One boy and one sword flew to the edge of the Great Loch. Xue Cuo gave a cheerful whoop, kicked off his shoes and went splashing into the water barefoot, hopping about in the mud.
Snow Sword sank into the lake to cool itself.
While Xue Cuo was in the middle of playing, he spotted a little girl on the ridge path, wearing a straw hat and balancing a shoulder pole with two loads on either end. In front was a water bucket, behind her was a child.
The child was about four or five, with a little bamboo stick in hand. “Little mare, little mare, giddy up, giddy up!”
The bamboo switch struck the girl’s thin, sun-darkened calf. She stumbled, cried out, and tumbled into the field with her buckets.
The child fell too, and burst into loud, snotty tears, wailing, “Mom, Mom! Jiejie* threw me down!”
(*TN: means “older sister”. Can also be an address for an older female relative, friend or any older female.)
The girl was four or five years older than him, her skin baked dark and reddened by the sun. She had to gather up both the pole and the younger child.
The little boy grabbed his jiejie’s hand and bit it viciously. “You threw me down!”
A flicker of pain crossed the girl’s face, but she said nothing. She held onto her didi* and tried to pull him up, but he sat firmly in the mud, flailing his legs and refusing to budge. “Not getting up, not getting up. You mad me fall, so I’m not getting up!”
(*TN: little brother. Also form of address for younger male relative, friend or any younger male.)
Her eyes turned red. “Get up!”
The boy hurled a clump of mud at her. She couldn’t dodge in time and it hit her right in the face, caking her eyes with grit. Her didi clapped and laughed. “Jiejie’s an idiot.”
She forced herself to wipe her face clean, her teeth gritting audibly.
“Jiejie, your water ladle.”
A little boy climbed up from the ridge, all covered in mud. He was barefoot, plump and pale, with bright, charming, crescent eyes.
The girl stared for a second, then silently took the ladle from Xue Cuo and lifted the bucket.
Xue Cuo asked, “Jiejie, do you know where there’re lots of small fish around here?”
Before the girl could speak, the little boy sitting in the mud interrupted loudly, clutching her trouser leg. “Who are you? Where’d you come from? You’re not allowed to talk to my jiejie! If you do, I’ll tell my dad to beat her!”
Xue Cuo’s eyes turned fierce, and he put his hands on his hips. Just as he was about to speak, the girl cut him off, pulled him aside, and scooped half a ladle of water from the remaining bucket, then handed it to him without a word.
Xue Cuo felt his heart surge with warmth. He took it and gulped it all down in one go, drinking until his belly was round.
“Jiejie, you’re so nice!”
The little boy shrieked, “You’re not allowed to talk! Not allowed to talk!”
The girl held back again and again. Her face darkened, and with a loud bang, she flung the ladle. “What’re you hollering for? I’m just a slave, so I’m not even allowed to talk to people? Go on then, tell on me, tell on me all you like! Be like xiao mei*. Toss me in the water vat and drown me. Then you’ll have it!”
(*TN: xiao =little or small, mei=Younger sis, or address for younger female relative, friend or any younger female.)
The little boy was struck dumb. staring at her in a daze.
The girl heaved the bucket onto her shoulder, turned her head stiffly and wiped her face. “Xiao didi, there are man-eating fish in the Great Loch. It’s really dangerous. My jiejie was eaten by it. Don’t play near the water and go home.”
Then she picked up the pole and walked away. The boy glared at Xue Cuo before running after her.
Xue Cuo cupped his hands to his mouth and called out, “See you, jiejie!”
The girl didn’t look back.
Xue Cuo scratched his head, feeling something was off. He walked on, feeling a little out of sorts, and soon found himself back at the water’s edge.
From his storage ring, he took out a jade brush and a white talisman. He checked the direction and time and was about to draw a Thunderbolt Talisman when he sensed a ripple of spiritual energy.
He pulled out his little wooden sword and turned around. A man stood behind him, giving off a faint fishy smell, dressed in pale blue robes.
The man said, “Where’d this little boy come from? All soft and strangely fragrant. Must taste delicious.”
Xue Cuo glanced left and right and shouted: “Who are you?”
The man smoothed his hair back and suddenly gave a big grin. His teeth were crooked. “Little one, I’m Yibao Zhenren* of Green Grass Cave. Want to become my disciple? I can teach you the secrets of immortality. You’ll live freely in bliss from now on.”
(*TN: Zhenren=Daoist title for someone who has attained enlightenment or immortality.)
Xue Cuo stared at him for a moment, then kindly said, “Uncle, maybe try looking in a mirror before saying things like that aaa.”
Yibao Zhenren’s smile stiffened a little, his expression darkened—and in an instant, his kind expression turned into an ominous one. His head transformed into that of a giant fish monster. “Disrespectful brat! Refuse the toast, so you’d drink on forfeit*. Hand over your storage ring and I might let you die a decent death!”
(*TN: well-known phrase that means to submit to pressure after turning down the request.)
Xue Cuo quickly rummaged in his robe. “I’ll givegivegive.”
Yibao Zhenren: “……”
So quick and straightforward it made him suspicious.
Just then, a streak of sword light shot over from afar with a sharp whistle.
Xue Cuo’s momentum shifted in an instant. He flung the wooden sword aside, tossed out two white Thunderbolt Talismans, and shouted ferociously, “Explode!”
Yibao Zhenren’s sleeves flew up as he leapt backwards, only to realise the talismans had no spiritual charge at all.
That sneaky brat had already slipped away eight zhang.
“How dare you! You tricked me !”
Furious, he raised his hand and sent out a tidal wave of Daoist power, enough to drown Xue Cuo on the spot.
Xue Cuo shouted, “Sword Uncle!”
Snow Sword tore through the air. With one clean arc of sword qi, it cut the water wall apart.
Yibao Zhenren’s face turned grim. He swallowed the ring, turned tail, and leapt into the Great Loch, vanishing without a trace.
Xue Cuo was swept away by the aftermath and landed face-first in the mud. He picked himself up. Snow Sword hovered above his head. The green-black hand jumped about, inspecting him left and right. Seeing no damage, it drooped again, listless.
It was still overheated.
Xue Cuo wrung out his robes and rubbed his eyes. “Sword Uncle, that weird zhenren took my ring.”
Snow Sword gave a weak hum. The big hand poked his forehead, then grabbed him by the scruff.
Xue Cuo waved his arms. “Sword Uncle, wait! Let me draw a few more talismans!”
Snow Sword hummed again, a little impatient. The big hand jabbed his forehead hard, then patted the hilt with a tap-tap.
Xue Cuo clutched his head, then gave a big thumbs-up. “Sword Uncle’s Daoist arts are top-notch, but a man must rely on his own strength. Sword Uncle is the number one Evil Sword of Liuming Peak, and I, the Junior Talisman God of Liuming Peak, am forced to come in second. There’s no reason for the little one to stand back while the big one takes the lead.”
Snow Sword gave a hum and circled him once.
A dark green hand pinched Xue Cuo’s cheek before transforming into a sword tassel. The entire sword then fell still.
Xue Cuo hurriedly pulled out a table, chairs, talisman paper, and cinnabar from another ring. His gaze sharpened, his heart stilled, and he began to paint the Golden Crow Thunderbolt Talisman he had only recently come to comprehend.
The jade-tipped brush gave off a faint glimmer of flame.
With each stroke of his youthful hand, the glow grew steadily brighter. Yet Xue Cuo remained oblivious. By the time he finished drawing, the jade brush nib had completely melted, and the talisman in his hand was scalding hot.
Startled, he scratched his head. “Seems a little different. Never mind, it’s no matter.”
He packed away his tools. “Sword Uncle, let’s go!”
Snow Sword hummed once more. The green-black hand gripped Xue Cuo and soared skyward, following his spiritual sense.
—
Yibao Zhenren had slipped away a thousand miles beneath the water. Only when he confirmed no one was chasing did he sneak back towards his cave dwelling.
The more he brooded, the angrier he grew. He transformed into a massive monstrous fish and devoured several fishing boats before finally calming down.
Those large ships had protective cultivator formations, so he dared not go near them. The small boats had less meat were slim pickings, but the risk was minimal.
Yibao Zhenren flicked his tail and slithered into a thick patch of green weeds to cultivate.
—
Snow Sword carried Xue Cuo high above the vast expanse of the lake.
Ripples spread far and wide. The air was thick with moisture. Below, massive indistinct shadows lurked beneath the surface. The sight was enough to make Xue Cuo’s heart tremble.
He sensed the location of his storage ring drawing nearer. They arrived above a stretch of water where the current was gentle, and beneath it, green weeds rose in towering stalks over a hundred metres tall.
Xue Cuo stopped. “This is the place.”
“Little fellow Daoist.”
A white cloud drifted over the lake. When Xue Cuo saw who was on it, he waved at once. “Hey, Ren Shu-gege! What a coincidence!”
Beside him stood the ever-stern granny in purple robes. Ren Shu had his hands clasped behind his back, his bearing otherworldly, his face solemn as clay. Yet Xue Cuo could still detect a thread of concern in his voice. “Little fellow Daoist friend, the lake is perilous. What are you doing here?”
Xue Cuo answered, “I’m here to catch fish. What about you? Are you catching fish too?”
The purple-clad granny shot Xue Cuo a look and stepped protectively in front of the youth. “We’re here to subdue demons. Go play elsewhere and don’t interfere with my young… young master’s business.”
Xue Cuo’s brows rose. “Auntie, you’re a strange one. Since you’re someone cultivating the Dao, why is there still talk about having a young master? What kind of Dao is that? And another thing: you call Ren Shu-gege your master, yet you keep cutting him off. What sort of cultivation is that?”
The lines on purple-clad granny’s face creased halfway open in fury. Before she could erupt, Ren Shu lifted a hand to stop her. “Granny, you’re angry.”
Her expression stiffened. She fell silent.
Xue Cuo reached out his hand. “Ren Shu-gege, can I come up onto your cloud?”
A fleeting smile flickered through Ren Shu’s eyes, though his face remained impassive. He extended a hand and pulled Xue Cuo onto the cloud.
Xue Cuo immediately got to work digging with both hands, grunting as he separated the white cloud into two small tufts. Granny stepped on one; he and Ren Shu shared the other.
“Come here. I’ve something to tell you.”
Granny seethed. “Young Master.”
Ren Shu replied mildly, “Granny, I came out to gain experience. Some brush with social relationships is only natural.”
Granny said no more. She stood atop her tuft of cloud, watching from a distance. Since the youth’s sword hadn’t stirred, she couldn’t justify a temper.
Xue Cuo sprawled across the cloud and exchanged information: “There’s a monster fish down there. It swallowed my ring. Oh, and also my jiejie’s jiejie.”
“Your jiejie’s jiejie?” Ren Shu lifted his robes and half-kneeled in thought.
Xue Cuo nodded. “That’s right. I met jiejie on the road and she even gave me water to drink.”
Ren Shu pondered for a bit, then seemed to understand. Xue Cuo most likely he meant a local fisher girl. His voice softened. “I was cultivating here in the loch and heard someone sobbing on the bank. Turns out that an evil creature has been lurking in the waters, swallowing more than a dozen fishing boats, harming untold numbers. I’ve followed its trail all the way to this spot.”
Xue Cuo said awkwardly. “Shame the water’s so deep. The moves of my method are too conspicuous. I’m afraid it’ll scare it off.”
Ren Shu blinked. “What method?”
Xue Cuo looked bashful. “I call it the Super Thunderbolt Talisman with a Shocking Sound and Invincible Thunderbolt Fire Dance in the Universe.”
Ren Shu made an ‘oh’ sound: “Super Thunderbolt Talisman with a Shocking Sound and Invincible Thunderbolt Fire Dance in the Universe, is it?”
Xue Cuo clapped: “Right, right! But this water’s too deep. I’m not certain I can handle it alone.”
Ren Shu said, “That’s not difficult.”
He pointed with two fingers. The sword on his back gave a silvery chime. Twelve spirit swords shot forth, each one impossibly sharp. They positioned themselves according to the twelve celestial branches, forming a sword array that locked the lake in every direction.
“You draw it out. I’ll deal with it.”
Xue Cuo’s eyes lit up. He clenched his fists. “Watch me!”
Purple-clad granny watched the two of them whispering together, her eyelids twitching, but in the end, she didn’t interfere.
Though she couldn’t make sense of the strange child’s origins, the young master was steady and righteous. At a crucial moment, he would know how to take control.
