Thief Mountain 2

The wind howled in his ears. Qi Yin rubbed his eyes and woke up. That guy Yun Zhi insisted on traveling overnight by sword flight, as if afraid he would run away. Only later did Qi Yin find out that this fellow just didn't have money to stay in an inn. The sword flew for a night, and dawn had already broken. The eastern horizon revealed a faint hint of red and countless specks of golden light. The edges of the rolling clouds were dyed gold, looking like thickly embroidered borders.

However, the wind high up in the sky was strong. Qi Yin sneezed several times in a row. Wrapping his padded jacket tightly around himself and blinking his groggy eyes to gather his senses, he realized he had been leaning on Fu Lan's shoulder and hastily sat up straight. Fu Lan, holding the purring black cat, didn't move an inch. Qi Yin felt embarrassed; could it be that this guy had let him lean there all night? It was all Yun Zhi's fault for having such a tiny broken sword. It could only fit three people sitting shoulder to shoulder, and with three grown men, it felt even more cramped.

He was dying of embarrassment inside, but on the surface, he had to pretend not to care. Qi Yin sat with his hands tucked into his sleeves. Fu Lan didn't speak either, just looking at him out of the corner of his eye. This guy's face was tranquil, his evenly dark eyes vast and misty like smoke over water.

This guy usually had no expression, looking neither sad nor happy, so Qi Yin couldn't figure out what he was thinking either. Looking back at the way they came, all he could see was an endless sea of clouds. Wutang Town was already completely out of sight. Occasionally, he could catch a glimpse of the mortal realm through palm-sized gaps in the clouds, but it was all just vast, wild mountains and white waters. Sometimes, he could see a few scattered villages or towns, and a few cities interspersed among the mountains and rivers, but they flashed by in an instant. As for the people, they were even more insignificant.

It turned out that humans residing in heaven and earth were nothing but mayflies.

Yun Zhi handed back two steamed buns from the front of the sword for them to eat as breakfast. Qi Yin took the steamed buns and handed one to Fu Lan. Fu Lan said thank you, holding the steamed bun but not eating it.

This guy always spoke in a soft and low voice, looking honest, well-behaved, and gentle, much like a sheltered young lady from a good family. Qi Yin had never seen such a demonized human. The demonized humans in the storytellers' mouths all gnashed their teeth and sucked blood, fierce and terrifying. Because they were originally humans who had walked the demonic path, and even ate human flesh, they sounded even more frightening than ordinary demons and monsters.

"Uh," Qi Yin scratched his head, breaking the silence first, "So..."

Fu Lan turned his head to look at him, his large, dark eyes clear and clean, the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds lingering in their depths.

He didn't look like a demon, he couldn't even be called a man; rather, he was like a big child. Qi Yin asked softly, "Have you ever eaten people?"

Fu Lan shook his head.

Qi Yin breathed a sigh of relief. Yun Zhi chimed in from the side, "Cultivators have sharp ears and clear eyes, I can hear everything. Whispering is useless. Don't worry, demons who have eaten people have a very heavy demonic aura. This little brother here has almost no demonic aura on him, and moreover..." He glanced at Fu Lan, and Fu Lan stared back at him blankly, "...he doesn't look too smart either. He doesn't even know how to fly on a sword. He probably hasn't been on the demonic path for more than three months. Luckily, what you guys encountered earlier was a newly hatched Guhuo Bird that couldn't even walk straight. If it had been one with some cultivation, ten demonized humans wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth."

Fu Lan said, "I have been on this path for a long time."

Yun Zhi revealed an amused smile. "As far as I know, demonized humans usually travel in packs. Fu Lan, you don't have a single companion by your side. Could it be that you were kicked out for being too stupid?"

"I have companions. I have my cat," he turned his eyes to look at Qi Yin, "and originally, there was Xiao Yin."

The cat, having woken up at some unknown point, was nibbling on the steamed bun in Fu Lan's hand. So it turned out this guy was saving the bun to feed his black cat. Depending on each other for survival with a seemingly abnormal demon cat, while his own brain wasn't too bright either—it was truly quite pitiful. Qi Yin sighed, split his bun in half, and handed a piece to Fu Lan, saying, "Alright, I'll be your companion, as long as you don't mention taking me as your bride anymore. If there's anything you don't understand in our future lessons, just ask me, and I'll help you."

Fu Lan stared blankly for a moment before realizing that Qi Yin had once again rejected his marriage proposal. He nodded in disappointment, lowering his eyes to watch the churning sea of clouds below, looking somewhat downcast.

Qi Yin didn't pay him any more mind. By noon, they arrived at the boundary of Fenghuan Mountain. To say he wasn't looking forward to it would be a lie. Qi Yin never dreamed that one day he would truly be able to ascend an Immortal Mountain and, like the Sword Immortals in all the storybooks and legends, fly up to heaven and down into the earth with his robes fluttering.

Qi Yin looked down. The mountain ranges stretched on endlessly, with mountain clouds settling between them like cotton lying in the hollows. A gust of heavenly wind swept past, blowing the green waves of the forest into rolling swells that reached the unseen horizon. A flock of white cranes flapped their wings and flew over their heads. Qi Yin reached out his hand and caught a fluttering feather.

So, this was the otherworldly immortal realm.

Qi Yin had heard many legends about the Immortal Mountains. There were always people claiming to be from the four great Immortal Mountains, sitting in teahouses talking endlessly, casually swindling two pots of hot tea and a few plates of fennel beans along the way. What he heard about the most was Wufang Mountain's Xuankong Miedu Peak, which had four black iron chains in the east, south, west, and north, disappearing into the vast sea of clouds. There was also Wufang Hall in the center of Miedu Peak. It was said that the disciples of Wufang Mountain paid their respects every morning and evening, chanting scriptures and practicing their swordplay in front of the grand hall. With the sonorous sound of scriptures and the whistling of swords, the commoners at the foot of the mountain woke up to work and blew out their lamps to sleep to the immortal sounds every day.

Of the four great Immortal Mountains, there was Wufang in the south, Kunlun in the west, Zhonggu in the north, and Fenghuan in the east. Fenghuan ranked last, but to the commoners, it was still an existence as high and distant as the heavens.

Yun Zhi lowered the immortal sword, and Qi Yin saw a long street at the foot of the mountain. Green-tiled pavilions of varying heights were crowded together on both sides, with a bustling stream of people flowing through the middle.

"That's Changle Market at the foot of the mountain. You can buy clothes, shoes, and hats there, and there's also food, drinks, and entertainment, though it costs a bit of silver." Yun Zhi flashed them a smile. "Since you two just arrived, as your senior brother, I'll take you to the Four Seas Peace Pavilion to broaden your horizons another day."

Qi Yin's intuition told him that wasn't a good place, and he said, "Aren't cultivators supposed to be of pure heart and few desires?"

Yun Zhi shrugged. "It's fine as long as we don't let the elders know."

This person was not decent. The Immortal Mountains generally had strict precepts, so to avoid being dragged down by him, Qi Yin decided to stay far away from him in the future.

After flying a while longer, they entered the mountains. Beneath the clouds and mist, a long flight of bluestone steps stretched across the mountain with a mountain gate towering at the top. On a giant boulder in front of the mountain, Qi Yin saw the red characters: "Sword flight is forbidden within the mountain."

Yun Zhi didn't even glance at it, flying his sword straight over the mountain gate.

Qi Yin: "..."

Along the way, the green waves of the trees were like a tide. Yun Zhi led them through the leaves, but there was no sign of the grand Fenghuan Hall, nor the three thousand disciples. An ominous premonition gradually rose in Qi Yin's heart. He finally saw buildings up ahead, but they were just a few scattered tiled houses and thatched cottages. A fence in the middle enclosed an empty plot of land where a few tiny children were practicing swordplay. As they flew over the roofs, someone poked their head out from a wooden window on the second floor and roared, "You damn ghost Yun Zhi, Landlord Zhang came to our door to collect your debt! You borrowed his clothes for three days but haven't returned them in a month!"

Yun Zhi didn't even turn his head. He stripped off his white outer robe and threw it to the person below. The sword zipped far away as his leisurely voice drifted over the wind, "Thank Landlord Zhang for me!"

Qi Yin looked at Yun Zhi with a face full of shock. After peeling off the spotless silk robe, this guy revealed a patchwork-covered bamboo-cloth inner robe underneath. Yun Zhi smiled and said, "To bring you back to the mountain, I had to dress up a bit presentably, right?" He pulled an outer coat from his Qiankun Sleeve and put it on. It didn't have many patches, but it had been washed so much it was faded white, making it impossible to tell what its original color was.

Fu Lan remained calm, though Qi Yin felt he simply just lacked any facial expression.

"Let's go, I'll take you to pay your respects to the sect leader." Yun Zhi flew them up to a high cliff and dismounted from the sword in front of a thatched cottage.

Qi Yin hesitated for a moment and said, "Um, where is your grand hall?"

Yun Zhi looked bewildered and asked in return, "What grand hall?"

"Like Wufang Mountain's Wufang Hall. Shouldn't your Fenghuan Mountain have a Fenghuan Hall too?" Qi Yin gestured. "With a white marble Sumeru base, a dome as high as three stories, color-painted crossbeams, Qilin reliefs..."

Yun Zhi said sternly, "Junior Brother, now you are in the wrong."

Qi Yin was taken aback.

Yun Zhi said, "What is the so-called pure cultivation? Naturally, it is practicing asceticism to cultivate the body and minimizing desires to cultivate the mind. Our Fenghuan Mountain has never looked favorably upon the extreme extravagance and luxury of Wufang Mountain."

"Oh... so that's how it is." Qi Yin scratched his head bashfully, but suddenly felt something was amiss. Just now, who was it that said he would take him to the Four Seas Peace Pavilion to broaden his horizons?

"Let's go, I'll take you to pay your respects to the sect leader," Yun Zhi said.

Qi Yin grew nervous again. He hurriedly packed the padded jacket he was wearing back into his bundle and tidied his appearance against his shadow cast by the sun. He also helped Fu Lan fix his temple hair and smooth out his collar. The two looked at each other, making sure they both looked presentable and wouldn't be an eyesore, then placed the black cat at the door to bask in the sun before following Yun Zhi inside.

The thatched cottage was dilapidated on the outside, but neat and tidy inside. A painting hung in the middle of the main room. It was probably too old and had lost its color, but one could vaguely make out a black-haired young girl combing her hair by a river. Below it were two rattan incense stands, each topped with a gold-painted Boshan censer. The paint was peeling in mottles, and gossamer-like smoke drifted out of them.

A disciple came over to bow and said, "The sect leader was careless while flying on his sword the day before yesterday and fell, breaking his leg. Please wait a moment, everyone."

What kind of half-baked sect leader was this? To actually fall off while flying a sword? Qi Yin was shocked.

"How could he be so careless," Yun Zhi was also greatly alarmed and asked with concern, "Is the injury severe? Will it endanger his life?"

"It's no major issue. We applied the Bone-Healing Ointment. After groaning in bed for a few days, he should fully recover as before after some time."

Yun Zhi revealed a disappointed expression.

Qi Yin inadvertently caught the disappointed emotion on his face and thought numbly, 'Could this kid be wanting to betray his master and wipe out the sect...'

After a long while, the sect leader of Fenghuan Mountain finally arrived, albeit late. He was slumped in an old rattan wheelchair, being pushed out from behind a gold-mountain and green-water screen by the combined effort of two identical Daoist boys. Those two Daoist boys looked bizarre, with white faces and pink cheeks, looking exactly like the lucky children in New Year paintings with a dot of crimson on their cheeks. But what was even more jaw-dropping was this sect leader; he was as fat as a white pig just let out of a pigpen, his entire body of flesh squeezed into the rattan chair.

Qi Yin finally understood why he would fall off a sword. For someone like this to fly on a sword, it was truly making things difficult for the sword.

A Daoist boy handed him a teacup. The sect leader took the tea, holding the celadon lid to skim the tea foam. His fingers were fat and white, looking like gleaming white pig trotters when pressed together. On his thumb, he wore a jade thumb ring engraved with fine and dense lotus patterns. Halfway through drinking, a tea leaf got stuck in his teeth. He snapped off a small piece of rattan from the wheelchair, covered his mouth with one hand, and picked his teeth with the other. While picking his teeth, he raised his eyes and sized up Qi Yin and Fu Lan from head to toe.

This riffraff behavior really didn't befit the sect leader of an immortal sect. Qi Yin began to suspect whether he had entered a den of swindlers.

Having picked the tea leaf out, he tossed it into the teacup and said to Qi Yin with a beaming smile, "So you are Qi Yin. You look quite..."

Here it comes again. Qi Yin felt bored. He knew what this fat man's next words would be. It would be nothing more than phrases like "You really look like your dad" and "Inherit your father's legacy well". Zhao Ran had said it once, Yun Zhi had said it once, and his ears were getting calluses from hearing it.

Qi Yin didn't care in the slightest. He came here just wanting a place to stay, a roof to shelter him from the wind. Once he saved up enough money, he would dust off his hands and leave.

"You look quite energetic!"

Qi Yin paused for a moment and looked up. The sect leader tucked his hands into his sleeves and said with a smile, "Although you two have special identities, once you enter the sect, you will be my sect's disciples, no different from the rest. However, entering the sect isn't just a matter of saying so. This old man still has to see if you have the ability."

Qi Yin turned serious. Could it be a trial? He had heard about it. The first stage of entering Wufang Mountain was a grand trial of a thousand people, fighting one-on-one. Only the final hundred victors could become inner disciples, while the rest had to pack up and go back to their mothers. He began to get nervous. He and Fu Lan were the only two here to become disciples. Could it be that they had to decide a winner between them?

The sect leader reached out his hand, presenting his broad and thick palm right under Qi Yin and Fu Lan's eyelids. "To enter the sect, first pay the tuition. One string of coins for a year. Paying for three years consecutively only costs two and a half strings. If you pay one tael of silver all at once, this old man will teach you for as long as he lives. Since you two came together, I'll give you a discount. You only need to pay the price for one person."

Qi Yin stood frozen in place.

Fu Lan took out his purse and poured a tael of silver into his palm.

"Straightforward!" The sect leader gave a thumbs up. "Good, from today onwards, you are this old man's disciples. My disciples' generational name is 'Yun'. Xiao Yin's Daoist name will be 'Yun Yin', and Xiao Lan will be 'Yun Lan'. Yun Zhi, go arrange a place for them to stay. The other two elders have gone down the mountain to eliminate demons and are not in the sect, so there's no need to pay respects to them."

Even as they walked out the door, Qi Yin still hadn't regained his senses. That one tael of silver, was it just gone forever like that?

He looked at Fu Lan with eyes full of shock. "Why did you pay the money?"

Fu Lan stared blankly and said, "He said to pay."

"He says to pay and you just pay?!"

Fu Lan looked somewhat at a loss. "Shouldn't I have paid?"

Qi Yin scratched his head and ears in frustration. "Good lord, one tael of silver! That's enough for the two of us to live on for a year. And that tael of silver was the one I gave you, wasn't it!"

They had definitely entered a bandits' den! Qi Yin was absolutely certain; Fenghuan Mountain was just a fucking thief mountain that scammed people for money!