Zhu Erniang's Gift

"The nine-holed xun can only be sounded once," Zhu Erniang reminded him. "This is a matter of great gravity. Do not mess around with it." This xun seemed neither metal nor clay, its color a brownish-black, its surface entirely devoid of markings. He tapped it with a finger. "What material is this made of?" "It was refined from my elder sister's eye socket," Zhu Erniang said faintly. "Back in ancient times, her magical power was even greater than mine." He Lingchuan’s hand playing with the ancient xun paused. "Hm? Your elder sister?" Could Zhu Erniang's elder sister be called... "Zhu Daniang?" "Of course." Was their mother that lazy at naming? Then that raised a question: "Erniang, how many siblings do you have?" "Seven hundred and sixty-five at birth." "..." Quite prolific. "And how many have survived until now?" Zhu Erniang fell silent, then changed the subject. "You leave tomorrow. I must rest for at least one night before I can grant you a divine ability." None of the others objected, and so they spent the night in the ruins of the Jiana tribe. Manager Zhao knew that his caravan's hope of escaping the swamp rested entirely on He Lingchuan, so he treated both He Lingchuan and Dong Rui with the utmost deference. He Lingchuan took the opportunity to consult him about the customs and geography of the outside world. After all, to him, the world outside Demon Nest Swamp was completely unfamiliar and brand new. Soon after, Zhu Erniang came over again. She pulled out a snakeskin sack and dumped its contents onto the clearing, giving everyone nearby a fright. What she poured out was none other than an entire giant python! It was Lord Boshan. Though it was already a corpse, its massive body still exerted a powerful sense of oppression over everyone. Zhu Erniang had already extracted all the venom and demanded that the caravan help butcher it, separating the skin, meat, gallbladder, and other parts. Human hands were nimble; why let such free labor go to waste? Manager Zhao complied without hesitation. The outriders and clerks in the caravan had traveled for trade year-round; catching wild boars, snakes, or rabbits to supplement their meals was part of daily life. It was just that the snake they were butchering this time was rather large—some seventy or eighty feet (twenty-five or twenty-six meters) long. Prey killed by Zhu Erniang typically had no obvious wounds on the surface. He Lingchuan drew his saber, Fusheng, and slit open the python's belly first; otherwise, the weapons of the others would never even pierce Lord Boshan's outer hide. While everyone was busy, Manager Zhao suddenly approached He Lingchuan. "Young Master He, could we go search for the remains of the other bandits? Before entering the swamp, our valuables were all stripped away by them." Now that Tu Zhongli was dead, they wanted to retrieve their belongings. He Lingchuan saw no harm in it. He asked a few spider guardians who had taken part in the battle to serve as guides and ventured into Lord Boshan's territory. This was also typical swamp terrain, but only half the size of Zhu Erniang's territory. Prey like capybaras, deer, and rabbits were clearly far less plentiful than in Zhu Erniang's domain, no wonder Lord Boshan had constantly wanted to cross the boundary, even allying with King Siwen to raid the burrow spider nest. If they succeeded, they would have spider molts to study and could also use them to coerce Zhu Erniang into ceding territory. Who could have foreseen such an end? Soon, they arrived at the battlefield where the spider and snake had clashed. The ground showed tracks left by massive crushing weights, but overall destruction was minor, with only seven or eight trees toppled. The battle between the two had lacked earth-shattering visual spectacles. However, snake carcasses of various sizes lay strewn around. The spiders that fell in battle had already been carried back by their kin, leaving behind only the corpses of enemies. As the group advanced, the spider guardians suddenly reared up, letting out threatening chitters. Immediately after, a rustling sounded in the brush, and several wild boars darted out, scurrying away into the distance. The Wild Boar King truly did want to expand his territory here. Both the humans and spider guardians raised their guard, wary lest that giant boar demon burst out from somewhere. Yet the surroundings remained quiet, and until they left the battlefield, no such thing occurred. Perhaps Lord Boshan's death had made King Siwen dread Zhu Erniang's power, so he dared not stir up trouble in the short term. Led by the spider guardians, He Lingchuan and the others gathered the corpses of the bandits. These men had scattered in flight, and when run down and slaughtered by spiders, their bodies were left scattered about. Now it was the caravan's turn to search their corpses—how the tables had turned. Soon, someone cheered; he had actually found two gold beans. He Lingchuan didn't idle either. Having left the Yuan army and his old man, he was no longer Young Master He and would have to support himself from now on. There were far too many things that required money. After finishing their scavenging, the group returned to the ruins. Unexpectedly, the spiders stepped forward and handed Tu Zhongli's corpse over to He Lingchuan as well. This unlucky bastard was wrapped tightly in spider silk, his bulging eyes still full of indignation. Manager Zhao rummaged through the body and indeed pulled out quite a bit of wealth. Not daring to be greedy, he took only a few items before saying to He Lingchuan, "Young Master He, these are all your spoils." Looking over, He Lingchuan saw that Manager Zhao was clever: he had left the largest silver ingots and the most valuable items for him. He Lingchuan didn't examine them closely, sweeping the items into his storage ring. However, among them was a green jade pendant carved in the shape of a rabbit. Holding it, he felt his steps become much lighter, as if he had suddenly shed dozens of jin in weight. Tu Zhongli actually possessed such a magic artifact? An unexpected windfall. He casually hung it at his waist. With its boost combined with his Returning Swallow technique, his speed could reach a new level. Sometimes burying one's head in grueling practice yielded not an inch of progress; one still had to rely on the efficacy of magical items. At this point, swarms of spiders poured out from behind, preparing to occupy Lord Boshan's territory. With one overlord of the jungle dead, Zhu Erniang naturally seized the chance to consolidate and expand her territory. How glorious she had been when nesting in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest of the Panlong Wasteland, where every major power on the wasteland sought to curry favor with her! Now her brood was less than a fifth of what it had been back then, and her overall strength had dropped by more than a single notch. ... Before dawn the next day, everyone rose to pack their gear. Zhu Erniang had spent the entire night digesting the flesh-and-blood essence of Lord Boshan. By now, her movements were much smoother, and those three injured legs could touch the ground to walk. She gave He Lingchuan three pieces of amber, each sealing a drop of crimson blood. "This is the flesh-and-blood essence I extracted from Lord Boshan, blended with my own essence-blood," Zhu Erniang said solemnly. "It has two uses. If you are gravely injured, drinking a single drop will heal you; even a severed limb will regrow within two hours. But you may only drink one drop within forty-eight hours, and only under the precondition that you are severely wounded—otherwise, your body will burst and you will die." She explained, "This blends the vitality of two great demon kings; even for high-ranking human martial artists, it is far too violent." He Lingchuan carefully took them. Zhu Erniang had promised him a life-saving ability, and she truly hadn't gone back on her word. "And the second use?" "If you crush the amber while silently chanting the words 'Bloodfang Guardian,' you can summon three Bloodfang Guardians, each specializing respectively in attack, defense, and healing." Zhu Erniang summoned a giant spider the size of a calf to demonstrate. "A Bloodfang Guardian is a size larger than this one, sturdier and fiercer, and possesses its own abilities. They will be fine assistants in battle." She seemed to sigh. "Since the Middle Antiquity, spiritual energy has waned, and I no longer produce such offspring. But through my power and Lord Boshan's, you can temporarily summon them into the mortal realm for at most half an hour." They were indeed fine treasures; He Lingchuan carefully stowed them away. Finally, she took out a cloud brocade flag and handed it to He Lingchuan right before the eyes of everyone in the Gan caravan. "This is a specially made pass; using it will allow you to walk out of the swamp. Remember, when passing through the mirage mist, do not talk, laugh, or fool around loudly. If you wake the mirage demon, this flag may not be able to protect you on your way out." She then said to Manager Zhao, "The Gan family must escort him to Lingxu City with complete sincerity. Whatever he wants, you give him; whatever he tells you to do, you do." Zhu Erniang's tone turned chillingly cold. "Otherwise, don't even dream of taking another step into Demon Nest Swamp ever again!" Manager Zhao and the others hastily answered, "Yes, yes!" By this time, the spiders had reloaded the caravan's carts with goods. Confirming their direction, the group slowly drove away from Zhu Erniang's territory. Moving further ahead, sure enough, a blanket of white mist rolled out from the depths of the jungle. Visibility was less than a hundred feet, and the chirping of frogs and insects seemed alternately distant and near, impossible to pinpoint. Ordinary creatures that entered here would lose their way, trapped forever within the dense fog. Having traveled in and out multiple times, Manager Zhao already had experience. He had long since ordered the carts tied together one after another with ropes. Now, he invited He Lingchuan to plant the flag on the lead carriage. The flag emitted a green glow, and the thick mist within five hundred feet suddenly retreated into the distance, revealing the true surroundings. The compass could also be used normally. The caravan did not dare make a sound, moving forward in silence. Along the way, they saw many wild beasts lying dead by the roadside, all having strayed into the mirage mist and been trapped to death. Manager Zhao whispered to He Lingchuan that creatures both inside and outside the swamp actually dreaded the thick mist and usually stayed far away from it. Only newborns or hotheads from elsewhere were ignorant and fearless enough to stumble in. Within the thick mist, He Lingchuan seemed to spot a vague shadow, resembling a rabbit yet also a fox, but quite large, with a tail swaying gently behind it. Yet no matter how he channeled his vision, it remained hazy and indistinct, devoid of any clarity. He didn't know what it was; He Lingchuan could not even tell how far it was from the convoy. He looked at Manager Zhao, who waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that it was nothing to worry about. Before long, the silhouette vanished. From then on, the journey had no further mishaps. The caravan traveled for over two hours and finally emerged from the encirclement of the mirage mist, leaving the bounds of Demon Nest Swamp! The moment the thick fog dispersed and their vision cleared, cheers erupted from the crowd. They had escaped danger! They were finally back in the familiar mortal world. "Have we reached the borders of Fu Kingdom?" "Not yet, not yet. This is no man's land," Manager Zhao said, his smile genuine. "Another fifteen li ahead, and the two of you will be welcome as guests in our Fu Kingdom." Dong Rui, who had remained silent the entire way, suddenly said, "All right, see you in four months in the Beijia capital. I'm leaving." The two spider puppets then walked up beside him. He Lingchuan smiled. "Not coming with us?" This fellow had held out earlier, claiming he had only built one spider puppet when in fact he had two. In consideration of the errands he had yet to run later, Zhu Erniang hadn't reclaimed them. Dong Rui snorted. "I have business. Until we meet again." With that, he leapt onto the demon puppet. The thing strode out on its eight legs, scuttling behind the jungle trees in a few swift bounds, and disappeared. The two had originally been enemies, yet they had spent a dozen-odd days together with false pretenses. Now that the pressure from Zhu Erniang was gone, Dong Rui reverted to finding even half a sentence with him too much, slipping away at the earliest opportunity.