Chapter 38: The Eerie Tower

A beautiful woman had been transformed into a ghastly sight. Even a fierce iron beast would have felt a twinge of pity upon seeing her.

Emerging from the pool, the Azure Lion looked at Lin Zi's wretched state and exclaimed, "Where did this ugly hag come from? What happened to Lin Zi? Did she run away?"

Xiao Bugui explained, "She is Lin Zi. Her face is just swollen."

The Azure Lion remarked, "You are truly ruthless."

"The tail of this spear is hard to control; I didn't mean for this to happen." After excusing himself, Xiao Bugui countered with a question, "Where is the black-haired girl?"

The Azure Lion replied, "Inside my belly."

Misinterpreting his words, Xiao Bugui asked, "What? You ate her?"

Though her face was swollen like a pig's head, upon hearing that her sister had met with a grim fate, Lin Zi was consumed by hatred. "You beast, you actually ate my sister! I'll fight you to the death!"

The Azure Lion hurriedly clarified, "Don't get worked up. Within an hour, as long as I spit your sister back out, I guarantee she'll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. For now, just take us to find Yin Wuxiang and hand over the magic box."

Lin Zi retorted, "There is no such person as Yin Wuxiang here."

Xiao Bugui said, "He went to the treasury behind the Taiyin Palace. Take us to him."

Lin Zi replied, "Then follow me."

As it turned out, a secret corridor in the Taiyin Palace led directly to the treasury, which was an underground vault housing only a quaint, octagonal brick pagoda. It was divided into seven tiers: the dark layer, the second floor, the third floor, the fourth floor, the fifth floor, the heavenly palace, and the spire. A bronze bell hung from each corner of every tier. In total, fifty-six bells adorned the entire pagoda, but unfortunately, there was no wind to sway them, leaving no eerie sounds to echo through the night.

Suspicious, Xiao Bugui asked, "Are you sure this is the place?"

Pointing at her swollen, porcine face, Lin Zi whimpered, "I wouldn't dare lie to you. I'm afraid of you. All the treasures of my Taiyin Palace are stored inside this pagoda."

Xiao Bugui instructed, "Then lead us inside to take a look."

Lin Zi replied, "Only if you promise to release my sister once we enter the pagoda."

Xiao Bugui insisted, "You must help us find Yin Wuxiang first."

Lin Zi pleaded, "I'm just afraid that if my sister stays in the Azure Lion's belly for too long, she'll lose her life."

Glancing at Lin Zi's pathetic appearance, the Azure Lion promised, "Once we enter the tower, I'll spit your sister out. In any case, the two of you sisters are no match for us anyway."

Lin Zi muttered an incantation beneath her breath, and the pagoda doors swung open to reveal a dazzling array of treasures filling the interior.

Failing to spot any trace of Yin Wuxiang, Xiao Bugui asked, "Yin Wuxiang isn't here? Where did he go?"

Lin Zi pleaded, "Brother Xiao, divine beast, can you please spit my sister out first?"

The Azure Lion stated, "Before I spit her out, answer me one question: this pagoda has seven tiers, so why is there no staircase?"

Lin Zi answered, "I can only enter this level; I have never been able to go any higher."

The Azure Lion opened its mouth and spat out the black-haired woman. The black-haired woman was none other than Lin Zi's sister, Lin Yu'er. Upon seeing her older sister's miserable state, she pointed accusingly at Xiao Bugui and cried out in distress, "Sister, did he do this to you?"

Lin Zi comforted her, "Sister, as long as you're safe, nothing else matters."

Lin Yu'er fumed, "If those two beasts hadn't ambushed us today, how could we have ended up in such a pathetic plight?"

Lin Zi persuaded, "Sister, stop speaking in anger. As for you two, the magic box is not in my Taiyin Palace, nor is Yin Wuxiang. If you want to find them, you should go to the Fallen Leaf Manor next door."

Confused, Xiao Bugui asked, "Isn't your place the Fallen Leaf Manor?"

Lin Zi clarified, "My place is the Taiyin Palace. The Fallen Leaf Manor is right next door. Young Hero Xiao, you've taken the wrong path."

Xiao Bugui confessed, "We came here using earth-遁 techniques. Yin Wuxiang was digging and digging underground; I suppose he must have lost his way too."

The Azure Lion simply suggested, "Never mind. Since they live next door, let them lead the way."

"I'm up here! Xiao Bugui, come save me!" Just as they were about to leave, Yin Wuxiang's voice suddenly echoed from the second tier of the brick pagoda.

Xiao Bugui called out, "Senior Yin, how did you get up there?"

Seated inside the empty second-floor chamber, Yin Wuxiang recounted his ordeal: "When I arrived at this underground vault and discovered this pagoda, I kicked the pagoda doors twice. They opened by themselves, and I was sucked right in. It's completely empty here, with nothing at all, and there are no stone steps leading down."

The Azure Lion proposed, "I have an idea. Lin Zi, recite the incantation to send us back outside the pagoda gates."

Lin Zi complied, and the three of them and the beast returned to the exterior of the tower doors. Then the Azure Lion instructed, "Lin Yu'er, kick the pagoda door."

Lin Yu'er hesitated at first, glancing at her sister, who gave a slight nod. Only then did Lin Yu'er declare, "I'm not scared!" However, instead of kicking it twice, Lin Yu'er kicked it three times.

Consequently, the pagoda door flew open and sucked Lin Yu'er inside. Seeing this, Lin Zi moved to follow and grabbed her sister's hand. Realizing the two sisters were trying to escape, Xiao Bugui grabbed Lin Zi's hand. The Azure Lion immediately merged back into Xiao Bugui's chest. Thus, the three humans and one beast entered the pagoda once again.

They arrived in a new space within the tower. There was no sign of Yin Wuxiang, and the interior was entirely vacant, save for seal script carved densely across the tower walls.

Xiao Bugui reproached Lin Yu'er, "I clearly told you to kick it twice, but you insisted on kicking it three times. What do we do now?"

Lin Yu'er snapped back, "Why did you follow us in?"

Xiao Bugui retorted, "If I hadn't followed you in, how could I rescue Yin Wuxiang? How could I find the magic box?"

Lin Yu'er turned to her sister: "Sister, is the magic box in the Taiyin Palace or not? If you have it, just give it to him and let him get lost!"

Lin Zi insisted, "The magic box is truly not in the Taiyin Palace."

Xiao Bugui asked, "Then what about Yin Wuxiang?"

Lin Zi explained, "Yin Wuxiang is indeed in the pagoda, but we are not on the same dimensional level as him. Now none of us can get out. I told you before, I only know the incantation to open the dark layer."

Xiao Bugui asked, "Then what should we do now?"

Sighing, Lin Zi replied, "There are only two options. Either you assist us sisters in recovering our internal energy, and together we can use our collective qi to force open the secret door on this level and escape; or we wait for my grandfather to come. The guard disciples who wake up will surely report this to him, and he will definitely track us down here."

This was not a multiple-choice question; it was a death trap. Healing the sisters' internal injuries meant walking into danger, but failing to heal them meant that when their grandfather—presumably a formidable old master—arrived, they would likely still meet a grim end.

Xiao Bugui bargained, "I can treat your internal injuries, but you must swear an oath never to kill me."

Lin Zi agreed, "Very well. Past misunderstandings shall be written off."

From inside Xiao Bugui's chest, the Azure Lion warned, " Women are the best at lying. If you heal their internal injuries and they decide to kill you anyway, what then?"

Lin Yu'er threatened, "My grandfather is none other than Lin Fengmian! If this Azure Lion dares to harm us, my grandfather will surely shatter your primordial spirit!"

Lin Zi reiterated, "I already said, as long as you heal our internal injuries, past misunderstandings are completely forgiven."

The Azure Lion offered a suggestion, "I have an idea. You sisters should bow to heaven and earth with Xiao Bugui right here, become husband and wife, and swear a deadly oath: whoever harms the other shall suffer a wretched and miserable death."

To marry an anonymous nocturnal thief while keeping one's chastity intact felt like self-debasement. Lin Yu'er flatly refused, "I am the premier jade maiden of the pugilistic world; I would rather die than marry him!"

Xiao Bugui countered, "I am destined to return to the heavens to become an immortal! Even if you wanted to marry me, I wouldn't want you!"

Driven to such fury that she spat a mouthful of blood, Lin Zi, whose internal injuries were excruciatingly severe, chimed in, "If she won't marry you, I will! Let us perform the wedding rites right now and stop dragging this out. If this continues, the agony will kill me."

Compared to women, attaining immortality was far more important. Since Xiao Bugui intended to return to the celestial isle as an immortal, he proposed a compromise: "How about this? We shall become sworn siblings. From this day forward, you two are my younger sisters."

Xiao Bugui's proposal was well-received. Lin Zi and Yu'er immediately agreed. The three of them faced the wall, kowtowed, and spoke almost in unison:

"I, Lin Zi."

"I, Xiao Bugui."

"I, Lin Yu'er."

"Today, the three of us swear brotherhood as siblings, pledging to cherish one another hereafter and never to cause each other harm. Should we break this oath and bring harm to one another, may we be struck by lightning and suffer a wretched death."

Having uttered a soul-stirring and catastrophic oath of doom, it mattered little whether it was spoken from the bottom of their hearts or with honey on their lips and murder in their minds.