Volume One, Chapter Twenty-Two: Stone Horse, Not a Horse

“Can we go out?” the plump girl pressed anxiously.

“I don’t know!” Yiping shook his big head. “I was worried you’d be anxious, so I came back early and didn’t go any deeper!” Hearing this last part, everyone’s previously sullen faces instantly turned from anger to delight.

“Oh! Looks like my husband still cares about me!” Meiniang couldn't resist moving closer to Yiping, but Hanyu promptly shoved her away. Meiniang pouted and rolled her eyes at Hanyu.

“So… what’s it like?” Meiniang stared curiously at Yiping’s tightly clenched fist. Yiping blinked, silent for a long moment. “Let’s look at it later! I’m afraid it might run off…”

“Yes, yes, let’s get moving first!” The plump girl suddenly remembered their unfortunate senior sister.

The four hurried into the water to set off. For safety, they clung tightly together, the one behind holding the hem of the one ahead, forming a long snake-like line. Yiping led, with Meiniang and Hanyu in the middle, and the plump girl bringing up the rear. Meiniang, face alight with joy, tried to wrap her arms around Yiping’s waist, but Hanyu, ever watchful, pinched her sharply at the waist, forcing her to give up in frustration.

As expected, the pool water immediately parted around the four of them. Walking along the bottom, everything felt normal; surrounded above, below, and on all sides by shimmering water, it was dim yet oddly charming. The three girls were excited but restrained themselves from making a sound, breathing with utmost caution. Only when they reached the cave entrance did their restraint finally break, and they began chattering loudly, leaving Yiping with no chance to get a word in.

“Come on, let us see!” Meiniang, long unable to wait, pressed in again. The plump girl and Hanyu looked on expectantly.

Yiping grinned widely and, as if presenting a treasure, extended his hand. As he slowly opened his fist, his other hand hovered protectively nearby; the three girls were so tense their faces nearly touched his palm. The tear-shaped object sparkled in Yiping’s hand, unmoving as if it had a spirit of its own, aware it was being observed.

“Wow! Take good care of it! We might need it later!” the plump girl reminded instinctively.

“Yes, yes, we’ll find a gourd to keep it in!” Meiniang nodded and offered suggestions.

After catching their breath, they pressed forward once more. Perhaps their mood had changed, but though the tunnel was the same, their steps were unusually light, as if freedom were close at hand. The path was straight, without flames or monsters, winding endlessly upward. Just as patience wore thin, the tunnel abruptly widened, ending in a perfectly round hall. Here there was no pool, no stone altar, no cave mouth—only a stone horse with closed eyes.

The stone horse, pure white, stood at the center of the hall. The surrounding stone walls were as smooth as jade, without crack or protrusion. The plump girl pushed at the horse, every which way, but nothing happened. Hanyu climbed onto its back, but to no avail. Everyone exchanged glances, their joy giving way to despair, and sat heavily on the ground.

“I feel like I’ve seen this horse somewhere before,” Yiping broke the silence, scratching his head and staring at the plump girl. She quickly turned to examine the stone horse. With Yiping’s prompting, she too felt a sense of familiarity.

“Transformation Horse Temple!” they shouted in unison.

“That’s it! It’s identical to the white horse among the ruins at the Transformation Horse Temple, except that horse had its eyes open…” At this, Yiping suddenly sprang up and reached for the stone horse’s eyes. But apart from icy coldness, nothing happened. Still unwilling to give up, he inspected the horse’s face, searching for any clue. Suddenly, a faint discoloration below the horse’s eye caught his attention—a shallow pit covered by dust. He couldn’t resist digging at it, but the moment his finger touched it, an invisible force gripped him tightly.

“Aiya! It’s got me!” Yiping cried out. The plump girl quickly grabbed his arm, but as soon as she did, she felt herself pulled by the same force. She yelled, “Don’t—” but it was too late: Hanyu had already grabbed Yiping’s belt. Only Meiniang heard the warning, but couldn’t stop herself and tumbled into Hanyu. Now, all four were stuck fast to the stone horse, unable to move! Worse still, their inner energy was being drained away by this unseen force, years of cultivation slipping away.

“Heavens!” they screamed together.

In panic, Yiping instinctively drew his energy inward, resisting the stone horse’s pull, but the plump girl and the others’ energy still flowed through him toward the horse. Yiping realized the danger; following his heart’s prompt, his energy split into three streams, plugging the leak for each of the girls. Only then did he realize his control of energy had reached the point where mind and energy acted as one—a feat achieved thanks to that infamous fart.

Just then, a flash of light erupted! They looked and saw the tear in Yiping’s fist shining brilliantly, as if alive, leaping and struggling to escape his grasp. As his grip weakened, the tear suddenly paused, then burrowed into Yiping’s arm. Dumbfounded, he watched helplessly as it glowed, darted toward his chest, then slid to the finger pressed on the stone horse. The moment the tear entered the horse, a dazzling white light burst forth, and all were blinded and thrown into confusion.

Who knows how long passed before they slowly opened their eyes. To their shock, they were no longer in the Return-to-Origin Cave, but in a desolate wilderness where ruins and weeds mingled. Yiping’s finger was still stuck to the horse’s face, but the stone horse seemed much dirtier now.

“We seem to be out!” Hanyu exclaimed, caught between joy and sorrow, though they still couldn’t break free from the horse’s pull.

“This place looks familiar…” the plump girl muttered, glancing around.

Yiping said nothing, carefully pulling his finger loose. The pit was now completely filled, as if the tear had perfectly sealed it. With a crack, the spot beneath Yiping’s finger split open, the crack rapidly spreading. In an instant, amidst dust and smoke, the stone horse vanished. Unprepared, everyone fell to the ground.

As the dust settled, they clambered up, still shaken. They had expected a living horse to appear, but instead, nothing was left.

“This is Transformation Horse Temple!” Yiping and the plump girl cried out together. Indeed, it was the temple behind Flat Horse Mountain. No wonder the stone horse looked dirty—the wind and rain of the wilds had sullied it, while the one in the cave, untouched by weather, remained pristine.

“Thanks to you, husband! Otherwise, we’d never have gotten out! Who would’ve guessed such a strange passage?” Meiniang said sincerely. This time, Hanyu only rolled her eyes, offering no retort.

“Yes, yes! Without Brother Mu, we’d have been drained dry!” the plump girl glanced at Yiping with gratitude.

“Maybe…” Hanyu, who hadn’t spoken, suddenly ventured, “Maybe it was because that fat man did his best to shield us that the stone horse let us out!” Hearing this, everyone nodded silently.

“Hmph!” A disdainful voice came from the weeds, startling them all upright.

“Who’s there?” Weapons drawn, they surrounded the spot, but found nothing until Meiniang crouched and discovered, at the site where the stone horse vanished, a turtle lying on its belly.

“Could it be this turtle talking? Ha ha…” Meiniang couldn’t help but laugh.

“Tortoise! Tortoise!” The turtle stubbornly stuck out its neck; clearly, it was shouting.

“Wow! A turtle spirit!” Meiniang shrieked and collapsed onto the ground.

“Tortoise! Tortoise! Tortoise!” The creature called while crawling after Meiniang.

“Alright, alright! Tortoise…” Meiniang waved hurriedly, and the turtle stopped in its tracks.

“Could you be the stone horse turned into a turtle?”

“Tor…toise!” The turtle sputtered in anger but made no further protest.

“Fine, fine! Turtle or tortoise, thank you for bringing us out—truly grateful!” Yiping quickly stepped forward and bowed.

“Tortoise!” The turtle’s neck suddenly stretched three feet, nearly poking Yiping’s face.

“Don’t trust it! Maybe it’s just a turtle spirit!” Meiniang pulled Yiping away skeptically.

“Yes, yes! Logically, the stone horse should become a horse, not a turtle. Its sudden appearance is suspicious!” Hanyu raised her jade club defensively.

With a disgruntled noise, the turtle flipped itself over.

“Hey, are you alright?” Yiping bent down, poked and prodded, but the creature remained motionless.

“Such temper! Might as well cook turtle soup!” Hanyu said mockingly. To her surprise, the turtle sprang up and charged at her. “You little demon… daring to eat me…” Hanyu fled in terror.

“Ha ha, rabbit spirit chased by turtle spirit!” Meiniang laughed wildly. The turtle then turned toward her. “It’s tortoise—!” Now it was Hanyu’s turn to laugh, as Meiniang nearly climbed a tree, Yiping quickly stepped in: “Brother Tortoise, please don’t be angry! Let’s talk this over!” The turtle stopped at once; the title “Brother Tortoise” seemed to please it. It studied Yiping for a long time. “You’re a teachable lad! Did you let me out?”

Yiping frowned. “I’m not sure. I just touched the stone horse’s eye socket, the tear I caught in the cave went in, then…”

“You… you… caught the tear…” The turtle stared in shock, its eyes bulging. Suddenly, seeing Yiping’s belt, it blinked thoughtfully. “Hmph! I spent a thousand years in the stone, free from wind and rain, living in comfort. Now you’ve returned me to the mortal world to suffer—what am I to do! Sigh… blame you, don’t blame you—it’s all the same…” The turtle muttered as if deeply aggrieved.

“Oh, stop it! You’re secretly thrilled, stretching your neck every chance you get!” Meiniang retorted coldly.

“You…” The turtle tried to stretch its neck again but, recalling Meiniang’s words, had to restrain itself, breathing heavily through its nostrils. “Anyway, you’re responsible!”

“Responsible for what? Maybe you trapped us in there!” Hanyu leapt forward, unable to bear it. Yiping quickly blocked her. “Brother Tortoise, angry or not, I’ll take responsibility! But first, let me save my friends—will you allow it?” He’d already noticed the plump girl’s anxious face.

“Well, you at least have some integrity—not like those two spirits!” The turtle said sarcastically.

“You turtle!” Meiniang and Hanyu stomped in unison. The turtle swiftly dodged behind Yiping.

“Alright, alright! Let’s hurry and rescue our senior sisters—any later and it might be too late!” The plump girl, unable to wait any longer, stepped forward to intervene. Seeing her teary-eyed, Meiniang and Hanyu fell silent.

“The Jade-Faced Gentleman resides in Blackstone Peak, Twin Fish Cave, a hundred miles west!” Meiniang frowned. She and Hanyu could ride the demon wind, but Yiping and the plump girl—what would they do?

“Let’s go down the mountain and find some fast horses!” Hanyu, ever understanding, proposed. Night was falling, and if they didn’t hurry, it might already be too late for the bridal chamber. So, they rushed down the mountain.

“Hey! What about me?” the turtle called from behind. Without a word, Yiping ran back and tucked it into his bosom.

The mountain path was treacherous, and they ran at full speed. Barely two miles out, the turtle in Yiping’s arms began to protest. “Hey, hey! Put me down—you're shaking me to death!” Yiping stopped, holding it in his hands. “Brother Tortoise, please endure a little—saving lives comes first!”

The turtle was indeed shaken badly, its neck wobbling as it steadied itself with its forelegs. “I won’t endure! Let me down! Seeing your chivalrous heart, I’ll lend you a hand!”