Be Gentle, Immortal Master

That strange feeling troubled me all night. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like something was pointing me to an important hint, yet the answer was just slightly out of my reach. I searched through my memories futilely in the dark until I finally drifted to sleep, and when I woke up the next morning with bleary eyes, I still didn't find the tiniest clue.

So I made another trip to the library. When I stacked the new books I fetched into a handful of tall piles beside the bed, Bai Ye's expression was full of confusion. "I thought you brought all the books on demonic swords here already," he said.

"I did. These are books on demons." I kneeled next to the piles. "I won't sit in bed with you this time … because I want to flip through these quickly. Something you said yesterday gave me a thought, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I'm hoping that some text here might remind me of what's missing."

I opened the first book and skimmed through it. Various demon fighting skills, habits of biting, leaping stances … Pass. Next one: herbivores and carnivores, influences of diet on longevity, cravings for blood … My eyes lingered on the descriptions of bloodthirstiness for a little, but nothing seemed to call out to me like Bai Ye's words last night. Pass. Next …

I turned the pages fast, searching the lines quickly for that spark in my head to fill the missing link. A dozen volumes flew by, but nothing caught my attention.

"Which part of what I said made you feel that way?" he asked after I plopped down yet another book.

"The theory behind the power of demonic swords," I mumbled without looking up. "How different types of demonic power enhance and suppress each other just like the five basic elements … and all we need to do is to find the pattern … Are there any books that discuss such patterns?"

"Theories like these were considered madman's talks, Qing-er. No one would've written them down." He paused for a moment, probably searching for something else to say to make me feel a little better about it. "But maybe you can try a bestiary. Sometimes people like to include anecdotes about certain demons in their footnotes."

My hands were already reaching for the bestiary before he finished the sentence. Flipping the pages a little more slowly this time, I browsed the myriads of demon and mythical beast drawings. Taotie, qiongqi, hundun …

"Yazi!" I blurted when my eyes landed on a sketch of a mountain wolf with the head of a dragon. "This was it … Remember the yazi's venom we collected from the Misty Mountains?"

Before Bai Ye got a chance to reply, I scurried over to his side and grabbed his hand in excitement. "The mother bixie at Misty Mountains told me that we needed yazi's venom, but we never figured out why. If different types of demonic power enhance and suppress each other … then what if yazi's power is the one that suppresses Twin Stars? What if that's the reason she told us we'd need it?"

His brow knitted in thought. "Guardian beasts … are able to see the aura of demonic power," he said a bit hesitantly. "If the bixie noticed the aura of Twin Stars was something that yazi's venom could overpower … then … it is not impossible …"

"It's not just impossible!" I exclaimed, my voice starting to tremble in excitement. "It's quite possible and highly likely! I'll visit the Misty Mountains right away and ask her how to use that venom!"

I was so ecstatic at the discovery that I almost dashed out of the door immediately. And I probably would have, if not for him pulling lightly on my hands. "Qing-er," he said, still sounding a bit hesitant. "Don't get so excited yet. It might not be the way we think it is."

I halted. With some effort, I forced myself to calm down from the thrill of finally seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. "Are you still worried that I'd be disappointed?" I asked, sitting down next to him. "It's the first time that we found a clue leading us somewhere, Bai Ye. It's worth celebrating, even if we don't know for sure the result yet. When I come back—"

I paused, remembering the complications of reality after my momentary bliss. It'd take me almost a full day to get to Misty Mountains and back. A lot could happen during this time … And what if the Gatekeeper returns while I was away?

"I can't just leave you like this," I said, considering it more carefully. "I could leave a spell mark at the door … So that if anyone comes in while I'm gone, I'd be able to sense it and come back as soon as I can. But it'll still take me time to reach you even with a flying sword …"

Feeling my worry, Bai Ye patted the back of my hand softly. "THAT is not what I'm concerned about," he smiled and reassured me. "When have you seen Chu Yang manage to threaten me? I don't need to be able to see or fight to deal with him. You should have at least that much faith in me."

I looked up at him. Those words … He hadn't talked full of spirits like this for such a long time, and that confidence in his voice lifted a huge weight off of my mind. "Of course I have faith in you." I returned him a smile and a tight embrace. "I'll trust you to keep yourself safe then, and I'll be back before you know it. But don't try to risk your life doing something that you think is good for me again … Otherwise, I'll never forgive you this time."

He chuckled sheepishly, nodding in agreement.. In a mix of excitement and reluctance to leave, I kissed him, then left my spell mark and got on my flying sword.