Volume Two, Chapter Twenty-Four: Preying on the Fat

"Who are you?!" came a sudden shout from the plump girl.

Yibing's heart jolted; he quickly halted his steps and peered down over the railing. He saw the innkeeper's assistant standing beside a three-foot square clod of earth, but the plump girl was nowhere in sight.

"Foul demon! Where do you think you're going?" Before the words had faded, Biyi, sword in hand, leapt through the window, landing beside the innkeeper's assistant. The assistant wielded a strangely shaped steel blade, facing her without the slightest hint of fear.

"Tutu... beware its sorcery!" Suddenly, the plump girl's voice rang out. Following the sound, Yibing finally noticed her head poking out from the clod of earth. He dashed to the stairs, but his foot slipped, sending him tumbling headlong into the corner of the steps.

By now, Hongkun and the others had rushed out of their rooms. The monster, seeing itself surrounded, cursed inwardly. With a wave of its right hand, a storm of yellow dust whirled up in the courtyard, blinding everyone and making it impossible to stand, especially for Yibing, who had just managed to get to his feet.

Soon the dust settled, but half a foot of yellow earth now blanketed the courtyard—Biyi was stuck fast and couldn't free her feet.

"Where's my junior sister?" He Lingchi shouted. The monster and the earthen clod with the plump girl had vanished.

"After them!" Seeing the inn's main door wide open, Jin Guishan took the lead and dashed out. By moonlight, they caught a glimpse of the assistant frantically pushing the clod away—so fast, incredibly fast!

Hearing the pursuit, the monster didn't look back. With a flick of its right hand, a wall of earth materialized across the street. Jin Guishan reacted instantly, braking, but before he could warn anyone, Yibing shot past him and crashed headlong into the wall.

Stars exploding before his eyes, Yibing was furious and swung his axe, shattering the wall in a shower of dirt. Yet, the monster was already nowhere to be seen. The group searched, but in the pitch-black night, there was nothing to guide them. Helpless, they returned to the inn.

As they entered, the innkeeper poked his head from behind the counter.

"I told you so!" he said, full of pity.

"Innkeeper, do you know where that demon went?" Hongkun pressed. The innkeeper's eyes darted nervously.

"Out with it!" Qi Yuanxiao leapt forward, startling the innkeeper into speaking quickly, "I'm only guessing! About three miles south at Black Wind Ford, there's a grove. People used to rest there, but lately, rumors of hauntings have kept everyone away. The hauntings started around the time the demon began snatching the fat ones, so I suspect it may be there..."

"That makes sense!" Jin Guishan nodded vigorously.

"Let's go at once!" Biyi rose, sword in hand.

"Yes, if we delay, my junior sister may be eaten!" He Lingchi was nearly in tears.

"Jin, you and I will scout ahead," Hongkun said, calling Jin Guishan to his side. Jin, already anxious, nodded and moved forward.

"Wait! Divine Tortoise, carry us there!" Han Yu suddenly leapt up.

"Demon!" the innkeeper cried, fainting dead away—he'd never seen a talking rabbit before.

"Who are—" Han Yu began to retort but, seeing his pathetic state, let it go.

This time, the Divine Tortoise was uncharacteristically swift, bounding out the door and transforming into the size of a carriage. Everyone clambered on.

Moments later, they saw the shadowy grove.

"There’s demon energy here! But..." Meiniang exclaimed.

"But what?" asked Han Yu.

"I can't say—it's both familiar and strange!"

"Oh, enough with the riddles!" Han Yu said, jumping from the tortoise's back and charging into the woods.

Up close, they saw the grove shrouded in black mist, the path completely obscured.

"This is definitely the place," Meiniang said, frowning.

"An illusion, surely," Hongkun mused, glancing at Jin Guishan.

"I understand!" Jin drew out his Five-Tiered Pagoda, placing it at the grove's edge. With a series of incantations, golden light radiated forth, and the black mist was immediately sucked into the pagoda.

The woods were revealed in full. The group surged in, searching every corner, but found nothing—not even a hollow tree, let alone a demon's lair.

"Could this not be the place?" Yibing asked anxiously.

"Impossible! The demon energy is thick here—this is the place!" Meiniang insisted.

"With no other clues, perhaps we should hide and wait for it to show itself," suggested Moxian, her large eyes bright. Clever girl.

"Good idea, but how do we hide?" Biyi looked at Yibing helplessly—how could such a big fellow be concealed?

"Simple! The rest of you keep your distance. Meiniang and I will stay here. If we're found, with her foxish charm, no one will suspect a thing!" Han Yu twitched her ears, nearly provoking Meiniang into biting her tail.

After Han Yu and Meiniang melted into the woods, Jin Guishan quickly withdrew the Five-Tiered Pagoda. Instantly, the grove was once again cloaked in darkness. Hongkun and the others retreated to the riverbank and alerted the carp spirits, instructing them to be ready.

Dawn broke. Still no sign from Han Yu or Meiniang. After much deliberation, Hongkun couldn't resist asking Yibing to persuade the Divine Tortoise to sneak into the woods and investigate. The tortoise grumbled, then lumbered into the grove.

"At this rate, we'll be waiting for news till nightfall!" Moxian complained.

"Ha, a tortoise in the woods is as odd as a fish out of water," He Lingchi chuckled.

"Who cares—where's the great sage?" Moxian pouted.

It didn't take until nightfall, but nearly the length of a stick of incense passed before the tortoise returned—flying this time!

"I thought you were calm and composed," Moxian mocked.

"Hmph! That rabbit spirit lost her temper—she said if I didn't report back at once, she'd curse me at the Moonlit Mound pool for three days straight!" the tortoise muttered, its eyes twitching. When did the Moonlit Mound pond become his pool?

"The fox spirit says to wait. She thinks we came too late last night—the demons were already at rest. They're sure to appear tonight!" the tortoise relayed, astonishingly fluent. One could only imagine what threats Meiniang had made.

"That makes sense," Hongkun and Jin Guishan nodded in unison—they had considered as much.

"Yuanxiao, Lingchi, go back to town and buy some provisions," Jin ordered. After all, the others were doing this to find his junior sister. Hongkun hesitated; neither Biyi nor Moxian were much use in errands, and as for Yibing—well, if he was sent for meat buns, they might never see him again.

"Brother Qi, bring two sesame buns, two carrots, and two apples," Yibing pleaded.

"Fine," Qi Yuanxiao thought, "This fat one at least balances his diet."

"And two sweet melons!" Yibing added, catching up.

Qi Yuanxiao grumbled but was pulled away by He Lingchi before he could retort, so he simply nodded.

Half an hour later, they returned with a basket.

"No apples—only peaches. No sweet melon, only two cucumbers," Qi announced grumpily. If not for the cucumbers, they'd have been back sooner.

"Thank you, Brother Qi!" Yibing quickly wrapped the carrots and peaches in cloth, then used a clean handkerchief to wrap the buns. Everyone watched curiously.

"Brother Tortoise, these cucumbers are for you. Thanks for your help. Please take the carrots and peaches to Han Yu and Meiniang," Yibing said, handing over the bundle and cucumbers.

"Hmph, you seem awfully considerate of those two little fiends," Biyi remarked acidly.

"They won't go hungry—a rabbit and a fox in a forest," Qi Yuanxiao couldn't help but mutter.

"They don't eat wild fare," Yibing explained awkwardly as he tied the bundle for the tortoise to carry. Rolling its eyes, the tortoise glanced at the cucumbers, then shot off into the woods.

"What about the buns?" Hongkun asked with interest.

"Heh, I'm keeping them for when I'm hungry," Yibing said sheepishly, scratching his head.

"Don't let him have them—hoarding rations!" Moxian huffed, snatching the basket.

"Wait, Sister Moxian!" Yibing hurried after her.

Soon, the tortoise returned, looking utterly dejected.

"Those two little spirits complained about my breath!" The tortoise's face seemed even greener.

"Brother Tortoise, have some cucumbers!" Yibing quickly handed them over.

That night, a northwest wind began to blow, shrieking like the wails of ghosts and wolves. Around midnight, it finally died down. Moonlight draped softly over the woods; the black mist slowly dissipated. Suddenly, a startled bird burst from the trees, flying straight toward Black Wind Ford.

"Is that it?" Moxian asked.

"Brother Tortoise!" Hongkun called politely.

"I'm not your scout!" the tortoise grumbled, but still took to the air in pursuit.

Not long after, Han Yu and Meiniang came running back.

"We were so busy watching below, we forgot to look up! In the largest tree, there's a hole in the crown—just now, the bird flew out from there!"

"Let's rush in!" Qi Yuanxiao urged.

"Wait. Let's see if it returns," Jin Guishan said, gazing up at the night sky.

Indeed, after another stick of incense, the bird returned—no sign of the tortoise. Moments later, a plume of black smoke billowed from the woods, shooting skyward before streaking straight toward Black Wind Ford.

"It's out!" Hongkun exclaimed.

"I'll go with Brother Jin and Yuanxiao to pursue! Biyi, the rest of you stay here in ambush," Hongkun said, dashing toward Black Wind Ford.

The town was shuttered, lights out, not a soul on the street. They scoured the area but found no sign of the demon.

"Let's check the inn," Jin Guishan suggested.

Approaching the inn, they heard voices inside. Listening closely, they realized it was the innkeeper speaking.

"After they chased out last night, they never returned," the innkeeper said, voice trembling.

"Who are they?" asked a stranger.

"I don't know. But they called each other 'senior brother' and 'junior brother.'"

"You mentioned there was a fat one?"

"Yes, there were two—one fat man, one fat woman."

"Any fat ones come today?"

"Today? Some chubby folks, but not sure if they count as fat."

"Hmph! I'll see for myself."

Suddenly, a chill wind swept through the inn, then stilled.

"If those people return, hang a lantern at the door. Understand?"

"Yes, yes, I'll do as you say!"

"No need!" Hongkun's shout interrupted as he kicked open the door.

In the courtyard stood three figures: the assistant, the innkeeper, and a scholar wearing a black kerchief. The assistant was already limp with fear; the innkeeper, a little braver, was soaked through with sweat. The scholar, garbed in black, had a leopard-like face and piercing eyes, fixed intently on Hongkun.

"The road to heaven you shun, yet you charge into hell unbidden," the demon sneered, and with a flick of its right hand, a bizarre steel blade appeared.

Hongkun wasted no words, drawing his sword and engaging at once. The demon was no match; after a few dozen exchanges, it was panting hard. Its eyes flicked, and suddenly a storm of yellow dust enveloped Hongkun.

Unable to see, Hongkun could only swing his sword defensively. Jin Guishan, sensing danger, formed a seal and recited an incantation—instantly, a jet of water shot forth. The yellow dust vanished, but became mud, splattering both Hongkun and the demon. The demon glared at Jin Guishan, enraged.

"Heh, time to die!" Jin Guishan flipped out his Five-Tiered Pagoda. The demon's face changed; bending its legs, it vanished into the earth.

"Aha, it knows earth magic!" Qi Yuanxiao exclaimed, noticing a fresh hole where the demon had disappeared. He stabbed his sword in, sending another water jet down.

Moments later, two hundred meters away, there was a loud bang—the demon was blasted out by the water. It flipped in midair, landing neatly on its feet.

"Not bad!" Jin Guishan spun his pagoda, golden light sweeping toward the demon. Unexpectedly, the demon leapt and dodged again and again.

"Let's see how long you can keep jumping!" Jin spun the pagoda faster; the demon's movements grew sluggish.

"Enough—this is intolerable!" the demon shouted, suddenly producing a small mirror. Raising it toward Jin Guishan, Jin found his pagoda and the demon rapidly enlarging. By the time he cast the pagoda aside, the demon loomed as large as a mountain.

"Brother Jin!" Hongkun's voice now thundered like a storm.

Turning, Jin saw that both Hongkun and Qi Yuanxiao were also mountain-sized. What was happening?

"Senior brother, you've gotten so small!" Qi Yuanxiao cried.

"Heh, with all of you small, it doesn’t stand out!" the demon snickered, shaking the mirror again—Hongkun and Qi Yuanxiao shrank to Jin Guishan's new size.

"I’ll crush you!" The demon stomped, sending the three scrambling in terror. Hongkun tried to fly, but the demon swatted him from the air with its blade.

Though the demon reveled in its game, it didn't finish them off. Seeing the trio exhausted, collapsed and unable to escape, it simply scooped them up and stuffed them into a copper gourd.