The mountain was called Shield Mountain. The county town at its base was called Lingshan County rather than Shieldmountain County — and there was a legend behind this.

The story went that in ancient times, a fearsome primordial beast had ravaged the Central Plains. To save the lives of all living people, the god of the Central Plains decided to fight this beast to the death.

But the beast stood a thousand zhang tall, its body covered in an impenetrable layer of scales that no divine power could break, and its mouth filled with razor-sharp fangs that could kill even a god.

The god was empty-handed and had no way to win.

So someone told the god that in a certain place there lived a great master of crafting, who could forge divine weapons — perhaps the god should go to him to have a weapon made to subdue the beast.

So the god went to find this master craftsman. At first, the master showed the god no deference. He said: I can borrow the power of Heaven — wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and such things — to forge a spear of unrivaled sharpness. I can also borrow the power of Earth — soil, mountains, and rivers and such things — to forge a shield that nothing can break.

But how am I to know that you won’t use these two divine weapons to bring suffering to the people? What if you take the weapons and harm the common folk?

That was how the story began — and Yu Jiuling and the others were hearing it as they walked, told to them by a little cowherd boy they had encountered along the road. It was quite lively and entertaining.

But Yu Jiuling thought the story was full of holes.

He asked the boy: “If the god was asking the master to forge the spear and shield specifically to fight the beast, why would the master suspect him of wanting to harm the people?”

The boy was taken aback, then said indignantly: “The master was like a sage — of course he worried that after the god defeated the beast, he might go and harm ordinary people!”

Yu Jiuling felt it was his duty to educate the child, and so said: “But if the god wanted to harm the people, why not just not fight the beast? Let the beast do the harming — wouldn’t it be perfectly fine for the god to just stand on the side and clap?”

The boy’s expression soured considerably. His entire worldview seemed to have been upended.

He looked at Yu Jiuling. Yu Jiuling looked at him.

After a long staring contest, the boy said, “Are you a demon?”

Yu Jiuling said earnestly: “I’m not. It’s that master who is — he was definitely in league with the beast.”

The boy said: “Impossible, because the master did in the end forge the divine weapons for the god, but only on the condition that after killing the beast, the god would return the divine spear to Heaven and the divine shield to Earth.”

He pointed to a mountain in the distance. “That is what became of the divine shield after it was returned to the earth. We call it Great Shield Mountain.”

He then pointed to a smaller hill not far away. “That one is called Small Shield Mountain.”

Yu Jiuling asked: “Why is there a small one?”

The boy replied matter-of-factly: “The elders say the master was generous — he threw in a freebie with the order.”

Yu Jiuling: “What in the world?”

The boy said: “Our Shield Mountain is a sacred mountain, filled with divine energy. You outsiders who come here are not allowed to say disrespectful things under the mountain — if the sacred mountain hears you, it will punish you.”

Yu Jiuling: “Punishment? Then I’ll say it again — that master was definitely in cahoots with the beast…”

Yu Jiuling asked the boy: “So — what became of that master in the end?”

The boy said: “Because he rendered great service in saving the people, he ascended and became an immortal.”

Yu Jiuling asked again: “And the god?”

The boy thought for a moment and said: “He was already a god… what else would have become of him?”

Yu Jiuling sighed: “So the master became an immortal too. If the Central Plains ever faced another calamity, where would he go to find another master craftsman to forge divine weapons for him?”

The boy stared at Yu Jiuling for a long while, then finally said: “You really are a demon.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Don’t be foolish — next time someone asks you that, just say the master became the kind of immortal who can forge divine weapons.”

The boy said: “But before he became an immortal, he could already forge divine weapons, couldn’t he?”

Yu Jiuling thought about it and nodded. “You’re a demon too.”

They had encountered this little cowherd midway on the road and had been chatting their way toward Lingshan County. They had originally intended to gather information about the situation in town, but hadn’t expected the boy to start by telling them this tale — a myth that should have moved Heaven, moved Earth, and moved everyone in it.

Unfortunately, the audience was Yu Jiuling.

So the story became one that moved Heaven, moved Earth, yet could not move him — and the boy secretly swore he would never tell this tale to any more outsiders in the future.

They simply didn’t understand!

The county town still looked to be some distance away. Yu Jiuling wanted to ask about the Tianming Army’s disposition within the town.

They had already observed a rough picture: the Tianming Army’s main camp was on the northern side of Shield Mountain, while Lingshan County lay to the southwest, at least thirty to forty li away.

But they couldn’t be certain of the Tianming Army’s troop strength inside Lingshan County, and they still needed to determine whether there was any opportunity to lure Zhuge Jingzhan into the county so they could make their move.

“May I ask you a few things?”

Yu Jiuling put on a warm, pleasant smile. The boy cast him a sidelong glance.

Yu Jiuling said: “Actually, we are descendants of that master craftsman. We’ve come to tend to his grave, but we can’t find it, so we were hoping to ask around.”

The boy said: “You’re talking nonsense.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Did you smell something?”

The boy: “…”

Yu Jiuling: “I’m just asking some casual questions.”

The boy: “I don’t want to say a single word to you.”

Yu Jiuling fished out a piece of silver and handed it to the boy. “Here.”

The boy looked at it, his eyes lighting up with delight. He snatched the silver immediately and even bit it, looking quite practiced at this.

He couldn’t bite through it. He giggled — the elders had said gold can be bitten through but silver can’t, so he figured this meant it was genuine.

The boy said cheerfully: “Mister, what do you want to know? There’s nothing in Lingshan County that I don’t know about. I bet you didn’t really want to ask about any master craftsman at all — you want to know which of the county’s pleasure houses is best and which girls there are good, right?”

Yu Jiuling was taken aback. “Nonsense! Do I look like that kind of person to you?!”

The boy said: “Your face does.”

Cao Lie, walking alongside them, was utterly unable to contain himself. He tilted his head up to look at the sky and tried his best not to let his laughter sound too loud.

Cen Xiaoxiao was always given to laughter. Hearing the words “your face does,” he was unable to hold back — in a moment of desperation he stuffed a half-ripe wild fruit into his mouth, but still couldn’t contain it. With a pop, the fruit shot out and landed squarely on Yu Jiuling’s head.

Yu Jiuling turned and glared at him. “Stop causing trouble — we’re having a conversation here.”

Yu Jiuling looked back at the boy with a genial smile. “I’m definitely not asking about any of that. I really am a proper person. But if you want to tell me anyway, I suppose I could listen.”

The boy’s expression was one of complete I-know-exactly-what-you-mean understanding.

“The best pleasure house in our county is called Apricot Blossom House.”

The boy said: “Though I don’t know why it’s called that.”

Yu Jiuling said: “There’s a line of poetry — ‘spring colors fill the garden, impossible to contain; a spray of red apricot blossoms leans over the wall…’ “

The boy: “But that says red apricot — why is it called Apricot Blossom House?”

Yu Jiuling said: “Because when it blooms, it can’t be contained… Wait, no, I gave you silver to get information about serious things — can’t you say something useful?”

The boy looked at Yu Jiuling’s face and remained convinced that Yu Jiuling was putting on an act. That face — a pleasure house face, a bathhouse regular’s face — was beyond dispute.

Just look at this face. Claiming he’d never set foot in a pleasure house or been a VIP at a bathhouse? Nobody would believe that.

The boy said: “If you’re merchants, actually Apricot Blossom House is the best choice. There are three or four pleasure houses in town, and Apricot Blossom House is the finest. Many of the important figures under the Tianming King like to go there.”

This remark immediately caught Cao Lie’s attention.

He gently tugged Yu Jiuling aside and stepped forward to ask: “You said the important figures under the Tianming King go to Apricot Blossom House frequently?”

The boy nodded. “Right — those big figures are stuck in the military camp all day. What entertainment do they get? So after the camp was set up at the base of Shield Mountain, they come into Lingshan County from time to time to have some fun.”

The corners of Cao Lie’s mouth curled up slightly. He also took out a piece of silver and handed it to the boy. “We’re merchants — merchants doing big business. We’ve always wanted to do business with the important figures under the Tianming King and make real money, so…”

The boy grabbed the silver with both hands and stuffed it into his mouth to bite…

Still couldn’t bite through. Ah — that infuriating sensation of silver against tooth. Truly delightful.

“They don’t only go to the pleasure houses — those big figures often come back to the restaurants in town to eat and drink, go to pleasure houses to relax, and frequent the gambling dens too.”

The boy said: “It’s lively every day. The Tianming King has forbidden his men from harming the common people, so we’re actually quite happy to have them around — they have money.”

Cao Lie nodded. This was a good start. The entertainment options in town held an appeal for the important figures in the Tianming Army. Now they just needed to think of a greater temptation — something compelling enough to draw Zhuge Jingzhan himself out.

Cao Lie pulled Yu Jiuling aside and said quietly: “Once we’re in town, we need to find out whether Zhuge Jingzhan himself ever visits Apricot Blossom House.”

Yu Jiuling said with apparent reluctance: “So your meaning is — I must reluctantly venture deep into Apricot Blossom House and gather intelligence by talking to the girls there?”

Cao Lie said: “You’re the most suitable person.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Why aren’t you suitable?”

Cao Lie said: “My face won’t do.”

Yu Jiuling: “…”

He asked Cao Lie: “Even if Zhuge Jingzhan has visited Apricot Blossom House, we might not have an opportunity, because it’s not like he goes every day. At his age, he’s probably not… capable.”

Cao Lie said: “If he has been there, we find out his particular tastes and preferences, then craft our trap around them.”

Yu Jiuling had no choice but to nod. “For me, this is truly… a great hardship. I am a man of virtue and self-restraint — hahahahahaha — a man who really, truly doesn’t hahahahahaha want to go there at all. Ha.”

Cao Lie and the others had false identity documents — that sort of thing they would never be without. So entering Lingshan County raised no obstacles. A small bribe slipped to the gate guards made things go even more smoothly.

That night, Yu Jiuling went to Apricot Blossom House. Cao Lie and the others settled into an inn and waited for Yu Jiuling to return with information.

Cen Xiaoxiao brewed a pot of tea for Cao Lie and walked to the window to look down at the street below. “What’s taking that fellow so long to come back?”

Cao Lie said: “No rush — just wait.”

And wait they did — all the way to the middle of the night.

When Yu Jiuling finally returned, he looked simultaneously exhausted to the bone and full of energy.

Cen Xiaoxiao asked him: “Why did you take so long?”

Yu Jiuling said earnestly: “I bore an important mission — of course I had to gather thorough information. For the sake of comprehensive and accurate intelligence, I simply had to consult with several more people.”

Cen Xiaoxiao said: “Several more people? All at once or one at a time? Ptch — why am I even asking that!”

Yu Jiuling’s eyes narrowed. “One look and I can tell — you’re the type who has nothing better to do than sneak off to buy those little dirty books and read them in secret.”

Cen Xiaoxiao said: “Nonsense!”

Then, with a perfectly serious expression, added in defense: “They’re just not that easy to find!”

Cao Lie raised a hand and rubbed his face, wondering if he had brought the wrong people.

—