The Old Stories of Tianque

Licun Village is situated by the river, boasting beautiful scenery. The area outside the village is shaded by lush forests. According to the onlookers at the village entrance, the villagers usually rely on farmland, but on special occasions they will also buy lotus seeds and lotus roots to sell at the market.

As Xu Zhixu recalled their words, in general, the village had a simple population and a warm and happy life. If it weren't for this sudden bout of madness, they should have continued to live such a simple and peaceful life.

She walked to the edge of the crowd, surrounded by a cacophony of voices.

“We’re so unlucky. How did he suddenly get such a strange madness? Could it be contagious to us? We should hurry up and bury his body somewhere in the mountains, as far away as possible.”

"That's right, that's right. I don't know where they got this madness from, no one in our village has ever had it before."

"Maybe it was brought by his wife. That girl just went out for a short while, and that's why her family went crazy."

...

Dan Hong had just left the crowd and was investigating when she saw her approaching. "Madam," she said, "it seems that only those who were burned have black spots on their bodies. We can't rule out the possibility that they are deliberately concealing this."

Beneath his eyelashes were cold, dark eyes. "Send someone to investigate his wife, and while you're at it, get rid of the person who sold his wife."

Dan Hong's face was unusually serious. "Don't worry, my lady, the head of the family will not allow such a thing to happen near Jingzhou."

The man on the fire was still screaming in agony, his skin being engulfed inch by inch by flames, the shadow of the fire looming before his eyes, scorching his hair and clothes.

Fan Lingzhang covered her eyes, "Wife, let's go back to the carriage first."

"Does my wife want to go into the village?" He heard her indifferent reply and continued, "My wife knows that I'm very good at dealing with people, having traveled all over the country doing business. Wait in the carriage for a while, it will be ready soon."

He gestured to Dan Hong, and soon took Sui Zhixu away.

Madam Chu secretly glared at Chu Shiguan, saying, "Look how shrewd he is! Look at you!"

Chu Shiguan didn't understand her meaning, scratched his head, and looked at Madam Chu with confusion.

Madam Chu: "..."

Fan Lingzhang stepped forward and demonstrated his ability to speak to people in a way that suited them, charming the women and grandmothers watching the commotion at the village entrance until they were beaming with smiles.

He took the opportunity to slip them a few silver coins, which made them laugh even more. They then pulled Fan Lingzhang inside.

Sui He waved for the group to follow, and out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Fan Lingzhang being pushed in, thinking to herself that he was indeed a businessman, and his speaking skills were even better.

As the woman in the distance saw them enter the village, she nudged Jiang Li.

Jiang Li: "What? Speaking of which, you've been answering questions quite easily lately. There's even a young lady from Chang'an who faked her death and ran away."

"Are you getting old and your eyesight isn't good anymore? They've all been taken in."

"You have no manners!" Jiang Li slapped her on the forehead, glared at her, and jumped down from the tall tree.

Wen Ke twitched the corner of her mouth, unconcerned, and then jumped down.

She asked, “How do we sneak into the village? If they find out you caused the madness, they’ll skin you alive.”

"Huh? They're only afraid of me." Jiang Li waved his hand. "What's the point of going into the village? Let's just find somewhere."

“You dare not see her; she will not accept your use of Gu worms to harm people.”

"Kids are so easily swayed. For the sake of what she calls morality and responsibility, adults like me often feel helpless. Why bother meeting them?"

Jiang Li's voice was clear and cold, and her unique pronunciation and articulation always made Wen Ke hallucinate that she was seeing another person.

She turned her head away and snorted coldly, "Whatever."

Wen Ke leaped up and hid in a locust tree outside the village, concealing her presence.

Jiang Li lowered her head and muttered to herself, "As expected of the Golden Bell of Tianque Tower, such a concealment technique is enough to kill someone without leaving a trace."

Of the group, only Wen Ke survived. The four of them climbed step by step from the bottom to Jin Ling's position, but Sima Xian's plan shattered everything.

Some died, some left, especially that one in the village. The incredible thing of being reborn actually happened to her, and now, no matter what, she won't come back.

She was somewhat annoyed, more so than when she was in seclusion and unable to research the Gu worm.

Useless writers, they don't know what to write every day, praising or lamenting... What's there to write about? Why doesn't anyone write about how to bring the child back to Miao territory?

Jiang Li squatted on the ground and drew circles with a twig. How can we get A Ling back? That brat Jiang Yun is useless. He's been gone for so long and he still doesn't know how to bring his older sister home.

She thought he shouldn't go back; he should just stay and wander outside.

"Hey! Stop drawing, something happened to your Ah Ling." Wen Ke, who was leaning back in the tree, twitched her ears, stood up, glanced at the tree, and turned to tell Jiang Li.

"What happened?"

"Xi Yushao led the people from Tianque Tower to fight her?"

Jiang Li hurriedly climbed the tree, "What? She's not hurt, is she? That audacious idiot Xi Yushao, how dare he let her commit such a heinous act?"

Wen Ke pointed to the grand scene of several people on the narrow street of the village.

Sui Zhixu, wielding two swords, surrounded the unarmed men. The swords moved nimbly in her hands, swiftly slicing past the attacking assassins. The cold-smelling swords were stained with blood, and the corpses lay scattered on the street.

Screams erupted, and the villagers scattered in panic.

Chu Shiguan stepped forward, admiring Sui Zhixu's heroic figure while blocking the attack from behind.

Sui Niangzi is so amazing! She wields the sword so beautifully. That slash was so powerful, it was a fatal blow. No, he must show Sui Niangzi his most manly side. He's much stronger than the weak and delicate Fan Dongjia who needs protection.

With a swift stroke of his knife, he snatched several heads from Liu Lü, and the copper and silver bells fell to the ground one after another, shattering with a crisp sound.

Liu Lü: "..."

Xi Yushao stood behind the group of assassins, watching Sui Zhixu with a smile. Seeing that nearly half of them had been killed, he suddenly spoke up, "My lady seems to have misunderstood. I am an official sent by the imperial court to deal with the strange illness in Jingzhou."

As soon as Xu Jian struck Yinling's neck, blood gushed out and splattered on her face, even the jade pendant by her ear was not spared.

She asked, "An official appointed by the imperial court?"

The contrast between red and green made her even more charming and unrestrained, deeply touching Xi Yushao's heartstrings.

He smiled and said, "Would you like to see my travel permit and official documents, madam?"

"Hmph, my lady, don't listen to his nonsense. Which official of the court would step up and fight first?" Chu Shiguan glanced at the black-clad man with a golden bell at his waist blocking the others. He felt that this man's martial arts were not low. It was as if he had deliberately sent some people with inferior martial arts to their deaths.

He remembered that Xi Yushao was the lover that Cui Wan, that fool, had been longing for. He already had a bad impression of him, and after today's incident, he felt even more that Xi Yushao was a madman.

Xi Yushao's smile became even more genuine. "What do you think, my wife? I can't possibly come all this way alone. What if I catch a disease? When you're out and about, you always need someone to protect you. Do you think I'm wrong?"

"Humans are merely small favors from the king. I believe that with your intelligence, my wife should understand the king's intentions."

Sui Zhixu sheathed his sword, the longsword ringing as it returned to its sheath. He smiled faintly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Young Master Xi is right. It is indeed necessary to protect oneself when traveling."

She glanced at the golden bell in front of Xi Yushao. He was a large man with a long sword as tall as him, which was stuck heavily in the ground and looked to weigh a thousand pounds.

It seems that Aye is of little use, giving them a legitimate reason to enter Jingzhou.

"Be careful, young master."

A glint appeared in Xi Yushao's eyes, and the next second she said, "This place is not far from Jiannan. Be careful not to run into acquaintances. You've already run into one now."

She pointed to Chu Shiguan standing to the side, her expression slightly sarcastic.

Xi Yushao laughed even more heartily, "My lady is truly thinking of me. However, I have said many times that I am really not from that group. Why do you have to generalize and condemn everyone? My lady and I have many misunderstandings, but unfortunately, my lady is always unwilling to listen to my explanations. It is truly distressing."

Sui Zhixu's face darkened. Who was thinking of him? "Misunderstanding? Your sister is eloquent and persuasive. All the past events are misunderstandings in her mouth. Does the aggrieved party not think it is a misunderstanding?"

She raised her sword again, her movements swift and agile, passing through half of the copper and silver bells and heading straight for the golden bell in front of Xi Yushao.

The sword whistled through the wind and struck Jinling. He pulled back abruptly, kicking up a cloud of dust, and sparks flew from the hilt of his sword.

He forcefully blocked upwards, and Sui Zhixu flipped over, twirling his longsword in his hand before thrusting it towards his chest.

During this time, a strand of Xu's hair was cut off by the sword wind and fluttered down.

The two exchanged blows, their swordplay as swift and fierce as a storm, dazzling the onlookers. Each clash of their swords produced a crisp, resounding sound, so intense that no one dared to approach.

Protector Xi Yushao, though large in stature, was surprisingly fast and powerful, her sword thrusting straight out. Sui Zhixu couldn't dodge in time; the sword tip grazed his shoulder, instantly staining his green robes crimson with blood.

He wasn't much better off. He was fast, but Xu was even faster. She cut the tendons in his hand holding the sword, and the heavy sword clattered to the ground with a loud thud.

The two stepped back. He was large, but his voice was surprisingly soft and clear. "You remind me of someone. Her twin swords were also very fast. Who was your master?"

Sui Zhixu smiled, stuck his sword into the ground, and his chest heaved dramatically.

"Ah Ling is injured!" Jiang Li shook Wen Ke. "You must go and save her."

Wen Ke, impatient, shouted, "Didn't you see she severed Chu Jiu's tendons? I don't need to worry about her martial arts."

As they were talking, Sui He had already gotten out of the car and rushed towards her, with Liu Lü standing in front of them, sword in hand, to protect her.

Xi Yushao glanced at the current situation, at the half of Yinling and the injured Jinling, a dark look flashed in his eyes, and he sighed, "Sui Niangzi starts fighting at the drop of a hat, even though we have the same goal."

"Ah Xu, don't be impulsive." Sui He pulled Sui Zhixu back as she tried to step forward and whispered in her ear.

“Impulsiveness won’t save Fan Langjun.” She patted Sui Zhixu on the shoulder. “Don’t fall for his tricks.”

"Danhong, hurry up and heal your wife's wounds."

Dan Hong helped Sui Zhixu up and was about to leave when Chu Jiu stood up and blocked her way. "I'm asking you, who is your master? Isn't Lu Kou your master?"

Her hand clenched tightly in her sleeve as she looked up. "You and her are very close?"

"Chu Jiu, come back!" Xi Yushao's face was gloomy. Chu Jiu glanced at Sui Zhixu, then looked at him, and finally obediently went back.

In an instant, Xi Yushao smiled again and met her eyes.

Knowing that Xu would not linger, he got into the car and Dan Hong treated his injuries.

"My lady, are you in pain?" Fan Lingzhang carefully unbuttoned her clothes and placed the medicine box behind him in front of Dan Hong for her convenience.

Sui Zhixu shook her head, "I'm fine."

In the midst of the chaos, Sui Zhixu threw him onto the carriage. He didn't dare to get off and cause further trouble, just like Chu Feixuan.

He sneaked out. With the Chu family and Xi Yushao around, he didn't dare to make any rash moves. The Chu family was alright, but it was mainly Xi Yushao who was like a mad dog, biting anyone he saw.

It is unclear how Sui He and Xi Yushao talked, but Xi Yushao actually confessed the situation in the village honestly. Apart from those who were burned, no one in the village was infected by the Gu.

He was poisoned by the Gu because he killed his wife. The Gu worms were living in his wife's body. With the host gone, the Gu worms had nowhere to stay and took the opportunity to burrow into his body. It could be considered retribution.

“I sent someone to find out that his wife’s surname was Hua. She was a child bride bought by his family from the next village. Two years ago, he pawned Hua to a wealthy man surnamed Huang in Yancheng, Jingzhou. She gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. As a result, the wealthy man Huang paid him half the price more. A month ago, Hua was sent home, and he beat her to death within two days.”

Sui He rubbed his temples. What audacity! Daring to cause trouble right under the Sui family's nose.

“Xi Yushao is a habitual liar, Mother should investigate carefully.”

As Xu and his group stayed at a farmhouse, she leaned against the bed and spoke earnestly.

"Mother understands, I will send people to monitor him, but Mother feels that he is more likely targeting you?"

Sui Zhixu looked surprised and pointed to herself, "Me?"

"Um."