In midair, a slender thread of light flew in and slipped into the Village Chief’s hair. The Village Chief, unfazed, stepped down from the sky and returned to Oldridge Village.
A hundred miles downstream, the Yong River curved around a mountain and flowed through a gorge. Here, the ice tide was blocked, piling higher and higher until it finally dammed the river.
"Serena, stop!"
The hundred-legged bone centipede demoness carried Quinn Shepherd through the air, twisting forward like a dragon but at incredible speed. At his words, she landed atop the left bank’s mountain in the gorge, sneering, "Cowherd boy, why should I listen to you?"
Quinn leapt off her back, puzzled. "I freed you from your chains. Naturally, you should help me break open the ice-dam in return."
Serena’s body wavered, shifting back into her teenage girl guise—chains dragging from her wrists and ankles—as she bounced and skipped circles around Quinn, iron links clattering. Peering from behind him, she grinned, "You help me, so I must repay you? Have you forgotten? Last time you nearly got me killed by that old bald donkey! You even stole the treasures I’d hidden for years. I ought to eat you first!"
Quinn laughed. "But you wouldn’t dare."
Serena’s neck suddenly stretched out several zhang, circling Quinn a few times until their faces were nearly touching. She sneered, "Wouldn’t dare? The old bald donkey isn’t here to help you now—why wouldn’t I dare?"
"I live in Oldridge Village. I have nine grown-ups at home—any one of them could easily kill you."
Quinn smiled. "No matter how you change your face, no matter how far you run, they’ll always find you, kill you, and make you regret ever being born in this world."
Serena Clearbrook (Wuya) shivered, her neck shrinking until she turned back into a snow-pale, adorable girl. She jingled the gold rings and chains on her wrists and ankles, bouncing around with a mischievous grin. "I’m scared of your grown-ups, but that doesn’t mean I have to help you. That old bald donkey was right—if you let me out, I’ll go cause trouble, eat people, stir up chaos! Why should I help you save anyone? I’m outta here—"
She spun on her heel, chains jangling and clanking behind her as she strode off.
Quinn Shepherd called out suddenly, "Serena! The Buddhists say, 'Lay down your butcher’s knife, become a Buddha on the spot.' Sounds nice, but it’s just slippery talk—pretending there’s no real difference between good and evil. Not buying it. But if you help me bust open this ice-dam and save everyone downstream, that’s real merit—way more than that bronze Buddha ever earned!" [*Note: 'Merit' (功德) in Buddhist tradition refers to spiritual credit earned by good deeds, believed to influence karma and future rebirth.]
Serena stopped in her tracks, twisting her head all the way around, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
Quinn went on, "If you help save lives with me, your merit will outshine that bronze Buddha who chained you—a hundred times over! Next time you see him, let’s see if he even dares show his face and try to put you down again!"
Serena cocked her head, considered, then burst out laughing. "Alright, you’ve talked me into it. I’ll help. That old bald donkey acts all righteous, always nagging me about how many people I’ve eaten, then locks me up with his fancy speeches, saying the river flood will wash away my sins. I told him, I eat people not because I’m good or evil—I’m just hungry! Just like you humans eat rice, chicken, or veggies. Hungry, so you eat. That’s all."
She glanced down at the blocked river. "I don’t care about the people I eat, so they’re just food. You don’t care about rice or veggies, so you eat them. That thieving monk called me twisted and chained me up. Fine! So I made a point of eating people right in his temple, just so he’d get no merit! But if my merit beats his, let’s see if he can still boss me around! Hmph, there’s way too much ice here—if I still had my spirit weapons, I’d smash through, but that thief took them all…"
Zheng—
Quinn drew the Grand Guardian’s Sword, channeled his yuanqi into the blade, and slashed at the frozen tide blocking the gorge. He shouted, "Serena, give me a hand!"
"That sword—the one you used to chop my chains?"