Chapter 21 A mole suddenly appeared; she was already dead.
There are no guests in the deep.
Dianxing looked at the woman who had come looking for someone. Behind her was a young woman who was unconscious, lying on a wooden cart covered with a blanket.
"Young master, I beg you, could you please ask Young Master Jiang to save my daughter? She's so young, and I've raised her with so much care. What would I do if she were to die like this?"
"Aunt Zhou, don't worry. I've already sent someone to inform Young Master Jiang. Let me check on her first." Dianxing comforted her, helped her to a chair, handed her a cup of hot tea, and then went to check on the unconscious person.
The woman had dark circles under her eyes and disheveled hair. Shen Wuke had few disciples, and the area was deep in the mountains with few local residents. People often came here for help when they encountered problems, and over time they became familiar with the few disciples who frequently came out to handle affairs.
Seeing the stars, Zhou Hui felt half relieved, but to truly eliminate the problem, she would still have to rely on Jiang Yu.
"Aunt Zhou, how long has Xianying been experiencing this?"
Dianxing remembered that he had gone to Zhou Hui's house to help find her lost cat just half a month ago. At that time, the girl was standing in the yard hitting a pear off a tree, and when she found the cat, she even thanked him.
“It’s been four or five days.” Zhou Hui wiped away her tears. “It seems like it was the day Sect Leader Shen passed away. I was picking chives in the courtyard, and Xian Ying was sitting next to me embroidering. Later, there was a commotion outside, so I went out to check and found out that Sect Leader Shen’s soul lamp had gone out.”
It's strange, but news of Shen Wuke usually doesn't spread so quickly. But that day, for some reason, before the messenger from Yunshui City even reached the palace, rumors started circulating among the people on the roadside.
Amidst the wailing, Dianxing finally obtained the secret letter. He initially didn't believe it, but later several guards reported that the Soul Lamp was in trouble, which confirmed Shen Jiuxu's death.
“When I got back inside, Xianying fainted. I thought it was just from being too grief-stricken, but when she woke up that night, she started talking incoherently about ‘divine punishment’. I asked her what she was saying, but she didn’t answer. Later, she didn’t even recognize me and kept trying to run outside. I had no choice but to tie Xianying up.”
Zhou Hui's family lived in the two houses at the very back, and few people usually went there. There were usually only two people in the house, so it was difficult to find help if something happened.
“I slowly fell asleep. When the next day dawned, I woke up when the chickens outside crowed. Xianying was gone, and the rope was scattered all over the ground. I was anxious and ran around looking for her. Several uncles and aunts who were busy in the fields also helped me look. Finally, we found her sleeping on the rocks behind Shen Wuke.”
The secret passage of Dianxing is strange. There is a barrier around Shen Wuke, and ordinary people cannot get close to him. Moreover, there are cliffs behind Shen Wuke. How did Xian Ying, an ordinary girl, get through there?
“Young Master Dianxing, that place is next to Fuyou Palace, isn’t it?” Zhou Hui recognized the elm tree that almost reached into the clouds. “My daughter ran there. Do you think it might be Sect Master Shen’s spirit guiding her there?”
"Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to get close to this place. I had to ask Elder Lian and the others for help to bring her back. I heard them say that when one ascends to immortality, one can bestow one's unfinished blessings upon others. Could it really be Sect Master Shen?"
“Aunt Zhou, you can’t just say things like that.” Dianxing had a headache from hearing this, but luckily the person in front of him was sensible and knew that it was probably nonsense, so he didn’t say anything and just waited for him to examine it carefully.
She touched the still-hot cup, and for some reason, she felt anxious again, as if someone was whispering something in her ear, urging her to do something. Instantly, her hands and feet turned cold, and her whole body went limp, only able to hold on by tightly gripping the armrests of the chair.
Zhou Hui glanced unintentionally at the door and saw an unusually dark red sky, as if someone had poured a large basin of blood onto a black coarse cloth.
It's just unclear whether it's human blood or blood from another animal!
"It'll be alright soon. It's good that Young Master Jiang is here. Everything will be alright, everything will be alright."
Zhou Hui comforted herself, but dared not look outside anymore. "Young Master Dianxing, when is Young Master Jiang coming? If he has something to do today, I... I will take Xianying back first and come over when he is free."
"I've already sent someone to inform Young Master Jiang; he should be here soon." Dianxing lifted the hair at the back of Xianying's neck, revealing a bright red mole on her fair skin. "Aunt Zhou, was this mole here with Miss Xianying from birth?"
"What mole? No, I remember she didn't have any moles." Zhou Hui asked, puzzled. She was about to get up to look when everything went black and she spun around, losing her balance and falling to the ground.
In a daze, a young disciple dressed in blue ran over, "Dianxing, something bad has happened outside!"
Zhou Hui was unconscious. She was helped up and glanced at the person who helped her up. "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I don't know what's wrong with the new disciples. They were originally unconscious, and I thought they were just drunk. But I didn't expect that they had been sleeping for three or four days. Now they've gotten up and are slashing around with their swords."
"Take me to see it."
Dianxing advised Zhou Hui and Xian Ying to be on good terms, and as he stepped out of the room, he bumped into Jiang Yu, who was walking over quickly. "Young Master Jiang, something has happened. You should go and take a look first."
Stones flew everywhere, and one landed with a "thud" as it came at Lian Quesheng. He dodged it by flipping over, pulling Jiang Yu along with him. The disciples' swords and knives didn't stop, and they looked dazed, as if they were being controlled.
"Just sprinkle a calming talisman, and it should be fine."
Lian Quesheng casually said, and under Dian Xing's envious gaze, he took out a thick stack of talisman paper, and without caring about anything else, threw it all over.
"Will it quiet down soon—?"
"Clang—"
Dianxing quickly retreated, "Young Master Lian, you're not reliable at all!"
The talismans spontaneously combusted upon contact with them, the red flames vanishing in an instant, leaving only the colliding silver-white sword light. Lian Quesheng stared at the sword tip poised before him, pinched the blade between two fingers, gently lifted it, twisted his wrist, moved his body behind the disciple, and knocked him unconscious.
"Jiang Yu, there are so many people here, why don't you do it? I won't bother with each one of them, it's too much trouble." As he spoke, he tossed the sword in his hand into the air. A bright light streaked across the sky, stirring the passing wind, and Jiang Yu's figure flashed among the crowd like a dragon.
In an instant, swords fell, and the disciples collapsed to the ground, unconscious. He glanced disdainfully at the bloodstains on his hands, but since he hadn't grabbed a handkerchief, he could only bear it for now, asking coldly, "What happened?"
"This disciple does not know; they slept for three or four days and then turned into this state."
"Carry them back first, and don't let them come into contact with the other disciples," Jiang Yu ordered, then followed Dian Xing to check on the unconscious mother and daughter.
As soon as he entered the room, his expression turned sour, which Lian Quesheng immediately noticed. "What's wrong?"
"She is dead."
"Who said they were fine when they came over, that they just fell asleep?" Dianxing's face turned pale as she checked the two people's breathing, finding it as calm as still water, without any ripples.
"Both of them are dead."
A note from the author:
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Lian Quesheng: When did my money power stop working? That talisman paper cost me a huge sum of silver; it must have been bought by a shady merchant.
An unknown talisman master: (Achoo) Who's talking about me behind my back? I'm short on money lately, so I need to draw more talismans.
There was a name in the previous chapter, Yu Zhanyi, which was repeated by the author due to an oversight. Since both characters are quite important, it has now been changed to Yu Xingchi. I'm explaining this again here [please][please][please]. Thank you to the commenters for reminding me.
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