Whispers of a Lonely City Beyond the Heavens – Chapter 30

Ch 30: Midnight Rain Comes Swiftly

“Grandfather, where are we going now?” Wei Wei asked.

“Into the mountains first. Tian Weihu and his men are still in the city, so there shouldn’t be any Restricted Mountain forces in the mountains yet.”

“Let’s head to Dragon’s Roar Valley. The old house there should still be livable.” Long Yang looked up at the sky—no stars were visible, surely covered by dark clouds. The wind outside the city had grown stronger and cooler.

“To that place, then. You take Wei Wei and settle there. I’ll go into the mountains to gather herbs.”

Long Yang wanted to say he could gather the herbs himself but knew Zhang Tianxun wouldn’t agree, so he stayed silent. He walked while quietly thinking of a plan.

Zhang Tianxun sped up, and Long Yang had to nearly run to keep pace. It didn’t take them long to enter Dragon’s Roar Valley from the gourd-shaped southern entrance.

“This place is good—very secluded,” Zhang Tianxun said.

The door to the old house wasn’t locked. Long Yang took out his lighter and went inside to check. The mountain air carried almost no dust, and the house was clean enough to live in without tidying up, though it lacked bedding or pillows.

After a brief rest, Zhang Tianxun said, “Yangyang, you mentioned a path near Shadowless Pool that leads into the mountains. Take me to see it.” He picked up the Flying Frost Sword and stepped outside.

Seeing Zhang Tianxun’s determination to go into the mountains alone, Long Yang had no choice but to grab Xiao Hei and follow. Wei Wei tagged along too.

At the mountain entrance by Shadowless Pool, Zhang Tianxun scanned the path ahead.

Letting his true energy flow, his eyesight sharpened. Though the mountains were cloaked in endless darkness, he focused intently and could still make out details over a hundred meters ahead.

“This path is decent,” he said. “Right now, I need to conserve my true energy, so I’ll take this route into the mountains. Wei Wei, go back with your big brother and wait for Grandfather.”

“No way!” Wei Wei was on the verge of tears. “Grandfather, I want to go with you. I can take care of you.”

“You need to listen,” Zhang Tianxun said, growing anxious.

Usually gentle with Wei Wei, his tone now carried a rare sternness. Caught between frustration and grievance, Wei Wei burst into tears with a loud “Wah!”

“Take good care of Wei Wei,” Zhang Tianxun said, glancing at Long Yang. He reached out to tap Wei Wei’s sleep acupoint, but a sudden rumble echoed through the mountains—thunder had arrived.

The booming sound reverberated through the peaks, lingering endlessly.

“Senior, look over there!” From the northern sky, a blinding flash of lightning streaked through. It illuminated the night, and as they looked, they saw a massive, dark cloud overhead, a thick mist hanging from it like a curtain of rain—a torrential downpour was sweeping through the mountains.

“Senior, the rain’s heading this way. Let’s head back to take shelter first.”

Zhang Tianxun hesitated, but Long Yang grew urgent. “Senior, the storms in these mountains are fierce. I’ve encountered one on this very path before—it was daytime then. At night, heavy rain can blind you. Even with your godlike martial skills, you shouldn’t go into the mountains now.”

Zhang Tianxun stomped his foot, and the three turned back. Just as they reached the old house, a deluge began pouring down with a loud rush.

Zhang Tianxun sat in the dark, sighing. Long Yang reassured him, “Senior, focus on recuperating now. With Wei Wei and me here to watch over you, you can enter the third layer of the Xuanwu Divine Realm. I’ll wake you once the rain stops.”

“Alright, call me when the rain lightens.”

Zhang Tianxun sat cross-legged in silence, entering the Xuanwu Divine Realm. Long Yang waited a while, listening to his breathing—it was inaudible. He gently touched Zhang Tianxun’s wrist; it was ice-cold, with barely a pulse.

Mountain rain comes fast and leaves just as quickly. After a short while, the downpour outside lessened significantly.

“Wei Wei,” Long Yang whispered, “stay here and watch Grandfather. If anything happens, wake him up. You know how to do that, right?”

Wei Wei’s wide eyes gleamed in the dark as she nodded. “Big Brother, what are you going to do?”

“I’m going into the mountains to gather herbs. Wei Wei, tell me first—what does Rain Spirit Grass look like, and how do I find it?”

“Big Brother, so you were tricking Grandfather!” Wei Wei said with delight. “I won’t tell you—I’m going with you!”

“You need to watch Grandfather,” Long Yang said, exasperated by the stubborn girl. “If I can’t find it, I’ll come back soon, okay?”

“No way!” Wei Wei stood up. “Big Brother, Grandfather taught me how to identify Rain Spirit Grass, and I know how to find it. You won’t find it without me.” She reached for the Flying Frost Sword.

Long Yang couldn’t afford to waste more time.

Wei Wei’s light body skill far surpassed his, so entering the mountains should be easy for her. Trained personally by Zhang Tianxun, her swordsmanship was surely impressive too. With the Flying Frost Sword, they could likely handle even a large Mountain Jiaolong if they encountered one.

Since she insisted on coming, they’d go together. The key was speed—they had to return before dawn.

“Fine, let’s go.” Long Yang stepped out first, and Xiao Hei followed.

Long Yang had considered leaving Xiao Hei to guard Zhang Tianxun, but it was just a dog—a small one at that. Even Wei Wei wouldn’t listen to him, so expecting obedience from it was unrealistic. Besides, if something happened, it couldn’t call out Zhang Tianxun’s name.

After a moment’s thought, Long Yang brought Xiao Hei along. He hurried ahead, leading them to the northwestern mountain entrance.

The first stretch of the Sky Plank Road was made of protruding stones along the cliff wall. On one of them lay a complete human skeleton.

Long Yang’s heart skipped a beat as he reached this spot…

That time, he’d been practicing martial arts here, discovered the skeleton, and on his way back, a sudden storm nearly killed him.

But no matter what, he couldn’t afford to be afraid now.

Time was critical. To get the Rain Spirit Grass before the mountains were sealed, they had to move fast!

Steadying himself, Long Yang said, “Wei Wei, I’ll go first. Follow behind me. If I slip, you can help me in time.”

With that, he leaped lightly onto the first protruding rock.

“Big Brother, be careful.” The rocks weren’t large. As Long Yang jumped to the second one, Wei Wei followed closely, landing on the first.

Xiao Hei trailed behind Wei Wei.

Long Yang had worried the wet rocks might be slippery, but after leaping across several, he found each landing and takeoff light and steady, with no slipping. He was both surprised and elated—it was a level of skill he’d never imagined reaching before.

“Big Brother, great kung fu!” Wei Wei’s praise came from behind.

Long Yang landed on the large rock with the skeleton. Worried Wei Wei might get scared, he paused. Wei Wei, midair behind him, had already spotted it.

“Big Brother, what’s that?” she asked, alarmed.

“Wei Wei, don’t be afraid. It’s just a dead person’s bones.”

“I’m not scared, Big Brother. Let’s keep going,” Wei Wei said, though her voice trembled slightly. Long Yang turned, took her hand, and led her past the skeleton.

Then they picked up their pace. It didn’t take long to cross the Sky Plank Road and reach the northwest corner of the mountain.