"General Zhou, we can't go any further. Beyond this mountain pass is the way down the mountain."
"Oh, the scenery here is exceptionally beautiful. Zhou wishes to continue admiring it."
"General Zhou, you are a distinguished guest of the chieftain. Please do not make things difficult for us subordinates."
Yuan Bolong, the leader of the Feilong Mountain bandits, and his men neither agreed to let Zhou Fugui leave nor intended to imprison him. Instead, they kept him in the Feilong Mountain stronghold in an ambiguous state. As long as Zhou Fugui did not descend the mountain, he was free to do as he pleased.
Thus, Zhou Fugui leisurely wandered around the stronghold, ostensibly exploring the roads of Feilong Mountain in search of an opportunity to escape and make his way to Zouxiong Ridge.
However, ascending a mountain is easy, but descending is difficult, especially from a bandit stronghold as heavily guarded as Feilong Mountain.
In fact, even if Zhou Fugui managed to escape down the mountain, surviving in this icy, snow-covered land inhabited by ferocious beasts without a horse, weapons, food, or drink would be extremely difficult, even for someone like Zhou Fugui, an "expert" in wilderness survival.
Therefore, Zhou Fugui was at his wits' end.
Zhou Fugui could only escape by stealing back his own weapons, then stealing horses, food, and drink, and evading the various bandits of Feilong Mountain before he might have a chance to survive.
Fortunately, Yuan Bolong and his men allowed Zhou Fugui freedom of movement within the stronghold, which might have presented him with an opportunity. However, time was of the essence. The longer Zhou Fugui remained in the Feilong Mountain stronghold, the closer Xue Wentai would be to death. There was also a serious issue: if Zhou Fugui did not return to his unit for an extended period, the Yan army would consider him a deserter, not only listing him as a fugitive but also implicating his family.
Therefore, Zhou Fugui was burning with anxiety, yet utterly helpless.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Just as Zhou Fugui was being stopped at the mountain pass by Feilong Mountain scouts, three loud noises suddenly echoed from within the stronghold, and three clouds of black smoke ascended into the sky, lingering for a long time.
"What is happening? Are they setting off fireworks?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise at the sight.
"General Zhou need not be alarmed..." one of the scouts replied with a smile, "That little Daoist priest is tinkering with his elixirs again."
Little Daoist priest? Elixirs? Zhou Fugui's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he said, "So it's elixirs, not fireworks? Elixirs that resemble fireworks are quite rare. I'll go take a look."
The scouts smiled and gestured, granting him passage. As long as Zhou Fugui did not descend the mountain, he was permitted to go anywhere else, as ordered by Yuan Bolong.
What were fireworks? The scouts wondered to themselves.
Thus, Zhou Fugui made his way towards the place where the "fireworks" had been set off.
When Zhou Fugui arrived at the courtyard where the "fireworks" originated, he saw a massive alchemical furnace standing in the middle of the yard. The furnace was about four or five feet tall. The top of the lid had a large circular hole to hold a crucible, surrounded by sixteen neatly arranged semicircular holes. The rim of the lid was adorned with cloud patterns, featuring two dragons playing with a pearl in the center. The furnace body's mouth was also decorated with cloud patterns, with small holes below. Ornate ring handles were placed on both sides, and the belly of the furnace featured a Qilin with an open mouth as the fire door. The furnace legs were shaped like three beasts.
The alchemical furnace was ancient and solemn, simple yet dignified.
Emerald smoke ascended towards the green pine trees; beneath them, an immortal was refining elixirs. Elixir refining by Daoist priests typically involved wisps of green smoke, the priest making hand seals, treading the Big Dipper, and pointing remotely, gathering a rich concentration of spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
However, this furnace was emitting billowing black smoke, making "gurgling" sounds, with a faint red glow, and even emitting a burnt, foul odor.
Curiosity piqued, Zhou Fugui stepped forward to examine the furnace.
With a "bang!", the lid of the furnace opened, and another plume of black smoke billowed out, startling Zhou Fugui into leaping back two steps.
"Who is this idler? You've disturbed this immortal master's elixir refining!" At that moment, a little Daoist priest, about eleven or twelve years old, emerged from the house, holding a peach wood sword in one hand and leading a small beast with the other, glaring angrily at Zhou Fugui.
The little Daoist priest's dark and plump small face was adorned with a pointed, upturned nose. His long hair was tied up with a golden crown. His eyebrows were thick, and beneath them, a pair of large eyes flashed, their dark pupils darting around as he looked at Zhou Fugui.
He wore a blue, wide-sleeved robe made of brocade, which, despite his small and slender frame, gave him an air of Daoist charm.
The small beast the little Daoist priest was leading turned out to be a small white bear, which kept letting out terrified "whimpering" sounds.
"Immortal master? Elixir refining? What kind of elixir are you refining? Is this what you call refining elixirs?" Zhou Fugui found this amusing. He walked up to the little Daoist priest and looked down at him, asking, "Is this what you call refining elixirs?"
"Tai Shang Lao Jun, haste, as the imperial decree commands!" the little Daoist priest shouted in anger. He let go of the small white bear, held his peach wood sword in his right hand, formed a hand seal with his left, and began treading the Big Dipper, preparing to cast a spell to teach Zhou Fugui a lesson.
Once released, the small white bear "slid" and darted behind Zhou Fugui, standing on its hind legs and clinging to Zhou Fugui's leg with its small paws. Its pair of small, ruby-like eyes looked at the little Daoist priest with lingering fear, seemingly terrified of him.
"Wait, wait!" The stance the little Daoist priest assumed startled Zhou Fugui, who quickly waved his hands. "Little Daoist, little Daoist, we can talk this out. There's no need for any fighting, is there? Without understanding the situation..."
In his previous life, Zhou Fugui did not believe in ghosts or gods. However, after experiencing the events at the Yellow Springs and Xiao family village, he had no choice but to believe in such matters.
Looking at the scene, Zhou Fugui secretly wondered if this little Daoist priest possessed some Daoist arts or immortal spells. More importantly, he was currently unarmed. If the little Daoist priest were to perform a move like beheading with a flying sword, wouldn't that be disastrous?
"Hmph, what are you doing here?" The little Daoist priest considered the situation and retracted his stance, asking.
"I came to..." Zhou Fugui was about to answer when he felt the small white bear at his feet constantly scratching him. He turned and picked up the small bear, asking, "What is this?"
"A spirit beast, what else?" the little Daoist priest replied, rolling his eyes at Zhou Fugui.
"A spirit beast? It's a bear. What are you doing catching it?" Zhou Fugui asked again.
"Refining elixirs..." the little Daoist priest said impatiently, waving his hand. "Leave quickly if you have nothing else to do. Do not disturb this immortal master's elixir refining!"
The small white bear seemed to understand the little Daoist priest's words and, terrified, burrowed its head desperately into Zhou Fugui's embrace, hiding its head within Zhou Fugui's clothes while its little hindquarters trembled outside.
"Such a cute little white bear, and you're using it for elixir refining? Aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan? And you call yourself a Daoist priest. Can Daoist priests kill living beings?" Zhou Fugui asked indignantly, holding the small white bear.
"What do you know?" the little Daoist priest glared at Zhou Fugui and said, "Who knows which scoundrel killed its mother? It was a large mother bear, and a cub without its mother won't survive long. It's better to use it for elixir refining to save lives. Sacrificing the life of one small beast can save many people. Is this killing? This is saving lives!"
"Oh, so that's how it is..." Zhou Fugui seemed to feel a slight flush of embarrassment, as if he had been involved in the death of a large mother bear. He then asked, "Can little Daoist Priest's elixir refining save lives?"
"Of course!" the little Daoist priest replied proudly. "Otherwise, why would this immortal master be here at Feilong Mountain? Exorcising evil, subduing demons, vanquishing monsters, averting disasters, performing rituals, etc. There is nothing this immortal master cannot do!"
"Immortal master, at such a young age, you possess such profound Daoist arts and immortal spells?" Zhou Fugui asked, marveling.
"My father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather all practiced the Dao. What do you think?" Under Zhou Fugui's flattery, the little Daoist priest replied with a grin.
So, he came from a family of Daoist practitioners, Zhou Fugui mused. He wondered if Daoist priests could marry and have children.
"Oh, so you are from a family of Daoist practitioners. My apologies, my apologies." Zhou Fugui then gently placed the small bear on the ground and cupped his hands, saying, "May I ask little Daoist priest your honorable name?"
The small white bear, however, clung tightly to Zhou Fugui's leg, as if it had found a savior.
"This immortal master's surname is Ge..." the little Daoist priest Ge Rufeng said. "Who are you?"
"This humble one's surname is Zhou, and my given name is Fugui," Zhou Fugui replied. "Zhou has a question, and I hope Daoist Ge can enlighten me."
"What is your question?" Zhou Fugui's newfound politeness had significantly improved Ge Rufeng's impression of him. He nodded and asked.
"What about those clouds of black smoke earlier?" Zhou Fugui asked. "Elixir refining producing towering black smoke is quite strange, haha!"
Zhou Fugui couldn't help but laugh out loud after saying this.
"I... this..." Ge Rufeng's face immediately turned red, and he stammered, "This is because this immortal master's method of subduing fire was improper. What's so strange about it that you make fun of this immortal master like this... Why don't you try?"
"Oh, what is the method of subduing fire?" Zhou Fugui asked.
"Why should this immortal master tell you? You wouldn't understand even if I told you," Ge Rufeng replied dismissively.
"Though Zhou is a man of the secular world, I pride myself on understanding both astronomy and geography. Let's hear it. How will you know if I don't understand unless you tell me?"
"Understanding astronomy and geography? Haha, you have a thick skin!" Ge Rufeng also laughed at this, but he still explained the method of subduing fire to Zhou Fugui.
The so-called method of subduing fire is a technique in elixir refining. It involves heating and processing minerals, herbs, and other special auxiliary materials to transform them into a substance that does not vaporize or volatilize at high temperatures. This achieves the purpose of taming the fire toxicity of minerals, herbs, and other special auxiliary materials, making them suitable for consumption.
"Alas, the method of subduing fire has always been unsatisfactory, wasting a lot of precious materials!" Ge Rufeng sighed afterward. "Once this immortal master finds a proper method, I can refine elixirs using that little beast."
"Don't be so hasty about taking its life. Such a cute little white bear, and you can bear to do it?" Zhou Fugui quickly said. "Isn't it just gunpowder? This kind of gunpowder technique is a piece of cake for Zhou."
"A piece of cake? You also know the method of subduing fire? You're all talk and no substance! I don't believe you!" Ge Rufeng said with disdain.
"Don't believe me?" Zhou Fugui said with a smile. "Let's go and see what you have. If everything is prepared, I'll let you witness Zhou's skill."
"Alright!" Ge Rufeng had been struggling with this for a long time without finding a solution. Now that Zhou Fugui had offered his services, Ge Rufeng could only hope for the best, treating it as a last resort.
"Little beast, are you trying to escape?" While the two were talking, the small white bear tried to run away but was grabbed by Ge Rufeng.
"I say, Daoist Ge, why are you always picking on it?" Zhou Fugui snatched the fluffy small white bear and glared at Ge Rufeng.