Qilin Blood 1
"Young...Young Master, are we really going to go?" Ge Yun was timid by nature, and at this moment he was trembling uncontrollably, his eyes were unfocused and his voice was shaking.
Standing next to Ge Yun was a young boy, wearing a long blue robe with dark patterns, one corner of which was being blown up by the wind. He did not respond immediately, but stared intently at the village not far away.
The village that Ge Yun feared was not an abandoned or deserted place. It was just that it was already late, and the village was located deep in the remote mountains and forests. From where they stood, it was indeed dark and gloomy, and the strange cries of crows could be heard from the surrounding forest from time to time, which added to the eeriness.
Xiao Congzhi flicked his wrist, and a folding fan tapped Ge Yun on the head. His clear voice was concise and to the point: "Go."
Ge Yun reluctantly dragged his feet along the ground: "Young Master, how about we go in tomorrow morning... no, when the sun is at its brightest?"
Xiao Congzhi did not respond and walked directly towards the village.
Although it is a village located in a remote mountain area, it does have a proper gate, a wooden archway covered with vines, standing in the center of a fence, with a wooden sign that looks like it's about to fall off right above the archway.
“Qilin Village…” Xiao Congzhi looked at the words on the wooden sign and read out the village’s name with a smile, as if he were not standing in front of a remote mountain village, but in front of the most prosperous restaurant in the capital.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a gust of cold wind suddenly arose, and the wooden sign slammed against the wooden door with a "clatter".
Ge Yun, who was half a step behind, trembled and stared at his young master's back, wanting to say something but holding back.
Just then, a commotion came from the woods behind them. Amidst the strange cries, flocks of black crows flew out, the wind picked up, and the faint moonlight was gradually blocked by the clouds.
"male…"
"Shut up."
Ge Yun's trembling voice was cut off. He looked up and saw that Xiao Congzhi's smile had vanished. He was staring intently at the woods from which the crows had flown, his fingers gently stroking the fan handle.
Could it be something? Ge Yun trembled more and more violently as he thought about it. He turned his back, not daring to look at the dark forest, and his hand involuntarily tugged at Xiao Congzhi's sleeve.
For a moment, only the sound of the wind and birdsong could be heard… Ge Yun, with his eyes tightly closed, didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly he heard footsteps, very light and slow footsteps, coming from behind him, getting closer and closer… closer and closer…
Just before Ge Yun was about to scream.
"Oh~ How rare, someone actually managed to discover my existence." The slightly deeper voice carried an obvious hint of mockery.
Ge Yun mustered his courage and secretly glanced back. A handsome man, whose appearance was no less than that of his young master, dressed in all black, stood not far behind him.
"With such a commotion, surely someone noticed?" Xiao Congzhi asked politely, a fake smile on his face.
Upon hearing this, the man in black casually twitched the corner of his mouth and replied perfunctorily, "Indeed, I am Mo Huan. May I ask who you are?"
"Xiao Congzhi." As he spoke, Xiao Congzhi freed his sleeve from Ge Yun's grasp, pulled him around, and casually introduced him, "This is Ge Yun."
Mo Huan glanced briefly at Ge Yun, then looked at Xiao Congzhi and said directly, "This is the middle of nowhere, and I doubt a single outsider would come here in a year. So, Brother Xiao, are you here to find the Qilin blood?"
Xiao Congzhi did not answer immediately. He looked the frivolous man in front of him up and down, who had started calling him brother after just a few words, and slowly curled the corners of his mouth.
The next moment, Xiao Congzhi struck with lightning speed, launching a fierce attack on Mo Huan.
The fan, sharp as a blade, aimed straight for the opponent's throat, but Mo Huan leaned back and nimbly dodged it.
Without pausing, Xiao Congzhi delivered a side kick to Mo Huan's chest. Mo Huan caught the kick with his bent arm and pushed Xiao Congzhi away.
Mo Huan launched a palm strike, aiming straight for the top of Xiao Congzhi's head. Xiao Congzhi spun around, retracting his fan to defend himself, and used the fan handle to block Mo Huan's palm strike.
The shockwave from the clash of their internal forces spread out, causing Ge Yun to tumble over. By the time Ge Yun managed to stand up, Mo Huan and Xiao Congzhi had exchanged over a hundred blows, with neither able to gain the upper hand.
After another exchange of blows, the two stopped tacitly, stood at opposite ends, their faces grim and smiles gone. When they looked at each other again, there was no trace of leisure.
The night breeze blew between the two, and for a moment there was silence.
After an unknown amount of time, the cloud that had been obscuring the moonlight drifted away, and the wind gradually stopped.
Mo Huan broke the silence. He withdrew the terrifying darkness from his eyes, raised his hand in a salute, and praised Xiao with a loud laugh, "Brother Xiao, what skill you have!"
Xiao Congzhi returned the greeting casually, saying, "Brother Mo, you flatter me."
They went back and forth, addressing each other as brothers, harmonious and loving, as if they weren't the two who had just been unleashing deadly attacks on each other's vital points.
"So, it seems Brother Xiao has indeed come to find the Qilin blood?"
"I came for this reason, but this is not my purpose."
"What a coincidence, I'm in a similar situation. I think we could team up and get out of this desolate wilderness faster?"
That's exactly what I was thinking.
After a round of insincere, pedantic pleasantries, the two magnanimous heroes, setting aside their past grievances, became temporary companions.
With his temporary partner and burden Ge Yun, after wasting a lot of time, they finally stepped into the territory of Qilin Village.
It was late at night, and the village was completely dark and silent, as if it were deserted.
While Mo Huan was studying the inscriptions on the stone by the pond at the village entrance, Ge Yun moved closer to Xiao Congzhi and whispered, "Young Master, I was terrified when you suddenly called me."
Xiao Congzhi snorted coldly: "If he wants to travel with me, he should at least have some ability worthy of it."
"But I should never have addressed you as a brother."
Xiao Congzhi gently patted Ge Yun's shoulder, then looked at Mo Huan not far away with an inscrutable expression. Admittedly, he had intended to test him, but he did not expect that the person who suddenly appeared in the wilderness would be on par with him... Are there so many capable people in the martial arts world, or is this person's identity special?
"Brother Mo," Xiao Congzhi bypassed Ge Yun and approached Mo Huan, who was squatting on the ground studying the stone, humbly seeking his guidance, "Have you found anything on the stone?"
Mo Huan shook his head, stood up, and replied politely, "This is probably just a prayer for good weather and a bountiful harvest; there's nothing new about it. Let's walk into the village."
Xiao Congzhi followed Mo Huan's gaze and looked ahead. The place where they were standing was a fairly tidy open space at the entrance of the village, which was brightly lit by the moonlight.
But further into the village, it was shrouded in darkness. The narrow path was overgrown with weeds, which rustled in the wind. Sparse, simple wooden houses stood on both sides of the path, but no candlelight shone through; it was pitch black and eerie.
Ge Yun started trembling again, looking at his young master pleadingly.
Xiao Congzhi, seemingly oblivious to Ge Yun's gaze, echoed Mo Huan with considerable interest: "That's true, it'll be dawn soon if we delay any longer."
Mo Huan and Xiao Congzhi, who hit it off immediately, set off into the depths of the village without hesitation, looking quite dashing, which was in stark contrast to Ge Yun, who was trembling behind them.
As they passed those simple wooden huts, Mo Huan and Xiao Congzhi could sense that someone was inside, but the movement was very faint, not like they were asleep, but more like they were unconscious.
The two exchanged a glance and began to talk in a tacit understanding.
"Speaking of which, the legend of Qilin blood has been circulating in the martial arts world for over a hundred years. It can bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded, making it a treasure that countless people in the martial arts world covet. How come no one has talked about this village all these years?"
Xiao Congzhi quickly unfolded his fan, fanned himself a couple of times, and then answered Mo Huan's question: "I learned about it by chance. I thought everyone in the martial arts world knew about this village, but the mountains and forests are so strange that no one can get in."
"Oh?" Mo Huan observed Xiao Congzhi's expression without showing any emotion, and then said, "That's true. The mountains and forests are full of traps, and there are countless man-eating plants and poisonous insects. Brother Xiao was able to pass through them safely with a burden, so his strength is second to none in the martial arts world. However... I have never heard of the name Xiao Congzhi in the martial arts world."
This probing was too direct, but Xiao Congzhi was not annoyed. He smiled and explained, "I'm new to the martial world, so it's normal that Brother Mo hasn't heard of me."
"Brother Xiao is quite frank."
"Of course I cannot let Brother Mo down."
Although their conversation was lighthearted and humorous, the look of doubt on their faces grew increasingly deeper.
They deliberately spoke loudly, but surprisingly, no one in the entire village was awakened.
At night, Qilin Village resembles a dead land.
"Hey... do you feel the wind getting stronger?" Ge Yun asked cautiously.
Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan naturally noticed that the deeper they went, the stronger the wind became, the darker the moonlight became, and the quieter the surroundings became.
It was very strange; the wind was strong, but there was no sound.
Suddenly, a completely black building appeared before them.
It wasn't the typical dilapidated huts made of wood and thatch common in the village; this was a house built of bricks, very tall and wide, standing like a colossal giant at the end of the road.
Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan looked at each other simultaneously, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. Just as they were about to step forward to investigate, a bell suddenly rang out in the silent space.
Ding-a-ling~~Ring~
Crisp and eerie.
The next moment, the silent gale stopped.
In the blink of an eye, the black building in front of them disappeared without a trace.
Xiao Congzhi, unable to hide his shock, stared ahead and asked softly, "Did you see that black house just now?"
Mo Huan also stared ahead, his voice tinged with surprise: "Hmm. It seems this village really does hold a secret."
"The wind has stopped, and the moonlight is shining in. I'm afraid even if we have a secret, we'll have to leave empty-handed tonight," Xiao Congzhi murmured, looking at the moon overhead.
Just as Mo Huan was about to respond, another bell rang, this time more urgently than before. At the same time, smoke rose from the ground, climbing higher and higher with the sound of the bell.
The smoke was so thick that it instantly obscured visibility.
"Brother Mo?" Xiao Congzhi called out tentatively when he could no longer see Mo Huan.
Mo Huan did not answer. But a hand reached out from the thick fog and grabbed at Xiao Congzhi's wrist. The surroundings were too eerie and unpredictable, so Xiao Congzhi did not dodge.
Mo Huan's palms were warm, and the heat traveled along their skin to Xiao Congzhi's slightly cool wrist. Both of them calmed themselves down with this tangible touch.
"ah!!!"
It was Ge Yun screaming, and it sounded like it was not far away, so what did he see in the thick fog?
Mo Huan approached Xiao Congzhi cautiously and warily. The close proximity allowed them to vaguely see each other's blurry figures.
"Who?" Mo Huan asked in one direction, as he heard faint but present footsteps.
As soon as they finished speaking, the fog in front of them suddenly dissipated, revealing a thin, white-haired person standing hunched over in front of them.
A pair of crimson eyes were staring up at Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan, scrutinizing and speculating.
Xiao Congzhi scrutinized the person who had suddenly appeared before him. Undoubtedly, the fog had dissipated because of this person. So, in this village that resembled a dead zone, was this person dead or alive?
Before Xiao Congzhi could ask any questions, the strange old man spoke, his voice as melodious as if he were singing a play.
"Midnight has passed; all things are neither born nor die."
The next moment, the bell stopped, a strong wind arose, the fog dissipated in an instant, the eerie old man disappeared with the fog, and the moonlight on the horizon turned blood red.
"Danger!" Mo Huan released Xiao Congzhi's wrist, staring intently at the path they had come from, his face solemn.
Xiao Congzhi also looked in the same direction, gripping the fan handle tightly, ready for battle.
Ge Yun, who was sitting on the ground crying two steps away from them, cleverly stood up and moved behind Xiao Congzhi.
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