When Xiao Chunhe came out of the room, he saw Yue Jingming standing outside the door, looking down into the main hall.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat.
Yue Jingming turned and met his eyes. “Do you feel better?”
“…” Xiao Chunhe, unusually, faltered for a moment. “Naturally, I feel perfectly fine. You… haven’t been standing here this whole time, have you?”
Yue Jingming looked at him. Xiao Chunhe had bathed again and changed into fresh inner and outer robes. A faint pine scent clung to him from head to toe, probably from the soap-pod cleanser Yue Jingming had left beside the bath. For the first time, Yue Jingming found that familiar scent strangely unfamiliar.
Seeing him silent, Xiao Chunhe’s lips curved. “So, did you think about anything you shouldn’t have, hm?”
“Then get some rest.” Yue Jingming turned to leave.
“Hey!” Xiao Chunhe grabbed his hand and forcibly laced their fingers together. “What rest? Right now, whether my eyes are open or closed, all I see is you. You’d better stay with me.”
“Why?” Yue Jingming asked.
“That demon-gu suddenly died down halfway through just now,” Xiao Chunhe said. “But I can’t figure out why no matter how hard I think.”
The same thing had happened the last time they tried to catch Lu Yu, but they had turned the room and formation upside down without finding the cause.
“Ji Luo is in the room next door.” Yue Jingming thought for a moment. “He was present both times. Could it have something to do with him?”
Xiao Chunhe glared at him irritably. “What could it have to do with him? You were there both times too.”
Yue Jingming froze.
“What were you doing outside just now?” Xiao Chunhe asked.
“I was circulating the No-Thought One-Mind Art,” Yue Jingming answered honestly, then paused.
Xiao Chunhe brightened. “Were you also circulating it last time?”
“Yes.” Yue Jingming looked puzzled. “But before that, when you… I was using the No-Thought One-Mind Art then too, and you still reacted the same way.”
Xiao Chunhe narrowed his eyes. “That was different. Later I fed the demon-gu some heart’s blood to suppress it. There were already signs of this when you coughed up blood at the inn that time. I thought it was because of the heart’s blood, but now it seems that wasn’t the whole reason.”
“So the No-Thought One-Mind Art can suppress the demon-gu?” Yue Jingming asked.
“Very possibly.” Xiao Chunhe looked at him delightedly. “You really are my lucky star.”
“Then let’s test it now.” Yue Jingming grabbed him and started pulling him toward the room.
“Hey, hey, hey, are you crazy?” Xiao Chunhe hurriedly caught hold of him and lowered his voice. “No matter how capable I am, I spent so long dealing with it just now. Do you want me to exhaust all my vital essence and die in bed?”
Yue Jingming stared at him for a moment, then realization dawned. “…”
There was a trace of subtle sympathy in the Daoist’s usually cool gaze. Xiao Chunhe was certain he had misunderstood and was just about to ask when the door beside them opened and Ji Luo stepped out.
“Daoist Yue, Young Master Xiao.” Ji Luo looked terrible. “Thank you for saving my life again. I originally meant to take you out sightseeing today, but this happened instead. I’m ashamed.”
“Young Master Ji need not blame yourself. That fierce ghost has cultivated for many years. An ordinary person would already find him difficult to withstand. For Young Master Ji to have endured until now while missing one hun and one po is remarkable,” Yue Jingming comforted him.
Ji Luo gave a self-mocking smile. “Instead, I ruined your outing. This year’s Thousand-Dragon Water Festival is especially lively. Go enjoy yourselves. Don’t worry about me.”
Seeing that his complexion was wrong, Yue Jingming asked him to return to the room so he could take his pulse. Xiao Chunhe followed them in and immediately noticed how cold and damp the room felt.
Ji Luo’s pulse was weak but otherwise showed nothing serious. He himself looked listless and utterly exhausted. They did not want to disturb him further, so they left the room and let him rest.
“Is there anything wrong with his body?” Xiao Chunhe asked once they were outside.
“Nothing serious,” Yue Jingming said. “But I did not notice before that part of his soul was missing.”
“Could that fierce ghost have used some powerful method to conceal it?” Xiao Chunhe guessed.
Yue Jingming shook his head. “There is no ghost qi on him. Perhaps my skills are still lacking.”
“If even you couldn’t detect it, just how powerful is this Lu Yu?” Xiao Chunhe disagreed. “You’re the strongest Daoist I’ve ever met.”
Yue Jingming shook his head. “I have cultivated for only a little over twenty years. There is always someone beyond you. Shijiu may surpass me before long. Have him come take a look.”
Xiao Chunhe tilted his head. “Is that appropriate?”
“What would be inappropriate about it?” Yue Jingming asked, puzzled.
“You’re the master and he’s the disciple. If even you couldn’t see anything, but Little Ye can spot the problem and even solve it, then wouldn’t that…” Xiao Chunhe paused. “Wouldn’t that make it obvious that he’s better than you?”
Yue Jingming smiled. “Everyone is born with different aptitudes, and the opportunities they encounter vary even more. Shijiu’s extraordinary talent is his own fate. If I minded even that, I would never have taken him as my disciple.”
Xiao Chunhe clicked his tongue. “You really are broad-minded. When we were down there, I saw that all of you either glowed with golden light of merit or had imperial purple qi soaring around you. Even Ji Luo was fated to become top scholar. I’m the only half-human, half-demon one with nothing at all. It’s infuriating.”
It would have been a lie to say he was not jealous, and he could not help remembering his previous life. Someone else was always the genius, someone else always had the fortunate destiny. Both of his lives had been so full of hardship. Heaven truly was unfair.
Yue Jingming looked at him. “Chunhe, golden light of merit, imperial purple qi, rare natural talent, and fortunate destinies are all external things. Those of us who cultivate seek only the heart. Though you are a half-demon and your path has been difficult, you have still preserved your good nature. You cultivate diligently, and whether with me or with your friends, you treat people sincerely. That is already among the rarest things in this world.”
Xiao Chunhe could not stop the corners of his mouth from lifting, though he quickly pressed them back down. “Really?”
“Of course,” Yue Jingming said seriously. “To me, you are the best fox under Heaven.”
Xiao Chunhe narrowed his eyes. “You’re sure you’re not just afraid I’ll lose control of my jealousy, gouge out your and Ye Shijiu’s inner cores to steal the merit, then suck away Liang Yun’s imperial purple qi?”
“You wouldn’t,” Yue Jingming said. “You were willing to endure the demon-gu’s torment just to help save Ji Luo. Even without me here, you would not stand by and watch someone die.”
“Tsk.” Xiao Chunhe poked him in the chest with a cold expression. “Stop guessing what I’m thinking. I’m the worst fox on Zixu Mountain.”
Yue Jingming caught his hand. “Everyone feels jealousy. When the thought arises, let it come and let it go. It will naturally fade.”
Xiao Chunhe said fiercely, “I have no intention of practicing the No-Thought One-Mind Art.”
Yue Jingming thought for a moment, leaned in, and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth.
Xiao Chunhe: “…”
This sly Daoist.
* * *
Ye Shijiu lay flat on the roof, staring so hard at Ji Luo asleep inside the room that his eyes were beginning to ache.
“Can you see anything?” Xiao Chunhe asked.
“You’re really just going to stare like that?” Liang Yun could not help asking.
Ye Shijiu blinked hard, then turned to Yue Jingming. “Master, I can’t see clearly, but there seems to be a mass of black qi in his stomach.”
Yue Jingming drew a talisman on his palm. “Comprehend this talisman, then look again.”
Ye Shijiu studied it, turned back, and exclaimed, “There’s a little baby in his stomach!”
Liang Yun’s foot slipped and he nearly fell off the roof. Xiao Chunhe stared in shock. “He’s a man. How could there be a baby in his stomach?”
“Huh?” Liang Yun looked worriedly at his own stomach. “We don’t have one too, do we?”
The corner of Xiao Chunhe’s mouth twitched. “With whom, exactly?”
“No, Brother Xiao, haven’t you heard the phrase xin huai gui tai, ‘harboring a ghost fetus’?” Liang Yun said. “The underworld is such a sinister place. Storytellers even talk about people carrying ghost fetuses that drain all their vital essence!”
Elio’s Notes: Xin huai gui tai (心怀鬼胎), literally “to harbor a ghost fetus,” is an idiom meaning to harbor sinister intentions or an ulterior motive. Liang Yun is cheerfully taking the expression as literal supernatural anatomy.
“Look again.” Yue Jingming formed a hand seal and pressed both hands against Ye Shijiu’s back as he taught him the technique. “See whether what is in Ji Luo’s abdomen is human, ghost, or something else.”
Ye Shijiu’s head throbbed fiercely, but he quickly settled his mind. After a while, he said, “It looks like… a heart!”
Inside Ji Luo’s abdomen was a black heart shrouded in dense black qi. The black qi continuously drew away Ji Luo’s vital essence, gradually taking the shape of an infant.
They replaced the roof tile and looked at one another.
It was simply too bizarre. Even Yue Jingming, who had read countless old texts and studied many arts, had never encountered anything so strange.
“That fierce ghost definitely did this.” Xiao Chunhe frowned. “I knew he couldn’t possibly let Ji Luo go that easily.”
“That Lu Yu is truly despicable.” Liang Yun was furious. “Look what he’s done to a perfectly healthy person like Ji Luo. That ghost has no shame!”
Ye Shijiu nodded in agreement. “Let’s hurry and take that heart out of Ji Luo, then scatter Lu Yu’s soul to oblivion!”
Yue Jingming said, “But if Lu Yu had wanted Ji Luo dead all along, he could have put this heart inside him much earlier. Why wait until now?”
Liang Yun nodded. “Exactly!”
Xiao Chunhe smacked his fan against his palm. “Maybe it’s because they hadn’t consummated their marriage before.”
Liang Yun said, “That makes sense.”
“He became a fierce ghost after being sacrificed at the Thousand-Dragon Water Festival. Could it be that he has to wait until this time of year for his power to be strongest?” Ye Shijiu guessed.
Liang Yun agreed. “Right. That must be it.”
Yue Jingming’s expression was grave. “Both are possible. Whatever the reason, we cannot let him succeed.”
As they talked, a burst of cheering suddenly rose from the street. Looking toward the sound, they saw a procession approaching. Several strong men at the front carried a long white-dragon lantern. Behind them came many young men wearing fierce-ghost masks, beautiful wreaths on their heads, white robes, and elaborate multicolored cords around their waists, with silver bells tied to the ends. As they walked, they swung long halberds in their hands, and the bells chimed crisply with every movement.
Behind the young men came masked men and women carrying lanterns, laughing as they threw little sandbag-like objects at them.
“What are they throwing?” Liang Yun asked curiously.
Ye Shijiu jumped down, snatched one up amid the confusion, and brought it back for them to see.
It was a palm-sized red cloth pouch embroidered with many patterns in multicolored thread. Xiao Chunhe pinched the raised part at the top between two fingers and lifted it, slowly narrowing his eyes. “Look at this thing… doesn’t it resemble a heart?”
A chill ran inexplicably through the group.
“Ah!” Xiao Chunhe abruptly flung it at Ye Shijiu and Liang Yun’s faces.
“Aaaaaah!” Liang Yun and Ye Shijiu both jumped in fright.
“Hahahaha.” Xiao Chunhe laughed gleefully at their expense, only to meet Yue Jingming’s disapproving gaze. He shrugged, grabbed the pouch, and tossed it back down into the crowd.
“Lu Yu will definitely appear again,” Yue Jingming said quietly. “If we stay here, he’ll only be more wary.”
The others understood and nodded.
Then they scattered from the rooftop in complete disarray.
After jumping down to the street, Yue Jingming looked back up and saw Ye Shijiu preparing to climb into Ji Chen’s room, Liang Yun trying to hide in a corner of the roof, and Xiao Chunhe transforming into Ji Luo in preparation to stand in for him.
They had absolutely no coordination whatsoever.
Yue Jingming drew a deep breath and suddenly realized that perhaps he should not always say so little.
A quarter of an hour later, the four had changed into white robes and put on flower wreaths, blending into the laughing, singing crowd.
This was the liveliest stretch of the Weisui River and the procession’s final destination. A bonfire platform had been built in the center, with a white-dragon statue set atop the wooden frame. Night had already fallen, and the lanterns prepared during the day were gradually being lit.
The bonfire was ignited. Brilliant red flames shot skyward as the crowd erupted in cheers, followed immediately by the pounding of gongs and drums.
The young men in white began dancing around the bonfire. The dance was not difficult. They swayed their hips and waists, kicked their legs, and clapped their hands, while the bells tied to the multicolored cords at their waists jingled in time with the drums.
Yue Jingming and the others joined at the rear of the group. They had set a formation inside the inn across the street and still needed to keep watch on Ji Luo’s room, forcing them to split their attention.
Liang Yun danced somewhat clumsily, but quite a few young women nearby threw flowers and pouches at him. He smiled brightly beneath his mask and danced with even greater enthusiasm. The people in the procession were competing to see who could throw highest onto the bonfire, and Ye Shijiu’s competitive spirit flared, so he began hurling pouches at the flames with all his might.
Xiao Chunhe danced in front of Yue Jingming. He had an excellent figure, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, and his movements to the beat were pleasing to watch. His lean waist swayed, the multicolored cords flew, and the bells among them chimed clearly, making a group of girls nearby laugh as they pelted him with flowers and pouches.
Xiao Chunhe turned his head toward Yue Jingming. “Hurry up and dance. Otherwise, if Lu Yu appears, he’ll spot you first.”
Yue Jingming reached up and caught a pouch that was about to strike Xiao Chunhe at the waist. Turning, he threw it toward the very top of the bonfire frame and hit the white-dragon statue squarely.
The pouch burst apart. With a sharp series of crackles, a blue flame shot straight into the night sky, and the crowd erupted in earth-shaking cheers.
“The Dragon God has manifested!” “Someone hit the white dragon!” “Are the warriors coming back?” “Quick, keep throwing!”
Someone shouted at the top of his voice, “Strike the white dragon at the Thousand-Dragon Water Festival! The ghost gate opens beneath the Weisui River! We respectfully invite our ancestors to partake of the sacrifice!”
The crowd began throwing their pouches toward the bonfire. The drumbeat quickened, and the young men in white picked up the wooden halberds lying on the ground and thrust them around the outer edge of the fire, their movements resembling the drawing of some kind of talisman.
Although they stood beside a bonfire, the air around them abruptly turned bone-chillingly cold.
Xiao Chunhe waved his halberd halfheartedly and murmured, “Something is coming up from the river.”
Yet the crowd only grew more fervent. Many people pressed toward the bonfire, trying to throw the heart-shaped objects in their hands at the white-dragon statue above the flames themselves, while the white-robed young men who had been dancing held their halberds horizontally to keep them back.
The laughter and shouting grew even louder. A few bold girls began tugging at the young men’s hands and pulling at the wreaths on their heads…
Yue Jingming glanced toward Ji Luo’s room in the inn across the street, then quickly swept his gaze over the white-robed men around them. In a low voice he said, “Something’s wrong. There weren’t nearly this many people in white before.”
The person beside him did not answer. Puzzled, Yue Jingming turned and found himself staring into a pair of pitch-black, pupil-less eyes behind a fierce-ghost mask.
This person was not Xiao Chunhe.