Fox Brother Takes the Night Boat

Fang Shu heard the voice behind him, and his tail immediately gave a shudder.

Without looking back, he drove all four paws hard and shot forward with a whoosh.

After running two or three li, he found the rustling still following behind him. That fellow was still giving chase. So he narrowed his fox eyes and found a spot that looked down from above.

"Passing fox, why are you running?"

A rustling voice came from the grass, and suddenly, a rabbit with a bundle on its back hopped out.

Its harelip muttered as it extended a paw in greeting. "Hello, Fox Brother."

Fang Shu narrowed his eyes at it and recognized the demon.

This rabbit demon had asked quite a few questions when the weasel preached the Way, and it had seemed fairly clever too.

He sized it up and found that its demon aura was not particularly strong. He withdrew the long tongue from his mouth and nodded. "What is it, Rabbit Brother?"

"Rabbit Brother?" The ears of the three-foot-tall rabbit demon twitched, and its red eyes glared at him.

"I'm female!"

Fang Shu remained unruffled and cupped his paws. "Greetings, Rabbit Sister."

The rabbit demon returned the salute, then took the initiative to hop closer.

Familiar as though they had known each other for ages, it bobbed its head and said, "When the teacher preached, among all those on the ridge, only Fox Brother and I were worthy of being taught.

I wonder where Fox Brother is headed after passing through this ridge. Are you going to Wandering Mountain as well?"

"Wandering Mountain?" Fang Shu spoke.

The rabbit demon hopped a little closer still. It circled Fang Shu and looked him over, satisfaction showing in its red eyes.

"That's right. I'm going there too. Fox Brother, why not join up with me? It'll definitely be better than going alone to scrape out a living."

It quickly added:

"I can see that Brother is a fine-looking talent. I'll recognize you as Senior Brother, and you can recognize me as Junior Sister. The two of us can make a life together.

Once we both enter the Way and take human form, I'll bear you a litter of fox cubs. We can seize a mountain peak together and establish ourselves as immortal cultivators!"

The rabbit demon sounded happier and happier as it spoke. It kept hopping along, gesturing for Fang Shu to continue on.

Fang Shu's expression turned strange. He had not expected this rabbit demon to take a fancy to him—and even chase after him in pursuit.

Seeing that Fang Shu said nothing, the rabbit demon turned back and asked, "What, Fox Brother, haven't you read mortal storybooks?"

It spoke with perfect justification. "That's how it goes in storybooks. You and I come from the same school—we're fated lovers!"

What sort of storybooks have you been reading?

Fang Shu grumbled inwardly.

He shook his head, too lazy to say much more to this rabbit spirit. He simply raised a paw and pointed at the towering, immense Mount Lu beneath the night sky.

"No. I'm not going to Wandering Mountain. I'm going into that mountain."

The rabbit demon glanced at Mount Lu, shock appearing on its face.

"That isn't a mountain a little demon can enter. Fox Brother, you'd better not go there to throw your life away. If you die, where am I supposed to find another Senior Brother to make a life with?"

Fang Shu flicked his tail.

He lowered himself onto all fours and ran onward at an unhurried pace, no longer wanting to pay this female rabbit demon any heed.

Yet the female rabbit demon continued alongside him, chattering without pause.

"Brother, Brother, are you afraid of going to Wandering Mountain because it's unfamiliar territory? I know demons over there."

"The teacher seemed to have come from that direction too."

"Will you come with me? I can support you first, and once you enter the Way, you can support me..."

This fellow was unbearably noisy, babbling endlessly in Fang Shu's ear.

Left with no choice, he could only answer, "I'm not going. I'm going to Mount Lu to seek refuge with relatives."

The rabbit demon's eyes immediately lit up when it heard this.

"So Fox Brother has relatives on Mount Lu? Are you going to serve as someone's spirit pet? Or as a mount?

Actually, I want to go to Mount Lu too. But I heard no demons there can ever amount to anything. Little demons from elsewhere only go there to seek death...

Fox Brother, can you take me with you? I don't eat much. While you cultivate at home, I can go out and work for you."

Fang Shu listened to its babbling as he walked.

Before long, the two of them reached a riverbank.

Under the moonlight, the river shimmered like a silver thread, winding toward one corner of Mount Lu.

By then, Fang Shu truly could not be bothered with the rabbit spirit anymore.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay. Farewell!"

As soon as the words fell, he sprang into the river, dove beneath the surface, and swam forward with the current.

Fang Shu had his Second Uncle to rely on. Only if he had caught the plague would he go make a life with this female rabbit.

Seeing Fang Shu leave so decisively, the rabbit demon stood on the riverbank and anxiously hopped about.

The rabbit demon tested the water several times, but did not dare enter. In the end, it could only stand there with its bundle on its back, staring blankly at the river's surface.

Under the moonlight.

After swimming some distance, Fang Shu surfaced from below the water.

He casually dragged a log to his side, climbed atop it and lay down, then used his tail as a paddle to drift alone toward Mount Lu.

"Anyone else boarding?

The boat's leaving soon!"

At a wild ferry on the outskirts of the Mount Lu range, a masked boatman called out repeatedly.

Quite a few people lingered by the ferry: some dressed as wandering heroes, some as scholars, and some as noblewomen. Young and old, men and women, all different from one another—the place was unexpectedly lively.

Yet every one of them stared at the huge black-canopied boat on the river, either anxious or reluctant to part.

Fang Shu hurried over. He had already taken human form, waving and calling out as he walked.

"Someone's here! Someone!"

His voice drew the attention of many at the ferry. Someone's eyes lit up, and he hurried forward.

"This young brother, I am Forest Crane, rather well-known in the circles of the road. I too wish to seek immortality at Mount Lu. Might you have any spare Greenfly Blood Coins?"

"Little Daoist, I am from a wealthy household in Luo County..."

Fang Shu halted. He bared his teeth with a chilling expression, his long tongue dangling from his mouth. He even shook out his sleeves, exposing bloodstains from killing.

His journey here had not been peaceful.

Seeing this, those calling out to him all looked wary and fell silent.

Fang Shu bypassed them and headed straight for the black-canopied boat.

When the boatman saw Fang Shu's extended long tongue, not only was he not alarmed, he was delighted. Chuckling, he said, "Young brother, you came at just the right time. If you miss this trip, the next one won't be until next month."

The boatman released his bamboo pole and rubbed his hands together.

Fang Shu cupped his hands and pulled out a string of glowing green talisman coins from his sleeve, handing it to the boatman. "I'll trouble you, Boatman."

"Forthright! Young brother, you're much less trouble than those paupers."

The boatman grew even more cheerful. "Those people insist on bringing silver, jewelry, and the like to make up the amount. Some women even want to sell themselves to cover the fare. They're dreaming in broad daylight."

He counted them one by one, then gave the string a sharp shake and called out:

"One thousand Greenfly Blood Coins—board the boat!

May Daoist have a broad immortal path and hope for longevity!"

The people scattered around the wild ferry immediately cast envious looks his way.

Fang Shu cupped his hands toward the boatman and strode into the black-canopied boat.

Greenfly Blood Coins were a type of talisman currency used by immortals. Shaped like the Eight Trigrams, they bore insect-shaped bird-seal script.

The talisman coins contained essence blood. They could be used to activate magical artifacts, refine pills and medicines, set formations, draw talismans, and much more. Their uses were many.

But Greenfly Blood Coins did not circulate among mortals. They only flowed out from the hands of immortals.

The string in Fang Shu's possession had been sent from far away by his Second Uncle through someone else. It was just enough to serve as his boat fare into the mountain—or to let him live a lifetime of wealth and splendor among mortals.

Thus, even when the Long-Tongue Sword had nearly drained him to death, Fang Shu had never been willing to spend a single coin.

Stepping onto the remarkably steady black-canopied boat, Fang Shu's heart burned with excitement. He wished he could immediately fly to the immortal marketplace within the mountain.

But a few breaths later, his expression stiffened.

The moment he lifted the cloth curtain of the cabin, a pitch-black, crowded hold came into view.

People were packed shoulder to shoulder inside, men and women mixed together. There had to be twenty or thirty people crammed into the boat, and a plank had even been laid across the middle of the canopy to serve as a second level.

Because Fang Shu had lifted the curtain, light shone into the cabin, and many people squinted at him.

Among them, a long-faced old Daoist patted an open space near the edge and called out, "Oh! A new young brother. Come, come, there's still room here."

Fang Shu looked around, smiled at the old Daoist, and approached with his hands tucked together. Leaning against the side of the boat, he sat down heavily on the plank.

He and the old Daoist exchanged names. The other man's surname was Lü, and he was around forty or fifty.

There were several others beside them.

One was an animated youth, one was a woman with a cold expression, and another was a middle-aged man whose wrinkled face was fixed in a smile.

The five squeezed together in a clump and chatted from time to time, though Old Daoist Lü mostly spoke with the youth surnamed Yin.

"Don't let my age fool you. This old Daoist is naturally gifted too—I know magic!

On this trip to the marketplace, I'll surely carve out an immortal path for myself."

His words drew the attention of several people. Even the cold-faced woman looked curiously at Old Daoist Lü.

"What magic?"

The old Daoist showed off for a while. He stood, intending to give himself a shake, but with a bang, he struck the second-level plank above his head, drawing a curse from upstairs.

He could only hunch over, sway his body, and mutter:

"Have any of you ever seen a tool as big as a donkey's?

I can even use this treasure to drink liquor..."

It turned out that the old Daoist's magic allowed him to drink liquor through his lower body. According to him, that very magic had let him swindle quite a few wealthy mortal households, allowing him to scrape together the boat fare.

His words made Fang Shu and the others smile. The cold-faced woman even spat softly in disgust, her face turning both cold and embarrassed.

With a snort, she stopped paying attention to them.

Still, thanks to this fellow's joking interruption, Fang Shu and the others became a little more familiar with one another and exchanged names.

The youth's full name was Yin Xiaojian. He too seemed to be going to Mount Lu to seek refuge with relatives, and he said the cold-faced woman was surnamed Su, her full name Su Qingao.

The smiling, wrinkled middle-aged man was called Tian Tianquan. He said that when he was born, he had nearly been thrown into a pigpen to be buried, hence his name.

He looked utterly ordinary; no one knew how he had managed to save enough for the fare.

Old Daoist Lü kept chattering. "A hundred years of cultivation earn a shared crossing in the same boat! We're all fated. Once we reach the marketplace, we should look after each other."

So Fang Shu joined them, chatting idly now and then.

After talking for quite a while, he suddenly frowned and spoke up.

"Didn't the boatman just say we would depart soon?"

As soon as he asked, the people around him began to laugh.

Old Daoist Lü replied, "Ha! Young brother, you're overthinking it. That snakehead says that to every one of us before we board."

The old Daoist pointed to himself. "I boarded yesterday. Brother Tian came even earlier—he arrived the day before yesterday."

Fang Shu was speechless at that answer.

But the old Daoist glanced around the cabin and added, "Still, it should be soon. I reckon if no one else comes tonight, we'll depart around midnight."

This finally made the woman surnamed Su willing to speak to them. She asked in confusion, "If no one is coming at night, why must we wait until midnight to leave?"

Old Daoist Lü became deliberately mysterious. He only said softly, "You'll understand once night falls."

The others kept questioning him, but he said no more. Instead, he stretched out his legs complacently and claimed a spot to lie down.

The cabin was dim. Once night came, indeed, no one else boarded.

They endured like that until around midnight.

The boatman lifted the curtain and looked over the cabin. Then, flicking out a snake tongue, he turned his head outside and tapped the bottom of the boat with his bamboo pole.

"Second Brother, all the piglets are here. We can set sail!"

That careless "piglets" made Fang Shu, who had been sitting with his eyes shut in feigned sleep, twitch his eyelids and abruptly open his eyes.

A trace of alarm rose in his heart.

But he thought it over. This route into the mountain had been written down by his Second Uncle. The boatman had covered his head, and now revealed himself to be a snake demon—just as Second Uncle's letter had described.

Seeing that Old Daoist Lü and the others did not care about the boatman's form of address, Fang Shu suppressed his stray thoughts. He continued to feign sleep, remaining alert to his surroundings.

Then a rough snake-hiss sounded outside the cabin, and the black-canopied boat rocked, drawing curses from quite a few people.

Through the swaying cloth curtain, an even larger snake head emerged from beneath the water. It gobbled up the talisman coins constantly tossed out by the snake-headed boatman and swallowed them into its belly.

It turned out the black-canopied boat was not floating on the water at all. It was carried atop the back of a thick, long snake demon, which was likely more than three zhang in length.

Once the two snake heads had divided the boat fares, the larger snake head suddenly sank. Like a water rat, the entire boat immediately dove beneath the river's surface.

Though the boat traveled underwater, no river water entered the cabin. Only the smaller snake head's voice carried over.

"Rest assured, honored guests. My brother and I have run this route for decades. There may be a few twists along the way.

But rest assured, everyone. You get what you pay for—we certainly won't cost anyone their life."

Many people in the cabin muttered at this.

"Are we taking the water route?"

"The water route is good. Entering the mountain along the route beneath the water is safer."

Old Daoist Lü, for instance, seemed to have been awakened by the commotion. Noticing Fang Shu and the others' vigilance, he muttered, "Rest easy. Big Snake and Second Snake have this route well arranged. There hasn't been a death in nearly ten years. Get some rest... otherwise you'll reach the marketplace low on vital essence and waste your chance."

These words gave people like Fang Shu in the cabin some measure of relief.

That night, everyone aboard endured in the darkness.

When daylight came the next day, the snake boat was still traveling beneath the river's surface. Only occasionally did shimmering waterlight sway in through the curtain, leaving the cabin dim as ever.

By the second evening, the boat still had not stopped.

Once night fell, even the hardiest people aboard could no longer endure. Some rested, some relieved themselves, men and women all mixed together in a disorderly bustle, shoving and jostling.

Unable to leave the cabin to relieve themselves, the stench of urine began to spread through the boat.

Fang Shu was no exception.

Of the five traveling together, only the woman surnamed Su had held it in until her face was flushed red, curled up without once getting to her feet.

Yet even in such a filthy environment, some of the men and women in the cabin had actually started hooking up.

Every so often, Fang Shu heard coquettish laughter, ragged panting, and the splash of liquid.

The youth surnamed Yin traveling with him suddenly nudged Fang Shu with his elbow. "Look."

Fang Shu raised his head and saw eyes peering down from the board overhead.

The other person looked at the two of them and let out a woman's soft chuckle.

Young men had blood and vigor in abundance; the youth surnamed Yin's eyes reddened with excitement.

Fang Shu, however, ignored it and continued closing his eyes.

Before long, the youth surnamed Yin noticed a hand reaching down from above the board, stroking half his body.

That hand was soft and smooth. This time, the youth did not call Fang Shu again.

Instead, he thought excitedly that everyone who boarded the boat would become one of the immortal folk.

A hundred years of cultivation earned one the chance to cross the same boat! Now that he had hooked up with a lover, once they reached the market, aside from his own relatives, he would have one more avenue open to him.

His face flushed with excitement, the youth surnamed Yin trembled as he followed that hand toward a corner of the cabin.

For a time, the boat was steeped in midnight debauchery, the whole cabin rank with fishy and urine smells.

By the latter half of the night, the snake boat continued swaying without pause, causing those aboard to lie pressed together and roll into a heap.

Fortunately, everyone had grown used to it. Those who could sleep, slept; those who could not, lay there.

Fang Shu still leaned against the side of the boat, keeping himself as alert as possible.

Just as he was about to be unable to hold out any longer and was starting to doze, a miserable cry rang out right by his ear, instantly banishing all sleepiness:

"Hey! Boy, how dare you be so rude!"

It was Old Daoist Lü shouting.

His face twisted ferociously as he abruptly straightened up, then sprang up as though his backside had been pricked by a needle. With a thud, his head slammed into the second-level board, startling the entire boat into an uproar.