Ghost Village: Sunset Glow (1)

True Person Yu Qing stared fixedly at Wen Jian, his gaze like two sharp hooks, as though he wanted to dig a truer resolve from the depths of those seemingly steadfast eyes.

Although Wen Jian had sworn a solemn promise, the taut string in True Person Yu Qing's heart showed not the slightest sign of loosening.

Immediately afterward, True Person Yu Qing discreetly circulated his spiritual power. A concealed spell silently took shape, like a spirit snake hidden in the darkness, slithering soundlessly toward Wen Jian before entering his body.

This spell was called the Silencing Spell. Once successfully cast, it ensured that Wen Jian, no matter what form he used—whether spoken words, delivered letters, or magical transmissions—would have absolutely no way to reveal this matter to a third person.

Fine pale-gold lines wound down Wen Jian's meridians like spirit snakes before finally lying dormant deep within his dantian, hidden from sight.

Wen Jian only felt as though a gentle breeze had quietly brushed over his spiritual platform. His thoughts, which had been somewhat muddled by confusion and shock, instantly became exceptionally clear.

Completely unaware that True Person Yu Qing had already placed a spell on him.

Only after finishing all this did True Person Yu Qing's nerves, drawn tight by tension, relax slightly. He let out a soft breath and patted Wen Jian on the shoulder. "Go. Remember what I said."

Wen Jian nodded firmly again, his eyes carrying a touch of unease and deep reverence.

He turned to leave, but just as he was about to take a step, he seemed to recall something immensely important. He swiftly turned back and said anxiously, "Sect Leader Martial Uncle, this disciple truly never went to Sunset Glow Village with Third Senior Brother for training, much less disguised himself as a woman! Even if it was merely a thought, Second Senior Brother should not have slandered my innocence out of thin air."

His face was full of grievance, as though Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice had already saddled him with a tremendous injustice.

True Person Yu Qing likewise found the matter strangely inexplicable. Over the past few days, he had spent day and night with Shen Yuxi. Though Shen Yuxi occasionally had impulsive Heart Voices that made people laugh despite themselves, he was certainly not the sort to fabricate nonsense and maliciously spread rumors.

But why, exactly, had he "said" something so utterly baseless? True Person Yu Qing could not puzzle it out no matter how he thought.

Just as the two were steeped in suspicion, the jade token at Wen Jian's waist suddenly shone. Then a somewhat low voice clearly entered his ears. "Junior Brother, I have a training mission here that requires a medical cultivator to travel with us. Can you make time?"

The one sending the transmission was Feng Yue, third among this generation's direct disciples and a cultivator of considerable strength.

"What mission?" Wen Jian vaguely had a guess, but this coincidence was simply too unbelievable.

"Ghosts have recently been causing trouble in Sunset Glow Village, and several people have already died. Ghost Cultivators are becoming increasingly rampant. If we do not stop them, there will be even more victims. We cannot stand by and do nothing."

After hearing the transmission, Wen Jian's expression changed drastically. He abruptly raised his head, his gaze colliding directly with True Person Yu Qing's equally solemn eyes. In that instant of exchanged glances, a flicker of surprise passed undisguised through both their eyes.

Was this not far too coincidental?

Filled with helplessness, Wen Jian recalled Shen Yuxi's earlier Heart Voice. His face immediately darkened, his eyes full of resistance, and without a second thought he refused, "I'm not going. I'm a medical cultivator, and my cultivation isn't high. I'm not going to join in something this dangerous."

Yet Feng Yue seemed to have anticipated his refusal. He persisted through the transmission, "You have to go even if you don't want to. This mission is different from the previous ones. It is highly dangerous, and there may be casualties. A medical cultivator must accompany us to look after everyone. I have already specifically reported this to Master. His elder self agreed as well."

Elder Yuxuan was the Sixth Elder of the Profound Heaven Sect, True Person Yu Qing's junior brother, and also the master who taught Feng Yue and Wen Jian. Upon hearing this, Wen Jian might have been unwilling in a thousand ways, but a master's orders could not be defied. Having no alternative, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

After ending the transmission, Wen Jian looked at True Person Yu Qing with a bitter smile and said half-jokingly, "Sect Leader Martial Uncle, judging by the current situation, this disciple may truly have to dress as a woman."

Though it was said as a joke, the fact that Shen Yuxi's seemingly absurd Heart Voice had actually come true was beyond dispute.

True Person Yu Qing's expression was grave. "Once the training ends, come see me immediately and report the details of this mission."

Wen Jian naturally understood what True Person Yu Qing wished to confirm. He nodded without hesitation. The strangeness of it all would likely only be brought to light once the training was over.

Afterward, Wen Jian turned and left. True Person Yu Qing watched his retreating figure gradually disappear, while within his heart, it was as though a boulder had been cast into a deep pool, setting off towering waves.

Was it truly a coincidence? Or had Qingming deduced it through some method? Or perhaps... foresight?

His disciple had remained at his side these past days, every movement plainly visible to him. By all rights, there had been no way for him to know that Qingzhen would be going on a mission with Qingyu. Even Qingyu himself had known nothing before receiving the transmission, so how had Qingming learned of it in advance? Could this also be the effect of the Heaven-Peeking Treasure?

But Qingming's attitude did not seem like foreknowledge of the future. Instead, it was more like this had truly happened already, which was why he believed he ought to know it. Strange. It was truly too strange.

Elsewhere, Shen Yuxi was basking listlessly beneath the warm sunlight, his thoughts drifting. Recalling the past events of Sunset Glow Village, he could not help sighing. Ah, I really want to see Ninth Junior Brother dressed as a woman.

After all, getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime affair. As his senior brother, the eldest is like a father. If I fail to attend such an important occasion as my junior brother "getting married," that would truly be improper.

At this moment, True Person Yu Qing had just finished dealing with Wen Jian and was about to return to the main hall to continue handling sect affairs.

The moment he crossed the threshold, he heard his own disciple vividly directing and acting out a scene alone in his room. Shen Yuxi was so focused and immersed that it seemed as though someone were genuinely conversing with him.

Caught off guard by those words, True Person Yu Qing's heart jolted. His feet stumbled, and he nearly failed to hold himself steady and stepped into empty air. He barely managed to regain his balance.

Shen Yuxi's thoughts continued without pause. Forget it. On second thought, I'd better not go. This is Third Junior Brother's iconic hero-saves-the-beauty scene. It might even be the first step in the further development of the Third-Ninth CP's relationship. If I rashly stick my foot into it, what would that make me? I'm not going, not going. I'll just quietly wait here for good news.

Hearing this, the confusion on True Person Yu Qing's face was practically overflowing. He could not help muttering inwardly, What exactly does "CP" mean? What is my disciple talking about? Why can I not understand a single word?

However, Shen Yuxi's Heart Voice had already become like a wild horse breaking free of the reins, pouring forth without end. Mm, I knew those two were real. Once they return from training, they can probably start preparing to eat wedding candy.

This time, True Person Yu Qing was completely dumbfounded. His eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. Wh-what is all this supposed to mean? What wedding candy? Whose wedding candy is it? Could this child have gone astray in his cultivation and lost his mind? Yet looking at him, although his words are strange, his reasoning is quite clear... It is truly bizarre beyond measure.

Shen Yuxi seemed to have become addicted to his "performance," and immediately launched into narration mode. Speaking of that Sunset Glow Village training—

The Profound Heaven Sect disciples accepted the assignment and arrived at Sunset Glow Village.

At first glance, the village was no different from any ordinary settlement. Wisps of cooking smoke curled up from the neatly scattered rooftops, while villagers labored diligently in the fields. Everywhere was filled with an air of peace and harmony.

Yet the group keenly sensed an elusive, eerie presence in the air, like an undercurrent hidden beneath the surface of a tranquil lake, liable at any moment to surge up and raise tempestuous waves.

The group went straight to the village chief's home. The instant the chief saw them, hope lit up in his eyes, and his excitement could scarcely be contained.

The village chief was a thin old man with a somewhat hunched back, his face covered in the marks carved by time. At present, that face was consumed by worry and fear.

Even so, upon seeing the group, he forced himself to rally and warmly welcomed them inside. The moment they entered, he bustled about, bringing stools and pouring tea as he eagerly attended to them.

Feng Yue hurriedly raised a hand to decline. "Elder, there is no need. Please tell us about the ghost causing trouble in the village."

After exchanging pleasantries, the atmosphere in the room eased somewhat. Everyone sat together and listened as the village chief recounted everything that had recently happened in the village.

The village chief sighed, his voice trembling slightly. "Our Sunset Glow Village may not be anything special, but everyone in the village supports one another. Life is plain, but we have always managed to get by.

"But who knows when it began? A Ghost Bridegroom suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the village. That bridegroom acts unbelievably strangely, specifically abducting women who are about to marry.

"My poor daughter... she was just about to marry into a good family and live a good life, but she became the first pitiful victim to suffer at its hands..."

At this point, the village chief's voice abruptly stopped, as though something had caught in his throat. His eyes instantly reddened, and tears spilled uncontrollably from them, slowly rolling down his wrinkled cheeks.

He repeatedly murmured his daughter's name, his voice filled with grief and helplessness.

Everyone listened in silence, unable to keep from being moved.

For a time, the room fell silent, with only the old man's suppressed sobs echoing through the air.

Only after a long while, when the village chief's emotions had gradually settled and his sobbing had weakened, did Feng Yue ask, "Do you know of any other clues? Where is the Ghost Bridegroom?"

The village chief shook his head. "Whenever that ghost appears, a gust of yin wind sweeps through, and the bride is taken away. We do not know where they are taken.

"When the evil ghost first appeared, it did not abduct living people. It merely made strange noises in the village night after night, sometimes like crying, sometimes like a sinister laugh. It was truly terrifying.

"A month ago, we even asked passing cultivators to set up an array to block the evil spirits. We thought we would finally be safe, but the array did not hold for long. Instead, that evil ghost only grew worse, beginning to openly abduct young women."

Night quietly descended, and the atmosphere in the village became increasingly oppressive and heavy.

The senior and junior brothers knew time was pressing. Seeing that they could uncover no further leads from the village chief, they exchanged glances and nodded in tacit understanding. Then they scattered, each using every means at his disposal to search for clues throughout the village.

As a medical cultivator, Wen Jian's healing arts were superb. He was peerless in pharmacology and treatment, but his path of cultivation emphasized saving the world and healing others, leaving his ability to protect himself comparatively weaker than that of other cultivators.

After weighing the matter, he chose to remain alone at the village chief's residence, lest he fail to help and instead become a burden, causing trouble for the others.

He had merely been wandering through the residence without expecting to discover any useful clue. As he pondered the strange events in the village and the seemingly casual "prophecy" Second Senior Brother had made before he left, he unconsciously walked into the rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard was quite quiet. Moonlight poured down upon the stone paving, casting a cold sheen over it. Flowers and grass swayed gently in the breeze, yet an inexplicable sense of gloom arose.

Wen Jian was distracted when, upon reaching a corner, a maidservant covered in bloody marks suddenly charged out from around it. Her eyes were filled with terror and panic, and she babbled words no one could understand as she rushed directly toward Wen Jian.

Unable to dodge in time, Wen Jian felt a powerful force strike him as the maidservant threw herself into his arms.

"You..."

Before he could figure out what was happening, the steward following behind hurried over, his forehead covered in beads of sweat and his face full of panic and apology.

While loudly ordering the servants to drag the maidservant away and lock her up, the steward repeatedly bowed to Wen Jian in apology. "Esteemed cultivator, I am truly sorry! We do not know what happened, but this maid suddenly went mad like this and offended you. I beg that you, sir, be magnanimous and do not take it to heart."

Though doubts filled Wen Jian's heart, seeing the steward so flustered and the maidservant still struggling desperately and shouting as the servants forcibly dragged her away, he felt there was something strange about the matter.

But he did not pursue it further. He merely waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing. "Forget it. She is likely not in her right mind and did not act intentionally."

After everyone left, Wen Jian saw that no one was around. Under the cover of night, he quietly headed toward the back mountain.

The instant the maidservant had thrown herself into Wen Jian's arms, she had taken advantage of the chaos to whisper a warning in his ear. "There is something strange in the back mountain."

Wen Jian did not know why the maidservant had done such a thing, but since he had obtained a clue, he naturally had to investigate it. Unfortunately, none of his senior and junior brothers were present, so he could only go alone.

Sunset Glow Village was surrounded by mountains, and the so-called back mountain lay outside the village. Wen Jian had originally hoped he might encounter one of his senior or junior brothers along the way and travel together, but after walking all this way, he had not met a single one. He could only sigh inwardly at his own bad luck.

The moment he stepped into the back mountain, gusts of yin wind blew past him. The wind cut across his face like icy blades, carrying bone-piercing cold. Wen Jian had not dealt much with ghosts, but he knew that if there were only lingering ghostly energy, it would never be this intense. Clearly, the ghost had been here not long ago—or perhaps was very likely here even now!

Wen Jian halted. If the ghost was truly here at this moment, then entering alone to search for clues would be rather like courting death.

Just as Wen Jian hesitated over whether to turn back and find his senior and junior brothers, a black shadow flashed past his eyes. It moved so swiftly that, had Wen Jian not been sharp-eyed, he would have almost failed to notice it.

Wen Jian's heart suddenly jolted, and he immediately chased after it.

After pursuing it for some distance, the black shadow seemed to notice Wen Jian's persistence and finally stopped.

The black shadow slowly turned around. By the faint moonlight, Wen Jian saw its appearance—it was a woman dressed in red bridal robes. The robes were crimson as blood, yet beneath the moonlight they carried an eerie darkness.

The woman's face was pale as paper, utterly devoid of color, as though her soul had been drained away. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, like two deep black holes radiating a hair-raising aura, as if they wished to draw a person's soul inside.

"Who are you? Why are you causing trouble here?" Wen Jian suppressed the fear in his heart and demanded loudly.

Yet the woman gave no response to his words. She merely let out a sinister wail.

The crying echoed through the silent night, sending chills down one's spine and making every hair stand on end. Before Wen Jian could react in any way, the female ghost vanished without a trace, leaving only that fearsome crying lingering in the air.

Filled with helplessness, Wen Jian had wanted to continue following his lead, but circumstances left him no choice but to temporarily give up. He turned and returned to the village chief's residence to wait for his fellow disciples to gather.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Regarding forms of address

The elders do not address their direct disciples consistently. True Person Yu Qing and the Seventh Elder prefer to use courtesy names. (Eleven has not yet received a courtesy name, so they call him Little Eleven.)

The Second Elder likes to call them "such-and-such brat" and "such-and-such girl."

The Sixth Elder likes to call them "Little + direct disciple rank."

The Fourth Elder cannot remember who is who at all; he only knows their cultivation specialties.

The Ninth Elder remembers only his own direct disciples. He thinks everyone else is a group of flashy, impractical sword cultivators, so he follows the Sixth Elder's way of addressing them—but this man always gets their direct disciple ranks wrong.