Chapter 10: Awakening of Insects

After returning to the room, Wen Yao was so angry that she drank an entire pot of water. Her chest heaved with emotion, and despite her efforts to suppress her anger, she eventually erupted and said to Di Jiang: “Boss, what’s the point of curing Old Pan’s leg if he’s still such a coward in front of his wife? And his wife still looks down on him! Did you see that? Sister Li didn’t show an ounce of gratitude! Isn’t all our effort wasted?!”

“Everything in life happens according to fate; when the time is right, you’ll understand. You can’t rush it.” After saying this, Di Jiang opened the window, intending to let in some fresh air. Unexpectedly, at that moment, three loud drumbeats echoed from nearby—”Dong! — Dong! Dong!” Soon after, the night watchman’s hoarse voice rang out: “Big ghosts and little ghosts sit in rows, peace reigns tonight!”

“It’s the third watch of the night,” Di Jiang remarked as she glanced outside at the pitch-black sky. The earth was enveloped in darkness, while above, the heavens glowed a faint red. The moon hid behind crimson clouds, refusing to show its face. A chilling atmosphere permeated the air.

“It’s midnight… Start of Spring Thunder has arrived!” Wen Yao trembled with fear, exclaiming.

“Mm,” Di Jiang nodded, closing the window. She then instructed Wen Yao and Shu Xiang: “Tonight, you’ll sleep in my room.”

“Th-thank you, Boss!” Wen Yao shivered, quickly climbing into bed. Seeing this, Di Jiang pulled her down with a laugh: “This bed is mine. You and Shu Xiang can sleep on the floor.”

“Boss, you…” Wen Yao paused for a moment, clearly unhappy. With a crestfallen expression, she said: “I thought you’d suddenly turned soft-hearted and were worried about us.”

“I really do care about you. Otherwise, why would I have let you stay in my room? You know I don’t like anyone disturbing me when I sleep.”

“Oh.” Wen Yao nodded heavily, pulling Shu Xiang back to their respective rooms to fetch blankets.

After retrieving the blankets, Shu Xiang laid out their bedding in front of Di Jiang’s bed and naturally positioned himself on the outer side. Wen Yao wanted to say something more, but just then, thunder roared in the sky—one clap after another, as if exploding directly above their heads.

“Boss, save me!” Wen Yao shouted, diving straight into Di Jiang’s arms.

Di Jiang sighed helplessly, patting her back: “These surrounding mountains are full of caves, often inhabited by spirits and demons. Besides, during the Awakening of Insects, those who seek enlightenment through the Dao face calamities. It’s normal for lightning and thunder to be more frequent than usual. With your cultivation level, no thunderbolt will strike you. What are you afraid of?” Having said this, Di Jiang kicked her off the bed.

Wen Yao didn’t even feel the pain as she scrambled into the makeshift bed on the floor, wrapping herself completely in the blanket, even burying her head under it.

The thunder continued to rumble incessantly in the sky. Wen Yao paid no attention to what Di Jiang had said. Each deafening boom seemed to land directly on her heart, shaking her insides until she felt her liver and gallbladder splitting apart. She trembled uncontrollably, wishing she could cover herself with ten layers of blankets, wrapping herself tightly to gain a fleeting sense of security.

In contrast to Wen Yao’s terror, Shu Xiang lying beside her appeared utterly composed. His eyes were clear and transparent, showing no trace of fear. However, he wasn’t sleepy either. He simply lay there staring blankly at the ceiling, as if he could see through the roof to the bolts of heavenly lightning striking passing demons, burning them until they howled and disintegrated into ashes.

A faint smile even played on his lips.

Wen Yao stayed awake all night, finally drifting off to sleep only when dawn broke and the thunder gradually subsided. Shu Xiang, lying beside her, tucked her blanket securely before turning over and closing his eyes.

Di Jiang lay on the bed pretending to sleep. Seeing Shu Xiang’s respectful demeanor toward his companions brought her comfort, and soon, she too drifted into slumber.

Last night’s thunderstorm lasted all night, and today the sky remained overcast. It wasn’t until the afternoon that heavy rain poured down from the heavens.

The three slept soundly until the pitter-patter of rain against banana leaves woke Di Jiang.

Di Jiang’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately woke Wen Yao and Shu Xiang: “Quickly check if Zhong Xu is still in the room!”

Wen Yao, still dazed, was wiping her glasses, while Shu Xiang leapt up like a carp flipping in water, running out barefoot without even putting on his shoes. He returned shortly, shaking his head at Di Jiang: “Zhong Xu has already left.”

Di Jiang was shocked and immediately urged the two to get up and change clothes. She hastily splashed water on her face in the washbasin and quickly tidied herself up. Within moments, the three were fully dressed.

There was no time to leisurely walk into the mountains. Di Jiang calculated Zhong Xu’s location with a quick hand seal and then teleported the trio instantly to the peak of Nanhua Mountain.

On the day of the Awakening of Insects, the weather was chilly and warm by turns, especially now with torrential rain pouring from the sky. The entire forest was shrouded in somberness. The snow that had accumulated year-round on the treetops bent the branches under its weight, occasionally falling onto the heads of the three and slipping down their necks, sending chills through their bodies.

“So cold…” Wen Yao shivered. “Can’t we use magic now?”

“Of course not, Zhong Xu is ahead.”

“Alright...” Wen Yao’s trembling lips turned purple. Seeing this, Shu Xiang quickly retrieved the fox fur cloak from his pack.

Before leaving, he had taken a cloak as a precaution, but now it seemed he hadn’t brought enough. Thus, Di Jiang positioned herself in the middle, with the two of them on either side of her. The three clasped hands and shared the single fox fur cloak, providing some relief from the biting cold.

Not long after, the trio reached the edge of Nanhua Mountain’s peak. From afar, they spotted Zhong Xu holding a spade under a large cluster of pine trees, shoveling soil out of a pit one scoop at a time. In front of him was a wide, shallow grave about two feet deep—ample space for an urn. However, due to the relentless rain, the pit couldn’t stay dry, and water continued to accumulate inside.

Zhong Xu’s face and body were caked in mud, both fresh and dried. Each time the rain washed away the mud, new splashes would stick to him again.

Seeing this, Di Jiang felt a pang of pity. She discarded her cloak and umbrella, running over to squat beside him and help dig out the mud.

“Daoist Zhong, let me assist you.”

“How did you get here?” Zhong Xu was startled.

“I’ve come to see Sister Mei off,” Di Jiang replied, glancing at Zhong Xu before using her hands to scoop out the accumulated water in the pit. Her once-pristine, jade-like hands were instantly covered in mud, with dirt filling the spaces between her fingers.

Zhong Xu’s heart softened, but his hands didn’t stop moving. His movements became gentler, careful not to accidentally injure Di Jiang’s hands with his spade.

Wen Yao and Shu Xiang exchanged glances before squatting down to help as well.

“You… You really don’t need to do this,” Zhong Xu murmured, his cheeks flushing slightly. Though his words rejected their assistance, his closed-off heart had already been cracked open by their actions.

No one had ever helped him like this before.

From childhood to adulthood, he had always done everything alone.

He was used to acting independently.

“You should go back. You’ll catch a cold like this,” Zhong Xu said softly.

“Do you think I want to be here?” Wen Yao didn’t even glance at him, scooping water with effort and forcing a bitter smile. “The boss is digging mud. Do you think I can just stand idly by?”

Zhong Xu was at a loss. He reached out to steady Di Jiang, hesitating: “Boss Di, I understand your intentions, but…”

Before Zhong Xu could finish, Di Jiang interrupted him: “You think I’m helping you? No, I also want Sister Mei to leave in comfort.”

Zhong Xu hesitated, then nodded lightly: “Thank y—”

“You’re not Sister Mei; there’s no need to thank me. Besides, what you’re doing now is exactly what I’d have done,” Di Jiang cut him off again, smiling. “Let’s get started. Don’t stop. For this burial, the grave must remain clean.”

“What do you know?” Zhong Xu frowned, his voice low.

Di Jiang smiled faintly: “This area is surrounded by mountains, suitable for burials almost anywhere. Why did you choose such a cold and difficult-to-reach spot?”

“This…”

“I know a bit about Daoist geomancy. I know you’re kind-hearted and wanted to find a good feng shui spot for Sister Mei so that her family in this life and her next will have better fortunes. Am I right?”

Zhong Xu sighed and nodded.

“The dragon-rising feng shui layout most abhors stagnant water. Today, this grave pit absolutely cannot hold any water. With the rain falling so heavily and you without an umbrella, how did you plan to finish digging? Were you going to keep at it until tomorrow?” Di Jiang finished speaking, and Shu Xiang immediately understood. He stood up and propped the umbrella directly above the grave pit.

Zhong Xu stopped resisting and simply said softly: “Thank you.” Then, together with the three of them, he quickly cleared the accumulated water from the pit and placed Sister Mei’s urn inside, covering it with soil.

A small mound appeared atop Nanhua Mountain’s peak, the tombstone facing the ten-mile stretch of villages in Zhuangyuan Township, offering an endless view.

Strangely enough, after finishing everything, the torrential rain that had poured for half the day suddenly stopped. The rain had soaked their clothes completely, but they no longer cared about appearances. They sat on the ground by Sister Mei’s grave, finding ways to dry and burn the incense, candles, and spirit money they had brought.

By the time all was done, the evening sky was ablaze with crimson clouds.

“What are your plans next, Boss Di?” Zhong Xu asked.

“Stay two more days, then head back to Taiping Prefecture. What about you?”

“I’ll return tonight.”

“Tonight?” Di Jiang exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes.” Zhong Xu’s expression remained as stern and unsmiling as ever, but his eyes carried a hint of warmth, no longer as distant as before. He clasped his hands together and bowed to Di Jiang in farewell: “My task is complete, Boss Di. Until we meet again in Taiping Prefecture.”

Caught off guard by Zhong Xu’s sudden display of friendliness, Di Jiang was momentarily flustered. After a pause, she managed to say: “Daoist Zhong… Be safe on your journey.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them, silently berating herself for uttering something so trite.

Just as she was wallowing in regret, Zhong Xu suddenly smiled and said: “Likewise, Boss Di. Until next time!” With that, Zhong Xu tapped his foot and leapt into the air, disappearing swiftly.

He had always been decisive, never lingering or looking back after saying goodbye. Sure enough, within moments, only a white figure remained by the edge of the forest.