Short, Light, Free

Chapter 98: Mountain, Sea VII: Xiaoqian

Having been through the so-called calamity that Pu Lao talked about, I was ready to leave. However, the wind fox told me that I could only leave after I finished the etiquette class.

Days went by comfortably and I had good food daily.

I even had half an hour to call back home in the afternoon.

A few days later, I was informed that Senior had recovered and was ready to leave the hospital.

With no other choice, I could only contact Zhao Bayi to give him a ride back to the temple.

I also told Master that I was kidnapped by a weird monster and forced to be a laborer. Master was initially skeptical, but Zhao Bayi reported that he wouldn’t have made it if not for me.

Master then started crying loudly, attempting to get some more money off Zhao Bayi again. After that, he instructed me to return to the temple if I get the opportunity because there was still demon-ridding businesses waiting for me.

I couldn’t really explain what was going on so I could only give him a perfunctory answer. There was no way for me to leave at all.

On my second week, I tried slipping away from the zoo. However, just when I was about one step away from outside, I felt my hands raise up and slap myself on the head. It wasn’t within my control.

I walked on the street as my hands hit my face, creating bruises.

I had no way of stopping and controlling my hands. The curse would only be removed when I re-enter the zoo.

I wasn’t sure if Pu Lao could sense my absence from the zoo, but the moment I stepped out, my muscles would tense and I would lose control of my arms.

That night, I experimented for a whole hour.

Even if I tied my hands together or attached sponges to them to reduce the impact, they would try all ways to hurt me the moment I stepped out. Finally, I had no choice but to give up.

The next morning, the wind fox simply smiled knowingly at me and said nothing.

Baize looked and me and shook his head. I retrieved a mirror and realized that I wasn’t even recognizable anymore.

Thankfully, my face recovered after a day. It seemed that my recovering ability had already surpassed that of average humans.

It was pointless, though, since I couldn’t really leave.

I could only abide by their orders and hope that they would let me go if I perform well.

Disregarding the lack of freedom, life in the zoo was much better than in the temple.

The only thing I was dissatisfied with was the fact that I had to get up at four in the morning.

Baize would make me run two rounds in the morning before I could get my breakfast.

A round was about 10 kilometers, so I was basically running half a marathon every day. In the beginning, I could only finish it at six, but gradually, my speed and endurance improved.

That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t irritated by the routine, though.

After breakfast, Baize would make me memorize Chinese literature that was foreign and incomprehensible. I never enjoyed reading so it was a torture for me. If I was unable to read a word or understand its meaning, Baize would snap a ruler onto my head. It hurt terribly.

The hit itself wasn’t painful, but the aftermath felt like a magnitude 10 earthquake. It was mentally crumbling. When I asked about the ruler, he only smiled and said that its name was Waking the Dragon.

After an afternoon feast, I would get half an hour of rest time.

I could do whatever I wanted during that period and I usually used it to make calls.

At one in the afternoon, the wind fox would come into my room and get me down to the gym to practice mixed martial arts and wrestling.

I asked her why I wasn’t taught moves from the ancient times, like tiger claw, snake palm, and white crane wings, but she just gave me a withering look.

I had some foundation when it came to Daoist boxing, but the wind fox showed me no mercy.

Although my body was stronger, inertia, power, and momentum would still cause some bones to break when I get thrown onto the ground.

It hurt like crazy at first, but the pain would subside a few minutes after she fix my bones.

I was allowed to use any moves during battle so there was quite some intimacy involved.

But to teach me a lesson, I would get flung even further and harder. Naturally.

I tried using the same soundwave that I’d used previously to deal with her. It seemed to work, just not as optimal as before.

During the month, Pu Lao only visited once. He left immediately after seeing me being slammed to the floor.

I was convinced that the wind fox did it on purpose. I got beaten up but I never really learned any techniques. However, I have to admit that I got better at taking her punches.

After dinner, I had all the time to myself. There were practically no limitations.

Nevertheless, I didn’t dare to leave the zoo and would just simply stroll around within its boundaries.

I could also buy things in the zoo without paying a single cent.

Three months passed just like that and the most unhappy person wasn’t me but Master.

He even suspected that I was lying to him and that I had just decided not to return home. Yet, when I told him about my plight, not once did he visit me.

Baize started to teach me the art of healing as well. It was as if he wanted to cram all the knowledge into my brain.

It was midnight and I found myself unable to sleep. I got up and decided to roam the corridors.

Baize’s room was a floor below me. I started wondering about the etiquette class and when it was going to start.

After all, I could only leave upon attending that class.

I knocked on Baize’s door but there was no answer. After waiting for a little while, I took out a card.

I swiped it from the wind fox and had kept it in my pocket since, thinking that it could be of use someday.

I surveyed my surroundings and started picking the lock. After a few minutes, the lock opened up and I pushed the door gently.

It was empty inside.

I found the light switch and flipped it on. The room was even plainer than mine.

There was a medicine box on his bed.

I closed the door gingerly and walked toward the box.

I started considering if I should open it since they might be treasures within, things like dragon beard needles or a version of that cursed ruler. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened the box.

It was pitch black inside. I reached my hand into it.

Suddenly, I felt a force pulling me inside. Before I could even put a thought into resisting, I’ve already disappeared into the darkness.

Some time later, I woke up in pain.

My hands were hitting my head non-stop as I was no longer in the zoo.

I felt my arms going numb from the self-abuse. I figured that my face probably was in the same condition.

I observed my surroundings.

The scenery was beautiful, like a mountain.

I haven’t been here before, but it seemed somewhat familiar as if I’d seen it on television before.

I saw a stone tablet not far away and ran toward it.

Seeing the words on it made me draw a cold breath.

Black Mountain.

Below it was a row of smaller words: Buddhist temple ahead.

I was stunned. Baize really had something going on with Ning Caichen.

And like he had mentioned, perhaps he really did share the Chinese Ghost Story with Pu Songling.

A cool breeze brushed past and a gentle voice rang in my ears. “Are you lost, mister?”

I turned around and saw a beauty dressed in white.

She looked stunning, much more so than the wind fox.

“Mister? Why are you hitting yourself?” she asked, grinning.

“I’m just passing by and this... is just an old habit,” I answered helplessly.

“There hasn’t been a foreign face over here in thousands of years. My name’s Xiaoai, how do I address you?”

I shuddered. According to the Chinese Ghost Story, this spirit was the subordinate of the old grandmother. She was in charge of sucking souls. Though the story also mentioned that the old grandmother was already dead, I still raised my guard up.

“You can call me Goudan. Can you please direct me to the Buddhist temple?” I requested.

She pointed ahead and said, “I’ll bring you there since I’m bored.”

“It’s fine. Men and women shouldn’t get too close. I’ll go there myself, don’t worry,” I dismissed, afraid of getting my soul sucked by a ghost.

“You’re so cold, Brother Goudan. Aren’t your hands being controlled by someone? I can help you,” she offered.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around. “You can?”

She waved her arm fancifully and a beam of light shot into my arms, causing them to stop immediately.

She waved her arm a few more times and another beam entered my face.

I felt a cool breeze in that instant.

“Wow, you’re actually quite handsome,” Xiaoai exclaimed, surprised.

I took out my mobile and saw my reflection on the screen.

The wounds were healed. She took her phone out, saying, “Why are you using that lousy phone? This is an iPhone, I’ll turn on the front cam for you.”

I was dumbstruck. Why was this woman flashing the newest iPhone on my face? It was then that I realized that the way she was speaking wasn’t like how people from ancient times spoke.

“Why do you have an iPhone?” I quizzed.

She laughed. “Because I bought it? What, you can’t afford it?”

I muttered nervously after a short pause, “You... you’re not a soul-sucking spirit, are you?”

“What’s that?” Xiaoai asked, puzzled.

I pointed ahead. “That’s the Buddhist temple, you said?”

She nodded.

“You don’t have to follow me. I’ll go by myself,” I repeated.

“You haven’t told me why you’re going there yet. It’s all empty now and the people are all in the village down the mountain. Other than my house, there’s nothing else at the peak.”

“Your house is at the peak? What kind of person is your grandmother?” I questioned.

“Grandmother? Wait, have you been watching too much dramas? There had been one, but she was killed a long time ago. Wait, you asked if I was a soul-sucking spirit... you think I’m a ghost?” She laughed, looking at me like I’m the silliest person she’d met.

I stood rooted to the ground. “What about Xiaoqian? Ning Caichen?”

“Why are you looking for my parents? And my dad no longer goes by that name,” she stated, confused.

“You’re Xiaoqian and Baize’s daughter?”

“You got it right this time.”

“Where’s this, then? How do I get out?” I asked, frustrated.

“That’s easy. I’ll bring you out.”

Suddenly, she grabbed my arm.

The next thing I knew, I was back in the room.

Baize was eating his supper.

The three of us exchanged glances. The atmosphere quickly turned awkward.

“The door’s locked. How did you get in?” Baize asked.

“Erm...” I scratched my head.

“You recognize him, don’t you, Dad?” Xiaoai smiled.

“Explain yourself. How did you get in?” Baize repeated to me.

“I, uh...” I stammered.

Xiaoai broke into a smile. “You’re eating behind Mom’s back again!”

Baize smiled bitterly. “She doesn’t approve of supper and won’t stop nagging at me to lose weight. I’ll go in after finishing this. Go on, go back.”

Xiaoai groaned. “Go back soon or she’s going to get angry.”

She then jumped back into the medicine box, leaving Baize and me in the room.

“Wait,” I started. “Your wife’s asking you to lose some weight, yet you make me run every day while you just look on?”

“What?” He glared at me and repeated, “How did you get in?”

Since Xiaoai was no longer there, I said righteously, “She brought me out to play, why?”

“How do you know her?” he asked, putting his supper down and reaching out for his ruler.

“I met her on the road,” I lied.

He sighed. “Just go.”

“Wait. I want to know what’s going on.”

“What do you want to know?” He slapped the ruler down on the table and turned back to his food.

“You told me that the story was real. You’re Ning Caichen and there’s also Xiaoqian. But why is this Black Mountain in your medicine box?”

He explained faintly, “The story is true. I destroyed the grandmother but they’re from different worlds. She’s a tree demon and Xiaoqian died under her tree. She turned into a ghost and she was unable to leave that tree. I had no choice but to turn the vines and roots into this medicine box, keeping everything including the Buddhist temple and the village within. I turned the box into a whole miniature world.”

“There’s a village inside the box? What about the villagers?”

“They’ve been captured to accompany Xiaoqian. They’re stuck in the past and they’re unable to leave as well. Xiaoai is our child and she isn’t restricted like Xiaoqian. Only the two of us can come out of the box,” he continued.

I finally understood.

“Stay away from my daughter. I’ve yet to discipline you. Don’t lead her astray, you hear me?” he warned before dismissively waving me away.

I nodded and turned around to leave, my head was filled with details of the story.

If I was being honest, though, I was more fascinated by the fact that Xiaoai had helped me to counter Pu Lao’s spell.

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