“Why do you …… want to go to Buzhou Mountain? It is not a place where mortals can go at will.”
The first thing that Tingnu asked when he returned to the inn, not bothering to rest, was this.
“This is …… a bit of a problem. ……” Zhong Minyan smiled bitterly and hurriedly explained everything that had happened after he left Gao’s mountain.
Ting Nu’s face gradually eased and finally he said softly, “That’s soul-taking. As long as you get the soul back, I can cast Linglong back to her original state.”
Everyone was stunned, Xuanji said urgently, “Ting Nu, you know this kind of spell?”
Ting Nu nodded: “I’ve learned this spell before, although I’m not proficient, but I’m more than capable of saving Linglong.”
Everyone was overjoyed. Their original intention was to capture the person who had taken away Linglong’s two souls and six bodies[1] and force him to perform the spell to save Linglong. As to whether they will succeed, it would depend on God’s will. Now they suddenly heard that there was someone around who knew this spell, which meant that all they had to do was to get the soul back, and maybe not even use it in the battle, so the chances of success were greatly increased.
Zhong Minyan was so happy that he couldn’t close his mouth, and even said, “It was a good idea to find Ting Nu first!” Fortunately, they did not abandon the purple fox’s plea at the time, and it turned out to be good luck. It seems that there is indeed a silver lining even in dark times. Help by providence!
Liu Yihuan patted him on the shoulder and said mysteriously, “This time, you have to be careful when you go to Buzhou Mountain. Be sure.”
Zhong Minyan was stunned, “Brother Liu is worried about me?” He smiled foolishly and suddenly felt good about this cynical person, who knew how to care about his companion.
Liu Yihuan just smiled faintly and didn’t say anything more to him, clapped his hands and said aloud, “You kids settle down for a while and listen to me.”
The crowd was twittering happily, but when they heard him, they all quieted down. Liu Yihuan smiled and said, “You can go to Buzhou Mountain, but I can’t. I can only stay in Qingyang and wait for your good news. After saying that, he looked at Ting Nu and said, “You will also stay here. There are dangerous mountains and rivers, you can’t push your way up there in a wheelchair. Let the kids go and practice, we old people just wait at home.”
Everyone was dumbfounded, Yu Sifeng said urgently: “Brother Liu …… you, really do not want to go with us?”
Liu Yihuan has been to many places when he was young, and there is almost nothing that he don’t know. He came to Qingyang first to find him, originally with the intention of asking him to help, but who knows he suddenly said no, with only the five of them, how can they find the Buzhou Mountain, to snatch back Linglong’s soul?
Liu Yihuan nodded solemnly, “Well, I’m not going. This time have opened a heavenly eye for you, little phoenix. You can’t be too unreasonable.”
Yu Sifeng bowed his head in shame, and felt that he was too much. Liu Yihuan took hold of his shoulders and embarrassingly squeezed his face and then smiled, “Why, sad? Reluctant to leave Big Brother Liu? You are …… still the same as when you were a child ……”
He was the same as before, still a rascal. Yu Sifeng pushed him away and said sternly, “Then please show us a way to Bu Zhou Mountain.”
Liu Yihuan shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t need to show the way, you can just take the purple fox with you. She knows it, she grew up playing at the bottom of the mountain!”
Yu Sifeng saw that he refused to help no matter what, he could not say anything else, so he had to give up.
※※※
The story of The Great Immortal Liu’s demon removal at the Zhou Mansion spread throughout Qingyang City overnight, and for the first time, his doghouse at the Ma Zao Village was visited and admired by countless people. It’s a pity that the Great Immortal didn’t like there and lingered every night at Jiaohong Fang. The madam was very good at reading people’s eyes and knew that he was a strange man, so they didn’t care about his money and wanted him to live in Jiaohong Fang. If he lives in Jiaohong Fang, how many people will stay there just to see him, this is great way to win business.
Liu Yihuan was at ease in the brothel all day long and was not seen, but the young people who stayed at the inn were very anxious. The purple fox has been poisoned by a snake and has not woken up, so they are still counting on her to lead the way to Buzhou Mountain. Xuanji couldn’t help but run to Ting Nu and ask about the path, but he shook his head, pretending to be dumb like that damn Liu Yihuan.
It’s a strange feeling, as if Liu Yihuan and Ting nu know something, but they won’t say a word, it’s obviously a journey that can be explained in a few words. But they have to wait for the purple fox to wake up to show the way.
“Ting Nu, that Buzhou Mountain, I heard that it was the lair of the demons who destroyed the Dinghǎi Iron Chain. You …… you do not want to go to see?”
Begging hadn’t worked, but temptation might. Xuanji was sitting on the opposite side of Ting Nu with her chin on her hands, looking at him with gleaming eyes.
Ting Nu was holding a celadon[2] tea cup in his hands and his face was as calm as water, and he said calmly, “I don’t want to go. Instead, you guys, be careful on the way, do not fight them hard, as long as you can steal Linglong’s soul back that is the best. If you can’t steal it back, you’ll have another chance next time. If you fight with them now, you are seeking your own death.”
Xuanji was not impressed and laughed: “I have killed many demons in the Fuyu Island! Not as good as you say!”
Ting Nu said: “That’s because they gave way and didn’t want to get into a life-and-death conflict with your cultivation sect. If you encounter the vicious demons of Gao’s mountain, not only you, even your father may not be able to cope.”
Why do his words sound so mysterious? Xuanji was puzzled and wondered: “What do you mean …… these demons also have different gangs? Some give in, some are tough?”
In her mind, demons are just demons, a rabble of people, gathered together in chaos. The thought that they might have gangs, like mortals, moving in orderly fashion was unthinkable to her.
Ting Nu sighed and said softly, “If you don’t know anything, it’s like sending yourself to your death. …… Listen carefully, although Buzhou Mountain is their lair, the operation of destroying the Iron Chains is organized by many forces separately. Roughly speaking, it is a goodwill faction and the radical faction are fighting. The goodwill faction, as long as they destroy the iron chains, do not intend to have any conflict with mortals; the radical ones do not. From my point of view, the one who took away Linglong’s soul must be the radical faction, so when you go there, you should focus on stealing the soul and never have any conflicts.”
Xuanji looked at him in a daze and muttered: “Ting Nu …… how do you know so much ……”
TingNu stopped abruptly and after a long time, he said softly, “They started planning a long time ago. These plans did not just start.”
Seeing Xuanji looking at himself, he raised the corners of his mouth, touched her head and said softly, “Be careful this time, don’t be reckless and impulsive. I will wait for you in Qingyang.”
Ting Nu seemed to know a lot. Xuanji touched her head, opened the door and walked out.
When she thinks back to how she met him four years ago, and look at today, it seems that he is completely different from that helpless and pale merman. If he was protected by Qinggeng and Dangkang, how could he have been caught and injured like that? Or does it mean that this acquaintance is destined in the future?
She turned a corner and there was a man walking towards her, and it was Yu Sifeng, whom she could not avoid. She was shocked and wanted to run away, but when he came to her, he took her by the wrist and dragged her into the room without saying a word.
She was shocked and confused. She sat down on a chair and stared at him, but she felt like she had a rabbit in her heart, jumping too much.
He …… is angry? Wants to scold her?
Yu Sifeng took out a paper bag from hi sleeves, stuffed it into her hand and said softly, “You haven’t eaten yet since the morning? This is freshly made.”
Xuanji slowly opened the paper bag, inside were two freshly baked steamed cakes, hot and steaming, which he had obviously just bought. He still remembers that she liked to eat steamed buns when they were in Lutai Town ……
Xuanji lowered her head and took a bite, not knowing what it was like. Yu Sifeng poured another cup of tea, put it in front of her and whispered, “Eat slowly, don’t choke.”
After speaking, he got up and wanted to leave. Xuanji was anxious and sxclaimed, “You … where are you going?”
When she jumped up, the tea on the table turned over and the tea poured over the table. Yu Sifeng’s sleeve was tugged by her, as if there were a thousand words to say. He was also a little surprised, looked back at her, only to find her face suddenly red, delicate as the sunset.
“You …… can also eat together with ……” she stammered out, wishing to bite her tongue off.
He smiled, “I have eaten. Now I go to Minyan to discuss the matter of going to Buzhou Mountain, you can play by yourself.”
“Wait …… wait!” The other hand also pulled his sleeve, the steamed cake fell to the ground.
Yu Sifeng fixedly looked at her, seeming to ask her what to say.
Xuanji froze for a long time, gradually calmed down, bit her lip and said softly, “After we save Linglong back, we will find a place like Fuyu Island, together …… together …… never to separate, Okay?”
Waiting for a long time, but he did not say anything, Xuanji heart began to panic again, chaotic said: “That …… and Brother Liu …… Ting Nu …… okay can also go back to Shaoyang Peak to see Linglong and Sixth Brother …… and then go to the Palace …… to see your Master and brothers ……”
Her hand was suddenly held by someone, the stammering words broke off at once. Xuanji raised her head in a daze, staring at him approaching, pressing close to her ear and whispering, “In you heart … really think so?”
She was stunned, her hand holding his sleeve loosened involuntarily. Yu Sifeng stood up straight, turned his head faintly, looked at the fog outside the window and said softly, “Xuanji, I am a selfish person. I don’t believe in anything until I get the absolute.”
Absolute …… what absolute? She took a deep breath and looked at him quietly. He smiled again, quietly wiped her lips, and turned away.
Xuanji sat alone in the room for a long time. After sitting for a long time, she still didn’t understand.
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[1]: 三魂七魄(sānhúnqīpò) – three immortal souls and seven mortal forms in Daoism, contrasting the spiritual and carnal side of man
[2]: 青瓷 (qīngcí) – 青qīng (blue/green) 瓷 cí (crockery/porcelain). Celadon is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware, and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was first used on greenware, but later used on other porcelains. Celadon originated in China, though the term is purely European, and notable kilns such as the Longquan kiln in Zhejiang province are renowned for their celadon glazes.
Lazy Cat Translations 