Chapter 94: Gossip and Inside Stories from the Front Lines of the Plague Demon
"I mean, do I have to take this stinky dog with me everywhere I go?"
The unnamed base next door was a mess. Ji Yinxiu and Ying Ya were running up and down the stairs, and three large suitcases were spread out in the living room. They were preparing for their trip the day after tomorrow. This time, the group planned to follow the map provided by the conference to capture demons and enter their dreams. They probably wouldn't be returning to the Feng family in the short term, so they needed a lot of luggage. They first packed it into the suitcases, and put the smaller items into the storage ice ball provided by Ji Wuchou.
Besides personal necessities, the carpet and sofa were piled high with dog food, treats, and chew toys. Ying Huo was squeezed into a corner of the sofa. He had originally wanted to pretend to be elegant by reading a book and drinking tea, but now he could only sit awkwardly with that difficult-to-read German abstract literature book in his hand. His elegant posture was impossible, so he couldn't help but grumble.
"I understand, I understand. If I don't bring the puppy, the entire Feng family will be under the shadow of air raid sirens in the future. I don't want to be removed from the family tree because of that." Feng Mian didn't even look up, his hands still busy, folding and packing the little clothes he had sewn for Miaomiao into the suitcase.
Besides his own change of clothes in the same color scheme, Fengmian's box contained some mini cooking utensils and easy-to-store ingredients, and the rest of the space belonged to Miaomiao.
It was practically a dog fashion show.
A raincoat to wear when it rains, shoes to prevent stepping into the mud, and a set of clothes in different styles to match different environments.
Miaomiao swaggered past Ying Huo, stepping on his shoe in the process, before plopping down on the carpet.
As a result, someone's status in the team naturally declined again and again, leaving them only able to shut their mouth, sit in the corner, and roll their beautiful eyes.
His next destination was a place haunted by plague demons, which he was already annoyed and frustrated about. The dog kept pacing around him like it was doing a tap dance, and a certain person surnamed Xia had disappeared early in the morning. Now, as the sun was setting, he still couldn't see him.
Doesn't Xia Zhu understand that she is his only connection in this isolated and helpless place?
She abandoned him again without a word.
Ying Huo gritted his teeth.
The next second, the door to the room was pushed open, and three girls appeared in front of the door carrying bags and packages of groceries they had bought all day.
Ying Huo suddenly stood up from the sofa and threw the philosophy book aside without any regard for appearances.
Where did you go?
After asking the question, he suddenly realized that his tone sounded exactly like that of a resentful husband who was annoyed that his wife was lingering outside and refusing to return home. A sense of shame and indignation rushed to his head, so without waiting for Xia Zhu's reply, he turned around and went upstairs, fleeing the place at lightning speed.
Little did he know that this behavior only solidified his image as a resentful husband in Xia Zhu's eyes.
Oh no, she thought. She had made plans with Feng Feng and the others to go shopping in the city today. This was her first time going out shopping with friends. Excited, she went to bed early and woke up early again, forgetting all about men and the rules they had agreed to.
Xia Zhu put the shopping bag on the ground and then took out the fruit-flavored lollipop she was holding in her mouth.
This lemon flavor is pretty good. I'll pick out some and deliver them to his room later, as compensation.
The group packed their luggage for a while, then discussed and sampled the snacks they had bought, before deciding to hold a pre-departure meeting. They sent Xia Zhu upstairs to invite the obviously sulking Ying Huo to condescend to their status.
She huffed and puffed as she carried a bag of snacks to Ying Huo's room. After knocking a few times without getting a response, she had no choice but to hang the snacks on the door and go to the meeting.
As Xia Zhu walked, she thought to herself, "Men are really scary."
Seeing her come downstairs alone, Feng Feng, who was on the sofa, patted the seat next to him with a mischievous grin. Xia Zhu went over and sat down, and the two immediately exchanged a knowing look.
Feng Mian casually sat on the carpet, shook his head as he looked at the expressions of the two people, and then turned on the computer in his hand.
"The place I mentioned last time, haunted by the plague demon, is near Ruoshui, a few hundred kilometers west of Shushan Town." As he spoke, he clicked on the mysterious website again, his finger scrolling and stopping at a certain post in the forum.
"I've heard that there have always been ghost stories here, but no one investigated them before, thinking they were just local folk tales. It was only after the prophecy appeared that an unknown official passing by marked this place on the mission map."
"Moreover, this unidentified official only conducted a simple investigation and felt that it was more than just an ordinary ghost story, but he could not determine whether the true form of the plague demon was a monster that had escaped from the dream or a demon god lurking here waiting for an opportunity."
“Besides…” Feng Mian’s tone was a little strange. He hesitated and looked at Ji Wuchou sitting on the other side of the sofa.
"Someone added under the post about the plague demon that whether it is a ghost or a demon god, it may be related to the Ji family of Puyang."
Xia Zhu looked up at the person beside her. She lowered her head slightly, appearing calm on the surface, but her rounded nails were deeply embedded in the soft flesh of her palm.
Ji Wuchou's expression remained unchanged, and she didn't even blink. She nodded, her tone indifferent, "It is indeed related."
"Our ancestor, the goddess Zhuanxu, was the first unnamed official personally appointed by the chief god. She was in charge of Puyang and held power over winter. Legend has it that she had one daughter and three sons, namely Daxiong, Siyou, Penghou, and her youngest daughter Yuchan."
"The female cultivator is a wise and powerful leader. She not only created the Yin-Yang calendar, making the time for entering the Dream Realm independent of the human calendar, but also ruled wisely and orderly. She also led her people to guard the demon god Jianmu and Wu Ji Tianmen, which are convenient for the arrival of the main god and can connect heaven and earth."
"However, although our clan appears rigid and strict, we are actually the one with the most enemies of all the clans..."
She paused noticeably at this point, and Xia Zhu noticed that the light in her eyes shifted slightly, and her expression became dazed, as if she had remembered something.
“I know that!” Feng Feng raised his hand to answer quickly. “Zhuanxu and Gonggong are sworn enemies. I’ve heard my mother say that because the two clans, like Taihao and Shaohao, have always been neighbors, they fought a lot over territory in ancient times. Moreover, the power of the Gonggong Jiang family is water, which is naturally restrained by ice and snow, so there is definitely a conflict between the two families! As for which other families they have a grudge against, I don’t know.”
Ji Wuchou glanced at Feng Feng, then nodded with a light laugh.
“Xiao Feng is right. Besides the Gonggong clan, we also have a long-standing feud with the Yun family.”
"The Yun family?" This was the first time Xia Zhu had heard them mention this surname.
"Is it the Miao Manyun family, who rarely appear in the public eye?" Feng Feng asked.
"Yes, it is rumored that the female cultivator once led her clan's generals south and wreaked havoc on the Yun family's territory. As for why she did this, very few people know the inside story."
"And then what? What does this have to do with the plague demon?!"
Ji Wuchou's loosened hand tightened again without making a sound.
"Although the female cultivator's three sons did not inherit their mother's power, they each possessed different abilities due to the purity of their first-generation bloodline. The second son, Si You, was the plague demon who wreaked havoc wherever he went."
"Ha!" Feng Feng suddenly covered his mouth dramatically, staring at Xia Zhu and Feng Mian in shock, while waving his other hand in mid-air.
Looking at her, Xia Zhu suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, that gossip."
It was gossip that Feng Feng overheard on Qingku Peak.
The gossip about a brother and sister who fell in love, and the brother who was punished and whose soul was destroyed, cursing the family.
Therefore, Si You is the older brother in the story, while Yu Chan is the daughter whom the female cultivator values and loves the most.
"But Si You died a long time ago, tens of thousands of years ago. How can he still cause trouble in Ruoshui? How did that unknown official who wrote the post determine that the scourge here is a plague demon? Could it be that the place we are going to is plagued?"
Xia Zhu and Feng Feng both shrank their necks.
“There is an explanation for that.” Feng Mian swiped a few times on the computer screen, the pale light of the screen casting a ghastly glow on his face. “Because the night this unknown official stayed at Ruoshui, he heard blood-curdling curses coming from the riverbank.”
"I curse the descendants of Zhuanxu, that they will associate with their enemies, cause internal strife within the clan, and never find peace again."
Because Ji Wuchou, one of the parties involved, was present, the atmosphere became somewhat strange. However, the cause and effect were clear, so they could act without being too restrained.
The meeting came to a temporary close, and everyone went back to their rooms to pack and rest, preparing to depart early the day after tomorrow.
Xia Zhu and Ji Wuchou lived together in the attic of the Feng family. Although Ji Wuchou was always indifferent, Xia Zhu could clearly feel the change in her emotions after returning from next door.
If the former Ji Wuchou was gentle in appearance and had a gentle, water-like personality, then the current Ji Wuchou has dropped below zero for some unknown reason.
Like a block of ice encasing an intense, unyielding sorrow.
The sound of cicadas filled the night, their chirping like raindrops falling on the windowsill. Xia Zhu lay stiffly in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, which was only illuminated by a sliver of moonlight.
She couldn't bear to see those around her sad, and she had a heart that longed to ease others' worries, but she lacked the skills to do so. She was afraid that her clumsy words would cross others' boundaries, and she was also afraid that she would create a tangled mess, leaving Ji Wuchou with a worry that was alarming.
"Never mind," she told herself silently, "everyone has some unspeakable secrets."
Perhaps that's why they're still traveling to every corner of the world.
On the day of departure, Ying Huo's luxury car was requisitioned under the name of the unnamed team. Everything that couldn't fit in the hockey puck was crammed into the trunk, including essential wilderness survival items like tents. Feng Feng even tried to put in a barbecue grill, but Feng Mian firmly refused.
Of course, although both men surnamed Ying present had driven off-road vehicles before, the driver for this trip still fell to Feng Mian, who was a law-abiding driver with a valid license.
He and Ji Wuchou were among the most worldly-wise people in this group.
Xia Zhu doesn't count; she's just a country bumpkin who hasn't even graduated yet.
There are advantages to being a country bumpkin; when the journey is long, you can just stay in the back, eat snacks, and sleep.
Feng Mian drove, with Ji Wuchou in the passenger seat, waiting to take over the wheel. The back seat would unsurprisingly cramped with five people plus a dog. Although the car was spacious and not too uncomfortable, and Miaomiao was surprisingly obedient and clever, quiet and well-behaved, their main task was to avoid surveillance cameras and checkpoints. (Not encouraged, strongly discouraged; be a law-abiding citizen!)
Therefore, they had no choice but to abandon the highway and take detours through various mountain trails.
Therefore, when they arrived at their first destination, a sparsely populated village on the banks of the Ruoshui River, it was already the middle of the night, a time when the atmosphere was particularly perfect.
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