TGM Vol.4 Chapter 3 – Spirit Beast (1)

The next day, the two of them left Ge’ermu and flew straight to Qingyang with their swords to look for Liu Yihuan. Originally, Yu Sifeng was sure that Liu Yihuan would stay in Qingyang to spend his time and drink, but who knew he was wrong this time. Liu Yihuan was not in Qingyang. He asked at the brothel and they said he had not appeared for several months. They were at a loss as to what to do next.

“Why don’t we go back to Shao Yang Sect first? I want to see Linglong.” When they exited the gate of Jiaohong Fang, Xuanji immediately suggested.

Yu Sifeng calculated in his heart, there are still four months to go before the Zanhua Tournament and it is too early to return to the Shaoyang Sect. Besides, the people in Shao Yang must be very critical of Zhong Minyan now. Considering Xuanji’s temperament, if she heard those rumors and whispers, she will be definitely depressed and both sides will be unhappy then.

“You want to find a spirit animal, don’t you?” He smiled and said, “I know a mountain to the west, called the Mountain of Beasts, where there are many demons. We might as well go there and take a look and choose something.”

Xuanji’s eyes immediately lit up, “Yes …… but, didn’t you say you can’t rush the matter of choosing a spirit animal?”

Yu Sifeng coughed and said with a smile, “You can’t be in a hurry. You can just go to have a look. If you have a fate, you might be able to meet your own spirit animal by turning your head.”

Xuanji was shocked to find that she had heard “turning head” as “beheading”^[1] and wondered if she had to be beheaded to get a spirit animal, so should she give up her head for a little while. If they have to be beheaded, then why do people like father, Si Feng, and other people who have spirit animals still have their heads securely around their necks? It’s really strange too ……

“What are you in a daze about about? Let’s go.” Yu Sifeng called her.

Xuanji chased after and said repeatedly, “Now? Don’t you want to find a restaurant to eat first?”

When they finished eating, the two of them flew to the Mountain of Beasts with their swords, Xuanji suddenly felt that the scenery below was very familiar. After thinking about it for a long time, she suddenly shouted, “Ah! Lutai Mountain! Sifeng, do you still remember? We’ve been here before!”

Yu Sifeng nodded, and both of them remembered the scene four years ago when they came to catch demons together with the adults. At that time, both of them had a terrible first impression of each other, and Yu Sifeng even scolded her for being a wicked woman, and he didn’t look good when they met. He doesn’t know when it started, but more and more he doesn’t want to leave her. The girl who almost strangled Xiao Yihua and insulted the mask of Lize Palace; the bad woman that he once cursed in his stomach, became a woman more important than his own life.

“You are smiling so strangely.” Xuanji was surprised to see him smiling without really smiling.

Yu Sifeng rubbed his face, pulled himself out of his memories, and suddenly said, “Let’s go to Lutai Town! Let’s go! Let’s go and drink the Amber Fruit wine!”

After saying that he lowered the sword through the clouds, and Xuanji hurriedly went after him, feeling that he was a bit strange today, but couldn’t tell what was strange.

The town of Lutai is still the same as it was four years ago, a quaint little town with many jugglers and artisan stalls on the streets, not as busy as the big cities like Qingyang, but with a soothing atmosphere. Xuanji followed behind Yu Sifeng with wide eyes and a smile on her face, weaving in and out of the crowds, buying steamed cakes, sugar dumplings and meat buns. The two of them stopped at the entrance of the magistrate’s office with a tacit understanding, remembering that there was a glazed vat here, where they saved Ting Nu.

Xuanji chuckled and said, I still remember that meeting, you and Sixth Brother were so tense walking down the road. It looked like the first time you did something bad.”

Yu Sifeng’s face blushed and he said, “Don’t talk nonsense! In the end …… it’s not up to me.”

Like all young people, he likes to take credit for himself. Xuanji smiled and said, “Without Sixth Brother, you can’t save Ting Nu by yourself. Bragger!”

Yu Sifeng grabbed her hand and walked past the magistrate’s office, remembering that beautiful afternoon when the three children had been heroes for once, releasing the suffering people and laughing heartily at the lake. They also said they would be good brothers and friends for the rest of their lives, and that no matter what happened, they would never separate and hurt each other. At that time, they were so happy, they didn’t know how to worry and they were looking forward to growing up. But once they know that when they grow up, they won’t be very happy with what they encounter, will they still look forward to growing up?

He looked down at the hands he was holding with Xuanji. There were two hands on top of theirs, and the four children were laughing like fools. Now, one of them is dead and one of them has left. The world is so unpredictable that it never proceeds according to wishes. Only the two of them left, can they still retain the joy of childhood?

“Sifeng, its here.” Xuanji’s voice pulled him back to reality and when he looked up, it was indeed the tavern where they went last time. The aroma of Amber Fruit wine was overflowing in the whole street, and one sniff was enough to get drunk.

The two of them asked for a jar of Amber Fruit wine and two dishes of food, sitting by the window and chatting. Xiao Yinhua in Yu Sifeng’s sleeve smelled the wine and was eager to move, poking its head out and touching the cup back and forth, as if it was eager to try. Xuanji smiled and dipped some wine into the chopsticks and sent them to it, but unexpectedly it took a bite, she quickly let go and smiled, “Oh, should it be trying to swallow the chopsticks whole?”

Yu Si Feng gently pulled out the chopsticks and touched Xiao Yinhua’s head, saying: “This is not good for you, don’t be greedy.”

Xiao Yinhua only tasted a drop of Amber Fruit wine, very dissatisfied, hissing with her tongue out, that looked very cute. Xuanji held her chin to tease it, while asking, “Sifeng, how did you find Xiao Yinhua as a spirit animal?”

“Actually, I didn’t intend to find it.” Yu Si Feng patted Xiao Yinhua, which reluctantly dug back into its sleeve and shrunk into a ball. “I was originally interested in a more fierce snake demon, because it was too powerful for me to subdue, so my master said he would catch it for me and use it as my spirit animal. The snake demon was very spiritual, and after losing to the master, it did not eat or drink and died in a few days. I saw that it still left an egg, so I picked it up. That’s Xiao Yinhua.”

Xuanji’s eyes were shining and she wondered: “Then Xiao Yinhua will become a very powerful snake demon in the future …… No, a spirit animal?”

Yu Sifeng smiled and nodded, “It’s only a child now and it will be a few years before it can be considered a qualified spirit beast.” Xiao Yinhua is burrowing around in his sleeve, obviously not satisfied with his words, meaning that it is not qualified now. He gently soothed it with his hand and said softly, “But this child is already very capable now, and will definitely become the best spirit animal in the future.”

Xiao Yinhua calmed down and enjoyed its master’s touch. Xuanji looked at the interaction between the master and spirit beast with admiration, hoping that she would also quickly find a powerful one, like Xiao Yinhua and Sifeng, with a deep bond.

The two of them were drinking and chatting, and before they knew it, they had drunk half of the jar of Amber Fruit wine, and were talking about their interesting stories from their childhood, when they suddenly heard a banging of clappers downstairs. Both of them were taken aback. It is familiar. Last time when the county magistrate caught Ting Nu to show to the public, it was also this wild knocking clappers.

The two poked their heads out and saw that the front of the magistrate’s office was crowded with people. It turned out that there was a new notice posted on the notice board, with a big red background. They don’t know what was written on it. The onlookers were talking and sighing: “The feng shui has been bad in the last two years, and disasters are coming. Only a few years have passed since the demon ate people, and there is a strange fire ……”

The two looked at each other and immediately jumped from the window. Xuanji touched her purse and there were only a few copper coins left in it. She looked back at the tavern guiltily and said, “I drank without paying for the first time.”

Yu Sifeng drew the purse from his sleeves subconciously, and it was empty. The two of them looked at each other awkwardly for a while and decided to drink the wine for once and sneak away.

The notice was not about the local affairs of Lutai town, but about the recent strange fire in Pingliang, a neighboring county, where ten miles of farmland were burned overnight, turning the land black and sandy, and a whole farm was burned to the ground and half of the people did not survive, and the yamen could not find the reason and only came up with a notice, asking an expert to reveal the truth.

Xuanji saw that there was six hundred silver taels as a reward and her eyes lit up immediately. She has been accustomed to being an eldest lady, and has never been accustomed to a light purse, and now both of them have empty pockets, not to mention food, they can not even afford to stay in the inn. She doesn’t like to sleep rough, and she picks a clean and comfortable inn to stay in, so it’s hard to get around without money.

As soon as she raised her hand to take the notice, the people around saw a timid little girl but she was quite courageous, and they all exclaimed in admiration. Yu Sifeng had already figured out her mind. Although he felt that she hadn’t investigated the situation clearly, she was a bit reckless in taking the notice in this way, but he also let her go. Xuanji herself has a very powerful fire fighting technique. When encountering strange fires, it must be just right for her appetite.

The commotion outside the door naturally alarmed the Chief Arrest Officer in the yamen. When he came out, Xuanji revealed the notice. He was startled and said, “Girl, this is not a joke. What can a lady like you do?” He saw that Xuanji had red lips and white teeth, and she is well-dressed, only seems to be a young lady who came out to play and is curious to join in the fun. “This may be the work of a monster, girl, you should not be impulsive.”

Xuanji didn’t care about his misunderstanding, she just raised the notice, pointed to the line on it and asked with a smile, “The deposit is fifty taels, are you really giving it now?”

The notice reads, ‘The deposit of 50 taels is given in advance.’ So she took it so quickly, afraid that someone else would snatch the 50 taels. The chief constable was stunned again and was about to nod his head, when he heard a man behind him shouting, “Two little ghosts who are eating without paying! Don’t run away! Stop right there!”

When everyone turned around, they saw the bartender from the tavern across the street chasing after the two young people who had taken the notice, grabbing Yu Sifeng’s collar and scolding him viciously, “Who are these little bastards? You are so uncultured! If you don’t pay for the wine, you can’t leave today!”

Yu Sifeng and Xuanji were both embarrassed and had nothing to say. When the chief constable saw this situation, he already understood it in his heart and said with a sneer, “The notice of the court is not a child’s play! You should pay for your drink first! You have the guts to do such a deceitful thing at the entrance of the court!”

Xuanji said sharply, “Of course I have the ability to solve the matter of the strange fire, just see if you dare to disbelieve me! What’s the big deal for a cultivator who is out in the world and has a light pocket for a while? I’ll make up for it later when I have money!”

The chief constable laughed and said, “Your little scheme is only to cheat the deposit of 50 taels. But I have to remind you that if this matter is not resolved, the deposit will still have to be returned to the government.”

Xuanji nodded, “That’s natural! Immortal cultivators always say the truth. So I took your notice today, I’ll get the matter resolved. So ……” she cheekily put her hand out, “Take the deposit first!”

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[1]: In Mandarin, the words 转 zhuàn (to turn) 首 shǒu (head) sound very similar to the word 斩首 zhǎn​shǒu (behead).

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