Chapter 87 Ghost Crying on Wind Ridge
"My Lord, your ball of yarn seems to be even more tangled."
Ajiu sat cross-legged on the cushion, with half a walnut cake in his mouth, pointing vaguely at the top of Chu Xuanyi's head.
She was holding a handful of pine nuts in her little hand, and with her other hand she was trying to stuff one into the mouth of Xiao Yu, who was resting with his eyes closed.
The veins on Chu Xuanyi's forehead had stopped throbbing, and he chose a more advanced form of protest - silence.
He felt that since he met Ah Jiu, all his copying of the "Meditation Mantra" was in vain, and his state of mind had regressed by more than ten years.
"Ajiu," he said weakly, "Don't make casual comments about my...luck outside."
"Oh." Ah Jiu nodded obediently, then turned to Xiao Yu and said, "Brother Xiongxiong, there seems to be a little moth fluttering in Brother Xuanyi's ball of yarn. Is he going to lose his hair?"
"puff--"
Xiao Yu, who had been as steady as a rock, couldn't hold back at the moment when the pine nut was about to enter his mouth and almost choked on his own saliva.
He opened his deep phoenix eyes, and his gaze was like a knife as he slashed at Chu Xuanyi, who was shaking all over from trying to hold back his laughter.
Chu Xuanyi immediately restrained his expression and said seriously, "Your Highness, what Ah Jiu meant is that I have been thinking too much recently and my heart fire is strong, which needs to be adjusted. Yes, that must be the case."
Xiao Yu snorted coldly, picked up the pine nuts that Ah Jiu handed him, and finally put them into his mouth. He glanced out the window and saw two carriages following closely behind. One belonged to Li Shilang of the Ministry of War, and the other was Censor Qian's flashy nanmu carriage.
Thinking of Qian Yushe, Xiao Yu frowned slightly.
The team marched for most of the day. As it grew darker, the scenery along the official road became desolate.
The trees on both sides of the road became more and more bizarre, like ghosts with bared fangs and claws. The wind blew through the woods, making a humming sound, which added a bit of eeriness.
"Your Highness, Imperial Preceptor," the Black Armored Guards who had been scouting the area ahead rode back, reporting with a solemn expression, "We're just ahead of us, Yinfeng Ridge. Beyond this mountain, we'll be close to the Huang Family Villa. However... there are rumors circulating about Yinfeng Ridge, and it's not a very clean place. Traveling after dark might be inconvenient. Should we set up camp here and continue our journey tomorrow?"
"Not very clean?" Chu Xuanyi lifted the curtain and saw the steep mountain in front of him, shrouded in mist, and a cold and gloomy air blew towards him.
"That's right," the Black Armor Guard whispered. "It's said that merchants often disappear here. Some also say that they can hear women crying at night and that there are ghosts haunting the mountains."
Chu Xuanyi was about to nod and agree to set up camp. After all, less trouble is worse than more.
Unexpectedly, before he could open his mouth, the carriage of Censor Qian behind him stopped with a creak, and Censor Qian's slightly fat figure jumped out of the carriage, holding a peach wood sword that he had found from somewhere in his hand, with a righteous look on his face.
"Ghosts? Just ghosts, nothing to worry about! Think about me, Qian An, I have been an official all my life, honest and upright, with a righteous spirit. All evil spirits and ghosts will retreat when they see me!"
He ran to the Regent's carriage and bowed to the curtains, "Your Highness! Imperial Master! This place, haunted by demons, presents a golden opportunity for scholars like us to realize our ambitions, defend the Way and exorcise the devil! How can we shrink back? We must bravely charge into this mountain, exorcise the demonic influence, and restore peace and order to this place!"
Chu Xuanyi's face turned green at that moment.
He looked at Censor Qian's face, which was full of "Come and praise me" written all over it, and felt that there were not only moths in his ball of wool, but also a nest of wasps, which might have crawled into it, buzzing and disturbing him.
"Censor Qian," Chu Xuanyi squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, "It's getting late. Safety is the most important thing."
"You are wrong, Imperial Master!" Censor Qian stiffened his neck, a look of deep sorrow and indignation that said, "You don't understand." "Evil spirits love to come out at night, so we should seize this opportunity and kill them by surprise! Your Highness, please stay here. I am willing to lead the way, wielding this 'Demon-Slaying Sword' made from an ancient sacred tree, to clear the way for you and the Imperial Master!"
As he spoke, he waved the peach wood sword that looked like a ten-cent sword sold at a roadside stall twice in a serious manner.
Chu Xuanyi wanted to knock him out and drag him away.
Xiao Yu spoke slowly, his voice cold and clear: "Alright. Since Censor Qian is so interested, we will accompany you."
"Your Highness is wise!" Censor Qian was overjoyed.
Chu Xuanyi looked at Xiao Yu in shock, his eyes asking: Are you crazy? Bringing such a funny guy into the ghost mountain?
Xiao Yu gave him a reassuring look. He had never believed in ghosts or gods, but the Wugu tribe's treacherous ways made it seem plausible that they would choose such a sinister place as their base. Rather than passively waiting for them to make a move, it would be better to proactively explore.
"Sir," Ah Jiu, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly tugged at Chu Xuanyi's sleeve, his nose wrinkled, a hint of confusion and sadness in his big eyes, "I seem to... hear a lot of people crying."
Chu Xuanyi was stunned.
Ah Jiu sniffed again and whispered, "There's another smell, a cool one, like a mint candy dropped into a well and left there for a long, long time. It's a bit sad."
Hearing the "crying sound" and the "cold" smell, Chu Xuanyi and Xiao Yu looked at each other, and their expressions instantly became solemn.
——Netherworld Grass!
Ajiu's description coincides exactly with the strange phenomena of the growth environment of Nether Grass recorded in ancient books!
It seems that we have to break into Yinfeng Ridge.
The team stopped at the foot of the mountain. Apart from the necessary guards, Xiao Yu and Chu Xuanyi only brought a dozen elite Xuanjia guards and prepared to hike into the mountain.
Minister Li of the Ministry of War was so frightened that his face turned pale. He kept apologizing and hid in the carriage, not daring to come out.
Censor Qian was in high spirits. He put the peach wood sword at his waist, took out a handful of yellow talisman paper from his bosom, and distributed it to everyone in a serious manner.
"Come on, one for each of you! This is the 'Evil-Suppressing Talisman' drawn by me personally. Carry it with you and it will protect you from all evil!" He handed one to Chu Xuanyi, but Chu Xuanyi pushed it away expressionlessly.
He wanted to hand it to Xiao Yu again, but after meeting those cold phoenix eyes, he silently retracted his hand.
Finally, he stuffed the talisman into Ajiu's hand and said, "Little Ajiu, take it. This is the most effective. It can also keep away mosquitoes when you sleep at night!"
Ah Jiu curiously took the crooked talisman paper with varying shades of cinnabar, brought it up to his nose and sniffed it, commenting seriously, "Uncle Qian, it seems like you added garlic water to your ink."
Censor Qian: “…”
Everyone was having a hard time holding back their laughter.
As the group entered Yinfeng Ridge, the mountain chill seemed to penetrate deep into their bones. The forest was thick with fog, visibility was extremely low, and the light was dim. The surrounding trees appeared sickly and twisted, and gray-black moss hung from their branches, like an old man's beard.
"Ahem!" Censor Qian cleared his throat. "Listen up, you evil creatures! I am the current Censor Qian An! Show yourself and confess your guilt!"
His voice echoed in the valley: "...bow your head and confess your guilt... confess your guilt..."
There was nothing but echo.
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