Chapter Twenty-One: Trouble Never Ends

“So, the Black Fox King was tricked!” When Lan heard Sun Meng’s story, her face lit up with a joyful smile.

“But the secret of the lower volume of the Codex of Power will have to wait another hundred years to be revealed,” Hu said.

“I actually think that’s for the best. Even if we found out the secret now, what could we do? Send someone to look for it? The Black Fox King would be watching us, which would be just what he wants. If we don’t look for it, then knowing or not knowing makes little difference,” Long remarked.

“Long is right, and it’s not so easy to find someone with a truly pure heart,” Sun Meng added.

The three nodded in agreement—even Abbot Sanzang himself wouldn’t dare claim that his heart was pure, let alone anyone else!

“But why do we have to clean the sewers?” Hu asked.

“Because I need to recuperate, you’ll have to practice on your own for now. There have been so many villagers in the temple lately that it needs a thorough cleaning. The abbot mentioned the sewers need tidying up, so that task falls to you. Once you’re done, you can have free time.” Sun Meng escorted the three of them to the entrance of the sewers. “Relax, there’s a subterranean river connected here, so it’s not as filthy as you might think. But be careful—if I remember correctly, the Fire Ghost clan is imprisoned down here, and they’re not to be trifled with. No matter what they say, just ignore them. Finish up, and you’re free to go.” Sun Meng smiled at them before hurrying back into the temple.

“I get the feeling he’s taking pleasure in our misfortune,” Long said, watching Sun Meng’s retreating figure.

“He was once Abbot Sanzang’s disciple too, so he probably had to clean this place himself,” Lan replied.

The sewers were just as Sun Meng had described: damp and dark, but not particularly foul-smelling.

As they worked their way forward, cleaning as they went, they soon began to hear faint cries for help.

They exchanged glances to confirm they hadn’t imagined it, then followed the voices to a cell.

“Please, help us, I beg you,” called out a humanoid creature marked with bright red patterns. Aside from its large stature, there was nothing especially frightening about it.

“So this is the Fire Ghost Brother Shao Tan mentioned? Doesn’t look scary at all!” Lan said as she approached the cage. “What did you do to end up locked in here?”

The Fire Ghost’s weakness was genuine—they could all sense it.

“We did nothing. We’ve just been living quietly, barely any contact with humans,” the Fire Ghost replied. “We’ve been imprisoned here for decades. Your abbot Sanzang tricked us out and sealed us in this place. We’re barely holding on.”

He looked utterly despondent; if he could have wept, he’d surely have been in tears.

“Abbot Sanzang is a good man—he wouldn’t lock you up without reason,” Hu said.

“Let me guess, you must have done something to harm innocent people. Fire Ghosts—just by the name, I bet you love setting fires and maybe even killed someone that way!” Long said, studying the Fire Ghost’s face, but he could detect no sign of deceit.

“Sanzang a good man? Perhaps. But decades have passed—how many still remember what truly happened?” the Fire Ghost said, sounding resigned. “Believe me or not, but he tricked me here because he couldn’t defeat me otherwise.”

Lan gave a sly smile. “Maybe so. Well, Mr. Fire Ghost, are you done talking? If so, we’ll get back to cleaning.” With a mischievous grin, she turned to leave.

Long and Hu showed no further interest and ignored the prisoner.

“Wait, children, wait!” the Fire Ghost cried out. “Fine! Truly the abbot’s disciples—just as cunning as he is. I admit defeat. Tell Sanzang that the Fire Ghost King concedes!” He roared the words, then, as if exhausted, drew from his chest a fiery red gem. “This is the essence crystal of my clan, the source of our life. Whoever holds it controls the fate of our kind.”

He placed the crystal just inside the cell door, then retreated to the back. “Take it to Sanzang and tell him I yield. He’ll know what it is—he wanted this all along.”

Lan crouched down and reached for the crystal. The moment her fingers touched it, the gem glowed and so did she. Water from the underground river surged up, enveloping her like a garment woven of water.

“What! Impossible!” the Fire Ghost King shouted, lunging to snatch back the gem, but Lan had already withdrawn her hand.

The light faded, and they saw the stone clearly: a gem etched with fire-red patterns like those on the Fire Ghost’s skin. Now, the flowing water pressed down on those patterns, suppressing them completely.

“Goodness, that gave me a fright!” Hu exclaimed.

“How did you know the water would block the stone’s power?” Long asked. He’d suspected the gem was dangerous, but hadn’t thought of any way to take it safely besides ignoring the Fire Ghost King altogether.

“Look,” Lan pointed to the dry patches on the cell floor, especially along the edges. “It’s not just dry—it’s parched. I think Fire Ghosts don’t just dislike water; it can destroy them.”

“Of course! I should have realized,” Long said, slapping his hand in frustration.

“So is this thing fake?” Hu asked, eyeing the stone in Lan’s hand.

“It’s real, but I doubt that’s the whole story,” Long said, turning to the Fire Ghost King. “If I’m not mistaken, if someone touched this crystal without protection, the energy inside would turn them into a Fire Ghost!”

Hu immediately stepped back. Lan laughed, “Don’t worry—wrapped in water, it’s just a stone.”

“But how long can you keep that up?” A voice interrupted.

“I…” Lan began, but before she could finish, a shadow darted in, snatched the stone, and sealed it in a box inscribed with runes.

“Brother Shao Tan!” the three cried out, recognizing him at once.

“Honestly, you’re lucky you didn’t let that one out. Wherever the Fire Ghosts go, flames follow. They absorb fire to grow stronger, and can even use it to turn humans into Fire Ghosts. If you’d freed him, the consequences would have been grave!” Sun Meng glanced at Lan. “When did you discover you could manipulate water at will?”

Lan hadn’t reached the innate level yet—her bursts of water control were more from emotional surges, not steady mastery. But now she was shaping water with stability and control.

“In the past couple of days,” Lan replied, forming a flower from the water. “But it’s tiring. Easier where there’s more water.” She dispersed the water. “I guess we’ve done Abbot Sanzang a big favor!” she said, smiling; Long and Hu smiled too.

Sun Meng shook his head in resignation. “Fine! You really just want to go play, don’t you?”

“It’s not that,” Long said. “Like you said, we’re at a bottleneck. Pure training won’t help us break through quickly, right?”

“All right. Don’t stray too far, and don’t get into trouble. If you spot a large group of Black Fox Gang members, report back immediately.” Though Sun Meng’s face was reluctant, his heart was delighted—if he didn’t let these three roam free, how could new tasks arise, and how could he gather rare treasures?

Sure enough, the very next day, the three returned with a person and some news: Hu’s younger sister had lied over a gemstone, they had destroyed an imperial tomb from the previous dynasty, and a squad of Black Fox soldiers had been buried inside.

“I have to say, you three really are something!” Sun Meng said with a smile to the crestfallen trio. “Go find Elder Xuanfeng for your punishment—he’s not as easygoing as I am. I’ll see Hu’s sister home.”

The three groaned in unison, “Yes, sir.”