Volume One: The Soul-Guiding Gourd and the Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 58: The Azure Rippled Pool

A bright, flawless moon hung high in the sky, casting coolness upon the earth in countless shimmering points.

Gu Mo, journeying beneath the stars and moon, moved with a restless vigilance—pausing, advancing, pausing again. Though there was not a cloud for ten thousand miles above, a sense of foreboding pressed upon him, as if a shadowy cloud hovered perpetually over his heart, refusing to disperse.

Before long, the scent of grass and leaves drifted to his nose. The distant roar of a waterfall reached his ears, and ahead, the emerald pool shimmered so close he could almost touch it.

His face grave, Gu Mo cradled the Gluttonous Sprite in his hands, certain that danger crept near at hand. The breathtaking beauty before him could not break his anxious train of thought.

He halted, gazing at the ball of fur in his palm, and spoke.

"Hey, Furball, do you think that mangy fellow was just fooling me? This place doesn't look the least bit safe! If everything here were as peaceful as he claimed, wouldn't these gold bars be nothing more than gifts falling from the sky?"

"Glurp, glurp, glurp, glurp!" came the reply.

Unable to understand, Gu Mo merely gritted his teeth and strode towards the pool.

A shaft of silver moonlight fell across his handsome features.

The pool itself—what a sight: trees thriving at the water's edge, wild grasses lush and abundant, a gentle breeze ruffling the surface into a thousand sparkling ripples. The expanse of the pool was at least half the size of a football field, with a waterfall cascading down like a river of silver. The stunning vista nearly made Gu Mo forget why he had come.

He had been here before, but the difference between the pool by day and by night was vast.

The rush of the waterfall filled his ears. Gu Mo pulled a compass from his pocket, and following Xiao Yulou’s instructions, he faced east, pushed through near-identical thickets, walked dozens of steps to the left, then several dozen more westward. Sure enough, before him stood a great, luxuriant tree.

By now, Gu Mo had wandered far from the pool’s edge, but looking down from this vantage, he could still glimpse the glimmer of water.

He eyed the picturesque burial site and let out a sly chuckle. "Take a man’s coin, shoulder his woes. Let’s get to work!"

With those words, he glanced at the Gluttonous Sprite.

A single look was all it took—the little creature opened its monstrous jaws, and with a flick of its long tongue, produced the shovel it had swallowed earlier. (For food, this naïve little thing would do just about anything.)

Gu Mo spat into his palm for luck, then began to dig.

Crunch, crunch!

Far off, the cold moonlight poured down, raising a dazzling white glare over the pool.

Beneath the water, a mass of pale shapes seethed, hidden in the dark currents.

Gu Mo had been digging for who knew how long; sweat streamed from his brow. Luckily, the earth here was soft, sparing him from laboring till dawn.

He looked at the shallow pit he had made and sighed, jamming a cigarette between his lips.

"Damn! Money’s hard to earn, and this job is just as foul as they say! These gold bars are the death of me!"

After a round of complaints, Gu Mo crouched by the pit, taking deep drags and letting the tar and nicotine burn through his lungs.

Finished, he rose with another sigh and resumed digging.

Several cigarettes later, he looked at the deepening pit, exhausted as a dead dog.

Panting, he lit another cigarette and grumbled, "Damn, it’s been ages since I worked this hard!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past with a whoosh.

The bumbling Gluttonous Sprite hurled the blood-red coffin into the pit.

Thud!

The impact sent a rush of cold sweat down Gu Mo’s back—like a jolt of electricity surging from his feet to his brain.

He spun toward the little creature, unable to contain his outrage.

"You lump of coal! Are you brainless? Don’t you know ‘the dead are sacred’? What if something inside that coffin sits up? We’ll be the ones buried with it!"

The Gluttonous Sprite, scolded, bared four rows of sharp teeth in a threat, mouth gaping wide, rumbling gutturally as if it had no inkling of fear.

In a flash, Gu Mo’s phone began to buzz in his pocket, sending a fresh wave of terror through him until his face was pale as wax and his hair stood on end.

He steadied himself, then answered the call.

"Damn it, you mangy bastard, what were you thinking? Nearly scared me to death!"

"Hahaha!" On the other end, Xiao Yulou gave a lewd laugh, then coughed lightly and said, "Brother Gu, the Gluttonous Sprite has a bottle of serpent’s blood in its mouth. Once the pit is ready, pour half the bottle over the coffin. Then drink half yourself, and give the other half to the Sprite."

Gu Mo was baffled. Wasn’t that left behind by the Fox Spirit? Why drink it?

He scowled and snapped, "Are you insane? Why the hell would I drink that stuff?"

Xiao Yulou dropped his playful tone and spoke solemnly. "Brother Gu, the secrets of fate cannot be revealed. Do as I say, and you’ll live. If not, even I won’t be able to help you."

A chill wind swept over Gu Mo, making him shudder. As he listened to the voice on the phone, he realized he’d been tricked.

"You mongrel, are you setting me up? After burying the spirit, will there be more danger?"

"Emmmmmm..."

After a moment’s silence, Xiao Yulou relented, his change of tone obvious to Gu Mo. The lecherous priest sighed and said, "Brother Gu, as the saying goes, ‘the bolder the man, the greater the reward.’ This ordeal will surely give your strength a mighty boost!"

At this, Gu Mo’s heart sank.

"Damn! ‘A new trick every day, and each one worse than the last!’ Since I’m in danger, when are you coming?"

There was a bitter chuckle from Xiao Yulou. "Don’t worry! I’ll appear at the critical moment!"

With that, the call ended.

Beeep... beeep...

"Damn!"

No sooner had Gu Mo finished cursing than the Gluttonous Sprite, like a willing accomplice, produced the bottle of serpent’s blood with its tongue.

Gu Mo scowled at the thick, viscous liquid—he wanted nothing less than to drink it, but since it was his only safeguard, he unscrewed the cap and did as instructed.

He poured the serpent’s blood onto the coffin, and it was instantly absorbed into the wood.

The uncanny sight sent another chill down his spine, nearly making him collapse into the pit to keep the spirit company.

He steadied himself, glanced furtively around, then began to fill in the pit.

A long time later, Gu Mo sat beneath a tree, pinching his nose as he forced down the remainder of the serpent’s blood.

That quarter-bottle of serpent’s blood was truly foul—thick and astringent, coating his tongue and throat like melting ice cream, but with a chill that made him shiver uncontrollably and gag.

Its coldness rivaled that of the Soul-Binding Rope.

Meanwhile, the dark Gluttonous Sprite watched him with bright, eager eyes like a river of stars.

Once Gu Mo fed the Sprite its share, he noticed a great shadow stirring beneath the distant pool.

Suddenly, the wind howled. Sand and stones flew. The sky above was swept by a surging tide of black clouds, the temperature plummeting.

The moon was swallowed up, leaving the world in total darkness.

Gu Mo’s soul nearly fled his body. The sensation was hauntingly familiar—it made his skin crawl.

"Nine... Nine Yin Purple Thunder? Damn! Not again! Even in novels and movies, this doesn’t happen so often!"

Crackling sounds filled his ears.

Gu Mo looked down in surprise. The Gluttonous Sprite was trembling, burrowing into his arms, its once-soft black fur all standing on end, tiny sparks flickering between the strands.

Seeing this, Gu Mo felt a jolt of realization. "Damn! Is this another tribulation?"

He rummaged through his belongings: only a black bundle containing a Soul-Gathering Gourd, a Soul-Burning Lamp, the Celestial Measuring Ruler, and three ancient books. The blood-red undershirt that belonged to the Queen of Hell had long since been returned.

"It’s over for me!"

Panic-stricken, Gu Mo’s face turned waxen, cold sweat entirely gone.

A few seconds later, he slapped himself hard, the sting clearing his head. Not daring to waste a second, he scrambled to his feet and bolted.

Overhead, thunder roared in the raging clouds.

With a deafening crack, the pitch-black night was lit as bright as day. A bolt of purple lightning struck the ground before Gu Mo.

A split second later, a resounding boom. The tree ahead erupted in flames, purple sparks darting along its charred trunk. The thick, acrid stench of burning wood rushed toward him.

The sight made Gu Mo’s bladder surge with fright.

‘Damn! If that purple lightning had hit me, would I be as blackened, still sparking with electricity?’

Rooted in place, he dared not take another step.

Caw, caw, caw!

Gu Mo turned his head mechanically, his neck creaking. One glance, and his soul nearly left him.

Above, the clouds hung low over the pool, thunder shaking the heavens—apocalyptic in their fury.

Below, beneath the water’s surface, coiled an enormous white-scaled serpent.

Gu Mo gasped, speechless.

...