Seventeen, Little Daogu and the General

Their unfriendly gazes scrutinized the Daoist nun from head to toe, as if they were admiring an extremely beautiful object.

"Ooh, not bad, we've come across a little beauty."

"Haha, and she's a nun at that!"

"Little Daogu, you must be very lonely guarding the Daoist temple by yourself, right? Let your big brothers keep you company to relieve the boredom!"

Sangmo saw that tucked beneath the wide sleeves of the Daoist nun was a sharp dagger, and she knew that if those men took one more step forward, the nun would take her own life.

But out of nowhere, a lean, short man suddenly sprang out from behind the Daoist nun, swiftly embracing her from the back and snatching the dagger from her hands.

The hall erupted with the lewd and smug laughter of the men.

Sangmo wished she could slap them.

The Daoist nun was terrified, screaming as she began to struggle, while the short man held her tightly from behind, "Running? Wait a bit, you'll be comfortable soon."

The other men also began to crowd forward.

At the critical moment, a calm but authoritative voice suddenly came from the entrance, "What are you doing!"

The men were so frightened that they all let go of the Daoist nun.

With panic and tears, the Daoist nun ran towards the door.

Sangmo, curious about the newcomer, turned to look and suddenly froze in place.

It was her master!

He was dressed in a black armor and a red robe, his disheveled hair full of dust, his jade-like face splattered with blood, clearly coming straight from the battlefield.

He was furiously indignant, raising his horsewhip and lashing it at the men, "I said, after entering the city, no looting, no raping! You sons of bitches, did you all take my words as mere breeze brushing past your ears?"

Several men ran off holding their heads as they were whipped, some bleeding from their wounds immediately.

"We've been starving for half a year, and we just won a hard battle, what's wrong with relaxing a bit? Conquering and pillaging after victory is the rule, how come it's not okay when it gets to you!"

Someone retorted, unwilling to give in.

The red-robed general lashed out with another fierce whip, "Am I incapable of throwing a victory banquet, you son of a bitch?"

"If today it had been us who lost, would the girl just now have become your wives and sisters!"

The man stood upright, taking the blows, "The General is truly kind-hearted! But I'd like to ask, if today it had been us who'd lost, would our enemies have treated our civilians with kindness?"

The general shouted angrily, "What do civilians have to do with warfare between armies?"

But the man was stubborn, "Will they or won't they, General? That's the question; why talk of other things!"

The general paused, perhaps not wanting to waste more words. He threw down the whip, "Pass down the order, if anyone dares to plunder civilians again, execute them on the spot!"

After speaking, he turned and left the hall. Sangmo hurried to follow him.

She watched the general walk to the courtyard, where he found the Little Daogu under a huge pear tree.

Little Daogu's eyes were red-rimmed, and frightened by someone approaching, she pressed the knife against her neck again.

The general stopped advancing, softened his voice, and said, "Go back inside, it's chilly on the ground."

"When I told them to leave, I had the courtyard door closed. No one's coming in anymore."

Having said that, the general walked away.

Sangmo wanted to walk with her master, but as soon as she stepped out of the temple gate, her surroundings turned to a hazy grey.

Helpless, Sangmo could only retreat to the Daoist nun's side.

Their next meeting was during the victory celebration, by which time the general was dressed in dark clothes, wearing gold-threaded long boots and had his hair tied up in a high crown.

As he rode down the long street, he recognized Little Daogu from the crowd at a glance.

He smiled and waved to her.

The aunt next to her exclaimed in amazement, "I never thought there would be such good people like General Yun Ge."

"Yes, and he's handsome too. I've never seen a man as handsome as him. The girl who marries him must be very lucky!"

"..."

Little Daogu learned his name was Yun Ge, as elegant and spirited as the man himself.

She thought that this was where her connection with General Yun Ge was going to end.

But unexpectedly, one day, he came to her Daoist temple to burn incense.

It was already half a year later when he saw her, and he recognized her immediately.

Little Daogu was somewhat surprised, but she noticed that the once high-spirited General seemed different today.

He knelt before the Statues of the Three Pure Ones for a long time without rising.

Little Daogu moved closer to listen and was astonished to discover he wasn't praying, but asking for help.

Like a subordinate addressing a respected superior, he was asking the Three Pure Ones to take care of someone for him.

She was startled and turned to run out.

The commotion was too great and was noticed by Yun Ge.

He stood up and walked out.

Little Daogu, with a guilty look on her face, quickly apologized to him.

Yun Ge waved his hand dismissively, "As long as you don't think I'm crazy, it's fine."

Little Daogu quickly shook her head, "The General must have his reasons for doing this."

Yun Ge smiled, "I just suddenly remembered something from a past life. I have left behind a little disciple. Intuition tells me she's in trouble right now, and I'm worried about her."

Little Daogu bowed respectfully, "I truly envy the General's little disciple, to be thought of like that."

Yun Ge gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "Envy what? She must have had terrible misfortune in her previous lives to end up with a master like me."

Little Daogu felt it wasn't right; such a good person as the General, even speaking one word to him was a blessing of three lifetimes, how could that be unlucky?

But the General didn't care what she thought and walked away by himself.

Afterward, the nation was peaceful and there were few places left at war. The General then resigned his position and left.

It was said that when the General left, he only took the long spear he used in battles and a Jade Flute, selling all his other possessions to convert into silver for donation to poor villages.

Upon hearing this news, Little Daogu quickly packed her things and went after the General.

Following the General's trail, she arrived at a ghost town that struck fear into everyone's heart.

The place was deserted for a hundred miles around.

People who had been chatting pleasantly with her fell silent upon hearing the name of her destination, and then silently distanced themselves.

A kind-hearted older woman told Little Daogu, "That place is devoid of sunlight all year round, sinister everywhere, and cries are heard at night. It was very rowdy a few years ago, now no one lives there anymore."

She advised Little Daogu not to seek death.

Little Daogu obediently nodded, but as soon as the older woman left, she quickened her pace towards the ghost town.

Sangmo had some trouble recognizing the small Daogu when they first entered the Ghost City, but upon reaching the innermost part and seeing the familiar village, he realized where they were.

At that time, there were no towering trees surrounding Ghost Region, just a barren mountain.

Black Shadows flitted by from time to time, and Little Daogu, frightened, clutched a short sword engraved with Taoist symbols and shivered as she walked forward.

Sangmo looked around and realized that the Ghost Region at that time was much more terrifying than the one she was in currently.

Red Fierce Ghosts and Withered Green Ghosts lurked everywhere in the shadows, all invisible, just waiting for Little Daogu to walk deeper inside.

Upon entering the village, even the moon above turned red.

When the black wind swept through, not only did Little Daogu sense danger, but even Sangmo could smell it.

One by one, pink skeletons emerged from the ground, fixing their empty eye sockets intently on Little Daogu.

A sharp, piercing laughter resounded; in the deathly still Ghost Region, it was like a thunderclap on a spring day, making one's hair stand on end.

Little Daogu let out a scream and dropped the short sword from her hands.

She crouched down, hugging her head, imagining a scene where the General came to rescue her.

But after a long wait, her surroundings suddenly became quiet. She slowly lowered her arms and looked up.

What caught her eyes was a vast wall covered in golden scales.

Startled, she shouted in fear, looking around to realize it was a huge Golden Python, and she was encircled by the serpent's body.

The snake twisted its body and suddenly transformed into a man covered in scales.

He had golden hair and blue eyes. Whenever he opened his mouth, a black and purple tongue slithered out.

He pointed at Little Daogu, then at himself, and said in broken speech, "You... will... bear... my... snake... eggs."