Chapter 18 - Volume Three: Courage | Chapter 4.17: The Eight-Legged Lion

body jolt violently. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the human world, inside the room. He was seated in the full lotus position on a prayer mat.The three sticks of incense before him still wafted tendrils of smoke."You..." Lucang was shocked and about to angrily shout when he suddenly found he couldn't move, his voice seemingly gone.Ruoqiao beside him was already alert, while Bensheng and the other two showed no signs of waking. Lucang immediately understood that Ruoqiao had tampered with the process, returning the two of them to the human world ahead of the others. But he could do nothing, only watch helplessly as Ruoqiao lifted him onto his back and stealthily climbed out the window.Ruoqiao carried him all the way from the city center to the outskirts, even spent money to buy two horses, and rode east with Lucang in tow.Lucang guessed that their team had been assigned to the western part of Yongle Kingdom for the exam. Was Ruoqiao heading east to take him back to Zhouku?But when they reached a wild, mountainous forest and the sky hadn't yet darkened, Ruoqiao stopped the horse, set him down, and once again pulled out that foul-smelling object from his sleeve.As his blood circulation eased, Lucang acted without a second thought, swinging his hand out in a slap. Caught off guard, Ruoqiao was sent tumbling to the ground, rolling over and over."You vile worm!" Lucang's strength wasn't fully restored, but it was more than enough to deal with Ruoqiao.Ruoqiao slowly turned over and stood up. The left side of his face was red and swollen, but the injury wasn't severe. He lifted his head, about to say something, when he suddenly staggered.A deep, bone-exposing gash appeared on his right cheek... followed by a large, swollen bump on his head. He wrapped his arms around himself, his whole body trembling, and collapsed to the ground, groaning uncontrollably. On his arms, visible where his sleeves had pulled back, were countless whip marks.Lucang was utterly astounded. He looked down at his own hand, speechless for a moment. "I... I certainly didn't hit you that hard. These wounds...""Not you." Gritting his teeth, Ruoqiao leaned with effort against a tree trunk. "It's my own... condition. Once I'm injured, if I recall certain painful memories, my body reverts to that time, manifesting those wounds one by one."Lucang was seething with anger—exhausted from the recent major battle and now betrayed by this scoundrel. Now, even rightful retaliation felt unjust. He could only point at Ruoqiao and rage, "You worm, I won't harm you further. But you must explain everything clearly to me. What exactly are you trying to do?""Don't worry," Ruoqiao gasped for breath, "I was always going to tell you."The sun was obscured by a large cloud, and a refreshing coolness permeated the mountain forest. Ruoqiao looked up, closing his eyes for a moment. "Look how beautiful the scenery is. If we hadn't come for the Ting Shi, we might never have seen it!"Lucang's sliver of sympathy and patience instantly evaporated. He drew his fan."However, all of this," Ruoqiao opened his eyes and looked at him coldly, "is fake. This Ting Shi is merely one part of a grand conspiracy."Lucang stood frozen in place."What did you say?""Aren't you curious about the content of this Ting Shi? If you had reviewed the records, you'd know that previous Ting Shi were always held in immortal courts like the Yuanjue Ting. But this time, they've made all of us leave the Qiyeo Kingdom, and even the Court Supervisors have followed."Ruoqiao lowered his head, coughing so hard his shoulders shook. "Someone found the Prince and told him: 'Your Highness, perhaps you don't know that when your mother was pregnant, she received a prophecy from Zhouku: "This child will surely harm his father." So, after your birth, your father threw you from a tower window, breaking your finger. When you were young, they called you 'Weishengyuan' ['Resentment Before Birth'], and also 'Zhezhi' ['Broken Finger'], isn't that right?'The Prince gnashed his teeth; 'That old man is despicable.'The man continued: 'Now you are a grown man, yet your father still sits upon the Golden Throne, giving you no authority whatsoever.'The Prince flew into a rage and immediately took his men to imprison the King in a seven-layered underground chamber."A chill ran from the soles of Lucang's feet straight to the top of his head. He had once seen the Prince at a banquet with his elders. It was true the Prince had a finger that was immobile. Such matters were impossible for ordinary people to know."You're saying... before we left Qiyeo Kingdom, the King was already imprisoned by the Prince?"Ruoqiao suddenly laughed: "Haha... Imprisoned? He wants to kill the King and usurp the throne!"Lucang reached out to steady himself against a tree trunk, his clean white robes smudged with dirt. He paid it no mind, hesitantly demanding, "And us? Our academy... what is our role in this?" He suddenly remembered what Ruoqiao had just said—'the Ting Shi is merely one part of a grand conspiracy.'"Rest assured, the academy is just a minor player in their eyes. The Prince knew the academy would not condone his patricide and usurpation, so he seized the chance to dispatch the entire faculty and student body away from Qiyeo Kingdom. Right now, the only one who remained, the Old Dean, is probably also under their control."Well, at least things hadn't reached the worst possible outcome. If even the Old Dean were... that would be truly disastrous. Lucang breathed a slight sigh of relief.Ruoqiao, however, seemed to read his thoughts, letting out a twisted laugh. "What, you feel reassured already? Young Master Lucang, haven't you always been a genius, looking down on everyone?"Lucang ignored the mad, sarcastic taunt, but a deep unease settled in his heart. Even if Zhouku was a minor player, without the support of the world's premier cultivation academy, how could the Prince possibly hold the throne, even if he successfully usurped it?And, why... did Ruoqiao need to kidnap him from the team?"My task," Ruoqiao's wounds had somehow already vanished. He stood up, then knelt again, bending forward, bowing his head, and crossing his arms over his chest in a standard, subservient posture."Is to guarantee your safety," he said, "Because you are the one those people have designated as the next 'Comprehender'.""Ananda! Ananda, wake up!"Ananda groggily opened its eyes to see Bensheng shaking its head without an ounce of pity. "Quick, use your Thousand-Mile Eye! Lucang and Ruoqiao are missing!"The Alchemist worried, "What if they're still in the Netherworld? Can Ananda see them there?""The incense has burned out..." Bensheng guessed randomly, "Maybe because we were separated, we didn't return to the same place in the human world?"Ananda, seeing the empty prayer mats, immediately woke up fully and, without another word, activated its Thousand-Mile Eye.Yongle Kingdom's towns were densely packed, its population numerous. Ananda searched until it was sweating profusely, but still found no trace of Lucang and the others. Until..."There's a massive creature! A giant beast, with someone riding on its back! That person has very dark skin, wearing a gold necklace... I can't see too clearly. It's in the western suburbs of the town!"The three of them were shocked. Wasn't that Yama?Yelu said urgently, "Let's go, we need to get there quickly. Yama actually dares to show himself openly in the human world! We must protect the townspeople!"They scurried out of the Xu family residence in a flash, not even staying to see the carefully prepared thanks from Old Master Xu. When the Xu family servants opened the door later, they found these Zhouku disciples had left without claiming reward or recognition, earning even greater respect.Yelu used her magic to fly on her sword. Bensheng and the Alchemist held onto her arms, standing behind. Being this close to Yelu's aura again immediately reminded Bensheng of something."Yelu, don't you think what's happening now is a lot like what happened to Uncle Sanbao?""An inexplicable omen of death... You're right. Maybe a hundred years ago, Uncle Sanbao also encountered Yama's mischief!"But more pressing was the immediate situation. Yelu didn't know if her sword lightning could control such a massive divine beast, and her attack style couldn't get too close to it. When the time came, they'd have to rely on Bensheng to get them away..."Yelu, I'll take the front in the fight!" Bensheng declared loudly. "You provide support from the rear. I'll protect you all!"The Alchemist turned to look at Bensheng in surprise, tears of emotion welling up. "Bensheng, I never knew you were so brave! Thank you!"Why is he the one getting emotional first... Bensheng thought with a helpless inward sigh.Clearing the city wall amidst the shocked cries of the common people, Bensheng fixed his eyes on the giant beast that stood as tall as three men ahead. Gritting his teeth, he jumped from the sword.Strike first!He landed, staff first. The staff bent and sprang back, using the momentum to send his whole body spinning through the air. With a loud cry, he attacked the person on the giant beast's back.But in the next instant, a sweep of golden light flashed before his eyes, nearly blinding him.This is bad! Bensheng thought, but he was already mid-air, committed to his maneuver. He could only watch as he crashed into the expanse of golden...Feathers."Huh?"The pain he expected never came. Bensheng slid down the feathers to the ground, steadied himself, and looked up, finally getting a clear view of the beast's true form.He didn't know how to describe it.It had the body of a lion—muscular, with sharp claws, a mane and tail like flame. But besides that, it had golden wings and four eagle-like claws on its belly. Not to mention it had the head of a bird. A bird's head that looked more and more familiar..."A Garuda!"Bensheng was flabbergasted. Wasn't this the very Garuda that had brought them to Yongle Kingdom? Those golden wings were unmistakable.The golden wings swept down, stirring up a tremendous gale. Bensheng was blown back several steps, only stopping when he planted his staff firmly into the ground. This wind force was even stronger than that of Yama's Taotie. "How dare you, Yama!" he shouted angrily. "You actually dared to eat our academy's divine Garuda! Take this!"Bensheng swung his staff, whirling it into a circle, and sped swiftly along the ground towards the beast's hind claws."Lift."A clear, commanding voice came from above. The beast nimbly lifted its hind claw. Bensheng lunged into empty air, his whole body tumbling behind the beast, where he was caught by the flame-like tail and flung into the sky."Whoa!"Another command followed: "Xiao Bao, walk."Somehow, hearing that voice, Bensheng felt an instinctive urge to obey. The moment his four feet touched the ground, he fell in step behind the giant beast, as docile as a little fawn."Wh-what's going on?"Yelu, high in the air, saw from a distance that Bensheng seemed trapped by the beast. Not daring to delay, she pulled the Alchemist and jumped down from her sword, launching an attack: "Sword Lightning!"Before the lightning could strike the ground, the command rang out: "Jump!"The giant beast leaped up, its wings immediately beating, carrying it straight into the sky. Left behind on the ground was Bensheng, who had jumped but couldn't fly, thus squarely taking a hit from his "ally's" lightning.The thunderclap was deafening. A horrified Yelu rushed over to find Bensheng sitting on the ground, covered head to toe in soot, his hair completely frizzed out like a flower. She clasped her hands, suppressing a laugh, and apologized, "Bensheng, I'm so sorry!"The Alchemist beside her added salt to the wound: "Bensheng, you look just like a Kunlun slave now! You know, those dark-skinned people from the islands with the curly, poofy hair! Haha!""..." Bensheng felt like crying, but no tears would come.The sound of golden wings flapping came from the sky as the giant beast slowly landed. The three immediately stopped laughing and became vigilant.The Alchemist suddenly exclaimed, "A Kunlun slave!"Bensheng said bitterly, "Alchemist, now is not the time to laugh at me!""I'm not laughing at you! Look," the Alchemist said, pointing at the person on the beast, "That's a Kunlun slave."Bensheng shaded his eyes from the sun and squinted to see. Ananda also couldn't resist poking its head out of the pocket to look, squawking in surprise: "It really is! Even darker than me!""Dark skin, gold necklace, riding a giant beast... No wonder Ananda got them mixed up. We attacked the wrong enemy." Yelu smiled wryly and simply sheathed her sword."Wait, there's something strange about this person..." Bensheng began, but before he could finish, a command came from the opposite side:"Xiao Bao, sit."The Kunlun slave slid down the beast's wing and walked towards them.Her skin was dark and gleaming, her entire body wrapped in a long cloth of vibrant patterns, tied only at the waist with a sash, accentuating an extremely slender and curvaceous figure. A full head of curly hair was piled on her head like a cloud, yet it did nothing to diminish the brilliance of her bright, beautiful eyes.Hanging at her waist was a name plaque identical to theirs. It read: Buzhou, Shemen."Well met, I am Shemen," she smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. "Are you also disciples here for the Ting Shi?"Yelu looked her over appreciatively and returned the greeting. "Well met. We are disciples from the Academy. We mistakenly took you for an enemy and attacked rashly. We hope you can forgive us.""No harm done," Shemen laughed heartily. "My appearance often causes misunderstandings among people of the Great Continent. Who asked me to come from an island overseas?" She tilted her head and looked at the ground. "But what is he doing?"In the distance, the giant beast remained in its seated position, hindquarters sunk down. And on the ground nearby, Bensheng... was practically a perfect copy, lacking only the tongue hanging out. Ananda felt its bird-face was about to be utterly shamed again and quickly flew to perch on Yelu's shoulder, pretending not to know him.Bensheng shook his head and finally snapped out of it. He jumped up, pointing at Shemen. "You! What kind of illusion magic did you use on me?"Shemen blinked her large eyes innocently. "Illusion magic? Haha, what? No, I'm a Beast Tamer!""A Beast Tamer?" Yelu and the Alchemist asked in unison."Oh, on the islands overseas, there are countless wild beasts. My family has lived there for generations, making our living as Beast Tamers. Tracing our ancestry, one even became the Comprehender's Beast Tamer and was taken up to Kunlun!" Shemen smiled, narrowing her eyes. "But just now, I was only giving commands to my pet, the Eight-Legged Lion. I wasn't using any illusion magic. Why did you obey just like it did?""...""...""..."Yelu averted her gaze. The Alchemist stared wide-eyed. Ananda couldn't bear to look."Ah! Could it be you're a Beast Clan member from Chaoyun Kingdom!" Shemen cried out in surprise, grabbing Bensheng in a hug and rubbing his face. "Haha, you're too cute! Let big sister guess what beast you are? A little pig? No... A little fox? A little lamb?""I'm... a deer!" Bensheng struggled free from Shemen's embrace, his face red as he hid behind the Alchemist."Eight-Legged Lion?" Yelu gazed at the giant beast, murmuring thoughtfully."Haven't seen one before, have you? Isn't it amazing?" Shemen said proudly. "Legend says the Garuda and the lion are natural enemies. The Garuda soars the heavens, King of the Sky; the lion dominates the forests, King of the Land. So their offspring—the Triple-Victory Beast: Eight-Legged Lion—is the King of All Beasts, capable of defeating any opponent between heaven and earth."Everyone looked again, thinking that with the Eight-Legged Lion's immense size, it might truly be a match for the Taotie.Thinking of this, Yelu asked, "Have you seen Yama? He rides a Taotie, causing trouble in this town, claiming lives, turning those whose time shouldn't be up into Lost Souls."Shemen shrugged helplessly. "Haven't seen him. With Xiao Bao around, forget monsters, even my own teammates didn't dare to travel with me. But it works out; Xiao Bao's sense of smell is extremely sharp; it can detect scents from all three realms. A monster stinks, it'll know immediately. I'll join you!""Such a giant beast, and it's called Xiao Bao ['Little Treasure'] ..." Bensheng muttered under his breath.His foot was promptly stepped on by Yelu, leaving him speechless with pain. Yelu smiled amiably at Shemen. "That's wonderful! We still have two teammates missing, probably also taken by Yama. With you joining us, you're a great help!"Everyone followed Shemen onto the back of the Eight-Legged Lion. They watched her lean forward and whisper in a language they couldn't understand. The Eight-Legged Lion immediately stood up, sniffing left and right. Then, finding a direction, it took off into the sky.They flew like this for ten consecutive days. Several times, even they caught the strong scent of Yama, but still couldn't catch him. And every place they stopped to inquire, sure enough, another family had suffered an inexplicable death. Fortunately, the time since death was never long; they just needed to find Yama for there to be a chance of revival.Shemen sighed at the situation. "This is very strange. This isn't my first Ting Shi. In the past, we've encountered 'subdue demons and aid the people' exam topics, but they would never pit candidates against a powerful fiend like Yama. Besides, now that Yama is causing civilian casualties, the Court Supervisors should have intervened long ago."The Alchemist said, "I find it strange too. We haven't run into any other Ting Shi participants along the way! The attendant at the last traveler's lodge told me that disciples who stayed there previously suddenly vanished the next day.""Maybe it was Xiuda's doing?" Bensheng suspected. "He's out stealing people's name plaques again.""But those people's name plaques weren't missing. They were left on the bedside, along with their luggage and magical tools."The situation was growing increasingly serious.Yelu frowned. "Alchemist, did you ask the attendant when this happened?"The Alchemist thought for a moment, then said with surprise, "It was exactly eleven days ago, the night we went to the Netherworld.""It seems a lot happened that day."Suddenly, the Eight-Legged Lion spread its golden wings wide and roared threateningly at the ground. Its lion-body shook violently, and everyone quickly held on tight."What's wrong?""It's the enemy... they're here."On the ground below, Yama sat atop the Taotie, looking up at them with a sinister grin.