Chapter 50: Double Dance at the Hongmen Banquet
Cang Ming glanced back with a complicated expression. Tian Xinshu flew over and urgently ordered, "I want to make a deal with you, right now, hurry up!"
Cang Ming said calmly, "I have misunderstood you in the past, causing you repeated injuries. This is irreparable. I will certainly come to you one day to apologize and accept your punishment. This time, we have no other choice but to capture your father. It is urgent. You can certainly intervene; this is human nature, and I will resist with all my might and unwavering determination."
Tian Xin angrily said, "Do you realize you've been provoking me so many times? Since you owe me, just agree to it now! I'll go with you to catch my father!"
As a result, even Wei Ci and You Xiao were confused.
Tian Xinshu said sternly, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and get out of here! Send that little green ghost away too, so it doesn't get in the way!"
Cang Ming hesitated and asked, "Are you sure you want to arrest your father?"
Tian Xinshu pointed at two figures slowly circling in the distance and demanded, "Can't you see how serious this situation is? I have to give Senior Sister an explanation."
Li Xianzhen was in a state of disorientation, unable to stand on her feet, and was supported by her deputy. Tian Xinshu waved from a distance, signaling the deputy to escort her away from Tongduo Mountain.
Li Xianzhen asked the deputy general, "Are you going to look for Yi'er? Where did he go?"
The deputy general said awkwardly: "This... is..."
Li Xianzhen immediately grabbed the deputy general and said, "Take me to find him quickly. He ran away from home at night and hasn't come back for a long time..."
You Xiao started shaking his head again: "Alas, what a sin, what a sin."
The deputy general studied the sun's position, then immersed himself in searching for a way out of the mountain. Li Xianzhen followed, fascinated. The monster-detecting compass returned to the deputy general's hands. He scanned the area warily, trying to discern the mechanisms of the Qimen Dunjia formation. Tian Xinshu frowned at her subordinate, her face filled with distrust.
Wei Ci chuckled and whispered in Cang Ming's ear, "If they pass through every gate, they will probably be able to get out of the mountain."
Tian Xinshu looked at Cang Ming irritably and said firmly, "I'll help you catch him, and you spare his life. As for how to suppress him, it's up to you. I've had enough! I can't always clean up his mess! Do you understand?"
"..." Cang Ming smiled helplessly, "I don't know if you are deceiving me or speaking the truth. If you insist on interfering, I can't disagree. I said, you can stop it, and I can also insist on justice."
"Then do it." Tian Xinshu stared at Cang Ming with his snow-white pupils. "Isn't he greedy for beauty? Didn't my army come here to build a palace? Send them to pretend it's a romantic gathering. That old man will come even if he dies."
Cang Ming was indeed a little tempted. She looked at Wei Ci and You Xiao. Wei Ci was whistling nonchalantly. You Xiao said, "It's a good idea."
Cang Ming made up his mind and said, "Okay."
You Xiao said sincerely, "Then I'll help out a bit. I'll have the old man take us over!" As if in tacit agreement, the sound of grass being pushed aside echoed in the distance. The ghost ship glided out from the mountains, lush with trees, and landed steadily in front of You Xiao.
Cang Ming suddenly said curiously, "Old man, it seems to know the way in the mountains. It can actually move freely in the Tongduo Mountain magic circle."
You Xiao said, "The old man has been traveling the martial arts world for many years. He's even older than my grandfather. It seems he once participated in the Heroes' Meeting of the Four Great Schools."
Cang Ming exclaimed in amazement: "That's amazing."
You Xiao boarded the boat and waved to the deputy general and Li Xianzhen who were still circling in the distance, "Come on board. I'll give you a ride."
Cang Ming thought unkindly that this probably counted as holding two hostages. The ghost ship, carrying everyone, sailed with the wind and soon entered deep into the mountains.
Tian Xinshu stood at the bow, hands behind her back, sighing deeply into the wind, a sense of indescribable melancholy evident in her. Cang Ming said to her, "Without further delay, please deploy soldiers along the route leading out of the mountain."
Tian Xinshu shouted angrily, "Shut up! Don't I know I need to deploy soldiers?"
“…”
The ghost ship passed several high mountains. Cang Ming leaned on the bow railing, looking thoughtfully at the once popular, now deserted, Tongduo Mountain. In the past, disciples of the Tongduo sect practiced music in the mountains. Every five steps there was a bell, and every ten steps there was a drum beat, a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Now this mountain has been snatched away from wild ghosts by a witch, and several tunnels have been dug out of it. It's really sad how time has changed.
Wei Ci slowly approached her from behind, grabbed the railing with both hands, and held Cang Ming in the middle.
Cang Ming applied sound-transmitting lip balm and put on a pair of sound-transmitting earrings. She silently transmitted her voice, "Wei Ci, I asked the ghost creditor of Zhong Wuqi, and he said that the person who stole the mountain from him was a man in white clothes."
Wei Ci snorted half-heartedly, a slightly aggrieved voice entering Cang Ming's mind: "Did the general suspect me at that time?"
Cang Ming transmitted his voice with a guilty conscience, "I was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth back then. Your Highness the Demon King has lived for a thousand years, dominating the three realms and drawing tributes from all directions. I imagine you've seen all sorts of good things, so why would you be so obsessed with Tongduo Mountain?"
Wei Ci was very pleased to hear this: "Go on."
Cang Ming changed the subject: "So, the one who stole the mountain was probably Tian Xinshu."
Wei Ci said sadly, "General, you misunderstood me like this. My heart is broken."
Cang Ming turned around in his encirclement, leaned back against the railing, and looked up into his eyes. In the space between them, they could almost hear each other's heartbeats. Wei Ci's tall figure pressed forward.
A clear voice teasingly asked in Cang Ming's mind, "Will the General compensate me?"
Cang Ming had no other choice but to answer truthfully, "Yes."
Wei Ci laughed and finally stopped teasing her.
At midnight, the sky was filled with clouds, with no stars or moon. A chilly wind blew from the remaining peaks of Tongduo Mountain, completely changing the bright and sunny spring atmosphere to a chill as cold as late autumn.
Beneath the massive rocks and in the dense grass lay Tian Xinshu's men. Countless soldiers and generals, ostentatiously dressed, their faces covered with white paper painted with handsome faces. The yin energy they emanated dispersed the warm earth energy.
In order not to cause trouble for the others, You Xiao volunteered to stay in the boat to guard Li Xianzhen. The ghost ship was parked in a conspicuous place, decorated with countless colorful flags, gauze curtains and candles, and dressed up in a silly way, pretending to be a brothel's pleasure boat.
Behind the army, dense forests covered the sky. Tian Xinshu was stationed in the center, followed by his deputy. Cang Ming and Wei Ci each guarded one side, forming a circle around them, blocking the way out of the mountain.
As the ambush deepened into the night, the sound of weeds rustling and colliding grew imperceptibly louder. A pink and white figure passed through the thicket of leaves. Even by the dim light of the dozens of candles on the boat, Cang Ming could clearly see it was Old Gui Lian, transformed back to his original form, wearing the fan that had killed Hua Yi.
Cang Ming sneered inwardly. Wei Ci also sneered, imitating her tone, and the sound transmission earrings reached Cang Ming's heart.
When Old Guilian reached a hundred paces, the mountain suddenly became bustling with activity. With a rustling sound, countless wispy figures rose like leaves sprouting from branches. Some waved fans, some lifted wine jugs high and poured nectar into their mouths, and some looked up at the nonexistent moon, nodding their heads and reciting poetry.
"Tonight is the Fengyue Conference."
"The Hanlin scholars and the top performers in the opera world gather together to enjoy the springtime."
"Master, it's the night of the demons appraising flowers, don't you want to come and play?"
Thousands of romantic whispers echoed in the night wind.
Old Guilian had already cautiously hidden behind a tree, but when he heard these intertwined sounds, he couldn't help but stick his head out from behind the tree and look straight over here.
In the darkness, the demons pretending to be young masters stretched their arms exaggeratedly, stroked their temples, and adjusted their sleeves. With their painted faces, they looked quite handsome at first glance. However, Cang Ming's five senses were so sharp that he could see that some of the demons had extra legs, and some had horns on their heads that looked like crowns. If the lights were on at this time, it would have been a terrible sight.
Old Guilian's eyes were full of hesitation and doubt, and he said softly: "But I still have to hurry." But he still walked towards the group of young people.
Wei Ci's voice came over: "Tsk, he really never forgets to have fun even when he is dying."
Tian Xinshu looked at his biological father with shame, and his expression was unrecognizable.
The little demons and ghosts waved reservedly, leading Old Guilian into their encirclement. The aroma of cosmetics and liquor assaulted Old Guilian's mind, and the sound of stringed instruments and orchestras seemed to drive him mad, and he soon became ecstatic.
Old Ghost Lotus lunged at a small demon, who quickly dodged. He lunged at another, who also quickly turned away. The shadows were so hazy that it was hard to tell what was actually covering each face.
Old Guilian smacked his lips and said, "Hey, why are you so shy?"
The demons ignored him. The music changed to a grand and expansive tune, and all the handsome men on the mountain began to dance gracefully. Some zombies dragged their limbs and stumbled along the way, making Cang Ming gasp.
Old Guilian said jokingly, "Let me see which young man is drunk?" Then he suddenly swung out a long sleeve and rolled up several zombies.
Without waiting for the sleeves to be retracted, a pot of wine was poured all over his paper head. Old Guilian screamed, let go of the zombies, and wiped them with his sleeves while scolding, "Which little naughty boy is this?"
Cang Ming, holding another jug of wine in his hand, hid behind the weeds and watched coldly. Wei Ci's laughter entered his mind: "General, you're so accurate in pouring the wine."
With a gust of cold wind, the demons and ghosts in the arena began to spin rapidly. At the same moment, Tian Xinshu and Cang Ming flew out and danced in the air, like the top stars among this group of handsome young men.
Tian Xinshu's snow sculpture body was covered with a large red robe, a red silk mask, and his head was decorated with seasonal flowers plucked from the deputy general's head. His true identity was completely unrecognizable, and he looked like a tall and handsome young man.
Cang Ming changed into Wei Ci's clothes, tied his hair up tightly, and wore a rabbit-faced mask, which bewitched Old Gui Lian.
Old Guilian's eyes were already wet from the flowing wine, and the ink was smudged. He wiped them away carelessly. Although he couldn't see the scenery clearly, he still clapped his hands and cheered, "Where did this kid come from? He's got a great figure!"
Tian Xinshu and Cang Ming acted completely oblivious, their dance becoming even more spectacular. Tian Xinshu, unarmed, followed the palm technique Li Xianzhen had taught her. Cang Ming, sword in hand, danced with unrestrained grace.
In an instant, the clouds parted and the moon appeared, filling the mountain with light. Cang Ming soared high into the air, kicked the purple-gold crown upside down, and swung his long sword diagonally downwards.
According to the prior agreement, this was the secret signal for the two to attack together.
But Tianxin Shu suddenly disappeared.
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