Volume Two, Chapter Ten: The Clouds Part and the Mist Clears

After a brief rest, the group set off again. However, Han Yu and Mei Niang seemed to grow increasingly cautious, their pace noticeably slowing. Sure enough, the black thread in Hong Kun’s hand was soon tugged, and he stopped abruptly. Shortly thereafter, Han Yu and Mei Niang rushed back.

“We’re right in front of the mountain gate! There are people guarding it! They don’t look like Fat Girl’s group,” Han Yu said, uncertainty in her voice.

“Don’t look like?” Hong Kun pressed.

“They’re all dressed as Daoists. None of Fat Girl’s group wears that attire, so I think… but it’s not certain. Maybe… I think we should be careful!”

“Better to be cautious! They didn’t spot you, did they?” Hong Kun nodded.

“No! We were hidden in the grass—they’d never notice. This place is truly strange! Mist shrouds the mountain gate, you can’t see your hand in front of your face, but behind the gate it’s clear skies. If you entered, you’d be noticed right away.”

“Is there a way around?” Mo Yan interjected.

“How? There’s only one mountain path!” Mei Niang shook her fox head.

“Turtle Brother?” Mo Yan suddenly smiled at Han Yu, who quickly nodded in earnest.

“Hm?” The divine tortoise on Yi Bing’s back shuddered.

“Fly us one more time! Just skirt around the gate!” Mo Yan’s voice was so melodious that even Mei Niang shivered involuntarily. The tortoise in the cloth bag was so comfortable it nearly collapsed.

“No…?” Mo Yan murmured plaintively. Hong Kun frowned—this girl!

“All right, all right…” The tortoise leapt from Yi Bing’s head with a heavy thud.

“Turtle Brother, are you all right?” Mo Yan hurried over.

“…I’m fine… fine…” The tortoise grimaced in pain.

“Hehehe…” Han Yu’s rabbit ears twitched with laughter.

“Hurry up and climb aboard!” The tortoise glared awkwardly at Han Yu, then instantly grew to the size of a carriage.

“What did I say that was so funny?” Mo Yan asked Han Yu in curiosity.

“It’s not you—it’s your Turtle Brother! He’s finally met his match!” Han Yu winked slyly.

“Who?”

“You!”

As soon as everyone was settled, the tortoise impatiently soared into the air. It shot straight off the mountain path; in the swirling mist, they saw nothing, only felt the breeze in their ears. This time, the tortoise flew exceptionally smoothly and silently.

Once beyond the clouds and mist, they realized Han Yu had been right. The mountain gate was like a boundary: outside, all was a white haze; inside, the clouds parted and the sun shone. Atop the mountain, pavilions and towers nestled among green trees, streams murmured, birds sang and butterflies danced—a veritable paradise. To avoid being discovered, the tortoise circled widely, skillfully bypassing the mountain gate, and finally swept toward the summit.

“The highest palace, there’s a garden behind it!” Han Yu carefully peered toward the garden.

At once, the tortoise dove sharply and sped toward the garden.

The landing was flawless, as gentle as dew, settling in a corner of the garden.

The garden was fragrant and tranquil; leaves swayed in the breeze, and only the low hum of insects could be heard. At its center lay a round pond, crossed by an arched bridge that split it into two halves: one side filled with lotus blooms, the other crystal clear, resembling a yin-yang symbol. Paths encircled the pond, leading to a vermilion gate at one end and a jade pavilion at the other.

“I’m tired from flying, need a place to rest!” Without waiting, the tortoise slipped into the nearby flowerbed.

“Turtle Brother…” Mo Yan couldn’t help calling out.

“Leave him be, he’s always like this…” Mei Niang quickly stopped Mo Yan. Mo Yan glanced at Hong Kun, who pursed his lips and said nothing.

“You wait here, we’ll go scout ahead!” Han Yu had already observed the area from above; beyond the garden should be the rear courtyard.

Han Yu and Mei Niang peered through the door crack for a long while before gently pushing it open and slipping outside. Ahead was a quiet backyard; the main house and side rooms seemed inhabited, but were currently empty.

Beyond the courtyard was a small slope, blooming with flowers, and a winding stone staircase leading up. At the top stood a grand hall—clearly the main hall.

Han Yu led, Mei Niang followed, rabbit and fox tiptoeing through the flowers. As they neared the hall, voices inside grew noisy.

“At least we should get a share, right?!”

“Even the senior brother isn’t certain—us? Hmph!”

“With so many taken, surely we can get a bit?”

“Don’t kid yourself, just guard the place!”

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“What are we guarding? Is anyone coming to rescue them? If they do, they’ll just get pulled into the tower as usual.”

“Heh, that Master Tai Miao is really foolish!”

“Yeah, whatever Master says, she believes!”

Han Yu and Mei Niang slipped to the door and peeked inside, discovering five young Daoists arguing. Each held a sword, as if guarding something!

Mei Niang nudged Han Yu, who followed her gaze and saw that in the center of the five, there stood a half-foot-tall golden treasure tower, exquisitely crafted with five tiers and six sides each.

Just then, someone approached outside the hall, and the Daoists fell silent. Han Yu glanced, then quickly pushed Mei Niang, and the two hurried back to the garden.

“It must be people from Zhengjia Sect—I saw Ye Boyang!” Han Yu said urgently. The newcomer was the same Ye Boyang who had burned Ru Zhen at the Immortal Gathering!

“Ye Boyang? Then it’s fine!” Yi Bing exclaimed happily.

“We didn’t see a single person from Mist Cloud Sect!” Han Yu shook her rabbit head.

“No way! Zhengjia and Mist Cloud are fellow sects—they surely wouldn’t…” Remembering the events at Guiyuan Cave, Yi Bing became hesitant.

“We saw the Daoists guarding a half-foot-tall, five-tiered golden tower. They said Master Tai Miao is foolish, trusting their master’s words, and that they’ve caught many people,” Mei Niang interjected.

“This is bad!” Cheng Yan glanced at Hong Kun, who immediately nodded.

“What’s wrong?” Mo Yan asked anxiously.

“Fat Girl’s group may have been trapped inside the treasure tower. If so, soon they’ll either be destroyed or refined into golden pills!” Han Yu explained.

“Then we should rescue them!” Mo Yan drew her sword with a swift motion.

“How many are there?” Hong Kun asked.

“Six in the hall; except for Ye Boyang, the others should be easy to handle. But there may be more outside!” Mei Niang replied.

Hong Kun was silent for a moment, then took out the cloth bag the uncle had given him.

“Turtle Brother! Turtle Brother!” Hong Kun called quietly toward the flowerbed.

“What?” A dark shape zipped to his feet. Everyone was surprised—when had the tortoise become so obedient?

“Please keep this cloth bag for us. If anything happens, open it!”

“Understood! Just drop it!” the tortoise said impatiently.

“Right!” Hong Kun quickly set the bag down. The tortoise snatched it and vanished into the flowers.

“How will it open it?” Mo Yan asked curiously. Hong Kun hesitated.

“With its mouth!” Han Yu and Mei Niang replied in unison. Mo Yan stuck out her tongue in fright.

Han Yu and Mei Niang scouted ahead, with Hong Kun and the others following. Mo Yan was especially excited—if not for Cheng Yan holding her back, she would have rushed ahead.

At the hall door, they listened for a while but heard no voices. Peeking inside, they saw the Daoists drowsily gathered around the treasure tower, with Ye Boyang nowhere to be seen.

Hong Kun raised two fingers, pointed to himself, then raised one finger and pointed at each of the others. Seeing everyone nod, he turned to Cheng Yan, raised one finger, pointed at her, then at his mouth. Cheng Yan nodded. Yi Bing and Mo Yan didn’t understand but dared not ask, so they all crept quietly into the hall.

Yi Bing and Mo Yan were straightforward—each knocked out a Daoist. Hong Kun stunned two more, then turned to Cheng Yan, who held her sword across a Daoist’s throat, her hand covering his mouth. Hong Kun nodded approvingly. Yi Bing and Mo Yan realized the plan was to leave a survivor.

“If you dare scream, I’ll stab you right through!” Hong Kun pressed his sword to the Daoist’s chest. The Daoist nodded vigorously. Cheng Yan released his mouth.

“Are you from Zhengjia Sect?”

“Yes!”

“Why come to Jiuxi Mountain?”

“Master ordered us to wipe out Mist Cloud Sect for consorting with demons!”

“Consorting with demons?”

“Yes, they colluded with the Seven-Tailed Fox to harm the Daoist community!”

If Han Yu hadn’t stepped on her tail, Mei Niang would have bitten the Daoist’s throat.

“Where’s Master Tai Miao?”

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The Daoist said nothing, looking down at the golden treasure tower at his feet.

“Where are the others?”

“All inside the tower!”

“Why do you say Master Tai Miao is foolish?” Han Yu couldn’t help asking, startling the Daoist.

“We caught her disciples. Master said if she entered the tower willingly, he wouldn’t kill her disciples and would let them go. Master Tai Miao believed it, entered the tower, and then Master… just trapped her disciples inside too!” The Daoist stared fearfully at the talking rabbit.

“How long is the refining?”

“Three days—once in the tower, after three days, they’re refined into golden pills!”

“What day is it now?” Yi Bing asked, his face pale.

“Third day…” The Daoist’s lips trembled.

“How do we release them?” Hong Kun pressed his sword, tearing the Daoist’s robe.

“I don’t know! Really don’t! Only Master knows. Ah…” Before the Daoist finished, Hong Kun knocked him out.

“Smash it!” Cheng Yan suddenly said to Yi Bing.

“Right! You have divine iron!” Hong Kun understood her meaning.

“Okay!” Yi Bing quickly changed his sword into a mountain axe and swung it hard.

A roar sounded—but it wasn’t Yi Bing’s axe. A wave of heat surged from behind.

“Who’s there?” Luckily, Hong Kun spun and conjured a wall of fire, or else they’d have been roasted alive!

As flames clashed, Yi Bing saw the assailant was Ye Boyang. He wielded his sword, but his flames were clearly no match for Hong Kun’s. He hurriedly formed a spell, muttering, and soon split his fire into two streams, attacking Hong Kun from both sides.

“Hmph!” Before Cheng Yan finished her snort, she swept her sword, summoning a gust that sent the flames back toward Ye Boyang.

“Ouch!” Ye Boyang abandoned his sword and retreated, but his eyebrows were burnt off.

“Boyang, step back!” At some point, a middle-aged Daoist stood behind Ye Boyang. He wore a white robe, Daoist crown, cloud-walking shoes, and carried a whisk and sword, three long whiskers flowing over his chest.

“Fei Xu… Daoist!” Yi Bing whispered to Hong Kun.

“Who are you?” Hong Kun called loudly.

“Fei Xu, Daoist of Zhengjia Sect! May I know your esteemed name?” Fei Xu scrutinized each of them, especially the rabbit and fox.

“Hong Kun of Banyue Hill!” Hong Kun gripped his sword, knowing this was Ye Boyang’s master and likely formidable.

“Oh, I’ve heard the name! What hill?” Fei Xu frowned.

“You…”

“Enough nonsense! Release Master Tai Miao now, or else…” Mo Yan jumped up.

“Or else what?” Fei Xu smiled.

“You’ve harmed your fellow sect members—this is unforgivable! You must be punished!” Hong Kun raised his sword.

“Harming fellow sect members? They consort with demons, plotting against the righteous—we’re merely purging the sect!”

“You lie! You’re the ones consorting with demons! You colluded with Jade-Faced Lord to harm the Immortal Gathering, and now you’re hurting Mist Cloud Sect!” Mei Niang shouted.

“Nonsense!” Fei Xu’s face darkened. He had always believed no one knew of his dealings with Jade-Faced Lord.

“Heh! If you don’t want it known, don’t do it!” Mei Niang wasn’t entirely certain, but his reaction confirmed her suspicions.

“Then don’t blame me!” Fei Xu suddenly sneered.

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