Chapter 4: Ancient Building and Demon Land

The group of sticky black ointments immediately pounced on them, and the silver-white figure swung his sword to fight back. Each move was vigorous and neat, cutting through the wind and breaking the sea, and his skills were extremely beautiful.

In the blink of an eye, the group of ferocious monsters in the front turned into a muddy swamp flowing on the ground, unable to gather into shape for a while.

Cang Ming looked at the silver-white figure, his eyes widened: "Is it you?"

Another group of evil beasts rushed up one after another, lingering around.

Cang Ming took the opportunity to take out a bunch of leaves and scattered them all over the sky, then he wrapped his long sword around the flowers and swung it diagonally downwards.

As soon as the leaves fell to the ground, they were picked up by the sword wind and splashed like rain.

The evil creature was scattered by the dancing leaves and turned into a black swamp together with the previous pile.

"What a great swordsmanship! What's the name of this move?" The young man asked loudly as he went forward to fight with the last group of ferocious monsters.

Cang Ming also replied while swinging his sword and moving around: "Flowing Wind Returns Snow!"

"Do I need to bring a bunch of leaves with me every time?"

"No!" Cang Ming answered loudly, "This move should be used on fallen leaves or water. There are no fallen leaves now, so I can only make it myself!"

As he was speaking, the last evil beast was beaten into black mud.

The young man smiled lightly and held his sword in front of him. The sword was as transparent as ice.

A flash of cold light flashed from the sword blade, and the swamp transformed by the evil spirit suddenly sprouted into a fiery tree and silver flower. The golden light was reflected in the river, like the flowing gold of heaven and earth.

Beneath the blazing trees and silver flowers, faint cries drifted from the dark swamp.

"Don't scold me, don't scold me..."

"My house was destroyed by the rainstorm and I don't know where to live..."

"I can't live anymore, why are they still beating me..."

The swamp flowed away quickly, and then the murmuring died away.

The young man put away his sword, turned to Cang Ming and said, "These resentments are difficult to quell. They will require some pleasing swords and magical weapons to resolve them."

In the moonlight, his eyes were deep and bright, looking at her without blinking.

Cang Ming resisted the urge to ask him where he stole the sword, and said sincerely, "Thank you! I'll buy you a drink and let's talk!"

"OK……"

"Not good!" Cang Ming suddenly screamed.

"?"

The demon henchman known as the deputy general took advantage of the chaos to flee, leading the undead black horse, along with the living person and embroidered shoes on the horse. A pitch-black figure disappeared far away in the east.

The yellow talismans affixed to their bodies were gradually losing their effectiveness and were about to turn back into the shape of leaves.

"Do you want to pursue me?" the young man asked Cang Ming humbly, "It's up to you."

"Chase!"

Each of them flung out a longsword, then leaped onto the ground with their toes, landing lightly on the sword. The sword carried its owner forward.

"Leave the man behind!" Cang Ming just shouted, and he felt the sword under his feet sink several feet.

"I'm afraid your sword is possessed by a demonic aura." The young man descended to her level. "Come to me."

"That's such a trouble for you - ah -" Cang Ming staggered and was almost knocked down by the sword.

The young man reached out and carefully held her arm, and Cang Ming was led by him to stand in front of him.

The sword covered with black oil immediately rolled several times in the air and fell into the river with a splash.

"You..." Cang Ming stared at the disappointing sword in amazement and sighed.

The young man stood behind her, and a low, soft voice came from above her head: "You don't have any magic weapon?"

Cang Ming turned his head and replied, "No, I just pick one up at random. Sometimes, if conditions are limited, a peach wood one will work."

“…”

"Why is that deputy general running so fast?" Cang Ming looked into the distance, frowned, and found that he had lost the man while he was changing swords.

"We can't catch up. They've entered the underworld." The young man said calmly, "In other words, the underworld."

Cang Ming was still thinking about the people who were kidnapped: "How do we get to the underworld? Can the living people come back alive?"

"I do know of a passage to the underworld, but the gap opens at dusk and closes after midnight, so you can't get in or out." The young man pointed to the moon in the west. "Why don't you buy me a drink first?"

"Then...sure." Cang Ming had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The living person has not been rescued yet, and the murderer has also run away, but they still want to drink and have fun. It sounds a bit inappropriate.

But Cang Ming was afraid that people would think he was going to default on his debt, so he took the lead and started to make arrangements: "Let's go, let's go drink."

On the other side of the river, the entire Fengyan City was still asleep, and even the people living along the river were silent.

No one can hear or see the ghosts in the night, and when the sky is bright, the fireworks will disappear.

The young man took her across the river, the moonlight shining brightly as they chatted and strolled along the river. It wasn't until the five-story ancient building appeared before their eyes that Cang Ming realized they had unknowingly walked to the door of the antique shop.

The young man raised his chin and said, "Let's drink here!" Then he walked forward leisurely and pointed at the door with his ice blade sword, and the door suddenly opened.

Cang Ming looked around nervously and said in a low voice, "Hey, why are you here again?" She gently pulled his sleeve and said, "You go first. I'll return the hair crown and I'll be there soon!"

The boy raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you want to come? I followed you."

Cang Ming immediately denied it: "How is that possible? I'm not a thief. I just followed you."

"Since you're here," the young man gestured for him to come in. He smiled slightly, revealing a dimple on one side of his face. "Aren't we going to the underworld tonight? This building is the entrance."

"The entrance?" Cang Ming asked doubtfully, and ran into the building. "Where is the entrance?"

The scene that came into her eyes made her stop suddenly, as if she had fallen into an evil dream.

The bare, broken wooden boards on all sides are gone, and the ornate and complex carvings extend all the way to the ceiling, making it almost impossible to see the whole thing.

A long staircase led from the center of the hall to the uppermost window, the window through which they had jumped in during the day, now empty and shrine-like.

The four walls are carved with layers of palaces, altars, terraces, and domes, and many statues stand quietly in them, looking down below.

The statues are all kinds of strange. Some wear armor and hold law enforcement staffs, while others have skull heads and wear cloaks.

On the west side, a waterfall cascades down from the ceiling, forming a lake. On the east side, clouds and mist shroud the space, creating a winding stream. Several aerial bridges extend from the main staircase, leading to every corner of the wall.

Windows are scattered on the walls, finding their place among the palaces, altars, terraces and domes.

"How is it? It's okay, right?" The young man crossed his arms and looked at the wall with a smile.

Cang Ming retracted his shocked gaze and asked: "How did you find this place?"

The young man turned around and smiled: "Here——"

Suddenly, a loud roar came from outside the building: "Ghost Buster! Come out!"

"Oh no!" Cang Ming ran up a flight of stone steps, rushed to the window and looked out. Xisheng and Wulu, the old friends who had fought each other for the pearl crown, were still looking for her everywhere - while she was fighting and making friends, they were still wandering around the city stubbornly.

Although he admired their perseverance, Cang Ming immediately dodged, clutching his staggering heart and retreating, as if he couldn't believe the scene before him: "My pursuers are here! Young Master, to be honest, I'm just an innocent passerby..."

Cang Ming mobilized his life's acting skills.

Outside the window was a furious Wu Lu and a cold-faced Xi Sheng. Despite being dignified immortals, their hair was disheveled, their clothes were dusty, and they looked utterly miserable.

The young man also walked up the stone steps and said with a sigh, "You are indeed a thief."

"No, I'm not a thief!" Cang Ming said slightly angrily, "They are the ones who want to steal my things."

"Oh, is that so?" The boy lowered his eyes, hiding a faint smile.

Cang Ming pushed him towards the window: "I'll hide here, you jump out of the window quickly."

The young man was almost pushed to the ground when he wasn't paying attention. He quickly regained his footing and coughed, "Don't panic. You play in here and I'll deal with it."

As he spoke, he pushed open the window and shouted to the two people downstairs, "It's the middle of the night, and antique shops are not open. Are you two robbers?"

Wu Lu's voice came up: "Who are you?"

The young man answered the question irrelevantly: "Since you two are robbers, I apologize for your wrongdoing." Then he reached out and grabbed the wind chime hanging in front of the window and shook it gently.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.

There were flashes of lightning and rumbling sounds, and countless huge rocks rolled down from the roof of the ancient building, smashing down like a landslide.

The young man, commanding his position, had the upper hand. The two men below were so frightened that they could only leap out of the way, their voices filled with unbridled curses.

Xisheng seemed to be casting a yellow talisman: "Stop!"

Then came the sound of huge rocks exploding.

Wu Lu shouted: "It's even harder to dodge - shield up -"

Cang Ming could no longer hold back, so he moved against the wall to the boy's side, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "I'll do it."

The young man lowered his head and glanced at her with a half-smile, then Cang Ming said, "I'll do it."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Why bother?" He pulled the wind chime again, and smoke slowly emerged from the chimney of the ancient building.

The light smoke was filled with a strong bitter smell, and instead of rising, it drifted towards the ground.

Xisheng pulled Wulu: "Soul-stealing powder!"

The smoke seemed to have eyes, rushing straight towards the people and dispersing into their lungs. If the two mortals standing on the ground were two mortals, they would have long since become corpses, and by now they would be jumping around with hideous faces and hands stretched out.

The two of them ran back several feet away. Wu Lu turned around and said, "Sorry for the offense. Goodbye."

Xisheng asked dissatisfiedly, "Are you leaving now?"

Wu Lu said, "This antique shop is the most bizarre in Fengyan City. Anyone who enters without permission will be triggered by the mechanism. You saw it too."

Xisheng sighed indifferently: "Forget it. Then she shouldn't be in there."

The two of them sighed and walked away indignantly.

Cang Ming watched them disappear at the end of his sight without breathing, then looked at the thieving boy with admiration and found that he was also looking at him intently.

Cang Ming said, "You are very familiar with this place."

"This place," the young man smiled slightly, "has always been mine."

As he spoke, he waved his hand casually, and several waiters came in from a small door carrying various dishes. In a blink of an eye, the round table was filled with delicious food and fine wine.

"Are you the owner of this place?" Cang Ming looked at him in confusion. The candlelight illuminated his profile, revealing his delicate and powerful bones, his brow peaks, nose bones, lips, and chin, all of which were as high and low as if carved.

"Yes." He extended his hand to signal Cang Ming to take a seat, and then he sat down as well, laughing softly, "Why, did you think the owner of the antique shop was an old man?"

Cang Ming smiled, poured two glasses of wine, and held one glass with both hands: "I toast to the owner, thank you for your righteous rescue."

The young man also raised his glass and responded: "I toast to this Taoist sister. So you are here to catch monsters."

"Well, sort of. I catch a little bit of everything." Cang Ming sipped his wine demurely. "When I have nothing to do, I also help farmers catch mice, locusts, and other things."

The boy choked, a rare occurrence.

Cang Ming put down his wine glass and took the initiative to say: "I am an anonymous person, so I am more casual. You can call me anything."

"Anything's fine. Nice to meet you." The young man nodded, his lips curled up mischievously. Cang Ming couldn't help but take another sip of his wine and a piece of the savory snack, which was a hundred times better than the tortoise shell biscuits from Xiyuan Sanfang.

The boy waited for a while and couldn't help but remind him: "You don't want to ask my name?"

"It's okay, I'll say it when I want to." Cang Ming had already started eating. Although immortals didn't need to rely on grains to survive, it was still very tempting to enjoy the pleasures of the human world occasionally.

The boy paused and asked again, "Don't you think I'm weird?"

"I think so. But for strange people," Cang Ming raised his head and smiled, "people who are not strange are also strange."

"Okay." The young man laughed, his voice clear and cold, like the collision of ice cubes in spring water.

Cang Ming continued to eat. The young man waited for a long time, and finally said, "I haven't said goodbye yet."

"Oh?" Cang Ming raised his head in surprise.

"Chu Weici." He looked at Cang Ming, and the gleam in his eyes was very strange, as if in a vast and long night, the world's affairs had been revolving with the stars for thousands of years.

"Oh my god." Cang Ming said in amazement, "Your name is so beautiful!"

Wei Ci was stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing.

Cang Ming continued, "Isn't it true? Excellent people even have nice names..."

The Chuci has not yet been spoken, yet I respectfully wish for the common people's fame. If our names were linked together like this, what a beautiful encounter it would be.

"Where is the excellence?"

Cang Ming dispelled his chaotic thoughts and answered casually: "Excellent everywhere."

"It seems like it's just a compliment." He lowered his head, looking a little melancholy. "I understand. No one has ever really praised me."

"How could that be?" Cang Ming hurriedly comforted the child, "You are a martial arts expert, handsome, young and strong, with a bright future ahead of you."

"Hearing you say that, I feel much better." He smiled and said, "Do you often praise others?"

"That's not a compliment." Cang Ming waved his hand, "I'm just telling the truth."

When she was practicing in the past, Xisheng didn't like to talk to people much. She even scared an evil ghost with her eyes so much that he wanted to give up his palace to her.

Wu Lu is the one who quotes endlessly when praising someone. In the end, others forget what they said before after hearing the second sentence and have no memory of what he said at all.

Cang Ming has always been low-key and tactful. Whenever he passes by an old dog, he will praise its good teeth. He also took the blame for the failed ghost-hunting operation and has a good reputation among his masters.

After being expelled, rumors spread that she was eloquent and had a pure and innocent face, but she was doing the most evil and sinister secrets. She promised to offer the life and fortune of all people in the world as sacrifices, and tricked the Jade Emperor into blessing her. In the end, his wish was not fulfilled and she was retaliated against.

Wei Ci stopped asking questions and started talking about various sword techniques. Cang Ming immediately became interested and started chatting with him non-stop.

They were chatting enthusiastically when Wei Ci suddenly asked, "Sister Taoist, are you a disciple of the Wangxian Sect?"