(3) Calamity in a Cup of Wine

The spirits said that during the nearly twenty years Xiaoyi spent under the Old Immortal's tutelage—lessons heavy and the Old Immortal's demands exacting—he never joined the others in their games and mischief, and rarely so much as crossed the pavilion bridge back into the woods. But whenever Anu battered him black and blue testing her weapons against him, Xiaoyi would quietly slip back to the forest afterward with medicine, tending to the other spirits' wounds inside and out, which never failed to draw their teasing: "The wife beats people up front, and you go around patching them up behind her back. One playing the villain, one playing the hero—who exactly are you two putting on this show for?"

　　"Enough chatter! Take it or leave it—if you don't want it, I'll just take it back."

　　"Leave the medicine, we'd be fools to refuse. These bumps and bruises won't kill anyone, sure, but healing faster means suffering less. Your wife's too fierce for us to say a word to her face, so we might as well squeeze a little compensation out of you."

　　"Here, take it! And stop talking nonsense!"

　　As though something had been struck too close to the heart, Xiaoyi would always leave the medicine and flee back to the pavilion, his face red…

　　Was it really nonsense? In truth, not at all. Throughout the whole of the Mist Forest, everyone but Anu understood perfectly well what was going on—ever since the Old Immortal had handpicked Xiaoyi, out of countless possibilities, to be his personal disciple, everyone had known exactly what it meant. Did the Old Immortal simply take on disciples at whim? It was said that the Medicine King of the Celestial Court was his eldest disciple, and that the Old Immortal, unwilling to hold office in the Celestial Court himself, had recommended his own student for the post instead. The Old Immortal loved to wander the world, his compassionate hands having saved countless lives; even the Demon Realm owed him more than a few favors. Among the Three Realms, there was likely no one who could bind him to any one place—wherever he went, whether the path of righteousness or the path of darkness, he was welcomed with open arms and treated as an honored guest. That he had come deliberately to the Mist Forest and stayed nearly twenty years was surely no passing whim, no idle fancy to take on a disciple for amusement's sake—he was repaying a debt of trust, having come at his wife's earnest and repeated pleading to help "avert calamity" for the Asura King and Queen.

　　And who was the Old Immortal's wife? None other than a close relative of the Asura Queen's own family. Back in the day, the Old Immortal had gone to great lengths to win her hand—how could he possibly dare defy his wife's wishes now?

　　So the Old Immortal's true purpose in coming to the Mist Forest had never been to take on a disciple, but to find Anu a worthy husband.

　　And since a good husband could hardly fall from the sky, taking a disciple was the perfect means to that end. A woman of Anu's standing and beauty—what ordinary man could ever measure up to her? The purpose of taking on a disciple was plain enough: first, to shape, according to the wishes of the Old Immortal and the Queen, a young man of outstanding character; and second, to elevate the standing of Anu's future husband through the connection—bearing the name of the Old Immortal's disciple, who in all Three Realms would not show him a measure of respect? But however outstanding the young man, it would all come to nothing if Anu did not come to care for him herself. And if she were told outright that Xiaoyi was meant to be her future husband, she might well rebel against the very idea out of spite. Far better to let him become part of her daily life, so that the two of them might naturally build a deep and genuine bond—it might not be enough to win her heart outright, but with such closeness established, everything else would come far more easily.

　　After all, Anu would have to return home eventually.

　　Everything, every last piece, was already in place. All that remained now was the east wind.

　　And what was that east wind?

　　Anu's own heart, of course.

　　Lost in such idle musings, Xing'er drifted off to sleep without quite realizing it, until the sound of Anu murmuring in her sleep stirred her awake.

　　"Anu, wake up!" Xing'er yawned, sat up, and frowned as she shook the girl beside her.

　　"What are you dreaming about in broad daylight? Don't tell me the wine still hasn't worn off?" She patted Anu's cheek lightly.

　　Shaken and patted by Xing'er, Anu at last stirred slowly out of her nightmare.

　　"Why are you hitting me?" Anu shot Xing'er a look.

　　"Don't even talk to me! I was woken up by your mumbling—you kept crying out something about 'Xiaoyi, don't go,' and since I'm not Xiaoyi, all I could do was smack you awake… We still need to get back to the Mist Forest! We've delayed long enough as it is—we need to move quickly, or if your father finds out, I'll be the one who really can't get away." Xing'er grumbled as she swung herself down off the bed.

　　Anu looked around, her mind still somewhat foggy—she vaguely recalled a cup of wine going down, Xing'er dragging her along, and after that, nothing at all.

　　"It's a good thing we've always slept in separate rooms—these past few nights I've truly had enough of you. Not a moment of peace in your sleep: kicking, hitting, and mumbling on and on. Whoever your future husband turns out to be, he's in for a rough time…" Xing'er said, wearing a look of thorough disgust.

　　"What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?" Anu snatched up the pillow beside her and hurled it at Xing'er. "Talk like that again and I'll beat you before my father even gets the chance!" Her face flushed red even as she said it, and she leapt off the bed, chasing after Xing'er as if to strike her.

　　Seeing her coming, Xing'er dodged and laughed as she ran. "Whoever marries you is going to have quite the fierce wife on his hands…"

　　"You… you…" Anu's face burned red, equal parts embarrassment and fury, and she chased Xing'er around a few circles before finally collapsing, gasping, onto a bench.

　　Gasping for breath? That couldn't be right—running a few laps around a small room shouldn't leave even a mortal so winded. What was wrong with her this morning? And then she remembered—that cursed cup of wine…

　　That was it. Even now she felt unsteady on her feet, her head thick and dizzy—it had to be that wretched wine at work.

　　"See, this is what happens when you drink too much. So, are we heading out or not?" Seeing Anu in this state, Xing'er looked a little worried.

　　"Look at you, making such a fuss over nothing—it's just a bit of a hangover, going back to the Mist Forest isn't exactly difficult. Come on, let's say goodbye to A-Gui and the newlyweds and get moving." Anu pressed her fingers against her forehead as she spoke.

　　And so, after breakfast, the two sisters said their goodbyes to A-Gui and Manchun. Seeing the happiness written across both their faces, Anu felt a swell of warmth in her heart, and so, hangover and all, she set off cheerfully from Yan City on the road home.

　　On the way from Qingxi Town to Yan City, Anu and Xing'er had chosen to travel by carriage in order to avoid drawing attention—so as not to arouse A-Gui's suspicions, if nothing else. Now, with just the two of them departing, all they needed was to summon their spirit-flight, and before long they would be back in the Mist Forest.

　　Now, the strength of one's spirit-flight was closely tied to one's own cultivation. Xing'er's power was slight, and her spirit-flight none too reliable—she relied mostly on Anu to guide the way. But today, Anu was still nursing her hangover from the morning, her mind hazy and her steps unsteady, and she seemed uncertain even of the cardinal directions. They walked and walked, and somehow lost their way entirely; round and round they went, through what was indeed dense forest, yet never the Mist Forest. Wandering back and forth through the thick woods, the longer they walked, the more their unease deepened into panic.

　　"Where on earth is this?" The two girls grew increasingly frightened, and Xing'er couldn't help demanding an answer.

　　"I… I don't know either…" Anu's face was likewise etched with anxiety.

　　"What's wrong with you? Still hungover? What are we going to do?"

　　In truth, Anu herself was in a state of quiet panic. She rarely left the Mist Forest at all—apart from the occasional visit to the royal court, she mostly just wandered around Qingxi Town. This was the very first time in her life she had ventured to an unfamiliar place beyond the Mist Forest, and had her mind not been so muddled, it might not have seemed like such a serious matter at all. If only she hadn't been struck by some strange impulse the night before and gulped down that cup of wine, she would never have found herself in such a predicament.

　　But the more anxious she grew, the more flustered she became. Anu had always been a bold, impulsive girl—what did she know of fear? And yet now she found herself utterly at a loss, her usual fierce spirit nowhere to be found. She, a proud daughter of the Asura Clan, unable even to find her way back to the Mist Forest?

　　Where on earth were they? And where was the Mist Forest? Her heart pounded with dread, and a nameless fear rose in Xing'er's heart as well, the terror passing back and forth between the two of them, amplifying with each exchange, until all sense of calm had fled entirely. Through the gaps in the trees, glancing up at the sky, they saw that the morning sun they'd set out under from Yan City had long since sunk toward the western hills, dusk deepening fast; in a forest already gloomy by nature, night fell even earlier still. Nearly a full day had passed, and still they wandered, lost and bewildered, stopping and starting, thoroughly miserable.

　　Xing'er wanted to urge Anu to sit down for a moment, to calm her mind—perhaps then things would settle back to normal. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a fierce, dark whirlwind suddenly tore through the air, so violent it forced their eyes shut, and before either of them could react, they were swept up into its churning grip. Anu sensed at once that something was terribly wrong—no wind or storm of the mortal world should have had any effect on her at all, let alone the power to sweep her up. Without a moment's thought, she shoved Xing'er away with all her strength. Xing'er was flung clear by the fierce edge of the whirlwind, thrown with such brutal force that she struck a great tree headfirst, the impact jarring every organ in her body. She crashed to the ground and cried out in pain, unable to rise for a long while. Yet even unable to move, her thoughts stayed fixed on Anu, who in that moment of crisis had pushed her clear of danger. Straining, she forced her eyes open, searching desperately for some sign of Anu—but nowhere in sight was there any trace of her. There was only a churning mass of black, whirlpool-like vapor howling not far away, the surrounding branches and leaves whipped and shuddering in the violent currents around it, swaying wildly, nearly torn up by their roots.

　　"Anu!" Realizing Anu was nowhere to be seen, Xing'er ignored her own pain entirely, crying out her name over and over while flinging spells toward the black whirlwind, trying desperately to force open a crack in it. Anu might be trapped inside—whatever else happened, she had to get her out first.

　　But whether it was her own power being too weak or the black whirlwind itself being uncannily strange, though she was nowhere near as powerful as Anu, ordinary mortal disasters were nothing she couldn't handle—so why was this proving so utterly beyond her? Every spell she cast against the black whirlwind seemed simply to be swallowed whole, without effect. Then she remembered how Anu had shoved her away so abruptly, and a realization struck her: if Anu could have escaped unharmed herself, why would she be trapped inside that black whirlwind at all? That shove had clearly come from Anu sensing something was terribly wrong with the whirlwind, and pushing her out of danger in time.

　　Yes. That had to be it.

　　Realizing this, Xing'er's panic became complete—if even Anu was trapped inside, unable to save herself, then what hope was there? What power did she herself possess to turn the tide?

　　As for Anu, trapped within the black whirlwind, at first she hadn't felt any fear at all—her first instinct had been to get Xing'er out of danger, and once that was done, with no more worries behind her, she could focus entirely on confronting this bizarre and menacingly powerful "thing." She didn't know what exactly this "thing" was, but it was certainly nothing good—she herself had little confidence in facing it, and having Xing'er there besides would only mean one more person in danger, with no benefit to speak of. But she hadn't expected that when she tried to summon her own power, she found she couldn't muster even the slightest strength—as though the black whirlwind were steadily draining her spiritual energy. Not only could she not summon her power, but her physical strength, too, seemed to be draining away, drop by drop.

　　The feeling was thoroughly unpleasant—at the very least, in all her life she had never felt a sense of danger quite like this. Her body felt weaker and weaker by the moment, her hands and feet growing less and less responsive. Even the last time, facing the nine-headed serpent demon, when she'd resolved herself to save the little boy caught in her own charm spell even at the cost of her own life, she hadn't trembled like this. This slow, steady draining of her life force was a particularly agonizing kind of torment, and eventually even her consciousness began to blur—a doubled helplessness, of both body and spirit.

　　"Father… Mother… Eldest Brother… Second Brother… Third Brother… Fourth Brother… someone… someone… come… come… save… save me?" Having held on for so long, in the end all Anu could do was cry out weakly for her family, and though the hope was faint, there was truly nothing else left for her to do.

　　What in the world was this thing? Was she to die without ever knowing? And to think she'd once believed herself a powerful Asura woman, afraid of neither heaven nor earth? Just as Anu, having called out again and again for her family, was on the verge of utter despair, a memory suddenly flashed through her mind—of Ziyuan, the Celestial Crown Prince, once giving her a jade pendant, telling her it might save her in a moment of danger. His parting words in that moment came rushing back to her with sudden clarity. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now, on the verge of death, it was the only thing left to try. At a time like this, there was nothing left but to treat the dead horse as though it were still alive. In the pitch blackness, unable to see even her own hand before her face, with nothing but the roar of the raging wind in her ears, she weakly felt at her waist and, with great difficulty, drew out the jade pendant.

　　"Ziyuan… Ziyuan…" she called out his name toward the pendant in a voice barely audible.

　　"Ziyuan… save… me…"

　　The power of the Celestial beings had always surpassed that of the Asura Clan—it was only out of pride that neither side, top to bottom, was willing to admit it. Ziyuan was not only a Celestial being, but reportedly the Crown Prince himself, a man of rare and profound cultivation even among his own kind. Perhaps he truly possessed such extraordinary power that he could sense her peril, even from so far away.

　　No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Anu's strength gave out entirely, and she sank into unconsciousness…

　　At that moment, Xing'er was frantically pouring every last ounce of her strength into trying to break through the black whirlwind. She knew full well she couldn't so much as budge it, but with Anu's life hanging by a thread, however weak and useless she might be, she could not simply give up. Never mind that the King and Queen would never forgive her—she and Anu had long been as close as sisters, closer even than blood, and in her most desperate moment, Anu had thought first of her safety. How could she possibly think of giving up so easily? Only now, too late, did she regret always having relied on Anu, having spent so many years safe in the Mist Forest without enemies and grown lax about improving her own power.

　　"Anu! Anu!"

　　Throughout the whole forest, nothing could be heard but the howl of the wind and Xing'er's own anguished cries, until, her voice finally worn hoarse, a sudden burst of golden light enveloped everything before her, illuminating the entire darkened forest as bright as day—and under the pressure of that golden radiance, the black whirlwind was instantly suppressed, its range and force shrinking at once.

　　Then Xing'er saw Ziyuan appear amid the flash of golden light, and close behind him, Changxiu followed.

　　"Your Highness!" Ziyuan's sudden appearance struck Xing'er, already on the verge of hysteria, with a rush of hope, like rain after a long drought. Though she had no idea how Ziyuan had come to be here so suddenly, there was no doubt that his power far exceeded her own—she had no choice but to place every last hope in him.

　　"Your Highness… Anu… Anu is trapped inside, her fate unknown." Xing'er pointed at the churning mass of black wind, weeping as she spoke. "I don't know what that thing even is. It's no ordinary whirlwind—otherwise Anu would never have been trapped inside it."