Volume One, Chapter Six: Three Days and Three Nights

Starving for three days! For someone who’s never known hunger since birth, and who lives for food, that is truly worse than death.

On the first day, Yi Bing was rather resolute; his round face hung low, diligently practicing his exercises and reading his scriptures, acting as if nothing was amiss. Despite his composure, the two senior brothers dared not let their guard down. They stuck to him like shadows, afraid he might try some trick to break the rules. Fooling their master was one thing, but this uncle was not to be trifled with; if discovered, who knew what punishments awaited! No wonder their master, mad as he was, feared her so much!

Sure enough, at noon, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and Yi Bing began to grow restless. Watching his legs shift uneasily, the two brothers readied themselves to intercept him. But even as they took turns eating, Yi Bing remained motionless.

When Yi Bing retired for his midday nap, Hong Kun finally breathed a sigh of relief. Keeping watch was exhausting work!

“Brother, what are you doing?” Hong Peng asked.

“Going to rest,” Hong Kun replied, yawning. Hong Peng shook his head, and Hong Kun's face twisted in discomfort.

They kept watch until the third quarter of the afternoon, but there was no sign of movement from Yi Bing’s room. Just as Hong Kun was about to doze off, a sudden creak jolted both men awake. The door seemed to crack open a little. Hong Peng gestured with his lips, and they tiptoed to the door, peering inside. To their shock, they met a pair of round, wide eyes staring back at them.

“Ah—” Hong Peng’s cry was cut short as a ball of flesh charged out from the room.

“Grab him! Grab him!” Hong Kun, knocked to the ground, shouted. The meatball spun elegantly and headed straight for the kitchen’s back window. At that critical moment, Hong Peng darted after him, but managed only to brush Yi Bing’s sleeve before falling heavily to the floor.

Hong Kun's laughter shook the whole Ban Yue Mound. Hong Peng burned with rage, ready to curse, but realized Hong Kun wasn’t laughing at him. Looking over, he saw Yi Bing stuck fast in the kitchen window! His body had squeezed through, but he forgot his backside was too large.

“Ha ha ha ha…” “Ha ha ha ha…” “Ha ha ha ha…”

Yi Bing couldn’t see the two brothers; if he could, he’d surely faint from anger. Hong Peng laughed so hard he was on all fours, and Hong Kun bounced on the ground, barely able to breathe. When they finally calmed themselves, they leaned on each other, shuffling into the kitchen.

Yi Bing’s huge head poked out, his mouth agape, fat little hands flailing in the air, but the steamed buns on the rack remained untouched.

“Don’t… don’t bother trying…” Hong Peng wiped tears from his eyes, holding up a bun covered in talismans, well-prepared for Yi Bing’s tricks. Instantly, Yi Bing deflated like a punctured ball, his head drooping. No wonder he couldn’t tunnel through the earth or fly; spells blocked every escape.

It took all their strength to pull Yi Bing out of the window. Dragging him back to his room, Yi Bing lay limp like a dead pig. Yet while his body was still, his mind was whirling: within Ban Yue Mound they could use spells, but outside, they couldn't!

No sooner had they placed him on the bed than Hong Kun murmured an incantation, drawing a circle around him.

“Yi Bing, just three days—endure it and it’ll pass!” Hong Peng cast a sympathetic glance at the sprawled Yi Bing.

“Hmph! You won’t escape this barrier, so behave yourself!” Hong Kun frowned.

“What?” Yi Bing, feigning sleep, sprang up. He reached out and found invisible walls blocking him everywhere.

“Brother, brother, don’t do this! Please don’t…” Yi Bing panicked.

“There’s nothing we can do! Who told you to make promises to Uncle?” Hong Peng sighed.

“No, don’t! Brother, look how obedient I’ve been, always following Master’s teachings! It’s just a few bites… Three days could kill me, and then finding another fat one won’t be easy…” Yi Bing, suddenly eloquent, pleaded both logically and emotionally, moving Hong Kun close to tears.

“Brother…” Hong Peng glanced at Hong Kun.

“What are you looking at? Do you dare provoke Uncle?” Hong Kun glared at him, then turned to Yi Bing. “Cultivators must abstain from food and practice purity—it’s normal! Since you made a mistake, you must accept punishment!”

Yi Bing’s big eyes rolled. “But I’m not the one at fault! I eat whatever Master gives me. How is that my wrongdoing?”

“That’s not what you told Uncle!” Hong Kun nearly burst with anger. “You ate all the pills and said, ‘If you’re angry, punish me!’ Wasn’t that your own claim?”

“Well… at the time… sigh…” Yi Bing was at a loss, unsure why he had been so bold.

Taking advantage of the moment, Hong Kun hurriedly pulled Hong Peng out. The morning had left them exhausted, and they quickly fell asleep. But at dusk, a wailing voice rose outside: “Are you trying to starve me to death? You kidnappers! I was happily reading at home, and you abducted me here. Not only am I starved, but I suffer daily! I’ll tell Master! I’ll tell Master!”

Hong Peng started to get up, but Hong Kun pressed him down. “Just sleep.”

“But—”

“What? Pretend you didn’t hear; it’ll pass soon enough.” Hong Kun frowned.

Yet Yi Bing’s curses only grew more fierce, shaking heaven and earth, sending birds fleeing, silencing cicadas, and even causing the eaves to droop. Several times, Hong Kun almost jumped up, but Hong Peng found cotton to stuff their ears, finally achieving some peace.

No one knew when the tirade ceased, but when the brothers woke again, Yi Bing’s voice was gone. Under cover of darkness, they crept to his door, hearing only muttering and sighs within, unsure what he was mumbling.

At dawn, the brothers skipped breakfast, hurrying to Yi Bing’s room. Inside was silent; through the door crack, they saw Yi Bing lying motionless on his bed, his belly rising and falling steadily.

“Let’s not wake him…” Hong Kun looked at Hong Peng.

“Right! Sleeping makes you forget hunger,” Hong Peng nodded.

But even by noon, Yi Bing hadn’t moved, not even rolling over. The brothers grew uneasy. By nightfall, Yi Bing was still unmoving, and they could no longer bear it. They barged in.

“Yi Bing! Yi Bing!” Hong Peng called loudly, but Yi Bing didn’t react.

“Did he starve himself sick?” Hong Peng flushed anxiously.

“Don’t say that… a mad master and a mad disciple, that would be disastrous…” Hong Kun understood Hong Peng’s worry. Their master had once lain still for a night and then gone mad!

“But—”

“He should be fine! Look, his face is flushed,” Hong Kun reassured himself.

That night, the brothers barely slept. If Yi Bing were wailing, they’d feel reassured, but his stillness unsettled them. They checked on him countless times until dawn before finally drifting off.

“Brother! Brother!” At noon on the third day, Hong Peng suddenly sat up.

“Huh? Did he escape again?” Hong Kun jumped up, having dreamt all night of Yi Bing running away.

“What? It’s already noon!” Hong Peng looked at his red-eyed brother.

“Oh…” Hong Kun slumped onto the bed. “Peng, go get some food! His fasting has made us eat less, and I’m hungry.”

“Alright! I’ll check on Yi Bing first,” Hong Peng said.

When he returned with dry rations, Hong Kun could tell from his face that Yi Bing was unchanged. But the plate of pancakes sparked an idea. He quickly urged Hong Peng to eat a few bites, then dragged him to Yi Bing’s room.

“You call him!” Hong Kun gestured, then conjured a freshly roasted rabbit with his right hand.

“Yi Bing! Yi Bing!” Hong Peng, puzzled, watched his brother. Hong Kun waved the rabbit above the bed, letting its aroma waft. Even Hong Peng’s mouth watered.

“Watch his nose!” Hong Kun laughed. Yi Bing’s little nose twitched unconsciously.

“Heh… this kid…” Hong Peng laughed too. If he reacted to food even in sleep, he must be fine.

At sunset, Hong Kun stopped Hong Peng from cooking. “Peng, make more porridge! After three days of hunger, he shouldn’t eat too much solid food.” Hong Peng was surprised—when had his brother become so attentive?

After midnight, the brothers, waiting outside, rushed into the room. Hong Kun chanted, sweeping his hand to dispel the barrier around Yi Bing.

“Yi Bing! Time’s up—you can eat!” Hong Peng hurried forward, pushing Yi Bing, but he remained motionless.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you?” Hong Kun slapped him.

“Brother?” Yi Bing finally opened his eyes.

“Aren’t you hungry? We called for ages and you didn’t move!” Hong Peng was annoyed.

“Not hungry,” Yi Bing replied seriously.

“Are you alright?” Hong Peng felt Yi Bing’s forehead—no fever.

“Who says so?” Seeing the bowl of porridge, Yi Bing transformed, bouncing toward the table like a ball of meat.

“Well… now he’s back to normal…” Hong Kun breathed a long sigh.

When things settled, the brothers asked Yi Bing why he hadn’t felt hungry. It turned out that at first, Yi Bing was nearly faint with hunger, so he decided to lie still. His mind was full of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, but since he couldn’t have any, he forced himself to stop thinking about food. So he turned his thoughts to the scriptures Master taught! Reciting them over and over, he began to unconsciously practice—and through cultivating, the hunger faded.

The brothers exchanged glances, both cursing silently: “Damn, this fat kid can cultivate even while starving!”

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed. Master remained as mad as ever, sometimes lucid, sometimes confused. Though his teachings were chaotic, Yi Bing was no longer the same; he could work things out himself, and when stuck, sought advice from the brothers. Since the pill theft and fasting incidents, their bond had transformed; Yi Bing’s respect for their master moved them, and they truly began to treat him as a younger brother—before, he was just a hostage!

Nevertheless, Yi Bing was still the weakest in cultivation among the four junior disciples. But that wasn’t his fault; the other three trained methodically, while he muddled through. Yet his skill in retrieving objects from a distance was unmatched. Every day, he’d catch all the rabbits in Ban Yue Mound—though he couldn’t eat them, he caught them anyway. At first, the rabbits scattered at his approach; eventually, they simply waited for him every morning, making Yi Bing stomp his feet in frustration.

At the turn of the year, Master’s madness worsened, insisting on holding a disciple-recruitment assembly and inviting Uncle as a guest. The Hong brothers decided it was time for Yi Bing to deliver the invitation—he hadn’t left the mound in ages.

“Really?” Yi Bing’s eyes went round, his belly trembling with excitement.

“Really. You’ve been diligent lately—consider it a reward,” Hong Kun said solemnly.

“Good! Good! Uncle must have plenty of delicious food!” Yi Bing exclaimed, tongue lolling in excitement.

“You wish! Uncle’s disciples are all women—they eat grass… only vegetarian!” Hong Kun dashed his hopes.

“No way? Then I won’t go…” Yi Bing’s face fell instantly.

“Hey! If you don’t want the chance, I’ll go!” Hong Peng pretended to snatch the invitation from Yi Bing.

“No, I’ll go!” Yi Bing quickly darted aside, thinking, “Surely the rabbits outside Ban Yue Mound aren’t spirit rabbits too!”

Before departure, Hong Peng drew him a map, saying: head east for thirty miles, through a forest, then a marsh, and you’ll find a basin surrounded by mountains. In the center is a cave called the Five-Colored Cave, where Uncle lives.

“This sounds like a demon’s lair!” Yi Bing thought. “Master lives in the sky at Ban Yue Mound, Uncle underground in Five-Colored Cave—what an odd sibling relationship. I must be careful delivering this invitation; after all, I was brought here against my will, and I still don’t know their true backgrounds. If they decide to eat me, my plump body is doomed!”

“What are you plotting now?” Hong Kun saw his eyes darting about and knew he was scheming. Since meeting Yi Bing, he learned one thing: fat does not mean stupid.