Chapter 21 Satisfaction—Part Three
Wei WuXian replied, “Huh, so there are evil creatures that eat humans there?”
After hearing at least thousands of legends like this and killing at least hundreds of them with his own hands, he was getting a little bored. The shaman continued, his voice rising and falling, “That’s right! It’s said that in the forest on the ridge, there’s a ‘man-eating castle’ with monsters that prey on the humans living within. Those monsters will devour anyone who dares to enter without leaving a single crumb behind. No corpses have been found—not a single exception! Scary, isn’t it?”
No wonder Jin Ling came here too. Unable to restrain the soul-eating goddess on Dafan Mountain, she must have come again to target the monsters on Xinglu Ridge. Wei WuXian exclaimed, “How terrifying! But if nothing was left behind, and no bodies were found, how could we know they were eaten?”
After a pause, the con artist replied, “Of course someone saw it.”
Wei WuXian expressed his admiration, “But, before this, didn’t you say that anyone who entered it would be devoured without a single crumb, without exception? Then, who on earth started this legend? How powerful must they be, to still live to tell the tale after seeing such a sight?”
“…” The conman, “That’s the legend. How would I know?”
Wei WuXian, “Then, do you know how many people were eaten at Xinglu Ridge? When were they eaten? Their ages? Their genders? What were their names? Where did they live?”
The deceiver, “I don’t know.”
Wei WuXian, “Qinghe sok tahu? Hah?”
The conman took his basket angrily, “The legends don’t have information like this!”
Wei WuXian laughed, “No, no, don’t go yet. I want to ask again. Is Xinglu Ridge part of Qinghe territory? Isn’t Qinghe the Nie Sect’s territory? If there really are monsters roaming around Xinglu Ridge, why would they ignore it?”
To his surprise, this time, the impostor didn’t answer “I don’t know” again. Instead, a hint of disdain appeared on his face, “The Nie Sect? If it were the Nie Sect of old, they definitely wouldn’t have been ignored. Before the second day of the legend’s emergence, the Nie Sect would have already raided the place where the monsters roamed all at once, in the most decisive manner. But, isn’t the current leader of the Nie Sect, heh, that ‘ head shaker ‘?”
The leader of the QingheNie Sect was once ChiFeng-Zun, Nie MingJue. After his father, the last sect leader, was hated to death by the QishanWen Sect leader, Wen RuoHan, he took over the Nie Sect before he even turned twenty, doing everything in a direct and decisive manner. He was also sworn brothers with ZeWu-Jun, Lan XiChen, and LianFang-Zun, Jin GuangYao. After the Sunshot Campaign, the Nie Sect was quite powerful with him as its leader, its influence almost reaching that of the LanlingJin Sect. However, after suffering from qi deviation , he died in public, so the next person in line for the sect leader position was undoubtedly his younger brother, Nie HuaiSang. Wei WuXian asked, “Why is he called ‘headshaker’?”
The imposter, “Don’t you know the story behind it? No matter what others ask Sect Leader Nie, if he doesn’t know, he won’t say anything; if he does, he’s too afraid to say anything. If you ask him too hard and force him, he’ll shake his head repeatedly, crying and saying, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know, I really don’t know!’ Then he’ll beg the others to let him go. Isn’t it obvious why he’s called ‘the head shaker’?”
In the past, Wei WuXian and Nie HuaiSang had studied together, so there were a few things he could comment on about this person. Nie HuaiSang wasn’t a bad person. It wasn’t that he wasn’t intelligent, but rather that he preferred other pursuits and used his intelligence for other things, such as painting on fans, hunting birds, playing truant, and fishing. Because his cultivation talent was very low, he formed the sect’s core about eight or nine years later than the other disciples in his class. During his lifetime, Nie MingJue had often been upset that his older brother hadn’t lived up to his expectations, so he disciplined him harshly. Despite this, his progress remained limited. Now, without his older brother’s protection and supervision, under his leadership, the QingheNie Sect had declined even further. As he grew older, especially after becoming the sect leader, he was often plagued by various matters unfamiliar to him and sought help everywhere, especially from his older brother’s two sworn brothers. One day, he went to Jinling Tower to complain to Jin GuangYao, and the next day, he went to Cloud Recess to complain to Lan XiChen. With the support of the two sect leaders, Jin and Lan, he still struggled to secure the position of sect leader. Now, whenever people mentioned Nie HuaiSang, even if they didn’t say anything on the surface, the same sentence was etched on their faces—useless.
Remembering the events of the past, he couldn’t help but sigh at the thought.
After Wei WuXian finished asking about Xinglu Ridge, he still helped the con artist with his business by buying two packets of rouge. He tucked them into his clothes and walked back to Lan WangJi. Lan WangJi still didn’t seem to have any intention of asking for the pouches back. Silently, they walked together in the direction the con artist had pointed.
Xinglu Ridge was a vast cedar forest, with wide paths through the shade of the trees. After walking for a while, they found nothing unusual. After all, they hadn’t held out much hope at first, only coming here to be on the safe side. If the terrifying legends of a region were true, there would be detailed information. On Dafan Mountain, where the soul-eating goddess roamed, it was easy to find out where the victims lived and what their names were—even the nickname of A-Yan’s fiancée. However, if the impostor wasn’t sure of the victims’ names and details, it was likely just an exaggerated rumor.
After less than an hour, they finally reached a dead end. Seven or eight figures emerged from the front, staggering toward them. Their eyes were white and their clothes were tattered, as if even a gentle breeze would blow them away. Given their extremely slow speed, it was easy to tell that they were a group of low-level walking corpses.
Not only were these corpses easily harassed by their peers, but if they encountered a slightly stronger human, they could be kicked to the ground; if they encountered a slightly faster child, they would quickly be left behind several blocks. Even if the victim were extremely unlucky and had a few mouthfuls of Yang energy sucked out, they still wouldn’t die. Despite how horrific the corpses looked and smelled, they weren’t the slightest bit threatening. Therefore, if they appeared during night hunting, most elders ignored them and left them for their juniors. This followed the same logic as hunting tigers and panthers, not mice.
Seeing them approaching, Wei WuXian knew something was wrong and crouched behind Lan WangJi. As he expected, when the walking corpses staggered about twenty meters in front of them, the moment they saw Wei WuXian, they were so frightened that they immediately turned back, their speed two or three times faster than when they were approaching. Wei WuXian rubbed his temples, turned around, and said in a frightened voice, “Wow, HanGuang-Jun, you’re so cool! They were so scared when they saw you that they ran away! Haha.”
Lan WangJi sighed.
Wei WuXian pushed him away with a laugh, “Come on, come on. Let’s get down from this ridge. I don’t think there are any other monsters. The people here are so gossipy that they even turn some useless walking corpses into vicious monsters in their mouths. Things like the ‘man-eating castle’ must be made up, too. What a waste of energy, huh?”
Lan WangJi only started walking after a few more pushes. Before Wei WuXian could catch up, a series of wild barks suddenly sounded from a distance in the cedar forest.
Wei WuXian’s face immediately changed. He quickly moved behind Lan WangJi and squatted down, hugging Lan WangJi’s waist.
Lan WangJi, “… It’s still far away. What are you hiding?”
Wei WuXian, “I-I-I’ll hide first, then I’ll see. Where? Where?!”
Lan WangJi listened carefully for a moment, then answered, “It’s Jin Ling’s black-haired spiritual dog.”
Hearing Jin Ling’s name, Wei WuXian immediately stood up, but crouched down again after hearing a few more barks. Lan WangJi continued, “If a spiritual dog barks like that, something must be wrong.”
Wei WuXian groaned a few times, then stood up with difficulty, his legs still trembling, “Th-then, let’s go and take a look!”
Lan WangJi didn’t move at all. Wei WuXian shouted, “HanGuang-Jun, why aren’t you moving? Move! If you don’t move, what am I supposed to do?!”
After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi replied, “First… let go.”
The two of them pushed each other and staggered. Although they followed the dog’s barking, they only circled the cedar forest twice. The spiritual dog’s barking sounded sometimes close, sometimes far away. After listening to it for a while, Wei WuXian finally got used to it, at least stopping stuttering as he spoke, “There’s a maze here?”
This maze must have been created by someone. A while ago, he said the legend of the ridge was just a rumor, but now, things are getting interesting.
After about fifteen minutes of barking, the black-haired spirit dog still hadn’t tired. The two followed the sound after finding a way out of the maze. Soon, the silhouette of a sinister stone castle appeared in the middle of the cedar forest.
The castles were made of grayish-white stones, their surfaces covered in green vines and fallen leaves. Each castle was shaped like a strange half-sphere, looking like several large bowls turned upside down on the ground.
Who would have thought that such a stone palace actually existed within Xinglu Ridge? It seems the legend is not just a figment of the imagination. However, it’s difficult to confirm whether this is truly a “man-eating palace,” and what creatures reside within.
Jin Ling’s black-furred spiritual dog was outside the cluster of stone castles. It ran around them, sometimes growling softly and sometimes barking wildly. Seeing Lan WangJi approaching, it backed away slightly in fear, but instead of running away, it barked even louder. It then looked toward the stone castles, its front paws restlessly digging in the dirt. Wei WuXian hid behind Lan WangJi and said in a pained voice, “Why hasn’t he left yet…? Where’s his owner? Why did his owner leave?!”
From the moment they heard the barking until now, they hadn’t heard anything from Jin Ling, not even a cry for help. This black-haired spirit dog must have been brought here by him, and he must have been the one who solved the maze. However, it felt like a living person had simply vanished.
Lan WangJi said, “Let’s go in and take a look.”
Wei WuXian, “How? There is no door.”
There really was no door. The gray-white stones were tightly packed together, with no gaps for doors or windows. The dog barked as it jumped up. It felt like biting the hem of Lan WangJi’s robe, but it resisted the urge, instead circling around him to bite Wei WuXian’s shirt, pulling him in a certain direction.
Wei WuXian’s soul nearly flew out of him. He reached out his hand toward Lan WangJi, “Lan Zhan… Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan… Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!!!”
The dog dragged Wei WuXian, and Wei WuXian dragged Lan WangJi. The dog led them halfway around the corner, to the back of the stone castle. To their surprise, there was a man-sized entrance in the wall. It was uneven, and there were broken pieces of stone on the ground, indicating that it had just been violently smashed open with a magic tool. The inside of the entrance was too dark to see anything, except for a faint red light. The dog loosened its teeth. It barked again toward the inside, and wagged its tail wildly at the two of them.
It was clear that Jin Ling must have broken into the stone palace by force, but something happened to him after he entered.
Bichen drew his own sword, extending it only an inch. The blade emitted a cold, light blue light, illuminating the dark path ahead. Lan WangJi bent down and entered first. Wei WuXian was nearly driven mad by the dog and rushed in as well, nearly bumping into him. Lan WangJi held his hand out for support and shook his head, either in dissatisfaction or in resignation.
The black-haired spiritual dog looked like it really wanted to follow him, trying to charge in, but it seemed to be blocked by some external force. It couldn’t break through no matter how strong the barrier was, so it could only sit outside the entrance, its tail wagging faster and faster. Wei WuXian was so happy that he almost knelt down for it. Pulling his hand, he walked a few steps inside. The blue light radiating from the distant sword almost looked white in this darkness.
Xinglu Ridge was covered in dense, tall forests, making it quite chilly. And inside the stone castle, the temperature was even colder than outside. Wearing only thin clothing, the wind blew between Wei WuXian’s cuffs and his back—the cold sweat from the dog had already dried. The light at the entrance had disappeared as if a candle had been extinguished. The deeper they went in, the darker and more spacious the room became.
The top of the stone castle was round. Wei WuXian kicked a few boulders onto the ground. He could hear a slight echo.
Finally he couldn’t hold it in any longer and stopped, pressing his right hand to his temple and frowning.
Lan WangJi turned around and asked, “What happened?”
Wei WuXian replied, “… So noisy.”
Inside the stone castle, there was only an eerie silence. As quiet as a grave. In fact, the castle itself looked like a graveyard.
However, in Wei WuXian’s ears, at this moment, they were already surrounded by noise.
Translator’s Notes
Shaking head : The original phrase used for this comes from a traditional Chinese proverb, which roughly means Nie HuaiSang answered “I don’t know” to every question asked of him. Since an adequate translation has not been found, this phrase has been slightly modified to keep with the flow of English.
Qi Deviation : Qi deviation, or qigong deviation, refers to physiological or psychological disturbances that occur when one cultivates using “incorrect” methods or flawed techniques ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zou_huo_ru_mo ).
Yang Energy : “Yang” here refers to the “yang” in “yin yang.” Yang energy represents life and goodness, while Yin energy (also translated as “dark energy” or “evil energy”) represents death and evil.
Maze network : A maze network is most likely a network that can be used to confuse someone’s direction and trap them somewhere.