Hua Qian Gu continued travelling west. She was now travelling at more than twice her previous speed. The journey was much more enjoyable with Tang Bao’s company. When she was bored, there was someone to talk to. When she was resting there was someone to play with. When she walked along the streets, others would think that she was insane with her constant mutterings to herself as she talked to Tang Bao who was sitting in her ear.
“Tang Bao, you are not allowed to call me Mama anymore! Others will misunderstand! You can call me Qian Gu!”
“But you are my mother.” Tang Bao lethargically lay in Hua Qian Gu’s ear, clutching a small crumb from a bun as her pillow.
“En, but you should at least stop calling me that in front of outsiders.”
“Then I shall call you Gu Tou, (骨头(Gu Tou) means bone in chinese) I like Gu Tou!”
“You are a worm not a dog, why would you like Gu Tou(bones)?”
“I am not a worm. One my powers increase, I will transform!”
“Transform? Transform into what? A butterfly? Isn’t that still an insect?”
” En, I don’t know either. But at that time I will be able to fly! I won’t have to crawl around everyday.”
“Yes, you really are slow. If I am like you, I won’t reach Kun Lun Mountain even in my next life.”
“Relax. We will reach soon. Tomorrow, we should be able to reach the foot of Kun Lun Mountain. The Feast of the Immortals (群仙宴 i.e. qun shan yan) will only take place three days later. I know the way there. We definitely can make it in time.”
“How do you know the way?”
” I am a demon from Yi Qiao Ge which specialises in collecting and passing on information. How can I possibly not know!”
“You really are something!”
“Haha, of course!”
“Oh yes, if I acknowledge Bai Zi Hua as my teacher and he wants to subdue you, what should I do? Should I hide you?”
“There is no need. I am not formed using any evil arts, just some secret arts. Furthermore I don’t really have much powers. There are a lot of weirder demons and sprites in this world. Kind and small ones like me are so lovable. There aren’t any immortals who would bear to subdue us. Trees and mountains all have their own guardian spirits!”
“Oh, that’s good. In the past, I always though that demons, monsters, ghosts and spirits were all bad.”
“Its just that things exist in different forms. There isn’t any clear line between what is good or evil. Gu Tou Mama, I am hungry again”
“Why is it that the only things you do all day is sleep and eat? Are you a worm or a pig?”
“I just hatched . I am still very weak!”
Hua Qian Gu, picked a leaf from the tree and stuffed it into her left ear. “Grab on to it!”
“Hehe. Just nice. This can double up as my bed!”
The next day, the two of them reached the foot of Kun Lun Mountain.
“Tang Bao, will i be unable to enter the mountain, like how I couldn’t enter Mount Mao the last time?”
“Don’t you have the Heaven’s Droplet? You should be able to enter into any barrier or formation.”
“Is that so? But the last time Lang Ge Ge and I were unable to escape from the Wang Ba Jing’s ( roughly translated as Tortoise Spirit) formation.
“I don’t know either. Maybe its because barriers are fixed using spells, while a formation is constantly in motion and changing. The way into a formation and the way out is different. Currently, the Heaven’s Droplet’s power are not strong enough to totally break the formation. In addition, the Wang Ba Jing’s formation is the most formidable among the demon and sprites!”
“Oh, that’s how it is. How complex.”
Hua Qian Gu slowly climbed up the mountain. The scenery here was totally different from that on Mao Mountain. A huge mountain range was surrounded in many places by clear jade green lakes as though they were pearls that had been scattered among the mountains. The reflections of the mountains in the water made one feel like one had stepped into a painting. Flocks of water fowl gathered: some soaring above the surface of the lake, some playing in the water. All around, there was a thin veil of white mist. The entire scene was surreal. This was truly a paradise on earth. A slight breeze blew past. Bright sunlight splayed across the scene. This was truly a scene of harmony and peace.
The Yu Xu Peak, Yu Zhu Peak were covered in a sheet of white snow. Cloud and mist shrouded the mountains. This was a holy ground that many went to cultivate and train.
Tang Bao saw that Hua Qian Gu was so mesmerised that she had forgotten where she was, and incessantly reminded her to continue walking.
“Many of the rivers originate from Kun Lun Mountain. Water from the Gu river pour south into Wu Da river. The red waters flow east into the waters of Si Tian. The waters from Yang flow southwest into the waters of Chou Tu. The black waters flow northwest into Da Yu. Legend has it that the Kun Lun Spring which often receives snow in June is used by the ancient goddess Xi Wang Mu (Roughly translated into Queen Mother of the West) to brew the spring waters that is said to grant immortality (Qiong Jiang Yu Ye i.e. the legendary brew from jade that is said to grant immortality) . The place we are heading to now is the Pool of the Immortals. Even though Xi Wang Mu is gone, the Immortal’s Feast of Peaches is still carried out there. The legendary annual Feast of the Immortals is held right here. At that time, all the immortals will be here including the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Empress. The objective of this meeting should be to discuss the birth of the demon god. We don’t have any invitations, hence we will definitely be stopped by the heavenly guards if we enter via the main entrance. The Four heavenly kings ( they are considered to be the 4 great generals of the heavens) can’t be reasoned with. Hence, the best way is just to sneak in.
“Ah? Sneak in? How do we sneak in? You can easily crawl in without anyone noticing. But I am so big, I definitely can’t enter the feast. Why didn’t Priest Qing Xu give me an invitation?”
“You don’t have any immortal rank. Even if you have a normal invitation, they won’t let you in. Recently, demons and monsters have been rampaging everywhere. Security throughout the immortal realm has been fortified. Furthermore, the Immortal’s Feast is a big event used to discuss countermeasures. Nonetheless, since we have no evil aura, as long as we change our forms, it should be quite simple to sneak in. There are rare beasts all over Kun Lun Mountain. Why don’t you transform into a worm and crawl in with me.”
“Transform into a worm? How do I do that? I am not Sun Wu Kong! (A monkey god who can transform into 72 different forms)”
“I will sneak into the Peach Garden first. There should be a lot of rare fruits inside. I will steal a few out. If you eat it, you can transform.”
“Once I wait for you to crawl in and out, the whole feast will be over!”
*Faints “Even though I am a worm, I am a worm with powers. Among the demons, I am ranked quite high! Stop looking down on me ok? I don’t just know how to crawl! Even though using my powers will consume some of my energy, it should not pose a big problem. Alright, lets stay here. The waterfall can mask our scent and voices, and prevent any passing immortals from discovering us. It is quite a big deal for a human to come into the immortal realm. I’ll go steal the fruits now. You wait here for me ok?”
Tang Bao grabbed on to a leaf and muttered a spell. Soon the leaf sailed into a sky like a small boat.
Hua Qian Gu anxiously waited. On one hand, she was worried that Tang Bao would be discovered. On the other hand, she was afraid that Tang Bao would be eaten by other beasts
After the time taken to burn an incense, Tang Bao finally returned.
“How did it go? How did it go?” Hua Qian Gu opened her palm to let Tang Bao’s little leaf boat land.
“Hehe, of course it went without a hitch. I not only plucked a Lu Xu Flower, while I was at it, I also stole some Kai Ming fruit, Bao grass and some Sha Tang. Too bad, the the peaches were really too huge. I got really exhausted trying to carry it. I was also scared that people would notice a peach floating in mid air.”
“What are all of this?” Hua Qian Gu looked at Tang Bao who was beaming with pride.
“If you eat the Lu Xu flower, you can transform into anything you want. The length which you can maintain the form is more or less correlated to the user’s powers and the difficulty of the object you are transforming into. Even though you have no powers, you should be able to maintain the form of a worm for a long. Meanwhile, eating a Kai Ming fruit will allow you to discern all lies in this world. The Bao Grass will remove fatigue. As for the Sha Tang, it allows you to breathe underwater. Even though they don’t have any use for now, we may need them later.”
“Oh” Hua Qian Gu nodded her head, “Are you very tired? Tang Bao!”
Tang Bao lethargically lay on her palm and rolled around.
“Of course! I am dying. Worms are used to climbing, not flying!”
“En, Dong Fang Yu Qing said my blood can be used to raise you powers, do you want to try a mouth or two?”
Tang Bao’s eyes immediately transformed into heart shapes.
“Yes!” With that she grabbed on to Hua Qian Gu’s thumb and bit a small hole before drinking it. She resembled an infant drinking milk.
“Is it pain? Gu Tou Mama!”
“Nope, its not pain. Its like a small prick. Drink up! You need to drink your fill in order to have energy to fly with me into the Immortal Pool!”
Once Tang Bao was satiated, Tang rubbed her round tummy and burped. Hua Qian Gu couldn’t resist the urge to poke at her meaty little tummy and squeeze it.
“Let’s go in first. The feast is starting soon. We need to sneak in when there are very little people. Eat the Bao grass and Lu Xu flower first.”
Hua Qian Gu couldn’t bear to eat the fruits as they were immortals fruits after all. But she carefully placed the Kai Ming fruit and Sha Tang in the bosom and quickly threw the Bao grass and Li Xu flower into her mouth.
But why wasn’t the Lu Xu flower fragrant at all and why does eating the Bao grass feel like I am chewing on an onion. Nevertheless she felt really energetic and all the fatigue in her body was gone!
“Crap”
“Why, crap?”
“If I transform into a worm, what will happen to all these things? And my clothes! Will I be naked when I transform back?!”
” You can place the items in my Xu Ding. You don’t need to worry about items carried on you as they will be transformed with you.
“What is a Xu Ding?”
" Most of those who cultivate their powers will have their own Xu Ding. With training, it can be be expanded or made smaller. It exists in another dimension with one’s will and consciousness, and it can be used to store one’s treasures since most people can’t steal from it. You saw how Priest Qing Xu’s heart and lungs were dug out. He probably placed the Quan Tian Chain in his own Xu Ding and refused to hand it over even on death. A powerful demon can obtain objects from Priest Qing Xu’s Xu Ding by using his hearts and lungs.”
“Oh. Then Tang Bao, you can hide me in your Xu Ding and bring me in too!”
“Do you really think I am so powerful? Being able to hide so many items in my Xu Ding is already very difficult. Futhermore, legend has it that Xu Ding and Gui Xu (It is a legendary abyss in the middle of the sea where all the waters of the world gather) are linked and it is not usually used to store living creatures because they could be trapped inside. I am not clear about the specifics since I have not used it before.”
“Ah! My body seems to be shrinking!”
Once Hua Qian Gu returned to her senses, she had already transformed into a small worm like Tang Bao.
“Ah! We look exactly the same!”
“That’s because you wanted to become a worm when you were transforming, but the only mental image you had of a worm was me. Ok, quickly get up.” Tang Bao stretched out a tiny leg (or hand?) and hoisted Hua Qian Gu onto a leaf while she placed everything else into the Xu Ding.
“Onward we go!”
The leaf flew up. Hua Qian Gu happily cheered as her chubby worm body happily danced on the leaf. This was her first time flying. Even though she was flying was a worm, she was really ectastic.
As she looked down from the side of the leaf while lying on it, a droplet from the waterfall hit the leaf and nearly flipped the small leaf boat over. Hua Qian Gu stared at the blue sky and the seven coloured rainbow hanging across.
In a moment, the leaf flew into the clouds and glided amount the clouds. Hua Qian Gu stretched her tiny legs to grab the clouds. She was suprised to find that the clouds were soft and fluffy like cotton candy.
As she was happily playing in the clouds, she suddenly heard a loud shout from Tang Bao. “Crap!”
A giant shadow covered them
What was that? Hua Qian Gu raised her head and suddenly saw a large bird the size of a hornet speeding towards them.
*Cries. The worms are about to be eaten by a bird!
“Hold on tight!”
Tang Bao concentrated hard as she steered the leaf. They twisted and turned to avoid the bird’s attacks. However, the bird attacks were furious and vicious. The bird’s cries were shrill and there was a large sting on its tail. It attacked their leaf boat and opened its mouth waiting to swallow them once they fell off the boat.
“Gu Tou! Hang on!” Tang Bao quickly steered the leaf into the clouds when she saw Hua Qian Gu slowly slide off the leaf.
Suddenly, they hear another melodious bird cry that resembled a phoenix’s song. Hua Qian Gu and Tang Bao looked up and saw a big bird fly towards them. Its ember red feathers glowed in the sunlight.
“A Chun bird! (Something like a quail according to google lol) We are saved!” Tang Bao laughed happily.
Hua Qian Gu was gaping at how the bird that had chased them moments ago now turned tail and ran. However it was still a step slower than the ember red bird which swallowed it in one mouth.
The ember red bird looked at them and let out a cry before flying away.
The traumatised Hua Qian Gu lay flat on the leaf, all her little worm legs were stiff.
The life of a worm is so sad. To think I was bullied by a bird and nearly eaten. *Cries
“Phew!” Tang Bao was sweating profusely. “The bird that chased us is called Qin Yuan. Normal animals will die if they are stung. Even if it stings a tree, that tree will wither. Humans that meet it are probably goners as well. The ember red, phoenix looking bird that saved us is called a Chun Niao. It is the natural enemy of the Qin Yuan.”
Hua Qian Gu then realised that even the Kun Lun Mountain in the immortal realm was fraught with dangers.
"We are here！"Tang Bao excited called out.
Hua Qian Gu raised her head. What greeted her was a colourful pool filled with five coloured waters, reflecting what seems like with beams of rainbow . The sight was breathtaking. To the east of the pool, stood a giant peach forest covered heavily in layers of layers of peach blossoms. The pink flowers stretched as far as one’s sights could reach and stood in stark contrast with the blue sky as though they were pink clouds, billowing in the light breeze
“I-Its’s beautiful!” Tang Bao landed her leaf on a peach blossom. Hua Qian Gu looked up at the pink sky and the rain of petals that dancing in the air. She happily hugged Tang Bao. Tang Bao caught a petal and started chewing as she offered another to Hua Qian Gu.
“Gu Tou, do you wanna try?”
Hua Qian Gu, bit down on the petal that was now few times larger. A light fragrance filled her mouth and the sweet dew-like juice flowed down her throat. It was a few times more delectable than Tao Hua Su (桃花酥: A chinese pastry)
She looked down at immortal servants who had finished setting up the feast- each was pleasant to the eye and well dressed.
Suddenly she heard the ringing of the Bian Zhong (A chinese brass instrument shaped like a bell) and the sound of music playing.
The immortal’s feast was beginning.