Chapter Three: The Whisper Beneath the Grass
Back to the present.
At the lake deep within Mount Gui, the fog churned like breath.
Then came a sound—
a deep, guttural bellow that rolled across the water, shaking trees and hearts alike.
It was the kind of roar one might imagine waking from a thousand-year slumber.
"It's waking! The Watcher of lake—it's the God of Water!"
"Everyone, prepare the offerings!"
Gui Tian—the Guide—turned sharply, voice shaking slightly despite himself.
In all his years crossing the mountain, he had never witnessed this moment.
But the Gui Records had prepared him.
He muttered the old verse:
"When fire fades and starlight wakes,
the veil lifts, and spirits stir.
In the lake's heart, the bull giant waits.
Only grass may ferry the soul ashore."
His voice rang out over the chaos:
"Listen! Grass is the offering! Toss it into the center of the lake!"
Before the last word left his lips—
Suddenly!
The lake convulsed !
A column of water shot into the air, two stories high, as if something enormous had risen from the depths.
"A wave! It's coming straight for us!"
"Throw the offerings—now!"
Panic. Dozens of villagers hurled bundles of sacred grass into the lake, hoping to calm what stirred below.
But the waves only rose higher. The wind howled. The water churned.
And then it emerged———
A massive silhouette tore through the lake!!
A creature with the head of a buffalo, the body of a fish, and the tail of a python. Its scales glistened black as ink. Its roar sounded like a mountain collapsing!
Tian's face turned pale.
"It's not retreating…"
The beast—Marbovis （牛鯢） , as described in legend—was charging, riding the wave like a god of storm.
He surged forward atop a rising wall of water, a shadow cut from thunder itself, horns slicing the fog.
The lake roared. Waves reared up like jaws, white-tipped and howling ! !
Villagers screamed. Some dropped to their knees. Others turned to flee, only to be pulled back by ropes straining like veins under skin !
Tian didn't flinch. He planted his feet into the sucking mud, thighs braced like pillars,
grabbed the lifeline that bound them all—
and pulled.
"Hold!" he shouted. "Hold the line!"
But the wave came down like a mountain breaking its back.
Water slammed into them—cold, furious, alive.
Tian's vision went white. His ears rang. His boots sank deeper, knees nearly buckled.
Still—he didn't move. His hands bled against the rope. His jaw locked like stone.
He held! He held everyone.
But when he looked up—
he saw her. The little girl——Yuan Yuan.
Somehow, during the chaos, her father's grip had loosened. The tether had snapped. She had fallen. And now she was being carried by the wave—straight toward the beast's open jaws.
"Yuan Yuan!"
Her parents screamed and dove into the water. The sound was ripped away instantly, swallowed by the roar of wind and water.
Gui Tian froze. The girl was too far. The wave was too fast.
He loose the rope and ran. His boots tore through mud. His lungs burned. But it didn't matter.
He drew his blade mid-sprint— a single motion, fluid, desperate..
He roared—and hurled the blade!
The air cracked!
A sonic boom rang out, sharp and violent—like thunder shattering stone.
The long blade tore through mist and rain, spinning toward the beast's face.
But he knew. It wouldn't reach her.
Not in time.
The water was already curling around her. For a heartbeat, she just floated—arms open, eyes wide.
Tian shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to watch her disappear.
—
But then—
Ding—-ling————
A chime——Clear and ethereal, like a wind bell caught in a dream.
Something landed lightly on the lake as like a leaf fell on water.
No scream followed. Only silence.
Gui Tian opened his eyes.
The storm had stopped.
The waves fell still. And the great beast—Marbovis—was lying peacefully in the shallow water, and purring.
Yes. Purring!
His tail lazily swayed like a cat content after a nap. His breath rippled the water.
Atop its back sat four drenched but unharmed figures—
Yuan Yuan and her parents.
And one more.
A young man, cloaked in worn robes, squatting on the creature's shoulder.
He held Gui Tian's blade in one hand, casually spinning it between his fingers, while patting the beast's neck with the other.
He looked down at the floating wet grass, clicked his tongue.
"Wet grass," he muttered. "Of course he wouldn't eat that."
He reached into the basket on his back and pulled out a bundle of dry herbs.
Tossed them into Marbovis' open mouth.
He let out a low "moo" and flopped back, tail sweeping the lake in lazy circles.
The young man—Gui Ye—handed the little girl back to her sobbing parents, then tossed the blade back at Tian.
He held up a few mushrooms, grinning.
"It's fine, brother. The god of water was not angry—he just hungry. And he is a herbivore."
He gave Marbovis another pat.
Then turned to Yuan Yuan, who was still trembling.
"Don't be scared," he said softly. "He's a good boy. You can call him Mooshi"
"Mooshi doesn't hurt people. Just gets moody. A long time ago, he was a divine buffalo from the land of gods above the cloud."
Gui Ye knelt down, whispering like he was sharing a forbidden secret:
"He used to live in the southern herb fields of the celestial court. His job was to tend the herbs.
But one day… he ate the whole field. Every last leaf."
Yuan Yuan's eyes went wide, sparkling like a night sky.
Ye smiled. "So they banished him. Turned him into a fish. Now he's stuck in the lake.
He hasn't tasted dry grass in years. And you all went and tossed it in the water…"
Silence fell.
Then—laughter. Light. Relieved.
Yuan Yuan giggled and fed mushrooms into Mooshi's mouth.
The beast wagged its tail like a puppy.
"But why did he roar and scare me?" she asked, pouting.
Gui Ye pointed at the lakeshore—where several bundles of dry grass still sat, forgotten.
"He wasn't chasing you," he said. "He was chasing his snacks."
The beast snorted in agreement.
"Then why do you call him Mooshi?" someone asked.
"Shouldn't it be Marbovis (*Latin—Mar Bovis) , like in the books?"
Ye shrugged. "I didn't know how to pronounce that character. And it's hard to remember. Isn't it? Marbovis— the god of water! Yeah, real fancy."
"But I prefer Mooshi. He moos, and he looks like a fish. So Mooshi or Moosushi. "
The crowd blinked.
The beast burped. As if confirming.
Gui Tian stared, dazed.
"Ye… how did you even get here?"
"Told you. I drop by all the time. " Ye said, rummaging in his basket.
"This year, the mountain fog didn't clear. I thought something was wrong."
He fed the beast more herbs—mushrooms, cinnamon bark, dried flowers.
The beast chewed happily like eating hotpot.
"But how did you know the right offering?" Tian asked.
"The Gui Records say—"
Gui Ye didn't look up. "That book? Must written by an idiot! Always vague. Always poetic. But no real substance."
He sniffed.
"Luckily, I'm a genius."
Gui Tian raised an eyebrow.
Ye stood up, looking proud.
"It says: 'Only grass may ferry the soul ashore.' Right?"
"But it doesn't mean to throw grass into the lake."
He turned, flashing a grin.
"'Ferry' and 'place by the shore'
All you had to do was leave the dry grass near the edge. So he could reach it."
Gui Tian stared. Then groaned.
"What…?! Who would guess that?!"
But he looked down at the water-stained book in his hands. The ink was smeared. The line unreadable.
And A terrible thought struck him———
What If Ye hadn't come…
He looked at the villagers—soaked, shaken, but safe.
Their offerings were heavy. Their hopes even heavier———Sick wife still waiting on bed. Lost children haven't find the way home. Drought-struck fields need some rain.
They were betting everything on this mountain.
And he—Gui Tian—wasn't sure if he could carry them anymore.
But then a voice:
"Hey, big brother. What are you thinking about?"
Ye clapped him on the shoulder.
"This year's Festival of Return… let's lead it together."
Before Tian could respond, Ye turned to the villagers and shouted:
"This year, the mountain isn't calm. The mist hasn't cleared. The signs are wrong.
But your wishes still matter. The Mountain has no road back."
"If you're willing—we'll climb in your place."
A murmur spread.
Then ten strong men stepped forward.
Because offerings were heavy and the hopes even heavier, They would not let the two carry them alone.
The rest stayed behind, building fires, boiling tea, and waiting for the mountain to answer.
Gui Tian stood still.
He'd always thought of himself as the one leading others.
But now he saw—
they were walking together.
Toward Gui.
Toward the second gate.