Stone coffin female corpse 1

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, late autumn quickly approaches, and winter arrives in the blink of an eye, growing colder day by day. Anling is close to the border, so the weather is dry, and wearing more clothes can barely keep you warm. But as you head south, the humidity rises, and the cold seeps in everywhere, making it very difficult to bear.

It gets dark early, and after walking for only a few hours past noon, night fell. The wind was stronger at night, blowing through the woods and making the shadows of the trees sway and rustle, adding to the chill.

Xiao Congzhi and his companions did not intend to enter the forest after nightfall. It was simply that an accident occurred on the way, and it got dark very quickly. They entered the forest at 3:45 PM, and it was dark in the blink of an eye.

"That's strange. Yesterday, they were able to hold out until dusk."

"I'm so sorry, if I hadn't caused trouble halfway through."

“It’s alright. It’s not easy to travel at night, but it’s not appropriate to spend the night in the mountains in this cold weather. Let’s just go through.”

Xie Mowen lamented the change in the sky, Xu Congyun apologized, and Xiao Congzhi suggested going through the woods.

The three of them traveled south together. Although it was at Chen Yu's request to send Xu Congyun back to the Xu family in Jiangnan, Xiao Congzhi also planned to go to Jiangnan himself.

The three of them walked at a moderate pace, and had already walked for ten days. After passing through this forest, and continuing for another half a day, they would reach Ninghai in Jiangnan, where the Xu and Xiao families were located.

Xu Congyun wrapped her coat tighter around herself and followed Xiao and Xie deeper into the woods.

The forest shouldn't be very big; if we walk quickly, we can get out in a little over an hour. However, after nightfall, the surroundings are dim and we can't see the road ahead clearly. Plus, the wind is strong and the weather is cold, making the journey difficult.

Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen, being martial artists, were relatively at ease, while Xu Congyun struggled considerably. However, she pursed her lips, said nothing, and closely followed the steps of Xiao and Xie.

It's a joke! With the emperor himself escorting her from north to south, how could she dare to make so many demands?! Not to mention, Xu Congyun is clever and can tell that Xiao Congzhi is in a hurry.

A few days ago in Anling, Xiao Congzhi, accompanied by Xie Mowen, came to pick up Xu Congyun, who was flattered. Many things had happened in Anling those days, and Xu Congyun, even while inside the inner quarters, had heard quite a bit. Things like the Emei Sect's major internal strife and the Demonic Sect's return to the Central Plains after a century, and most importantly, she heard that the young hero Xiao Congzhi had killed the abbot of Shaolin for the Demonic Sect.

Xu Congyun knew perfectly well who the name Xiao Congzhi belonged to, so well that she felt her ears burning whenever she heard people discussing the name.

As for the other name that was always mentioned in all the discussions at that time, Xie Mowen, Xu Congyun thought about it and felt that it should be the young swordsman surnamed Mo who came to the Chen residence with Xiao Congzhi that day.

Upon realizing this, Xu Congyun suddenly understood that Xiao Congzhi had mentioned that the most handsome young swordsman was his husband.

Xu Congyun stood under the eaves, her body drenched in cold sweat. She dared not ponder the deeper meaning behind those words, and simply made a judgment: these two probably wouldn't send her to Jiangnan.

So when Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen took the initiative to come to her door, Xu Congyun felt a bit of absurdity, not knowing what day it was. She just stared blankly at Young Master Chen and his wife chatting and laughing with Xiao and Xie until she was urged to pack her luggage before she could barely come back to her senses.

"Miss Xu...Miss Xu?"

"Hey!" Xu Congyun snapped back to reality, realizing that Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen were both looking at her. She hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Congzhi smiled and said, "You seem lost in thought. You must be cold. Would you like me to light a torch?"

It was early winter, and the trees were not very dense, so they were traveling by moonlight.

"That's fine...that's fine too," Xu Congyun replied, pulling her coat tighter around herself.

After traveling together for several days, she had let go of her initial restraint and fear. Xiao Congzhi never revealed his identity and uttered a single word, always being considerate, gentle, and polite throughout the journey.

As for Xie Mowen... Xu Congyun roughly guessed that this was the leader of the Demonic Sect, but Xu Congyun did not have a real feeling about this identity, at least not as vivid as the identity of her husband, the Emperor.

Before leaving, Xu Congyun was determined not to look at anything inappropriate and to pretend she knew nothing, so as to avoid causing trouble later. However, things didn't go as planned. It wasn't that Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen behaved in public; they were quite restrained in public. But the uncontrollable eye contact, the unconscious physical touch, and the ambiguous sense of distance in their conversations made Xu Congyun realize, despite telling herself countless times not to overthink it, that the title "husband" was probably not a lie.

This is a truly terrifying story.

"call--"

"call---"

"What was that sound?" Xie Mowen asked.

Xiao Congzhi frowned as he stared ahead.

Xu Congyun once again brought her scattered thoughts back to the present moment.

It was pitch black ahead, with only the faint shadows of trees swaying in the moonlight. But the sounds that drifted out were neither like the wind nor like withered leaves being blown down…

Suddenly, a huge dark raven flew out of the forest, let out a strange cry, and disappeared into the horizon.

Xu Congyun didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but she was still somewhat frightened, mainly because the heavy darkness ahead gave off an eerie feeling.

“Miss Xu, please come to the middle.” Xiao Congzhi said, taking two steps to the side so that Xu Congyun could stand between him and Xie Mowen.

Xu Congyun did not refuse and moved to a different position without hesitation.

The three of them still had to keep going, even though the moonlight was getting thinner and the shadows of the trees were getting denser.

Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen each carried a torch, using the warmth and light of the flames to probe their way forward.

Before we knew it, the moonlight was completely blocked, and the clear light reflected between the shadows of the trees vanished without a trace. The entire forest was plunged into an inky darkness, and the firelight was only enough to illuminate a corner.

As the three approached the location where the sound had come from, all the sounds disappeared at once, leaving only the sound of their breathing in a moment of silence.

Suddenly, a gust of wind howled past, and the surroundings shifted from stillness to movement, as if something was stirring in the dimly lit darkness.

While pretending to protect Xu Congyun, Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen cautiously looked around. Whether it was a human or a ghost, something was definitely watching them; this was something the two of them were certain of.

“Clang—clang clang clang clang—” The strange noises gradually increased in intensity, as if a hundred or so puppets were struggling to shake Gang An’s limbs.

Xu Congyun immediately covered his mouth, not wanting to make a sound that might disturb the things in the forest, nor wanting to bother Xiao and Xie.

"Who goes there? State your name!" Xie Mowen frowned and used his inner strength to spread his voice throughout the forest, like heavenly music.

The clattering stopped immediately.

Xiao Congzhi turned his gaze to a spot to the side, and Xie Mowen also looked over there.

In the thick darkness that allowed no light to penetrate, a white shadow suddenly flashed by, and in the blink of an eye, the white shadow was right in front of him.

His long, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, his face was as pale as paper, his eyes were dark and dull, his lips were bright red and dripping with blood, and his right cheek was charred and flesh torn up from top to bottom.

Xu Congyun could no longer hold back and let out a deep scream from deep in her throat.

Xiao Congzhi suddenly grabbed Xu Congyun's shoulder and took a step back. Xie Mowen then stepped forward to block the white figure.

Although the white figure moved silently, seemingly floating, with sharp fingers, but…

"Since you're a human, why bother with such supernatural tricks?" Xie Mowen asked bluntly.

Bai Ying did not respond. She raised her head, her gaze passing over Xie Mowen and landing on Xu Congyun.

Xiao Congzhi frowned, subtly shifting his body to block the gaze, and asked in a deep voice, "What does Your Excellency wish to do?"

Those dark, almost inhuman eyes stared at Xiao Congzhi for a moment, then a hoarse voice rang out: "I'm going to Ninghai, may we travel together?"

Xie Mowen turned and glanced at Xiao Congzhi, his brows furrowing slightly. There was more than one way to Ninghai than through this forest.

Xiao Congzhi shook his head slightly at Xie Mowen.

Before Xie Mowen could convey his meaning to the newcomer, the white figure spoke again: "I am terrifying in appearance, and I cannot enter the city alone."

"Were you waiting in this forest all this time for someone to take you in?" Xiao Congzhi asked.

"Um."

Xiao Congzhi walked to Xie Mowen's side and gently touched Xie Mowen's hand, which landed at his side. Xie Mowen gave it a very light squeeze.

Xie Mowen replied succinctly, "Then lead the way."

Xu Congyun had already lowered her hand from her mouth and quickly walked to Xiao and Xie's side. She boldly asked with her eyes, "Are you really going to leave with this female ghost?"

Xiao Congzhi shrugged: "Don't worry, Xie Mowen and I will always protect you."

This woman in white who appeared out of nowhere was far too suspicious.

Firstly, the commotion and the woman's movements just now indicated that this person knew some internal martial arts. Secondly, while it might be true that he couldn't enter the city alone, waiting in the woods for someone would be too ridiculous.

His words couldn't withstand scrutiny, but he wasn't willing to offer any further explanation. So, we might as well go with the flow and bring him along, just as Xiao Congzhi said, nothing too serious would happen.

With the female ghost leading the way, the three of them left the forest in less than an hour. The moonlight outside the forest was bright and clear, shining on the smooth official road, peaceful and serene.

Although it wasn't late, the encounter with the ghost in the forest had taken its toll, so Xie Mowen suggested resting on the spot and setting off at dawn.

Xu Congyun naturally agreed: "But how should we sleep?" She glanced at the female ghost with her eyes darting around.

The female ghost gave an unpleasant twitch of her lips and said bluntly, "You don't need to worry about me."

Since that's the case, Xie Mowen made the arrangements casually. He cleared his throat: "I'll keep watch, Congzhi will be beside me, Miss Xu will be next to Congzhi, and as for this one..."

"firefly."

The woman named Ying raised her eyelids and gazed at Xie Mowen with a calm yet profound look.

Xie Mowen seemed oblivious to the look in his eyes and nodded, "Alright, Miss Ying, you can stay on my other side."

Using Xie Mowen as a barrier is quite reasonable.

Before Miss Ying sat down, Xie Mowen casually remarked, "Although men and women are different, people in the martial world don't stand on ceremony, right, Miss Ying?"

Ying paused, not responding, but her body stiffened considerably, and the ghostly aura she had brought from the forest dissipated considerably.

Xiao Congzhi glanced at Xie Mowen silently, and Xie Mowen gave him a small look.

It seems this woman is not from the martial arts world.