Chapter 327: Yao Village |
They pushed north and searched for another full day before Feng Yuanfa led the group to Yunmen Mountain. Along the way they found no trace of the Maling bandits. And sadly, Yunmen Mountain turned out to be just as quiet.
Standing on the summit, Feng Yuanfa pointed to the northwest. “South Water Yao village is over there. Want to go take a look?”
Liu Xiaolou deferred to him without hesitation. “Your call. Do we need to leave anyone behind to guard Yunmen Mountain?”
Feng Yuanfa thought it over, then called out, “Seventh Brother!”
Feng Qilang stepped forward at once. “Yes, brother?”
“You and Old Nephew stay here,” Feng Yuanfa said. He scanned the area, then pointed to a dirt slope across from them. “Take up watch over there. Stay hidden and don’t show yourselves unless you have to. If you spot the Maling bandits, set off a talisman right away. Once the talisman is triggered, run. Head toward South Water Yao village. When we see the signal, we’ll come straight back.”
Both men were members of the Feng clan and completely trustworthy, which was why Feng Yuanfa left them behind to watch Yunmen Mountain. Still, Feng Seventh was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, and the younger Old Nephew was just at the fifth. Their cultivation was limited, so Feng Yuanfa gave them leave to retreat the moment they encountered the enemy.
With the assignments settled, Feng Seventh and the nephew hid behind the dirt slope. The spot had a clear view in all directions and really was a good place to keep watch. Feng Seventh even went out of his way to tie shut the big white goose’s flat beak with a straw rope and then drape a piece of silk over its head to keep it from honking at random. Whether it would actually work was anyone’s guess.
Feng Yuanfa looked at the large goose sitting in the bamboo basket and frowned. “If this beast risks giving away your position, don’t worry about whether it’s some kind of spiritual beast or not. Kill it on the spot. I’ll talk to Elder Bi myself. You won’t get in trouble. Do you understand?”
"Yeah, I've been stuck carrying this thing for days now," the thickheaded nephew mumbled. "Still waiting for anything special about it.”
Feng Seventh snapped at him, “Shut it! If Elder Bi says it’s a spiritual beast, then it’s a spiritual beast. It’s normal that you and I can’t tell!”
The nephew grumbled back, unconvinced, “Fine. If you say it is, then it is, Uncle Seven.”
“That’s not me saying it,” Feng Seventh replied. “That’s Elder Bi.”
The Feng clan’s older nephew tried to argue back. “Elder Bi barely glanced at it. No, he didn’t even really look at it. We’re the ones who found this big goose, and we’re the ones who’ve been taking care of it for days.”
As they bickered, Feng Yuanfa shook his head and reminded them, “Stay sharp. We’re heading out.”
Liu Xiaolou followed Feng Yuanfa down the mountain, glancing back again and again. Feng Yuanfa let out a sigh. “Those two youngsters from my family do have talent for cultivation, but they’re stubborn to a fault. I’m sorry to make you laugh, Daoist Li Mu. As for that goose, it really is a spiritual beast, just not fully grown yet. Elder Bi said it can be raised as a guardian spiritual bird for the mountain. What do you think? If you’re interested, after this fight is over I can speak to Elder Bi and have the goose given to you.”
Liu Xiaolou thanked him at once. “I really do like that goose. Then I’ll gladly accept it. Many thanks, Brother Feng.”
South Water Yao village lay fifteen li to the northwest of Yunmen Mountain. It sat in a broad valley, with a tributary of the North River running through it. The local Yao people called the river South Water. They farmed the land along both banks and built their homes there, forming the South Water tribe, a settlement of two to three thousand people.
Feng Yuanfa had been here before. In fact, everyone in the group except Liu Xiaolou had. They clearly knew the place well. Under Feng Yuanfa’s direction, they fanned out and took the high ground around the valley, each group lying low for several hours while they carefully observed the Yao village.
Liu Xiaolou stayed with Feng Yuanfa on a hillside to the east of the village. From there, they could see most of what was going on inside. Smoke from cooking fires was rising everywhere as the Yao people streamed back from the fields, the hills, and the riverbanks to their wooden stilt houses. Everything looked calm and ordinary.
After watching for quite some time, Feng Yuanfa said to Liu Xiaolou, “It doesn’t look like the Maling bandits have been here. What do you think, Daoist Li Mu?”
Liu Xiaolou cupped his hands again. “I’ll follow your lead, Brother Feng.”
Feng Yuanfa immediately brought out his Judge’s Pen and, atop the hill in the fading light, swept it through the air, sending out a streak of golden light. At the signal, the others descended from the surrounding high ground and gathered around him.
With a wave of his hand, Feng Yuanfa led everyone into the Yao village. They headed directly for the central threshing ground and climbed onto a tall wooden building beside it. Animal bones and bird feathers hung beneath the eaves, making it stand out from the other houses.
Everyone else stayed gathered downstairs while Feng Yuanfa motioned for Liu Xiaolou to follow him upstairs. hey went up to the second floor, which opened into a large hall. Open and spacious, roughly eight or nine meters across in both directions. From the beams overhead hung rows of gourds, glowing in shades of yellow, white, red, and purple. Liu Xiaolou had no idea what they were used for.
Two women stepped forward to greet them inside. “We humbly welcome Immortal Master Feng.”
From Feng Yuanfa, Liu Xiaolou already knew who they were. These two women were the shamans of the South Water Yao village. The older woman, with a full head of white hair, was the chief shaman. Her surname was Xia. The younger Yao woman, around twenty years old, was the apprentice shaman in training. Her name was Qiu. After Xia passed away, Qiu would take over as the village’s chief shaman. And the next apprentice she trained would likely be likelynamed Dong.
Chun, Xia, Qiu, Dong. These were the names passed down without change among the shamans of South Water Yao village.
Yao was a powerful village, famous across a five-hundred-li radius. Because of that, both shamans were highly accomplished in cultivation. Otherwise, they would never have been able to hold these positions.
The chief shaman’s cultivation was roughly equivalent to the early Foundation Establishment stage, while the apprentice had reached the late Qi Refinement stage.
The two shamans weren’t particularly powerful, but their methods were downright strange. The Yao people’s ancestral Pan King Gu technique in particular were infamous. Even if someone explained them to you face to face, breaking down every detail step by step, you would probably still walk away unable to make sense of it.
That said, Feng Yuanfa was not afraid. No matter how uncanny a shaman’s tricks might be, he was an inner disciple of the Qingyuan Sect. To him, their tricks were nothing to fear. Still, basic courtesy was necessary. He spoke first, saying, “We came unannounced. I hope Shaman Xia will forgive the intrusion.”
Shaman Xia lowered her head. "For two Immortal Masters masters to come all the way to Nanshui yet hesitate so long before entering our village... it must mean we've done something to displease you. If anything, it's us who should beg you not to take offense."
It turned out their own group had been quietly keeping an eye on the village, and Shaman Xia had sensed it all along. Feng Yuanfa couldn't help feeling a touch awkward. He let out a sheepish dry laugh. "You're making too much of it."
The young Shaman Qiu let her bright, clear eyes linger on Feng Yuanfa and Liu Xiaolou for a moment. Then she tugged gently at the hem of Shaman Xia’s skirt. “A’gu, should we invite our guests to sit?”
Shaman Xia nodded. “Please be seated, Immortal Masters, and have a bowl of our village’s golden flower tea.”
Feng Yuanfa and Liu Xiaolou sat down on opposite sides of the fire pit in the hall. Shaman Xia took the main seat to the north, while Shaman Qiu knelt across from her, personally preparing and serving the tea.
“Shaman Xia,” Feng Yuanfa asked, “you’re aware that Qingyuan Mountain and Maling Mountain are at war now, aren’t you?”
Shaman Xia used an iron poker to stir the firewood in the hearth. “When two sects go to war on that scale, the commotion is impossible to miss. There isn’t a single village around here that doesn’t know.”
Feng Yuanfa nodded. “Good. Since you know, I’ll be straightforward. We came to your village to ask whether Maling bandits have been active in the South Water area.”
Shaman Xia fell silent for a moment, then asked, “And if they have? And if they haven’t?”
“In the past,” Feng Yuanfa said, “whatever dealings your Yao village had with Maling Mountain were none of our concern.... But starting today, I want a promise from you to the Qingyuan Sect. No contact with those Maling bandits until the war is over.”
Shaman Xia narrowed her eyes, staring into the dancing flames of the hearth. “Who we choose to deal with is the Yao people’s business,” She said slowly. “That is not something your sect needs to worry about.”
As the flames flickered, their color slowly shifted from red to a deep purple.