Dragon Quest XXIII: The Brave Hero's Battle Against Evil

Luo Yu and Qin Yue both halted when they heard voices approaching. As the sound drew nearer, a figure appeared in the woods, stumbling toward them, panting heavily while calling out, “Immortal masters, wait, please wait…”

Luo Yu was a little baffled and said to Qin Yue, “Is he calling us?”

Qin Yue nodded.

Luo Yu burst out laughing, “We’re immortal masters now?”

Qin Yue replied calmly, “Since we've cultivated immortality, naturally we are immortal masters.”

As they spoke, the man arrived before them: a long white beard trailing to his chest, a face full of wrinkles, his hair tied in a knot at the back with a twig stuck through it; he wore a ragged robe and his feet were bare, looking thoroughly disheveled.

Luo Yu wondered if this was some mountain spirit or tree demon. He probed with his spiritual sense, but found that not only did the man lack any visible cultivation, even his spiritual energy was almost indiscernible. It couldn’t be that he was just an ordinary person.

Still puzzled, Luo Yu watched as the old man bent low and made a deep bow to them, saying, “Greetings, humble one pays respects. May I ask where the two immortal masters are heading?”

Qin Yue replied coolly, “Who are you, and why are you here?”

The old man said, “I am Gong Jin Qian, the mountain deity and local earth god of this place. I am well acquainted with the surroundings and might be able to offer my meager assistance to the immortal masters.”

Luo Yu was immediately excited—this man was actually an earth god, a genuine deity from legend! Had he become so formidable that even gods bowed to him?

Qin Yue lifted a hand in a polite gesture and said calmly, “Earth god, there's no need for excessive ceremony. We are here to seek spiritual ginseng, to exchange for spirit stones. Yet, none can be found in these mountains. Do you know what has caused this?”

The old man’s face lit up with delight upon hearing this and quickly responded, “That is a long story. If the immortal masters do not mind, please come to my humble abode and I shall explain everything in detail.”

Luo Yu and Qin Yue were quite curious about the domain of an authentic deity, so they nodded in agreement.

Following Gong Jin Qian through the woods, they soon reached a pond. Gong Jin Qian gestured ahead, saying, “Here we are.”

Luo Yu looked around—there was no cave in sight. Was the old man asking them to go underwater? He’d never tried that; it seemed mysterious.

Qin Yue, though equally unsure, kept his composure and showed no sign of uncertainty.

Gong Jin Qian stepped forward and clapped his hands three times on the clearing beside the pond. At the sound, both felt a surge of magical energy, and astonishingly, a ramshackle wooden shed appeared where none had been before.

Luo Yu was thrilled—voice-activated magic! Such advanced technology!

They followed Gong Jin Qian inside, finding themselves in a crude living room. In the center was a roughly made Eight Immortals table with two chairs. On the table stood a large Sprite bottle half-filled with water, and two old, battered ice cream tubs, apparently used as cups—truly embodying the “humble abode” spirit.

The old man seemed embarrassed by the makeshift cups and did not pour them water, merely invited, “Immortal masters, please be seated and wait a moment,” before rummaging noisily in an adjoining room. He soon emerged with a primitive wooden tray bearing wild fruits. Placing them on the table, he said, “These are mountain specialties, not as exquisite as immortal fruit or spiritual wine, but their flavor is quite good. Please enjoy at your leisure.” He then fetched a wooden stump to sit upon.

Luo Yu picked up a wild fruit and sniffed it—its fragrance was delightful. He bit in and found it crisp and juicy—a wonderful taste indeed.

Luo Yu exclaimed, “Delicious!” and quickly finished one, grabbing another.

Qin Yue sampled one with restraint, then slowly began to eat.

Seeing the immortal masters praise his fruit, Gong Jin Qian was elated and began his tale, shaking his head and speaking animatedly:

“I was a scholar in the Eastern Han, in the Yuanhe era. When my mortal life ended and my soul lingered, a ghost official led me to the underworld, where I became a minor scribe. Later, with the Lord of Hell’s favor, I was recommended to the heavens, and the Jade Emperor bestowed upon me a golden tablet, appointing me as mountain deity and earth god here. For a thousand years, I have faithfully performed my duties, patrolling my domain without neglect. Yet, since the Tang dynasty, no heavenly envoys have come to review my merits. Now, as society has declined, few offer incense at my shrine, and my magical power has waned. People nowadays seem not to venerate the gods, so my power is too weak even to leave the mountain. If this continues, my very existence is at risk. The land here is barren, immortals rarely visit, and I have no one to inquire of—until you arrived. Immortal masters, please have mercy and deliver a message to the heavens for me, to see if I might be reassigned elsewhere.”

Qin Yue asked, “You’ve been here two thousand years and never left the mountain?”

Gong Jin Qian hesitated, “During the Tang, some entered the mountain and spoke of a female emperor. I was curious and secretly went down to see. Immortal masters, please do not mention this to others.”

Both Luo Yu and Qin Yue were astonished by this—ancient people were so honest, patiently waiting for over a thousand years to be reassigned, despite being neglected.

Qin Yue said, “The heavenly court has long since declined. Wherever you go now, no one will control you anymore.”

Gong Jin Qian was shocked, jumping to his feet, “Is this true? How could it be? How could it be?”

Qin Yue answered, “The exact cause, we do not know. We only know that the heavenly court’s power survives solely in the Nine Heavens Palace of Kunlun Mountain, and even there, it is a shadow of its former glory.”

Gong Jin Qian’s face turned ashen, “What am I to do now?”

Luo Yu said, “The spiritual energy here is quite good. Why not cultivate here? No one controls you now—you can leave and find your own place, or stay and cultivate. What’s there to fear?”

Gong Jin Qian was bewildered, “How does one cultivate?”

Luo Yu was surprised, “You don’t cultivate—then where does your magical power come from?”

Gong Jin Qian answered matter-of-factly, “Magical power is born of incense offerings. When incense is abundant, magic is strong; when it fails, magic fades. How could one cultivate?”

The three were completely at a loss, like chickens and ducks talking past each other.

Luo Yu asked Qin Yue, “Would he count as a ghost cultivator?”

Qin Yue nodded, “If his soul became corporeal after death, he would be a ghost cultivator. Ghosts survive without spiritual energy, as long as the environment is suitable—in principle, not only would they not die, but could absorb yin energy and grow stronger. However, those who only absorb yin energy and grow fierce lack consciousness and cannot truly be called ghost cultivators. If the soul retains intelligence after death, ghost officials guide them to the underworld for judgment. As for specifics of the underworld, I only know what my father told me, not the exact process.”

Luo Yu nodded, then asked Gong Jin Qian, “You worked in the underworld—do all souls there have to reincarnate?”

Gong Jin Qian replied, “Indeed, they must reincarnate. I personally oversaw souls sent to the Reincarnation Platform.”

Luo Yu pondered but couldn’t quite grasp the logic, so he said, “Now that the heavenly court is gone, you’re just a rogue ghost cultivator. Go wherever you wish—see the world, update your thinking, don’t fall too far behind the times.”

Gong Jin Qian listened, half understanding, and said sadly, “My life tablet is bound here, so I cannot leave. Now that the heavenly court has fallen, I beg you immortal masters to help me escape this place. I would serve you faithfully in return.”

Qin Yue and Luo Yu exchanged glances. “Where is your life tablet bound? Can you show us?”

Gong Jin Qian hesitated for a long while, then gritted his teeth, “Immortal masters, please follow me.”

He led them to the pond and explained, “When the divine official brought me here to take office, he sealed my life tablet at the bottom of this pond.”

Qin Yue circled the pond twice, then stopped. With a wave of his hand, a pinkish-purple embroidered scarf flew into the air, spreading a field of violet light to cover the pond, poised for action. Suddenly, the pond water sensed the threat and began to boil, leaping higher and higher until it transformed into a towering water dragon, baring its fangs and claws, lunging fiercely at the scarf.

Both Gong Jin Qian and Luo Yu were shocked. Luo Yu worried inwardly: was the divine official powerful—how did such a monster appear?

Qin Yue was caught off guard as well. He had intended to use “Phantom Cloud” to drain the pond and inspect the bottom, but the defensive spell activated immediately.

Qin Yue quickly moved his fingers, casting a spell. The Phantom Cloud dodged aside, barely avoiding the dragon’s attack.

Luo Yu, anxious, grabbed a stone and said, “I'll help! I'll draw its attention, you strike!” He suspended the stone in midair and used his power to hurl it at the dragon’s head. The water dragon glanced at the stone, sensed no threat, swatted it skyward, then turned back to chase the scarf.

Luo Yu was embarrassed and angry. He gathered spiritual energy, conjuring fireballs in his hand and hurled them at the dragon’s head.

Caught off guard by the fireballs, the water dragon grew furious, roaring as it lunged at Luo Yu. Luo Yu couldn’t dodge—its icy fangs were about to bite him when the dragon’s head abruptly stopped above him, then turned into pond water and crashed down, soaking him thoroughly. Looking up, he saw Qin Yue had seized the opportunity to strangle the dragon with Phantom Cloud, breaking its neck.

No sooner had this crisis ended than the water dragon sprouted another head and lunged at Qin Yue. Luo Yu could only shout, “Careful!”

Qin Yue effortlessly leaped onto the dragon’s head, grabbed its horn with his left hand, and with his right, channeled his power, enveloping his arm in fierce flames before plunging it into the dragon’s skull. Seeing Qin Yue’s fierce expression, Luo Yu shuddered—he wasn’t sure if it was fear or cold.

The water dragon gave a mournful cry and its body went limp. Qin Yue extracted something from its brain, kicked off, and landed gracefully, more agile than a gymnastics champion. The dragon dissolved into water with a thunderous crash, returning to the pond, and all was calm again.

Luo Yu breathed a sigh of relief, shivering from the cold. He wanted to ask Qin Yue what he had retrieved, but his lips trembled too much to speak.

Qin Yue glanced at him coldly, came over, and took his hand. Luo Yu felt warmth flow into him, circulating through his body, and immediately stopped shivering.

Qin Yue withdrew his hand and said coldly, “Use fire element energy to dry your clothes as you did before.”

With that, he went to the pond and used Phantom Cloud to drain the water.

Luo Yu dried his clothes as he moved over to watch curiously.

Once the pond was drained, a small stone platform was revealed at the bottom, holding a box. Luo Yu and Qin Yue jumped down and sensed a surge of magical energy from the stone platform—a minor barrier enveloped the box. The barrier was similar to ones found in Water Mirror Immortal’s cave, weak enough to keep out ordinary people or minor gods like Gong Jin Qian.

Qin Yue channelled his power and forced the barrier open, taking the box. It was wooden—Luo Yu probed it with his spiritual sense and found it could block his senses. He asked Qin Yue, “What material is this?”

Qin Yue considered, “Likely a magical artifact refined with Soul-Binding Grass. The underworld uses such boxes to contain scattered souls. Since this holds an earth god’s life tablet, for security, it must be made of this material.”

They took the box and climbed out of the pond, approaching Gong Jin Qian.

Seeing the box, Gong Jin Qian prostrated himself in gratitude, “Thank you, immortal masters, for saving me! Should you require anything, I will serve you unto death!”

Luo Yu felt embarrassed—this elderly man could be his ancestor’s ancestor’s ancestor, and being bowed to repeatedly was overwhelming. He hurriedly mimicked Qin Yue’s tone, “Earth god, no need for ceremony.”

Qin Yue opened the box, took out a wooden tablet and handed it to Gong Jin Qian, keeping the box for himself.

Gong Jin Qian carefully accepted the tablet, flicked it, and it flew into the air, shrank to the size of a fingernail, and entered his mouth. He sat cross-legged and merged his soul with the tablet. After a while, he spat it out and respectfully offered it to Qin Yue, “Benefactor, this life tablet is made from the Soul-Nourishing Wood of the underworld. Wearing it steadies the soul and mind—it is a rare treasure. You should keep it well.”

Qin Yue, recognizing the Soul-Nourishing Wood, accepted it without hesitation and instantly made it disappear.

Luo Yu watched him collect treasure after treasure, feeling envious. He nudged Qin Yue and asked sourly, “What did you take from the dragon’s head?”

Qin Yue glanced at him and produced an object that looked like paper but wasn’t.

Luo Yu examined it—it was about palm-sized and rectangular, one side covered in incomprehensible symbols, the other bearing a strange pattern with circles and lines. Within the design, a thin creature was swimming. Luo Yu peered closer—it resembled a translucent little snake, and he asked curiously, “What is this?”

Qin Yue replied, “It’s a talisman containing a snake soul that has just gained intelligence but not yet transformed. The creature we fought was most likely this.”

Luo Yu said, “But wasn’t it a dragon?”

Qin Yue answered, “The talisman’s power boosted the snake soul, and the pond’s strength transformed it into a water dragon. A true dragon soul would be far beyond our ability to defeat.”

Luo Yu asked, “Can this be used away from water?”

Qin Yue said, “Talismans can be used without external power, but drawing on environmental energy increases their potency.”

Luo Yu was excited, “Let’s try it!!”

Qin Yue replied, “When the snake soul fades to transparency, the talisman will no longer work.”

Luo Yu was disappointed, “So there’s a usage limit?”

Qin Yue nodded, “Keep it for self-defense. You can experiment, but once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Luo Yu’s eyes lit up with joy as he admired the little snake swimming inside—so cute! He hesitated over where to store it, not trusting anywhere on his person, yet reluctant to let Qin Yue keep it for him, caught in indecision.

Qin Yue, exasperated by his stinginess, produced a palm-sized cloth pouch, exquisite and covered in intricate dark patterns, gleaming beautifully. He tossed it to Luo Yu, saying, “Use your power to lock items inside, shrink it, and wear it around your neck.”

Luo Yu felt a surge of spiritual energy from the pouch and asked, “What is this?”

Qin Yue replied coolly, “A Universe Bag found in Water Mirror Immortal’s cave. Its function is similar to my bracelet, but it cannot recognize an owner and has less capacity. When wearing it, lengthen the strap to avoid drawing unwanted attention. Consider it a birthday gift.”

Luo Yu was overjoyed and leaped up to hug him, rubbing against him, “Qin Yue, you’re the best! I love you!” Almost kissing him on the cheek.

Gong Jin Qian, observing for a long time, cautiously apologized, “Forgive my poor eyesight—I failed to see that you are partners.”

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