Seven Great Gates

The burly man climbed to the top of a peak and looked around.

Big-and-Small Eyes kept watch at the foot of the mountain. They had split up so that if either of them ran into danger, the other could come to his rescue.

At least until they found "June Bug," they were still brothers who would trust each other with their lives.

The burly man on the peak suddenly waved emphatically at Big-and-Small Eyes, signaling for him to come up too.

Big-and-Small Eyes climbed up. The burly man pointed excitedly in one direction. "Look, isn't that a village?"

Big-and-Small Eyes looked. Sure enough, not far away on a hillside, a cluster of houses stood nestled among the trees.

"It must be Wangxiang Village." The two breathed a sigh of relief, came down from the peak, and cautiously made their way toward the village.

They really didn't encounter any more danger along the way.

Big-and-Small Eyes said, "Looks like Wangxiang Village's Mountain Runners are powerful. The evil spirits don't dare go near the village. We chose right."

As they neared the houses, the two heard a clanging sound, as if a Stone Mason were carving stone.

Following the sound, they turned past a thicket like a hedge, and the view suddenly opened up. Sure enough, a Stone Mason sat on the slope. Round stones lay scattered all around him, and half had already been carved into various human heads, beast heads, and bird heads.

The Stone Mason had his back to them and was still busy, chipping away at the stone with an iron chisel.

The two were about to approach and speak to him when they suddenly frowned, sensing something was off.

The Stone Mason sat there, yet somehow seemed taller than the burly man standing up.

Just then, all the carved human heads, beast heads, and bird heads on the ground turned toward them and stared straight at them.

The clanging stopped, and the Stone Mason turned around. He, too, had a head carved from stone!

But messy hair and a thick beard grew from his stone head, and his features could move. When he saw the two men, he broke into a cheerful smile. "Newcomers."

"I'll pick out a good head for you."

The Stone Mason began choosing among the carved stone heads, tapping and flicking them, listening to the sound as if he were picking out a melon.

The two turned and ran.

The Stone Mason didn't chase them. He focused on choosing, and soon found one he liked. Then he tapped it with his iron chisel.

With a whoosh, the stone head shot toward the burly man.

A cloud of shadow burst from the burly man's nostrils, swelling and breaking apart in an instant. Seven armored Yin Ghosts charged out, claws bared, and pounced on the stone head.

The stone head rammed into them once, and the Yin Ghosts shattered one by one with shrieks.

The burly man spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered, but didn't dare stop for even a moment. He fled as fast as he could.

But the stone head was impossibly fast. With a thud, it smashed his head to pieces and took its place, lodging itself on his neck!

The Stone Mason still wore his eerie smile. "Come with me. I'll find you somewhere to live."

There weren't many empty houses left among the trees.

Having fulfilled his stepmother's demand, Xu Yuan was finally free to go home, and he was quite happy.

So he put away the little Bamboo Cage, picked up an axe, and started chopping firewood.

After felling a few trees, Xu Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. It suddenly felt itchy, so he scratched it a few times.

As he scratched, he realized the skin on his forehead had split open completely!

Xu Yuan began to feel itchy all over. The itching was so intense it was unbearable.

He scratched and scratched—

Some spots on his back were hard to reach, so Xu Yuan simply took off his clothes and rubbed his back hard against a tree.

As he rubbed, the skin all over his body separated from him. Then, like a cicada, Xu Yuan wriggled right out through the crack in the skin on his scalp!

"Phew—" Xu Yuan let out a long breath. He finally felt comfortable.

He lowered his head. His hands were fair and smooth, and fresh skin covered his whole body.

When he looked back, a thin human skin lay beneath the tree. It was unmistakably his own.

Only now, strange purplish-black patterns like tattoos had appeared on it.

Xu Yuan patted his forehead and exclaimed in sudden understanding, "So that's how it is."

"June Bug" was a Medicinal Guide for Fate Cultivators.

The burly man was a Divine Cultivator, and Big-and-Small Eyes was a Martial Cultivator. Besides them, Huangming had Literary Cultivators, Pill Cultivators, Artisan Cultivators, and Law Cultivators—for a total of seven kinds of cultivators.

Together, they were known as the "Seven Great Gates."

He had no idea what the vast lands beyond Huangming were like.

To become a cultivator, one either needed a "Guide" or had to take a dose of "Medicinal Guide."

He had already become a Fate Cultivator without even realizing it.

Of the seven kinds of cultivators, Fate Cultivators were the rarest.

As the name suggested, Fate Cultivators cultivated "fate." The first Fate Mark he had acquired was called: No Taboos!

These past few days, he had led three groups of ill-intentioned people into the mountains. Just like with the burly man and Big-and-Small Eyes, he had escaped each time by relying on the evil spirits in the mountains.

And just like with the Snake Vines, each time he had come into close contact with evil spirits.

Without realizing it, he had already been tainted.

If the taint kept accumulating, it would erupt completely before long. It might happen in his sleep, while he was eating, or even as he chatted with someone—he could suddenly turn into a bloodthirsty evil spirit himself!

If there happened to be another cultivator nearby, he would become their trophy.

If there wasn't, he would go on a killing spree before fleeing into Ghost Witch Mountain...

But the No Taboos Fate Mark had saved him.

Once the taint built up to a certain point, No Taboos would trigger a "molting."

The taint remained in the shed skin, leaving him completely clean once more.

Xu Yuan examined the layer of skin he had shed, then carefully rolled it up. It would still come in handy.

Then Xu Yuan continued working. After chopping enough firewood for the next day, he tied it up with a hemp rope, hoisted it onto his back, and headed down the mountain.

By the time he left Ghost Witch Mountain, it was nearly dark. Xu Yuan quickened his pace.

When he passed the road by Hat Tomb, the Old Woman was nowhere to be seen. She was probably still searching through old books in the ancient tomb.

Xu Yuan pushed open the back courtyard door and carried the firewood inside. He found a sedan chair sitting in the courtyard.

Master Qiao's carriage had been shoved into a corner.

Master Qiao owned the inn. He was a Literary Cultivator and had earned the title of juren.

He had heard "A knife hangs over the character for lust" from Master Qiao himself.

He was the most influential person in all of Qihetan Town, but usually didn't live there. Instead, he stayed in Shanhe County, forty li to the west.

Master Qiao only came over at the end of each month to check the accounts, staying for three to five days.

The names of the shops in town were all rather uninspired: Lin Family Sugar House, Zhao's Furs Shop... But Master Qiao's inn was called "Yi Fang Ting."

Whenever something happened in town, people's first instinct wasn't to go to the government office. They'd wait until the end of the month and ask Master Qiao to "judge the matter."

Over the years, Master Qiao had dealt with things fairly, and everyone respected him.

Qihetan originally had only two families: the Chen Family and the Hu Family.

Master Qiao had introduced many young men from the county seat and nearby villages to come work in town. That was how it gradually grew prosperous.

Xu Yuan was also from the county seat. His stepmother had asked someone to speak to Master Qiao, who had then recommended Xu Yuan for a job at the inn.

Er Liang, who worked in the back courtyard too, reminded Xu Yuan, "Important guests have arrived in the front courtyard. Master Qiao even rushed here from the county seat to receive them in person. Don't go near the front courtyard these next few days. If we offend the guests, we won't be able to answer for it."

"I understand," Xu Yuan replied.

The sedan chair wasn't large, but it was lavishly and exquisitely decorated. Xu Yuan wondered to himself: Was it for a woman?