American Perspectives: Battle of the Gudiao Pt. 1 ("Love and Redemption Ep. 3)

 

"Love and Redemption" can be viewed on Viki or Youtube. Dialogue adapted from English subtitle translation by "Destined Love Team at viki.com"

 

A dead body wrapped in a blood stained sheet is being carried through Lutai town. Bitemarks are visible on the neck, and as quickly as the townspeople crowd in, they jump back in fright.

The assigned Sect Members for the Hairpin Tournament Mission/Demon Hunt enter Lutai Town through the open gate.  Dongfang, Sect Leader Chu, Hao Chen, and Aunt Hong in the front.  Sifeng and Xuanji in the back.  They know they have their work cut out for them.

They are greeted and addressed as Deities as they walk around the corpse of this person who died a mysterious death.

"The Lutai Town under my governance was always attacked by demons," says the Village Chief.  It's the reason why he had put up notices to invite deities from cultivating sects.  "Deities, you all are here on time," he graciously bows to them. "Words can't express my gratitude."

"Village Chief," says Sect Leader Chu, "you are too courteous.  This is our responsibility.  You should let us see the corpses of the victims."

Village Chief willingly leads the way.  He stops at the most recent corpse placed in the middle of the street.  "He was killed on Mount Lutai yesterday.  Five of them were travelling together.  But we only managed to find one body.  Some brave guards and hunters went up the mountains to find them.  But they didn't find a single body!  Mount Lutai is the only path the townsfolk could use, but now, all of us are trapped here.  What should we do now?"

Some of the townspeople desperately beg for help.

"Everyone, calm down," says Dongfang.  "We're here.  We will slay the demons."

"Thank you deities, thank you."

"So, according to the information and wounds," says Dongfang, "I'm sure the culprit is the Gudiao on Mount Lutai."

Xuanji walks up to the corpse and examines it. She turns the head sideways.

"Xuanji, don't touch him," her father says softly.

Xuanji jumps up.  "Father, I don't think a bird was behind the wounds.  I think a dog was the cause."

"Don't just simply speak," Sect Leader Chu warns.

"I'm not," Xuanji insists.

Sifeng stands beside Xuanji.  "Sect Leader Chu, Master Dongfang.  The wounds are strange indeed.  Look at them."

Dongfang sighs.

"Although there are peck marks on his right side," Sifeng continues, "there are bite marks on his left side.  Gudiao is a bird.  It can't leave any bite marks behind."

Xuanji nods her head in agreement.  Dongfang rolls his eyes.  Hao Chen smiles slightly.

"We were too careless," says Hao Chen. "We didn't observe the wounds closely.  The wounds were caused by another demon.  Xuanji is observant indeed."

Dongfang laughs.  "Look at her.  The young talents are amazing.  Actually, I've noticed that long ago.  I just didn't want to say them out loud.  I'm sure there are other demons besides Gudiao on Mount Lutai."

The townspeople gasp.

"Everyone, don't panic," says Sect Leader Chu.  "Please don't panic.  Village Chief, with our capabilities, we can handle them if we devise a careful plan. Please bring us the villagers who have seen the demons so that we may understand the situation better."

"Okay, let's hurry," says the Village Chief.  "Follow me."

"Xuanji, you go and Hero Yu," says Aunt Hong, "can go and get the things required to capture Gudiao."

Sifeng bows.  As Sifeng and Xuanji walk away, Hao Chen calls out to Xuanji.  He hands her a pointy piece of wood wrapped in elaborate silver lattice work.  "This is for you."

"What is this?" she asks.

"This is a Lightning Baton.  I can teleport you around.  Just hold it in your palm and think about the place you want to go.  You can master this with just a few uses.  Although we'll try our best to protect you later, we may not be able to protect you all the time.  This item can help you escape from danger."

Xuanji thanks him for the gift.  She turns and goes looking for Sifeng.

Xuanji is walking around the second floor hallway of the Inn, looking through Sifeng's tattered Demon Manual.  "Gudiao? What do we need to capture it?"

Sifeng approaches her and takes the book from her hands.

"Sifeng?" she runs after him to get it back.  He hands it to her with the correct page ready to view.  Xuanji smiles.  "Sifeng, how did you manage to find the required items?"  She follows him down the stairs.  "Saltwater will hurt its eyes, and--" She steps on the outer robe of his hanfu.

"Be careful," Sifeng says, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry," says Xuanji.  "So, saltwater will hurt its eyes.  That way, we can capture it, right?"

A shopkeeper hands Sifeng some salty snacks.

"Sifeng!" Xuanji chases after him.  "You asked someone else to buy them for you?"  She's referring to the required supplies for the hunt.

"So what if I did?" asks Sifeng.

Fine, thinks Xuanji.  It's better this way.  I can try and use the Lightning Baton Senior Brother Hao Chen has given me.

She walks out of the Inn and looks down at her Lightning Baton.  She circles her hand around it, using a very thin streak of green energy.  She moves her hand away and points.  Nothing.  She rolls the baton around in her hand and tries again. The energy is a much stronger shade of green.  With the energy still trailing, she points her two fingers.  Just like that, the energy disappears, and nothing.  She scratches her head.  Seriously?  She closes her eyes, squeezes the baton, and moves her hand again.  Without warning, she is quickly moved to the side by about ten steps.  She smiles and laughs.

She tries again, and sweeps her hand upwards.  She is propelled high into the air, landing gracefully on the thatched roof.  However, she's a little too happy, loses her footing, and slips off the roof.  Instead of face planting in the street, she remembers to use her lightning baton.

와! Hot water!  Immersed in hot water! She can't feel the heat, but she can feel the weight and impact of it.  She pushes herself up and finds herself face to face with Sifeng in the bathtub.

He is mortified!

"Sifeng!" says Xuanji, completely casual and oblivious to the implications.  She looks around to get her bearings, as she's feeling a bit disoriented.  "So, this is your room?"  She is still in the bath, casually talking, like there's absolutely no cause for alarm. 

Sifeng doesn't know what to make of Xuanji.  "Do you think this is the best time for us to chat?"  He asks tersely.

Xuanji looks around awkwardly.  "Not really," she admits. "I'm sorry.  Did I interrupt your bath?  I'll leave right away." As she gets ready to get out, she notices her Lightning Baton is missing.  She goes underwater, and starts feeling around the bottom of the tub.

Sifeng is feeling super awkward and self conscious.  Remember, his sect does not allow intimate contact with women, and he's a naked 16 year old boy with an attractive 16 year old girl in the bathtub...

"I'll leave once I find it," Xuanji promises.

Sifeng is feeling tense as hell.  She gets a little too close for comfort, and her propels her out of the tub with a spell.  She stumbles backwards, beyond the sliding bamboo doors, and with a spell, he slides them shut.

"Strange man," remarks a soaked Xuanji before running off.

Sifeng finally relaxes.  He feels extremely self conscious.

 

A merman is getting whipped by a demon.  He is chained to a pole, but he still isn't giving the demon the information he wants.  

"Ting Nu, stop being stubborn," says Wolf.  "Although you were an immortal medic once, that doesn't mean anything.  The Heavenly Realm punishes you without mercy.  In their eyes, demons will always be demons.  We will never reach the same level as them.  In the past, my Left Hand Lieutenant only tried to retrieve the Divine Weapon for the Devil Star, but he was set up by the Heavenly Realm.  He was trapped under Fenru City with the Four Dimension Chains.  And 1,000 years have passed since then.  Now tell me.  How do I unlock the Four Dimension Chains?"

Ting Nu looks at him defiantly, in spite of his face being bloody.

"You're keeping quiet?" asks Wolf.  He gestures, and a mer-child begins to cry.

"Stop!" begs Ting Nu.  "Stop it now!  I'll tell you."

 

"What?  There are other demons?"  Linglong asks Little Six on the porch at the Inn.  He had managed to successfully sneak her off when he faked a stomach ache prior to departure from Shaoyang Sect.  None of their older Mission companions know that she's there.

"This is troublesome," says Little Six.

Xuanji is out on the porch with them.  

"We only wanted to obtain Gudiao's horns for the Weeping Tears," continues Little Six. "But now, there's another demon.  How can we defeat them?"

"Linglong, will they lock me up in Mingxia Cave again?" Xuanji asks nervously.

Linglong lightly slaps Little Six on the arm.  "Little Six, you better think of something."

He scratches his ear.  "Think of something?"

Xuanji has an idea.  "I remember Senior Brother Hao Chen says he loves human tongues.  It will approach people when it smells blood.  I don't feel anything anyway.  By then, I'll just bite my tongue and try to lure it, okay?"

Linglong and Little Six exchange glances.

"So..." says Linglong.

"You are digging your own grave," Sifeng joins in on the conversation.  He acknowledges that it will attract Gudiao, "but it'll boost its power tremendously, as well.  Do you guys think you can survive?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad, right?" asks Little Six.

"Can you kill it, then?" asks Linglong.

"We can't kill it by ourselves," says Sifeng.

 

Ting Nu tells Wolf that the Four Dimension Chains were created by immortals, using accumulated energy from the world's four highest peaks.  The chains are absolutely unbreakable.  The only way to get past them is to unlock them.  But, not with any key, and certainly not from picking the lock.  It has to be from the Four Spirit Keys which are hidden and protected by the Five Great Sects.

"The keys are in their hands?" Wolf asks.  

Unfortunately, Ting Nu doesn't know.

Wolf thinks he is full of shit, and he signals to his demon to harm the Mer-Child.

Ting Nu insists he isn't lying.

"If I find out that you're lying," says Wolf, "I'll decimate the entire Merfolk Clan."

 

The Demon Hunting Sect Members are walking through the forest, looking for clues.  Linglong is hidden in the supply cart, Xuanji, Little Six, and Sifeng are pushing the cart.

"Xuanji, are you tired?" asks Little Six.

"I'm not," says Xuanji.  From inside the cart, Linglong squeezes Xuanji's hand, causing her to trip.

Aunt Hong rushes to Xuanji.

"Are you okay?" asks Little Six.

"It hurts," Xuanji lies, as she can't feel pain.

"What's wrong?" asks Aunt Hong.

"I sprained my ankle."

They touch her ankle and she gasps.  

Sect Leader Chu is skeptical.  He approaches them.  

"Master," says Little Six.  "Xuanji sprained her ankle.  She can't walk anymore."

"This troublesome girl," says Sect Leader Chu. "I told you to train hard.  Look at you.  You're injured now and you're dragging everyone down."

"Senior Brother," says Aunt Hong, "I think that's enough.  Just let them rest here.  We'll lure Gudiao out."

"That's fine, too," Sect Leader Chu agrees.

Aunt Hong asks Sifeng to stay behind and take care of Xuanji and Little Six.  Aunt Hong hands Xuanji a black, wooden whistle.  It's to be used when she is in danger.

After the elders leave, and are a reasonable distance away, the disciples let Linglong out of the cart.

"I almost died!" Linglong complains.  "What took you so long?"

Xuanji admits she forgot about Linglong.

Sifeng conceals his laughter.

Linglong wants to know if Xuanji really sprained her ankle.

Xuanji admits she was acting.

"You're a bad actor, you know?" Exclaims Linglong.  "Did you forget that you can't feel anything?  How could you pretend to be in pain?"

"Oh, right!  I forgot about that!" says Xuanji.

Sifeng tells Linglong and Little Six that they should get ready.  He plans to set up the formation, and lure Gudiao to them.  Linglong and Little Six can remove the horns once it's trapped.

Xuanji runs behind Sifeng.

With a brief moment along, Little Six hands Linglong a dagger she can use for protection.

"This?" she asks.  "Isn't this your family heirloom?"

"My ancestors were blacksmiths.  The dagger is stronger than ordinary weapons.  Use it if you meet a demon."

"But..didn't you say you'll give this to..."

Little Six is feeling very awkward.  "That's right.  It's an engagement gift for my future wife.  Don't think too much.  I'm just lending it to you.  You need to return it to me."

"You're only lending it to me?"  She abruptly hands it back.  "And I need to return this?  You can give this to your future wife for all I care!"  She quickly walks away.

Sifeng is saling majestically through the air.  He sets up a formation by writing with his golden, magic brush, which emits flame orange energy.  He writes in a circle.  He spins his brush, and descends to the ground.  With a sharp motion of both arms, he brings the circular formation downward, to the ground.

Xuanji, Linglong, and Little Six run to him.  They are all impressed.

"The formation is done," says Xuanji.

The only thing Xuanji can smell are demonic auras, and a strong one is presenting itself.  "What a strong demonic aura," she observes.

"Demonic aura?" asks Linglong.

They look around, trying to discern where it's coming from.  A huge, eagle like being quickly descends upon them.  It is simultaneously hideous and majestic.  It has four giant wings, golden brown feathers, horns, two large feet, and a piercing cry.   As it descends, leaves fly into the air, and the four disciples do their best to keep it from attacking.  Sifeng, Linglong, and Little Six use spells.  Xuanji falls to the ground.

Linglong immediately stops what she's doing to help her sister.  Sifeng uses all the force he can, brings forth fiery energy, and attacks the Gudiao.

"Xuanji, are you okay?" asks Linglong.  She helps Xuanji stand up, while Sifeng is fighting this hideous beast.  "You're bleeding."

Sure enough, Xuanji has an ugly gash on the palm of her hand.  The Gudiao immediately takes notice of Xuanji, and attempts to divebomb her.

With a wall of fiery energy, Sifeng is able to hold it back.  Sifeng mirrors the beast's relentlessness, as he isn't going to allow it to attack his new friends.

Little Six is absolutely amazed by the talents of this Lize Palace prodigy.

"Gudiao's power will increase when it sees blood," Sifeng explains.  "I can't hold it for long.  Go now!"

"But Sifeng, this..." says Xuanji.

Gudiao is relentless.  "Just leave!" says Sifeng.  

"Let's go!" Says Linglong, dragging Xuanji away.

Little Six quickly follows after the two young women, while he watches Sifeng take on the Gudiao.

 

...To be continued...

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