Chapter 94: Turning Point

What is a prayer drum? But fortunately, the name is straightforward enough. It sounds like a drum that you can use to pray for your wishes. As for how to do it, I don’t know. I was in a hurry when I came to the Snow Mountain Sect last time, and I can say that I only had a fleeting glimpse of this mysterious place.

When the white elder said this, he put his hands back into his sleeves and looked at the master with a smile that was as harmless as a baby’s.

The master looked at the white elder for a long time before saying, “Then it’s settled. I’ll go and ring the drum tomorrow.”

“Yes, you know the rules. The prayer drum is divided into three sections… On that day, you and your junior brother, oh, no, senior brother, knocked three times, passing two sections, and the results were different.” While talking, Elder Bai seemed to have no desire to talk anymore, and turned around and walked away with a smile.

But there was still one sentence that floated into the ears of my master and I: “This world is not peaceful. A madman king has come out with delusions of subversion, but he is still very powerful. The Snow Mountain lineage has always only wanted to protect itself, so how can it be easily involved? This prayer drum is not easy to beat.”

The master’s face suddenly turned ugly. I held Qiangzi, because I didn’t understand, I didn’t know what to say for a while. Seeing that Elder Bai was about to leave, the master suddenly shouted, “Elder Bai, I’m afraid there is something you haven’t told me.”

I thought that according to the strange personality of these people from the Snow Mountain lineage, the white elder should not have paid any attention to Master’s words, but I didn’t expect that the white elder really gave Master a face, stopped, and still had a smile on his lips, looking at Master.

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes were asking just the right questions. This made me feel that the acting skills that the old Muslim had taught me were really too childish. Because I had already guessed what the master was going to ask.

But I was also worried. What if it wasn’t acting and he really didn’t know? Then… my face changed. I couldn’t imagine the consequences. I couldn’t afford to lose any of those people.

“Elder Bai, I want to ask where they are?” Master Bai was probably worried about the same thing as I was. After a long silence, he took a few deep breaths, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then said this sentence.

White Elder seemed to be very patient, waiting for Master to ask. After Master asked, he said very directly, “People are naturally there. You can see them before the prayer drum is rung tomorrow.”

His words left both Master and I stunned.

First, in my heart, this ‘old and cunning’ Bai Laoren, not to mention not knowing, even if he knew, according to his nature, he would not have said it so directly. He always liked to hint at things. What did he mean by throwing out such a sentence this time? It seems that he was waiting for the master to ask.

Second, the meaning of his words is that we are not yet free to meet, and we must wait until tomorrow before we can knock on the prayer drum. Could it be that the elders of the Snow Mountain clan are holding my companions under house arrest? I refuse to believe it, but why is his speech so strange?

I was full of questions, and I looked up at the old man with a frown. But for the first time, he had a serious expression on his face, and he was waiting for my master’s reply.

Unexpectedly, my master did not ask any more questions, but looked at Elder Bai and said, “I just want to know why we can’t meet now? I’ve been traveling all the way, and I really miss them.”

“Two reasons. First, I have already said what I needed to say. Tonight, you’d better think about whether you want to ring the prayer drum. Second, there is someone who will arrive tomorrow, and tomorrow is more appropriate.” As he spoke, Elder Bai’s smile returned, and he looked at Master, as if waiting for his decision.

“Okay, then tomorrow.” The master didn’t ask any more questions and gave the white elder an answer directly.

This time, Elder Bai seemed satisfied and didn’t say much. He turned and left. I suddenly thought of Qiangzi and wanted to call out to stop Elder Bai, but Master pulled me back and said, “Qiangzi is fine. Maybe this move by Elder Bai suppressed his loose seal and was good for him.”

What loose seal? I didn’t understand either… But at this time, a disciple of the Snow Mountain lineage wearing a white linen short-sleeved shirt came to me and my master, and was already waiting respectfully for us.

I carried Qiangzi on my back and was taken to a small courtyard-like house with my master. In the Snow Mountain School, all the buildings are full of the style of the Tang and Song dynasties, and even the furnishings in the house are the same. I am no longer unfamiliar with it. After putting Qiangzi on the bed, my master and I let out a long sigh. After days of running for our lives, is this the end?

Qiangzi didn’t look in pain, but rather as if he was sleeping comfortably. I thought of what my master had said to me, pulled up the cup and covered him with a quilt, thinking that he should rest well.

Then, my master and I took a bath in this room, and changed into the clothes that the Snow Mountain Sect had prepared for us. The same white linen robe was worn by everyone here, but it was very comfortable to wear.

What surprised me was that the bath water prepared by the Snow Mountain Sect for us actually vaguely smelled like one of their fragrant baths. Although it was not strong, it was not really pure, and this was a truly extravagant and generous gesture.

After enjoying such a bath, my mental state improved a lot, and the people of Xueshan Yimian delivered the food just in time. My master and I were not shy about sitting at the table.

The food here is very light, but it doesn’t avoid meat, and the ingredients are very fresh. My master and I were still very happy to eat.

In my heart, at this time, I had a strong desire to talk to my master. That is to say, I could not help but want to ask my master about his experiences over the years, but my master did not know why he looked very sleepy. After dinner, he casually chatted with me for a while, said a few words to let me take care of Qiangzi a little, and then returned to his room.

After the master returned to his room, Qiangzi had already woken up, crying out in a strange voice that he was hungry, but he didn’t seem to notice anything wrong… In the Snow Mountain, any care, or service, is thorough. Seeing that Qiangzi was fine, I ordered a Snow Mountain disciple to take care of him, and I also returned to my room.

I found that at this time, I was inexplicably full of worries, but I had no one to talk to. I had always felt that the road ahead was long and winding, but at this time, I inexplicably had a feeling that I was about to reach the end.

I took out a pack of cigarettes from my luggage and lit it… All the doubts in my heart were reduced to one sentence: since I was about to reach the end, why was there still so much fog along the way, making it difficult for me to distinguish what was going on?

After all the running around for more than a month, I was very sleepy despite my worries, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I was still sleeping when my master came to my room and woke me up.

His expression was different from the usual carefree look. Instead, he had an indescribable sense of seriousness. When he saw me wake up, he said to me in a low voice, “Chengyi, hurry up and wash up. If there is really a turning point in fate, today is the day to ring the prayer drum.”

To come to the snowy mountains to beat the prayer drum is a serious matter? Master said it was a turning point in fate?

If I remember correctly, before the prayer drum was struck, Elder Bai said that we should let the rest of the people join us, but Master didn’t say a word about it. It can be seen how much weight the prayer drum has in Master’s heart.

Feeling the seriousness of the master, I dared not delay any longer and quickly got up from bed. After I finished washing up, Qiangzi also got up.

Perhaps also influenced by the seriousness of the master, Qiangzi did not dare to delay for a moment… We quickly finished all the chores, had breakfast, and just wanted to ask the disciple who served us to take us to find Elder Bai, but at this time, Elder Bai himself came to the door.

“Gee, two troublemakers and an impulsive guy. You guys are up early, aren’t you?” The Elder Bai spoke in his usual style, a friendly ‘mockery’. However, Master and I were too lazy to argue about it. Master snapped back, “Aren’t you up early too?”

“I wanted to sleep in, but I had no choice but to come to you because of the pressure.” Elder Bai made a sad expression, but none of us believed that he was really crying. We just pretended not to hear him.

I was curious about where the pressure came from for the White Elder… but at this time, Master had already stood up and said, “Then let’s go.”