One Heart, Two Minds, Hard to Settle

Chapter 40: One Heart, Two Minds, Hard to Settle

Zi Bofeng finally understood what had felt wrong just now. It wasn't that Zi Jian's finger tapping had stirred his memory. Rather, ever since that moment, the memory had been struggling to surface, trying to tell Zi Bofeng something, urging him to stay alert.

Just now, the old man had mentioned monsters—immortals would slay monsters and vanquish demons!

Uncle Blue Rock—

Taking a deep breath, Zi Bofeng tucked his thoughts away and looked at his father again.

"Dad, don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Zi Bofeng said.

Zi Jian shook his head, but didn't know what to say.

"Um... Dad... I'm heading out..." Zi Bofeng stole a glance at his father's expression. Seeing no sign of objection, he dashed off in a flash.

He would rather face Feijianzi's flying sword than his father's disappointed, worried gaze.

They said there were two selves within every person. When faced with something they didn't want to face, one self would shrink back, while the other would step up and stand firm.

And now, within Zi Bofeng, one self was shrinking back while the other stood firm,

but if he truly set himself against the immortals, what would happen to his father, Auntie, and Little Stone? What about the villagers? Prefect and Luo Qianshan?

If it were only Feijianzi, perhaps things would be simpler. But behind Feijianzi there was surely a sect, and that old Daoist alone would be hard to deal with.

Deep in thought as he walked, he suddenly looked up and realized he had somehow ended up beside Big Blue Rock again.

Zi Bofeng stepped forward and gently stroked the rough surface of the stone. "Uncle Blue Rock, why didn't you tell me you were the Big Blue Rock from the banks of the Yang River?"

"You... remembered?" The characters on the stone looked jumbled and hesitant.

"Yes, I finally remembered. But, Uncle Blue Rock, how did you end up here?" That was the one thing Zi Bofeng couldn't understand.

"Look up. Put your palm against it."

Zi Bofeng looked up and saw a twisted pattern in the stone above him, resembling a fish's tail.

He rose onto his toes, reached out, and pressed his hand against the tail. Then he closed his eyes.

The Luo Fish had held back the flood, but in doing so, it had lost its last support. In that instant, the Daoist cut off its tail with one stroke of his sword, then pierced the Luo Fish with another.

The fish's tail, trailing a skyful of demonic energy, came crashing down into the water. A spray of blood followed it beneath the surface, where it landed on the blue stone.

The tail seemed unwilling to die just yet, or perhaps it had something it couldn't bear to leave behind. It thrashed with all its might, burrowing into the stone. Then it swam onward, pushing the great rock upstream against the raging floodwaters.

When it reached the crest of the waves, the tail gave one mighty leap.

Legend said a fish that leapt through the Dragon Gate would turn into a dragon. This fish had only its tail left, so it couldn't become a dragon—but it truly did rise into the sky.

The tail thrashed like a propeller, driving the stone straight upward. The farther it flew, the smaller the tail became, and the smaller it grew, the harder it thrashed. The demonic energy poured out of it in a frenzy, propelling the blue stone like a meteor racing upstream, straight beyond the sky. High in the heavens, it became a star.

It flew for two years.

Then one day, the blue stone, now a star, finally found its destination. On a stormy night, it fell from beyond the sky with a deafening rumble, landing on Bird-Mouse Mountain.

The Luo Fish...

The Luo Fish, whose image had grown hazy in his memory, gradually became clear again. Even in death, it hadn't forgotten him. It had sent Uncle Blue Rock to his side, to protect him and keep him company.

Zi Bofeng clenched his fist, then let it relax.

"Uncle Blue Rock, you're already in the middle stage of the Fourth Realm, right?" Zi Bofeng asked.

"I'm in the late stage of Opening Wisdom," Blue Rock replied. Zi Bofeng had been preaching every day lately, and what he spoke of was far richer than the poetry and books Zi Bofeng had once read. Blue Rock's mind had gradually awakened, and he was close to breaking through this stage.

"Then back then, the Luo Fish..."

"The Luo Fish had awakened its innate spell. It should have been in the late stage of the fifth realm, Body Moistening," Blue Rock said. "But the Luo Fish and I are different. The Luo Fish was born a spiritual creature, and was several times stronger than me to begin with."

Even a Luo Fish, several times stronger than Uncle Blue Rock from birth and a realm above him, had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Daoists on Bird-Mouse Mountain. And when Zi Bofeng recalled Feijianzi's dazzling sword strike, he felt even more torn.

It was as if two Zi Bofengs were tangled up inside him. The other Zi Bofeng was full of hatred and rage, with an indescribable thirst for blood. He was nothing like a scholar who had renounced worldly desires, but more like someone who had been humiliated and harmed. But this Zi Bofeng was calm and thoughtful, with the clear-eyed understanding of an observer—a moment's fury wouldn't solve anything; it would only make the problem more complicated.

The other Zi Bofeng began carefully considering Luo Qianshan's assassination plan, weighing its chances of success and wondering what they should do after assassinating Feijianzi...

But this Zi Bofeng was thinking about something else. Every grievance had its author, and Feijianzi wasn't the old Daoist. Was he guilty? Assassination wasn't really the right answer, either. And if the assassination truly inflamed the conflict, what would they do next?

Before he could reach any conclusion, he suddenly heard a noise behind him. He spun around and caught a flash of white hurriedly hiding.

"Don't hide. I saw you. Come out," Zi Bofeng said. The white shape cautiously poked its head out from behind a rock.

It was the White Fox, the one that had run away.

It had come back after all.

Its pointed ears twitched. Several alarming scars crossed its chest and belly, left by the Three-Clawed Eagle. The wounds still carried a faint smell of blood.

"Don't be afraid. Come here." Zi Bofeng crouched and beckoned. "Come on, I won't hurt you."

The White Fox hesitated, then walked over. Zi Bofeng reached out and gently stroked its head. The White Fox narrowed its eyes and rubbed against his palm.

Zi Bofeng carefully picked it up. It struggled for a moment, then tucked its head into his arms.

"Don't be afraid. I'll take you to get those wounds treated."

Holding the little fox, Zi Bofeng quietly went down the mountain. He didn't dare go home, afraid his father would scold him, so he looked around and went straight to Yan Lao Wu's house.

Yan Lao Wu was in the courtyard, getting his gear ready for a trip into the mountains. He froze when he saw Zi Bofeng. "Where'd you catch that little fox? Its fur's damaged, so it won't fetch much, and fox meat doesn't taste good."

As soon as it heard Yan Lao Wu talk about eating it, the fox kicked wildly, trying to escape. Zi Bofeng had to hold it tighter. "I'm not going to eat it. I just want to bandage its wounds."

Yan Lao Wu studied Zi Bofeng for a few moments, making him feel a little uneasy. Could the old man have realized he could raise monsters, too?

But Yan Lao Wu said nothing. He went inside to fetch some medicine, then crouched down and carefully cleaned the White Fox's wounds.

Some of the White Fox's wounds had already festered. Yan Lao Wu cut away the infected parts with a small knife, applied medicine, and carefully wrapped them in bandages. The White Fox lay in Zi Bofeng's arms, all four paws gripping his clothes tightly. Its body trembled now and then, clearly in great pain, but it knew they were treating its wounds and didn't struggle.

"All done." Yan Lao Wu tightened the bandages and gently patted the little White Fox on the head. "This little fellow's a good one."

"Yeah, it's very well-behaved." Zi Bofeng reached out and used the Monster Raising Art to trace a few "heal" characters in the air over the little fox, hoping they would help.

"Go on." Zi Bofeng set the White Fox down and gently patted it. "Behave yourself for the next few days. Stay out of the water."

The White Fox looked back and gave a few soft cries, then wagged its tail and dashed away.

"Bofeng, sometimes you should keep your distance from creatures like these," Yan Lao Wu said, gently cautioning him as he watched the White Fox go.

"I understand." Zi Bofeng nodded. He knew the old man must have noticed something, too.

"Old man, could I have some of that snake medicine you used just now?" When Yan Lao Wu had taken out the powder to treat the little fox, Zi Bofeng had noticed a bottle among the medicines, marked with an ugly little snake. It seemed Yan Lao Wu couldn't write the character for "snake" and had drawn one instead so he wouldn't mistake it for something else.

"What do you need snake medicine for?" The old man paused. "Did someone get bitten?"

"No, I just want some on hand, just in case." Zi Bofeng didn't dare tell him the truth.

The old man gave Zi Bofeng a suspicious look, but still handed him some. He explained how to use it, then watched him leave.

After leaving Yan Lao Wu's house, Zi Bofeng wiped away another bead of sweat. Ever since his father had warned him, he'd been jumping at every shadow, afraid someone else would pop out and announce they knew he could raise monsters.

The one thing Zi Bofeng was thankful for was that this world's culture resembled that of his previous life. Unlike those foreigners in Europe and America, people here regarded supernatural powers with awe, rather than rejecting them and looking on them with suspicion.

Thinking it over, all sorts of strange people and extraordinary events had appeared in Chinese legends since ancient times, and many had even been welcomed as honored guests by high officials and nobles. From time immemorial, the Chinese had shown an unusual capacity for tolerance.

At night, Zi Bofeng was jolted awake by a tapping at the window. He hurriedly turned to look.

Zhuzi had planned to take the puppies home, but Little Stone flat-out refused, so Xitui was still at Zi Bofeng's place that night. At the sound, Xitui immediately sprang up, a low growl rumbling in its throat.

The instant he heard it, Zi Bofeng knew the White Fox must have come back.

He opened the window and saw the little fox standing upright, tapping the window frame with its front paws. Last time, Zi Bofeng had told it not to forget to knock next time it came, and the little fox really hadn't forgotten.

When it saw Zi Bofeng, the little fox opened its mouth and set down the copy of Legend of the White Snake it had been carrying. Zi Bofeng smiled. "I'll go get you the next volume."

But the White Fox shook its head, then turned and called several times to the ones behind it.

Rustling sounds came from the darkness. Zi Bofeng peered closely by moonlight and saw a green snake, as thick as two fingers, slithering toward him from a distance. It hesitated there, afraid to come closer.

Nearby, Tauxue uneasily tossed its head, letting out a low snort. It was clearly wary of the snake.

"Is it your friend?" Zi Bofeng asked in surprise. He recognized it as a Bamboo Green Snake. Its venom mainly affected small animals, and it injected so little venom that people rarely died from its bite—but that didn't mean it wasn't highly venomous. Zi Bofeng hesitated, then still reached out.

The White Fox called to the Bamboo Green Snake a couple of times. The Green Snake swayed on the ground, then suddenly sprang up and coiled around Zi Bofeng's arm, slithering up to his shoulder.

The Bamboo Green Snake's icy scales gave Zi Bofeng goosebumps. He fought the urge to fling it away and waited quietly.

Record of Raising Monsters