Page 40

The voice carried a smile, ringing out unhurriedly beside its ear like a thunderclap that shattered the silence, shaking its very heart and soul.

Hearing her voice, the Human-Faced Scorpion felt as if a ghost were circling the stone walls, nearly scaring it to death on the spot.

"Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?"

Human-Faced Scorpion: F***.

Damn it, why?

Are you sick in the head?! Isn't that my line! Is this fun? Huh? Is this fun for you, you wretched Sword Cultivator!

The ghostly female voice drew closer and closer, piercing its eardrums like needles. Amplified by the echoes in the cave, it sounded even more eerie, terrifying, and grotesque.

The Human-Faced Scorpion was going insane.

What kind of sin had it committed to be so weak, pitiful, and helpless, only to be ground into dust by fate like this?

Running around randomly would only reveal its tracks. The Human-Faced Scorpion decided to hide behind a boulder, staying as quiet as a mouse while listening to that increasingly enthusiastic chant of "where are you, where are you, where are you," swallowing a mouthful of bitter tears in its heart.

That Sword Cultivator has no heart.

She wasn't even pausing between words anymore, and she was even varying her tone in all sorts of fancy ways, as if she were singing.

But just as its mind wandered, the continuous stream of sound suddenly cut off.

In the silent, gloomy space, everything felt exceptionally sinister and terrifying, making it shiver uncontrollably.

A cold breeze suddenly swept through the cave, which should have been as still as stagnant water.

Without any warning, a faint puff of warmth brushed against the base of its ear.

Then came a murmur pressed right against its ear, a whisper like a demon's low voice, the call of Cthulhu: "Found. You."

It was exactly the same tone it had used earlier, like they were twins.

Could there be anything more terrifying than this?

The Human-Faced Scorpion turned its head with a blank expression, coming face-to-face with a smiling countenance.

At that smile, it nearly passed away right then and there.

"Forgive my abrupt intrusion."

Ning Ning, who was mere inches away, had curved brows and smiling almond eyes. As she spoke in a slow, gentle voice, her tone was soft and lighthearted: "I won't kill you; I just want to know the location of the Heaven Heart Grass."

Pah.

This wretched Sword Cultivator is cunning and ruthless. Even if it dies, even if it has to jump off a cliff, it will never reveal a single piece of information to her!

The Human-Faced Scorpion was just about to refuse, but then heard her continue, "Can you tell me? Please, pretty sister."

The Human-Faced Scorpion: ...

D-damn it!

Fine, seeing as your mouth is so sweet...!

Ning Ning had never intended to kill from the very beginning.

Although many spirit beasts and Devilish Creatures in the Xiaochong Mountain Secret Realm would attack humans indiscriminately, in the final analysis, they were merely defending their territory and driving away intruders.

To them, the cultivators who suddenly appeared were the unreasonable ones.

Therefore, unless she was in a life-or-death situation, she had no intention of dealing a lethal blow.

The Human-Faced Scorpion, having been showered with such flowery praise, surprisingly found it quite agreeable. After a stiff, awkward snort, it not only pointed out the cave exit but also marked the location of the Heaven Heart Grass on Ning Ning's map to make it easier for her to find.

Only after leaving that sickly green, gloomy cavern did Ning Ning truly enter Xiaochong Mountain.

The cave was located halfway up the mountainside. Looking out, she could see layers upon layers of mountains stretching into the distance.

The sky, clouds, mountains, and water were all a leisurely shade of green. In the distance, thick fog veiled the green hills like arched eyebrows, while nearby, birds chirped and flowers bloomed, the warbling of orioles and swallows carrying the faint fragrance of leaves.

The spot the Human-Faced Scorpion had indicated was very close to the cave. It took only half an incense stick's worth of time for Ning Ning to arrive at her destination.

This was a small corner by the cliffside, blocked by a massive boulder. The rock sat flush against the cliff wall, leaving only a narrow gap wide enough for one person to pass through.

The gap was obscured by vines and foliage, making it difficult to spot without careful observation. If one were to push aside the vegetation and peer through the gap, the other side appeared to be nothing more than a very cramped, small clearing.

Most people would lose interest upon seeing this, never imagining that if they squeezed through the gap and looked to the right, they would find a spirit plant with four heart-shaped leaves and a body as white as snow growing in the corner hidden by the boulder.

—The Heaven Heart Grass, which legend says can cure a hundred illnesses with every leaf.

What Ning Ning didn't expect was that as she lifted the thick vines beside the boulder, she heard an unfamiliar woman's voice from behind the rock.

The voice was extremely soft, trembling slightly as if from fear or nervousness: "Senior, my family member is gravely ill. If I don't have the Heaven Heart Grass to save them..."

Before she could finish, she was rudely interrupted by another voice, bright and flamboyant: "I've seen this excuse a thousand times. Instead of racking your brain to lie to me, you'd be better off thinking about how to complete this couplet."

There were actually two people in such a hidden place?

Suspicion stirred in Ning Ning's heart, and she poked her head inside.

There were indeed two figures standing behind the boulder.

She had some impression of one of them; it was Yun Duanyue from Liuming Mountain, who never spoke to strangers. The other woman looked to be in her twenties, with plain features but an ethereal temperament, leaning against the rock wall behind her with a half-smile on her face.

Sensing the presence of a living person, the two turned their heads at the same time.

Yun Duanyue was like a startled rabbit; after a fleeting moment of eye contact, she immediately lowered her lashes. The woman, however, acted like the mistress of the house, grinning broadly. "Are you here for the Heaven Heart Grass, too?"

Seeing Ning Ning nod, she beamed. "I am the Spirit of the Stone. I have been here accompanying the Heaven Heart Grass for a hundred years. If you want to take it, you must first ask for my permission."

She showed no obvious signs of refusal, and Ning Ning understood there was a chance, so she asked quite tactfully, "What does Senior mean?"

"This wretched place is incredibly dull. In all these years, the only human object I've ever come into contact with is a copy of Nianhua Dui that someone left behind here."

The Spirit of the Stone was very satisfied with her cooperation and curled her lips. "It's a pity that I've looked at these couplets for so many years, yet I've never found anyone to match them. Today, I will provide the first line, and you shall provide the second. If you can match it, I will hand over this herb. I won't bully you; I won't demand perfection in tone patterns or artistic conception. As long as the characters match, how about it?"