Chapter Twenty-Two: The Plantain Fan

The cliff before the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate was not tall, and a clear spring flowed at its base. The mountain forests were lush and verdant, and the beasts that usually fought each other upon meeting were now uncharacteristically quiet. These were the monsters of the surrounding mountains, most of whom had only just begun to awaken their intelligence, judging things by instinct alone. Over the past year, Nanluo had come to the edge of this cliff to recite scriptures every day, and gradually the beasts gathered around him. At first, there was only a small green snake; later, more and more joined.

Each hid beneath the leaves of trees or behind strange rocks. Their arrival was perfectly clear to Nanluo; though he had not yet developed magical power within his cultivation, the daily meditation and recitation of the "Yellow Court" had brought a tangible benefit: within a hundred meters of himself, every detail of his surroundings was vividly presented in his mind.

Nanluo's understanding of Mount Kunlun was still limited to the area surrounding the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. The Celestial Master Tongxuan was absent today; according to Gold Horn and Silver Horn, he had gone to discuss the Way with others—one called Prime Beginning, and the other Heaven-piercer. Nanluo thought that the more domineering the name, the less impressive the person, but after pondering for a moment, he dared not judge rashly. The fact that they could debate the Way with the Celestial Master Tongxuan proved their strength.

Kong Xuan had not visited since Nanluo awoke, and there was no news of him. When Nanluo asked the Celestial Master Tongxuan, he simply said Kong Xuan was unharmed, but knew nothing of the specifics.

Suddenly, Nanluo sensed a strange fluctuation in magical force.

"Ah, the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate—let's go in and take a look." A clear, crisp female voice sounded. Her words were teasing, as if entering the palace were a trivial matter, not at all considering it difficult.

"Who are you, to dare trespass in the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate?" It was Gold Horn speaking; since he was already outside, he naturally heard the woman and called out loudly.

Nanluo took a step forward; yellow smoke appeared, and he materialized outside the palace. There he saw a young woman in green and a man in a white Daoist robe standing before Gold Horn.

The woman in green was petite, with a hint of capriciousness on her face. The man in white was unusually calm, his demeanor cold and expressionless, simply standing quietly behind the woman.

The green-clad woman was about to speak, but upon seeing Nanluo suddenly appear, she exclaimed in surprise, "Innate Earth Escape?"

Nanluo smiled faintly, but his gaze was fixed on the white-robed man behind her. In Nanluo's eyes, this cold man resembled Sixteen, whom he had once been imprisoned with. He was not certain, so he simply watched, not greeting him.

Seeing Nanluo ignore her, the woman in green lifted her chin and said, "So what if you know Earth Escape? I can do Innate Cloud Escape! Dare to compete with me?"

"I haven't even completed my Qi training; how could I dare compete with you, miss?" Nanluo smiled at her.

Gold Horn seemed pure and innocent to Nanluo, but in front of others he was imposing and never showed weakness. Upon hearing Nanluo's words, he shouted, "Don't be afraid of him, just compete! Silver Horn, bring out master's pill gourd!"

"Alright!" came Silver Horn's voice from within the palace. Nanluo couldn't help but laugh and cry; clearly, Gold Horn thought he was frightened. That pill gourd, whatever treasure it was, supposedly made one fearless. Silver Horn had not appeared, but responded immediately when called. Nanluo was certain they had practiced such cooperation many times.

The woman in green merely glanced at Gold Horn, not taking his words seriously, then turned to Nanluo, "How could someone who hasn't finished Qi training use Innate Earth Escape? If you won't compete, then step aside—I, the immortal lady, will go in for a tour..."

"Do you think the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate is a place you can tour as you please? Watch me use my treasure to subdue you!" At that moment, Silver Horn emerged, holding two small green fans they usually used to stoke the furnace.

"Weren't you supposed to bring the pill gourd? Why did you bring the green fan instead?" Gold Horn took the fan and whispered.

"The gourd has been sealed by master; I can't take it," Silver Horn said, somewhat aggrieved.

"Hehe, so you have no treasure? If you can't get it, let me go in and play with it," the woman in green laughed, stepping toward the palace.

"Stop! The palace cannot be trespassed! Leave now, or I'll fan you fifty-four thousand miles away!" Gold Horn raised the little green fan, his manner fierce. Silver Horn, standing beside him, tensed his face and lifted his own fan high, as if ready to strike if the woman took another step.

Nanluo observed Gold Horn and Silver Horn; they clearly had great confidence in the fans. He thought to himself, "Could these really be powerful magical treasures?"

The woman in green seemed to notice as well. In Kunlun, to occupy such a prime spot and build a palace was already a feat. So long without the palace's master appearing meant he was absent; thus, with just two youths and one who claimed not to have completed Qi training, how could they defend it? The more she thought, the more convinced she became that the little green fans must be formidable treasures.

"Simple in appearance, yet faintly dangerous—could these be innate spiritual treasures?" she mused. "I've yet to acquire a handy treasure; these fans, small and green, are just right for me. If I seize them and return to master, even if the palace's owner comes seeking them, I have no fear."

With this thought, she said nothing more; her green figure flashed like drifting clouds, and her gleaming hand reached for Gold Horn's and Silver Horn's fans, intending to snatch them both at once.

Nanluo was startled; he hadn't expected her to be so direct. He was about to rush forward to intervene, but Gold Horn had already swung his fan. Instantly, green light flashed, and a violent wind burst forth from the fan. Nanluo, who had been about to charge in, halted and stepped back.

The woman in green, facing the attack, cried out in surprise. With only a brief resistance, her body dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished. The white-robed man behind her was swept up by the fierce wind from the fan, disappearing like a white leaf behind a distant mountain.

Nanluo was astonished. He had suspected the fans were powerful, but he had never imagined they could be so formidable.

"Gold Horn, what kind of treasure is this? It's so powerful!" Nanluo pointed at the now ordinary-looking fan.

Gold Horn shook the fan proudly. "Master said this is the plantain fan, forged from the very first leaf of the first plantain tree since the creation of heaven and earth. Impressive, right? But I don't like using it—it blows people too far away. I prefer master's gourd; it traps people inside so they can't escape."

Nanluo was silent, gazing at the little green fan and at Gold Horn's pure eyes, unable to say a word.

"I don't like using the fan either; it burns people to ashes. Not fun at all. Master's gourd is better—you can keep people inside and play with them slowly," Silver Horn remarked suddenly.

Nanluo smiled bitterly in his heart. How could the Celestial Master Tongxuan entrust such powerful treasures to them, and yet they complain so loudly? Nanluo looked at the fans with growing longing.

"Plantain fan—if, as Gold Horn says, it can blow people fifty-four thousand miles away, then with such a treasure, I need never fear danger on the road home. A single sweep, and the world is at peace."