Chapter 15

Mu Gesheng spoke fluently about Wu Nie’s background, but Song Wentong seemed completely unaware. He took a step back, holding Zhu Yinxiao, and asked, “Who are you?”

“This is not important.” Wu Nie’s face was painted, expressionless, always wearing a pale, eerie smile. “If the little one wants to ask something, you have to check with me first.” Saying that, he threw off his coat and struck forward with a palm.

This was exactly what Song Wentong wanted. The two clapped palms, sending out a powerful shockwave that threw the surrounding people into chaos. Even Mu Gesheng and the other, who hadn’t run far, were caught in the blast and fell headfirst into the water. “Number Two is so reckless, only causing trouble for his own family,” Mu Gesheng surfaced, spitting out water. “We need to leave quickly. With Mozi fighting Tai Sui, it looks like there’s going to be another big ruckus in Fengdu.”

Chai Shuxin grabbed a boat and pushed people aboard. “Xingxiuzi is still over there. Aren’t you going to help him?”

“Number Five is like Liu A Dou, and Number Two has the skills of Zhao Zilong. Charging in and out of Changbanpo seven times is no problem.” Mu Gesheng pulled Chai Shuxin onto the boat. “The urgent matter is to find Number Three to mediate the fight…”

Before the words had even fallen, an unknown object flew through the air and landed squarely in Mu Gesheng’s arms. Zhu Yinxiao, with a chicken-feather body, looked at him and let out a long burp.

This ancestor still can’t speak; usually, he’s either crowing or burping.

Zhao Zilong threw Liu Adou aside, and Mu Gesheng instantly felt a headache. “Zhu Yinxiao, how on earth do you manage to both vomit and burp at the same time?”

Chai Shuxin: “Indigestion, perfectly normal.”

“Hua Tuo, now is not the time to check pulses. If you keep being so dedicated, be careful you’ll get your head chopped off by that Cao thief—Oh my, speak of the devil, here comes Cao Cao!”

Wunie leapt into the air, landing right on their small boat. Song Wentong followed closely behind, disregarding everyone on the boat, and swung his blade down in a single strike. The boat instantly shattered into pieces, the force of the blade rebounding rather than dissipating, sending everyone flying into the air like petals scattered by the wind.

That strike shook the heavens and the earth. Muge Sheng held onto Zhu Yinxiao, who in turn grabbed Chai Shuxin. The three of them, like grasshoppers on a single string, were blown away by the blade’s wind for countless miles. In the end, no one knew where they crashed, but they were smashed flat like three pancakes.

Muge Sheng gritted his teeth in pain, “I shouldn’t have mentioned the Three Kingdoms, I should have said Journey to the West—damn it, the second brother really is a reckless, headstrong pig-headed warrior.”

Chai Suxin stood up and looked around, "Where is this place?"

Mu Gesheng was in too much pain to move, lying on the ground motionless. "Is there any landmark nearby?"

"Yes, we are by a city gate," Chai Suxin said. "There are three characters carved on the gate: Chengxi Pass."

"?!?!" Mu Gesheng immediately scrambled to his feet, scooping up Zhu Yinxiao. "Let's go, right now."

Chai Suxin followed closely behind. "What kind of place is this?"

"This is the West Gate of Fengdu, also called Chengxi Pass. If you arrange the entire Fengdu city according to the Bagua directions, you'll find that the Ghost Gate is the Gate of Life, while Chengxi Pass is the Gate of Death—a place of utmost ominousness," Mu Gesheng said briskly. "Behind the city gate lies the Abyss, an ancient battlefield teeming with countless vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts. Once you enter, you face eighty-one trials. Without the skills of a Fighting Buddha, it's nearly impossible to come out alive."

As the two walked on, the fog grew thicker. Mu Gesheng sensed something was wrong and halted, only to see a fierce ghost lunging at them with claws bared.

Chai Suxin stopped in his tracks. "What is that?"

Mu Gesheng scattered a handful of coins, forcibly subduing the vengeful spirit. "…San Jiutian, are you sure you just saw 'Chengxi Gate' at the city gate?"

"Sure, no mistake."

"Listen to me." Mu Gesheng took a deep breath. "We might not have been in front of the city gate just now, but behind it. Lao Er's blade can cut through anything; it's not surprising if it broke the seal on the city wall and threw us inside."

Chai Suxin: "…"

“So we hurried all the way, and we might have already ventured deep into the Abyss,” Mu Gesheng said. “Right now, we desperately need a Great Sage. Can you perform the Seventy-Two Transformations?”

“No monkey,” Chai Suxin said expressionlessly. “Only a chicken.”

Zhu Yinxiao cooperatively let out a crow.

The mist paused, then a cry rose up, answered by a hundred voices, successfully drawing all the demons and spirits from every direction.

"...You really are a big chicken with great luck." Mu Gesheng's face turned green as he tore a long strip of cloth from his hem, using half to gag Zhu Yinxiao and the other half to bind him tightly behind his back. Then he looked around, picked up two rusty ancient swords, and threw one to Chai Shuxin.

"I’m not very skilled with these, but guns don’t work on these things. Have you practiced swordsmanship?"

"A little bit." Chai Shuxin raised his hand to catch the sword, watching the skeleton horde gradually closing in. "Are you confident?"

"In the Abyss, ghosts kill each other; these are just empty shells left after being devoured. We can handle them, but we need to be extra careful..."

Before the words had even fallen, Chai Suxin charged forward, the sword qi shattering white bones like snow.

Mu Gesheng watched the situation for a moment, then patted behind him. "Fifth brother, don’t make a fuss. If you listen, I’ll tell you a bedtime story."

"The eighty-one hardships, the twentieth hardship."

The young man raised his hand and lifted his sword—a frost-cold strike.

"Three strikes on the White Bone Spirit."

The sinister wind howled, blades clashed sharply.

The ground trembled slightly as the horde of skeletons surged like a tide, surrounding the bundle of firewood at the center, the sword’s aura chilling and resolute.

These skeletal corpses were originally empty shells, yet that made them even more troublesome; only by severing their heads and chopping off their limbs could their movement be stopped. Chai Shuxin wielded his sword like a butcher carving an ox; wherever the sword’s aura struck, white bones shattered and limbs were torn apart. He sidestepped an attack from behind and thrust his sword forward, the blade piercing straight into the corpse’s chest cavity. The skeleton exploded midair into a blossom of bones.

The small sky lantern floated above Chai Suxin’s head, but the firelight had dimmed considerably, not enough to completely conceal the living aura on him. At this moment, Chai Suxin was the target; wave after wave of the undead fell, only to surge back again, seemingly endless.

He couldn’t hold out much longer—Chai Suxin knew this well. The Yao family was never a martial clan, and his skill in swordsmanship was far from exceptional. If he were an ordinary mortal body, he had hundreds or thousands of ways to bring down his opponent in an instant, but in this hellish place, neither silver needles nor poison could be of any use. Relying on his own strength alone, he had no chance of winning.

Chai Suxin bent his knees and squatted, delivering a side kick with his right leg. His whole body swung around in place, the sword’s edge tracing a huge arc.

He was now the center of the entire horde of corpses, and at the outermost edge of the swarm, Mu Gesheng dragged a heavy sword, running while chanting, “To be honest with Master, five hundred years ago, when I, Old Sun, was making a grand heroic display at the Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain, I subdued seventy-two demonic caves. Under my command were forty-seven thousand monsters, wearing purple-gold crowns on their heads, ochre robes on their bodies, blue Tian belts at their waists, cloud-walking shoes on their feet, and wielding the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Truly, I was once a man…”

The sword tip plunged a foot into the ground, carving and sketching, while Mu Gesheng’s figure showed no hesitation as he ran a large circle around the entire corpse horde, drawing a big circle. Then he leapt onto a skeleton, springing into the air, stepping on the white bones as he dashed forward. “Sanjiutian!”

Mu Gesheng pulled something from his sleeve and hurled it with all his might. The bundle of firewood leapt into the air, and with a sword strike, it first pierced through a skeleton’s skull. The sword’s momentum did not wane but struck something on the ground, producing a clear “ding” sound.

Though faint, the sound stretched on endlessly, then surged like a tide, mingled with a distant echo, forming a vast wave of sound. Yet the sound did not spread far; it ceased at the sword mark Mu Gesheng had drawn, then flowed like water along the sword trace, forming a circle, endlessly alive, enveloping the entire corpse horde.

The walking corpses all halted their movements, then their bony limbs disintegrated, returning to the earth beneath.

Mu Gesheng threw down his heavy sword and sat on the ground with a sigh. He picked up a white bone to use as a wooden clapper and slammed it on the table, saying, “He’s a zombie possessed by a lurking spirit. Here, he bewitched people and drained their essence. I fought and killed him, and that’s when his true form showed. On his spine, there’s a line of characters that read ‘Lady White Bone.’”

Zhu Yinxiao was crouched behind him, watching him with blinking eyes, unsure if he understood what was said.

“Not too much, not too little, just enough to finish one act. The timing was pretty good.” Mu Gesheng tossed aside the white bone. “Good job, no injuries, right?”

Chai Shuxin approached with his sword and handed something over to Mu Gesheng. “Your money.”

Mu Gesheng caught it and tossed it back with a flick of his wrist. "Thanks."

Neither of them came from a traditional martial background; a direct fight was hopeless. Chai Shuxin focused the firepower while Mu Gesheng drew a large formation around the perimeter. Using the Mountain Ghost Flower as the formation’s focal point, he borrowed its power to quell the horde of walking corpses.

"The Mountain Ghost Flower is said to have been crafted by Fuxi himself, embodying the laws of heaven and earth. It’s impervious to blades and bullets, untouched by gods or demons. Your sword strike only caused some aftershocks, but that’s enough to deal with these lowly minions," Mu Gesheng said, brushing dust off his clothes. "Let me figure out the route. First, we head back to the city gate, then find a way out."

The land of Abî was thick with malevolent energy, the air heavy with the stench of blood, and blue ghost flames flickered everywhere. "This place is also a kind of exile zone. Unsolved cases judged unclear by the Ten Kings of Hell, grudges too heavy to enter reincarnation, or vicious fiends whose cultivation is so advanced even the Punishment Department can’t touch them—all are suppressed here, slaughtering each other endlessly, with no hope of peace."

Mu Gesheng held Zhu Yinxiao in his arms again, tugging at the fur on his tail as he spoke. Zhu Yinxiao, usually too timid to cause trouble, could only wriggle incessantly like a brightly colored maggot.

Chai Shuxin couldn’t stand it any longer. “Let me hold him.”

“No need, your hands are precious. If he bites you, I can’t afford the compensation,” Mu Gesheng waved his hand. “Besides, my father said children shouldn’t be spoiled.”

...Children shouldn’t be spoiled, but they also shouldn’t be played with.

Chai Suxin watched Zhu Yinxiao suffer cruelly under his hand, but in the end, he said nothing. "How far is it from here to the city gate?"

"Not very far, but the path is quite dangerous." Mu Gesheng rubbed a Mountain Ghost coin, "If it were just the walking corpse from before, that’s manageable—we could break through with force. But if something we can’t provoke shows up, we have neither the skills of the Yin-Yang sect nor the divine weapons of the Mo family. The things here don’t care about fortune-telling or healing; if we really run into trouble, there’s only one word—run."

"Your stamina is seriously drained."

"Same to you." Mu Gesheng smiled, "There are forty-nine Mountain Ghost coins in total. So far, I’ve inherited seventeen from my master. They’re fine for divination, but if we actually use them to fight desperately, the immense power contained within is probably beyond my ability to control. So, we should avoid conflict whenever possible on this journey. If I have to use a Mountain Ghost coin again, by the time we reach the Coldest Nine Days, you’ll probably have to drag me out."

Before the words had even fallen, Chai Suxin drew his sword with a sharp "swish."

"So rude?" Mu Gesheng was startled. "Already thinking I'm a burden and want to settle this right here? Then let me die a full stomach ghost—how about we cook Old Five before our final battle?"

"Shut up."

Chai Suxin threw his sword forward, then grabbed Mu Gesheng and swiftly pulled him back. Only then did Mu Gesheng turn around and see a monster not far behind, countless arms and heads beyond reckoning, innumerable eyes fixed mercilessly on the two of them—horrifying beyond words.

But the strangest thing was that although its upper body was massive, its lower body consisted of only a pair of legs, standing upright like a human. And those were a pair of women's legs—slender calves wrapped in three-inch lotus shoes.

Chai Suxin's sword struck right in the center of a face; all the monster's mouths screamed, the shrill noise scraping at the eardrums painfully.

"I'm starting to have a psychological shadow about the Thousand-Faced Buddha of Baishui Temple. Both have a thousand hands and eyes, but how can this thing look so hideous?" Mu Gesheng covered Zhu Yinxiao's ears and took off running. "Old Five, remember this well! Don't disturb the peace every morning! Your crowing sounds even worse than that thing!"

The cloth strip in Zhu Yinxiao's mouth was knocked loose, saliva spilling out.

Although this monster had small feet, its speed was extraordinarily fast, and the distance between them was rapidly closing. "We'll be caught before we reach the city gate, and along the way, we'll alert even more creatures," Mu Gesheng said as he tossed a coin to Chai Shuxin. "Split up and run."

Chai Shuxin grabbed him firmly. "What do you mean?"

"Throw the coin into your little sky lantern; it will guide you. Remember to keep it safe and return it to me later." Mu Gesheng pried open his hand. "If we both run together, we'll be caught sooner or later. At least one of us has to get help."

"Then give me Xing Suzi," Chai Shuxin said decisively.

“This is my fifth son. Don’t even think about taking advantage of the situation to abduct the child,” Mu Gesheng said. “Besides, you can’t handle him—this kid bites.”

“You won’t be able to run fast while holding him!”

“Then you run faster!”

The two argued fiercely as they sprinted. Mu Gesheng was too lazy to keep persuading Chai Suxin and suddenly twisted his steps to run in another direction. Quick and sharp, Chai Suxin immediately gave chase. Unexpectedly, with a sidestep, he tripped Mu Gesheng. Mu Gesheng clutched Zhu Yinxiao’s ears with both hands, already off balance, stumbled, and fell—sending the child flying out of his arms.

Landing squarely in front of the monster.

Both of them instantly changed expressions and immediately tried to get up and fight desperately, but their legs tangled, and they fell into a messy heap once again.

Chai Suxin felt as if his own legs had been chopped off, helplessly watching the monster stop in front of Zhu Yinxiao, limbs flailing wildly, as if it was about to devour him in the next moment—

But then Zhu Yinxiao opened his mouth and let out a clear, resonant long cry.

The moment Mu Gesheng heard that sound, he felt a sharp, nerve-induced stomach pain. Perhaps Zhu Yinxiao’s lung capacity was extraordinary; every day, Zhu Yinxiao crowed in the study, able to go on for a full fifteen minutes without gasping for breath. It was said that the roosters raised at Baishui Temple were all severely provoked by him, trying to match his volume in one breath, only to end up suffocating themselves.

Zhu Yinxiao’s crowing continued without pause, and then something unbelievable happened—the monster gradually dissipated and shrank with the sound, like a leaking inflatable raft, until only a female figure remained, floating in midair like a wisp of smoke.

Zhu Yinxiao opened his mouth and swallowed her down in just a few bites.

Chai Shuxin: "..."

Mu Gesheng: "......"

It took the two of them a while to come to their senses. Mu Gesheng’s expression was hard to read. "I know Zhuque has divine bloodline, capable of warding off evil, but I didn’t expect this kind of trick... No wonder the fifth brother has been so picky with food lately. He’s probably close to transforming and needs spiritual energy to nourish himself. What he wants to eat isn’t ordinary grains and salt at all."

Zhu Yinxiao sat on the ground and burped, then turned to look at Mu Gesheng, stretching out both hands toward him.

Mu Gesheng: "Is this a challenge to fight me?"

Chai Suxin: "...It seems Ling Shuzi wants you to hold him."——

Author's note:

The three fights with the White Bone Spirit are excerpts from the original text of Journey to the West.