50 Meeting without knowing each other
"Who is this?"
Although he was asking Wu Tingque, Jing Yunzan cast a puzzled look at Hua Lang.
Hua Lang was an expert at lying. She leaned close to Jing Yunzan and whispered, "He's a friend of my husband's. We ran into him by chance on the Yunsuo, so we went in to catch up."
Jing Yunzan looked at Wu Tingque suspiciously. "Really? Judging from his clothes, he doesn't look like he's from the north. I think it's best to check his name."
"Junior sister, go and ask the shuttle master to borrow your name."
It was just an ordinary piece of clothing. Hua Lang didn't know how she could tell the difference, but she had managed to deceive them. If she was expelled from Yunsuo because of Wu Tingque, it would be a waste of time.
When Hua Lang was considering whether to betray Wu Tingque, a soft sound was heard.
Wu Tingque gently placed a stack of thin books on the table. The lame wooden table could not bear the weight and suddenly made a creaking sound.
"The Cloud Shuttle's name is in Wu's possession. There's no need for you two Junior Sisters to search for it."
Jing Yunzhan took the name book and examined it carefully. It was indeed the name book, but shouldn't this thing be with the shuttle owner?
"Are you the Master of the Shuttle?"
Wu Tingque nodded.
"Your friend is very important!" Jing Yunzan whispered to Hua Lang.
Afterwards, without further ado, she bowed slightly and said, "Since you are the shuttle master, I am relieved. Without further ado, let my junior sister take a look at the child's condition."
Rong Xuan was locked in gazes by everyone, and immediately frowned, saying impatiently, "I'm not sick, I don't need any treatment."
The sister from the Medicine Pavilion, who had seen many children, smiled brightly upon hearing this and coaxed her gently, "Okay, I know you're not sick, so I just wanted to check your pulse."
Before he finished speaking, Rong Xuan had already jumped off the chair nimbly, glanced around the room with a vigilant look, and decisively hid behind Hua Lang, using her as a shield.
Jing Yunzan had no idea this child could jump so fast, and said anxiously, "Quick, catch this child! How can he be so young and still avoid medical treatment?"
Rong Xuan was furious and dodged the hand that was reaching out to grab him, "How dare you!"
Wu Tingque coughed lightly, interrupting the farce. "Alright, when the Cloud Shuttle stops at Yanghai, I'll take him back to Zhongzhou. If he's sick, there's no need to rush for a day or two."
Upon hearing this, everyone had to give up the idea of arresting Rong Xuan.
After those people left, Rong Xuan glanced at his clothes with disdain, "This cloud shuttle is so worn out. When did your Wu family become so unrefined?"
Wu Tingque didn't get angry either, and said calmly, "After all, it's an item from decades ago."
Rong Xuan: "It's too dirty here. I want to go back to the Wugui Boat. Call me when we get to Zhongzhou."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared into the air in an instant.
Only Wu Tingque and Hua Lang were left in the room.
The atmosphere was somewhat quiet. Hua Lang cleared his throat and spoke first, "Master Wu, there's no one around right now. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you about our cooperation."
Wu Tingque raised his eyes to look at her: "Junior Sister Hua, please speak."
Hua Lang asked bluntly, "Who exactly is Rong Cheng Yun Wen? And why did you choose me to impersonate her?"
Wu Tingque placed his hands on the side of the wheelchair and pondered, "As for Rong Cheng and Yun Wen's affairs, you'll know when Junior Sister Hua arrives in Zhongzhou. As for why Junior Sister Hua was chosen..."
Wu Tingque smiled faintly, "That child just now is Rong Cheng Yunwen's younger brother."
Hua Lang instantly understood the deep meaning of his words. It seemed that she looked very similar to Rong Cheng Yunwen.
"Where is Rong Cheng Yun Wen now?"
Wu Tingque's voice remained gentle, even as he recounted a strange story. "Rong Cheng Yunwen has long since passed away and was buried under the watchful eyes of the various clan leaders of Zhongzhou. We shouldn't have spoken of the past, but some time ago, a tomb robber dug up her grave and unexpectedly discovered the coffin was empty... We shouldn't discuss the rest of the story tonight. Junior Sister Hua, please go to bed early."
Although Hua Lang still had many questions, seeing that he was about to leave, he could only seize the last bit of time and asked anxiously, "Then, can I refuse this cooperation?"
Wu Tingque turned around, his pale face still smiling brightly. He asked softly, "What do you think, Junior Sister Hua?"
"The matter of Ghost Abyss is over. Wu will come personally to take Junior Sister Hua back to Zhongzhou."
“Crunch.”
The wooden door was closed and the sound of the wheelchair rolling across the floor faded away.
Hua Lang anxiously paced around the room several times, until she lay on the bed, she secretly made up her mind: when she went to Guiyuan, she must find a hiding place and must not be caught by Wu Tingque!
As he was thinking about this, he heard footsteps in the corridor from time to time, and Hua Lang lost all desire to sleep.
Inexplicably, she thought of the dead body on the Wugui Boat again. Who was that person?
Wu Tingque said that Rong Cheng Yunwen's body disappeared. Could it be that he and that Young Master Rong Cheng hid it in the Wugui Boat?
The more Hua Lang thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss, and he couldn't help but get goosebumps.
Besides, there is one thing that doesn't match today's events—
time.
She stayed on the Wugui Boat for most of the day. When she came out, Jing Yunzhan had just arrived at the door with his men. Could it be that the passage of time in the Wugui Boat was also different from that in the outside world?
Before she could figure out the key, Hua Lang felt sleepy and gradually closed her eyes...
But suddenly, she opened her eyes and stared at the bed curtain above her head.
In the original novel, after the male protagonist completely controlled the Sand City, he regarded it as a treasure land for cultivation - because he practiced hard in the Sand City for several years, while only a few months had passed in the outside world.
The speed of time flow in the sundial boat is the same as that in the sand city, and even the facilities therein are more suitable for cultivation than those in the sand city.
If there is such a person who has been practicing in the Sunless Boat since birth, then would his age be different from the outside world...?
Hua Lang's sleepiness disappeared instantly without a trace.
*
"Little sister, come down quickly! I've been stuck in this little room for quite some time, I finally want to get some fresh air!"
Jing Yunzan has been visiting Hua Lang frequently these days. Although the two cannot discuss cultivation techniques together, their relationship has become much closer.
Hua Lang stepped out of the Cloud Shuttle with dark circles under her eyes. She hid inside the house until the Cloud Shuttle docked at Yanghai, and before Wu Tingque and Rong Xuan left, they knocked at her door to say goodbye.
Thinking about what she had done to Rong Xuan, who was not actually eight years old, Hua Lang became even more determined not to cooperate with them. Rong Xuan would never let her go. Once she went to Zhongzhou, she would really become a fish on the chopping board!
Hua Lang walked down the cloud shuttle with trepidation, and then he noticed that there were countless cloud shuttles parked around, and monks in various clothing were dispersing from them. Looking into the distance, there were probably thousands of people standing on this extremely wide flat ground.
"Senior Sister Jing, is this the Ghost Abyss?" How could it be completely different from what Hua Lang had imagined?
After crossing the flat land, a vast expanse of...mortal streets suddenly opened up before our eyes.
Yes, it is indeed the streets of the mortal world.
Countless streets and alleys wind into the distance, and red lanterns are strung together like sparks. Even from a distance, the shouts and hawking sounds coming from inside can still be clearly heard.
"This is not the Ghost Abyss. The area behind the Red Market is the Ghost Abyss."
Hua Lang was puzzled. "Ghost Abyss is so dangerous, why are there so many mortals here?"
Jing Yunzan walked in front, pulling Hua Lang along while calling out to her fellow apprentices to follow and bustle around. She explained, "This is where the world of cultivation and the mortal world intersect. These mortals are selling things that cultivators need. In exchange, we pay them with spirit stones. Mortals naturally don't want to miss out on this lucrative opportunity."
Hua Lang nodded, "I see."
Jing Yunzan glanced around at the disciples from various sects about to enter the Red Market. After exchanging a few pleasantries with a few familiar faces, she turned to Hua Lang and said sternly, "As a mere mortal, it would be extremely dangerous for you to rashly step into the Ghost Abyss. Why don't you take advantage of this moment when the immortal sects have just disembarked their cloud shuttles and quickly tell us which sect your husband is from. Perhaps we can follow the clues and find him outside the Red Market."
Hua Lang pondered, "He should be a disciple of Cangluan, Senior Sister Jing, is the Cangluan sect nearby?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone who was waiting to eat melons turned their heads away.
Jing Yunzan chuckled and said awkwardly, "Cang, Cangluan? According to their speed, they should have entered the Ghost Abyss by now."
Abandoning one's wife and children for the sake of cultivation suddenly seems much more reasonable when it comes to a disciple of Juan Wang Cangluan.
The group chose a street with less traffic. After entering, they still had to be careful to avoid bumping into other monks.
Hua Lang carefully examined the nearby vendors, and found that they were all selling masks. She then looked at the people around her, and found that most of them were wearing masks of various shapes and sizes. The environment was too noisy, so she could only raise her voice and ask, "Senior Sister Jing, why are all the masks sold here? Do I need to wear a mask to enter the Ghost Abyss?"
Jing Yunzan replied to her in the same loud voice, "Little sister, we came to Guiyuan, saying that we are going to slay demons and monsters, but in fact, we are going to suppress the demonic tide!"
"In the Demonic Tide of the Ghost Abyss, there are many great demons and monsters. Once, a small sect accidentally injured a great demon during the melee. Later, the great demon, seeking revenge, 'borrowed a passage' from their sect and slaughtered the entire sect!"
Although he could only hear a few intermittent sentences, Hua Lang still understood the hidden meaning of Jing Yunzan's words - wearing a mask is to avoid revenge.
Most of the sects that came to Guiyuan sent people to participate because of the rules, but they didn't want to offend these vicious monsters, so they came up with the idea of wearing masks to conceal their identities.
"Little sister, you should wear one too. Although you are a mortal, there are many monsters in the Ghost Abyss. Even if you accidentally step on a blade of grass, you may bring disaster upon yourself!"
"So mysterious?" Hua Lang was shocked, but still obediently started to choose a mask for himself.
Not far away, a deserted stall appeared in front of me.
In this crowded red market, even selling stinky tofu would attract monks who have not been in the world for a long time to try it out of curiosity, but this small stall did not have a single customer.
Hua Lang pushed through the crowd and squeezed over out of curiosity.
The small stall was filled with dolls with slender limbs and wearing various palace skirts. Only a few masks were piled up in the corner. The masks were actually carved according to the faces of the dolls. The eyebrows, eyes, mouth and nose were exactly the same as those of real people, revealing an indescribable weirdness - perhaps it was because they were too similar to living people that they violated everyone's taboos and ended up being ignored.
"Little sister, where are you? Have you bought the mask? We are going into the Ghost Abyss!"
Hua Lang couldn't see where Jing Yunzhan was, but he quickly replied, "I'll be right there!"
Hua Lang no longer hesitated, took off a puppet mask, paid the money, and casually put the mask on her face. Just as she was about to squeeze out of the crowd, the crowd suddenly surged and pushed her back.
!
Behind me are those exquisite dolls. It will be troublesome if they are broken!
Hua Lang tried hard to keep his balance, but the crowd was overwhelming and there was no place for him to stand except for the stalls behind him.
The expected situation of hitting the edge of the stall did not happen. Instead, she seemed to hit a strong back, so hard that Hua Lang could even feel the person behind her stagger slightly.
Hua Lang hurriedly adjusted his mask, raised his head and apologized sincerely: "Excuse me! Fellow Daoist, you..."
The tall figure slowly turned around, a doll clutched in his bony hands, and a plain white mask covered his face, obscuring his features. He looked towards Hua Lang, his gaze meeting his amber pupils.
The words in Hua Lang's throat suddenly froze - she felt that this person was very familiar. Before she could open her mouth, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Jing Yunzan pulled her and said anxiously, "Hurry up, little sister. If you dawdle any longer, your husband will fall into the depths of the Ghost Abyss!"
The moment she was dragged away, Hua Lang felt an inexplicable anxiety well up in her heart. She looked back and saw that the man was still standing in front of the stall, the puppet in his hand casting a tiny shadow under the lantern.
——Who is this person?
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