I Will Leave Before Dawn

Chapter 11: An ode to Lord Yin Unseen

Beneath the shining light of a full moon, Zhang XiYi walked himself to a particular spot, where Damu Lan would often reminiscent memories during each of the passing months of a full moon.

It was a cliff not far from Damu Lan's chamber, and as Zhang XiYi walked, he could feel the wind dancing along his path. The bamboo leaves covered a certain sight, but he could promptly see Damu Lan standing tall at the usual place. Just as Zhang XiYi was about to call out his name, a sight caught him by surprise—next to Damu Lan, stood Lu Ye.

Damu Lan was tall, even taller than Zhang XiYi himself. Although Lu Ye did not match Zhang XiYi’s height, from a distance, Lu Ye's head aligned near Damu Lan’s ears.

Damu Lan had always preferred solitude when the full moon passed by, especially at that very spot. Thus, Lu Ye's presence was somewhat strange to Zhang XiYi.

"Damu Lan," Zhang XiYi called out to him nevertheless.

Both Damu Lan and Lu Ye turned to look at the newly arrived presence. Zhang XiYi's gaze accidentally met Lu Ye's. As he stared back at those deep brown eyes, a chill got to his spine. As if the eyes that had always looked innocent and pure now seemed tainted with the color of blood when the light of the full moon washed over him.

"Xi Yi, you're here too." Damu Lan remarked, responding to Zhang XiYi’s call.

The word "too" sounds somehow unpleasant to Zhang XiYi. Previously, it had always been him to stand there. To tell the truth, he forced himself to make sure Damu Lan grew accustomed to his presence and it took quite a few attempts before Damu Lan stopped dismissing him, so what was Lu Ye doing there, freely?

Zhang XiYi suppressed his thoughts and walked towards Damu Lan. Understanding, Lu Ye cupped his fist and bowed to Damu Lan, bidding him good night and started walking off. As they both walked towards the opposite path of one another, neither Lu Ye nor Zhang XiYi spared each other a single glance.

Zhang XiYi halted by Damu Lan's side, his gaze shifting upwards. Then he turned to Damu Lan directly. "What're you doing Damu Lan?"

Without looking at Zhang XiYi, Damu Lan kept his head tilted, his eyes fixed on the full moon.
"What do you think?"

"Appreciating the beauty of the full moon, again?" Zhang XiYi retorted.

Damu Lan smiled. He smiled, though it was a fleeting expression.

"You've been smiling quite easy as of late," Zhang XiYi remarked.

"Is that so?"

"That disciple of yours is really something. He even surpassed my capable Hua Ran."

"You're exaggerating him. It's thanks to Little Hua and the rest of your disciples that he was able to learn as much."

“Are you trying to make me feel better?" Zhang XiYi asked, chuckling.

Suddenly, a disciple came running to them, his breath catching in a huff as he bowed in hurry and informed.

"Ancestor Zhang, Qing Zhu Jun! We’ve got trouble! The residents of The Grim City are causing a ruckus at the entrance gate!"

A vein throbbed on Zhang XiYi's forehead, his hands clenched and his face flushed with anger as he listened.

"Damu Lan, we better hurry before they started destroying things in here again."

"..."

"Damu Lan?" Zhang XiYi turned his head to look at Damu Lan, who was looking down in acknowledgement, yet, his expression looked rather—uneasy. This never occured in the past.