal style. I dare not promise it will become the most powerful in the world, but it should at least rise to the ranks of the elite.”

“Truly?” Baixing asked, delighted and without suspicion.

“I wouldn’t dare exaggerate.”

“Sister!”

Baiyue smiled. “Since we are united, what need is there for secrecy? How could I not trust him now?”

Bu Jingxian quietly rejoiced that he had caught himself in time. In their current plight, he had no mind for subtle thoughts of the sisters. A careless word might have caused hurt.

When they returned to camp, everyone was awake, and the sight of more Clatterfruit invigorated them. After breakfast, they set out, each carrying a few fruits. With food to replenish their strength, they made much better progress. Having learned from their ordeal, Baiyue and Baixing led by example, and everyone began to keep an eye out for edible plants, mushrooms, and wild fruits along the way.

Whenever they passed water, they looked for fish and shrimp—some even caught a few. A disciple who had once kept snakes for amusement found a snake’s den and lured out a large green serpent.

This gave Bu Jingxian insight. The royal way of Chu Gao Ge relied on the power of the collective, using virtue and authority to inspire everyone’s willing and enthusiastic participation. If he, Baiyue, and Baixing alone had sought food each day, he might have managed, but the sisters would surely not have endured.

At supper, he suggested everyone share their foraging experiences, so the others could learn.

The next day, the group found even more food, meeting not only their needs for the day but stocking reserves as well.

The despair that once hung over them now vanished without a trace; no one feared starving in the mountains any longer.

The mountain paths were rugged, and not as direct as the official roads. Their journey over mountains toward Chu took more than half a month.

At last, when they saw the rice fields below, the main road, and the distant, towering military stronghold of Xincheng, many were so moved they wept with joy.

They set foot on the main road of Chu, and though passersby eyed their ragged appearance, no one cared. Eagerly, they found a roadside inn, sat down, and ordered food and drink. Now that safety was at hand, Baixing cared nothing for how much the group ate or drank and let them order as they pleased.