67 Inner Elixir

Yu Nie and the rat spirits had fled to escape disaster, but after only a few days in hiding, he could no longer restrain himself and returned to Hundredfold Cave to look for his sister. Yet the cave was empty and abandoned. He waited patiently, hoping she would come back for him, but after more than ten days, his patience was exhausted. Now, having all but assumed the role of king, Yu Nie began dispatching groups of rat spirits to search for Qing Yin's whereabouts. The rat spirits were many in number, adept at burrowing and slipping unseen into every corner, making their search swift and thorough. Yet, after sending out hundreds of them and scouring an area three hundred miles around, they found not the slightest trace of Qing Yin.

One evening at dusk, just as Yu Nie was weeping and muttering that his sister had broken her promise, a young rat spirit came running with urgent news: in a clearing deep within a dense forest, some celestial soldiers had set up camp. They had brought with them two prison cages, each containing a gravely wounded, unconscious creature—one a great bird with red feathers, and the other a strange cat. The strange cat was none other than the one Qing Yin had always kept by her side.

Upon hearing this, Yu Nie leapt up. "Is my sister there too?"

The young rat spirit replied, "We didn’t see Immortal Yin."

Yu Nie was deeply disappointed. Still, with the big cat found, there was hope of finding his sister—if the cat had fallen into trouble, surely she might have as well. Whatever the case, he must first rescue the cat.

When the Lord of Chess Mountain heard that Yu Nie meant to lead his kin to save the prisoners from the celestial soldiers, he fell to his knees, weeping bitterly, but could not sway Yu Nie from his course. That night, Yu Nie led a thousand rat spirits to a point ten miles from the celestial army’s encampment, and began tunneling diagonally beneath them. The rat spirits’ burrowing skill was their pride; by midnight, they had already reached beneath the camp, hollowing out the soil so swiftly that the entire area above was left unsupported.

Had this been any other day, the celestial soldiers would have sensed something amiss. But on that particular day, their task had been to escort the three-tailed xie-cat and the blood dove to the Icy Hell. Both captives were grievously wounded and unconscious, incapable of escape, so the soldiers hadn’t even bothered to lock the prison wagons. Moreover, with their commander, the Celestial Pivot Star Lord, absent, the soldiers had allowed themselves a rare moment of ease—buying mortal delicacies, gathering together to feast and drink, relishing the pleasures of the world, utterly unaware of the disturbance below.

By the time they sensed something was wrong, it was too late. With a thunderous crash, the entire camp collapsed, and the two prison carts were swallowed by a gaping hole. By the time the celestial soldiers crawled out of the earth and dug out the wagons, the prisoners had vanished without a trace.

Yu Nie examined the wounds of the xie-cat and the blood dove, finding them severe—without timely aid, they would not last many days. At that moment, there was only one being to whom he could turn for help: Old Third She.

Old Third She’s lair was called Coiling Dragon Mountain. When the serpent-children came to report Yu Nie’s return, his hands trembled so violently that he nearly wept.

He had missed that boy.

Though he had long refused to admit it, now that news of Yu Nie’s return reached him, the pang in his heart forced him to acknowledge it: he had truly missed that boy.

The mountain’s thousands of serpent-children were, as he had hoped, cold and ruthless, venomous and fierce, but entirely devoid of human warmth. Yu Nie, owing to an incomplete transformation, had retained his humanity—his emotions were rich; he could laugh, cry, suffer pain, or feel wronged. No matter how harshly Old Third She scolded him, the boy always tried to draw near and cling to him.

At times, the boy’s childish neediness had driven him to the brink of exasperation. And besides this, the boy was especially slow-witted. While other serpent-children became fierce and agile as wild beasts by the age of four or five, executing his every command with ruthless precision, Yu Nie, though strong, was as soft and pliant as dough—easily swayed and tender-hearted. In five years, he had fumbled countless tasks. The last time he sent the boy back to Qing Yin, what a relief it had been, to finally be rid of that little burden.

But once the boy was gone, the place seemed emptier than ever. There was no soft, ingratiating voice at his side, no plump little child to climb onto his knee when he was in good spirits. The fact that he’d once shed tears in secret over missing the boy was something Old Third She would never let another soul know.

Now, hearing of Yu Nie’s return, Old Third She’s whiskers quivered with excitement. He steadied himself before stepping outside, face stern, brow furrowed, glaring haughtily at the timid youth before him. "Didn’t I tell you to leave with that girl? Why have you come back again?"

Yu Nie knelt and bowed. "There are two wounded ones. I beg you, Old Third She, save them."

When Old Third She saw the two injured creatures, he nearly toppled in shock.

He should have known better than to long for Yu Nie’s return. However endearing, the boy bore the misfortune that clung to Qing Yin—always drawing trouble. And this time, not just any trouble, but god-beasts and celestial birds! Should these ancestors awaken, Old Third She might well become their next meal.

He shouted, his voice trembling, "Take them away! How dare you bring such harbingers of disaster into my home!"

Yu Nie pleaded in his sweetest voice, "Old Third She, that three-tailed cat belongs to my sister. Please, I beg you to save it."

"Are you joking? I haven’t lived long enough yet! Take them away!"

Yu Nie’s eyes burned as he cried out, "Old Third She, these two are god-beasts and celestial birds. If you let them die, and the immortals come seeking justice, can you bear such a crime?"

Old Third She drew a sharp breath, glaring furiously at Yu Nie. "Boy, are you threatening me? In just a few days, that girl Qing Yin has taught you such cunning! After all my years raising you, you’ve learned to bite back? Take them away!"

Yu Nie had no choice but to lead the rat spirits out with the wounded. But suddenly, Old Third She called them back. "Wait." He began to reconsider: there was sense in what Yu Nie said. If he cast them out and they died, their immortal masters might truly come seeking vengeance. God-beasts and celestial birds hailed from the immortal realm; if he could heal them, perhaps he would earn himself a celestial favor… and his treasure vault could certainly use a few more immortal relics.

With a change of heart, he said, "Leave them."

His longing for immortal treasures made him forget all about “that wretched Qing Yin’s curse of ruin.” Soon enough, he would regret this greedy whim so bitterly he’d cough up three pints of blood.

Old Third She’s greatest pursuit in his demonic life was collecting rare and wondrous treasures; his store of spiritual medicines at Coiling Dragon Mountain was renowned in all three realms. His medical skill was not only profound, but laced with a touch of the unorthodox, producing effects nothing short of miraculous. In just a few days, Mo Tu and Jiu Yu had both awakened.

What Old Third She had never expected was that the three-tailed xie-cat, upon regaining consciousness, even while wounded, exuded such ferocious dominance that it pinned its benefactor beneath a massive paw the moment he approached to apply medicine.

Old Third She screamed hoarsely, "Let me go! I saved you, don’t you dare repay kindness with enmity!"

The beast bared its fangs, showing not the slightest gratitude—if anything, it looked eager to make a meal of its savior. Old Third She began weeping on the spot. Only then did he realize—this xie-cat, being connected to Qing Yin, was bound to be unlucky. Keeping them was a grave miscalculation. Not only would he never see the immortal treasures he’d hoped for, but his very life was now at stake.

The great beast spoke in a low, threatening voice, "Take me to your medicine vault."

Old Third She had spent centuries amassing rare elixirs and miraculous pills, piled high as mountains. The xie-cat strode forward and, regardless of their properties or effects, began devouring them by the mouthful.

Old Third She was beside himself with grief, throwing himself atop his treasures, wailing, "Are you eating this as food? Aren’t you afraid you’ll poison yourself to death? My treasures… you might as well eat me instead! Just eat me!"

The beast’s golden eyes narrowed. "Very well…" It hooked Old Third She’s robe with a sharp claw and lifted him to its mouth. Such an ancient serpent demon, though tough and stringy, would be a rare tonic…

Old Third She had only been speaking out of heartbreak for his possessions, and now, facing true death, he was terrified beyond measure, screaming, "You ungrateful beast!"

Mo Tu replied, "I must recover at once to save her. If power is what I need, I care nothing for the rest." With that, he took Old Third She halfway into his jaws.

Clinging desperately to one of the xie-cat’s fangs, Old Third She wailed, "I have a way! I have a way to make you recover instantly, and even gain greater power!"

Mo Tu spat him out onto the ground, eyeing him with suspicion.

Tears still streaming, Old Third She activated a mechanism, and a secret chamber at the bottom of the medicine vault slowly opened. Inside, hundreds of transparent jars were displayed, each containing a glowing orb of a different hue. Like a constellation of seven-colored stars, their radiance filled the chamber with dazzling light.

The xie-cat narrowed its eyes in astonishment. "Are these… inner cores?"