In The Rain

Xie Jiu walked in the rain, letting the heavy raindrops fall onto him. His coat was drenched and getting heavier, but he didn’t seem to notice it.

Many years had passed, and he had always lived carefully and cautiously. Not only would he count every step he took, but he would even count which direction the dust raised up by his feet would go in. But now, he just wanted the rain to wash his warm temples.

He remembered the divination that Old Ba had calculated for Zhang Da Fo Ye and thought of how easily he had just left Zhang Qishan—a man who seemed to be as powerful as a mountain—in the house behind him to face the looming fate alone.

He was trembling as he walked, not knowing whether it was because he was so afraid of the future or because of the cold.

But he told himself that he had to stay calm. He looked at the familiar stone roads and people seeking shelter from the rain under the eaves and told himself that he had to calm down.

On that day, he walked around Changsha for ten hours. He walked until the rain got lighter and then heavier again. He walked until it was dark and then became bright again.

He passed by all those familiar and unfamiliar doorways, guessing what was going on inside. There were various sounds coming from within. Maybe it was the rain making him hear things, or maybe he had actually heard the noises. Either way, Xie Jiu understood that the people inside had no idea about the upcoming storm and subsequent ending. This ending was far different from what they might have imagined on any given day.

Finally, he stopped in front of Black Back the Sixth.

Master Six sat at the base of the wall under the eaves. Behind him was the inn, where the sound of people playing mahjong in the hall could be heard. Although Aunt Bai wasn’t a particularly clever woman, she knew better than Black Back the Sixth how to spend money. The clothes Black Back the Sixth wore were clean, and his hair and beard had been trimmed. Although he didn’t look very well-organized, he at least looked like a normal person.

It was just that he was still sitting at the base of the wall, listening to his woman playing a few rounds of mahjong in the inn. Maybe his initial enjoyment had left him too impressed. Or maybe his life was too simple to the point that there was no need to change at all.

How long had it been? Was it a few years ago when Master Six carried this woman on his back and returned to Changsha City? (1)

Xie Jiu couldn’t recall clearly, but he remembered the series of bloody footprints Master Six had left when he entered the city. Those footprints stretched so far that he couldn’t see the end of them. The thin shoes made the man’s feet freeze and crack, which resulted in countless wounds that left these bloody traces in the snow.

From then on, no one called him Lunatic Six. Even those who didn’t know his origin only dared call him Master Six when they talked about him. Some men would still occasionally ridicule him, but there were always women who would poke them in the head with their fingers and scold, “What Lunatic Six? Could you do what Lunatic Six has done?”

Aunt Bai had a good life later because everyone knew what would happen if they took what was Master Six’s. There were no other legends in Changsha City during those few years, so Black Back the Sixth’s incident was the only one passed down for a long time.

However, it’s all about to end.

Xie Jiu sighed.

He knew in his heart that Fo Ye letting him know about this matter wasn’t because he wanted his advice.

What kind of man was Fo Ye? There was no way that Fo Ye couldn’t understand such a simple truth.

Instead, Fo Ye wanted him to do something, and he was the only one who could do it.

I have to calm down.

Xie Jiu continued moving forward. He no longer walked slowly, but began to walk quickly toward his alley. His head had cooled off because of the rain, but it wasn’t enough.

He wanted unprecedented calmness.

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TN Notes:

(1) This is about the story of Black Back the Six rescuing Aunt Bai. Link here.

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Translated by: Tiffany X
Edited by: merebear226