Once bamboo grows in clusters and gains momentum, it easily becomes a sea of green—so long as it avoids the ravages of calamity and man. Yet the modest bamboo grove on Mount Qidun, hidden from mortal eyes, has grown feebly over the centuries. Despite the careful tending of generations of mountain spirits and local deities, it has never witnessed a season of true abundance.
Now, the youthful and comely Earth Deity of Qidun Mountain crouched beside two freshly severed stalks of green bamboo, planting his verdant staff into the soil at his feet. On the verge of tears, he trembled with sorrow and cried out in anguish:
"Such cruelty… even the most eminent guest remains but a guest. How could one so ruthlessly wrong the host? You shattered the protective array with a single strike, exposing this treasured geomantic site—as though a guest, upon entering a home, spies the lovely young daughter of his host and proceeds to strip her bare. How is that any different? Tell me—how is that any different?"
Encircling the grove, a black serpent and white python—born of the mountain's soil essence and clouds, yet captured by a celestial being—coiled watchfully. Within their sinister gazes flickered a wickedly sentient glee.
A mocking voice rose not far off:
"Then your family has far too many daughters, I'd say. At this rate, their dowries will bleed you dry."
Startled, the young Earth Deity stood abruptly, his grief and fury vanishing in an instant. With a respectful bow to the man in the straw hat, he offered an apology:
"I beg your pardon, Great Immortal. I'm but a humble spirit, long accustomed to poverty within this scant domain. My perspective is shallow, unlike yours, who has roamed the vast rivers and mountains of the world. With your discerning eyes, you must surely recognize that this bamboo grove is my most cherished possession—my final, pitiful inheritance. Thus, even the loss of a mere two stalks cuts deeply. Such sorrow is only human. I implore you to forgive my unintended offense."
Returning once more, Ah Liang leaned casually against a slender stalk of emerald bamboo. Gazing up at the lush canopy before lowering his eyes, he asked:
"Tell me—was the first ancestor of this grove transplanted from the fabled Bamboo Sea Grotto? And is that why you fashioned it into your staff? Did your actions provoke a certain immortal, causing them to strip you of your divine title as Qidun Mountain's Earth Deity in a fit of wrath?"
This time, the young deity was genuinely shaken. The fawning smile faded from his face as he straightened his back and replied with solemn dignity:
"I am Wei Bo, once the Earth Deity of Qidun Mountain, anointed by the last emperor of the defunct Shenshui Kingdom as Mountain God of this entire region, spanning a thousand miles. But when the Song clan of Great Li rose to power and absorbed Shenshui, I incurred the ire of their founding emperor over some matter. My rank was demoted, my domain reduced to barely three hundred li. I remain under divine censure to this day."
He lifted the vibrant green staff in his hand and chuckled bitterly:
"Misfortune seldom comes alone. In that same tumult, I was forced to cut down a bamboo from the Bamboo Sea Grotto to fashion this staff. Little did I expect that, not long after, I would offend a friend of that bamboo's immortal cultivator. In a mere moment of jest, I, a humble earth-bound spirit, was cast back into the soil once more."
Ah Liang shifted to a more rakishly relaxed pose, clicking his tongue:
"Sounds like you've had a rough time of it."
The young deity scowled, clearly displeased.
Ignoring him, Ah Liang turned to gaze beyond the grove, where Chen Ping'an stood atop a slope. The twin serpents had sensibly kept their distance, especially the white python, whose eyes shone with lingering fear. Ah Liang grinned:
"My friend wishes to strike a deal with you. Name your price. If the bargain is struck, you'll be allies. If not—no harm done. Even if the trade fails, honor remains."
As he said this, Ah Liang lightly rested his hand on the bamboo blade at his waist. His gaze briefly swept over the serpentine beasts before him.
"Those two creatures," he mused, "are not true jiao dragons. Especially the black snake—how has it begun to take on the traits of a black jiao, even sprouting four-toed dragon claws? Surely some great fortune lies behind this?"
Wei Bo, cautious, replied:
"You are correct, Great Immortal. Some stroke of fortune has indeed blessed them, though I cannot say exactly what. I suspect it has something to do with the Li Pearl Grotto. They must have inadvertently consumed something rare and strange, immensely beneficial to serpents, pythons, and carp. Near Qidun Mountain lies Red Candle Town, where three rivers converge. One, the Chongdan River, is home to a koi that has grown two genuine golden whiskers. A marvel, truly. A century ago, it swam upstream through brooks and springs to this very mountain. I witnessed it myself. Ordinarily, even with another five centuries, such a koi would never have attained such wondrous traits."
Ah Liang nodded in understanding.
"I think I'm beginning to grasp the situation."
Casting a curious glance at Ah Liang's bamboo blade, Wei Bo asked tentatively:
"How did you learn of the origins of this green staff?"
Ah Liang's expression turned odd. He gave a vague chuckle and deflected:
"When I was younger, I once journeyed through the Bamboo Sea Grotto. I had a passing acquaintance with Lady Bamboo—not a deep friendship, no, nothing so grand…"
At the mention of Lady Bamboo, Wei Bo's eyes lit up with longing. It was said she was the solitary divine guardian of the Bamboo Sea Grotto, rarely seen by mortals. Legends claimed her figure was taller than most men, her beauty matchless. Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, the progenitor of novelists once declared his intent to travel the Four Realms and record the customs of all lands. He made special mention of her:
"Graceful beyond compare, fond of walking barefoot, her hair darker than midnight."
Though also a mountain deity, Wei Bo found himself unworthy even of envy—his respect for her was boundless. Stories of Lady Bamboo were widely told, and even in the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, she was far from unknown.
Beneath the Ten Great Grotto Heavens lay thirty-six lesser ones. The Li Pearl Grotto, once suspended above the Great Li Dynasty, was among the smallest of these. Though often referred to as secret realms by cultivators, such places brimmed with spiritual energy. Compared to the Great Grotto Heavens, however, their territories were fragmented—formed from ruins, ancient battlefields, or even the bellies of primordial beasts like the legendary Island-Swallowing Whale, where entire lost immortal isles now dwelled.
Among these, the Bamboo Sea Grotto ranked among the finest. Renowned for its miraculous bamboos, it supplied treasured materials to generations of cultivators. The sole ruling power within was the ancient and revered Green God Mountain. It was said the founding ancestor of that sect once sought wisdom from the Sage of the Confucian School, bringing with him a young Merit Bamboo as tribute.
That very bamboo later flourished in the Confucian sacred grove, the Forest of Morality—while the Bamboo Sea Grotto gradually waned.
It is said the bamboo records both virtue and vice, and it is perhaps the origin of the phrase "Ledger of Deeds."
As Ah Liang and the young deity spoke, Chen Ping'an sat silently upon a boulder, clutching a broken hatchet. Not far away loomed the ghastly, mountainous heads of the twin serpents. Their bodies stretched like winding roads into the forest, disappearing into the distant wilds. Occasionally, the sound of trees shattering under their swaying tails echoed through the woods.
Along his journey, aside from learning to read with Li Baoping, Chen Ping'an had also been studying the Great Li dialect from her. He'd made good progress. Though his accent still bore the rustic lilt of a country boy, he could now express himself with fair clarity. Sitting there, he began recounting his tale—how he now held claim to five mountain peaks in the Dragon Spring County of Great Li…