After saying that, Xie Shuci was also stunned.
Faced with the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Xie Shuci gave a dry laugh, "Well, what exactly do you want?"
Xie Anxu heard his voice and walked towards him slowly.
The man's smile was somewhat awkward as he explained, "I'm sorry, fellow Daoist, you've misunderstood. This is a long story; would you mind sitting for a moment, sir?"
Seeing that they didn't seem like bad people and appeared to be disciples of some immortal sect, Xie Shuci hesitated before nodding.
Just then, Xie An walked over.
"What are you doing?" Xie An asked.
When the man saw Xie An, his eyes immediately lit up. "This fellow Daoist..."
Xie Shuci frowned, stepped in front of Xie An, and said, "He's just an ordinary person, don't mess with him."
Upon hearing this, the man realized that Xie An had no trace of spiritual power around him, sighed regretfully, and said to Xie Shuci and the other person, "Please."
Xie Shuci and his companion were invited to sit at their table.
The man clasped his hands in greeting and said, "I am Xu Si, a disciple of the Xu family of Huaizhou. These are my junior brothers."
Seeing this, Xie Shuci said, "My name is Xie Shuci, and this is my younger brother."
Xu Si nodded and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. To be honest, we have something we hope you can help us with."
Xie Shuci looked at them suspiciously, then moved closer to Xie An and asked, "What is it?"
"We came here after receiving news that young men have been frequently disappearing in the mountains. According to nearby villagers, some people have heard ghostly cries in the mountains at night. Whenever a young and good-looking man enters the mountains, he mysteriously disappears. Although we have explicitly prohibited anyone from approaching the mountains, many men in the city are still disappearing at night."
Upon hearing the word "ghosts," Xie Shuci couldn't help but shrink back, leaning against Xie An's shoulder, both frightened and curious. "And then?"
Xu Sidao said, "We tried to lure the snake out of its hole, but unfortunately..."
At this point, Xu Si and his fellow disciples all looked somewhat embarrassed.
Xie Shuci asked, puzzled, "What's a pity?"
Xu Si coughed lightly, "Unfortunately, none of our appearances seem to meet the eyes of that ghost."
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci's lips twitched, and he asked in a low voice, "Not a single one?"
Xu Si felt even more embarrassed and lowered her head, saying, "Yes, not a single one."
"..." Xie Shuci suppressed a laugh and comforted him, "Maybe that ghost is like Liu Dazhuang, with a different aesthetic sense than normal people."
Xu Si added, "We've inquired, and the young men who were abducted by the ghosts are all like you—handsome and slender."
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci suddenly realized what was happening.
He stared wide-eyed, pointing at himself incredulously, and said, "You...you're not planning to ask me to help lure the snake out of its hole, are you?"
The group looked at him and blinked.
Xie Shuci: "..."
"No way!"
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! To ask a man as beautiful as a flower and as weak as a chicken to seduce the ghosts in the mountains, Xie Shuci would rather die.
Those are ghosts! Xie Shuci is fearless... Although that's debatable, there's no doubt that he's most afraid of ghosts!
Although in modern society he's a firm believer in science, often telling himself that ghosts and monsters aren't real, this is a world of cultivation! Ghosts really exist!
Xu Si solemnly said, "Fellow Daoist, please rest assured that I will definitely ensure your safety. I will also ask the family head for permission to make you an inner disciple of the Xu family. If you have any other conditions, you can also bring them up."
Xie Shuci frowned and said, "Why do you have to find me? Didn't that thing kidnap other people? You could have just found someone else in the city."
Xu Si replied, "Fellow Daoist, most people in the city are ordinary people. This matter still carries some risk. Of course, it is more suitable for cultivators."
Xie Shuci, with a twisted face, came from the cultivation world.
After all this time, Xie Shuci was much braver than before, at least he wasn't so afraid of life and death anymore, but ghosts were different! He was already scared to death just by hearing the sound of the underworld ghosts in the tomb, if he were to actually face a ghost, Xie Shuci was worried that he would wet his pants.
Pshaw! Impossible!
Seeing Xie Shuci's troubled expression, one of the men said, "Senior brother, please don't make things difficult for the young master. The young master is a rogue cultivator, and judging from his clothes, he doesn't seem to be from Huaizhou. He has no need to risk his life for the people of Huaizhou. Besides, what would happen to this young master if something were to happen to him?"
His understanding nature made Xie Shuci feel a little embarrassed.
He scratched the back of his head and muttered, "Rogue cultivators are still cultivators, after all. Protecting the people is the duty of all cultivators, but..."
Xu Si pondered for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "Junior brother is right. This is the responsibility of the Xu family. How can we let you take the risk for us? However, those young men who were captured may still be alive. I just want to rescue them as soon as possible. Sigh."
“That ghost is hiding in the mountains. We searched the entire mountain before, but we couldn’t find any trace of it. I’m afraid we’ll never find it unless it shows itself.”
"Yes, we can only stay at the foot of the mountain at night to prevent any more young men from being murdered."
As Xie Shuci listened to their back-and-forth discussion, it seemed they had given up on asking for his help, but Xie Shuci did not feel at ease.
He's different now. He's a cultivator, and he's no longer like Ah Dong back then, truly powerless and completely unaware of the horrors of this world, acting solely on his whims.
Back when I was a teenager, I used to shout all the time that I wanted to save the world and be a hero. How come I'm backing down now that I have the chance to help others?
Ghosts are scary, but you're not an ordinary person. To be honest, with great power comes great responsibility. Although you might not be able to defeat such ghosts, you certainly have the ability to protect yourself. Of course, it's also possible that Xie Shuci might be so scared that his legs go weak.
However, to stand by and watch someone die is not the act of a true gentleman.
"Back to the room?"
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Xie An spoke up.
Xie Shuci shook his head, "Little blind man, I..."
However, before he could even utter the words, Xie An already knew what he meant.
Xie Shuci is such an easy person to understand.
They were willing to die for a child they had only known for a few days back then, so how could they stand by and watch someone die now that they have the ability to protect themselves?
"Whatever you want," Xie An said indifferently.
Xie Shuci gratefully shook his hand, then said to Xu Si and the others, "I can help you with this."
Xu Si was stunned. "Really?!"
"Really, but before that, I need to ask my two friends first."
They had other matters to attend to here, and Xie Shuci didn't want to delay Sikong Xin and the other person's time. After all, the Dragon Fang Secret Realm was extremely dangerous, and finding Ban Xiayin was an urgent matter.
As soon as Xie Shuci finished speaking, two voices sounded from behind him.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Xie. However, when it comes to matters of life and death, we naturally have no choice but to do our duty."
"I have no objection."
Xie Shuci turned around in surprise and saw Sikong Xin and the other man walking slowly toward them.
Zixi transformed into a small purple snake, poking its head out from Sikong Xin's sleeve and hissing as it flicked its tongue.
"Who are you two?" Xu Si asked, puzzled.
Xie Shuci stood up and said to him, "These two are my friends."
Xu Si's eyes swept over the two men. Their attire was quite different from Xie Shuci's, clearly indicating they were not ordinary people. The purple snake on the young master's wrist was obviously no ordinary object, and the axe hanging from the burly man's waist also pulsated with spiritual energy.
I've met a benefactor!
Xu Si was extremely grateful that he had stopped Xie Shuci in time. With the help of these fellow Daoists, they would surely be able to capture the ghost in the mountain.
Xu Si and the others stood up, clasped their hands in greeting to Sikong Xin and the other man, and said, "I am Xu Si."
Sikong Xin nodded lazily, "Chengxin."
Liu Dazhuang was about to introduce himself, but when he heard Sikong Xin's hastily written pseudonym, he paused for a moment before coming to his senses. "My name is Liuhan (Sweat)."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xu Si: "..."
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
With such a hastily written name, it's as if they're afraid others won't know it's an alias.
But Xu Si and the others didn't expose them, and just nodded with dry laughter.
Sikong Xin and his companion were quite pleased and sat down directly. Sikong Xin asked, "Brother Xu, could you please describe the matter in more detail? When did the ghost appear, and were there any strange occurrences before or after?"
Xie Shuci sat with Xie An on his left and Liu Dazhuang on his right. Surrounded by them, he felt very safe. Curiosity slowly overcame his fear, and he lay on the table, waiting for Xu Si to tell him a story.
Xu Si nodded and said solemnly, "About half a month ago, a man disappeared while taking a walk in the mountains. According to the local people, since that day, every night, gusts of cold wind would blow up on the mountain, and often mixed with the mournful singing of a woman."
"Half a month ago..." Xie Shuci frowned. Wasn't that the day they left the Guanhua Tower?
Xu Si recounted the whole story, which contained no scary details, because the ghost never actually appeared.
But for Xie Shuci, the voice alone was enough to terrify him.
After hearing the whole story, the only clue was that a sect of immortals once lived on that mountain, but they moved away several hundred years ago.
Later, the local people called it Little Fairy Mountain.
This was, after all, a sacred mountain, with lush vegetation and stunning scenery, so the people of the city would often climb it to enjoy the view. Strangely, however, over the years, no one had ever seen the ruins of the immortal sect left behind in the mountain, nor did they know the name of the sect.
After men began disappearing from the mountains, the Xu family sent people to temporarily guard the area around Xiaoxian Mountain until they caught the culprit.
Unfortunately, that thing came and went without a trace, able to come and go freely even in their guarded area. So they came up with a plan to lure the snake out of its hole: to find a cultivator to lure the ghost out and risk his life to find the location of the other captured men.
However, they searched for many cultivators within the sect, but none of them caught the eye of that ghostly being. It was only after seeing Xie Shuci today that their hope was rekindled.
At this point, Xie Shuci became quite pleased with himself.
Finally, Xie Shuci asked, "Then what should I do?"
Xu Sidao said, "That ghost is not afraid of people and can enter and leave Little Immortal Mountain as if it were an empty place. If Fellow Daoist Xie can attract it, it will naturally appear."
After listening to him talk for a long time without getting to the point, Xie Shuci couldn't help but ask, "So?"
“Therefore, fellow Daoist, you must enter Little Immortal Mountain tonight,” Xu Si said in a deep voice.
Xie Shuci was speechless for a moment, then added, "I guess... I'm not the only one?"
Xu Si and his disciples glanced at him.
Xie Shuci gave a dry laugh.
Xu Si avoided answering, saying instead, "The young men who were abducted were all alone."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xie Shuci's expression was blank, and he suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
"At midnight... I need to go alone... into the mountains... to seduce a ghost?"
With each word Xie Shuci uttered, his face paled a fraction.
Just imagining this scene made Xie Shuci's scalp tingle.
Liu Dazhuang glanced at him disdainfully and said to Xu Si and the others, "He's no good, let me take his place!"
Xu Si's face stiffened, and her smile became forced. "There's no need to trouble you, fellow Daoist."
Sikong Xin curled his lip, wondering where this person got such confidence from.
"If you don't want to go, then don't go."
Seemingly sensing Xie Shuci's hesitation, Xie An raised his head, his tone calm and composed, yet there was an inexplicable sense of oppression about him.
Upon hearing this, Xu Si and his disciples immediately looked nervously at Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci had already agreed, how could he possibly go back on his word now!
But, all alone! Going to find ghosts!
Sikong Xin glanced at him, his fingers cradling the purple snake's head. "Brother Xie, is there something you're worried about? I'll have Zixi accompany you."
As he spoke, the purple snake crawled towards Xie Shuci following Sikong Xin's finger.
"No, no, no! No, no, no!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci immediately shook his head like a sieve.
Absolutely not! He was terrified of snakes, those soft-bodied creatures. If a snake were crawling on him, Xie Shuci would probably be too scared to move.
"That's it!" Just then, Xie Shuci had a sudden inspiration and said, "Can I take the king with me? Just a little dog?"
Xu Si nodded. "Okay. I will leave a Gu worm on you. If there is any danger, we will be at the foot of the mountain and will rush over immediately."
Before Xie Shuci could even feel happy, he asked in confusion, "Gu?"
Before Xu Si could speak, Xie An said, "Control insects."
"Insect..." Xie Shuci shuddered, his back pressed tightly against Xie An's shoulder. He felt his scalp tingle at the mere mention of the word.
Seeing his cowardly appearance, Liu Dazhuang sneered, "Afraid of bugs? Then why did you come with me to catch earthworms?"
"I was drunk!" Xie Shuci retorted angrily. "Besides, how can a Gu worm be the same as an earthworm?!"
Xu Si paused for a moment, then released a six-legged, black insect from his sleeve and said to Xie Shuci, "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Xie, they..."
"Holy shit! Take it away! Take it away! Take it away now!"
Xie Shuci suddenly turned around and buried himself in Xie An's arms. Looking at the thing on the back of Xu Si's hand, goosebumps rose all over his body. His shrill screams attracted the attention of the other guests. Xie Shuci only glanced at it before burying his face in Xie An's chest, his body trembling slightly, looking particularly pitiful.
Xie An remained remarkably calm, casually placing his hand on Xie Shuci's back and gently soothing him.
Xu Si was stunned for a moment because she didn't expect him to react so strongly.
Sikong Xin felt that he was a person of some standing, and being looked at like a monkey by others, he turned his head away expressionlessly, pretending not to know them.
Liu Dazhuang retorted directly, "My goodness, you're afraid of such a small thing? Just tell me, what aren't you afraid of?"
"This..." Xu Si said awkwardly.
"Put it away! Put it away!" Xie Shuci roared.
Xie Shuci felt like ants were crawling on his scalp and dared not look in that direction again.
Seeing this, Xu Si had no choice but to put the Gu worms away.
He had seen people who were afraid of Gu worms before, but most of them were ordinary people who couldn't defeat them. This was the first time he had seen that even cultivators were afraid of insects.
Several disciples of the Xu family couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Young master, don't be afraid, the Gu worms won't harm anyone."
Xie Shuci peeked out from Xie An's embrace, and only after seeing that the Gu worms had been retracted did he breathe a sigh of relief and say, "This isn't a matter of whether it hurts or not, this is..."
The main problem is that the bugs look disgusting!
"Anyway, I'd rather die than touch this thing!"
“But if you don’t keep the Gu worms with you, we can’t guarantee your safety,” Xu Si said with difficulty.
Sikong said, "Zixi and I have a unique way of communicating. Brother Xie, why don't you choose one?"
Xie Shuci: "..."
I'm not choosing either of them!
As night fell, the number of pedestrians on the streets decreased significantly.
The innkeeper instructed the waiter to remind everyone in each room, regardless of gender, not to go out alone at night.
As night deepened, Xie Shuci, fully armed, and his entourage left the inn in a grand procession.
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the foot of Little Fairy Mountain.
Whether it was subconscious or not, Xie Shuci felt eery everywhere she looked and had no energy to think about anything else. She clung to Xie An, staring wide-eyed at her surroundings with fear and unease.
The night wind blew against Xie Shuci's face, and he couldn't help but shiver.
"We're here. Give me your hand," Sikong Xin said.
Xie Shuci pursed his lips and reluctantly raised his head.
As Sikong Xin raised his arm, a small snake crawled across the back of his hand and slowly moved to Xie Shuci's hand.
When the cool touch touched his skin, Xie Shuci couldn't help but tense up. Zixi seemed to know Xie Shuci's fear, and mischievously brushed his skin with her tongue, scaring Xie Shuci into closing his eyes tightly and not daring to move.
Then, the purple breath coiled around Xie Shuci's right wrist.
"Wait a minute, I need to say a few words to Xie An," Xie Shuci said to the crowd, then pulled Xie An aside.
“Little blind man, I don’t know if I will live or die on this trip. If anything happens to me, you should stay with Sikong Xin. Although he seems carefree, he is actually a responsible and good man.”
Sikong Xin, who overheard these words through the purple breath, was speechless.
Well, this idiot really thinks Xiao Xun is just an ordinary person who can't even kill a chicken. How pathetic.
Xie An nodded after listening.
Xie Shuci lowered his voice again and said, "My tokens, treasures, and pills are all hidden under the bed. If I don't come back, remember to take them with you."
Xie An listened quietly and nodded again.
Xie Shuci: "..."
Damn! This guy is so heartless! He's probably about to die! And he didn't even react. What an ingrate!
"you……"
Xie Shuci initially wanted to scold him for being heartless, but she was also a little reluctant. If she really couldn't come back, it was better if the little blind man didn't care, so she wouldn't be heartbroken. After all, Xie Shuci wasn't from this world; maybe she would return after she died.
Thinking of this, Xie Shuci's gaze towards him became much more complicated. Some things might never be said again if they weren't said.
"Xie An, if I don't come back, you mustn't forget me."
Xie An's long eyelashes trembled. "No."
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Xie Shuci asked.
Xie An lowered his eyes, avoiding Xie Shuci's bright gaze, "You'll be fine."
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci's eyes darkened, but he nodded firmly. "Yes! I'll be fine! I'm a cultivator, after all, I'll be fine!"
Liu Dazhuang appeared beside them at some point, put his arm around Xie Shuci's shoulder, and laughed, "What trouble could you possibly have! Don't you know who Zixi is? She's Brother Sikong's contracted beast. With her around, what trouble could possibly happen to you?"
Xie Shuci: "..."
That's right! Zi Xi can take human form, so his cultivation must be at least several hundred years old. Surely he can handle a mere ghost?
Xie Shuci, you really have no brains! Besides, there's a king here!
The Great King is, after all, a little demon beast born with an inner core; how could ordinary ghosts and monsters possibly be its match?
Thinking of this, Xie Shuci put on a stern face, put his hands on Xie An's shoulders, and said solemnly, "Forget the stupid things I just said."
Xie An: "..."
So, accompanied by the King and Zixi, Xie Shuci went into the mountains alone.
The surrounding trees cast low shadows, and the sparse moonlight spilled onto the ground, barely illuminating the path beneath our feet.
Xie Shuci thought he would be trembling with fear like the first time, but in fact, he wasn't that scared. He was just very sensitive to the slightest movement around him.
The king nestled quietly in his arms, his round eyes scanning the surroundings.
Zixi remained motionless, coiled around Xie Shuci's wrist. She seemed to really like the scent on him, her eyes closed, as if she were about to fall asleep.
A bird suddenly flew over the branch, its wings colliding with the leaves, making a "whooshing" sound that was very clear in the quiet mountains where only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Xie Shuci was startled and immediately looked up warily. A bird was flying in the air and landed on a branch of another tree.
The night wind made the branches sway slightly, casting a shadow on the ground that resembled a menacing monster.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him from a dark corner.
Xie Shuci unconsciously slowed his pace, leaned against a large tree, and took a heavy breath.
Xie Shuci was under immense psychological pressure; even though nothing had actually happened, he was already...
Sweating profusely.
Xie Shuci took a deep breath. Since he was already here, he had to lure the ghost out no matter what!
The bodies of the missing men have not yet been found, so they are very likely still alive. The sooner they are found, the greater the chances of survival.
Having rested enough, Xie Shuci gritted his teeth and continued walking forward.
The wind rustled the surrounding trees, producing a series of hoarse, eerie sounds.
Xie Shuci didn't notice that a peach petal had somehow gotten stuck to the hem of his clothes, faintly glowing red in the darkness.
The higher we went up the mountain, the less wind there was, and the quieter it became.
The night sky was almost completely blocked by the shade of the trees, but fortunately Xie Shuci was no ordinary person and had cultivated his sea of consciousness, which allowed him to see everything around him clearly.
"call……"
Suddenly a cold wind blew by, as if someone was hiding in the darkness and blowing a sticky breath behind Xie Shuci's ear.
Xie Shuci's heart tightened, and he turned around abruptly, only to find nothing behind him.
He rubbed his earlobe, repeatedly reassuring himself, before continuing to walk forward.
He had been walking for an unknown amount of time, getting further and further away from the foot of the mountain. He dared not speak, so he placed his hand on the king's stomach, feeling the rise and fall of the king's breath to reassure himself.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed past in my peripheral vision.
Xie Shuci looked over warily. "Who?"
The king also noticed something was wrong. He straightened up from Xie Shuci's embrace, faced one direction, and grinned.
Suddenly, a woman's ethereal laughter rang out in the air.
The laughter seemed to come from the void, blending with the eerie mountain environment and making it even more terrifying.
Xie Shuci swallowed hard, staring at the direction the shadow had passed, not daring to even blink.
"hiss--"
Zi Xi also woke up and poked half of her body out from Xie Shu Ci's sleeve.
"Young master, you've come to the mountains in the middle of the night, is it for this young lady?"
The woman's voice was like a bell, clear and melodious, yet inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.
"Aww!" the king cried out uneasily.
At the same time, the withered branches and fallen leaves on the ground were swept up by a strange wind and attacked Xie Shuci.
"Be careful!" Zi Xi's voice rang in his mind.
Xie Shuci was startled and quickly used his spiritual power to block the leaf flying towards him.
"A cultivator? You're a cultivator?"
The woman's voice suddenly turned incredibly cold.
"What I hate most in my life is cultivators!"
A strong wind was blowing all around, and Xie Shuci couldn't open his eyes because of it.
Zi Xi's voice continued to echo in his mind:
"I've lost contact with my master. She's no ordinary ghost. Be careful."
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