Volume One: Heavenly Dao Sect Chapter Five: Saving a Life on My Mountain

After a brief exchange, the boatman walked tremblingly toward his thatched cottage. Having received the kindness of a meal from him, Chen Fangyu quickly stepped in front of the boatman, shielding him from danger. Chen Fangyu stood in a standoff with the snake demon, which stared at him with large, unblinking eyes, regarding him as a delicious morsel. Clutching his Heavenly Dao Sect sword, Chen Fangyu remained vigilant against the demon’s assault. In its true form, the snake demon was a terrifying sight, stretching over five meters in length, with scales so hard they seemed impenetrable.

Chen Fangyu’s sword struck the creature’s scales repeatedly, yet failed to leave even a single mark.

"Spare me, Great Snake Demon! I will never dare again!" Seeing the demon’s body, as thick as a water barrel, and witnessing how its massive, bowl-sized scales carved deep furrows into the snow-covered ground as it moved, Chen Fangyu’s courage faltered.

"I trust you would not dare offend me. I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave..." The snake demon, unable to withstand the biting winter chill and suffering from heat loss due to its prolonged exposure, finally retreated.

Under the moonlight, the demon’s shadow rapidly shrank, returning to the thickness of a human arm.

Chen Fangyu struggled to adjust to the sudden transformation. Compared to the barrel-sized monstrosity from moments ago, the demon before him was now no thicker than his arm. Regaining his composure, Chen Fangyu stood up from the snow and brushed the frost from his knees, feeling as though his moment of glory had arrived.

"So, you’ve lost your nerve? You were so imposing earlier, thick as a barrel, and now you're just as thin as an arm? Look at you, shrinking away. Don’t you know there's a cost to shapeshifting? Go back to hibernate, and from now on, you are forbidden from eating people within the territory governed by the Heavenly Dao Sect." Wielding his sword against the three different forms the demon had displayed, Chen Fangyu regained his confidence now that the creature appeared so diminished. Fearing the winter cold, the demon did not put up a fight and retreated into its cave to hibernate.

"Congratulations to Chen Fangyu’s team for completing the Heavenly Dao Sect’s White-Rank mission: Suppressing the beast at Ginger Water Lake. You have been awarded a massive amount of sect contribution points." A message arrived via his sound-transmission talisman, confirming the mission’s success.

Reflecting on the arduous journey, Chen Fangyu felt he had finally escaped his plight. The original five-member team formally disbanded after receiving their contribution points.

Chen Fangyu waited by the lake for the night and departed for the Heavenly Dao Sect the following morning. Before leaving, he bade farewell to the old man at the lake. Upon returning to the sect, he discovered that his four companions had already arrived.

After a long, restful sleep, Chen Fangyu reported his progress to a sect deacon, officially concluding the matter. After recuperating for a time, he returned to the mission board and noticed a new posting.

"Fine-Rank Mission: A group of bandits has appeared at My Home Mountain near the Heavenly Dao Sect. They are bullying men and women, committing every evil. We call upon virtuous members of the Heavenly Dao Sect to form a team and eliminate them." Chen Fangyu stared at the notice for a long time.

Elder Liaochen stepped out from the crowd and muttered to himself, "Damn it, these bandits at My Home Mountain must have guts of steel to dare target me, Elder Liaochen."

"Master, what is it? You look furious. Has something terrible happened?" Chen Fangyu asked with concern.

"Damn it! Those bandits at My Home Mountain actually kidnapped your Junior Sister, Liu Yu. Fangyu, call the others quickly; we are going to have a word with those bandits!" Elder Liaochen urged impatiently.

Chen Fangyu did not dare defy his master’s orders.

Chen Fangyu pulled a spirit stone from his robes and addressed the gathered crowd: "Fellow disciples, you all know me, Chen Fangyu. I invite you to join our team to rescue my Junior Sister, Liu Yu, at My Home Mountain. Should you choose to assist, I will provide a spirit stone as a generous gift. I hope my brothers will not find it lacking and will join me in this rescue."

"Brother Chen, such boldness! To offer a spirit stone as payment—something as rare as gold in the Middle Lands. I, Li Chen, accept. Hand it over, and be quick about it, or I’ll beat you." Li Chen snatched the stone from Chen Fangyu’s hand and tucked it into his robes, thus accepting the invitation.

Chen Fangyu felt a pang of instability in his aura as the stone—which he had obtained through great hardship while traveling the Middle Lands—left his possession, leaving him feeling somewhat melancholic.

Elder Liaochen opened his mouth to speak but remained silent, and Li Chen’s recruitment was finalized.

"Brother Chen, Liu Yu has been on missions with us before. Even without the spirit stone, I, Fang Yi, would join this mission. Furthermore, with Elder Liaochen joining us, we have powerful reinforcements. Forget the spirit stone; accepting it would be an insult to my honor," Fang Yi said politely, declining the gift.

"Brother Chen, I have also served with Liu Yu before. I, Li Wu, will give my all to help rescue her," Li Wu said, patting his chest in assurance.

"And count me, Lu Daoyi. How could I miss a mission to rescue Liu Yu?" With that, the five-member team was reassembled. With Elder Liaochen leading the way, Chen Fangyu tore down the mission notice, and the six of them set off in high spirits.

The group traveled for over three hours before reaching My Home Mountain.

The mountain was treacherous, with a village at its base and a Taoist temple named the Misty Sect at its summit. Two bandits stood guard at the foot of the mountain. Seeing Elder Liaochen and his group, they shouted, "Stop! Who goes there?"

"People from the Heavenly Dao Sect!" Elder Liaochen declared, taking the lead.

The guards whispered to each other, one saying, "The Chief said if we encounter people from the Heavenly Dao Sect, first..." The other nodded in agreement.

As the group waited, the guard with the large curved blade said, "The Chief said if you want to enter the mountain, follow me to the top first."

"Please, lead the way!" Elder Liaochen replied. The guard led them up the mountain, with Chen Fangyu, Elder Liaochen, Fang Yi, Li Chen, Li Wu, and Lu Daoyi following closely behind.

They reached the Misty Peak at the summit, where the temple was located. A Taoist stood on the precipice, overlooking the scenery. Upon hearing them approach, he turned around and exchanged a few words with the guard.

The guard then turned and led the six of them back down the mountain. Halfway down, the guard stopped. Following a secret whistle, a dozen masked bandits sprang from the brush, surrounding Chen Fangyu and his companions.

"Not good, it’s an ambush." Only then did Chen Fangyu realize they had been led into a trap.

"Is that Elder Liaochen?" The masked leader remained in the shadows, his face obscured by a black cloth, though he appeared to be a robust, middle-aged man.

Chen Fangyu had spent three months learning swordsmanship at the Heavenly Dao Sect and could barely hold his own against these bandits. They were all physically imposing, dressed in black, their true identities hidden.

"It is I! Where is my disciple, Liu Yu?" Elder Liaochen, dressed in grey, his face adorned with a mustache and a long beard, stood his ground. He looked to be in his forties or fifties.

"Don't worry, your disciple is just fine. What is that bulging thing in your robes? Surely not something unsightly? Hand it over for me to inspect," the bandit leader urged, assuming it was the ransom.

"We trade man for money," Elder Liaochen said, pulling out a bag. As Liu Yu was brought out, bound tightly, Elder Liaochen handed the bag to the leader.

"Chief, is the amount correct?" the guard asked.

The bandit leader took the ransom, glanced at it, and waved off the guard’s question, his expression darkening. He asked Elder Liaochen, "This is silver. What happened to the spirit stone we agreed upon?"

"Silver is just another form of spirit stone. It’s made of stone, contains metal, and carries spiritual essence," Elder Liaochen replied shamelessly.

"Damn it! Are you trying to pull a fast one on our Chief?" the guard shouted in anger.

"Enough! Since Elder Liaochen has put it that way, My Home Mountain will give the Heavenly Dao Sect some face. Let us call it even for now, and we shall meet again." With that, the Chief took the silver, waved his hand, and vanished into the mountain path with his men.

"That’s... it? My silver... where is the fight? Where is my action-packed battle sequence?" Elder Liaochen had hoped for a heroic skirmish, but as the outcome differed from his expectations, he anxiously led the six of them back to the Heavenly Dao Sect. Liu Yu, now unbound, followed them down the mountain, the evening breeze catching her hair. As night fell, she looked like a vision of purity, bringing an irreplaceable brilliance back to the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Chen Fangyu looked at his beloved Junior Sister amidst the crowd, a sense of infinite melancholy rising in his heart. In the days to come, everyone would walk their own path. Not knowing the ultimate purpose, everyone contributed something to the world just to survive, while receiving the occasional grace of society, living on with tenacity. The road is never easy for anyone; this was true for Liu Yu, true for Chen Fangyu, and true for Elder Liaochen as well.