The surrounding rocks were jagged and gaunt, as though all kinds of strange stones had been piled together. There was hardly any vegetation on the mountaintop, leaving it utterly bare. Of course, all kinds of strange beasts prowled nearby. When we looked up, rare birds and flying dragons could even be seen faintly among the clouds above. The moment they saw us land, they began circling overhead, waiting for their chance to strike.
The white crane came flapping down. It was especially conspicuous in the darkness, and the instant it landed on the rocks, it let out a piercing cry. Then its enormous beak—nearly as large as two or three people—jabbed toward us!
Bang!
Grandma dodged aside in an instant, then appeared behind the immortal crane.
I saw that Grandma now held a string of bells, eighty-one copper bells in all. She began chanting under her breath, and soon countless lines shot straight toward the bird's back.
At first, the immortal crane seemed to have been infiltrated by her thoughts and began darting about frantically. From time to time, it crashed into the jumbled rocks, making the surroundings quake. Later, under Grandma's shouts, it actually began flapping in response! The bells were trying to control the crane's consciousness. Grandma intended to tame it as though it were a ghost.
"Can that actually work?" Senior Brother Hai exclaimed. By the time he finished speaking, the immortal crane had already flown into the clouds. After circling once, it landed steadily, with Grandma sitting cross-legged and perfectly stable on its back. Clearly, she had successfully tamed it.
Senior Brother Yan was also rather envious. He said, "With such a ghostly creature to assist her, Senior Sister Zhou will certainly accomplish great things at Boshan. Unraveling Boshan's mysteries and awakening the soul-thoughts of the