Looking down from the hillside, one could see that the entire Liu Family Memorial Arch had long since fallen into ruin. Of the former village, only a few broken houses and wooden fences remained. Whenever the wind blew, old houses groaned as though they could no longer bear their burden.
There were many villages around Yuhang Town with "Liu" in their names, such as Da Liu Village, Xiao Liu Village, Shang Liu Village, Xia Liu Village, Liu Family Market... and so on.
But if you asked further, you would find that there was scarcely anyone surnamed Liu in the entire town. Even if there was, they must have moved here in recent years.
All because there had once been a Liu family, the foremost clan in Yuhang Town. It had a long history, numerous branches, and even family members serving as officials in Chaoge.
Yet somehow, seventy or eighty years ago, such a great rural clan became entangled in a major treason case.
The Liu Family Memorial Arch was where the direct line of the family lived, and at the time, they were slaughtered to the last. Throughout the surrounding villages, every person surnamed Liu was exiled to the Northern Lands to guard the frontier.
In a single night, their property was confiscated and their entire clan exterminated.
Perhaps the scene had been too cruel. Even now, some older Old Persons would tremble all over at the memory of it. One could imagine what a deep shadow it had cast over their youth.
From that day onward, the small building where the Liu family head had lived became a gloomy Fierce House Ghost Land.
It was said that anyone who entered that small building would not survive the night. An official from Facing Heaven Pavilion had once come to deal with it, but after a single night, that official too had left with an ashen face, leaving behind only one order: no one was to approach.
Since there were no residents here to begin with, and everyone knew the place was haunted, no one would willingly come near it. The Yamen had merely posted a notice and did not station people here day and night.
Who could have imagined that decades later, two rich second-generation heirs would come here to court death over jealousy?
After their brief encounter just now, Zhao Liangchen felt as if his Dao Heart had suffered a devastating blow. He turned his back and calmed himself for quite a while.
Zhao Liangcai tugged at his sleeve. "cousin, how is the cultivation of that pretty boy Wang Longqi found?"
"Hm?" Zhao Liangchen looked up, suddenly enlightened.
Right. As a cultivator, all he needed was to be stronger than him!
With that thought, he turned around and returned before the two of them. Without even looking at Wang Longqi, he stared straight at Li Chu and asked, "I am Zhao Liangchen of the Flying Crane Sect. May I ask which mountain and which temple this Fellow Daoist cultivates at?"
Though he found the man somewhat strange, Li Chu still answered politely, "Virtuous Cloud Temple on Ten Li Slope. Li Chu."
"Pfft." Zhao Liangcai immediately sneered.
He turned back around and told Zhao Liangchen, "It's just some rundown Daoist Temple around here. There's only one Old Daoist Priest leading one Little Daoist Priest inside. This one is probably the younger one."
Confidence returned to Zhao Liangchen's eyes. "I examined him carefully just now. There isn't the slightest fluctuation of true qi on him."
"So he really is a jianghu charlatan!" Zhao Liangcai pounded his right fist into his left palm, looking delighted.
"Fine. I'll test his cultivation."
With a cold laugh, Zhao Liangchen moved to turn around. By saying that, he meant to teach Li Chu a lesson on the spot and expose his identity as a liar.
Was there anything more satisfying than slapping a pretty boy in the face? In his world, there probably was not.
"Hey, cousin, don't be hasty." Zhao Liangcai grabbed him.
"What?" Zhao Liangchen shot him a sidelong glance.
"If you expose him now, won't Wang Longqi get scared first? What if he uses that as an excuse to break the agreement?" Zhao Liangcai gave a wicked grin. "Let's first have him enter the Ghost Building with this liar. Once night falls, we can slowly cook them up."
"Heh heh, that works." Zhao Liangchen nodded.
Li Chu stood there, watching the two of them turn away to whisper to each other at every turn, and found it rather eerie.
So he said to Wang Longqi, "Don't these two seem strange?"
Wang Longqi tapped his own head with his index finger. "The Zhao family has always been a little lacking here."
After a while, Zhao Liangcai turned back around. "Wang Longqi, enough nonsense. Let's hurry in before dark. As agreed, each of us picks a room and spends the night inside. Whoever runs away loses."
"Fine. After tonight, let's see if you still dare steal my wife from me." Wang Longqi snorted coldly.
"Is every woman your wife? You lunatic."
"I don't care about anyone else. Gongsun Girl and I are already halfway there, anyway."
"Since when? How did I not know?"
"I've already agreed, so that makes half of it. Now we're just waiting for her to agree, and the other half will be done too."
"If I weren't afraid of letting you taste sweetness, I'd really like to piss you awake!"
The two bickered as they prepared to walk down the hillside, when someone suddenly shouted from the top of the slope, "Stop right there!"
Looking toward the voice, they saw a tall, slender figure standing there.
She wore a blue-and-white long ru skirt beneath a tasseled cross-collar blouse. Her brows and eyes were like a painting, her skin whiter than snow. Standing in the breeze with her sleeves fluttering, she had the air of one standing alone beyond the world.
Li Chu had seen this person before. It was unexpectedly Gongsun Rou.
Wang Longqi smiled. "Gongsun Girl! Why are you here?"
Zhao Liangcai immediately revealed an ugly yet eager smile as well. "Ah, Gongsun Girl, did you come looking for me? Hey, little sister, why are you here too?"
Behind Gongsun Rou stood a little girl of fifteen or sixteen, her hair arranged in a Maiden Bun and dressed in a Green Flowing Skirt. She looked rather clever and adorable. But compared to Gongsun Rou, she appeared somewhat immature, so much so that no one had noticed her at first.
She skipped over, reaching the group before Gongsun Rou did, and said with a smile, "Brother, cousin, I told Sister Gongsun about what you two were doing. She seems very angry."
"Ah, aren't you just making trouble?" Zhao Liangcai's expression changed drastically.
Only then did Gongsun Rou approach gracefully. Her expression truly was not very pleasant, her brows lightly drawn together and a thin layer of irritation in her eyes. But a beauty was a beauty; even in anger, she possessed a different kind of charm.
As she walked over, her gaze moved back and forth between Wang Longqi and Zhao Liangcai. She seemed about to say something, but then she caught sight of another figure.
Her expression suddenly froze.
Gongsun Rou blinked rapidly twice, looking both surprised and delighted. "Little Daoist Priest Li?"
The anger she had just gathered vanished with that greeting, like ice and snow melting, clouds parting and mist dispersing. In an instant, it became irrepressible joy.
Li Chu nodded at her in greeting. "Gongsun Girl."
Wang Longqi's heart skipped a beat.
This scene was far too familiar. That Ghost Bride had changed her affections exactly like this back then. He could not help but think, This is bad.
He forced out a stiff smile. "Li Chu, Gongsun Girl, you know each other?"
"We have had some dealings."
"Little Daoist Priest Li is my lifesaver."
The two spoke at once.
Hearing Li Chu's answer, Gongsun Rou glanced at him, her gaze seeming a little hurt.
Li Chu remained as serene as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze.
No matter how stupid Zhao Liangcai was, he could sense that the atmosphere was off. How had Gongsun Girl forgotten everyone else the moment she saw this Little Daoist Priest?
He hurriedly asked, "Gongsun Girl, did you come looking for me for something?"
He bit down especially hard on the words "looking for me."
Gongsun Rou came back to herself. Only then did she glare at the two of them again and say, "I heard from Xiao Miao that you two made a bet to spend the night in this Ghost Building because of me?"
"Uh..." Wang Longqi stammered, pointing at Zhao Liangcai. "He suggested it."
Zhao Liangcai immediately protested, "He was the one who provoked me first!"
"Hmph."
At the woman's soft snort, neither of them dared make another sound. Like two scolded dogs, they lowered their heads.
Gongsun Rou had originally intended to give them a thorough scolding.
Her father had only just taken office as the Yu Hang County Magistrate, and they had come here to court death. If the young masters of the town's two largest households both met with trouble, would that not bring her father a tremendous headache?
What was more, they claimed to have made the bet because of her. If anything happened to them, people might even gossip about her.
If the rumors of the Liu Family Ghost Building were false, that would be one thing. But if they were true, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She had rushed here this time intending to stop them at all costs.
But...
She raised her eyes to look at Li Chu before her, and something suddenly stirred in her heart.
Gongsun Rou said firmly, "Since you say you came to make this bet because of me, fine. Then I'll go in with you."
Huh?
Thanks to Silent Sword Dance for the hundred-coin reward.
Before you continue