Chapter 3: Some Village Called Xuhou, Part Three

A rooster crowed as the sun rose over the village of Xuhou.

“Mmhmmhh.” xiao-Chun stirred.

Such a long and vivid dream. Talismans and transforming into a little kid again. Ha. Must be all the web novels she read during the long plane flight to China. 

She should wake up from her nap now. Her friends probably needed her to move her ass so they could place the food down on the picnic blanket. 

Xiao-Chun opened her eyes, expecting to see forest and her friends staring down teasingly at her. Instead, she was met with earthen walls. She wasn’t outdoors at all. And her friends were nowhere in sight.

No. No. 

She slowly turned her head to the side. Pan Heng snored contentedly in his bed.

Pan Heng. He-He’s real.

That meant…

No. No! No!

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Damn it! Why won’t I wake up?!” Xiao-Chun repeatedly smacked her face hard.

Until she found that she couldn’t anymore.

Pan Heng grasped her wrists, holding them in place. He stared at her in annoyance. “Stop. That.”

Xiao-Chun struggled to pull her wrists free, glaring at Pan Heng in frustration. He returned her glare with a stern glare of his own.

Xiao-Chun faltered. Pan Heng clearly wasn’t in the mood to deal with her outburst, especially since she’d woken him up. 

So xiao-Chun closed her eyes, slowing her breathing to a normal pace. - Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. - Her hands relaxed.

Pan Heng slowly released his grip on her wrists. He sighed and gently massaged them. “There. There. You’re ok.”

Xiao-Chun opened her eyes. Pan Heng was facing her, but he didn’t really seem to be looking directly at her. At the moment, he appeared to be deep in thought about something.

Noticing xiao-Chun quietly staring at him, Pan Heng let go of her wrists and awkwardly patted her on the back. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

And xiao-Chun was left alone. Alone to reflect on this new strange reality.

She couldn’t be dead. She woke up in her own body and clothes last night.

Coma or lucid dreaming? Maybe.

But everything felt so real. Her cheeks still stung a little from the slaps. She could smell food cooking, hear the sounds of Pan Heng shuffling about in the hut, and feel her fingers digging harshly into the blankets on the bed mat she rested on.

And she was still a little kid.

So she was very likely, most definitely not dreaming.

In that case, where the hell was she? Just what was going on?

Xiao-Chun tightly clutched the blankets in her hands and laid her head against the wall.

She was lost. So fucking lost.

Some time passed and the sound of footsteps approached, interrupting her thoughts. 

Pan Heng had returned, holding a talisman. 

He stood in front of xiao-Chun, his hand hovering near her left arm. “Hold your arm out.”

Xiao-Chun did as he asked, allowing Pan Heng to slap the talisman on.

…

Xiao-Chun blinked down at the talisman. 

...

Was something supposed to happen? She didn’t feel any different. Was this just a repeat of last night with the ineffective talisman?

...

Ok. What was that supposed to do? 

“Um...what?”

“Heh. Looks like the talisman works.”

“What do you mean that the talisman works? I-“

Wait. 

“I could understand you.”

“And I could understand you,” Pan Heng smirked, “That’s how translation talismans work.”

Translation talisman? -  Xiao-Chun stared down at the talisman in disbelief. - First, I get turned into a little kid. Now, I’m supposed to believe there’s actual magic talismans too?! This-This is a little too much. 

Pan Heng patted xiao-Chun’s shoulder, jolting her out of her mess of thoughts. “Come on, you hungry? I’ve got breakfast ready.”

Breakfast? Ok, hopefully some food will help calm her nerves, xiao-Chun thought as Pan Heng led her to the clay furnace room.

A small dining table was set out in the center of the room, along with stools to sit on. Two cups of water and two bowls of rice topped with fish and vegetables were set on the table.

Xiao-Chun and Pan Heng took their seats.

Pan Heng picked up his chopsticks. “Go ahead. Eat.”

Xiao-Chun took a bite of the fish. She held back from gagging, but failed to hide her grimace. - So bland! It’s almost tasteless!

Pan Heng snorted. “What? Are you from some noble family? This is our food, the food of the common folk.”

“Sorry. The food tastes different from what I’m used to.” Xiao-Chun fidgeted, her eyes glued to her knees. - Gosh, did that sound rude? 

Pan Heng rested his cheek in his hand. “Oh really? Is it not because my cooking is terrible?”

“No! It’s not that! Really!” Not wanting to be rude, xiao-Chun continued eating, quite vigorously.

Pan Heng chuckled. “Relax, kid. I’m just messing with you.”

Xiao-Chun gave Pan Heng a pointed look, to which Pan Heng just smiled in amusement. She sighed, relaxing and taking slower bites of food.

A few bites in, xiao-Chun prepared to speak but Pan Heng held a hand up. “Let’s finish breakfast first. We have a lot to talk about and we’re going to need the energy.”

After finishing their meal, xiao-Chun spoke first. “So…where are my clothes?”

“Washed them. Then hung them outside to dry.”

Xiao-Chun’s gaze shifted to the translation talisman stuck to her arm. “And this translation talisman, why didn’t you just use it last night? It would’ve made things a lot easier.”

Pan Heng gulped down some water. “I just made that translation talisman this morning. I didn’t have a translation talisman on me last night because I didn’t think I’d need it. Not many foreigners pass by a backwater village like Xuhou.”

“Xuhou?” Xiao-Chun and her friends had asked the locals around Longsheng about their towns and their recommended spots in the mountains for picnicking. None of them mentioned any village called Xuhou.

“Yes. Xuhou, the village that didn’t quite give you...the warmest welcome last night. So,” Pan Heng cleared his throat and dramatically bowed from where he sat, “Welcome to our humble village of Xuhou, xiao-Chun.” 

Pan Heng poured more water into xiao-Chun’s cup. “So, xiao-Chun, where are your parents?”

“Oh. My dad’s back home...in the United States.” Xiao-Chun’s hands started sweating. - Please let him know what that means...

Pan Heng frowned in confusion. “The...United States?” 

Xiao-Chun’s sweating increased drastically. “Er, you know...A huge country with fifty states to the far west of China?”

“No, I don’t know.” Pan Heng sighed, schooling his facial expression into a more serious and stern one. “This isn’t the time for games, xiao-Chun. Your father must be worried about you. Where exactly are you from, really ?” 

Pan Heng was clearly skeptical about xiao-Chun’s answer, thinking she made it up as part of a little kid’s lively imagination.

Xiao-Chun glared at Pan Heng. “I’m telling you the truth! I really am from the United States!”

“Well, I’ve never heard of such a country in the west!” Pan Heng grew visibly frustrated with xiao-Chun, and it didn’t look like he was faking his ignorance at all.

That’s when it finally hit xiao-Chun. “That country doesn't exist here, does it?”

“No, it doesn't. I’ve traveled around as a cultivator. I would’ve heard about such a place, xiao-Chun.”

“I-well, well...” Xiao-Chun wasn’t sure what to say next. 

So that was it, she could no longer deny that she wasn’t even in the same world anymore. Shit.

Pan Heng managed a calming breath and composed himself. “Explain.”

Xiao-Chun spoke shakily. “My friends and I - we were on a vacation trip in China. We were having a picnic in the mountains in Longsheng. Then I just took a nice little nap to rest. Next thing I knew, I’m here.”

“So you were traveling with your friends in the mountains. Then you took a nap and somehow woke up here, a different location from where you originally were. Is that right?” Pan Heng recounted nonchalantly.

“...Yeah, I guess that’s right,” xiao-Chun replied, despite still being unsure. She didn’t have any better explanations though.

Pan Heng turned his head to the side and muttered to himself, “It must have been a transportation talisman mishap or a fairy’s mischief.”

“I have no idea how I got here.” Xiao-Chun’s voice trembled. “I could really use your help, Pan-ge.” Because she had no one else to turn to.

Xiao-Chun gazed directly into Pan Heng’s eyes, hoping that her desperation was clear.

Pan Heng silently returned her gaze for a few moments, then he gave a long sigh and stood up. “We’ll need to go investigate and search for your origin point in the forest surrounding the village. We’ll probably find some clues as to why you're here.”

Xiao-Chun almost wanted to cry tears of joy. Almost. “Thank you.”

Pan Heng rushed into the bedroom, returning with his cultivation gear and a sheathed sword in his hand. “All right, xiao-Chun. Let’s go.”

Pan Heng headed out of his hut, xiao-Chun trailing closely beside him. 

They took a path through the marketplace to get to the forest. The villagers steered clear of them, noticing the serious, not so lazy expression on Pan Heng’s face, his purposeful strides, and the sword he carried. Not to mention that xiao-Chun, the strange boy from last night, was still with him.

Xiao-Chun looked at the sword hanging at Pan Heng’s waist. The sword hilt was navy and the sheath was black. A set of Chinese characters were engraved into the sheath. 

微风

Wéifēng.

...Breeze?

So the translation talisman helped her understand how to read Chinese characters too. Cool.

Xiao-Chun and Pan Heng eventually got to the outskirts of Xuhou, stopping at the edge of the forest.

Pan Heng unsheathed his sword, its silver blade glinting in the sunlight. 

Then he placed it...on the ground? And set his feet on top of it?

Xiao-Chun observed this in disbelief. Huh? Why was Pan Heng standing on the sword blade? Wouldn’t that damage the sword?!

Pan Heng looked at xiao-Chun expectantly. “Well? Get on.”

“O-okay.” Xiao-Chun stood behind Pan Heng, placing her feet atop the sword blade. - I don’t think I’m going to like where this is going.

Pan Heng shifted. “Hang on!”

“Wha-waaah!” Xiao-Chun yelped as the sword lifted off from the ground and the two of them rapidly surged upwards into the air.

Xiao-Chun held Pan Heng’s pants leg tightly, trembling close to his side. -Don’t look down. Don’t look down.

Pan Heng balanced himself confidently on his sword, as if this was just a walk in the park. “Oh relax, xiao-Chun. We’ll be fine.” 

Was that a hint of laughter xiao-Chun heard in Pan Heng’s voice? The ass. So what if she was afraid of heights? 

Pan Heng patted xiao-Chun’s head. “Hah. Don’t worry, even if you fall, I’d swoop in fast enough with Weifeng to save you.”

“Mph,” was xiao-Chun’s only response as she was more focused on holding onto Pan Heng for dear life.

Pan Heng sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and sighed. “Look. I know you’re scared, but I need an extra pair of eyes to help me out with this investigation. We’re trying to get you home, remember?”

“R-right.” Xiao-Chun kept her tight grip on Pan Heng’s pants but swallowed her fear, focusing her eyes on the ground below.

They flew steadily above the trees, carefully surveying the forest grounds.

A half-hour passed. Nothing.

Bored and curious, xiao-Chun carefully waved an arm out into the sky. “...There aren’t any wires.”

Pan Heng snorted. “Hmph. Well, of course, there aren’t any wires. I can fly on my sword just fine using my spiritual energy.”

Then Pan Heng realized, “Wait. Is this your first time flying?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” If flying inside an airplane didn’t count, that is. 

“Oh. Well then, I’m sure my flying skills and Weifeng here are giving you a wonderful first flight.” Pan Heng glanced down at his sword in pride.

“...Yes.” Weifeng was doing great in making sure they weren't splattered on the ground, at least.

Another half-hour passed. Still nothing.

Xiao-Chun’s eyes were growing sore. Trees. More trees. Oh look, some birds! Even more trees.

Xiao-Chun turned her head up to Pan Heng. He had his usual grumpy face, but he didn’t appear tired at all. Was this a cultivator’s enhanced stamina at work?

Suddenly, Weifeng paused. 

Pan Heng squinted, trying to make out something in the distance.

Xiao-Chun turned to where Pan Heng was facing. “What’s-Whoa!”

Pan Heng’s sword flew quickly, stopping at a spot above the dense forest. Then it slowly descended through the trees, careful not to let itself or its riders hit any sharp branches.

Weifeng flew itself back into its sword sheath as Pan Heng ran to the object of interest, xiao-Chun following him.

Pan Heng stopped in front of a small clearing.

Xiao-Chun caught up behind him. “What? What is it? What did you se-”

Xiao-Chun froze. Pan Heng didn’t have to answer. The sight in front of them told her everything.

Drawn into the ground was a dark crimson array. Beside the array lay a single pouch.

The forest was nearly pitch black last night so xiao-Chun couldn’t clearly make out anything strange around her. But in broad daylight, the array was clear as, well, day.

Pan Heng held his arm out in front of xiao-Chun. “Wait here. I’ll check things out first. Make sure it’s safe.”

Pan Heng moved carefully towards the array. He crouched just outside of the array and brushed his fingers over it. Then he rubbed the crimson paint between his thumb and fingers. 

Pan Heng frowned. Not paint. “Blood.”

As if unbothered by the blood, Pan Heng casually wiped his hand clean on his pants. Then he grabbed the pouch beside the array and looked it over closely. The pouch was already open, with nothing inside. “And a spirit-trapping pouch. No doubt a cultivator was here.”

A cultivator other than Pan Heng.

Pan Heng turned the pouch over. An insignia was sewn into the other side. “This doesn’t belong to one of the Five Great Sects. A minor sect then.”

Pan Heng’s eyebrows furrowed. “But what would a cultivator from a minor sect be doing out here ?” 

Xuhou was a remote mountain village, after all. Esteemed cultivators and even other rogue cultivators avoided places like Xuhou, preferring to frequent places of luxury and splendor instead.

Pan Heng waved his hand over to xiao-Chun, signaling to her that it was safe.

Xiao-Chun crouched beside Pan Heng. “So what is all this anyway?”

Pan Heng grunted. “An array drawn in blood. A spirit-trapping pouch with traces of demonic energy. Can’t be anything but a forbidden dark ritual.”

Xiao-Chun was taken aback. Say what now? “Demonic energy? Forbidden dark ritual?”

“Right.” Pan Heng’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you were corrupted by the demonic energies used in this ritual.”

Xiao-Chun’s eyes darted to Weifeng. She made to run.

Not taking his eyes off the array, Pan Heng grabbed xiao-Chun's arm before she could get away. “Luckily, my defensive talisman didn’t work on you last night. If you really were a demon, I would’ve cut you down,” Pan Heng said, as if he was just explaining a school lesson to xiao-Chun.

Pan Heng let go of xiao-Chun’s arm and she staggered to the ground.

Xiao-Chun rubbed her arm nervously. “So where’s the person who did all this?”

Pan Heng scowled. “Tch. The cultivator who conducted this ritual must be dead.”

Xiao-Chun turned her head, looking around the clearing. “But where’s the body then?”

“The body must’ve been consumed during the ritual, along with all of the cultivator’s spiritual energy and the demons held captive in the spirit-trapping pouch.”

Pan Heng rubbed his chin. “This cultivator must’ve screwed up the dark ritual so badly that things didn’t go according to plan. Then all those disordered energies somehow displaced you here.”

Xiao-Chun gritted her teeth. “So you’re saying I might have been brought here by accident ?”

Pan Heng nodded. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” 

Pan Heng waved a hand over the blood array, making it vanish without a trace. Then he tucked the spirit-trapping pouch away into his coat. “Come on, xiao-Chun. There’s nothing else to find here.”

Xiao-Chun followed Pan Heng back onto his sword, too stunned to say anything else about the matter. - So that’s it? I was brought here by some kind of dark ritual? And the culprit is too dead for questioning? You’ve got to be kidding me!

How exactly did a dark ritual turn me back into a little kid and transport me to another world?

Why did this cultivator even conduct the ritual in the first place?

Who’s this mystery cultivator anyway? 

Am I...gonna be able to find a way back home?

Xiao-Chun was only left with more questions than answers.