Chapter 133: A New Hand Joins the Gods of Exorcism

Yun Qin widened her eyes and stared at the little peacock. The latter refused to show weakness, its pair of jet-black eyes was also fixed straight on the girl in the mirror. However, it was clearly just putting on a brave front—one of its wings had to rest on the young Daoist’s temple, its entire body puffed up in downy feathers, trembling slightly, and compared to before, it had grown quite a bit plumper.

The young girl examined it carefully.

Then, quite naturally, she said: “Is this the legendary Three-Yellow Chicken?”

The little peacock hesitated and turned to glance at the young Daoist beside it, murmuring in confusion: “Aqi, Aqi…”

“This mirror can recognize me?!”

Because the little Daoist Mingxin had once called it that, the little peacock had come to believe that it was a [Peacock Great Wheel Ming King Three Yellow Chicken]. Just as the young Daoist couldn’t help but chuckle, Yun Qin suddenly spoke from the other side of the mirror:

“Eh? It really is a Three-Yellow Chicken?”

This voice directly echoed within the hearts and spirits of both the little peacock and the young Daoist.

It was the first time the little peacock had encountered anyone capable of such a thing.

In the past, it had believed that only Aqi could hear its ‘words’. It was so startled that it nearly slipped off the young Daoist’s shoulder.

It turned its head to ‘stare’ at Yun Qin. Its heart was pounding wildly, so even though it appeared calm and collected, its body still rose and fell ever so slightly, like a little ball. Yun Qin said: “Of course I can hear you. Isn’t that perfectly natural?”

The young Daoist was taken aback.

But upon brief reflection, he understood. It was likely because the girl before him possessed an extremely pure and tranquil spirit, devoid of many stray thoughts—or even if there were such thoughts, they were like flowing water or falling petals, drifting away as soon as they arose. Her mental state was undisturbed. So, when it came to pure spirit-to-spirit communication like the little peacock’s—not a technique or spell—she could naturally perceive it.

The young Daoist gave a simple explanation of the little peacock’s origin.

And Yun Qin’s eyes lit up at once: “So this is what hatched from that bird egg?”

“Peacock bird!”

“Great Wheel Ming King!”

The little peacock braced itself against the young Daoist’s temple with one wing and puffed out its chest proudly.

“Ah!”

Peacock!

Great Wheel Ming King!

The young girl reached out and touched the surface of the mirror, wanting very much to stroke the little peacock’s soft feathers. Unfortunately, although they could see one another clearly, the distance between them was vast in truth. All she could do was sigh with regret. Then she lifted her gaze to the young Daoist. “Wuhuo, have you given it a name yet?”

“Is its surname Kong? Or should it be Que?”

“Neither.”

The young Daoist stretched out a finger and gently played with the little peacock as he explained: “It said it wants the surname Qi.”

“Pfft, it’s like you’ve already had a child, Aqi.”

“Ah, no, no, I want to join in too. I watched that bird egg hatch with my own eyes, didn’t I? I helped too! You have to add my surname or given name in there somewhere!”

Yun Qin seemed to have discovered something extremely amusing—

And so she had to be part of it.

After some thought, she generously offered up the character Yun.

The young Daoist mused aloud: “Qi Yun?”

“Still feels like something’s missing.”

“Ask it if it wants to add another character.”

The little peacock blinked in confusion.

Yun Qin rested her chin in one hand. “It clearly doesn’t get it. But Wuhuo, what do you think would go well after that?”

The young Daoist pondered for a while but couldn’t come up with anything particularly fitting. So he asked:

“Then what name would you give it, Yun Qin?”

“Me?”

The girl cupped her chin with one hand and blurted out: “If it were me, I’d call it Qi Yuntun!”

Wonton(Yuntun)?

Qi Wuhuo couldn’t hold back his laughter.

The little peacock looked at the young Daoist, puzzled.

After a moment’s thought, the young Daoist explained: “It’s something you eat.”

“Is it tasty?”

“Very tasty.”

The little peacock lit up and chirped: “She’s a good person!”

“I like her!”

The girl nodded solemnly and pointed at herself. “I’m a very good person!”

“And I’ll definitely grow up to be a great beauty and a very good person!”

Then she pointed at the little peacock—

And praised it:

“Excellent taste!”

“Peacock Great Wheel Ming King!”

The little peacock let go of Qi Wuhuo’s temple with its wing, beaming with joy.

“Peacock Great Wheel Ming King!”

“Qi Yuntun!”

“Yuntun! Yuntun!”

Yun Qin continued to tease the little peacock, while the Old Yellow Ox slowly came to his senses. He quietly calculated how long he’d been “asleep”, then glanced at the pillar made from the sacred World Tree wood, letting out a sigh filled with emotion. “This World Tree pillar isn’t all that reliable either. When you strike against yourself, you always leave a bit of leeway.”

“But—it should be fine now.”

After a brief divination, the old ox determined there was likely no issue. Then, pretending as if he’d merely taken a nap, he yawned as he walked over and asked: “What are you chatting about? Oh, this little peacock, is it? So, what name did you give it?”

Upon learning what name the young Daoist and Yun Qin had chosen for the peacock—

Especially when he saw the little one puffing itself up proudly, proclaiming itself the Peacock Great Wheel Ming King—

The Old Yellow Ox could no longer contain himself and burst out laughing.

He simply found such youthful antics far too amusing.

In truth, it might be better if this peacock never made a name for itself.

Otherwise, if one day it truly rose to fame and someone respectfully greeted it with, “Ah, I’ve long heard of your great renown,” and it returned with something like “I am Qi Yuntun, the Great Sage”—or worse, if someone introduced it as the divine bird perched upon the shoulder of the Taishang Xuanwei True Person, with the resounding name [Yuntun], wouldn’t that just make people die of laughter?

Still, seeing how much the little peacock genuinely adored the name—

The old ox merely chuckled and said no more.

He suddenly recalled how, back in the day, he’d named himself Huang Jin, and ended up becoming “Niu Jinniu(Taurus)”. [TL_Note: Basically Ox Golden Ox]

“Uncle Niu, there’s something I need your help with,” 

Qi Wuhuo said, and proceeded to explain the matter regarding the three great demon kingdoms. The Old Yellow Ox’s expression grew a bit serious. “Demon kingdoms causing havoc in the human world? That’s troublesome indeed.”

Yun Qin asked with curiosity: “Uncle Niu, don’t you know a lot of demons from the demon clans?”

The old ox didn’t answer right away. He sank into thought for a while before asking: “Wuhuo, do you know what the demon race is truly like?”

Qi Wuhuo shook his head.

The old ox pondered a bit, then said: “The demon race isn’t like the human world. Though people call them demon kingdoms, in truth they’re merely great tribal factions. The demon clans have never truly been unified. While there are occasional alliances between the major tribes, most of the time, they’re busy warring and killing one another. These demon tribes rally around their [Great Sages] and have gathered into six central power blocs.”

“Actually, Wuhuo, if you think about it, you can understand.”

“A fierce tiger eats sheep, a pack of wolves devours a tiger.”

“Among all living things, there is naturally a relationship of hunting and being hunted. To have them unite with one heart, how could that be possible?”

“In fact, the term [yao(demon)] is just what humans call them. On that side, they don’t recognize it at all.”

The Old Yellow Ox gave another example, saying: “For instance, suppose today a mosquito became a spirit, gained supernatural powers, and led billions of its descendants, declaring an alliance with you humans. The two races would make a pact, agreeing to coexist, and all those billions of mosquitoes with spiritual power would live among humans.”

The young Daoist’s face stiffened slightly.

The Old Yellow Ox laughed heartily, then said: “You get it now?”

“I imagine none of you would be happy to let a horde of super-powerful mosquitoes in, right?”

“Anyone would probably want to slap them dead on the spot.”

“That’s a glimpse into some of the relationships among the demons.”

“So first, you need to figure out which Great Sage is responsible.”

The Old Yellow Ox said: “Some Great Sages dislike conflict, but others are especially fond of slaughter.”

Qi Wuhuo asked: “Has the demon race ever been unified?”

The old ox replied: “There was a brief period of unity, led by the dragon clan. But later, the dragons realized the mutual hatred among the demons could never be truly resolved. The peace was only maintained by the dragons’ overwhelming force. Besides, all those demons coveted the dragons’ origin blood. After several great battles, the dragons left, and due to the divisions caused by those battles, the dragon clan split into three branches after departing the demon realm.”

“One branch, though not demon emperors, still considered themselves part of the demons and stayed behind.”

“Another, seeking peace and freedom, went to serve under the Earth Empress of the Four Great Emperors, becoming river and water gods. This group made up the majority.”

“The Earth Empress’s domain is truly tranquil, and since dragons command water, it’s a perfect fit for the role of water deity.”

“The last group, wanting a stable backer and tired of the chaos among the demons, and wary of future troublemakers, joined the Heavenly Court, becoming cloud and rain envoys.”

Only now did the young Daoist begin to understand the history of the demons, and asked curiously: “Dragon origin blood?”

The Old Yellow Ox replied: “Naturally. Dragons are the leaders of all spirits, the pinnacle of postnatal beings. Their blood is filled with immense power and will. Any creature that obtains it will be greatly strengthened, and may even gain some dragon abilities, though they’ll also take on some dragon traits.”

“For example, growing scales, sprouting dragon horns from the forehead-”

“Or becoming more irritable and aggressive.”

“But the demons don’t care about that. They only know it makes them stronger, faster, and even extends their lifespan. So, even though the dragons once brought them peace, the demons still covet that origin blood. Heh, Wuhuo, have you heard of the great feasts in the Heavenly Court, like [dragon liver and phoenix marrow]? Do you know what that really is?”

The young Daoist shook his head.

The Old Yellow Ox said: “In truth, it’s just that the dragon clan drips a bit of their Primordial Qi into the water, and the fish within will begin to take on dragon traits.”

“So they’re called [dragons].”

“The so-called ‘dragon liver and phoenix marrow’, that name only came about after some immortals quarreled with the dragon clan. Unable to defeat them in a fight, all they could do was eat something and claim, ‘This is dragon liver, this is phoenix marrow’, out of spite.”

“To put it bluntly-”

“The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas all possess powers above the rank of True Lord, not to mention the many dragons among the Thunder Division’s cloud and rain envoys.”

“Who would dare eat them?”

“Besides, to eat the liver of a living being with spirituality, one that can communicate, has emotions, and experiences pain and joy, just to satisfy one’s appetite, how is that any different from the ways of fiends and monsters?”

“But, well, there’s a little rumor…”

The Old Yellow Ox leaned in, lowering his voice so Yun Qin wouldn’t hear, and said: “It doesn’t even need to be a Dragon King. Even a dragon prince, just by relieving himself in a small pond, will cause the fish there to grow dragon horns and whiskers the next day. Those are [dragons] too. So, I, Old Niu, absolutely refuse to eat this so-called dragon liver and phoenix marrow, who knows what kind of dragon it came from?”

“I’ve told Yun Qin and all my acquaintances not to eat that stuff either.”

“You shouldn’t touch it in the future, either.”

“Even though there’s a 99.99% chance it’s fine, still, cough cough…”

The old ox lifted his head, laughed a few times, and glossed over Yun Qin’s curiosity. Then he said to Qi Wuhuo: “Don’t worry, Wuhuo. Leave these matters to your Uncle Niu. You just wait patiently while I contact some old friends and brothers I haven’t spoken to in a long time. Now that that old baldy Medicine Master Glazed Light Tathāgata is gone and no one’s blocking the door, I can finally go out with peace of mind.”

The old ox felt greatly relieved.

After some more small talk, the old ox really couldn’t hold on any longer, so he ended the [Round Light Manifestation Technique].

He let out a sigh of relief.

He felt that the moment when he could pretend nothing had happened until everything was over was getting closer and closer.

Thinking that he’d managed to maintain his image as a reliable and trustworthy elder, he finally felt at ease.

Even the cold sweat on his forehead wasn’t as bad.

Soon, he could go back and have a proper rest.

A lively scene?

Ha, in his current state, he could barely keep from collapsing by sheer willpower. Go watch the excitement?

He’d probably end up becoming the excitement himself, and tomorrow the rumor would spread that Niu Jinniu collapsed on the spot.

Then where would this old ox’s face go?

Yun Qin had a piece of sesame cake in her mouth, savoring its sweetness, when she suddenly asked: “Uncle Niu, where did my mother put the books about weaving the stars and clouds?”

“Hm? Bottom shelf of the library. Why do you need that?”

“Wuhuo is injured. I remembered that Mother once said, fabric woven from the stars and clouds can help wounds heal quickly.”

The Old Yellow Ox almost laughed. Quick healing was only the beginning.

The Weaving Lady Star God is the Northern Emperor’s granddaughter.

Though his descendants aren’t many, there are still quite a few.

Yet only the Weaving Lady Star God alone is renowned, because she possesses the method to weave with the light of the stars and constellations. Even the morning and evening glows in the sky are but the handiwork of the Weaver Star God in her youth, scattered down to the mortal world. Such a technique, how could it be so simple? He smiled and asked: “That’s a very difficult thing, you know.”

But Yun Qin suddenly smiled and said: “Uncle Niu, you’re so strange today.”

The Old Yellow Ox was taken aback.

The girl put away her sesame cake and said:

“I want to do it, that’s why I’m asking, not because I care if it’s hard.”

“If I’ve decided, then I’ll just go learn it.”

“If it’s difficult, does that mean I shouldn’t try?”

She jumped down from the stone she’d been sitting on, dusted off her hands, and mused:

“The mortal world is not the same as the heavens. Wuhuo said he only tried to cut something and failed, then was injured by the backlash. Clearly, he fought with someone but doesn’t want to tell me, so I won’t worry. Hmph, worrying only comes from being powerless. I’m not that kind of person. What’s the use of worrying for nothing? If I’m worried, I’ll just find a way so I don’t have to worry anymore.”

The Old Yellow Ox laughed: “Little Yun Qin, you really do care about Wuhuo.”

The girl glanced at him in puzzlement: “Of course I care about my friends.”

“Uncle Niu, you’re acting so strange today.”

“Uncle Niu, let’s go.”

The Old Yellow Ox agreed with a smile, but as he took a step, his legs suddenly gave out.

With a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

The girl stared at him suspiciously.

The Old Yellow Ox: “…………”

He replied with an unchanged expression: “Uncle Niu suddenly feels that lying here for a rest is quite nice.”

“No problem, no problem.”

Qi Wuhuo ended the [Round Light Manifestation Technique]. The sword wound on his right hand was caused by the backlash of Human Dao Fate; even though most of the force had been dispersed by the sword’s own power, Qi Wuhuo’s tiger’s mouth was still torn open by the countershock. The Innate Qi that could reconnect broken bones was repairing them, but the process was extremely slow. As the spiritual light on the mirror gradually faded, it suddenly paused.

On the mirror’s surface, new changes appeared.

Qi Wuhuo saw the talismanic marks around the mirror light up one by one, then faintly outline themselves into an extremely complex and vast script. Before the young Daoist could discern what the script meant, a deep and ancient voice suddenly rang out, saying: “So, have all participants in this [Northern Pole Exorcism] matter arrived?”

The voice called out each name:

“Dragon-Tiger Cavalry Officials, Four Spirits Deities, the Immortals of Nanchang Refinement, Divine Tiger Pursuit Officials, Thunder Justice Deity Generals, Merit Registrar Talisman Envoys.”

“Hm? Why is there one more person?”

Everyone was puzzled, and their divine senses all turned toward the young Daoist.