I Will Leave Before Dawn

Chapter 10: Cang Ren's words aplenty

“I can’t believe it. This is exactly the grass I’ve been searching for!” Cang Ren exclaimed, carefully holding the grass presented to him.

“Damu Lan was the one who gave me this grass before. I didn’t expect you to actually succeed.”

“How? Where did you find it?” Asked Cang Ren.

Lu Ye replied, “Somewhere on the peak.”

“Where exactly?”

There was a moment of silence before Lu Ye asked back, “Did my master tell you?”

Cang Ren shook his head, noting the opposite.

“I believe there’s a reason why he didn’t want to tell. So I would appreciate it if you respect his wish for it to remain unknown.”

Cang Ren chuckled. “You two are truly different, but you bear a resemblance to him. It really brings back some dumb and shitty memories I wanted to forget.” He then stood up and walked over to the mirror.

Cang ren's unbound hair reached below his knees. Even though half of his face was covered with his hair, his form still stood gracefully beautiful as if he was an angel descending the heaven—if only his spoken words were as exquisite.

"Thank you, though," He said.

Lu Ye cupped his fist and bowed before leaving the remedial chamber.

Cang Ren took the grass and boiled it. After a while, he mixed it with a few other medicines. Once finished, he poured the concoction into a small bowl and seated himself in front of the mirror.

Carefully, he took a pin and began pulling his hair away from his face, revealing a sight he had been hiding for centuries—a scar crossing his eye. It's like the symbol “X” but without the /. The slice was really thin and clean. His eye could function normally, though the color differed from the other.

"It has been 1000 years. Why does it still sting?" Cang Ren muttered to himself, his hand gently applying the medicine to the scar. Despite the scar looking old, apparently, it continued to give him the same pain as when it did the first time. The grass was the only rare ingredient that works wonders to subside the pain. Though, it had its limits, and its effectiveness could only go so far.

After he finished, he just sat still, looking at his reflection within the mirror. In that moment, a cascade of memories surged forth, transporting him back to the moment when he was just an eighteen years old youth, still brimming with dreams and goals to accomplish. It was back at the time when he was still gracefully dancing with the sword.

It was back at the time when Bai Chang had yet to reveal himself to the world.

Cang Ren had caught sight of Damu Lan and someone walking beside him while he and his group were busy mocking Damu Lan's talent.

"What good does that Damu Lan bring that the sect leader prefers him over the other?"

"Who knows? Talk about that, I saw him coming out of master Huang's room after dawn before." Cang Ren spoke, come along a laughter burst from fellow disciples.

Cang Ren harbored a dislike for Damu Lan. To tell the truth, Cang Ren thought of Damu Lan as a hypocrite, who acted virtuously around Huang JunJie, the second sect leader and his master, but hated getting along with the others.

Suddenly, a fist struck on his cheek, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Mo Yun, you shithead! What do you think you're doing?!" Cang Ren shouted.

Mo Yun—or rather, Bai Chang was disguising himself as a youthful figure. Even though he appeared younger than his actual age, it was indeed his own body and image, unaltered and unmasked. Yet, it was his inherent nature that evoked a sense of awe, as if it were a challenge to break through the barrier of coldness that surrounded him.