Chapter 11 Wumeng Manor (1) “Escape——!!”…
Chen Mu fixed his gaze on the storybook and fell silent.
His icy blue eyes turned, and he was about to talk to Zhong Ming, but he saw the little disciple hurriedly hiding the book in his hand behind his back.
However, this did not prevent Shen Mu from seeing the words on the cover: Junior Brother has a miraculous physique.
Chen Mu: “…”
Zhong Ming: “…”
Ahhh, brother, your words are killing me!!
His face flushed red, he was at a loss, and was about to open his mouth to explain when he heard his master suddenly speak.
"The great way forgets emotions."
Zhong Ming: “?”
"If you indulge in love and indulge in pleasure, it will be detrimental to your spiritual practice."
Zhong Ming: "...I, this is not..."
He was about to say that the book wasn't his, but then he realized that it wouldn't be right to say it came from his senior brother. So he just lowered his head and said angrily, "I understand, Master."
Chen Mu nodded slightly and turned the page: "Do you sense any strange aura?"
Hearing Master's question, Zhong Ming couldn't help but look serious and replied, "No. Master, what are you referring to?"
"Demon Breath."
Zhong Ming's pupils shrank.
Demonic aura? Could it be him? But he clearly had never practiced magic before!
No! It won't. Don't worry too much. Just like my senior brother said, as long as I maintain a righteous mind and practice orthodox techniques, I won't be associated with demonic cultivation.
"...Disciple did not sense any demonic aura." Zhong Ming said with a sincere expression.
"Yes. Is there anything unusual here?"
Chen Mu's expression remained calm, as if he had never doubted the disciple in front of him.
Zhong Ming felt relieved again and said loudly, "There's nothing unusual here. But this book seems a little strange. Just touching the pages can cut my hand."
You know, ordinary monks, after physical training, are rarely injured by ordinary sharp weapons, let alone a page of paper.
Chen Mu took the "Hexu Dahuanglu" from the air. The book that was extremely sharp just now was now extremely ordinary, and he turned through it page by page.
He frowned slightly, but said nothing, simply placing the object back where it belonged. With a slight wave of his hand, the chaotic room returned to normal, and the few blushing notebooks lay neatly on the table.
"Let's go."
Shen Mu left his back to the young disciple, and Zhong Ming subconsciously stood up and followed.
"The wood-based skills prepared by Xing are too gentle. You are more suitable for more fierce moves."
As he spoke, a martial arts technique emitting brilliant golden light flew in front of Zhong Ming.
It turned out to be the highest-level attack secret method of the wood element - "Yi Mu Tian Gang Lu"!
***
On the border of Zhongzhou, Qingsangzhuang.
After landing, everyone looked around at the large village in front of them. Although it was not dilapidated, the villagers passing by had dull faces and dark circles under their eyes. Several houses were empty, and the wooden doors opened and closed in the wind, giving the village a rather desolate look.
Seeing the arrival of the cultivators from the Qingxuan Sword Sect, the villagers were both surprised and happy. In a moment, they called the village chief over and surrounded the disciples with pious expressions.
"Thank God! The immortals from the Qingxuan Sword Sect are still willing to come and rescue us!"
The old village chief was about to kneel down as he spoke, but was stopped by Lan Jue.
"No need to be so polite, old man. We heard that a nightmare tapir is haunting this place, so please tell us in detail."
"Of course! Please follow me, gods!"
The village chief stood up and led the way. In less than a quarter of an hour, he led everyone to the courtyard in the center of Qingsang Village - the village chief's home.
After sitting down, Lan Jue waved his hand to politely decline the servants' offer of tea and said straight to the point:
"Village Chief, when did the Night Tapir appear?"
"About half a year ago." The village chief stroked his beard and recalled in a deep voice, "Back then, everyone was always having nightmares, but we didn't pay much attention to it at first. After all, nightmares happen to everyone, right?"
"But then things started to get more and more wrong..."
"At first, more and more people were having nightmares, and they were becoming more frequent. Then, the content of these nightmares gradually changed from demons and monsters to our own personal experiences."
"In dreams, the things we fear the most and are most saddened by always appear. Who could possibly stand that? We realized something was amiss, so we asked for help from the nearest sect. But the monk who arrived claimed he couldn't defeat the nightmare tapir within a day and fled!"
Having said this, the village chief sighed heavily.
"We then realized it was a nightmare tapir. But our plea for help only angered it. From then on, every time we fell asleep, our most terrifying memories would replay over and over again. Some were even driven mad! Many villagers were so frightened that they couldn't sleep, and they looked dazed every day... Alas, many have already fled to other places."
Gu Congxing had been listening quietly until he suddenly spoke up: "Will you stop having nightmares if you flee to another place?"
The village chief's eyelids were half drooping, and he looked drowsy. When he heard this question, he was startled and his eyes widened:
"That's right! Why did they stop having nightmares after going to other places? Could it be... that Qingsang Manor is cursed?!"
He said this tremblingly, and wanted to drink some water to calm himself down, but he didn't hold it firmly and spilled the tea all over himself.
"Don't panic, village chief. It must be a nightmare tapir that happened to come here and stayed to absorb soul power. Now that we are here, we will definitely not allow it to do evil again."
Lan Jue comforted her gently, but his words carried an inexplicable power that made people believe him.
The village chief stood up by supporting himself on the table, bowed to thank everyone, and then spoke in detail about the general situation in the village. Seeing that the disciples of the Sword Sect had already made up their minds, he moved away.
Lan Jue saw that all the disciples were silent and thoughtful, so he asked, "What are your opinions on this matter?"
A handsome young man with a round face spoke first, "Brother Lan, I have a question."
Lan Jue remembered that this person was the young disciple under Elder He of Wendao Peak, named Ruan Wei. Although he was young, his cultivation was extraordinary.
"Junior Brother Ruan, please feel free to speak."
"From what I know, although the dream tapir is a demonic creature, it likes to eat people's nightmares. In other words, the person it has a fancy for not only won't have nightmares, but will actually have a dreamless night. Why is the dream tapir here acting out of character?"
"I have some guesses about this."
Tao Xueting, a disciple of Danqing Peak Master, took over the conversation. She had dabbled in ancient texts on demons and beasts. "I've heard that if demons are subjected to strong external stimuli, they can change their nature and even commit evil."
Lan Jue nodded approvingly. "Indeed. That's my guess. I don't know what motivated this nightmare tapir, but the only option now is to destroy it."
Is it exciting... Gu Congxing thought to himself, and suddenly remembered the system's task prompt.
——Protect fellow disciples from death.
Thinking of this, he suddenly spoke, "This stimulation could be something it experienced previously, or it could be something it encountered after arriving at Qingsang Manor. If this place is unusual, we might fall into a trap if we are not prepared."
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of several young disciples turned pale.
"No... no way? Isn't this a Xuan-level mission?" A thin disciple asked cautiously, "Right, Senior Brother Lan?"
But Lan Jue did not agree immediately as he wished.
"What Second Junior Brother said makes sense."
In fact, he was just thinking about this, but unexpectedly Gu Congxing spoke first.
"To prevent unexpected incidents, we cannot act alone during this search for the Nightmare Tapir. The twelve of us will be divided into two teams. Congxing and I will each lead five disciples."
"Everyone can rest for a while. Tonight at midnight, we will split into two groups and pursue the Nightmare Tapir."
As he said this, Lan Jue transmitted several streams of spiritual power into his disciples' communication jade tokens.
"If there's a crisis, just touch the jade token with your spiritual power, and I'll rush to your side."
What this means is that even if they are not in the same team, the eldest brother will protect them with all his strength.
Gu Congxing thought that his senior brother had really taken great pains to prevent those disciples from feeling resentful about being assigned to his team.
After a round of discussion, the teams were finally decided by drawing lots. Gu Congxing's team consisted of Ruan Wei and Tao Xueting, who had spoken earlier, along with a pair of fellow apprentices from Lingxu Peak and a pill cultivator from Muze Peak named Mei Ci.
Mei Ci was young, but she had a lot of opinions about Gu Congxing. When she drew the lot, her face darkened and she snorted coldly.
His facial features were bright, but there was a sense of depression between his brows, making him look rather difficult to approach.
Gu Congxing felt that this was within his expectations.
It's not that he hasn't heard of his bad reputation in the sect. He has long been accustomed to being called vicious, aggressive, arrogant, domineering, cold-hearted, and so on.
——After all, other people’s words and attitudes are really unimportant to him.
He only cares about people who are worth caring about.
However, the other four disciples easily accepted the result of being in the same team with him. Ruan Wei even took the initiative to come over and say hello, and the tall and beautiful Tao Xueting also nodded slightly.
Although it was a bit unexpected, Gu Congxing didn't think much about it. After responding, he devoted himself to the next task.
****
Gu Congxing and Lan Jue did not rest in the evening, but explored the interior of Qingsang Manor at the same time.
"Looking at Senior Brother's expression, does the village chief seem to be alright?"
"Oh? Why do you say that, Junior Brother?"
"You seemed to be probing inside him when you were supporting him. I guess I wasn't mistaken, was I?"
Hearing this, Lan Jue blinked at him and smiled appreciatively: "Junior brother, you have a good eye. I thought no one noticed."
Seeing that Gu Congxing didn't respond, he continued, "There's no spiritual energy fluctuation in the village chief's body. He's indeed a mortal. But he seems to be hiding something."
"Feel the same."
The two walked and strolled while talking, and before they knew it, they had returned to the center of the village.
Although Qingsangzhuang appears to cover a vast area, its population is not dense. In addition, many people have left their homes, and a lot of land has been abandoned.
This exploration was just to familiarize ourselves with the terrain, but we didn't get any useful clues.
After parting with Gu Congxing, Lan Jue wanted to return to his residence, but he inadvertently looked up and saw an iron sword stretching across the sky and earth.
He stopped in shock and looked carefully, but he saw no copper or iron swords, but a huge withered mulberry tree.
This mulberry tree is at least a century old, its trunk so thick it would take four or five adults to hug it. It stands silently in the courtyard, watching over everyone's anxious lives.
"This is an antique in our village."
Village slowly walked out of the main house and said to Lan Jue, "When I was a child, it was still lush and green! But decades later, I am old and frail, and it has become a withered tree."
Lan Jue leaned over and spoke to him in a light voice:
"If one does one's best and understands the full picture, it is not impossible to make the iron tree bloom."
The village chief's cloudy eyes flashed, and he also looked at the mulberry tree and fell silent for a moment.
"Alas, I am only a mortal. How can I fight against the natural seasons?"
His voice was old and slow: "My Lord, I don't have any great abilities. With these old bones, I only hope to protect the villagers and Qingsang Manor."
"That's enough."
Lan Jue did not say anything, his amber eyes observing the village chief's expression, letting silence flow between the two of them.
After a long time, the village chief stroked his beard again and went back with a trembling step.
*****
At midnight, everything is quiet.
The disciples of Qingxuan Sword Sect gathered together. After Lan Jue gave them some instructions, he led five disciples to the east.
Gu Congxing's team advanced westward.
They decided to start searching for the nightmare tapir from the edge of Qingsang Village, gradually narrowing the encirclement until they could detect its evil aura and capture it on the spot.
——Then, behead.
Before setting off, Gu Congxing threw five silver rays casually and flew into the hands of his disciples.
Ruan Wei took it, took a closer look, and exclaimed, "Top-grade Spirit Gathering Pill!"
This elixir can not only quickly replenish spiritual power, but also maintain physical strength, but it is a very expensive treasure.
"This...thank you very much, Senior Brother Gu." Tao Xueting thanked him in surprise.
The two brothers from Lingxu Peak were also busy expressing their gratitude, but they glanced at Mei Ci beside them and saw that he was frowning and not saying a word.
"Hmph, you think you can bribe me with just a Spirit Gathering Pill?" Mei Ci managed to utter this.
"Shut up. If you don't want it, give it back to me."
Gu Congxing didn't tolerate him at all and spoke in a cold and indifferent tone.
If time hadn't been so short and the materials were so precious that he could only refine five, he would have given one to each of the ten people long ago - of course, not because he valued these disciples so much, but simply to complete the task, Gu Congxing thought.
But Mei Ci took advantage of the situation and still acted like a spoiled brat?
Where does the face come from?
Mei Ci's face flushed red at Gu Congxing's words. He had been spoiled since he was a child in the sect and had never been treated like this.
He was about to explode when Ruan Wei leaned over to cover his mouth and whispered, "Junior Brother, Master Meifeng has been wandering for a long time. Do you really want to fight to the death with Senior Brother Gu?"
The master of Meifeng is none other than the Venerable Mu Ze, the father of Mei Ci.
Mei Ci glanced at Ruan Wei in surprise, then deflated like a punctured ball and stopped talking.
Gu Congxing glanced at him and said to everyone, "Don't waste any more time, let's start the search now..."
"Senior Brother Gu, look over there!"
Tao Xueting screamed in shock, and everyone looked in the direction she pointed, only to see a gray shadow flash by quickly.
"Chase!!"
Gu Congxing made a prompt decision, and everyone quickly followed suit, casting several magical weapons at the gray shadow.
When you get a little closer, you can see the true appearance of the shadow—
With an elephant trunk, a lion's body, and a unicorn's tail, who else could it be but a nightmare tapir?!
Gu Congxing swung his sword, and the golden sword light pierced the nightmare tapir that was running like a flying shadow. It let out a baby-like scream and tried even harder to escape.
Seeing this, the two people from Lingxu Peak quickly chanted the incantation, formed seals with their hands, and spiritual light surged, and their words became magic:
"Slow-moving technique!"
The dream tapir that had been hit slowed down visibly. Seeing this, Tao Xueting reacted very quickly and threw out a binding talisman!
At the same time, Ruan Wei used the thick earth sword technique to block the way!
“Ouch!”
The nightmare tapir let out a painful roar and fell to the ground helplessly. Spiritual ropes were wrapped around its body and it was seriously injured.
"marvelous!"
Ruan Wei clapped his hands and cheered, "We captured this nightmare tapir so quickly! It was a piece of cake!"
Tao Xueting also smiled slightly.
"Huh, it's not that difficult to deal with. I was so nervous for so long."
"It's just a mysterious mission. We work so well together, so capturing the little dream tapir is a piece of cake."
The two disciples from Lingxu Peak were talking to each other, and they were obviously relieved.
Gu Congxing was also infected by their words, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth. But the next moment, he felt a strong gaze again, and when he turned around, he saw Mei Ci turned around abruptly.
He seemed a little uncomfortable - perhaps because he hadn't been able to take action like the others just now.
Gu Congxing was thinking this when he saw Mei Ci step towards the Nightmare Tapir and snorted coldly, "Then I'll put an end to it right now."
Everyone agreed. After all, Mei Ci was the only one who hadn't made a move yet. If they didn't give up their skills this time, it would be difficult to distribute the tasks when the mission was over.
Gu Congxing looked at his back silently, and suddenly a hint of green appeared in his field of vision.
...leaves?
He looked up and realized that they had unknowingly returned to the center of the village while chasing the nightmare tapir, and the huge mulberry tree was not far away.
——Strange, was this tree originally so lush and leafy?
Gu Congxing's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Seeing that Mei Ci was about to reach Meng Mo, Gu Congxing couldn't help but take a step forward, but at this moment the disciple's jade token emitted an alarmingly hot feeling.
He took out the jade token, and Lan Jue's shrill cry rushed into everyone's eardrums:
"Cong Xing! Don't go near the mulberry tree!!!"
"escape--!!"
The author has something to say:
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I was so panicked when I found out my post wasn’t showing properly, I thought I was blocked, but it turned out it was because there were emojis in the post (……)
Damn, I can't post it in the original text, so I'll add it here > _ <
I'm so grateful for Shisui's grenades, Chaojue Mashed Potatoes' mines, and Long'er's nutrient solution! My little angels, mi! [kiss][kiss]
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