Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 9 Brother Fox Takes a Night Voyage

Fang Shu heard the voices behind him and his tail twitched.

Without turning his head, he used all four paws to propel himself forward.

After running for two or three miles, he noticed the rustling sounds behind him still; the person who had been shouting was still chasing after him. So he narrowed his fox-like eyes and found a high vantage point.

"Hey fox, why are you running away!"

A rustling sound came from the grass, and suddenly a rabbit carrying a bundle hopped out.

Its three-lobed mouth mumbled something, and it stretched out its paw to greet the fox: "Hello, Brother Fox."

Fang Shu squinted and recognized the demon.

This rabbit demon was the one who asked many questions during the weasel's sermon, and who seemed quite clever.

He examined the other man for a moment and found that the demonic aura on him was not strong, so he put away his long tongue and nodded: "What is it, Brother Rabbit?"

"Brother Rabbit?" The three-foot-tall rabbit demon's ears twitched, and it glared at him with its red eyes:
"I am female!"

Fang Shu remained calm and composed, cupping his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Rabbit Girl."

The rabbit demon returned the greeting and then hopped forward.

It was very familiar with the place, and it shook its head and said, "Master, you have taught us. On the whole hill, only Brother Fox and I are worthy of being taught."

"Brother Fox, where are you headed as you pass by this place? Are you also going to Langdang Mountain?"

"Wandering Mountain?" Fang Shu asked.

The rabbit demon hopped forward a little more, then circled around Fang Shu and glanced at him, a look of satisfaction in its red eyes.

“That’s right, I’m going there too. Brother Fox, why don’t you join me? It’ll definitely be better than going there alone to make a living.”

It also said quickly:
"I see that you are a handsome and talented man. I will recognize you as my senior brother and you as my junior sister. We can live together as a couple."

"Once we've both attained enlightenment and taken human form, I'll give you a litter of fox cubs, and together we'll claim a mountain and establish our own immortality!"

The rabbit demon seemed to be enjoying itself, and it continued hopping along, gesturing for Fang Shu to keep moving forward.

Fang Shu looked puzzled. He hadn't expected that this rabbit demon had taken a liking to him and even pursued him.

Seeing that Fang Shu didn't reply, the rabbit demon turned around and asked, "What's wrong, Brother Fox? Haven't you read any mortal stories?"

It said with righteous indignation: "That's what the storybooks say. You and I are from the same school, so we're natural lovers!"

What genre of storybook are you reading?

Fang Shu secretly grumbled to himself.

He shook his head, too lazy to say much to this rabbit spirit, and simply stretched out his paw, pointing to the majestic and massive Mount Lu in the night sky:
"No, I am not going to Langdang Mountain, but to the mountain itself."

The rabbit demon glanced at Mount Lu, a look of surprise on its face:

"That's not a mountain a little demon can go to. Brother Fox, you'd better not go there and die. If you die, where am I going to find another senior brother to team up with?"

Fang Shu flicked its tail.

He lowered his four paws and ran forward at a leisurely pace, no longer wanting to pay attention to the female rabbit demon.

But the mother rabbit demon still stayed by his side, constantly nagging:
“Brother, brother, are you afraid to go to Langdang Mountain because the demons are unfamiliar with the place? I know demons there.”

"It seems that you came from over there as well, sir."

"Would you like to come with me? I can take care of you first, and then you can take care of me after you've entered the Dao..."

This guy was incredibly noisy, constantly nagging in Fang Shu's ear.

Helpless, he could only reply with:
"No, I'm going to Lushan to stay with my relatives."

Upon hearing this, the rabbit demon's eyes lit up immediately.

"So Brother Fox has relatives in Mount Lu. Are they to be someone's spirit pet or a mount?"
Actually, I also want to go to Mount Lu, but I've heard that there are no monsters there that can cause any trouble. If a minor demon from out of town goes there, it's just asking for death...

"Brother Fox, can I come with you? I don't eat much. You can stay home and cultivate, and I'll help you with the chores."

Fang Shu listened to its chatter as he walked.

Soon, they arrived at a riverbank.

The river shimmered under the moonlight, like a silver thread, winding its way towards a corner of Mount Lu.

Once here, Fang Shu really couldn't be bothered to pay any more attention to the rabbit spirit.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait, farewell!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he plunged into the river, submerged himself, and swam forward with the current.

Fang Shu has his own second uncle to rely on; he would only run off to live with this female rabbit if he were to catch the plague.

The rabbit demon saw that Fang Shu left directly.

It stood by the river, jumping around anxiously.

The rabbit demon tested the water several times but dared not enter. In the end, it could only carry its bundle and stare blankly at the river.

under the moonlight.

After swimming a distance, Fang Shu emerged from underwater.

He casually rolled up a piece of wood to his side, climbed onto it and lay down, then used his tail to propel himself away, drifting alone towards Mount Lu.

………………

"Is anyone else going to board the ship?"

The ship is about to depart!

On the outskirts of the Lushan Mountains, a masked boatman kept calling out at a wild ferry crossing.

A number of people lingered at the ferry crossing, some dressed as knights-errant, some as scholars, and some as noblewomen. They were all different, young and old, men and women, and for a time it was quite lively.

But all of these people were either anxious or reluctant to leave as they gazed at the huge awning boat on the river.

Fang Shu hurried over; he had now transformed into human form, waving and calling out as he went.
"Someone's there! Someone's there!"

The voice attracted the attention of many people at the ferry crossing. Some people's eyes lit up and they quickly stepped forward to greet the speaker.

"Young man, I am Lin Zhongyunhe, quite famous in the martial arts world. I also wish to seek immortality on Mount Lu. Do you have any spare coins?"

"Young Taoist priest, I am a wealthy man from Luo County..."

Fang Shu stopped, his face contorted in a cold grin, his long tongue lolling out, and he even shook off his sleeve, revealing the bloodstains of a murderer.

His journey here has been anything but peaceful.

Upon seeing this, the people who had been shouting became wary and fell silent.

Fang Shu bypassed them and headed straight for the covered boat.

The boatman, seeing Fang Shu's protruding tongue, was not surprised at all; on the contrary, he was delighted and laughed heartily.
"Young man, you've come at the perfect time! If you missed this trip, the next one won't be until next month."

The boatman loosened his grip on the bamboo pole and rubbed his hands together.

Fang Shu cupped his hands in greeting, then pulled out a string of gleaming blue talisman coins from his sleeve and handed it to the boatman: "Thank you for your trouble, boatman."

"Great! This guy is way more convenient than those poor bastards."

The boatman was even more cheerful: "Those guys, they insist on bringing in some silver and jewelry to make up the numbers, and some women even want to sell themselves for money, they're just daydreaming."

The man counted them one by one, then snapped them open and shouted:
"One thousand coins for the blood of the Qingfu, let's board the ship."

May the Daoist master's path to immortality be broad and his long life be within reach!

At the ferry crossing, people all around immediately cast envious glances.

Fang Shu bowed to the boatman and then strode into the awning boat.

The so-called Qingfu Blood Money is a type of talisman used by immortals. It is shaped like the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and has insect-shaped and bird-shaped seal script on it.

The talisman coins contain essence and blood, which can be used to activate magical artifacts, refine elixirs and medicines, set up formations and draw talismans, and so on. They have many wonderful uses.

However, the blood money of the Azure Cicada does not circulate in the mortal world; it only flows out from the hands of the immortals.

The string of cash in Fang Shu's hand was sent to him by his second uncle from afar, so that he could use it as payment for the boat to go into the mountains, or enjoy a lifetime of wealth and luxury in the world.

Therefore, even when Fang Shu was about to be sucked to death by the Long Tongue Sword, he never used a single one.

Stepping onto the perfectly smooth awning boat, Fang Shu felt a surge of excitement, eager to fly to the immortal market in the mountains. But after a few breaths, his expression froze.

As soon as he lifted the curtain of the cabin, the dark and cramped cabin came into view.

The boat was packed with people, men and women were not separated. There were at least twenty or thirty people crammed into the boat. There was even a second layer of planks in the middle of the awning.

Because Fang Shu lifted the curtain, light shone into the cabin, and many people squinted at him.

One of the Taoist priests, a long-faced old man, patted a seat on the side and called out, "Hey! New guy, come on in, there's still a seat available."

Fang Shu looked around, smiled at the old Taoist priest, clasped his hands together and walked closer. He leaned against the side of the boat and plopped down on the plank.

He and the old Taoist priest exchanged names; the other man's surname was Lü, and he was around forty or fifty years old.

There were several other people beside the two.

One was a spirited young man, another was a woman with a cold expression, and the third was a middle-aged man with a wrinkled face and a smile.

The five people huddled together, occasionally talking, but it was always the old Taoist priest Lü who was conversing with the young man surnamed Yin:

"Don't let my age fool you, I'm a gifted old man, I know magic!"
"Going to the marketplace will surely lead me to a path of immortality."

These words attracted several people, and even the woman with a cold expression looked at Old Master Lü with curiosity.

"What kind of magic is that?"

The old Taoist priest gloated for a while, then stood up to shake himself, but crashed into the second-floor wooden plank above, eliciting a shout of curses from above.

So he could only hunch over, sway his body, and mutter something:
"Have you ever seen a genuine Donkey-sized product?"
"I can even use this treasure to drink wine..."

It turns out that the old Taoist's magic was the ability to inhale strong liquor through his genitals. According to him, it was this magic that allowed him to deceive many wealthy families in the mortal world and thus save up for the fare.

These words made Fang Shu and the others smile, while the cold-faced woman secretly spat, her face both cold and ashamed.

She snorted coldly and ignored them.

However, thanks to this guy's interruptions and jokes, Fang Shu and the others became more familiar with each other and exchanged names.

The boy's full name is Yin Xiaojian, and he is suspected to have also gone to Lushan to seek refuge with relatives. He also said that the cold-faced woman's surname is Su and her full name is Su Qingao.

The middle-aged man with wrinkles was called "Tian Tianquan," who explained that he was almost filled into a pigsty when he was born, hence the name.

This man looked unremarkable; it was a mystery how he had managed to save up the fare.

Old Master Lü kept rambling on: "It takes a hundred years of cultivation to share a boat ride! We are all destined to meet. When we get to the market, let's help each other out."

So Fang Shu joined in, occasionally exchanging a few words.

After chatting for a while, he suddenly frowned and spoke:

"Didn't the boatman just say that the boat would depart soon?"

The question elicited laughter from the people around him.

Old Master Lü replied, "Haha! Young man, you're overthinking it. That's what the smuggler said to each of us before we boarded the ship."

The old Taoist priest pointed to himself: "I came up here yesterday, and Brother Tian came even earlier, the day before yesterday."

This answer left Fang Shu speechless.

However, the old Taoist priest looked at the cabin and said, "It will be soon. I reckon that no one else will come tonight, and the ship should depart at midnight."

These words finally made the woman surnamed Su talk to them. She asked in confusion, "There's no one around at night, why does the boat have to leave at midnight?"

Master Lü then became mysterious, whispering, "You'll find out tonight."

People kept asking him questions, but he didn't answer. He just stretched out his legs and lay down in a spot.

The cabin was dark, and as night fell, no one else came to board.

They endured this until around midnight.

The boatman lifted the curtain, peered into the cabin, then, his forked tongue flicking, turned and tapped the bottom of the boat with his bamboo pole.

"Second brother, all the piglets are ready, we can set sail!"

The casual "piglet" made Fang Shu, who was sitting and pretending to doze off, twitch his eyelids and suddenly open his eyes.

He felt a sense of unease.

However, he thought to himself that this route into the mountains was written to him by his second uncle, and the boatman was also covered up, but now he has been exposed as a snake demon, which is indeed consistent with what his second uncle said in his letter.

Seeing that neither Lu Laodao nor the others cared about the boatman's title, Fang Shu suppressed his distracting thoughts and continued to doze off, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

Immediately afterwards, a rough hissing sound of a snake rang out outside the cabin, the awning boat rocked, and many people shouted and cursed.

Through the swaying curtain, an even larger snake head emerged from the water, gurgling as it took the talisman coins that the snake-headed boatman kept throwing out and swallowed them.

It turned out that the awning boat was not floating on the water, but was carried on the back of a thick, long snake demon, which was estimated to be more than three zhang long.

After the two smugglers divided up the fare, the larger smuggler suddenly sank, and the entire boat, like a water rat, instantly submerged beneath the surface of the river.

The boat was submerged, and no river water entered the cabin; only the little snakehead's voice could be heard:
"Don't worry, esteemed guests. My brother and I have been running this route for decades, and there might be some mishaps along the way."

But don't worry, everyone, you get what you pay for, and it won't endanger your lives.

Many people in the cabin murmured about this, "Are we going to travel by water?"

"Waterways are better; it's safer to travel underwater into the mountains."

For example, Old Daoist Lü seemed to have been awakened and noticed Fang Shu and the others' wariness. He muttered something under his breath:
"Don't worry, the Snake Master and Snake Master have handled things well. There haven't been any deaths in almost ten years. Rest assured... lest you arrive at the market exhausted and waste the opportunity."

These words offered some small measure of reassurance to the person in the cabin who was as sullen as a statue.

That night, everyone on the ship spent the night in darkness.

The next day, the snake boat continued to glide beneath the river's surface, with only occasional glimpses of shimmering water drifting in through the curtains, while the cabin remained dimly lit.

The ship continued sailing until the evening of the second day, still without stopping.

As night fell, even the most resilient people on the boat began to tire. Some rested, others urinated, and men and women mingled, pushing and shoving each other.

Because people couldn't leave their cabins to relieve themselves, the smell of urine began to permeate the ship.

Fang Shu was no exception.

Of the five people traveling together, only the woman surnamed Su was so embarrassed that her face turned completely red, and she remained curled up without getting up.

But even in such a filthy environment, some of the men and women in the cabin actually started having affairs.

Fang Shu could hear seductive laughter, heavy breathing, and splashing water from time to time.

The young man surnamed Yin, who was traveling with them, suddenly reached out and nudged Fang Shu: "Look."

Fang Shu looked up and saw that there were eyes looking down from the board above.

The other person looked at the two of them and let out a soft female laugh.

Young people have excessive energy and blood, and the boy surnamed Yin looked on with excited, red eyes.

Fang Shu ignored him and continued to close his eyes.

Soon, the boy surnamed Yin noticed a hand reaching down from the board and touching half of his body.

The hand was soft and smooth, and the boy didn't call Fang Shu this time.

Instead, he excitedly pondered that everyone who could board the ship would become an immortal.

It takes a hundred years of cultivation to share a boat ride! Now that he's hooked up with a lover, once they reach the market, he'll have more options besides his own relatives.

So the boy surnamed Yin, his face flushed with excitement, followed the hand and walked shakily toward the corner of the cabin.

For a time, the ship was filled with absurdity in the middle of the night and a stench throughout the cabin.

As the night wore on, the snake boat continued to rock and sway, causing the people on board to lie close together and roll around in a heap.

Fortunately, everyone got used to it; those who could sleep slept, and those who couldn't lay down.

Fang Shu remained leaning against the side of the boat, trying to stay alert.

Just as he was about to give up and doze off, a loud scream rang out, right next to his ear, instantly waking him up:
"Hey! You rude brat!"

It was Old Taoist Lü who shouted.

His face contorted in a ferocious expression. He suddenly straightened up, then jumped up as if he had been pricked in the buttocks with a needle, slamming his head against the second deck with a thud, startling the entire ship into an uproar.

(End of this chapter)