Short, Light, Free - Chapter 204 - Mountain, Sea: Gong Fu

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Malong roared.

“Why didn’t you ask?” I shot back.

He asked, “Do you know where he is?”

“That guy opened a seafood restaurant. I have nothing to complain about his food. I can finish five to six bowls of rice when I order a fish soup.”

“Chao’s been released. We need to gather the nine sons to come up with a solution,” Xiaoai explained.

“Fine. I’ll bring you guys to him, but I’m warning you, this fellow… forget it, you’ll see for yourself,” Malong said, speeding up.

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Xiaoai tried to catch up but she was having difficulty in doing so. Dongfang extended an arm out to remove her belt before flinging it toward Xiaoai.

It wrapped around her securely and it looked as if Dongfang was flying a kite.

The damaged plane smashed onto the ground at a bare construction site. A huge hole was created but no one was hurt.

Thanks to Dongfang, Xiaoai managed to catch up with Malong. She clasped her hands together and created rings of mist that wrapped everyone within it.

Upon seeing the surrounding mist, Malong sighed. “I haven’t flown in a long time, I forgot about all the rules. We would be penalized if we get seen by humans.”

“Penalized? Is there even someone in charge of you monsters?” I blurted out.

“Of course. Despite your unique qualities, you’re still human, aren’t you? We’re bound by the hierarchy,” Malong explained.

“Hierarchy?” I asked.

“The big handle the small, the old handle the young. For something like Chaos, a group of people is needed to restrain him. Unless the Real Dragon is around, no one would be able to deal with Chaos.”

“What exactly is this real dragon thing that you speak of so often?” I questioned.

“Thing? Wow, you sure are good at talking, aren’t you? The Real Dragon is our ancestor. How can you call yourself a descendant of the dragon when you don’t remember your roots?” Malong mocked.

“But you’re a horse dragon! The nine sons might be all dragons but they all look different and have different ranks. How do I distinguish them?” I asked.

“You gotta look at their hands and feet. The real ones have five claws while the green one has only four. Gong Fu has only three, and there’s me, horse dragon. I’m not of pure dragon blood and have no dragon claws. Instead, I have hooves. Everyone’s the dragon’s grandson, though. The problem is with inheriting the genes I guess,” Malong explained.

“Oh, I kinda get it now,” I responded.

Malong suddenly pointed. “You’ll find him in the grandest inn. Right there.”

I was about to ask if every dragon was living successfully but I quickly remembered Tao Tie’s silly bag situation. There might be a lot of treasures in there though, and he could’ve been living a great life if not for the fact that he was stuck.

Malong moved speedily, found an open window, and zoomed in.

Xiaoai simply bore through the walls after becoming invisible. The moment he landed, Malong found himself above the main hall.

It was noon but there weren’t many people inside.

Dongfang had yet to alight, but the main entrance to the hall started closing slowly.

“Who’s unwise enough to seek me out? Bully the small ones all you want but how dare you come all the way here?” a voice boomed.

“It’s me,” Malong greeted.

“Oh, Brother Ma. Why? Are you here for fish again? You haven’t been here in a long time, why the sudden visit? Anything joyous to share?” the voice continued.

“It’s something bad actually. I have no right to talk to you about it so please let my Missus do the talking,” Malong relayed.

“Missus? My sister? I’ll prepare a table of good food and wine. It’s been so long. What, like a thousand years?” The voice trailed off as a few uniformed staff emerged in a neat row.

Dongfang brought me down onto the ground and Malong reverted to his human appearance.

We were escorted into a room and was greeted by a big fellow of about two and a half meters tall. He wiped his hands with a cloth and started, “I haven’t seen you guys in a long while. Let’s talk over dinner.”

Malong smiled pleasantly. “As cool as ever, huh, Gong Fu.”

“You flatter me. I’ll get a few different types of fish so please enjoy! You’re my guests tonight and that’s especially important to me.” Gong Fu grinned before throwing his cloth away.

The staff at the side immediately picked it up before following behind him.

Dongfang sat me down by the enormous round table before taking a seat on my left and Xiaoai took the seat to my right.

Malong chose to sit beside Gong Fu.

“Who are these people, Sis?” Gong Fu smiled.

“Pi’s soul is in his body right now. The girl beside him is Bai Ze’s daughter,” Dongfang informed him.

“You two separated? No wonder you’re acting strange. This guy seems abnormal, too. He has a familiar yet foreign and messy aura,” Gong Fu analyzed.

Malong eyed me before adding, “You’re actually right. I never would’ve noticed anything strange if you hadn’t mentioned it.”

Xiaoai added, “He simply has a few more souls in him.”

“How strange?” Gong Fu put his big palm on my forehead and placed it there for two seconds before shaking his head.

“What does that mean?” I asked, puzzled.

“Quit playing around. Are you trying to kill him? That’s too many souls for one body. You’re really lucky to be alive, kiddo,” Gong Fu commented.

“This… is my body really not okay?” I asked in shock.

“Your body’s fine. However, your mental state is the key. Another ten souls might not be able to take your body down but I really don’t know why you think you can win this mental battle against these senior dragons.”

“You can’t say that. Brother Gou isn’t just anyone,” Xiaoai defended.

“What do you mean?” Gong Fu asked before putting his palm on my forehead again. “Oh my, where did you find this guy? Are you human?”

“Why are you scolding me, Senior?” I asked, not understanding him.

“Do you know why humans have three immortal souls and seven mortal souls?” he posed.

“No idea,” I replied, unable to shake my head.

“A person will enter Hell upon death and be put on trial by the judge. His sins will determine if he can be reincarnated. Each round of reincarnation will be recorded. These three immortal and seven mortal souls contain the best and worst memories respectively. A human soul is made up of a few years to decades of memories. A dragon soul, however, contains thousands of years of those. You must’ve been something extraordinary in your previous life since the king had only tried you once.”

“Rules are stiff in Hell. For the king of Hades and the judge to only charge you once, you must’ve been a big figure your past life. Tang Sanzang maybe,” Gong Fu guessed.

“He really existed?” I asked aloud, feeling somewhat satisfied.

“Think about it. If us long-lived ones go down, we’d be rewarded or punished with thousands of souls.”

“Thousands?” I asked, looking at Gong Fu and Dongfang.

“Now I understand why everyone’s putting a bit of their souls into you. You’re of a much higher grade,” Gong Fu remarked as he cut his right hand, dripping his blood into the wine.

He then put the glass in front of me. “Drink it, slowly. It’s my soul. I want to join in.”

Without a choice, I drank it.

Dishes were added to our table, one after another.

“Enjoy your meal, everyone. There’s everything for everyone here. Business isn’t as good as before. Our queue used to stretch across the whole street but not anymore, as you can see,” Gong Fu told them.

After a few mouthfuls of food, Xiaoai spoke up, “But the food’s great! Why isn’t there any business?”

“There is, just not as much as before since many ingredients have been banned,” Gong Fu explained.

Malong added with a smile, “Food management wasn’t as strict in the past. Many of the ingredients in this shop aren’t approved. I won’t say what they are, but, indeed, food isn’t as good without them. But of course, business is bad only in comparison to the past.”

Gong Fu smiled welcomingly. “Come whenever you please. It’ll be my pleasure to serve you. I’ve gained a lot today and am glad to have given a part of my soul to you.”

“My name is Gou Dan, Senior,” I introduced myself. You’ve given me a part of your soul and yet you don’t even know my name?”

“Right. So, how can I help you guys?” Gong Fu asked.

“You know about Chaos, right?”

“Chaos? What about it?”

“He’s been released and is carrying a nuclear bomb,” Xiaoai informed.

“Do you want me to join the chase? I can’t leave this place even for a day, though,” Gong Fu said.

“You can’t leave?” I repeated.

Malong continued dully, “Yes. The key to this restaurant isn’t the taste but the volume and freshness of the fishes. It’s all thanks to Gong Fu’s ability to control the waters and catch the best fishes.”

“You flatter me too much. There are over ten inns across this street. Competition is stiff but rules are as well. Business is hard since people visit by word of mouth.”

“The world is ending. Can’t you just be absent for a day?” Xiaoai reasoned.

“I’ll get a break if the world ends, but if I were to save the world… that’s too much work. If I were to lose my business because of that, who’s going to take responsibility?” Gong Fu questioned.

“What… can you give him money?” I turned to Dongfang.

“Name the price,” Dongfang offered.

Gong Fu shook his head. “Sister, it’s not about the money. It’s about my honor and reputation. I just can’t.”

“So losing a few days of business is fine if your shop name blows up?” Xiaoai tried.

“Do you know how to do that, girl?” Gong Fu asked, puzzled.

“Is there anything in this world that can’t be settled with money? Pay some people to visit your store and create fake queues. This will generate even more crowd. Sister Dongfang will fork out the money,” Xiaoai proposed.

Gong Fu scratched his head. “Fake queues?”

“People won’t cherish something until it gets hard to come by. They’ll start fighting for it when it becomes limited edition. That’s humans’ psyche. We won’t understand it but go ahead and ask everyone here and see if they agree with my statement,” Xiaoai spoke confidently.

Gong Fu glanced at me. “What do you think of this idea, Brother Gou Dan? Will it work?”

“It’s a good idea, but I have an even better one. Invite a few food critics over to evaluate your food and promote it for you. Dongfang has the capital so you have nothing to worry about. Come with us to save the world while your business blows up,” I suggested.

“Critics? Evaluate? What’s that now?” he asked in confusion.

“This is what people buy into these days, trust me,” I added with a smile.

With a nod, he replied, “We’ll execute the plan tomorrow then.”

“How about today? Someone can stay to be in charge of the matter?” I proposed, looking at Malong.

Malong, who was sipping his wine, asked, “Why are you looking at me?”

“You know marketing, don’t you? It’ll be hard for Senior Gong Fu to take in new knowledge. You’re capable in this aspect so I’m sure you’ll do a good job,” I encouraged.

After a brief pause, he agreed.

Gong Fu grinned. “I’ll leave this place to you then.”