As the Taoists fled with their faces covered, the Drought Demon, Bá, made no move to pursue them. She had no interest in these worldly vendettas; her entire focus remained fixed on Fan Shaohuang. Once the matter was settled, she hurried back to his side to resume her vigil.
Worried that the Taoists might stir up more trouble, Qiao’er cast a concealment spell and followed them stealthily until they had cleared the grounds of the Pavilion of Heavenly Observation. Only then did she relax. However, during this pursuit, she noticed something strange—what was this thing inside her body?
It felt like a warm current circulating through her limbs. At first, she had dismissed it as the summer heat, but upon casting her spell, the anomaly became undeniable. Having read many books, she suspected it was spiritual power. But where could such power have come from?
She cast the spell again. The foreign energy was pure and serene, flowing slowly through her meridians. Doubts filled her mind, but with the sun high in the sky, there was no one she could ask. Returning to the Pavilion, she found the young Taoists busy calming the pilgrims. In truth, the pilgrims needed no calming; none of them seemed frightened. If anything, their expressions were those of delighted surprise.
When Qiao’er entered the room, Fan Shaohuang was still deep in sleep. Bá sat beside him, her large hand enveloping his. Her massive, barrel-like frame made the originally tall and lean Fan Shaohuang look almost petite by comparison.
Having read extensively, Qiao’er knew a bit about Foundation Establishment. "He probably won't wake up for a while, right? Why bother staying by his side the whole time?"
Bá pursed her lips, a hint of a smile in her voice. "You don't understand."
*Indeed, you don't understand. Do you know how long I have lived? Do you know how long ago I met him, or how long we were separated? Can you count every grain of yellow sand on the seashore?*
When memories are as long as life itself, humans forget the past embarrassments and glories, the old grudges and lingering affections. Only gods remain obsessed, never forgetting.
Qiao’er truly didn't understand. "If you really like him, why don't you change your appearance to... er, something closer to a human? It would be easier to please him if you were of the same race."
Only then did Bá turn her head. Strange patterns seemed to swirl within her pupils, threatening to ensnare one's soul. Qiao’er didn't dare meet her gaze for long and quickly looked away. Bá, however, giggled. "Am I not beautiful like this?"
She tilted her head and stuck out her tongue, making a "cute" and "charming" face. Many years later, that expression would still frequently haunt Qiao’er’s nightmares.
That evening, Priest Hao continued his lessons for the zombies and minor demons. The Ghost Chariot bird perched on the windowsill to peek at Fan Shaohuang, only for Bá to poke its eyes. It didn't dare curse her, so it hid in a corner rubbing its eyes. This was something Qiao’er deeply admired—given how the Ghost Chariot’s eyes were positioned, it must have taken real effort to poke two of them at once...
While all the other zombies were on the beach listening to the lecture, the green-eyed zombie had just crawled out of the ground when Qiao’er dragged it into the small wooden hut.
Bá, who was holding the still-unconscious Fan Shaohuang out on the beach to soak in the moonlight, immediately perked up. A predatory glint flashed in her eyes. "Dark moon, high winds, a lonely man and woman, unable to wait... Quick, get on the Ghost Chariot!!"
...
Inside the hut, after ensuring no one had followed, Qiao’er began to trace characters onto the green-eyed zombie’s chest. She wasn't stupid. After Fan Shaojing was injured, a massive portion of his True Essence had been drained, and now she suddenly possessed a mysterious cultivation...
Her eyes were like the night sky dampened by sea waves—gentle, clear, and without artifice. She asked it directly: *Was it you?*
The green-eyed zombie met her gaze. To it, that look was the harshest punishment in the world. It couldn't even bring itself to lie, so it silently confessed within her palm.
"Why?" Qiao’er didn't know how to process this. She was afraid. "Priest Fan Shaojing is a good man. Why would you hurt him?"
Mist seemed to cloud her eyes. Legends said zombies were bloodthirsty and irredeemable. She feared it was straying from what humans called the "righteous path," yet she didn't know where to lead it instead.
The green-eyed zombie scratched its hair anxiously, hanging its head and not daring to look at her. After a long silence, it peeked up, only to see the mist in her eyes thickening as if she were about to cry.
It panicked. It reached out to wipe her eyes, whispering low sounds into her ear. Its hands were still ice-cold. Qiao’er reached out to hold them; every line on those palms was a shape she knew well. Finally, she couldn't stop her tears from falling.
The green-eyed zombie grew even more frantic. It swept her up in its arms and began pacing back and forth in the hut, humming an unrecognizable cradle song. It had seen many people soothing crying infants this way; it remembered that when humans cried, they were meant to be coaxed like this.
Qiao’er leaned against its neck. It was still clean, smelling faintly of soapnuts. She traced words on its chest: *Promise me, no matter what happens in the future, you won't drink human blood, okay?*
The green-eyed zombie nodded gently, just as it had agreed to every other trivial thing she had ever asked.
Qiao’er nestled in its embrace as it carried her along the beach. Moonlight flooded the sands, and the waves shimmered like silver. The crowd of zombies stopped their lesson, staring blankly as the "Second-in-Command" carried the "Boss" back and forth, humming a tone-deaf little tune.
The next day, Fan Shaohuang had regained consciousness. His old injuries were mostly healed, though his movements were not yet as agile as before. The celestial foundation Bá had laid for him would allow his future cultivation to yield twice the result with half the effort. All things considered, being expelled from his sect hadn't actually cost him much.
Bá handed him a bowl of medicine. She particularly enjoyed watching him frown at the sight of it. Who would have known that the mighty Yinglong—who dared to brawl with the River God, assist Great Yu in taming the floods, and battle Chiyou—feared nothing in heaven or earth except drinking medicine?
She felt immense joy. Even after so many eons, she could still find traces of his former self. Thus, regardless of whether it was necessary, she brewed all sorts of medicines for him just to see that pained expression on his face.
Fan Shaohuang, of course, was not joyful. He glared at the bowl. *What is this? So much medicine...*
Fortunately, Bá could not stay in the mortal realm for long. She was originally a Fire God, and the fire essence within her was incredibly potent. Combined with the murky miasma of the human world, her presence would cause the earth to crack for a thousand miles and plagues to run rampant. Even if the Heavens hadn't discovered her escape, she had to return to the Path of Demons.
She had been quite kind to Qiao’er these past few days. Before leaving, she gifted the Mirror of Worldly Reflections to her. Qiao’er loved it, and by extension, decided that Bá was actually a very decent person.
On the day of Bá’s departure, only Qiao’er went to see her off. Fan Shaohuang had no idea she was leaving—though if he had known, he likely would have been thrilled. Before she left, Bá made a point of going into the sea, insisting on leaving "kisses of love" on the faces of her many "grandsons." This terrified the zombies, who fled in all directions with horrified shrieks, causing the waters around the Pavilion to churn as if a tsunami were hitting.
Qiao’er walked with Bá all the way to the foot of the mountain. The demon was still cheerful, occasionally teasing the roadside wildflowers with the tip of her embroidered shoe. Finally, she snapped off a pine branch and tapped Qiao’er on the head. "Go back now. I’m leaving."
Qiao’er watched as Bá walked further and further away until even that bright splash of pink disappeared. She felt a pang of melancholy. Despite having lived for so many ages, the woman didn't have a single old friend to see her off, save for Qiao’er.
As she was wallowing in her sadness, the distant Bá suddenly doubled back. She whispered playfully in Qiao’er’s ear, "Don't be sad. Although you aren't as divinely beautiful as I am, mmm, you aren't ugly either."
Having said her piece, Bá started walking away again. Qiao’er watched her go a second time, only for her to reappear moments later. "Oh, right! Don't forget to make him drink his medicine on time. Tee-hee, I really wish I could stay a bit longer."
Qiao’er watched her leave for the third time. After a long while, Bá returned once more. Her face was serious, but her eyes danced with mischief. "That green-eyed grandson of mine is very honest and loyal. Don't you go bullying him. By the way, zombies can actually enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. After all, his whole body is hard, which isn't much different from you humans. You really must try it..."
All of Qiao’er’s melancholy vanished into the clouds. Facing this barrel-shaped fountain of high-level scandal, she felt like weeping. *Bá, you can get lost now. Really...*
Bá truly did leave this time. To Qiao’er’s speechless exasperation, she simply vanished into thin air. It turned out those several "lonely departures" earlier had just been her way of messing with her...
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
真元 | True Essence | The fundamental life force or spiritual energy of a cultivator.
火神 | Fire God | A deity associated with fire; here referring to Bá's divine origins.
赤地千里 | A thousand miles of barren land | An idiom describing extreme drought, often associated with the presence of the Drought Demon.
妖魔道 | Path of Demons | A realm or state of existence for supernatural creatures and demons.
应龙 | Yinglong | The Responding Dragon; a powerful winged dragon in Chinese mythology who served the Yellow Emperor.
皂角 | Soapnuts | A natural fruit used for washing/cleaning in ancient China.
国色天香 | Divinely beautiful | Literally "national color and heavenly fragrance," an idiom for a woman of peerless beauty.
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