The Tale Never Ends Chapter 102

I felt as if a hole was bored deep into me. For over twenty years I had lived here, and suddenly it was my house no more, and the parents whom I loved and respected for more than two decades suddenly became strangers? Tears trickled down Mother's face uncontrollably as Father shook his head wearily, sighing hard as he pressed again, “Make your choice.”

I rubbed my face, swinging my legs out of the bed and walked to Father. “Would you still be delayed if I choose to remain?” I asked. Father shook his head, although Master Six's nodding head told me that he was lying.

The fact that Father was lying again made it all the more unbearable for me. “Father, Mother,” I said quickly without much thought, “You've done enough for me… I…” I could not finish what I wanted to say. Tears streamed down my cheeks. Father was chewing on a cigarette, and he said dejectedly, “Make no mistake, the delay of my ascension from the Human Realm is not because of this. I have my own reasons for refusing to depart. Even if you were to leave Wu Zhong County, I will still be here.”

My tears could not stop, no matter how many times I wiped my face. My grip on the sword tightened; and I said loudly, “I will never leave Wu Zhong, and I will never leave you all! I am me! The one and only Murong s.h.i.+yan! Even if you were to ascend, Father, I am still your son!”

Mother burst into a wailing cry and rushed over to hug me. A spirited smile broke open on Father's face as he continued chewing on his cigarette, although Master Six shook his head with disappointment and promptly left wordlessly. Later that day, Father confessed to me that it was during his adventures more than two decades ago when he and Mother had found me…

Father did not delve into the details of what happened, telling me only a trimmed-down version of events: he had encountered an old, wounded Taoist priest during his adventures. The priest was carrying a sword over his back and a baby in his arms. Despite his best efforts, Father failed to save the Taoist who was surviving through sheer will; he had sustained heavy gunshot wounds so grave that any other man would have long fell. With his last breath, he entrusted the sword and the baby to Father, disclosing that the baby was given to the priest by the owner of the sword. He begged Father to protect the child. But before Father could ask some more, the old priest died.

I was the toddler in the bundle, and the sword that the old priest carried was one and the same as the one I now held. Father took a swig of liquor from his flask. “The sword is part of you; it shares your life and destiny. I was also surprised myself when I took the sword, hence I named you after the sword, s.h.i.+yan.” “Did you not explore and find anything about me for all these years?” I asked, although Father did not reply, giving me only the merest of smiles.

In truth, I had not the slightest interest in knowing who my biological parents were, nor had I any enthusiasm to find out who or what had caused the death of the old Taoist priest. What mattered to me was the question of my father's ascension. Would I only be a hindrance to him and Mother? But my concerns were misplaced; Father had never wanted to ascend, rather, he loathed the very notion of it, at least I was sure. Father has rarely, if not never, displayed any desire in anything, and he was not one who would abandon his ascension for me. That was just not him.

So came a temporary halt in this mind-boggling and devastating matter; an impa.s.se that maintained indefinitely, until one day when Time would deem it otherwise. “Be careful,” Father said, gesturing towards the s.h.i.+yan Sword I was holding, “There might be trouble that may find you, since you now hold the sword. Deal with them, as your destiny dictates lest your sniveling Master Six comes disturbing me again!”

Days flitted by slowly, as the pa.s.sing of Time dulled what pain I felt that day. Life returned to normal at the Center although we began to worry of funds. Our days had turned bare and dry like the desolate soil in a famine since the conclusion of the Creed of the Eight Trigrams. For five months, we had not had any clients walking through the doors of the De Chang Center for Paranormal Studies until November beckoned. It was only fortunate that we had earned many funds during our strife against the Creed that we were able to survive this long.

It was another quiet day at the Center. Only scuds of fallen leaves and dust skimmed over the pavements outside. Yuan Chongxi crushed out the b.u.t.t of his cigarette in the ashtray sullenly. “It's seven! Let's go to eat! There's n.o.body for sure!” He grumbled. I nodded my tacit agreement.

We took out coats and was about to leave when our way out was blocked by a figure. At first glance, I had almost thought that it was a prospective client, until I realized that it was Lin Feng's girlfriend Yuanyuan. She was now a frequent visitor of the Center, coming frequently every few days to look for Lin Feng that both Yuan Chongxi and I were beginning to feel embarra.s.sed. But Yuanyuan has a gift of being able to be friends with anyone with ease. Her charismatic demeanor and cheerfulness were no small part of that. “Where are you boys going to?” She asked. “Dinner, where else,” I said casually, pulling a drag off my cigarette. To our surprise, Yuanyuan said quickly, “Heh heh heh! Come with me then! My colleagues and I are having a get-together!” I scratched my head. Yuan Chongxi never refused such invitations, but I was hardly interested. “You and Brother Lin just go ahead. It's weird having both of us along!” I said, but Yuanyuan grinned and said, “Come on! Everyone knows about you, Murong s.h.i.+yan! They are anxious to meet you! Moreover, you have not a girlfriend yet, have you? My colleagues are all beautiful and gorgeous!”

“I'm not interested in romance now! I do know even know who I am!” I muttered bleakly. “Come on, Brother s.h.i.+yan! I just don't understand you rich boy types! You worry about so much, even though you are showered with wealth! I myself would have been enjoying myself if I were to have much money!” She barked indignantly, still beaming widely. I could only grimace quietly. What loose lips you have, Lin Feng, I hissed to myself, must you tell your girlfriend everything!

Still, I eventually relented to Yuanyuan's pestering. We followed her to her gathering with her colleagues with Yuan Chongxi smiling ever so broadly at the prospects of food.

In the car on our way to the party, I remembered suddenly that Chongxi was also an orphan. “Have you ever wondered who your parents are, Chongxi,” I asked him. “Me? Nah. I'm not like you; to me, my teacher is all I have. Moreover, my parents would have been searching for me if they are alive. But if they indeed are well, and they are not looking for me, then it only says that they do not need me. But my teacher, he needs me!” I could only smile at his reply; Yuan Chongxi's answer was exactly as I expected. So was I, I mused, my parents were everything to me. The choice that Father had posed me that was hardly a choice.

The car screeched to a halt outside a restaurant and the four of us disembarked, with Yuanyuan tugging at Lin Feng's arm up the stairs while we followed behind. She looked excited enough to show off her handsome boyfriend to her bunch of colleagues.

Both Yuan Chongxi and I shared a weak smile as we watched from behind.

The gathering turned out to be an awkward affair; there was only three male – I, Lin Feng, and Yuan Chongxi – at the table of more than ten youngsters. Yuan Chongxi had only the deepest interest in the food, hence he could gobble down everything before him with hardly any discomfort. So same could also be said for Lin Feng, who already has a girlfriend in Yuanyuan. Despite not as das.h.i.+ng as Lin Feng, I alone felt terribly uncomfortable and out of place, being the only unattached male with nothing to do.