After many days, Wang Longqi's complexion had improved greatly, and the vitality had returned to his eyes and brows.
Behind him followed a young man dressed like a scholar, wearing an indigo coarse-cloth cross-collar robe lined with plain-colored fabric. His build was lean.
His face was equally gaunt, though fairly refined. It was just that his features were somewhat stiff, as if his face did not know how to make expressions. Even when he looked at people, his eyes moved very slowly.
Dull.
Li Chu led them into the front hall, carefully shut the door again, and only then did they each sit down on a prayer cushion.
"What is it? Ran into an evil spirit again?" he asked Wang Longqi.
"Heh, this time it has nothing to do with me. It's my friend here." Wang Longqi patted the scholar beside him.
Only then did the scholar seem to wake from a dream. He cupped his hands toward Li Chu and said, "This humble student is Chen Zi'an. Greetings, Little Daoist Priest Li."
"Hello." Li Chu nodded lightly.
After Chen Zi'an greeted him, he said nothing more. Wang Longqi sighed and continued speaking for him.
"Zi'an and I used to be classmates..."
Li Chu was slightly surprised.
Wang Longqi narrowed his eyes. "Don't make that surprised face. I know what you mean. This young master did attend school for several years, and I was quite good at my studies."
Li Chu was even more surprised.
Wang Longqi had actually gone to school. Truly, one could not judge a person by appearances.
Chen Zi'an added from the side, "Seventh Young Master and I were indeed classmates for several years. Our teacher often praised his quick mind and said that if he studied diligently, he would surely earn scholarly honors."
"Yes, you have no idea how much Teacher liked me back then. Sadly, his daughter liked me even more... otherwise, I would not have been driven out." Mentioning those youthful memories, Wang Longqi let out a deeply wistful sigh.
Li Chu had no interest whatsoever in his romantic past and said decisively, "Tell me why you came here."
"Oh, right." Wang Longqi immediately returned to the point. "Zi'an now lives in Hangzhou Prefecture. This morning, he brought his wife back to Yuhang Town to visit relatives. But while passing Miao Feng Mountain, his wife vanished under strange circumstances."
"Vanished?"
"Yes. The two of us were walking side by side through the mountains. A moment ago, the clouds were light and the wind was gentle, but then a strange wind rose from level ground, making it impossible to move our feet. Then a temple appeared beside us, so we wanted to go inside and shelter from the wind. Who knew that the instant we stepped in, in the time it took to turn my head, my wife was gone. No matter what I did afterward, I could never find any trace of her again."
Chen Zi'an spoke heavily. He spoke slowly, and his eyes were vacant as he spoke. It was unknown whether he had been frightened.
Wang Longqi added, "For the past few days, rumors have been spreading through town that there are monsters in Miao Feng Mountain. Zi'an is worried that his wife was taken away by a monster. He came to me for help, hoping to find some people to enter the mountain with him and search for his wife. I thought, if there really is some demon creature, then we absolutely had to come find you. If you have time, why not help him out?"
Was there a demon creature in Miao Feng Mountain?
During the time Li Chu had been staying at the county government office, his information had been rather limited, and he had not heard of this.
Still, it should not be any especially powerful monster. Otherwise, he would have long seen demon flames soaring into the sky whenever he observed qi.
As his experience in exorcising evil gradually increased, Li Chu was no longer as timid and hesitant as he had been at first.
After all, courage came from strength. He had encountered so many evil spirits, yet not one of them had been able to withstand a single strike of his sword. His confidence in himself had risen somewhat as well.
Just a tiny bit.
He still clearly understood that he was merely in a tiny Yuhang Town and could not sit at the bottom of a well and look down on all the evil spirits under heaven.
But at the same time, he felt that at least within this small patch of land that was Yuhang Town, he could be a little more forceful now.
Thus, he nodded. "All right. Time waits for no one. Let us set off at once."
The sooner they entered the mountain to find her, the better. He immediately went back to the backyard and informed Yu Qi'an.
Yu Qi'an smiled and nodded. "Come back early. We're having hotpot tonight."
Before long, Li Chu, Wang Longqi, and the somewhat dull scholar Chen Zi'an set off together down the road to Miao Feng Mountain.
Jiangnan Province had many hills. Yu Hang County had plentiful mountains and waters, but they were usually just small earthen mounds, with few true mountains.
Miao Feng Mountain was the only great mountain nearby.
The mountain was high but not perilous, deep but not steep, and covered in lush forests and slender bamboo. It was a fine place for spring outings and recreation.
But in recent days, rumors of monsters had spread, with more than one person claiming to have seen traces of demon creatures in Miao Feng Mountain. That was why no more tourists came dragging their families along.
At this moment, beneath an overhanging rock on a steep mountain wall.
A giant three zhang tall sat cross-legged. It wore black robes, and its entire body radiated killing qi. Beneath the clear blue sky and broad daylight, black aura seemed to pour from all around it. Its face was neither fully human nor inhuman, with a pair of black fangs bared and tangled king-character markings upon its forehead.
Beside it stood another tall man clad in ancient armor. Yet compared to the giant's frame, even the tallest person appeared somewhat petite.
This armored man's face was utterly bloodless, a sheet of iron blue. He stood ramrod straight, even looking somewhat stiff. If one looked at his hands, one would find that his nails were frighteningly long.
The two ghosts faced each other in silence.
After a long while, a red shadow suddenly flashed over.
What appeared was a woman in a red dress, like a lone swan in the mist. Her clothing was broad, with Flowing Cloud Water Sleeves and fluttering ribbons. Yet they could not conceal her pair of fair, long legs, vaguely visible as she moved and stirring the heartstrings.
These three people—or rather, these three ghosts—were precisely the ones who had appeared earlier in the Corpse Hiding Cave.
"Black Fang, Green Armor, they've set out."
The Red Clothed Woman slowly drifted down, revealing a face that seemed capable of toppling kingdoms at first glance. Her delicate brows, eyes, nose, and lips were each flawless beyond compare.
Yet when such perfect features formed a single face, the longer one looked, the more unsettling it became...
"Have they taken the bait?" Green Armor's voice was harsh and unpleasant, like metal scraping together.
"Yes."
"Just as I expected. If we went directly to his door, he might grow suspicious." Black Fang grinned savagely. "But if we approach through his friend, he will not suspect a thing."
"Black Mountain Lord's plan is indeed brilliant." The Red Clothed Woman gave a seductive smile as well.
Black Fang looked at her. "You've also worked hard keeping watch on his movements. That was the most dangerous task."
"Actually... I've observed that Little Daoist Priest for so long. Other than being exceptionally handsome, there is nothing remarkable about him, and he seems to possess no true qi at all." Red Ribbon hesitated. "I suspect we may have found the wrong person."
"Impossible! We have spent so many days gathering information in Yuhang Town. Everyone says he is the best at driving out evil spirits. If not him, then who?"
"What do those mortals know? They are merely parroting one another. He does not look like he possesses the strength to kill Lan Cai. Perhaps... it was his master?" Red Ribbon guessed.
That Old Daoist Priest from Virtuous Cloud Temple carried himself all day with the bearing of an expert so full he was about to overflow. He was indeed highly suspicious.
Black Fang's brows drew tight, and the king-character marking atop his head bulged. "No matter what, since he has already come, he must die. If it was not him, then we will find someone else."
Green Armor stiffly licked his lips. "If he is very weak, then we will have wasted the plan we designed for so long. If that is the case, I will make sure he dies in the most painful way possible!"
Red Ribbon appraised the two ugly things before her and sighed quietly.
What a pity that handsome face was.
Later, she would definitely peel it off and keep it as a treasure.
Thanks to "Unlucky Star of Calamity" for the two-thousand Recommendation Ticket Red Packet.
This brother had covered nearly half of this book's Recommendation Tickets. Certified as a good brother.
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