Chapter 252: Feng Jiu! The Fei!

The girl clutched her head and walked over, locking eyes with Li Yanchu. “Are you blind? Can’t you see how beautiful I am?!”

Speechless, Li Yanchu raised his hand to smack her again[1].

But the girl suddenly lashed out with a kick, aiming straight for his shin. Unexpectedly, a strange force caught her mid-motion, and her whole body went light, then she went tumbling away.

Thud!

Her backside slammed hard into the ground.

Feng Jiu, unwilling to admit defeat, rammed the head of her wolf-tooth club into the ground with a sharp jab.

Clang!

A dull metallic sound rang out.

She stepped forward and threw a clean, direct punch at Li Yanchu’s chest. Her movements were crisp, and her techniques were clearly rooted in the martial styles of the Central Plains.

Bang!

Once again, Feng Jiu was swept up by an unseen force and sent flying.

Seeing this, Li Yanchu smiled faintly. He had no interest in bullying a child. Instead, he lightly placed a palm against a nearby tree, which was so wide it would take four or five men to encircle it.

Crack!

The massive trunk flew sideways through the air, torn clean in two by the strike!

Such domineering, lethal power made Feng Jiu stop in her tracks, eyes wide.

“So strong! How about this, you take me as your disciple! That’s how it always goes in novels and biographies, right? Someone my age becoming your disciple is totally fine!”

You really are something...

Li Yanchu sighed. “Do as you will.” With that, he turned to leave.

“I know where the Heavenly Palace of Myriad Phenomena is, I can tell you!” Feng Jiu called out loudly.

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but turn his head, slowly looking back at her. “What did you just say?”

Feng Jiu’s smile beamed. “Greetings, Master!”

The corner of Li Yanchu’s mouth twitched. “First tell me, how do you know I’m interested in the Heavenly Palace of Myriad Phenomena?”

Rubbing at her sore spots, Feng Jiu said with a smug grin, “The clue about the Heavenly Palace of Myriad Phenomena being hidden in Thousand Corpses Ridge, that came from me! This cursed place doesn’t usually get visitors. Master, you’re clearly a righteous man, and from the Central Plains no less. If you traveled all this way, it can’t be just to slay a few random demons, can it?”

This little girl had some brains...

Li Yanchu asked, “So you’re saying the rumor linking the Heavenly Palace of Myriad Phenomena to Thousand Corpses Ridge was something you deliberately spread?”

Feng Jiu nodded. “Exactly. I leaked it to a few people of influence, then let the rumor spread on purpose, just to see if anyone would come.”

“Why?” Li Yanchu asked.

Feng Jiu blinked. “If it were anyone else, I’d say just for fun. But since you’re asking, Master, I’ll tell you the truth, it’s to kill the

Fei

in Thousand Corpses Ridge.”

Fei

[2]

?

Li Yanchu froze, then his expression turned strange. A mythical beast from the

Classic of Mountains and Seas

!?

Feng Jiu said calmly, “According to the clues I released, only by killing the Fei can one find the Heavenly Palace of Myriad Phenomena.”

The Fei’s body was like a bull and its tail was like a serpent. Plus, it had white head with a single eye. Wherever it passed through water, the waters would dry up; wherever it tread on grass, the grass would die. To behold it was to herald a great plague across the land!

“So

that

is the origin of the Thousand Corpses Ridge’s name?” Li Yanchu’s heart gave a tremor.

***

Thousand Corpses Ridge! This was a place of extreme yin, home to an unfathomably deep ravine; it was dark and bottomless. From time to time, roars would echo up from its depths. Some claimed to have once seen a single, massive eye within, which was suspected to be a Demonic Eye.

Of course, these days Thousand Corpses Ridge was already a forbidden zone, and this abyss even more so. It had long since become the stuff of legend.

Yet now, there were several ropes hanging over the cliff’s edge, which was clear evidence that someone had already gone down!

A young Daoist in plain, ancient-style robes with a long, straight sword at his waist arrived in a swift blur, accompanied by a girl of fifteen or sixteen who wore an oversized Daoist robe. Her face was pale and delicate, almost dewy, with eyes that shimmered and long, graceful brows. Only, in her hand she carried a massive, heavy wolf-tooth club.

The contrast was... jarring.

They were Li Yanchu and Feng Jiu. He had agreed to travel together, but had no intention of becoming Feng Jiu’s master, let alone her husband. He preferred women like the mature and voluptuous innkeeper, or the cold, aloof type like Fang Qinglan, the wandering heroine.

Feng Jiu was obviously still a child; she was just fifteen. In his previous life, that would’ve made her a middle schooler. He would have to serve a minimum sentence of three years[3].

Though in the Kingdom of Qian, it was perfectly normal for girls to marry and have children at thirteen.

“Looks like someone’s already gone down.”

Li Yanchu used his

Qi Sight

to peer into the abyss.

Feng Jiu nodded. “The lands beyond the Pass aren’t like the Central Plains... but there are still a few small fry around.”

Li Yanchu glanced at her but said nothing.

The

Qi Sight

detected nothing unusual, but that was because the entire Thousand Corpses Ridge was already steeped in murderous, blood-soaked energy. This was a place of great ill omen! An ordinary person who died here would easily turn into a vengeful spirit.

Fortunately, Li Yanchu’s methods were swift and decisive. After killing the two barbarian experts with the Wind God Bow, he had burned the remaining half-corpses to ash.

“You’re going down too?” Li Yanchu asked coolly.

Feng Jiu’s delicate face lit with excitement. “Of course! If I get to see the Fei killed with my own eyes, now

that

would be satisfying!”

Li Yanchu was speechless. No wonder she could swing a wolf-tooth club; this girl was fierce.

He tugged hard on one of the ropes, preparing to descend. Although his immortal body could ride the clouds and mist, who knew what strange dangers lurked in this abyss?

Better to play it safe. Unless it was for the sake of showing off, he preferred not to reveal his abilities.

The rift in the earth looked as if someone had cleaved straight through Mount Hengduan by sheer force, a product of heaven and earth’s might.

Li Yanchu had asked about Feng Jiu’s background, but she’d only given her name, claiming to be the daughter of a high official in the capital who’d learned some martial arts and snuck out on her own.

Such a half-hearted backstory made Li Yanchu snort in disbelief.

Still, the girl carried a clean, righteous aura, which was neither sinister nor demonic, and there was no trace of demon qi on her. She also seemed to know quite a lot, so Li Yanchu had decided to bring her along.

The valley was deep, and after the two had descended eight or nine zhang along the ropes, they still hadn’t reached the bottom. By now, they were surrounded by pitch-black darkness. Just how deep

was

this place!?

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but raise his brows.

Feng Jiu still carried that heavy wolf-tooth club, though in her hands it felt light as a feather. Earlier, Li Yanchu had infused her body with Daoist spiritual energy, circulating vitality through her five viscera and six bowels.

He had used a Plague-Dispelling Talisman to heal the foul, rotting wound on her waist and purge the toxins. Then, he fed her a jujube from the blessed land of Jinting Mountain, only then saving her life.

Feng Jiu frowned. “Mas... Master, why do I feel like ever since we descended into this valley, there’s been a pair of eyes staring at me? It’s making my back go cold.”

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Feng Jiu, aren’t you the one who vowed to slay the Fei? Why get scared now that the moment has come? Maybe it’s the Fei itself, watching you from the dark.”

Feng Jiu arched her brow. “Master, you don’t feel like something’s staring at you?”

Li Yanchu hadn’t agreed to take her as a disciple, but Feng Jiu had already begun acting the part.

“This place is thick with yin energy. It seeps into your bones, drains your yang qi, and makes you see shadows where there are none. Don’t let your mind run wild!” Li Yanchu spoke in a loud, steady voice. His words carried the resonance of Daoist mantra, with the power to calm the mind and settle the spirit.

On Feng Jiu’s side, the sound of movement ceased, and her breathing gradually steadied.

“I’m coming over to you.” Li Yanchu’s voice was low and firm.

In the next instant, his body shifted, moving directly to the rope where Feng Jiu hung.

1. The author often writes it as

Li Yanchu: ‘...’

, which I render as ‘speechless,’ ‘fell silent,’ or in other ways depending on the context. ☜

2. The

Fei

is a ferocious beast from ancient Chinese mythology. The

Classic of Mountains and Seas

records: ‘Mount Tai abounds in metals, jades, and zhen trees. There is a beast there shaped like an ox, with a white head, a single eye, and a serpent’s tail; its name is Fei.’ Here is an

image

for reference. ☜

3.

“三年起步”

(sān nián qǐbù), is slang from Chinese internet culture, meaning “three years minimum,” as in a prison sentence. It’s a tongue-in-cheek way of saying that pursuing or having relations with someone that young would be illegal, earning at least a three-year sentence. ☜