Chapter 34: Fragrant Mist Bewitching Everything
The silver hair crown was pressed under the pillow and wrapped in a pillowcase. Cang Ming bent down and glanced under the bed. Deep in the darkness, the jar was intact. It was already dark outside the window. She felt relieved, changed her outer robe, and slumped down on the bed.
All he could hear was a clang on the stairs outside, followed by a heavy knock on the door, making a dull thud. Cang Ming was startled, wondering, could it be that as soon as he took off his hair crown, Wei Ci had sensed something and was coming to persuade him to surrender?
When he opened the door, he saw a large wooden tub filled with hot water that had bounded up the stairs on its own. It was now standing outside the door, heaving slightly, as if it was eager to try something new. Cang Ming poked his head out to look around, realizing that it was the tub Wu Lu had sent from the kitchen, and he felt a surge of gratitude.
"Please come in." Cang Ming stepped aside to let the wooden barrel in, then closed and locked the door. He removed his inner garments and dove into the steaming hot water. His long hair, draped over his shoulders like silk, hung in the water, like the shadows of trees reaching out to the lake at night.
In the flickering candlelight and the lingering heat, Cang Ming casually picked up a book and took a closer look. It was the "Top 100" again. She placed one hand on the edge of the wooden barrel and held up the manuscript, which was about to turn to powder, with the other hand, frowning as she began to read.
Tian Xinshu, a sinister female demon resembling a snow or white stone sculpture, has emerged in recent years and established a stronghold. Her power should not be underestimated, capable of commanding a skeleton formation and towering snow trees, and she trains numerous demonic warriors.
"Skeleton formation, snow tree." Cang Ming splashed water into her eyes and looked at the page again, still in disbelief. The last time she had hastily flipped through the book, she was certain that Tian Xinshu's name had never appeared in it.
Now she had gone to the Snow Tree Forest, and when she came back, even the words in the book had changed, as if the book was her historian, recording every scene of her battle with Tian Xinshu...
Cang Ming continued flipping through the tattered book, then stopped at a certain page. Her eyes seemed glued to the torn paper, unable to move an inch away.
Old Guilian, nicknamed "Ghost," is actually a demon. He is cunning and treacherous, fond of opera, and obsessed with beautiful women. He wears theatrical costumes, wields water sleeves, often kidnaps civilians, and can control giant lotus flowers. He has risen to prominence in recent years and is believed to be the father of Tian Xinshu.
This part had never been mentioned before. Or rather, few people in the martial arts world knew about the blood relationship between Old Guilian and Tian Xinshu. Even Wu Lu, who had been running the inn for many years, had never discovered this.
Cang Ming changed his clothes hastily, tied his ponytail with the scraps of his navy robe, and hurried downstairs, shouting, "Wulu!"
Wu Lu leaned half of his body out of the kitchen: "What are you doing?"
"Where did this booklet come from?" Cang Ming held up the Top 100 Chart. "Did you copy it yourself, or did someone else copy it? Who was the person who gave it to you?"
"What are you talking about? Can you ask them one by one?" Wu Lu held his crutch in one hand and waved the soup spoon in the other. "How could I remember which little demon gave it to me? Anyway, I didn't copy it. You can tell by the handwriting." After saying that, he retreated into the kitchen and continued to cook the soup while shouting loudly.
The chimney carried his voice far away, a runic summons heard only by demons. Soon, demons throughout the city would know of the freshly brewed herbal remedy here, a single bowl capable of maintaining a human form for hours. It was a secret Taoist recipe, priced fairly, and offered without deception.
Cang Ming turned to Xun Yan and asked, "During the time I was away, has any stranger entered my room?"
Xun Yan still smiled sincerely and said, "Of course not. The shopkeeper has always told us not to enter or leave the guest rooms at will."
Wei Qiang had a towel draped over his shoulder. He would sometimes stride to see the guests off to the door, and sometimes shuttle between the wooden tables. At this moment, he came running over and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" Xi Sheng had not gone to bed yet. He was wiping his old erhu with a piece of cloth. The broken strings of the erhu had already been repaired.
Cang Ming showed the booklet in his hand and said in a low voice, "There's something strange about this book. It's been kept in my room, but the words on it... have moved?"
Wu Lu leaned out half of his body again: "What do you mean by moved?"
Cang Ming pondered and said, "A few lines of text appeared out of nowhere. They are the latest story about Old Guilian and Tian Xinshu."
Xisheng opened his eyes and glanced around the lobby, his cold gaze passing over several little demons who came to drink late at night.
Cang Ming asked: "Wuli, where is your soundproof screen?"
Wu Lu handed the soup on the stove to Mi Xia, walked out with a crutch and said, "There are many evil spirits here, let's talk in my room."
Cang Ming led the way, Wu Lu brought up the rear, and the four of them lined up in a single column, climbing the stairs. The corridor on the second floor was quite deep and winding, turning a corner at the end.
Cang Ming pushed open the first door on the west side after turning the corner, and suddenly felt a vast expanse of space. The room was clean and quiet, shimmering with a cold, metallic light. There was only a bed and a table, and almost nothing on them, including bedding. In the corner stood a five-layer stone cabinet, filled with a variety of musical instruments and writing paper and pens.
Xisheng said, "This one is mine."
Cang Ming said, "Sorry." Then he closed the door and continued to walk deeper into the corridor. Finally, he saw a wooden sign on the sixth door on the east side, which read: Xiaoyao Xianlang.
On either side were a pair of couplets. The top line read: "A place of great talent and beauty, a land of commerce." The bottom line read: "A century of heroes and heroes has produced this immortal." Wei Qiang studied it carefully, nodding slowly with a look of admiration. Xi Sheng hummed and said, "I'll give you another horizontal scroll: 'Thunderbolt Abacus, isn't that wonderful?'"
Cang Mingze asked, "I haven't seen you doing your calculations for a while. How come the inn isn't losing money anymore?"
Wu Lu was so angry that he said, "Go in."
The four of them filed in. Wu Lu closed the door, turned around, folded his arms like a winner, and enjoyed the surprised looks of the other three with satisfaction.
The room was thick with curtains, veils fluttering in the wind. Dozens of vermilion candles burned in gilded candlesticks, and a stove in the corner crackled. Between the shadows of the veil and the light of the fire, every piece of furnishing shimmered with jewels and shimmered in a dazzling array of colors: jade tables, thrones, flower tables, chests of drawers, bookcases... the room was packed to the brim. Cang Ming was lost in thought for a moment before he realized that every object, large and small, was inlaid with precious gems, reflecting a crisscross of bright colors.
Wei Qiang asked blankly, "Where is the bed?"
Wu Lu chuckled and used his cane to fold up the soundproof screen beside him. A step-out bed suddenly appeared, followed by another, a room so deep and magnificent it could be described as leading to a secret realm. The aroma of flowers and wine emanated from the incense burner, making one feel dizzy and dazed. Although they didn't know where they were going, they were captivated by the journey.
Seeing the three people's dull and obsessed expressions, Wu Lu waved his hand in front of them and said, "Oh, aren't we talking about business?"
Xisheng and Wei Qiang turned to Cangming and said woodenly, "Aren't we talking about serious matters?"
"Are you talking about the top 100?" Cang Ming said absentmindedly, "Or, how about putting out the incense first?"
Wu Lu pouted, picked up a heavy copper plate like a pot lid, and laid it heavily on the incense burner. The incense went out, and everything in the room turned to stone.
The stone tables, chairs, high tables, chests of drawers, bookcases...all bare objects were covered with a dusty mist. The dim candlelight disappeared in the dim stone color, making the room look like a shipwreck on the seabed.
Only the spell-enchanted soundproof screen still stood there, looking out of place in the dilapidated inn.
Wei Qiang was the first to cry out, "Oh my! What's going on? Where are the jewels?" He reached out and felt for a nearby stone cabinet, then slapped his thigh. "Could it be that in the blink of an eye, a thief got in and stole all the gems? What kind of thief is so bold as to steal from an immortal's room?"
Cang Ming smiled and said, "All of this is just an illusion."
Xisheng said, "The fragrant mist dissipated, the illusion ended, and the blue stone appeared. It's just a little trick concocted by some demons. Where did you get it from?"
Wu Lu said, "Where else could it be? Of course, some little demons drank the soup and had no money to pay, so they used this colorful fragrance to pay for it."
Wei Qiang said with a touch of melancholy, "It's so nice to be an immortal. I can enjoy such rare and precious things. It's a pity that they are fake, made of stone..."
Wu Lu grinned and tapped the stone floor with his crutch, saying, "Brother Wei, you'll understand later. In this life, everything in the world is fake. Nothing is not an illusion."
Cang Ming had been trying to get them to talk business, but upon hearing this he couldn't help but think of Wei Qiang's mortal body, which would eventually age and die. He couldn't help but feel sad, and said sincerely, "Brother Wei, you have already achieved considerable cultivation. If you can refine the golden elixir, you will be able to achieve an indestructible body, prolong your life, maintain a youthful complexion, and live beyond a hundred years without aging."
Wei Qiang said, "Ghost Buster, don't worry. Who among those who practice cultivation doesn't aim to become an immortal? I know this."
Cang Ming opened the scroll in his hand, and dust and paper scraps fell. "Well, let's take a look at this strange thing. Maybe if you catch more monsters, you can become an immortal."
Wei Qiang leaned over to take a look. "Oh, it's about Tian Xinshu and Old Ghost Lotus. A folk legend?"
Xisheng stood at the other end of the room, her eyes suddenly open, her eyes blazing. She stared at the small print on the booklet from a distance and said, "This is all about recent events."
Cang Ming said: "That's right! When these things happened, we were the only ones present, and no one else saw them."
Xisheng said, "The ink is enchanted, and the writing can change according to the wishes of the enchanter."
Wu Lu stroked his chin, wondering, "Who on earth made this booklet? The little demon who used it to pay off his debt is naturally ordinary. I don't even have an impression of him..."
Xisheng laughed coldly: "The real owner of this booklet is, of course, the person who was present every time something happened."
Wu Lu and Wei Qiang looked at each other in bewilderment. Wei Qiang raised his hands and said, "It can't be me. I don't have such ability, and I'm not always there."
Xisheng said to Cangming, "That old peddler of yours is clearly someone with a lot of background. You don't really believe he's just a peddler reselling goods to antique shops?"
Wu Lu said: "Brother Huo? He might not be a mortal, who knows. But he seems to be quite nice to Sister Cang, and it doesn't seem like..."
"I think I understand," Cang Ming said quietly, looking up. "So this is Shapeshifting Ink. I get it." She turned, opened the door, and paced down the dim corridor, crossing her arms in annoyance. It didn't seem like a coincidence that the booklet written by Wei Ci had fallen into her hands. Could it be that this booklet also contained a mechanism to monitor her?
Thinking about how she had just opened this book while taking a bath, her eyes suddenly went dark.
"What's going on? It's so cold!" Wu Lu complained loudly as he walked out. "Ask Xun Yan and Mi Xia if the doors and windows are closed."
A thin layer of frost covered the corridor walls. Cang Ming's heart suddenly tightened, and he blurted out, "Be careful!"
An unexpectedly small, pale white snow sculpture appeared from the corner and walked towards them step by step.
Tick, tick.
On her feet, she was wearing blood-red embroidered shoes.
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