Chapter Seven: The Sea Knows the Demon

Before long, the delicious food on the table had all found its way into their bellies. Liu Lingshuang and Ye Sansi let out satisfied sighs, patting their stomachs and letting out hearty burps.

Li Taiyi stood up and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s buy some dried rations and be on our way.”

Liu Lingshuang and Ye Sansi both waved their hands weakly. “We can’t move, we can’t move at all. I’m so full I could burst. Taiyi, let’s wait until after noon to set out.”

The innkeeper’s assistant, seeing they had finished, came over to clear the dishes and joined in, “That’s right, honored guests. Since you’re here in Tianhai Village, why not stay and enjoy yourselves a bit longer before you leave? Within a hundred miles, our village’s ferry is the liveliest. May I ask, where are you headed?”

“We’re going to Lingzhou,” Liu Lingshuang replied.

The assistant thought for a moment and said, “As far as I know, there haven’t been any boats from our Tianhai Village to Lingzhou recently.”

“How can that be?” Liu Lingshuang asked in confusion. “Just a few days ago, when I arrived, there were plenty of merchant ships coming and going.”

The assistant explained, “It’s not just Lingzhou. The Lingjianxi ferry has been closed for a few days now. Lingzhou, Jianzhou, Xizhou—none of the cities are accessible. I’ve heard merchants complain that they used to stop at Lingjianxi to rest and resupply, but now they have to travel much farther before they can dock. It’s been hard on them. Why not stay here until the boats run again before you set out?”

Liu Lingshuang frowned and asked, “That’s not really a plan. Do you know of any other routes to Lingzhou City?”

The assistant gestured as he spoke. “There’s no way by water. If you’re leaving from Tianhai Village, your only option is to cross the mountain behind the village to Qingyang City. That’s a large city, and from there, the roads branch in all directions. Wherever you want to go, you can just ask around.”

Ye Sansi scratched his head, excitement lighting up his face. “Qingyang City is even bigger than Tianhai Village? Then it must be really fun, and the food has to be even better! Ha!”

Liu Lingshuang nudged Ye Sansi with her elbow, signaling that his comment was impolite.

The assistant laughed, “Although the food at our inn is top-notch, it doesn’t compare to even a tenth of what you’ll find in Qingyang City. This guest speaks the truth!”

At the table across from them, two merchants were resting with cups of tea. Overhearing their conversation, one of them called over, “Young heroes, Qingyang City may be prosperous, but it’s not a place just anyone from Tianhai Village can reach.”

Li Taiyi asked, “What do you mean? Does Qingyang City not allow people from Tianhai Village to enter?”

The assistant explained, “It’s not that. The thing is, there’s a monster on the mountain behind our village. Many who try to cross the mountain to Qingyang City never return. A month ago, a scholar from our village tried to go to Qingyang City to see the world. Three days later, he came back with his clothes in tatters. When we asked what happened, he wouldn’t say a word—clearly frightened out of his wits. After a few days, he told us he’d escaped from the monster’s lair, which was filled with bones—he said they looked like the missing villagers.”

Another merchant chimed in, “What times we live in! The Lingjianxi ferry is closed, and we can’t reach Qingyang City. Business gets harder every day.”

The assistant cleared away their dishes and cleaned the table. Hearing this, Ye Sansi slammed his fist on the table in anger, stood up, and shouted, “Damn that monster, killing so many people! Tianyu, Lingshuang, Taiyi, why don’t we rid Tianhai Village of this demon?”

Liu Lingshuang tugged at Ye Sansi’s sleeve, glancing around at the villagers whose eyes were now all on him. She leaned in and whispered, “That’s a monster, not a wild boar on Buyun Mountain. This is no joke. Taiyi’s magic is strong, but can you be sure we’ll win?”

“How will we know if we can win if we don’t try?” Ye Sansi replied. “It’s just like hunting wild boar on the mountain—didn’t catch it the first or the second time, but by the third or fourth, I always got it. I don’t believe one monster can be that powerful!”

Villagers who had overheard all stopped what they were doing and gathered around, falling to their knees. A burly uncle stepped forward and knelt, saying, “Young hero, your spirit reaches the heavens. Our people tremble at the mention of the monster, but you are fearless. If you can rid our village of this evil, we have nothing to offer in return but a share of our business—one tenth of all trade in Tianhai Village.”

Liu Lingshuang stomped her foot and pointed at the man. “That’s risking our lives for just a tenth? I, for one, don’t care for your money!”

Ye Sansi scratched his head and said, “I don’t care about a share. I just know I want to slay monsters and do good. Ha!”

At that, the villagers bowed to them three times. Ye Sansi hurried to help the uncle up. “You mustn’t bow so easily. That’s only for your parents. Please get up. As for ridding the world of monsters, I’ll do my best. Taiyi, Lingshuang, will you come with me?”

Liu Lingshuang made a face at Ye Sansi and laughed, “If I don’t go, you’ll get eaten by the monster for sure, you loser. Ha!” Li Taiyi added, “If Brother Sansi is going, I will certainly accompany you. But first, let’s find the scholar and learn about the monster. Know your enemy, and you’ll never lose.”

The uncle stepped forward and said, “I’m the village chief here. I know where the scholar lives. I’ll take you to him.”

The three followed the village chief through the village. As they walked, he said, “I’ve watched that scholar grow up. Smart boy. We were all hoping he’d bring honor to our village one day. But since climbing the mountain, he’s not been himself—hardly speaks, keeps to himself. I visit him often, bring him food and supplies.”

Liu Lingshuang asked, “Will he talk to us about the monster on the mountain?”

The chief smiled, “He’s frightened, but more than fear, he hates that monster. It’s a knot in his heart. If he knows you’re immortals come to rid us of evil, he’ll tell you everything. Don’t worry.”

Ye Sansi cracked his knuckles, thrilled. “Ha, not even a day down the mountain and I get to fight a monster again. This is great!”

Liu Lingshuang lowered her head, wiping a cold sweat from her brow—this boy really feared nothing at all. Tianyu, too, spun in circles, eager for a fight like his master.

The chief grew stern and spoke to Ye Sansi, “Though you are brave, young hero, don’t take this lightly. I once sought immortals to deal with the monster; none returned from the mountain. If you find yourselves outmatched, escape if you must. None of us wish to see you sacrifice your lives for us.”

Ye Sansi replied, “I know. If we can’t win, we’ll run. Ha!” They chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the scholar’s house. Stopping before a wooden door, the chief said, “This is the place. Come in with me.” He pushed open the door, and they entered, finding books scattered everywhere and the air thick with the smell of wine.

“Bookworm, can’t you tidy up a bit? Look at this mess,” the chief called as he walked in.

A languid voice replied, “What difference does it make if I clean or not? The room may be humble, but my heart is not. The books may be in disarray, but my mind is clear.”

The chief coughed loudly. “Enough with your high-minded talk. I don’t understand a word. We have visitors—you’re the host, aren’t you going to greet them?”

Ye Sansi peeked inside and saw a man in tattered clothes, back to them, waving a hand absently. “What guests? I’m not welcoming anyone. Get out.”

The chief rapped the table with his fingers. “These are immortals here to rid us of the monster. How can you drive them away?”

“Wha—what—immortals? Monster slayers?” The scholar tumbled off his bed, scrambling to his knees before he had even put his shoes on, and kowtowed three times, crying, “Please, immortals, save us! Defeat the monster and restore peace to Tianhai Village!”

Ye Sansi hurried to help him up, scratching his head and muttering, “People down here are strange, always kneeling and bowing. Uncle Tree always said to kneel to heaven, earth, and parents—why do they kneel to me?”

Though the scholar was learned, he had no answer to Ye Sansi’s question and stood speechless, words stuck in his throat.

Liu Lingshuang laughed and said to Ye Sansi, “They think you’re powerful—a great hero who punishes evil—so they kneel to you. Heehee.”

Ye Sansi grinned sheepishly, scratching his head. “So, when people down here think someone is impressive, they kneel and kowtow. Huh, learned something new today.”

The scholar bowed deeply and asked, “Immortal, what brings you here? Do you want me to take you to the monster? I—I’ll take you there, come—” He reached for Ye Sansi’s sleeve, trying to pull him out the door.

The chief quickly stopped him. “You madman, the immortals haven’t even spoken yet, what are you doing?”

The scholar let go of Ye Sansi’s sleeve and began pacing anxiously around the room, muttering, “Right, right, the chief is right. I was too rash. The immortals haven’t spoken yet—right, the monster, the immortals are here to defeat the monster. Rash, too rash…”

Liu Lingshuang called out, “Hey, calm down! We’ll do our utmost to subdue the monster, but first you need to tell us where its lair is and what kind of monster it is, so we can make a plan.”

But the scholar didn’t seem to hear her, still pacing in circles and muttering under his breath. No one could make out what he was saying.