Chapter Sixty-Two: A Hasty Initiation

One Month Later

It was the rainy season. A shroud of mist cloaked the mountains in the early morning, veiling the towering peaks like gauze and rendering their shapes indistinct from afar. Only the upper halves of the summits could be seen, resembling the turbulent waves of the sea—majestic and awe-inspiring.

Amidst ancient pines and massive stones, a small figure was making his way down from the mountaintop. This was Su Bai, journeying across mountains and rivers toward the Blood River Pavilion.

At this moment, he was utterly disheveled—his clothes torn and caked with mud, scabs marking places where branches had scratched his skin.

He glanced to the side, where clear water cascaded from the summit, tumbling down into the swift current below. Before reaching the base, the water transformed into dense mist. When a gentle breeze swept across the surface, a fleeting, narrow silver ribbon appeared atop the water.

"This is the final barrier before reaching the Blood River Pavilion. Once I cross this river, I'll be there," Su Bai murmured, paying no mind to the rainbows flickering in the mist, his gaze fixed resolutely on the mountains across the river.

After exerting every ounce of his strength, Su Bai finally descended the mountain. Staring at the rushing waters, he could not help but worry: "The current is so swift—even boatmen would struggle to cross, and I have neither money nor strength left. How can I ford this river?"

As he pondered, unable to devise a solution, a loud voice interrupted his thoughts. From the distance, a small boat drifted slowly toward him.

A man nearing forty called out, "Young master, are you trying to cross the river? Boats here are rare. If you don’t take mine, you’ll have to swim across yourself."

Su Bai touched his empty pockets and his equally empty stomach, hesitating as he asked, "How much silver does it cost to cross?"

"My boat offers excellent service at a fair price—just two taels of silver to ferry you across," the man replied with a smile.

"What!" Su Bai exclaimed. He had never taken a boat in this world, but surely crossing a river shouldn’t cost so much. Looking around, he realized there was only this one boat, which left him troubled.

"Old Jiang, you must be mad for money! Junior brother will soon be one of us at the Blood River Pavilion, and yet you try to cheat your own brother out of his silver—almost scared him away. If Master hears of this, he’ll surely reprimand you," came a voice from the mist on the river.

Su Bai had not seen the speaker due to the haze, but as the words faded, someone seemed to descend from the sky, landing on the boat and greeting Su Bai with a courteous bow.

The boat now floated up to Su Bai.

He did not reply immediately, instead observing the young man: Dressed in snowy white, with feathers sewn into the back of his robe, his appearance was plain but so pallid that Su Bai almost mistook him for a corpse just out of the morgue.

Seeing the two approach, Su Bai first returned the bow and asked, "May I know the names of my senior brothers?"

The young man tossed his hair with a flourish and replied breezily, "I am Bai Yutang—'Bai' for feather, 'Tang' for the sea blossom."

Su Bai smiled awkwardly and nodded, secretly wondering how long this brother’s peculiar behavior might last.

He then turned to the boatman who had tried to charge him two taels, asking, "And this senior brother..."

Bai Yutang interjected dismissively, "No need to call him senior brother. Old Jiang isn’t one of your seniors—just a servant disciple."

"Come aboard," the middle-aged man surnamed Jiang said, his eyes dimming at the word "servant." Yet when he looked at Su Bai again, there was a hint of reverence, which made Su Bai curious. He had not fully integrated into the sect during his time at Da Yan Sect and was not sensitive to the nuances of status.

As he pondered this, Bai Yutang waved a hand before his eyes. "Junior brother, what are you thinking?"

"Oh!" Su Bai came to, bowing again. "I was recalling my journey from Youzhou, crossing mountains to seek a master. Now that I finally meet seniors, I may have lost my composure. Please forgive me."

Bai Yutang’s face stiffened at being called senior. "Hey, you’ll soon be under my master—no need for such formality."

Su Bai readily adjusted, bowing again. "Yes, senior brother."

Though the river was turbulent, the boat remained steady as if standing on solid ground.

Seated inside, Su Bai glanced at Bai Yutang, who was watching the distant waterfall at the bow, while Old Jiang quietly rowed at the stern.

Looking around, Su Bai stood and approached Bai Yutang, bowing once more. "I am unfamiliar with this place and will need your guidance. If I do anything improper, I ask your forgiveness."

Bai Yutang turned, a smile at the corner of his lips. "If you have any questions, just ask. No need for courtesy."

He tapped his chest proudly. "I am the Blood River Pavilion’s jack-of-all-trades—there’s no news I can’t uncover, no wall I can’t breach... cough, anyway, ask away."

"Thank you, senior brother," Su Bai said, then asked, "How much do you know about our master?"

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Su Bai was not particularly curious about the Blood River Pavilion itself. He figured that living within the sect would reveal its rules and customs, and he didn’t want to waste Bai Yutang’s words on trivialities that might annoy him. What truly mattered was the teacher he was about to meet—his background, temperament, martial skill, status—all unknown to Su Bai. For someone he might see often in the future, he wanted to be prepared.

"Heh, that’s a good question," Bai Yutang sized Su Bai up. "Actually, master sent us to meet you today by special order. I’d wager that before you even arrived, master’s agents were already watching you."

Under Bai Yutang’s gaze, Su Bai felt goosebumps rising and wondered, "He was smiling before, but now..."

Whatever Bai Yutang was thinking, he suddenly burst out laughing. "Haha, don’t be afraid. Master is just concerned for your safety."

Su Bai was left flustered by Bai Yutang’s abruptness and could only nod in assent.

"Even I know little of master’s background; the other senior brothers probably don’t either. And those who do wouldn’t reveal it easily. Junior brother, be careful when inquiring about others," Bai Yutang said, his eyes growing more playful.

"I am inexperienced and beg your indulgence," Su Bai replied, understanding the warning; it was indeed reckless to seek secrets of the upper ranks so soon.

"No matter, it’s just the two of us here; you won’t get into trouble," Bai Yutang waved off the concern.

Su Bai took his cue and fell silent, returning to the boat to wait.

"We’ve arrived!"

At Old Jiang's announcement, Su Bai and Bai Yutang stepped onto a path of river stones leading inland, its twists and turns concealing what lay ahead.

Looking forward, Su Bai saw Old Jiang nod respectfully to Bai Yutang, whose demeanor changed from casual to deeply reverent.

Bai Yutang and Su Bai walked for the time it took incense to burn before the rocky path opened up.

Su Bai finally glimpsed the sect’s gate: there was no ornate decoration, just a huge stone inscribed with three dark red characters: "Blood River Pavilion."

The calligraphy was neither the work of a master nor imbued with sword or blade aura, yet Su Bai felt a mysterious force pulling at him.

"Hey!"

Sensing something amiss, Bai Yutang immediately infused Su Bai with a burst of internal energy.

Su Bai’s eyes widened as he took deep breaths, breaking free from the stone’s spell and feeling a lingering fear, not daring to look at it again.

He did not ask Bai Yutang about the origins of those characters, but thanked him and hurried his pace, eager to meet his new master.

"Heh, don’t be alarmed. That stone was created after the sect rebellion was quelled by the current master and his disciples. The three characters were forged from the blood of the traitors. The murderous aura is unbearable for ordinary people; don’t worry."

If Su Bai had a mirror, he would have seen his eyes stained red, his pupils tinged violet. But as they walked on, the redness faded, leaving only a few blood threads in the whites.

Ever since he saw the characters on the stone, Su Bai had not spoken, following Bai Yutang in silence to their destination.

"Alright, I’ve brought you here. Go on in," Bai Yutang said.

Su Bai bowed silently, still shaken. Bai Yutang assumed he was traumatized and left without further comment.

Standing at the entrance, Su Bai was in turmoil; the blood-written characters had triggered memories as if he had lived them himself.

First, there was the serpent tattoo Su Qing had placed on his back at birth.

Then came memories that were not his own—more like fragments from a dream: a bronze gate, a jade ring, mountains of headless corpses, countless venomous snakes and rodents, and finally, a headless man who seemed to be himself, or at least the one whose memories he now possessed.

Even now, Su Bai’s heart trembled, and he stood for a long time without knocking.

"Just come in, don’t stand outside," called a voice. Su Bai looked around but saw no one. Many had passed by earlier, but this was the elders' resting chamber, a place rarely visited.

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Lost in recollections from the stone, Su Bai regretted not having observed the layout of the Blood River Pavilion.

Having met masters like Su Qing and Tang Jiuyuan, Su Bai’s vision was not that of a naive youth.

He reached out and pushed open the redwood door.

Inside, he examined the furnishings: a marble table with famous calligraphy and paintings, none of which Su Bai recognized, but he admired them nonetheless.

On another side was a study: a precious inkstone (Su Bai had one in his bamboo hut, so his standards were high), a pen holder made from yellow rosewood from the South Sea, and a small square box—its contents unknown. A purple sandalwood shelf held various books, but Su Bai did not reach for them, waiting quietly instead.

Less than half a tea’s time passed before footsteps sounded on the right-side stairs.

Su Bai looked up, sensing danger as a man appeared behind him, about forty years old.

Had he not been through so many dangers, his former self would have cried out in terror.

The man’s lifeless eyes made Su Bai’s breath catch.

Su Bai bowed deeply, "Master, please accept my respect."

The man gave no response, leaving Su Bai bent over in silence. Not daring to offend, Su Bai kept his posture.

An incense stick burned away. Su Bai, who had not eaten a proper meal for days, was nearly exhausted. The summer heat was relentless, sweat dripping onto the floor, his face pale as death.

The middle-aged man sipped tea, finally saying, "Rise."

Su Bai felt as if pardoned, and stood so quickly he nearly collapsed.

"I’ve read your letter of introduction. Dong Mu Ming speaks highly of you. But I’m not impressed with your performance today; I hope for more surprises in the future. As for how to address me... call me 'Master' for now, since the formal ceremony has yet to be held. To outsiders, there’s no difference between you and my disciples."

Su Bai instinctively checked his pocket as the man finished reading, finding the letter gone.

The man continued, "On the table is a box—you noticed it when you entered. Go open it."

Su Bai staggered to the table, his body aching, but managed to retrieve the box. When he opened it, a human face stared back at him.

A chill wind swept through, making his hands tremble.

"This is an important item you’ll use in the sect," the man said, rising and walking over.

He took the 'face' from the box, saying, "I put a lot of effort into making this. Ordinary craftsmanship can’t compare."

An incense stick later

A plain-looking boy stood before the bronze mirror, gently touching his face. His ragged clothes had been replaced by a white robe, presenting a fresh, though ordinary, appearance.

Wearing the mask felt like putting in contact lenses for the first time, except the change was far more profound.

"Enough. No need to linger here. It’s still early—go to Yunhua Pavilion in the west. Classes should be underway; join them. If you don’t know the way, the bundle hanging by my door contains everything you need—a complete map of the Blood River Pavilion, with restricted areas clearly marked. Go now."

The man gave Su Bai no opportunity to ask questions, simply urging him out.

Bang!

The door closed. Su Bai looked at the map in his hand, then at the bundle on his shoulder, and sighed, "Such a rushed admission process..."

Following the map’s directions, he reached the entrance of Yunhua Pavilion after an incense's time. It was an ordinary wooden building, five stories high, with the sound of reading drifting from inside.

Taking a deep breath, Su Bai stowed the map, placed his hands on the door, and pushed it open with all his strength...