Mao Junjie did not mean to look down on the female Taoist priest; on the contrary, he respected her greatly. He just did not expect that Lang Yue was a woman.
He quickly bowed and said, "Master Langyue, I was impolite. Please enlighten me."
Lang Yue returned the greeting and said, "Although the thick fog obscured our vision earlier, I smelled a strange odor, like..."
She frowned, momentarily unable to think of a way to describe it.
"Like rotting flesh under incense."
Lang Yue looked at Kui Kui, who had suddenly spoken, in shock, and nodded vigorously, "Yes!"
"I thought it was just my imagination, but I didn't expect that Master Kui could smell it too."
Kui Kui smiled in response and said, "This smell is very likely the real culprit who took Gou Dan away."
Lang Yue frowned and said, "But I can't smell that scent anymore. How can we track it down?"
Although Kui Kui couldn't smell it either, her golden eyes saw a wisp of green smoke drifting up the mountain.
She pointed in that direction, and the group headed up the mountain.
Lang Yue pushed past Mao Junjie and walked beside Kui Kui, whispering, "Master Kui, did you already know I was a woman?"
"Yes, you're so beautiful, and you smell nice with flowers on you, it's not hard to tell."
Mao Junjie, who was following behind Kui Kui, felt that he had been subtly insulted and felt a pang of sadness.
Qingfengzi felt a pang of sadness when he saw his little apprentice's slightly reddened ears.
Although Kui Kui is a woman, she still feels like the cabbage she worked so hard to grow has been stolen.
The two grown men followed the two women in silence, seemingly lost in thought.
Langyue kept in mind that she was practicing silent meditation and suppressed her urge to chat with Kui Kui.
The one-hour mountain road was unusually quiet.
Kui Kui followed the green trail of smoke, leading the group through the mountains.
As the smoke grew thicker, Kuikui's pace quickened.
Finally, the four of them stopped in a grove of trees.
The ground beneath Kui Kui's feet was emitting a rising green mist, just like what he had seen in the village.
"We're here, right below."
Langyue took a deep sniff and nodded to everyone.
Qingfengzi said, "I'll do it."
He made hand seals and muttered incantations.
"We beseech the Five Plague Envoys for assistance!"
Qingfeng Zixing was using the Five Ghosts Transporting Technique, also known as the Five Plagues.
They are Zhang Yuanbo (Spring Plague), Liu Yuanda (Summer Plague), Zhao Gongming (Autumn Plague), Zhong Shigui (Winter Plague), and Shi Wenye (General Manager of the Central Plague).
The five ghosts bowed to Qingfengzi.
Shi Wenye asked, "What brings you here, Daoist Master?"
"I would like to trouble the five messengers to escort the four of us to this underground place."
Shi Wenye looked troubled and said, "This... Daoist, please forgive my bluntness, but there should be a tomb down there, and the miasma is very thick."
"We can send you down, but we're not good at anything else."
Qingfengzi cupped his hands in thanks: "It's enough to see us down there, thank you all for your trouble."
"All right!"
As soon as Shi Wenye finished speaking, everyone felt a blur before their eyes.
The five envoys thoughtfully lit the torches on both sides of the passage and bowed to Qingfengzi and the others.
"Please take care, everyone. We'll take our leave now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the five envoys disappeared.
Qingfengzi took a torch from the wall and said, "Let's go. I'll lead the way."
The passageway was neither too wide nor too narrow, just wide enough for two people to pass through.
Qingfengzi walked alone at the very front.
Kui Kui and Lang Yue stood side by side in the middle, with Mao Junjie bringing up the rear.
The two men, one old and one young, tacitly protected the two girls in the middle.
Kui Kui also took a torch and, in its light, surveyed both sides of the passageway.
As you walk further in, colorful murals gradually appear on the walls of the passageway.
However, it is not well preserved, and much of it has peeled off, but one can still vaguely see scenes of daily life such as horse-drawn carriages and dining halls.
The group soon reached the end of the passageway, the tomb entrance.
It was a beautiful brick tomb door; at first glance, it looked like a wooden door.
The tomb entrance is covered with colorful paintings, featuring auspicious patterns made up of auspicious clouds and flowers.
“It’s a brick carving imitating a wooden structure; this might be a Yuan Dynasty tomb,” Kui Kui said after examining it closely.
Looking at the admiration in Lang Yue's eyes, Qingfengzi scoffed, "You think it's the Yuan Dynasty just because you say so?"
"Would it kill you to speak properly? My nephew is a university student majoring in archaeology at Zhonghai University. If he says it's from the Yuan Dynasty, then it's from the Yuan Dynasty!"
Upon hearing this, Lang Yue's admiration deepened.
Qingfengzi was so angry he almost suffocated.
"Uncle Mao, quickly spit it out! The tomb only says 'life,' otherwise it's bad luck."
Mao Junjie was stunned. Was this really his adorable little junior apprentice?
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