Volume One, Chapter Twenty-Five: The Valley of Yin and Yang

With Hongpeng’s arrival, although it was not enough to drive away the Jade-faced Lord, the fight was now evenly matched. Seeing Biyi ready to leap into the fray, anxiety flickered across the Jade-faced Lord’s heart. Suddenly, he unleashed both his staffs at once and darted swiftly toward the cave entrance. As long as he could guard the mouth of the cave and avoid being attacked from both front and rear, no matter how many opponents he faced, with his cultivation, he could capture them one by one.

“Don’t let him into the cave!” But Hongkun had already seen through his intent. Leaping forward, he aimed his sword straight at the Jade-faced Lord’s back, forcing him to turn and defend. This brief distraction allowed Hongpeng and Biyi to close in, trapping him once again. Just then, the tortoise suddenly scuttled out from the grass.

Three against one, the tide of battle shifted dramatically. Relying on his profound cultivation, the Jade-faced Lord was not defeated easily, but neither could he break free. His brow furrowed, and with a long, piercing howl that left everyone’s ears ringing and their footing unsteady, he seized the opportunity to transform into a gust of black wind and rushed for the cave.

“Not good!” Hongkun cried inwardly, but before he could react, there was a resounding crash. The Jade-faced Lord was knocked back, stunned.

In their astonishment, everyone saw a massive tortoise shell blocking the entrance.

“Damn it! What manner of demon are you?” Now facing the sudden appearance of a tortoise, the Jade-faced Lord was even more panicked. He struck out with both staffs, but the blows only numbed his hands, leaving not a mark on the shell. Meanwhile, Hongkun, Hongpeng, and Biyi attacked from behind, forcing the Jade-faced Lord to abandon the cave and flee in a swirl of black wind. The other demons, thrown into disarray, were quickly defeated, either captured or sent fleeing in panic.

The once bustling area before the Double Fish Cave fell silent in an instant. For some reason, everyone’s gaze lingered on the tortoise shell, even the captured little demons curious about what it truly was.

“Turtle brother? Are you alright?” Yibing was the first to rush over. Those two staff strikes had been ferocious—even a divine tortoise might not survive such blows.

Just then, the large shell trembled and instantly transformed into a small turtle, landing on its back, legs up, unmoving. Only when Yibing anxiously flipped it over did it finally let out a curse: “Damn it! My head is spinning!” All those who had been worried, human and demon alike, breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Are you really alright?” The plump girl’s face was full of concern—the turtle had come to help her, after all.

“I’m fine! I’m fine! Who do you think I am!” The divine tortoise stuck out its neck defiantly.

“Tch, still showing off!” Hanyu couldn’t help but curl her lip. The tortoise rolled its eyes at her in exaggeration.

Seeing a talking tortoise, the others were even more taken aback.

Hongkun hurried forward, clasping his hands in thanks. “Many thanks…for your help!” This tortoise seemed neither immortal nor demon; no title seemed fitting, so he simply avoided one altogether. The tortoise, however, pretended not to hear and crawled directly toward Yibing. Biyi, annoyed at its rudeness, was about to speak up, but Hongkun quickly stopped her.

“So long as you’re alright, so long as you’re alright!” Yibing hastily scooped up the tortoise and tucked it into his arms, leaving the onlookers utterly dumbfounded.

“Oh no...I forgot about that fox spirit…” Hanyu suddenly remembered Meiniang and rushed toward the cave.

The Double Fish Cave was already empty. Only upon reaching the main hall did she spot Meiniang slumped motionless against the wall. Alarmed, Hanyu hurried to check if she was breathing, but as soon as she reached her mouth, Meiniang bit her hard.

“Hey! You wretch, can’t you tell friend from foe?” Hanyu, enraged, smacked her on the head. Meiniang immediately let go and spat, “You little hussy, you only show up now! Who else should I bite?”

Just then, Yibing and the plump girl burst in. Seeing Meiniang unharmed, the plump girl quickly helped her up with a smile, “Thank you for saving my senior sister!” Meiniang was momentarily stunned.

“Yes, we really owe you…” Helingchi, who had followed close behind, was moved to tears.

“It’s nothing…cough, cough…” Meiniang couldn’t hold back a cough. Already weakened by injury and having taken another heavy blow from the Jade-faced Lord, she could barely stay on her feet. Hanyu quickly supported her by the waist.

As soon as Meiniang passed through the cave entrance, she ran into Jin Guishan and the others. Though she’d lost face by the river, seeing how bravely she had saved his junior sister, Jin Guishan hurried forward to thank her. The Hong brothers were nearly fuming—prepared as they were for the rabbit spirit, the sudden addition of a fox spirit and a tortoise demon made Yibing’s circle of friends quite unexpected!

“Senior brother, this is Meiniang—if not for her, we would have been doomed!” Yibing introduced her to Hongkun.

“Senior brother!” Meiniang nodded with a smile. Hongkun, however, frowned and said nothing.

“Senior brother? You saucy fox, do you think you can just call everyone brother and sister?” Hanyu retorted, steering Meiniang outside.

Seeing Yibing’s embarrassment, the plump girl quickly changed the subject: “Where are all the disciples of the Jade Immortal Sect?” Now that she mentioned it, everyone realized that half the people rescued from the cave were missing.

“Right! Were any of your sect’s disciples here?” Jin Guishan clearly remembered the Jade Immortal Sect being captured alongside his group, yet none were present now. Everyone looked at one another and shook their heads.

Meiniang frowned and grabbed one of the little demons by the head. “Hey! Where did the others go? If you don’t tell me, I’ll drain your essence to heal myself!” It just so happened that she grabbed the very demon she’d teased at the prison gate earlier, who was so frightened he nodded and shook his head in panic. “I’ll talk…I’ll talk…Daoist Baopu took most of them away!”

“Daoist Baopu? Immortal or demon?” Meiniang had never heard the name. Hongkun was equally puzzled—what was an immortal doing involved in all this?

“I don’t know either! She rarely comes, but she only took the men!”

“The men?” The plump girl looked around—the women were all present.

“She’s a female…demon?” Meiniang curled her lip.

“Yes, yes…very beautiful…” The little demon’s eyes glazed over as he spoke.

“Ha…” Before Meiniang could act, a little she-demon beside her butted him aside.

“Your sweetheart’s jealous again…” Meiniang began, then thought better of it and changed the topic. “Where is her lair?”

“I think…Qingyin Cave on Yin-Yang Mountain…but I’ve never been there…” the little demon stammered in terror.

“I know Yin-Yang Mountain!” Meiniang said, turning to Jin Guishan. He was overjoyed and immediately addressed the group: “Friends, let’s hurry and rescue our companions!” But members of the other sects only looked at each other, silent.

“You—” Qiyuanxiao stepped forward, but Jin Guishan pulled him back.

“Fellow Daoist!” Hongpeng suddenly smiled and cupped his fists to Jin Guishan. “What should we do with these little demons?” Jin Guishan hadn’t considered this and was momentarily at a loss.

“I suggest we send these little demons to the Welcome Immortal Palace for the Zhengjia Sect to handle, confirm our own brothers’ safety, then gather our forces and head for Yin-Yang Mountain. Meanwhile, we can scout ahead and know our enemy. What do you think?” Hongpeng offered quickly.

“Good idea! Once we join with the Zhengjia Sect, we can wipe them all out!” The other sects burst into excited agreement.

“You’re thoughtful, fellow Daoist—let’s do as you say!” Jin Guishan had no choice but to agree.

Soon, only Yibing’s group and Jin Guishan’s team remained at the Double Fish Cave.

“Senior brother, I fear they…” Qiyuanxiao looked at Jin Guishan knowingly. Everyone realized those sects were unlikely to return to help.

Jin Guishan frowned, then laughed heartily. “No matter! Even if it’s just us, we must investigate Qingyin Cave!”

“Well said, full of spirit!” Hongpeng praised.

“Thanks for smoothing things over earlier!” Jin Guishan said gratefully.

“Not at all. Forcing them would be pointless—they wouldn’t be of any use even if they came. Why bother?” Hongpeng replied, bowing in return.

“Yes, yes! Senior brother is right!” The plump girl chimed in, startling Hongkun and Hongpeng, who had grown nervous around plump people ever since meeting Yibing.

“Junior sister, mind your manners!” Jin Guishan scolded.

“It’s fine, just call me senior brother! Which sect are you from?” Hongpeng had already noticed how the girl protected Yibing.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I am Jin Guishan, disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect!” he replied.

“Ah! So you’re a disciple of Master Tai Miao! I’ve long heard of your esteemed master. I am Hongkun, disciple of Daoist Menghong, and this is my junior brother Hongpeng. As for…well, he needs no introduction!” Hongkun gestured awkwardly to Yibing, then turned to Biyi. “This is Biyi, disciple of the Phoenix Shepherd Daoist!” Biyi nodded in greeting. Jin Guishan found her stunningly beautiful, though a trace of aloofness lingered about her.

“This is my junior brother Qiyuanxiao, and…” Jin Guishan proceeded to introduce the rest of his companions.

“Senior brother, it’s getting late. We should set out!” After the introductions, the plump girl urged Jin Guishan to hurry. He nodded, glanced at Hongkun, then at Meiniang, hesitating. Only Meiniang knew the location of Yin-Yang Mountain, but she was badly injured.

“I’m alright! Let’s set out now!” Meiniang, sensing his concern, stood up with a smile, but after a few steps her legs gave out. Fortunately, Hanyu caught her in time.

“Maybe we should let Senior Brother Mu…” The plump girl started, but Meiniang quickly covered her mouth. The girl was too good-hearted, but with those two senior brothers watching, this was no time for jokes!

“No sense in arguing—I’ll carry you!” Seeing Meiniang’s hopeful look, Hanyu pursed her lips but relented.

According to Meiniang, Yin-Yang Mountain was only a few dozen miles west. Although everyone was well trained and could move quickly, they slowed their pace for Hanyu’s sake and did not arrive at the foot of the mountain until dusk. Looking up, the twin peaks—one black, one white—stood side by side, shrouded in mist, a fitting image of yin and yang.

“I don’t see any cave dwellings,” Helingchi said uncertainly, glancing around. They had searched the area for miles, not finding even a rabbit’s hole.

“Let’s go a bit farther…” Hongkun eyed the misty valley, an uneasy feeling growing in his heart. Even Meiniang, a demon herself, frowned—no matter how bold that little demon was, he wouldn’t dare lie at this point. And yet…

As they hesitated, they suddenly saw a woodcutter with a load of firewood coming down the hillside.

“Hey…” Qiyuanxiao called out. The woodcutter looked up, dropped his firewood, and ran.

“After him…” No sooner had Hongkun spoken than two round figures shot forward. Two? Hongkun could hardly believe his eyes.

The woodcutter was running desperately when two gusts of wind swept past on either side. Before he could react, he bounced off something soft and squishy. Looking up, he saw a plump boy blocking his way! He tried to dodge, but again found his path blocked—this time by a plump girl!

“Please, spare me! Spare me!” The woodcutter collapsed in terror.

“Uncle, we’re not bandits. Why would we want your life?” Yibing quickly helped him up.

“You’re not…then…you…” The woodcutter eyed Jin Guishan’s group fearfully.

“We’re just passing through, looking for a place to rest,” Jin Guishan reassured him.

“Oh…I thought I’d run into…bandits!” The woodcutter sighed with relief.

“Are there many bandits here?” Hanyu asked, frowning.

“Bandits? Oh, yes…yes…many…” The woodcutter stammered, dodging the question.

“Out so late cutting wood?” Hanyu eyed him suspiciously.

“I twisted my ankle up on the slope, otherwise I’d have gone home sooner!” he replied helplessly.

“Uncle, I heard there are demons in these mountains?” Hanyu blinked.

“Demons? Never! I live in the valley village at the mountain’s mouth, come here for firewood every day, and have never heard of demons!” The woodcutter shook his head vigorously.

“We only heard rumors and have been on edge all the way,” Hanyu pretended relief.

“Don’t listen to such nonsense. Yin-Yang Mountain is a sacred and blessed place—there are no demons here!” the woodcutter said indignantly. “By the way, there’s a Sun and Moon Temple near the valley entrance. You could stay there for the night.”

“Sun and Moon Temple?” Biyi, who’d been worrying about sleeping outdoors, perked up. Hanyu frowned slightly.

“Yes, it’s run by a few young priestesses who often tend to the villagers’ ailments and help us in times of need. I’m sure they’ll let you stay!”

“Brother Hong, since that’s the case, why don’t we trouble them for a night’s rest before continuing?” Jin Guishan looked to Hongkun.

Hongkun nodded at once. “Let’s do as you say.”