Chapter Sixteen: An Agreement with Old Hu

The immortal said, “That woman wore a bright red dress and had a pair of fox-like eyes, full of seductive energy... There was a white dot in her pupils, as if someone had pricked them with a needle.”

It was indeed her!

I forcibly suppressed the murderous intent swelling in my heart and calmly asked, “Is there something on this mountain that the woman in red covets?”

The immortal replied evasively, “Whose mountain doesn’t have some treasure? That’s just...”

Before he could finish, I sneered coldly, “If that’s all you have to say, then there’s no point in talking. I’m leaving immediately.”

The immortal was displeased. “You accepted the contract as a sorcerer. By the rules, you can’t quit halfway, can you?”

“Contracted me?” I countered, “The old Qin family is so poor they only have one set of clothes left. What could they possibly use to hire me?”

“Besides, he hired me to save his sister. Now that Qin Yun is dead, why should I risk my life?”

“Well...” The immortal gritted his teeth and said, “We’ll pay you. How about a chest of gold bars after the job is done? That’s no small sum.”

I nodded, “The price is indeed generous. But you know the rules in sorcery: employers can’t hide or deceive sorcerers. I can’t just dive into your river without even knowing how deep the water is.”

“That vengeful spirit in red dared to capture people on your immortal grounds. Surely, it’s not simply because you had designs on her?”

Suddenly, I asked, “Old Hu, am I right?”

The immortal was momentarily stunned, then gave an awkward smile. “Young heroes always show promise! I only spoke a few words, yet you’ve already uncovered the secrets of our Three Ridge and even revealed my identity.”

“Let’s talk face-to-face.”

Old Hu withdrew from me and solemnly set up a snow table in front of the small temple, placing two wine cups and a bottle of liquor. “Our old home was taken; this is the best we can offer to honor a distinguished guest. Please forgive us, Master Xiao San.”

“Not at all!” I sat down in the snow.

Old Hu said, “This place wasn’t always called Three River Bend. It was originally Three Ridge.”

“There’s a rumor outside that the name comes from three rivers here, but that’s nonsense.”

“‘Three Ridge’ refers to three cultivators who sought immortality here. It’s said they left behind a celestial fate!”

I asked casually, “When did those three cultivators live?”

Old Hu replied, “During the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty!”

I laughed, “You’re an immortal too, but haven’t you heard of the saying ‘No immortals after the Song dynasty’?”

After the Song dynasty, legends of immortals became rare, and records of Taoist adepts ascending to immortality grew even scarcer.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, tales of demons, ghosts, and sorcerers became more widespread, hence the saying that immortals disappeared after the Song.

As for whether immortals truly existed after the Song, I’m not interested—because sorcerers have no fate to become immortals.

Old Hu nodded, “I know the saying ‘No immortals after the Song,’ but legends don’t come from nowhere. Since there’s a chance to find celestial fate, we don’t care on which mountain we cultivate.”

“We’ve searched for hundreds of years but never found the Three Ridge’s celestial fate.”

“That woman in red... I’ll just call her Qin Yun. She didn’t even know about the Three Ridge’s fate. She came up the mountain purely for revenge against Old Cat.”

“That Old Cat, after being captured by Qin Yun, revealed the secret of Three Ridge to save his life.”

“Qin Yun planned to kill Old Cat and leave Three Ridge, but now she’s captured all the immortals here, stripped Old Cat’s skin before our eyes, and is forcing us to reveal the whereabouts of the celestial fate.”

“Originally, we had an agreement: each of us occupies a territory to search for the celestial fate. The first to find it gets the lion’s share; the rest is divided among others.”

“If no one could unlock the fate alone, we would join forces. So, each of us held something back.”

“Now, Qin Yun has combined all our clues. She’s probably close to unlocking the fate.”

I pondered and then asked, “Why did you go to Old Lone Pole’s house?”

“That was Qin Yun’s arrangement!” Old Hu said. “The mountain watch dog has a habit of drawing maps of the mountain ridges he guards, marking where immortals live, where demons lurk, and where the most dangerous spots are. He also notes where treasures might be hidden.”

“Though the watch dog was captured by Qin Yun, he’s tougher than anyone. No matter how he’s tortured, he won’t utter a word about the celestial fate.”

“So Qin Yun had us steal his map.”

Old Hu’s account matched my own deductions. I asked again, “What cultivation level does Qin Yun have? None of you immortals can match her?”

Old Hu said, “Her cultivation isn’t extraordinary. To me, she’s about equal with the watch dog. But for some reason, she can suppress us immortals.”

“In her presence, even at full power, we can only use thirty percent of our strength. There’s no way we wouldn’t lose.”

Hearing this, I asked again, “Does Qin Yun carry any special items or treasures? She’s a vengeful spirit; she shouldn’t have the power to suppress immortals.”

“The watch dog might have such abilities.”

Old Hu suddenly realized, “Ah! No wonder Qin Yun locked the watch dog away after capturing him—she’s afraid we’d discover secrets about her!”

“Master Xiao San, we can cover for you on this. You’re swift enough to snatch whatever she carries.”

Old Hu’s words were believable but not entirely trustworthy. Even ordinary beasts know to avoid danger; these immortals are no different.

Besides, only a fool would entrust their life to a stranger so easily.

I looked at Old Hu and said, “If I’m willing to fight her to the death now, are you?”

“We’re all reasonable people. Let’s be upfront! I’ll keep your chest of gold. I’m not interested in your mountain’s celestial fate and won’t interfere. You can rest assured.”

“I need a suitable place to confront Qin Yun. You choose it.”

“Your men don’t have to help me, but they can’t disturb me. You can manage that, right?”

Old Hu breathed a sigh of relief. “Master Xiao San is honorable. It’s settled then.”

Fearing I might change my mind, Old Hu quickly raised his hand and struck mine three times, sealing our pact.

The contracts between sorcerers are simple, seemingly without guarantees, but they are written in blood and trust.

Countless sorcerers have shed blood and endured hardship for the sake of their word.

The elder thief once told me: sorcerers may cheat, steal, and deceive, but they must fulfill their employer’s instructions. That’s the foundation of a sorcerer’s honor.

When he said that, I nearly plucked out my own teeth in frustration. How could such words come from him and still trouble me so?

Yet, I could not ignore them.