Chapter 31: Doubt

“Hmm, Little Meng, you make a good point,” Bai Xiaoyue nodded in agreement. “However, we can’t go on living here without a kitchen and a dining room, especially now that you and Pinecone have just achieved human form through cultivation. You both need proper meals three times a day to keep up your strength…”

“That’s right, that’s right!” Bunny Meng immediately grinned. “Sister Bai, when I was still just a little white rabbit, eating carrots every day was enough for me. But now, things have changed. From today onward, not only do I need to study, but I also have to cultivate Taoist practices—combining mental and physical effort means I can’t be careless with my meals. I need to eat good food! Earlier, when I tasted the dishes Brother Yan conjured with the ‘Paper Talisman’ technique, I realized—those are truly delicious! Hehe... That’s why, Sister Bai, I hope you’ll work hard on mastering the ‘Paper Talisman’ technique too, so you can, like Brother Yan, bring forth all sorts of wonderful dishes for us to enjoy!”

“Alright!” Bai Xiaoyue replied with cheerful resolve. “Little Meng, I’ll do my best to improve… For now, shall we decide how to use the rooms? Then I’ll start teaching you and Pinecone how to read, write, and cultivate the Dao…”

Hearing this, Bunny Meng and Pinecone were filled with joy, and Yan Chixia couldn’t help but feel happy for them as well. Once Bai Xiaoyue, Bunny Meng, and Pinecone had happily settled everything and were about to head to the study for their lessons, Yan Chixia said his goodbyes to Bai Xiaoyue:

“Sister, you teach Little Meng and Pinecone. I’m heading back to Clear Void Monastery to continue my cultivation.”

Though Bai Xiaoyue was reluctant to see him go, she smiled and said, “Alright, brother, take care on your way. Do come visit me often…”

“And visit me and Pinecone too!” Bunny Meng quickly chirped in.

“Of course, Sister, Little Meng, Pinecone, I’ll visit you often,” Yan Chixia promised. With that, he took up his “Red Hero Sword” and left the wooden cabin.

Bai Xiaoyue followed him out, reluctant to part. Walking behind Yan Chixia, she suddenly noticed how much he’d grown taller: last time, the top of his head had barely reached her chest, but now, he stood level with her shoulder…

After seeing Yan Chixia off, Bai Xiaoyue returned to her stone cave to fetch the inksticks, brushes, colored pigments, Xuan paper, cinnabar, and talisman parchment she kept under her bed. Carrying them through the passageway to the enchanted grotto, she stepped lightly into the study, where she found Bunny Meng and Pinecone sitting side by side at the desk, enthusiastically flipping through the Analects. She set her paper and writing tools aside, then smiled at them:

“Little Meng, Pinecone, I don’t know all that much myself, so I’m hardly qualified to be your teacher. But since you both want to learn, I’ll do my best to help you for the time being.”

Bunny Meng immediately chirped, “Oh, Sister Bai, you don’t need to be so modest! I know you’re very capable. Pinecone and I are both complete novices—your real knowledge is more than enough to be our first teacher!”

“That’s right!” Pinecone agreed earnestly. “Sister Bai, I’ll do my best to learn from you…”

“So will I!” Bunny Meng added with a laugh.

Bai Xiaoyue was delighted. “Good! Pinecone, Little Meng, since you both trust me so much, I’ll teach you everything I know without holding anything back…”

…

After parting ways with Bai Xiaoyue, Yan Chixia used the “Aerial Qi Glide” technique to return straight to Clear Void Monastery.

A quarter of an hour later, Yan Chixia arrived back at the monastery and saw Master Qingxu pacing beneath the ancient pine tree. He called out, “Master, I’m back!”

“Hmm.” Master Qingxu nodded. “Danzi, how is Bai Xiaoyue’s injury? Did the Golden Elixir you refined heal her wounds?”

Yan Chixia approached and replied, “Master, Sister Xiaoyue’s hands were badly injured by heavenly lightning. Fortunately, the Golden Elixir I refined worked wonders; she made a full recovery after taking just one pill.”

“Oh, excellent,” Master Qingxu said happily. “Danzi, you haven’t disappointed me—your Golden Elixirs, made in the ‘Wishful Cauldron,’ grow better all the time! And Bai Xiaoyue is truly an extraordinary woman: kind-hearted and generous. She put herself at risk to protect Bunny Meng—truly admirable…”

“Yes!” Yan Chixia replied excitedly. “Master, not only is Sister Xiaoyue full of compassion, she’s also clever and diligent. I taught her the ‘Paper Talisman’ technique, and she mastered it in just a month and a half.”

“Oh?” Master Qingxu was surprised. “If that’s so, Bai Xiaoyue is no ordinary person. Danzi, I hope you’ll keep close contact with her. As the saying goes, ‘Those who associate with cinnabar are stained red’—it can only benefit you.”

“Yes!” Yan Chixia replied with conviction. “Master, I’ll remember your advice. Also, today, not only did Bunny Meng achieve human form through cultivation, but a thousand-year-old squirrel also succeeded in his tribulation and became human. His name is Pinecone. Sister Xiaoyue has taken him in, and now Pinecone and Bunny Meng are both learning cultivation from her.”

“Good.” Master Qingxu nodded. “Bai Xiaoyue, Bunny Meng, and Pinecone are all kind souls. If there were more people like them in the world, it would be a much better place!”

“You’re right, Master. Sister Xiaoyue, Little Meng, and Pinecone are all truly good-hearted. I enjoy spending time with them—it makes me very happy. But Master, something unpleasant happened today. On my way to visit Sister Xiaoyue, I ran into She Meier. She pestered me endlessly, and I nearly fell into her trap…”

“Oh?” Master Qingxu asked urgently. “Danzi, didn’t that snake enchantress already reveal her true form? She should be gravely weakened—how is she already making trouble again? If that’s the case, her cultivation must be formidable. Did you fight her today? With your current skills and swordsmanship, she shouldn’t pose a threat—how did you almost fall into her hands? Did she use some sort of magical artifact against you?”

“That’s right,” Yan Chixia replied. “Master, I fought her with my sword, and she couldn’t best me. Suddenly, she produced a zither and began to play… It was a strange instrument, stringless, yet it emitted the most enchanting sounds. Hearing it, I felt as if I were drunk, my mind clouded…”

“The ‘Demonic Sound Zither’?” Master Qingxu exclaimed. “She Meier actually possesses the ‘Demonic Sound Zither’? As far as I know, that instrument was crafted by the Celestial Maiden of the Ninth Heaven over ten years—one of the finest treasures in existence… If She Meier has it, her origins must be extraordinary. Could it be… she has some connection to the Celestial Maiden of the Ninth Heaven?”

Hearing this, Yan Chixia quickly asked, “Master, who is the ‘Celestial Maiden of the Ninth Heaven’? What kind of artifact is the ‘Demonic Sound Zither’?”

Master Qingxu answered, “The Celestial Maiden of the Ninth Heaven’s real name is Yun Zhongyan. She’s a remarkable and rare woman, having attained the Dao many years ago—her cultivation surpasses even mine, and she’s now a wandering immortal. She lives in seclusion on Mount Li, not only skilled in the Dao but also a master craftsman of magical artifacts… The ‘Demonic Sound Zither’ she crafted is a most extraordinary treasure, capable of producing all manner of sounds to defeat enemies. Its ‘bewitching melody’ can sap a man’s will and plunge him into confusion and longing… Danzi, I would like to know: with your modest abilities, how did you manage to break free from the zither’s spell?”