Chapter 18: Searching Everywhere

Deep in the night, in a guest room at the Huaiyou Inn, Boss Ma Ruyun sat admiring a jewel-encrusted scimitar, his face flickering in the unsteady lamplight. He asked, "Ma Ying, have the Seven Fiends truly left?"

Standing in the shadows of the corner, a man replied fawningly, "They were dead drunk and have gone off with that Zhang Gou and Niu Er."

Ma Ruyun mused, "I wonder what kind of treasure those Seven Fiends of the Demonic Cult are hunting for that they would come knocking on my door."

Ma Ying explained, "Brother, having spent all these years in the Western Regions, it is no wonder you do not know. They are looking for Pandora’s Magic Box."

"Pandora’s Magic Box? What kind of damn thing is that?" Ma Ruyun asked.

"Pandora is a foreign term," Ma Ying replied. "To put it plainly, it’s a gold box made by an old woman that cannot be opened. Inside are two treasures: a magic ring and a manual of secret techniques. They say the ruby on the ring can command wind, fire, water, and move through earth. As for the Demonic Cult’s divine art, it is even more formidable—it is called the 'Peerless Charm.' Once mastered, one would not only be invincible under heaven but could even regain their youth."

Ma Ruyun wondered aloud, "It still strikes me as strange that the Seven Fiends would target me."

Ma Ying speculated, "Could it be that on our journey here, we killed someone we shouldn't have or took something we shouldn't have?"

Ma Ruyun ordered, "I have another chest of treasures. Bring it out; let us search through it and see if that box is among them."

With Ma Ying’s help, Ma Ruyun opened another chest. The master and servant rummaged through it for a long while, but the box remained unfound. From the previous chest, a black-winged insect flew out, circled the scattered gold and jewels, and then flew out the window to carry the news of the failed search back to the Pig Fiend.

The night market in Wen Family Manor was, naturally, a nocturnal affair. By the time they arrived, the Seven Fiends were already dead drunk on their boat. Fang Dabai, having drunk the least, heard the Pig Fiend moan while clutching his forehead, "Among the seven of us, Fang Dabai has the highest cultivation. Why don't we let him go to the night market first? It will save us from a wasted trip."

Fang Dabai agreed, "Since Old Pig has spoken, I shall make the trip."

Hao Meili chimed in, "I want to go see, too."

Xiao Bugui and Ma Zengsan spoke almost in unison, "If you go, I go."

Fang Dabai looked at the young girl Hao Meili and the simple-minded lad Xiao Bugui, then at Ma Zengsan, who struck him as a wily old fox. He said, "You two may accompany me, but this old man cannot."

"If you won't let me go, then fine, I'm going home to sleep," Ma Zengsan said, trying to slip away. But Hu Jiao would not allow it; she flicked a length of white silk, instantly binding the shrewd little old man.

Hu Jiao, her cheeks flushed with intoxication, said, "Let this old man sleep on the boat for the night. You three, go and return quickly."

The trio soared into the star-studded night sky. High above, where the air was biting cold, Hao Meili couldn't help but sneeze. Xiao Bugui took off his outer garment and draped it over her shoulders, saying, "It’s so late; perhaps I should take you home?"

"No," Hao Meili insisted. "Senior Fang is ranked tenth in the *Jianghu Record of Monsters and Demons*. I want to see the elegance of his White-Tasseled Spear."

Fang Dabai, whose head was bald save for a tuft of hair at the temples tied into a knot, possessed a face with a beak like a goose, though otherwise, he resembled an ordinary man. Clad in white feathered robes, he looked like a tall, thin immortal. Hearing Hao Meili’s admiration, he looked ashamed and said modestly, "That was in my younger days. I am no longer what I once was."

Xiao Bugui remarked, "I heard an immortal speak of the White-Tasseled Spear back on the Immortal Island. They said the shaft is woven from thousand-year-old evergreen vines—hard or soft as desired. When hard, it can pierce iron armor; when soft, it acts like a whip. The spearhead is forged from meteorite iron—indestructible!"

Fang Dabai asked, "Little brother, are you from the Immortal Island?"

"I was," Xiao Bugui replied. "But no longer."

Fang Dabai said, "This spear was a gift from my master. When he left, he did so with great flair, telling me only that he was old and could no longer hold on. I wonder, which immortal did you hear speak of it on the island?"

"It was an immortal maiden," Xiao Bugui said. "She was chatting with an old sister of hers, and I overheard them."

Fang Dabai mused, "Perhaps that maiden was my master's lover. My master, Wang Chuncheng, could traverse heaven and earth; he was omnipotent, known in the Jianghu as the Spear Tyrant."

"Who is Wang Chuncheng? I haven't heard of him," said Xiao Bugui.

Fang Dabai replied, "My master was low-key in the Jianghu. He was even better than I am—he had a 'Golden Spear that never falters.'"

Xiao Bugui said, "To be ranked tenth, you are still a master of the Jianghu."

Fang Dabai pulled a carrot from his robe and began to chew on it. "That Hu Yu who writes the rankings just talks nonsense; he is not to be trusted. My body is not what it used to be; my white-tasseled spear can no longer stand tall."

Hao Meili, who knew a thing or two about herbal supplements, realized he was chewing ginseng, not a carrot. She asked with concern, "This ginseng is for treating physical weakness and blood deficiency. Senior Fang, have you suffered a grave injury?"

"It is an unspeakable malady," Fang Dabai replied. "Let us not speak of it."

Xiao Bugui asked, "I am merely curious—what kind of treasure could compel you seniors to go to such lengths?"

Fang Dabai sighed, "It is not a particularly good treasure, but our Cult Leader is too terrifying. If she learns we have lost her item, she will surely make our lives worse than death."

Hao Meili said, "I heard the Demonic Cult has two rotating leaders. Cult Leader Ji Qingcheng is reasonable—she does not offend unless offended. Could it be the other one's treasure that was lost?"

Fang Dabai nodded, "Miss Hao, you guessed correctly. In twenty days, Cult Leader Shi, who is cultivating on Changbai Mountain, will emerge from seclusion. If that woman finds out her item is gone, it will be a disaster."

"Is she really that fearsome?" Xiao Bugui asked.

"That woman," Fang Dabai said, "has wine and meat in her hands at all times, and eats barbecue at every meal."

Hao Meili remarked, "There are many who enjoy wine and meat."

"We aren't talking about ordinary meat," Fang Dabai replied. "Would you dare eat people? The most disgusting thing is that she loves to eat human intestines. Even I cannot stomach it; I cannot bear the smell."

Xiao Bugui asked, "Is there no one to purge this demon?"

Fang Dabai scoffed, "The number one on the *Jianghu Record of Monsters and Demons* is our Cult Leader Shi. Who would dare?"

Hao Meili listed, "Lin Fengmian of Qingcheng Mountain, Wang Yiming of the Xuanwu Gate, Zhao Wuji of Longhu Mountain, Zhang Ruoxu of Maoshan—their martial arts cultivation should be on par with Cult Leader Shi Yuhuan."

Fang Dabai, naturally defensive of his own leader, said dismissively, "Those four old men are all in their sixties and rarely come down from their mountains. It is said Lin Fengmian is about to ascend to immortality; Zhang Ruoxu has stopped practicing martial arts and taken up painting; Wang Yiming has such back and leg pain that he can barely hold a horse stance; and Zhao Wuji has lost his mind—he keeps eating arsenic as if it were medicine."

Below them lay a brightly lit street bustling with crowds. The three flew to the end of the market and landed before a five-cornered tower sparkling with pearls.