Chapter Forty-Five: The Duel of Two Dragons

Under the gaze of the two men, the young Taoist also cupped his hands and said,
“My surname is Cheng, given name Qiqing, from Qu Xi in Kuaiji. I cultivate the Dao at Biyun Temple on Mount Qingshen.”

Lang Shanliu and Hu Jinliu exchanged glances, as if they'd never heard of him.

Lang Shanliu laughed and said, “Kuaiji? That's truly far away! What brings you, Taoist, to our barren land of mists and miasma? And how did you come to save someone from our Miao village?”

Yun Qi smiled gently. “This elder has asked much, so let me answer in full. We cultivators spend our days in meditation or wandering the world. Having sat long enough, I set out to travel, to see the world, you might say.”

“As for this place you call barren, the Miao and Nan lands sit at the Kun Palace, where the earth’s heat is abundant and rains never cease. Ancient trees reach the sky—this is a land of rare blessing, not barrenness at all!”

“As for the Miao village, that was a matter of chance. Not long ago, I entered Miao territory from the realm of Sanxiang and sought shelter in a village. A child there had suffered a soul-injury. By fortune, I carried with me a soul-replenishing elixir refined by my master. I used it to heal the child.”

“And there’s an amusing story as well. The village was called Nai, and the chief’s name was Sang Mu Nai. I thought his surname was Sang and kept calling him ‘Mister Munai’ all along!”

Lang Shanliu and Hu Jinliu exchanged another glance, then stood up together and said in unison,

“A-Lang, you have a compassionate heart!”

In a Miao village, as in any place, the life of a child outweighs all else. For a stranger to give up a precious elixir to save a child’s life—such kindness must be honored, especially among the Miao.

At this moment, they did not call him ‘Taoist’ or ‘young master,’ but addressed him as ‘A-Lang’—a name both intimate and deeply respectful.

Yun Qi also rose, gesturing for them not to stand on ceremony. “For a Taoist wandering the world, healing the sick and helping the oppressed is but our duty.”

His intention was to put the two at ease, yet unexpectedly, Hu Jinliu’s expression shifted and he muttered,

“Healing the sick is all well and good—just as long as you don’t bring your heroics down on our heads!”

Lang Shanliu shot his nephew a stern look. He was finding the boy harder to discipline with age. He barked,

“This A-Lang is a benevolent man from the East, not one of those murderous sects from Shu. Watch your tongue!”

Hu Jinliu mumbled an assent, then grinned sheepishly at Yun Qi.

Yun Qi nodded. “Western cultivators bear much resentment and do not follow the path of non-action and naturalness. I have heard as much.”

Following the thread of conversation, he turned to the young man. “Brother, just now you spoke of the Immortal Cave and Azure Dragon Cave. Which sects are they affiliated with, and where are their temples? Perhaps I might seek lodging there for a time.”

Hu Jinliu laughed, “I’ve been to both temples. The Immortal Cave Temple is in Zhulin, deep in Miao territory, and honors the Eight Immortals. The Azure Dragon Cave Temple is in Southeast Qian, near the Southern Wilds, quite close to here. It venerates Lord Meng Zhang and the Seven Eastern Constellations. As for which sects they belong to, I’m afraid I don’t know the details.”

Yun Qi nodded. Hearing whom they worshipped, it was easy to deduce the sects. The Immortal Cave surely belonged to the Jindan Dao of Zhong and Lü; the Azure Dragon Cave must be Louguan Dao, also called the Star-Gazing Sect, focused on the Eastern Wood element.

He smiled, “Then I’ll choose the closer one and pay my respects at the Azure Dragon Cave.”

At this, Lang Shanliu said, “A-Lang, you may not know—recently, Hongmu Ridge and Hundred Barbarians Mountain have been at war, and the front lines are right in this region. The Taoists of Azure Dragon Cave are fighting demons alongside us at Hongmu Ridge. If you go there, you’re unlikely to find peace. If you seek quiet cultivation, better head to Immortal Cave at the rear.”

Yun Qi shook his head, “As I said, I do not travel for seclusion. I seek to slay demons and evil spirits!”

“Well said!” Hu Jinliu replied heartily.

Yun Qi then asked, “Elder, I come from a humble temple in the East, news is scarce. This is my first time in the Southwest, and all I’ve heard is that Hundred Barbarians Mountain is led by the Southern Wild Demon Cult, while your Hongmu Ridge is the leader of the Miao heterodox sects. But I know nothing of the deeper grudges or details. Could you enlighten me?”

The uncle and nephew exchanged another glance. Lang Shanliu considered that both of them were wounded, and they had slain a demon leader from Hundred Barbarians Mountain. There was no rush to return and report; it was just as well to recover here.

He said to Hu Jinliu, “You’re always running your mouth—why don’t you explain it to A-Lang?”

The young man grinned and began,

“My uncle says this is a barren land, you say it’s a blessed one. I think you’re both right. It was a blessed land, with only the Miao and the Gui people. But then all sorts of people, demons, ghosts, and monsters started coming—from east, west, north, south, and even across the seas. With so many people, there had to be sects. There are Taoists like you, sects like ours, demon cults, Buddhist sects, and lately something new called the Mysterious Sect. Everyone claims to be right. Of course, that means there’s fighting! The more they fight, the less peaceful things get, and a blessed land turns barren.”

Yun Qi looked at this seemingly rough man with newfound respect.

He had laid bare the ageless truth of the cultivation world—when people multiply, so do their opinions and ambitions.

Yun Qi cupped his hands. “Brother, your words are simple yet profound—true wisdom indeed.”

Hu Jinliu waved him off, “Hehe, just rambling.”

“If you want to know about the feud between Hongmu Ridge and Hundred Barbarians Mountain, it goes way back.”

“Long before there were any heterodox or demon sects here, our Miao and the Gui people fought constantly—over land, over water, even over women to bear children. There was never a day without fighting.”

“Later, a red-haired patriarch came to the Miao and settled at Hongmu Ridge, a man of great skill. Many of our Miao flocked to him. The Gui, on their side, got a green-robed patriarch who settled at Hundred Barbarians Mountain, and they gathered around him as well.”

“Our ancestors had no idea what heterodox or demon sects were. If you didn’t learn the arts, you’d be killed by those who had. So we learned! Once we did, we found out our own arts were fierce and focused—among the three essentials of essence, energy, and spirit, we emphasize essence and support it with energy, but do not cultivate the spirit. It’s difficult, but it grants longevity. Our sect rules have two prohibitions: do not kill innocents, and do not use humans for refinement. With those three points, we’re called the heterodox sect.”

“That green-robed villain’s side doesn’t pursue longevity—they only cultivate killing arts. They seize souls, refine corpses, and are ruthless even to their own. That’s the demon cult!”

Yun Qi cupped his hands, acknowledging the lesson.

Lang Shanliu smacked the young man on the head. “Speak properly—show respect to the patriarchs and to Hongmu Ridge!”

Hu Jinliu didn’t mind. “What can’t be said? There are even rumors our patriarch and the green-robed villain aren’t even human! Neither of them has denied it. The stories are detailed enough—I find them believable.”

“What do you know, you fool!” Lang Shanliu roared.

Yun Qi’s interest was piqued. “Elder, elder, there are no outsiders here—let brother finish.”

Hu Jinliu chuckled. “The rumor goes that our patriarch is a brocade dragon of fire, while the green-robed villain is a black dragon of water. They’re natural enemies. And they say the dragon vein of the Southern Ridge can only birth one true dragon. That’s why the two of them fight to the death!”