Chapter 1: Feng's First Foray
"Amateramareasu sure isn't holding back her sun today. Must be hot with all those clothes on over your fur; how do you stand it?" A pony asked, his coat cut short.
"You'd think, but not really, no. I grew up in this kind of environment, so I'm used to this heat. As for the clothes, well, they actually help with the heat. They're light and breathable, oh and they help to keep the sunlight off my fur," the bipedal wolf happily told the pony. "Anyways, Huángguàn Jiāochā, how long until we reach the temple?" The wolf asked as he deftly jumped over an exposed root.
"The temple could take some time, Feng; try to be a bit more patient," Huángguàn Jiāochā responded as he led Feng down a barely visible hoof path. "Before we reach the temple, we'll hit the town Shān De Chuǎnxī. It's a small town, but we should be able to resupply and get some information," Huángguàn Jiāochā assured as he cleared some brush from the path.
"Wait, what do you mean 'get some information'? I thought you knew where this temple was?" Feng asked in exasperation. "The whole reason I hired you to guide me was that you knew where the temple was," Feng partially scowled.
"Relax, relax. I used to know where the temple was, but it seems to change places daily. Nocreature knows how or why. It could be that the forest changes, or the temple moves, or even that your memory just changes. I've found my way there several times, and every time the path seems different. In my experience, the best way to find the temple is to go to Shān De Chuǎnxī and ask the locals about things they have seen in the forest. If you know the clues and what to look for, then you can find it pretty easily," Huángguàn Jiāochā assured.
"Fine. It'll be nice to have a quick rest before we continue deeper into this forest," Feng conceded as he darted from shade to shade.
The walk was highly uneventful. Aside from a few startlingly large snakes, and oddly active bats, nothing of note happened. While extremely poorly kept, the path was still defined enough to travel down with much difficulty. Thankfully it hasn't rained in a few days, so the trail had no mud on it, and the forest felt quite dry, a little blessing, but a blessing nonetheless. The better part of two hours passed as the two made their way down the hoof path until finally, a cozy town nestled deep within the mountainous forest laid before them.
"Well, here we are, Shān De Chuǎnxī. Quiet and peaceful, as it always is," Huángguàn Jiāochā sighed as he and Feng walked into the small town.
"It sure feels peaceful enough. This far away from any other town, in this remote of a place. I have to imagine that nearly no outside problems ever affect this place," Feng said as the two walked down the main street.
"You imagine correctly. The last thing to have affected Shān De Chuǎnxī from the outside was the one thousand five hundred xīngxīng without stars," Huángguàn Jiāochā chuckled as he looked at a few buildings, while Feng just looked oddly at him. "Oh, right. You might know it at the one thousand moons that Nightmare Moon was in the moon," Huángguàn Jiāochā clarified for Feng. "We should split up. I'll head over to the town square. You head over to the Shù Yīn Xià De Mù Jiǔguǎn. Those tend to be good places to find information," Huángguàn Jiāochā told Feng.
"The what? And why is that a good place to find information?" Feng asked as he scratched his head, baffled by the name.
"Shù Yīn Xià De Mù Jiǔguǎn, it's a tavern. You'll find no better places for information between the town center and the local tavern; every adventurer knows that" Huángguàn Jiāochā laughed. "Well, I suppose there are beggars, but they're a people, not a location. Either way, head to the tavern. You can get some food, some drink, some information, maybe a lusty lass, or a bawdy boy, if you swing that way," Huángguàn Jiāochā winked at Feng. "I'll meet you there in, let's say an hour," Huángguàn Jiāochā said as he started to walk off into the town.
"Heh, I really hope the locals speak normally and not in the old tongue," Feng light-heartedly chuckled as he started to walk towards the tavern. "I mean, it's nice to hear now and then, but it gets old after a while," Feng sighed while shaking his head. Opening the doors of Shù Yīn Xià De Mù Jiǔguǎn, Feng walked into the tavern and surveyed the inside. It might have been the afternoon, but the tavern was quite busy. It wasn't full, but it did have many more patrons than Feng would have guessed. Eyeing an open seat by the bar, Feng sat right down at the bar. "Xifengjiu, please," Feng requested as he counted out a few coins in his hand.
"That'll be twenty-five chǎnliàng," the bartender told Feng as he grabbed a bottle of xifengjiu and a glass. Feng, having finished counting out some coins, placed twenty-five coins on the bar. "Thank you," the bartender thanked as he poured Feng's drink, "your drink, sir," the bartender said as he gave Feng his full glass.
"Hmmm, now, does anyone here look like they might know anything about a temple in the forest," Feng wondered as he sipped his drink, crisp and strong, with a nice cinnamon finish; the drink helped Feng regain some of his energy. Looking around, Feng saw a small group playing a game. "When in doubt, try the gamblers and beggers," Feng chuckled as he picked up his drink and walked up to the group. "What's the game?"
"Sic Bo," a feminine-looking stallion told Feng, "you in?" The feminine stallion slyly asked as he shook some dice.
"Sure," Feng smiled back as he sat down at the table. Playing through a few rolls, Feng won a little and lost a little more. Several rolls were made, and small talk was exchanged until Feng made his move. "So, know anything about the nearby temple?"
"Héxié Yǔ Qǐméng De Tiān Yuán Sì?" The feminine stallion asked while shaking the dice.
"If that's the one in the forest, then yes, Chen Chao Da," Feng confirmed as the dice fell poorly for him.
"Not much. Mostly just rumors and myths. Supposedly, the path should be," Chen Chao Da started to say as he racked his brain, "I believe to the east today. Look for the butterflies that sing spring's rays. The path that glitters with stars in light. Travel swiftly along the ways so that you don't get lost in a haze of a maze. Along the brambles, the path will diverge, don't go left, go right. That will take you to the site. Enter calmly; else, you'll face a fright. When standing before the door, to the three, show genuine praise. Or, well, it's something like that," Chen Chao Da lightly laughed. "I'm not that good at remembering ancient riddles and stuff like that."
"Oh, that's plenty of help," Feng happily chirped. "Thank you so much," Feng said with a curt bow. "I'd love to stay, but I should be going," Feng said as he stood up.
"Oh, and where to?" Chen Chao Da slyly asked as he grabbed Feng's wrist. "Surely, you can stay for a little longer, can't you?" Chen Chao Da asked while giving Feng a sultry look.
"Well, I could, but," Feng started to say as he looked around the tavern, "isn't it a bit early for that?" Feng coyly asked with a light blush.
"Isn't it a bit early to be in a tavern, having a drink, and gambling?" Chen Chao Da smirked in response. "Sure, you might have come here for information, but you didn't have to drink or gamble; you chose to do those things," Chen Chao Da smirked while lightly running his fingers up Feng's arm.
"Maybe," Feng awkwardly said as he glanced at Chen's hand, "but in my experience, that's the best way to get information," Feng nervously laughed.
"It's a good way, but there are others," Chen winked as he lightly grabbed Feng's shoulder. "Here, come with me. I'll show you one of those ways," Chen seductively said as he tried to lead Feng to another room.
"Feng, Feng!" Huángguàn Jiāochā energetically said as he entered the tavern. "Feng, there you are. I found some information about the path to the temple. Also, I got some great dumplings," Huángguàn Jiāochā happily said before eating one of the dumplings.
"Ah, Huángguàn Jiāochā," Feng smiled as he looked at his guide. "Sorry, that's my guide. I have to go now," Feng told Chen as Chen blew Feng a kiss. Leaving Shù Yīn Xià De Mù Jiǔguǎn, Feng turned to Huángguàn Jiāochā. "You have some sense of timing," Feng laughed as he took a dumpling. "So, what is this information you've found?" Feng asked as he ate the dumpling.
"The temple is in the eastern forest today. Follow the shǎnshǎn fāguāng de húdié; they'll take you to a path lit by yínghuǒchóng. Follow the yínghuǒchóng through a hedge maze; we'll need to be quick though, they move fast. That'll get us to the temple grounds. Once there, we'll need to offer an earnest prayer to the deities," Huángguàn Jiāochā told Feng.
"Heh, a clearer version of what I was told," Feng laughed as he finished a dumpling. "So I guess we'll be getting some supplies," Feng started to say as he looked over Huángguàn Jiāochā, "or, well, I suppose you already got that covered," Feng laughed as he grabbed another dumpling.
"Yup, I sure did. I love that about these small towns. Everything is just right there," Huángguàn Jiāochā jollily laughed. "Anyways, I'm ready to head out when you are," Huángguàn Jiāochā smiled as Feng ate his second dumpling.
"Well, no time to waste, let's get going!" Feng happily said as he finished his dumpling. Huángguàn Jiāochā smiled as he led Feng out through the village's eastern path. The path to the first clue wasn't too difficult. Still, it was extremely annoying, from a poorly maintained trail to branches assaulting their bodies and even some very unsettling animal sounds. Despite all of the troubles, the two finally found some butterflies that seemingly glimmered in the strands of sunlight. "Shǎnshǎn fāguāng de húdié, I take it?" Feng asked as he looked at the glittery butterflies.
"Yup. Now, to follow them to the mouth of the maze," Huángguàn Jiāochā confirmed. If Feng thought the path would get easier, he was sadly mistaken. Not only did this path have all the same hazards, but this one also felt significantly more humid. Panting heavily, Feng grudgingly followed Huángguàn Jiāochā, somewhat regretting chartering this expedition, but still determined to find the temple, and it's lost treasure. After nearly an hour of, what seemed like wandering in circles, a hedge maze appeared before them.
"Did we really have to run?" Feng tiredly panted as he fanned himself with his hat.
"You saw how fast the shǎnshǎn fāguāng de húdié were moving. If we didn't run, we would have lost them," Huángguàn Jiāochā panted alongside Feng. Taking a few well deserved moments to catch their breath, Huángguàn Jiāochā looks at Feng. "Well, shall we continue?" Huángguàn Jiāochā asked as he started to walk into the hedge maze.
"Fine, fine. Wait up!" Feng yelled as he caught up to Huángguàn Jiāochā. Walking into the hedges, Feng looked around. Inside the hedges, strange lights seemed to move. "I'm guessing that those are the yínghuǒchóng," Feng asked as he followed Huángguàn Jiāochā through the winding maze.
"Yes, they are; they can be a bit annoying to follow, so stay close," Huángguàn Jiāochā cautioned as he closely followed the yínghuǒchóng. The path to the temple continued to get worse as the hedges felt confined as if the forest itself was trying to swallow the two whole. But, through careful observance and sheer determination, the two finally made it to the end of the hedge maze. Stumbling out of the hedge maze, Feng brushed off some leaves from his clothes.
"So, this is the temple grounds?" Feng sighed as he looked around the wide-open area. The grounds, while decrepit, still retained the glow of their past glory. The foundations of the courtyard still looked strong, despite being covered in moss. The plants of the gardens, while wildly grown, still looked regal and magnificate.
"Yes, it is. Follow me," Huángguàn Jiāochā told Feng as he started to walk towards a statue. Walking up to the statue, it looked somewhat odd. Three different beings were all a part of the statue. Though they were back to back, the beings each felt similar. Watching Huángguàn Jiāochā, Feng copied his movements, kneeling before the statue. "Pray to the three. It doesn't matter what it's about, as long as it's earnest," Huángguàn Jiāochā told Feng. Listening to his guide's instruction, Feng offered a quick, silent prayer to the three presumed deities. Standing up, Feng looked at the door to the temple. What once seemed like a solid stone slab now seemed to glimmer. "This is as far as I'll go. Not entering the temple again," Huángguàn Jiāochā lightly laughed.
"Very well. I did only ask you to bring me to the temple after all," Feng smiled with a light huff. "Onwards I go," Feng said as he walked into the temple. For the life of him, Feng couldn't understand why Huángguàn Jiāochā wouldn't enter the temple. Sure, it was in disrepair, but it didn't feel dangerous. No falling stones, no traps, no 'bad air,' not even the hairs on the back of Feng's neck were standing up. If anything, the temple felt eery. Carefully walking through the temple halls, Feng made quick enough progress through the temple. Sure, Feng got turned around a few times, accidentally wandered into a few deadends, even stumbled into a few halls filled with debris. Despite all these setbacks, Feng still made quick progress through the temple, with only the echoes of his steps to accompany him. After what felt like hours of wandering, Feng finally found the temple's sacristy.
"Finally, took long enough," Feng smiled as he walked into the room. As he entered, Feng saw three very ornate rock carvings of the three beings featured in the statue outside. One seemed like a fox, with nine tails and feminine features; if it wasn't for some sun motives on its robes, Feng couldn't guess its affiliation, though the initials CA were out of place. What was modern writing doing in this long-lost ancient place? The second was clearing female, though adorned with skulls, clearing this was an agent of death, though the motives of growing plant life beneath her muddied that image somewhat. The third was male; his visible sheath made that abundantly clear. The bone motives and seeming rivers of lava behind him left little to the imagination.
Shaking his head, Feng continued, deeper into the sacristy. Passing various pictures in many different states of destruction, Feng looked carefully at the pictures. Though most of the damage was ancient, a few spots looked to be relatively recent. Shaking his head, Feng brushed it off as a trick of his eyes. Going deeper, Feng found what he was looking for, a small chest; though, oddly, it had a modern-looking hat nearby. Feeling uneasy, Feng opened the chest only to find nothing. Standing dumbfounded for a few moments, Feng walked over to the hat and picked it up. Examing it, Feng absentmindedly made his way out of the temple. Walking out of the temple, Feng walked through the courtyard.
"Ah, Feng, ready to go?" Huángguàn Jiāochā asked as he saw the hat in Feng's hands. "Nice hat," Huángguàn Jiāochā complimented as Feng blankly nodded. "So, other than the hat, did you find anything?" Huángguàn Jiāochā asked as Feng just stared at the hat. "Uhhh, Feng?" Huángguàn Jiāochā asked as Feng seemed not even to be there. Shrugging, Huángguàn Jiāochā continued leading Feng back to the village in silence. Nearing sunset, the two reentered the village and made for Shù Yīn Xià De Mù Jiǔguǎn. Entering the tavern, Huángguàn Jiāochā ordered a drink for himself and Feng. After taking a sip of his drink, some life finally returned to Feng's eyes.
"Who the tartarus is DD?!?" Feng exclaimed in surprise.
