Chapter 66: The Mountain God's Jade

At that moment, more than a dozen people who had been weeping bitterly beside the body of the dead Miao village child suddenly became agitated and rushed toward Ming Xue and her daughter, who were being escorted away. They hurled abuse as they picked up stones and threw them at the pair. The few men holding Ming Xue and her daughter turned and shouted twice, finally making the crowd hesitate and stop their advance, though their curses continued unabated. Their words carried the distinctive intonation of the Miao dialect, so I could barely understand them.

“They’re saying this woman killed their children. She offended the Gu God, so the Gu God is punishing the whole village,” Hu Xiaoyu whispered to me.

“The Gu God? Is that the deity the Miao believe in?” I asked.

“The Miao worship both the Gu God and the Mountain God. When you treated her child last time, did you accidentally destroy the Gu that was living inside her?” Hu Xiaoyu gave me a sidelong glance.

I said nothing, but my expression gave everything away. So the disgusting thing beneath the little girl’s head and face was indeed a Gu insect. But it was unspeakably cruel to use such a small child as a host for raising Gu.

“Where will they take them?” I asked.

“To the Council of Elders, probably. The Elders wield the highest authority in these Posa Mountains. They hold the power of life and death over everyone in the Miao villages,” Hu Xiaoyu replied.

...

Night had fallen. The mountain wind howled, and the cold deepened with the heavy dew.

The Council of Elders of the Bai Dong Miao Village occupied its own mountaintop, with two statues—one of the Gu God, the other of the Mountain God—standing sentinel at the mountain’s entrance.

Peering out from behind a large tree, I swept my gaze swiftly around, finally letting it settle on the two statues. The likeness of the Gu God seemed strangely familiar. On closer reflection, wasn’t it simply an enlarged version of the Gu worm that had been beneath Ming Xue’s daughter’s skin?

A chill ran through me. Was this creature truly the deity the Miao people worshipped? But judging from Ming Xue’s reaction, though she was wary, she probably had no idea that her daughter's parasite was the Gu God itself; otherwise, I doubted she would have let me treat her child.

The Mountain God statue beside it looked less like a god and more like a ghost. Gu insects and mountain ghosts—these were the tales most often told among the Miao, and it seemed the Gu insect was real. But what about the mountain ghost?

I slipped out of hiding and crept forward.

The Council’s compound was a cluster of stilted houses, their heights varied, scattered across the mountaintop. They were far more luxurious than the ordinary dwellings of the Miao. Sweeping my Yin-Yang vision across the area, I spotted over a dozen flickering Yang-fires hiding in the shadows. Clearly, though the exterior seemed unguarded, the interior defenses were tight, patrolled around the clock.

But since I could see them, it would be no challenge to avoid them. Like a phantom, I darted and slipped into the grandest house at the center of the compound.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

I heard the constant sound of a whip lashing flesh, but no screams followed. Peering through the gap in a partition, I saw a Miao girl chained by all four limbs with shackles that glowed faintly. Hooks pierced her collarbones, leaving her suspended in midair. A burly, bare-chested man was striking her repeatedly with a whip, but though the girl was clearly conscious, she bit down on a silver tooth and did not cry out.

It wasn’t Ming Xue. I breathed a sigh of relief, then wondered who this girl could be.

At the head of the room were two chairs. One was occupied by an old Miao man with a white beard, his aura shrouded in shadow, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s, fixed upon the girl. Next to him sat a veiled woman, her face hidden. Her clothing was odd, reminiscent of ancient robes, embroidered with lotuses—making me suspect she was from the White Lotus Sect.

“Elder Xusa, the Gu God’s larva is dead. Only she knows where to find the Mountain God’s Jade. You mustn’t let her die,” the woman said.

“Rest assured, Matron, she won’t die,” the old man replied in a sinister tone.

“I want her to talk,” the woman demanded.

Elder Xusa hesitated for a moment, then signaled for the man to stop. Rising, he walked over to the bloodied Miao girl.

“A Youduo, I’ll give you one more chance. Where is the Mountain God’s Jade?” Elder Xusa barked.

The Miao girl lifted her head, her eyes filled with hatred for Elder Xusa. Suddenly she opened her mouth and spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at him.

He dodged aside and, enraged, slapped her hard across the face.

“How dare you! I’ll tell you, A Youduo, you’re forcing my hand!” Elder Xusa roared, then turned and ordered, “Bring our dear Dongsha in!”

The girl’s face changed at once. She struggled violently, screaming, “If you dare hurt Dongsha, I’ll haunt you as a mountain ghost!”

Soon after, a Miao woman entered, holding a little boy as delicate as a porcelain doll.

Elder Xusa banished his sinister expression and acted like a kindly old man, teasing the boy until he giggled.

“Dongsha!” the Miao girl shouted, her eyes reddening with blood.

Elder Xusa turned to her. “A Youduo, your father was the bravest warrior of Bai Dong village, and Dongsha carries his blood. I wanted to raise him to inherit his father’s valor. But if you persist in your obstinance, don’t blame me for using his blood as an offering to the Mountain God.”

With that, he grabbed the boy, his hands black as night and coldly luminous, gripping the child’s nape.

“Stop! I’ll tell you!” A Youduo cried in anguish.

“Good,” Elder Xusa said, handing Dongsha back to the woman and motioning for her to leave with the boy.

A Youduo gritted her teeth. “The Mountain God’s Jade is in the Mountain God’s Cave on Twin Peaks. But no one can find it without me to lead the way.”

“Fine. I’ll send someone with you. If you dare play any tricks, I guarantee Dongsha will die the most painful of deaths,” Elder Xusa threatened.

At that moment, the veiled woman suddenly looked up and snapped coldly, “Who’s there?”

Even as her words echoed, she had vanished, reappearing in the outer room.

Elder Xusa arrived instantly as well, and a dozen Miao men surrounded the area with machetes drawn.

Suddenly, a chill swept through the room. Two shadowy spirits appeared.

“Matron, it’s just our mountain ghosts. They wander about at night, but they ensure no outsiders sneak in unseen,” Elder Xusa explained.

The woman nodded, took a sweeping glance around, and left.

I was drenched in cold sweat. Exhaling deeply, I stepped from the shadows. At that moment, I was wrapped in a human-skin cloak, exuding a ghostly aura.

Just as I had been spying, two mountain ghosts had burst in and, upon spotting me, were about to attack. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and used the human-skin lantern, which allowed me to take on a ghostly form and escape disaster.

I hadn’t found Ming Xue and her daughter, so I withdrew cautiously, my mind heavy with worry.

“The Matron? The White Lotus Matron? Looks like the White Lotus Sect has taken firm root here in Bai Dong Miao Village.”

“The Gu God’s larva was killed by me, and their purpose for raising it was to find the Mountain God’s Jade. But what is this jade? It seems only that Miao girl, A Youduo, knows the answer.”

Back at the medical team’s camp, I retreated to my tiny quarters and lay down. No sooner had I drawn up the covers than a chill ran through me—my hand automatically found the hilt of the Blood-fiend Blade.

“It’s me.” A lazy voice from under the covers—Hu Xiaoyu.

I hesitated, then chuckled. “What’s this? Feeling lonely and cold, so you came to share my bed for warmth?”

As I spoke, I lay down and reached out to her. But as soon as my hand touched her, she grabbed a fold of my skin and pinched it hard.

I sucked in a breath, annoyed. “You sneak into my bed but won’t let me touch you—are you playing games? Out, out, out.”

“Impatient as always. You think every woman is as easy as Ming Xue? Hmph.” Hu Xiaoyu snorted playfully.

“My problem is physical, not emotional. If you want a chat about love, go elsewhere,” I said.

“Scoundrel,” Hu Xiaoyu muttered, kicking me under the blanket.

I caught her foot and tickled the sole with my fingers.

“Stop it! That tickles—let go!” she giggled, wiggling away.

A flush of heat surged in my belly, and I pressed closer to her.

Hu Xiaoyu braced her hands against my chest, locking eyes with me. I lowered my head for a kiss—when opportunity knocks, who am I to refuse?

But she raised her hand, covering my mouth so my lips landed in her palm.

“Stupid man. You were just trying to save your little lover, weren’t you? Now that you’ve failed, you want to vent your frustration on me.” Hu Xiaoyu glared.

Suddenly, I felt deflated. I rolled off her and lit a cigarette.

Hu Xiaoyu took one too, and the two of us lay there smoking in the dark.

“If you want to save your lover, I can help you,” she said suddenly.

“Really?” I looked at her, restless inside. I knew the real drama was about to begin.

“Of course, but on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“Tomorrow, you’ll come with me to do something. Once it’s done, your little lover will be freed,” she said.

“You’ll have to tell me what it is first.”

“We’re just escorting someone into the mountains to find something,” she replied.

“That simple?” I raised an eyebrow, my heart pounding. If I was right, it must have something to do with A Youduo and that Mountain God’s Jade.

“That simple,” she nodded.

“Alright, I agree.”

She laughed. “Then get some sleep. I’ll wake you in the morning.” She stubbed out her cigarette, jumped from the bed, blew me a kiss, and slipped away.

What a slippery eel—she lets you have a little fun, but never too much.

Still, I was happy to keep things this way. She liked to think she had everything under control, leading me along step by step.

In the end, joining the White Lotus Sect would be inevitable.

I guessed that this search for the Mountain God’s Jade was a test she’d set for me; once I passed, she’d draw me into the White Lotus fold.

Early the next morning, after taking leave from Captain Lin Hai, Hu Xiaoyu and I arrived at a fork in a mountain path.

Before long, four figures appeared—three Miao men and a Miao girl. She was none other than A Youduo, the same girl I’d seen the night before, flanked on each side by the men.