Chapter 58 The Evil Dragon monster seems about to jump out of the painting. ...
(58)
Chu Li took out a handkerchief and wiped the memorial tablets clean one by one. Shang Liuyu's tablet was covered in dust and even leaned crookedly in the corner, looking just like him—carefree and irresponsible.
She straightened the memorial tablet and saw that there was another memorial tablet for Madam Shang Liuyu next to it, but the name was not clearly written on it, only the words "Mrs. Lin" were vaguely remembered.
She examined it for a while, then wiped his wife's memorial tablet clean as well.
Good ancestors, please keep an eye on your husband and tell him to stop scaring people.
She arranged the offerings, lit incense sticks, and then respectfully knelt on the prayer mat to pray that the immortals would bless Shang Xinglan and help him overcome his difficulties.
The incense sticks drifted out the window, the setting sun cast long shadows, and a gust of wind suddenly lifted her hair. Behind her, several ethereal figures appeared, all silently accompanying her with unreadable expressions.
Chu Li was completely unaware as she bent down to kowtow to the gods, finally feeling a little relieved.
After dinner, Chu Li went to the pool to visit Shang Xinglan. His face was very pale, and his lips were almost colorless, as if he was enduring some kind of pain. The lightning marks on his body were becoming increasingly terrifying. She looked at him with heartache for a long time, but she couldn't help him in any way.
As night fell, Chu Li held the baby in her arms on the soft couch in the ancestral hall. The baby fell asleep quickly; at this age, he was the type of child who would fall asleep as soon as he hit the bed without any worries. Chu Li couldn't sleep; she was terrified of the nightmare she had that afternoon. But somehow, the more she tried to stay awake, the sleepier she became, and she soon drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up the next day, she had slept very well without any dreams. She felt completely refreshed, and the sunlight shining on the bedside even improved her mood.
It seems that praying to ancestral tablets really works; Shang Liuyu is a reasonable person.
Gu Ye lazily stood guard by the door, yawned, and passed today's meal to her through the crack in the door.
Chu Li took the lunchbox and heard Gu Ye say calmly, "How is Master?"
"It's the same as always." Chu Li opened the lunchbox and saw that it was full of dishes that she and Yin Yin liked. "Don't worry, just guard the door. I'll be inside."
Gu Ye chuckled softly and said without any politeness, "It's precisely because of you that I'm worried."
Chu Li looked up and glared at him, then took a steamed bun from the lunchbox and threw it at him.
Gu Ye skillfully caught the bun, put it in his mouth and took a bite, then suddenly asked, "Don't you feel that the room has gotten colder?"
Chu Li paused, looked back at the empty ancestral hall, and said softly, "It's almost late autumn, and it should get cold soon."
"I'll go find you a thicker quilt." Shang Jinyue suddenly poked half her head out and pushed Gu Ye aside, whispering, "Sister-in-law, you must tell me if anything happens, don't be afraid of the trouble."
Upon hearing this, Chu Li recalled the strange dream she had, but after thinking about it, she felt that it was just a dream. Besides, she didn't have that dream again today, so she nodded casually, "I understand, it's nothing."
She turned back and closed the door tightly.
Shang Jinyue looked up and met Gu Ye's gaze.
What are you looking at, you scoundrel! How dare you seduce your sister-in-law while your brother is away?
My brother is also strange. He actually found a demonic cultivator to protect him. Demonic cultivators are cunning and treacherous. It would be good enough if they didn't kick me when I'm down.
He needs to keep a closer eye on Gu Ye.
Gu Ye noticed that he was being stared at, so he casually leaned against a pillar, picked at his ear, and said in a low voice, "Why can't we go into this ancestral hall?"
Shang Jinyue frowned and ignored him.
The rule that one cannot enter the ancestral hall is a tradition passed down from our ancestors, and it has been so for thousands of years. As for the reason, no one knows it anymore.
Receiving no response, Gu Ye scoffed and stopped talking to Shang Jinyue. In any case, once half a month had passed, he would never see this person again in eight lifetimes.
However, this ancestral hall is really strange, with an indescribable eeriness.
Gu Ye's intuition is always very accurate. He had just peeked through the crack in the door and saw a Bagua-shaped hole in the roof, facing a pool of water, which looked like some kind of formation.
He lowered his gaze, crossed his arms, leaned against a pillar, and closed his eyes to rest. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked into the distance.
The master was right, they really did come.
Yan Xinbai stood slowly in the distance under the corridor, carrying a long sword. His figure was shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.
Shang Jinyue instantly drew her sword from her waist and pointed it at Yan Xinbai, "You audacious fiend, how dare you trespass!"
Who broke the merchant's spell? How did any of these evil spirits manage to break in?
Yan Xinbai slowly walked out of the shadows, passing Shang Jinyue as if she were nothing, and stood in front of Gu Ye.
He asked calmly, "Is Shang Xinglan inside?"
Gu Ye looked him up and down for a moment, then chuckled, "What are you pretending for? You think you don't know who's in there?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Xinbai took a step forward, only to be immediately blocked by swords and blades on both sides.
Gu Ye stared at him intently, the tip of his knife twirling as it pointed directly at his heart. "Why didn't you come when I sent you a message that day? What are you doing here now?"
Yan Xinbai looked at him calmly and said indifferently, "I've come to visit him."
Hearing his words, Gu Ye raised an eyebrow, moved closer to him, and smiled coolly, "If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. Do you think I'd believe you?"
Yan Xinbai really just wanted to see if Shang Xinglan could ascend to immortality. He had lost his immortal bones, his cultivation had plummeted, and he was also cursed with lightning marks that would take his life.
He wanted to witness firsthand the fate of those who ascended to immortality, favored by Heaven, and whether they could still achieve their desires after losing everything Heaven had given them.
Yan Xinbai quietly took half a step back, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far. He did not try to force his way in, but sat coldly on the veranda like an outsider.
Gu Ye was now completely baffled by him. He slowly sheathed his knife, stared at Yan Xinbai from afar for a while, and then walked to his side.
"Why did you destroy Master's immortal bones?" Gu Ye asked, puzzled. "Didn't you say before that you and Master shared the same ideals? How come you changed your mind so easily?"
Yan Xinbai lowered his eyes silently, speechless.
He admitted that he harbored some resentment towards Shang Xinglan.
It seems that all the great fortune and opportunities in the world have fallen on Shang Xinglan's head. He was born superior to others and could do whatever he wanted with ease, succeeding without much effort.
Even if he falls into demonic possession, he can still emerge alive from the Soul Cleansing Spring and wash away the demonic energy from his body.
If it were Yan Xinbai, he knew he could never do it; once he entered the Soul Cleansing Spring, only death awaited him.
Yan Xinbai has been cultivating diligently since childhood, never slacking off for a single day. For him, cultivation is something that requires his utmost effort to do well.
He would give up everything for this: his family, his friends, and even himself.
After falling into demonic possession, Yan Xinbai finally felt that cultivation was no longer such a difficult thing. He was very talented as a demonic cultivator. However, just when he was fantasizing that he could finally have an equal starting point like those chosen ones, he suddenly learned that demonic cultivators could not ascend.
Those who fall into the demonic path will be abandoned by the Heavenly Way.
On what grounds?
He had to sacrifice everything to have a starting point, but from the moment he stood on that starting point, his ending was already predetermined, destined to never soar. It was as if he was destined to never be like those chosen ones, and even if he possessed more power, he would only be a poor imitation, a mere imitation of a tiger.
He just wanted to see if Shang Xinglan could ascend to immortality without immortal bones; he wasn't there to deliberately interfere.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Gu Ye said helplessly, "Do as you please, just don't hinder the master, or don't blame me for being unjust."
He turned and left, while Yan Xinbai remained silently seated, gazing at the small window of the ancestral hall.
Auspicious paper talismans were pasted on the window, and only a figure could be vaguely seen walking through it, which looked like a woman.
He lowered his eyes to look at his palm, and after a long while, he clenched his fist to tighten his forehead.
His loyalty wasn't thorough enough, and his resentment wasn't pure enough; it was utterly disgusting.
*
After Chu Li and the little boy finished their meal, they sat by the pond watching Shang Xinglan cultivate.
"Mother, can't he hear us now?"
Chu Li pulled him into her arms and whispered, "But it's best not to disturb him. Yin Yin doesn't like being disturbed when he's studying, right?"
The little boy nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Shang Xinglan and asked, "Mother, don't you think that painting looks a little bigger?"
Chu Li looked in the direction the little boy was pointing, puzzled. The lightning marks had indeed spread. Lightning marks were starting to grow on the sides of his face. It was likely that in half a month, his face would be completely devoured by the lightning marks.
"It's a little big, what's wrong?"
The little boy tilted his head, pursed his lips timidly, and said, "It looks like the monster is about to jump out of the painting."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Li froze.
As if possessed, she mimicked the little cub's movements, tilting her head to look.
In an instant, Chu Li's body trembled violently as if electrocuted, and she took a half step back in terror.
From this angle, the dense lightning marks on Shang Xinglan's body resembled a terrifying beast about to leap out, with fangs, claws, a gaping maw, and a pair of eyes gleaming with ferocity.
She couldn't tell what kind of beast it was, but she felt a chill run down her spine, and that intense feeling of discomfort surged up in her heart again.
Chu Li clutched her chest, trying to calm herself, and hurriedly carried the child to the door for help.
"The moon shines brightly, and the fields stretch out!"
The first to answer her was Shang Jinyue. He had been standing guard by the door the whole time, and when he heard the sound, he came over and asked, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
Chu Li, her voice trembling, told Shang Jinyue about the wild beast she had just seen on Shang Xinglan. Shang Jinyue listened in astonishment, clearly unaware of this. "A ferocious beast? What did it look like?"
Upon hearing this, the little boy jumped down from Chu Li's arms, "I'll draw one for you."
A little while later, Chu Li and Xiao Zai drew the ferocious beast outlined by the lightning mark on Shang Xinglan's body and handed it to Shang Jinyue through the crack in the door.
Shang Jinyue took the painting, looked at it for a long time, and said in a puzzled tone, "I've never seen such a ferocious beast before. Could it just be a coincidence?"
A hand snatched the painting from his palm. Gu Ye examined the painting, but still couldn't figure it out.
He said in a low voice, "We need to find a learned person to take a look at this."
After a pause, Gu Ye looked at Yan Xinbai, who was meditating peacefully not far away, and walked over with the painting in his hand.
Yan Xinbai frowned, opened his eyes, and a piece of paper was placed in front of him.
He paused slightly, then suddenly gripped the paper and asked in a deep voice, "Where did this come from?"
Gu Ye pointed to the ancestral hall and said without any hesitation, "This is what the madam brought out. The lightning marks on the master's body seem to look like this. Do you recognize them?"
As if he had expected this, Yan Xinbai glanced at him and tossed the paper back to him.
“I am no longer his subordinate.”
Gu Ye smiled and said nonchalantly, "But aren't you my brother? What's wrong with helping me out?"
Hearing his words, Yan Xinbai remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "That is the image of the E'long, an ancient evil spirit."
The ancient evil spirit only exists in legends. By chance, he had seen a book about the evil spirit, and this rough drawing was almost exactly the same as the one in the book.
There's no mistake, it must be Eerlong.
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