Capture the Jade - Chapter 6

(TL’s note: I refer to the old spirit as “it” and “she”, depending on what the author uses) 

Teng Yuyi was startled, this spirit was definitely not ordinary. Lin Chengyou is the disciple of Qing Xuzi and it is expected that his skills are not bad at all. However, instead of being able to capture the spirit, he was surprisingly injured first. 

Looking further into the courtyard, one can see that there was a white-haired old woman sitting cross-legged in the formation, surrounded by mist. The old woman raised her arms high and muttered to herself, as if casting a spell. 

In the formation, there were also two chubby little Taoist sitting inside, most likely also the disciples of the Qingyun temple. 

Looking back and forth, one was not able to see the fake Mrs. An Guogong. Teng Yuyi felt that it was strange and her eyes swept over, only to find that the old woman was missing her right hand. 

With a “bang” in her heart, it turned out that this old woman was the evil spirit in the forest who had its claw cut off by her. Previously, she was still disguised in Mrs. An Guogong’s beautiful skin, but now she turned out to be like this. 

This is most likely her true appearance. Teng Yuyi anxiously touched the small jadeite sword in the cuff of her sleeves. Lin Chengyou suffered a lot and one was not sure if he could still capture this spirit. 

Lin Chengyou lowered his head and coughed, clearly not lightly injured. The embroidered robe was stained with blood and he could not get up for quite a while.  

The guards had never seen their young master in this difficult of a situation, and all drew out their swords: “shi zi1” 

Lin Chengyou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: “idiots, still not leaving?” 

His fingertips lit up with a silvery light. With a wave of his hand, a talisman shot out, falling onto the ground and turning into a wave of flames. 

Just at this moment, there were rustling noises heard from under the ground. The old spirit has yet to open its eyes, but the corners of its mouth showed what seemed to be a smile, but also not a smile. 

The guards suddenly stopped moving. No wonder shi zi was so angry, looking at the appearance of this old woman, it was eager to see them break into the formation. Because of this, they did not dare to make another move, and hurriedly turned around to escort the crowd: “Get out of here quickly.” 

Teng Yuyi supported her yi mu2 and took the lead in fleeing away. Previously in Yangzhou, she had seen the Fuzhen Sect’s3 high-ranked disciples perform their ritual ceremonies. It was rather rigorous and outsiders were not allowed to approach at will. 

This small jadeite sword was something that was accidentally obtained and she has not yet found out the details of this sword. Even if she was able to cut off a claw of that evil spirit, it was also under the premise that the evil spirit had let its guard down against her. At present, the old spirit was very vigilant and rushing forward would only lead to death. 

The guards opened the way in front, and the crowd of people were just about to rush down the steps when suddenly, a burst of noise came from the ground. At first, the noise was not that terrifying, but gradually the sound got louder. It was like a hundred rivers returning to sea. With the slinking sound of bits and pieces, countless evil creatures bursted out.  

In an instant, Lanxia Pavilion sinked into Asura hell. 

The group of people were terrified and their feet were glued to the steps, not daring to step forward, but also not willing to retreat back to the corridor. 

The guards were as strong as leopards, but after all, had never fought against such evil creatures before. With weapons in hand, yet one did not know how to deal with these evil creatures from the underworld. 

Fortunately, Lin Chengyou had set up a ring of talisman in advance. As soon as the evil creatures came out from the ground, they were already burnt into a pile of black ash. 

It was just that this time around, the number of them was astonishing and can be called a parallel of evil creatures. Even if Lin Chengyou was as fast as a meteor, there would still be a fish that can escape the net. 

Once the evil creatures protruded through the siege, the shape of their figures changed instantly, either turning into monster-like appearance or doubling their size by a lot. 

Among the crowd of evil creatures, a headless monster that was pitch-black all over was standing the closest to the corridor. Sensing that there was someone behind, it swayed its body and turned its head. It started to take crooked steps and violently rushed towards them. 

This thing had no head, but its figure was tall. With each step it took, the ground made ear-splitting sounds. 

How could the crowd of people have ever seen this type of scene. The steward of the Dong County family hugged the pillar and was frantically screaming over and over. Teng Yuyi pulled out the jadeite sword and hurriedly pushed Madam Du behind her. The guards straightened their swords and were about to rush forward, but before the evil creature could get close enough, it was binded by a chain thrown by Lin Chengyou.

The giant evil creature fell to the ground with a loud bang and was then dragged back to the formation by the chain. It waved its arms to try to grab Lin Chengyou, but before it could touch the edge of Lin Chengyou’s robe, Lin Chengyou tightened the chain in his hand without any expression on his face. With just one mistake, the giant creature turned into a pile of black fine powder under his feet. 

Everyone had just recovered from being shocked. With how busy Lin Chengyou was, he looked up and his sharp gaze swept around until it landed on Teng Yuyi. 

Teng Yuyi was busy taking care of her biao jie’s palanquin, only to feel that something was not right. If she was not mistaken, the evil spirits ignored Lin Chengyou and the two young Taoist who were in the formation. As opposed, they had a stronger interest in them (referring to herself and the crowd of people). Lin Chengyou’s eyes held deep, meaning as if there was something strange about her.  

Lin Chengyou was injured, and his face was pale. With a pair of peach blossom eyes that were cold and stern, contrasting his black hair like ink. His eyes were full of scrutiny with a hint of suspicion in them. After observing her back and forth for a few times, he turned his head, and just then, a creature landed in front of him. He turned around and split it in half. 

At this time, the guards saw that the doorway to exit was in sight. Even though these evil creatures are extremely vicious, they could not get close to the young noble. Another group of evil creatures deliberately tried to flee away, but ended up trapped in the formation again. The prince suffered internal injuries and could not warn others very loudly, but had already set up a way for them to escape. 

“Let’s go quickly.” While the old woman had not moved yet, the guards led the group of people down the stairs, leading the wounded victims out first, then rescuing the soldiers out. 

Teng Yuyi supported Madam Du while swiftly running, occasionally observing the situation in the courtyard. 

The evil creatures were wrapped in a black gauze of mist. As long as they could come out from the ground, the black mist would be extracted away from them, like clouds gathering in the mist and rising in spirals like smoke, entering the old woman’s nostrils and ears. 

The old woman sat upright in the formation. Everytime, it inhales a wisp of black mist, its face brightens a bit.  

After it has absorbed enough, one does not know what changes will occur. Teng Yuyi was secretly observing when Madam Du, who was by her side, anxiously ran too fast and accidentally tripped over the corner of her skirt.  

“Yu’er.” 

“yi mu.” Teng Yuyi hurriedly supported Madam Du up, and when she raised her eyes inadvertently, she saw that the old woman had opened her eyes at some point. Its gloomy eyes seemed to be as if dyed with a dark blue color, and its cold gaze was directed straight towards her. 

Teng Yuyi squinted her eyes. There were so many people in the courtyard, but the old spirit did not look at others, only staring straight at her. It can be clearly seen that it had been paying attention to her actions/movements. 

Wanting to take revenge for that stab in the forest, or is it that one has other thoughts? If this old spirit were to escape today, one would be afraid that the first person it will find to get revenge on, will be her. 

*** 

Jue Sheng and Qizhi had just turned nine years old, and they were still very young and immature. Seeing that more and more evil creatures emerge from the ground, they became increasingly worried. 

The reason why the senior brother wanted to set up the Wuzang formation was, because there were five injured victims who had lost their sanity. This formation method can not only trap the old spirit, but also help regain the soul of the injured victims. 

However, this tree spirit can actually summon evil creatures when trapped in the golden net, clearly showing that it was very close to becoming a demon. 

The Wuzang formation can not withhold it, and sooner or later, it will break out of the formation. 

Senior brother must now regret not taking a closer look at the situation with the injured. The phrase, “five people are unconscious” is obviously not right. From the moment, senior brother decided to set up the Wuzang formation, it was already destined that he would be at a disadvantage. 

The three fellow students were in such a miserable situation and at this point, there was no way to hold anyone accountable for lying. If one does not solve this situation, no one should even think about leaving.

There was a thick and stinky smell in the formation. Everyone’s ears were filled with the mournful screams of the evil creatures. All of this was not an illusion as there were evil creatures coming from within a radius of hundreds of miles. As long as they were caught by these things, if they were not dead, they would still be bitten off till the last layer of skin remained. 

Both of their minds were extremely disordered. Overhearing something suddenly flying through the air, the evil creatures were originally about to bite down on Jue Sheng’s fat round arms, but suddenly were thrown very far away by an invisible wall. 

Jue Sheng and Qizhi hurriedly opened their eyes, only to see Lin Chengyou insert their Thunder Altar Instrument4 in between the northern (earth) palace and the eastern (fire) palace. 

The Gou hexagram and Fu hexagram ran through a line, forming a “broken knot”. 

“Senior brother.” Both of their heart’s sank. The Thunder Altar Instrument is an object that can protect lives. Senior brother gave it to them, meaning that he himself would not be protected at all. 

“There is a golden net in the sky above the courtyard. The evil creatures can’t escape even if they wanted to. “The broken knot” can protect you two within the time of a pillar of incense. As long as you two do not mess around, the old spirit will not dare to come close or escape. The Moon Lantern Pavilion offers the Nine Heaven Xuan sword, I will return when I get it.” 

The Moon Lantern Pavilion offers the Nine Heaven Xuan sword? Jue Sheng and Qizhi were stunned. In the past few years, they have been by their master’s side and have never heard of this sword before, but senior brother’s tone was very solemn, not like he was speaking nonsense. 

The old spirit was busy absorbing the evil energy in the formation, and unexpectedly snorted out a laugh: “Lin Chengyou, if you want to escape, then do so. Why bother making up nonsense to deceive your two little junior disciples? To be in such a hurry to leave, could it be that you are also afraid?” 

Lin Chengyou opened up a road to survival and jumped out of the formation among all the screams of the evil creatures: “Forget it, I can’t beat you. Don’t tell me that I can’t even go move a rescue soldier?” 

The old spirit spat: “Why pretend! The Moon Lantern Pavilion is adjacent to the Ziyun building. If you really want to go get that troublesome Nine Heaven Xuan sword, you could just send your servants to do so. Where is the need to go pick it up yourself?” 

Lin Chengyou spoke: “You won’t understand this. That sword has not been used for ten years. Even if I tell my servants where it is hidden, they still won’t know how to get access to it. The Nine Heaven Xuan Sword is my Taoist academy’s treasure and there is no room for mishaps. I need to personally retrieve it myself and it just happens that I can use it on you first.” 

The old spirit had once used the skin of Mrs. An Guogong, so naturally, it also obtained the memory of the original body: “It is often heard that Prince Cheng has a stubborn and mischievous nature, and he has never cared about any rules or regulation even since he was a child. If you knew that such a sword is hidden in the Moon Lantern Pavilion, how is it allowed to just be left there? Saying “covered in ten years of dust”, it is nothing more than just a way to find an excuse to slip away.” 

Jue Sheng and Qizhi are preoccupied with doubts and suspicions. The words spoken did seem a bit reasonable. 

In the past few years, they have heard many things about their senior brother as a child. He was known as someone who was not afraid of anything, always provoking King Cheng and Mrs. Cheng. Out of the children of the aristocratic families in Chang’an, senior brother was the one who had been beaten the most. 

With their senior brother’s arrogant nature and capable abilities, if he was to know that the most precious treasure of the Taoist’s academy is hidden in Moon Lantern Pavilion, he would have long already thought of a way to retrieve it out and play with it. 

Lin Chengyou said solemnly: “The consecration of the Taoist weapons also depends on chance. The Nine Heavens Xuan Sword is different from most ordinary weapons, as it needs to be drawn first-hand by blood and flesh of demons. Although I was curious about this sword, I did not dare to rashly open the seal. Today, I happen to bump into a demon creature like you, which perfectly satisfies my intentions. Being able to use the demonic blood of a demon that has cultivated for many years, it is worthwhile for the sword to wait in the Moon Lantern Pavilion for ten years.” 

The old woman’s face was full of ridicule: “What a bunch of nonsense! Even if there really was a so-called Nine Heavans Xuan Sword, it is not enshrined in the Qingyun Temple, but instead, is placed in the Moon Lantern Pavilion, which has nothing to do with the Taoism?” 

Lin Chengyou’s smile slowly faded, and the old woman thought that she had already exposed Lin Chengyou’s lies, laughing with complacent. 

Jue Sheng and Qizhi looked at Lin Chengyou worriedly. Senior brother’s voice was dark and hoarse, and his footsteps were also unstable. Even if he looked perfectly composed, it was nothing more than just trying to use all of one’s willpower to hang in there.

However, senior brother had always been one that calculated everything very carefully and precisely. How could the evil spirit have seen through the flaws of everything so quickly.  

They peeked at the old spirit, it was originally disordered, but in a short period of time, it showed signs of revitalization. The sparse white hair became thicker and the sunken cheeks gradually became more plump. With just listening to its sharp and clear voice, one would be mistaken that it was a 16 years old young woman. 

Looking up, under the hazy sky, the stars seemed to be dyed with a dark and dull luster. This celestial phenomenon was indeed very strange and if it did not represent a catastrophe, it would represent great evil. 

The beads of sweat on the foreheads of the two of them rolled down. When the old spirit has absorbed enough of the evil energy, it was estimated that everyone here would suffer a calamity.    

Wait, why is the pace of senior brother’s steps a little strange. He took three steps to the east and then returned back to the west side. Saying that he was going to leave, yet still stayed in the front of the formation. 

Jue Sheng and Qizhi’s mind flashed with a white light. Senior brother, this is——

They were both nervous and excited, and stared fixedly at the pace of Lin Chengyou’s steps, not daring to move at all. 

Lin Chengyou staggered a few steps, and looked over calmly. Jue Sheng and Qizhi nodded slightly. Lin Chengyou barely managed to stabilize his body, jumped back with a breath, and landed on the eaves. 

He stepped on a tile, smiled and crossed his hands behind his back while walking forward: “You have cultivated for hundreds of years, yet you only know how to work hard on your skins, refusing to cultivate your brain instead. The Moon Lantern Pavilion is a place where the saints and sages get together to have a feast. Every year, there are candidates that are put on the public list for successful examinees. At that time, the vast aura of Confucianism causes the heaven and earth to become clear and pure.” 

“Although this sword belongs to Taoism, it was born to be very sinister and bloodthirsty. Just using ordinary Taoist methods to suppress it, will only be counterproductive. On the contrary, it is the Confucian Holy Bible that can cleanse away the evil currents. My master offered to have the Nine Heaven Xuan Sword be sealed in the Moon Lantern Pavilion, precisely because it is a Confucian sacred place.” 

He spoke in a very orderly manner, and the old spirit’s slender eyes flashed with a dim light, and finally it could not sit still. 

Today is the day that she became a demon, and as long as she survived till zi shi (11pm-1am), everything will naturally be a success as long as the situation was right. Who would have expected that Lin Chengyou, this youngster, would suddenly appear and repeatedly delay her important matters. 

She was about to become a demon, and the flesh and blood on her body can be comparable to the liver of a unicorn and the bone marrow of a phoenix. In order to summon a group of evil creatures to deal with Lin Chengyou, she must use herself as bait; therefore, she knew that it would damage her body, and resolutely broke off a finger. 

From the moment she plunged her broken finger into the formation, it immediately attracted a large number of coveted evil creatures.

On one hand, she lured the group of evil creatures to trap Lin Chengyou, and on the other hand, she used Lin Chengyou to control the group of evil creatures. 

When the two sides were awfully busy fighting each other, she took advantage of the situation to absorb the spiritual powers of the evil creatures. 

The more she absorbed, the faster her power raised. There was no need to wait till zi shi (11pm-1am) as the plundering evil energy was enough to help her become a demon in advance. 

There were still crucial things needed, and she could absolutely not leave the formation at such a critical time. However, Lin Chengyou’s evil schemes were not like a Taoist at all. It’s whatever if he is lying, but if it’s true, once he has the Nine Heaven Xuan Sword in his hands, maybe it can reverse a desperate situation. 

Should one leave the formation to stop him? She couldn’t decide. Under the silver-white moonlight, the purple-clothed youth stepped on the cyan glazed tile, and his sleeves swept over the courtyard like the wind. 

Jue Sheng and Qizhi secretly paid attention to the expression on the old spirit’s face, but because they were not sure of her reaction, they did not dare to even breathe loudly. 

One did not know how long it took, but the old spirit suddenly smirked: “I advise you not to use any cunning schemes. Let alone a broken sword, even if your master came here today, he will be useless against me. What about we make a bet, how long can that “broken knot” you set up stop me for? Before you come back, can I completely eat your two little disciples into my belly?” 

Jue Sheng and Qizhi felt as if their scalps had exploded. Not only is this old spirit not willing to be deceived, but in return even used them as a threat to their senior brother. 

Lin Chengyou’s laughter drifted from far away: “ The one on the right is called Qizhi, and regularly likes to cleanse and bathe his body. If you don’t mind, you might as well eat him first.” 

The old spirit was stunned. 

The two little Taoist covered their mouths, and began to cry. 

At this time, everyone had already ran to the gate of the courtyard. Madam Du was old so she ran the slowest and because of this, Teng Yuyi also fell behind everyone. Hearing Lin Chengyou’s words just now, she stumbled. 

Lin Chengyou was clearly deliberately mystifying. If there really was a Nine Heaven Xuan Sword, how could he still be here  with that old spirit for so long. Unfortunately, no matter how Lin Chengyou tried to provoke the old spirit with words, the old spirit just refused to come out of the formation. 

She turned her head to look at the courtyard. The group of evil creatures were trapped by the golden net, one by one like headless flies, disorderly crashing into the formation. The flowers and plants that have been burned by Lin Chengyou, seemed to have signs of resurrection from the dead. A gust of warm wind blew by, the scorched branches and leaves magnificent and dazzling colors. 

The old spirit was sitting in the sea of beautiful flowers, and its body was much taller. 

Teng Yuyi was terrified in her heart as she had never seen such a strange sight before. If one could not think of a countermeasure for dealing with the situation soon, there will definitely be a great catastrophe to come. 

She had a plan in mind, and in a low voice: “yi mu, wait a minute.” 

She raised her voice: “Prince Lin, I have a protective magical weapon on me, named the jadeite sword. When I was attacked by the old spirit in the forest earlier, it was with this sword that I used to cut off the old spirit’s right claw. If the prince does not dislike it, there would be no harm in using it.” 

She specifically said these words for the old spirit to hear. This sword was rather strange, and it was not necessarily willing to be used by Lin Chengyou. Lin Chengyou is very arrogant and condescending. He may not be willing to use the magic weapons of others, but as long as one mentions the loss of the right claw, it will definitely stab at the old spirit’s heart. 

Before her voice fell, she felt two cold and resentful gazes towards her. Teng Yuyi revealed a slight smile: “Don’t look at the furiousness of this old spirit. When using this sword, the skin and flesh of a body will become like mud. A cut is a big piece, a cut is a big piece…” 

She smiled and deliberately spoke slowly. The fury in the old spirit’s eyes bursted out, as if she hated that she could not burn a hole in Teng Yuyi’s clothes. 

In the middle of the night, the tiles on the wall made a sound. Lin Chengyou was indeed very clever, and he was immediately amused: “How could such a good thing actually exist? If the young lady feels that it is convenient, throw it over here for me to take a look at it.” 

Teng Yuyi put on the scabbard of the sword and threw it on the beam. Lin Chengyou took it into his hands, and it turned out to be a three-inch small sword. 

Under the moonlight, it was a greenish jade color, and the edge of the blade was as thin as a leaf, caressed like ice, like jade but cold. 

He has seen countless silk-colored pearls, but it was his first time ever seeing a sword made from jadeite. It is strange that such a fragile and thin material can last for so many years. 

However, before he could take a closer look, the light on the sword was no longer translucent, like it was covered in a layer of gray fog, and slowly turning dull. 

He quietly blocked the old spirit’s sight with his sleeves, but it is a pity that even though it is a magic weapon that will recognize its owner, after leaving its owner for so long, it is no different from any other ordinary jadeite item. Not only can it not hurt the old spirit, but will also cause damage to the sword in vain. 

He looked up at the young girl wearing a veil in the courtyard, standing there in the middle of the night without the slightest panic. He has seen Teng Shao several times before, a famous general who guarded the border and defended the country. This sword is very exceptional, and was most likely given by Teng Shao to his daughter for self-defense. 

But this young lady does not look like one who knows martial arts. Even if he handed the sword back to her, she would never be able to get close to the evil spirit with her abilities. 

He suddenly changed his mind, smiled and nodded: “Good sword, good sword. The Moon Lantern Pavilion is too far away, so the young lady’s act is like sending charcoal in snowy weather (to provide help in a critical time of need). I have caught quite a few evil spirits before, but have yet to eat their meat. I’ll use it to cut the meat into pieces and serve it with wine.” 

Then he pointed at the several guards at the gate: “Go and get some glutinous rice soup, and then bring a few pots of Songlaochun (name of the wine) here.” 

This posture does not seem like one was here to catch an evil spirit, but more like one was raising up wine and arranging meals in the garden of the royal palace. Although the guards were in a perturbed state of mind, they still did not dare to disobey the young master’s orders. While staring at the old spirit warily, they slowly retreated. In the end, they put away their weapons and hurriedly walked away to make the arrangements. 

Teng Yuyi spoke: “When the prince takes action, don’t forget to leave its left claw for me.” 

Lin Chengyou raised his chin: “You also want to serve it with wine?” 

Teng Yuyi shook her head: “I got its right claw earlier and want to make it a pair. Its skin is thick and rough, so it is very hard to chew. I plan to marinate it in an urn for a few days, waiting for the meat to become soft and crispy, and then dip it in orange sauce to eat.” 

The two of them have been talking back and forth. With a tone of voice as there was no one around, this is simply regarding the old spirit as a dish that serves well with wine. 

Not only was the old spirit as angry as spouting smoke through seven orifices (idiom), but even Madam Du and the remaining guards in the courtyard were also flabbergasted. 

The author has something to say: Orange sauce: is a common sauce in the Tang Dynasty, dipped in fish or meat to eat. 

This sauce seems to be very popular. It is often seen that the Tang and Song people wrote about this kind of condiment in poetry and stories. The Tang people have a famous saying “On the winter night wounded away from the Five Creeks, the black carp snow falls and orange falls”.  

 I think that the taste of something like this should be sweet and sour. Dipping in sauce to eat can also probably neutralize the fishy smell of fish, swallowing saliva (I did not, I did not). 

TL’s note: btw this is the AUTHOR’S notes, not mines lol)