Chapter 125 Why Doesn't the Fog Cry?
Meihua Mountain in Qiannan.
This is the Wind Chasing Path closest to Miao Manyun's home.
The Yun family has lived in seclusion in the deep mountains for generations, avoiding the world and not using the Wind Chasing Path for travel. They also do not allow outsiders to set foot in their territory. Therefore, Xia Zhu and his group could only stay on Plum Blossom Mountain.
The car was still parked at the foot of Mount Taibai. Without any other transportation, the group was discussing how to get to their next destination, since they also had a fat dog that was too lazy to walk with them.
Although Feng Mian doted on him and carried him everywhere, his small frame couldn't keep doing that forever.
Ji Yinxiu looked at Yun Jiu, who was close to Xia Zhu, and seemed to be thinking about something.
"What's wrong?" Xia Zhu asked him.
"I heard my teacher mention before that although the Miao Manyun family doesn't use the Wind Chasing Technique, they possess their own secret art that allows them to travel underground. I think it's called... Mountain Chasing Technique?"
Upon hearing this, the group all looked at Yun Jiu.
"You guys really know some kind of mountain-moving technique?" Feng Feng reached out and pinched her cheek.
Yun Jiu blinked, seemingly wanting to say something, but her eyes darted around and her expression suddenly changed, as if she were a different person, her face and tone becoming cunning.
“Yes, every member of the Yun family knows the Mountain-Traveling Technique. A thousand miles can be covered in an instant.” Yun Jiu touched the cloth bag at her waist and said with a grin, “Why don’t I demonstrate it for everyone?”
Feng Feng crossed his arms and stared at her with great interest. "Alright, then show us what you've got."
After saying that, Yun Jiu placed her hands on her lower abdomen, and a dark red light like smoke emanated from her palms. Xia Zhu remembered that Feng Feng had told her before that the Yun family lived in a remote corner, did not care about outside affairs, and almost never entered dreams. Even if they had a talisman, it was hidden above their navel like an ornament.
The ethereal light slowly enveloped Yunjiu, and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble faintly, as if something was surging beneath the earth. Xia Zhu looked down and, in the hazy light, saw a severed finger emerging from the soil, wriggling like a grayish-white worm.
She subconsciously moved to the side, but when she looked up, she saw Yun Jiu looking at her with a smug look in his eyes. The dark patterns on his face seemed to be more vivid in the eerie light, and his lips moved slightly as if he was saying something.
goodbye.
Xia Zhu saw her lip movements. The light completely swallowed Yun Jiu, but the next second, she heard Yun Jiu's exclamation through the haze.
"oops--"
Yun Jiu's figure reappeared before everyone. There was nothing wrong with her feet, and the surroundings had returned to normal. A green vine, about the thickness of a thumb, was tightly wrapped around her wrist, while the other end was held in Feng Feng's hand.
"You think you can fool people with such a small trick?" Feng Feng waved the rattan cane in his hand with a half-smile.
Yun Jiu in front of him returned to her previous appearance, her eyes darkened, and she looked bewildered, as if the person who had just tried to escape was not her. She looked at Xia Zhu with pleading eyes.
"Alright, let's hurry down the mountain while it's still early and see if we can catch a ride." Xia Zhu gestured for Feng Feng to retract the vine, then offered her hand, which Yun Jiu obediently took. She leaned down slightly and asked Yun Jiu as gently as possible, "You still won't tell me why you and I have the same mark?"
Yun Jiu grinned and chuckled, looking somewhat silly, as if the one who had cleverly figured out how to shake everyone off just now wasn't her, but someone else.
"Let's go." Xia Zhu didn't make things difficult for her anymore. It was actually unkind of them to have a child tied to their side for no reason. Even if Xia Zhu had her own selfish motives, she didn't want her to feel uncomfortable and wanted to take her home safely.
It would be even better if she could reveal something more.
The group then descended the mountain without stopping, and after a whole day of travel, they finally entered the area of Nanhuo Mountain.
To avoid suspicion, they rented a car themselves. After all, this place was considered a forbidden zone by the locals, a place where ordinary people would almost never return, a place of cannibalism. No one knew that a mysterious and ancient tribe lived in such a deep mountain valley.
The Nanhuo Mountains are rich in natural treasures. The dense forests block out the sun, and the green mist gallops through the mountains like wild horses. The tree canopies overhead shyly peek out, looking like the veins of forest cells, no wonder humans compare them to the organs of breathing.
The few people wandering aimlessly in the deep mountains were like oxygen molecules that had strayed from the transport path.
Logically, this place should already be Yun Jiu's territory, and with her leading the way, they should be able to enter the Yun family's territory quickly. However, the group kept going around in circles in the same place and couldn't find a new path.
But perhaps it was precisely because Yunjiu was leading the way that things turned out this way.
It was still noon, the weather was clear, and just a moment ago there were still sparse sunlights shining through the leaves onto the moss-covered stones. But in the blink of an eye, the surrounding temperature dropped noticeably, and a misty fog, like flowing water, spread from the bushes and grew thicker and thicker. The visibility dropped so low that the path underfoot could not be seen. In just a moment, Xia Zhu lost track of the people around him.
Before she could even call out to Feng Feng, who was walking ahead, she reached out to grab something, but could only grasp a handful of dampness.
Yunjiu is no longer by my side.
The fog appeared out of nowhere, and she dared not make any rash moves. She gave up on continuing to wander aimlessly in the fog and stopped, calling out the names of the others in a low voice.
The sound seemed to be swallowed by a strange mist, melting softly into the damp fog. The forest seemed to have completely changed; reaching out to touch it yielded not even a single leaf.
The feeling was like walking with your eyes closed. You knew roughly what your surroundings looked like before, but after losing your sight and falling into complete darkness, you would doubt your previous memories, and even doubt your own judgment. Xia Zhu was tightly enveloped by thick white mist, as if he were standing alone on the edge of a cliff.
She felt her limbs and torso begin to go numb, and even moving forward a millimeter was enough to make her sweat profusely, as if one step would send her tumbling down a cliff.
At this moment, only the small sword at her waist could give her enough sense of security. She drew the sword, held it in her hand, and her wildly beating heart calmed down a lot.
It wasn't until now that Xia Zhu suddenly realized that the reason she was so bold and fearless in the past was because she had no worries or concerns. Now it's different; she still has her friends in the thick fog.
Calming down, she began to ponder the source of the thick fog. It seemed that Yun Jiu did not want to lead them to the Yun family. Perhaps she knew the characteristics of Nanhuo Mountain and deliberately let everyone get lost in the fog.
Besides, there is another possibility.
She couldn't help but think of Jiang Yuran.
Jiang Xiaqing once said that she died mysteriously in the mountains of Qiannan, although this is Nanhuo, the two places are not far apart.
If this dense fog is related to Jiang Yuran's death, then the evil spirit lurking in the shadows might be some kind of demon god.
If the current situation is a deliberate illusion set up by the demon god, whether it is a hunt or a trap, it has its purpose. Perhaps it will reveal itself when the time is right.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Xia Zhu gripped the sword in his hand and slowly cleared the path ahead.
However, if you stay in this environment for too long, you will gradually lose your sense of time. If you don't count the number of steps you take in your mind, you will definitely forget how long you have been in the fog.
She took 325 steps, but only walked less than 500 meters.
They still didn't touch a single leaf.
This place seems to have turned into some kind of empty area.
Or perhaps she's just going around in circles.
Thinking this, she squatted down, her five fingers piercing through the thick fog to touch the damp soil, along with some decaying roots and leaves.
This place is still in the mountains, but it's unclear what secret technique the person in the shadows used to make them unable to see each other in an instant.
As she was pondering, a slight noise suddenly arose from the previously silent fog. Xia Zhu remained crouched on the ground, but her ears perked up as she carefully tried to discern what the sound was and where it came from.
sand--
sand--
She looked at the withered leaves clinging to her fingers, held her breath, and waited for the footsteps to approach before turning around fiercely and stabbing the small sword in her hand.
"It's me!"
A hand grabbed her wrist, and her skin felt cool to the touch.
When Xia Zhu saw those gray eyes again, she felt like she was in a dream.
"How did you end up here?" she asked a nonsensical question, subconsciously feeling that under these circumstances, it was unlikely that her companions would appear so quickly.
But to her surprise, Ying Huo showed a strange expression upon hearing these words.
“I told you, you don’t have to be the one to rush to the front in everything.” He glanced to the side, his eyes somewhat unfocused.
"I didn't do anything." Xia Zhu sheathed the small sword, thinking that things had happened so suddenly, and everyone around him had disappeared without a chance to rush to the front.
"Is that the point?" Ying Huo looked somewhat helpless.
With another person beside her, the temperature didn't rise; instead, a chill seeped into her bones through her clothes, causing Xia Zhu to shiver.
She looked around, but all she saw was thick white light. She wondered how Ying Huo had found her.
“Do you know what’s going on?” she asked.
"You mean fog?" Ying Huo followed her gaze and looked around. "Isn't it normal for fog to rise in the mountains?"
“Is that so?” Xia Zhu murmured, “There’s always fog in the deep mountains, that’s right…” Then she suddenly froze. She seemed to have just rationalized everything in front of her for a moment, and even felt a sense of peace rising from the bottom of her heart. She subconsciously thought that the fog would soon dissipate, and maybe the sun would pierce through the fog in a while.
But she knew perfectly well that this might be the work of a demon god.
Xia Zhu then turned to stare at Ying Huo, noticing his well-tailored black clothes and the pale skin peeking out from various parts of his body, which appeared somewhat indistinct in the mist.
“Where are the others?” she asked again. “I remember you were right behind me, but when the fog came up I looked back for you and there was nothing there.”
Ying Huo looked back at her.
“They might be just ahead. It’s easy to lose your way in the fog; you might have already gone the wrong way.” He blinked slowly, almost deliberately. “Should we keep looking ahead?”
Xia Zhu noticed for the first time that the person in front of her had no wrinkles on their face.
Even someone as refined as Ji Yinxiu could see bluish tinges under her eyes when she hadn't slept well.
But Ying Huo was like a meticulously crafted doll, so perfect that there was not a single flaw.
She nodded, and the two began to walk slowly through the fog again. Ying Huo followed behind her, his presence only indicated by the soft sound of his footsteps.
After taking a few steps, Xia Zhu suddenly turned around, her gaze shifting downwards to the pigeon-blood red ring on Ying Huo's hand.
"I've always been curious, if the Ying family didn't give you the talisman, how did you enter their dream?"
"Could it be because of this?" She pointed to the ring.
Ying Huo was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to suddenly ask this, and nodded blankly.
Can I take a look?
Although he didn't quite understand, he still took off the ring and gently placed it in Xia Zhu's palm.
The ruby gleamed with a blood-red light, and as it was turned over, several beams of light would burst forth. She held the ring up to her eyes; the gem was crystal clear, without a single impurity.
"Thank you." She gave it back to Ying Huo, watching him put it back on his wrist.
The brief incident seemed to be just a whim of Xia Zhu's, and the two resumed walking one after the other.
"This is your former tribe's talisman, isn't it?" she suddenly said, without turning around.
"What?" A faint voice came from behind.
“As Fu Yu during the time of Chi You,” she said lightly.
But this time, there was no sound from behind, as if no one had ever been there.
Xia Zhu slowly turned around, only to see Ying Huo standing there, staring at his hand in astonishment.
"Chi You..."
He murmured the name, seemingly lost in profound shock.
Xia Zhu walked towards him silently, and before he could react, she took his hand and gently touched the ring on it, revealing the delicate, pale skin underneath.
“I suspect there was originally a comet totem inside this talisman. And here…” Her fingertips gently touched the skin that was originally hidden under the ring, “there should also be the mark of the Crimson Cloud.”
She raised her eyes and looked directly into those bewildered eyes.
"It seems you don't know, but he is Chi You, the one who took in the demon god, disregarded his past grievances, and lived for ten thousand years, the nominal leader of the Crimson Clouds..."
She flicked her wrist, and the small sword slid out of her sleeve, piercing deeply into Ying Huo's abdomen before he could react.
Ying Huo lowered his head, staring blankly at the inconspicuous iron sword. His gaze gradually became unfocused, and the features on his face collapsed like melting wax, eventually turning into a thick white mist that dissipated in all directions in front of Xia Zhu.
She sheathed the small sword, calmed her breathing, and realized it was just as she had expected.
This is a fake Ying Huo. Although she doesn't know its purpose, she has at least discovered one thing.
This dense fog was indeed the work of a certain demon god, and it also belonged to the Crimson Cloud Organization, in order to follow the legendary war god Chi You, who taught without discrimination and was willing to take them in.
It was quite obvious that Ying Huo had the title of a big boss behind the scenes, but almost none of the demon gods had ever seen his true face. This made Xia Zhu believe that the culprit behind the chaos of the demon gods was someone else.
He believed Ying Huo's words and had no idea what had happened.
So who was behind all of this, using the name of Chi Yun to carry out their conspiracy? Xia Zhu already had a vague answer in his heart.
Now that she knows there are monsters lurking in the fog, pretending to be familiar people, she needs to find everyone even faster. Every second she's a second late could put them in danger once again.
Xia Zhu started running, searching for Feng Feng's figure amidst the overwhelming mountain mist.
She suddenly noticed that the fog ahead seemed to be dissipating, and the shadows of the trees were slowly becoming clearer. Xia Zhu felt her breath catch in her throat, and then she began to run desperately toward that spot.
Two familiar figures came into view. Feng Feng and Feng Mian were about a hundred meters away from her, with a chubby little cat, Miao Miao, by their side. The two people and the dog were at the end of the thick fog. She was delighted and wanted to call out to them, but her voice was once again lost in the fog. Seeing that the two people did not respond and continued to walk forward, Xia Zhu suddenly felt a sense of panic for no reason.
She quickened her pace, but the distance didn't seem to shorten. A strange sense of familiarity washed over her; it was as if, in some dream, she had been chasing after someone she could never turn back from.
But from childhood to adulthood, Xia Zhu only ever had that one dream.
It was the dream she had when she first met her brother and sister.
Did you have any memories of dreams before that?
She couldn't remember it at all.
Feng Feng suddenly turned around in the distance. Her red hair was damp with moisture in the swirling mist, making it even more vibrant than before. At first glance, Xia Zhu had noticed her fiery red hair.
Feng Feng pulled Feng Mian aside, and the two stopped together. They waved in Xia Zhu's direction, and Miao Miao obediently rubbed against Feng Mian's trouser leg. Even from such a distance, she could still imagine the expression on Feng Feng's face.
So Xia Zhu forced a smile and tried to raise her hand in response.
But the next second, her smile froze along with the blood in her body, and the hand raised in mid-air felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Another person emerged from behind the white mist, jogging up to Feng Feng from behind. The three of them seemed to be talking about something, and Feng Feng, hands on his hips, was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe.
"Let's go, Azhu."
She could actually hear what Feng Feng was saying, as if a mountain breeze from who-knows-where had deliberately sent it to her ears.
The person who suddenly appeared behind the brother and sister was exactly the same as her in terms of clothing and figure. At first glance, she was even momentarily dazed.
That was her too, another Xia Zhu.
She seemed to sense something as well, and slowly turned her head, gazing at Xia Zhu through the thick, misty clouds, a smug and twisted smile spreading across her lips.
Cold sweat poured down her face like rain, and Xia Zhu stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. She could hear her chest pounding violently, and her hands and feet were ice-cold as if she were in an ice cave. But soon, the flames of anger reignited within her.
Right in front of her, right in front of her.
Xia Zhu could not tolerate a monster wearing her skin trying to deceive her most important friend.
So she bit her tongue hard, and after tasting a bit of blood, her body finally broke free from the invisible restraint. She began to run wildly toward Feng Feng's location, but still could not reach them.
She shouted loudly, but her voice was gradually dissolved by the lukewarm mist.
She threw the small sword from her waist again, using all her strength to the point that her arm dislocated, but the sword flew two meters before falling straight to the ground.
A sharp pain shot through her right hand, but she no longer had the energy to concentrate her internal energy. She picked up the sword from the ground again and ran in that direction.
Several times, she seemed to see Feng Mian's smiling profile clearly; several times, a strand of red hair seemed to brush against her fingertips.
Despite this, the brother and sister did not notice anything unusual.
Xia Zhu turned around again, and seeing that familiar face, made a shushing gesture at him.
She could only stare intently at the monster, mimicking human expressions and gestures. However, two long, curled fleshy spikes slowly emerged from behind her, waving provocatively at her like tentacles. The disgustingly textured tail spikes glistened with a wet, oily sheen, and their incredibly sharp points seemed to be piercing Xia Zhu's eyes from a great distance.
She opened her mouth.
"don't want…"
It couldn't make a sound.
No, no, no! Xia Zhu started running again, sweat getting into her eyes and a hint of saltiness on her lips. She wiped her face haphazardly with her undislocated arm.
Two fleshy spikes slowly grew longer behind the monster, waving mockingly in mid-air.
Xia Zhu screamed silently, yet it was comical, like a mime actor.
"Xiao Feng—!"
Suddenly, the heart-wrenching cry pierced through the mist with crystal clarity, and Feng Feng, who was ahead, stopped abruptly and turned around with a stunned expression.
The fleshy spikes shot out instantly, piercing the two people who turned around.
A dazzling burst of colorful light flashed by, and Feng Feng suddenly felt a burning sensation in his waist, as if some strange power was exerting itself. Immediately afterward, his body flew backward uncontrollably, his vision went black for a moment, and a dull pain came from his back.
Xia Zhu stood frozen in place. She watched as the monster retracted a bloody fleshy spike, then disappeared into the mist with a lewd laugh. She dragged her heavy body toward the two of them, her limbs gradually losing feeling. She felt like a pitiful wandering soul, eventually drifting to Feng Mian's side.
She heard a very faint sob, and then she crouched down.
Feng Mian lay on the ground, his face so pale it was almost transparent. Blood foam seeped from the corner of his mouth, flowing down to his ears and staining a large area of his neck. Blood was gushing from his chest.
And Meow Meow, her soft little body lying at his feet, was making faint whimpering noises.
"Feng Mian..." She heard her own voice was incredibly hoarse and unpleasant. She tried to reach out and grasp his hand that was hanging by his side, but Feng Mian grabbed it instead.
"Meow meow..." He only managed to utter two words before he began vomiting blood uncontrollably.
"I know, I know..."
She could only hold him tightly, mobilize all the energy in her body, and then use her other hand to reach for the puppy that was convulsing beside her.
She saw it: at the moment the monster stabbed at Feng Mian, Miao Miao, who usually wouldn't move at all, jumped up and stood in front of him.
Unfortunately, it was a sure hit, piercing through the two bodies as easily as piercing a thin sheet of paper.
Besides, it's smaller than other dogs.
Its leap seemed insignificant, even superfluous, prompting the monster that vanished into the fog to chuckle mockingly.
Xia Zhu's lips trembled slightly. She discovered that under the influence of her power, the blood, which was flowing out like a tap that had been turned on, only slowed down from a rapid flow, and did not stop completely.
Feng Mian's body became increasingly transparent, and he looked as if he had suddenly shriveled up.
How can a person have so much blood to lose?
She felt as if her entire mouth was stuck together, incredibly dry, like sandpaper, and every breath she exhaled scraped against her respiratory tract. She vaguely saw Feng Feng struggling to his feet not far away, then drifting over like another wandering soul and kneeling beside Feng Mian.
"Brother?" Feng Feng's voice sounded light and airy. Xia Zhu could see her outstretched hand trembling uncontrollably before gently touching the blood hole in Feng Mian's chest, which was instantly stained red.
"It's alright, it's alright, Xiao Feng." Xia Zhu heard her own voice and tried to reassure Feng Feng not to worry too much or show such a sad expression. But after just one glance, she couldn't bear to look at her face again; that blank and desperate look pierced her eyes.
"I can do it..." she murmured, trying to clear her mind of all distractions and gather all the power in her body into her hands, greedily scouring everything, every meridian, every bit of everything.
The one lying on the ground might not be Feng Mian. She remembered how vivid and well-behaved he was. What was the real Feng Mian like? Just a short while ago, he was on the road telling some old, tired stories, as if afraid that someone would find them boring.
What's frightening is time, or something else, how can a person suddenly be on the verge of death?
Thinking of this, she squeezed her body even harder, thinking that she would exchange everything she had for it.
"I can do it..." Xia Zhu's vision blurred, and she could no longer see the situation of the person and the dog on the ground. Her body also became stiff, and her two hands seemed to be just wooden sticks, stretching out to grab Feng Mian's hands and Miao Miao's body.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist from behind.
"Xia Zhu!" Someone called her name in her ear, but she couldn't make out the voice; it was as if the voice was coming through a pane of glass, and she couldn't hear it clearly.
"Xia Zhu!" She felt herself being shaken violently, and all the sounds rushed into her ears. The stinging pain accompanied her awakening. She turned her head blankly and found Ying Huo holding her shoulder. His face looked terrible, even worse than when she kicked him in the stomach in the woods.
“Feng Mian has stopped bleeding.” He held Xia Zhu’s wrist, trying to lift her hand, but found it stiff.
She blinked, her vision still a little blurry, but she could still see that Feng Mian on the ground had indeed stopped bleeding, just as Ying Huo had said, and even the blood hole in his chest had healed.
"Where's Meow Meow?" She moved her fingers, feeling the familiar furry touch in her palm, but without the reassuring warmth.
Ying Huo supported her elbow, trying to help her stand up from the ground.
However, Xia Zhu was unwilling to move, and her body was too stiff, so she remained kneeling on the ground in that position.
Ying Huo freed one hand and forcefully turned her head so that she would look at him.
"Meow's body is, after all, very small."
He meant that such a small body would soon lose all its blood.
She tried to understand his words with her mind, which was no longer capable of thinking, and then her body slowly lost all its strength. She felt so tired, so exhausted, as if she had run all the way home from town as a child.
Then Xia Zhu raised her eyes and subconsciously looked at Feng Feng opposite her.
She simply knelt there beside Feng Mian, her expression even somewhat blank, her usually bright eyes lowered as if lost in thought.
Fortunately, she didn't cry.
But why doesn't she cry?
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