Ba Mausoleum

"Brother Pang Meng truly has an incredible Divine Ability. He can even scramble a demon beast's mind," Da Yi murmured in admiration.

With Du Yu's "Thousand-Autumn Divine Art," Da Yi shot out twelve of Nine-Infant's eyes in succession. Unfortunately, Nine-Infant had nine heads and eighteen eyes in all.

"Only six eyes left!" Du Yu roared. "Keep going!"

Nine-Infant panted, its faces covered in blood. It still had no idea what was happening, only that someone beside it was frantically taunting it.

The strange thing was that the voice sounded utterly unsure of itself, even a little shy, yet she just kept taunting it.

It finally gritted its teeth and decided to ignore that voice.

For the next several arrows, no matter how Da Yi shot, Nine-Infant kept its eyes fixed firmly on him.

Dong Qianqiu was growing frantic on the other end. Having shouted "Hey, you little punk!" in full view of all the employees, she had suffered complete social death. Her normally fair face was flushed scarlet, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. But this was the critical moment in killing Nine-Infant. If she stopped shouting, she had no idea how else she could help.

"Oh no, the Thousand-Autumn Divine Art is about to stop working," Du Yu said anxiously. "Keep going, Sister Qianqiu!"

Dong Qianqiu steeled herself and shouted several more times, "Hey! You little punk!"

She even improvised a few lines in between: "Look over here!" and "Come hit me!"

She kept telling herself she was doing this for all living beings under heaven, but it was still far too mortifying.

As for Nine-Infant, no matter how much Dong Qianqiu shouted, it ignored her and kept its guard up against Da Yi.

"That's enough," the Cultivated Serpent, which had remained coiled around Nine-Infant, suddenly said. "Its strength has dropped considerably. I'm confident I can kill it now."

"Kill it...?" Da Yi sensed something was wrong. "Little Ba, what are you going to do?"

The Cultivated Serpent shook its head. "Da Yi, tell my master that I can only fulfill half my promise to him. He wanted you to live, and he wanted me to live too, but I've broken my word."

"No! You can't!" Da Yi shouted. "Little Ba, don't do anything foolish! Brother Pang Meng and I will think of something!"

"You know it too, don't you, Da Yi? Even if the two of you shoot out all its eyes, you still won't be able to kill it. Nine-Infant isn't an ordinary wild beast, after all. Your arrows can only pierce its eyes." The Cultivated Serpent smiled. "I should have died the day those ten suns appeared. I'm already satisfied to have lived this much longer. Today, I'll give this life back to you."

With that, the Cultivated Serpent threw back its head and roared. A beam of purple light shot from its mouth, carrying a deep-purple orb.

"What's that?" Du Yu asked in shock.

"It's a demon beast's inner core!" Dong Qianqiu shouted. "Get Da Yi away, now! The Cultivated Serpent is going to detonate its own inner core!"

Du Yu immediately rushed over and grabbed Da Yi.

"Da Yi, come on!"

"No, I can't. Little Ba..."

"That snake is already beyond saving! If you don't leave, its death will be for nothing!"

Pulled by Du Yu, Da Yi was dragged far away, crying and shouting.

Nine-Infant now sensed that something was terribly wrong too.

For a demon beast to grow as large as the Cultivated Serpent, it had to cultivate for thousands of years, if not tens of thousands. Yet it was detonating its inner core for a mortal whose lifespan was only a few decades?

Nine-Infant couldn't figure it out. It couldn't understand.

Perhaps that was why it had never developed true intelligence.

"I really wish I could return to Dongting Lake and see its blue waters one more time." The Cultivated Serpent spoke its final words in this world.

A thunderous explosion shook the heavens, and immense energy reverberated between heaven and earth.

"What on earth is going on?" Dong Qianqiu was bewildered. She had never seen the Cultivated Serpent and Da Yi meet such an ending.

"Reporting to the Old Ancestor!" Xie Jin suddenly burst through the door. "My clansmen and I checked all the soul-summoning records. We found no mention of Sun Wukong from two thousand years ago."

"Reporting to the Old Ancestor!" Fan Xiaoguo followed right behind her. "Lord Cui Jue and Lord Zhong Kui both checked the Book of Life and Death. There's no registration for Sun Wukong during Emperor Yao's era!"

Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiao were baffled. How could a wandering ghost have no record on file?

"Qianqiu!" He Suoyi came over too. "We've confirmed it, and this is tricky. That wisp of soul is precisely 'evil' among the Seven Po. If we don't destroy it soon, things will get very troublesome."

"We do want to destroy it, but where is it?" Dong Qianqiu pondered.

"Assistant Dong, I've tracked down footage of that soul!" a staff member suddenly shouted.

"Footage of the soul?" Dong Qianqiu exclaimed. "Why would that soul have footage? Is it a legend too?"

"Assistant Dong, you should come take a look at this!"

Dong Qianqiu, Xie Bi'an, Fan Wujiao, and He Suoyi all hurried over to the screen.

On it, a puff of white smoke drifted aimlessly.

As it drifted, it seemed to grow tired, then plunged downward and burrowed into a stone.

"What legend does it show?" Dong Qianqiu asked the staff member at the screen.

"Reporting to Assistant Dong, the legend's title is Birth of the Monkey King..."

"So that's it..." He Suoyi said in astonishment. "The Aolai Kingdom in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. A thousand years from now, this soul will nurture a stone monkey within that rock."

"Hahahahahahaha!" Xie Bi'an suddenly burst out laughing. "Only 'evil' out of the Three Hun and Seven Po? No wonder he wreaked havoc in Heaven and the underworld!"

Fan Wujiao relaxed too. He glanced at Dong Qianqiu, then jerked his thumb toward Du Yu on a distant screen. "That kid might just be a genius."

Du Yu and Da Yi gathered many stones and piled them into a tomb.

The Cultivated Serpent had blown itself to pieces. There was no body to be found.

"Little Ba, I'll make sure Dongting Lake is filled with blue water again," Da Yi said as he stacked the stones. "Brother Pang Meng, thank you for today as well. Without you, neither Little Ba nor I would have survived."

"Don't mention it."

The two carefully finished arranging the Cultivated Serpent's tomb. Da Yi took out an arrow and neatly carved the words "Cultivated Mausoleum" into a stone.

"Da Yi, what does 'Cultivated Mausoleum' mean?"

Da Yi said quietly, "Cultivated Mausoleum... the Cultivated Serpent's mausoleum."

Du Yu thought for a moment, then picked up the inscribed stone and smashed it hard against another stone, over and over, until both were reduced to fragments.

"Brother Pang Meng, what are you doing?" Da Yi was angry, a rare sight.

"The Cultivated Serpent? You still call it that?" Du Yu asked quietly. "In your heart, is it still that demon beast called the Cultivated Serpent?"

"I..." Da Yi faltered, then tears poured down like rain. "No, it isn't the Cultivated Serpent. It's Little Ba."

Du Yu nodded and patted Da Yi's shoulder.

"Carve it again. From now on, this place will be called Ba Mausoleum."

"Du Yu, that's wrong," Dong Qianqiu interrupted. "'Ba Mausoleum' is a place name in the real world. Try not to use it carelessly. Follow Da Yi's wishes and just call it Cultivated Mausoleum."

Du Yu shook his head. "Sorry, Sister Qianqiu, but I can't back down on this. This place must be called Ba Mausoleum."

"You..." Dong Qianqiu couldn't get through to Du Yu at all, while Xie Bi'an was laughing behind her again.

"Seventh Master, what are you laughing at now?"

"Assistant Dong, don't be so anxious. I got curious and took a look at an online encyclopedia just now. I found something interesting."

Dong Qianqiu knew something was wrong. Had Du Yu already changed history?

She opened her phone, searched for "the legend of Ba Mausoleum," and clearly saw:

The Commentary on the Water Classic recorded that the Ba Serpent was "ten zhang long and seven or eight chi in girth." Its body was brightly colored, with blue, yellow, black, and red intermingled. It was adept at hiding in the shadows, then lunging out to launch a sudden attack when prey appeared. It coiled its enormous body around its prey, then swallowed it whole.

The Ba Serpent originally lived in Dongting Lake. When ten suns appeared together, the waters of Dongting Lake boiled, and it began wreaking havoc among humans, causing untold suffering. Yi then shot it dead with arrows. From then on, the place where the Ba Serpent died was called Ba Mausoleum. Legend had it that the people there once saw great numbers of arrows scattered across the ground.

Fan Wujiao glanced at the phone. "What did I tell you? That kid might be a genius."

"What genius..." Dong Qianqiu said. "He's just far too lucky."

Despite her words, she was moved too.

"Ba Mausoleum..."

After a brief rest, Du Yu and Da Yi set off on their return journey.

Because of what had happened to the Ba Serpent, both were feeling low, and neither spoke.

Now that the six demon beasts were no longer a threat, the only thing left to do was shoot down nine suns.

Although Du Yu was deeply grateful to the Ba Serpent, he didn't share such a strong bond with it. All he could do was try his best to comfort Da Yi.

There was one thing Du Yu still couldn't understand. Two whole days had passed, and he had barely eaten or slept. Why couldn't he feel any fatigue?

After another full day of travel, the two returned to the village.

To Du Yu's surprise, Heng'e had been waiting at the village entrance all along. The scorching weather had covered her forehead in fine beads of sweat, yet she still stood there.

"Husband!" Heng'e spotted Da Yi from afar and ran over excitedly.

A smile finally appeared on Da Yi's face too. Smiling and crying, he pulled Heng'e tightly into his arms.

"Thank goodness, husband. You're all right." Heng'e was sobbing too hard to speak clearly.

Heng'e never asked Da Yi anything about the demon beasts. She simply kept looking at the bloodstains on his body, her face full of worry.

Du Yu didn't disturb them and quietly walked away. After only a few steps, he saw Youqiong standing in the street.

"Did Little Ba... listen to me?" Youqiong asked.

Du Yu suddenly felt an ache in his heart. Youqiong was only a child, after all.

"It... did very well. Without it, Da Yi and I would have died there."

"Really...?" Youqiong wanted to ask something but didn't dare. He lowered his head and mumbled.

Yes, how was he supposed to ask?

"Oh, right." Du Yu forced a smile. "Little Ba said it won't be coming back for now. It found a nice place that looks a lot like Dongting Lake, so it wants to stay there for a while..."

"R-really? Little Ba said that?"

"Yes. It's a beautiful place called Ba Mausoleum. When you grow up, we'll go see it together."

Youqiong nodded, then opened his mouth without saying anything. He turned and left.

Though Du Yu's heart was heavy, he knew his mission wasn't finished yet.

"Sister Qianqiu, why can't I feel tired?" Du Yu asked.

"I've never entered a legend, so I don't know either," Dong Qianqiu said. "But I've heard that the farther back into ancient times you go, the more abundant the spiritual energy between heaven and earth becomes. There was even enough for mortals to cultivate into immortals. By the time of the society you live in, that spiritual energy had all but been exhausted."

"Spiritual energy...?" Du Yu said. "Cultivation novels really haven't lied to me."

"Stop fooling around. Have you figured out how to complete your mission?"

"Not yet." Du Yu shook his head. "What about you, though? You've been watching me here for three days. Don't you get tired?"

"Tired?" Dong Qianqiu's voice was as cold as ever. "I've watched this post without taking my eyes off it for hundreds of years. I've never slacked off for even a second."

As he talked to Dong Qianqiu, Du Yu returned to the side room in Da Yi's home.

"So you're written as a workaholic?" Du Yu scratched his head. "Never slacking off for even a second is terrifying."

"Enough nonsense," Dong Qianqiu said. "This is my duty. Do you realize that if I miss anything important, it could very well cause major los-"

"Sister Qianqiu," Du Yu interrupted her, "when I get back, how about we go out for coffee?"

"Go out for... coffee?" Dong Qianqiu couldn't quite process it.

"Yeah. I don't really have any friends either. Over all these years, you're the person who's talked to me the most," Du Yu said helplessly. "You've been here for hundreds of years. Aren't you much the same as me?"

"You..." Something hidden in Dong Qianqiu's heart was touched, but she quickly regained her composure. "I'm not like you. I have people to talk to, and I don't feel lonely."

Xie Bi'an nudged Fan Wujiao with his elbow.

"What?" Fan Wujiao asked irritably.

Covering his mouth, Xie Bi'an whispered, "Unless I heard wrong, is this Du Yu flirting with Dong Qianqiu?"

Fan Wujiao lowered his head and thought for a while, then asked:

"What does 'flirting' mean?"

"Good grief!" Xie Bi'an held his head and pointed a finger at him. "You, honestly..."

Then he waved to Fan Xiaoguo. "Xiaoguo, come here."

Not knowing what he wanted, Fan Xiaoguo jogged over to Xie Bi'an, White Impermanence.

"Seventh Ancestor, did you need me?"

Xie Bi'an looked fondly at Fan Xiaoguo. "Xiaoguo, you must never learn from your Old Ancestor. Not only is he a block of wood himself, he's made the entire Fan Household prone to staying single."

"Huh?" Fan Xiaoguo hadn't expected such a startling remark from Xie Bi'an and had no idea how to respond. "Seventh Ancestor... isn't that a bit inappropriate...?"

After speaking, she turned to look at Fan Wujiao and found that he showed no reaction at all.

"What's inappropriate about it?" Xie Bi'an said. "When I first met you, you talked even less than Old Eight. Luckily, my dear granddaughter Jin Gua Sun has kept you company all these years. Haven't you become much more cheerful?"

"You're right, Seventh Ancestor..." Fan Xiaoguo nodded. "Sister Bai really has taught me a lot..."

Xie Bi'an waved a hand. "Stop calling me Seventh Ancestor all day long. You're my favorite among the younger generation of the Black Household. If you don't mind, I'll take you as my sworn sister. Just call me Brother An. I'll arrange your marriage for you."

"Huh?"

Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo both exclaimed. Only Fan Wujiao shook his head helplessly.

"Come, Jin Gua Sun." Xie Bi'an pointed at Fan Xiaoguo and said to Xie Jin, "Call her Grandmother."

"Oh, you mustn't!" Fan Xiaoguo was truly at a loss now. This whole situation had become impossible to untangle.

"Come, sworn sister." Xie Bi'an pointed at the screen in front of Dong Qianqiu and asked, "I'll arrange a match for you right now. Are you willing?"