Chapter Fifteen: The Snipe and the Clam Struggle

I held Qin Qing firmly beside me, preventing him from struggling, but I could still hear the villagers talking nearby: “That’s the Snow-Stepping Kala, probably fell down the cliff, right?”

“Let’s go down and check, don’t want anyone to be seriously hurt.”

“With this thick snow, who dares to go down? Even if we circle around, it’d take three or five days at least to dig someone out.”

Soon after, I heard the village chief say, “Let’s go back! If they’re going to survive, they will; if not, it’s their own fault for falling. What’s it got to do with us?”

Upon hearing the chief’s words, the villagers began to retreat. I only sat up from the snow after their footsteps faded into the distance.

Just as Qin Qing’s head emerged from the snow, I pressed my finger to the back of his head, and he immediately fainted.

With one arm dragging Qin Qing, I flicked out a trace of drifting snow and walked forward across the snowfield. After a while, I crouched in front of a mountain wall and pushed aside the snow at its base to reveal a small temple hidden beneath.

I curled my finger and lightly tapped twice on the temple’s edge: “Come out.”

“There’s some skill here—found me so quickly.”

Following the voice, I saw the man who had just slipped into the snowbank sitting not far from me. “Got a smoke? Light one for me.”

Among the immortals of the Northeast, some enjoyed smoking, others preferred drinking. Many would never part with their cigarettes or cups when dealing with matters, downing strong liquor by the bottle without ever showing signs of drunkenness.

The elders said: The wine is drunk by the immortals themselves; what reaches their stomachs is no more than water.

It seemed this immortal who called me here was fond of a good smoke.

I took out a pack of cigarettes: “You want to light it yourself or should I?”

He smiled: “That depends on your sincerity.”

I lit a cigarette and took a drag. As I exhaled, a new voice echoed in my mind: “You’re quite bold! Knowing the immortals are looking for you, you still let me possess you.”

Indeed, the man had possessed me. If Qin Qing woke up now, he’d only see me sitting there with eyes closed, puffing away, unaware I was conversing with an immortal.

I smiled inwardly: “It’s not courage, it’s because you need my help, isn’t it?”

The immortal chuckled: “How so?”

I replied, “I already know the ins and outs of the old Qin family’s affairs.”

“Qin Yun went up the mountain willingly. If she intended to marry that old cat spirit, no one could stop it—that’s the rule in the arts of the immortals.”

“If she consents to marry an immortal, no one else can interfere!”

“You rummaged through Old Lone Pole’s place, probably to help him deal with Qin Yun, right?”

The immortal nodded: “Exactly.”

“Ten years ago, Qin Yun suddenly fell ill because her soul was seized by a severely wounded fierce ghost.”

“That child of Qin Yun’s was watched over by our immortals. If not for this incident, her fate would have been extraordinary. At that time, immortals were helping Qin Yun fight the fierce ghost, which was why she had a persistent high fever and spoke nonsense.”

“Unfortunately, the old Qin couple didn’t know this and didn’t believe in the immortals. They went out to seek talisman water for Qin Yun.”

“But their half-baked talisman water failed to drive the fierce ghost away. Instead, it backfired on the immortals. The couple was drained of their essence by the ghost and died on the spot.”

“Of course, the mountain guard who arrived later knew all this. That’s why he kept a close watch on Qin Yun.”

“The mountain guard is skilled at dealing with mountain folk but powerless against a fierce ghost occupying a body. Unless he kills both the ghost and Qin Yun together, there’s no way to save her.”

“That fierce ghost was confident in the mountain guard’s lifeline. She first used the guard to keep the immortals at bay, preventing them from attacking her, then exploited the guard’s reluctance to casually sever souls to heal under his watch.”

The immortal paused before saying, “Only a few immortals know about this, and the old cat spirit is one of them.”

“He suspected the fierce ghost was nearing recovery and set his sights on her.”

I asked, “Then why didn’t the mountain guard go after the old cat spirit?”

The immortal smiled wryly: “None of us want to bring bad luck from the mountain guard; we never go near him. The old cat spirit is different. He’s long had his eyes on Qin Yun and has been watching the mountain guard.”

“He alone discovered the guard’s secret: the guard must return to the mountain periodically, and that’s the perfect time to strike.”

“Moreover, between sorcerers and immortals, the rules are strict. The mountain guard dares not break them lightly. The old cat spirit doesn’t kill—he only marries. The mountain guard can’t act unless someone hires him or avenges his kin. Only then does he get the chance to move.”

“The old cat spirit took advantage of the guard’s inattention to make his move.”

“If the old cat spirit had taken Qin Yun away that night, none of this would have happened.”

“The trouble began when Old Hu deliberately provoked the old cat spirit, fearing a deadly grudge with Qin Qing. The fierce ghost seized the moment during Qin Qing’s time on the mountain to swallow her soul.”

“As a result, all the immortals on the mountain suffered.”

Hearing this, I asked, “What do you mean by ‘he feared offending Qin Qing’?”

The immortal said, “Qin Qing is the mountain guard’s chosen successor. He might become his apprentice one day. If he becomes the next mountain guard and turns against us, life won’t be easy.”

No wonder the elder thief said: Qin Qing might still be useful. We must make him feel indebted to us.

It turned out he had also seen through Old Lone Pole’s intentions.

I asked, “What happened after Qin Qing left?”

The immortal sighed: “Though we despise the old cat spirit’s ways, we all cultivate on the same mountain. We couldn’t just watch him suffer at the mountain guard’s hands.”

“A few of us clashed with the mountain guard, but neither side gained the upper hand. Just as we reached a deadlock, that woman appeared, capturing the mountain guard and subduing most of the immortals.”

“If I hadn’t escaped quickly, I’d be trapped in the mountain now, waiting to be struck down like the others.”

“Some among us feigned friendliness toward that woman, helping her with tasks—one to see if Qin Qing could bring in a master, another to find the treasure the mountain guard was hiding and figure out how to help him turn the tables.”

No wonder my two encounters with immortals had been more probing.

Suddenly, a thought struck me: that fierce ghost had fled to the Three Rivers ten years ago, not far from my home.

After possession, Qin Yun changed, going up the mountain dressed in bright red.

Could that fierce ghost have been the red-clad woman who nearly cost me my life back then?

I cautiously asked, “What did that woman look like?”