The two senior brothers had been responsible for buying groceries, wine and running errands. They were not able to hear any of the conversation between Shifu and his old acquaintance.
But at the end, when they saw General Qin drinking until his tears and snot flowed, he was no longer aggressive towards Shifu. It seemed that the alcohol had worked its magic, resolving all grievances and enmities in one drunken stupor!
After Xier recovered, Su Yishui proposed taking them along with General Qin to Wangxiang Pass and practice cultivation along the way.
This journey was going to be a little further. Su Yishui gave the instructions and Second Uncle Master, with immense heartache about spending a fortune, bought a carriage with a horse and three swift horses for riding.
The disciples of XiShan no longer needed to measure the distance with their feet, making the journey much easier.
General Qin traveled with a few personal guards alongside them.
It wasn't until later, when Ranran and the others spoke with General Qin, that they learned he was also a disciple of XiShan (West Mountain).
Others believed that Su Yishui was Mu Qingge's closed-door disciple. But that wasn't accurate. Before being executed, Mu Qingge once made an exception and accepted one more disciple.
This General Qin, past forty years old, covered in pockmarks, was Mu Qingge's closed-door disciple.
Qin XuanJiu became Mu Qingge's disciple was completely accidental.
Back then, Mu Qingge assisted the Daqi garrison in defending FangYao Pass against the rebellion of Prince Ping in a great battle. It was during that time that she saved the critically wounded Qin Xuanjiu and accepted him as her disciple.
Unlike other disciples who were fresh and tender, General Qin's rough appearance and pockmarked face did not fit Mu Qingge's standards for accepting disciples.
Curious, Xier asked the Senior Uncle Master if General Qin was more handsome twenty years ago?
Yu Chen shook his head vigorously, and said that General Qin didn't look as robust and was even creepier, thinner and uglier back then.
Just then General Qin passed by on his horse, he glared at Yuchen and shot, "My Master didn't mind my appearance. Who do you think you are to criticize me?"
It's worth noting that General Qin actually did not get along well with Su Yishui and his two attendants.
Ranran also only learned later, that Su Yishui was actually the illegitimate son of Prince Ping who started the rebellion.
In other words, if Mu Qingge hadn't intervened, Prince Ping might have been successful in his rebellion and become Emperor. At that time, if Su Yishui was made legitimate, he would have become a real prince.
Because of this, General Qin, a military officer of Daqi, didn't have a good opinion of the illegitimate son of the Rebel prince and his attendants. This, coupled with the betrayal incident involving the Master, created new worries and old grudges!
When General Qin cursed, Yu Chen also got upset. With a few words, the two started arguing on horseback.
Yu Chen cursed, "Look at yourself in the mirror. With your appearance, Mu Qingge must have been so drunk and made a mistake when she accepted you!"
As his Master had been killed shortly after he joined the sect, General Qin Xuanjiu had always been upset that he couldn't be recognized officially and return to his roots in the sect.
Now, hearing Yu Chen point out his weaknesses, he became livid. He took out a pair of golden hammers from his bag and preparing to fight Yu Chen to the death.
Ranran watched the spectacle from the carriage by their side for a while, and seeing that they couldn't resolve it, she hurriedly smiled and comforted the angry general.
"General Qin, my Senior Uncle Master is just joking with you, playing around. One can see that you clearly have extraordinary foundation, a rare talent for cultivation. Moreover, the disciples of Xishan belong to the Wood element. Your name has the character 'wine,' just like my Shifu's name has 'water,' which is beneficial for Wood energy. Grandmaster Mu must have thought that your life lot will be good for her, so she accepted you as a disciple."
These were just conciliatory words, but when General Qin heard them, he looked at her in amazement, tears welling in his leopard eyes, and said, "...My Master said the same thing back then. How did you know, little girl?"
Um… Ranran could only awkwardly smile and say that she was just talking nonsense, and if there was any resemblance to the truth, it was purely coincidental.
Unfortunately, this unintentional talk aroused General Qin's nostalgia for his esteemed Master, so that night, he sought out Su Yishui by the riverside camp to drink, getting very drunk again.
Ranran found the subtle interaction between these seemingly opposing fellow disciples very profound.
Considering their opposite attitudes toward their former Master, Mu Qingge, but they were still able to travel together peacefully, was truly unthinkable. However, she didn't know what circumstances had linked these two together, leading them to Wangxiang Pass in the Northwest.
But very soon, she found out the reason.
Allowing his disciples to relax along the way, as they were approaching Wangxiang Pass, he looked at the dark clouds that have gathered and asked his disciples, "Do you know the mystery behind the name 'Wangxiang'?"
Bai Baishan never missed a chance to show off his knowledge of cultivation texts and immediately said, "The Three Realms are divided into Heaven, Earth and Human Realms. Among them, the Earth Realm is the realm of death and forgetfulness. It is said that before the dead souls enter the underworld, they have to linger in Wangxiang Valley for three years, waiting to resolve their lingering thoughts from the human world, forget their ties before they can reincarnate from the underworld."
Su Yishui nodded, indicating that his second disciples's words were correct. Then he continued, "Originally, Wangxiang Valley did not overlap with the human world. But twenty years ago, during the Fangyao Battle, there were too many casualties. Together with the secret opening of the Netherworld, the balance between Yin and Yang was disrupted. The Yin energies of Wangxiang Valley leaked out and overlapped with the surface, turning Wangxiang Pass into a place of heavy Yin energy. Coupled with being a key border town, there are always conflicts here. The Yin energy, nourished by grievances, has even bred many Yin demons. Your purpose in coming here is to assist General Qin in subduing demons and eliminating evil."
Gao Cang, the passionate young man, was excited and eager, filling with impatience. But the other three disciples became wide-eyed with fear.
Bai Baishan cautiously asked, "Shifu, besides cultivating and building foundations through meditation and carrying sandbags up and down the mountain, we haven't learned anything else! Now that we're in such a perilous place, what abilities do we have to subdue demons and eliminate evil?"
Ranran also nodded vigorously by the side. Besides pill alchemy, she had only practiced bouncing on lotus leaves. If Shifu brought them some minor demons for them to practice on, it would still be fine. But now that they were in a place full of Yin demons, won't they would just be swallowed up whole by those demons instead?
Qin Xuanjiu stood aside with disappointment: "Since when have disciples of XiShan Sect become so cowardly and afraid of death? Think about how impressive my Master used to be. How did you produce such timid disciples? This is really not giving her any reason to be proud!"
Yu Chen coldly snorted, "What does Master's disciples have to do with that female demon?"
But obviously, arguing was of no help in improving their skills. Su Yishui's disciples lacked confidence and had no assurance of saving any dignity for XiShan's Lingxi Palace.
Su Yishui tried to reassure his disciples by comparing their experiences with Ranran's Light body technique: "If you want to make rapid progress in cultivation, you must face life-threatening situations. This kind of situation is exactly a great opportunity for your advancement, so you must cherish it even more."
Ranran was a bit unsure whether the master meant for them to cherish the opportunity for advancement or cherish the remaining time of their lives.
However, seeing Su Yishui's serious expression, it was clear he wasn't joking. The disciples, who had been enjoying themselves along the way, reluctantly began memorizing the techniques for Subduing Demons and practicing their skills of pasting talismans.
Qiu xier would cry while practicing, then wipe her tears and continue.
Ranran wanted to cry with her, but fearing it would waste time, she could only pat her choking senior sister on the back and say, "Be good, recite the Thirteen Techniques for Demon-Slaying with me again."
In short, *the inadequate disciples managed to cram in some knowledge by **rote learning before reaching the Main gate of Wangxiang Pass. They more or less learnt the basic skills that they were going to use when facing demons.
*赶鸭子上架 :
比喻强迫去做能力达不到的事情 forced to do something they are not capable of doing
**囫囵吞枣: literal- swallowing the whole date without chewing – learning without analyzing at all
They also learned about the strange events that occurred at Wangxiang Pass two months ago. It turned out that just two months ago, an entire camp of Qin Xuanjiu's soldiers went missing while patrolling along the Wangxiang River.
The border had been calm for a while with no conflict, so Qin Xuanjiu immediately sent people to search for the missing soldiers.
But the soldiers who returned were all deathly pale and some spoke incoherently, only saying they were all in the river.
When Qin Xuanjiu went to see for himself, he found the naked bodies of thirty-six soldiers floating on the river's surface, their armor and clothing neatly stacked by the riverbank.
It looked as though they had collectively decided to throw themselves into the river.
But Qin Xuanjiu didn't believe it at all. Several of these thirty-six soldiers were trained by him personally, all of them were straightforward and brave men. Two of them had families at Wangxiang Pass, and they were even about to become fathers.
Before they set off for the patrol, they had joked, eaten and drank together, saying they would continue the celebration when they returned. How could they have done such a senseless thing?
The mystery of these deaths by drowning had not been solved, and similar strange events had subsequently occurred at Wangxiang Pass.
Rumors began to spread, suggesting that Qin Xuanjiu had mistreated his men so much that they couldn't bear the humiliation and chose to die by drowning with grievances.
Qin Xuanjiu couldn't defend himself, so he took soldiers to guard the river for three nights, but nothing unusual happened. This seemed to further confirm the accusations of mistreatment of soldiers.
Right when he was inexplicably accused, he suddenly remembered something and quickly retrieved an Bagua compass from behind the portrait of his Master, Mu Qingge.
Looking at it, he saw that the yin and yang on the compass were completely reversed, things were out of order.
Qin Xuanjiu remembered his Master's instructions when she gave him this compass, saying that if there were anomalies on the compass, he must look for Su Yishui. So, he temporarily put aside his grudges against Su and went to West Mountain to find him, asking him to come and resolve the crisis at Wangxiang Pass and took the chance to vent some of his pent-up resentment towards Su Yishui.
If it weren't for the vow he made to his esteemed Master never to make things difficult for Su Yishui, he really wanted to kill this ungrateful *white-eyed wolf with one swing of his blade!
*白眼狼 raised someone ungrateful
But Qin Xuanjiu didn't expect that Su Yishui, while a rascal as a disciple, was even worse as a Master. He had actually sent out his newly initiated disciples as sacrifice for evil spirits.
In the vast yellow sands of the northwest, watching a few young people wrapped in borrowed military uniforms like dumplings, standing pitifully by the Wangxiang River like abandoned children, Qin Xuanjiu asked uncertainly, "Is it really okay to leave them here for the night?"
Over the past two months, there had been three consecutive inexplicable incidents of soldiers drowning. Was it really alright to leave behind four rookie cultivators who were still so green by a dark river?
Su Yishui nodded and took out a stack of something from his pocket, handing it to Ranran.
Ranran took a look and found that it was a stack of green paper cut into lotus leaves…
Su Yishui said, "If you feel something is wrong, throw these into the river."
"Master, are these Thunderbolt Spirit Talismans capable of subduing demons and eliminating evil?" Ranran asked hopefully.
However, Su Yishui shook his head. "It's too cold here, and lotus leaves can't grow in the river. With these, you can use Light body technique to avoid drowning…"
This kind of answer made Ranran's little face fall—she was afraid she might be ensnared by some evil spirit and lose her senses, simply won't remember to use light body techniques to step on lotus leaves.
Moreover, these green oiled paper lotus leaves seemed too perfunctory, right? They were Master and disciples, at least provide some real lotus leaves!
After instructing them, with a wave of his sleeve, Su Yishui left without taking any disciple with him, and went to the city.
Although Qin Xuanjiu sympathized with these young people, he couldn't persuade Su Yishui, so he also shook his head and left with the soldiers.
The imperial envoy had already entered the Pass, and Qin Xuanjiu had to deal with those annoying lawsuits. But he consoled himself a little—if Su Yishui's disciples also drowned, it would at least prove that it wasn't his mistreatment of soldiers that led to their suicides by drowning.
In recent days, coffins in nearby towns had been in high demand. He wondered if their Master would be willing to spend a large sum of money to prepare some good funeral items for them…
Second Senior Uncle, Yu Tong, felt sorry for her nephews and nieces and left them with two warm military tents, fire starters and a bundle of firewood for keeping warm at night. As she left, she sighed helplessly, telling them to take care and strive to have a reunion breakfast the next day.
When everyone had left, only four fellow disciples remained, looking at each other.
Qiu Xier said with a sullen face, "My mother said she sent me up the mountain to cultivate immortality, but she didn't say I would be fed to evil spirits! Big Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, should we think of a solution ourselves?"
With a loud clang, Gao Cang drew out his sword that had been passed down his family, and said with determination, "Third Junior Sister, don't be afraid. If there are truly evil spirits or demons, I will fight to the death to protect you all!"
Ranran was more practical. She borrowed the sword from her eldest senior brother, to open up the bundle of firewood. She then made a fire for them to keep warm, roasted some sweet potatoes and drumsticks that she had prepared, to pass this long night in the northwest.
After the firewood burned into embers, Ranran tossed the sweet potatoes into it and soon a sweet fragrance filled the air. Adding to that the drumsticks marinated with coarse salt and spirits on the grill, these naive young men and women couldn't help but swallow continuously, setting aside their fear for a while.
After the drumsticks were grilled, Ranran mysteriously took out a wine bag from her pocket. "You're in for a treat. I brought this from the Western Mountains…" Gao Cang took a sniff and widened his eyes, "So fragrant? What kind of wine is this?"
Ranran smiled and said, "I brewed it myself. If it's nice, have a few more sips. It'll warm you up."
She made this wine, called "Detain Heaven's Immortal" brewed following the instructions in the 'Playing Classics'. She had been hesitant to bring it out for fear of her Shifu recognizing it.
Now with only her fellow disciples left, it was the perfect time to fortify their spirits against the cold.
The night in the northwest was very cold, but Ranran was dressed warmly. Inside her thick cotton military coat, she wore a small floral jacket her mother had made for her. Although it made her look plump like a roly-poly doll, she felt really warm when she drew her neck into the woolen collar.
After enjoying the delicious food and wine, everyone's dantian felt warm.
Bai Baishan told some jokes at the right time, making everyone laugh heartily. This didn't seem like demon hunting anymore but more like an excursion. Ranran started singing folk songs from the mountains, her beautiful and clear voice echoing in the wilderness, soothing everyone's hearts.
Coupled with the exceptionally mellow wine, they forgot what fear was, completely immersed in the excitement and laughter of youth.
Coming from a military family, Gao Cang, after taking a sip of "Detain Heaven's Immortal," poured a cup into the river to honor the fallen soldiers.
These brave spirits buried in the mountains had sacrificed themselves for their country. How could he drink alone?
The night was too dark for Gao Cang to notice that when he poured the wine into the river, bubbles began to emerge from the calm surface.
After they finished eating, they each returned to their tents to sleep, but such an atmosphere made sleep elusive. So, they decided to meditate in their tents to calm and restore themselves.
Ever since Ranran took the Clear Heart Pill she refined some time ago, after over ten days of fasting, she suddenly felt some breakthroughs.
During meditation, she no longer felt unbearable back pain. When her breathing and the flow of energy throughout her body synchronized, she really felt a sense of connection with the world.
Her hearing also became much sharper, able to hear the distant howls of wolves on the mountain and the sounds of rodents digging holes not far away.
In short, all sounds were amplified endlessly, while she herself gradually became calm amidst the cacophony…
Suddenly, Ranran opened her eyes wide and whispered, "There's a sound in the river…"
To be precise, it was an almost inaudible song. Vaguely, the lyrics seemed to be something like "Returning home…"
When she looked at Qiu Xier next to her, she realized Xier had already opened her eyes, staring blankly at the river outside the tent.
Ranran called out to her several times, but Xier remained unresponsive, completely ignoring everyone.
At that moment, Ranran heard the bubbling sounds from the river seem to grow louder. Qiu Xier stood up suddenly, and walked out of the tent.
Ranran quickly got up and followed her out, finding that the two senior brothers from the other tent had also come out.
Their eyes were vacant, clearly in the same state as Qiu Xier, walking blankly towards the Wangxiang River.
Ranran continued calling out to them, but they did not turn back. When they reached the riverbank, the three of them started to undress and neatly fold their clothes, placing them by the shore.
The uniformity of their movements was absolutely chilling and goosebumps inducing. This scene was exactly as General Qin Xuanjiu had described before!
Realizing that if she didn't do something right now, they would soon take off their underwear and shoes, and jump into the river, Ranran quickly picked up a new piece of firewood, made a torch from the still-burning firewood pile, and ran to shine it towards the river.
When the firelight illuminated the area, she saw large bubbles emerging from the river, but she could not tell what was in the water.
Turning back to look at those who had fallen under the spell, Ranran bit her lip, suddenly recalling something. She took out the Clear Heart Pills she had refined from her pocket. Then she poured three of them into her mouth, chewed them into pieces, and put them into their mouths.
Ranran wasn't sure if it would work, but she remembered Shifu saying that the simpler the pill, the purer its effects.
For example, the Clear Heart Pill she used at the entry-level was not only helpful for cultivating and fasting but also lived up to its name, calming the mind and resisting mental disturbances.
Although her Shifu had never explained, Ranran speculated randomly that the pills she made with the alchemy furnace used by Mu Qingge before, was itself a divine item that focused spiritual energies. It had higher demands towards the user of the furnace, and must not mix in distractions which could completely disrupt the control of the pill's effects.
Perhaps because of this, the pills she first made, with distractions mixed in, were so overbearing that they ruined her Shifu's three years of fasting.
Now, the pills she refined were made during her meditation, with fewer distractions. Today, out of desperation, she could only try giving them to see if they would work.
The crushed pills melted in their mouths. Even without swallowing, they flowed down their throats. Just as they were about to take off their inner wear and shoes, the Clear Heart Pills finally took effect.
Bai Baishan was the first to come to his senses. He shivered in the cold wind, then looked down at the neatly stacked pile of clothes, feeling somewhat dumbfounded.
Next, Qiu Xier came around as well. She first saw the under-dressed appearance of the two senior brothers, then looked down at herself, realizing she was only wearing her undergarments. She immediately screamed in embarrassment and anger, then quickly squatted down to pick up her outer clothes and put them back on.
Senior Brother was awakened by Third Sister's scream, looking foolishly at his fellow disciples, and stuttered, "Wha… what's going on?"
Xue Ranran had no time to explain, so she just pointed to the river and said, "There's something strange in the water, quickly move away from the river."
At this moment, the three who had just awakened also saw the roiling water bubbles on the surface of the water, so they quickly picked up their clothes and shoes and hurriedly retreated.
Perhaps because the three controlled individuals resisted the evil power and woke up in time, the river now became even more turbulent, even starting to emit water sprays that gradually turned into numerous rising streams of water, which rushed towards the shore as if to drag these few young people into the water.
"Quick, set up the formation!" Ranran shouted quickly.
The other three immediately formed the Demon-subduing formation taught by their Shifu, drawing talismans with their hands in front of their chests, while the four of them formed a *'Pin'-shaped formation. *品
According to their Shifu, once the formation was set up, they could support each other and face the enemy more calmly. The so-called demons were just a kind of creature that absorbed yin energy.
As long as they remained calm, observed carefully, discover the vital points of these creatures, they could use their swords to subdue the demons and uphold righteousness.
Unfortunately, these few novices were using this technique for the first time. Some were fast, some were slow. Qiu Xier was panicking and completely uncoordinated. In the end, she didn't run to her position and even tripped and fell to the ground.
When she exclaimed as she fell, the demon-subduing formation, which was fine just now, revealed a gap. The water stream also seemed to have noticed this weak point and suddenly attacked Ranran.
"It" had just used a spell to bewitch the minds of people, and while the other three were all affected, only this young girl was not affected at all. She even had a way to awaken the other three.
So "it" decided to deal with this troublemaker first, before dealing with the remaining three.