Volume Two, Chapter Twenty-One: Braving the Dragon Palace

“It’s fine, there’s no poison!” Meiniang immediately darted to Yibing’s arm and sniffed the silver dart thoroughly.

“That’s a relief!” The chubby girl let out a long breath.

“Let’s treat the wounds first!” Hong Kun hurried to help Qi Yuanxiao pull the silver dart from his shoulder. Though Biyi and He Lingchi weren’t hurt, their sleeves were slashed in several places.

“Senior Sister, are you alright?” At this moment, Moyan rushed out from the thatched hut.

“I’m fine! But that fiend got away!” Biyi looked ruefully at her torn sleeves.

After applying golden wound medicine and wrapping their injuries, the group finally noticed the riverbank teeming with flopping river creatures. The Black-Horned Dragon King had fled in such haste, and the tide had receded so quickly, that the weaker river-folk couldn’t keep up and were left stranded on the shore, soon revealing their true forms.

“There’s enough here to steam a whole pot!” Yibing excitedly gathered up the river catch. Unable to carry them all, he ran to the fishing boat for a bucket. Soon, he’d filled it to the brim and, worried they might escape, covered it with a broken plank.

“What about the three fishermen?” Seeing Moyan also gathering up the catch with glee, Hong Kun frowned.

“I tied them up inside the hut!” Moyan lifted her wrist, showing the red string.

“Brother Hong, let’s head into the hut for now! In this darkness, we’re at a disadvantage. Once daylight comes, we’ll plan our next move,” Jin Guishan suggested.

“Agreed! Yibing, that’s enough gathering!” Hong Kun led the way toward the hut.

“Alright, alright, just one last one!” Yibing made one more pass over the riverbank before following, still reluctant to stop.

Inside the hut, the darkness was thick and the quiet profound. No one quite knew what to say. There was a nearly spent candlestick, but Hong Kun forbade lighting it, wary of another attack. Still, the bright moonlight let them see one another’s shadows, and the riverbank beyond was clear as day.

“Senior Brother Kun, how are we going to deal with that monster tomorrow?” Biyi broke the silence.

“At dawn, we’ll ask around along this stretch of riverbank about the five-whiskered carp. If we still find nothing, we’ll return and report to Master Aunt.”

“What? We’re just going to let the monster go?” Biyi protested anxiously.

“It’s not that we want to let it go, it’s that we have no other way right now! Of us, only Yibing can enter the water. Even if he goes down, there’s no guarantee he can best that fiend,” Hong Kun explained hastily.

“We could hold onto Yibing!” the chubby girl piped up.

“And how would we fight like that?” Hong Kun had considered this already.

“Magic!” Hanyu muttered.

“Are you sure you can use it underwater?!”

The hut fell silent again. None of them had ever tried casting spells beneath the water.

“If we try to lure it out again, it’s probably impossible,” Hong Kun continued. “So, I think we should first report to Master Aunt and let her decide.”

“We say that, but…” Biyi muttered, still unwilling to accept it.

No one spoke again, and only their heavy breathing could be heard.

“Senior Sister Moyan, could you help me out?” Suddenly, Yibing spoke up.

“What is it?” Moyan replied with the tone of a true senior.

“Could you tie up the ones in my bucket with your red string too? So I don’t have to keep watching them.”

“Of course! Put those two in your bucket as well!” Moyan was already tired of dealing with the shrimp and crab minions. Without waiting for Yibing’s response, she tossed the shrimp and crab into the bucket. The red string slipped into the water, binding all the river creatures inside by itself.

“Here, you keep this for now!” Moyan even stuffed the Soul-Binding Rope into Yibing’s hands.

“Thank you, Senior Sister!” Yibing’s delight was obvious, making He Lingchi laugh aloud.

“What’s so funny?” Moyan asked curiously.

“Oh, nothing! It’s just, you’re clearly younger than him, but he calls you ‘Senior Sister,’ and you don’t mind at all!”

“Hehe, I can’t help it! I joined before him. Isn’t that right, Senior Sister?” Moyan teased Yibing deliberately.

“Yes! Yes! Uh…” Yibing replied awkwardly.

“What’s ‘uh’?” Moyan pressed.

“Why are those three still tied up too?!” Yibing finally noticed the other end of the red string still bound the three fishermen.

“What else would you expect?” Moyan replied challengingly.

“Oh no, how could I forget this!” The chubby girl smacked her forehead with a loud clap, startling everyone.

“What is it?” Jin Guishan’s voice quivered.

“It’s those three! The stone pendants around their necks—if we wear them, couldn’t we breathe freely underwater too?” the chubby girl exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh, good sister! How did we forget that! Seems you don’t just think about food, after all!” Jin Guishan instantly regretted his words.

The hut erupted in laughter. The chubby girl blushed crimson, but in the dark, no one could see.

“She’s much more useful than our Yibing!” Hong Kun laughed, removing the pendants from the fishermen.

“Do we need to recite anything?” Hong Kun asked.

“No, just go into the water and you can breathe,” the old fisherman replied after a moment’s thought.

“How do you get to the Black Dragon Palace?” Biyi asked.

“How? Every time, we sailed to the middle of the river and were pulled down, then sent back up afterward. We honestly don’t know the way.”

“What about the shrimp and crab? How do they get there?” Moyan asked, her tone sardonic.

“Heh, us?!” The big shrimp, having learned its lesson, answered quickly. Together with the crab, they recounted the directions in rambling but precise detail.

“In the morning, we’ll test it out, and if it works, we’ll explore the Dragon Palace!” Hong Kun said, excitement in his voice. The others were equally eager; this was the first time they were taking the initiative to hunt a demon, rather than being forced into it.

Though none felt sleepy, Hong Kun forced everyone to rest for a while. At daybreak, he led the way out of the hut. He took out the three stone pendants and handed them to Jin Guishan and Biyi, the two with the deepest cultivation.

“I’ll try first!” Hong Kun hung the pendant and walked straight into the river.

“Yibing, follow, but not too closely!” Hanyu instructed. Yibing trailed after Hong Kun at a distance.

Sure enough, as soon as the water reached his head, it parted around him, and he could breathe as usual. Still cautious, Hong Kun dove deeper, and seeing nothing amiss, returned to shore. Jin Guishan and Biyi quickly followed suit and tried as well.

“The four of us will go down! The rest of you guard the riverbank. As soon as you see that fiend, act immediately—we’ll attack from above and below! As for Brother Gui?” Hong Kun looked around.

“He disappeared last night!” Hanyu replied quickly. Hong Kun nodded, disappointed. He’d hoped to bring the divine tortoise along—it was a natural in the water.

“Senior Sister, I’ll return this to you. Please look after the river creatures!” Yibing promptly handed the Soul-Binding Rope back to Moyan. Biyi frowned in concern.

“Hey, Senior Brother, look at this!” The chubby girl looked at her palm.

“What is it?” Jin Guishan stepped forward and saw a shiny, scale-like object.

“This is the silver dart we pulled from Yibing last night! Now it’s turned into this!”

Hong Kun and the others gathered round. The scale was much larger than a fish’s.

“Could this be a dragon scale?” Hong Kun blurted out.

“A dragon scale shouldn’t be this small,” Biyi said.

“This is small? It’s much bigger than a regular fish scale!” He Lingchi shook his head.

“Has anyone here ever seen a dragon scale?” Moyan couldn’t help but ask.

They all fell silent—none of them had.

“Never mind! Let’s go explore first!” Hong Kun said, but as he turned, he quietly slipped the pouch to Moyan.

The Yellow River was naturally muddy. Though this stretch was somewhat clearer, it was still murky. The four stuck close together—Hong Kun in front, Yibing at the rear—advancing in a line.

The shrimp and crab minions hadn’t lied. After descending and moving forward for a dozen meters, the water cleared. As they’d described, the riverbed revealed two ridges. Following the eastern ridge for another two li, they reached a wall of tall aquatic grass. Behind it, a magnificent golden palace came into view.

As soon as they saw the arched stone gate, two oval stones in front exploded, turning into a pair of mussel spirits armed with steel sabers.

“Who dares trespass in the Black Dragon Palace?” they shouted in unison.

Hong Kun was about to answer when a surge of water rushed from behind. He turned to see Jin Guishan and Biyi dodging aside, and quickly leapt away himself. Suddenly, a ball of flesh barreled past them.

“Where’d they go?” Yibing, finally stopping, looked around, perplexed.

“Look under your feet!” Hong Kun snapped. Yibing looked down—each foot pinned a mussel spirit, their shells spread flat.

“What are you doing? Making such a racket—do you want to alert the monster?” Biyi scolded.

Yibing scratched his head, embarrassed. He’d spotted a softshell turtle under the grass wall, thinking it was Brother Divine Turtle, and gave chase. But with a few twists, it was gone. When he turned back, Hong Kun and the others were out of sight. In his hurry to find them, he’d charged over just as the mussel spirits began their challenge—hence the commotion.

“We’d better move quickly!” Jin Guishan urged. The longer they delayed, the greater the risk. Best to strike first.

Sticking to the stone corridor, the four hurried forward. They slipped into the palace without encountering any other fiends. Peeking inside, they saw the great hall brightly lit. Apart from a shadow moving on the golden throne, a dozen minor demons stood at attention below the steps.

Hiding behind a pillar, they watched carefully. Atop the golden throne, the Black-Horned Dragon King was clearly furious, berating the minor demons below. Creeping closer, they could make out his words—he was cursing them.

“If not for last night’s fiasco, I would have completed my merit and gathered the full sixteen. Who would have thought a bunch of mongrels would ruin it!” The Black-Horned King ground his teeth in rage.

Suddenly, a shriek behind them drew all eyes. Yibing, who was guarding the rear, spun around—a water snake spirit, tray in hand, was trembling so hard it dropped its wine jug and cups. Seeing Yibing charge over, the snake instantly slipped into a hole in the wall.

“Ha! You ignore the road to heaven, but barge through the gates of hell!” The Black-Horned King charged, spear in hand, making the river water surge so fiercely that Hong Kun and the others struggled to keep their footing.

Hong Kun and Jin Guishan rushed to meet him with swords drawn, while Biyi and Yibing intercepted the minor demons. In the clash of blades, the minor demons were quickly scattered by Biyi and Yibing, but the Black-Horned Dragon King grew ever more formidable, fighting underwater as if far stronger than on land.

After several exchanges, the group realized the king himself hadn’t grown stronger—it was his spear. Each sweep stirred the river, creating undercurrents and surges that made it impossible for them to stand firm.

Seeing the danger, Yibing and Biyi joined the fray, and with four attacking from both sides, the situation stabilized and became evenly matched. The Black-Horned King grew impatient, his body quivering as he unleashed a barrage of silver darts. But this time, Yibing was prepared—his Heaven-Cleaver axe instantly transformed into a giant iron wok, blocking the darts with a clatter.

Then, Yibing and the Black-Horned King began a game of shaking and transforming—one shook, the other transformed; if one didn’t shake, the other didn’t transform. After a dozen rounds, both were panting, glaring at each other in deadlock.

“Fatty, are you done yet?” the Black-Horned King complained.

“Are you?” Yibing retorted, equally exasperated.

“No more turning into a wok!”

“No more throwing darts!”

“The four of you ganging up on me!”

“Let’s fight one-on-one!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Hong Kun and the others were beside themselves with frustration. A solo fight meant certain defeat for Yibing. He himself regretted it, but having said so much, he had no choice but to tough it out.

“En garde!” The Black-Horned King, fearing a change of heart, immediately thrust his spear. Yibing hurried to parry, the water roiling as they clashed, one attacking, one defending, both relishing the fight.

As expected, after a dozen exchanges, Yibing was clearly losing ground, barely dodging the spear several times.

Once more, the spear came for him. Yibing dodged to the side, swinging his axe, but it was too short, nowhere near his target.

“If only…” Yibing sighed.

Suddenly, the Black-Horned Dragon King let out a cry, desperately leaping back.