Night Rain in the Barren Mountains

Yang Qianhuan slowly said, "After reflecting on this period of time, I finally understand the difference between myself and Xu Qi'an."

"What's the difference?"

Zhong Li was a perfect straight man in a comedy duo.

Yang Qianhuan didn't answer, but instead asked, "Junior Sister Zhong, do you still remember when Xu Qi'an began to be loved by the people?"

Zhong Li tilted her head, her hair falling down to reveal a pair of bright eyes, her voice soft. "During the Capital Evaluation, you solved a series of major cases?"

At that time, Zhong Li was a pitiful little girl who was "suppressed" at the bottom of the building and didn't know Xu Qi'an yet. Later, she gradually learned about Xu Qi'an's past.

"No, although he stole the show during the Capital Evaluation, his reputation only circulated within official circles. Ordinary people had heard of him, but they were far from being fond of him."

Yang Qianhuan spoke in a deep, gentle voice:

"What truly made him memorable to the people of the capital were his battles with Buddhist School and his trip to Yunzhou, followed by his execution of the Duke at Caishikou, which brought him to the peak of his fame. But whether it was these events, the subsequent legends of Yuyang Pass, or his feat of regicide, they were all essentially the same."

He paused, then spoke in a tone that seemed to unveil the truth behind the fog:

"Because he constantly cultivated an image of 'serving the country and the people,' the people naturally loved and respected him. When he killed Yuan Jing, he was executing a tyrant. If I were to kill Yong Xing, I would be a traitor."

Zhong Li was deeply moved; Senior Brother Yang had finally understood.

Yang Qianhuan continued, "Therefore, I will begin to work for the well-being of the people, so that all the people of the capital will be grateful to me."

"So, what does Senior Brother Yang plan to do?" Zhong Li asked softly.

"I plan to open several shops in the capital and help the people of the capital free of charge. In time, I will be able to surpass Xu Qi'an and become a great hero in the hearts of the people of the capital," Yang Qianhuan said with conviction.

"Senior Brother Yang is really amazing, coming up with such a great idea." Zhong Li was happy for him.

Having received Zhong's approval and praise, Yang Qianhuan left full of confidence.

The cold wind howled, and the wild grass undulated.

Thick, dark clouds hung heavy on the distant horizon, swirling rapidly with the wind. The group walked along a desolate mountain path, with Mu Nanzhi on horseback wrapped tightly in her fox fur cloak.

She frowned, turned to Xu Qi'an, and said, "I'm a little cold."

This winter is exceptionally cold; it's only been a short time since winter began, and frost has already settled on the eaves.

Xu Qi'an nodded, placing his palm on the mare's belly and gently channeling his Qi into her. He was now able to refine essence into Qi, generating a considerable amount of Qi, equivalent to the eighth-grade Qi Refining Realm.

The mare felt the warmth from her owner, let out a joyful neigh, turned her head, and rubbed against Xu Qi'an's face.

"The one surnamed Xu!"

Mu Nanzhi gritted her teeth in anger. Was she really less valuable than a horse?

"For you, being cold is a good experience. A life of leisurely wandering would lose its charm."

Even so, Xu Qi'an still held her small hand and channeled his vital energy into her.

Li Lingsu observed the interaction between the two and thought to herself, "The lady isn't pretty enough, that's why that old geezer Xu Qian is so disgusted with her."

Thinking of his group of close female friends, each a stunning beauty, the Holy Son couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority. He also wondered if Xu Qian was simply indifferent to women, or if he was just bad at interacting with them.

Otherwise, with his status and cultivation level, what kind of beauty couldn't he have?

"However, although Madam Xu's looks were average, she was extremely pleasing to the eye. The more one spent time with her, the more one felt that she was different from ordinary women. This was probably why Xu Qian married her."

Li Lingsu thought to herself.

After circulating her Qi for several weeks, Mu Nanzhi felt warm all over and even felt a bit sleepy. She forced herself to perk up, put the little fox on the horse's back, and then took out the "Great Feng: Geography" from her bag. After flipping through it a few times, her expression changed slightly.

She swallowed hard and whispered, "The book says that Xiangzhou has two major characteristics: water ghosts and corpse-driving."

Their location was in Xiangzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of Zhangzhou.

Upon hearing this, the little white fox shrank back in fear and, like Mu Nanzhi, stammered pathetically:

"W-what? Lots of water ghosts!"

Xu Qi'an said irritably, "You're a demon, why are you afraid of water ghosts?"

The little white fox cowered, whispering, "I... I'm afraid of ghosts."

Li Lingsu said, "Xiangzhou has numerous waterways, a network of rivers that crisscross the land. Countless people drown there every year, so it's normal that there are many water ghosts. As for corpse-driving, that's a long story."

Seeing the two people and the fox looking over, Li Lingsu explained:

"Legend has it that about 180 years ago, a strange man suddenly appeared in western Hunan. His skill in controlling corpses was unparalleled. He used thirteen iron corpses to defeat all opponents in Xiangzhou and founded a sect in Xiangzhou."

"To this day, many Jianghu forces in Xiangzhou have some skills in controlling corpses. Among them, the most powerful is the Chai family, whose main business is transporting corpses back to their hometowns after they die far from home."

"Any corpse handled by the Chai family will not rot and stink."

Xu Qi'an, leading the mare, asked, "Is this a corpse-controlling technique from the Witch God Cult, or a technique from the Corpse Gu Tribe?"

Li Lingsu smiled and said:

"The methods of the Corpse Gu Clan. That extraordinary person was born in Xiangzhou. When he was young, his whole family was killed by his enemies. He did not know why he did not die. He was sold to the Southern Frontier as a slave by his enemies. There he learned a remarkable skill in controlling corpses from the Gu Clan."

"After realizing that his cultivation had reached its peak, he fled the Southern Frontier, returned to Xiangzhou to seek revenge, and founded his own sect. This man was named Chai Siming, and he was the ancestor of the Chai family. However, his corpse control technique was flawed, and he could only cultivate to the fifth rank."

"Later, the Chai family developed Martial Dao, and its members usually practiced both martial arts and Gu poison. The current head of the Chai family is only a fifth-rank official, but the Chai family has had several fourth-rank heads in its history."

Xu Qi'an asked in surprise, "You've traveled to Xiangzhou before?"

"No."

"Then how do you know these things?"

"Because one of my close female friends happens to be a member of the Chai family." Li Lingsu revealed a smile of a winner in life.

Damn it! I didn't realize I'd given you another chance to show off. Xu Qi'an thought to himself, then nodded calmly:

"We'll arrive in Xiangzhou City tomorrow, which will be a good time to pay a visit to the Chai family."

Li Lingsu's expression changed slightly, and she quietly covered her waist.

The wind grew stronger, dark clouds loomed overhead, and it looked like a torrential downpour was imminent. The group quickened their pace, and after traveling for about fifteen minutes, Mu Nanzhi, sitting on horseback, pointed into the distance and said happily:

There's a dilapidated temple there.

The little white fox happily chimed in, "There's a dilapidated temple."

The dilapidated temple was right by the roadside. As we got closer, we discovered it was a mountain god temple, quite large in area, suggesting it must have had its glorious past.

The temple gate was dilapidated and half-open, as if it would collapse at the slightest push.

Xu Qi'an helped Mu Nanzhi dismount, and the three of them and the horse entered the temple. After crossing the threshold, they found the courtyard filled with withered branches and fallen leaves, emitting a faint smell of decay.

The mountain god statue enshrined inside the temple was overturned, covered in cracks and entangled with spider webs. Xu Qi'an glanced at it and estimated that the temple had been abandoned for at least ten years.

There were several patches of charcoal ash in the temple, seemingly left by people who had rested there in the past after lighting bonfires.

"Ah!"

Mu Nanzhi suddenly gasped, pointing to the south corner of the wall, and stammered, "Coffin, coffin."

Against the south wall, there was an ebony coffin, its color dull, seemingly quite old.

The abandoned temple, the old coffin, and the approaching dusk with dark clouds overhead and howling winds created an eerie atmosphere.

Mu Nanzhi was timid and was immediately terrified.

Even though Bai Ji is a fox demon herself, she seemed to be affected as well, and took the initiative to climb into Mu Nanzhi's arms, the two female creatures huddling together for warmth.

Xu Qi'an glanced at the coffin, then looked away and said to Li Lingsu, "Go outside and gather some firewood. We'll make do at the temple tonight."

Li Lingsu had only been gone a short while when it started to rain, a bitter and bleak downpour.

Xu Qi'an took out two robes from his storage pouch and placed them on the ground so that Mu Nanzhi could sit down. After a while, Li Lingsu returned carrying a large bundle of firewood.

Generous portion.

A bonfire was quickly lit in the temple to drive away the chill, Xu Qi'an set up a pot and cooked a pot of meat soup.

Before long, the rich aroma of meat filled the air, and Mu Nanzhi was no longer afraid. She held the porcelain bowl and enjoyed the soup.

The little white fox also had a bowl, which it happily licked.

At that moment, Xu Qi'an's ears twitched as he heard hurried footsteps.

At the temple gate, two figures hurried in—two men and one woman. One of the men was dressed in a scholar's robe and hat, carrying a book box on his back; he appeared to be a scholar.

Another man had a long sword at his waist and wore black tight-fitting clothes; judging from his attire, he was a martial artist.

As for the woman, she had a beautiful face, wore a neat short outfit, and her long hair was tied up high like a man's. However, without any adornment on her shoulders, back, and neck, she appeared even more slender and thin.

"It smells so good!"

The young man with a long knife at his waist entered the temple, his eyes fixed on the iron pot.

The scholar bowed respectfully and said, "Gentlemen, the mountain path is difficult to find, and we have encountered a cold rain. I wonder if you could do us a favor?"

Li Lingsu smiled and said, "Please do as you please."

The two men and one woman immediately walked to the side and sat down not far from the coffin.

Because he had been traveling in the rain, his clothes were soaking wet. The man in black took off his sword, looked at the old coffin in the corner, and wondered:

"There's a coffin in the temple? Perfect, let's chop it up and use it as firewood."

The young scholar's expression changed slightly. "No, Brother Wang, this is bad luck. The dead should be respected; we mustn't disturb them."

Upon hearing this, Mu Nanzhi's little hand trembled, and she exclaimed, "That's right! Why did you have to chop up the coffin for no reason? Are you courting death?"

It was completely dark. Raindrops pattered down. In the dilapidated temple in the desolate mountains, the campfire flickered incessantly in the cold wind blowing into the temple, and the shadows of people were distorted into deformed outlines on the walls.

The young man in black frowned and said, "What's it to you!"

He then muttered to his companion, "It's not even certain whether there's a dead person in the coffin."

At this moment, the beautiful woman said:

"Whether anyone dies or not, it's bad luck. Brother Wang, we martial artists have vigorous Qi and Blood and are not afraid of the cold. It's just that you, Brother Lü..."

The scholar quickly waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright."

The woman shook her head, stood up, walked to Xu Qi'an and the others, clasped her hands in greeting, and said, "Brothers, would you mind if we joined you by the fire?"

"Please sit down!"

Under Mu Nanzhi's sidelong glance, Xu Qi'an maintained his aloof demeanor, refusing to reveal a warm, gentle smile.

So the three of them sat down by the campfire. Xu Qi'an noticed that their eyes were fixed on the iron pot, on the meat soup inside.

"If you don't mind, please use the bowls we used."

Xu Qi'an did not reveal that he possessed a storage Law Artifact in front of them.

Thank you very much.

The scholar was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly.

The man in the black outfit, who was known for his short temper, softened his expression upon hearing this.

The beautiful woman took a big gulp of the meat soup, wiped her lips with her sleeve, and said, "I am Feng Xiu, a disciple of the Plum Blossom Sword Sect."

She looked at the man in black and introduced him, "His name is Wang Jun, a disciple of the Songyun Sect. Our two sects have been on good terms for generations. This Brother Lü is a friend we met by chance in the mountains."

The scholar took over the conversation, saying, "My name is Lü Wei, from Qingshan County. With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, a special imperial examination will be held next year, so I plan to travel to the capital to study."

The Crown Prince has ascended the throne. Xu Qi'an was taken aback.

For Great Feng, this is a good thing.

The only advantage of Yuan Jing's cultivation of Daoism was that he didn't have many offspring; otherwise, the struggle for the throne among the princes would only make the situation more chaotic and worse.

Li Lingsu chimed in, "Are you two traveling the martial world together?"

Feng Xiu's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before she said softly, "We came to Xiangzhou in response to Aunt Chai's call to participate in the Demon-Slaying Conference."