Chapter 43 — A Demon Spirit Treads the Moon and Hurries On

flying, treading the edges of the wind and racing through the sky. The people on the ox cart raised their heads to look. The Blind Elder, perfectly composed, said, "Will he fall?" The Alchemist caught a handful of wind and sniffed it, then laughed. "He will fall. This is a demon wind. There is a demon spirit traveling in it. When it notices him, it will stop. Which of you will go catch him?" Shen Mu's steps were swift, and the wind was swift too. Unknowingly he ran more than ten li. The youth was in high excitement when he suddenly saw a snow-white fox sitting on a large banana leaf flying to his side, its two forelegs stretched straight out, its hind legs seated. He could not help but stare. The white fox stared too. Man and fox screamed in unison. Then Shen Mu felt the howling wind abruptly cease. He flailed and fell from the sky, while the fox, still sitting on the banana leaf, raised a forepaw and pointed at him, screaming, clearly astonished beyond measure. "Oh no!" Shen Mu's steps shifted again and again as he executed the Heaven-Stealing Leg Art, thinking, "As long as I run fast enough, I can walk in the sky..." Only then did he discover that he was not running fast enough. He could not step on air at all, and he still plummeted downward with a howl! Shen Mu looked down, his scalp numb. Below was a stretch of mountain land with not even a tree, only scattered rocks. If he fell onto those rocks, he would likely be smashed to pieces! At that very moment, the white fox screaming in the air came to its senses. The banana leaf flew toward him like a streak of smoke. Shen Mu immediately felt wind arise beneath his feet; he could step on the edges of the wind again. He hurriedly tapped his steps rapidly, checking his fall, and at last, just before hitting the ground, he trod the wind's edge and sprang up, walking on the wind! He breathed a sigh of relief, then saw the fox catch up on its banana leaf. Man and fox looked into each other's eyes. The white fox spoke in human tongue, its voice quite pleasant, but it carried the smell of wine and was tipsy. It asked curiously, "What are you doing? Why have you run into my wind?" Shen Mu was astonished and said, "I wanted to see whether I could catch the wind's edge and walk on the wind. I did not know it was your wind. You can fly? And talk?" "I use a spell to drive the wind, so I can ride it." The white fox said, "I am returning from a banquet. It is almost dark, and I am in a hurry. I will not escort you. I will go on ahead. If fate allows, we will meet another day!" With that, it vanished, rolling up a wild wind. Shen Mu felt the wind beneath his feet gradually weaken. He hurriedly ran slantwise down from the sky and landed on the ground. Yincan Village lay just ahead. He looked up, but the fox had already disappeared. "Returning from a banquet?" Shen Mu's belly was full of doubts. "This talking fox knows spells and even goes to banquets. Are there really such amusing things? Next time I meet it, I must ask it clearly..." Two days later, an old man and a youth, two wandering Daoists, came to Zhang Family Fort. Travel-stained, they walked into the village. The old man said, "Kind folk of the village, could you spare a bowl of water? We religious are often on the road, and our stomachs are weak. We beg a bowl of hot water." The villagers poured two bowls of water for them. The old man and the youth drank, then thanked the villagers. The old man had a kind face and said with a smile, "My disciple and I wander the four directions and know a little of spells. I observe demonic qi in your honored village. Do you need us to exorcise the demon?" The villager laughed and said, "The demon has already been dealt with—a great serpent hidden in a tree trunk, cut down by a youth from the neighboring village!" The old man was surprised and said, "Why do I still sense demonic qi here? Has anyone in your honored village died recently?"