Taking a short break to vent can also be another way.
Yan Huanyue bent down and tore a piece of cloth from the steward's body, then casually wiped the bloodstains off the hairpin.
She used the hairpin that had just pierced someone's brain to tie up her half-fallen hair, and followed Su Xianqing out of Xiangfeng Wenyu Tower.
The onlookers in the building scattered when they saw that a real killing had taken place in the ghost market, fearing that the Yu family might suddenly investigate them.
The once bustling and lively building, filled with wine and women, suddenly became empty.
The men and women who had escaped and decided to temporarily rely on the Yu family were all taken to a side hall to change their clothes and put on masks.
Only Yu Yi, the instructor, and the sounds of the Yu family searching for items on each floor remained in the hall.
Yu Yi stood with his hands behind his back, turning back to watch the figure gradually disappear into the rainy night outside the door, his eyes turning cold.
“She was weak and easy to bully when she was little. I could easily push her down the long steps. But now she’s like an unreasonable butcher. Things that could have been done without getting her hands dirty are turned into a bloodbath by her.”
The instructor said with his hands down, "Her brother's actions were also to make the Yu family a target in the Ghost Market. Since things have come to this, and our goal has been achieved, leave this place to me. You take a few people out of the Ghost Market and wait for me by the river."
The rain was damp and cold, and the knife wound between Yu Yi's brows throbbed with pain. Confined within his mask, it itched unbearably. He secretly blamed Yan Huanyue for her venomous heart, but in front of so many people, he couldn't show his pain too much.
He could only grit his teeth and say casually, "Do you still think of me as a child, sir? It's just a ghost market. We're just helping them keep an eye on things. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. If we stay here for the time being and don't waste our strength, I don't believe they won't solve the ghost market problem. When the ghost market is in chaos, we can take the opportunity to seize a batch of goods."
The instructor said without hesitation, "Absolutely not! If the young lady finds out, you'll be hung outside the ancestral hall and whipped for ten days straight!"
Tan Guiyi came downstairs and placed some not-so-rare medicine boxes, which she had hidden in the room, among the things the Yu family had searched. Upon hearing this, she said:
"Now that we're out here, shouldn't we listen to the young master? I may be ignorant, but although Miss Yu is good at making decisions, since she's entrusted the affairs here to the young master..."
"Besides, this branch of the family, and even the Yu family, may belong to the young master in the future. When that day comes, will the young master be a child without the right to make decisions, and have to listen to his sister in everything he does?"
"Sigh, I was just saying it casually. It originally had nothing to do with me. It's just that as an outsider, I don't quite understand the purpose of your words, sir... To put it bluntly, if you and the young lady were to quarrel in the future, whose side would you take?"
Just as the instructor was about to say something, Yu Yi said, "Sir, I know you mean well, so don't worry about it. I will never compete with my sister for anything. If you don't agree, then I will go out with you."
The instructor was stunned. For the first time in all these years, he felt that the little child had quietly grown into an "adult" who could carefully distinguish between safety and danger.
Tan Guiyi said, "Waiting patiently is not unjust; preserving our strength may be a lifesaver in times of crisis. The pills we found here are all too crude and probably don't belong to the Yu family. I'll go look outside again."
Without waiting for Yu Yi's reaction, he resolutely left the gate and went to find Jiang Xusheng.
Compared to Yu Yi, who rarely shares his possessions, his ambitions lie elsewhere. He prefers to stay peacefully in the Fragrant Breeze and Warm Rain Pavilion, avoiding making too many enemies and giving others a chance.
She also needed to take advantage of the chaos to look around and find out the situation.
In Yu Yi's view, they were all doing their best for Yu Zhao.
Yu Yi couldn't understand what was so important about her twelfth brother, so she looked at the instructor beside her and asked, "Sir, is the twelfth young master really that likable?"
The instructor said, "Why can't you understand it?"
Yu Yi asked, "What?"
The instructor said, "If the first one cared about him, he wouldn't have wandered here with this mission. If the second one cared about him, he wouldn't have shielded him from death. Besides, there are quite a few people in Yunjing City who like you, so why bother about this one?"
Yu Yi said, "The girls in Yunjing City are all annoying, but Yan... she's different. She almost became the wife of the Twelfth Young Master..."
The instructor emphasized, "Ultimately, it's impossible, and you shouldn't even think about doing anything that goes against common sense."
Yu Yi asked in confusion, "What are you thinking? I just think she's the most annoying!"
"Oh..." The instructor paused for a moment, "But why do I feel like you hate her because you tried to sabotage her, and she almost cracked your skull open... Hey you, who was shooting at you from the back door just now?"
"Sir, we have not found the person."
Yu Yi clenched her fists. "They all have ill intentions and are trying to drag me into this mess. The master even insisted on going out to do as he pleased!"
.
People wearing masks walked scattered throughout the streets and alleys.
Yan Huanyue, holding an umbrella, followed Su Xianqing and the others around a street corner. In the distance, in a small alley, a lonely lamplight reflected the raindrops like silver.
Outside a restaurant with a sign that reads "Take a Break," a wine flag, damp with rain, leans lazily in the wind, while warm lights shine through the low doors and windows, creating a particularly cozy atmosphere.
Su Xianqing stopped and turned around, saying, "We've probably arrived at our destination."
Li Ji asked, "What happened?"
Jian You turned to look at him and said, "It's really strange that a restaurant has opened in a place where people need to wear masks to cover their faces, isn't it?"
Li Ji retorted, "If you can't eat while wearing a mask, then how would you respond if I wore a veil?"
Jian You looked at her as if she were an idiot and said, "Oh, in this place without spiritual energy, you can see others through the gauze curtains, and others can see you too. Guess why everyone is wearing masks?"
Li Ji said, "Then I'll open up a mouth on the mask."
Jian You was speechless. "So, you're saying these people have to eat a meal at the Ghost Market?"
Su Xianqing waved his hand and said casually, "Then this meal is on me, but you have to eat by yourself and finish it cleanly and neatly. You should finish this meal within half an hour. After you finish eating, you'll probably have to work hard."
Li Ji rubbed his hands together eagerly, while a hint of anticipation flickered in Jian You's calm eyes.
Yan Huanyue remained silent, gripping the umbrella handle tightly.
The rain dripped and pattered, but her umbrella remained perfectly still.
Four tall, slender people squeezed into the low, narrow shop, making it feel cramped immediately.
At this time of year, the air is filled with the refreshing aroma of Buddha's Hand and green orange.
A man wearing a doll mask leaned against the counter and asked very warmly, "What would you four gentlemen like to order?"
Su Xianqing said, "Whatever comes, comes."
The man clasped his hands together and said, "We have everything you could want."
Su Xianqing asked, "How much is a table?"
The man laughed and said, "From now on, in the ghost market, no one will ask about the price, only what they can offer and whether the seller will accept it."
Su Xianqing patted Li Ji, who was standing to the side, and showed it to the man, saying, "What about this?"
The man shook his head, but his gaze fell on Yan Huanyue. Although he couldn't see her face under the mask, her graceful figure, snow-white neck, and jet-black hair were truly captivating.
His gaze traveled from the water droplets falling from the tip of the umbrella at her feet, around to her toes, then upwards, across the long hem of her dress that covered her legs, her slender waist, finally settling on the immeasurable chest beneath her loose-fitting clothes. He clicked his tongue and said:
"Is this figure very attractive, and also your 'money bag'?"
Su Xianqing looked up and gently patted Yan Huanyue on the back, pushing her to the counter. He said with a smile, "I originally wanted to exchange for something bigger, just a pitiful, helpless person. Since you've taken a liking to her..."
The man was delighted and walked out from behind the counter. With a "thud," Yan Huanyue, who was closest to the counter, could only see a hand with its fingers twisted and bent, falling into the light and shadow at the boundary between the two.
The man looked at the trash as if it were garbage, then turned around and kicked the person under the counter back inside.
Only then did he walk to Yan Huanyue's side, raise his hand, and remove her mask. "Let me take a look before I decide..."
Yan Huanyue timidly allowed him to scrutinize her, then glanced helplessly at Su Xianqing, and softly called out, "Brother..."
Before Su Xianqing could speak, the man interrupted, "Brother-in-law, go ahead. Just this treasure of yours will make me look much more glamorous than the other brothers."
Su Xianqing asked, "Where are we going?"
The man walked to a dark wall and knocked lightly. Someone inside then pushed open a door through the wall.
The clear, fruity aroma is even stronger.
Su Xianqing led Li Ji and Jian You inside, and soon the door was closed.
The man held Yan Huanyue's mask and circled her around, scrutinizing her.
Yan Huanyue heard footsteps getting closer and closer outside the door, and guessed that another guest had arrived.
She held out her hand and said expressionlessly, "Give me back my mask."
The man walked to the door, looked around a few times, and said to his companions who were about to return, "You guys go play a little longer, I have something to do."
Several companions laughed and said, "What? You were complaining about keeping you on duty when we went to the Fragrance Pavilion earlier. What, did you make some good stuff?"
The man said, "I'll play for a while. You guys wait for the guests at the door. If anyone comes, knock on the door to remind me. You're having a good time, so please be considerate of me."
His companion said, "Hey, don't say anymore. The Yu family has taken over the Fragrance Pavilion. We just took off our clothes and ran away in a hurry. We've only gone around to look around, and we haven't seen any other sects or families yet."
The man said, "Then wait a moment, I'll be right away."
A burst of snickers came from outside the door.
The man turned around and leaned closer to Yan Huanyue, gently inhaling the fragrance of her neck. He chuckled and said, "Why do you look so pale? Smile, and your brother will let you taste something good..."
Yan Huanyue smiled.
Suddenly, he threw away the umbrella and grabbed the man's neck. Before the man could draw the long knife from his sleeve, the long hairpin pierced both his eyes, killing him instantly.
Before the blood could spill onto the ground, Yan Huanyue took a string of eyeballs and dragged him quickly to the dark counter, only to find it empty.
Without thinking much, she took the small scissors from the counter to trim the lamp wicks, and stuffed him into the counter, where he remained safely.
She moved him aside again, and suddenly a floor tile flipped over, revealing a huge lizard with its long tongue licking upwards before falling silent again.
Yan Huanyue grabbed the lifeless man, threw him aside, and raised the hairpin with the vivid eyeballs above the empty hole. A long, blue-purple tongue flicked out, licking up the hairpin with a mixture of red and yellow viscous fluid.
She flipped her hand and used her long hairpin to pin the tongue to the ground, and a hysterical scream echoed through the air.
The people listening to the rain outside the door looked at each other and smiled.
The space under the counter doesn't seem very big.
Yan Huanyue didn't let it bark again. She grabbed the small scissors from the counter, bent down, and crawled into a large, foul-smelling mouth full of teeth. She then cut the throat with two snips.
Another tongue severed by scissors.
Yan Huanyue picked up a candle from the counter and shone it inside. A huge lizard had fallen into a secret room that matched its size.
Beneath the sealed chamber lay some rotting limbs, and a woman covered in blood lay unconscious, her fate unknown.
The firelight couldn't clearly illuminate the secret room. Yan Huanyue quickly picked up the umbrella, wiped the hairpin clean, and put it in her bosom.
He knelt down at the entrance of the secret chamber and peered the candlestick into the chamber, trying to see if there was a way down.
Suddenly, she saw the woman lying on the ground open her eyes and stare straight at her, a sinister smile of triumph on her blood-soaked face.
Yan Huanyue reacted instantly, but a long whip wrapped around her neck and dragged her down, slamming her heavily onto the hard stone bricks.
The candlestick in his hand rolled to the side, the light suddenly went out, and the small door to the secret room above his head closed gently.
In the darkness, she gripped the umbrella tightly, enduring the pain, only to find that her legs had suddenly lost all feeling.
But then the woman chuckled demurely, “I am the true gatekeeper, here to deal with people like you, the true disciples of prestigious families hiding among us.”
Yan Huanyue felt a sharp pain in her scalp as she was dragged aside. "You bitch, you killed my little pet and made me lose so much money..."
The stronger the stench that Yan Huanyue inhaled, the weaker she felt, and her legs, from the knees down, became increasingly heavy.
No wonder it's masked by the scents of Buddha's Hand and green orange.
In the darkness, she heard the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air as it hurtled towards her. Instinctively, she grabbed at the air, only to feel a piercing pain in her palm.
The woman uttered a puzzled "Hmm?"
Yan Huanyue gritted her teeth, gripped the blade tightly, and pulled it downwards with all her might. In the darkness, relying on the momentum from her past battles in the Heavenly Stele, she grabbed the umbrella handle and pulled it outwards, stabbing it diagonally backwards towards her head with all her might.
With a "thud," a knife ripped open her abdomen, and a heavy body crashed down on her, causing a sharp pain in her nose and stomach, almost suffocating her.
She then drew a long hairpin from her waist, touched the woman's neck, and silently stabbed her several times.
Aside from those who truly care about you, your cries and screams are nothing more than annoying whispers in the wind, or perhaps, they can be a delightful melody.
Often, crying is useless, except for venting and seeking care.
People need to vent, but venting can also be done in another way.
From the moment she fell in, she didn't make a sound, silently enduring the excruciating pain, silently gripping the blade, and silently stabbing out with that one blow.
Even the blood in the palm of her left hand was flowing silently.
Silent, peaceful, restrained, and soundless.
Thus, killing, too, became unrestrained and ferocious in the darkness and isolation.
The long hairpin in her hand clung to her with a mournful sound, and warm blood seeped through her clothes onto her abdominal skin, gradually spreading and soaking her body in a pool of fresh, hot blood.
After a few blows, she was completely exhausted. It took her a long time to recover before she was able to turn the woman off her body.
They searched her body in the dark, but couldn't find any medicine that could alleviate her weakness.
She rested for a while, wondering if her senior brother Xianqing and the others would be able to discover the mechanism under the counter when they returned to look for her.
Never mind, one must do one's best in everything and not rely solely on others.
This woman can't stay here forever just to guard the gate; there must be an exit.
She dragged her sword and crawled through the secret room, tapping here and there with the hilt of the sword, and sure enough, she found an empty stone wall.
After going back and forth several times, just when she was about to be drained of her spirit by the stench of decay and blood, she finally managed to push open a small crack.
A refreshing scent of fruit and wood wafted in, and the melodious chanting of scriptures pierced through the noisy laughter, striking her mind again and again.
She lay crouching in the crevice, greedily inhaling the fresh air. Her body gradually regained some strength, but she still had no feeling below her knees.
She got up and sat by the crack, looking out. Inside the spacious underground palace hall, the lights were as bright as day.
A man dressed in white sat cross-legged on a high white jade platform in the center of the hall, silently reciting the scriptures of the Compassion Sect.
Beside the white jade platform, a circle of bright candles was placed.
Bright light and radiant glow, drifting smoke and wisps of smoke, made the people of Taichung appear like holy deities.
Several small tables were arranged in concentric circles around the high platform.
The small tables were set with the goods each person was trading, and the underground palace was full of masked people, creating a scene of buying and selling in a real marketplace.
"This is a drum made of human skin; when it is struck, it sounds like someone is crying and screaming."
"What's the use?"
"Musical instruments are just for enjoyment, like many other boring things here; they're just for fun."
"This is boring. What about that one over there?"
"This is the Peach Blossom Face Mask, which contains three enchanting faces. It's quite rare. If you're not satisfied with your appearance, you can simply change into it."
Yan Huanyue cut off a piece of her skirt to bind the wound on her left hand, raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and shifted her gaze to the small table where people sold their faces.
Several thin, translucent faces were pressed into thin glass shards, still revealing their breathtaking beauty in life.
The pain in her left hand was excruciating, and an inopportune thought popped into her mind: she should try to prevent Junior Brother Pei from leaving the sect in the future.
.
In a corner of the underground palace, Pei Xuanzhi, wearing a koi carp mask and carrying an unstrung crossbow, wandered around.
He walked slowly to the white jade platform, put down his bow and crossbow, put his hands together, and asked devoutly, "Since Your Excellency has delivered all the grievances here, why not recite the 'Chapter on the White Bones of Generations'?"
On the white jade platform, the sound of chanting continues.
Pei Xuanzhi coughed and casually picked up a burning candle, tossing it into the white-robed man's arms.
The man slowly opened his eyes, brushed away the candle flame, and looked at the unruly child with the detachment of an enlightened being, and said patiently:
"The White Bone Chapter is a heretical text within my Compassionate School. It advocates saving people through killing. It is a subject that should not be learned, read, or practiced."
Pei Xuanzhi recited the phrase "I am delighted to hear your words, Master" with reverence.
Then, looking up at the man in white, she said with utmost sincerity:
"Isn't it truly the most wicked of all that the Venerable One is here to guide the dead and help traders quell their resentment? Since the Venerable One doesn't know the 'White Bone Chapter,' then this junior will personally teach you."
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:26:51 on May 13, 2024 and 00:37:02 on May 15, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the rocket: 374533 (1 rocket);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: lala 40 bottles; 374533 30 bottles; Manaka 17 bottles; Xu Tuzhi and Xixi 1 bottle each;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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