Chapter Seventy-Eight: Delivering the Message

Kunlun Sect was renowned as one of the three great Daoist schools under heaven, often called "Kunlun Beyond the World." Its mastery lay in arcane magical arts, esoteric charms, and the secret Nine Palaces Escape Technique. Ying Ning, inheriting the lineage of the Kunlun sorcerer known as "One Leaf Knows Autumn," had also learned many disciplines from the "Kunlun Jade Purity Spellbook." According to each student's aptitude, she decided to teach Xiao Yi a technique called "Earth Burrowing Art."

The mouse demon, who called himself the "Ancestor of Tunneling," was naturally adept at burrowing and digging, making the Earth Burrowing Art a perfect fit. Xiao Yi picked it up swiftly, mastering the basics in just one night.

Of course, Ying Ning's patient guidance played a crucial role. The path of cultivation is infinitely easier with a teacher's instruction than with blind self-exploration. For instance, Xiao Yi had been struggling for a long time to master the "Invisibility Art" alone, but still hadn't scratched its surface. Last night, with some resignation, he handed the secret manual to Ying Ning, letting his elder sister learn it first, hoping she could teach him once she'd succeeded.

The Black-Clad Guards, with their imposing presence, had come to Feng Mountain to hunt. Given their formation, they certainly wouldn't be satisfied with chasing rabbits or shooting sparrows in the lower hills—they would push into the deeper mountains to hunt fierce beasts.

This could pose a serious threat to Ying Ning. Should they happen upon her by chance, the consequences would be dire.

Recalling his earlier glimpse of those soldiers, Xiao Yi couldn't help but shudder. Each Black-Clad Guard was robust, trained in martial arts, exuding a murderous aura. Facing them, the mouse demon's heart was filled with dread, let alone daring to confront them directly. His spirit wouldn't dare leave his body; if it did, it would likely be scattered and destroyed by their overwhelming bloodlust.

Therefore, Chen Jianchen instructed him to hurry back to Feng Mountain and tell Ying Ning to leave the Wosong Cave for a time, just in case.

With a puff, Xiao Yi burst from the earth, opening his mouth to gasp for breath—his mastery of the Earth Burrowing Art was still fresh, and some of its subtleties eluded him. Besides, casting spells consumed spiritual energy, and his reserves were hardly abundant. After some time underground, he had to surface for rest and to check his bearings, ensuring he hadn't lost his way.

Suddenly—a sharp "meow!" rang out, startling the mouse demon.

A sturdy housecat, dozing by the eaves, was taken aback when a strange, grey-white mouse popped out of the ground before it, looking most peculiar, with a tuft of grass atop its head.

At the sight of the mouse, the cat became excited at once. Instinctively, it leapt to pounce, eager to toy with its strange prey.

"Courting death!"

The mouse demon suddenly spat out human speech. In a flash, he snatched up a pebble with his tiny paw and hurled it fiercely.

The stone struck the cat squarely on the forehead, splitting the skin and drawing blood. Startled and in pain, the cat stopped short. Its eyes met Xiao Yi's, and as two ghostly beams flashed from the mouse's gaze, fear seized the cat's heart. Its fur bristled, legs went weak, and it collapsed, whining in supplication.

Xiao Yi, quite satisfied, dusted his paws. A sudden idea struck him, and he leapt onto the cat's back, issuing a mental command. The housecat dared not disobey and quickly bolted forward, carrying the mouse demon away.

"What in the world...?"

Just then, a villager passed by, so astonished he dropped his carrying pole. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things—a cat giving a mouse a ride? But by the time he looked again, the pair had vanished into the distance.

Xiao Yi rode astride the cat's neck, upright, a paw gripping one ear, looking for all the world like a man on horseback—spirited and triumphant. His earlier journey underground had brought him right to Jingyang Village, but his magic was now depleted, making another burrowing run impossible. So he pressed a cat into service as a makeshift steed, riding up the mountain with all the swagger of a hero.

The cat, however, was silently miserable, swearing to itself that, should it ever see another mouse, it would turn tail and run—never again would it go after one.

The feline and the mouse took the shortest route, heedless of the terrain, so it wasn't long before they reached the foot of Feng Mountain. By then, the cat was utterly spent, panting for breath.

Xiao Yi hopped off, dusted himself off, and commanded, "You may go now. Once this ancestor is done here, I'll come find you for more fun."

The housecat, as if receiving an imperial pardon, turned and fled without looking back. In its heart, it had already resolved to run as far as possible, to abandon the life of a housecat and embrace the wild. Let him try to find me again...

Xiao Yi wasted no time. Fixing his direction, he vanished again into the earth.

But this time, he hadn't gone far before he was forced to surface in the woods, his little brow swollen with a great lump. Muttering, he complained, "Forgot about the mountain terrain—so many roots and stones, can't burrow at all! Rotten luck!"

Shaking his head, he could only scamper forward on his own two feet.

...

Thundering hoofbeats announced the arrival of eighteen riders at the foot of Feng Mountain.

By this time, Wu Wencai had been jostled so badly that he was dizzy, unable to tell north from south. A Black-Clad Guard helped him dismount, and Wu Wencai, barely able to stand, quickly found a place to sit down.

Commander Zhou cast him a glance and asked, "Young Master Wu, is this the Feng Mountain you spoke of?"

Wu Wencai caught his breath, drank some water, then replied, "Indeed, it is."

Commander Zhou surveyed the mountain, nodding with satisfaction. "The range stretches far, the peaks are lofty and imposing—truly impressive. Master Liaokong, what do you think?"

Master Liaokong, clearly an accomplished rider, was hardly winded after the long gallop. He narrowed his eyes and studied the mountain with far more seriousness than Commander Zhou, only answering after a long while. "Not bad. The terrain rises and falls with a certain grace—there may well be a spiritual vein within."

Commander Zhou laughed heartily. "So, Master, if there really is a spiritual vein here, will you establish a temple on this mountain?"

Master Liaokong pressed his palms together. "Naturally. Spiritual veins are hard to find—it would be folly to let one go."

Commander Zhou clicked his tongue. "No wonder your temples always seek out the deep mountains—so that's the reason. Well, the emperor has issued his command. For the temple's construction, you may coordinate with the magistrate. With a single order, ten thousand laborers can be summoned. No need to fear the wildness of these heights."

He turned to Wu Wencai. "Young Master, do you wish to enter the mountain?"

Wu Wencai quickly waved his hand. "Commander, I'm afraid my constitution can't handle much more. I'll stay outside and watch the horses."

Commander Zhou chuckled and didn't press him. He left two Black-Clad Guards behind, then let all eighteen fine horses graze in a grove at the foot of the mountain. He and Master Liaokong, along with the remaining thirteen guards, strung their powerful bows and set off into the mountains to hunt.

They wasted no time in the lower slopes, heading straight for the depths in pursuit of panthers, tigers, and other fearsome beasts—only such prey would satisfy their hunger for sport.