서thought Mount Pingfeng is located in the southwest of the State of Zhao. Its topography is unique, forming an inward-curving embrace; as a result, the mid-slopes are often untouched by the wind, from which the mountain derives its name.
At the foot of the mountain lies a small town called Pingfeng City. The city lord is said to be a prince of the current dynasty. While he could not be described as possessing overwhelming power, he lived quite comfortably in the capital. However, due to his eccentric personality, he offended many people and was eventually demoted to this remote place, Pingfeng City.
He was originally a man of debauchery and excess. After being demoted to this remote town, he became even more despondent, spending his days in a drunken stupor with no intention of governing. Yet, it was precisely his inaction that led to the loosening of city laws, which in turn attracted all manner of people from every walk of life. Many travelers from far and wide made their stop here. Consequently, Pingfeng City gradually became a melting pot, where all sorts of people could be seen on the streets.
On this night, a group of local idlers had gathered in an alleyway within Pingfeng City, watching intently at a small stage in front of them.
Though called a stage, it was actually nothing more than a wooden pushcart with a wooden frame set upon it, supporting a white curtain. The yellow candlelight cast several shadow figures, cut from animal hide, onto the white screen; these "shadow figures" were the ones performing the play.
This "shadow puppetry" was popular across the north and south, enjoyed by both the refined and the common folk. Even in this remote small town, it remained one of the most cherished forms of leisure for local residents after their meals.
At this moment, the white screen was performing "Li Xian Causes a Commotion in the Underworld."
The story went that the various heavens manifested their sanctity and gathered at Kunlun, and even the Yama King of the Underworld was invited to attend. Consequently, the vast Fengdu was left leaderless, and the Judge was forced to act as the temporary deputy for the Yama King.
This Judge was a person of dual nature—an Yin-Yang person—holding one identity in the Underworld and another in the mortal realm.
One day, he performed a divination and discovered that one of his nephews in the mortal realm had reached the end of his lifespan and was near death. Ordinarily, the boy was meant to descend to hell that very night, but since the Yama King was away, the Judge acted with corruption, using his authority to find a scapegoat. The Black and White Impermanence only cared about capturing souls; as long as the numbers matched, they made no distinctions. That night, they seized the soul of the scapegoat and sent it down to the underworld.
This matter was discovered by a passing scholar named Li Xian. On the surface, he was a scholar of the mortal realm, but in reality, he was an Imperial Inspector of the Heavenly Court, tasked with overseeing injustices in the human world.
He interrogated several minor ghosts and learned the truth: that the Judge had used his public office for private gain to take an innocent life. He immediately descended into the Underworld and arrived at Fengdu City to seek out the Judge, leading to this performance of "Li Xian Causes a Commotion in the Underworld."
Currently, a cyan shadow figure stood at the center of the white screen—this was "Li Xian." Surrounded by five small ghosts, he faced a tall shadow figure dressed in red official robes with an ugly countenance: the "Judge of the Underworld."
The Judge shouted, "Bold Li Xian! Heaven and Earth are distinct, and Yin and Yang are separated. As a being of the Heavenly Realm, why do you force your way into the Underworld?"
Li Xian replied, "The officials of Heaven and Earth each serve their duties. How could you not know that with the Yama King away, the Judge has privately altered the records of life and death, treating human lives like grass? Since I, Li Xian, have encountered this, I must intervene!"
"Bravo!" A wave of applause erupted from the onlookers.
The two voices heard from behind the white screen—one upright and grand, the other extremely sleazy—were clearly distinct. Although everyone knew there was only one person operating the puppets behind the curtain, the fact that he could produce such two vastly different voices compelled them to clap in admiration.
The Judge on the white screen spoke again: "Since you disregard the laws of the Heavenly Way, do not blame me for being ruthless! Men, bring me my Ghost-Head Guillotine!"
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
To the sound of gongs and drums, four more small ghosts appeared on the white screen. They had enormous heads but bodies as thin as sticks, looking quite ridiculous. They were currently working together to carry a pure gold Ghost-Head Guillotine toward the Judge.
The four small ghosts struggled to carry the guillotine, and their strength seemed to fail them as they stumbled unsteadily. Suddenly, with a *thud*, two of the small ghosts fell to the ground. The guillotine instantly lost its balance and fell to one side, crushing the two small ghosts dead on the spot.
"Hahaha!"
This slapstick entrance triggered another round of laughter from the crowd. Many people clapped, and some even laughed loudly, shouting, "A fine death!"
At that moment, something eerie occurred. The Judge on the white screen seemed to hear the laughter of the crowd; he suddenly turned around, grinned, and said, "You lawless commoners, you dare laugh at this official?"
Shadow puppets are leather products handcrafted, carved, and painted by folk artists; once made, their images are fixed. The puppets on the white screen usually only showed profiles, but as the Judge turned, the crowd actually saw a complete, full face on the white screen, staring at them with a sinister grin.
Before the crowd could cry out, a strange light suddenly flashed from the "Judge's" eyes. Everyone was drawn to the light, their expressions gradually turning vacant and dull. The cheering, the clapping, and the chatter all ceased in an instant. Those present stared blankly at the "Judge," motionless.
With a *rip*, the white curtain on the pushcart was pulled back, revealing the craftsman behind it: a man in white with long, narrow eyes and a face like a monkey.
He swept his gaze over the crowd, suddenly took out a rattle drum, and shook it vigorously, producing a *dong-dong-dong* sound. The previously dazed crowd seemed to receive a command instantly; they all turned in unison to face the direction of the alleyway.
Seeing this, the man in white nodded with satisfaction. He led the way out of the alley, shaking the rattle drum a few more times—*dong, dong, dong!* Behind him, the crowd stepped forward, following the man in white out of the alley.
***
Outside Pingfeng City.
It was already deep into the night, and normally, there should have been no one on the road. But the situation was quite the opposite. A man in white walked under the moonlight, shaking a rattle drum from time to time. Following behind him were dozens of people—men, women, and even children as young as seven or eight. Every single one of them wore a vacant expression with lifeless eyes, following the man in white like walking corpses.
However, within this crowd, there was a youth in gray, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a handsome and upright bearing. Although he followed the man in white with a wooden expression like the others, a glint of intelligence occasionally flashed in his murky eyes as he appeared to be observing the surrounding crowd.
The man in white leading the way seemed entirely oblivious to the youth's subtle movements, continuing to lead the way while shaking his drum.
The procession wound its way along, and when they were about ten miles outside Pingfeng City, a sudden change occurred!
A violent wind swept up from the side of the road, feeling like an invisible blade that cut painfully against the skin. Immediately following, a streak of snow-white light arrived with the wind, hurtling straight toward the man in white.
The white streak possessed an incomparably fierce momentum, accompanied by the roars of dragons and tigers in mid-air, appearing like a wisp of white frost between heaven and earth.
The man in white's hair stood on end. He shrank his neck and lunged violently to the side, but he was still half a beat too slow.
With a *slash!*, half of his sleeve flew high into the air before falling to the ground and tumbling. Upon closer inspection, half an arm was wrapped inside the sleeve; blood gushed out, staining the white sleeve crimson.
"Ah!" The man in white let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Only then, looking closely, did one realize that the white streak had been a long blade. The blade was slender, no wider than four fingers but five feet long, nearly as tall as a person. At this moment, the tip of the blade pointed upward, held in a reverse grip behind the back of a woman dressed in black.
Looking at the woman, she wore tight-fitting black clothing. Her figure was slender and not particularly tall, yet she was not short either. Though lean, her posture was very upright. Her large eyes were clear and bright, and a touch of crimson was dotted between her brows, making her a beauty that would enchant anyone.
Yet, on such a lovely face, there was currently a solemn expression, with a hint of underlying fury. She stood motionless, the long blade held behind her with her left hand, while her right hand held a mudra with her thumb pressing against her ring finger, held straight before her chest.
A whirlwind rose out of thin air around the man in white, trapping him within the eye of the storm.
"Where did this demoness come from?!"
The man in white's bravado was hollow; his eyes betrayed his terror. He continuously cast spells against the whirlwind, but no matter how he countered, the storm kept him firmly imprisoned, and the wind speed grew faster and faster, forming a gale in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the eye of the storm shrinking, about to shred the man in white, a streak of blue light suddenly shot out from the crowd, striking the tornado directly. The howling whirlwind was actually diverted by the blue light, creating a gap.
The man in white's eyes lit up with joy. He hurriedly crouched low, darting through the gap. He then pulled several Divine Speed Talismans from his storage bag, slapping them onto his feet as if they were worthless, and fled rapidly toward the other side of the road.
The woman in black was furious. She turned to look at the youth in gray within the crowd and shouted angrily, "This thief actually has accomplices!"
The youth in gray stepped out from the crowd and said loudly, "Miss, you misunderstand. I am Liang Yan, a member of—"
Before he could finish, the woman in black bellowed, "Die, thief!"
The word "die" had barely left her lips when she transferred the blade to her right hand and slashed toward him.
The youth in gray was indeed Liang Yan. He had hidden in the crowd for his own purposes, but the young woman seemed to give him no time to explain, swinging her blade directly at his head.
In his haste, Liang Yan had no choice but to summon his black shield. With a *bang!*, the blade struck the shield. A massive, overwhelming force surged through the black shield; Liang Yan felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy blow, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Bracing against the black shield, he retreated step after step. A golden light flashed within his body, which he directed with a finger onto the black shield, finally managing to stabilize his stance and withstand the blow.
"Eh?" The woman seemed momentarily surprised, but in the next instant, she snorted coldly, "Hmph, a mere clown. You treat lives like grass; today, you shall pay in blood!"
As she spoke, she formed a mudra with one hand, wiped it along the blade, and began to chant
*Cloud sigils in the Great Void, the Dao connects Heaven and Earth,* *Divine might of Dragon and Tiger, protect my Daoist arts,* *Probing the mysteries of the eight directions, let me be natural,* *Dark Dragon of the Netherworld, Profound Tiger of the Great Clarity! Hear my command!*
As her crimson lips moved, the long blade in her hand suddenly vibrated uncontrollably. *Roar!* A high-pitched dragon's cry rang out, and immediately, a pitch-black蛟龙 (flood dragon) emerged from behind the girl. As she flipped her blade, a heaven-shaking tiger's roar followed, and a white tiger with piercing eyes leaped from the blade.
In mid-air, the dragon coiled and the tiger roared; one black and one white, they radiated a magnificent divine majesty.
"What!"
Even with Liang Yan's temperament, he could not help but cry out in shock. He had long since seen through the girl's cultivation—she was merely at the sixth level of Qi Refinement—yet how could such a divine phenomenon be triggered by a mere Qi Refinement cultivator?