Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ambush from Ten Sides, Part Five
Despite this, during the second infiltration that afternoon, Ming Jin, Jiang Chao, and Li E all stayed outside to rest. Jiang Chao, having been caught red-handed, was left speechless. Ming Jin, on the other hand, was busier than outside because he needed to organize Fuxia's memories and redraw the topographical map. As for Li E, he said he wasn't in that situation.
“I wasn’t caught red-handed, and I didn’t get any useful information from the gold magic, so why keep me here? Now is the time for me to redeem myself.”
He was lying on a bench, legs crossed, talking to someone, I don't know.
"Isn't the credit for discovering the potential dangers of the 'body-snatching technique' all yours?"
Jiang Chao, holding a wooden sword in his hand, stood in the center of the tent and spoke amidst the faint light of the flying wooden sword.
“This name is getting more and more terrifying.” Mingjin picked at the stray hairs on the tip of his pen.
"Didn't you say you had something to do this afternoon and wanted to leave someone here?"
Since he had nothing to do for the time being, Xi Xiangfeng saw the three of them busy in the tent and thought it would be good to help, so he sat down at a small table next to Ming Jin and ground ink.
"What's up this afternoon?"
Jiang Chao asked curiously, without slowing down his movements.
"That's all Brother Guo said before he left," Xi Xiangfeng said, his hands still grinding ink, "We can only wait."
At this point, no one spoke again. Jiang Chao danced with his sword in one place, and his voice was faint. After a while, and with Li E lying down the whole time, he was hypnotized and fell asleep while hugging the wooden sword.
Soon, soft snoring could be heard from one side of the tent.
The three of them were busy with their own things, but after noticing the commotion, they all chuckled quietly.
"They're all here."
After Mingjin finished painting, Jiangchao also finished his cultivation for the day. The two of them, along with Xi Xiangfeng, sat around the table drinking tea and chatting. Hearing the sound of this outside, Li E instantly woke up and jumped off the bench.
"Uncle-Master".
"Uncle-Master".
Jiang Chao and Xi Xiangfeng knew who it was as soon as they heard the voice, so they quickly got up. Ming Jin was a step slower and only after careful observation did he realize that the person who came was Zhang Xu.
Elder Zhang.
"Where are the others?" Zhang Xu waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be so formal and that they could just sit down and talk.
Seeing this, Li E lowered his guard, greeted Zhang Xu as Ming Jin had said, yawned, and took a glass of water from Jiang Chao.
“Everyone is still outside,” Jiang Chao said.
Mingjin casually showed the painting he had just finished to Zhang Xu to see what he thought.
"There's been a lot of rain this year, so the tea tastes too weak," Zhang Xu said, sitting at the round table and savoring it. "This place is so big. If you want to enjoy it, wait until your next life. Just lazing around here is just annoying."
"Uncle-Master, you came here by yourself?"
Xi Xiangfeng got up and went to the small table behind him to boil tea, checking on the fire as he went.
"And what else? They're all outside, making a ruckus."
Zhang Xu held a cup in one hand and a topographical map in the other, his eyes never leaving the map. Seeing this, Jiang Chao and Xi Xiangfeng watched the situation and quietly slipped out of the tent. Ming Jin and Li E exchanged a glance, then grabbed their things and ran out as well.
As a result, we were greeted by a group of people who had just arrived and were still exploring the surrounding terrain.
“Jingchu, Jingxun”.
Upon hearing Jiang Chao's voice, Chai Wang and Duan Shuxuan, who had been hiding in the main tent, turned around and came out to greet the others.
"It's really lively now," Duan Shuxuan said cheerfully.
"We're not here to play around." Although it was uncertain whether Duan Shuxuan would listen, Chai Wang still reminded him.
The group knew each other, and after a brief chat, they began discussing the reasons and purposes for gathering in this area. This allowed Li E, who was not usually a very sociable person, to join in. The incident was sudden and the situation was extraordinary. Even Xi Xiangfeng had been kept in the dark and hadn't dared to ask before. Now, hearing about the situation in Yishan City, he was wide-eyed and eager to catch up with their train of thought.
"Oh, you're here so soon?"
When Guo Hao's voice rang out, Ming Jin realized that the afternoon's infiltration was over.
"Senior brother, you're back so soon?"
Seeing Wei Jing return carrying the bronze tree with one hand, Li E quickly asked.
"We have a general understanding of the situation, so there's no need to linger. We should move on to the next step."
Wei Jing handed the bronze tree to Meng Sheng, who picked up one corner and carried it into the tent. Then, Zhang Xu exclaimed in surprise, "What is this?"
"Well, everyone's here?" Guo Hao asked.
"Uncle Zhang brought us here first, and the others will be here soon," Chai Wang said solemnly.
Unaware of the situation, Zhou Wei and Ming Jin stood aside, watching the Juxia cultivators come and go. They wanted to ask Ji Zhen and Mu Ning about the situation, but the two were engrossed in discussing various matters of Yishan, so focused that Zhou Wei and Ming Jin, who were not so attentive, felt quite ashamed.
But the shame quickly dissipated.
"Senior sister."
Gao Dai, who had been following Fu Nai all the way, was dizzy looking at the people coming and going around him. After asking around, he finally found a few familiar figures.
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you and the two elders on the mountain these past few days. Turns out you've come here," Gao Dai said excitedly as he walked over, followed by Chi Hui and Chu Ying. "How did things go? We heard there's a haunted house of evil spirits here and we needed manpower, so we rushed over here."
"Is there anyone else?" Mingjin and Zhou Wei asked.
“Our two masters are teaching at the academy today. Senior Brother Fu has already told them the route, so he brought us here first,” Chi Hui said.
“You really underestimate us,” Chu Ying said, feigning some dissatisfaction. “Are we so bad that we can’t even find our way around? Although this area is indeed a bit complicated, I feel like I would have a hard time getting out on my own.”
"They're not planning to trick us into coming here and then sell us, are they?" Zhou Wei said with a smile.
"Alright," Fu Nai said, having finished speaking with Guo Hao and Wei Jing, he immediately noticed the group of people approaching. "You haven't had a moment's rest since you arrived. Go and tidy up first, then come to the main tent later."
After seeing the three of them off to a cultivator named Juxia, Fu Nai continued talking to the other two.
"Senior Sister Yu and Sister Jing will also be coming; I still have some things to do right now."
"What did you come up with?" Mingjin asked.
"That depends on the outcome of the subsequent meeting; I cannot know for sure now," Fu Nai said.
Before long, everyone went into the tent to listen to Wei Jing and Guo Hao's next plan.
The core purpose of the afternoon investigation was to determine the time of the gathering of evil spirits. Therefore, everyone entered and exited the barrier of Yishan City according to the time they had roughly noted down last time, and four people planned to observe the opportunity of the evil spirits near the city wall.
After introducing the situation at Yishan, Wei Jing began to explain the subsequent plan: "The current plan is to enter the Yishan barrier in two days. Gao Lang, the leader of the Yishan evil spirits, has confirmed through metal magic that his life is hanging by a thread. The Yishan barrier is tied to him; if he dies, the evil spirits will scatter, and many people will suffer. We should try to wipe them out while they are still within it. Tomorrow we will enter the barrier again to confirm the time of the evil spirits' gathering. According to some of the evil spirits' memories, tomorrow is free, so the earliest time to act is the third day."
“Everyone must master the wood magic techniques mentioned above,” Guo Hao said, noticing that the elders were silent and even the usually boisterous ones were quiet. “We now have a general idea of the number of powerful evil spirits in Yishan City, but we all need to work together to accomplish this. After we finish besieging the evil spirits at the gathering place, everyone must react quickly and not be held back by the evil spirits’ counterattack.”
Next came the discussion about the positioning during the siege and the characteristics of the ghostly arts of the great evil spirit in Yishan. They talked until almost nightfall, when Xi Xiangfeng asked if they could have a meal. The cultivators, each with their own mindset, all left.
Ming Jin was starving. He was already exhausted from drawing, and then he'd sat upright for an entire meeting; he couldn't sit still any longer. Zhou Wei, who always ate early, was also incredibly hungry. Just as the two of them and Meng Sheng were anticipating what dishes would be served, they heard sounds of a good show coming from behind them.
"Why haven't I learned that woodworking technique? You all have?"
Chai Wang and Heng Buwei sat around Duan Shuxuan, nodding.
"Jingyou".
Chai Wangchao waved to Jiang Wen, who was talking to Zhang Xu. The latter saw Duan Shuxuan tightly holding Heng Buwei's back and knew what he was doing.
"Senior sister," upon hearing Jiang Wen's footsteps, Duan Shuxuan immediately switched targets, determined to demand an explanation, "Why didn't you teach me?"
"You are not on the roster for this extermination operation."
Jiang Wen spoke casually, but his words caused Duan Shuxuan's expression to change drastically.
"Why?"
"Because you haven't completed your apprenticeship yet."
"What?" Now it was Chai Wang and Heng Bu's turn to be surprised. The two stared at Duan Shuxuan. "Why haven't you graduated yet?"
“I,” Duan Shuxuan knew where the problem lay as soon as he heard the words “graduation,” so he had to tone it down, “I felt that the graduation ceremony in autumn wasn’t as grand as the one in spring, so I told my master that I would graduate with my junior brother in the spring…”
"The sect leader said," Guo Hao, who was watching the commotion, added, "that only disciples whose graduation records are confirmed on the roster can participate in this encirclement and suppression."
"Then why did you call me here?" Duan Shuxuan asked, puzzled.
“Of course, there are also important tasks,” Duan Shuxuan said, perking up as he eagerly awaited his assignment. “Go and help Xiangfeng.”
"So boring."
The sounds echoed behind them. Mingjin and the other two had already received their hot soup outside. The three, who were complete novices in cooking, discussed how to make the soup taste better, which angered the chef who was watching from the sidelines so much that he almost got up and hit them.
The calculations for the second day were completed by the same group of people as before. Then came the tedious preparations. The group of dozens gathered together, and the young people, chatting amongst themselves, completely forgot they were on the front lines against the evil spirits. The elders, initially serious, also began to chat after grasping the available information.
“Nobody seems nervous,” Meng Sheng said, somewhat puzzled, as he pulled weeds and wove flower wreaths. “I thought everyone should be a little nervous.”
“Having two days to prepare was completely unexpected,” Zhou Wei said, sitting cross-legged, his eyes fixed on his work, gesturing with his hands to check if the size was right. “I’ve never had this opportunity before. In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided.”
"I thought I would go yesterday, but I didn't expect it to be tomorrow."
Mingjin's skills were lacking; Mengsheng had already woven a basketful while she was anxious, while all she had left at her feet were some trampled grass branches.
"What a waste. It's not easy to have flowers and plants in winter," Zhou Wei said to Ming Jin.
Mingjin simply gave up.
Completely distracted, Meng Sheng began plucking leaves: "What if someone doesn't come back?"
"Probably."
Zhou Wei finished his work, called out to Ming Jin, and asked her to take a look and see if it looked good.
“Not being afraid of death is the first hurdle for cultivators,” Seeing Ming Jin’s approval, Zhou Wei wrapped the flower wreath he had made in a piece of cloth and put it in his pouch. “My master said that every extra day we live is a bonus. Becoming a cultivator forces people to understand this more clearly and then think carefully about how to live their lives.”
"As expected of Elder Xiang."
Mingjin picked out a blade of grass from among the remaining twigs Zhou Wei had left, and playfully wrapped it around his wrist. Some of the leaves on this twig had already fallen off, leaving only tiny specks of green; it was probably not chosen because of its lack of color.
"Is your master Elder Xiang Huaiyan?" Meng Sheng asked curiously.
"Yes, you've seen him?"
“No, I’ve only heard my advisor and master mention Elder Xiang’s name,” Meng Sheng shook his head. “Before the disaster struck Huicheng, my advisor often held lectures, and Elder Xiang would often come. So now most of the elders in Huicheng know him.”
“Then tomorrow will be a good opportunity.” Zhou Wei’s tone suddenly darkened.
"That's why I'm wondering why everyone isn't in a hurry."
“It’s not a good thing to be disrespectful before the battle,” Mingjin tied a knot in a grass branch and hung it on his wrist, dangling it around for fun. “Yucheng, you should also think that tomorrow, when we cross the barrier and kill the evil spirits, it will be our chance to reverse the past.”
“Of course,” Meng Sheng adjusted the wreath and covered his eyes. “It’s a pity that our opponent is a demon. Whether we win or lose, we will ultimately suffer a setback. A strange event has descended from the sky, and we are forced to pay with our lives. It’s a terrible plan.”
With his attention focused on the new bracelet, Mingjin suddenly remembered something. Hearing Mengsheng's slightly dejected and dissatisfied words, Mingjin said, "I can guarantee you that I will survive."
"Really?" Meng Sheng was also somewhat surprised.
"That's natural."
Mingjin took off the straw ring and held it in his hand.
"It's rare for you to say something like that, so you should have that kind of ambition," Zhou Wei said excitedly, patting Ming Jin on the shoulder. However, he didn't control his strength and actually hit Ming Jin so hard that he staggered. "I can get out of there safely too."
“Then I can do it too,” Meng Sheng said with renewed conviction. “And, to get revenge, I need to move on properly.”
After saying that, Meng Sheng threw two flower wreaths, which landed right on Ming Jin and Zhou Wei's heads. However, because Meng Sheng hadn't calculated the size when he made them, some were slightly small; for example, the one that landed on Zhou Wei's head was only half the size.
“You look like you’re wearing a bird’s nest,” Mingjin said with a laugh.
Before Zhou Wei could speak, something seemed to fall into the wreath.
"We've been told to come over."
Zhou Wei carefully took the wreath down, but the bird had already flown away, leaving only a faint shadow behind him. He muttered a complaint about how rude it was, then the three of them tidied up the ground and headed towards the lively crowd not far away.
The place was bustling with activity, especially the cultivators from Juxia, who were the most active, leaving the three newcomers wondering what was going on.
"Senior sister, senior brother, over here."
Looking up, Chi Hui and the other two were squatting on a thick, short tree nearby.
"What are you doing?" Mingjin asked.
"We came because we heard there was something interesting to see," Chu Ying replied.
Mingjin's confusion hadn't ended when suddenly a figure passed through the crowd and ran to their side.
"Master Ming," the visitor greeted with a smile, then greeted Zhou Wei and Meng Sheng, whom he had never met before, "Wan Guan greets the two seniors."
"Guan'er, what brings you here too?"
“I told my father and mother before I came here,” Wan Guan said, turning the bundle on his back to reveal the head of a zither. “My father and mother are busy with things in the city and can’t get away for a while, so I wanted to come and see for them. Although I can’t go to the front right now, I hope I can do something.”
“Pipa,” Zhou Wei knew what it meant as soon as he saw the bundle after staying in Juxia for a while. “Little sister, you may not be able to live up to Juxia’s reputation.”
“That’s natural,” Wan Guan replied with a smile.
Someone called Wan Guan back, and the three of them found a place to stay nearby. Besides Ban Rui and Zhuo Yong, who had brought Wan Guan, most of the other elders were still in the tents. The remaining young people, no longer under the supervision of their elders, and having gotten to know each other over the past day or two, were no longer as restrained as they had been during the first day's tent meetings. Some were sitting in the trees, some on stools, some on the ground, and some were even lying down.
Chi Hui and Gao Dai received the news first, so they each occupied a tree. Now Ming Jin and his two companions could sit on another tree. The tree wasn't very tall, but they could still see Guo Hao and Chai Wang encouraging Wan Guan, although the latter looked somewhat disgusted, indicating that they were really making a fuss. Duan Shuxuan sat side by side with Jiang Wen and Heng Buwei in a slightly off-center spot, but his movements clearly showed that he wanted to find a better spot, but Jiang Wen grabbed his neck and wouldn't let him move. Zhuo Yong and Ban Rui sat behind them, chatting about something, but they were giving the restless senior and junior disciples in front of them a stern look.
The people from Kongyun Mountain were gathered on the other side of the tree, and Fu Nai, arriving a little late, was somewhat surprised. However, since there were no elders present, he didn't mind and simply sat cross-legged under the tree. He had originally thought that Yu Qiao and Huang Jing would arrive today, but they were still delayed.
Li E and Jiang Chao had already become quite familiar with each other, and they were the two most comfortable lying down in the room. Meng Sheng was originally sitting with Ming Jin, but seeing Li E's posture, he worried about being scolded by Wei Jing if she found out, so he pulled him back to behave himself. Unfortunately, Li E still lay there, prioritizing comfort. The other cultivators from the city, having arrived late, hadn't witnessed Yi Shan's situation like Li E and Meng Sheng. Although they sat on the ground with their prayer mats, they were still tense. Moreover, because Ju Xia had given up her seat, they were now sitting in the middle of the trees on Kongyun Mountain, so they couldn't relax much either.
At times of noise and commotion, a stringed instrument resonates in the air, causing everyone to quiet down, stop what they are doing, and look straight ahead.
Wan Guan was originally sitting on a stool, but then he picked up his zither, stood up, gave a slight bow, and sat down again. Everyone knew that the main event was about to begin.
The group was surrounded by tall trees. Although Wan Guan was some distance away, sitting in the brightest spot, the music seemed to drift above the listeners on a faint breeze. Ming Jin hadn't carefully appreciated any of the instruments, only noticing that the melody began softly, delicate and melodious, but with a deep and resonant foundation. Therefore, he didn't relax with the music; instead, he became alert, solemnly awaiting the next note.
As one section ended, Wan Guan's plucking speed suddenly increased. Her eyes seemed not to be open, but she was also listening intently to the movement of the strings, and she transferred her immersion in the performance to the immersion of the audience in the music. With the stirring melody, her mind was free of other thoughts, and her body was poised to leap up.
The moment Jiang Wen released Duan Shuxuan's hand, the latter immediately drew a wooden sword used for sword dances, leaped up from the side, and began his most familiar sword dance—the one most often performed alongside Wan Guan's in Juxia City—which instantly drew cheers from the crowd. This was naturally just a spur-of-the-moment thing for him, but Wan Guan didn't care about the commotion. He changed his solo to a melody that could match Duan Shuxuan's dance steps, making the sounds of the crowd blend with the whistling of the sword cutting through the air.
This scene looked somewhat familiar to Mingjin.
“Wonderful, wonderful,” Zhou Wei said, lost in thought. “I need to go to Juxia and bring a pipa home for my maid.”
"You're thinking too soon."
Mingjin originally wanted to say that his daughter was not even as tall as the pipa in Wan Guan's hand yet, and that by the time the time came, it would all be old and worn out.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Wei replied.
“It’s too early there,” Zhou Wei said, his eyes still fixed on the other side. “I need to stay another day before going back; I still want to go shopping. You have to come with me.”
Mingjin smiled.
"That's natural."
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