Volume One, Chapter Eleven: The Divine Axe of King Yu

After dinner, Jin Guishan hurried everyone to rest. They divided themselves by the campfire: Fat Girl and her senior sister He Lingchi slept on one side, while Yibing and Jin Guishan’s group slept on the other. It had been a tiring day—chasing after rabbits and getting lost—so Yibing fell fast asleep almost as soon as his head touched the ground.

No sooner had Jin Guishan heard Yibing’s snores than he quietly got up, with several of his junior siblings following suit, their eyes wide open. Though Fat Girl looked reluctant, under Jin Guishan’s stern gaze, she didn’t dare utter a sound. Together, they tiptoed out of the small temple and headed straight for the backyard.

The rear courtyard was overgrown with weeds and utterly desolate. Aside from a dried-up pond, only two collapsing wooden sheds remained. Carrying lanterns, Jin Guishan and the others searched every corner. Earlier that evening, while Yibing and Fat Girl hadn’t yet arrived, they had already combed through the front yard and temple hall; now, only this backyard remained.

“Senior Brother, there’s no sign of a hidden passage,” whispered Qi Yuanxiao as he approached Jin Guishan.

“Keep looking…” Jin Guishan replied, unwilling to give up, his eyes scanning the area.

“Senior Brother, can’t we stop? I’m exhausted!” Fat Girl’s voice rang out loudly in the darkness. Startled, Jin Guishan rushed over and quickly covered her mouth.

“Why are you shouting? Don’t wake that boy!” He listened intently, but Yibing’s snoring still thundered on in the temple hall.

“You’re really something... Hey? What are you leaning against?” Only then did Jin Guishan notice Fat Girl was resting on a small artificial hill. Situated at the center of the pond, this rockery was low and nearly hidden under weeds, resembling nothing more than a mound of earth—so inconspicuous it had escaped everyone’s notice.

“Come here!” Jin Guishan called the others over. They examined the spot with their lanterns, but apart from layers of dead leaves and bird droppings, they could find no sign of any mechanism or passageway.

“Sigh…” Qi Yuanxiao let out a disappointed breath. The others, too, hung their heads in silence.

“How strange…” Suddenly, He Lingchi pointed at the lantern and exclaimed. Looking over, they saw that every little bug that flew near the rockery dropped to the ground as if hitting an invisible wall.

“That’s right. There…” Jin Guishan’s voice trembled.

They cleared the weeds in the pond and cleaned off the bird droppings, but still, nothing seemed amiss. Exhausted, everyone slumped to the ground. Especially Fat Girl—her plop shook the ground, and Jin Guishan could feel it through his feet.

With a thunderous rumble, Yibing, who had been in deep sleep, was instantly jolted awake. Shaking his head, he realized he wasn’t dreaming.

“Brother Jin?” he called out in confusion, seeing no one around. A chill ran down his spine, and he hurriedly ran toward the source of the noise.

Jin Guishan never expected that his plump junior sister’s heavy landing would open the very entrance they had been searching for so desperately! Fat Girl sat dumbfounded at the base of the artificial hill, staring at the shifted rockery and the round hole in the ground from which a cold wind blew.

“What are you waiting for?!” Jin Guishan, rushing into the opening, saw Fat Girl still sitting there and smacked her on the head.

Following the steps down, they found the sloping passage soon leveled out. After a hundred more paces, they came upon an arched stone gate, above which three characters were inscribed: “Yu King’s Cave.”

This was the secret they couldn’t tell Yibing! Their trip down the mountain had two purposes: to attend the Immortal Cultivators’ Gathering at Bianma Mountain, and, on the way, to seek out the legendary Yu King’s Cave. Legend had it that when Great Yu tamed the floods, he wielded an iron axe that could split mountains and carve channels—a divine artifact from ancient times. When the floods were subdued, Yu hid the axe in this cave, saying it awaited a fated person to find it. Cultivators all coveted this treasure, but for thousands of years, none had found the cave. Jin Guishan and his siblings had always been intrigued, occasionally discussing possible locations and sneaking off to investigate any leads.

Just recently, after another discussion, He Lingchi was summoned by their master. In casual conversation, she mentioned the legend. To her surprise, Master Tai Miao Zhenren was familiar with it and replied, “And what if you do find it?” He Lingchi, puzzled, pressed for an answer, but the master only smiled and said nothing more. As she was leaving, she overheard her master mutter behind her, “Thrice past the temple gate without entering, in Yu King’s pond he tames the waters, don’t ask where the father is today, but await the fated one by chance.”

He Lingchi recounted this to her senior brothers, but they only laughed at her, saying she’d gotten it wrong—it was “thrice past the family gate without entering,” not the temple; and that Yu King tamed the waters in the river, not in a pond—only a turtle would do so in a pond! Embarrassed, He Lingchi began to doubt herself, thinking she’d misheard.

A few days later, Tai Miao Zhenren summoned Jin Guishan, telling him they’d received an invitation to the Immortal Gathering at Bianma Mountain. Though the master wasn’t keen to attend, for the sake of courtesy, he decided to send Jin Guishan and a few juniors. It was both a favor repaid and an opportunity for them to gain experience. Jin Guishan was elated—for any excuse to leave Jiuxi Mountain was rare, and this gave him the perfect chance to continue their search.

He selected a few close juniors, and they set off eagerly, following the map, searching east and west. When they spotted a place called Sangguo Town on the map, Jin Guishan suddenly had an idea.

“Sister, didn’t Master say something about ‘thrice past the family gate without entering’ that day?”

“Yes! Thrice past the family gate without entering, Yu King’s pond... tames the waters in the river, don’t ask where the father is today, await the fated one by chance.”

“There’s a Sangguo Town ahead... could it be...?”

Upon arriving, they asked around, but no one in town knew of anything related to Yu King. Just as they were about to give up, a restaurant waiter muttered, “There’s nothing connected to Yu King here. Besides a dilapidated nunnery, there’s not even a local earth god’s shrine—you have to go to the next town to burn incense!”

“Nunnery?” Jin Guishan started. “What’s it called?”

“Not...”

“Not Entering Nunnery?”

“Hey! You know? Are you from here?”

“No, no, just a guess...” Jin Guishan’s eyes sparkled, leaving his juniors bewildered.

“Chi’er, recite what Master said that day, exactly as you remember it!”

“As I remember? All right... Thrice past the temple gate without entering, Yu King tames the waters in the pond, don’t ask where the father is today, await the fated one by chance.” Though she didn’t understand, He Lingchi dutifully repeated it.

“That’s it! Master, oh Master!” Jin Guishan excitedly slapped Qi Yuanxiao’s thigh.

“Ow! Senior, slap your own thigh! That hurts!”

“Fool! Don’t you get it? Master was giving us the clue to the treasure’s location!” Now Jin Guishan slapped even harder, making Qi Yuanxiao wince.

“Sister, you remembered it right! We misunderstood. ‘Thrice past the temple gate without entering’—Sangguo Town, Not Entering Nunnery! ‘Don’t ask where the father is today’—it’s not ‘today’ as in the present, but ‘jin’ as in weight; the character for axe is ‘fu’ with ‘jin’ below ‘father’! As for the other two lines, though we don’t yet understand, they must relate to the treasure as well!”

Meanwhile, Yibing searched the backyard but found no one. He thought he heard voices from the weeds and carefully made his way forward.

In front of Yu King’s Cave, Jin Guishan and his companions eagerly searched for a mechanism to open the door. Lingyao kept commanding Fat Girl to sit here and there, hoping her weight would trigger the door again. Despite her exhaustion, nothing budged. Looking closer, Jin Guishan noticed faint patterns beneath the dust on the stone gate. He wiped it clean, revealing a carved map of the Nine Provinces and the paths of water control.

“Lingyao, do you remember the order in which Yu King tamed the waters of the nine provinces?” Jin Guishan asked, frowning.

“Ji, Qing, Xu, Yan, Yang, Liang, Yu, Yong, Jing.” Despite her love of food, Fat Girl’s memory was impeccable.

Jin Guishan hesitated, then pressed each province in order on the map. Everyone held their breath, and after a deathly silence, the stone gate rumbled open, sending dust and dirt flying as they cheered in delight.

The pitch-black entrance gave Yibing pause. He peered inside for a long time before quietly slipping in.

As the dust settled, the cave fell silent. Looking up, they saw a massive, perfectly round black boulder with a conspicuous iron bar thrust into it. Qi Yuanxiao rushed forward, the others close behind.

“This is...” Qi Yuanxiao looked to Jin Guishan in disbelief. Ignoring him, Jin Guishan gripped the rusty iron bar and pulled with all his might, but it didn’t budge an inch.

Only He Lingchi and Fat Girl hadn’t tried yet.

“Fat Sister, you try!” Knowing she couldn’t manage it, He Lingchi called out to Lingyao. Without hesitation, Fat Girl rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the iron bar with both hands, and pulled.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the iron bar stayed put, but the boulder soared into the air as a green light shot to the cave’s ceiling—a blue dragon descended in a flash.

“Who dares disturb my cultivation!” roared the dragon, lashing its tail at Jin Guishan. Qi Yuanxiao hurriedly drew his sword, shouting, “Who’s the monster? You’re the monster here!”

The dragon flicked its tail, dodging the sword. “Heh, whether I’m a monster is for others to say! Who’s the demon here?”

Qi Yuanxiao was taken aback—who talks about themselves like that?

“Monster or not, why did you ambush us?” Jin Guishan drew his sword and retreated as his companions closed in.

“Heh! Ambush? And you call yourselves thieves coming to steal the divine artifact?” Flames shot from the dragon’s mouth, his whiskers bristling.

“We only...” Jin Guishan began.

“Came to steal the treasure!” the dragon cut him off furiously. “I’ve guarded this artifact for centuries. Countless thieves have tried, but none ever left unscathed!”

“Formation!” Jin Guishan thought grimly and signaled his group to form a defensive ring.

“Heh... a turtle formation?” the dragon mocked. Jin Guishan blushed, for their “Black Tortoise Formation” did indeed resemble a turtle: Jin Guishan at the head, Lingyao at the tail, the others as legs on either side. The dragon’s sharp eyes hadn’t missed it.

“Come, let me test this turtle formation!” No sooner had the dragon finished speaking than he spewed flames straight at Jin Guishan’s face. Jin Guishan recoiled, his companions raised their swords, recited incantations, and six jets of water shot forth, merging to meet the fire.

The dragon paused, then leapt into the air, swooping behind Jin Guishan to unleash more flames. Jin Guishan rolled forward to escape the searing heat as the dragon lashed out at the four “legs” of the formation and swept his tail at Fat Girl. Caught off guard by the side attack, Qi Yuanxiao and the others were sent sprawling, with Fat Girl especially taking a heavy blow.

“Bah, what a lousy—oof!” The dragon, about to ascend triumphantly, found his tail inexplicably heavy and was yanked to the ground. He turned to see Fat Girl clinging stubbornly to his tail.

“You’re really heavy, you know...” the dragon grumbled through clenched teeth, then braced all four claws and flung her off. Watching Fat Girl crash to the ground, his pride bruised, the dragon pounced after her.

“Watch out, Sister!” Jin Guishan sprang up, sword aimed at the dragon’s brow. But with a swipe of its left claw, the dragon knocked away the sword and lunged at Jin Guishan’s throat. Seeing no escape, Jin Guishan closed his eyes, resigned to his fate.

Yibing, having just reached the cave entrance, heard the commotion inside and rushed in, only to trip over the threshold and fall onto the boulder. Struggling to his feet, he grabbed for support and happened to seize the iron bar, finally standing upright. No one inside noticed him amid the chaos. Just as Yibing regained his balance, he heard Jin Guishan’s cry and saw the dragon’s claws aimed at his throat. In his panic, Yibing instinctively yanked the iron bar and flung it at the dragon, striking its back with a loud crack.

The dragon, already braced for impact, was still knocked to the ground and instantly transformed into a man clad in green armor. For a long moment, he lay there before finally rising, eyes fierce, a fiery beard bristling, and apart from the dragon horns on his head, he looked just like an ordinary burly man.

“You...” the dragon began, but blood spurted from his mouth before he could finish. The group stood uncertainly, swords at the ready.

“Hahaha... At last, I am free... at last...” The dragon threw his head back and howled with joy.

“Damn you, Fatty! I’ll settle with you later! And that rabbit that tried to trick me...” The dragon shot a fierce glare at Yibing, then soared up through the cave ceiling and vanished.

Whew! Only then did Jin Guishan finally exhale in relief.

But with a swish, the dragon dropped back down, startling everyone. Ignoring them, he strode to the boulder, kicked it several times, then left as abruptly as before.

After a long silence, with no signs of further danger, the group finally relaxed. Qi Yuanxiao rushed to the iron bar, now half buried in the ground. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Enough, brother. It’s found its master,” Jin Guishan said, resigned.

“What did that dragon mean about a rabbit? What rabbit?” Fat Girl asked Yibing curiously. Yibing knew perfectly well, but only shook his head. “No idea what he meant.”

“Thank you, Brother Mu! If not for you, I’d be dead!” Jin Guishan, though disappointed, clasped his hands in gratitude.

“No need... no need...” Yibing replied awkwardly, shaking his head.

“No wonder it’s said only the fated one can claim it!” Jin Guishan sighed. “Brother, the treasure is yours now.”

“Yes, yes!” Fat Girl eagerly pushed the bewildered Yibing forward. He neither knew nor cared for any treasure—a rusty iron bar meant nothing to him; a chicken drumstick would be more useful. But as soon as Yibing grasped the bar, it instantly transformed into a gigantic chicken leg.

“Wow...” everyone gasped in unison. Yibing, delighted, took a big bite—“Damn, it’s not edible!”

“What a glutton... This treasure only changes form at will, you can’t eat it,” He Lingchi, worldly and knowledgeable, explained. The others burst out laughing.

“Oh, Brother Mu was only joking!” Fat Girl quickly defended Yibing.

“Yes, yes, just a joke...” Yibing blushed scarlet, doing his best not to think about food. The bar, about two feet long, was awkward to carry or wear. He thought, “If only it were soft as a belt!” And just like that, the bar became a limp belt in his hands.

“Well, it really is a treasure!” Yibing exclaimed, trembling with excitement, and fastened it around his waist. The belt adjusted itself perfectly—tightening or loosening as needed—a truly marvelous and delightful treasure.