Chapter Five: Life is Like a Temporary Abode
The three of them left the main street, passed through alleys, and soon arrived at an inn on the outskirts of Juxia City. The innkeeper and his staff were busy serving food and drinks to the guests, and since they recognized Zhou Wei as a guest who had just checked in, they didn't pay her much attention. The three of them tried to be as quiet as possible as they went upstairs from the counter and followed Zhou Wei to the furthest room.
The room was small, with a square wooden table in the middle. A window opposite the door was tightly closed, and beneath it was a small cabinet, next to which was a bed. The room was dimly lit, making it impossible to discern the colors or textures of the furnishings. Mei Chong and Ming Jin didn't even see the person lying on the bed. It was the person who spoke first, startling Mei Chong. Only then did Ming Jin realize what was happening and fumble for a candlestick in her pouch to light it.
Previously, disciples of the Medicine Sect only learned how to use healing techniques. However, after Ji Zhen became the sect leader, an additional training was added: learning to be a general physician. Therefore, Mei Chong was extremely sensitive to even the slightest trace of blood in the room. While Ming Jin was looking for something, she went to the bedside first. The bed wasn't large, only big enough for one person to lie flat. As Mei Chong squatted down, she touched the straw mat, which was both hard and soft, but the woman lying on it was oblivious to such details. When the three of them opened the door, the light from outside pierced her tightly closed eyes, and the noise outside temporarily pulled her from her painful unconsciousness. She could no longer fully fall asleep, but she also lacked the energy to keep her eyes open. When Ming Jin came in carrying the candlestick, the patient's eyes trembled slightly; the desire to open her eyes and the pain were vying for dominance over her.
When the light shone on her, Mei Chong and Ming Jin saw a bloodstain on the right side of her neck. Fortunately, the knife wound was off-center, and the force wasn't too great, so the neck injury wasn't fatal. Mei Chong quickly took out his medicine box from his pouch, gave the patient a pill to hold in her mouth, and then began his incantation.
"The heavens shine brightly upon the earth below."
A thin stream, like the size of a finger, flowed from between Mei Chong's hands, circling the wound in a slight arc. The flesh and blood healed at a visible speed, but after only repairing the external injury, Mei Chong's magic circled around her neck, ceasing further healing: "She hasn't cultivated, so her magic can only do this much. Fortunately, her life is saved, and the wound has healed. She still needs to take her medicine and rest properly to replenish her body's deficiencies. There are no other injuries on her body. This wound looks like it was cut by a sharp blade, but I think it was caused by the evil spirit's magic. The evil spirit tried to harm her but failed to kill her in one blow, giving Senior Brother Zhou the opportunity to save her. Fortunately, we are now in Juxia City, so we don't need to worry about evil spirits appearing. This injury almost killed her, so we shouldn't move around easily. I'll ask Master to come and take another look later. Where did Senior Brother Zhou go?"
Mei Chong turned to speak to Ming Jin, and the two realized that Zhou Wei was not in the room. Ming Jin handed the candlestick to Mei Chong, and upon opening the door, saw Zhou Wei standing outside the window. If it were daytime, Ming Jin would have noticed Zhou Wei's pale face much sooner. By the streetlights, Ming Jin could only see that Zhou Wei's expression was unusual, and his hand gripping the wooden railing was trembling slightly. She couldn't help but worry: "Chang Qi, what happened to you?"
Seeing Zhou Wei's slightly hunched posture, Ming Jin wanted to step forward and support his arm, but at the same time, a bird's chirp pierced the night, diverting Ming Jin's attention. The visitor was Ji Zhen's messenger oriole. Ya Zai flew out to communicate with it, and then relayed the message to Ming Jin: "Yuan Bei is back. He has urgent business. Return immediately. Return immediately."
Just as Ya Zai finished speaking, a flash of light suddenly appeared behind Zhou Wei, startling him. He immediately turned to look at the distance shrouded in darkness and exclaimed, "The thief is coming!" He completely ignored Ming Jin's voice, never imagining that it might be the light of firecrackers celebrating in the city. He shook off Ming Jin, leaped from the second floor, and ran towards the city outskirts. Ming Jin was really worried about him running alone in the dark, so she opened the door and told Mei Chong to take care of the patient in the meantime, saying she would be back as soon as possible.
Mingjin followed their trail based on his memory. Tonight, the bright moon hung high in the clear sky, its gentle light bathing a forest near Juxia City. The farther they chased, the more worried Mingjin became, for they were approaching the edge of Juxia City's barrier.
The evil spirits could not break through the city's protective barrier. In addition, the cultivators here came and went frequently, so the evil spirits could easily wander around the barrier. However, Zhou Wei's destination was obviously outside the barrier, and Zhou Wei and Deng Lin were being chased by an unknown enemy. Therefore, Ming Jin dared not be careless.
There was no wind that night. Using his wind magic, Mingjin heard the sound of someone running and panting in the distance. The person's pace was inconsistent, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, clearly indicating unease. The trees in this forest were only three or four people tall, and the woods weren't dense. From a higher vantage point, several mountain paths could even be seen in the moonlight. A thin strand of hair flew out from behind Mingjin, and he saw a running figure ahead. However, the person's magic was gradually fading, and he was practically frantically running away, seemingly oblivious to Mingjin calling after him.
His figure flickered and blurred, and Mingjin's heart skipped a beat, for this was the effect of leaving the barrier. She followed closely behind and found that the moonlight outside the barrier was even brighter. The mountain wind blew, unusually cold and chilly than usual. Mingjin suddenly wanted to look up at the full moon on the horizon, only to see a dark shadow fly out from the tree beside her. She skillfully used wind magic to sweep it away and break it in two. Before it disappeared, Mingjin saw that it was an arrow shot by a demon. Turning her head again, she saw that Zhou Wei, who had been running forward, was falling to the ground, and the shadow carrying the quiver was standing on the branch closest to Zhou Wei.
Realizing he hadn't harmed Mingjin, the attacker immediately turned, nocked a bow, and aimed at her. Unfortunately, Mingjin had plenty of time to aim. As the arrow pierced the ground where she had just stood, she leaped onto a tree trunk behind the figure, wielding a spear formed from her magic with one hand. The silver spearhead traced a crescent moon in the moonlight, and a muffled thud struck the attacker's right arm holding the bow, the force sweeping him to the ground and dragging him along. Clearly not intending to entangle with Mingjin, the attacker quickly rose before a second strike and ran towards the opposite direction into the woods, disappearing into the forest.
Normally, Ming Jin would have given chase, but today she clearly needed to heal the wounded. The blow had struck Zhou Wei's right chest, rendering him immobile and causing him to convulse on the ground. By the time Ming Jin arrived, he was already unconscious. Ming Jin laid Zhou Wei flat on the ground and used wood magic to heal him, but her healing skills were inferior to those of the Medicine Sect disciples. It was clear that her spells only alleviated Zhou Wei's injuries without truly healing him, and that his life was still in danger. As she felt uneasy, a hand appeared before Ming Jin, above Zhou Wei's body. The owner of the hand slowly chanted an incantation: "The sun shines brightly. Its fragrance is as pure as orchids."
"Thank you for your help, Elder Hong."
Hong Junyu, whose whereabouts were unknown, suddenly appeared. He bent down and, as before, manipulated the vines to lift Zhou Wei's body flat in the air: "I will take him to his residence in Kongyun Mountain first, and you can follow after him."
"yes."
Mingjin wanted to follow him, but she was worried about Mei Chong, who had been suddenly left behind, so she rushed back to the inn. When she opened the door, Mei Chong was restraining the injured woman who was trying to get up, trying to firmly press her back onto the bed to rest, but the woman wouldn't listen. Seeing Mingjin come in, Mei Chong breathed a deep sigh of relief: "She just woke up. She's so badly injured and won't listen to me, refusing to lie in bed and rest properly. Being injured and not trusting the doctor will lead to serious consequences."
“Things have changed, we have to go,” Mei Chong said, still unaware of what had happened. He was taken aback when he heard Ming Jin’s lack of support. “Yuan Yi, is she able to move now?”
"Much more energetic than I expected, the walk back to the lodgings won't be a problem." Hearing Mingjin speak, Mei Chong reassured her. The person sitting on the bed immediately prepared to put on her shoes and get up, but the movement was too abrupt and aggravated the wound on her neck. Although the outside had healed, the moment she touched it, it felt as if a strong man had hit her hard with a thick log, almost causing her to fall headfirst to the ground. Fortunately, Mei Chong was standing next to her and was prepared. He bent down and cushioned her with his own body, and together with Mingjin, they helped her up.
"Thank you." The man leaned against Mingjin and Meichong, unable to exert any strength.
The three of them quickly returned to their lodgings. The people of Kongyun Mountain lived in a separate courtyard. Usually, they would close the main gate after dark, leaving a small door open for those who returned late. But today, the two were surprised to find that the main gate was half open, and they could see two people standing in the courtyard through the open opening.
In the courtyard, Ji Zhen noticed the three women and guessed that someone was injured, so he quickly followed. Rong Shao, seeing the injured person, led them to the door of an empty room on the first floor, opened the door, and let them help the injured person inside. The patient, exhausted from the journey, seemed to have something important to say, but Mei Chong stopped her, saying, "We'll handle whatever it is. Think about your own life first." Hearing this, she relaxed slightly and then fell into a deep sleep.
"Elder Hong from Huicheng just brought Zhou Wei back. He's lying in the next room right now. Elder Hong has left, saying that someone else will be coming soon. We'll be waiting for you in the courtyard. What happened to you outside?" Several people came out of the house and passed by the room where Zhou Wei was lying as they spoke, but there were no lights on inside, so Mingjin couldn't see anything.
"How come even Senior Brother Zhou is injured?" Mei Chong asked in surprise. "The woman said she worked at Elder Xiang's mansion and her name was Deng Lin. She lived in a village on the outskirts of Juxia. She was sweeping in the backyard when she was suddenly attacked from behind. Fortunately, Senior Brother Zhou arrived in time and saved her. But I don't know why he didn't treat her. Instead, he brought her to Juxia City."
Ming Jin truthfully recounted what she and Zhou Wei had encountered in the forest, until Hong Junyu suddenly appeared and rescued Zhou Wei. Afterwards, she asked, "Elder Ji, you sent a letter saying that Yuan Bei had returned with urgent business. What happened? Where is he?"
Ji Zhen recounted the theft and Pang Ming's search for the item in the capital, then said, "Yuan Bei found the mansion where the incense burner was located, but because there were many people during the day, he could only observe the surroundings and look for an opportunity. Unexpectedly, even at night, many servants were still active in the mansion, so he had to search slowly. Finally, yesterday morning, he found the incense burner. The incense burner was placed in a pavilion in the garden, but it had become the eye of a formation. Moreover, the formation was very complicated, and it would take a lot of time to break it without getting close. Finally, this morning, when the servants in the mansion changed shifts, they broke the formation, but they were struggling to get the item quietly. Who would have thought that as soon as the formation was broken, the servants in the mansion, since none of them had cultivated, did not notice anything. Soon after, a young man, somewhat crazy, ran out from a side room in a nearby courtyard. Half of the people in the courtyard where the incense burner was located were attracted to him, and Yuan Bei took the opportunity to take the item. However, after the first man disappeared, the servants called out a person from the room next to him, and that person was Zhou Wei."
"When Senior Brother Zhou was at Kongyun Mountain, he was also in charge of cleaning Zuan'en Tower. Is this an act of embezzlement?" Mei Chong couldn't believe it. Rong Shao patted Mei Chong's arm, reminding her not to jump to conclusions.
“But that incense burner was originally left at Kongyun Mountain by Elder Xiang. If Changqi really wants it, he can just ask the elder for a letter and take it away, right?” Mingjin was really puzzled.
"We don't yet know what's behind this. Although Zhou Wei was panicked because the formation was broken, he didn't care much about the incense burner and went straight to find someone. Yuan Bei used magic to create a fake one and placed it in the courtyard, then picked out the real one. However, he was too busy and forgot that we had all come to Juxia City. He went back to Kongyun Mountain first and then came to Juxia City to meet us, which delayed us quite a bit. Just as Yuan Bei finished speaking, Elder Hong arrived with the seriously injured and unconscious Zhou Wei. Zhou Wei was not very lucid, but after seeing the sect leader, he mumbled and begged the sect leader to go to the Xiang family's old residence to save his master. The sect leader felt that there was something strange about this, so he took Zong Zheng, Wu Peng, and Yuan Bei to the Xiang family's old residence in the suburbs. However, we didn't expect that there were evil spirits around here. We really can't let our guard down for a moment."
Just as Ji Zhen finished speaking, they heard the sound of a door being pushed open. Zhou Wei, trembling, pushed open the door and walked along the corridor towards them. Ming Jin, still worried about his health, went over to help him and advised him to go back and lie down first. Zhou Wei noticed the serious expressions on the four women's faces and realized that he had revealed too much of his secret. He wanted to tell them everything, but he didn't know how far he had already exposed them, and he didn't know how to begin. However, he had something more urgent on his mind: "I'm sorry to have troubled the elders and everyone. Zhou Wei thanks you all for your help."
"The sect leader has already gone to Elder Xiang's residence. It's not too late to talk after everything is investigated," Ji Zhen said.
"I have to go back too." Zhou Wei was weak but his tone was firm. After speaking, he took a step towards the door, but was stopped by Ming Jin. Although Hong Junyu had saved his life, he was very weak now, and could only take a few steps with Ming Jin's pull. "Are you out of your mind? Don't you trust the sect leader and the others?"
"This matter arose because of me, and I must resolve it personally."
Although Zhou Wei couldn't break free from Ming Jin's single-handed grip, he was still trying his best to move forward. Ji Zhen was also puzzled by this, but she had been entrusted by Pei Xuanzhen to look after his residence and couldn't leave. Besides, she had examined Zhou Wei after he was brought back and found that his serious injuries had healed, but he was just weak. He didn't pose much of a threat now, and Ming Jin had grown up with him since childhood, so it was easier for her to tell him anything than to tell her. Therefore, she decided to let him go: "I won't stop you if you want to go, but I can't let you go. Tian Guang, you go with him."
Seeing Ji Zhen's stance, Zhou Wei bowed and then pulled Ming Jin towards the door.
Although the Xiang family's old residence was located in the outskirts of Juxia, the word "outskirts" encompassed many areas. Zhou Wei, who had just recovered from a serious illness, was carried by Ming Jin using wind magic. The two hurried along, finally crossing forests and waterways under the moonlight, and arrived at the "Xiang residence" standing at the foot of the mountain. However, the gate was not open, so, led by Zhou Wei, the two climbed over the wall and entered.
"Let's go to the study. This way."
The Xiang family was a renowned cultivator family in Juxia City, but by the time of Xiang Wan's father, the family had declined, and Xiang Wan's wife and their children had all died young. Although the Xiang family ancestral home was here, from Xiang Wan's father onwards, they had been away exorcising evil spirits for a long time and rarely returned home. Xiang Wan herself also stayed in Kongyun Mountain for most of the year, only returning here three years ago. The house wasn't very large, but it certainly wasn't small either. However, it had been missing two generations of residents, and apart from tall, old furniture and decorations, it was completely empty. The houses and corridors were deserted. There were many flowerpots scattered around, but now they were empty, with only a jar of soil inside. The insignificant sound of their footsteps was carried by the night wind through the house, and the dark voices followed behind them until they turned a corner and saw a potted plant full of flower buds at the entrance to the small door leading to the study courtyard. Only then did Ming Jin realize that this place seemed to be inhabited.
The two entered the courtyard through the gate and saw one person standing in the center, and another standing on the roof beam of the opposite house. There were two other people standing in the porch, whom Ming Jin recognized, but he dared not recognize the one sitting on the steps at the entrance of the house. Hearing footsteps, Pei Xuanzhen turned around and, as expected, asked, "He seems to be waiting for something. Is he waiting for you?"
Ming Jin knew, of course, that these words weren't directed at him. On the rooftop, Mu Ning crossed her arms, simply wanting to see what would happen next. Du Gewen stood still, while Pang Ming walked over from the corridor, and together with Ming Jin, helped Zhou Wei past Pei Xuanzhen, leading him closer to the figure sitting on the steps.
The seated man looked up at the three approaching figures, a slight smile playing on his lips. He had a youthful face, long hair half-tied, and wore a robe. Ming Jin might have mistaken him for an ordinary seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, if she hadn't sensed the faint, menacing aura surrounding him. Now, that aura was waning, signifying the man's impending demise. He had returned from the underworld, and his time had come; these were likely his final days.
Zhou Wei, supported by Ming Jin and Pang Ming, quickly took two steps, knelt on the steps, and embraced the seated figure, weeping bitterly. The other person simply smiled, patted Zhou Wei's back as he cried, and then separated them. Zhou Wei's vision was blurred with tears as he gripped the figure's arms, watching the figure opposite him disappear into the night. With a crisp sound, a bracelet fell to the ground. Pang Ming picked it up, holding it protectively in his palm. Tears still dripped, and he remained motionless. Ming Jin and Pang Ming exchanged a glance, then went over and helped him up.
The moonlight is so bright tonight that it makes everyone look especially haggard.
"Changqi, where is Elder Xiang?" Pei Xuanzhen asked.
Zhou Wei sniffed, stopping his sobs, and said, "Inside the house. I set up a barrier beforehand."
Ming Jin and Pang Ming helped Zhou Wei sit on the veranda, while Mu Ning remained standing on the roof. Du Gewen and Pei Xuanzhen went inside together. Upon entering, they faced two chairs and a small table for receiving guests. To their left was a study with many books on the table, and to their right was a bedroom. Pei Xuanzhen sensed the aura of a barrier, but Zhou Wei had just removed it, allowing them to see the actual books. A bed was placed against the wall, and a person lay quietly on it. His white hair was neatly tied up, his hands were placed at his sides, and his eyes were closed, peacefully asleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
