Chapter 23 — The Contest

The monkey Xiaohui saw the man standing before it staring straight at him, eyes fixed in a most peculiar way, and flew into a rage. With a "swoosh" it flipped its paws up and clawed at him. The man, caught off guard, nearly had his face raked open; fortunately his reflexes were quick, and he jerked his head back hard, dodging by a hair's breadth.

Zhang Qingyue was startled and hastily called Xiaohui off. Turning to look at the man, he saw that he was plainly badly shaken, one hand pressed to his face, muttering over and over: "Close call, close call."

Zhang Qingyue felt rather guilty and said, "Senior Brother, I'm terribly sorry!"

Unexpectedly the man did not seem to mind. He smiled faintly and waved a hand: "It's nothing. My own carelessness—I forgot that the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey (Note 1) has a fierce temper and is quick to bite."

Zhang Qingyue blinked. "Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey?"

The man was taken aback. "What—you didn't know this monkey was a Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey?"

Zhang Qingyue was baffled. "What in the world is a Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey?"

The man's eyes went wide. He looked Zhang Qingyue up and down and said, "You don't even know what a Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey is, and yet you keep one?"

Zhang Qingyue said, "I ran into it once while I was cutting bamboo in the grove. It pelted me with pinecones a few times, and then it just followed me home."

The young Qingyun disciple opposite him now looked as though his jaw might drop off. He murmured, "A few pinecones and it followed him home, a few pinecones and it followed him home..."

Seeing him muttering away like a madman, Zhang Qingyue shook his head and turned to go. But he had not gone far when the man actually came after him, his face wreathed in smiles, and said in a low voice, "Junior Brother—oh, no, Senior Brother, you..."

It was the first time in his life Zhang Qingyue had been called "Senior Brother," and seeing that the man was at least twenty, he hurriedly said, "Oh, I don't deserve that. If there's something you want to say, just say it."

The man paused, then beamed all the more. "Ha, you really are easy to talk to, Junior Brother. Ah—how about this, let me introduce myself. My humble surname is Zeng, and my given name is Shuyan..." He trailed off. "And your name is...?"

Zhang Qingyue said, "I am Zhang Qingyue, a disciple of Dazhu Peak. Senior Brother Zeng Shuyan, you—er, 'Uncle'?"

The man started, then his face reddened slightly and he laughed awkwardly: "Ah, I wasn't trying to take advantage of you on purpose. My *shuyan* is the *shu* of 'book' and the *yan* of 'words'—not the *shu* of 'uncle.' This is all my father's fault. When I was born, my mother wanted to name me Yingxiong, 'Hero'—now wouldn't Zeng Yingxiong have been a grand name? But my father saw that I loved reading from the time I was small, and on a whim named me Shuyan. It's made me a laughingstock my whole life. Honestly."

Zhang Qingyue could not help laughing aloud, thinking to himself that this man's name had much the same flavor as Sixth Senior Brother's. His earlier gloom had been broken by this fellow and thinned out considerably, and he felt a little warmer toward him. "Ah—so you're very fond of reading, Senior Brother Zeng?"

ZENG: "That I am. About this I can't be modest—on all of Fenghui Peak there's no one who's read more books than I have. Though most of what I read is strange tales and exotic lore, records of spirits and prodigies; it often drives my father half out of his mind. Ah, but back to the point—you really didn't know this monkey was a 'Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey'?"

Zhang Qingyue shook his head. "I didn't. I just thought it was an ordinary monkey."

At this, as if understanding his words, the monkey Xiaohui, crouched on his shoulder, suddenly let out a shrill "chit-chit" and gave Zhang Qingyue's hair a hard yank, hurting him so much that he cried out: "Ai-ya, you wretched monkey!"

ZENG SHUYAN: "Ah—clever indeed."

Zhang Qingyue endured the pain and said, "This wretched monkey does nothing but hit people, and you call it clever?"

ZENG: "Don't let its plain looks deceive you. For that alone—that spiritual nature of its—it is among the rarest of spirit creatures. Look there, between its eyes, above its brow—don't you see a tiny vertical line?"

Zhang Qingyue turned its head and looked closely. Sure enough, beneath the gray fur there was now a faint vertical mark of paler color, one that could never be seen without careful scrutiny. He could not help saying to Zeng, "You can see something that small? Impressive, truly impressive!"

ZENG: "Don't underestimate it. I once read in the 'Spirit Beasts' chapter of the *Records of Gods, Demons, and Wonders* (Note 2) that the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey is a creature of rare spiritual power. In its youth it looks no different from an ordinary monkey, but when grown, the third spirit eye on its brow opens, and its spiritual nature unfolds greatly. Not only can it comprehend the immortal arts of the Five Elements, it can see things a thousand *li* away. They say the 'thousand-li eye' of the old tales refers to none other than the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey."

Zhang Qingyue lifted the monkey Xiaohui down and held it before his eyes for a careful look, unable for a moment to believe that this monkey, which had lived with him two years, was really such a distinguished creature. Yet look as he might, it looked like nothing but a thoroughly ordinary—and rather plump—monkey. It was heavy in his hands, too, as if after a single night on Jietian Peak it had put on a few more catties.

The monkey Xiaohui wondered why everyone today kept staring at it without cease, and set up a ceaseless shrill "chit-chit-chit-chit," much aggrieved. Zhang Qingyue made a face at it and tossed it casually onto Da Huang's back. Da Huang started and sprang away, only relaxing once it saw that it was Xiaohui. Xiaohui waved its arms and legs at Zhang Qingyue as if to make a show of defiance, and kept up its screeching some time before stopping. Then it leaned against Da Huang, and a moment later its attention was caught by the fleas in Da Huang's coat.

Zeng Shuyan looked at Xiaohui with envy, then turned back to Zhang Qingyue: "Junior Brother Zhang, have you also come to Jietian Peak for the Seven Peaks Martial Contest?"

Zhang Qingyue nodded. "And you, Senior Brother Zeng?"

ZENG: "Me too. In yesterday's drawing I got number thirty-three. I wonder what number you drew—surely it wouldn't be so coincidental that we're each other's opponent today?"

Zhang Qingyue laughed too. "I'm number one."

ZENG: "So you're that disciple from Dazhu Peak yesterday?"

Zhang Qingyue flushed and nodded.

ZENG: "Your luck is truly good." He calculated in his head, then said, "We wouldn't meet until the final round. That seems a very tall order."

Zhang Qingyue laughed. "With my meager cultivation? The first round—heh, I'll be eliminated in the second round quick enough. What would I dare dream of?"

ZENG: "Then I'm afraid I won't even make it past the first round."

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing. They chatted a while longer, until from somewhere in the distance came Song Dayi's shout: "Xiaofan, time to eat!"

Zhang Qingyue called back from afar, said a couple of words to Zeng Shuyan, and ran over, with Da Huang following behind carrying Xiaohui. When he reached Song Dayi, the two walked on together, and Song Dayi said, "Who were you talking with over there just now?"

Zhang Qingyue said, "Oh, I just met a senior brother from Fenghui Peak. He said his name was Zeng Shuyan."

Song Dayi seemed startled. "Zeng Shuyan?"

Zhang Qingyue said in surprise, "What is it, First Senior Brother?"