Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang

Jumping up and down, I tore the talismans off of him while he looked at me with increasingly amazed eyes that at length betrayed a trace of apprehension.

“How is this humanly possible?” he asked.

I ruffled my hair, waved my hand to break the large chains, and then answered with some woe: “Well, I’m not technically human.”

The iron links broke into pieces and fell to the bottom of the Thousand-Lock Pagoda. Hu’yi floated in the air, his white hair drifting and his dull, green eyes now aglow. I had no interest in how much his heart was singing in joy. I snapped my fingers and said to him, “Just help me with this and you’ll be free to go. C’mon!”

But Hu’yi was silent for a time. “One can only enter the Thousand-Lock Pagoda of Liubo; he cannot leave it.”

“Can’t leave?” I looked at him incredulously. “I haven’t spent a lot of time in the human world, but I at least know one cannot be forced into a sale. Only letting in but not letting out is just as ridiculous as a bad return policy. Aren’t the priests of Liubo being a little unreasonable?”

“So what if it’s ridiculous? In this world, the stronger ones get the last word.”

“I like the sound of that.” I laughed. “Alrighty, let’s destroy this pagoda, shall we?”

He looked at me in surprise.

I grinned at him from ear to ear: “The stronger ones have the last word, you say?”

Much later, Yanwang was taken over with passion when he talked to me about today’s event. “You really have a stone’s temperament, don’t you? You said you were going to destroy the Enchanted Lake and the Enchanted Pagoda and you really destroyed them just like that, upsetting the lake with darkness as strong as the Wangchuan’s. Do you know how many punishments Lord Moxi had had to secretly bear for you? Because of this, his next life was an ordeal to get through.”

But I had no idea what the future consequences were going to be at this very moment. On my own whims, I waved my hand and brought the lake into chaos.

All of Liubo was shaken that evening as the students were awakened from their sleep. Then... the children of Mount Liubo were beaten to tears all night long.

The crying went on and on.

Out in the front, Hu’yi did the deed while I covered my mouth laughing in the back. When we found Changwu, I patted Huyi’s left shoulder: “Three months! Three!”

Hu’yi got my meaning, flew to Changwu, pulled down his pants in front of everyone and gave him two spanks. Changwu’s buttocks got severely swollen. This normally vicious kid was now scared silly. Only until the pain set in did his tears start to gush out along with his loud wails.

I watched in glee but I began to feel a little bad for him. I gave his swollen butt two extra kicks before waving my hand signaling Hu’yi to let him go.

Hu’yi frowned.

“What?”

“You’ve just bound him to bed for six months.”

“Oops!” I covered my mouth in surprise: “Did I kick too hard?”

He turned to look at me. “What do you think?”

I scratched my head and laughed wordlessly.

When he spotted the last kid who hadn’t been spanked crouching and crying in the corner, Hu’yi turned around to grab him. I quickly pulled Hu’yi back. “Don’t spank...” this child.

I hadn’t completed my sentence by the time a thunder suddenly rumbled in the sky. Hu’yi and I jumped away, both gazing heavenward.

The warming seal on my wrist was the only thing I needed to sense the newcomer’s arrival.

It was Moxi, or Venerable Zhonghua as he was called in this lifetime.

He frowned when saw the children lying all over the courtyard holding their behinds in tears. His eyes swept to me and then at last fell upon Hu’yi. Chills crept over me while the two exchanged gazes.

Behind Moxi, dozens of shadows quickly rushed forth – the masters and elders of Liubo.

The elders were exceedingly distressed on their disciples’ behalf. Everyone’s expression altered upon hearing the crying sounds. The second they saw me and Hu’yi, their faces went livid. The scene turned a little chaotic momentarily.

They made a commotion while I poked my ears in annoyance. I said to Hu’yi, “I’ll keep my words. Since you’ve helped me vent, I’ll help you regain your freedom. It’s obvious to me you don’t like to stay here. Go, to wherever it is you want.”

Hu’yi hadn’t replied by the time a white-bearded fogy stood up and came out as he pointed at us in condemnation: “Is Liubo somewhere you can come and go as you please?! Demon Hu’yi! His Most Reverend had spared your life in thought of old ties, but why have you done these things to insult Liubo?”

I picked up a few things after mulling over these words. Firstly, Hu’yi had known Moxi in the past; secondly, Hu’yi had perhaps been locked up in the pagoda by Moxi; thirdly... despite hating demons so much, Moxe hadn’t killed Hu’yi. There must be untold matters in all of this!

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and stood on the sidelines watching the play unfold. There was unfortunately no place to sit down, nor food to snack on. It had taken away some of my enjoyment.

Hu’yi sneered: “I’ve never asked your venerable Reverend to let me live while imprisoning me for life. I’d rather die and be reborn again to free myself from this living hell.”

Hear, hear.

“Ungrateful demon!” Thus spoke, he drew his sword from its scabbard and flew over as if to kill Hu’yi.

I was the one who let Hu’yi go, yet he was still not free. This was the same as not having the goods I had promised my customer. If the goods were missing, then the deal would tank. I’d always been a person of integrity, of course I couldn’t let this happen.

I pulled him behind me and took on the fogy’s attack. It suddenly occurred to me that if he were to continue sticking around, he would only get in my way. I should make him leave as soon as possible. Grabbing Huyi’s collar, I flung him into the air and told him: “Go!”

The forces of darkness struck his back and instantly vaulted him away; I wasn’t sure where to...

There were several powerful-looking people who turned to chase after him. I gathered all my strength and screamed. A wave of violent darkness spread out, forcing them to cover their heads in pain. “If you want to catch him, choose another day,” I said. “I’ve already made a deal with him today and I intend to keep my word. I have to guarantee his safety in order to keep my end of the bargain.”

“Heathen, cease your arrogant bluster!”

I grinned cheerfully at the redundant old fogy. “Whether I’m blustering or not, why don’t you come and try?!”

My attitude made the rigid old man so angry that smoke was coming out of his ears as he rushed to me with his sword. Meanwhile, in the distance suddenly sounded a panicking call: “Master! Master!” A Liubo disciple was hurriedly riding in on the wind.

This disciple barely landed and had yet to find his footing before he rolled several times to finally reach the old man.

“Your Most Reverend Eminence! Master! The Thousand-Lock Pagoda... the Thousand-Lock Pagoda has been destroyed!”

I calmly raised an eyebrow while I watched the whole crowd changing their expressions. At length, their horrified eyes gradually shifted to me.

I blinked a few times, shrugged and said, “I swear I didn’t expect that pagoda to be so flimsy. All I did was give it a few pokes...” Their stares were discomfiting me so much that I finally had to rub my head and give an uneasy laugh: “Haha, and it had turned into a pile of rubbish under the lake, ahaha...”