Chapter 1: Qilian's Thunderclap

  The vast and continuous mountains stretch for thousands of miles. This is the holy land of nomadic tribes, and also a great place to cultivate one's mind and practice Taoism. No one knows if there are immortals in these great mountains, but everyone hopes that there should be some things unknown to people, existing in this world.

  The story begins in a small town called Red Gold, not far from the Qilian Mountains. There is a 12-year-old boy named Little Stone who is an orphan in the town. He was adopted by Zheng Lao Tou, the owner of the butcher shop in the town, when he was just one month old. Zheng Lao Tou is now 60 years old and has been single for half his life. Twelve years ago, he found Little Stone at his doorstep, wrapped in a blanket with only a black wristband on him. The child didn't cry or make any noise. Zheng Lao Tou thought this was the child sent by heaven. Except for the blanket and the wristband, there was nothing else on the child. No one knew what his surname or name was, but it was clear that he was brought from outside. There was a strange character on the wristband that no one recognized. Finally, they found the most learned scholar in the town, Bai Lao Fu Zi, who studied many ancient books before figuring out that the character was actually a "Qi" character.

  Originally, the neighbors advised Old Zheng to let his child take his surname. However, he refused, saying that Heaven had given him this child as a blessing, and if he were to follow his surname, it might shorten his lifespan. Then, they invited Old Master Bai to give the child a name, which was much simpler than searching for a character like "Qi". Old Master Bai gave the child the name "Xiao Shi", so everyone called him Little Stone.

  That's why Old Man Zheng, being well-off, hired an old woman from a nearby village to take care of Little Stone. And so the child grew up day by day, and Little Stone was very obedient and sensible from a young age, which made Old Man Zheng like him even more. When the child was eight years old, the son of Liu, the owner of the fabric store in town, called Little Stone "wild seed" once, and Old Man Zheng took the knife he normally used to cut meat and stabbed a big hole in the table where the Liu family was eating. From then on, everyone knew that this child was Old Man Zheng's treasure, and no one, whether adult or child, dared to call Little Stone "wild seed" again.

  Today is Xiao Shi Tou's 12th birthday. Since no one knows the exact date of his birth, Old Man Zheng considers the day he brought him home as his birthday. Every year on this day, Old Man Zheng invites the neighbors to come over for a meal and make merry. This year is no exception, especially since it's Xiao Shi Tou's zodiac year, so they made preparations early. The banquet started at noon, with the adults drinking and eating, while the children had already run off somewhere.

  Xiao Shi Tou and his companions were playing in the Guanyin Temple in town. Except for the first and fifteenth of every month when people came to burn incense and pray, this temple was usually a place where these children would play and cause trouble. There were only two monks in the temple, who were also helpless against these kids because their parents were major donors to the temple. So they turned a blind eye and let them run wild.

  They were playing hide-and-seek, and Xiao Shi was looking for people. Although the temple is not big, there are many places to hide. He first searched in the front yard of the temple, thinking: "Liu Pangzi must be hiding in the front yard, he's so fat." Liu Pangzi is the son of the cloth shop owner, although his family runs a cloth shop, but this child, who is the same age as Xiao Shi, is tall and fat, just like his family should be running a butcher or restaurant.

  Here is the translation:

  Just as Xiaoshi was about to enter the main hall to find Liu Pangzi, he heard someone behind him say, "Are you the little monk from the temple?" The voice was clear and pleasant to listen to. Xiaoshi turned his head and said, "Do little monks have long hair?" He saw a little girl standing in the courtyard wearing a red dress, about ten years old, with a delicate face and big eyes that sparkled like snow water on Mount Qi Lian, beautiful and innocent. Xiaoshi didn't recognize this little girl, as he basically knew all the kids in town. So he asked, "Where are you from?" The little girl rolled her eyes and said, "What? You think I'm an outsider so you can bully me?" Xiaoshi laughed and said, "No, no, it's just that I've never seen a little girl as pretty as you, so I asked." "Really? Well, since you're speaking nicely, I won't mind." Xiaoshi thought to himself, "She's really sharp-tongued, just like Master said, 'It's hard to deal with women and petty people'." The little girl asked, "What are you doing here?" Xiaoshi said, "Playing! Hide-and-seek! I'm looking for someone!" The little girl's eyes lit up, and she said, "Great! Let me help you! Are you looking for a fat guy? I know where he is..." Xiaoshi quickly interrupted, "If I get help from others, it doesn't count. After I finish this round, I'll let you join in, okay?" The little girl nodded repeatedly and didn't say anything else. Xiaoshi waved at her and turned to enter the main hall again.

  Suddenly, a red shadow flashed before his eyes, and the little girl was already in front of him. Before he could even speak, his left hand had been grabbed by her, and the little girl asked: "What are you wearing? Let me see." The black bracelet on Xiao Shi Tou's left wrist was something he had worn since he was old enough to understand things. This might be the only thing his parents had left him. Xiao Shi Tou took off the bracelet from his wrist and said: "This isn't anything interesting, just a bracelet. You take a look." The little girl played with it for a while, looking at the characters and patterns on it, and said: "These are Qi characters, ancient characters from the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period. After Qin Shi Huang unified the writing system, hardly anyone used them anymore. This bracelet looks like it's very old." Xiao Shi Tou was shocked; he had never thought that this Qi character, which even Old Man Bai had spent several days studying, would be casually spoken by a ten-year-old little girl. It really proved the saying "there are people outside of people, and skies outside of skies", but this person was a bit too young, ah!!!

  The little girl seemed to be unaware of the stone's surprise and continued: "This bracelet is very strange, it's not gold, not stone, not iron, not wood, I don't know what it is." Then she carefully examined the stone again. The stone was stared at by those big eyes, feeling uncomfortable all over, thinking: "What's going on, being scared by a little girl?" Taking a deep breath, he chuckled and said: "I didn't expect you to understand so much at such a young age, you're even stronger than me, no, no, stronger than the adults here."

  "What's the big deal, I just read a few more books than you, my dad is the really capable one!" "Is your dad here too? What are you doing here? There's nothing fun to do anyway!" "We're not here to have fun, my dad is here to find medicine for me." "Find medicine?" Xiaoshi looked at her carefully and noticed that her face was very pale. He also remembered how cold her hand was when she grabbed him earlier. "So she's sick," Xiaoshi thought to himself. He asked, "What kind of medicine are you looking for?" The little girl shook her head, "You wouldn't know even if I told you." Xiaoshi felt a bit offended, "Don't look down on me, I'll figure it out!" The little girl smiled slightly but didn't say anything. Xiaoshi looked at her smile and couldn't help but think of the phrase "bright eyes and white teeth, charming and moving". She's really a beautiful young lady, she'll be stunning when she grows up. "Really, don't underestimate me, I'm also an educated person." Seeing his flustered expression, the little girl laughed and said, "Okay, fine, I'll tell you. We're looking for something called 'Jiutian Yuanyang Stone'. How about it? Have you heard of it, bookworm?" Xiaoshi scratched his head, "Honestly, I've never heard of it. Is it a type of stone? Hehe, but I can help you find it. By the way, what's wrong with you?" The little girl looked at his concerned expression, which was genuine and not fake, and felt a warmth in her heart. "Thanks, but don't worry about it. This medicine is really hard to find, and my illness is very strange. You wouldn't understand."

  "Alright, we've chatted for so long, I think we can be considered friends now. You should tell me your name, shouldn't you?" The little girl smiled and said, "Of course, my name is..." Just then, a loud thunderclap boomed above their heads. Before they could react, another dozen or so thunderclaps followed in quick succession. The earth shook and the sky changed color. It was as if the lightning had struck before he could even cover his ears. He fell to the ground, his eyes blacking out, and covered his ears tightly, shouting, "Cover your ears quickly, it'll deafen you!" Perhaps the thunder was too loud, or perhaps the little girl was too scared, but there was no response from her. When he came to, opened his eyes, and looked around, there was no one in the front yard. This thunderstorm had come and gone so quickly, and when he looked up at the sky, there wasn't even a single cloud. The thunder had been really strange.

  The little stone turned around in the temple, but didn't see anyone. He thought to himself: "Where did everyone go? Were they scared away by thunder? How strange! Where did she go?" He called out loudly several times, but no one responded. In the entire Guanyin Temple, he was the only person there.

  No choice but to go home, at this time the sky was already near dusk. The streets were also empty and deserted, presumably scared by the thunder just now and didn't dare to come out. "Isn't it just thunder? What's there to be afraid of, are you afraid of being struck by lightning? Do so many people have guilty consciences?" Ah!! Xiaoshi was thinking wildly on the road, unknowingly already arrived at the door of his home.

  A small siheyuan, the gate was slightly ajar, and faint voices could still be heard from inside. "Haven't you finished drinking yet?" Pushing open the door, he walked towards the main hall.

  Not yet at the door, I smelled a strong smell of wine. This taste is the most familiar, it's "Bi Quan Nian" brought by Zheng Lao Tou from Lanzhou City through someone. It's said that the monks of Bi Quan Temple in Wuquan Mountain, Lanzhou City, brewed with water from the five springs on the mountain, and the wine tastes mellow and has a strong aftertaste. Zheng Lao Tou had always been fond of drinking, and once said that this wine was most suitable for his stomach. And it turned out that Bai Lao Fu Zi, also known as the teacher of Xiao Shi Tou and others, shared the same taste with him.

  This is the most incomprehensible thing for everyone in town. A man who has read extensively, is well-versed in classics, and was said to have been a high-ranking official before, how could he become friends with someone who runs a roast meat shop, can't even recognize a few big characters, and is quite rough around the edges? It's really a case of birds of a feather flocking together.

  Only two people in the hall were drunk, naturally Zheng Lao and Bai Fuzi. The two were about the same age, but Zheng Lao's hair was already gray, with a weathered face. Bai Fuzi looked much younger, perhaps because he had a good way of keeping himself healthy, his hair was only slightly white at the temples, with a long beard flowing down, looking very elegant. But now they were both drunk, with blurred eyes and leaning against the chair. Zheng Lao was also too drunk to speak clearly, all that could be heard was him saying: "Old Bai, you say, say, say, see if it's this reason?" "Wrong, old Zheng, you're wrong." Bai Fuzi's tongue was also twisted. It was unclear what they were arguing about. Xiaoshi entered the door and called out "Sir, Old Dad". Calling him "Old Dad" was decided by Zheng Lao. "Shi, Shi Tou, do you think it's this reason?" Old Zheng asked something that made no sense, and Xiaoshi answered even more strangely. "Yes, Old Dad is absolutely right." Bai Fuzi then asked "Isn't what I said reasonable?" "What the sir said is also correct." Xiaoshi knew that every time the two of them drank too much, they would argue about some strange questions until their faces turned red. In the end, it was up to him to preside over justice and settle things. He didn't even bother asking what it was about. It was just some boring and inexplicable questions like "Why can't humans fly", or "Which came first, the chicken or the egg", or "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west". Xiaoshi couldn't understand either, usually elegant sir would completely change after drinking wine.

  "Didn't you guys hear the thunder just now?" "Thunder, thunder, did it thunder? Old Bai?" "No, didn't hear it. Shi Tou, did it thunder?" Little Shi Tou was helpless, looking at these two like this, even if they heard it, they would only think that the heavens were farting. "Sir, it's getting late, I'll send you back?" "Back, good, good! I'm drunk and want to sleep, I'll bring my zither tomorrow." Little Shi Tou sighed, "Sir, you need to go home." "Isn't this my home? You're confused." "Old Bai, I and Shi...Shi Tou are leaving first." Zheng Lao Tou couldn't even stand up anymore. Looking at the two drunkards, all that was left was a bitter smile.

  Here is the translation:

  "Every time it's like this, they all get drunk! What's so good about this stuff?" Xiaoshi said, complaining as he supported Baifu and walked towards the bedroom. Luckily, Baifu was still able to stand up and walk with difficulty. As they walked, Baifu slurred "Xiaoshi, you...you're great, great, I think you have a bright future ahead of you." "I know, you always say that" "Is it true?" "Okay, get some rest now" Finally, they reached the bedside. Xiaoshi managed to get Baifu onto the bed with difficulty, and as soon as Baifu saw the pillow, he fell asleep, snoring loudly. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Xiaoshi sighed. And there's still an old father like this!

  Back in the main room, Old Zheng's snores were much louder than Bai Fazi's. He leaned back in his chair and fell asleep. Xiao Shitou couldn't move him, so he fetched a few more quilts and made a bed on the floor, laying Old Zheng down on it as he was already out cold.

  Looking at the old man sleeping soundly, Xiaoshi gently stroked his gray hair. He whispered: "Old man, don't drink so much from now on, it's not good for your body. Okay?" Knowing he couldn't hear, Xiaoshi shook his head. This was his only relative, without him, there would be no Xiaoshi. Looking at the old man's face growing older year by year, Xiaoshi made a silent vow in his heart: "When I grow up, I will definitely repay the old man well." Old Zheng slept very soundly, very soundly.

  After sending off two drunkards, it's already late at night. Having been busy for a whole day, go take a bath and sleep!

  Lying in bed, Xiaoshi couldn't sleep anymore. He thought of the little girl in red and suddenly felt a shock: "My bracelet, she didn't return it to me! What should I do? I don't even know her name." The thunder scared him and he forgot to ask for his bracelet back. Never mind, I'll think about it tomorrow. Maybe I'll run into her again, she must have been scared by the thunder and forgotten to return my bracelet, that's probably what happened. He comforted himself a bit, "Xiaoshi, you idiot, you even lost your bracelet! Idiot!" He scolded himself a bit, okay, time for sleep. Can only wait until tomorrow now!

  Deep in the night, Mount Qiulian. Under the moonlight, it looks even more mysterious. The snow on the mountain top that never melts all year round is exceptionally white under the moon's shroud, untainted by worldly impurities. With the wind stirring up snowflakes dancing in the sky, unfortunately, there is no one to appreciate this scenery.

  No, there is someone here, but he doesn't seem to be here to enjoy the snow. He's staring at a large empty space under his feet, about three or four miles in circumference.

  He, in purple robes and jade belt, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, had the little red-clothed girl crawling on his shoulder, seemingly asleep. It was very strange, as there was a faint layer of red light revolving around him, seemingly blocking the flying snow and cold wind several meters away.

  "What a terrifying Nine Heavens Thunder Calamity, it actually flattened this mountain range into a plain. What kind of thing could have triggered such a massive calamity? Is it really the case that even heaven's wrath cannot be escaped and nothing can stop it?" The purple-robed person muttered to himself.

  Judging from his tone, the flat land in front of him was actually created by a lightning strike, could it be that those few thunderclaps during the day caused this? It's really hard to believe!

  "What's going on?" asked the person in purple clothes. It seemed like there was no one else, only the little girl in red, but it wasn't her.

  "What's going on? Do you even need to ask? It's clear that someone has been struck by lightning!" The voice seemed to come from mid-air, but aside from the wind and snow, there was nothing.

  The man in purple robes wasn't surprised at all, "Nonsense, I asked who could trigger the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation. You just turned around and found nothing." "Not a single fart, with such a big commotion, everything has been reduced to ashes." Just by listening to his voice, you can tell that this person has a very bad temper.

  The man in purple robes slightly furrowed his brow, seemingly also at a loss for what to do with him, and asked "How did you end up here?" "Who would willingly come to this crappy place! A few days ago, I was drinking with Old Zhao in Lanzhou City. This morning he said he wanted to go to the Western Kunlun Mountains to discuss scriptures with an old monk. No choice but to part ways. Left me alone to drink for half a day, who knew that in the afternoon, a sudden thunderstorm shook the heavens and earth. I thought to myself, 'Could it be Old Zhao's bad luck? Did he run into tribulation?' Rushed over here, took one look, and oh dear, it's actually the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation! And then you arrived right after me."

  "Old Zhao, is that Zhao Wuji?" "Who else could it be?" "If it were him, maybe he really could trigger the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation!" "Impossible, I know Old Zhao's cultivation level. It hasn't reached the point where he can trigger the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation. Maybe that old rascal is currently soaking in the Luohan Pool in Western Kunlun! And here I am worrying about him instead."

  The voice echoed through the air, but no one was visible. The man in purple robes seemed to agree with his words, "That's right, Zhao Wuji's cultivation level is on par with ours. Then who could it be?" "Why bother thinking so much? Maybe it's just some demon or ghost who suffered heavenly punishment. Forget it, I'm leaving!" The man in purple robes nodded, "Perhaps."

  "How's the child's illness?"

  "So-so."

  "This is for you, it's good for the kid." Suddenly, an object fell from mid-air and landed beside the purple-robed man. He reached out to catch it, and it was a small, emerald-green jade bottle. His expression changed slightly as he said, "The Dragon Tiger Golden Elixir of the Heavenly Master Sect! Where did you get this?" "Of course, it was given by Old Man Zhang. Do you think I stole it? Don't worry, Old Man Zhang owes me a favor, and this is repayment!" The purple-robed man knew that the Dragon Tiger Golden Elixir was the most precious treasure of the Heavenly Master Sect, a sacred medicine. This one bottle had at least ten pellets, which even the sect's own disciples couldn't take out all at once. The purple-robed man said, "Thank you!" "Hahaha, it's not easy to get you to say thank you! Just invite me for a drink another day and we're square, I'm off!" The voice grew fainter and fainter as he headed east.

  The man in purple clothes put the jade bottle into his bosom, looked at the little girl sleeping on his shoulder and said softly: "Child, father will definitely cure your illness!" Warm and gentle.

  His complexion was already different from just now.

  Maybe it was just now laughing too loudly, the little girl was woken up.

  She opened her eyes, looked around and asked: "Dad, where are we?"

  "Did I disturb you? This is Qilian Mountain."

  "How did we end up here?"

  "We came to find medicine!"

  "Have you found it?" The little girl looked around again and said: "It's really strange, I don't remember...it seems like I should..." She couldn't remember again. The man in purple clothes gently patted her shoulder and said: "Don't worry, if you can't remember, that's okay. Dad has already found the medicine for you!"

  The little girl exclaimed with joy: "Really?"

  "Of course! When did Dad ever lie to you?"

  "That's great! I knew you were the best."

  "Alright, we'll head back home soon."

  "Hmm..." The little girl yawned and said: "Dad, I'm going to sleep a bit more. Today was really tiring!" She leaned against the man in purple clothes again and closed her eyes.

  The man in purple looked at her slightly pale face and the corners of her mouth that still held a smile. He said, "Sleep well, when you wake up we'll be home." He looked again at Mount Qi Lian, at the land that had been baptized by nine days of thunderstorms, and let out a deep sigh. In his heart he wondered, "What is it?" He raised his head to look at the sky, where the bright moon hung in the air, its clear and cold light shining down on this vast earth, but it couldn't give him an answer.

  Only the purple-robed man was seen, and the red light around him seemed to flash once. His body slowly rose up, higher and higher, until he flew southward after hundreds of feet away from the ground. In a twinkling, he disappeared, leaving only cold wind and flying snow in the mountain.

  A faint mist slowly gathered from all directions, condensing into a sheet in mid-air, as if forcing itself together, finally forming a sphere the size of a watermelon. It grew brighter and brighter, as if absorbing the moon's glow, eventually becoming an egg-sized, completely transparent pearl. It recklessly absorbed the moon's glow, and a soft sigh seemed to come from within the pearl. Unfortunately, no one heard or saw it. The pearl shot through the air like a meteor, heading north, where the town of Red Gold lay...