Thin mist curled through the air and birds chirped in a mountain forest overflowing with spiritual energy. A thick, fluffy tail swept across the view from above. Its owner lowered its head, revealing a tiny red squirrel.
The squirrel seemed drawn to this place. It leaned closer, its nose filling the entire scene like some gigantic creature as it sniffed.
Watching the image, Xia Yunzhao nodded. Sure enough, this was not Sun Ergou’s obsession secret realm. Could it really belong to the fragment? What exactly is this fragment that it even possesses memories?
Heavy, chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded. Startled, the little squirrel darted away. Sun Ergou’s face appeared in the scene. He fled desperately, scrambling and stumbling until he tripped and fell flat on his face. His injured chest came down directly over the fragment, staining it with his blood.
The scene instantly became chaotic, illusion and reality intertwining. At times there were Sun Ergou’s memories of stealing chickens and dogs and being chased down and beaten. At others came fantasies of sitting atop a mountain of gold, surrounded by beauties amid pools of wine and forests of meat. Then came quiet, ordinary scenes from the forest, birds taking wing into the sky, blue dragons and fire phoenixes soaring overhead, divine beasts resembling qilin… and a towering figure wrapped in golden light making the slightest gesture, whereupon spring filled the human world.
One dazzling scene after another flashed by. Xia Yunzhao said, “Looks like Sun Ergou fused with this fragment.”
Shang Shuangze frowned slightly, as though remembering something. “The forest where this fragment was lying looks somewhat familiar.”
That caught Xia Yunzhao’s attention. Shang Shuangze was rarely uncertain about anything, so he immediately watched more carefully.
After Sun Ergou fused with the fragment, he remained unconscious for several days. When he finally awakened, the scenery around him had changed. He was lying beside a river.
It was the very river next to Yanhe Village. Whether Sun Ergou had fallen into the water while unconscious and been carried downstream or the fragment itself had transported him was impossible to tell.
Sun Ergou fabricated a story about leaving home to do business and being robbed on the road, tricking the villagers into letting him stay for one night. Unexpectedly, a mountain fire broke out that very evening. The entire village was surrounded by flames, and the villagers cried to heaven and earth with no way to escape.
Sun Ergou was terrified too. He ran desperately outside, thinking he would be safe if he could only reach the river. But the mountain wind swept the flames forward, and he caught fire in an instant.
As the flames roasted his flesh, agony wracked his body. Sun Ergou suddenly felt an uncontrollable power surge from his chest. Great clouds of dense fog erupted outward and rolled back against the wildfire, forcefully extinguishing it.
The villagers saw what happened and their knees went weak. They knelt before him in gratitude and began calling him “Mountain God.” Just like that, Sun Ergou became the deity worshipped by the village.
At first, Sun Ergou lived in constant fear. The fragment inside his chest looked powerful, but in reality he could not control it at all. He did not dare demand too many offerings and asked only for wine, meat, and meals.
Later, he discovered that whenever the fragment devoured a living creature, he could control it for a short while. The more spiritually aware the creature was, the longer he could control the fragment.
At first, he secretly stole chickens, ducks, dogs, and pigs from the village for it to devour. Once he gained control of a small portion of its power, he began hunting low-level slaughter beasts in the mountains. As his strength grew and his “divine miracles” became more spectacular, his appetite grew greedy as well, and he began demanding gold and silver.
Looking down at the villagers worshipping him with such devotion, he gradually placed himself high above them, as though he had been born a mountain god and had become fundamentally different from these mere mortals.
Then one day, he encountered a lost child in the mountains and suddenly understood. Of course. When it comes to spiritual awareness, what animal could possibly compare with a human being?!
Even if he was supposedly a mountain god, however, convincing villagers to obediently offer living humans as sacrifices was not easy.
Sun Ergou’s not particularly large brain turned over the problem. Perhaps he truly had been born with a talent for crime because after thinking for several days, he devised the idea of the “Mountain God Taking a Bride.”
The mountain god wanted a mortal woman as his wife? Naturally, the villagers were delighted. They chose the prettiest, brightest young woman in the village, dressed her beautifully, and sent her into the ancestral hall.
But three years later, the mountain god unexpectedly demanded another bride. As for the girl who had married him the first time, no one ever saw her again.
The villagers began to hesitate. Some believed this was no mountain god at all but an evil monster and said they could no longer worship it. Others, including the relatives of the first girl, had become almost fanatical in their worship and cursed anyone who insulted the mountain god, warning that divine punishment would follow.
So a second girl was married to the mountain god. Then came a third. A fourth…
More and more girls were sent away, while the villagers grew increasingly numb and obedient. Those who opposed the practice either fell silent or were silenced forever.
The village enjoyed favorable winds and timely rain and never again suffered wildfire or flooding. Vegetables and fruit flourished every year, and the granaries overflowed. Smiles returned to the villagers’ faces. How fortunate their village was! They had the mountain god’s protection. They could bask in divine grace. What an incredible blessing!
The obsession secret realm slowly dissolved. The final image froze on the mountain god’s previous wedding. Sun Ergou laughed arrogantly as he swallowed a weeping girl in a single gulp. Inside his chest, the multicolored fragment dimmed another shade.
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze appeared inside the ancestral hall again. Fuyao had no idea what had happened and stared at them blankly.
Sun Ergou shrank back on the ground, his beady eyes darting around. He looked more like a dog than ever. He flattened himself against the floor, stuck his rear in the air, and kowtowed while wailing, “My lords! Spare me, my lords! I didn’t mean it! I’m just an ordinary commoner. That fragment seduced me! That fragment really is demonic. I was possessed by it. I didn’t know anything, my lords!”
He raised his head with an ingratiating expression. “The moment my lord removed the fragment, I immediately regained my senses! Thank you, my lord!”
Xia Yunzhao’s expression became complicated. “Where did this fragment come from?”
Hearing the gentleness in his tone, Sun Ergou’s eyes flashed with smugness. He hurriedly bowed and scraped. “I picked it up in the mountains.” He snorted. “Back then, I accidentally set my neighbor’s house on fire while warming myself by the stove, and those filthy peasants actually banded together to drive me away. If one place won’t keep this lord, another surely will! I heard Liancui Mountain was filled with treasure and spirit items, so I teamed up with some people and went treasure hunting there. I got lost in the mountains, and that was when I found this treasure…”
Xia Yunzhao had been patiently enduring the man’s nonsense. At the very end, however, his voice changed. “What? Where did you say?”
Sun Ergou hunched his neck. “L-Liancui Mountain… I found this fragment on Liancui Mountain…”
Xia Yunzhao turned toward Shang Shuangze. Shang Shuangze thought carefully, then gave him a slight nod. It was true. That scene had indeed taken place on Liancui Mountain. The fragment’s viewpoint had been from the ground looking up, which was why he had not recognized it immediately.
Xia Yunzhao immediately asked Sun Ergou, “Where exactly did you find this fragment? Give me the precise location.”
Sun Ergou’s eyes rolled. “My lord, if I tell you, will you spare my life? Oh, right. I hear cultivators carry plenty of pills. If you could bestow one immortal pill upon me as well, that would be even better.”
“Fine,” Xia Yunzhao agreed immediately.
Behind him, Fuyao anxiously dug her fingers into the back of the chair. “Big Brother Xia, you can’t let him go!”
Without even turning around, Xia Yunzhao stared expressionlessly at Sun Ergou. “You’d better explain clearly. If I learn you lied or deliberately gave me vague information, watch your head.”
The smugness in Sun Ergou’s eyes grew even stronger. He kowtowed messily. “Rest assured, my lord. I will explain everything perfectly clearly!”
After hearing him out, Xia Yunzhao took out a map of Liancui Mountain and had him point out the location. After comparing everything, he confirmed there were no discrepancies. He nodded. “Do it.”
Shang Shuangze moved one finger.
Sun Ergou froze. A ball of spiritual power floated in front of him and silently exploded. A bloody hole appeared in his chest, and his organs were blasted into bloody pulp that spilled through it.
His sly little eyes opened wider than ever before. He slowly toppled over, mouth opening as if to speak, then stopped breathing.
Xia Yunzhao said calmly, “I only agreed that I wouldn’t kill you. He never did.”
The man had committed countless atrocities and possessed not a shred of humanity. If Xia Yunzhao spared him, merely remembering it later would make his skin crawl.
He could not even be bothered digging a grave. With a sweep of his sleeve, Xia Yunzhao flung the corpse outside and left it for the wild animals in the forest.
When he turned back toward Fuyao, his expression relaxed. “Did that scare you?”
Fuyao only now came back to herself. Her grin immediately showed her gums again as she planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not scared! A villain like him deserved to die. It feels great!”
Xia Yunzhao laughed too. This little girl truly was fearless. He reached into his Hundred-Compartment Pouch. “Sun Ergou was trash, but since I promised to give him an immortal pill, I shouldn’t break my word. He can’t use it anymore, so I’ll give it to you instead. Here, didn’t you say your mother wasn’t well? Dissolve this in water for her when you get home. It can help regulate her health.” As he spoke, he took out a Lingwei Pill.
Fuyao hesitated. Her parents had taught her not to casually accept things from other people, but this immortal pill could help her mother, and she might never encounter another chance like this. Gritting her teeth, she accepted it and immediately ran outside. “My family has a treasure too! I’ll go get it right now and bring it to your carriage. You absolutely have to wait for me!”
She ran so fast that she nearly tripped in the darkness. Xia Yunzhao hurriedly shouted, “Slow down! We aren’t leaving until tomorrow!”
Only then did the girl slow down as she headed back toward the village.
Xia Yunzhao finally relaxed. He waved to Shang Shuangze. “Let’s go back too. We still haven’t eaten that roast whole lamb!”
Shang Shuangze smiled faintly. “It isn’t too late.”
The two walked back shoulder to shoulder. Neither used a movement technique. They simply strolled slowly beneath the moonlight.
Xia Yunzhao said, “Do you think that if a traveler were robbed today, the people of Yanhe Village would still take him in?”
Before Shang Shuangze could answer, Xia Yunzhao answered himself. “I think they would.”
Shang Shuangze paused.
Looking at the moon, Xia Yunzhao said, “There’s a saying where I come from: one thought can make a Buddha, another can make a demon. That’s what makes the human heart complicated. People are capable of every kind of good deed and every kind of evil.”
Elio’s Notes: “One thought makes a Buddha, one thought makes a demon” expresses how a single turn of intention can lead a person toward compassion or corruption. Here Xia Yunzhao uses it to reject a simple idea that the villagers were always wholly good or wholly evil.
Yanhe Village had neither a mountain god nor an evil god. It had only a monstrosity born from human greed, an accidental opportunity, isolation, and ignorance.
Sun Ergou had gone from a despicable petty criminal to a monster who devoured living people, while the villagers had gone from gratitude and trust to numb obedience.
Who could have imagined that the entire story began with one simple act of kindness, taking in a traveler who claimed he had been robbed? Perhaps when the wildfire was extinguished, some villagers had even thought, Good deeds really do bring good rewards. The mountain god must have disguised himself as a traveler who was robbed in order to test us.
Xia Yunzhao sighed again.
Shang Shuangze finally spoke. “There is a great distance between me and the human heart.”
Xia Yunzhao paused and looked at him.
Shang Shuangze also looked at the moon. “I grew up on the mountain. Every day consisted of cultivating and practicing the sword. Before today, I had never met someone like Sun Ergou. Yet after meeting him, I still did not feel disappointed. Do you know why?”
Xia Yunzhao instinctively asked, “Why?”
Shang Shuangze smiled and looked at him, his gaze gentler than the moonlight. “Because not long after I descended the mountain, I met you. This world contains people like Sun Ergou, but it also contains people like Xia Yunzhao. The human heart is an abyss one cannot look directly into, yet you are like the bright moon, illuminating the long night.”
Elio’s Notes: Shang Shuangze’s wording contains a subtle echo of Xia Yunzhao’s name. The phrase zhaozhao langyue (昭昭朗月), “bright, luminous moon,” repeats the character 昭 from Yunzhao (云昭), making the compliment quietly personal.
The night wind was gentle, the mountain forest silent, and clear moonlight spilled across the human world.
Xia Yunzhao met Shang Shuangze’s gaze. The darkness hid the faint redness of his ears as he smiled. “If you praise me like that, I’m going to get embarrassed.”
Shang Shuangze’s voice was slightly hoarse. “It was not deliberate praise…”
Xia Yunzhao suddenly moved closer, and the rest of his sentence vanished immediately.
Their pounding hearts pressed together, beating almost in harmony. Xia Yunzhao whispered, “You only praise me with words? No action?”
Shang Shuangze drew a deep breath, nearly losing control under the provocation, and leaned slightly backward. “W-what action?”
Xia Yunzhao muttered softly, “Didn’t we already make everything clear? Are you shy, or do you not want to?”
At that moment, Shang Shuangze’s brain was only marginally more useful than Xianchan’s. His eyes were filled entirely with those bright, clear eyes in front of him, while every scrap of concentration went toward making sure he did not offend the other man. His intelligence had nowhere to go. “Want what…?”
Xia Yunzhao leaned forward.
The wind stopped. The bright moon slipped behind the clouds, and even the cries of birds and insects went silent. Everything around them became still.
Shang Shuangze froze completely.
Xia Yunzhao straightened again and pressed one hand against Shang Shuangze’s chest. The heartbeat that had already been pounding there suddenly became violent, as though trying to burst straight through his ribs and leap into Xia Yunzhao’s palm just to show him exactly how hard it was beating.
Xiao Xia fought desperately to flatten the corners of his mouth. Both ears and cheeks were bright red. He turned around and fanned himself. “Aiya, I’m starving. Come on, come on. Let’s go eat roast whole lamb!”
Shang Shuangze followed stiffly behind him, looking even more like a puppet than the Puppet Gate’s puppets.
They returned one after another to the riverbank, where the two Fragrant-Grass Sheep with their legs tied were still loudly bleating.
The Hundred-Compartment Pouch could not hold living creatures, so the two had left the sheep there. Fortunately, no other slaughter beast had eaten them, or their roast whole lamb would have become roast remains.
Compared with the living sheep, what attracted Xia Yunzhao’s attention more was obviously the carriage. Who knew what had happened inside, but the entire carriage was shaking with loud clanging noises.
Remembering Xianchan and Xiao Qing, who had been left inside, Xia Yunzhao immediately sensed trouble. He lifted the curtain and saw Xiao Qing squatting on the floor with its lid open while Xianchan stood on the edge of the table, crouched, and jumped.
Xia Yunzhao was horrified. “Wait, don’t!”
Plop.
The kitten fell straight into Xiao Qing’s belly.
Xia Yunzhao lunged forward, thinking desperately, Don’t digest it! Then two pointed cat ears appeared at the opening, followed by two paws clinging to the rim, and finally a little cat head poked out.
Xianchan adorably tilted its head: What?
Xiao Qing sat there looking perfectly serene.
Xia Yunzhao: …
He said, “When did those two start playing like this? Nearly gave me a heart attack.”
He received no reply from Shang Shuangze. When he turned around, he got another fright. Shang Shuangze was standing immediately behind him. One more step and he would have walked straight into Xia Yunzhao’s back, and his gaze remained fixed firmly on him.
Being stared at like that made the heat that had only just faded from Xia Yunzhao’s face begin rising again. He hurriedly looked elsewhere and changed the subject. “Uh, weren’t you going to roast the lamb?”
Shang Shuangze slowly nodded and went to pick up one of the Fragrant-Grass Sheep.
Xia Yunzhao exhaled deeply and felt that something was wrong. He replayed everything in his head for a while. No, there’s nothing wrong. Didn’t he confess? I agreed too. We’re a couple now, so why wouldn’t we be allowed to kiss?
Mm. Of course we can. Shang Shuangze just isn’t used to it yet. We’ll kiss more often from now on!
The roast whole lamb that evening was not especially delicious because the cook forgot to add seasoning. Fortunately, Fragrant-Grass Sheep were naturally flavorful, so after sprinkling on seasoning and roasting it again, it still tasted excellent.
Seeing Shang Shuangze looking apologetic, Xia Yunzhao leaned over and kissed his cheek with a smack. “It’s fine! It’s just one Fragrant-Grass Sheep. We’ll make it better next time!”
He turned to leave after the kiss, only for Shang Shuangze to wrap an arm around his waist and pull him back. Xia Yunzhao looked around in confusion: ?
Once Xia Yunzhao landed in his lap, Shang Shuangze finally seemed to realize something was wrong. He immediately released his hold and instead supported Xia Yunzhao’s back so he could sit steadily.
After a long silence, he began, “I know you would not joke about something like this, but why…”
At first Xia Yunzhao thought he was joking, but after waiting a moment he realized Shang Shuangze was serious. Confused, he said, “What do you mean, why? Didn’t we already make everything clear?” He caught Shang Shuangze’s sleeve. “Aren’t you my Dao companion now?”
Shang Shuangze fell silent, though his hand instinctively closed around Xia Yunzhao’s in return. “When?”
Xia Yunzhao stared blankly. “Back in the small secret realm. You said I was one of a kind. If I’m already one of a kind to you, am I still supposed to be just an ordinary friend?”
Shang Shuangze was silent. He continued to be silent.
Xia Yunzhao became embarrassed. “Did I misunderstand? You didn’t mean that? Then I…” He started to stand.
Shang Shuangze immediately pulled him back. “No, I…” Shang Shuangze sighed. Since he could not untangle Xia Yunzhao’s logic, he simply stopped trying. His voice became soft but solemn. “My heart is not a stone. It cannot be turned.”
Elio’s Notes: Shang Shuangze quotes a line from the ancient Book of Songs (《诗经》): “My heart is not a stone; it cannot be rolled or turned.” It is a declaration of steadfast, unchangeable feeling.
A gentle kiss fell.
＊
Early the next morning, Xia Yunzhao was sleeping soundly curled in Shang Shuangze’s arms when cheerful footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by Fuyao’s clear, oriole-like voice. “Big Brother Xia, I’m here! Have you eaten breakfast? My parents told me to bring meat pies!”
The moment Xia Yunzhao heard “meat pies,” he sat upright and shouted, “Coming!”
Shang Shuangze slowly sat up behind him, brought water to wash his face, then fetched a cloak and wrapped it around him.
The cloak had been handmade by Tailor Huang from the Fire Rat King hide left over earlier. It was extremely warm. Even when the secret-realm core flared up, Xia Yunzhao could still feel its heat. The brilliant fiery-red fur was dazzling, making Xiao Xia’s face look even more jade-like.
Sure enough, when he climbed down from the carriage, Fuyao giggled. “Big Brother Xia is so handsome. You’re the best-looking person I’ve ever seen!”
Xia Yunzhao shook his head. “Little girl, how many people have you even seen before you dare say that?” Then he craned his neck toward the food box she carried. “What kind of meat pies? Are they good?”
“They’re delicious, delicious!” Fuyao swallowed. “My mother made them herself. Usually we only get them during New Year!”
She took out the meat pies, then produced a jug and poured two bowls of porridge along with four small dishes of side vegetables. The meal looked simple but tasted surprisingly good.
Xia Yunzhao sat leaning against Shang Shuangze. The secret-realm core had flared up again for a while during the night, so he had not slept well and was somewhat tired.
He ate while listening to Fuyao explain what happened afterward.
The previous night, Fuyao had secretly returned to the village. Her parents had already been released and were running toward the ancestral hall in tears, trying to find her. When they saw her return alive, they were naturally overwhelmed with joy.
Fuyao told them everything that had happened. The family did not make a fuss. They quietly returned home and packed their belongings under cover of darkness.
Fuyao said, “Big Brother Xia, my mother took the immortal pill you gave me. She’s really healthy now and has strength all over. After breakfast today, our family is leaving. My parents said they’ll take me around to see different places. If we find somewhere we like, we’ll settle there. Big Brother Xia, where is your home? Maybe we’ll pass by someday! Can I visit you if we do?”
“Why not?” Xia Yunzhao smiled. “My home is in Qingxi City, about four or five thousand li away. If you ever come there, find a place called Wanglai Pavilion. The owner is a friend of mine.”
Fuyao slapped her palm. “Qingxi City, Wanglai Pavilion. I remember!”
After breakfast, the two even helped wash the bowls and utensils before returning them. Fuyao then took out a small hollow silver sphere. “My parents told me to give this to you as thanks. They said you absolutely have to accept it!”
Xia Yunzhao examined it curiously and unexpectedly sensed a pulse of life from within. “What is this?”
Fuyao said, “My father got it when he was little. He went into the mountains to chop firewood and rescued an old grandfather. The old man gave him this as thanks and said it was a treasure. But my father never figured out what was special about it.”
“Not long after my parents married, a wealthy merchant came through the village. When he saw this sphere, he said it was a spirit item belonging to immortals and offered tens of thousands of spirit pearls for it! My father claimed it was inherited from our ancestors and refused to sell. Now he wants to give it to you as thanks. You’re immortals too, so you’ll definitely know how to use it!”
Xia Yunzhao laughed. “I already told you, we aren’t immortals. We’re cultivators. Immortals and gods, who even knows whether they exist? And even if they do, how could ordinary people meet them so easily? Your family has already suffered because of this sort of thing. Don’t trust people so easily in the future.”
Fuyao hurriedly nodded.
Xia Yunzhao took the silver sphere and examined it. He already had a guess. “This really is useless in your hands, so I’ll take it.”
He handed it to Shang Shuangze, who put it away.
Fuyao watched their movements, then leaned closer and whispered, “Big Brother Xia, I’m sorry. I misunderstood yesterday. When I told my mother about you two, she said you were just friends and told me not to imagine strange things.” The girl even looked embarrassed as she apologized seriously. “You helped me, but I still made things up about your relationship. That was wrong of me.”
Xia Yunzhao: “…”
He cleared his throat. “Well, adults are fickle creatures.”
Fuyao blinked. “Huh?”
Xia Yunzhao said, “Yesterday, you really were imagining things. But today, you aren’t.”
Fuyao looked completely lost.
Xia Yunzhao leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Shang Shuangze and I have the same kind of relationship as your father and mother. We just can’t have children. Understand?”
Fuyao: …
Behind them, Shang Shuangze had his back turned as he packed their things, but a faint smile appeared on his face. Xiao Qing, whom he had grabbed to wipe dust from: ? What are you smiling about? What’s so funny?! Horrible stepfather!
They said goodbye to the clever and adorable Fuyao, and the carriage continued on its way.
Originally, there had been no need to hurry on the return journey, but the secret-realm core inside Xia Yunzhao was flaring up more and more frequently.
Every episode widened his meridians and raised his cultivation somewhat, but the suffering during those episodes was equally real.
Shang Shuangze was nearly beside himself with distress.
Xia Yunzhao could sense the emotions he kept suppressed inside growing increasingly restless.
There was little Xia Yunzhao could do about it. He could only kiss him a few more times and make the carriage travel faster, hoping that once they returned home and everything settled down, Shang Shuangze would relax a little.
They did not need to drive the carriage themselves anyway. The Green Bamboo Carriage ran day and night without stopping, and the return journey actually took less time than the trip north. On the morning of the fourth day, they reached the boundary where Liancui Mountain met the surrounding ranges.
They had not had time to look carefully when leaving. Now Xia Yunzhao smiled. “Liancui Mountain really is enormous. If we wanted to explore the whole thing, wouldn’t it take hundreds of years? Hey, how about we make that our next goal? Explore all of Liancui Mountain together?”
Shang Shuangze gave a quiet affirmative sound. He gently wiped the sweat from the corner of Xia Yunzhao’s forehead with a handkerchief, wrapped the cloak around him, and brought over a cushion for him to lean against.
Xia Yunzhao had just endured another episode, so his face was somewhat pale, though his spiritual power had already begun recovering. He deliberately teased, “I don’t want the cushion. I want to lean on you.”
Shang Shuangze answered again. After the slightest pause, he let Xia Yunzhao rest against his chest.
Xia Yunzhao immediately felt the heat radiating from him like a furnace. “You changed the circulation of your spiritual power again? I’m really not that cold anymore. Won’t doing this damage your cultivation?”
“It won’t.” Shang Shuangze wrapped an arm around him and said quietly, “It only consumes a little spiritual power.”
Xia Yunzhao relaxed and enjoyed himself.
After they traveled a little farther, the sounds of fighting suddenly came from outside. Xia Yunzhao lifted the curtain and looked out. The person below looked rather familiar.
That man also saw the carriage. Still sprinting wildly, he waved both hands. “Go! Hurry up and go! Are you trying to die by stopping now?!”
Behind him, a ghostly face floated into view.
Xia Yunzhao raised his brows and stared at the cultivator waving at them. After a long moment, realization dawned. “Oh! I remember you. You’re that ‘My Young Master Says’ guy!”