ATEG Chapter 104

The decaying trees fell, leaning into the water. Their roots hadn’t completely severed yet, and the leaves on the canopy were still verdantly green, but the roots soaked in the water had already rotted. Thick and thin moss climbed over them, receiving the light that fell from above.

When a tree fell, it yielded a bright patch in the densely covered sky.

Bai Hong landed steadily on the slanting trunk. This was a good spot—it veered away from the path the “Saichi” people had cleared, so they wouldn’t encounter others midway who might interfere with their business, yet it wasn’t so far as to reach uncontrollable dangerous areas.

Ding Qin tilted her head, looking toward the place where the rustling sound was closest.

A black snake with yellow stripes as thick as a rice bowl slid across the branches. It didn’t approach this bright place, only sliding away to the side.

Water voles, toads, flying insects… various animals of the swamp were each busy with their own activities nearby, a natural scene.

As the two traveled through the forest, a demon beast lurked underwater, patiently waiting for a good meal. But when Bai Hong stepped onto a tree root no more than two feet from it, the demon beast suddenly seemed to sense something and fled in panic, flicking its tail.

Within one zhang around Bai Hong, the aura of a great demon flowed without restraint. Let whoever was spying through beast control spy—she was curious to see what those people planned to do.

From high altitude it couldn’t be seen, but now that they’d descended into the forest, they discovered that the secrets hidden here were not insignificant.

After just a few steps, Bai Hong’s aura frightened away another demon beast hidden in the tree canopy. This was merely a swamp forest with no spiritual veins, yet it harbored too many demon beasts…

Ding Qin suddenly stopped, turning her head to one side.

“What is it?” Bai Hong asked.

“The spiritual energy fluctuations over there aren’t quite right,” Ding Qin said.

Bai Hong narrowed her eyes… she saw nothing.

“Then let’s go take a look,” Bai Hong said.

Although judging by the direction, that place had already deviated far from the path the “Saichi” people had cleared, with her strength, she didn’t need to worry too much. As for those ordinary beasts driven to spy on them… if they could keep up, let them follow; if not, so be it. If that person was too weak, she could just capture them directly. Only those with real ability deserved her effort in baiting them—the weak could just be grabbed and beaten for interrogation!

The domineering Crane God brought Ding Qin along in a few leaps, their figures flitting far away and disappearing from sight, leaving behind only a circle of snakes, mice, birds, and fish standing dazed in place. The beast controller hidden in the village couldn’t help but open his eyes helplessly. Most of these were just ordinary beasts with newly awakened intelligence. Though a few demon beasts were hidden among them, to avoid detection he’d chosen ones with low cultivation—how could they keep up with Bai Hong’s speed?

Today would have to end here. He turned this way and that, avoiding the sight of others in the village, and came to a tall building by the lake.

Arriving at the second floor, after knocking lightly on the door, a hoarse male voice came from inside. “Enter.”

Incense was burning in the room—three incense burners in total. One emitted blue-white smoke, one yellow-white smoke, and one gray-white smoke. The three streams of smoke filled the entire room, mixing into a pungent, choking fragrance.

The beast controller’s breathing caught from the choking smell, but his movements didn’t stop. He walked straight to the man surrounded by the three incense burners and bowed in greeting.

This was a man with a full head of gray hair, looking to have reached the age of knowing destiny.

“Wencha, I was shaken off,” the beast controller said.

He gave a general account of the situation, brief yet with clear key points.

Wencha quietly waited for him to finish, then said, “Their cultivation is higher than we anticipated.” 

“Yes,” the beast controller said in a low voice. “It’s mainly that cultivator called Bai Hong. The other little girl doesn’t amount to much.”

“This is both a good thing and a bad thing,” Wencha said slowly. He reached into the burner emitting yellow-white smoke and took something out. These three incense burners were quite peculiar—inside them weren’t prepared incense powder or pellets, but plants whose forms as leaves, seeds, and such could still be discerned, as if they’d just been picked and stuffed into the burners. A clear flame burned beneath, smoking and roasting them. Somehow, the scent of the plants in the burners was smoked into vapor that drifted out directly from gaps in the burner lids. This didn’t look like an incense burner, but rather like an alchemy furnace.

Wencha handed what he’d taken from the burner to the beast controller, saying, “Use this.”

The beast controller was startled. “Wencha, this is too precious.”

“Time is running short,” Wencha said, brooking no argument. “We must ensure success.”

The beast controller fell silent for a moment, then accepted it solemnly. “I will definitely accomplish it.”

…

On the other side, Bai Hong brought Ding Qin deeper into the forest for not very long before they heard unusual sounds coming from that direction.

As they drew closer, they could gradually distinguish that two different sounds were mixed together. One was sharp, like a blade at the heart, making those who heard it feel sudden terror—its sound was like “suan yu.” The other was fearful, as if facing great disaster—its sound was like “qing geng.”

(TL: “酸与” (Suan Yu) and “青耕” (Qing Geng) are probably onomatopoeic or names of specific vocal tones/characters, so I left them transliterated.)

After Bai Hong heard these two sounds, she raised an eyebrow and immediately quickened her pace. In just a few moments, she arrived at the source of the sounds.

Branches were broken, water splashed everywhere. Two strange beasts were fighting in the forest, attracting quite a few watching gazes nearby.

These two strange beasts were both similar to birds. One looked about the size of a magpie, with a blue body, white beak, white eyes and white tail, calling “qing geng, qing geng” in a very frightened voice. The other strange beast was quite striking—it was more than three times larger than the former, with a body like a snake, but with three claws growing beneath its belly and four bird-like wings on its back. Besides the two eyes on its head, each of the four wings also bore an eye, with pupils constantly rotating, watching either the qing geng bird or the surroundings.

This appearance was truly terrifying, and moreover, its hissing continuously transmitted power that affected the mind.

Though there were many watching gazes around, none intervened. These two strange beasts had both cultivated into demons, but the suan yu’s talent was especially suited for combat, and the qing geng bird was already injured. This wasn’t an evenly matched struggle, but a hunt. Without profit to be gained, the other demon creatures watching wouldn’t act easily.

The suan yu looked at ease, its vertical pupils cold, its snake-like forked tongue constantly hissing “suan yu,” both urging the qing geng bird’s death and warning the other creatures around.

The qing geng bird was already in a panic, with blood dripping from one wing. It had no more will to fight back, only wanting to escape. It spread its wings to dodge, which became the perfect moment for the suan yu’s lethal strike. The moment the qing geng bird took flight, the suan yu shot up from the tree. The qing geng bird’s form was nimble and it was about to turn and flee, but the suan yu’s four wings flapped once, completely changing direction. Its snake tail coiled toward the qing geng’s two claws, while its three belly claws reached separately toward the qing geng’s throat, chest, and injured wing.

In that split second, a slender, pale hand suddenly reached into the gap between the two, catching the qing geng in her palm with a reverse motion. The suan yu landed on a nearby tree looking completely confused, only feeling a blur before its eyes before the qing geng bird it was certain to capture vanished.

When the surrounding demon beasts looked clearly at the scene again, they saw a woman exuding immortal grace had appeared there at some point, the tip of her foot touching a vine, dressed in ink-wash robes, with brows and eyes like a painting.

The suan yu raised all four wings, lifted its snake neck high, making a threatening posture.

Bai Hong paid no attention. Her fingers brushed over the qing geng bird’s injured wing, and the suan yu’s malevolent power attached to the wound was dispelled. Before long, the wound stopped bleeding and began to close. The qing geng bird had its own healing power, but previously it had been invaded by the suan yu’s malevolent energy, which prevented it from healing.

“Little suan yu, I find this little bird pleasing to the eye, so I’m taking it,” Bai Hong said.

The suan yu hissed several more times, though this time it restrained the frightening power in its sound. It knew Bai Hong was not to be trifled with, yet was still unwilling, asking Bai Hong why she was interfering with its hunt.

Bai Hong smiled. Her phoenix eyes lifted, and the aura of the great demon that had been contained around her body suddenly surged outward. “Because I’m pleased to! If you’re not pleased, then come and take it.”

Feeling this aura, the suan yu made no sound and very sensibly turned and ran. The other watching gazes around also disappeared one by one.

“Come, you haven’t seen a qing geng bird before, have you?” Bai Hong retracted her aura, transforming from domineering and bold back to her previous immortal grace, smiling as she beckoned to Ding Qin.

The qing geng bird lay obediently in Bai Hong’s palm. When Ding Qin looked at it, it raised its head and sang a few delicate notes, as docile as could be.

Both qing geng and suan yu were strange beasts, each with their own innate divine abilities. Qing geng controlled healing, suan yu controlled terror.

Ding Qin had previously studied common strange beasts in heaven and earth with Li Feng. Both qing geng and suan yu were among those she’d studied, but this was the first time she’d seen their true forms.

“The frequency of strange beasts appearing here is quite high,” Ding Qin said thoughtfully.

“Besides the special terrain, there’s nothing particularly special about this place,” Bai Hong said, her gaze falling toward the center of the valley. So the secret causing this effect was probably located there.

After wandering through the forest and frightening away several more lurking demon beasts along the way, the beast controller’s watchers didn’t appear again—it seemed they couldn’t keep up.

When dusk approached, Ding Qin and Bai Hong returned to the village. Gelowa had been waiting for them long ago, his eyes bright with black and white distinct, looking at them expectantly. But seeing that only the two of them had returned, he couldn’t help but show some disappointment.

“Your sister is fine,” Ding Qin crouched down. “This is a result calculated using divination techniques. She’s definitely well, just temporarily unable to return.”

Gelowa nodded obediently, saying in unpracticed official speech. “Thank you.”

His eyes clearly still held anxiety, but he didn’t know how to press the matter. Ding Qin sighed inwardly and patted his head. “It’s alright. In just a few days, your sister will definitely be able to return.”

Gelowa drew some comfort from her confident tone. After leaving a basket, he wanted to leave. One jar of fresh soup, two bamboo tubes of rice—it looked simple, but with dried bamboo shoots, mixed mushrooms, and ham, it had been simmered for at least three hours.

“Eat together,” Ding Qin called out to him.

Gelowa was still hesitant, but after being kept behind, he accidentally ate until his belly was round, with most of what he’d brought going into his own stomach. When he realized this, Gelowa’s face turned red. Recently anxious, he’d had no appetite and hadn’t eaten properly. A half-grown boy was at the age of growing, and once his appetite was opened, he accidentally… couldn’t control himself.

“I, go back, bring more!” He jumped up wanting to go back and bring more food, but was held down by Ding Qin.

“No need to bring more. We don’t need to eat,” she said. She’d only kept him because she noticed Gelowa hadn’t eaten much.

Bai Hong tilted her head watching him from the side. After Gelowa saw them, his gaze often drifted to the qing geng bird. He didn’t have the mind to play with small animals now—his gaze toward the qing geng didn’t seem curious or affectionate, but rather as if he’d discovered something. When they first met Gelowa, this child seemed to have seen something in them…

“Are you interested in the qing geng bird?” Bai Hong beckoned to him.

Gelowa walked over, looking at the qing geng bird perched on Bai Hong’s finger, and nodded. “It, beautiful.”

The qing geng bird was indeed beautiful, with jade-green feathers that gleamed faintly, both beak and tail feathers white, clean and cute. But this certainly wasn’t the reason Gelowa noticed it.

Gelowa looked at the qing geng bird, and the qing geng bird hopped forward two steps, also tilting its head to look at him.

Bai Hong smiled without pressing further, saying, “Since you like it, how about you take care of it for a while?”

Gelowa hesitated, then nodded. The qing geng hopped before him. When Gelowa tentatively extended his hand, the bird took a small step and lowered its head to actively nuzzle his finger. Gelowa immediately took a liking to the qing geng.

“The qing geng bird is injured. Don’t let it go to dangerous places,” Bai Hong said, pointing at the qing geng’s wing. Though the wound there had healed, the feathers hadn’t grown back yet, leaving a visibly bald patch. 

“I will,” Gelowa nodded seriously.

Bai Hong let Gelowa leave with the qing geng bird.

When night fell with stars hanging and the silver moon high, the Evening Star had already passed its brightest moment, crossing paths with the silver moon. Last night the Evening Star accompanied the moon, and the two would touch each other.

Ding Qin silently watched the night sky. Last night’s moon dew had increased her vision. In heaven and earth there were great divine beings who held dominion over certain realms—like the Dragon Lord temporarily trapped in a well, like the famous Flame Lord of the mortal world, like the Great Celestial Venerable who ruled the Divine Court, like… the sun shadow she’d once seen on the High God. With a mortal body and shallow power, she was no more than a speck of dust. She thought she was insignificant, yet it seemed that wasn’t entirely so. Was she too sensitive, or… was she already in the midst of the game?

Faint blood qi floated in the night, dyeing even the light of stars and moon with an inconspicuous layer of pale red. This blood qi… seemed more agitated than last night by several degrees.

It appeared that new changes would soon occur…

The next day, Ding Qin and Bai Hong went to the swamp forest again. The person using beast control to observe them had learned his lesson—this time he changed to demon creatures all skilled in concealment with existing cultivation.

Qing geng and Gelowa got along well. He didn’t constrain the qing geng—rather than saying he was looking after it, it was more like he’d gained a companion. When dusk approached again, the qing geng found Bai Hong and Ding Qin first as they returned. It landed on Bai Hong’s shoulder, softly calling “qing geng, qing geng.”

“He saw through your divine ability…” Bai Hong’s lips curved slightly upward.

Not just Gelowa—the people in the village, when they saw the qing geng, all seemed able to perceive something. Not because they recognized the qing geng, but because upon seeing it, they understood. This was an ability they derived from their totem.

One day, two days… tomorrow would be the day Gemawa returned. The blood qi in the village grew increasingly agitated. Ding Qin and Bai Hong still went to the forest outside the village to wander each day. Today was the last time.

These past days, though the routes they took in the swamp forest differed, they were generally all within one range. If the person controlling wild beasts to observe them still didn’t appear, they would have to turn around and find him themselves.

Fortunately, those people also knew that once Gemawa returned, they probably wouldn’t go to the swamp forest anymore just to comfort Gelowa. The blood qi in the village was growing more and more agitated—today was also their last chance, and they didn’t plan to give up…

Plants were the best at competing for sunlight. Tree canopies were dense—aside from gaps between leaves, only the spaces between tree canopies would allow a thread of sunlight through. Therefore, no matter how bright the light outside, under the forest shade it was always as dim as approaching nightfall. And in such an environment, being able to find a bright and lovely spot was always very attractive.

A tree fell, leaving a patch of sky empty. Like a break in dark clouds, a beam of light descended, illuminating the water vapor in a fine, misty glow. Intentionally or not, these past days when Ding Qin and Bai Hong came to the forest, they would always come to this old tree in the process of decay.

The moss on the old tree climbed ever higher. New shoots sprouting from near the roots grew rapidly—in just a few days they’d already grown a section taller. The other trees around also took advantage of this brief opening, desperately extending their branches and leaves toward the empty space. Before long, this sunny spot created by the old tree’s death would be buried by other plants. The most silent plants in the forest competed most tenaciously and swiftly. All calm was only waiting for the right moment.

Like those thick old vines that originally climbed on trees, only doing their utmost to extend layers of broad leaves to catch the scattered light spots falling through canopy gaps—now touching abundant sunlight, they’d actually produced flower buds. In just a few days they became full, with pink-white and tender-yellow buds already about to burst open.

Ding Qin reached out to touch them, and the flower buds “pop” opened their petals with a sound. As if a switch had been pressed, the flower buds on the entire vine opened one after another, unfurling their full petals. Pink petals with yellow edges, tender and lovely, bringing joy to the heart. The pale white stamens in the flower centers spread open, releasing a wave of floral fragrance.

Slightly sour and cool, somewhat like the scent of water lilies. At first it just floated lightly in the air, but soon it domineeringly filled the entire space.

This wasn’t just floral fragrance. This old vine shouldn’t have bloomed such flowers, much less released such intoxicating fragrance that dulled people’s magic power.

Strictly speaking, this fragrance had no harmful effects on cultivators. It could help cultivators refine their magic power, except that during the refinement process, the flow of magic power would inevitably become sluggish. This floral fragrance was beneficial, so naturally it wouldn’t be blocked by a cultivator’s self-defense. As for dulling magic power… that was an inevitable process of refining power, like how people feel drowsy after eating their fill.

Catalyzing such floral fragrance wasn’t easy. This wasn’t a natural product, but the result of careful artificial cultivation. Using it as an intoxicant now could be considered finding an alternative use for it.

When magic power circulated naturally within a cultivator’s body it was calm and stable, making it difficult to detect sluggishness. By the time even natural circulation made the dulling of magic power noticeable, everything would already be too late.

Bai Hong stood on the fallen old tree’s canopy. The tender leaves on the branches were still green, as if unwilling. She stood on the tip of a thin branch, face upturned in the sunlight with eyes half-closed lazily. Only when the rustling sounds nearby were already quite close did she wave her hand, a wind blade shooting from her fingertip.

A black snake with yellow stripes was severed, head from body. It fell into the water still struggling and writhing. Snake blood seeped into the water, attracting something unknown. The water rippled several times, then quickly stilled again.

Bai Hong’s feathered robes fluttered. Her upturned eyes suddenly became sharp, carrying a great demon’s oppressive aura that swept through the forest. The lurking wild beasts instantly froze in place. One water lizard in an unlucky position was frightened by this intimidation and fell into the water with a splash, hastily climbing back up the tree. Once it climbed up, it didn’t dare move again.

“I mean no harm,” a figure approached from deep in the forest. It was the lean man from the group they’d encountered when first descending into the valley.

He stopped at a not-too-close, not-too-far distance, looking at the wary Ding Qin and Bai Hong, spreading both hands to show he was harmless.

Bai Hong laughed coldly. “I didn’t realize you had such skill in beast control.”

“No need to be wary. If we wanted to harm you, we wouldn’t have used Chen Guang Lotus,” the lean man said in his oddly accented official speech.

As he spoke, several more people emerged from the forest, faintly surrounding Ding Qin and Bai Hong in the middle.

“We only want to ask you to help us,” the lean man said. He knew of Bai Hong’s prowess—these past days in the forest, he’d constantly controlled wild beasts to track near the two. Among the demon beasts in this forest, none had lasted beyond a second move under Bai Hong’s hand. But they had calculated the timing before coming out. The fragrance of these Chen Guang Lotuses was enough to make her lose more than half her combat power. Otherwise, how could she only have discovered and struck when the yellow-striped black snake approached that close? As for Ding Qin… this little girl was truly young, not merely preserving youth. Even if she’d cultivated from her mother’s womb, how much cultivation could she have?

“Chen Guang Lotus is very precious. It can help you refine your magic power,” the lean man glanced at Ding Qin. “Very beneficial for her.”

This little girl was quite alert. As soon as Bai Hong struck, she’d already moved closer. Now she stayed close to Bai Hong, and though she tried hard to hide it, her eyes inevitably revealed some fear and tension. She was probably Bai Hong’s junior, brought out to gain experience. Though they placed more importance on Bai Hong, this little girl’s presence actually helped them. With her here, Bai Hong’s actions would inevitably have to take her into consideration. Wanting to both resist them while protecting this little girl wouldn’t be easy.

Chen Guang Lotus was difficult to cultivate, with gentle and harmless medicinal properties. Even at such a large dosage, it wouldn’t produce bad effects on people. One only needed to wait for the magic power refinement to complete, and the medicine’s properties would naturally dissipate, restoring the sluggish magic power to flexibility during refinement. These Chen Guang Lotuses might not benefit Bai Hong much, but for Ding Qin who had only cultivated for a short time, they should help solidify her foundation and save considerable effort.

The lean man’s thoughts were good. The medicinal properties of Chen Guang Lotus were indeed without antidote—it was originally meant to aid cultivation, so how could it be treated as poison to dispel? But the prerequisite for it dulling magic power was to refine magic power, and Ding Qin’s magic power… was divine power derived from Li Chi.

Let alone Chen Guang Lotus, even the Moon Essence Imperial Dew that demon spirits dreamed of obtaining—how could it refine the magic power of a celestial god?

On the surface Ding Qin appeared nervous and uneasy. She quietly grasped Bai Hong’s hand, as if very afraid and seeking some reassurance from it.

Bai Hong narrowed her eyes. Ding Qin’s divine power had already quietly flowed into her body. With a turn of divine technique, it catalyzed the Chen Guang Lotus’s medicinal properties to emerge—steady yet not intense. In just a moment, the medicinal properties were exhausted. Her magic power had become several degrees more refined and also dispelled the sluggish influence. Yet she acted as if still affected by the medicinal properties, her gaze cold as she looked at the lean man. “What do you want?”

“We want to invite you both to a place, to be our guests temporarily,” the lean man said. “You’re not in a position to fight now, and we don’t want to become enemies with you either.”

Bai Hong’s face remained composed, as if weighing matters in her mind. After a moment, she nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

The lean man also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Though those who came on this trip were all skilled, he didn’t want to fight with Bai Hong either.

Those Chen Guang Lotuses had all withered during their conversation. This type of medicinal flower had a short lifespan to begin with, cultivated to assist in cultivation, unable to be pollinated and bear fruit.

“Please,” he extended his arm to the two, taking the lead.

The others maintained their encircling formation, escorting the two forward. They took a different path—this path had quite a few dangerous spots. It looked like an undeveloped road, with many places only passable through experience and various items prepared in advance. Those with higher cultivation wouldn’t fear it, but it wasn’t suitable for village people to lead hunting and gathering expeditions.

“You’re doing this behind Da Wu’s back,” Bai Hong said coldly.

“He and we are not on the same path,” the lean man said. “He will ruin the village. We want to ask for your help, but we can’t let them know, so we’re doing it this way. We’re sorry.”

Though his official speech wasn’t very good, his apology seemed quite sincere.

Bai Hong remained unmoved. “Since you want our help, explain things clearly.”

“After we return. Now is not the time,” the lean man said.

When Bai Hong tried to ask more, the lean man’s mouth was very tight—he refused to say anything.

They circled a large loop in the forest. When they reached the boundary line with the grass marshland, they were already in the direction behind the village gate. And on this grass marshland, there wasn’t even an incompletely developed path.

“With your strength, you can walk directly across it,” the lean man said.

The paths on the grass marshland were only prepared for village people who couldn’t yet move with lightness. Let alone cultivators—even martial artists who could lighten their bodies and raise their qi could cross the grass marshland without sinking, as long as their stamina was sufficient to carry them across the marshland to find footing. Of course, people-swallowing mud was only the most basic danger in this grass marshland. The small snakes they’d encountered when arriving were only one of the easiest dangers to handle in the grass marshland. Ordinary people only needed to wear protective clothing that the small snakes couldn’t bite through. 

Bai Hong snorted, taking Ding Qin with one hand, lightly stepping onto the grass marshland following behind the lean man. Ding Qin obediently let herself be held, acting as if her magic power was sluggish and unable to circulate.

The lean man whistled. A moment later, a python as thick as a watermelon swam out from the swamp forest. It swam directly onto the grass meadow, its long body parting the grass without sinking, guarding at the front side of the group.

The python carried a fishy smell. Many things hidden in the grass meadow, upon smelling this scent, avoided it. Unless desperate with hunger, hunting should target the least energy-consuming prey—wild beasts understood this principle all too well. But there were also some things that wouldn’t avoid it. One type was small and slow, unable to distinguish the python’s strength. The other type simply didn’t fear the python’s power.

Judging from the wild beasts the lean man had sent out to track them these past days, his beast control ability was far more than just controlling such a python. Now that he’d chosen such a moderately strong creature, perhaps he didn’t want the traces of their movement to be too obvious, or perhaps it was for… probing.

The grass marshland was deep. The group gradually went farther. Behind them, in a grass meadow they’d just passed through, a gray-yellow ominous cloud suddenly rose.