The Three Scourges of Mount Shu

There is a long-standing saying within the Shu Mountain Sect about the Three Plagues of Shu Mountain—the three things everyone wants to fight most. These are mahjong, hot pot, and Princess Feng.

The southwestern lands delight in playing mahjong, and Shu Mountain is no exception. In its heyday, when the Shu Mountain Sect led the cultivation world, their fondness for mahjong was famed throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. There was even talk about whether the game might have some benefit for cultivation, which was rather absurd. Later, as the sect declined, such idle amusements were strictly forbidden as distractions from proper cultivation. Yet, the ban proved impossible to enforce.

Even today, mahjong remains one of the most popular pastimes among Shu Mountain’s disciples, though it is to be enjoyed in moderation. At the decennial Shu Mountain Summit, alongside formal competitions between the various peaks, there are also events like the Shu Mountain Mahjong Tournament, Flying Sword Races, Spirit Beast Battles, and so forth. Of these, the mahjong tournament is always the most fiercely contested among the entertainment events.

As for hot pot, it too is beloved throughout the southwest, and Shu Mountain is hardly immune to its charms. But why is hot pot considered one of the three plagues? It is because the practice is so all-encompassing—on Shu Mountain, the saying goes, “Everything can go into the hot pot.” Once, the sect’s hot pot culture developed two defining traits: “No spice, no joy,” and “Nothing too strange.” There was nothing they wouldn’t try—birds, beasts, demons, and monsters. Some disciples even vied to catch rare spirit beasts just to taste fresh meat in their hot pot. One day, someone might put dragon liver in the pot, and the next, phoenix marrow; the competition was intense, and many a spirit beast met its end this way.

It was widely rumored in the martial world in those days that the people of Shu Mountain would eat anything. While disciples of other sects, upon encountering a spirit beast, would think of trading or slaying it, a disciple of Shu Mountain would debate whether to use red oil or clear broth. In the end, it took a personal decree from the current sect leader to put a stop to such excesses.

The first two plagues have long histories, but the third—Princess Feng—was a more recent addition. In her youth, she was a notorious bully on Shu Mountain, domineering and unrestrained, and what’s more, she was an exceptional fighter. Few among her peers escaped her harassment. When it came time to compete for peak lord positions, no one supported her, but her cultivation had already reached the Dao Seeking realm, leaving everyone else powerless to oppose her.

Most of the thirty-six peak lords of Shu Mountain are still at the sixth realm, the Body of Law, and only about ten or so have reached Dao Seeking. In terms of pure combat strength, Princess Feng was at least among the top three, if not the strongest. In fact, no peak lord has ever dared to claim they could defeat her.

Fortunately, after she became a peak lord, she restrained herself considerably. In recent years, there have been few reports of her causing trouble, so much so that some of the younger disciples are unclear about the origins of this third plague.

...

Today, in one corner of the mountain, a few young disciples were playing mahjong, enjoying hot pot, and chatting about Princess Feng.

“Boss, you want to use force? That’s absolutely out of the question,” said Henchman A loudly.

Inside a wooden cabin on Yun Yao Peak, a pot of spicy red broth was bubbling, slices of meat and fish balls rising and sinking, filling the air with delectable aromas.

Henchman B fished out a piece of beef tripe, dipped it seven times as tradition demanded, then quickly placed it in his bowl.

Shang Ziliang sat there, frowning. “Why not? Didn’t you already look into it? That Chu Liang is only at the early stage of the Divine Intent realm. I’m already at the peak of Divine Intent, on the verge of forging my Gold Core. If I go at him head-on, it’s almost certain I’ll win, isn’t it?”

Earlier, he’d seen Xu Ziqing and Chu Liang together in the Sword Transmission Hall, their behavior ambiguous and accompanied by a strange scent, which had aroused his suspicions. After some investigation, he found they had recently completed a mission together and become quite close. Furious, Shang Ziliang wanted to warn Chu Liang to stay away from Xu Ziqing.

“Boss…” Henchman A tried to reason with him. “You only know Chu Liang is at the Divine Intent realm, but his master is Princess Feng!”

Henchman B fished a large chunk of fatty beef from the pot, dipped it in sesame sauce, and ate with relish.

Shang Ziliang said, “His master is Princess Feng, but my father is also a peak lord. Do you think I’d be afraid of her?”

Henchman A paused, but the look in his eyes said it all—he probably would be.

The Yun Yao Peak Lord, Shang Shuwen, was not known for his cultivation among the peak lords; he was always refined and gentle—a stark contrast to Princess Feng.

“If it were any other peak lord, maybe they’d show your father some respect and let it go. But Princess Feng…she’s never cared about anyone’s face. If you really anger her, who knows what might happen?” Henchman A pleaded in earnest.

Henchman B had fished out several cubes of tofu skin and slices of pork aorta.

“So what do you suggest?” Shang Ziliang asked.

“Boss, it’s not just about his master. Even putting that aside, if you go up to him out of nowhere and tell him to stay away from Junior Sister Ziqing—maybe even beat him up—that doesn’t look good for you, no matter how you spin it.” Henchman A analyzed calmly. “If you ask me, we’re better off acting behind the scenes.”

Henchman B picked up a large bundle of greens.

Shang Ziliang frowned, considering. “Behind the scenes? But I just want to warn him—how do I do that indirectly?”

Henchman A said, “Why don’t we trick him into suffering a setback, then leave a note warning him—if he gets close to Junior Sister Ziqing again, there’ll be more to come. But if we don’t reveal our identities, even if his master wants to stand up for him, she won’t know who to blame. What do you think?”

Henchman B stood up to fish out scraps of meat from the bottom of the pot.

Shang Ziliang grinned. “Alright, what do you suggest we do to make him suffer?”

Henchman A smiled as well. “I already thought of something earlier. Boss, do you remember Bai Ze?”

Shang Ziliang saw the sly look in his eyes and, after a pause, broke into a knowing smile. “Not bad—you’re clever.”

With just a few words, their plan was set. Shang Ziliang’s worries lifted, his appetite returned, and he reached for his chopsticks.

Then he noticed the pot was empty.

“Huh? Where’s the food?” he asked.

“Yeah, where?” Henchman A was just as surprised.

“No idea,” said Henchman B, shaking his head in confusion. “Feels like it was gone before we even started eating.”

...

Chu Liang returned to his own small hut to meditate and cultivate for a while. Although he now had the Big-Headed Doll, he could not slack off in his own training whenever he had the time.

After about two hours, he checked his Soul Capture Token again and found no new messages. It seemed that when the masked fiend was silent, the Soul Domain remained peaceful. It made sense; these demonic cultivators lived in the shadows, ruthless and cold-blooded, always concerned with matters of life and death—hardly the type to idle away the hours chatting.

Looking outside, he noticed a letter had appeared on the stone table, likely delivered while he was cultivating.

He reached out, drew the letter to himself, and opened it. Inside were two lines written in small characters:

“Senior Brother Chu, I’ll wait for you at Pagoda Peak, three-quarters past the hour of You… Xu Ziqing.”

“Hmm?” Chu Liang frowned in confusion as he read.

Was this really a letter from Xu Ziqing?

“If it was really written by Junior Sister Xu… her handwriting is awfully ugly,” he thought.