Qilin Blood 2

rustling, rustling...

The sound came from the village, growing louder and closer.

finally......

"Ah!!!" Ge Yun screamed in fright when she saw what was in front of her.

On the dark path the three of them had just walked along, a dense crowd of people, all dressed in coarse cloth short clothes, were packed together, probably the villagers of this village.

Their faces were pale, their movements stiff, and their eyes bloodshot as they approached Xiao Congzhi and his two companions step by step.

"This is truly..." Mo Huan looked at the horrifying scene before him and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth. He narrowed his eyes and reached for the dagger at his waist.

Xiao Congzhi glanced at Mo Huan without leaving a trace, then gently pushed open the fan with his fingertips.

"Young master, young master, let's run away quickly, before they get here."

Ge Yun's mouth must have been blessed; as soon as he finished speaking, the villagers suddenly sped up and, in the blink of an eye, they were right in front of the three of them.

Using his fan as a blade, Xiao Congzhi slashed sideways, beheading a villager in front of Ge Yun. Then, grabbing Ge Yun by the collar and tossing him backward, he shouted in a low voice, "Run to the back!"

After saying that, Xiao Congzhi spun around and kicked away the villager behind him who was showing his gaping maw.

Ge Yun hesitated, but unexpectedly, a villager suddenly pounced from an unknown direction, opening his mouth to bite Ge Yun's neck. Ge Yun barely managed to dodge the attack with all his might. Just as the villager was about to strike again, Mo Huan happened to come over and kicked the villager off Ge Yun.

Ge Yun stood up again without hesitation. After taking a deep look at Xiao Congzhi's back, he ran into the depths of the forest in the opposite direction.

Xiao Congzhi seemed to sense something, turned his head to look in the direction Ge Yun had run off to, and casually said to Mo Huan beside him, "Thanks."

Mo Huan swiftly cleaved a villager's head in two with his blade, laughing as he said, "Saying thank me is less helpful than waiting for us to escape."

Xiao Congzhi pursed his lips, staring intently ahead. He wasn't exactly nervous, but he couldn't bring himself to smile either. As far as the eye could see, there were villagers, numbering nearly a hundred. Each one was agile and incredibly strong. He didn't know if they were alive or dead, but to stop them, he would have to completely sever their heads or smash their bodies.

"Do you still have any weapons?" Xiao Congzhi glanced at the blood-stained fan. He had only brought an ordinary folding fan with him, which was already on the verge of breaking.

Mo Huan chuckled, still in the mood for teasing even in this critical moment: "Then, Brother Xiao, do you remember to repay this life-saving grace?" As he spoke, he squatted down, pulled a folding long knife from his boot, assembled it with a "clack," and handed it to Xiao Congzhi.

Xiao Congzhi took it, without saying much or responding, and simply raised his hand to cut off a head to test the knife.

"good."

"Don't ruin anything that's considered respectable in the martial arts world."

As they spoke, more villagers rushed toward the two of them. Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan no longer had time to talk and focused on dealing with the crisis at hand.

Aside from their speed and strength, the villagers didn't possess any martial arts skills or techniques, and they rarely dodged attacks. Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan were highly skilled in martial arts, possessed profound internal energy, and moved swiftly and cleanly, making it relatively easy for them to deal with the situation. However, these villagers seemed too abnormal, and Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan dared not get injured, thus finding themselves somewhat overwhelmed.

Once again, Xiao Congzhi's back bumped into Mo Huan's. By this time, most of the villagers in front of them had disappeared, and Mo Huan had the leisure to say a few words: "I didn't expect that after only knowing you for a few hours, I would dare to entrust my back to you."

"Likewise." Xiao Congzhi casually wiped the blood splattered on his face. The feeling of fighting alongside an equally skilled opponent made him even a little excited, and he smiled genuinely, a rare occurrence for him.

Catching a glimpse of Xiao Congzhi's expression out of the corner of his eye, Mo Huan nudged the person behind him on the shoulder, inwardly thinking, "So this guy doesn't always wear a mask after all."

"Swish!" Xiao Congzhi slashed away the villager who was silently approaching Mo Huan with his sword, and asked with a frown, "Brother Mo, are you distracted at a time like this? Do you think you have multiple lives?"

Mo Huan raised his dagger and tapped Xiao Congzhi's knife as a way of thanking him, then flashed forward to face the deadly villager once again.

One of them wielded a dagger, moving swiftly and lightly, aiming straight for the throat; the other used a longsword, his movements clean and decisive, slashing and hacking. Finally, as dawn broke, they had dealt with all the villagers.

The ground was covered in blood and mangled corpses, with hardly any clean space to step on. Xiao Congzhi shook the blood off his longsword and handed it back to Mo Huan.

Mo Huan was wiping his dagger with his clothes when he saw this and laughed: "Wait a minute before returning it. My immediate priority is to find a place to wash my clothes."

Xiao Congzhi, equally unable to bear the blood-stained clothes and the heavy stench of blood in the air, nodded in agreement and replied, "Brother Mo is absolutely right. Let's find a stream."

Mo Huan disdainfully shoved the dagger into the scabbard at his waist, glanced at the forest not far away, and said nonchalantly, "Then let's go into the forest."

Qilin Village is located in the heart of Weiyao Mountain, between Yidu, the capital of the Sheng Dynasty, and Xiacheng, a neighboring county. The village is surrounded by mountains and forests, which are teeming with deadly traps, poisonous insects, and treacherous vegetation. It is a dangerous place where one has a slim chance of survival, and generally no one dares to enter the mountains.

Of course, Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan were exceptions. They could solve the mechanisms and formations, identify poisonous insects and plants, and carried antidotes and potions. Therefore, they entered the mountains and forests without any burden, simply to clean up the bloodstains.

"Speaking of which, your lackey escaped in here last night. Aren't you afraid something might happen?" Mo Huan said, using a branch to flick away a poisonous insect.

Xiao Congzhi walked around the man-eating vines on the ground and replied coldly, "Life and death are predestined."

"..."

After walking in the mountains for about fifteen minutes, they heard the sound of flowing water. It was a spring in a stream, with bubbles rising in the middle.

After searching their surroundings and confirming there was no danger, the two couldn't wait to take off their clothes and throw them into the stream. The stream water was instantly stained red, showing that the clothes were already soaked in blood.

Unfortunately, both of them were model citizens who never lifted a finger to do housework, so at this moment, apart from giving the clothes a quick rub, they couldn't possibly wash them properly.

"Brother Xiao's technique... suggests he usually lives a life of luxury," Mo Huan teased.

Xiao Congzhi shook the water off his hands, glanced at Mo Huan, and said indifferently, "Brother Mo has been probing me openly and subtly since last night. Are you really that curious?"

Mo Huan sighed dramatically, “We’re practically brothers in arms, Brother Xiao. To be honest, I’m really curious. I’ve heard of all the big and small masters in the martial arts world, but I’ve never heard of Xiao Congzhi.”

"Is this all?" Xiao Congzhi asked rhetorically.

Although Xiao Congzhi's tone was calm and expressionless, Mo Huan inexplicably felt suppressed. This experience was somewhat strange to Mo Huan, so he forced a smile and looked very happy, but he didn't reply.

Mo Huan wasn't genuinely curious about Xiao Congzhi's identity; whatever it was, he didn't care, since he wasn't really after the Qilin blood. It was just that Xiao Congzhi wore a mask from beginning to end, feigning polite greetings and smiles, which annoyed Mo Huan, making him want to force the man to reveal his true colors and find out for himself.

Mo Huan looked at Xiao Congzhi in front of him. He was no longer smiling or approachable. He was distant, cold, and mysterious, which made him seem much more pleasing to the eye.

Xiao Congzhi didn't really care about Mo Huan's answer. Since Mo Huan was unwilling to talk about it, he was too lazy to ask further. He leaned against a rock by the stream, closed his eyes, and planned to rest for a while.

Mo Huan moved over, picked up the long sword that Xiao Congzhi had placed to the side, put it back into his boot, and closed his eyes.

As the sun gradually rose, Mo Huan and Xiao Congzhi opened their eyes one after the other.

“This…” Mo Huan looked at Xiao Congzhi, somewhat uncertain.

Xiao Congzhi stared in astonishment at the scene before him.

Where was the stream before them?!

The spring is now covered with layers of bushes, and there wasn't a trace of blood on the two men's clothes, which were not clean at all.

Xiao Congzhi said with self-deprecation, "With such a commotion, I actually fell asleep."

Mo Huan chuckled softly, indicating his approval.

Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan had not intended to sleep; they had only planned to close their eyes and rest. However, over the past few hours, they had truly lost consciousness.

"Forget it, let's go out first. I have a feeling that something strange is going to happen in that village too," Mo Huan said, nudging Xiao Congzhi.

Xiao Congzhi agreed and followed Mo Huan out. They thought the entire landscape of the forest would change, but in reality, apart from the stream turning into shrubs, nothing else changed. They followed the marks back the way they came and soon reached the edge of the forest.

"Young Master!!" A heart-wrenching scream came from not far away, and Ge Yun shouted as he ran towards Xiao Congzhi.

Xiao Congzhi first glanced indifferently at Ge Yun, then put on a warm smile. Mo Huan narrowed his eyes upon seeing this, a hint of inquiry flashing in them.

"Young Master! Are you alright? Waaah!" Ge Yun cried as she rushed to Xiao Congzhi's side, asking with concern.

"As you can see, there is no major problem."

Mo Huan looked at the master and servant with a hint of curiosity: "I thought you ran into the mountains last night."

Ge Yun smiled shyly: "It's dangerous in the mountains, so I'll just squat on the edge of this forest."

"That's clever of you. With the villagers blocked by Brother Xiao and me, it's definitely safest for you to hide here."

"Let's go to the village first."

So the three of them headed towards Qilin Village once again, this time from the back of the village, the place where they had fought fiercely with the villagers the night before.

As expected.

"There are no traces here."

"What marks were there originally?" Ge Yun looked at the clean and tidy ground with some curiosity.

“Blood, corpses, severed limbs,” Mo Huan kindly replied to Ge Yun.

Ge Yun trembled in fright and looked at his young master.

Xiao Congzhi looked into the village with a sullen face. It was broad daylight, noon, and the village was no longer the deathly silent place of the night, but bustling with activity and quite populated.

Men, women, and children came and went, their shouts and laughter filling the air.

Ge Yun felt quite pleased, but couldn't understand why his young master's expression was so serious.

As he watched the bustling crowd, Mo Huan's brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Brother Xiao..."

"It seems you've seen it too, Brother Mo."

"What are you talking about?" Ge Yun asked, completely bewildered.

Xiao Congzhi said, "It's better if you don't know. Ge Yun, check if anyone in this village knows about Qilin blood."

"What?! Oh my god!" Ge Yun exclaimed in shock.

"Well, let's split up. Brother Mo, you don't have any objections, do you?"

"Of course not."

So the three of them split up and started visiting the village. Qilin Village was really lively during the day. Every household had their doors wide open, children were running and playing on the paths, women were washing clothes and vegetables, or chatting enthusiastically, while men were working in the fields behind their houses, or carrying loads of goods to sell.

They are simple, honest, and hospitable. When they see outsiders, they don't reject them at all; on the contrary, they take the initiative to greet them.

Xiao Congzhi approached a woman who was doing needlework, and asked with a gentle smile, "Good afternoon, Madam. Is it sunny here?"

The woman was probably in her early thirties, still quite young. She looked up and smiled gently, "A little."

Xiao Congzhi stared into the woman's eyes, suppressing the nausea rising in his stomach, and continued to ask, "Do people often come to this village?"

Why do you ask that?

"You all seem quite used to it."

"People don't come here very often, but they do come occasionally because the scenery here is beautiful and the sweet potatoes produced here are famous for being delicious."

Xiao Congzhi frowned in confusion and asked bluntly, "Did they come for the Qilin blood?"

The woman tilted her head, looking puzzled, and asked, "What is Qilin blood?"

Xiao Congzhi was certain that the expression was genuine, so he exchanged a few more pleasantries and then took his leave of the woman.

If he doesn't have memory lapses, then this woman is the villager he cut in half last night.

He had seen every single one of these energetic people in the village last night.

Suppressing his nausea and groans, Xiao Congzhi asked a few more people, and the answers were all pretty much the same.

"Brother Xiao?" Mo Huan walked out of a house and happened to meet Xiao Congzhi.

"Brother Mo."

"You look terrible, did you manage to get some answers?"

Xiao Congzhi's face was indeed a little pale. Upon hearing this, he waved his hand and said, "I'm afraid it's the same as Brother Mo's."

Nobody in this village knows about Qilin blood.

"And they seem to live in other villages."

"I asked many people, and the logic is self-contained and without loopholes. If it is acting, the acting is truly natural and smooth."

"It wasn't acted."

"Brother Xiao is very confident, but I also think so."

"Let's check the information," Xiao Congzhi said, sounding slightly tired.

Mo Huan noticed that Xiao Congzhi's complexion was getting worse, so he put his arm around Xiao's shoulder and led him to a secluded and shady place. He stopped when they found a cool spot and said, "I didn't expect you to be so decisive when you made your move last night. I thought you didn't care."

"Taking action is one thing, but seeing a living person standing in front of you the next day is another."

Mo Huan reached for Xiao Congzhi's wrist to take his pulse, but Xiao Congzhi shook him off, his face pale, and urged, "Let's check the information first."

Mo Huan readily agreed, withdrew his hand, looked at the bustling village before him, and calmly said, "They live in a beautiful village, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, self-sufficient and content, but not isolated from the world. People often come to their village, either for sightseeing or for local specialties. According to them, they do not live in the Sheng Dynasty, but in the previous dynasty. They know neither about Qilin blood nor about Mount Weiyao. I specifically asked them about what happened the day before, and it was just an ordinary day."

Did you ask them about the evening?

"I asked several people, and they all said that candlelight is precious here, and people go to sleep as soon as the sun goes down and don't do anything at night."

"This should have been a strange thing, but compared to their resurrection, it seems nothing."

Upon hearing this, Mo Huan seemed to grasp something, and pondered, "Resurrection from the dead... Qilin blood..."

Xiao Congzhi's eyes lit up: "Indeed, all of this is probably inseparable from the blood of the Qilin."

"We should have thought of this earlier; the fact that an entire village was brought back to life made us think too slowly."

Xiao Congzhi pondered for a moment, then asked, "So, what's next..."

"Let's not talk about that now." Mo Huan raised his hand to interrupt Xiao Congzhi and asked, "This isn't a test. You said before that you learned about Qilin Village by chance?"

Xiao Congzhi glanced at Mo Huan and replied, "That day, Ge Yun and I were having dinner at a tavern in Yidu when some martial arts practitioners were talking about Qilin blood. I kept an eye on things, and a few days later, I ran into a martial arts intelligence dealer at the tavern and bought information about Qilin Village. This matter is absolutely true; you can ask Ge Yun about it."

Upon hearing this, Mo Huan suddenly leaned closer, looking into Xiao Congzhi's eyes. Seeing the man's frank expression, he felt quite helpless and could only say, "Fine, I'll just ask you, did that information broker tell you to come to Qilin Village tonight?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Congzhi didn't answer directly, but just hummed and distanced himself from Mo Huan.

"When you urged us to hurry last night, you said that if we didn't leave soon it would be dawn."

"...Okay, that information is indeed available."

"Then let's wait until tonight. The old man who suddenly appeared last night said that it's past midnight, so let's go there at midnight tonight."

Xiao Congzhi hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Isn't this riddle too simple?"

Mo Huan gave Xiao Congzhi a strange look, then said sarcastically, "When Brother Xiao stops making up stories, we'll know."

"..."