Volume Two, Chapter Three: Stealing Herbs in the Great Marsh

Another half a month passed. Although the faces of Hanyu and Meiniang grew increasingly rosy, and they could now move about freely, the two of them tried several times but were utterly unable to transform back into human form. Yibing hurried to ask his martial uncle, who replied that their spiritual cultivation had been completely destroyed; they could never change form again.

Hanyu and Meiniang, of course, understood this well. Though their spirits were low for a few days, they soon recovered. This, however, proved to be quite a trial for the Divine Tortoise. Hanyu and Meiniang now spent their days at the edge of the pond, a rabbit and a fox, chattering away as they ceaselessly teased the poor tortoise. The Divine Tortoise refused to be outdone; stretching out his neck, he argued back. When he could argue no further, he simply dove to the bottom and refused to surface. But Hanyu and Meiniang would throw stones and stir up the water, forcing him to emerge again. Outtalked and unable to escape, the tortoise could only steel himself and quarrel with them—when he could, he did; when he couldn’t, he shrank into his shell, listening in silence. Hanyu and Meiniang didn’t mind at all, continuing their banter as long as the tortoise was there to listen. Sometimes, seeing the tortoise so vexed he nearly flipped over, Yibing felt quite sympathetic; yet, he dared not provoke the rabbit and fox either. So, each day while gathering herbs, he would also collect some wild fruits to restore the tortoise’s energy as a gesture of comfort.

One morning, while picking herbs, Yibing suddenly heard someone calling behind him. He turned to see Tiezhu running over, saying their martial uncle needed him for something. Startled, Yibing quickly tidied up and hurried with Tiezhu to the main hall. There, he learned that Elder Xifeng simply wanted him to run an errand to the Five-Colored Cave to fetch some clean clothes for her. Overjoyed at the chance to see his senior sister Biyi again, Yibing’s plump face nearly split with happiness.

After notifying his two senior brothers, Yibing sped out of Banyue Mound like the wind. But before he’d gotten even half a mile, he spun around and dashed back. First, he found Tiezhu, then made his way straight to the pond. As expected, Hanyu and Meiniang were at the water’s edge, bullying the Divine Tortoise.

“Hey!” Yibing hurried forward.

“Who?” The rabbit, the fox, and the tortoise all craned their necks and stared at him.

“Any of you!” Yibing, flustered for a moment, grinned. “I have to go to the Five-Colored Cave and probably won’t be back until evening. I’ve already told Tiezhu—he’ll prepare the medicine and bring it over!”

“Oh! The Five-Colored Cave… Will you ever come back? Hee hee…” Meiniang teased with a sly grin. Yibing flushed crimson.

“Daoist… Daoist…” the Divine Tortoise suddenly shouted, startling Meiniang into clapping her tail over his mouth.

“Bah! You got fur in my mouth!” The tortoise tumbled aside, coughing.

“What were you shouting for?” Meiniang asked anxiously.

“Nothing! I just wanted to tell the Daoist what you said!” The tortoise rolled his eyes mischievously.

“Don’t you dare…” Meiniang was genuinely nervous now.

“Hey, you old—tortoise! I might not be able to kick an eagle anymore, but I can still kick you!” Hanyu lifted her forepaw threateningly.

“You… Hmph! Fine, I won’t shout, but at least you two can’t talk back for five days!” The tortoise was unfazed, seeing she was about to call him an “old turtle” again.

“Two days! Or we won’t come anymore!” Hanyu quickly cut in before Meiniang could agree.

“No way! At lea—” The tortoise stuck out his neck stubbornly.

“Three days! Good Divine Tortoise, three days!” Hanyu gritted her teeth and smiled.

“Heh heh… Fine, fine!” At being called “Divine Tortoise,” he was so pleased he’d agree to anything.

“Aren’t you leaving yet?! Want to spend the night at the Five-Colored Cave on purpose?” Hanyu shot Yibing a glare.

“No, no!” Yibing’s face flushed as he hurried away.

Leaving Banyue Mound, Yibing raced ahead, all his thoughts on what he’d say to Biyi when he saw her. Without realizing it, he ran faster and faster, reaching the marsh’s edge in less than half an hour. The muffled sound of bursting bubbles brought him back to his senses, and he felt a wave of anxiety. Mist hung thickly everywhere; who knew if that sky-dwelling creature was around? Though his senior brother said it was an immortal, its lecherous laugh made Yibing think it best not to provoke it.

He crouched in the grass at the marsh’s edge for a while, making sure there was no movement. Only then did he nervously pick up a long branch and tiptoe forward. But halfway across, a sudden “splutch” made him drop to the ground in fright.

After a brief silence, a faint voice came from the mud pit to his left, so quiet it was barely audible: someone was calling for help.

“Who’s there?” Yibing called in a low voice, but got no reply. The swirling mists obscured everything. If it was that monster, what should he do? If not, who could it be?

“Help!” The voice was even fainter now.

There was no time to hesitate. Yibing used the branch to probe his way toward the sound. As he drew near, he saw a head slowly sinking, half its mouth already swallowed by the mire. He stretched out the branch, but it was too short to reach. Seeing the person about to be submerged, he hurriedly took off his belt and flicked it toward them. Instantly, it transformed into a straight rod, landing right in front of the person, who grabbed it desperately.

“Don’t move! I’ll pull you over!” Yibing said as he gradually shortened the rod, dragging the person to his feet at last.

“Peh, peh… Brother Mu…” The mud-covered figure managed to gasp. Yibing started, hurriedly wiped the mud from his face, and recognized Jin Guishan.

“Senior Brother Jin?! What happened to you…” Yibing quickly handed over his water gourd. Jin Guishan rinsed his face, then his mouth.

“Brother Mu, thank you! Thank you so much!” Jin Guishan gripped Yibing’s hand in gratitude.

“How did you end up here, Senior Brother?” Yibing asked in astonishment.

“Sigh, it’s a long story…” Jin Guishan glanced nervously at the sky.

“And Miss Zhao? Isn’t she with you?” Yibing pressed. Jin Guishan looked at him, silent, his eyes flickering as if burdened by something unspoken.

“Is Miss Zhao alright?” Yibing became anxious.

“Alas…” Jin Guishan sighed deeply. “After we parted ways, we took my junior sister back to Misty Cloud Peak and begged Master to stabilize her spirit. But no matter what we tried, there was no improvement. Her soul remained adrift, sometimes lucid, sometimes confused, growing weaker by the day. She’s on the verge of fading away…”

“Is she…” Yibing’s voice trembled.

“No, no! She’s still safe for now—my master is using magic to protect her soul. Let go a moment…” Yibing’s grip was hurting Jin Guishan.

“There’s no other way?” Yibing released him, anxious.

“We inquired everywhere and heard that Taomarsh has a lotus that can restore the soul, so we came to find it.”

“And did you find it?”

“Not yet… As soon as we entered here, darkness fell like night. Before we could react, we were all snatched up. I was thrown down here. I don’t know what’s become of Junior Qi and Sister He.”

“What?! Senior Brother Qi and Sister He were captured too?” The mention of “dark as night” made Yibing want to drag Jin Guishan off at once, but hearing the rest, he hesitated.

“Yes! I don’t know what it was—before I could even see, I was dropped. I just heard wings beating—I think it was a giant bird.” Jin Guishan scanned the sky nervously.

“Was it a ‘whoosh-whoosh’ sound?” Yibing’s face twitched.

“That’s it! That’s it! You know it? What is it?” Yibing’s imitation was so realistic, Jin Guishan nodded vigorously.

“I know of it, but I’ve never really seen it… Last time I passed here, it chased me—and covered me in bird droppings…”

“Before?”

“Oh! This is the only road from Banyue Mound to the Five-Colored Cave! The cave is my martial uncle’s residence; I once delivered a message there.” Yibing explained quickly.

“So that’s it! I was just wondering why you’d be here,” Jin Guishan nodded.

“This time, I’m on an errand for my martial uncle, fetching some things from the Five-Colored Cave. I never expected to run into you!”

“Lucky for me, or I’d be doomed!” Jin Guishan was deeply grateful. He’d been unable to use any spells in the marsh, which seemed alive, dragging him down.

“Senior Brother Jin, why not come with me to the Five-Colored Cave? My senior sisters there might know how to deal with that monster and rescue Qi and Sister He!” After considering, Yibing thought it best to seek help. That sneaky creature was too much to handle alone.

“You scoundrel, who are you calling a monster?!” Suddenly the sky darkened. This time, the “whoosh-whoosh” was unmistakable. Yibing didn’t dare look up; grabbing Jin Guishan, he ran.

“Trying to run?!” A cold laugh sounded above, and a shadow crashed down. Yibing ducked just in time, hearing a “splutch” and a woman’s cry. The voice was familiar—he turned to see He Lingchi thrown into the marsh. He reached out but was too far. Just then, wind rushed behind him, and he dove flat as another “splutch” sounded.

“Brother Mu? Oh—” Qi Yuanxiao managed to call out before the mire swallowed his mouth. Yibing panicked, transforming his iron rod into a pole several yards long, bracing one end against He Lingchi, the other against Qi Yuanxiao.

“Well now?!” a surprised voice called from the sky, and suddenly a violent gale whipped up, nearly blowing them all away. Qi Yuanxiao and He Lingchi were about to lose their grip.

“I’ll fight you!” Jin Guishan, furious, drew his sword to strike the sky, but Yibing grabbed his arm.

“And you say you’re not a monster? Attacking people for no reason!” Yibing forced himself to look up, but the sky was so dark that only a few rays of sunlight pierced through.

“Who attacked for no reason?” Suddenly, two enormous eagle eyes appeared before Yibing, startling him so much he fell over. But the wind stopped abruptly.

“Th-then… why did you…?” Yibing stammered nervously.

“They wanted to steal my treasure!” The eagle eyes nearly touched Yibing’s face.

“Treasure?” Yibing paused, surprised; the creature didn’t sound as if it were lying.

“Could it be?!” Jin Guishan seemed to realize something too. He quickly said, “We truly didn’t know it belonged to anyone!”

“Aren’t you headed to Taomarsh? Why come here to steal someone’s treasure?” Yibing demanded, a little annoyed.

“This is Taomarsh!” Jin Guishan looked baffled.

“What?!” Yibing’s jaw dropped. He’d always thought this was just a wild marsh—so this was the famed Taomarsh! Then, the so-called treasure must be the lotus that could save Pangniuer!

“Hey, chubby, who are you anyway, always going to the Five-Colored Cave?” The eagle eyes spun angrily.

“I… Senior, your eyes are too big, they make me dizzy. Could you…?”

“Senior?! Weren’t you just calling me a monster?!” As he spoke, the sky brightened, and a giant golden-feathered bird, over ten feet long, swooped down in front of Yibing.

“Wow, Senior, with such beautiful feathers, you couldn’t possibly be a monster!” Yibing truly admired its plumage.

“No flattery! Speak up!” The big bird seemed impatient.

“I only went once—how is that always? And what’s with all this ‘senior sister’ talk…” The bird muttered suspiciously.

“How do you…” Yibing shivered—thank goodness he hadn’t spoken ill of it too often.

“What?”

“Nothing! I’m Daoist Meng Hong’s disciple; Elder Xifeng is my martial uncle, so naturally her disciples are my senior sisters…”

“Oh, so you’re that old rascal’s disciple. I thought…” The big bird seemed to calm down.

“How dare you call my master that…” Yibing sprang to his feet indignantly.

“Oh, so you respect your master, do you? I’ll say it again—old rascal, old rascal! What can you do about it?” The bird shook its head at Yibing, who could only grit his teeth and sit down again.

“My martial uncle said you were an immortal, a venerable senior! Hmph, I think you’re nothing but a monster—a sly monster!” Yibing, though no match in words, shouted back defiantly.