Chapter 124: Suppressing the Yin

Speak to people in the language of men, and to ghosts in the language of spirits.

Zhang Chang’s temperament is unpredictable, and I have only known him for two or three days. I was already mentally prepared for Li Cangshui to be this kind of person. But Zhang Chang—at times he makes me vigilant, yet at other times, his actions fill me with gratitude. I always have this nagging feeling that he is calculating something.

I must obtain the Seven-Root Ginseng. On the matter of the Three-Corpse Spirit, Zhang Chang stands on my side, and I have no reason to doubt him. I must do anything that benefits my mother. Moreover, I have Master Wang Jiu’s Fusion Talisman; I can choose to bring Master Wang Jiu back to life first, and if there are any problems, he will be able to identify them.

I nodded and said, "I understand."

Zhang Chang patted his shoulder and told me not to forget his parcel.

We returned to Wang Erjun’s room. At this moment, Wang Erjun was still on the bed, groaning in pain. Li Yue was holding a small medicine bottle, applying ointment to him.

"You dead fatty, if it weren't for Master’s instructions earlier, I wouldn't care if you died of pain!" Li Yue bit her lip as she spoke in a low voice while applying the medicine.

Wang Erjun winced and grunted, saying, "Don’t get cocky. Even though you’re my senior sister, if Xie Yuan marries you in the future, you’ll have to call me your brother-in-law."

My expression stiffened, and I blurted out, "Dead fatty, what are you spouting?"

Li Yue’s face turned bright red, and she jabbed hard at Wang Erjun’s wound. Wang Erjun let out a pig-like shriek.

Li Yue stood up uneasily and whispered, "I’m going to Master’s place first; you finish applying the medicine."

Clearly, there was panic in Li Yue’s eyes. My heart skipped a beat; her behavior was not a good omen. I hesitated—I hadn't intended to stop her, but considering my Feng Shui skills were still at the theoretical stage, and the Seven-Root Ginseng was a vital item for my mother that could not be lost, I called out to her, asking her to wait because I needed her help.

A trace of joy clearly flickered in Li Yue’s eyes, though it was quickly suppressed. She seemed more relieved than anything else, and she asked in a low voice what I needed help with.

Wang Erjun grumbled bitterly, "Xie Yuan, this little wench has a vicious hand. Don’t ask her for help; she’ll just make a mess of things, and you’ll end up losing both your wife and your soldiers."

Li Yue stamped her foot and told Wang Erjun to stop spouting nonsense. I immediately stopped them both, telling them to stop arguing as this matter was very important to me. They quieted down.

I explained the situation regarding the Seven-Root Ginseng. Li Yue looked stunned, saying she had seen it in ancient texts—it was a miraculous medicine for extending life and nourishing the soul. She never expected it to be nearby. If word got out, Mount Zhenyin would instantly become the target of everyone’s attention; not only in the secular world, but even from places beyond the mundane, countless people would come rushing.

Wang Erjun propped himself up and said, "Then what are we waiting for? We don’t need to consider anything—let’s just go!"

I looked at Li Yue and said, "You can go ask Senior Li if she agrees to let you go." After much deliberation, I decided to have Li Yue ask Li Cangshui; I couldn't overstep my bounds.

At this, Wang Erjun said there was no need to ask, as Master would never care about such trivial matters. Li Yue bit her lip slightly and nodded. She went back to applying medicine to the back of Wang Erjun’s ears.

With them settled, my inner hesitation returned. I tucked the dagger into the parcel Zhang Chang had given me.

Within minutes, Wang Erjun got up, stretched his limbs, and said, "Xie Yuan, you have to admit, ever since that monkey thing was removed from my body, I feel much better."

I nodded, saying that since the Yin Monkey had grown into our flesh and meridians, removing it was bound to bring relief. I told Wang Erjun that Zhang Chang said finding the Seven-Root Ginseng required Li Yue’s Feng Shui expertise and his own talismans. Li Yue whispered that she always carried her tools with her and could observe the celestial phenomena and Feng Shui at any time. Wang Erjun rummaged through the cluttered room and stuffed quite a few things into his pockets.

When we left the room, we didn't need to look for Zhang Chang because he was already waiting for us in the courtyard. By then, Zhang Chang had changed his attire; he looked exactly like a local mountain dweller, with a hemp strip tied around his head and wearing coarse cloth robes. One could no longer tell that he had not lived in the human world for decades.

I returned the parcel to Zhang Chang. He smiled at Wang Erjun and said, "Fat lad, you’re not bad." Wang Erjun was immediately beaming.

Li Yue carried the small box Zhang Chang had given her, never letting it out of her grasp. "Little girl, you can actually open that thing in your hand and see for yourself. Your Master told you to take it so that you would open it."

Li Yue bit her lip slightly but shook her head, whispering for us to wait two minutes. With that, she trotted over to Li Cangshui’s door. Zhang Chang didn't say anything else, merely suggesting we wait outside.

We had just walked out of the courtyard and reached the inn's dining hall when, in less than a minute, Li Yue came out. Her eyes were slightly red, and she was carrying the box. I realized then that she must have received an answer from Li Cangshui similar to what Zhang Chang had said.

Before I could speak, Wang Erjun waved his hand and said, "Little wench... er, little senior sister." Clearly, Wang Erjun saw that Li Yue was feeling suppressed and didn't dare tease her again.

"You’ve been with Master for many years, while I’ve only been here a few days, but it’s very clear: Master took us as disciples in accordance with the concept of 'destiny.' Even though a master is like a father, even when our own fathers raise us, we still have to go out and build our own lives when we’re of age. Little senior sister, you surely understand that, right?"

As we followed Zhang Chang, Wang Erjun offered Li Yue much comfort, and her expression softened.

By then, Zhang Chang had found a donkey cart. The driver was a man covered in pockmarks, dressed similarly to Zhang Chang. His arm muscles were prominent, and he was exceptionally sturdy. We boarded the cart and headed toward Mount Zhenyin. The man’s name was Gama, a local villager from the mountain. He was clearly very hospitable—much more so than the people of Mount Yalong. During the journey, he chatted with us constantly, asking what we were doing at Mount Zhenyin.

Wang Erjun spoke up immediately: "We’re just heading into the mountains to collect some quality mountain goods. We’ve brought enough money; we have to pick up enough wild game and such."

Seeing Wang Erjun and Gama chatting away, I thought this was a good thing; it might help us find a guide. After all, Zhang Chang hadn't left Mount Yalong in decades, and although he said the Seven-Root Ginseng was in Mount Zhenyin, he never said he had been there himself. Furthermore, decades had passed; no one could predict how much things had changed.

Li Yue sat quietly at the back of the cart, clutching the box. I turned to look at her. She bit her lip slightly and gently opened the box. Inside was a small gourd, completely black, engraved with many talismans. She lowered her head and began to cry; her tears fell onto the gourd and, strangely, were all absorbed into it.

What was inside this gourd? To Li Yue, it was as important as her own life? I didn't get closer, nor did I ask. After all, Li Yue hadn't spoken of it. Perhaps it was her secret.

Time passed quickly. Because Gama and Wang Erjun were talking, the atmosphere never grew dull. Wang Erjun was clever; he kept quiet about the Seven-Root Ginseng and kept saying we were just collecting mountain goods. Gama suggested we stay at his house; we had chartered his cart and paid him well. He offered to host us for free and could introduce us to mountain folk selling goods. Zhang Chang remained silent, so I didn't say anything either.

It was getting late. By the time we arrived at Mount Zhenyin, it was past nine in the evening. The villages at the foot of the mountain were still buzzing with life, with people singing and dancing. Gama brought us to his home, located at the end of the Yin Dragon River, where the water flowed with absolute stillness.

The entire Mount Zhenyin gave me a feeling of vitality, not at all as exclusive as Mount Yalong. Beside Gama’s stilt house, there were even a few small boats. Wang Erjun excitedly suggested we could go fishing on the river. I glared at him and said, "People come and go across the Yin Dragon River to be reincarnated. Do you dare eat the fish in this water?"

I had realized that since leaving Li Cangshui, Wang Erjun was like a wild horse off its leash; if I didn't keep him in check, he would cause trouble.

At this moment, Gama nodded immediately and said, "The fish in this river cannot be eaten; if you eat them, you will..."

Before Gama could finish, Zhang Chang suddenly interrupted, smiling and saying, "Little brother Gama, please help us get some food. Anything will do; we haven't eaten all day."

Zhang Chang had cut off Gama’s words... but my heart went cold. Li Yue and I had already eaten fish from the Yin Dragon River. It was only then that I realized the river was full of passing corpses! Those fish must have eaten human flesh... or were the offspring of large fish that had fed on human flesh. What would happen to us after eating the fish here?