Rumours of Elemental Demons
“Senior Brother Mu Yu, that’s fifty metres! That’s fifty metres!” Kongkong, who was hanging from a slanted tree branch at Dustfallen Precipice, enthused. He deftly leapt up to stand atop the branch without as much as a wobble.
Mu Yu looked as pale as a sheet, breathed erratically and felt dizzy when he looked down from atop the waterfall. He had to talk himself into not averting his gaze. There was no way he could practice Dustfallen Mental Cultivation in that state. He crouched down and grabbed his flying sword beneath him to reassure himself. He tried to steady his breathing to reduce his shaking.
“Everyone is going to laugh until their cheeks are sore if they saw you, haha!” teased Kongkong, incorporating a dance.
Miaomiao came out of nowhere and landed on another tree. She pointed at her brother and said, “My dear younger brother, you are teasing Senior Brother Mu Yu again. You are embarrassing me.”
“My dear younger sister, where have you been? Did I not tell you to follow me, your older brother?”
Miaomiao: “Senior Brother Mu Yu, Shifu called us back for something urgent.”
Mu Yu looked up, revealing his puzzlement on his face. Never had their shifu called them back during training hours. If he ever needed to communicate with everyone, he’d save it for meal times or in the evening, when everyone gathered at Dustfallen Precipice.
“You’re not trying to fool me, are you?” questioned Mu Yu.
“How come neither you nor Xiang Nan trust me? When have I ever lied?” Miamiao stood akimbo and grouched, “You’re not even training. What reason do I have to fool you?”
The twins would never dare to use their shifu as a means to distract him during training. They’d stone him, shout, pull obscure dance moves or Kongkong would run around naked – that last one finally forced Cheng Yan into submission and gave him a stomach ache from laughing. As everyone’s cultivation improved, their antics were ineffective.
The twins hopped onto Mu Yu’s sword, making it squishy, something Mu Yu was accustomed to. He returned to land at his own pace, which was rather slow, despite Kongkong badgering him to fly faster. Mu Yu felt a lot better when he was finally on land.
Feng Haochen was already sitting on the chair in the courtyard by the time everyone assembled. Cheng Yan picked up Xiang Nan on his way back because Xiang Nan refused to believe Miaomiao.
“I called you all over as something major has happened in the world of cultivation,” stated Feng Haochen, expression somewhat grave. It was well established he didn’t want to involve himself with the world of cultivation, but he had to keep a pulse on things in the cultivation world.
“Do we not always keep our distance from major matters in the cultivation world?” asked Lan Ling’er.
“A hunter spotted elemental demons during a hunt deep in the mountains. As such, every cultivator is affected,” explained Feng Haochen.
All of them flinched. Mu Yu’s expression was difficult to describe owing to him not knowing his connection to them.
Xiang Nan heard from his parents that elemental demons liberated his grandpa from life. He touched his head, “Shifu, have they not been sighted in decades? I thought they went extinct.”
“To keep it short, this is no joking matter. The hunter refuses to go to the forest again after the trauma left on him. Whether it’s true or not, we have to get to the bottom of it. Daoist Qingsong has sent a call to arms to every sect, asking for two excellent disciples from each sect to aid in the investigation. It’s not something we can turn away.”
Kongkong bounced up and down. “Shifu, let me and Miaomiao go.”
“Yeah, we want to see how they look,” agreed Miaomiao, jumping up and down.
Who would be scared of who? Would the elemental demons be afraid of the twins, or would the elemental demons be afraid of the twins who loved to see the world burn?
“I’d be more than happy to get rid of you two to give my ears some peace.”
Cheng Yan quickly caught on when he heard they had to send support. With him as the leader, whoever went with him would be safer. “Shifu, did you want me to go with someone?”
Everyone exchanged contact, unsure what Feng Haochen had in mind. The safest bet would be to select the two most advanced disciples since the enemy’s status quo was a mystery. Cheng Yan and Xiang Nan fit the bill best if that was the criteria.
“Go with Mu Yu.”
Mu Yu was the weakest cultivator among them, after all. If he had to hazard a guess, it would have something to do with his ability to control trees. Being curious about the elemental demons and wanting to meet one were two different things. He had a deep-seated fear of, one day, discovering he was somehow related to elemental demons. He had yet to figure out how to face his ability if they were related.
“Ling’er and Xiang Nan have reached Foundation Establishment’s Ninth Layer, so stay and strive to ascend to Golden Core Realm,” asserted Uncle An, authoritatively.
Xiang Nan stealthily poked his tongue, wishing he could go. Lan Ling’er was fine with it since she wanted to ascend as soon as possible.
“You two will head to Green Pine Sect with me early tomorrow,” said Feng Haochen.
The fear of having to eat Uncle An’s cooking compelled Kongkong to immediately inquire, “Shifu, are you going, too? When will you be back?”
Understanding what Kongkong was trying to get at, the corner Feng Haochen’s lip tugged up. “The trip to Green Pine Sect is for next year’s disciple selection contest. Daoist Qingsong moved the contest to an earlier date to evaluate each sect’s disciples’ abilities. He needs to see if they’re good enough to join the investigation team. I reckon it will take three to four days. As for those two, well, it’ll depend on how things turn out.”
The twins conversed using a variety of eye gestures, griping that was too long.
The competition Feng Haochen referred to was the annual one that decided the order each sect was allowed to select disciples at the annual disciple selection event. In the past, Feng Haochen always attended alone, leading to them coming up in last place all the time. He didn’t care for it because of his recruitment approach.
“I see.”
Lan Ling’er and Xiang Nan quickly realised what the twins were first to realise. The two pulled long faces, while Mu Yu was glad he dodged that fate.
Feng Haochen: “Go and pack. You will probably be gone for some time.”
Mu Yu and Cheng Yan nodded before they sprinted back to their rooms, joyous. Uncle An shot the others glares, hinting, “Don’t just stand there. Go and train.” Kongkong and Miaomiao flapped their gums silently and jumped over the wall, probably to go stir trouble again.
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