28. Fragrant Grave Soil · 1 · Conflict
"Huff—"
Gui Fang, supporting his knees, vomited violently, but couldn't vomit anything.
Tang Xihe said thoughtfully, "Gui Fang Wu Di, so you have a weakness."
Upon hearing this, Bei Chen stared at Gui Fang in surprise for a moment, then burst into cheerful laughter, "You get dizzy from teleportation? How could anyone get dizzy from teleportation?"
Their response was another rainbow-like sound from Gui Fang Wu Di.
Gui Fang paused, his trembling golden claws pointing at Bei Chen, "You..."
Bei Chen shrugged, looking completely innocent. "I was too fast. Unlike you, who speaks so slowly like an old man."
Gui Fang Wu Di admitted defeat. After rinsing his mouth, his face was still pale. He closed his eyes and took a moment to recover before weakly asking, "Are we here? Where is this?"
"The boundary of the fragrant grave soil." Tang Xi took a deep breath.
A strange, ever-changing fragrance wafted in the air, sometimes like the scent of a hundred flowers, sometimes like the damp, fishy smell of moss in a deep valley, and sometimes, with a deeper sniff, like the cool, herbal scent of mint. This faint, refreshing aroma was enough to invigorate Gui Fang, who sat up and looked around.
The first thing he saw was a vast expanse of pale purple, hazy mist. He gently raised his hand, and some mist fell onto his bone claws, like a fine drizzle. With a flick of his wrist, only a few drops remained. The air was heavy with the damp mist, stuffy and quiet, a quiet tinged with sadness. Scattered stone tablets lay lazily leaning in the blue-green grassland, shrouded in the white vapor. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow, carrying a refreshing, fragrant gust, and dandelions would rise with the wind, round and soft, lovely.
"This is fragrant grave soil? Although it's grave soil, it doesn't feel scary..."
Gui Fang muttered to himself as he looked around.
Although there wasn't a single living being there, the place exuded a sorrowful atmosphere, as if time had frozen at some point. The tombstones were scattered haphazardly, varying in size and material, like the "survivors" of this cemetery watching Tangxi and the group of people. They appeared and disappeared in the white mist, creating a hazy beauty at the boundary between reality and dreams.
Tang Xi clutched her collar and let out a long sigh. "I feel very uncomfortable."
Feeling bored?
"I can't quite put my finger on it." Tang Xi shook her head. "It seems... you're feeling very sad?"
"sad?"
Bei Chen was surprised and took a deep breath. "I'm not sad, but it's so stuffy here, I can't breathe."
"Is nobody going to care whether I live or die?" Gui Fang weakly raised his hand. "Bei Chen, give me a Mind-Awakening Pill."
Why are you asking me for it?
Gui Fang shrugged matter-of-factly, "Tang Xihe's storage ring was destroyed, so I have no choice but to ask you for it."
Bei Chen flipped his hand, revealing a medicine bottle. Suddenly, he paused slightly, put the bottle back into his storage ring, and said seriously, "No, you can't rely on medicine. You need to train."
Gui Fang's eyes widened, thinking to himself, "We're doomed. Bei Chen has actually learned to be cunning."
"Are you crazy? What's so great about practicing teleportation arrays? Your teleportation is too abrupt! If I were to activate the array, I wouldn't even get dizzy! Give it to me!"
"100 cents each!"
"Are you human, Beichen Suixing?"
"I'm doing this for your own good..."
They started arguing again.
Tangxi sighed silently, "They must be in good spirits to be able to start arguing."
No one paid any attention to her, and Tang Xihe then remembered that Pipi was fast asleep in her storage ring. Tang Xihe channeled her spiritual power into the storage ring, waking it up, "We've arrived, Fragrant Gravesite, your home."
A golden-orange light flashed in mid-air, and Pipi lazily appeared, landing on Tangxi's shoulder and yawning. "So fast?"
"How did you get so much heavier?" Tang Xi grabbed it and weighed it in her hand. "Are you about to undergo some kind of change?"
Pipi was taken aback, then turned her head away somewhat guiltily. "No, right? I've always been this heavy... I'm still growing!"
wrong.
Tangxi noticed something and suddenly grabbed Pipi's paw and lifted it into the air.
Pipi was caught off guard and hung upside down. As soon as he opened his mouth, a shower of gold and silver jewelry fell to the ground.
Pipi covered her mouth guiltily: "..."
Tang Xi looked silently at the jewels scattered on the ground: "..."
Tang Xi suddenly smiled brightly, as if she had found a new way to play with the toy, and grabbed Pipi's two paws and shook it violently. Pipi was immediately thrown around, dizzy and disoriented, and cried out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Oh no, you're killing the bird!"
A scream pierced the sky.
Deep within the fragrant graveyard, a woman in green suddenly opened her eyes and rushed out of the small wooden house in a fluster.
"Your Highness?"
The small cabin was almost invisible in the thick white fog, and the air was so heavy that it was hard to breathe. However, the woman in green did not feel uncomfortable. Instead, she sniffed in the direction of Pipi's strange cry, her face showing disbelief, and then she muttered to herself in delight.
"Your Highness! It's Your Highness!"
·
Meanwhile, Pipi, whose jewelry had been scattered all over the ground by Tangxi, sniffled in grievance, "You've taken over my place, you're being unreasonable!"
"The phrase 'the cuckoo takes over the magpie's nest' is not used in this way."
Bei Chen, standing to the side with his arms crossed, said, "That's strange, Pipi actually got angry. Why would she swallow jewels? To eat them?"
Gui Fang rubbed his shoulder. "No wonder Pipi felt so heavy on my shoulder. How could such a tiny chick swallow so many jade stones?"
Pipi wasn't in the mood to argue with Guifang anymore. She sobbed and glanced at the pile of jade stones several times with reluctance.
Tangxi was puzzled, so she squatted down in front of Pipi and said gently, "Why are you angry? Wouldn't it be better to put it in the storage ring? Doesn't your stomach hurt after eating so much jade?"
Pipi realized that she seemed to have a bad temper, but she didn't want to forgive Tang Xihe easily. With her beady eyes, she glared at him, thinking she was being very assertive, and said, "Of course, money only feels safe when it's in your own belly!"
Tangxi and others used several more cleaning spells before finally storing the Golden Jade Hill in their storage ring.
"From now on, you're not allowed to eat anything indiscriminately. Put these in the ring."
Pipi turned around and snorted, "You're robbing me by force! You're just reaping what I've gained!"
Bei Chen said with relief, "You used it correctly this time, but the word sounds a bit strange..."
Suddenly, the group fell silent, exchanging glances and becoming alert. From within the misty, swirling graveyard, the sound of a flute seemed to rise, faint and elusive.
Pipi was startled when he heard the sound and instantly flew into the air. "What was that sound?"
"It's coming from a very far place," Bei Chen said, frowning. "It sounds like a piece of music?"
The flute music grew clearer, melodious and mysterious, and everyone could clearly hear the poignant and sorrowful tune. Suddenly, the flute music changed its key, becoming short and intense; then it turned into a mournful and desolate scene; like a lone traveler forgotten by the world, whose lonely nature gradually changed, and then became desolate and eerie.
The melody was simple, yet the style was ever-changing, like one piece of music, yet also like playing several. Tang Xi frowned deeper and deeper, exchanging bewildered glances with her two companions.
Pipi tilted his head, listening to the melody, and gradually became excited. "I've heard it before! I heard this piece when I was little!"
Tang Xihe: "...Aren't you just like when you were a child?"
"I don't know, oh dear, I've definitely heard this piece before!"
Pipi frantically flapped his fan in mid-air, then suddenly looked in a certain direction, "Over there! Let's go quickly!"
"Did you notice anything?" Tang Xihe quickly caught up with Pipi.
Pipi flew faster and faster in a certain direction, excitedly exclaiming, "Who's calling me! It's one of my people!"
"Wait! That's a forest over there!"
Bei Chen quickly caught up with them, "Didn't the chameleon say that the crow's territory is now on the plains? Be careful, this flute music might be a trap!"
Tang Xihe's figure almost disappeared into the white mist, and her voice drifted over with the melodious flute music.
"The chameleon also said that the crow's territory will change... Pipi! Stop!"
"Hey! Slow down! Don't stray too far apart!"
Gui Fang Wu Di had not yet fully recovered from the dizziness of the teleportation. He sighed deeply and was about to catch up with everyone when he suddenly realized something and turned around abruptly.
Behind me was a vast, empty expanse of messy tombstones, quiet and still, with only a few glowing dandelions occasionally drifting out.
Gui Fang looked around suspiciously before gracefully catching up with his companions.
After the group disappeared into the forest, their figures vanished completely, and only then did two figures appear at the entrance to the Fragrant Gravesite.
"Phew, that scared me to death! I was just trying to investigate the strange tunes in the graveyard, but I ended up running into them again!"
The man removed his invisibility cloak, still shaken, and looked at the empty space beside him. "I thought he had discovered me. I don't want to fight Gui Fang Wu Di head-on."
If Gui Fang and Bei Chen were present, they would be greatly surprised. The person whose whereabouts were almost discovered by Gui Fang was none other than Fu Guan Hong, who had severed Gui Fang's left hand claw with a single spear thrust.
Didn't you beat him by half a move last time?
The other person also removed their invisibility cloak.
With silver hair, red eyes, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist, and revealing two sharp wolf fangs when she spoke, she was none other than Lang Yuehua, Tang Xihe's former roommate.
"That's because Yao Yuqian wore them down for a long time before I barely won by half a move."
As Fu Guanhong spoke, she exaggeratedly gestured in front of her, "Such a huge Wu Ding! It just exploded like that! Crazy woman, she doesn't care about her own natal magic weapon at all."
Lang Yuehua stared at Tangxi and the direction she had disappeared in, her silver wolf ears twitching. "Did that flute music attract the crows?"
"I don't know, maybe it's just a coincidence? That crow looked very young, it probably just flew over there out of curiosity."
Fu Guanhong looked at him and asked, "Hey, now that we've found the evil crow, should we report it?"
"No!" Lang Yuehua turned around and looked back. "We can't let the higher-ups discover the crow's whereabouts!"
Fu Guanhong was taken aback, not used to meeting those scarlet vertical pupils, and slightly turned his gaze away.
"Okay, what's the rush? I wrote 'Suspicious person trespassed into the secret area without permission' in the report, is that alright?"
Upon hearing this, Lang Yuehua's expression relaxed somewhat, and she put her invisibility cloak back on.
"Alright, since Beichen and the others were forcibly teleported this time, there's definitely no application record. We can't let that arrogant guy ruin our plans."
"They've gone far away, chase after them."
Fu Guanhong also put on the hood of his invisibility cloak, and the two disappeared from the spot again, heading into the deep forest.
Meanwhile, the three who had ventured into the forest followed the sound of the flute deeper and deeper. Entering the forest felt like entering another world; the fog was so thick that one could hardly see their hand in front of their face, and Tang Xi could only see a few meters ahead.
"Pipi! You stupid bird!" Tangxi, who could no longer hear Pipi flapping its wings, leaned against the tree trunk, panting slightly, and said angrily, "Don't go far!"
Pipi's voice came from the white mist, seemingly echoing from all directions, still full of energy, "I know where it is! Don't worry!"
Tang Xi clutched her chest, trying to sense Pipi's location, but couldn't pinpoint it. Behind her, Bei Chen and Gui Fang caught up, "Where's the stupid chicken?"
Tangxi shook her head.
"Tsk, really."
Beichen was at a loss, staring at the vast fog. "Pipi followed the sound of the flute, so we followed the sound of the flute too."
"Wait a minute." Gui Fang looked at Tang Xihe, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I?"
Tang Xi immediately put down her hand that was clutching her heart, and after catching her breath, said, "I feel panicked, I don't know why."
"Why don't you take a break..."
The sound of flapping wings suddenly drew closer. The three looked up as a dark, spherical object hurtled towards them. "Friends! There are many graves over there! And it's laughing! Come quick!"
Gui Fang: "...Is a laughing grave a good thing?"
Pipi said proudly, "I even found my own grave!"
Tang Xi wondered if there was something wrong with her ears, "What are you talking about?"
"Come!"
Pipi flew away excitedly, and the three of them quickly followed.
Deep within the dense forest, the deeper they went, the clearer the flute music became. Suddenly, the group burst into a clearing, and at the same time, the mournful flute music abruptly stopped.
"That's it?" Tang Xi frowned. "Did that person lead us here?"
"Is this... the graveyard of crows?" Gui Fang asked hesitantly.
Before the three lay rows of neatly arranged tombstones. The fog was thin here, enough to make out four or five rows of tombstones. Just as Pipi had said, the monster images carved on all the tombstones seemed to come alive. Every now and then, a bird monster would turn its head to look at the three who had entered, some in surprise, some fainting in fright, and some mustering their courage to curiously examine the three newcomers. Everything was silent, as if a pantomime was being performed.
"This! Is my grave!"
Pipi flapped one wing against a tombstone, while the other wing was proudly placed on its hip, showing off, "Gilded! Impressive, right! My tombstone is made of pure fire-attribute gilded spirit stone!"
The three of them fell into a deathly silence, some even forcing awkward laughs.
Gui Fang clicked his tongue, "The last person who was really happy to see his own black and white photo was my mentor, Qin Xiuluo."
With a forced smile, Bei Chen tried his best to cooperate with the excited Pi Pi, and whispered to Tang Xi, "Is it true? Do we want to dig it out and see?"
Tang Xi was shocked: "What are you digging for! No way!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Tang Xi suddenly raised her hand and slapped Bei Chen's attendant.
Caught off guard, Bei Chen was sent flying. Immediately afterward, a sharp claw blade slashed down, striking the spot where Bei Chen had just been standing. The blade was so sharp that it almost sliced off his bangs.
Bei Chen's pupils contracted sharply as he glanced at the scene out of the corner of his eye.
The sudden attack was so forceful that the invisibility cloak was lifted by a strong wind, gradually revealing a silver-haired man.
"Lang Yuehua!"
Bei Chen yelled, his back slamming against a tree trunk, incredulous, "It's you again?"
"It's not me, it's us."
As Lang Yuehua spoke, he glanced to the side, and the air around him distorted and deformed for a moment, and a figure appeared out of thin air.
She was a woman with a somewhat cold face, carrying a gun on her back. The gun had intricate patterns on it, like some kind of runes.
Wait, a shotgun?
Tangxi looked closely and suddenly felt that the other person looked familiar. So she looked at Beichen and Guifang and found that the two of them looked like they had seen a ghost.
Under Gui Fang's shocked gaze, Fu Guan Hong put away his invisibility cloak, raised his chin at the crowd, and said, "Hey, it's me again."
"Fu Guanhong!" Bei Chen's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, "It's you again!"
Fu Guanhong placed the weapon on his back in front of him, pointing the muzzle at Bei Chen Sui Xing.
"We are the inspectors from the Monster Management Bureau. Please come with us."
Tang Xihe: "...Are you two from the Monster Management Bureau?"
Yokai Management Bureau?
It appeared so quickly.
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