Chapter Eighty-One: An Encounter with a Venomous Gu on the Road

“You brat, if the bonfire hadn’t been so dim last night, and I’d seen you clearly, you wouldn’t still be alive today!” Xilong grumbled indignantly.

“Who exactly are you?” Yue’er eyed the oddly dressed Thai shaman before her, suspicion in her voice.

“You little priest, you’ve offended the Yin-Yang Hall. There may only be twelve shamans in the Yin-Yang Hall at present, but each one is a master of their craft. If I weren’t bound here by you today, and we faced each other head-on, who knows which of us would win!” Xilong continued, still unconvinced.

At that moment, Yue’er produced a colorful centipede from the bamboo gourd slung across her back. “My master, Mr. Fang, wants you to answer his questions. If you insist on being stubborn, you won’t get off easy.” As she spoke, she moved to stuff the centipede into Xilong’s mouth.

Fang You hurriedly tried to stop her. “Yue’er, what are you—!”

“Don’t worry, this will only hurt him for a while.” And with that, Yue’er forced the vividly colored centipede into Xilong’s mouth.

“What did you just make me eat?” Xilong asked in panic.

“That’s a venomous creature I cultivated myself. From now on, if you refuse to answer, the parasite will begin to devour your heart, inch by inch, until you die in agony.” Though Yue’er was beautiful, her methods were ruthless.

“You dare—” Xilong started to speak, but was cut off by a sudden stab of pain in his abdomen.

Yue’er held up a charm in her hand. “This is a special control talisman from my Miao village. If you don’t answer Mr. Fang’s questions at once, I’ll use it to command the parasite to consume your heart and liver.”

Before Yue’er finished her sentence, Xilong’s stomach twisted in pain again.

“Fine! Today I admit defeat at the hands of you two youngsters. I came here to obtain the King of Venoms from the Gu Faction of Miaojiang, and to recruit He Bi’an, one of the seven elders of the ancient sect, to join the Yin-Yang Hall and strengthen our forces!” Xilong confessed, sweating and panting heavily.

“He Bi’an!” Fang You’s eyes flashed with excitement at the name. “So he really has returned to the forbidden grounds of Gu Mountain!”

“Master, what shall we do with this man now?” Yue’er looked at the Thai shaman before them.

Fang You picked up a charm, reciting, “Slumber Talisman!” He pressed it to Xilong’s forehead.

At once, Xilong fell into a deep, snoring sleep.

“Quickly, we must head to the main stronghold of Miaojiang!”

Meanwhile, in a vast village, four elders sat around a table, discussing the affairs of the rear mountain of Miaojiang.

“Now that Old Ghost He, one of the four elders, is dead, the chieftain has gone to the rear mountain with Taoist Zhang, leaving the four of us to hold the seven great villages together. It’s truly a heavy burden,” lamented an elder, adorned in silver and leaning on a cane.

“We’re all ‘cooked Miao’—outsiders who married into the Miao. We’re not allowed into the rear mountain. Besides, someone needs to stay and keep order among the seven great villages so the chieftain can go to the rear mountain without worry.”

“I just hope the chieftain and Taoist Zhang return safely,” another elder sighed.

“It’s a disgrace that He Bi’an has betrayed Miaojiang!”

Suddenly, as the elders discussed, a villager’s voice called from outside the door. “Elders, someone requests an audience!”

“Who wants to see us at this hour?”

“Bring him in!”

A young Taoist entered, looking especially youthful and spirited, with Yue’er—the daughter of a deputy elder—following behind.

“Yue’er, is that you? And this is…?” One elder recognized Yue’er and glanced curiously at the young Taoist beside her.

“I am Fang You, nephew of Taoist Zhang. I have come in search of my uncle. Should there be any way I can help, I will do my utmost.”

The young man was polite, bowing as he spoke.

“So you’re Taoist Zhang’s nephew!” one elder stroked his beard approvingly. “You must be quite capable to venture into chaotic Miaojiang alone at such a time.”

“Your uncle went to the forbidden grounds in the rear mountain with our chieftain. Miaojiang is divided into ‘raw’ and ‘cooked’ Miao. The ‘raw Miao’ are the original inhabitants, living traditionally, while the ‘cooked Miao’ are those who have married outsiders and settled here.”

“Nowadays, the raw Miao grow fewer, the cooked Miao more numerous. The forbidden grounds have always been off-limits to the cooked Miao, for within lies the King of Venoms, sovereign of all poisons. Possessing it grants mastery over all venomous creatures, immunity from a hundred poisons, and dominion over all insects.”

The elders explained in measured tones.

“So my uncle is in the forbidden grounds. On my way here, I encountered a shaman; it seems other sorcerers are also after the King of Venoms. If you permit, I would like to enter the forbidden grounds and offer my aid.” Fang You spoke earnestly.

The elders exchanged glances, then said hesitantly, “If you were a local sorcerer, entry would be forbidden. But as an outsider, you may enter. Be warned, though—the forbidden grounds are perilous. Life is cheap and the wild venomous insects are countless, bred by nature itself. Guard your life well.”

Fang You smiled slightly. “I have traveled the world to battle evil and uphold the Dao. If I feared death, I would have long forsaken the path for a simple farming life.”

“Well said, young man!” an elder proclaimed in admiration.

“We worry, too, about the rear mountain, but tradition forbids cooked Miao from entering. Though we know little of venoms, there is always the risk. But the situation is urgent. As an outsider, we can show you the way. After that, you must rely on your own wits. The forbidden grounds are full of deadly insects, many wild and fiercely bred—you must be careful.”

“I understand. Please direct me.”

“Dashuang! Ergou!”

The elders called forth two young men.

“These two are raw Miao from our village and know the way to the forbidden grounds. Let them guide you.”

“Thank you, elders.”

“It is we who should thank you for helping the village.”

“Master, let’s set out,” Yue’er urged.

“Very well.”

Fang You, Yue’er, and the two raw Miao, Dashuang and Ergou, set off for the forbidden grounds in the rear mountain of Miaojiang.

Watching their departing figures, the four elders sighed. “The young truly surpass the old. May they all return safely.”