Echo 1: Who Is It?

Days of heavy rain had soaked the earth around the outskirts of Lingxu City, creating ideal conditions for the snail-toad to travel underground. Next stop: Qingshi Town on the southern outskirts of Lingxu City. They had set out from there that very night, and He Lingchuan had not even checked out of his inn yet. While they traveled beneath the earth, He Lingchuan pulled a mirror from his breast pocket and shone it over each of them in turn. "What are you doing?" "Checking to see if any tracking spells were planted on us," He Lingchuan said, examining them thoroughly. "Tonight's opponents were no ordinary lot, and they have diverse tricks up their sleeves. It's better to be safe than sorry." After checking three full times, the two men, the spider, and even the bat demon puppet were confirmed clean. Only then did He Lingchuan breathe a sigh of relief. He sat down, pulled out the xun, and said to Zhu Erniang, "How can you hold out for so long?" Zhu Erniang tucked her eight legs beneath her, crouching comfortably. "What do you mean?" "Last time in the Demon Nest Swamp, you wore a smaller molt to battle King Siwen and Lord Boshan for three shichen. The moment you returned to your nest, you shed that outer shell right away. That proves a molt can't be worn for long." He Lingchuan eyed her body intently. "This immortal molt must be an even greater burden on you, right? You've had it on for so long already—why aren't you in any rush to take it off?" Last time, Zhu Erniang had been in such a frantic hurry to shed her molt that she had given He Lingchuan his opening. Why was she completely fine this time? "Take it off in front of you?" Zhu Erniang turned several of her eyes toward him at once, her voice dark and eerie. "Do you think I'd make the same mistake twice?" Molting was her most vulnerable moment. He Lingchuan had pulled a fast one on her last time, and she was not about to slip up again. She was not just guarding against He Lingchuan; she refused to give anyone an opening! He Lingchuan could not help rubbing his nose, pointing to the heavens as he swore, "I harbor no such intention whatsoever! Erniang, you wrong me! We're allies sharing the same trench now. If I harm you, wouldn't I be harming myself?" Zhu Erniang let out a scoffing chortle, not believing a single word. "Look, didn't I carry out your task faithfully and accomplish it to perfection?" Zhu Erniang eyed him askance. "What are you really trying to say?" She could tell the kid was not about to turn hostile on the spot. "I'm just curious—" He Lingchuan stroked his chin and stared at her. "Are you really Zhu Erniang?" Dong Rui whipped his head around. "What did you say? She's not Zhu Erniang?" Was there a second spider demon under heaven this ferocious? Not to mention that she could don an immortal molt to fight... Aside from Zhu Erniang, who else could wear this thing? He Lingchuan shook the xun in his hand. "Even if Zhu Erniang hid a portion of her soul in this, could an incomplete soul control an immortal spider's molt with such ease?" Harmony between body and soul was a fundamental principle of cultivation in the mortal realm. One of the most important reasons celestial gods could not linger long in the mortal world was that human vessels were far too frail to bear such mighty souls. Conversely, a weak soul could never drive an immortal's body. Moreover, when Zhu Erniang had laid out the task in the Demon Nest Swamp, she had made one thing very clear: if He Lingchuan retrieved her immortal molt, a life-and-death battle was almost certain to follow. If she could not unleash the molt's power—or at least a portion of it—there would have been no point in making the trip. No matter how one looked at it, the situation was strange. Zhu Erniang merely yawned. "You're quite sharp. Very well, I am not Zhu Erniang." She admitted it so casually that Dong Rui could not help shivering. He patted the snail-toad to put it on high alert. "Who are you?" If the answer was amiss, the snail-toad would fling her straight out. "Isn't the answer obvious?" Zhu Erniang raised a front claw and pointed at He Lingchuan's hand. He Lingchuan did not seem particularly surprised. "You're Zhu Daniang?" The name of this xun was "Zhu Daniang's Eye Socket." Zhu Erniang had also named his venom-fang daggers "Zhu Erniang's Kiss." Following her naming conventions, this xun was bound to be Zhu Daniang's relic. "Indeed." Zhu Erniang—or rather, Zhu Daniang now—spoke wistfully. "I perished in ancient times, so my younger sister let me lodge inside her body, sustained by her flesh and blood so I wouldn't fade away. Usually I slumber, waking only when she calls upon me." Lodging? Two souls sharing one body? He Lingchuan gave a thumbs-up. "You two certainly know how to play. That works too?" "After I fell, she ate my body so it wouldn't go to waste." Zhu Daniang spoke of it as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "I paid the price, and she let me stay. Besides, we were hatched from the same egg clutch. In the later stages of our cultivation, our minds became linked, making us virtually one and the same." She paused briefly. "However, having undergone several moltings, she has grown increasingly weak and can barely sustain my soul anymore. That's why I had to come out and take this risk with you." As long as Zhu Erniang had strength to spare, she could nourish her sister's soul. But once she could barely keep herself alive, Zhu Daniang had to either find her own way out or be devoured by her younger sister. The world of spider demons was just that pragmatic. "How long can you wear this immortal molt?" That was He Lingchuan's main concern. "Don't tell me you have to shed it by tomorrow morning. The snail-toad can't transport something that big!" Once an immortal molt became masterless, it would automatically revert to its original size—a colossal spider four zhang tall, or roughly thirteen meters. A monolithic monster like that could never fit into the Mud Palace. Nor did He Lingchuan's storage ring have anywhere near enough space. If they remained within Beijia territory, transporting the immortal molt would become an enormous problem. Zhu Daniang chuckled. "No need to worry, we planned for that long ago. If I enter dormancy, I can hold out inside the immortal molt for at least half a month or so." He Lingchuan was relieved. "Good to hear." He did not ask how she planned to hold out; that concerned her core secrets, and she would never reveal them. Though he had retrieved the immortal molt for the spider demon and executed the mission splendidly, the fact remained that they had been locked in a standoff just months ago. Their relationship was hardly close enough to share every secret. Of course, for now, they shared a common goal: to safely escape Beijia Kingdom. Before long, the snail-toad arrived in Qingshi Town and surfaced in a secluded, deserted spot. The moment they returned to their inn room, Lingbo, the large parrot, flew in through the window, beating its wings. "Well done! I just flew two rounds up in the sky and saw the fireworks in the north!" The so-called fireworks were the volcanic eruptions of Tianshu Peak. Its voice brimmed with delight. "The master said that since you accomplished this, you will be our dependable comrade from now on." The parrot handed over a slip of paper and an iron thumb ring. "Quite a few people can be put at your service. Their addresses and passphrases are written on the slip, and the thumb ring serves as your token." He Lingchuan took them and asked, "What if I hadn't pulled it off?" The parrot let out two raspy squawks. "If you hadn't, you hadn't! Who over the past few centuries has managed to pull it off anyway?" "Old Fang is truly considerate; he knows exactly what I need most right now." He Lingchuan read the slip several times, committing every word to memory, before conjuring a wisp of true fire to burn it to ashes. He knew full well that had the Mount Xu Plan failed, what the parrot brought might not have been a slip of paper and a thumb ring. "Lingxu City is in utter chaos. Is Old Fang alright?" The parrot shook its head. "No need to worry; he prepared for this long ago." He Lingchuan had witnessed Fang Canran's talent for hiding in plain sight. Since the man was confident, there was no need to fret over him. Through this affair, He Lingchuan had come to appreciate Fang Canran's ruthlessness—and his hatred. A deep, bone-deep hatred for Lingxu City. "Is he going to remain in Lingxu City?" The parrot gave no answer. It simply said, "Farewell," flapped its wings, and flew away. Meeting He Lingchuan right now was quite possibly the most dangerous task in all of Lingxu City; naturally, it did not wish to linger. The chaos in Lingxu City had not yet had time to spread this far. He Lingchuan and Dong Rui checked out of their room as usual, led their rock sheep, brought the squirrel Xiao Qiao along, and went to a secluded spot to release the snail-toad before plunging straight into the earth. The little creature knew far too many of his secrets. He Lingchuan had "consulted" Xiao Qiao, and the squirrel had expressed willingness to take a stable, long-term job with him—with generous pay, of course. They had no intention of staying overnight in Qingshi Town. The most pressing matter was to get away from Lingxu City, the farther the better. After traveling several dozen li west, the snail-toad signaled to Dong Rui that it was exhausted. For the sake of He Lingchuan's Mount Xu Plan, it had been running ragged for the past two days. While the massive creature could move like a phantom on rainy days, it disliked long journeys. Dong Rui immediately felt protective and demanded a break. Even when riding horses, one had to stop regularly to let them drink water and graze. The group surfaced once more, finding themselves surrounded by desolate hills and wilderness. The area was dark and utterly devoid of human activity; only mountain winds swept over the ridge, accompanied by the cawing of crows. It was an ideal resting spot for them. They found a cave obscured by several large trees outside, concealing it completely. Even if birds flew across the sky, they would not necessarily spot any movement within. The two men built a campfire, boiled some water, and ate a few dry rations. After a night of thrilling terror, a few gulps of hot water and several strips of dried beef made them feel as though they had truly returned to the land of the living. Dong Rui let out a long sigh, leaning against the cave wall as he wiped his brow. "I never knew hot water could taste so good!" "Pathetic!" Zhu Daniang sneered. "All you did was take a stroll outside Mount Xu. You didn't even step foot inside." Killing, setting fires, inciting brawls—she and He Lingchuan had done all of that. This kid was at best a carriage driver, steering an unconventional mount. "Going against Lingxu City isn't a blessing just anyone can enjoy." Dong Rui knew his role had not been heavy, but the psychological toll of the job was enormous. The most outrageous thing he had ever done in the past was kidnap the child of a high official in Lingxu City to turn into a demon puppet. And what about the man and spider before him? They had directly uprooted the celestial gods' mortal foundation, offending Lingxu City to the point of no return. When it came to causing trouble, he truly was not fit to carry He Lingchuan's boots. He glared at He Lingchuan. "Just what treasure did you steal from the Heavenly Palace?!" "How can taking back what belongs to you be considered stealing?" He Lingchuan glanced at Zhu Daniang. "Just like how they took back their immortal molt." "How old are you even? How could the Heavenly Palace have stolen anything from you?" He Lingchuan merely smiled without answering. Dong Rui knew that whenever he wore that infuriating expression, he had no intention of explaining. He grunted, found a dry corner, laid out his bedroll, and lay down. He desperately needed to catch up on sleep. He Lingchuan, however, took out three oval stone eggs and handed them to him. "Here, these are for you."