"Cough, cough..."
Ning Caichen covered his neck and coughed violently. Hearing An Yang's gnashing tone, a wave of fear seized him again, and he quickly shut his mouth.
Just at that moment, a shrill and miserable scream echoed from outside, immediately followed by the sound of the main hall doors being blown open.
An Yang knew that the Xia Hou Swordsman, who had just been comparing swords with Yan Chixia, had already met his demise. No matter how high one's martial arts skills were, failing to resist Nie Xiaoqian's temptation meant only certain death, and the sound of the doors opening should be Yan Chixia heading out!
Ning Caichen grew even more terrified, terror filling his eyes as he looked at An Yang for help and said in a low voice, "An... An Yang, bro, what happened?"
An Yang said coldly, "Someone died!"
Ning Caichen received another shock, the roots of his neck turning cold. Realizing that he would meet the same end if discovered, a lingering fear gripped him, and deep gratitude filled his heart toward An Yang for pulling him back just now. He said, "Many thanks, An Yang, bro! Many thanks to An Yang, bro, for saving my life!"
An Yang let out a cold snort and continued, "Remember, if you dare disobey me again, I'll kill you!"
Ning Caichen minded his roughness not at all, simply nodding frantically. "Definitely, definitely. I'll go right to sleep and won't let down An Yang, bro's kind intentions."
"I hope you keep your word, otherwise don't blame me for being unpolished!"
With that, An Yang turned and left.
Yet Ning Caichen still gazed at his retreating back, sighing inwardly in his heart—
An Yang, bro, is truly a good guy.
Who said the road to Guo Bei County was full of bandits? Didn't the last debt collector just get killed halfway, and yet I ran into a good guy? Truly Heaven is blessing me!
Well, it's just that his personality is a bit rough.
"Thud."
When the door closed, Ning Caichen hurriedly blew out the candle, huddled in the corner of the wall without daring to move. Every shadow outside looked like someone coming to take his life, and terror mounted in his heart.
An Yang returned to his room, waved away the dust ahead of him with his hand, looked up at the mezzanine overhead, frowned, and said nothing.
He remembered there should be many mummified corpses up here—all people whose vital essence had been sucked dry by the Thousand-Year Tree Demon in the past. He didn't know if it was just this room or every room that had them, but there was no need to bother; these mummies wouldn't easily awaken without the stimulation of fresh blood.
Suddenly, an ethereal, indistinct chant drifted from outside, soft and pleasant to the ear, accompanied by a string of clear, melodious zither notes, winding and lingering, echoing endlessly with an inherent temptation that captured one's soul.
An Yang opened his eyes, pushed open the door, and stepped out. First walking over to the adjacent room to warn Ning Caichen against going outside, he then stood on the railing and looked far into the distance, seeing a small pavilion sitting upon the distant lake. Brightly lit and draped with light gauze curtains, a woman seemed to sit inside the pavilion, plucking a zither and chanting alone.
Nie Xiaoqian!
An Yang shook his head, returned to his room, and shut the door. At most, he could only say he no longer feared Nie Xiaoqian, yet he was still unwilling to actively provoke her; after all, what he intended to do ran diametrically opposed to Nie Xiaoqian's wishes, making them enemies for all practical purposes.
Preventing Ning Caichen from making the acquaintance of Nie Xiaoqian and Yan Chixia was also to make the completion of his own quest more convenient, reducing a source of resistance and cutting off the possibility of Ning Caichen persuading Yan Chixia to help Nie Xiaoqian reincarnate.
At least for now, Yan Chixia's relationship with him was better.
Before long, his door was knocked upon once more.
"This scholar truly knows neither good nor bad!"
An Yang frowned, his expression sinking abruptly as he got up, walked to the door, and pulled it open, only to be taken aback at the sight of a woman in ancient white robes.
"Xiao Qian!"
Nie Xiaoqian was also startled, saying, "Young Master An Yang, why haven't you left yet! Didn't I tell you to leave this place?"
An Yang fell silent for a moment and said, "It rained outside during the day today, plus I... I said I'd play a tune for you, so I stayed behind."
Deeply moved, Nie Xiaoqian was torn between speaking and holding back, finally saying, "Young Master An Yang, you are an upright gentleman, but why... why must you do this?"
An Yang offered no reply, instead pretending to look around vaguely as he said, "Ah, that's right, Lady Xiao Qian, what are you doing here in these desolate mountains and wild ridges?"
"I..."
It was difficult for Nie Xiaoqian to put it into words. Could she possibly tell An Yang that she was here to seduce men so the Thousand-Year Tree Demon could suck their vital essence? In the end, she could only change the subject, looking at him with reluctance. "You had better leave quickly and not stay here!"
Careless in the extreme, An Yang said, "How can that do? I thought about it after going back last night, and that tune is indeed better suited for a vertical bamboo flute. Only with desolation and lingering depth can its artistic conception be played. I wonder if Lady Xiao Qian brought a bamboo flute along? I shall play a tune for Lady Xiao Qian!"
Nie Xiaoqian said, "I didn't. I'm leaving now; take care of yourself tonight, and be sure to leave tomorrow."
An Yang pushed the door open, looked down, and said, "I just saw someone playing the zither in the Lake Heart Pavilion. That must be Lady Xiao Qian, right? Why don't we have a duet of zither and flute?"
A look of difficulty crossed Nie Xiaoqian's face. Her original purpose was to seduce men, but now that she had finally run into a good person, she could not bear to harm his life, leaving her with no choice but to refuse in various ways.
"There's no need. A murderer lives right downstairs, and if he hears us, he will surely come up and kill us."
A corner of An Yang's eye twitched uncontrollably. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected that the exact excuse Nie Xiaoqian originally used in the plot to deceive the scholar Ning Caichen would be used upon himself!
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Qian. Brother Yan is a friend of mine and definitely won't harm you. If you're still scared, at worst I'll tell you a story tonight!"
Dazed, Nie Xiaoqian gazed at him, truly treating him as a scholar who understood nothing at all. Hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, "Alright then. I'll go down and get the zither, but the bamboo flute is at my home, so you'll have to wait a little longer. If that murderer comes up, I'll just leave."
An Yang nodded, smiling as he said, "Xiao Qian, you'd better be quick. A fine night is short."
With a shy, bashful lower of her head, Nie Xiaoqian quickly opened the door and left. Yet after the span of mere moments, she returned, holding a black ancient zither in her arms along with a vertical bamboo flute.
Continuing to play the fool, An Yang said in mock astonishment, "So fast?"
Her beautiful eyes shifting, Nie Xiaoqian said, "Oh, there is a shortcut from my house to here, so I came rather quickly."
Looking at the distance from the back mountain to here, and from here to the heart of the lake, presumably only a foolish scholar like Ning Caichen would believe such an explanation. Still, An Yang chose to make himself believe it as he took the bamboo flute and said, "So that's how it was."
Nie Xiaoqian nodded, though she carefully kept a watchful eye out for Yan Chixia, and uttered a soft "Mn," like a murmur amidst a delicate gasp.
Soon, the flute's sound arose, and the zither harmonized.
Ever since graduating from university, reality had worn away his youthful flamboyance and arrogance, stripping away his former dreams and romantic notions. An Yang had long since categorized himself as a worldly man, and he truly disliked musical instruments—especially the flute, which sounded quite unpleasant when spoken of.
Yet amidst the resonant, mournful sound of the flute, as he looked at Nie Xiaoqian before him, bathing in self-pity with shifting brows and eyes, he couldn't help but recall the plot of the original A Chinese Ghost Story.
In the original story, Nie Xiaoqian was lonely and frustrated, forced every day to do things against her will, until a scholar named Ning Caichen appeared, effortlessly touching her heart and stirring love within her in just a few short days.
Thinking of this, An Yang's heart cleared completely, a twitch of his hand causing the flute music to stop abruptly!
Unawares, he had actually taken Ning Caichen's place!
Only, whereas Ning Caichen had touched Nie Xiaoqian through a continuous series of kind actions, he had done so simply with a painting, a flute tune, and an untold story...
Right, along with a brief speech. Yet he was someone who had watched A Chinese Ghost Story many times; he already knew the personalities of the three characters inside out and backward. Just as with Yan Chixia, every single word of this speech had struck straight into Nie Xiaoqian's heart.
Pressing her hands upon the zither strings, Nie Xiaoqian asked softly, "Why did you suddenly stop?"
An Yang shook his head. "Nothing."
He raised the flute, his gaze flickering incessantly.
This was a woman of tragic birth and even more tragic experiences; a woman who would stop at nothing for love, daring to turn to ashes; a woman who was infinitely pitiful, as well as one whose inner nature was poignant while her exterior was stunning.
He had considered directly luring Yan Chixia out, or obtaining the Diamond Sutra from Yan Chixia to blast Nie Xiaoqian into scattered soul and dispersing form, completing the mission in the simplest and most effective manner. Yet now, how could he possibly bring himself to strike?
The flute was naturally mournful, and now it grew even more sorrowful.
So be it. Let the innocent remain innocent, and let the tragic continue in her tragedy. Completing the mission was best done through the finest means; unless forced to extremities, it was better not to take that step—plus, he still wished to reap greater benefits within this world, and completing the mission too quickly would run counter to that goal.
In the main hall of Lanruo Temple, Yan Chixia opened his eyes, listened intently for a moment, and his brow instantly knitted together.
"This zither music doesn't seem to be coming from the back mountain; it's upstairs. How is there also the sound of a vertical bamboo flute? Could it be little brother An Yang?"
"Little brother An Yang is truly bold, actually able to play in harmony with a female ghost. Still, I hope he doesn't succumb to temptation."
A moment later, the Xuanyuan Divine Sword suddenly leaped from its scabbard—
"No, I must go up and take a look!"
An Yang had just lowered the flute, and Nie Xiaoqian had likewise moved her hands away from the zither strings, leaving a faint, trembling resonance to echo endlessly in the room, when a shout drifted up from downstairs—
"Hey, female ghost, hurry up and get your ass down here!"
Nie Xiaoqian's expression shifted!
An Yang turned his head toward the door, but when he looked back, the room was already empty. The dim, yellow candle flickered unsteadily, and the window on the left was swinging open, swaying back and forth.
He rushed over to close the window, then sprinted to the right to push that window open, settling in to await Yan Chixia's arrival.
"Thud."
The door was pushed open, and Yan Chixia's eyes instantly locked onto the open window on the right side of the room. He immediately made to chase out, but An Yang grabbed hold of him.
"Brother Yan, what are you coming up here for?"
Yan Chixia turned around, his eyes fierce as he said in a loud voice, "This female fiend hasn't left for so long; she definitely harbors ulterior motives! I was afraid you wouldn't be able to resist the temptation!"
An Yang said, "It's fine, trust me. I can resist. You should head back down, Brother Yan."
Yan Chixia's eyes narrowed slightly. "No, these demons and ghosts already ignore my very existence, actually harming people right before my eyes. I must give them a warning!"
With that, he took a stride forward to the opened window frame and vaulted straight out!
Before you continue