Don't Let These Two Monsters Get Away

Zhu Ying invited Little Bug to refine Shattered Cloud with her. In a garden, the two of them each released the Shattered Cloud they had stored away.

Little Bug activated the Soaring-Cloud Technique. A talisman flew out, and more than ten clusters of Shattered Cloud were immediately enveloped, drawn together, and fused into a single mass.

Zhu Ying had not grasped it as quickly as he had, but her cultivation was somewhat deeper. As she refined her own technique, she said, "Cloud is measured by the peck! To ride it in flight, a peck of cloud is enough. A larger cloud is only more comfortable and spacious; it will not fly any faster."

"Cultivators all gather the essence within clouds, but gathering cloud essence consumes an enormous amount of time. Other than those who specialize in cloud arts, no one stores very much of it."

"Old Demon Luo spent several centuries gathering it and accumulated hundreds of thousands of shi of cloud essence. It truly cost him countless hardships. You have only just begun learning Daoist arts, so there is no need to waste too much effort on this. Refining one or two shi of cloud essence will be more than enough for your use."

Little Bug nodded again and again, but inwardly he thought, Why is this somewhat different from the talismans on the stone stele? The arts on that stele would probably swallow up and refine however much cloud vapor there was, and their transformations had even more wondrous uses!

He released more than two shi of cloud vapor and refined it according to the method, turning it into a mass of cloud as large as a mat. He tried controlling it, and it really could barely float into the air. But his magical power was insufficient. He could not sit on it for long before he could no longer sustain it, and it began to fall.

As Zhu Ying watched him refine it, she secretly found it amusing. The East Sea was, after all, the domain of the dragon race. Their arts of manipulating clouds and mist, riding waves and driving swells, were unmatched under heaven. She possessed a family-inherited cloud-riding art, far more exquisite than that of the Five-Terrace Sect. This refinement was merely to make up the numbers, so she was in no hurry.

After trying several times, Little Bug thought, Why does this cloud need my magical power to support it constantly, while the Qian-Li Fire Serpents do not?

He could not figure it out and decided to ponder it carefully himself. Only when he truly could not understand something would Little Bug seek someone out to ask. It was a habit he had formed while studying.

As the saying went: learning without thought leads to confusion; thought without learning leads to peril.

Before long, Zhu Ying had also refined a cloud mass, slightly larger than Wang Chong's. With a light leap, she stepped onto the white cloud and circled the garden, swaying from side to side, floating like an immortal.

Little Bug watched enviously and said, "I wonder when I will have such magical power, enough to fly about as I please."

Zhu Ying smiled. "I only have the magical power of one heavenly circuit. It will not be hard for you to catch up to me."

She pulled Wang Chong along to look for Xiao Nan, only to be told that Xiao Nan had yet to emerge from seclusion. She had no patience to look for her second brother either, so she led Wang Chong quietly out of the pool.

Watching Zhu Ying use her magical power to part the pool water and rise from the depths to the surface, Little Bug could not help but marvel. Sure enough, once one has magical power, one can go anywhere. The ancients said: read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand li. Without skills to match, traveling ten thousand li is no easy matter.

Once ashore, Little Bug suddenly thought of his mother. But it would be improper to bring Zhu Ying along to see her, so he secretly considered, As Master said, the Qian-Li Fire Serpents are far too conspicuous. If someone saw them, would that not bring disaster upon Mother?

I still need to learn an art for concealing my tracks.

I wonder whether an invisibility art can conceal spiritual radiance.

As Zhu Ying and Little Bug emerged from the pool, they saw black clouds rolling in the distant sky, with yellow vapors spreading endlessly beneath them.

Their cultivation was both too shallow for them to make out who was fighting with magic.

Zhu Ying said softly, "I do not know who is fighting over there, but it is still far from us, so there is no need to worry."

Little Bug remembered how the white-bearded old man had seized him before, as well as how Sun Yougui had held him captive. He felt uneasy and said, "This area is desolate, and there is nothing to play with. We should go back."

Zhu Ying smiled. "Going back is fine too."

As long as she was with Wang Chong, she did not care where she was.

Just as the two were about to return, they heard someone shout, "Don't let these two monsters get away!"

A great net flew down over their heads, enveloping them both.

Little Bug reacted quickly. He released the newly refined cloud mass and held up the descending fishing net, shouting, "We are not monsters!"

Several agile men, each holding fish spears and cudgels, were in no mood to believe him. They shouted, "Monsters came out of the water, and they can even release clouds! Stab him with the fish spears!"

Several fish spears came flying through the air. Zhu Ying hurriedly released a golden rope, which bound the incoming spears in midair and flung them to the ground. Then she raised the golden rope again and tied all the burly men up in one bundle on the ground.

Little Bug and Zhu Ying knew that these people had to be villagers from nearby. Seeing Zhu Xiong and Lu Xuansheng going in and out of the pool, they had misunderstood something and lain in ambush nearby to capture them.

Little Bug had a headache. He said, "We have done no harm to this place. Why have you come to attack us?"

The burly men were bound into a heap, fear filling their hearts. For a moment, they did not know how to answer.

At last, a man who appeared to have read a few books and carried a faint air of refinement said, "We mistook you for immortals of ill intent. If you let us go home, we will certainly never dare disturb you again."

Little Bug shook his head. "I do not believe a single word any of you say."

Wang Chong's father had once told him that a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold was the way of righteous heroes; ordinary people could never truly manage it. Therefore, one should never believe ordinary people's words.

The men exchanged glances, then began swearing oaths and making vows. Zhu Ying had no wish to kill anyone and was about to release them, but Little Bug stopped her. "I have a magical treasure called the Echo Conch. Each of you will tell it one secret shameful matter of your own. If you return and reveal our whereabouts, I will place this treasure at the entrance to your village and play your secrets for everyone to hear."

He took out a conch from the Black Wind Bag and handed it to the refined man who had spoken earlier. The man struggled for a moment, then quietly told the conch a long story.

Curious, Zhu Ying leaned close and whispered in Little Bug's ear, "Old Demon Luo has such a magical treasure too?"

Little Bug replied, "It is only an ordinary conch. I am just tricking these people. Once I have something on them, they will not dare speak carelessly."

Zhu Ying smiled faintly. "Why are you so certain they will not keep their promise?"

Little Bug answered, "Since ancient times, a true man's promise has been worth a thousand pieces of gold. But how could there be so many true men in this world?"

Zhu Ying was momentarily stunned by his question. Then she thought, Indeed! How could there be so many true men in this world?

The men each revealed a secret buried in their hearts.

Little Bug took back the conch, and Zhu Ying untied the golden rope, preparing to let them go.

A dark-faced burly man saw that the two of them were chatting idly. He quietly picked up a fish spear and signaled to his companions with his eyes.

The men reacted differently, but two of them picked up fish spears like he did. The three of them thrust at Zhu Ying and Little Bug with all their strength.

Although Zhu Ying and Wang Chong were both young, one had been born in the Dragon Palace and the other was the son of a vice minister. Their clothing and ornaments were anything but ordinary. The men could not discern their origins, but all believed they had to be wealthy. The dark-faced leader and the two who joined him had the same thought: kill these two little things, and who knew how much money they might obtain.

These men had dared come to kill "monsters," so their courage was far from ordinary. They also occasionally engaged in business requiring no capital, and they had no fear of killing people.