"Ah! If she's a fox immortal, she must have some unusual powers. Unless that fellow in the ring uses every ounce of his strength, he'll probably come off worse!"
After hearing the old man's words, Xing Yan grew rather worried for the street performer.
"If you ask me, that out-of-towner is sure to come off worse!"
"Huh?"
"You probably don't know, young fellow, but that little fox immortal who looks like a girl is famous here in Luoyang. Though she isn't of our kind, she never haunts or harms anyone. Instead, she often punishes the wicked and roots out villains."
"Oh? That's rather good."
Xing Yan chimed in, casting a sidelong glance at Chen Ziping beside him-only to find disbelief written all over his face.
"Indeed! Still, just like her childish looks, that little fox immortal is terribly mischievous, forever playing strange, impish tricks. Last time, a wandering Daoist came to Luoyang selling talismans to drive off demons and ward off evil. He ended up angering her. She immediately had all the neighbors present testify that she wasn't human, then stuck every one of those demon-repelling talismans all over herself-and nothing happened at all. That wandering Daoist left both frightened and ashamed..."
"Hmph! We of the Daoist path should study the profound teachings of the Dao, cultivate longevity, and defend the Way with our swords, taking the eradication of the world's demons as our duty. This business of drawing charms and scribbling talismans is not the true path of our faith!"
Those ringing, forceful words came from Chen Ziping, the Shangqing Palace disciple, who had cut off the old man beside them. As he spoke, the young disciple's face shone with righteous resolve.
"Uh..."
Both Xing Yan and the old man were speechless.
While the three were talking, the fellow in the ring found that a little girl had suddenly barged in, doing nothing but making trouble and showing scant respect for his staff skills. Filled with righteous indignation, the martial wanderer insisted that she try her hand against him, Zhao Yigun of Zhenzhou, so everyone could witness the supreme realm of staff technique—"Water Cannot Penetrate"!
As soon as he made the proposal, an idle spectator eager to join the fun hurried into a nearby shop and borrowed a basin. Calling, "Coming through, coming through!" all the way, he brought the basin of clean water before the pair in the ring. Almost everyone watching shared his eagerness to see this unexpected spectacle!
With someone supporting him, Zhao Yigun brimmed with confidence. He appointed the spectator who had brought the water as judge, arranging for him to count steadily to ten. Once the tenth count sounded, the little girl could splash the water. By his own modest admission, he first had to whirl his staff for a while before achieving the effect of letting not a single drop through!
"Yes, yes!~~"
The little girl, who looked like a doll fashioned from jade and porcelain, found this immensely entertaining and kept clapping her hands in agreement.
When the man began whirling his jujube-wood Eyebrow-Height Staff, the spectators all held their breath, watching the changes in the ring without blinking.
As the staff danced once more in his hands, everyone silently praised him:
It seems Zhao Yigun of Zhenzhou really does possess astonishing skill!
By the time the makeshift judge reached six, the staff seemed to have left the man's grasp, circling and soaring around him like a roaming dragon. It moved so swiftly that only a ring of staff shadows remained visible around his body, like a wind wheel spinning madly in a raging gale!
Perhaps because the staff moved so furiously, sharp shrieks of air kept reaching the spectators' ears, battering their eardrums. Stirred with such tremendous speed, the air around the man took on a peculiar appearance. Amid the flickering staff shadows, it shimmered like the air above a burning flame, trembling and rippling like clear, flowing water!
It seems that the reputation for being Water Cannot Penetrate isn't an empty boast. Looking at this, could even a single drop seep through?
While Xing Yan pondered this, he clearly heard the volunteer call out a crisp, distinct "Ten."
Now every spectator held their breath and focused, waiting to see who would win this contest between the little girl and the martial expert.
Leaving aside the spectators' tension, the exquisite little girl in the ring remained perfectly unhurried. Smiling, she lifted the basin of clean water and took a few steps toward Zhao Yigun's whirling staff. Judging by her tottering steps, the basin seemed rather heavy for her.
"Splash!"
At last, the little girl summoned every ounce of strength she had and shakily swung up the basin, sending its water splashing toward Zhao Yigun, the man whose staff was whirling merrily enough to be called "Water Cannot Penetrate."
In an instant, Xing Yan saw the clean water escape the earthenware basin's confines. Reflecting Bamboo Town's morning sunlight, it scattered in the breeze into countless glittering sprays, weaving what looked like a translucent curtain of pearls that swept straight over the mass of staff shadows-
Yet those all-enveloping shadows suddenly vanished, like flames meeting ice water!
"Ah!~"
While the crowd was still marveling, a startled cry rang out. Looking again, they saw that Zhao Yigun, who could supposedly be called "Water Cannot Penetrate," now resembled a chicken drenched in soup. He was soaked from head to toe, water dripping incessantly from every part of him!
"You, you...!"
Though the sun had risen and the weather was fairly warm, the clean water poured over Zhao Yigun's head like a baptism of enlightenment left him chilled to the bone. He could not keep his voice from trembling.
The dripping victim still could not quite believe he had been drenched like this! Zhao Yigun kept feeling that something was strange. Although his nickname, "Water Cannot Penetrate," had been bestowed by flattering martial friends and was inevitably somewhat exaggerated, his reputation was not hollow. The skill he had honed through years of devotion to his staff was no trifling matter. Once his Eyebrow-Height Staff was whirling at full fervor, he might not keep every last drop out, but he should never have ended up in such a sorry state, soaked through as though freshly hauled out of a river, with an indescribable chill permeating his entire body!
"What, what did I do? Who told you to make such an enormous boast?~"
Facing the martial wanderer who pointed accusingly at her, the little girl showed not the slightest fear. With her little hands planted at an angle on her slender waist, she answered with utter conviction!
"My good fellow, if you ask me, why not leave it at that... Your staff work was truly splendid; you simply had a little bad luck. Those of us neighbors who have some money can offer a little support, give you something for your efforts, and then you can be on your way."
Seeing Zhao Yigun's furious expression, the local idler standing nearby stepped forward to offer kindly advice. Like the old man beside Xing Yan, he knew something of the girl's origins and understood that this fellow could not afford to provoke her.
Only when he spoke did everyone notice that the judge, who had stood quite close to the pair, was also soaked through, water dripping steadily from his entire body. Perhaps because he was not personally involved in the dispute, however, he did not shiver as he spoke like the street performer. His words came smoothly and naturally, and he seemed to feel no discomfort at all.
Seeing that Zhao Yigun still looked unconvinced, the idler approached and murmured a few words into his ear. The martial wanderer, whose face had been full of defiance, immediately started in alarm. His fierce expression turned to astonishment.
At once, Zhao Yigun of Zhenzhou fell silent. He gathered up some of the coins the spectators had tossed down during their exchange, took his staff, slung his bundle over it, and parted the crowd without another word, hurrying away.
"Hee! That was fun!"
"Huh? Why are you leaving already? We were having such fun! Why don't we play again?"
The little girl in the ring was still delighted, hopping about excitedly. Seeing the man leave so abruptly, she seemed quite reluctant to let him go.
When that worthy fellow Zhao of Zhenzhou heard the lingering echoes of her heartfelt invitation to "play again," he hastily quickened his steps!
The crowd now gradually dispersed in every direction. The little girl, still not quite satisfied, also left, humming and singing as she skipped along.
"Hmph, these monsters really know nothing but humiliating others!"
The disciple of the renowned orthodox sect beside Xing Yan wore a look of disdain.
"Uh... What she did just now hardly counted as some great evil, did it?"
"Indeed. That is precisely why I spared her life."
Clearly, this young Shangqing Palace disciple held a firm position and harbored a deep hatred for monsters and spirits.
Leaving aside Chen Ziping's righteous fervor, Xing Yan was still pondering what had happened. Since his extraordinary encounters, his eyesight had become exceptionally keen, so he kept feeling that something about the contest had been strange. The clean water that drenched the man's head and face had not seemed to come from the little girl's basin at all. Rather, a great mass of cold water had suddenly appeared out of empty air and poured down over his head. Most of the actual water from the basin had been struck away by Zhao Yigun, landing chiefly on the volunteer who had stood nearby counting!
It seems that when humans contend with demons, they're bound to come off worse.
Xing Yan grew inwardly wary, cautioning himself that if he encountered monsters in the future, he had best keep a respectful distance.
Still... That little girl was so lovely and adorable, and her manner so clever and innocent, that I really couldn't summon the slightest dislike for her!
Of course, Xing Yan could only think this to himself; he absolutely could not say it aloud. During his days with Chen Ziping, he had discovered that this young disciple from Shangqing Palace on Mount Luofu possessed an exceptionally strong sense of justice, with a particular aversion to demons. Just now, his Daoist brother Chen Ziping had even voiced criticism of the Daoist selling talismans.
Disciples of famous, mighty sects really are different.
Xing Yan sighed inwardly with admiration and eagerly anticipated his coming days at Shangqing Palace. Perhaps serving as master of Four Seas Hall would be rather interesting after all.
Compared with Chen Ziping, old Daoist Qinghe of Raozhou City, who specialized in playing at gods and ghosts to swindle people out of their money, now truly seemed an oddity within Shangqing Palace on Mount Luofu.
"I cheered so many times just now without noticing that my throat's gone a little hoarse. Why don't we find a tea stall and have something to drink?"
Feeling quite thirsty, Xing Yan suggested that they go enjoy some tea.
"Excellent. I was just thinking the same thing."
And so the two followed the bluestone paving of the old street, looking for somewhere to drink tea.
But just as they were crossing a bamboo bridge, Xing Yan suddenly heard his Daoist brother Chen cry out in alarm beside him:
"Oh no! My money pouch is gone!"
Before you continue