Hundred Mist Valley

The carriage rumbled and swayed along for six days.

For the first three days, they had an official road to follow. Though the surface was bumpy, the ruts at least kept the carriage steady. On the fourth day, the road narrowed, and the wild grass on either side nearly reached the windows. The horses' hooves sank into half-wet earth, and the wheels got stuck from time to time. Ning Buhui lifted the curtain and looked out. Rolling barren hills filled his view, their gray-green waves of grass spreading all the way to the horizon. When the wind blew, it was as though the earth were turning over in its sleep.

One of the two young Soul Masters in the carriage was named Zhou Qing, and the other Wu Tie. Zhou Qing was more talkative, occasionally pointing out landmarks through the window. "A little farther and we'll be outside West Elephant Prefecture's jurisdiction." "See that patch of low woods? Short-tailed Badgers often burrow around there." Wu Tie hardly spoke at all, offering only a few words when the driver asked for directions. Bibi Dong spent most of her time resting with her eyes closed, as though this journey were no different from the countless long trips before it.

Ning Buhui behaved himself. He did only three things each day: stretch his legs in the morning, sit in the carriage silently reciting information about the terrain around Hundred Mist Valley during the day, and find a flat patch of ground to practice physical techniques for a while when they made camp at night.

His appetite was growing. He could eat two people's share of their travel rations by himself. Once, Zhou Qing clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "You're not very big. Where does it all go?" Ning Buhui only smiled and said nothing. Perhaps his nutrition had been lacking before, perhaps it was the effect of the Whale Rubber changing his physique, or perhaps it was both, but Ning Buhui was growing taller too. Before, at six years old, he had looked about three or four.

On the fifth day, the fog began to thicken.

At first, it drifted close to the ground in wisps, as though someone had lit damp firewood in the valley. Then it gradually grew thicker, until from the moving carriage they could see only about a zhang ahead. The driver had long since slowed down. Zhou Qing and Wu Tie sat straighter too, each keeping watch at a window and scanning the fog. Ning Buhui sniffed. The air was damp enough to feel sticky, carrying the mingled smell of rotting leaves and the rank scent of beasts.

"We're almost at Hundred Mist Valley," Zhou Qing said.

Ning Buhui lifted the front curtain. In the distance, the silhouettes of mountains rose and fell in the fog, their blurred outlines resembling giant beasts crouched side by side. The mountains were not particularly high, but their forests and grass were dense, and everything from halfway down their slopes was shrouded in a gray-white curtain of mist. Hundred Mist Valley lived up to its name.

They did not enter the valley that night, instead camping on a sheltered slope three li from its entrance. Zhou Qing and Wu Tie set up camp with great speed, propping up a few wooden stakes, stretching an oilcloth over them, and lighting a small fire before scattering a ring of insect-repellent powder around the site. Ning Buhui crouched by the fire, toasting his rations. The flames danced across his face, reddening his cheeks.

Bibi Dong sat on the carriage shaft, the tips of her feet never touching the ground. The firelight flickering behind her cast her shadow slantwise across the oilcloth. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, but the black shadow it cast was twisted and enormous, bearing the savage violence of a Ferocious Beast. Ning Buhui glanced back. In the darkness, she sat completely still, like a stone statue standing beside a road at night, silent yet more unsettling than a bloody battle.

"Teacher." He walked over, holding his warmed rations. "Would you like some?"

Bibi Dong did not look at them. "Eat it yourself."

Ning Buhui did not press her. He went back and continued eating. He knew Bibi Dong was not without hunger; she simply could not be bothered to prepare food in a place like this. He had never been able to guess everything on this woman's mind, only glimpse its edges.

Late that night, fog rolled in from the valley entrance, creeping across the ground into the camp. The firelight was pressed low, illuminating only a small circle around it. From time to time, a few sharp, brief birdcalls came from the distant valley, as though something had startled the birds. Ning Buhui pulled his blanket tight around himself and leaned against the luggage, his eyes half open. He did not dare sleep too soundly. After all, this place was too close to where Soul Beasts roamed.

In the second half of the night, he heard Bibi Dong say very softly, "Go to sleep. I'm here."

His eyelids stirred. He did not answer, but his breathing gradually steadied, and he really did fall asleep.

Before dawn the next day, the group got up and entered the valley. They left the carriage and horses at the entrance under the driver's watch. Bibi Dong walked at the front, Ning Buhui close behind her, while Zhou Qing and Wu Tie guarded their flanks, one on either side.

Inside the valley, the fog was even thicker. Dew had soaked the grass and trees, and the ground underfoot was wet, slippery, and muddy, swallowing half a foot with each step. Ning Buhui walked slowly, placing every footfall where Bibi Dong had stepped. He had walked the same way when entering tombs in his previous life, following behind his mentor, not daring to put a foot half a step wrong.

"The Netherlight Butterflies in Hundred Mist Valley live in areas with Nightglow Moss. There aren't any at the entrance," Bibi Dong said suddenly. Her voice was quiet, but it carried clearly through the fog. "We have to go farther in, to a mountain hollow where Nightglow Moss grows. Those creatures like to live in groups in damp, shady places. Once we find Nightglow Moss, we'll find the Netherlight Butterflies."

"Yes," Ning Buhui answered, silently matching "Nightglow Moss" with the "shaded flower valley" mentioned in the book. He remembered an illustration of Nightglow Moss in that guide: a small clump, almost invisible during the day, which only gave off a faint glow at night. It was the Netherlight Butterfly's favorite habitat.

After walking for about a shichen, the fog thinned somewhat, and they entered a long, narrow mountain hollow. The rock walls on either side were damp enough to drip, and fine, thick wild grass covered the ground. Zhou Qing suddenly stopped, crouched, and parted the grass in front of him, revealing several clumps of dark green moss beneath. The moss had a grayish tinge and felt cool and slippery.

"Nightglow Moss," Zhou Qing said. "We're here."

Bibi Dong glanced around and made a gesture. Zhou Qing and Wu Tie immediately spread out, their movements as light as though they were walking on cotton, and began searching along the hollow's two walls.

Ning Buhui lowered his head and began searching too. He remembered the book saying that Netherlight Butterflies liked to lay their eggs on the shaded side of Nightglow Moss. If a swarm was nearby, a thin layer of glittering powder could most likely be found among the moss.

"There's phosphorescent powder over here." Wu Tie's voice came from ahead and to the right, kept extremely low.

Ning Buhui jogged over and saw a clump of Nightglow Moss covered in fine scales, blue-white flecked with gold. In the light, they shimmered and faded. He looked up and, sure enough, saw several extremely fine scrape marks on the rock wall overhead, as though something winged had rubbed against it repeatedly.

"They're overhead," he said softly.

Bibi Dong did not look up. "Those marks have been there for a while. They were probably made last night. The Soul Beasts are no longer here. Let's go farther up."

They followed the hollow uphill. The path grew narrower and narrower, until they nearly had to turn sideways to squeeze through several gaps in the rocks. Zhou Qing led the way, Wu Tie brought up the rear, and Ning Buhui was between them. Bibi Dong moved as though walking on level ground, her breathing unruffled. Ning Buhui, however, was already sweating. His face was wet, and he could not tell whether it was from the mist or his sweat.

After they had gone a little farther, the rock walls suddenly opened out to either side, revealing a small sinkhole. Its walls rose sheer on all sides, a shallow layer of water had pooled at the bottom, and thick Nightglow Moss covered the rocks. Much of the fog had cleared here, and a faint floral fragrance hung in the air. Ning Buhui saw the Netherlight Butterflies at once.

They rested on the rock wall to the left of the sinkhole, packed close together, at least thirty or forty of them. Their wings were folded and dull gray, the same color as the rock. Without looking closely, it was impossible to tell butterfly from stone marking. Only when one or two occasionally trembled their wings did the black-and-white patterns on their inner wings show, like eyes half open and half closed.

Ning Buhui breathed as softly as he could. These were Netherlight Butterflies. What he wanted was right there on that rock wall.

"None of you move." Bibi Dong's voice sounded almost against their ears. "Don't disturb them. If the swarm scatters in a panic, phosphorescent powder will fill the air, and none of you will even be able to gather your Soul Power."

Ning Buhui did not even nod. He simply crouched down slowly, hiding himself behind a rock, and stared unblinkingly at the swarm.

He needed to find one of the right age among them. It could be neither too old nor too young. Around two thousand years would be best, but how was he supposed to judge its age? The Soul Beast illustrated guide had said to look at the Netherlight Butterfly's wing eyes. From ten to a hundred years, its wings had only one eye. At over a thousand years, a second golden ring appeared amid the black markings. At around two thousand years, an extremely fine white star would emerge inside the golden ring.

He narrowed his eyes, held his breath, and examined them one by one.

There were many butterflies, but most had wings too gray to make out. More than a dozen were on the small side, probably not even five hundred years old. A few others were large, probably over three thousand years old and beyond what he could handle now.

He looked for a long time, until his gaze suddenly settled on a butterfly high up on the rock wall.

The butterfly did not move, nor did it stand out. But each time it spread its wings ever so slightly, a hint of gold appeared in the black markings on its inner wings, and at the very center of the golden ring shone a tiny white star. It was small, but unmistakable.

Ning Buhui's heart began to beat faster.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard an extremely low beast's roar from the dense forest on the other side of the sinkhole. It was deep and muffled, rumbling out as though the beast had water in its throat. Zhou Qing's expression changed, and he snapped his gaze in that direction.

"What was that?" Zhou Qing asked in a low voice.

Bibi Dong had already turned her head as well, her gaze passing through the fog toward the darkness at the edge of the sinkhole. A few breaths later, she said calmly, "A Great Strength Ape. Around 2,200 years old."

Ning Buhui's heart skipped a beat. This was a Soul Beast included in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Soul Ring reference; it could increase a target's strength.

Zhou Qing lowered himself. "Should we deal with it first? If that beast barges in while we're making our move, it'll be trouble."

Bibi Dong did not answer immediately. She merely turned her head and glanced at Ning Buhui.

The meaning of that glance was clear.

The time to make a choice had come.