Chapter Thirty-One: The Three-Legged Ravine—Exploring the Red Fox Cave

The man in white awkwardly scratched the back of his head, then suddenly grinned and said, “Heh! Boss, I was just busy with something. That female ghost last time—you sent her, didn’t you? I almost took her out.”

I was taken aback and turned to him. “Took her out? How could you have done that?”

He shot me a look and replied, “Kid, you’re exactly like your master when he was young, always jumping to conclusions. Who said I took her out? She’s already gone back.”

Hearing this, I finally relaxed and nodded. Master waved his hand, signaling for us to help him up. The man in white and I supported him to his feet. Master stretched his arms and said, “Let’s go help out.”

With that, he began walking forward at a measured pace. The man in white quickly grabbed his arm and said, “Hey, Boss, you just got back on your feet—why not rest? I’ll handle this.”

Master paused and looked at him. “Alright, you go ahead. I could use a break—I’m exhausted.”

The moment he said that, the man in white was left speechless. “Wow, Boss, you sure know how to put someone on the spot.”

Master chuckled, patted his shoulder, and said softly, “Be careful.”

The man in white nodded, arcs of electricity crackling in his hands as he soared into the sky. I helped Master back to the haystack to sit down. Watching the battle overhead, Master sighed, “This scene feels so familiar.”

I was puzzled. “Master, who are they? I only recognize the Ghost Deity of Qiyuan. Who are the other two?”

Master turned to me, straightened up, and replied, “I’ll tell you in a bit.”

I nodded and looked back at the fight above. The Ghost Deity of Qiyuan let out a furious roar, sending a burst of ghostly energy skyward, shredding the ghost soldiers nearby. The man in white, his hands crackling with lightning, wiped out dozens of ghost soldiers with each strike. The third fighter, even more ferocious, was clad in a cloak and dove straight into the ranks of the ghosts, tearing through them with his claws.

Soon, the number of ghost soldiers dwindled. The Ghost General of Mo Mountain, realizing he was losing, started to retreat in fear. The sharp-eyed Ghost Deity of Qiyuan spotted him and shouted, “Trying to run? Do you think you can escape?”

With that, the Ghost Deity of Qiyuan rushed at the Ghost General, while the man in white blocked off his retreat. The cloaked man, having already torn apart the last fierce ghost, joined them, and the three quickly surrounded the Ghost General.

The Ghost General was now in a panic, pointing at them. “You… You dare! I serve Lord Qingchen!”

Before he could finish, the strange-looking man beside him lunged forward and punched him in the face, then spat to the side and said coldly, “Don’t try to throw names around. Qingchen is nothing but trash—I could crush him with one hand.”

Then the Ghost Deity of Qiyuan unleashed a thick wave of black ghostly energy, striking the Ghost General and causing his spirit to waver. Yet the Ghost General stubbornly protested, “Shameful, ganging up on me like this!”

“Ganging up? Don’t act so righteous. Weren’t you all crowding around the boss just now? You think I didn’t see?” the Ghost Deity of Qiyuan retorted.

Just then, the Ghost General suddenly released a burst of fierce ghostly energy, momentarily blinding the three. The strange man cursed and dispelled the energy, only to find the Ghost General already gone. It seemed as if he had managed to escape, but the man in white just smiled faintly, lightning flashing in his hand. He shouted, “Heavenly Thunder, descend!”

As he spoke, a thunderbolt as thick as a barrel exploded in the sky, striking to the left. A shriek echoed—the Ghost General had been struck and fell to the ground, his spirit dissipating.

The Ghost Deity of Qiyuan was startled by this and exclaimed, “Sikong, couldn’t you have given us a heads-up? Why not use that move sooner?”

“Hey, Qiyuan, you’ve lived for thousands of years and you’re still afraid of thunder? That’s just ridiculous,” the man in white laughed.

Qiyuan shot him a look. “Easy for you to say. You think being a ghost is simple? I may be powerful, but heavenly thunder still scares me. If I got struck, I’d be laid up for three days.”

At that moment, the strange man interjected, “Qiyuan, stop flattering yourself. We all know what you’re capable of. Don’t feel bad—just keep training.”

He walked over and patted Qiyuan on the shoulder. The man in white also burst out laughing. Qiyuan forced a bitter smile. “Alright, enough banter. Let’s go check on the boss.”

With that, the three flew over to Master. Master looked at them and said, “Not bad—your strength hasn’t faded with the years.”

The strange man grinned. “We’re nowhere near your level, Boss, am I right?”

Qiyuan and the man in white both nodded and laughed. Master continued, “Go on, mess around as you like. Thank you all for today.”

“Boss, there’s no need to be so formal with us,” said Qiyuan.

“Yeah, Boss. So, what’s your plan now?” asked the man in white.

Master considered for a moment, then said, “Here’s what we’ll do: you three head back to my place and wait for me. I’ll take care of things here and come back soon. Bring Chufeng along too—since you’re all here, he should join us.”

The three nodded. Qiyuan said, “Chufeng? It’s been a while since we saw him. We’ll head off now. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Master waved them off. They nodded again and vanished.

I supported Master. He turned and said, “You did well today. I’m truly proud of you.”

I nodded awkwardly. Master glanced at Daoist Daogui, who was so stunned he couldn’t speak. The geomancer patted him, and he finally came to his senses, quickly apologizing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you earlier.”

Daoist Daogui’s attitude had completely changed, even addressing Master with the utmost respect, which surprised me greatly. Master just shook his head and said, “Let’s go home—I’m exhausted.”

He started walking. I hurried to help him. Master smiled at me, then turned to Daoist Daogui. “What, aren’t you coming?”

“Uh, elder, I think I’ll take my leave. With you here, everything is fine. I’ve been traveling long enough—it’s time I returned to Mount Longhu,” Daoist Daogui replied.

Master nodded and said, “Give my regards to your master.”

Daoist Daogui agreed and headed toward the village exit. Master then gestured for me to walk ahead, and I helped him down the road.

After a while, we arrived at Zhang Moyun’s uncle’s house. I helped Master to a bed in the side room and then went outside. At the door, I ran into Zhang Moyun, who asked, “Lin Xuan, is Uncle alright? Is he hurt?”

I shook my head. “He’s fine, just exhausted. Let him rest. I’ll stay with you in the mourning hall tonight.”

She nodded. We kept vigil together in the hall all night. At dawn, I stretched and opened the door. A light morning mist had fallen, and roosters crowed in the yard. I yawned and walked outside. After more than an hour, the sun began to pierce the fog, bringing warmth. More villagers were arriving, but strangely, they seemed to remember nothing of last night, going about their business as usual.

I found a stool, sat down, and yawned. Suddenly, someone patted my shoulder. I turned to see Master, looking vigorous behind me. I stood up. “Master, how are you feeling?”

“Completely recovered. No need to worry, kid. Go get some sleep—you were up all night, and we have to head out again this afternoon,” he said, stretching.

I nodded and went into the side room, took off my shoes, and fell into a deep sleep. I don’t know how long I slept before a shriek woke me. I shot up in bed, stunned to see Zhang Moyun beside me. At some point, she’d climbed into my bed, and it seemed we’d slept together the whole morning.

I was instantly wide awake and scrambled off the bed. “Zhang… Zhang Moyun, why are you sleeping here?”

She was just as confused. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Her scream had already drawn Master and a woman into the room. They paused in surprise. I turned to Master. “It’s not what you think! There was no one here when I went to sleep.”

Master just shrugged. “How should I know?”

The woman came over, sat on the bed, and said to Zhang Moyun, “Moyun, why are you sleeping here? Didn’t I tell you someone else was using this bed?”

Zhang Moyun’s face flushed as she looked down and mumbled, “Auntie, I don’t know. I must have wandered in half-asleep.”

Master said, “Never mind, never mind. Young people have energy to burn, that’s all, haha.”

He finished and immediately felt three pairs of eyes staring at him. He quickly slipped away. I put on my shoes and apologized, “Sorry, Moyun, Auntie, I’m really sorry.”

Her aunt smiled. “It’s alright—no need to be so polite. The geomancer told me what happened last night. We owe you a lot.”

I was surprised. “The geomancer told you about last night?”

She nodded. I pressed, “Did he tell anyone else?”

“Oh, no, just me,” she assured me.

I relaxed and went outside, where Master was leaning against the wall, smoking. He gave me a sidelong glance. “Come on, kid, we have things to do. Let’s try to be back early.”

I looked at him in confusion. “Things to do? What else, Master?”

He patted me. “Did you forget? We promised Moyun we’d help her.”

Suddenly I remembered—I’d promised to retrieve Zhang Moyun’s mother’s soul. I nodded and followed Master to Sanzu Ravine.

On the way, bored, I broke off a branch and swung it around. Master glanced at me. “Kid, you’ve got quite the luck with women—so many girls around you. Moyun is a good one, pretty and thoughtful. Have you considered it?”

I rolled my eyes. “Master, what are you talking about? We’re just friends.”

“Oh, I know. You fancy Chu Mengxi. She’s a beauty too—just wait, she’ll be a stunner when she grows up. You’re a lucky guy!” Master teased.

I sighed and stared at him wordlessly. Master just laughed. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop. If I keep going, my precious disciple will stop talking to me!”

I gave him a forced smile, then asked, “Master, who were those people last night? You said you’d tell me.”

He walked beside me, hands behind his back. “Oh, they’re all brothers I’ve fought alongside in the past. You know one: the Ghost Deity of Qiyuan. The other two—one’s the head of the demon clan, called Demon Saint Tian. He’s wild—I fought him once and took him down in three moves, which is why he follows me. The man in white is Sikong Fan, with quite a background. He used to be the top master of the Celestial Palace but had to leave for some reason, then was hunted by the demon realm. I saved him, and he’s been with me since. Don’t be fooled by their strength—they’re all tricky characters.”

He finished, and I realized how much I’d learned. So demons really did exist—maybe Journey to the West wasn’t all fiction after all.

Soon, Master and I entered Sanzu Ravine. The moment we stepped in, we both sensed a faint demonic aura. Master sniffed and said, “What a strong stench—this must be the red foxes’ lair.”

He took a yellow talisman from his pocket, folded it into a bird, and with a touch, it came to life and began circling above us. After a moment, it flew ahead. Master watched its direction and said, “Let’s follow it.”

I nodded and followed the paper bird through the ravine. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, we stopped in front of a wide cave entrance. The bird circled in the air, then dropped to the ground. Master pocketed it, crept to the cave, and unconsciously held his nose. I did the same, frowning as I joined him. Suddenly, voices and footsteps came from inside. We hid, and soon, two foxes—now in human form and armed—appeared at the entrance.

Quick as lightning, Master knocked them both down and held a golden sword over their heads. “If you want to live, tell me what’s going on inside.”

The foxes, still new to human form, were timid and stammered, “Don’t hurt us, great immortal. Ask anything—we’ll tell you everything.”

Master glanced toward the cave. “Did you capture a woman’s soul?”

The foxes nodded like pecking chicks, then shook their heads. Master frowned in confusion. One fox explained, “We did capture human souls, but not just one. There’s a whole area in the cave for imprisoning them.”

“Where is it?” Master demanded.

The left fox’s eyes darted nervously. “It’s… it’s behind our king’s den, but you need a special key to get in. Ordinary people can’t.”

Master was growing impatient. “Where’s the key? Can’t you just tell me everything at once?”

“Yes, yes. The key… the key’s with the king. He always carries it,” the right fox stammered.

Master nodded. “How many years has your Red Fox King been cultivating?”

The question caught them off guard, but eventually they replied, “We don’t know, great immortal. We’re just low-level gatekeepers—we’re not told these things. Please, have mercy and let us go.”

Master snorted and withdrew his sword. “Since it’s not easy for you to become human, I’ll let you go. But you mustn’t harm anyone again. If you do, not only I, but the Daoist sects will destroy you. If you have nowhere to go, you can join the demon clan in Xi’an—they’re recruiting.”

With that, Master stood up. The foxes brightened at the mention of Xi’an’s demon clan, thanked him, and scurried off into the woods.

I looked at Master in confusion. “Master, does that mean all demons who take human form can be spared?”

He glanced at me. “It depends. If they’ve never harmed anyone and cultivated on their own, maybe. But if they’ve hurt people, there’s no forgiving them, no matter what they say. And honestly, I only did this as a favor to Demon Saint Tian—foxes are demons too, and their numbers are dwindling. Consider it helping him build his strength.”

He patted my shoulder and led the way into the cave. I nodded and followed, almost overwhelmed by the thick stench of foxes. Pinching my nose, I trailed behind Master.