I can't figure it out.
Zhihua scratched twice in the air above the table with its paws, tilted its head, and said in a somewhat nonchalant tone, "It seems there are quite a few vengeful spirits trapped under this inn."
As a divine beast that inherited divine power, Zhihua possessed an exceptionally keen perception of souls. From the moment it stepped into this inn, it heard the voices filled with pain and resentment from those imprisoned underground.
They seemed to have suffered great torment before their deaths, constantly wailing and begging for mercy, but no one paid attention, and no one was able to help them pass on.
"A vengeful spirit?" Yun Qian was taken aback upon hearing this.
"Mmm." Zhihua tilted her little head cutely. "To put it simply, it's a ghost."
"A ghost?" Yun Qian's lips twitched slightly involuntarily.
Heaven knows, what she fears most is ghosts! Looking across the entire Three Realms, you probably can't find another cultivator as afraid of ghosts as she is. Although as a modern person who transmigrated into a book, she is very clear about the nature of ghosts, but that instinctive fear just won't go away no matter what.
Of course, she would never say such a thing in front of her two junior brothers.
Upon hearing that it was a ghost, Qin Wu and Bai Chuan's expressions softened somewhat. Bai Chuan coughed twice, covering his mouth, and said, "It's fortunate that it's a ghost. If it were something more sinister, it would probably be much more troublesome."
Yun Qian forced a smile. What did she mean by "thankfully it's a ghost"? Ghosts are the most troublesome, okay?! But then she thought about it, and Bai Chuan's words weren't entirely unreasonable. Dealing with ghosts was always easier than dealing with some unknown and eerie beings. Apart from being a little scared, there was nothing else to it...
"Could this formation be used to suppress the vengeful spirits underground?" Bai Chuan speculated.
Yun Qian shook her head in denial: "No, this formation is a Yin-attracting formation, there's no mistake." She pondered for a moment, then a flash of inspiration struck her, and she blurted out: "This is a spirit-trapping formation. This formation will continuously attract and gather the vengeful spirits from the surrounding area and trap them here. But what exactly does the person who set up this formation want to do by expending so much effort to gather so many vengeful spirits?"
“Evil arts,” Bai Chuan said in a deep voice, instantly recalling the Daoist Qingfeng from the Li Kingdom's palace a hundred years ago. Wasn't that sorcerer using children to cultivate evil arts and improve his cultivation? The person who set up this formation today probably has the same purpose.
Yun Qian's heart sank: "This place is not safe to stay any longer, we must leave immediately!"
Without knowing the strength of the one who set up the formation, every moment they stay increases the danger. If the opponent's cultivation level far exceeds the combined strength of the three of them, the consequences would be unimaginable.
As soon as Yun Qian finished speaking, the three people and the cat immediately sprang into action. However, when they quickly walked down the stairs, they saw the red-clad demoness sitting leisurely at the table in the front hall, smiling at them.
"Guests, are you leaving?" The succubus smiled alluringly, but a glint of malice flashed in her eyes. "Too bad, you can't leave."
“Once you enter this inn, no one can get out.” She flicked her slender finger, her tone carrying a hint of schadenfreude mixed with a touch of helpless sympathy. “See? I’ve already killed all the living people in this inn, but I’m still trapped here.”
She didn't seem to be lying; the inn truly was like a cage you could enter but couldn't escape. However, the banshee's identity and motives remained highly questionable.
Yun Qian, holding Zhihua, calmly sat down in the chair opposite her, her expression serene: "Aren't you also a living person in this inn? If we kill you, can we get out?"
"Me?" The succubus touched her full, red lips with her fingertip and suddenly giggled, "You're all welcome to try."
Before she finished speaking, her body suddenly swelled and transformed, and a huge, ferocious, and terrifying spider appeared on the spot. It bared its fangs and claws, and its body exuded a strong demonic aura.
However, it clearly underestimated the strength of the three people before it. Before its venomous pincers could even touch Yun Qian, who was closest to it, an extremely chilling sword intent had already pierced through the air!
The tip of the Su Tian Sword abruptly stopped just millimeters from the spider demon's vital point, its icy blade piercing its compound eyes.
The next second, the giant spider instantly shrank back into human form. She collapsed to the ground, her expression changing faster than flipping through a book, immediately adopting a pitiful, tearful look, and said in a choked voice, "Speak properly! Why did you hit me! I was just joking with you..."
Realizing the vast difference in strength between the two sides, the spider demon decisively backed down.
Qin Wu expressionlessly sheathed Su Tian and silently returned to stand behind Yun Qian, as if the earth-shattering sword strike just now had nothing to do with him.
The spider demon affectedly wiped away non-existent tears with the corner of her sleeve, and said in a pitiful voice, "I was tricked into coming here and am trapped here too! I tried everything to get out, so I asked the waiter what happened, but he was so stubborn and wouldn't say anything. In a fit of anger, I killed him... and then I killed the cook, the accountant, and everyone in the inn, but I still couldn't get anything out of him, and I still can't get out!"
She sighed, her tone carrying a mixture of genuine frustration and slyness: "When I saw the three of you come in, I thought I'd trick you into coming in too, so you'd have some company and wouldn't be too lonely. Besides, you all seem so capable, maybe you really do have a way to get out?" She raised her watery eyes, looking at Yun Qian with anticipation.
Yun Qian and Bai Chuan exchanged a glance. The spider demon's words sounded somewhat true; she did indeed appear to be trapped here.
A gentle smile appeared on Yun Qian's face as she softly asked, "Are you really sure you've killed every single living person in the inn?"
“Of course I killed them all!” The spider demon nodded firmly, then became troubled again. “I thought if one person didn’t speak, someone else would be afraid of death and speak up, right? Who knew these people were so stubborn, they would rather die than say anything! What’s even stranger is, why can’t we get out even after killing them?” She seemed very confused.
It seems that the spider demon has not found the true person who set up the formation.
"The ground is cold, please get up, young lady." Yun Qian smiled and extended her hand, her attitude very friendly. "My name is Zhihua, may I ask your name, young lady?"
Nestled in Yun Qian's arms, Zhenzhihua looked up in shock, its cat eyes wide as it stared at Yun Qian: This woman! She's impersonating it!
"My name is Honglian." Honglian was stunned for a moment, but still took Yun Qian's hand and used it to stand up.
Yun Qian sat back down at the table, her gaze slowly sweeping over every corner of the inn. After a long while, she finally spoke: "Junior brother, take... Xiao Bai and check everything carefully." She gave Zhi Hua a new name without changing her expression.
"Okay." Qin Wu and Bai Chuan exchanged a glance and responded simultaneously. Although they didn't understand why their senior sister wanted to send them away, their absolute trust in her made them hesitate without the slightest hesitation.
There must be a reason why my senior sister did this.
Qin Wu bent down and picked up the bewildered Zhihua, then followed Baichuan upstairs to the second floor.
Only Yun Qian and Hong Lian remained in the front hall.
Yun Qian's face was still pale, and she gave Hong Lian a weak smile.
Honglian looked her over and asked curiously, "What are you three doing in this remote place?"
"I was traveling down the mountain and passed through here," Yun Qian replied softly.
Honglian continued to scrutinize her, her doubts deepening: "Your two junior brothers seem to have considerable cultivation, so why can't I sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from you?"
Even the Destiny Stone couldn't detect Yun Qian's cultivation level. In the entire Three Realms, even someone as powerful as Lin Huaiyu couldn't see through her depths, let alone this spider demon who had only cultivated for a few hundred years.
A bitter smile appeared on Yun Qian's face at the right moment, and her voice lowered a few decibels: "I was born with poor physique and weak constitution, so it is really difficult for me to cultivate. Seeing my fellow disciples' cultivation progress by leaps and bounds, I can't help but feel bad. This time, my father asked my two junior brothers to accompany me down the mountain to travel, hoping that I could relax and stop getting stuck in my own thoughts."
“Your father loves you very much.” Honglian’s tone softened.
"Yes." Yun Qian pretended to be lost in memories, her tone carrying just the right amount of longing and sadness. "My father has always doted on me the most, and even these two junior brothers take care of me in every way. But... I don't really want to be a burden to them. It's just that my body is useless; no matter how I cultivate, I can hardly make any progress." Her words were filled with helplessness.
Seeing her somber expression, Honglian felt pity and comforted her, saying, "Cultivation is all about chance and destiny; you can't force it. There's nothing wrong with living a simple, peaceful life. Why worry and fret over this?"
Yun Qian turned to look at her, a smile of gratitude on her face.
Although this Honglian killed everyone in the inn, her intentions don't seem to be too bad.
"But I... just can't figure it out." Yun Qian said softly. Before she finished speaking, she casually raised her right hand, and with her index and middle fingers, she easily caught a sharp sword that had silently pierced her from her side, as if she were plucking a flower!
The sharp wind whipped by the sword's edge ruffled a few strands of her loose black hair. Yun Qian's smile remained unchanged as she slowly turned her head to look at the man wearing a black mask who had appeared out of nowhere.
She continued calmly, picking up where she left off, "I can't understand what the person who set up this formation intended to do, after all the trouble they went to to create it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
