Chapter 167: Wick

I'm overbearing, what can you do about it?

The treasure sword was snatched; the woman who called herself Pan Si Da Xian flared up, both hands lashing out in a flurry. After she drove Zhou Shuo back, she shook her ten fingers hard, and the little bells tied to her wrists and fingers jingled at once.

"Now you're under my control." Zhou Shuo didn't wait for the bell's sound to finish, he jabbed his toe into the ground and pulled up; with a bang, the ground exploded, a shower of dirt and stones flying straight at her.

"You..." The woman instantly got a face full of dust; the back of her hand and her cheek stung from the stone hits, she retreated, not bothering to shake her hand bell, her gaze at Zhou Shuo finally changed—this time she'd kicked an iron plate.

"What are you? You rely on being the wick in the Buddha's lamp before his altar, thinking I wouldn't dare hit you?" Zhou Shuo looked at the dust-covered woman, snorted coldly, and flicked a stone up with his toe.

"So you're from the Heavenly Realm—I'll fight you to the end." Hearing Zhou Shuo's words, the woman's gaze shifted again; she pointed her fingertip, shooting out a strand of blue flame. The stone Zhou Shuo kicked up met the blue flame and instantly turned into blue smoke and vanished, while the blue flame continued straight toward Zhou Shuo.

"Get lost." Zhou Shuo looked at the oncoming blue flame, kicked the ground, and the pair of short swords belonging to the Heroic Maiden flew up to meet it. The blue flame kept coming, while the swords fell silently to the ground, their bodies turning bright red and slowly softening into molten iron.

"Damn, I can't beat her, I'm running." Zhou Shuo saw the Heroic Maiden's short swords melted, dodged the incoming blue flame, and at the same time warned the Heroic Maiden and the Flying Swallow Maiden.

"Give my sword back." The woman, seeing Zhou Shuo dodge her blue flame, suddenly stepped in front of the Heroic Maiden and reached out her right hand—but she didn't expect the Heroic Maiden, in her confusion, to draw her treasure sword with a cyan‑purple scabbard; a flash of cold light thrust straight at her.

"How could this be…?" The woman watched as the Heroic Maiden suddenly drew her long sword aimed at her; she froze, letting the sword pierce her body, while the Heroic Maiden, gripping the sword, was also a bit dumbfounded—she never expected the woman not to dodge at all.

"Hey, does it hurt?" Zhi Zun Bao looked at the treasure sword stabbed into Pan Si Da Xian's body, stood up, and stared at her shocked expression.

"Why did you pull out the Purple‑Cyan Treasure Sword?" Pan Si Da Xian ignored Zhi Zun Bao, staring at the Heroic Maiden's dazed look.

"I, I don't know." The Heroic Maiden looked at Pan Si Da Xian's foolish expression, suddenly felt the treasure sword in her hand scorching hot, and quickly let go.

"Hey, you got stabbed straight through—don't you feel anything?" Zhi Zun Bao stared at Pan Si Da Xian; not only him, but even Zhou Shuo, who had just shaken off the blue flame, wore a look of surprise—turns out drawing the sword actually works on her; now there's a good show to watch.

"Smack." That was the answer to Zhi Zun Bao—a loud slap.

"Why did you hit me?" Zhi Zun Bao covered his right cheek, looking utterly innocent.

"Didn't you see I was stabbed?" Pan Si Da Xian reached out, pulled the treasure sword from her body, glared at Zhi Zun Bao covering his cheek, let the sword wound flashing with blue flame on her body heal on its own, then stared foolishly at the Heroic Maiden.

"How is that possible?" The Heroic Maiden watched the sword wound flashing with blue light close up on its own, and involuntarily stepped back two steps in fright.

"She's the wick inside the divine lamp before the Buddha's altar—essentially just a bundle of wick; ordinary means can't kill her, so… there's no need to fear." Seeing the Heroic Maiden retreat, Zhou Shuo couldn't help but explain.

"Qingxia Xianzi?" Zhi Zun Bao covered his cheek and exclaimed in surprise.

"Do you know me?" The woman who called herself Pan Si Da Xian turned her head to look at Zhi Zun Bao.

"I've heard of you." Zhi Zun Bao looked at the gaze of Qingxia Xianzi sweeping over him, unconsciously stepped back two steps, then nodded.

"Do you also know me?" Qingxia turned her head to look at the Heroic Maiden and the Flying Swallow Maiden; of course her gaze focused mainly on the Heroic Maiden, because she noticed that the expressions of these two women had also changed a bit—as for the man beside them, he could be ignored.

"Hey, we actually all have a bit of fate; no need to fight like this. Let's first go into the cave to find something, then sit down and eat while we talk." Seeing the astonished Qingxia Xianzi and the crowd, Zhou Shuo couldn't help but smile and wave his hand as he spoke.

"Great, great! I have lots of questions I want to ask; if you all could spare some time to help me answer them, that would be perfect." Hearing Zhou Shuo's words, Zhi Zun Bao's expression brightened, and he loudly pleaded—but before he could finish speaking, a huge force struck his shoulder, sending his body flying, rolling three times before landing.

"You big‑headed ghost, not helping your master speak." Qingxia looked at the guy who had rolled three times before landing, pointed her finger hard, and with a bang the soles of Zhi Zun Bao's straw sandals exploded, instantly catching fire; frightened, the guy hurriedly reached out to put out the flames.

"From today on, you and everything you have are mine; this is your mark." Qingxia watched the guy extending his hand to pat his foot to put out the fire, made a grasping motion in the air, and the long wooden box that Zhi Zun Bao had tossed aside while trying to put out the fire flew straight into her hand.

"Hey, how can you do this?" Zhi Zun Bao watched the box fly away from his side, ignored the burning soles of his feet, and urgently demanded of the woman who had snatched the box.

"This is just how I am—what can you do about me?" Qingxia reiterated that a woman need not reason.

"Then why don't you stamp them?" Zhi Zun Bao felt like crying but had no tears; he lifted his foot and saw that the torn straw sandal revealed three black moles on his sole. Seeing those three black moles, the aimless man was dumbfounded.

"I like it!" Qingxia glanced at the Heroic Maiden, lifted her gaze, but noticed that Zhi Zun Bao was completely captivated by the mark on his own sole, and she couldn't help feeling a bit bored.

"You like her that much, miss—can we go now?" Zhou Shuo looked at the woman stealing glances at the Heroic Maiden, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"May I ask where you're going?" Qingxia looked at the Heroic Maiden and, without thinking, asked Zhou Shuo.

"We're not going anywhere." The Heroic Maiden looked at the woman stealing glances at her, felt something was off, cut off Zhou Shuo's reply—what she most wanted to do was first return to the Water Curtain Cave on Flower Fruit Mountain, try to persuade her senior brother Sun Wukong, and if that failed, go straight back to the mountain.

"That's great—how about resting two days in my Pan Silk Cave?" Qingxia saw the Heroic Maiden's intention to stay, and her eyes lit up.

"But we need to go to the Water Curtain Cave." The Heroic Maiden looked at the woman whose eyes had brightened, and suddenly felt a chill run through her body.

"So you like the Water Curtain Cave, then." Seeing the Heroic Maiden speak, Qingxia didn't hesitate, waved her hand, and changed the three characters on the stone cave that had become 'Pan Silk Cave' back to 'Water Curtain Cave'.

"Aren't we looking for this Water Curtain Cave?" The Heroic Maiden looked at the woman who had changed the cave name without hesitation, and felt like she was about to break down.

"Then what Water Curtain Cave are you looking for? I'll help you find it!" Upon hearing that, Qingxia couldn't help but ask.

"Well, you can talk slowly, but could you first give me the Moonlight Treasure Box?" Zhi Zun Bao, who had somehow already stood up, stood beside Qingxia, his gaze following the long wooden box in her hand—but Qingxia only paid attention to talking with the Heroic Maiden, ignoring her.

"Big Brother Zhou, what on earth is going on?" The Flying Swallow Maiden looked at the Heroic Maiden entangled by Qingxia, and at Zhi Zun Bao standing beside Qingxia, staring fixedly at the long wooden box; she stood beside Zhou Shuo, her lively eyes full of question marks.

"It's a complicated relationship—don't ask me, I don't know either, but kids probably shouldn't watch; it might really mess up their worldview." Zhou Shuo looked at the two women and one man, shaking his head straight.