Chapter 42: Sudden Change Part 1

“You sure know how to pick your moments,” Xiao Kun said, his belly full of pent-up rage.

“Because I knew I wasn’t a match for Mr. Liu,” Jing Pian Ge replied calmly, as if everything that had just happened was none of his business.

He stepped into the Divine Palace and casually swept his hand over the fallen War Dead Corpse Ghosts. Under the surging Magical Power, they all returned to their Stone Coffins one by one. The lids closed with a uniform resounding thud.

“Mr. Liu is similar to you—you both have human blood,” Jing Pian Ge said. “The difference is that his other half is a demon, an ancient king of Shenzhou awakened from time by King Mu. He also seized the initiative and took the Great Si Ming Flute. Even as the Ghost King, I still couldn’t stand against him.”

With that, Jing Pian Ge returned to the half-collapsed throne and sat down openly. “As long as the Great Si Ming Flute remains in his hands, the Western Regions will face the risk of his return. Your companions have been rescued. Now, go retrieve the Great Si Ming Flute.”

“Hey, who the hell are you?!” Xiang Xian had just broken free and bristled at seeing Jing Pian Ge bossing Xiao Kun around.

Jing Pian Ge sat on the damaged throne and extended both hands, sweeping them horizontally in front of his knees. An ancient seven-stringed zither materialized.

“You’re…” Xiang Xian caught sight of Jing Pian Ge’s face in the dim sunlight and turned to Xiao Kun in disbelief.

Xiao Kun said nothing, merely meeting Xiang Xian’s gaze with a look of melancholy on his face.

Jing Pian Ge began to play. The plucking of the strings produced the ancient tune Zhuangzi Breaks Coffin. Amid the music, the damaged palace began to repair itself. Fallen stones floated up and reassembled as good as new.

A Huang flew over and perched on Xiang Xian’s shoulder.

The Giant Ape sat nearby as Hulü Guang pulled the arrows embedded in its body. Chaosheng unleashed a light of vitality from his hands, illuminating the White Ape’s battered form. Wherever the green glow touched, the torn flesh slowly healed.

Xiang Xian went over to check and saw that Wu Yingzong’s injuries weren’t severe, so he relaxed.

The group took a moment to rest. Xiao Kun ascended the steps. Jing Pian Ge thought he had something to say, but Xiao Kun brushed past him and went behind the throne.

In the shadowy depths of the Divine Palace stood a massive stone statue. Its hands were suspended upward, its head bowed in contemplation of the mortal world. The carved head had long been destroyed by time, bandages wrapped around its body, its robes tattered. White bones were visible at the chest and ribs.

“Do you know who this is?” Xiang Xian asked, coming up beside Xiao Kun.

“Nüba,” Xiao Kun answered. He looked up, standing with Xiang Xian before the statue of Nüba. Shattered stone fragments flew in and reassembled her full form.

“Oh—” Xiang Xian nodded. “It’s her.”

Her gaze was icy cold, devoid of mercy, her eyes filled with pain and disdain for the mortal dust.

“What are you doing now?” Xiao Kun asked. “You even brought incense?”

“Just paying respects,” Xiang Xian said. “She’s your goddess, after all. This might be the only statue of Nüba left in all of Shenzhou.”

Xiang Xian pulled three sticks of incense from his Qiankun Bag like a magician. He poked A Huang’s belly with one to light them, then handed them to Xiao Kun.

Xiao Kun had no choice but to bow three times. With no Incense Burner before the statue, he laid the burning sticks horizontally on a small stone platform in front.

“No donation required! This isn’t a temple!” Xiao Kun tensed up the moment Xiang Xian reached into his Qiankun Bag.

“Just some offerings,” Xiang Xian said. “Before you arrived, I made a wish to her.”

“There aren’t that many rules. What did you wish for?” Xiao Kun was utterly amazed by Xiang Xian’s antics. He watched as Xiang Xian generously emptied his bag, placing the last few moldy steamed buns from their journey on the stone platform.

“I really didn’t want to eat any more steamed buns,” Xiang Xian said solemnly. “I wished for you not to die. See? Pretty effective, right?”

Xiao Kun: “…”

The music ended, and Jing Pian Ge’s voice rang out from the throne.

“You all should go,” Jing Pian Ge said indifferently. “Don’t linger here. Go fulfill your unfinished mission.”

Jing Pian Ge repaired the entrance Barrier to the Abyss Divine Palace. Shattered stones flew in from all directions to rebuild it. A force then ejected them from the Abyss Divine Palace and blocked them outside the cliff.

Xiang Xian: “Is this kicking us to the curb after we’ve outlived our usefulness?”

The sunset illuminated the canyon.

“He’s my dad,” Xiao Kun said. He had lost too much blood; his skin was pale to the point of faintly bluish. He swayed unsteadily, nearly collapsing several times. Xiang Xian quickly let him lean on his shoulder.

A quarter of an hour later, in Kuqa Canyon, Wu Yingzong set up a temporary camp.

As night approached, the canyon winds howled through the Tianshan Mountains. Countless hollows wailed like myriad ghosts crying in the darkness. Xiang Xian found a stream, took off his blood-soaked martial robe, and waded in to wash it. In the sunset, the stream turned a faint red.

“Big Brother!” Chaosheng finished his spell and jumped into the water, hugging him from behind.