Chu Wanning's indifference extended even to gods and immortals. "Does the Exalted God recognize me?" he asked mildly.
"How could I not?" Gouchen smiled in his refined manner. "Many years ago, when you came to Jincheng Lake in search of a weapon, the depth and purity of your spiritual strength was such that I almost couldn't resist coming out to see you. So how is it? Is the weapon to your liking?"
"Which weapon is the Exalted God referring to?"
"Ah." Gouchen startled slightly, then said with a smile, "How absentminded of me, to forget that I gave you two."
"No matter," said Chu Wanning. "Tianwen works very well."
"Tianwen?"
"The willow vine."
"Oh. I see." Gouchen smiled. "So you named it Tianwen? And what about the other one? What's that one called?"
"Jiuge." answered Chu Wanning.
"And how is Jiuge?"
"It has a chilling temperament; I rarely use it."
"What a shame." Gouchen sighed. Done chatting, he turned around. "Wangyue, I'll be taking them down below. It's not good for you to be up here above the water where the spiritual energy is so thin; you should head back soon too."
The old dragon nodded, raising a large wave as it dove back into the lake, scales glittering.
Meanwhile, Chu Wanning busied himself with casting water-repelling charms on his three students.
Gouchen the Exalted watched him with interest, thinking, Such a level of proficiency is rare amongst cultivators. I wonder who his teacher is?
But Chu Wanning had an aloof air that didn't welcome small talk, and Gouchen the Exalted knew better than to pry.
Once all the preparations had been made, the group waded into the freezing waters of Jincheng Lake together. Owing to the charm, they moved unhindered in water as if on land. As they approached the depths, a boundless underwater world slowly came into view.
The bottom of the lake was covered in fine white sand. Aquatic plants drifted gently in the flow, and row upon row of finely detailed buildings lined the crisscrossing paths. All manner of monsters and beasts came and went on the streets and in the alleys; in this place, even creatures that couldn't normally coexist lived in harmony.
"Jincheng Lake has plentiful spiritual energy and can thus be said to be a kind of paradise," said Gouchen. "The creatures who make their homes here stay for generations without ever leaving, so many of their customs are quite a bit different from what you might expect to encounter in the mortal realm. You're welcome to look around if you wish."
As he spoke, a snow-white rabbit spirit with scarlet eyes rode past on a tiger. The rabbit was dressed in white robes, all pomp and poise with an arrogant look as it ceaselessly berated the tiger to go faster. The tiger, on the other hand, was meek and obedient without so much as a hint of dignity.
The group watched, speechless.
Gouchen the Exalted led them along the main path. Countless shops crowded both sides of the street, and all kinds of creatures passed them by. Soon enough, they arrived at the center of the city. Even more demons were gathered there, making for quite a strange sight.
"Jincheng Lake rarely has contact with the outside world, but you can barter for nearly anything you need here."
"Legend has it that Jincheng Lake was formed from your blood," said Xue Meng. "Wouldn't that make you the master of this place, then, since it's your spiritual energy that sustains everything here?"
"I wouldn't go that far." Gouchen smiled a little. "Besides, that's all in the past. I left the realm of the gods long ago, and my spiritual strength is nothing like what it used to be. Thinking back on those heaven- and earth-shattering events now, they seem almost like they happened in a dream. How are any of them related to my current self? These days, I'm a mere swordsmith."
He showed them around the city center as he spoke. The creatures at the bottom of the lake, having lived with Gouchen the Exalted all this time, seemed to have forgotten his status as a founding god. They didn't react much even when he walked by them, busy as they were with minding their own business and peddling their wares.
"Fish-blood mantou, freshly made!"
"Skin of Shuairan Snake, premium clothing material, only three feet left! Once it's all gone, you'll have to wait for my next shedding!"
"Selling squid ink brow-filler, made with fresh ink, spat just this morning by yours truly. It'll do wonders for your eyebrows—hey! Hey wait, miss, don't leave!"
The market was inundated with the sounds of various creatures hawking their wares, and the unusual sights were no less worthy of marvel.
A headless ghost sat by its stall, selling combs and makeup. It held a comb between two fingers with long, scarlet-painted nails as it brushed the hair on its own still-bleeding head, which rested on its knees. "High-quality bone combs," it called in a soft voice. "Take one home with you today."
Xue Meng's eyes were wide as he glanced left and right. He saw an apothecary to the side staffed by merfolk that sold all kinds of medicinal herbs that he'd never even seen before. He was just about to go over and see if he could bring some home for his mother when an ear-piercingly shrill voice rang out from behind him.
"Make way, make way! Let me through!"
Xue Meng's foot froze mid-step, but when he turned to look, there was no one there.
Gouchen smiled. "Look carefully. Under your foot."
Sure enough, Xue Meng squinted and spied a pile of tiny rocks moving on its own. "Well, that's new," he mumbled. "Even rocks can walk here. Is it a rock spirit or something?"
"Fuban," Chu Wanning corrected.
"Full bar?"
Chu Wanning shot him a mild look. "It's one thing for Mo Ran to not pay attention in class, but you too?"
Xue Meng was the sort to dive headlong into the practice of martial arts with his whole being—while paying absolutely no heed whatsoever to things like literature and history. In fear of his shizun's imposing aura, he sat straight and proper during Chu Wanning's lectures, but everything went in one ear and out the other. His entire face burned at having been caught in the act by that same shizun.
Mo Ran put his hands together, laughing. "Shizun isn't being fair to me; I totally listened to that lecture."
Xue Meng wasn't about to back down. "Oh yeah? Go on and explain it then."
"A fuban is a type of bug that's exceptionally greedy by nature. It tries to gather up any and all pretty rocks it sees, and it usually ends up crushed to death under that pile." Mo Ran looked expectantly at Chu Wanning with a grin on his face. "Shizun, am I right?"
Chu Wanning nodded. "The fuban has gone extinct in the outside world. I didn't expect to see one here."
"This one just lucked out," Gouchen explained with a smile. "It's only still alive thanks to the local apothecary. Watch, here he comes."
They observed the fuban trudge to the steps of the apothecary with great effort, where it yelled, "I can't take it anymore! Hurry and save me, Doctor!"
A turquoise sea dragon swiftly swam forward. He was clearly used to handling this situation, and he smiled leisurely as he took out a white porcelain bottle. He poured a golden-red medicinal potion on the fuban like this was the most normal occurrence. "Hello, Foolish Old Man. Good harvest today?"
The so-called Foolish Old Man huffed, tone lazy while it enjoyed the medicinal bath. "Hmph, not too bad, not too bad. One hundred more tomorrow, and I'll have four hundred million, eighty-five thousand, six hundred and seventeen rocks at home."
Both Mo Ran and Chu Wanning were at a loss for words.
"That's…quite a hoard," mumbled Shi Mei.
The dragon finished pouring the medicine. "Remember to come earlier tomorrow. Any later, and even this strengthening dew won't save you."
"Yeah, yeah, got it. I'll come earlier," the fuban replied half-heartedly. Then a pale-yellow rock in the corner caught its eye, and it started hollering again. "Hey, li'l eel—I meant, Dr. Dragon, might I please trouble you to put that pretty rock over there on my back? That way I'll have four-hundred million, eighty-five thousand, six hundred and eighteen rocks tomorrow."
Xue Meng couldn't resist walking over. "What do you need so many rocks for?" he asked. "Are you building a house?"
"What the—?" the fuban's shrill, conceited voice came from under the pile of rocks. "A human? Aiyo, I haven't had to look at one of you for ages. How is it any of your business why I'm gathering rocks? Of course it's not for building a house. I'm not that bored!"
Shi Mei was also curious. "What for, then, if not that?"
"To count, of course!" the fuban said self-righteously.
The group was rendered totally speechless.
In any case, after strolling around for a while, Gouchen took them back to his residence.
In a corner of the streets they came upon an enormous seashell that stood like a folding screen against the outside world. Behind it lay a large courtyard divided into six magnificent and expansive sections. Halls and corridors led to side wings and flower gardens, and bead curtains made of pearls and kelp swayed peacefully in the water. Some of the side rooms were dark while others were lit by candlelight, and faint, barely audible notes of konghou strings and xun drifted from within.
Just like in the apothecary, all the servants of the god's residence were merfolk. Some kept their dragon tails, while others had transformed their tails into legs, preferring to walk instead. However, they didn't seem to like shoes much, as all of them were barefoot.
Upon seeing the confusion on their faces, Gouchen smiled. "I live with my good friend Wangyue, who was once the crown prince of the eastern seas," he explained airily. "These are the servants he brought with him when he took up residence here."
Wangyue was the name of that old dragon.
Mo Ran was rather fond of that black dragon, since he had acquired his holy weapon from it in his previous lifetime. "Where is he, anyway?" he couldn't help but ask, smiling. "He probably assumes a different form down here, right? He's so ginormous, I doubt he'd be able to fit in this place otherwise."
Gouchen nodded. "That's a matter of course," he said cheerily. "But he gets tired easily in his old age; he's probably retired early after having gone above water. If you want to see him again, you'll have to wait for him to wake up."
Just then, a merman with long brown hair floated over and bowed deeply to Gouchen. "Exalted God, welcome home," he said in a soft, graceful voice. "Wangyue-dianxia told this humble servant everything. Would it please the Exalted God to take his guests to the arsenal of holy weapons forthwith?"
Gouchen didn't answer at first. Instead he looked politely to his guests first and only nodded when he confirmed that they were amenable. "Yes, very well. Please have the kitchen prepare food and wine. We shall dine when we return from the arsenal."
They passed through the courtyards to the deepest section of the seashell. In the center of this courtyard stood a massive weeping willow that towered toward the skies. The willow must have been a different species from those in the world above the lake, as its trunk was so thick that it would have taken ten adult men standing hand to hand to wrap around it. Its bark was ancient and twisting, and thousands of willow vines hung from it like an emerald curtain.
"Whoa, how old is this tree?" Xue Meng asked hoarsely.
"I haven't kept count, but at least a hundred thousand years," Gouchen replied.
"What kind of tree lives that long?" Xue Meng asked, startled.
"Trees naturally live longer than humans, and this one in particular has been nourished by the spiritual energy of Jincheng Lake, so it's not really that unexpected. Anyway, please follow closely. The entrance to the arsenal is in the hollow of this tree." Gouchen paused and looked at Xue Meng. "Please don't touch the branches. This tree has cultivated into a spirit and can feel pain."
But his words came a little too late; Xue Meng had already plucked a leaf.
"Ah!" Xue Meng yelped.
At the same time, a faint groan reverberated through the empty air, as if a raspy voice was sighing softly. "Ow."
Xue Meng paled as if struck by lightning and hurriedly flung the leaf away. "What? Why is there blood?"
Sure enough, a stream of blood trickled from the branch where the leaf had been broken off. The leaf that had been thrown aside writhed and convulsed on the ground like a living thing before gradually growing still, curling up, and rapidly withering away.
"As I said, it's a spirit," Gouchen said helplessly. "Why would the young gongzi…?" He shook his head and walked up to examine the broken branch, where he used his spiritual energy to soothe the willow and stop its bleeding.
"Xue Meng, come here," said Chu Wanning. "Don't touch anything else."
"Yes, Shizun." Knowing he'd messed up, Xue Meng walked over obediently with his head hung low.
Fortunately, this incident wasn't too major. Chu Wanning apologized to Gouchen the Exalted who, with all the magnanimity expected of a founding god, only smiled. "The young gongzi is truly agile and swift."
Xue Meng didn't say a word, his face bright red as he followed behind Chu Wanning with his head hanging low.
They passed through the curtain of lush branches and arrived at the trunk itself. Up close, the willow was even more overwhelmingly colossal than it had seemed from a distance; that initial approximation of ten men was possibly a vast underestimation of its size.
There was a hollow in the trunk of the willow. Rather, it would have been more accurate to call it a huge arched gateway, wide enough for three brawny men to pass through at the same time. The hollow was blocked by numerous complicated barriers, which Gouchen dispelled one by one before turning to say with a smile, "The holy weapon arsenal is right inside. It's kind of small and a little messy; sorry for the inconvenience."
Mo Ran was quite curious and immediately moved to follow behind Gouchen, but Chu Wanning held him back as if by reflex. "Don't rush," he said mildly.
But he went in himself.
Mo Ran had long since grown used to Chu Wanning doing this sort of thing. In his previous lifetime, whenever the four of them had gone on missions to subdue demons, Chu Wanning had always walked at the vanguard. Back then, Mo Ran had thought that his shizun was impatient and arrogant, and that he didn't want to be outdone by those younger than him. But having been reborn, the Mo Ran of the present saw things somewhat differently.
As he watched Chu Wanning's white robes disappear into the darkness of the tree's hollow, a thread of hesitation surfaced in his heart.
Was this person really rushing to be in the front because he was impatient and arrogant?