Chapter 18 Jiuyi City (Part Two) I want to make a gold ingot hair tie...
Song Qingshu was undoubtedly an extremely responsible and strict teacher. From then on, she was like a chicken on steroids. Soon, two dark circles appeared under Shi Xianxue's eyes. Perhaps it was because she had cultivated for a period of time, but in just a few days, she was able to use some low-level talismans.
It is very likely that because she was still in the early stage of Qi Refining, she was able to turn misfortune into blessing and be free from the harassment of Mount No Return, just like the residents here.
Shi Xianxue looked around and quickly disappeared into the crowd. When the crowd found her, they discovered that she was staring blankly in one direction and followed her gaze.
A demonic tree with a canopy five or six zhang tall sat at the border between the forest and the town. From a distance, it didn't look like a tree at all, but rather like a tightly closed gate. The tree was at least a hundred years old, and its trunk was so thick that three people could hug it. It was bare, without flowers or leaves, but its trunk was covered with green veins, like human blood vessels. If you stared at it intently, the tree seemed to breathe like a person.
The ground beneath the tree was piled high with stark white bones, and black birds perched on the bare treetops, their scarlet eyes fixed on passersby.
As Shi Xianxue approached, several demonic birds emitted aggressive cries and excitedly lunged at her.
Fortunately, Li Fuchao was right beside her. The Xuanhe Sword cleaved the black bird in two, and the two halves fell to the ground and turned into two wisps of black smoke. Shi Xianxue was still shaken and stepped back. Li Fuchao was relieved to see that she was not injured. He said with a serious expression, "We are too close to Mount Bugui. The power of the demons is strong. Everyone must be careful."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The group rested at an inn.
The inn was quiet, but when the waiter saw the guests arrive, he immediately perked up and rushed forward to lead them upstairs.
Shi Xianxue walked at the back, observing the inn's environment. This was the only inn in Jiuyi City. The wooden planks were old and made a creaking sound when people stepped on them. The light was dim and couldn't penetrate the sunlight. Everywhere exuded a rotten and old smell. Opening the window of the guest room, one could even see the forest in the distance shrouded in mysterious fog.
The waiter bowed and scraped as he left, with Shi Xianxue following at the very back of the crowd. When her face was fully revealed to the waiter, he paused, sniffing the air.
As if he had caught the scent of something he had long coveted, he smiled at Shi Xianxue.
Out of politeness, Shi Xianxue returned the smile and thoughtfully gave her a few copper coins as a tip.
Shi Xianxue felt that the waiter must have never seen such a generous customer before, because his expression suddenly became very excited, and after his hands trembled as he took the money, he rushed downstairs like the wind.
While still lamenting her overwhelming personal charm and the need to tone it down to avoid causing trouble for others, Shi Xianxue turned her head and bumped into a pair of meaningful black eyes.
Her room was right next to Wu Xiutang's, on the side of the corridor by the window. Everyone else had gone into their rooms to rest, and the corridor instantly became quiet. Just as Shi Xianxue was trying to remain calm and was about to walk past him to her room, someone suddenly reached out and tugged at her braid.
Shi Xianxue covered her braid and howled like a wolf: "Quack! Stop pulling, it hurts."
Wu Xiutang can be really childish sometimes, like that annoying boy who likes to pull the braids of female classmates when he was in school. Only he's worse. Shi Xianxue seriously suspects that he doesn't just want to pull her braids, but wants to rip her head off and use it as a ball.
Wu Xiutang withdrew his hand in disgust. "What are you binding?"
"You mean this? This is a hair tie." Shi Xianxue explained to him while pulling on the green ribbon that looked like tassels, and then lifted the hem of her skirt and twirled around gracefully. "Don't you think it matches the outfit you gave me perfectly? When I have money in the future, I'll make a gold ingot hair tie to tie on it. A braid of gold shining brightly, how gorgeous!"
"Utterly vulgar."
After saying that, Wu Xiutang turned and went back to his room.
Shi Xianxue didn't expect him to say anything nice. How vulgar! Doesn't this inn cost money? Doesn't eating cost money? Who doesn't love money in this world? Hypocritical!
That night, Shi Xianxue was fast asleep when there was a knock on her door.
She used her head to push herself up and then used all four limbs to wriggle and open the door.
The door opened.
There was no one outside the door. She was so sleepy that she could hardly stand, and her eyelids were sore and heavy. Without looking carefully, she closed the door and lay back on the couch.
Before long, Shi Xianxue fell back into a light sleep and began to snore softly. Just as the world returned to silence, a rapid knocking on the door suddenly rang in her ears.
Shi Xianxue jumped up with a jolt, thinking it was an earthquake and was about to jump out of the window. After running a few steps, she realized that the ground did not tremble and the mirror and dressing table on the table were all neatly arranged.
"Knock knock knock~"
The knocking sounded again.
She clutched her rapidly beating heart and angrily flung open the door: "Who is it? Why are you out so late at night—"
As Shi Xianxue opened the door, Wu Xiutang glanced over, clearly having heard her words. He slowly straightened up, raising his eyebrows slightly: "What is it?"
What's wrong with you? Are you sick? Standing at her door like a doorman at night instead of sleeping? You're crazy.
Shi Xianxue smiled: "Is there something you need?"
Wu Xiutang was too lazy to argue with her. He glanced around the room, then slowly looked away before suddenly launching an attack for no apparent reason: "You just open the door to anyone who knocks in the middle of the night? Is this all the wariness you have when we're out and about?"
? ? ?
Look at this, is this even human language? You presumptuous fellow.
Shi Xianxue gritted her teeth: "Yes, yes, you're right. If you have nothing else, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."
"Shi Xianxue." The voice echoed from behind, like a persistent ghost.
Shi Xianxue was so sleepy she was going crazy. "What is this?"
Wu Xiutang stared at her tuft of hair sticking up because of her bad sleeping posture for a few seconds, then glanced at her face, which was red from suppressing her anger: "Don't eat random things, close the doors and windows when you sleep, and don't open the door to strangers."
In the middle of the night, Shi Xianxue actually laughed.
This is truly eye-opening; it's like a small knife pulling out a butt.
Who knocked on her door first, and then knocked twice... If he hadn't disturbed her sleep time and time again, she would have been sleepwalking by now. Instead, he had the nerve to lecture her with a stern face, shamelessly telling her not to open the door to strangers.
You're a terrible guy, really terrible.
At this hour when even the dogs are asleep, I can't sleep myself and I won't let her sleep either. I kindly opened the door for her but got a scolding instead.
Shi Xianxue took two deep breaths and slammed the door shut to express her anger.
Outside the door, at the corner at the end of the corridor, broken porcelain shards mixed with tea leaves and stems were splattered all over the ground. Black insects, dehydrated, transformed and struggled for a very short time before forming a black puddle of water that melted into the ground, leaving no trace.
The waiter, with black eyes, was lying on the ground with his limbs bound and his mouth gagged. As the door closed, the boy appeared in front of him with a leisurely gait.
His eyes were lowered, his face completely hidden in the night, so the waiter couldn't see his expression. He only felt that the waiter had stopped here leisurely and was staring at him silently, as if he was thinking about how to eliminate him quietly and without leaving a trace.
The waiter trembled with fear, looking at him with pleading eyes despite his injured face.
Don't kill him. He knows he was wrong and he'll never do it again. Everyone in Jiuyi City is skilled in Gu poison. He only thought the girl was beautiful and had the bloodline of Wushan. He had a moment of evil intentions and did what everyone would do. He's not a demon and has never cultivated. If he had known that the girl belonged to this person, he would never have had such a thought.
The young man, expressionless, thoroughly enjoyed the waiter's appalling appearance, then calmly stepped on the waiter's abdomen, grinding it down hard before walking past as if it were flat ground.
As if struck by a heavy hammer, an unbearable pain clearly came from his lower body. The waiter's temples bulged with veins, his face turned ashen, and he let out a painful groan.
No sooner had he uttered a sound than the boy turned and glared at him with a sharp look, as if he would slit his own throat if he dared to make another sound.
The waiter felt a chill run down his spine from that glance. He immediately bit his lower lip, afraid to make a sound. After watching the boy leave with a horrified look, he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath in pain.
Inside Li Fuchao's room, everyone was gathered together. Shi Xianxue sat on the far side, listening listlessly to their discussion on how to cross the Misty Forest.
After more than half an hour had passed, Shi Xianxue finally began to understand something.
It turns out that to enter Mount No Return, one must pass through the Misty Forest at its foot. This forest contains miasma accumulated over thousands of years, extremely deadly to cultivators. There are two ways to enter: one is to attack directly from the southeast of the strange tree, where a thick barrier exists. Even if you have the ability to break through the barrier, you'll still have to resist the millennia-old miasma and countless demonic creatures within the forest. The second, safer method—
It's that strange tree.
It is called the Lantern Tree. During the day, it is bare and does not grow branches, leaves, or flowers. But at night, it produces pink fruits that are as bright as lit lanterns. A strange-tempered Lantern Woman lives in the Lantern Tree. She has the antidote. To obtain the antidote, one must pick the Nine-Yi Fragrance from the steep valley slope. Behind the Lantern Tree is the passage into the Misty Forest.
Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, the male protagonist stood up, his face radiating a majestic and righteous air: "This journey is fraught with difficulties and dangers. It's always better to be prepared than to be caught off guard. Although these miasmas have existed for thousands of years, if you want to cure them, the Medicine Sect of the Wuji Peak of the Qingyun Sect has a Poison-Avoiding Pill that can cure all kinds of poisons in the world. These mere miasmas are nothing to worry about. We can just take a detour to get in."
Although everyone was curious why he hadn't farted earlier, having a ready-made antidote was better than nothing, and the worry on everyone's faces immediately disappeared by more than half.
Shi Xianxue was a loyal supporter of the male lead. As expected of the male lead, having him by her side gave her a sense of security, like tucking her long underwear into her socks. Shi Xianxue couldn't wait to raise her hand: "Brother Li, I want to eat, I want to eat."
Although he didn't intend to put Shi Xianxue in danger, the Nine Yi City was strange in every way, and it might be safer to keep her by his side. So Li Fuchao reached for his waist, and after his long, slender fingers fumbled around for a moment, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly placed the items at his waist one by one on the table, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Judging from the situation, something unexpected was about to happen.
Shi Xianxue's face visibly fell: "No way, Brother Li."
Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Li Fuchao's smile froze, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple. He gave a dry laugh and said, "Sorry everyone, I think I forgot to bring it."
Everyone: ...
Where is the mature and steady senior brother I was promised?
After Wu Xiutang explained that even the antidote pills might not be able to withstand the miasma of the Misty Forest, the group finally gave up on the idea of returning to their sect to get the medicine and decided to go to Jiu Yi Xiang to exchange for the antidote with the Lantern Girl.
The Nine-Yi Fragrance grows in steep canyons, and Shi Xianxue couldn't help with that. After staring at each other for a while, she and Zhou Zheyue decided to go for a walk.
Before transmigrating into the book, she was a true northerner. The mountains in the north are mostly towering and majestic, reaching straight into the sky. But the further southwest you go, the more you can see the towering mountains and valleys stretching for thousands of miles, with buildings in the style of Gulou and Zhuyuan scattered among them, forming the unique landscape of southern Yue.
The unique clothing style of the Southern Yue people is colorful and vibrant. The silver horns and crowns make a crisp tinkling sound in the morning sunlight. The embroidery on the clothing is exquisite, with patterns ranging from flying birds to swimming fish. Whatever they saw was embroidered on the clothing.
Compared to the "Four Gentlemen" (plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum) patterns of the Central Plains, which symbolize noble character and auspicious meaning, the rust patterns here appear much more casual and unconventional.
Shi Xianxue also saw someone embroidering a beef meatball on their chest.
These days she had become familiar with Zhou Zheyue. When she heard that they had paired her up with the little villain because of their clothes, she looked incredulous. She didn't explain much, but instead explained the matter of saying that she wanted to marry Zhou Zheyue that day.
Zhou Zheyue was the youngest, not yet sixteen years old, and was very naive and easily taken things seriously. When Shi Xianxue explained things to him, he blushed even more and secretly gave her a few pills, saying that they could guarantee the success rate of breaking through to the Qi Refining stage.
The two were of similar age and had similar personalities. In fact, from the first time they met, he felt a strange sense of kinship with Shi Xianxue, not to mention that she had seen his embarrassed appearance when he cried. In Zhou Zheyue's eyes, she was already one of his own.
While everyone else was racking their brains over the lantern tree, the two of them went out early and returned late, happily carrying a pile of cakes and sweets.
Shi Xianxue left a portion for Song Qingshu and the others. The two of them went downstairs and ate heartily in the lobby. At that moment, Shi Xianxue saw that everyone who was supposed to go looking for Jiuyixiang had returned with sullen faces.
After watching everyone go upstairs, Shi Xianxue finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind: "Why does Fu Zhen carry that wooden box with him wherever he goes? Is it his natal magic weapon?"
Seeing that they had completely disappeared around the corner of the stairs, Zhou Zheyue lowered her voice and said, "There is a magic weapon inside that can repair the seal. Senior Brother Fu was ordered to guard it, so there must be no mistakes."
Shi Xianxue understood.
No wonder he always looked like he wanted to chop himself up whenever she approached Fu Zhen's wooden box.
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