Yuan Bai had long since arranged for quick-witted mountain monkeys to patrol the surroundings and stand watch, ready to sound the alarm immediately if anything happened.
Thus, Huang Yu was spotted as soon as it arrived.
Unlike its imposing procession last time, it brought only two weasels this time, and came on foot.
Dressed in floral cloth, with a blue kerchief tied around its head and a wooden walking stick in hand, it walked upright, looking like a little old woman with bound feet.
Upon reaching the junction outside Banyan Tree Slope, it stopped at once and stood there obediently, like a guest paying a visit, respectful and courteous, needing the host's permission before entering.
Ahead, Yuan Bai held his refined copper staff, one warrior guarding the pass.
Huang Yu stepped forward and said, "I, Huang Yu, have come especially to seek an audience with the immortal master. I have important matters to report!"
Its words stumbled out, stiff and awkward. Clearly, it had only recently learned to speak.
Hearing it speak human language, Yuan Bai immediately felt a pang of jealousy, and most of his good mood vanished.
He remembered that it had once been unable to speak, just like him. Who knew what encounter had suddenly opened its intelligence?
When it came to mimicking speech, however, weasels were indeed more naturally gifted.
Deep down, the monkey king was unwilling to let Huang Yu in to see the immortal master. These weasels were full of schemes, their bellies brimming with bad water. Who knew what tricks they might use to win the immortal master's favor?
But important matters were a different story. With a snort, he went ahead to report.
A little while later, Huang Yu was led beneath the old banyan tree, arriving outside the shrine.
The light here was dim, but Huang Yu had already gained intelligence and cultivated a little attainment, allowing it to see at night. It saw Chen Jin seated upright inside the shrine, legs crossed and a kasaya draped over him, like a divine statue.
Yuan Bai stood to one side, leaning on his staff. At a single command from the immortal master, he could raise it and bring it down, beating this old weasel to death.
For no apparent reason, Huang Yu felt an immense pressure. Its knees weakened, and it knelt in obeisance, announcing itself. "Huang Yu of Yellow Wind Graveyard kowtows before the immortal master."
The graveyard's name was one it had given the place itself.
Chen Jin studied it with interest and asked, "What important matter do you have to tell me?"
Huang Yu hurriedly began explaining.
As it turned out, though this region was now a place of barren mountains and treacherous waters, it had once been populated throughout, producing hides, medicinal herbs, minerals, and the like. Later, an incident had left the villages in ruins and the ferry landing abandoned. People had moved away one after another, and gradually the region had taken on its present appearance.
After the human population dwindled, Sha Qi spread, and all manner of mountain spirits and wild monsters sprang up like weeds, each occupying its own patch of ground and claiming dominion.
Examples included the mutant toad at the ferry landing, the monkey troop at Banyan Tree Slope, and the Yellow Immortal Clan at Yellow Wind Graveyard.
Other places were much the same, occupied by still stronger Demon Beasts and ghosts, such as the black bear spirit of Black Wind Mountain, Venerable Fire Crow of Chaotic Stone Forest, and the thousand-year-old female ghost in Secluded Nether Cave...
As for the water route along Nether Passage River, that was no easy passage either. A great snake was said to dwell there, on the verge of transforming into a flood dragon. It rarely stirred in ordinary times, but anyone who encountered it would die without a burial place.
Good grief, it was positively crawling with demons and specters, a wild dance of fiends.
Farther out lay the mysterious and uncanny Yan Household Great Stronghold.
This was also one reason Chen Jin wanted to stay quietly at Banyan Tree Slope. Venturing out rashly and intruding on someone else's territory was bound to spark a fierce battle.
He did not yet have the strength to wage campaigns far and wide, nor was he the sort to stir up trouble.
All he wanted was to cultivate properly in peace, then find himself again.
The trouble was that all manner of problems always arrived uninvited.
The reason behind this latest matter was that Yan Hui, the holy maiden of Yan Household Stronghold, had issued a summons to the heroes of the martial world, gathering and inviting skilled fighters from all quarters to enter the mountains and slay demons.
Yan Hui was not merely the holy maiden of Yan Household Stronghold, but also a disciple of a lower court of the Zhongnan Sword Sect. Bold in temperament and possessed of a thousand charms, she enjoyed considerable fame in the martial world and had no small power to rally others.
Once the summons went out, respondents gathered like clouds. A force of twenty or thirty people had already been assembled, raising a great banner under the name "Demon-Slaying Alliance," ready to march into the mountains at any moment.
With such a large stir, word naturally spread into the mountains and reached the monsters living there.
With their very survival at stake, Venerable Fire Crow had taken the lead in bringing all the mountain spirits and wild ghosts together into an alliance to resist the Demon-Slaying Alliance's attack.
Huang Yu had many weasels under its command, burrowing holes and slipping through walls everywhere, skilled at gathering news. After hearing the rumors, it had weighed things up and come running to Banyan Tree Slope to warn Chen Jin.
Both in its words and between the lines, it strongly suggested that it would follow Chen Jin's lead.
It could not be helped. The way Chen Jin had beckoned and seized the sword that time had been far too frightening.
Later, it had sent weasels sneaking over to gather intelligence, and they had even seen Chen Jin sitting atop the tree's crown, absorbing the essential Qi of moonlight, every bit an immortal.
After such displays, Huang Yu had long wished to pledge allegiance to him, but had lacked a pretext.
Now, with a powerful enemy at hand, it had been given an excellent excuse. Naturally, it had to hurry over and make a great show of loyalty.
After hearing all this, Chen Jin lowered his eyes and sank into thought.
He did not know that Yuan Bai's theft of the sword from the great stronghold had sparked this affair. But truthfully, even without that theft, as the situation in the mountains spread, the Yan Household Great Stronghold, feeling increasingly threatened and pressured, would certainly not have sat idly by.
Thus, it was inevitable that the Yan Household would gather people to enter the mountains and slay demons.
As for their respective positions, there was even less to say. From the moment he climbed out of the wooden coffin, Chen Jin had stood naturally opposed to the Yan Household Great Stronghold. Their conflict was irreconcilable.
Perhaps a great battle between the two sides would be an opportunity for him.
As for attending the gathering at Black Wind Mountain, Chen Jin had no interest whatsoever. Sending Yuan Bai would suffice. After all, on the surface, Banyan Tree Slope belonged to the monkey troop.
He was merely a passerby, lodging here temporarily.
Beneath the night sky, the stronghold towered like a city. Its central square blazed with lights as pigs and sheep were slaughtered for a feast to entertain the guests, making for quite a lively scene.
Away from the bustle stood a quiet chamber.
It was a square stone room with no windows and only a single wooden door.
Inside were no furnishings such as chairs, tables, or beds. Instead, an enormous black coffin stood starkly within, eerie and sinister.
A white-covered lantern hung above it, casting a dim glow.
"Great-uncle, Yan Ji and Yan Fei still haven't returned from delivering supplies to the cliff. I'm worried something might have happened."
A man stood before the coffin, his head lowered, back bent, and hands hanging at his sides as he spoke with utmost respect.
"How many days has it been?"
An indifferent voice rang out, bearing a chill that seemed capable of seeping into the bones.
The voice came from inside the coffin.
The man hurriedly answered, "Five days... but I heard from people in the stronghold that before Yan Ji went up the mountain, he mentioned staying on the cliff for a while, because his younger brother Yan Li was in charge of guarding the corpse."
Only after a while did Great-uncle speak again. "Nothing must go wrong on the cliff. Send someone up to take a look, lest there be a mishap. Also, tell that girl Yan Hui to carry out this demon-slaying expedition beautifully and cleanly."
"As you command."
The man bowed in obedience, then backed out of the room.