In the blink of an eye, the little monkey Xiao Hui had already been back on the Great Bamboo Peak for several days. During this time, it seemed as if he had never left for nearly a decade; he was still so familiar with every blade of grass and every tree here. All day long, Xiao Hui and Dahuang played and ran around, bringing a lively atmosphere to the usually tranquil Great Bamboo Peak.
The barks of the dog and the high-pitched laughter of the monkey echoed through the peak, adding a touch of liveliness to the air.
In the early morning, as the disciples of the Great Bamboo Peak walked out of their chambers in groups, they couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the playful duo, a monkey and a dog, running and frolicking on the open ground outside the Hall of Tranquility.
He Da Zhi turned to the others with a smile, “Ever since our youngest sister got married all those years ago, it’s been a long time since we’ve had such liveliness here.”
Everyone nodded, sharing a sense of nostalgia. Just then, they heard a cough from the Hall of Tranquility, a voice full of authority. They were startled to see Tian Bu Yi standing there, and they hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.
Tian Bu Yi waved his hand dismissively, and his gaze was drawn to Dahuang and Xiao Hui. After watching them for a while, he grumbled, “Two ignorant beasts, barking like mad early in the morning, not letting anyone sleep.”
The disciples were momentarily stunned, but out of respect for their master, they dared not say anything. Tian Bu Yi muttered a few more curses, mostly about how he had raised a useless dog for so many years, and now it was being too friendly with a foolish monkey. The disciples found it amusing, but naturally, they did not dare to laugh out loud.
Unexpectedly, after a moment, Dahuang, who had been playing and frolicking in the distance, suddenly began barking loudly towards the Hall of Tranquility:
“Woof woof woof, woof woof, woof woof woof…” The incessant barking was piercingly loud in the early morning, and Dahuang’s face was filled with arrogance, his tongue hanging out, clearly showing his displeasure with Tian Bu Yi, as if he had heard the master’s curses and was unhappy about it.
The disciples secretly thought, could it be that Dahuang had some cultivation? Otherwise, even with a dog’s keen hearing, it would be hard to hear clearly from such a distance. But if it was an old, enlightened dog, that would be a different matter.
As they were pondering, Tian Bu Yi was infuriated by Dahuang’s defiance, his face turning red. He shouted, “Rebellion, rebellion! Now even the dogs are daring to bark at me. Number Six!”
Du Bi Shu, standing among the group, shivered and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, “Master, your disciple is here. What do you command?”
Tian Bu Yi, seemingly fuming with anger, pointed to Dahuang and Xiao Hui, who were still barking, and roared, “Today at noon, you will kill that stupid dog and cook it for us!” With that, he turned and entered the Hall of Tranquility, seething with anger.
Du Bi Shu stood frozen, sweat pouring down his face. “What? Master, this…”
Before he could finish, Tian Bu Yi was already gone. Moments later, the other disciples burst into laughter, almost choking from the hilarity. Du Bi Shu, anxious and angry, said, “What are you laughing at? This is what the master commanded, what am I supposed to do?”
Song Da Ren approached, trying to look serious despite the laughter in his eyes. He patted Du Bi Shu’s shoulder and said solemnly, “Younger brother, this is a significant task given to you by the master. You must complete it well.”
Du Bi Shu was almost in tears, “Who are you fooling? Everyone knows that the master loves Dahuang the most. If we so much as pull out one of its hairs, the master won’t be pleased. If I really follow the master’s order, and he regrets it later, I’ll be in trouble!”
Song Da Ren chuckled and walked away. Wu Da Yi, the second disciple, came over and nodded seriously, “Number Six, you’re indeed clever. You understand the master’s true intentions. So, just don’t listen to the master’s order.”
He Da Zhi looked up at the sky, walking away slowly, and said, “But I’ve heard that the master despises when his disciples disobey his orders. If he finds out that Number Six has disregarded his words, this…”
His laughter faded as he walked away. Du Bi Shu, like an ant on a hot pan, turned around and saw everyone heading towards the kitchen. He shouted angrily at their backs, “You ungrateful guys, you’ll get what you deserve!”
His voice carried across, but whether Song Da Ren and the others heard him was uncertain. From afar, he saw Song Da Ren wave his hand in the air, and faint laughter drifted back.
※ ※ ※
“Stupid dog, foolish dog, dead dog…”
“Woof woof woof, woof woof!”
“What, you dare bark at me again!” Du Bi Shu gritted his teeth, cursing at Dahuang, who was tied to a stake. “It’s all because of you that I’m stuck with this ridiculous task.”
Around noon, under the gleeful gazes of his senior brothers, Du Bi Shu finally caught Dahuang, who had been running all over the mountain, and tied him to a stake near the kitchen. Xiao Hui, hanging from a branch by his tail, seemed confused about what was happening, swinging back and forth, watching the conflict between the man and the dog below.
Dahuang, clearly not happy with Du Bi Shui, barked fiercely at him.
Though Du Bi Shu cursed Dahuang nonstop, he dared not actually kill and cook the dog as Tian Bu Yi had ordered. His master’s temper was unpredictable, and he might be even more angry if he saw Dahuang still alive. These thoughts troubled Du Bi Shu, and he didn’t know what to do.
Dahuang, clearly unhappy about being tied up, opened his mouth, revealing sharp fangs, and barked ferociously at Du Bi Shu. Annoyed and frustrated, Du Bi Shu glared at Dahuang, shook his head, and muttered, “Fine, fine, I’m just unlucky. I’ll go and cook first. Hope the master’s in a better mood later.”
With a sullen face, he turned and headed to the kitchen. As he cooked, he occasionally heard Dahuang’s barking, but it soon quieted down.
To please Tian Bu Yi, Du Bi Shu cooked with all his heart. As he worked, he heard a few more barks, followed by a low “woof woof” sound, but he paid no attention and focused on cooking.
Since no one would come to the kitchen, he enjoyed the peace.
After finally finishing the meal, Du Bi Shu let out a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and stepped out of the kitchen. To his shock, he saw only a piece of rope on the stake—Dahuang and Xiao Hui were gone. Panicked, he looked around, but saw no sign of the dog or the monkey. Could one of his senior brothers have pulled a prank on him?
He rushed to the other disciples’ rooms, asking around, but no one knew anything. Some even joked with him. Du Bi Shu, however, was in no mood for jokes. Just then, a loud bark echoed from afar. Startled, Du Bi Shu rushed towards the source, recognizing it as coming from Zhang Xiaofan’s old room.
He hurried to the room, and the other disciples followed. Inside, they saw Dahuang barking at the sky, but Xiao Hui was nowhere to be seen. They looked up, but the clear blue sky showed no signs of anything unusual. Despite searching every room, they found no trace of Xiao Hui. The mysterious monkey had vanished once again.
In the barking of Dahuang, they all felt a strange sense of loss.
At lunchtime, when Du Bi Shu nervously served the meal, only Su Ru appeared before the disciples. Puzzled, Du Bi Shu asked, “Mistress, why isn’t the master coming?”
Su Ru gave him a stern look and glanced towards the Hall of Tranquility, her expression odd. After a moment, she said, “Your master… he’s in a bad mood today and doesn’t want to eat.”
They were taken aback but dared not ask more, seeing her expression.
The Great Bamboo Peak seemed to return to its usual calm, except for Dahuang’s occasional barking, as if nothing had happened.
※ ※ ※
A figure descended from the depths of the Azure Ethereal Vapors, light and ethereal, almost like a mythical creature. When the figure reached a certain spot at the foot of the mountain, it halted abruptly, its swift movement producing a low whistle as it stopped, causing the nearby plants to sway and bow.
It was none other than Ghost Li.
No one knew where Ghost Li had come from within the Azure Ethereal Vapors, but perched on his shoulder was Xiao Hui, clearly delighted to be reunited with his owner. Xiao Hui’s long tail curled, and the end wrapped around Ghost Li’s arm. More intriguingly, the large wineskin on Xiao Hui’s back was now full, and the aroma of wine wafted through the air. Xiao Hui was overjoyed, clutching the wineskin and taking sips, his expression content.
Ghost Li, however, did not share Xiao Hui’s cheerfulness. His face was indifferent as he scanned the surroundings, seeing the dense, silent forest and the distant bird calls.
Suddenly, Ghost Li laughed coldly, “Come out.”
There was no response, but after a moment, someone sighed, “Only a few days, and yet your cultivation has advanced so much. Truly remarkable!”
A figure emerged from the depths of the forest, dressed in black—it was the Mister Ghost.
This enigmatic figure always appeared in unexpected places.
Ghost Li gazed at him, his expression neutral, though not entirely unfriendly. “Why are you waiting for me?”
Mister Ghost’s gaze flickered, first to Xiao Hui, especially to the third eye on his forehead, then back to Ghost Li. “Is the deputy patriarch unwilling to meet me?”
Ghost Li huffed, saying nothing.
Mister Ghost nodded, “As you wish. But this time, I am not the one with a message. A few days ago, Patriarch Ghost King sent me a letter with a message for you.”
Ghost Li frowned, “What is it?”
Mister Ghost continued, “Patriarch Ghost King was concerned after learning you were injured at the Moonlight Cave. He ordered the followers in the Central Plains to find you and relay his message: if you are injured, you should return to the Barrens to recuperate. If, fortunately, you are unharmed, there is another matter he needs you to handle.”
Ghost Li was silent for a moment, “Go on.”
Mister Ghost smiled faintly, “Patriarch Ghost King learned that the Beast God was defeated and fled during the battle at the Azure Ethereal Conclave. This beast killed countless of our brethren, and now is a rare opportunity to eliminate him. He is likely fleeing to the South, a place you are familiar with. The Patriarch hopes you will go and hunt him down, which would be a great service to our sect.”
Ghost Li nodded, “Fine, I will go.”
Mister Ghost nodded, but then stepped closer, lowering his voice, “However, the Patriarch has a specific, private instruction for me to relay: hunting the Beast God is important, but there is something even more critical.”
Ghost Li was surprised, “What is it?”
Mister Ghost’s eyes gleamed, “The Patriarch instructed that the Beast God has a monstrous beast, the Taotie. No matter what, even if the Beast God escapes, you must capture the Taotie alive and bring it back to the Barrens. This is of utmost importance, and you must remember it.”
Ghost Li’s brows furrowed, “Why does the Patriarch need the Taotie?”
Mister Ghost straightened, his tone normal, “That is beyond my knowledge.”
Ghost Li gazed at him for a long time, then turned and, without looking back, disappeared in a flash, leaving Mister Ghost standing there, staring after him. After a while, he murmured to himself:
“Strange, how could his cultivation advance so much in such a short time?”
“And those black-clad people who saved him, who are they?”
His low whispers dissipated in the wind, echoing through the dense forest, and finally fading away.
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