Mu Gesheng spoke of Wu Nie’s origins with great authority, but Song Wentong seemed entirely oblivious. He took a step back, still dangling Zhu Yinxiao by the scruff of his neck. "And who the hell are you?"
"That is not important." Wu Nie’s face was thick with greasepaint, masking any expression; she wore a permanent, deathly white smile. "If you have questions, little boy, speak with your fists first." With a flourish, she cast aside her outer robe and struck out with a palm.
This was exactly what Song Wentong wanted. Their palms collided, unleashing a shockwave of internal energy that sent the surrounding crowd tumbling. Even Mu Gesheng and Chai Shuxin, who hadn't fled far, were caught in the blast and knocked headlong into the water.
"That blind idiot... always making trouble for his own people." Mu Gesheng bobbed to the surface and spat out a mouthful of river water. "We have to move. The Mohist fighting the Taisui—this is going to be another 'Havoc in Fengdu' all over again."
Chai Shuxin grabbed a nearby boat and shoved Mu Gesheng onto it. "The Xingxiuzi is still over there. Aren't you going to help him?"
"Old Fifth is basically a helpless infant, but Old Second has the skills of Zhao Zilong. He can charge through a million enemies and come out unscathed." Mu Gesheng pulled Chai Shuxin onto the boat. "The priority is finding Old Third to mediate—"
Before he could finish, an unidentified object came flying through the air, landing squarely in Mu Gesheng’s arms. Zhu Yinxiao, still in his half-human, half-feathered form, looked up at him and let out a long, loud belch.
This little ancestor couldn't speak yet; his only modes of communication were crowing like a rooster or belching.
Since Zhao Zilong had effectively tossed away his "infant lord," Mu Gesheng felt a massive headache coming on. "Midnight Snack, how do you manage to vomit and belch at the same time?"
Chai Shuxin remarked, "Indigestion. It’s quite normal."
"Great Physician, now is not the time for a diagnosis. If you’re this dedicated to your craft, watch out or Cao Cao will have your head—speak of the devil!"
Wu Nie leaped through the air, her landing point aimed directly at their small boat. Song Wentong followed close behind, heedless of the bystanders. He swung his blade downward; the boat shattered instantly. The force of the strike didn't dissipate but rebounded, sending everyone flying into the air like scattered flower petals.
The strike was earth-shattering. Mu Gesheng clutched Zhu Yinxiao, who in turn clung to Chai Shuxin. The three of them were like grasshoppers on a single string, swept ten thousand miles away by the gale of the blade. Finally, they slammed into something and landed flat on the ground like three pancakes.
Mu Gesheng hissed through gritted teeth, "I shouldn't have mentioned *The Three Kingdoms*. I should have mentioned *Journey to the West*—damn it, Old Second really is a reckless Pigsy."
Chai Shuxin stood up and surveyed their surroundings. "Where are we?"
Mu Gesheng was in too much pain to move, sprawling motionless on the ground. "Are there any landmarks nearby?"
"Yes. We are by a city gate," Chai Shuxin said. "Three characters are carved upon it: West City Pass."
"?!?!" Mu Gesheng scrambled up instantly, scooping up Zhu Yinxiao. "Move. We have to leave right now."
Chai Shuxin followed close behind. "What is this place?"
"This is Fengdu’s Western Gate, also known as the West City Pass. If you map Fengdu according to the Eight Trigrams, you’ll find that the Ghost Gate is the Gate of Life, while the West City Pass is the Gate of Death. It is a place of supreme ill omen." Mu Gesheng’s pace was frantic. "Beyond this gate lies the Abi Region—an ancient battlefield teeming with vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts. Stepping inside is like facing the eighty-one tribulations of the sutras. Without the skills of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, it’s nearly impossible to come out alive."
As they walked, the mist grew thicker. Mu Gesheng sensed something wrong and halted, only to see a malevolent ghost lunging at them with bared fangs and claws.
Chai Shuxin paused. "What is that?"
Mu Gesheng scattered a handful of flower coins, forcefully pinning the ghost in place. "...Sanjiutian, are you certain you saw 'West City Pass' on the gate earlier?"
"Certain. I could not have mistaken it."
"Listen to me." Mu Gesheng took a deep breath. "We might not have been in front of the gate just now, but behind it. Old Second’s blade can sunder all things; it wouldn't be strange if he broke the seal on the gate and tossed us right through it."
Chai Shuxin: "..."
"So, in our haste, we’ve likely wandered deep into the Abi Region," Mu Gesheng said. "We are in desperate need of a Great Sage right now. Can you perform the Seventy-Two Transformations?"
"No monkey," Chai Shuxin said expressionlessly. "Only a chicken."
Zhu Yinxiao cooperated perfectly by letting out a loud crow.
The mist froze for a second. Then, a wail erupted from the ground, followed by a hundred responding cries. The sound successfully drew every monster and demon from all directions toward them.
"...You really are a 'lucky' bird." Mu Gesheng’s face turned green. He tore a long strip of cloth from his hem, using half to gag Zhu Yinxiao and the other half to bind the boy firmly to his back. He looked around, picked up two rusted ancient swords from the ground, and tossed one to Chai Shuxin.
"I’m not as handy with this as I am with a spear, but a spear won't work against these things. Do you know swordsmanship?"
"I know a thing or two." Chai Shuxin caught the blade, watching the approaching swarm of skeletons. "Are you confident?"
"The ghosts in the Abi Region slaughter one another. These are just the empty husks left over after being eaten clean. We can handle them, but stay sharp..."
Before he could finish, Chai Shuxin charged. Wherever his sword-qi reached, white bones shattered like snow.
Mu Gesheng watched the situation for a moment, then patted his back. "Old Fifth, don't cause trouble. If you’re good, I’ll tell you a bedtime story."
"The eighty-one tribulations, the twentieth trial."
The youth raised his sword, the blade flashing with a cold frost.
"Three strikes against the White Bone Demon."
The ghostly wind howled; blades and bones clashed.
The ground trembled slightly as the tide of skeletons surged. Chai Shuxin stood at the center, his sword-qi radiating a chilling brilliance.
These walking skeletons were originally just empty shells, but that made them even more troublesome. Only by severing the head and hacking off the limbs could one stop their movement. Chai Shuxin wielded his sword with the precision of a master butcher; wherever the blade fell, bones were dismantled and crushed. He pivoted to dodge an attack from behind, thrusting his sword straight into the center of a skeleton’s ribcage. The creature exploded in mid-air like a flower of bone.
The Little Sky Lantern floated above Chai Shuxin’s head, but its light had dimmed significantly. it wasn't enough to fully mask his living aura. At this moment, Chai Shuxin was a beacon. The skeletons fell in waves, only for more to surge forward, seemingly endless.
He couldn't hold out for long. Chai Shuxin knew this well. The Yao family were healers, not warriors; his mastery of the sword was far from peerless. Against ordinary mortals, he had a thousand ways to make an opponent collapse in an instant. But here in the Abi Region, neither silver needles nor poisons were of any use. He had no chance of winning by brute force alone.
Chai Shuxin dropped into a crouch, sweeping his right leg out in a low kick. He spun in place, his sword drawing a massive arc.
He was the center of the skeletal swarm. On the outer edge, Mu Gesheng dragged a heavy sword, chanting as he ran: "To be honest, Master, five hundred years ago, when I was the hero of the Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain, I subdued the demons of the seventy-two caves. I had forty-seven thousand monsters under my command. I wore a purple-gold crown, an ochre-yellow robe, a Lantian belt, and cloud-stepping boots. With the Ruyi Jingu Bang in my hand, I was truly a man among..."
The sword tip dug a foot into the ground, carving a line as he moved. Mu Gesheng’s pace never faltered as he sprinted in a wide circle around the swarm. Having completed the circle, he stepped onto a skeleton, leaped into the air, and raced across the heads of the undead. "Sanjiutian!"
Mu Gesheng pulled an object from his sleeve and threw it with all his might. Chai Shuxin leaped up and struck downward with his sword. The blade first pierced the skull of a skeleton, then continued its momentum until it struck the thrown object on the ground with a sharp *clink*.
It was a small sound, yet it lingered, swelling like a rising tide. It carried a distant, ancient resonance that formed a massive wave of sound. However, the sound did not travel far; it was contained by the sword-mark Mu Gesheng had carved. The resonance flowed along the circle like water, becoming a self-sustaining loop that trapped the entire swarm within.
The walking corpses ceased their movement. Their bony limbs disassembled, returning to the earth.
Mu Gesheng tossed the heavy sword aside and sat on the ground, letting out a long breath. He picked up a piece of white bone to use as a storyteller's gavel and rapped it against the ground. "He was a zombie who used illusions to lead people astray. I have slain him, and he has revealed his true form. Upon his spine were written four words: Lady White Bone."
Zhu Yinxiao peered at him from his back, blinking his eyes, though it was unclear if he understood a word.
"Not a word too many, just enough for one chapter. Good coordination." Mu Gesheng threw the bone away. "Good work. You aren't hurt, are you?"
Chai Shuxin walked over, sword in hand, and handed an object to Mu Gesheng. "Your money."
Mu Gesheng took it and flipped it in the air. "Thanks."
Neither of them was a trained martial artist; they had no hope of winning a head-on fight. Chai Shuxin had acted as the decoy to draw the fire, while Mu Gesheng drew a grand formation on the perimeter. Using the Mountain Ghost Flower Coin as the formation's eye, he drew upon its power to pacify the horde.
"Legend says the Mountain Ghost Flower Coins were forged by Fuxi himself. They carry the laws of heaven and earth; they are impervious to blades and spears, and cannot be touched by gods or demons. That strike of yours only shook out some residual ripples, but it was enough to deal with these small fry." Mu Gesheng brushed the dust off his clothes. "I’ll calculate the path. We’ll head back to the gate first, then find a way out."
The Abi Region was a place of concentrated malevolence, filled with stinking winds and patches of green ghost-fire. "This place is essentially a wasteland for exiles. Cold cases the Ten Yama Kings can't solve, vengeful spirits with obsessions too heavy to enter reincarnation, or fierce entities so powerful even the Court of Judicial Review can't punish them—most end up suppressed here, killing each other for eternity."
Mu Gesheng pulled Zhu Yinxiao back into his arms. As he spoke, he began plucking the feathers on the boy’s tail. Zhu Yinxiao never dared to act out against him, so he simply squirmed incessantly like a colorful maggot.
Chai Shuxin couldn't bear to watch. "Let me carry him."
"No need. Your hands are precious; I can't afford the compensation if he bites you." Mu Gesheng waved him off. "Besides, my father said you shouldn't spoil children."
...One shouldn't spoil them, but one shouldn't play with them like toys either.
Chai Shuxin watched Zhu Yinxiao suffer under Mu Gesheng’s hands but ultimately said nothing. "How far is it to the gate?"
"Not very far, but the journey is dangerous." Mu Gesheng rubbed a flower coin. "The skeletons from before were fine; they could be broken with force. But if we run into something we can't handle... well, we don't have the abilities of the Yin-Yang family, nor the divine weapons of the Mohists. The things here don't care about fortune-telling or medicine. If we see one, there’s only one word: run."
"Your physical strength is severely depleted."
"Likewise." Mu Gesheng smiled. "There are forty-nine Mountain Ghost Flower Coins in total. I’ve inherited seventeen from my master so far. They’re fine for divination, but if I truly use them for a life-and-death struggle, I doubt I’m qualified to wield the vast power within them. So, we avoid what we can. If I have to use a coin again, you’ll probably have to drag me out of here, Sanjiutian."
Before he could finish, Chai Shuxin drew his sword with a sharp *shing*.
"So blunt?" Mu Gesheng gasped. "You already think I’m a burden and want to finish me off right here? At least let me die with a full stomach. Can we boil Old Fifth for dinner before our duel to the death?"
"Shut up."
Chai Shuxin threw his sword, then grabbed Mu Gesheng, pulling him back at high speed. Mu Gesheng looked back and saw a monster pursuing them. It had an uncountable number of arms and heads, with countless eyes staring fixedly at them. it was a horrific sight.
But the strangest part was that while its upper body was massive, its lower body consisted of only a single pair of legs, walking upright like a human. They were the legs of a woman—slender calves ending in a pair of "three-inch golden lilies."
Chai Shuxin’s sword had pierced one of the faces in the center. Every one of the monster’s mouths began to scream, a sound so shrill it made their eardrums ache.
"I’m going to have a psychological complex about the Thousand-Faced Buddha at Baishui Temple. Both have a thousand hands and eyes, so why is this thing so hideous?" Mu Gesheng covered Zhu Yinxiao’s ears and bolted. "Old Fifth, learn your lesson! Stop disturbing the peace every morning! Your crowing is even uglier than that thing’s scream!"
The cloth gag in Zhu Yinxiao’s mouth fell out as he was jostled. He began to drool.
Despite its small feet, the monster was exceptionally fast. The distance between them closed rapidly. "It will catch us before we reach the gate, and this path will alert even more things." Mu Gesheng tossed a flower coin to Chai Shuxin. "Split up."
Chai Shuxin grabbed him. "What do you mean?"
"Drop the coin into your Little Sky Lantern. It will show you the way. Keep it safe and give it back to me later." Mu Gesheng pried his hand away. "If we run together, we’ll both be caught. At least one of us has to get help."
"Then give the Xingxiuzi to me," Chai Shuxin said decisively.
"This is my family’s Old Fifth. Don't think you can take advantage of the situation to kidnap a child," Mu Gesheng said. "Besides, you can't handle him. This kid bites."
"You can't run fast while holding him!"
"And you can?"
They argued as they sprinted. Mu Gesheng gave up on trying to convince Chai Shuxin and veered off in another direction. Chai Shuxin moved quickly to follow, but in his haste, his foot caught Mu Gesheng’s. Mu Gesheng, his hands occupied covering Zhu Yinxiao’s ears, was already off-balance. He stumbled, and the child in his arms went flying.
He landed right in front of the monster.
Both men’s expressions changed instantly. They scrambled to get up and fight, but their legs tangled again, and they collapsed into a heap once more.
Chai Shuxin felt like chopping his own legs off. He watched helplessly as the monster stopped before Zhu Yinxiao, its many limbs flailing as if it were about to devour him in the next second—
Only to see Zhu Yinxiao open his mouth and let out a resounding, piercing crow.
The sound was enough to give Mu Gesheng a nervous stomach ache. Perhaps a Vermilion Bird’s lung capacity was simply beyond mortal limits; every day in the study, Zhu Yinxiao could crow for fifteen minutes straight without catching his breath. It was said that the roosters at Baishui Temple had been so provoked by him that they tried to compete, only to choke themselves to death.
As Zhu Yinxiao crowed on, something unbelievable happened. The monster began to wither and shrink within the sound, like a punctured raft leaking air. Finally, only the form of a woman remained, floating in the air like a wisp of smoke.
Zhu Yinxiao opened his mouth and swallowed her in a few gulps.
Chai Shuxin: "..."
Mu Gesheng: "..."
It took a long while for them to recover. Mu Gesheng’s expression was complicated. "I knew the Vermilion Bird had divine blood and could suppress evil, but I didn't know it worked like *this*... No wonder Old Fifth has been such a picky eater lately. He’s close to his full transformation and needs spiritual energy for nourishment. What he wants to eat isn't grain or oil at all."
Zhu Yinxiao sat on the ground and let out a belch. Then he turned to Mu Gesheng and reached out both hands.
Mu Gesheng: "Is he trying to pick a fight with me?"
Chai Shuxin: "...It seems the Xingxiuzi wants you to hold him."
***
**Glossary**
