“Where are you going, my dear?”
What are you carrying? That thing has an affinity with me.”
“Where are you?”
“I can smell you.”
The voice was soft and ethereal. Halfway through his flight, Xue Cuo felt the heavens dim. Black whirlpools unfurled beneath his feet, each haloed by a flickering candle flame. The vortices flowed sluggishly, like pools of ink.
Leaves grew backwards; trunks rotted at impossible speed. Time and order slipped into chaos.
Amid that vast and tangled Dao, a narrow path appeared.
It was narrow and wide, long and short… winding deep into the candlelight. Xue Cuo had a foreboding: no matter which way he stepped, he would collide head-on with a god.
The god might not kill him.
But if he were the one to collide,… that would be another matter entirely.
Sweat poured down his back. With the tortoise shell slung over his shoulders, Xue Cuo found himself stranded in the heart of the vortex, no way forward or back.
Xuan Zhao’s voice echoed: [Boy, I’d advise you not to take that small path. Heaven above, Hell below. Once you go in, there’s no coming out.]
Naturally, Xue Cuo had no intention of obeying. A green talisman hovered at his fingertips; in the next instant, his mind was made up.
“Wind.”
[Careful!] cried Xuan Zhao.
The young man’s figure drifted like a feather. The green talisman summoned a gentle breeze that brushed across the whirlpools, and he stepped upon that thread of wind, gliding over the perilous path.
Xuan Zhao saw it and was taken aback. [Supreme Freedom Technique? Are you the heir of the South Lord? No, that’s not right. Your footwork’s lacking polish, like an outer-sect amateur. Don’t tell me you swindled some Peacock Princess?]
Xue Cuo almost fell out of the air, half amused, half exasperated. Catching sight of the flaring candlelight, he quickly wedged the tortoise shell beneath his feet as a makeshift board, skimming across a dozen whirlpools in one go.
Xuan Zhao’s shell was instantly splattered with sooty liquid. He let out an incredulous laugh. [You little wretch!]
Xue Cuo frantically flung one wind talisman after another, too busy to breathe.
Then Xuan Zhao gave a grunt, for all around them the candles blazed alight one by one. Their flames joined into a boundless sea of fire.
He realised, alarmed, that the phenomenon had taken form. [Quickly, rush out! That’s womb-fire. Linger a few steps longer and you’ll be reborn from scratch!]
Xue Cuo ground his teeth. “I’d love to… but He won’t let me go.”
Xuan Zhao: [Don’t panic, take cover inside my shell.]
“Master Xuan, truly righteous and selfless.”
[Polite of you to notice.]
No sooner had Xue Cuo crawled in than Xuan Zhao gave a cold snort. The tortoise shell turned to a streak of light and shot away in an arc… but was driven back by the swelling flames. The shell glowed red-hot.
[This womb-fire is real!] he exclaimed.
“Womb-fire?” Xue Cuo echoed.
Xuan Zhao sucked in a breath. [The Fire of Reincarnation. It can destroy even gods. But the Goddess of Rebirth perished long ago. How could her flame still exist? Unless… this thing has inherited her legacy? The goddess must’ve had no taste at all.]
Boom—
The womb-fire seemed to take offence, flaring violently. Xue Cuo coughed and staggered back, eyes streaming. “Master Xuan, you’d best mind your words.”
Xuan Zhao realised his blunder and fell silent. Man and tortoise stared helplessly at one another amid the inferno.
[You’ll likely perish here, boy. Quick, give me a drop of blood.]
“Blood?”
Xuan Zhao: [Your life hangs by a thread. I’m a practical creature. Leave me a drop of your essence blood, send me out of here. In time, I’ll find a destined heir, raise him up step by step into a divine master, then use your blood to breed a few plump little children to carry on your line. Come now, think of some good names. I’ll check the <<Book of Names>> for you.]
“…”
Seeing his dark expression, Xuan Zhao amended his plan. [If not, you wipe that soot off your face. Use your charms to seduce the thing, wait till it’s muddled with desire, then slip away!]
Xue Cuo: “…”
Xuan Zhao: [I’m serious! A great god once escaped that very way!]
What great god… what unspeakable methods.
Xuan Zhao broke off mid-speech: [Another one’s coming! These wretched spirits breed like flies. Xue Cuo, got any last words? Best get them out while you can still breathe.]
Black crow feathers drifted down from the heavens, covering the sky. The candlelight beside the whirlpools flickered, unsteady and dim.
Xue Cuo was pinned between vortex and feathers, unable to move.
A pure white hem appeared at his left. He bowed his head at once. A woman’s voice spoke, calm and resonant: “Wu Si, this child is fated for me. Why not yield him to me?”
A warm force pressed through his left shoulder, burning to his heart. Another hand clawed at him and rested on his right thigh. It was dusted with incense ash. Icy dread flooded his body.
A rasping, dreadful voice replied, “You’ve entered my domain. Since when do I give away what’s mine?”
The woman frowned. “This is the first time I’ve ever asked anyone for anything.”
The hoarse voice was Wu Si. He let out a dry laugh. “And if you ask, I must give?”
Xue Cuo blurted, “Exactly, exactly!”
Two divine gazes snapped toward him. Xue Cuo shivered all over; even Master Xuan held his tongue.
His little face smudged black, Xue Cuo straightened solemnly. “Honoured gods, I’m surnamed Xue. I’ve long admired your illustrious names, thus tonight I came to pay my respects. Who’d have thought rumour pales beside reality? The moment I arrived, I knew you two were the true rulers of this city.”
He lifted his thumb and pointed upwards as if in deep admiration.
The goddess laughed, licking her lips. “So you’re willing to follow me? I’ll be sure to pickle you properly in salt.”
“Hm?” The hoarse voice snorted; a few crow feathers drifted down. “He and I are bound by fate.”
“Wu Si, so you intend to give me no courtesy.”
“You gorged on the Fire of Reincarnation and couldn’t even stomach it… and now you crave his faith? I’d tread carefully if I were you.”
At once, Xue Cuo felt searing cold and heat surge through him, his spiritual domain on the verge of bursting. The two deities were fighting over his body.
“Honoured gods!” he gasped. “I have something to say!”
“Speak!”
Xue Cuo: “I am now a captive of you both. Should I die, neither of you gains a thing. So, I have a proposal.”
Without daring to meet their eyes, he picked up half a broken gourd from the ground, poured in some water, kindled a little fire, and jumped straight into it.
“I’ll just wash up properly here,” he said politely. “You two may discuss matters between yourselves. Once you’ve come to an agreement, let me know. I’ll serve a nice hot offering, soup and all.”
The goddess was delighted. The Crow God simply stared, dumbfounded. Clearly, he had never seen such a dutiful little sacrifice in all his immortal days.
Xue Cuo asked, “Lord Chongming, do you have any dietary taboos? Lord Wu Si, do you prefer salty or mild flavours? Shall I add some spices to take away the human taste?”
Chongming replied sweetly, “It’s only authentic if there’s still a trace of human flavour.”
Wu Si said, “Human flesh is rank. If you must cook it, better to dry it into jerky, or mince it fine for stuffing and fry it into thin cakes.”
Chongming clicked her tongue. The two gods glared coldly at one another. Wu Si flung his sleeve, and a flurry of crow feathers wrapped around him.
Chongming merely curved her fingers, and at once a hundred black vortices rippled beneath her feet.
While cheering them both on, Xue Cuo continued scrubbing himself. Xuan Zhao stared in speechless horror, opened his mouth several times, and finally managed, weakly: [Before you boil yourself, throw me out first.]
Leaning over the gourd, Xue Cuo sighed: [Master Xuan, tortoise jelly is good for the health. We’re friends, don’t be so stingy.]
Xuan Zhao almost fainted with rage, then caught sight of Xue Cuo’s subtle movements: [What are you plotting now?]
Xue Cuo set the tortoise shell beneath his feet and sat cross-legged. Ignoring the heartless old fellow, he removed the quill hanging from his waist, dipped it in golden water, and began to draw talismans upon the shell.
He had been watching the foetal fire for some time and had grasped a hint of its Daoist mystery.
Gold-water does not dissolve in water. Xuan Zhao hissed as a wisp of foetal fire was drawn onto the tortoise shell, spreading along the talisman to form a peculiar pattern. The young man worked with single-minded focus; in one breath, he finished. Lifting the brush, he pressed down, joining the final stroke to the first and forming a strange, ancient character.
Xue Cuo’s face turned pale; sweat rolled from his brow. Propping himself up, he glanced outside and slapped the shell. “Master Xuan, try one more time. Charge out!”
Knowing the moment was critical, Xuan Zhao stopped bickering and said gravely: “Hold tight.”
The foetal fire roared, life blossoming and dying within it. Decay birthing renewal, renewal birthing decay.
Suddenly, a streak of clear green light cut through the flames and darted outward. A wisp of the foetal fire, unwilling to part, followed the tortoise shell as it fled.
In an instant, they had flown a thousand miles.
“Trying to flee!”
A thunderous voice shook the air.
Xue Cuo’s nose and mouth bled from the shock; wiping it away, he frantically roused the [Supreme Freedom Technique] and fled.
Chongming, blazing with fury, turned in that direction, ready to pursue… when a sudden bang stopped her.
All the fox spirits’ gourds exploded, releasing clouds of pink vapour. Chongming’s face twisted; a rush of spring desire flitted through her heart before she forced it down.
Overhead, Wu Si’s black crows paid no heed, cawing, courting, and laying eggs mid-air. Chongming’s brow darkened: “Wu Si! Control your filthy birds!”
Wu Si sneered: “You’re just jealous and can’t bear to see other birds in pairs?”
Chongming: “I’ll slaughter your whole family!”
Wu Si scattered into a storm of feathers, mocking: “At least I have a family.”
Then, from the city below, a mighty Daoist chant erupted. Both gods looked up to see the fish-headed, man-bodied deity Shiliu locked in combat with the fox god of marriage.
The two had grown to cosmic size, grappling mid-heaven. Chongming, the Goddess of Reincarnation, hastened to intervene.
“You vile fox!” roared the Shiliu God. “I knew you coveted my followers, but I never thought you’d stoop this low!”
The fox god, his red threads of fate flying wild, struck back: “You killed my cubs! I’ll fight you to the end!”
“Fellow Daoists!” cried Chongming rushing over. “Stop this instant!”
Wu Si, swathed in his black cloak, drawled,
“They won’t die fighting like this. If they truly mean it, I’ve some [Seven-Wound Soul-Severing Pills] here.”
Chongming forced herself between them. The four deities still fumed, arguing until the sky paled with dawn. Amid the quarrel, one name surfaced:
“The black-faced ghost?”
“Pei! A black-faced fox sent to trick the ghost messengers!”
“Carrying a tortoise shell. Could he be a Turtle Minister from the Dragon Palace? I told you we’d been deceived. That Ren Temple god’s corporeal body must still be alive, and he’s gone to the Dragon Palace to file a complaint!”
“What’s there to fear? The Dragon Palace can’t even leave the Western Sea. Once Water Spirit Lord is born, even the Old Dragon King won’t dare cross us!”
They muttered and bickered until the first light of day, then finally dispersed.
……
Seven hundred miles away, on a small island in the South Sea.
Xue Cuo spat blood and collapsed upon the sand, utterly spent.
Xuan Zhao, reduced to a palm-sized shell, slipped into his robe. The bound and sulking little golden dragon brightened when he saw him: “Master Xuan! What about my Eldest shixiong?”
Too exhausted to speak, Xuan Zhao hesitated, then snorted: “Not dead. As long as that mouth of his still moves, he’ll never die.”
But Xue Cuo was at his limit. After four bouts with the foetal fire in one night, his strength was gone. Staring blankly upward, he whispered,
“Help.”
At that moment, a great ship approached across the waves. Black sails snapped in the wind, crimson banners streaming with the single, bold character Yin gleaming upon them.
Atop the mast sat a tall figure with snow-white fur and the body of a tiger. In his strong claws, he toyed with a seal engraved with four words: [Lakes and Seas Overturned].
