Chapter 44 Tang Clan Ghost: Footprints

How could a ghost leave footprints in the mud?

The sky was still faintly lit, and the morning dew had not yet dried.

Last night's downpour had just passed, and the air, though still damp, was not stuffy at all. Instead, it carried the fresh scent of grass and leaves after the rain, which was invigorating. However, the fog in Yunling Mountain was thicker than usual, layer upon layer, spreading through the forest and making it difficult to discern directions. The soil was also soft and damp, making it hard to get a foothold and hindering the movement of the mountain paths.

Water droplets clung to the roadside grass, and when Tang Yucai gently brushed them against the corner of her raincoat, they instantly soaked the grass. But she didn't care at all. Thinking of seeing her parents soon, a sense of lightness welled up in her heart, and her feet felt as if they were walking on flat ground.

However, this caused hardship for Tang Ge and the Tang Clan disciples following behind her. They were unfamiliar with Yunling Mountain to begin with, and with the thick fog obscuring their vision, they dared not fall behind easily, so they had no choice but to keep up with great effort.

"Sister Tang Yu, slow down! I can't keep up!" Tang Ge called out to her first, stopping and panting with his hands on his hips.

Tang Yu then realized that she had been in a hurry and smiled apologetically: "I was in such a rush to get home that I almost forgot I had a patrol mission. Let's rest here for a while, and I'll walk slower in a bit."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Tang Ge felt even more regretful for having promised Tang Yang that he would go up the mountain to convey his regards to his second aunt and uncle.

The surroundings were quiet, and the light could hardly penetrate the fog. Tang Yu suddenly remembered the "ghost" from last night, and seized the opportunity to ask, "Did you see that white figure during the day?"

"No," Tang Ge shook his head, his tone firm.

"Did you see any suspicious people at the martial arts tournament?"

Tang Ge pondered for a moment, then shook his head, adding with a hint of conjecture, "Perhaps that ghost has been watching us for a while. It's just that we were both sleeping in our own rooms at first, and we were sleeping so soundly that we didn't notice."

"After actually seeing the Ghost Queen once, not only the two of us, but everyone in the Tang family couldn't sleep soundly. That's probably why we were able to find her every time." He sighed, clearly troubled by this as well.

Tang Yu raised her hand to signal everyone to continue their journey, while secretly pondering and slowing her pace.

The mountain path was muddy and shrouded in mist, so the Tang Clan members didn't move quickly. After a while, Tang Yu suddenly asked, "How did you know that the Si family also went to the martial arts tournament? Aren't they usually very rarely out of the valley?"

"Only the Si family sent Doctor Si Xiao," Tang Ge replied, keeping a watchful eye on the slippery mountain path. "Actually, we hadn't originally planned to seek medical help. As you know, Yangyang was poisoned by a poison from the Southern Frontier, which ordinary doctors from the Great Xia Dynasty couldn't treat. That night, the Third Elder temporarily suppressed the poison with silver needles and immediately sent someone to the Tang Clan to invite the Fifth Elder over."

He paused, then looked up, his eyes sparkling: "But we were incredibly lucky; Little Doctor Si came by himself..."

Tang Yu raised an eyebrow and immediately interrupted, "You mean, Si Huo brought this upon himself?"

“Yes.” Tang Ge nodded, recalling the scene at the time, “Although it was said to be a ghost, everyone thought at the time that the person had high martial arts skills and ghostly movements. The Third Elder sent his disciples to capture him, which happened to attract the attention of Doctor Si. When she learned that someone in the Tang Clan had been poisoned, she took the initiative to come and help.”

At this point, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, "Truly worthy of being called a little miracle doctor, he is even extremely familiar with the poisons of the Southern Frontier. He stabilized Yangyang's condition with the poison that very night, even more impressive than the Fifth Elder."

Tang Yu's heart stirred.

Si Huo was unusually familiar with the Blood Hibiscus, and even its usage... Could it be that she has some kind of connection with the Southern Frontier?

This thought only flashed through her mind for a moment. After all, the Si family was a family of doctors, and Si Huo had been practicing medicine in the martial arts world for many years. Perhaps she was just being paranoid.

"And then?" she pressed.

"Later, the ghost appeared three more times on the way back." Tang Ge pursed his lips. "But as soon as we woke up, she would run away immediately, probably because she was afraid of too many people and too much yang energy."

Tang Yu was speechless for a moment when she saw how superstitious he was.

"Did you return to the Tang Sect?"

“That ghost has appeared in the Tang Sect a few times, right…” Tang Ge subconsciously rubbed his arms and lowered his voice: “The reason we believe it’s a ghost is because it returned to the Tang Sect. Think about it, the sect is full of traps and hidden weapons. Even during the day, outer disciples could easily fall into traps if they take the wrong path. How could she do it so silently and as if she were in an empty place?”

Tang Yu remained silent, raising her eyes to gaze at the densely fogged mountain forest ahead. She naturally didn't believe in ghosts; her intuition told her that this matter was like the mountain path she couldn't see clearly for the time being—once the fog cleared, she would realize it was nothing special.

Composing herself, Tang Yu changed the subject: "Last night, or rather, every time the ghost appeared, did you smell anything?"

Tang Ge shook his head.

Undeterred, Tang Yu further described: "It has a very bitter medicinal taste... like you forgot to add sugar when you were brewing the medicine."

"Oh dear!" Tang Ge suddenly slapped his forehead. "Now that you mention it, yesterday's medicine really did taste a bit bitter!"

Tang Yu frowned slightly: "Only yesterday?"

"Right...?" Tang Ge's tone was uncertain as he hesitated, "I didn't smell it at the martial arts tournament, and on the way back to Tang Clan, there was only the smell of grass. If there had been a medicinal smell then, I would definitely have been able to smell it. But after returning to Tang Clan, because Yangyang takes medicine every day, even if I had smelled it, I wouldn't have found it strange."

Tang Yu lowered her eyes, her doubts deepening, but she didn't ask any more questions.

*

Meanwhile, inside the Tang Clan, Xie Xingzheng was also pondering the matter of "encountering a ghost" the previous night.

The ghostly figure and its aura gave him a strange sense of familiarity, and this question lingered in his mind, refusing to go away.

Although he was blind, he still clearly remembered where the ghost had been hiding the night before, so he asked Wang Shanyue and Xiao Fangliang to take him there to investigate.

"Last night, my sword struck that thicket in the southeast corner," Xie Xingzheng said calmly, pointing to it.

Wang Shanyue immediately took on this arduous task, bending down to search through the bushes. But somehow he touched something, and suddenly several threads flew out. He was startled and hurriedly dodged them.

Fortunately, it wasn't a chain mechanism. He stopped to examine it closely and discovered that it wasn't ordinary silk thread, but a black iron wire capable of cutting hair in an instant. Had he hesitated even slightly, a mere scratch would have torn off a large chunk of flesh.

Looking at the mountain, he felt a chill run down his spine, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and he dared not rashly search again.

At that moment, I heard the crisp sound of silverware clashing together.

The three turned around and saw Tang Yiqing walking towards them with a gentle smile, holding a silver umbrella.

"The Tang Clan has many secret passages and mechanisms, so it would be best if you guests did not wander around unnecessarily."

Wang Shanyue hurriedly put his hands behind his back, looking somewhat embarrassed, and explained with his ears turning red, "We just wanted to see the place where the female ghost appeared last night."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yiqing did not stop her further. She simply closed the umbrella gently, flicked her wrist, and the tip of the umbrella quickly tapped down in several places in the bushes. There were a few "click" sounds, as if some mechanism had been triggered.

Upon seeing this, Wang Shanyue was startled and couldn't help but take a step back, his face full of vigilance.

Tang Yiqing was amused and quickly explained, "Don't worry, I just temporarily shut down the mechanism here. Now when you check again, you won't accidentally trigger it."

"Th...thank you." Wang Shanyue was a little embarrassed, but he didn't stand on ceremony and squatted down to examine the area carefully.

The muddy ground was soft and slippery after the rain, making it easy to leave marks. He brushed aside a few fallen leaves and sure enough, he found a faint half-mark somewhere.

The shape was clearly a human footprint.

Wang Shanyue's expression hardened, and he looked up and said in a deep voice, "There are footprints."

The group instantly understood:

Why would a ghost leave footprints in the mud?

Xie Xingzheng's fingers slowly tightened, yet he still couldn't figure out where that sense of familiarity came from. After a moment, he gathered his thoughts and asked, "Miss Tang, where did the female ghost first appear last night?"

Tang Yiqing replied, "It's in front of Xiaoge's door."

Xiao Fangliang's eyes darkened slightly, and he asked thoughtfully, "I remember mentioning yesterday that this ghost seemed to have followed the two young men all the way back to the Tang Clan?"

"Exactly." Tang Yiqing's smile faded, her voice tinged with helplessness. "Moreover, to be more precise, it's following Xiao Ge."

*

Meanwhile, Tang Yu had led several people to a small house deep in Yunling Mountain.

The house was built on a flat area on the hilltop, simple yet elegant. A simple bamboo fence enclosed the courtyard, where some flowers, grasses, and vegetables were planted.

Aside from the clean yard, there are three separate houses. Although the doors are old, they fit together perfectly, resistant to wind and rain. The kitchen window is half-open, revealing bottles and jars inside, as well as some unprocessed ingredients, exuding a sense of warmth and homeliness.

Dried herbs were spread out on the table in the main room. Tang Yu's parents were bending over and carefully sorting them.

Hearing footsteps, the two looked up at the same time.

Then he saw Tang Yu's figure at the entrance of the courtyard. He was stunned for a moment, then excitedly rushed out to greet her.

"Yu'er!" Tang Yuan pulled her daughter into her arms, looked her over carefully for a long time, and then, with tears in her eyes, scolded her, "You've gotten so thin."

“No food outside can compare to Dad’s cooking.” Tang Yu smiled and turned to look at her father beside her, giving him a playful wink.

Seeing that his daughter was safe and sound, Su Muzhi smiled and relaxed his shoulders, making his left sleeve appear even more empty.

"Second Aunt! Why don't you look at me too?" Tang Ge pouted and interjected, half coquettish and half complaining.

"Xiao Ge, what brings you here too?" Tang Yuan smiled, took his hand, looked him over carefully, and asked in surprise, "You've lost weight too?"

"It's all because of the Tang Clan's haunting incident," Tang Ge sighed helplessly.

The couple quickly recounted the recent events, mentioning that Tang Yu had brought back the Blood Hibiscus, which should soon cure Tang Yang's poison. Upon hearing this, the couple felt both heartache for Tang Yu's suffering down the mountain and relief that the poison in Tang Yang's body had been neutralized.

Not wanting to sigh and complain in front of the children, Tang Yuan immediately urged them gently, "Su Muzhi, after you've finished listening, quickly go and make them two bowls of ginger eggs. The mountain air is damp and cold after the rain, and the two children have lost a lot of weight. Don't let them catch a cold."

"Okay." Su Muzhi replied gently, then got up and went to the kitchen.

"I'll go help too." Tang Yu hurriedly got up and, without waiting for her mother to stop her, followed her into the house.

The charcoal stove in the kitchen was still steaming. Su Muzhi rolled up his sleeves and steadily cracked an egg into a bowl. Tang Yu took a piece of ginger from the bamboo basket, skillfully washed it, and began to peel it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a plate of neatly arranged pale blue-green plums in the corner of the stove, clearly not yet steamed. She paused, her hands moving, and asked curiously, "Is it someone's death anniversary recently?"

Su Muzhi paused slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "The day after tomorrow is the anniversary of your mother's younger sister, who is also Xiaoge's mother's death. I have never specifically told you about it."

Tang Yu slowed her movements as she scraped ginger. Speaking of the anniversary of her death, she suddenly remembered the lonely grave buried in Yunling Mountain.

She looked up at her father, her voice unconsciously softening: "Father... when you took me in, did you see any marks on the uncle who saved me?"

Her fingertips tightened, and she added, "For example... a crescent moon?"