Chapter 85 — Old Grounds
劍問蒼天 · Page 3 of 6
But before he could finish, Da Huang was already upon him. Caught off guard, the wild dog was bowled over by the great beast at once; barking and cursing filled the air, man and dog tumbling and staggering, crash and clatter! The Wild Wolf Daoist and Da Huang rolled away behind a patch of thorns, out of sight, and only the occasional furious shout could still be heard.
"Aiya! You dead dog, you're actually biting—hey, you brat, you beast, call this dog off, no, call off his teeth, ah... you dead dog, that's a man's leg, not a chicken leg! Let go, stop biting... aaaah..."
Ming Li paid no heed to the wild dog's miserable howls far off; he turned his head to look at Xiao Hui in his arms, a smile all over his face. He examined him closely and saw that after ten years apart, Xiao Hui had grown a little bigger, and felt heavier in his arms than before; even the mark between his eyes seemed to have grown somewhat larger.
And Xiao Hui, after the first flush of joy and excitement, was still grinning, and as in the old days he climbed up to his shoulder and habitually reached out to ruffle his hair.
Ming Li stood quietly, then slowly walked outward, to the edge of the grove, and gazed into the distance. There, before the mountain, was the place veiled in cloud and mist that had once been his warmest home.
He stood lost in thought, gazing deep.
How long passed, none could say, before Da Huang came trotting smugly out of the depths of the grove, wagging his head, tail sweeping ceaselessly, and bounded to Ming Li's side with a few "wang wang wang" barks.
Ming Li smiled and reached out to pat his head.
A moment later the Wild Wolf Daoist came stumbling out of the black bamboo, his robe a little more tattered than before, several new scratches on his dog's face, and the wounds on his legs faintly visible besides.
Seeing Da Huang crouched at Ming Li's side, he felt a stir of fear and did not dare approach; from afar he cursed furiously: "You dead dog, don't think having someone to back you up means anything—one day I'll butcher you!"
Da Huang whipped his head around and snarled at the Wild Wolf Daoist; the wild dog's soul nearly left his body, and he stumbled back several steps—but Da Huang only meant to frighten him, and a moment later did not pursue, turning his head away instead. The wild dog was reassured, but on no account dared curse again.
After gazing down the mountain for a good while, the first ray of sunlight of the day had quietly fallen, clothing the green hills in a pale golden garment.
Ming Li closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
A moment later he turned, took Xiao Hui from his shoulder into his arms, glanced at the wild dog, and said, "Let's go!"
The wild dog was only too glad to hear it; he hurried over, muttering, "This is just asking for trouble! Risking our lives for a monkey..."
Da Huang seemed to sense something; he rose and looked at Ming Li. Ming Li reached out and patted his head, smiled, and with a wave of his left hand a black rod glowing with dark blue light appeared—the very same "Dark Iron Staff" of old—which lifted him up and straight into the blue sky.
The wild dog was struck dumb, then grumbled: "You brat, where do you think you are! Even leaving, you have to make a spectacle of it..."
He was still grumbling when Da Huang suddenly broke into loud barking; the wild dog jumped in fright and hastily summoned his artifact, following after Ming Li.
Before the black bamboo grove, Da Huang stood alone, barking loudly, barking on and on and on...
His furious barking echoed through the mountains, and he did not stop, until a fair hand came to rest on the crown of his head and a soft voice said, "Da Huang, what's wrong? Why did you run all the way out here today, and why won't you stop barking?"
Da Huang seemed agitated, panting; he turned to look at Tian Lingsu, who was now a young married woman, then turned back and barked loudly at the sky.
"Wang wang, wang wang, wang wang wang wang..."