The battle atop the mountain peak had reached a fever pitch.
Chai Shuxin had cast aside his upper garment. Red light coiled around his blade, enveloping him entirely like a god of slaughter—sharp-edged, fierce, and terrifyingly beautiful.
He had exchanged over a hundred blows with Hua Bucheng, and though they seemed evenly matched, his expression was far from relaxed. The ley lines of Penglai were hostile to him; his baleful aura was being forcibly suppressed here, while for Hua Bucheng, the environment provided a massive advantage.
Chai Shuxin knew this was only the beginning. Although they were fighting in earnest, Hua Bucheng had yet to reveal his true trump cards.
The two fought from the surface of the lake into the Sword Pavilion, and then from the pavilion back outside. Sword qi and blade intent tore at each other, nearly leveling half the building. Chai Shuxin cleaved through a falling wall with a single strike and leaped over the ruins—Hua Bucheng was standing in mid-air, balanced upon his sword.
Chai Shuxin moved with extreme speed. Hua Bucheng narrowed his eyes and reached out, grasping at the empty air. From the lake formed by the sea of clouds, a colossal shadow rose toward the sky, large enough to shroud the entire firmament!
It was a cerulean Kun!
Chai Shuxin instantly recalled the illusion he had seen in the Mirage. Back then, Mo Qingbei and Hua Bucheng had been fishing on the lake. *“I heard a Kun sleeps beneath this lake.”*
*“It is true. If you come on a clear day, you might even catch a Wenyao fish.”*
The Kun was so vast its size was unknown, spanning thousands of miles. This creature had slept beneath the lake for untold ages, its body immeasurably massive.
Chai Shuxin’s expression turned cold to the extreme. He gave Hua Bucheng a frigid look, gripped the Shihong Blade with both hands, and plunged it violently into the heart of the lake. The moment it touched the surface, he reached out with his other hand; the blade pierced through his palm, and in an instant, fresh blood spread across the water like fire and lotuses.
The lake water suddenly surged in temperature, becoming scalding as fire. The Kun was so large it hadn't yet fully emerged; it threw back its head and let out a roar of primal rage.
This Kun was too large, even larger than the silver dragon in the Realm of Water and Sky. Even if Chai Shuxin could slay it, he would no longer be a match for Hua Bucheng afterward. His only choice was to stop it before it fully emerged, using the lake water to burn it alive!
The Kun struggled in the water. Chai Shuxin stared expressionlessly at the Shihong Blade impaling his palm, seemingly unable to feel the pain.
Hua Bucheng watched him from the air and said softly, "Madman."
This was the fastest way to deal with the Kun, but it had a fatal weakness. Until the fire consumed the entire lake, Chai Shuxin would be pinned in place by his own blade, leaving his entire back exposed to Hua Bucheng.
Chai Shuxin clearly knew this, but he did not intend to dodge. He stared coldly at the white-clad figure with fluttering sleeves, standing as immovable as a mountain.
Hua Bucheng flicked his sleeve, and his fly-whisk rose into the air, slashing down toward Chai Shuxin’s head with lethal force—
With a thunderous crash, a golden figure appeared in mid-air, blocking the fly-whisk with effortless grace.
Hua Bucheng’s expression shifted drastically. Not only him, but Chai Shuxin also looked up abruptly at the person before him, his face filled with shock.
"Kid, do you really think your blood is free?" The newcomer looked back at him with a teasing, enchanting expression. "That old man Zhu Baizhi is stuck outside by the Penglai barriers. His old bones will take a while to break through."
A fiery red glow flickered in the sky—the true form of the Vermilion Bird, brilliant and scorching.
But what truly shocked Chai Shuxin was the person before him: a young girl with her hair in twin buns, bright eyes, white teeth, and a face as fresh as spring.
"Lord Wu Nie?!?!"
***
Mu Gesheng looked at everything before him, feeling somewhat dazed.
Logic told him that everything he saw was an illusion, likely some defense mechanism, or perhaps this specific pool existed for this very purpose—to show those who entered exactly what they most desired to see.
He finally understood Song Wentong’s metaphor. Behind the water curtain lay a hidden paradise.
"Fourth! Time for dinner!"
Mu Gesheng froze. He saw a figure turn the corner at the end of the corridor. Song Wentong walked out carrying a pot, tapping the bottom with a ladle. "What are you standing there for? Do I have to invite you three or four times just to eat? If it gets cold, I’m not reheating it for you!"
Mu Gesheng looked at his own hands, then slowly walked over and compared his height to Song Wentong’s.
Song Wentong looked at him strangely and lifted the pot over his head, fearing the brat would try to sneak a bite without washing his hands. "What’s wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Mu Gesheng laughed.
He knew exactly when this was—this was the period when Chai Shuxin was staying at the Ginkgo Study.
These were indeed his best years.
They were all too lazy to wash dishes, so they usually ate straight from the pot. The group crowded around the stove with their chopsticks. Song Wentong sat by the door with a bowl, Wu Zixu sat by the water basin, and Mu Gesheng sat boldly right on the stovetop with his legs crossed. Chai Shuxin stood outside the window.
Zhu Yinxiao was still a scruffy little chick back then. He was too slow to grab food, so he could only eye everyone else’s bowls, hopping between them to snatch a bite here and there.
"Fifth, stop jumping around," Wu Zixu sneezed. "There are feathers everywhere."
He looked at Song Wentong. "Second, is it time to pluck Fifth?"
"You think we're raising a dog? Plucking him?" Song Wentong slurped his food. "What's next, you want to neuter him too?"
Wu Zixu: "..."
Zhu Yinxiao circled them, looking longingly for a scrap. For a while, Mu Gesheng had been dedicated to teaching him to speak—not useful words, but specifically auspicious phrases, passing down the Heavenly Reckoner’s skill for street begging.
Song Wentong picked up a piece of fermented bean curd rib and tossed it into the air. Zhu Yinxiao stretched his neck, caught it nimbly in his beak, and finished it in two bites. He then tucked his wings and gave a bow, chirping vividly: "May you be prosperous! Good luck and happiness! Thank you for the reward, Master!"
Wu Zixu’s stomach hurt every time he saw this. From a certain twisted perspective, Mu Gesheng’s teaching had been a resounding success. He had turned the Star-Seizer into a bizarre hybrid with the silver tongue of a parrot and the foolishness of a dog begging at the table.
He suddenly looked at Mu Gesheng. "Fourth, why are you so quiet today?"
Mu Gesheng hadn't moved his chopsticks much. He was almost greedily inhaling the aroma of the kitchen: Guobaorou, fermented bean curd ribs, shrimp oil tofu, vegetarian roast goose... and a jar of Lanling wine, likely brought by Second from Guanshan Yue. The wine jar sat beneath the stove next to a basket of swimming crabs.
Perhaps they were going to make drunken crabs.
Mu Gesheng snapped back to reality and lied through his teeth: "I was looking at that piece of tofu in Sanjiu’s bowl. It looks delicious; I was thinking of how to trick him out of it."
Chai Shuxin’s movements paused.
"Never mind," Wu Zixu said, exasperated. "Pretend I didn't ask."
"Eyeing someone else's bowl while you've got your own," Song Wentong said. "Have some shame, Fourth."
Mu Gesheng ignored them both and looked smilingly at Chai Shuxin outside the window, holding out his bowl. "Young Master Chai, have a heart?"
His begging posture was much more sophisticated than Zhu Yinxiao’s—eyes full of smiles, quite dashing.
Chai Shuxin didn't say a word. He pushed the tofu into Mu Gesheng's bowl, then proceeded to snatch every piece of meat out of Mu Gesheng’s bowl in return.
Picking up a sesame seed only to lose the watermelon. Chai Shuxin gave him a subtle glance, his brow arching slightly as if waiting for Mu Gesheng to throw a fit. Instead, the other wasn't angry at all; he smiled as if it were the sweetest thing in the world, leaned in considerately, and whispered, "Is that enough? If not, Second and Third still have some in their bowls. I'll go rob them for you."
Chai Shuxin nearly dropped his bowl; his chopsticks clattered to the floor.
Mu Gesheng had landed a silent critical hit and was laughing internally. Having finished messing with that one, he turned to Wu Zixu. "Third, speaking of which, I cast a divination today."
"What kind?" Wu Zixu didn't care, answering casually. "Calculating how much more debt you've added to my tab? Or how late I'll have to stay up tonight?"
"Neither," Mu Gesheng said slowly. "I cast a divination for your marriage."
Wu Zixu spat out a mouthful of rice.
"Really. You'll have a son. He’ll have a bit of a temper, act like a pampered daughter, and love playing games," Mu Gesheng said, his voice smoother than a song. "Sixteen years old, not as tall as you, but he shouldn't be too short."
Wu Zixu choked violently. Song Wentong burst out laughing, put down his chopsticks, and wiped his mouth. "Fourth, what made you think of calculating that?"
"Just bored." Mu Gesheng looked dead serious. "I even calculated that the lady will go to the Matchmaker Temple this afternoon to seek an oracle. Hey, Third, you going?"
Before Wu Zixu could answer, Song Wentong made the decision. "He’s definitely going! Let’s move!"
"Fourth, stop playing with me. I haven't finished the accounts for the study this month." Wu Zixu’s face turned the color of pig liver. "I have a pile of documents to read this afternoon..."
"What are you, a coward?" Song Wentong raised an eyebrow. "Are you waiting for the girl to come marry you? Should I help you prepare a bridal crown and gown?"
Wu Zixu shut his mouth.
The group finished their meal quickly and headed down the mountain, eager to cause trouble. They pushed and shoved their way to the Matchmaker Temple. It was afternoon, and there were many female pilgrims. A few handsome young men barging into the temple instantly drew a crowd of gazes. At this time, Wu Zixu’s habit of trembling at the sight of the opposite sex hadn't changed; he didn't even know where to put his hands. Like a bright red club, he was dragged into the main hall by Mu Gesheng, walking with stiff, synchronized limbs.
On the side wall of the main hall was a mural. A graceful young woman stood before it, wearing a blue top and a black skirt, revealing a sliver of pale wrist.
"That's her," Mu Gesheng whispered, pointing her out to Wu Zixu. "By the way, her surname is Wu. The eldest miss of the Wu family. She studies at the girls' middle school and likes the poetry of Su Manshu."
Wu Zixu finally managed to unknot his tongue. "How do you know so much detail?"
Mu Gesheng smirked. "My brother's lifelong happiness deserves full-service treatment."
He patted Wu Zixu on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, this match is made in heaven."
They left Wu Zixu to his agony in the main hall. Song Wentong held Zhu Yinxiao, looking at various marriage oracles under the Bodhi tree. Mu Gesheng bought a bag of candied hawthorns and strolled through the corridors to enjoy the shade.
Chai Shuxin, whose wallet had been swiped, had no choice but to follow him.
Mu Gesheng tossed a hawthorn ball into the air and was about to catch it in his mouth when Chai Shuxin suddenly asked, "Were you serious?"
Mu Gesheng nearly inhaled the hawthorn into his nose. "Huh? What did you say?"
"You said you cast a divination for marriage," Chai Shuxin said calmly. "Is it accurate?"
"If it's not accurate, it's free." Mu Gesheng leaned in, teasing, "What's wrong, Sanjiu? Want me to cast one for you?"
Chai Shuxin looked at him but said nothing.
At this time, the youth of the Medicine Sect was still a "sawed-off gourd"—tight-lipped and secretive. Mu Gesheng couldn't bait any words out of him. But as the saying goes, *the Dao grows a foot, but the demon grows a yard.* He was prepared; he pulled out a bundle of incense wrapped in yellow paper, brought from Baishui Temple.
Chai Shuxin was startled. "What are you doing?"
"Actually, I wanted to cast one for you, but I was afraid of annoying you." Mu Gesheng smiled. "But this Matchmaker Temple is very effective. Since we're here, why not offer a stick of incense?"
Chai Shuxin’s expression clearly signaled refusal, but Mu Gesheng pulled his hand without allowing for argument and stepped into the side shrine. He handed the incense to the other. "We're already here, give me some face."
This person was clearly prepared, as if for another prank. However, Chai Shuxin only looked at him deeply, paused, and took the incense.
Before bowing to offer the incense, Chai Shuxin asked him, "Aren't you going to offer any?"
"I'll pass." Mu Gesheng leaned against the doorframe, the sunlight streaming in from behind him.
The youth chuckled softly. "Since I have seen the gentleman, I need not look at the Guanyin."
Time flew by, and in what seemed like an instant, evening arrived.
Wu Zixu was already getting along well with Miss Wu; the two had even made a date to have tea next time. Seeing that it was getting late, he wanted to walk her home. He said to his bachelor brothers at the gate with some embarrassment, "Um, why don't you guys head back first..."
"Treat us to dinner tomorrow," Song Wentong yawned. "I'm taking Fifth to Guanshan Yue to scrounge a meal."
Mu Gesheng nodded knowingly at Wu Zixu. "Remember to thank me later."
"You got it." Success in love brings a refreshed spirit; Wu Zixu agreed readily. "It's on me."
The group parted ways at the temple gate. Mu Gesheng looked at the vermilion doors. "Sanjiu, do you remember? I once cast a divination for you here."
Chai Shuxin answered with a different topic. "Are you coming to my house for dinner?"
Mu Gesheng thought for a moment and smiled. "I won't trouble Sister Chai today. I'll take you somewhere good."
They walked through long streets and narrow alleys. The shops along the road were lighting their lanterns. Mu Gesheng led Chai Shuxin through twists and turns, finally stopping before a grand residence.
Seeing the stone lions at the gate, Chai Shuxin recognized it. This was the Mu General’s Mansion.
The Mu Mansion usually had few residents, only two elderly maids who did the cleaning. Mu Gesheng had long considered the Ginkgo Study his home and rarely returned—there was no food at his own place.
But today, he walked through the gate with great fanfare. As if sensing Chai Shuxin’s doubt, Mu Gesheng looked back and smiled. "Don't worry, my old man is home today."
These were his best years; everything was exactly as he longed for it to be, without a single flaw.
Sure enough, when the head maid, Auntie Li, saw him, she was both surprised and delighted. "The Young Master is back! What luck, the Master is home today too!" She shouted toward the inner rooms, "Master! The Young Master is back!"
"Auntie Li, stop trying to fool me." A middle-aged man pushed open the door. "That brat is having too much fun on the mountain to remember home. He’s turned that monk temple into a spider silk cave; why would he bother coming back?"
Commander Mu wore a plain cloth shirt with a thin grey knit sweater over it, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He held a book in his hand; he didn't look like a commander, but rather like a university professor.
Mu Gesheng called out, "Dad."
Commander Mu paused, slowly lifted his eyelids, and gave a lukewarm response. "How did you find the time to come back today?"
"Brought someone for you to meet." Mu Gesheng pushed the person behind him forward, dropping a bombshell. "This is your son-in-law."
Chai Shuxin was about to bow, but he froze halfway as if struck by lightning, looking at Mu Gesheng in disbelief. "...What did you just say?"
Commander Mu, however, wasn't very surprised, as if he were used to Mu Gesheng’s nonsense. His expression held a hint of amusement. "If you really managed to get the young master of the Chai family, it wouldn't be impossible for your old man to prepare a dowry for you."
"It's real, truer than gold and silver," Mu Gesheng said emphatically. "We just went to the Matchmaker Temple together."
"When you were five and ate at that wonton stall on the east side of town for the first time, you finished and said the girl there was your wife. You even said whoever's food you eat, you belong to them. I don't know where you get such dog logic." Commander Mu ignored him entirely and spoke to Chai Shuxin. "Young Master Chai, my son’s brain doesn't work right. Don't take him seriously."
Chai Shuxin seemed not to have recovered from the lightning strike, nodding stiffly.
The Mu Mansion had no cook; they had to do everything themselves. Commander Mu kicked his meddling son out of the kitchen and cooked himself. In no time, he had whipped up a dinner.
"It's a good thing you came. My house usually has no food at night; if you want to eat, you have to find it yourself." Mu Gesheng and Chai Shuxin sat in the dining room. He gave the other a warning first. "My dad cooks based on his mood. Whether it's good or not is a matter of metaphysics."
Chai Shuxin said, "It can't be worse than yours."
"That’s not necessarily true." Mu Gesheng gestured above his head. "You know those military steel helmets? In ancient times, Genghis Khan conquered the world on horseback. The helmets were used for defense in battle, but when they dismounted, they took them off and used them as pots. Sometimes they’d slice mutton and boil it in the helmet. They say that’s how hotpot started."
"And?"
"When I was little, I followed my dad everywhere. That helmet of his was quite something. It held wine when we drank, served as a chamber pot in the middle of the night, and in the morning, he’d give it a quick rinse and slap it back on his head. When he cooked, the smell inside was rancid—blood, sweat, soot, and bits of rotten meat stuck to it. Sometimes you couldn't even scrape it off. He’d just rinse it with water and prop it up to use as a pot again."
Mu Gesheng talked and gestured incessantly. "Modern warfare has chemical weapons now. My dad studied them for a while, but if you ask me, that helmet of his *is* a chemical weapon, and the food he makes is the same."
As he spoke, Commander Mu walked in with his sleeves rolled up, carrying a large iron basin with one hand. It smelled of the fresh fragrance of oil-splashed chili. He set it on the table—a massive basin full of everything, like a giant hodgepodge stew.
Then came a basin of rice. Mu Gesheng handed it to Chai Shuxin. "This is yours."
It was a truly massive basin of rice, piled high. "Aren't you eating?"
"In my house, we eat from basins," Mu Gesheng said. "This whole basin is yours. Eat as much as you want, there's plenty." He then magically produced another basin of rice, even larger than Chai Shuxin’s. "This one is mine."
Chai Shuxin swore this was definitely not the appetite Mu Gesheng showed at the Ginkgo Study.
"If I ate like this at the study, Second would definitely throw me into the pigpen," Mu Gesheng rolled his eyes. "If I don't eat enough, I get sleepy, which is why I sleep so much."
That was true. At the study, Mu Gesheng was either causing trouble or sleeping, occasionally foraging for food or blowing up the kitchen.
Commander Mu took a bottle of white liquor, poured a glass for each of the two youths, and waved his hand. "Eat."
The table was quiet. The usually boisterous Mu Gesheng didn't talk much. The Mu father and son didn't have the typical small talk of normal families; both were buried in their food. All emotional communication was expressed through fighting over the dishes.
Four chopsticks, two hands, straining like a tug-of-war.
"Let go."
"No."
"You've improved quite a bit, brat, daring to snatch food from your old man."
"Save your breath, old man. Everyone knows this is the last good piece of meat in the bowl."
"Your father lived on raw meat and blood; what's wrong with me eating one more bite of yours?"
"Give me a break. These leftovers in the pot are clearly from Chunshao House. Which Chief of Staff did you go out to eat with this time?"
Commander Mu retracted his chopsticks and nodded. "Your eyes are still sharp."
Chai Shuxin listened to their exchange while silently picking out a piece of winter melon candy from a pile of vermicelli and cabbage, along with some colorful shredded fruit, and a piece of nearly disintegrated dough skin stained with chili oil.
He placed the items on his plate. Seeing the faint patterns on the dough skin, he deduced this was likely a traditional mooncake from Chunshao House.
This pot of food could truly be described as a "multitude of flavors"—sweet, salty, oily, meat, and vegetables. It seemed every ingredient that could be found had been tossed into the pot, stir-fried over a high flame, stewed with water, and finally doused with a thick layer of oil-splashed chili. Like a heavy blanket over a communal bed, all individual flavors were hidden, suppressed by the fierce spiciness.
According to Mu Gesheng, Commander Mu often brought leftovers home. This pot contained an unknown number of days' worth of mixed meals. Chai Shuxin tried to bite into a walnut—he didn't know why a walnut would appear in a pot with leeks... he couldn't bite through it.
Mu Gesheng was completely different. He started by scooping a large spoonful of chili and eating it plain, seemingly annihilating his own sense of taste first. Then he began to eat and drink in large gulps, without any further worries.
Perhaps it was a habit formed in the military, but the eating manners of the Mu father and son could only be described as predatory. They swept through the food like a whirlwind, fighting for bites while simultaneously bickering. By the time Chai Shuxin had taken two bites, Mu Gesheng was halfway through his basin. When he had barely finished a quarter, Mu Gesheng’s bowl was empty.
The youth wiped his mouth and looked at him. "Can you finish that? If not, I can help?"
Song Wentong was right; although Mu Gesheng had a wicked tongue, he was truly not a picky eater.
Commander Mu put his empty bowl on the table. "Remember to clean up when you're done." He put on his greatcoat, seemingly about to head out.
"Where are you going?"
"I have a meeting tonight," Commander Mu said calmly. "Take a lamp with you when you head back. The mountain roads are dark at night."
The door clicked shut. Chai Shuxin asked, "Aren't you going to see the Commander off?"
"No need," Mu Gesheng said. "The old man's task is complete."
Chai Shuxin looked at him in confusion. Mu Gesheng rested his chin on his hand. "Coming home today was mainly because I wanted you to meet him."
"After all, a son-in-law should eventually meet his father-in-law." He sipped his tea, a laugh escaping his lips. "Only after eating at the same table is the son-in-law considered part of the family."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 鲲 | Kun | A legendary giant fish from Chinese mythology (Zhuangzi) that can transform into a giant bird (Peng). |
| 舐红刀 | Shihong Blade | Chai Shuxin's weapon; literally "Red-Licking Blade." |
| 乌孽 | Wu Nie | A character appearing as a young girl but addressed with the title "Dage" (Lord/Old Man). |
| 银杏书斋 | Ginkgo Study | The school/home where the main characters grew up. |
| 锅包肉 | Guobaorou | Double-cooked pork slices in sweet and sour sauce, a famous Northeastern Chinese dish. |
| 南乳排骨 | Fermented Bean Curd Ribs | Ribs cooked with red fermented bean curd (Nanru). |
| 兰陵酒 | Lanling Wine | A famous traditional Chinese wine. |
| 关山月 | Guanshan Yue | Likely a restaurant or tavern name; literally "Moon over the Border Mountain." |
| 星宿子 | Star-Seizer | The title/role of Zhu Yinxiao within the sect. |
| 月老庙 | Matchmaker Temple | Temple dedicated to Yue Lao, the God of Marriage and Love. |
| 既见君子，不看观音 | Since I have seen the gentleman, I need not look at the Guanyin | A play on a line from the *Book of Songs*. It implies that seeing the person one loves is more important than looking at a deity. |
| 木司令 | Commander Mu | Mu Gesheng's father, a high-ranking military officer. |
| 春烧楼 | Chunshao House | A high-end restaurant mentioned in the text. |
| 参谋长 | Chief of Staff | A military rank. |
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