Chapter 52 - Sacred Mountain in Myanmar (Part VI)

Chen Shaoxian thought to himself, “This creature has turned into a Vengeful Spirit Corpse.” He then pulled out a nectar glass from his bag, smashed it, and walked over to the still-slithering Python corpse. He evenly sprinkled the nectar water from the glass onto the Python corpse before quickly stepping back.

As the nectar water soaked the Python corpse, it sizzled and emitted yellow smoke, continuously rolling on the ground. The Python corpse hissed audibly, as if calling out to something. Suddenly, the howling from the forest intensified, echoing throughout the woods with loud wails.

The Python corpse, enveloped in yellow smoke, rolled on the ground for a long time. As the smoke cleared, the rolling stopped, leaving only a layer of python skin wrapped around its bones. A sudden loud roar erupted from the woods, shaking the entire forest before everything went silent.

Song Yumu swallowed hard and approached Chen Shaoxian, “What just happened?”

“It seems that the creature that roared earlier noticed we disturbed the Python corpse, probably wanting to reclaim it, perhaps as its food,” Chen Shaoxian remarked while looking at the python skin on the ground. He then turned to the others, “We need to be extra careful when resting tonight.”

The group continued deeper into the forest, occasionally spotting huge pythons coiled around trees, flicking their tongues.

As the sun set in the west, the sky gradually darkened.

They found a relatively flat area. Chen Shaoxian drew a large circle on the ground with a stick and asked Xiao Zhuang and the others to help clear all the leaves within it. They moved swiftly, and soon the ground was visible.

Chen Shaoxian took out a paper packet, opened it, and revealed gray powder, which he evenly spread over the cleared ground.

Xiao Zhuang, curious, asked, “Shaoxian, what is this?”

Chen Shaoxian chuckled, “Mugwort and incense ash. Not only does it repel mosquitoes and insects, but it also serves another purpose. I call this the Vajra Demon-Subduing Circle. It’s the same kind Monk Tang¹ had Sun Wukong² draw for him.” He then joked, “If a beautiful demoness comes to seduce you guys, none of you are allowed out of the circle. That demoness will be mine.” The others laughed in agreement.

Song Yumu set up a simple tent while the others gathered quite a few dry branches nearby.

As the sun clocked out, the moon clocked in.

Once the campfire was lit, except for Chen Shaoxian, Xiao Zhuang arranged the others for guard duty in shifts.

Chen Shaoxian took out a small bell and tied it to the top of the tent. He also took out a similar packet and told the others to pinch a bit of the powder and toss it into the fire at regular intervals during their watch.

After chatting for a while, Xiao Zhuang checked the time and stood up to take the first watch.

The others seized the moment to close their eyes and rest.

Chen Shaoxian quickly fell asleep using a traditional family method.

In his dream, Chen Shaoxian thought he heard the bell ringing. He opened his eyes to see the bell hanging above him.

Ting-a-ling, the bell swayed slightly, emitting a very faint sound.

Chen Shaoxian immediately got up, nudged the others beside him, and whispered, “Get up, the demoness is really here.”

Xiao Zhuang sat up swiftly, startling Chen Shaoxian.

Xiao Zhuang looked at Chen Shaoxian: “Shaoxian, what’s wrong?”

Chen Shaoxian pointed outside, then gestured for the others to follow him out.

It was Song Yumu’s shift outside.

After stepping out, Chen Shaoxian saw Song Yumu staring intently into the dark surroundings. Hearing movement behind him, Song Yumu turned to see that the resting people had all come out.

Before anyone could speak, Chen Shaoxian made a silencing gesture as if listening for something.

Ting-a-ling, the bell in the tent rang again, this time with a clearer sound.

Chen Shaoxian raised his shotgun, and seeing this, the others also readied their weapons.

Suddenly, fog began to emerge in the woods, growing thicker by the moment. It seemed as if countless shadows were moving within the fog, slowly converging towards the tent.

As the fog reached the circle drawn on the ground, it hissed upon contact, slowing its encroachment. Shadows within the fog suddenly became visible: some lay on the ground, gnawing at the incense ash drawn inside the circle, while others charged towards the circle but could not cross it, only clawing and pacing outside.

Including Chen Shaoxian, everyone was somewhat dismayed as they watched the situation outside the circle. Song Yumu quickly raised his gun and fired a shot outside; a flash of fire and the bullet whistled into the fog, tearing through the air in a straight line.

The figures where the bullet passed twisted momentarily before quickly returning to normal.

Chen Shaoxian, noticing this, felt something was amiss. He suddenly remembered something, chuckled, and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up. He watched the outside scene with glee, as if watching a movie.

Chen Shaoxian looked at the others and blew a smoke ring, saying, “How about that, my Vajra Demon-Subduing Circle isn’t bad, right?”

Seeing that his weapon was ineffective against these entities, Song Yumu asked nervously, “Shaoxian, what are those things outside?”

Chen Shaoxian tossed his cigarette butt into the campfire and said, “You know the story of the Three Beats of the Bone Demoness³, right? When Sun Wukong drew a circle, the Bone Demoness couldn’t get in and had to think of other ways to lure the master and his disciples out. It’s the same situation here.” Then, he turned to Song Yumu and said, “Song-Ge, why don’t  you go out and flirt with the Bone Demoness outside? Maybe she’s really a delicate beauty.”

Song Yumu shook his head like a rattle drum: “I’ll leave that kind of fortune to you; I don’t have the knack for it.”

Hearing their exchange, the others laughed heartily, easing the tense atmosphere. Knowing they were safe within the circle, they too watched the outside scene with interest.

However, Chen Shaoxian was clear that although these outside entities were just for intimidation, anything capable of creating such a grand formation was not simple. He had made a joke earlier to ease the other’s nerves because he saw they were too tense.

Although Chen Shaoxian appeared nonchalant, his mind was constantly alert to changes outside. His ears stayed tuned to the sound of the bell inside the tent.

After a long time, the fog outside continued to menacingly intimidate those inside.

Chen Shaoxian and the others were growing bored, so Chen Shaoxian started to critique the silhouettes outside.

Suddenly, the bell inside the tent rang sharply. Chen Shaoxian knew that it could not hold much longer. He grabbed his shotgun and stared outside, while the others, seeing Chen Shaoxian’s actions, also readied their weapons and formed a circle back to back.

Chen Shaoxian said to the others, “The Bone Demoness is coming.”

No sooner had he spoken than a massive figure emerged from the mist, charging violently towards them.

Chen Shaoxian raised his shotgun and fired at the figure.

Footnote:

1. 1. Monk Tang(唐僧):Monk Tang, also known as Xuanzang, is a central character in the Chinese classical novel “Journey to the West.”

1. 1. Sun Wukong(孙悟空): Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, is a main character in “Journey to the West.”

1. 1. Bone Demoness(白骨精): The Bone Demoness, also known as Baigujing, is a demon from “Journey to the West” who tries to deceive and capture Monk Tang by transforming into various forms. She is ultimately defeated by Sun Wukong.