Volume One, Chapter Twenty: Gate of Life, Gate of Death

Fatty Girl was the first to rush toward the nearest cave entrance. She examined it thoroughly from top to bottom, searching for a pattern or clue like the one at King Yu’s Cave, but found nothing. Unwilling to give up, she checked each of the other entrances one by one, yet still discovered no sign or hint.

“There are eight entrances, counting the one we came through. Clearly, this is a formation based on the Eight Trigrams. It seems we have to find the ‘door of life’ to get out!” Hanyu declared with certainty as she paced the hall.

“Which one is the door of life?” Fatty Girl stared at Hanyu anxiously. Hanyu was silent for a while, then suddenly pointed to the second doorway on the left. Fatty Girl dashed in at once, with Pancake hurrying after her. The passageway twisted and turned, its walls rugged and uneven, and the farther they went, the colder it became. Meiniang, following close behind, quickly stopped Fatty Girl and Pancake. “Careful! Something’s not right!” she warned, glancing back to see Hanyu nodding in agreement.

The group hastily drew swords and staffs and crept forward. Sure enough, after a short distance, they heard footsteps ahead at the bend. They stopped instantly, only to hear the footsteps on the other side halt as well. They exchanged glances, then tiptoed forward; the footsteps around the corner echoed theirs perfectly. Pancake, terrified, tried to flee but, pushed and pulled by Meiniang and Fatty Girl, ended up at the head of the group instead.

At the bend, Pancake caught his breath and, cautiously, poked his head around the corner—only to find a large, round face opposite, mirroring his own movements. Their faces nearly touched. Pancake froze, and the others stared, mouths agape. Approaching them, sneaking just as they had, were four people—themselves! Identical faces, identical expressions, identical movements. The four were utterly bewildered.

The silence was broken by two simultaneous screams—both Pancakes! All four turned and ran, and their four counterparts did the same, their screams and pounding footsteps echoing together down the tunnel. No one knew how long they ran before finally stopping, gasping for air.

“Who would have thought… I really am pretty…” Meiniang said, clutching her chest.

“…I—ugh—” Hanyu, still out of breath, couldn’t help but curse.

“Why did we… run?” Fatty Girl asked, mouth agape. Indeed, why run? They looked at each other and said in unison, “Wouldn’t you run if you were being chased by yourself?”

“Enough! Let’s go back. If we see them, we’ll just push through!” Fatty Girl gripped her sword tightly.

“But…” Pancake hesitated. After all, those were themselves—if he struck himself, would he feel the pain too?

“You know, Junior Sister Zhao does have a point. Maybe they’re just illusions. Let’s not attack at first—see if we can break through. If not…” Hanyu, recalling that her counterpart limped just as she did, grew irritated.

With no better option, they took deep breaths and retraced their steps. Sure enough, after only a few steps, they saw their doubles peeking out from the other side. They bent down; their doubles bent down. They turned their heads; their doubles did the same. Meiniang lifted her skirt to reveal her pale legs; the other Meiniang mimicked her exactly. Meiniang found this amusing, while Pancake felt a bit dizzy from the show. As the groups drew closer, they all slowed, stopping only when their noses nearly touched.

“Close your eyes! Charge!” Hanyu commanded, and, bracing themselves to barrel through their own wretched doubles, they dashed forward.

With a loud crash, the four tumbled to the ground. When they opened their eyes, their doubles had vanished, and they found themselves back in the center of the main hall.

“How did we end up back here?” Pancake stood up, scratching his head, more confused than ever.

“This isn’t right! Why has the ‘door of life’ become the ‘door of alarm’?” Hanyu stared at her fingers, perplexed.

“Maybe we got the timing wrong inside the tunnel?” Meiniang suggested sarcastically.

“I’m an underground expert! How could I miscalculate?” Hanyu retorted indignantly.

“No need to get snippy! Just a kind reminder…” Meiniang frowned. She, too, was a digger—surely she could keep track of time.

After a moment’s silence, Hanyu pointed to the entrance directly opposite the one they’d come in. This time, she took the lead, Pancake close behind. After less than a hundred meters, a seductive fragrance grew stronger and stronger. Hanyu frowned; this was not a good sign.

As nerves mounted, Pancake’s stomach suddenly growled, drawing a glare from the others. Embarrassed, Pancake rubbed his belly and hurried to the front. Rounding a gentle bend, the tunnel suddenly straightened, shrouded in mist as far as the eye could see, with no end in sight.

“Be careful! There’s a strange sound!” Meiniang warned, though she couldn’t say exactly what it was.

“Turn back!” Hanyu shouted, but before she finished, a sudden hissing filled the air. Countless sparkling dots shot through the mist toward them—nowhere to hide in the narrow tunnel.

“We can’t get through…” Meiniang closed her eyes.

“Pot?!” Pancake caught only this word; in his mind, he pictured the pot his senior brother had wielded. As soon as the thought struck, his sword transformed into a large pot. The next instant, a barrage of projectiles clattered against it like a rain of arrows. When he thought the onslaught would end, it only intensified, like the Yellow River in flood, relentless and unending. Hanyu pulled Pancake back, and the four retreated in a line, ending up back in the hall.

“Can’t you turn your sword into a shield?” Hanyu frowned.

“Stew what?” Pancake looked puzzled.

“She means a shield…” Fatty Girl explained quickly.

“Don’t glare at me. There’s something strange in these caves—the timing and directions are correct!” Hanyu shrugged at Meiniang’s reproachful look.

“The ‘door of life’ has become the ‘door of death’…” Meiniang calculated again and again, growing more confused.

“Are you hungry?” Fatty Girl, seeing Pancake clutch his belly, quickly offered him some dry rations from her bundle.

As they ate, the four discussed their predicament, Meiniang and Hanyu exchanging lively ideas. Fatty Girl chewed in silence, pondering each suggestion. Pancake ignored it all, sitting, squatting, and finally sprawling on the green stone table.

“Can’t go forward, can’t go back. Who knows how Senior Brother and the others are doing…” Fatty Girl worried aloud.

“They should be… well… don’t worry… we’ll get out!” Hanyu tried to comfort her.

“I just hope it’s not too late by the time we do…” Fatty Girl’s voice trembled.

“Not necessarily! The Masked Gentleman has a habit of carrying out major plans on the night of the full moon. We still have two days, so he shouldn’t harm them yet!” Meiniang glanced at her sympathetically.

“What’s your name?” Fatty Girl asked.

“Vixen!” Hanyu called out. Fatty Girl couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pfft! Rabbit spirit! My surname is Hu, my name is Meiniang!” The seven-tailed fox winked and posed.

“Oh…” Hanyu was about to retort, but Fatty Girl stopped her. “I still don’t know your name, miss?”

Hanyu glared at Meiniang, then turned and smiled. “Junior Sister Zhao, I’m Bai Hanyu!” She raised her chin proudly at Meiniang, who merely scoffed and turned away.

“You and Senior Brother Mu are…” Fatty Girl asked curiously.

“…Enemies!” Hanyu replied coldly. Pancake sat up abruptly, but before he could speak, Hanyu burst out laughing. “You all believed that? Ha ha…” Fatty Girl and Meiniang looked at each other in confusion.

“Junior Sister Zhao, thank you for your help these past few days!” Hanyu sidled up to Fatty Girl and grabbed her arm.

“Don’t mention it…” Fatty Girl still found it hard to believe that the lovely little white rabbit was this charming girl before her.

“Let’s focus on finding a way out!” Meiniang said sourly.

“Yes, we need a plan…” Fatty Girl looked anxiously at Pancake. Pancake, his round face pulled long, tried every trick he could remember from his escape at Half-Moon Mound, but nothing seemed to work. The more restless he became, the more uncomfortable the shallow indentations on the stone table felt beneath him. He shifted about, searching for a comfortable spot.

“Huh?” Only now did Pancake notice that the shallow groove looked just like a butt print. He scooted his large rear into place—it fit as if tailor-made, surprisingly comfortable.

“Wow…” Pancake’s mouth was still open when, all at once, the stone table spun wildly. His whole body, layers of fat and all, was tossed about. The others jumped back in alarm, helplessly watching as Pancake was swept around. When the table finally stopped, they were all dizzy from watching, and Pancake’s head was still reeling, though the spinning had ceased. Thankfully, Fatty Girl caught him, helping him steady himself.

“Ooh… ooh…” Pancake retched, eyes glazed, as Fatty Girl patted his back.

“Hey!” Meiniang’s eyes suddenly lit up, pointing to the tunnel directly ahead of Pancake. Hanyu nodded, then shook her head. Seeing Fatty Girl’s questioning look, she explained, “That’s the ‘door of harm.’ We mustn’t enter! But Pancake stopped here, so there must be a reason.”

“No harm in trying! We made it out whole before, didn’t we? Besides, maybe this is the true meaning of the Return Path. It might just be right!” Meiniang seemed eager to try.

After waiting for Pancake’s senses to return, the four nervously headed for the entrance, though Pancake still staggered off course. The tunnel was rough and uneven, rising and falling, twisting left and right like a maze. Soon they reached a deep chasm, wide but with a visible bottom. Meiniang leapt, nearly reaching the far edge, but at the last moment the rim slid back two feet, and she tumbled into the pit.

“Careful!” Hanyu cried as she leapt after her. If Fatty Girl hadn’t grabbed Pancake’s belt, he would have jumped in too. Peering down from the edge, Pancake broke into a cold sweat—the bottom was now teeming with venomous snakes!

“Damn things, dare to bite me!” Meiniang showed no fear, stomping wildly as she landed, and even gave Hanyu—who had also fallen—a push back up.

Hanyu staggered to her feet, wiping the cold sweat from her brow. Thank goodness for Meiniang, or she would have been in real trouble. She turned to see Meiniang still stomping gleefully in the pit. “Come on up! Are you done down there?”

Meiniang vaulted for the edge, but as her foot landed, the rim moved again. Luckily, Hanyu was ready, grabbing her arm in midair and hauling her up as they ran for safety. Otherwise, Meiniang would have fallen again.

They all scrambled back to the hall in a sorry state, Pancake and Fatty Girl—their girth making matters worse—covered in bruises.

“What happened?” Fatty Girl asked Meiniang, bewildered. Meiniang frowned, then nodded at Pancake. “You try sitting up there again!” Pancake obeyed, plopping onto the stone table, which at once spun him around.

This time, Pancake stopped not where he had before but at the entrance directly opposite. Meiniang and Hanyu exchanged glances and entered side by side, with Fatty Girl supporting Pancake as they followed.

Having learned their lesson, they watched every step carefully, inching forward with utmost caution. After several dozen meters with no mishap, they began to relax, only for a sudden gust of cold wind to bring a swarm of ghastly, bat-faced creatures hurtling toward them, each as terrifying as a demon from the underworld. Meiniang ran faster than anyone, so quickly that even Hanyu was astonished.

Not until they burst back into the hall did Meiniang, pale-faced, clutch her chest and gasp, “If… those ghost bats bite your face… you’ll be ruined!” Hanyu anxiously felt her own cheeks, then quipped, “With you, there’s not much left to ruin!” Meiniang shot her a glare and said nothing.

Fatty Girl said nothing either, but stared intently at the stone table. After a long pause, she suddenly declared, “Senior Brother Mu, this time you stay up there—don’t get off! The three of us will go in!”

At this, Meiniang rolled her eyes and Hanyu frowned, but Fatty Girl’s idea seemed reasonable. Maybe that shallow groove really was a butt print! The three exchanged glances and nodded. Pancake, though he didn’t quite understand, obediently hopped up. Maybe he was getting used to it, because the spinning didn’t make him nearly as dizzy this time. However, now he faced the very entrance that had almost gotten them killed by a thousand arrows.

End of section.