At night, candles were lit in the cabin. Heroine Hong Yuan Tang Yao began her customary tales of legendary adventures in the martial world, but tonight was different—Tang Yao had brought out her treasured chest as well.
Inside the chest were seven or eight booklets, four or five scrolls bound with cords, brushes, ink, inkstones, and, most importantly, several exquisitely crafted puppet dolls.
The one she took out was shaped like an Immortal in the Clouds maiden. Her jade-like face shimmered with flowing light, her features were lifelike, and she wore not the common garments of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but a lavish and delicate feathered rainbow robe. A teardrop beauty mark rested at the corner of her eye, making her deeply pitiful.
How could the students of Xishan Academy ever have seen such a doll? They were astonished beyond measure.
"This is far too intricate." Someone wanted to step forward and touch it, but seeing Tang Yao pout as she protectively shielded her treasure, they could only give up.
"So beautiful." Everyone praised it in succession.
"Is this puppet theater? Master Hong Yuan knows how to do this too?" Others noticed the silk threads attached to the puppet and immediately recognized it.
Heroine Hong Yuan Tang Yao was somewhat proud when speaking of this. Unlike her earlier boasting, there was a touch of seriousness in her voice.
"Of course. When roaming the martial world, the greatest concealment lies hidden in the marketplace."
"Heroes do not spend every waking moment upholding justice. Everyone has a proper occupation. For instance, Overlord Saber Wang Qi is a butcher in real life, while Poisonous Hero is a physician. Such cases are too numerous to count.
"Being a heroine is merely my hobby. In truth, I am a puppet theater master. I originally wrote storybooks for the sake of my puppet plays."
"I had planned to perform this at this year's Lantern Festival in Jiangting Commandery, but since we are fated to meet, I will perform a segment for everyone."
Everyone cheered, and Tang Yao smiled even more happily than when others called her Great Heroine Hong Yuan.
Tang Yao placed the puppet atop the book chest. Her fingers moved, tugging the silk threads, and the doll began to dance on its own.
Its dance was dreamlike and drifting, its feet rising and falling upon empty air. Its feathered robe brushed past Tang Yao's cheek, while firelight leaped behind it. It truly seemed like a celestial maiden descending to earth.
A man and a woman acted out the story from the tale, drawing everyone's attention. Silence filled the lamplit cabin, leaving only the shadows of the puppet play.
At the end of the story, the female figure sang in a winding, graceful voice, chanting a poem.
"Red beans grow in the southern land... I hope you will gather many, for this thing carries the deepest longing."
The splendid dance of the celestial maiden came to an end, and the puppet stopped, folding itself atop the book chest.
Everyone was entranced. Even in their dreams, the image of that puppet play continued to echo.
Moonlight shone upon the great river. Aside from the waves stirred up by the passing ship, all was peaceful and still.
Yet a silver figure appeared upon the river's surface, heading toward the passenger ship.
The donkey discovered it first. The donkey tethered at the stern snorted twice, and Gao Xian immediately opened his eyes.
"River Demon?" Gao Xian sensed that it was likely some enormous creature.
Gao Xian did not raise an alarm. He rolled himself up in his blanket and went right back to sleep with his head buried.
After all, Heroine Hong Yuan had already promised to deal with this River Demon. Great Immortal Kongchen was tired, so he was temporarily closed for business today—no Slaying Demons and Exterminating Devils.
Before long, something changed.
"Boom—"
The entire ship was suddenly struck by some gigantic object, and the vessel tilted to the right.
Those sleeping deeply instantly rolled into a heap, all of them tumbling left like wheels.
The sudden sensation of weightlessness jolted everyone awake, followed by a crackling series of collisions as they slammed into one another. Wails rose everywhere.
"Did waves rise on the river?"
"That is not right. Why do I feel as though we were struck?"
Everyone had slept in their clothes, and now hurried from the cabin toward the deck.
They saw that the ship owner and sailors had already rushed out. Each of them stared blankly at the river, as though something had frightened them senseless.
Before anyone under the moonlight could understand what was happening, another thunderous crash rang out. A slick snake tail brushed against the ship's side, and everyone was immediately thrown into chaos.
It was a gigantic snake, its body as thick as a tree trunk.
"What the hell is that thing?" Those who saw it suddenly shuddered.
"Get back! There is a monster outside!" someone shrieked.
Everyone recoiled in terror, scrambling into the corners.
"A snake?"
"How could there be such a huge snake?
"This is a dragon! It is River God Lord, River God Lord!" The ship owner dropped to his knees at once, but River God Lord gave him no face at all. With another thunderous sweep of his tail, he struck the ship, whipping up enormous waves and tilting the vessel again, nearly overturning it straight into the river.
Only then did Gao Xian emerge, yawning as he draped on his Daoist robe. A student who had spoken with Gao Xian recently was panicked and immediately said,
"Daoist priest, Daoist priest, the River Demon, the River Demon has really appeared."
"Do not panic!" Gao Xian shouted, drawing everyone's gaze.
"Do we not still have Heroine Hong Yuan?" Gao Xian looked toward the crowd.
At that moment, Heroine Hong Yuan, who stood among the crowd gripping her sword, was immediately revealed, and everyone's eyes turned toward her.
Gao Xian reached out and pulled forward this Great Heroine Hong Yuan, short of stature and lacking in bosom but with a heart loftier than the heavens and boasts even loftier.
"Me?"
Heroine Hong Yuan was completely dumbfounded.
Yet everyone crowded around her as though they had seized a lifesaving straw.
The Daoist said earnestly, "Heroine Hong Yuan, at a time like this, why have you not yet brought out that deeply hidden trump card of yours to slay demons and exterminate devils?"
Gao Xian suddenly recalled Heroine Hong Yuan's words from several days ago: when roaming the martial world, the most important thing was to hide one's true depths. A trace of teasing appeared in his eyes.
"That is right, Master Hong Yuan! Quickly use your divine powers and subdue this River Demon!" a tall, burly sailor cried.
"The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility!" The leading student looked at her with great expectation.
Everyone echoed their agreement.
But Heroine Hong Yuan could not speak of her suffering.
Good heavens, with my trifling three-legged-cat skills, you are sending me to my death! Heroine Hong Yuan flailed helplessly, utterly devoid of her former bearing.
She herself was the most terrified one.
The boasts she had made now had to be carried through, no matter how bitter or difficult it became.
Heroine Hong Yuan was forcibly pushed to the very front. She stepped out of the cabin and, beneath everyone's expectant gazes, walked forward into the wind and waves.
Behind her, everyone hid in the cabin, cheering encouragement for the heroine from afar.
"Heroine Hong Yuan seems to be trembling a little?" Someone thought something was wrong as they watched her in the cold wind.
"What do you know? This is called showing weakness to the enemy. That makes the other side lower their guard, and then reveal a flaw." A die-hard female student immediately put the martial-world tricks she had learned over the past few days to use.
"That is right. How could that demon possibly be a match for Heroine Hong Yuan?"
"Heroine Hong Yuan has learned Sword Qi, unrivaled beneath heaven."
Everyone's morale stabilized once more.
At that moment, Heroine Hong Yuan stood trembling at the bow, facing the wind and waves. Tears and snot covered her face, but with her back to everyone, no one could see.
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