Volume I, Chapter 22: The Stone Horse Is Not a Horse

After a brief respite, the four prepared to set off into the water. To be safe, they stuck closely together, each holding onto the hem of the one before, advancing in a single file like a long snake. Yibing led the way, with Meiniang and Hanyu in the middle, and Fat Girl bringing up the rear. Meiniang, her face alight with joy, reached out to wrap her arms around Yibing’s waist, but Hanyu, having been watching her closely, pinched her sharply on the side. Meiniang had no choice but to give up her plan, her heart itching with regret.

As expected, the moment they submerged into the pool, the water retreated from around them. Though they were in the depths, they could breathe and walk as usual, surrounded above and below, left and right, by clear water. The dimness lent a certain charm. Though the three girls were exhilarated, none dared open their mouths to speak, breathing with utmost caution. Only when they reached the mouth of the cave and could bear it no longer did they begin chattering away.

“Hey, let’s see it!” Meiniang, who could barely contain herself, moved closer. Fat Girl and Hanyu also looked on expectantly.

Grinning broadly, Yibing, eager to show off, stretched out his hand. As he slowly opened his fingers, his other hand hovered protectively nearby, while the three girls pressed in so close their faces nearly touched his palm. The teardrop seemed almost sentient, shimmering in his palm as if it knew it was being observed.

“Wow! We must take good care of this! We might need it yet!” Fat Girl couldn’t help but remind them.

“Yes, yes, we should find a gourd to store it in when we get the chance!” Meiniang nodded, offering her suggestion.

After a moment’s pause, they pressed on. Perhaps buoyed by their mood, the journey through the familiar tunnel felt especially cheerful, as if they were on the verge of escaping. The passage was straight, with no more fire or monsters, only endless twists and turns, sloping ever upward. Just as their patience was wearing thin, the tunnel suddenly widened and opened into a rounded hall. Here, there was no pool, no stone table, no exit—only a stone horse, its eyes closed.

The stone horse was pure white, standing in the center of the hall. The surrounding walls were smooth as jade, without crack or protrusion. Fat Girl pushed at the horse from every angle, but it did not budge. Hanyu, growing impatient, simply climbed onto its back, but to no avail. The group exchanged glances, the joy of moments before giving way to despair, and they all sat down on the ground.

“I feel like I’ve seen this horse somewhere before,” Yibing broke the silence first, scratching his head and looking at Fat Girl. Prompted by his words, Fat Girl examined the horse and suddenly felt the same sense of familiarity.

“The Transforming Horse Shrine!” they both shouted at once.

“That’s it! This stone horse is identical to the one amid the ruins of the Transforming Horse Shrine, except that one had its eyes open…” At this, Yibing leapt up and reached for the stone horse’s eyes. But aside from a cold sensation, nothing happened.

Undeterred, Yibing continued to scrutinize the horse’s face, hoping for a clue. Suddenly, a faint change in color beneath the horse’s eye caught his attention—a shallow pit, dust-covered. He couldn’t help but pick at it, but the instant his finger touched the hollow, an invisible force gripped him tight.

“Oh no! I’m stuck!” Yibing cried out in alarm. Fat Girl quickly tried to pull him away, but as soon as she grabbed his arm, she too felt a force pulling her. “Don’t—!” she shouted, but it was too late—Hanyu had already seized Yibing’s belt. Only Meiniang, hearing the warning, tried to stop herself, but she stumbled right into Hanyu. In an instant, all four were stuck fast to the stone horse, unable to move! Even worse, the invisible force began draining their inner energy, threatening to undo years of cultivation.

“Heavens!” they all screamed together.

In his panic, Yibing instinctively withdrew his energy, desperately trying to break free, but Fat Girl and the others’ energy surged through him toward the stone horse. Alarmed, he managed to divide his own energy into three streams to block the others’ outflow. Only then did he realize he now controlled his energy with a thought—a skill that, unbeknownst to him, was the result of that fateful fart.

At that moment, a sudden flash of light appeared. Following its source, they saw the teardrop in Yibing’s clenched fist glowing. It seemed alive, writhing to escape his grasp. Just as he was about to lose hold, it suddenly went still and burrowed into his arm. Yibing gaped in shock, watching as it glimmered through his chest, then down his arm to the finger pressed on the stone horse. The instant the teardrop sank into the horse, a brilliant white light flared, blinding them all.

No one knew how long had passed before they finally opened their eyes. To their astonishment, they were no longer in the cave but out in a wild, overgrown ruin. Yibing’s finger was still pressed to the horse’s face, but the stone horse now looked much dirtier.

“We’re out!” Hanyu exclaimed, torn between joy and sorrow, though they were still stuck to the horse.

“This place looks so familiar…” Fat Girl murmured, glancing around.

Yibing, without a word, slowly withdrew his finger—the shallow pit was now completely filled, as if the teardrop had perfectly repaired it. With a crack, the place where his finger had pressed split open, the fissure spreading rapidly. In a cloud of dust, the stone horse vanished, and, caught off guard, they all toppled to the ground.

When the dust settled, they rose shakily, still in disbelief. They’d expected a living horse to appear, but there was nothing.

“This is the Transforming Horse Shrine!” Yibing and Fat Girl shouted together. Indeed, they were behind Bianma Mountain, at the site of the ruined shrine. No wonder the stone horse looked so dirty—exposed to the elements, it was far less pristine than the one in the cave.

“We owe it all to you, husband! Without you, we’d never have made it out! Who could have guessed the trick behind that?” Meiniang said sincerely. This time, Hanyu only shot her a look but said nothing biting.

“Yes, yes! If it weren’t for Brother Mu, we’d have been drained of our energy!” Fat Girl echoed, glancing gratefully at Yibing.

“Perhaps…” Hanyu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, “perhaps it was because this fat oaf tried so hard to protect us that the stone horse was willing to let us go.” At this, everyone nodded silently.

“Hmph!” A disdainful voice suddenly sounded from the weeds, startling them all to their feet.

“What demon is there?” Weapons drawn, they surrounded the spot. But searching the grass, they found nothing, until Meiniang crouched down and discovered, at the spot where the stone horse had vanished, a turtle lurking.

“Could it have been this turtle talking? Ha ha…” Meiniang couldn’t help but laugh.

“Turtle! Turtle!” The creature stubbornly craned its neck, clearly the source of the voice.

“Wow! A turtle spirit!” Meiniang fell to the ground in fright.

“Turtle! Turtle! Turtle!” The turtle cried, chasing after Meiniang.

“All right, all right—turtle… turtle…” Meiniang frantically waved her hands, and the turtle finally stopped.

“Don’t tell me you’re the stone horse turned into a turtle?” Meiniang couldn’t help but ask.

“T… turtle!” The turtle was so angry it stuttered.

“All right, whether you’re a turtle or not, you must have brought us out, and we’re deeply grateful!” Yibing hurried forward to bow.

“Turtle!” The turtle’s neck shot out nearly three feet, almost touching Yibing’s face.

“Don’t believe it! It’s just a turtle spirit!” Meiniang pulled Yibing away, unconvinced.

“She’s right! By rights, the stone horse should have turned into a horse—not suddenly a turtle. We can’t be too careful,” Hanyu said warily, raising her jade staff.

With a snort, the turtle flipped over in a huff.

“Hey, are you all right? Are you all right?” Yibing bent down, poking and prodding, but the turtle remained motionless, shell to the sky.

“Such a temper! If you’re dead, we won’t let you go to waste—let’s make turtle soup,” Hanyu said with mock malice.

To their surprise, the turtle sprang up, lunging at Hanyu: “You little demon… you dare eat me…” Hanyu fled in terror.

“Ha! The rabbit spirit is being chased by a turtle spirit!” Meiniang laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. But the turtle swiveled and charged at her instead: “Turtle…” This time, it was Hanyu’s turn to laugh.

As Meiniang scrambled to climb a tree, Yibing quickly stepped in: “Brother Turtle, calm yourself! Let’s talk!” At the words “Brother Turtle,” the creature seemed especially pleased. It scrutinized Yibing for a long time, then asked, “A promising youth! Did you release me?”

Yibing frowned. “I’m not sure. I just touched the stone horse’s eye, and the… teardrop I caught in the cave went inside, and then…”

“You… you… caught the teardrop…” The turtle stared at Yibing in astonishment, its eyes growing three times larger. Suddenly noticing Yibing’s belt, it seemed to recall something, its eyes rolling thoughtfully. “Hmph! I spent a thousand years in that stone, free from wind or rain, living in peace, and now you’ve dragged me back to this wretched world. I don’t know whether to blame you or not… Sigh… to blame or not to blame…” The turtle grumbled in feigned bitterness.

“Oh, come off it! Don’t pretend. You’re thrilled—your turtle head’s been poking out for ages!” Meiniang shot back coldly.

“You—” The turtle started to stretch its head again, but remembering Meiniang’s words, forced itself to hold back, snorting in frustration. “In any case, you’re responsible!”

“Responsible for what? Maybe you’re the one who trapped us inside!” Hanyu couldn’t help but retort, but Yibing quickly intervened, “Don’t be angry, Brother Turtle! Whether you blame me or not, I’ll take full responsibility! But please, let me rescue my friends first, all right?” He’d already noticed the anxious look on Fat Girl’s face.

“Hm, you’re much more magnanimous than those two little demons!” the turtle replied sarcastically.

“You turtle!” Meiniang and Hanyu stomped their feet in unison, and the turtle darted behind Yibing.

“All right, all right! Let’s hurry and save our senior sisters! Any later and we might be too late!” Fat Girl, unable to wait any longer, urged them on. Seeing her eyes brimming with tears, Meiniang and Hanyu fell silent.

“But where do we find Sister He and the others?” Yibing frowned in worry.

“Let’s try Yingsian Palace first. Maybe they’re safe!” Fat Girl had already thought it over.

“Wait!” Hanyu suddenly grabbed Fat Girl. She formed a hand seal and muttered under her breath. In a moment, rabbits from all directions bounded over. She squatted and chattered with them for a while before dispersing them and standing up.

“They’ve all been captured?!” One look at Hanyu’s expression and Fat Girl guessed the truth. Hanyu nodded.

“That Jade-Faced Gentleman is at Black Stone Peak, in the Double Fish Cave, a hundred miles west of here!” Meiniang chimed in.

“Let’s head down the mountain and find some fast horses!” Hanyu said, leading the way. Dusk was falling fast; if they didn’t hurry, it might really be a wedding night when they arrived.

“Hey! What about me?” The turtle’s voice called out from behind. Without a word, Yibing ran back and tucked it into his arms.

“Heh, plenty of meat and very comfy!” The turtle seemed quite satisfied.

But after only two miles, the turtle began to protest from Yibing’s embrace. “Hey, hey, hey! Put me down! Put me down! You’re bouncing me to death!”

Yibing had no choice but to stop and set the turtle down. “Brother Turtle, please bear with it! Saving lives comes first!”

The mountain path was rough, and with their hurried pace, the turtle was being jostled terribly, its neck wobbling wildly. It steadied itself with its forelegs, barely managing to keep its head upright. “No more! No more! Put me down! Put me down!”