The Crown Prince paused briefly. During his last visit to Le Dao Manor, he had wanted to catch a glimpse of General Teng’s daughter. Unfortunately, Miss Teng had been suffering from a rash that day. Though slightly disappointed, he hadn’t dwelled on it much afterward. Never did he imagine that Miss Teng would be in the neighboring temple today.
What a coincidence – if it weren’t for that sudden, exquisite flute melody drawing him in, he wouldn’t have learned of this news.
Should he go take a look? He quickly shook his head with a smile. Even if he was curious about Miss Teng because of General Teng, it wouldn’t be proper to act rashly.
The Crown Prince dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come.
Prince Chun’an didn’t ask further questions, but before resuming his music, he gave the steward a meaningful look.
The steward understood immediately. Many scholars and artists had come to the Prince’s manor today for the gathering, and some were known for their unrestrained behavior. Having heard that so many young ladies were visiting the Yuzhen Daoist Temple, it would be troublesome if anyone developed any foolish ideas. His Highness the Prince maintained strict propriety and naturally wouldn’t want to see guests behaving inappropriately.
His Highness wanted him to take preventive measures within the manor to avoid any guests disturbing the female visitors next door. The steward nodded and went to make arrangements.
***
In the peach grove, the young ladies were thoroughly enjoying themselves – some on swings, others tasting tea, and still others engaged in flower competitions. After a while, several girls gradually left their seats to visit the powder room.
Teng Yu’yi was in the midst of an exciting flower competition with Liu Siniang when she noticed Du Tinglan preparing to leave. She waved to Liu Siniang, saying, “Oh, let’s stop for now! We can play something else when we return.”
As she spoke, she put down her flower branches with a smile and lifted her skirts to catch up with Du Tinglan.
Du Tinglan took out a handkerchief and handed it to Teng Yu’yi: “Look at you, all sweaty just from a flower competition.”
Teng Yu’yi wiped her sweat and naturally linked arms with Du Tinglan, gazing at the two ginkgo trees. Unfortunately, once they returned under the trees, their view became limited again, and looking up this way, they couldn’t make out much anymore.
Du Tinglan followed her sister’s line of sight: “What are you looking at?”
“Sister, don’t you think these two ginkgo trees look like ‘guards’ protecting this temple?”
Du Tinglan gazed puzzledly at the ancient ginkgo trees standing east and west. When the wind blew, even the rustling of their leaves seemed more dignified than other trees.
“Temples and monasteries have always favored planting ginkgo trees. What’s unusual about that?” she asked with a smile.
Teng Yu’yi replied: “If not for this peach grove in the middle, the ginkgo trees wouldn’t be special. But sister, look – the distance between each ginkgo tree and the peach grove is the same. Doesn’t it look like the ‘yang lines’ in hexagrams, with the peach grove splitting them into ‘yin lines’? Look at the peach grove – the trees are planted so densely, with flowers connecting branch to branch, row after row, layer upon layer, somewhat resembling natural yang lines. The two ends are yin lines, and the peach trees in the middle are yang lines. This layout seems casual, but why does it remind me of the ‘Da Guo’ hexagram, representing excess?”
Du Tinglan was startled for a moment. Recalling the rumors the young ladies had discussed about this temple earlier, she also grew serious. She looked at the positions of the ginkgo trees and peach grove, then turned to gaze behind them: “If it’s the Da Guo hexagram, there should be two corresponding yin lines at the southern entrance. But when we entered the temple earlier, I don’t remember seeing any ginkgo trees at the main gate.”
Teng Yu’yi said: “There aren’t any ginkgo trees inside the main gate, but sister, don’t forget – there are extraordinarily tall artificial mountains on both sides of the temple gate, with towering pines and cypresses planted in front of them, each occupying an eastern and western corner, also gazing at each other from afar. Doesn’t this perfectly form the two yin lines in the south?”
Du Tinglan had a vague impression but didn’t remember as clearly as her sister. She smiled helplessly: “Sister can’t remember clearly. Your little mind always likes to ponder such strange things.”
Teng Yu’yi originally didn’t want to dwell on such matters, but whenever she thought about how the person in black hadn’t revealed their true identity, she couldn’t let her guard down. Wherever she went, she habitually observed the surrounding layout first.
Du Tinglan looked around: “Princess Yuzhen invited so many talented and extraordinary people to build this temple. It’s normal for there to be mysteries everywhere. Though the planting arrangement of the peach grove and ginkgo trees is hidden, it’s not entirely imperceptible. I rather think the temple’s true mechanisms wouldn’t be placed in plain sight. Those extraordinary people deliberately created this Da Guo hexagram for people to see, perhaps to lull them into complacency. The temple’s real mysteries might be hidden elsewhere.”
Teng Yu’yi nodded; this made sense. It was said that Princess Yuzhen enjoyed studying the art of Qimen Dunjia, and her original intention in building this temple was to have a sanctuary in case of turmoil in the capital. Since the Princess had gathered a hundred talented individuals to help strategize, how could she have only arranged such a simple layout?
But something still felt off to her. Although the Yuzhen Daoist Temple was famous, its grounds weren’t particularly vast. Planting such a large peach grove merely to deceive visitors seemed rather wasteful.
In her view, this layout must have other deeper meanings.
As they talked, they reached the powder room. While Du Tinglan went in to burn incense and change, Teng Yu’yi, wanting to examine the temple’s layout more carefully, began walking around. Outside the railings, clear springs wound around the steps, and several peonies were blooming brilliantly. Without realizing it, she had walked around the courtyard wall when suddenly she heard several partridge calls from the nearby wall, knowing that Dun Fu had entered. Thinking that no matter where she went next, Dun Fu would follow, she felt more at ease.
After walking another stretch, she saw a rockery jutting out beside the path, with a moon-shaped window nearby. Several bamboo shoots emerged from behind the window, and the surroundings were completely quiet without a single Daoist nun in sight. Teng Yu’yi secretly guessed there must be something special beyond and slowly walked over.
In her martial arts training until now, she had only practiced internal energy while learning the Peach Blossom Sword technique. As for other techniques like the Ke’e Sword taught by Master Cheng and the half-learned Pihe Sword from the Five Paths, she had only sought quick mastery without delving much into internal energy methods.
Therefore, whenever she used internal energy, she would instinctively follow the Peach Blossom Sword method.
“Heart unmoved by thoughts, the wind comes without going…”
“Left foot treading yin, right foot treading yang…”
These mental techniques taught by Lin Chengyou, she had long memorized thoroughly. With constant practice lately, her use of internal energy has become much more skilled than when she first learned. Though treading on fallen flowers and leaves, she made not a sound.
Teng Yu’yi found this extremely amusing and concentrated even more on channeling her energy. Suddenly she recalled that when Dun Fu was teaching her close combat techniques a few days ago, he had also started teaching internal energy methods. However, after just two moves, Dun Fu’s expression became strange, asking her what martial arts she had practiced at the Caifeng Tower as if something was odd about the true qi in her body.
She had been puzzled at the time. Indeed, since returning from Caifeng Tower, her body had changed. Not only were her feet no longer cold at night, but even her menstrual pain had disappeared. Her whole body felt warm, and she had inexhaustible energy all day.
But this wasn’t strange – she had not only learned the Peach Blossom Sword technique but also drunk the Fire Jade Spirit Root Soup, which was said to increase seven or eight years’ worth of internal energy. So these bodily changes weren’t unusual, and she explained about drinking the soup.
Dun Fu didn’t ask further, but the doubt on his face didn’t seem to lessen.
As Teng Yu’yi pondered Dun Fu’s expression from that time while walking silently to the moon window, she suddenly heard whispering from behind it – there were people behind the wall. They probably hadn’t heard her footsteps, as their conversation continued uninterrupted.
Teng Yu’yi initially wanted to leave, but upon recognizing the voices of the Peng Huayue sisters, she suddenly stopped. In her previous life, when her father was assassinated, the mastermind was very likely Peng Zhen. Although the daughters might not know about their father’s affairs, they might hear something useful from Peng Huayue and Peng Jinxiu’s conversation.
Teng Yu’yi quickly looked around and held her breath while hiding behind the rockery.
“Sister, why are you stopping me?” It was Peng Jinxiu’s voice.
Peng Huayue didn’t answer at first, seemingly wanting to confirm again that no one was around. After a moment, she said in a low voice: “To prevent you from doing something foolish.”
Peng Jinxiu began to stutter: “I-I wasn’t planning to do anything.”
“Wasn’t planning to do anything?! That’s the west wall. You sent away everyone around you and lingered here alone with a kite – weren’t you planning to fly it when the wind picks up and pretend to accidentally let it fall into Prince Chun’an’s manor?”
“Nonsense.” Peng Jinxiu’s voice revealed embarrassment. “I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
“Last night when you suddenly asked Xing’er to find you a kite, sister already felt something was wrong. You never wanted to fly kites during previous outings, so why did you suddenly want to when we came to Yuzhen Daoist Temple? Then you used visiting the powder room as an excuse to linger here alone – do you think sister doesn’t know what’s in your heart? Remember how whenever Father and the others discussed matters in Chang’an, you would always deliberately or casually inquire about Prince Chun’an’s news? Last time at Le Dao Manor, you secretly had someone send gifts to His Highness. Tell sister, when did you start having feelings for Prince Chun’an?”
Peng Jinxiu hemmed and hawed for a while, then suddenly said angrily: “Why does sister have to control even this? I’m grown up now, can’t I make my own decisions?”
Peng Huayue interrupted her sister: “Anyone else would be fine, but Prince Chun’an is not possible.”
“Why?!” Peng Jinxiu seemed both shocked and angry. “His Highness Prince Chun’an is like a divine immortal, countless young ladies dream of marrying him. Sister, do you remember three years ago when we returned to Chang’an with our father and mother? We happened to meet Prince Chun’an outside Yanxing Gate. It was the depths of winter with goose feathers of snow falling from the sky. His Highness was riding horseback in light fur, returning from the suburbs with his servants. When he heard Father call him, His Highness reined in his horse and turned his head in the snow. That time I – to be honest, I had already made up my mind then – in this life, I will marry no one but Prince Chun’an.”
Peng Huayue burst out laughing: “How old are you? Saying such things – aren’t you afraid of being laughed at? Don’t waste your effort, father and mother will never agree to you marrying Prince Chun’an.”
“Why?” Peng Jinxiu’s voice suddenly rose several pitches.
“Lower your voice. You only know how to play all day – do you not understand the reason?”
“I don’t understand! I only know that Prince Chun’an is as refined as jade and as learned as the ancients. I’ve never seen a better man than him. I-I-I-I-I only fear His Highness won’t look at me.”
“Think about it – His Highness Prince Chun’an is twenty-one or twenty-two now, why hasn’t he been betrothed yet? Don’t forget, His Highness’s birth mother passed away four or five years ago, so he’s long past the mourning period.”
Teng Yu’yi pricked up her ears. Last time when her aunt discussed this matter, her expression had been somewhat unnatural, but before she could ask clearly, her aunt had smoothly changed the subject.
Peng Jinxiu said: “His Highness doesn’t want to rush into marriage – what’s wrong with that? Doesn’t this just prove that Prince Chun’an is deeply sincere in matters of the heart?”
Sudden footsteps sounded from behind the wall – one of them seemed about to leave.
“Sister, don’t go! Don’t think about leaving until you explain things today.”
The footsteps stopped again, and Peng Huayue was heard sighing: “Fine, I’ll explain clearly so you won’t do anything foolish later. You must know about Prince Chun’an’s birth mother, Lady Cui. She was under house arrest for many years before her death. For a prince’s consort to end up in such a state – have you considered the reason why?”
“She must have done something wrong, but what does that have to do with Prince Chun’an?”
“Before Lady Cui’s downfall, she conspired with her family’s lover to frame the eldest son. That would have been bad enough, but when old Prince Lan investigated, he discovered that Lady Cui had been involved with her lover even before giving birth to Prince Chun’an – everyone in Chang’an knows that old Prince Lan especially favored his second son Min Lang, but after Lady Cui’s incident, old Prince Lan became much colder toward Min Lang. People say it’s questionable whether Min Lang is even old Prince Lan’s real son…”
Teng Yu’yi’s ears buzzed with shock.
Peng Jinxiu was stunned as well: “You’re talking nonsense!”
“Fine, I’m talking nonsense. But think about it – why have none of the noble families in the capital ever considered Prince Chun’an when choosing marriages for their daughters? Even Minister Zheng would rather choose a humble scholar like Lu than show any intention of forming marriage ties with Prince Chun’an’s manor. By rights, His Highness Prince Chun’an has noble status and is of marriageable age. The reason, in the end, is that everyone still harbors doubts about what happened back then. These years, Prince Cheng and his wife have treated Prince Chun’an like their own flesh and blood, and His Majesty, to suppress those rumors, even granted Prince Chun’an his manor and territory early on. But even this couldn’t dispel people’s suspicions.”
After a long silence behind the wall, when Peng Jinxiu spoke again, her voice trembled: “Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Have these people all gone mad, daring to spread such baseless rumors? Besides, if even His Majesty and Prince Cheng don’t believe these rumors, why should I?”
“Heh, ‘many mouths melt metal, just as they made Zeng Shen a murderer.’ Though rumors are utterly contemptible, they’re the sharpest weapon under heaven to hurt people. Look – even imperial power can’t stop the endless tongues wagging, can it? Moreover, these rumors aren’t entirely unbelievable. Look at Prince Chun’an’s appearance – doesn’t he look nothing like his elder brother Lin Xiao?”
“Maybe Prince Chun’an takes after his mother? Sister, why don’t you look at yourself – we’re twins, yet we don’t look completely alike.”
“Why are you shouting at me? Sister tells you these things for your good. Just wait – Yunyin Academy will reopen in a few days. Among the royal family members, Prince Chun’an is the oldest, and this year even the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng’s heir have reached marriageable age. Then you’ll see those female students, especially those from prestigious families – won’t they all be setting their sights on the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng’s heir? Think about the reason yourself!”
Footsteps sounded again, quick and hurried – it seemed Peng Huayue had left this time. Peng Jinxiu remained motionless, apparently still sulking. After a while, she finally couldn’t help stomping her foot and hurried away as well.
Teng Yu’yi made sure no one else was around before quietly emerging from behind the rockery. Knowing her sister was probably already looking for her, but likely had been quietly intercepted by Dun Fu, she hurried back along her original path. However, the sisters’ conversation kept echoing in her ears.
So Prince Chun’an carried such an unsavory rumor… She remembered that in her previous life, Prince Chun’an had never been betrothed – could this be the reason?
She had never interacted with Prince Cheng Lin Xiao, but judging from Lin Chengyou’s attitude, he clearly didn’t take these rumors seriously, otherwise he wouldn’t be so close to Prince Chun’an, constantly referring to him as “Royal Uncle.”
From the sisters’ conversation just now, while Peng Huayue desperately tried to discourage her sister from thinking about Prince Chun’an, she had also subtly revealed her determination to marry either the Crown Prince or Prince Cheng’s heir. The sisters’ urgent marriage planning showed they didn’t know their father was plotting rebellion.
Lost in thought as she rounded the rockery, she indeed saw Du Tinglan anxiously looking around in front of the small courtyard.
Fearing to arouse others’ suspicions, Teng Yu’yi deliberately circled the stone steps by the clear spring, finally passing through the flower beds to walk quickly toward Du Tinglan.
Du Tinglan sighed in relief: “Where did you go? I wanted to look for you, but then I saw Dun Fu giving me meaningful looks from over there.”
“I was curious about the temple’s mechanisms, so I went to take a look over there.” Teng Yu’yi linked arms with Du Tinglan and said softly, “I happened to overhear the Peng sisters quarreling.”
Du Tinglan was somewhat curious: “They were fighting?”
“Not very fiercely, just exchanging some words.” She couldn’t be bothered to spread those unsavory rumors.
Du Tinglan had never been one to pry into others’ private affairs, so she didn’t pursue the matter, only looking up at the sky: “It’s almost noon. I just saw several nuns carrying food boxes toward the direction of Cloud Assembly Hall – the feast must be about to begin…”
Just as they returned to the peach grove, Li Huaigu, Wu Qi, and others came through the grove, seeing them and saying with a smile: “We were just looking for you all. The feast is about to begin – the vegetarian dishes at Yuzhen Daoist Temple are renowned throughout Chang’an. If you don’t come back soon, beware we might eat all the food and wine. Oh, where are the Peng sisters?”
Teng Yu’yi was surprised – Peng Huayue and Peng Jinxiu had left before her, they should have returned to the peach grove by now.
“Did they go somewhere else to enjoy the scenery?”
Wu Qi wasn’t concerned: “I’ll have the maids look for them.”
The ladies walked together, chatting and laughing as they headed toward Cloud Assembly Hall. Unexpectedly, before they had gone far, the sky suddenly brightened. Before anyone could understand what was happening, a tremendous boom exploded overhead.
The sound was terrifyingly loud as if it could shatter one’s soul in an instant. Several of the more timid ladies screamed in fright, and while the rest didn’t cry out, their faces all changed color.
Du Tinglan pulled Teng Yu’yi to her side in fright. Teng Yu’yi stared intently at the sky. Wu Qi, being the bravest, stood dazed for a moment before looking up and saying: “Well, this is a first – in all my years, I’ve never seen lightning strike on a clear day…”
After that shocking thunder rolled past, the sky quickly returned to normal. The girls stood still for a while, gradually relaxing again.
But Teng Yu’yi’s unease grew stronger and stronger. As if to confirm her premonition, before she could take another step, the Xiaoya Sword in her sleeve began to grow hot.
Teng Yu’yi’s heart began to pound wildly. She hurriedly said to everyone: “Something’s wrong with this place. Quick, let’s go.”
As she spoke, she pulled Du Tinglan forward to run. Before the others could react, they saw a group of nuns hurrying in from outside the courtyard, led by the Abbess.
The Abbess seemed to have been startled by the strange thunder as well. She forgot about maintaining dignity and shouted to them from far away: “The heavens show strange signs – benefactors, quickly follow this poor nun and leave the temple!”
As soon as these words were spoken, a sudden strange wind and rain began to blow. The fierce wind swept up huge raindrops, whipping them into people’s faces. Though Teng Yu’yi wanted to run to the opposite side, she could barely move a step. When the wind and rain finally stopped and she rubbed the raindrops from her eyelashes to open her eyes, the nun’s opposite had vanished without a trace.
The ladies screamed again, running blindly toward the courtyard exit. However, as they ran, the paved bricks under their feet suddenly turned into grass. Looking around in panic, they discovered they had run back to the peach grove.
Now even Wu Qi was terrified out of her wits, clutching several of her female companions: “How did we end up back here? Where’s the Abbess? How did everyone disappear so suddenly?”
Du Tinglan said in a trembling voice: “What’s going on here?”
Teng Yu’yi’s heart was pounding wildly in her chest. She was now certain that something evil was present. Whatever it was, they needed to get out of this strange peach grove first. However, before she could calm down to consider a strategy, the Xuanyin Bell on her wrist began to ring, ringing urgently and fiercely, as if it might explode on her wrist.
Teng Yu’yi’s neck hair stood on end – even when the corpse demon had come, the Xuanyin Bell hadn’t rung this fiercely. The corpse demon had been evil enough, could there be something even more terrifying than a corpse demon?
The ladies were already scared out of their wits, and hearing this untimely bell ringing, they all shuddered: “Whose bell is that? Make it stop, it’s frightening.”
Li Huaigu looked around with a pale face, her gaze settling on Teng Yu’yi: “It seems… seems to be coming from Miss Teng.”
Duan Qingying said tearfully: “Never mind about bells! What’s wrong with all of you, why are you just standing there? Let’s go!”
The young ladies, reminded by these words, pulled at each other to run toward the edge of the grove.
Zheng Shuangyin quickly stepped forward to stop everyone: “No, something’s wrong with this peach grove. We shouldn’t run around blindly. Don’t forget, we couldn’t get out just now.”
She struggled to maintain composure, but her face looked terrible.
“That’s right, this… this is called a ghost wall. Running around blindly like headless flies will only trap us here.”
“Then what should we do?” The girls had to stop, and some began crying.
Teng Yu’yi turned her head to distinguish her surroundings. She was the type of person who became more resourceful in dangerous situations. To her, the surrounding peach trees were still those peach trees, and the ginkgo trees outside the grove were still those ginkgo trees, but somehow everything around seemed different from before. She tried hard to distinguish directions, attempting to figure out what was different, when suddenly a clear voice sounded from behind: “Honorable benefactors, might I ask where the Abbess is?”
The ladies turned around to see a refined-looking monk standing not far away. He appeared to be in his forties, wearing gray robes and straw sandals, with kind eyes and eyebrows, a tall build, and a face as white as a gourd.
The peach grove had originally contained only a group of young ladies, and the sudden appearance of a tall monk naturally seemed strange to them. However, the Yuzhen Daoist Temple was famous far and wide and often received visiting monks from other places. Moreover, this monk looked genuinely kind, so after some thought, they assumed he had wandered in by accident and anxiously replied: “We don’t know where the Abbess has gone either.”
Wu Qi carefully examined the monk: “Venerable monk, when did you come in? Did you hear that strange thunder earlier?”
The monk held a palm-leaf fan in his left hand and a copper bowl in his right. As he fanned himself, he said with a smile: “This poor monk was passing by the temple gate when I encountered the lightning and thunder, so I had no choice but to come in to shelter from the rain. Then somehow, as I walked around, I ended up here. I just asked the benefactors about the Abbess’s whereabouts because I wanted to ask the temple for some water.”
The ladies saw that his kasaya robe was indeed spotted with large raindrops, proving he had come in to avoid the rain. Hearing him speak so politely and refinedly, their suspicions diminished further. The strange “peach grove” had been making them anxious and fearful, but with the company of such a kind-looking monk, even their fear seemed to lessen somewhat.
Wu Qi sighed in relief and earnestly said to the monk: “To be honest with the venerable one, we’re lost here. Since you were able to enter the peach grove, you must have accidentally broken through this mechanism. Please help us retrace your steps to lead us out.”
The monk smiled like a Buddha, looking around and saying: “I see. This poor monk remembers coming from this direction. Please follow me, benefactors.”
Du Tinglan pulled at Teng Yu’yi to follow quickly, but surprisingly couldn’t move her. She turned back in surprise to see her sister staring intently at the monk’s back, her forehead covered in large beads of sweat.
Du Tinglan’s heart clenched: “What’s wrong?”
Teng Yu’yi nervously raised her hand, gesturing for Du Tinglan to look at the continuously ringing bells on her wrist, then silently mouthed four words to Du Tinglan: It is an evil being.
Du Tinglan’s scalp tingled with fear. She had been suspicious earlier, but the monk’s appearance made it hard to associate him with anything evil. However, her sister’s bells were from the Qingyun Temple – they wouldn’t give false warnings.
Seeing their female companions all following along, Du Tinglan was both frightened and anxious. She squeezed Teng Yu’yi’s hand and silently mouthed back: Then what should we do?
Teng Yu’yi struggled to steady her mind. Whatever happened, they needed to first understand this monk’s background. She secretly tapped the Xiaoya Sword, signaling the little old man to come out quickly.
This time, Xiaoya’s response was surprisingly quick – almost as soon as she tapped the sword handle, there was movement in her sleeve. Soon, Teng Yu’yi felt a small figure standing up on her arm. Strangely, as soon as Xiaoya emerged, her sleeve began to tremble slightly.
Teng Yu’yi was startled, suddenly realizing that Xiaoya’s legs were shaking.
This terrified her. Last time when the corpse demon came, although Xiaoya hadn’t shown much loyalty, at least he hadn’t lost his composure. This time he was scared to this extent.
In an instant, Xiaoya began quickly writing something on her arm. Teng Yu’yi concentrated on making out what Xiaoya was writing: It’s over, it’s over, it’s a Naichong.
After shakily writing these few characters on Teng Yu’yi’s arm, the sleeve went still again -, having completed his task, he had quickly fled back into the sword.
Teng Yu’yi was dumbfounded. Hey, at least explain clearly before leaving! What is a “Naichong”? And why say “it’s over”?
But no matter how she manipulated the small sword, Xiaoya refused to come out. With no other options, she could only raise her head to watch the monk’s back. The monk had already led the group a short distance, but the exit was still nowhere in sight.
Teng Yu’yi’s mind was in chaos. Attacking without understanding the opponent’s background would only make them die faster.
Naichong – what was a Naichong?
Was it a ghost, a demon, or something else?
To frighten Xiaoya to such an extent, it couldn’t be some nameless entity.
Teng Yu’yi searched her memory, vaguely remembering seeing these two characters somewhere. Suddenly remembering that her sister often read Buddhist stories, she thought her sister might know the origin of these characters. She quickly wiped away her sweat and whispered to Du Tinglan: “Sister, have you heard of ‘Naichong’?”
Du Tinglan paused as if digesting Teng Yu’yi’s words. Then she understood their meaning, and her face instantly went white.
She hurriedly whispered in Teng Yu’yi’s ear: “It’s… it’s a type of Buddhist evil spirit.”
Teng Yu’yi’s breathing grew heavier. No wonder it seemed familiar – she remembered now. In previous years during the Ullambana Festival lantern fair in Yangzhou, she had seen several puppets with the characters “Naichong” written on them in the night market.
These puppets were usually much taller and more robust than others, with eyes flashing like lightning and teeth as sharp as halberds. Even in the stifling heat of July, seeing these puppets’ fierce and mighty appearance would send chills down one’s spine. At their feet often crawled various grotesque evil spirits – even the Yaksha, listed as one of Buddhism’s “Eight Divisions of Gods and Dragons,” showed submission to the Naichong.
If one happened to see such a puppet at the lantern fair, it would leave a deep impression, because the Naichong puppet had its left foot stepping on a blue Yaksha and its right foot on a red Yaksha, with an air of looking down upon all spirits that was unforgettable.
However, the more she recalled the puppet’s appearance, the deeper Teng Yu’yi’s confusion grew. First, she couldn’t possibly connect this refined, clean-looking monk with the king of all evil spirits from Buddhist legend. If it were a Naichong, why go to such trouble to harm them? It would only need to open its mouth to swallow them all.
She opened her eyes wide, clinging to a last thread of hope, examining the monk from head to toe several times. When she saw the soles of the monk’s shoes, that last remaining hope instantly vanished.
Should she expose it immediately? She thought nervously. No, it had transformed into a kind-looking monk and was leading them around the grove – it must have some plan. Suddenly remembering the corpse demon’s tricks, she wondered if this spirit also had some strange preferences like the corpse demon. Before figuring out how to deal with it, rashly exposing it would only provoke its violent nature.
Then she suddenly thought – where had Peng Huayue and Peng Jinxiu gone? Surely they hadn’t been eaten by this monk? But the monk’s hands and mouth looked clean, not like he had just eaten someone. So where had the Peng sisters gone?
While Teng Yu’yi was lost in these thoughts, the ladies were intently following the monk outward. After walking for a while, they gradually felt something was wrong too. Zheng Shuangyin looked around and carefully asked: “May I ask, venerable one, is the exit ahead?”
The monk stopped and looked back, his smile still gentle: “This poor monk is a bit confused too. I remember it was to the east. Benefactor, which way is east?”
This question should have been easy to answer – even if trapped in the peach grove, one only needed to stand on tiptoes to see Cloud Assembly Hall to the south.
Zheng Shuangyin had determined the direction and was about to answer when Teng Yu’yi’s heart began to race. She quickly cut in: “May I ask the venerable one’s dharma name—”
The monk smiled, pressed his palms together, and proclaimed a Buddhist name in a resonant voice: “Amitabha! This poor monk’s dharma name is Cangji.”
“So it’s Venerable Cangji.” Teng Yu’yi forced a smile. “I know where east is. If I help the venerable one determine the direction, will you then be able to lead us out of the grove?”
Monk Cangji said with a smile: “The benefactor must first tell me where east is, then this poor monk will know how to proceed.”
But Teng Yu’yi persisted: “Once I tell the venerable one which way is east, you must lead us out.”
Monk Cangji’s smile deepened, but he didn’t respond.
Duan Qingying and the others were desperate to leave this haunted place and had placed all their hopes on this tall monk. When Teng Yu’yi suddenly jumped in with these puzzling words, going round and round seemingly about to annoy the monk, she glared at Teng Yu’yi and voluntarily spoke up: “East is—”
“Shut your mouth!” Teng Yu’yi commanded in a low voice.
Duan Qingying was stunned, staring at Teng Yu’yi with anger: “What are you—”
But Zheng Shuangyin and Wu Qi both shouted: “Qingying, don’t speak!”
They had already grown suspicious. The monk had appeared in the grove without reason while the Abbess and others remained unseen. When Teng Yu’yi was talking with the monk earlier, her gaze fixed on his shoes suggested something. Looking carefully, they noticed that while several patches of the monk’s kasaya were wet and his straw sandals were covered in mud, only the edges and soles of his shoes were completely clean.
How could someone’s clothes be wet but not their shoe soles? Remembering the strange thunder earlier, they vaguely guessed this monk was no benevolent being. Their hearts jumped in anxiety, and they dared not speak carelessly anymore.
Du Tinglan, fearing Duan Qingying might speak again, hurriedly walked to Li Huaigu’s side and covered Duan Qingying’s mouth, saying in a trembling voice: “When the venerable one is asking for directions, how dare you interrupt?!”
Du Tinglan was usually gentle and courteous – such rudeness was unprecedented. Not only was Duan Qingying stunned, but the other ladies finally realized something was wrong too.
Teng Yu’yi looked at Monk Cangji, deliberately speaking very slowly: “The venerable one just said, ‘The exit is to the east.’ So as long as we say where east is, we can leave, isn’t that right?”
Monk Cangji fanned himself twice with his palm-leaf fan, saying with a smile: “When this poor monk came in through the entrance, I passed through several rows of peach trees on the outskirts. I remember walking past exactly the seventh tree before seeing all of you benefactors. If I’m not mistaken, we only need to find the seventh tree on the east side to get out.”
Teng Yu’yi smiled slightly: “Since the venerable one has specified, let me try to guess.”
She raised her hand to point behind Monk Cangji: “There, that’s east.”
Monk Cangji’s fan paused briefly.
The ladies were stunned – that was south.
However, Zheng Shuangyin and Du Tinglan’s expressions changed several times, especially Zheng Shuangyin, who instantly broke out in a cold sweat. She had heard that the Yuzhen Daoist Temple was built specifically to respond to thunder and disasters, being more sensitive to lightning than other places. Looking around again, she saw that the grove’s layout had indeed undergone subtle changes. It must have been that shocking thunder earlier that triggered the temple’s secret mechanisms.
Recalling what had just happened, Zheng Shuangyin’s heart pounded. If they had rashly answered that evil monk’s question, it was unimaginable what might have happened. She felt grateful and secretly glanced at Teng Yu’yi.
Teng Yu’yi’s mind was focused entirely on escape. She had already linked arms with Du Tinglan and was walking toward the grove’s exit: “Thank you for your guidance, venerable one. The seventh peach tree, right? It seems the exit isn’t far, so let’s hurry.”
Wu Qi and the others didn’t dare look at the smiling monk anymore and hurriedly followed Teng Yu’yi and Du Tinglan.
They quickly found the eastern exit, but Teng Yu’yi and the others were dumbfounded – there were eight rows of peach trees on the eastern outskirts, and counting down the rows, there happened to be two rows that each had exactly seven peach trees.
The monk approached, fanning himself and smiling: “This poor monk has traveled a long way and is now somewhat tired and bleary-eyed. I can’t quite remember which row it was, so perhaps the benefactors should choose themselves. This poor monk will walk three circles around the trees, and if you haven’t chosen by then, I’ll have to invite all benefactors to rest here with me.”
He had one row of seven peach trees on his left and another on his right. After finishing these words, he began walking circles around the trees, his manner casual and elegant, as if strolling in his courtyard.
Cold sweat broke out on Teng Yu’yi and Du Tinglan’s foreheads. At this rate, if they couldn’t choose within three circles, they would surely be finished. But if they chose wrongly in their haste, death still awaited them.
Zheng Shuangyin and Wu Qi also realized the gravity of the situation and desperately wracked their brains for a solution. The remaining young ladies, though afraid to speak, all opened their eyes wide to carefully compare the two rows of peach trees.
“Seven… seven…” Teng Yu’yi repeated in her heart. Though her sister had laughed at her superficial interpretation, no matter how she looked at it, this peach grove’s layout still resembled a perfect Da Guo hexagram. But in the Da Guo hexagram’s lines, there were “Initial Six,” “Nine in the Third,” and “Nine in the Fourth,” but no “Seven.”
She quietly asked Du Tinglan: “Which hexagram’s lines contain a hidden ‘seven’?”
Du Tinglan, busy recalling their earlier conversation, was startled and said: “I don’t remember any hexagram lines containing the number ‘seven’.”
But Zheng Shuangyin suddenly said: “The Fu hexagram has a line that says ‘returning repeatedly on its path, coming back in seven days.’ Daoists believe that all things in the world complete one cycle in ‘seven’.”
While they were quietly discussing, the monk had already completed one and a half circles around the trees. Teng Yu’yi held her breath and thought – no, even the most intricate hexagram couldn’t create major changes between two rows of trees so close together.
She looked back – the two towering ginkgo trees had already moved to the so-called “west side,” but no matter how the directions changed, the diagonal formed between the ginkgo and peach trees would never change.
So she stepped back a few paces and began counting the eight rows of peach trees on the east side again, one by one.
Hmm, the first row on the right had nine peach trees, the second row had six… but by the eighth row, there were only four.
As Teng Yu’yi counted, understanding dawned in her mind.
By this time, the monk had begun his third circle around the trees. With only half a circle remaining, Teng Yu’yi softly said to everyone: “Follow me.”
Grabbing Du Tinglan’s hand, she ran straight toward the monk’s right side, calling out as she ran: “Please forgive our poor eyesight, venerable one. The seventh tree is right here.”
The monk stopped in his tracks.
Teng Yu’yi ran with her head down, secretly counting with her peripheral vision. When she counted to the seventh peach tree, the scene before her suddenly changed.
In the blink of an eye, they had somehow run back to the entrance of Cloud Assembly Hall.
The ladies caught their breath and looked around. Though no one was visible in front of Cloud Assembly Hall, they could faintly hear the nuns talking inside.
“We searched along the mechanisms but still can’t find a single girl – it must be the work of an evil spirit…”
“It seems we’ll have to trouble His Highness Prince Chun’an. He has many talented people around him who can surely figure out what’s happening. Quick, quick, go next door with the message.” This was the Abbess’s worried voice.
Having escaped death, the girl’s eyes welled up with tears. Their legs moved of their own accord as they ran toward Cloud Assembly Hall, but before they got far, they unexpectedly saw the monk ahead and stopped short in alarm.
Teng Yu’yi stared at the monk while catching her breath, knowing it wouldn’t give up so easily. At least they had escaped and were no longer trapped in the maze, helpless and alone.
She quickly called out: “Abbess!”
The girls all began calling for help: “Abbess, we’re here!”
The talking in Cloud Assembly Hall stopped, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
The monk gently waved his fan: “Buddha is merciful. This poor monk is parched. I kindly led you out of the grove, yet your benefactors won’t even help me ask for a cup of water before leaving – isn’t that a bit unreasonable? All things follow karmic connections. Earlier in the grove, this poor monk heard some noisy bells – such lively bell sounds that truly brought joy to one’s heart. I wonder which benefactor’s possession that was? Perhaps that benefactor could get some water for this poor monk.”
Teng Yu’yi smiled coldly – so many tricks.
Du Tinglan and Zheng Shuangyin shouted sternly: “Don’t answer it!”
Everyone immediately realized they must not answer this question. Though they knew it was Teng Yu’yi’s possession, no one made a sound. However, Li Huaigu seemed frightened senseless – though her lips were tightly closed, her panicked gaze flickered briefly toward Teng Yu’yi.
Before Teng Yu’yi could react, a great force suddenly seized her from behind, pulling her back into the grove in an instant.
***
When Lin Chengyou dismounted at the entrance of Yuzhen Daoist Temple, chaos had already erupted inside. The nuns had run next door to the Prince’s manor for help, and the maids were crying in front of the main hall.
Seeing Lin Chengyou, the Abbess acted as if she’d found a savior. Taking three steps in two, she ran over and grabbed his sleeve, saying: “Young Master, please save them! That evil being is incredibly powerful. This poor nun dares not speak rashly, but it seems to be acting like a Naichong.”
Du Tinglan’s hair was disheveled, her face covered in tears and mucus. She pushed through the crowd to run before Lin Chengyou, her voice as harsh as a broken erhu: “The monk took my sister – I fear the worst. Please, Young Master, think of something—”
Her mind in chaos, her face as white as paper, she suddenly fell to her knees. Zheng Shuangyin and Li Huaigu, with tears in their eyes, supported her from left and right.
Zheng Shuangyin choked out: “Thanks to Miss Teng breaking the monk’s trap, or none of us could have escaped.”
Li Huaigu’s face was full of anxiety. She was about to explain what had happened to Lin Chengyou, but looking up, she realized his expression was also extremely grim. Before they could speak, he quickly stepped back twice in front of the hall, then looked left and right, whistling.
Two beast howls of “Aooo, aooo” came from outside the temple, startling everyone.
Lin Chengyou, hearing the Yinglingshi in his pocket making endless noise, was already burning with anxiety. Not waiting for the people and beasts behind to catch up, he lifted his robe and leaped onto the roof beam.
The Abbess held up a small booklet, looking up at the slate-gray figure that flashed past: “Young Master, the temple’s mechanisms have activated. Take the formation map, lest you lose your way.”
“No need.” Lin Chengyou’s anxious voice came from afar – he seemed to have already reached the garden.
More people arrived at the entrance – this time two old Daoist priests. Jiantian and Jianxi entered anxiously turning their heads: “Where’s the Young Master?”
The Abbess pointed upward: “He went up.”
Two figures flashed past as the old Daoist priests also jumped onto the roof beams. However, shortly after, they were heard crying out from above: “Aiyou, this place is like a maze, going round and round until one gets dizzy! Old Jinchen, did you activate your temple’s precious maze formation? Quick, tell us poor priests how to proceed!”
***
Teng Yu’yi gripped the Xiaoya Sword tightly as she tried to determine her direction. When the monk had used his supernatural powers to grab her, she had thought she was back in the peach grove. Unexpectedly, when she landed, she found herself between narrow stone walls with wall lamps burning every few steps. The flames flickered slightly, making the corridor ahead look particularly eerie.
Where was this place? she wondered in confusion. She had already roughly mapped out the temple’s layout earlier but hadn’t seen this kind of setting. Could it be Yuzhen Daoist Temple’s underground palace?
Possible. Teng Yu’yi concentrated on listening but couldn’t hear a single sound. Even the bells that had been constantly ringing had seemingly lost half their strength, their sound growing weak.
Teng Yu’yi guessed the Naichong might not be nearby, so she gathered her internal energy and walked forward stealthily. With the Naichong’s supernatural powers, even if she remained motionless, she couldn’t escape its eyes. Better to explore around before it came to trouble her – with luck, she might quickly find a way out.
She felt along the wall bricks while quietly moving forward along the corridor. Everything was going smoothly as she approached a corner, with passages accessible both left and right. As she hesitated whether to turn right or left, the bells suddenly began ringing loudly.
Immediately after, a creaking sound came from the right corner as if someone was opening a door at the end of the path. Then Teng Yu’yi heard those unhurried footsteps and the sound of the tattered fan moving.
That thing had come again!
Teng Yu’yi’s heart leaped into her throat. Going forward would only lead to being caught by the Naichong, so she had to retreat along her original path. However, after backing up just a few steps, her back hit a wall.
She turned around in fright – just now—
No, how could such a long corridor suddenly become so short?!
There was no time to figure this out. She raised both arms, quickly feeling along the walls on both sides. Since this stone corridor could grow and shrink, there must be mechanisms hidden in the walls. However, as she felt inch by inch, she found no mechanism, while the footsteps grew ever closer.
Damn! The Naichong moved far faster than she had imagined.
Teng Yu’yi’s ears buzzed, her stomach churned with acid, her hands frantically searching as she grew increasingly desperate. With just one corner left before the smiling monk would appear before her again, she drew in a sharp breath, steeling herself to fight that thing to the death, when suddenly the right wall gave way and someone pulled her through.
Teng Yu’yi unexpectedly crashed into a man’s embrace, her soul nearly flying away in fright. Thinking the Naichong had transformed and appeared in the secret room behind the wall, she gripped the Xiaoya Sword tightly in panic, ready to defend herself. The person suddenly covered her mouth: “Don’t be afraid, it’s me.”