Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 182: Of Cranes and Paper Cranes

As he carried Wei Yuansheng on his back, Wei Wuwei walked into the fog and soon felt that the voices behind him were quickly fading away. Looking back, the fog seemed thin and not very dense, but still he couldn’t see any of the people from the Wei family at all, nor could he hear any of their voices.

“Yuansheng, are you afraid?”

Wei Wuwei supported Wei Yuansheng from underneath with his left hand, and used his right to push aside branches, vines, and other objects in his path.

“I’m a little scared, but it’s okay as long as Dad is here!”

“Alright, good!”

As they continued to move forward, the fog in front of them grew thinner. Soon it seemed more as if there was a thick white fog further in the distance, while everything immediately around them was clearly visible. After about half an hour, the impression of white fog in the distance disappeared.

Wei Wuwei was under the impression that he was walking on an ordinary mountain path, and had already directly passed through the area with white fog. The more he walked, the more puzzled he became.

“Dad, we seem to be walking in circles.”

Wei Yuansheng’s intuition was more accurate than Wei Wuwei’s. He continued to look around as his father was walking. Although his father was walking in a straight line, he always had a strange feeling that the path was curved.

Wei Wuwei was taken aback by his comment. He immediately remembered some of the precautions that the Old Turtle had mentioned. He hurriedly pulled out the family’s jade pendant from around his neck and twisted the rope around for his son to hold.

“Yuansheng, hold this jade pendant and close your eyes. Tell Dad where you think we should go.”

“Mhm!”

Wei Yuansheng followed his instructions and held the jade pendant in his right hand, hugging his father’s neck with his left. Then he quietly lay down on his father’s back and closed his eyes.

Wei Wuwei slowed down his pace a little and continued walking forward.

“No, no, Dad went the wrong way. A straight line should go to the left.”

Wei Wuwei turned his head to look at his son, and then looked back at the way he had come. The trees that he had marked still extended out in a straight line behind him. However, he chose to believe his son, so he immediately adjusted his angle slightly and walked to the left.

After more than a dozen breaths, Wei Yuansheng told him to turn left again. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Wei Yuansheng told him to turn left yet again. According to common sense, this was essentially equivalent to having turned all the way around.

After walking like this for more than half an hour, Wei Wuwei was sweating profusely.

It wasn’t that his body was tired, but rather the pressure in his mind was growing heavier. He had long lost all sense of direction, and had started to experience a ringing in his ears. The further he walked, the more anxious he became, as if he were diving deep into the mountains with no hope of ever making it back out again.

However, Wei Wuwei was also an extremely rational person. He knew very well that he and the Wei family had already ventured deep into Yucui Mountain, and he himself was an outstanding martial artist. How could this fear of the old growth forest and the deep mountains only emerge now?

“Skreeee… Skreeee…”

A faint crane call came from the sky, lifting Wei Wuwei’s spirits. Wei Yuansheng also subconsciously opened his eyes. The father and son looked up together and saw a white crane circling overhead. They didn’t know if this was the same crane that had encountered the Wei family in the past.

“Skreeee… Skreeee, skreee…”

But the white crane did not land. It merely circled in place for a while, then flew away, much to the Wei family’s disappointment.

“It flew away, Dad…”

“Haha, it’s alright. Yuansheng, are you hungry? Dad brought some snacks. Let’s take a break.”

They were currently situated in a mountain col, and fortunately there were not too many tall trees or weeds. Wei Wuwei carried Wei Yuansheng on his back over to a clean stone, sat down, and then let Xiao Yuansheng down.

Just as the father and son were drinking water and eating, there suddenly was a rustling sound coming from the trees not too far away. Wei Wuwei reflexively stood up in an instant and pulled out two curved mandarin duck blades,¹ gripping them tightly, and took a defensive posture.

There were many wild beasts in the mountains. Wei Yuansheng carefully hid behind a rock.

However, what came out from behind the nearby trees was not a beast, but a woman with a gentle face. At first glance, she looked to be about thirty years old or so, but upon closer inspection, they could see no wrinkles nor signs of age on her face, making her seem to be no more than twenty. She wore light shoes, a white feathered dress, and her long hair was held up in swirls by two jade hairpins.

She walked over in a slow and relaxed manner.

“Did the two of you got get lost in this mountain? Can you not find the way out?”

They heard a soft voice before the newcomer began approaching. As she came closer, she visibly glanced several times at the mandarin duck blades of differing lengths in Wei Wuwei’s hands.

“It just so happens that I also got lost in this mountain. How about we find the way out together?”

The woman suggested to Wei Wuwei, then smiled at Wei Yuansheng, who was hiding behind the large rock.

However, the Wei family father and son knew very well that, in such a special place as this, this person definitely would not have gotten turned around in truth. This was most likely a transformed crane.

“Yuansheng, come on over quickly!”

“Mhm!”

Wei Yuansheng hurriedly walked out from behind the rock and ran to his father’s side. Meanwhile, Wei Wuwei opened his vest, pulled out the jade pendant, untied it from the rope, and brought it out fully. Then he placed it in Wei Yuansheng’s hand.

Sure enough, the moment the woman saw the jade pendant, her expression changed.

“You have this jade pendant with you… May I know your surnames?”

Wei Wuwei and the little Wei Yuansheng looked at each other, and the two bowed at the woman at the same time.

“To reply to the Lady Immortal, my name is Wei Wuwei, the one next to me is my son…”

“To answer Auntie Immortal, my name is Wei Yuansheng!”

Wei Wuwei frowned and glared at Wei Yuansheng.² The latter shrank his neck and timidly glanced at the woman, only to find that she was looking at him and did not seem angry.

“The Wei family… it happened a long time ago…”

The woman sighed with some emotion and smiled.

“Someone must have pointed you here, for you to be able to find this place, but that doesn’t matter. The Wei family’s kindness must be repaid. Hmm, is this child Wei Yuansheng? That’s a good name!”

Wei Yuansheng gave the woman a bright smile. The fat on his little face bunched up, making him look very cute.

“Oh, you are quite smart at such a young age. And oh, my, you seem to have an excellent aptitude and great talent. The jade pendant is shining brightly!”

Wei Wuwei and Wei Yuansheng looked at the jade pendant in unison, but did not see any spiritual light.

“Okay, I will allow this child follow me into Yuhuai Mountain. As for you, I will send you off.”

This wouldn’t do!

Wei Wuwei hurriedly bowed and pleaded.

“Thank you, Lady Immortal, for taking in my son, Yuansheng. However, Yuansheng is still young, less than five years old, and knows nothing about the world. He needs his parents to take care of him. Lady Immortal, would you allow me to accompany my son into the mountains and stay with him until he can be more discerning and take care of himself?”

The woman sighed.

“I believe that this child is quite intelligent; he doesn’t look all that ignorant. Why is Mr. Wei asking this?”

Wei Yuansheng shrank his neck again, pleading in a childish voice.

“Auntie Immortal, please don’t make Dad go… I’m scared…”

Xiao Yuansheng’s fear in this moment was not a ruse. Tears were about to overflow from his eyes. What would he do if his father left?

“I beg of you, please help my Wei family, Lady Immortal, please!”

Wei Wuwei even wanted to kneel down to the woman as he spoke, but she waved her sleeve and pushed him back a few steps and he nearly fell over.

“Okay, there’s no need to be like this. I’ll definitely help you if you need it, but you must know that I… Um, you know my identity, right?”

“We know, we know, you are an immortal from the Immortal Sect!”

The woman pinched her right arm with her left hand.

“Oh, that wasn’t what I meant. I’m just an immortal crane from the Immortal Sect. I can’t make the final decision on what you are asking for!”

So that was what she meant. Wei Wuwei hurriedly bowed again.

“Lady Immortal, your willingness to aid us is a great kindness to our Wei family. I already knew of your identity as a crane. This time, I was shameless and came to beg you for help. Thank you, Lady Immortal, for your willingness to help! Thank you Lady Immortal!”

Wei Yuansheng also hurriedly cupped his small hands and bowed.

“Thank you, Immortal!”

The woman let out a small sigh. It seemed the father and son were not mortals who obsessed over trivial matters. At the very least, she wasn’t worried about them not being human.

“How about this? Xiao Yuansheng will go back with me first, and you will wait here. Don’t worry, I will go find the immortal masters I have a close relationship with, and do my best to plead your case. I have never begged for anything in all my time here on Yuhuai Mountain, but I will make an exception for you today!”

The woman spoke very seriously. Then her expression softened, and she stretched out her hand to Wei Yuansheng.

“Come, come to Auntie Crane.”³

Wei Yuansheng glanced at his father. When he saw the latter nod at him, he walked carefully to the woman, and she picked him up.

“Wei Wuwei, wait here for my news. I will be back in half a day at the earliest, or a full day at the latest.”

“Lady Immortal, please wait just a moment!”​

Seeing that the woman was about to leave, Wei Wuwei hurriedly stopped her.

“Hmm?”

The woman looked at Wei Wuwei with confusion on her face. She saw that he seemd to have something important to say.

“There is one thing I need to explain to the Lady Immortal. In my early years, I once met a gentleman. Due to his profound knowledge and extraordinary wisdom, I always treated him with courtesy every time we met. A few days ago, he came to visit my home. My Wei family held a banquet to welcome him…”

“Is that the person who told you to come here to seek the fate of immortality?”

The woman asked thoughtfully, but Wei Wuwei shook his head and continued.

“To tell the truth, I learned of the matter concerning the Wei family after surviving a crisis. I was able to get information about Yuhuai Mountain from the attackers. This old friend of mine was not aware of this.”

“However, at the dinner table a few days ago, the great master, who should have known nothing of this, suddenly told me that if I wanted to go up Yuhuai Mountain but was not allowed to enter, I could tell the immortal crane guarding the mountain that ‘an old friend of my family knows the immortal Qiu Feng of Yuhuai Mountain.’”⁴

The woman transformed from a crane was suddenly startled.

“He knows Immortal Qiu Feng? Who is that person?”

Wei Wuwei bowed his head again.

“To reply to the Lady Immortal, that great master doesn’t like it when others casually reveal his identity. I can only tell the Lady Immortal that his surname is Ji, as in “fate.” He said that if this were passed on to the Immortal Qiu Feng, the other party would understand.”

The woman nodded thoughtfully, and then a look of joy appeared on her face.

“With your words, I feel more confident in my task. Wait for the good news!”

As she spoke, the woman stood up and leaped, holding Wei Yuansheng tightly in her arms, and turned into a fog bow⁵ and and walked away through the mist. The call of a crane could faintly be heard, echoing.

Wei Wuwei watched the woman fly away with Xiao Yuansheng. He felt temporarily relieved, but the tension in his heart still remained. He couldn’t help but touch the brocade bag once more to relieve the pressure.

But when he reached into his sleeve, he was stunned for a moment. Wei Wuwei hurriedly pulled out the brocade bag and shook it, only to find it dry and shriveled. He opened it carefully and, sure enough, the paper crane was no longer inside.

“Oh no! Could it have been lost in the mountains? What should I do? What should I do?”

Wei Wuwei was so anxious that he was sweating. He searched everywhere on the ground around him. After a long time, he sat down on the stone beside him, dejected and looking extremely uneasy.

At the gate of Yuhuai Mountain, Wei Yuansheng, who was frightened of the heights they flew, held onto the woman tightly. Finally, the two of them landed on the mountain. For the first time, he saw the immortal pavilions and palaces scattered around the foggy mountaintops and hidden in the deep valleys.

The nervousness and anxiety in his heart were alleviated by the beautiful scenery around him.

Naturally, the first thing the Immortal Crane did was to go find Immortal Qiu Feng. As long as Qiu Feng was willing to accompany her to see the great immortal, everything would be alright.

She glided with the wind, falling from the top of the mountain into the valley.

However, when the woman, still carrying Xiao Yuansheng, arrived at the bamboo house at the bottom of the valley where Qiu Feng usually stayed, she found that no one was inside.

At this moment, a paper crane suddenly flew out of Wei Yuansheng’s arms, flapping its wings and flying forward.

“What is this?”

“Ah! Isn’t this Dad’s paper crane?”

Wei Yuansheng called out subconsciously. The woman who was about to reach out to grab the paper crane stopped her gesture, and looked at the flying paper crane curiously.

This was obviously a folded paper bird. It had no fluctuations of spiritual energy within it, but it could actually flap its wings and fly by itself.

‘Could this paper bird have become a spirit?’

The absurd thought rose in Auntie Crane’s mind and was strangled to death in an instant. How could that be possible?

At this moment, she watched as the paper crane circled around the bamboo building and immediately left, headed back towards the mountain. It was quite fast. In a moment of inattention, the paper bird unexpectedly left Auntie Crane behind.

Auntie Crane hurriedly picked up Yuansheng and followed the paper bird that was picking up speed as it flew. She felt a little strange in her heart. This thing was called a paper crane?

As a result, the paper crane flew straight to Shuyun Tower⁶ and slammed into the restriction barrier outside. It flapped its wings and circled around, as if trying to find an unobstructed place to get in.

Coincidentally, an immortal just happened to exit Shuyun Tower that very moment, and he didn’t notice the paper crane. It seized the opportunity, flapping its wings dozens of times, and darted into Shuyun Tower in a flash.

“Hey…”

When Auntie Crane, who had just landed, saw this scene, she let out a nervous sound. She felt a little guilty; what if it was something evil?

1. They look like this, and they’re cool as heck
2. Because he used “auntie” which is a much more causal/familiar form of address
3. Could either be read as “Auntie He” or “Auntie Crane,” with 鹤 (hè): crane
4. T/n: LOL JY getting his 2 secret identities mixed up and by consequence makes himself seem even more powerful and all-knowing
5. A fog bow, also called a white rainbow, is basically a rainbow but in the fog – the fog’s smaller water droplets means the fog bow has much weaker colors
6. 舒 (shū): to stretch/to relax/leisurely, 云 (yún): cloud, 楼 (lóu): house/building with more than 1 floor, closest translation is “tower” –> “Leisurely Cloud Tower”