Chapter 40: Mountain Spirit Leads the Red Thread

After the beginning of spring this year, the weather in the southwest became warmer, but the sun in the mountains was scorching hotter than in previous years, almost to the point of being bizarre and strange.

The plum blossoms, which usually begin to bloom at this time of year, have already faded this year. The mountain cherry blossoms stretch like clouds, and the grass grows, the birds fly, and the wind blows the cherry blossoms, blowing snow. Deeper in the mountains, peach and apricot blossoms weigh heavily on the branches. The sun shines through, and the gurgling streams are heated like hot springs. The whole countryside is filled with the scene of late spring.

The last trace of Tian Xinshu ended here. Following the thread of the locator, Cang Ming traveled all over the country, from north to south, to all the prefectures and cities within the country, just like a wandering wanderer.

Initially, the source of the locator's emanations lay north of the Central Plains. Cang Ming strode with great speed during the day and soared through deserted areas at night, passing through several towns and reaching Shanhaiguan in just a day and a half. The locator's signal then ceased for several hours, then suddenly reappeared in the northwest desert.

Cang Ming gritted his teeth and drew a yellow teleportation talisman. Since he wasn't as deft as Xisheng at this craft, he wasted several sheets of paper. Finally, he teleported westward about nine hundred miles on a gust of wind, then switched to his ice blade longsword for flight. When he was a few dozen miles from the edge of the desert, Cang Ming, standing on the sword, suddenly felt something was wrong.

The direction of the locator moved to the southeastern coastal area.

When Cang Ming turned around and rushed to the East China Sea, the gossamer thread suddenly broke again and soon appeared in the southwest.

By the time Cang Ming arrived at the southwestern mountains, cursing, the location code had probably finally lost its effect. The mountains were silent, birdsong was ethereal, and there was no one around.

Standing in front of the mountain, Cang Ming gathered his strength and said in a clear voice, "Your Excellency, please show yourself."

Of course, no one responded from the mountains. Cang Ming's voice spread out like ripples on water, echoing one another. If he had known he'd be played around by Tian Xinshu, he would have followed the deputy general. Could it be that Tian Xinshu had delegated the important task to the deputy general this time, while he himself ran around in circles?

However, the location symbol on the deputy general's body had arrived in the southwest a few days ago and had not moved since it expired.

She sighed and used her long sword to chop through the rocks and vines, slowly carving a path into the mountains. Halfway up the mountain, she began to feel something strange: "This is unbelievable! How come there isn't even a single family living on this mountain?"

Just as he was about to fly up into the air on his sword to see what was going on, he suddenly heard a rapid rustling sound behind him.

When Cang Ming turned around to look, the rustling sound jumped back to her back, as if it was deliberately avoiding her. When she turned around again, the thing moved again, as if a pair of eyes were staring at her back.

With a clang, Cang Ming flicked his sword. Immediately, a voice screamed, "I'm going to die! Stop hitting me! My head is going to explode!"

"Show!" Cang Ming followed the sound and stabbed with a sword. The sword energy was surging and the sword sounded long, shaking the half-human-high weeds apart, revealing the strange-looking red thing in the middle.

The bright red creature yelled, spun its short legs, and started to run, covering its head with its two short hands. But Cang Ming grabbed the belt with his sword and pulled it back. He held it up to his eyes and examined it in amazement. "You're... a carrot?"

If the object hanging from the tip of the sword were a carrot, it would be too dark and dry. This thin body had short limbs, its torso wrapped in a red cloth, and its face was incredibly ugly, almost wrinkled like a tree root. Cang Ming blurted out, "Are you the son of Deputy General Panmu? Or grandson?"

The carrot root cursed shrilly: "Who do you say is the grandson? You are the grandson!"

"..." Cang Ming looked closely and felt something was wrong. "You're not as dark as the deputy general, but you're very yellow... Why do you look like you have jaundice?"

"Go away!" The radish root twisted in the air, and the red cloth that was lifted up was about to be cut by the sword. "If you cut my clothes, I will have no choice but to recognize you as my master."

The pair of black bean eyes glanced over cunningly, and Cang Ming suddenly had an idea and shouted, "Ginseng Doll!"

"So annoying!" The ginseng doll was spotted and immediately started punching and kicking in the air. Cang Ming asked curiously, "Why are you running so far away when you're not in Changbai Mountain?"

Wild ginseng possesses a spirit, capable of escaping underground and even taking human form. Ginseng pickers tie the roots with red string to prevent them from escaping on full-moon nights, then return to gather their companions for the digging process. In the jargon, this ginseng is called a "bangchui." Covering a ginseng doll with red cloth can tame it and allow it to be used for personal purposes until the cloth tears, allowing it to be set free.

Wei Qiang once spoke of ginseng dolls. His original words were, "They possess some intelligence, but not much. Only the largest ginseng plant possesses true talent and is considered the king of ginseng, revered as the incarnation of the mountain god." The Old Ginseng Sect favors wearing red clothing, as their disciples often encounter ginseng dolls while collecting herbs in the mountains. By tearing off a strip of their red hem, they can capture one and bring it back to the alchemy room.

Cang Ming picked up the ginseng in front of him and said with a smile: "I won't cut off your red clothes. If you were subdued by someone else, how could I easily break the contract between you two?"

The man, having failed to escape, immediately blinked his dark eyes and said, "I was captured. There's an old man who wants to eat children. I'm terrified."

"Although you don't look like a child, there's actually a man-eating monster in this mountain?" Cang Ming was startled, feeling a heavy responsibility had been bestowed upon him. This ginseng baby wasn't as plump and white as the legend had it. A skinny, shriveled baby like this couldn't escape the clutches of the man-eating monster. How could this be?

Cang Ming said angrily, "Where is that monster?"

It stroked its beard and said, "I know where it is, but I stole something and I dare not go back." As it said that, it took out a piece of rusty iron from the red cloth wrapped around its body and handed it to Cang Ming.

Cang Ming looked confused. Is this worth stealing?

That thing said: "This is called the Weiyang Crown."

With a humming sound, a wave crashed heavily into her mind, and Cang Ming felt as if the whole world was flooded. Her hand trembled, and she dropped the shrunken ginseng.

The ginseng got up, nibbled a mouthful of grass leaves, spat them out, but didn't move. He held up the iron crown and came closer, saying, "Look, this hair crown is genuine."

Cang Ming extended a slightly trembling finger and touched the iron crown. The rust on the surface peeled away, revealing the platinum texture inside. Various tiny gemstones intertwined with each other, creating an extremely luxurious scene.

"You throw me, I won't show you!" Renshen suddenly retracted his hand, took two steps away, and disappeared into the ground. "I want to return it to the old cannibal. You are not as good as him!"

"Stop." Cang Ming shouted hoarsely, jumped up, and caught up with him in two or three seconds, regardless of everything.

The ginseng hid here and there, and every time it disappeared under the grass, a corner of red cloth would flash out. Cang Ming was extremely anxious and didn't care to be suspicious. He climbed over two mountains of medium height, and even an immortal was panting.

Before him lay a vast, towering mountain range. The mountains just before were merely their remnants. Towering trees blocked out the sun. The ginseng doll stopped beneath an ancient tree so large it would take six people to hug it, turned around with a giggle, and then disappeared into the cave behind it.

Using his sword as a cane, Cang Ming stepped deeper into the cave. Suddenly, a chilly, dim light filled the air, but the warm air still lingered. Far from being cold, the tunnel felt incredibly warm. The ginseng doll's roots disappeared. After walking a few hundred steps deeper, the darkness gradually became so intense that he couldn't even see his hand in front of him. Cang Ming suspected it was all just a nightmare.

Suddenly remembering that he still had some leaves that he had picked up when he went into the mountains, Cang Ming took out one, and in a daze, he conjured up a tinder, lit the fire and shone it in front of his eyes.

The tunnel had reached its end. Cang Ming's toes were on the edge of the cliff. Another half-step would have plunged him into the vast open space below. The cavern seemed incredibly empty. The firelight dimly illuminated the few feet ahead. As Cang Ming focused his five senses and listened, he realized the clearing seemed like a vast circular altar, larger than several villages combined. There was a rustling sound, moving back and forth underground; it was unclear whether it was a hidden river or rolling rocks.

Just as she looked down at the open space below, countless red candles suddenly lit up on the cave walls, instantly illuminating the interior like the rising sun. Across the circular open space, countless blood-red embroidered shoes scurried about, resembling a densely packed ocean or a field of red mice.

Cang Ming screamed and jumped back half a step. She wasn't afraid of gods or ghosts, but these disgusting looking creatures made her scalp tingle.

A figure flashed past from the darkness, the end of her high ponytail swaying. When she drew her sword and looked, there was only the smooth cave wall, almost making her suspect that it was only her own shadow.

The embroidered shoes on the ground were still running around blindly, bumping into each other, kicking and hopping.

Cang Ming calmed his mind, restrained the urge to blow up the mountain and get the Weiyang Crown out, jumped onto the wall of the cave, flew around on the bumps and depressions on his toes, and quickly searched for the secret door on the wall.

After searching around, I found that there was not even a crack on the cave wall. It was paved with a flat layer of gold plating, and red candles were inlaid on it at different heights.

"It's the only way." Taking a deep breath, Cang Ming jumped down and threw out his long sword. The long sword stopped two feet above the ground before she landed. Cang Ming landed steadily on the sword, surveying the terrain and traps inch by inch.

The embroidered shoes leaped towards the sword like a thousand horses, and some of them hit her calves. Cang Ming kicked them and shouted in despair: "Hey! Get out of here!"

Ding, ding. Somewhere deep in the mountains, a bell suddenly rang.

With a whoosh, the embroidered shoes rushed in one direction like the receding tide, as if the bell was announcing their meal. Cang Ming then noticed that there was an inconspicuous drainage hole at the edge of the clearing, and thousands of embroidered shoes were flowing in one by one.

Using the momentum of his spinning body, Cang Ming swung his sword towards the hole. The Wangxian Sect combined strength and flexibility, using a little force to move a great weight. They had never produced a disciple with the power to split mountains. Cang Ming gritted his teeth and prepared to be flung back.

However, before the sword touched the solid stone wall, a huge gap suddenly appeared in the stone wall, starting from the hole, revealing a dark room behind the wall. A pair of familiar eyes stared at her in horror.