The Tenacious Master Lei and the Endless Tide

When Lei Ling awoke in Yifang Hall, dawn was just breaking, and camel-colored sunlight slanted through the window.

By his bedside, Luo Yifang held a chipped soup bowl filled with medicine, his eyes narrowed as he peered at Lei Ling. “Tell me,” he drawled, “how are you so damn tenacious?”

Lei Ling, who had been leaning against the headboard like a wilting plant, instantly bristled at the words. “Old Luo,” he exclaimed, “what are you doing here? And what exactly do you mean by that?”

Luo Yifang sighed, placing the bowl back on the table before glancing out the window. “You were afflicted by the ‘Five Corpse Heart Sutra’ yet neither died nor turned into a ghastly living corpse. You truly ought to thank the heavens and earth.”

Upon hearing this, Lei Ling threw his head back and laughed heartily. “Naturally! Lion dancing? Old Lei is the best at it! Every festival, I’ve never missed a single lion dance with my neighbors!”

Luo Yifang, disinclined to humor him further, idly calculated with his fingers for a moment before speaking slowly. “Little Lei, we first met in Quzhou, and it’s been about twenty years since, hasn’t it?”

Lei Ling’s laughter immediately ceased, his heart sinking with a ‘thump.’ ‘That damn Old Luo isn’t going to ask me for money, is he?’ he thought.

His mind racing, he swiftly rolled his eyes and began to groan dramatically from the bed. “Oh, oh, ouch…”

Luo Yifang shot him a glance. “What in the world are you wailing about on my bed?”

“Oh, oh… my back hurts here… I can’t straighten up… my legs ache… my feet are numb… Old Lei’s martial arts school might have to close for a while… I might even have to go begging on the streets…”

Luo Yifang’s eyelids twitched violently, veins bulging on his forehead. “Are you truly so shameless as to feign injury in front of an old man like me, who’s practically got one foot in the grave?”

“Oh, oh… truly, Old Lei is cursed with misfortune. My rebellious disciples are each more infuriating than the last, and now I’ve encountered natural and man-made disasters…”

“Master Lei, seeing you so spirited, you must be almost fully recovered, yes?”

At the sound of this clear, delicate voice, Lei Ling instantly froze.

Xu Niantang walked in, paused by the bed to look at Lei Ling, and smiled. “You suddenly vomited blood and fainted yesterday, which quite thoroughly terrified those ‘unfilial, rebellious disciples’ you speak of. It just goes to show how much they care for you, so in the future, don’t casually malign them anymore.”

Lei Ling was momentarily stunned before realizing that he had indeed vomited blood last night. His face instantly paled with fear. “Holy hell, Old Lei isn’t going to die young, is he?”

Luo Yifang, as if shaking off a tenacious plaster, forcefully dislodged Lei Ling’s frantically clinging arm. “Good men die young, but scourges live for a thousand years. You’re definitely not dying, you bastard!”

****

The three settled down inside the room. After listening to Luo Yifang’s account of what had transpired during his unconsciousness, Lei Ling posed a question. “So, you used a drop of my grand-aunt’s blood as a medicinal primer, brewed a concoction for Old Lei to drink, and that cured the illness?”

“Precisely,” Luo Yifang affirmed, stroking his beard. “When your disciples brought you here last night, the young lady was also present.”

As he recalled the earlier situation, he continued, “The young lady had visited this old man before, suffering from a high fever at the time. I had initially thought, given her constitution, that she wouldn’t survive past the fifth day, yet to my surprise, she bounced back full of vigor.”

Xu Niantang, seated on a small stool nearby, smiled and interjected, “That only proves Doctor Luo’s medical skills are superb, and his medicine is effective.”

“Oh, please, young lady, don’t praise me so much; I don’t deserve it,” Luo Yifang said, waving his hands repeatedly. “The young lady isn’t troubled by this strange illness precisely because of her blood.”

Lei Ling’s mind was utterly blank; he stared, eyes wide as if they might pop out, yet couldn’t fathom it. “What does this have to do with my grand-aunt’s blood?”

Luo Yifang felt explaining anything to such a monumental idiot and illiterate was a waste of his life. Just as he was about to unleash a tirade, two martial arts school disciples burst through the door. “Holy hell, Master! You’re finally awake! We can’t hold out much longer!”

Lei Ling desperately wanted to tell them to separate “Holy hell” from “Master,” and not to utter them in the same breath.

However, the disciples offered no respite. They rushed to the bedside with a series of urgent thuds, trying to pull him up. “Master! There are simply too many of those things outside the gate! If you don’t take charge and steady our morale, we truly can’t withstand them!”

Lei Ling listened, somewhat bewildered. “What things? What’s outside the gate?”

Luo Yifang slowly interjected, “Ah, yes, I forgot to mention. During your unconsciousness, half of Quzhou City has been infested with corpse puppets. In case you don’t understand, let me explain: corpse puppets are the animated kind, and they eat people.”

Lei Ling retorted, “Then why didn’t you tell me about such a massive issue sooner?”

Luo Yifang sneered. “Someone like you, who starts sniveling and clinging, fearing an early demise at the mere sight of blood—if I told you the outside was crawling with living corpses, wouldn’t you just wet the bed?”

Lei Ling, equally indignant, loudly retorted, “Do you think I’m like those rebellious disciples of Old Lei’s? The kind who wet their pants listening to a story and still won’t get up?”

The two disciples who had rushed in to report looked confused.

Lei Ling scrambled out of bed, planting his feet wide apart, and thumped his chest. “Heh heh, you bunch of greenhorns and younglings, you still know to seek your Master in a crucial moment, don’t you? Let’s go! Whatever those things outside are, we’ll go meet them!”

With a grand wave of his hand, he declared his intention to lead his followers out with imposing might.

Yet, not a single person remained before him. Only scattered voices drifted in from outside. “Damn it, why didn’t we see Grandmaster’s wife at first? Who needs a Master when we have Grandmaster’s wife? If you, old one, just sit in the formation, cross your long legs, toss your hair, and cast a seductive glance, wouldn’t everyone directly charge into battle with a roar?”

****

Several hours passed, though no one kept track. The sun gradually began to dip, and blood spattered amidst the clash of blades.

Lei Ling leaned against a wall, breathing heavily, and addressed a disciple beside him. “Your Master is currently combining movement with stillness, observing the enemy. I’m certainly not tired from fighting!”

The disciple, quick to understand, immediately replied, “I get it! Master, you rest! Watch me!”

From a distance, Luo Yifang, who was being attacked by three corpse puppets, yelled, “Little Lei, how can you be so utterly shameless? To actually make your disciple cover for you?”

Lei Ling spat disdainfully. “Old Lei is a highly respected and beloved figure, damn it! My disciples voluntarily shield their Master. You disrespectful, lonely old man, you must be green with envy!”

Before Lei Ling could finish his posturing, that same disciple charged forward, shouting, “Grandmaster’s wife, please step back a bit! I’ll assist you!”

Lei Ling was quick to react, immediately giving him a thumbs-up. “Truly a disciple taught by Old Lei! You understand the importance of seniority! Respecting your elders and valuing the Dao—you have my heart!”

Luo Yifang’s distant complaints were drowned out by the low growls of the corpse puppets. Lei Ling simply pretended not to hear, raised his blade once more, took a few breaths to adjust his stance, and charged back into the fray.

His cherished Nine-Ring Fury Blade had long since become blunted and chipped. The nine small iron rings that once jingled in the wind were now lost to who knew where.

Now, he was Lei Ling, the “Invincible Throughout Quzhou.”

He darted into the tide of corpses, plunging his blade through one, spraying blood all over himself. His blade flashed, followed by a sickening crunch, and a head fell to the ground. Without missing a beat, he grabbed the corpse puppet’s neck, lifted his foot, and delivered a powerful kick to its chest, sending it flying several dozen feet away.

Lei Ling turned his head and shouted to Luo Yifang, “Old Luo! Did you see my ‘Overlord Lifts the Cauldron’ move just now? My master taught me that!”

Luo Yifang, sinking his *qi* into his *dantian* and concentrating his internal energy at his fingertips, consecutively knocked down two corpse puppets. “Didn’t see it!”

Lei Ling immediately grew agitated. “How the hell could you not see such a cool move just now?”

Luo Yifang sneered, “Little Lei, are you afraid of dying? Are you deliberately joking around with this old man?”

Lei Ling scoffed, “Pah! Would Old Lei ever fear death? These half-dead abominations aren’t even enough to stick between my teeth!”

With a shake of the long blade in his hand, he prepared to rush forward a few steps, intending to once again charge in and out of the corpse tide, killing at will.

Yet, his knees suddenly gave out, and he abruptly collapsed.

He coughed violently a few times, then lowered his head to look closely. The ground before him was stained a dark crimson.

A disciple noticed something amiss. “Master, what’s wrong?”

Lei Ling laughed loudly. “It’s nothing, just that my illness isn’t fully cured, and I got ambushed by a youngster!”

He nearly ground his molars to dust, forcibly swallowing another surge of fresh blood that rose in his throat. He struggled to his feet, only for his vision to suddenly blur, his surroundings becoming indistinct.

A sudden chill permeated his entire body, as if his warmth was steadily draining away. Yet, for some unknown reason, the sluggish, slow beating of his heart echoed with unusual clarity within his chest.

Just then, a gust of wind swept past from behind, bringing with it the low howl of a corpse puppet.

He could almost feel the pain of a corpse puppet tearing through his chest. A powerful will to survive spurred him to let out a thunderous shout, his eyes wide, as he turned to unleash a strike.

But someone was faster. A flash of golden light, and the corpse puppet split into two halves, blood gushing forth like a spring.

Lei Ling’s pupils constricted in shock. “Tan, you bastard?”

Tan Xianglong strode forward, his Golden Blade flashing repeatedly as he chopped down several advancing corpse puppets. “Lei, you old bastard, I can’t let you just kick the bucket with the title ‘Invincible Throughout Quzhou.’ I’ll have to snatch it from you while you’re still alive!”

Lei Ling paused, then burst into hearty laughter. “Haha! That’s exactly right! Old Lei’s cultivation has greatly advanced, and if I don’t have a real fight with you, it’ll feel damn unsatisfying!”

Tan Xianglong swung his blade, and two more corpse puppet heads fell. “So hurry up and get far away from here! Don’t be in the way. A useless injured person like you should go to the spectator stands over there!”

Luo Yifang’s fingers were numb from striking, yet corpse puppets continued to surge forward relentlessly. Hearing the exchange between the two, he quickly chimed in, “This old man is well past eighty, practically half-injured myself. Can I also retreat for now…?”

Lei Ling was astonished. “Old Luo, I used to think you were merely thick-skinned, but I never realized you were utterly shameless!”

Tan Xianglong furiously chopped several times, then gasped for breath. “Last night, I ran into a crazy woman who started fighting me for no reason. Now, in broad daylight, I encounter two scoundrels! All of you, hurry up and get lost! Meeting you two is my bad luck. From now on, don’t ever use my ‘Golden Blade’ title again when you’re out!”

They exchanged insults, yet it also felt like mutual jesting. Even more, it felt like they were encouraging each other.

They fought from sunrise to high noon, and from high noon until the sun set in the west.

The tide of corpses was temporarily repelled by the three. Kicking away a corpse puppet that had fallen onto his shoulder, Tan Xianglong finally ran out of strength, swaying and nearly collapsing.

Lei Ling, slumped against a wall in a corner, glanced at him. “What’s wrong? Is Quzhou City’s ‘Golden Blade Constable’ about to kick the bucket too?”

Tan Xianglong sneered, “I’m still better than you, Master Lei, the ‘Invincible Throughout Quzhou’ who was the first to bolt.”

Luo Yifang leaned against a pile of corpses, his expression haggard like withered wood, speaking weakly. “Constable Tan, aren’t you a government official? Why haven’t the soldiers come to rescue us?”

Tan Xianglong replied, “In a massive city like Quzhou, do you think those useless soldiers, who can’t even catch a hot meal, would be able to handle a corpse tide of this magnitude?”

Lei Ling retorted, “Tan, your language is awfully crude. Are you saying you can eat shit while it’s still hot?”

Tan Xianglong fell silent for a moment, then roared, “It’s because I ate shit too fast that I got into this mess! Next time, I’m absolutely not taking on those cases that look suspicious!”

Lei Ling chuckled. “Tan, do you think there’ll be a next time for you? All of us are going to die here today. We’ll be companions on the road to the Yellow Springs.”

His words brought a moment of silence among them.

Then Luo Yifang began to curse. “This old man clearly didn’t check the almanac. I shouldn’t have taken on you, this sick, ill-fated patient, last night!”

Lei Ling grew agitated at his retort. “Old Luo, how can you say that? If you hadn’t cured Old Lei, wouldn’t my respectful disciples have torn you to shreds? Would you even be alive right now?”

Luo Yifang couldn’t hold back, openly mocking him. “Those ‘respectful’ disciples of yours have all vanished without a trace! They’ve all run off to protect that young lady and escape!”

A gust of wind swept through at that moment.

Its sound was very, very low, like a whimper.

Lei Ling was the first to speak. “Good, in that case, the task Grandmaster assigned to Old Lei is half-accomplished.”

Luo Yifang said, “The young lady saved your life with her blood, and now you’re giving your life in return. How has a single-minded fool like you survived in the martial world until now?”

Lei Ling scoffed, “You’re an outsider; don’t interfere if you don’t understand!”

Luo Yifang was too tired to fight, but his tongue was still sharp. “Outsider? When the young lady came to this old man for treatment, you were probably still wetting your bed, terrified by this strange illness!”

Tan Xianglong, tired of their bickering, roared, “Both of you shut up! You’re about to die, yet you’re still whining and spouting nonsense. Have you used up all your farts so you won’t make a sound on the road to the Yellow Springs?”

The two were so thoroughly scolded that they had no choice but to fall silent.

But the quiet lasted only a moment before rustling sounds emerged from the distance.

The setting sun was about to dip below the horizon, its last rays lingering on the earth with a reluctant embrace.

Further away, a dense, dark tide of corpses surged forward.

Tan Xianglong cursed under his breath. “Damn it, it really is endless.”

Luo Yifang looked up at the sky. “Throughout my life, this old man has prescribed two thousand five hundred and ninety-three remedies, curing two thousand five hundred and ninety-two difficult cases…”

Lei Ling shouted loudly, “Damn it, raising disciples is truly worse than raising dogs. Not a single one to see me off at the end!”

The sun was about to set, and the three, by unspoken agreement, helped each other to their feet.

Eerie footsteps drew closer, each one like a tolling bell of doom. They cast one last glance at the fiery clouds in the sky, the sunset still appearing magnificent and dreamlike.