Twenty-six: The Cause of Famous Mountains, Part Two
The weather is always unpredictable during this time of year, but the rain has probably stopped today. So Mingjin wrapped up Hong Junyu's gifts, said goodbye to Su Huan, Wei Jing, Meng Sheng, Shen Bai, and Ji'er, and then set off back to Kongyun Mountain.
Although Hong Junyu said that his news should not be publicized for three years, Ming Jin already knew about it. So, after obtaining Su Huan's consent, she decided to tell Pei Xuanzhen about it. The elders on Kongyun Mountain had all had some dealings with Hong Junyu. Although Hong Junyu did not disturb them before his death, they could mourn his passing in their hearts.
"If that's the case, then it wouldn't be going against Master's dying wish," Su Huan agreed.
On Mount Kongyun, at the entrance to the sect leader's residence, the stone beast guarding the gate shook the bell hanging around its neck when it saw Ming Jin arrive.
"Aren't Shihe and Senior Brother Tianyi here either?"
The bell rang again.
Ming Jin suddenly felt something was off. But he didn't think much of it, assuming that something urgent had happened on the mountain while he was away for the past two days. Then Ming Jin thought of Mu Ning, since it was the two of them who had met Hong Junyu together in the beginning.
She turned and went to the altar, but Mu Ning wasn't there either. Suddenly, she realized that Mu Ning probably hadn't returned from the old man's place yet, so she decided to wait until she met him before telling him.
She remembered that Ji Zhen had said that all the members of the Medicine Sect of Kongyun Mountain had been invited by Hong Junyu to attend lectures in the capital, and that she should be told about Hong Junyu's death. So she changed her route and came to the Medicine Sect.
Descending from Lingtai, a shorter path passes through Huang Jing's fields and leads to the side gate of the Medicine Sect. Ming Jin planned to stop by to check on Huang Jing and Zhou Wei, but unexpectedly, neither of them was there, and both were absent at the same time. However, Yantai and Bigan were still guarding the field, and upon seeing Ming Jin, they even took a quick look around. This meant they had likely left on urgent business.
It wasn't very hot on Kongyun Mountain today, and the sky was a clear blue. However, standing between heaven and earth, Mingjin suddenly felt a tremor.
She walked in, supporting herself against the door, passing by Mei Chong's room first. Mei Chong was still asleep; Ming Jin accidentally made a noise when she entered, but Mei Chong didn't react at all. Was this a good thing? Let's take it as a good thing, as if she was enjoying a sweet sleep.
Carefully closing the door, Mingjin continued walking forward.
Footsteps stopped in front of her.
"Tall and slender".
Zhou Wei was walking back with his back to Ming Jin, but the footsteps Ming Jin had just heard were not from this direction.
"I forgot something and want to go get it."
Zhou Wei dawdled and finally managed to turn around, but he didn't turn his face towards the camera.
Ming Jin found it strange that Zhou Wei kept his arms folded behind his back, as if he were hiding something important. But Zhou Wei could only clench his hands, leaving his sleeves hanging in mid-air, allowing Ming Jin to see the mottled red marks on them.
"Who's in trouble?"
"Listen to me first."
Because Zhou Wei hadn't moved, Ming Jin decided to go ahead and check on him. As he got closer, Zhou Wei wiped away his tears and grabbed Ming Jin's arm.
There's not much to say. Looking at those hands stained with blood, the sleeves stained with blood, and the still-reddened eyes from crying, Ming Jin felt that no one, no matter who it was, would be much better off than Zhou Wei.
"listen to me……"
Before Zhou Wei could finish speaking, Ming Jin dodged his grasping hands, crossed the alley, stepped over a threshold, and arrived at the adjacent side hall. Huang Jing didn't notice who had come, but was tidying up a few blood-stained clothes. Several basins of water were on the ground, their clear water stained with varying shades of red.
There was a slightly higher bed against the wall, enough for a person to turn over, but it wasn't very comfortable. Usually, when people were tired, they would lie on it, but they would also say that they should get a better one. Now, however, there was a person lying on it, quiet and motionless. Even though the footsteps of Ming Jin and Zhou Wei running back and forth were quite noticeable, that person did not react in the slightest.
"Dawn."
Huang Jing turned her head. She didn't know how to start the conversation, nor did she want to, but she wasn't sure if Ming Jin, standing at the door, could see the truth of the matter.
Zhou Wei stood behind her, not daring to speak.
Mingjin didn't need anyone to say anything; she knew just by looking at the curve of his brow bone and nose from afar.
Her heart and lungs trembled, causing her entire upper body to tremble. The further she walked, the clearer her vision became.
"how so."
The last time we met, he was completely normal. Now, with this bloodless, deathly pale face, who is he?
Those tightly closed eyes are truly unfamiliar.
A hand moved from the cold face to the neck.
Huang Jing stood to the side, ready to stop them.
From the neck down, my heart suddenly felt empty.
Mingjin felt as if two hearts were beating in her chest, or perhaps none at all. What exactly happened in that moment? There was no sound in her ears, only a violent, piercing ringing. She clearly hadn't fallen; she was still standing, her vision blurred by a violent tremor. Tears had never been so slow to flow; her eyes were dry because she hadn't dared to blink.
Her hands could only touch her clothes?
Huang Jing hugged her from behind, but he couldn't move her, and Ming Jin couldn't hear anything he was saying.
There were no men at his disposal.
Empty. Empty. Empty.
How deep can it fall?
Her hand was held tightly.
Don't do that.
Pei Xuanzhen gripped her hands quite tightly; her hands were already white with sweat, but Mingjin didn't feel anything. She only glanced at Pei Xuanzhen before her strength gave way, and she knelt down by the bed. Fortunately, Pei Xuanzhen held on tightly enough to prevent her knees from hitting the ground. Tears fell to the ground before she could even shed them.
Mingjin couldn't quite describe the size of the wound. She only knew that when she clutched Pang Ming's chest, a large section of her arm was suspended in the air, and a cold wind blew into her heart from there. She rested her head on Pang Ming's shoulder, her forehead touching his face. She was burning with anxiety all over, but only her forehead felt an eternal chill, both familiar and strange.
She could gradually hear the sounds around her. Huang Jing was behind her, suppressing his sobs. Ming Jin didn't cry out. She kept her eyes fixed on Pang Ming's chest, letting her tears silently soak his shoulder. Her nose was stuffy, making it hard to breathe. But if she opened her mouth now, she would probably cry out, or rather, scream.
Zhou Wei helped Mingjin up, and Huang Jing took a handkerchief and wiped away the tears and snot from Mingjin's face. That instant, a sharp pain shot through Mingjin's nose, and the tears that had been flowing uncontrollably finally stopped. A sob escaped her lips, and Huang Jing's hand became damp with sweat from the handkerchief.
The three of them huddled together on the ground, too weak to cry out loud. They simply leaned on each other and let their tears flow freely.
In the main hall, Ji Zhen sat in front of the medicine cabinet, covering his eyes with his hands.
Gao Dai walked in, and seeing Ji Zhen like this, he didn't disturb him, but walked towards Pei Xuanzhen.
"How is it?" Pei Xuanzhen asked.
"Elder Mu, along with Senior Brother Fu and Senior Brother Shen, have already taken the evil spirit into custody. Elder Yan also went to check on it and is now planning the guard positions. However, the evil spirit is not in good condition and probably won't last long."
"Things will be busy on the mountain during this time, so you and Weishi should take good care of the academy."
"Disciple understands."
"Let's go back first."
"Sect Leader..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Xuanzhen suddenly fell into deep thought. He only realized that he hadn't left when Gao Dai spoke up, so he came back to his senses and said, "Let's go take a look at the back."
"yes."
Ji Zhen regained his composure slightly and poured himself a cup of tea.
"What are your plans?" she asked.
“This situation is much more complicated,” Pei Xuanzhen said, sitting down on a chair nearby. “I wonder if Wupeng can use metal magic to get any information out of him. Now that it has been confirmed that the haunted house belongs to Fengwu and Gongsha, it must be an important place. And we can’t ignore how Yuanbei discovered this place.”
“Wait a moment,” Ji Zhen said, taking a sip of tea, “until dawn tomorrow.”
Both of them fell silent.
It got dark.
Looking at the two colors on the horizon, Chen Du thought about how he had to take Pang Ming down the mountain to his home that night. He then told Gao Dai, who had come to replace him, that he would say goodbye to Mu Ning and go back to the mountain first, and then come back after he finished helping out.
Mu Ning sat on a large rock, lost in thought, and simply responded with a sound.
"Elder Mu," Fu Nai walked over, "you've been on the go these past few days, and then this happened this morning. You should go back and rest first. We'll start dealing with this matter properly tomorrow, and I imagine Master would also like you to go back and thank him."
Mu Ning had just tried to peek into the ghost's memories, but there was no significant progress. It seemed that without regular practice, there was no way to proceed. In addition, he seemed genuinely tired; even after sitting here for a while, he still couldn't muster the energy.
"I'll go back first. Although this place isn't far from the mountains, we still need to be wary of evil spirits coming in the middle of the night like last time."
"Rest assured," Fu Nai said calmly, "this disciple believes that no evil spirits will come this time."
Mu Ning glanced at him again, then left.
"How about it?"
“I went back and went through the files,” the two of them moved closer and sat down on a rock next to where Mu Ning had just sat. “I’m sure it was all done a few days ago. Isn’t that a bit much? After all, we kept it from the sect leader. What will you do if the sect leader finds out?”
“This matter has long been under my jurisdiction, and Master has never asked about it. Moreover, he has already made preparations,” Fu Nai said. “If something goes wrong, and he asks you, you can just say that you don’t know anything.”
“I can’t act as well as you,” Gao Dai said, pursing his lips. “Nobody saw me. The sect leader is still at the Medicine Sect. He wasn’t back when I left your place, so he probably wouldn’t suddenly decide to go to the dungeon.”
"I hope so. Where are they?"
“In the back,” the two of them stood up together, “they’re still alive, but they’re not in good condition. I gave them some food.”
"You need to eat your fill before you set off."
When Chen Du returned, it was already dark. He only saw Fu Nai and Gao Dai huddled around a magical lampstand, neither speaking, quietly hidden in the night. The lamp opposite them still emitted a faint glow, so he could vaguely see Wu Rang curled up on the ground.
As he walked over, he made some noises, which Wu Rang noticed. He craned his neck to see what was going on.
"You look more energetic now."
Chen Du took out the food and shared it with the two of them.
"How is it?" Fu Nai asked.
“Yuanbei’s parents took him back. There was a coffin ready in the shop, and they carried it to his courtyard. His parents cried until they were exhausted. His sister came back to take charge of things,” Chen Du said, taking out his water gourd but not drinking any water. “Senior Sister Yuanxi and Master Rong are at Elder Lu’s old house with Tianguang. Elder Ji hasn’t said a word; he’s just sitting there. The sect leader went to the Lingtai to find Elder Mu and has been there ever since.”
The three sat side by side in silence. The air was filled with the dense chirping of cicadas, which grew clearer as the night deepened and all was quiet.
"I'll stay here, Tianzuo, you go back first."
"Finish eating first," Fu Nai said.
"I'm fine," Gao Dai said quickly, not even bothering to eat. "It's too dangerous for just the two of you to stay here. I have to stay."
"Elder Yan will be here soon, and so will Master," Shen Du said, patting him on the shoulder when he saw how excited he was. "Shihe, you've been here for half a day already. Why don't you go back and come back tomorrow?"
“No,” Fu Nai refused. “We can’t leave just one person behind, especially since Master asked me to come and keep an eye on things. Besides, if Elder Du and Elder Yan come, there will be no one left in town. Tianzuo should go back and keep an eye on things with Weishi.”
“That makes sense,” Shen Du agreed with Fu Nai’s words, so he turned to Gao Dai and advised, “Now is not the time to be willful. Isn’t this the arrangement that the sect leader told you? After you finish eating, rest for a while and then go back. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Seeing that they both said so, Gao Dai had no choice but to sit back down and continue eating his cake while drinking tea from his gourd.
"What will happen next?" he mumbled.
"Master Chen found the blueprints that Yuan Bei had compiled at home. She had heard Yuan Bei mention this before and planned to bring them back quickly to continue her research, lest those evil spirits escape. Therefore, the sect leader is considering that if Master Chen's findings are sufficient, we should probably go to Juxia and Huicheng to find people to help," Shen Du said.
"That's no small matter," Fu Nai calculated in his mind, "Can we find that place called Yishan?"
"Master Chen thinks it's acceptable and has already called Senior Sister Yu back. I think the Sect Leader and Elder Mu were probably discussing the same thing."
To avoid attracting further attention, the cultivators kept their voices low, so the three of them spoke softly. All three were facing Wu Rang, especially Chen Du, who was sitting directly opposite him and could see every slight change in the evil spirit.
After Mu Ning and Ji Zhen brought Pang Ming back, he and Fu Nai were immediately arranged by Pei Xuanzhen to help Mu Ning. This was the most suitable location nearby, situated by the water. In the past, the cultivators of Kongyun Mountain would perform small-scale waterside rituals in this area to seek good fortune and purify bad luck. Therefore, using this place as a shop could also prevent evil spirits from approaching silently.
"Has this evil spirit become more alert?"
Chen Du suddenly realized.
“That’s not bad,” Fu Nai replied calmly. “What we’re worried about now isn’t that he can defy the heavens, but that he died too young and left no trace.”
"That's true." Shen Du was convinced.
"Master and Elder Yan have arrived." Gao Dai looked around and quickly spotted the two of them.
It's nighttime now.
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