Guardians of Mountain and Sea - Chapter 6

As soon as the ice jade plaque appeared, the elder’s pupils constricted. The smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by terror and shock.

His facial muscles twitched. After a moment of hesitation, he offered a salute reserved for peers, his tone deeply respectful. “I did not know a disciple of the True Lord was here. Please forgive my bold intrusion. If Fellow Daoist has no further commands, we shall take our leave.”

The girl wiped her mouth and gave a sweet, radiant smile. “Senior, please do not be so formal. I only recently received the True Lord’s favor and was brought into the sect.”

The elder’s doubts vanished. No wonder he couldn’t sense a trace of spiritual energy from this girl; she was indeed still a mortal.

“It just so happens that Brother Wang also has a spiritual foundation,” Apu continued. “The True Lord was concerned that I was leaving home at a young age without a companion, so she granted permission to bring him back to the mountain with me once matters here are settled.”

The elder nodded. “The Wang boy’s foundation is mediocre. Having the True Lord’s profound benevolence and your consideration for a fellow townsman is truly his great fortune.”

Apu rested her chin in her hands, then frowned as if troubled. “I originally planned to go to the Wang house after finishing my business, but it happened that he found favor with your noble sect by his own luck. While I was feeling torn and distressed, I noticed that over the past few days, Brother Wang’s temperament has changed drastically since gaining his immortal destiny. He has been bullying the neighbors. I have decided to report this to the True Lord; I cannot allow my sect to recruit such an ill-natured person because of me.”

Apu tucked away the ice jade plaque and added, “I am informing you now so that if your sect still wishes to take him, you must investigate his character and teach him well. Do not let him use his skills to harm the world once he has learned them.”

The elder replied seriously, “Fellow Daoist, rest assured. Although my Lingqi Sect is small, we admire the Great Sects. We will certainly not bring shame upon the Righteous Path. Now that we know this boy has a poor disposition and bad conduct, we will absolutely not admit him.”

After speaking, he bowed again and nodded. “Fellow Daoist, your skeletal structure is peerless and your character is upright; you will surely have great blessings. I wish the True Lord success in attaining the Great Dao and ascending to the Immortal Realm. Farewell.”

The elder returned to the Wang house, where the youth had already placed Wang Musheng’s registered name into the ledger. However, the paper that had just been inserted flew out automatically, ignited in mid-air, and burned to ash.

Without waiting for the youth to ask, the elder reclaimed the ledger and waved his hand. A pillar of white light moved to envelop the uncle and nephew, quickly lifting them from the ground and retracting into the clouds.

A thunderous roar from the elder echoed from the sky. “Wang Musheng! Your conduct is wicked, and you have severed your own immortal path! From this day forth, watch your words and actions, and be a decent person! If I learn that you commit evil in the future, I will return to take the head from your shoulders!”

The Wang father and son collapsed to the ground in shock and panic. The idlers and servants looked at each other, and the gaze they turned toward their “masters” gradually darkened with predatory intent.

Above the clouds, the youth, having just learned the whole story, asked with a frown, “Sect Uncle, Wang Musheng seemed honest and respectful. Since he was already registered, how could we tear up the entry based solely on that girl’s words?”

The elder shook his head. “One may know a person’s face but not their heart. If what she said is true, someone with Wang Musheng’s character should be kicked out anyway. If it is not true, then he clearly offended her somehow. The Wang boy’s talent is mediocre and he would never amount to much; there is no need to offend a young lady like her for his sake.”

The youth wanted to say more, but the elder stopped him. “That girl has a natural Jade Bone structure, a top-tier foundation. Now that she has joined a Great Sect, barring any accidents, she will certainly have a place in the future cultivation world. Shifang, your foundation is excellent, but your temperament is too rigid and slightly dull. The sect has high hopes for you. After this journey, return to the mountain for secluded meditation.”

Shifang frowned, still curious. “Sect Uncle, which of the six Great Sects is that, and who is the True Lord?”

“Be silent. It is not to be spoken of. We have obtained the Demon King’s permission to enter Mang Mountain, and the herbs we needed are gathered. Let us go.”

At midnight, when all the stalls and shops in town had closed, the girl stepped out of the town with her bundle and entered the forest.

She transformed her dharma robe into the likeness of Granny’s cloak and wrapped herself in it, finding a spot to enjoy a good sleep.

The next morning, she washed up by a stream and ate a flatbread from her bundle. Apu knelt toward the direction of the ritual grounds, kowtowed several times, then stood up and forcefully shattered the ice plaque.

In the green woods filled with the sounds of birds and insects, the woman in yellow appeared silently before her.

“Are your mortal affairs settled?”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Good, let us go.” With a wave of her hand, a patch of mist rose from the ground and solidified, lifting the two of them into the air.

The woman in yellow sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, and Apu did not disturb her. This was her first time riding on the clouds, and it was a novel experience. The little girl lay on her stomach at the edge of the mist, looking down with only her bright eyes showing.

They flew for several hours without leaving the lush forest, and only then did Apu realize how vast Great Mang Mountain truly was.

Watching from the clouds made her hungry. The girl crawled to the center of the auspicious cloud and decided to eat a flatbread to settle her stomach while enjoying the scenery.

Opening her bundle, Apu hesitated whether to invite her senior to eat. Do immortals eat flatbread? This bread was made by Uncle Xu’s family in town; their recipe had been passed down for generations and was delicious.

But if the immortal did eat, should she offer the meat-filled one or the leek-filled one? The leek ones were tasty, but the smell was a bit strong.

While she was hesitating, a sharp crane cry pierced the air. A giant beak stabbed up from below, breaking apart the cloud they were traveling on. As the cloud shattered and dissipated, the girl only had time to shout, “Senior, watch out!” before falling down while clutching her bundle.

The woman in yellow, who had been sitting calmly, turned into a streak of red light that slashed through the giant demon crane. The lush forest below began to shake violently, and a massive black-striped, white-browed tiger pounced out.

It leapt from the top of the thickest cedar tree and bit through the neck of the falling white crane in mid-air.

The giant tiger then twisted its body mid-flight, using the soft fur on the back of its neck to precisely catch the falling girl.

The tiger continued to run through the forest and mountain streams in the direction they had been heading. Each leap spanned ten fathoms. It occasionally pounced onto the branches of tall trees, creating a gale that nearly tore up the topsoil.

It smashed any obstacles in its path with a single paw. Its roar sent beasts within a hundred miles scattering in fear and startled massive clouds of birds from the canopy.

This tiger was truly massive. The girl was almost lying flat, buried in the fur of the tiger’s neck. The furry tiger head was like a wall blocking her view, and she couldn’t even see its ears when she looked up. The wind whistled in her ears as the trees blurred into long streaks of green.

Apu sat up cross-legged, carefully gripping two handfuls of golden fur to steady herself. Excited, she shouted loudly, “Senior, so you are a flying tiger who attained the Dao, the King of the Forest in physical form! Truly magnificent and extraordinary!”

The giant tiger did not answer, but Apu did not mind; her heart was racing. She hadn’t even entered the sect yet and had already witnessed something so wondrous.

She thought that the beautiful Senior in yellow was actually a giant tiger spirit. No wonder the cultivators from that small sect were so terrified; she was a Tiger Queen.

They ran through the forest for several days. The trees in Mang Mountain were so thick and the light so dim that she had no idea how many days and nights had passed.

Suddenly, the view opened up. The objects rushing past were no longer green trees, but a vast, lush prairie. Great Mang Mountain was left behind.

The sun hung high in a cloudless sky, casting bright sunlight. The girl lay in the soft fur, dozing warmly.

After several more days of travel, on one afternoon, a voice as clear and melodious as an oriole suddenly rang in Lin Pu’s ear. “Little friend, you have an extraordinary foundation and a magnificent mount. I wonder from which immortal mountain you hail, and who is your master?”

Apu turned in shock. A strange, white-faced man was suspended in the air with his hands behind his back, keeping pace with the giant tiger. The tiger sped up and leapt, trying to shake him off, but the man maintained a fixed distance, neither far nor near.

The man’s features were decent enough, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a tall, burly frame. He wore a tight-fitting red outfit with a cinched waist and stood upon a giant wooden hairpin. It was obvious he had applied powder to his face to make his skin appear delicate and white.

Seeing the girl notice him, the man gave a slight smile. Though he was a masculine man with a beard, he gave off a bizarrely feminine vibe that made one’s skin crawl.

“I see that you have no spiritual energy, so I assume you do not have a master yet. My cultivation is not deep, so I dare not claim to teach you, but I have some profound manuals. How about I give you one in exchange for this magnificent mount?”

The melodious female voice coming from the masculine man made the girl shiver.

In all her years, this was the most beautiful woman’s voice Apu had ever heard, and he was the first male cultivator she had seen besides the old Daoist from the Lingqi Sect. The combination was so strange it left her speechless.

The man gave a “shy” smile. “I apologize for frightening you, little sister. It is my fault. However, my sect has met with disaster and our mountain gate is destroyed. I wish to join the Beast Taming Sect for refuge, but I lack a proper introductory gift. This giant tiger has already developed intelligence and become a spirit; it is a perfect gift. I ask you to part with it.”

The girl sighed inwardly. Although this man with the female voice spoke kindly, his attitude was firm; he clearly had ill intentions.

Senior had remained silent, and despite her secret attempts to shake him off, she hadn’t succeeded. It seemed she might not be his match.

The cultivation world was indeed full of hidden talents. She had thought Senior was a peerless True Lord, but the first strange person they met was even more powerful. If this strange man was so strong, she couldn’t imagine what kind of disaster his sect had faced.

Apu quickly pulled her wandering thoughts back. Senior had saved her life, and she had already agreed to join her sect. Furthermore, the name “Beast Taming Sect” sounded like a terrible place for the giant tiger.

Now that her sect elder and savior was in trouble, Apu was also trapped. She had no way to escape on her own, and if something happened to Senior, she certainly wouldn’t survive.

Making up her mind, the girl gave a bright smile and lazily patted the tiger beneath her.

“It is not impossible to give it to you, but…” She stood up, her smile vanishing as she spoke in a cold, stern voice. “If I give it to you, where would my Master’s dignity be!”

With that, she leapt off the back of the giant tiger, which was nearly ten fathoms high!

During the fall, her outer robe responded to her will, transforming into the gold-trimmed red ribbon she had seen in the ice jade plaque, coiling and dancing around her falling body.

The strange man was stunned. When he saw the red ribbon, his face twisted in terror. He ignored the tiger and dived straight toward the falling girl.

Apu’s heart hammered as she closed her eyes in the weightless fall. Suddenly, a gentle force caught her. Opening her eyes, she saw another soft auspicious cloud holding her in mid-air.

The long-lost woman in yellow stood in the air, looking at her with a smile. The giant tiger lay obediently on the grass below, occasionally flicking its tail like a gentle, pitiful cat.

“Senior, you…” So she wasn’t a female tiger after all.

“That was just a tiger beast I summoned casually for transport,” the woman said, raising an eyebrow. “What? You thought that tiger was me, so you jumped down when you sensed danger, thinking you could lure the enemy away?”

Apu used her mind to guide the red ribbon, and it transformed back into her fitted outer garment.

The girl answered honestly, “I do not know what I would have done with a reckless, direct villain, but with this thief, I was eighty percent certain.”

The woman in yellow tilted her head with a smile in her eyes. “Oh? Tell me about it.”

“This thief hid his identity and made himself look like this strange, neither-man-nor-woman mess. His sect is ruined and he wants to join another, yet he still probed the background of a mortal like me with no cultivation. He is clearly a stray dog in a state of panic, fearing that I have a powerful background. I jumped down and transformed my robe so that he would think I had other means of escape. Fearing that I would call for revenge, he was bound to chase me first.”

After saying this, the girl scratched her head. “As for whether I would die or whether you… I mean the Tiger Senior could escape, I had no way of knowing.”

The girl who walked out from the depths of Mang Mountain was as cunning as a beast. To survive, she could be flexible and suppress her nature to find a way out. Yet she was also as brave and decisive as a beast; as a child facing a demon snake with her mother, she had bitten the snake’s neck and refused to let go even when her limbs were crushed.

Now, for the sake of her benefactor, she had jumped toward death without hesitation.

Priestess Granny had chosen a good child, one of profound loyalty and heart.

Support Guardians of Mountain and Sea