Chapter 1 Can I Go Home with You, My Lifeline?
Outside Luzhou City, there is Baqiu Mountain.
A man wearing a straw hat and tight-fitting clothes was following the footprints on the road. His steps were steady and his lightness skill was superb.
Having just finished the previous case, Zhui Ming intended to return to Bianjing to report back. However, while passing through Luzhou City, he discovered that there had been a series of disappearances in the city recently. Some constables investigated all the way to Baqiu Mountain, but those who went into the deep mountains never returned and all mysteriously disappeared.
For a time, people in Luzhou City were in a state of panic, and no one dared to go towards Baqiu Mountain.
But the fates of those who innocently entered the mountains earlier, and the constables who went in later, are unknown, and the yamen can't just let them go like this.
When Zhui Ming passed by and bought wine, he overheard something and went to the yamen gate to inquire about the situation.
When he arrived, many families of missing persons were gathered at the entrance of the government office demanding an explanation. A septuagenarian, his voice hoarse from crying, was repeatedly telling the onlookers that his grandson had gone missing. Was this how such a large government office was supposed to remain inactive?
Every word pierces the heart, every sound weeps blood.
However, the magistrate of Luzhou was also in a dilemma. The five or six constables who had entered the Eight Hills Mountain were all skilled officers in the yamen, but none of them were able to come out after entering the Eight Hills Mountain. They had all disappeared without a trace.
Presumably, the mountains are a dangerous place, too eerie, and there is no good solution for the time being. He was afraid that the constables from the yamen would go and die in vain, so he was so worried that he could not eat, and dared not make any rash moves.
After hearing this, Zhuiming took off the wine gourd from his waist, took a big gulp, and ignored the wine dripping down his stubble-covered jaw before heading towards Baqiu Mountain.
Even if it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, we'll still venture into it.
He certainly didn't believe in ghosts and gods. No matter how strange the people's words were, it must be someone pretending to be a ghost.
Heading west, by the time they entered the mountains, even with his unparalleled speed, the sun had already set on the mountaintop.
The mountains are muddy, and he is particularly good at tracking, following the tracks into a dense forest.
By this time, it was already getting dark. If it were anyone else, they would probably rest for a while and come back the next day as darkness fell.
But the pursuer, tireless and relentless, day and night, tracked them down as if they were eating and drinking.
This dense forest is full of tall, lush trees, giving the impression of blocking out the sky.
Strangely enough, once we entered this dense forest, the birdsong and insect chirping that were once incessant in the mountains and fields all disappeared.
Thinking of the footprints outside the dense forest and the missing people, Zhui Ming's heart sank. He didn't show it on his face, but he became vigilant in his heart.
He may be somewhat unkempt or cynical in his daily life, but he is bold, meticulous, and thoughtful when solving cases.
As they were exploring forward, they heard a faint rustling sound coming from the trees to their side. The sound was so faint that they would not have noticed it if Zhui Ming had not had exceptional hearing.
The sound was especially suspicious in the eerie dense forest. Zhui Ming gathered his breath and focused his mind, his whole body leaping into the air. His legs nimbly climbed up the side of the tree trunk, and in the blink of an eye, he was up in the tree. He used the dense leaves to conceal his figure, and he didn't make a sound at all, which showed that his leg strength was amazing.
This position is directly facing the direction from which the sound came out.
But to Zhui Ming's surprise, the source of the sound was not the dragon's den or tiger's lair he had imagined, but rather a pretty young girl.
A little girl was sitting on the trunk of the tree with her back to him.
The girl seemed somewhat dejected, her head hanging low. Her delicate hands, resting on either side, were like tender shoots, her fingers slender and delicate, suggesting she was still quite young.
Sang Wan was processing the fact that she had been caught up in the Mirror of Tracing Flow and suddenly found herself in this strange world with sparse spiritual energy.
She was originally a somewhat talented sorcerer. By chance, she and her senior brother entered an ancient secret realm that had been opened. Legend has it that the ancient South China Sea artifact, the Sleepless Candle, and the Flowing Mirror, which can pierce through the void, were sunk in the Canghai Sea of this secret realm.
Having finally entered the ancient secret realm, not only did she not encounter any opportunities, but unexpectedly, the rumors were not only true, but some bastard had also activated the Time-Tracing Mirror, and Sang Wan, who was nearby, was also swept into the spacetime turbulence without exception.
When he regained consciousness and opened his eyes, the sky had fallen. Not only had he suffered serious internal injuries, but he also found himself in a world with extremely thin spiritual energy, and the magical artifacts in his Qiankun bag had been crushed to pieces by the power of spacetime.
It's like going back to square one overnight. In this world with so little spiritual energy, what's the point of talking about cultivating immortality?
Zhuiming, of course, had no idea of Sang Wan's worries at this moment. He carefully examined her hands and found no calluses before lowering his guard, but at the same time, he dared not look at them for too long.
Even with her back turned, one could tell that this girl was exceptionally beautiful, with a captivating figure and a slender waist that could be encircled by a single hand.
She wore a white tulle skirt with a slit, her two straight and slender legs only lightly covered by the tulle. The wind gently blew the tulle aside, and from his angle, her beauty was on full display.
Her skin was extremely white, like solidified cream, so white it seemed to glow like jade, all of which was dazzling.
Any man in the world would be unable to look away upon seeing it, and might even be tempted to hold it and caress it.
Admittedly, he enjoyed looking at beautiful women, but he wouldn't do anything inappropriate. So he dared not look any longer. Thinking of the strangeness of this forest, he felt worried and quickly said, "Miss..."
His voice was deep and cheerful, full of goodwill, but it came all too suddenly!
Sang Wan was lost in thought, contemplating her miserable situation, when suddenly a shout came from behind her. Startled, she instinctively shrank back and fell off the tree branch!
The huge tree branches rattled loudly as she shook them forcefully.
As the feeling of weightlessness washed over her, she couldn't help but gasp softly, subconsciously channeling her spiritual energy.
...The scene of her coming to a steady stop as expected did not occur. The spiritual energy gathered around her was too little and too thin, barely slowing down her descent.
Before she could react, Zhuiming had already used his exquisite leg techniques and lightness skills to leap into the air and catch her in mid-air.
Given the distance just now, apart from the Divine Leg Chaser, few people could pull someone into their arms in that short moment.
Leaves fluttered down, and the eerie atmosphere of the quiet forest temporarily disappeared.
With a soft, fragrant body in his arms, even Zhui Ming couldn't help but feel a flutter in his heart. He composed himself and lowered his head frankly, saying, "Miss, you..."
Sang Wan buried her head in his chest, still shaken, and only looked up at this suddenly appearing "lifeline" after he spoke again.
As she gracefully raised her eyes, the words "Are you alright?" remained stuck in her throat.
It has nothing to do with this girl; she is truly... born with a face of unparalleled beauty.
He would bet his entire life's finest wine that every man in the world who saw her would be captivated by her.
Having traveled all over the country and solved countless cases, he didn't care much about what others thought of him. However, he loved looking at beautiful women and had seen countless beauties, including many famous and peerless beauties in the martial arts world. Only now did he realize what a true beauty was.
And at this moment, this beautiful woman was leaning in his arms, his arms around her warm, jade-like shoulders and the back of her legs, so close to her captivating, hibiscus-like face.
She looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with eyes as clear as autumn water, like rare treasures hidden in the shimmering surface of the sea. Zhui Ming was stunned for a moment, unable to recover from the shock.
Don't ask, the answer is simply that the appearance of cultivators is overwhelming.
Sang Wan was staring directly at him.
The person in front of her certainly didn't have a handsome face that would make her fall in love at first sight.
Because this man was neither young nor handsome, but rather disheveled, with a wine gourd tied around his waist, a bare chest, and tattered leggings, he looked like a somewhat down-on-his-luck wandering swordsman.
Although his chin was covered in stubble and there was a deep loneliness between his brows, making him look somewhat weathered, he had a pair of bright, youthful, and captivating eyes.
Sang Wan pressed against his bare chest, the only sounds in her ears being their soft breathing and the rustling of leaves around them. They gazed at each other, and perhaps because they were new to this strange world, perhaps because of the suspension bridge effect, or perhaps because of his bright, kind, and affectionate eyes, for a moment they felt as if a single glance could last a lifetime.
The man was a tall, handsome, middle-aged man with no cultivation, yet his legwork was surprisingly good. Sang Wan found it quite interesting, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.
Zhuiming seemed to snap out of his daze when she smiled, and quickly and carefully put the girl down.
She couldn't help but think to herself that she was really going backwards as she got older; she was still a young girl. Beauty really does lead people astray.
Fortunately, the other party was a young girl who looked to be just over sixteen. If she were a few years older, or he were a few years younger, he would probably fall in love with her at first sight.
Suppressing the turmoil in his mind, he thought, "Such a beautiful young girl in the deep mountains, for whatever reason, is far too dangerous."
Before he could speak, she interrupted him, "You've called me 'Miss' three times since just now. What exactly do you want to say?"
She knew she had a beautiful face, but she still mischievously got closer to him and teased him with her fragrant breath.
Seeing this, Zhuiming's heart skipped a beat, and he swallowed hard. "Haha, I was just wondering, why are you here alone so late, young lady?"
"Many people have gone missing in these Eight Hills Mountain recently. Where do you live? Let me take you home first."
“Because I got lost…” Sang Wan drawled out her words, looking the person in front of her up and down as she spoke.
Only then did I realize that this person had long legs and a somewhat dashing air about him.
This was the first person she had met in this unfamiliar world, so she couldn't help but take a few more curious glances at him, but she didn't really pay attention to what he was saying.
She's a demon hunter, she's not afraid of demons, so why would she be afraid of mortals?
Zhuiming was always carefree and unrestrained, but when faced with such a beautiful woman's scrutiny, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He thought she was wary of a strange man who suddenly appeared in the deep mountains and said he wanted to take her home, so he quickly revealed his identity.
"Don't worry, I'm Zhui Ming, a constable from the Six Doors. I'm in the mountains to investigate the missing persons cases in the city." He then took out the Six Doors token from his pocket and handed it to her.
Sang Wan took the token in a daze, and when she looked down, she saw that it was indeed from the Six Doors.
Six Doors, Chasing Life.
He really was a constable.
Because she had gone down the mountain with her senior brother to catch demons a few times, she had met a constable once in the original world, but the person in front of her really didn't look like a constable.
Seeing that the girl had been staring at the token for a long time, Zhuiming thought something was wrong and quickly asked her.
Sang Wan snapped out of her daze, handed the token back, and said honestly, "I just think you really don't look like a constable."
Zhuiming laughed heartily, picked up his wine gourd, took a swig, and said, "I'm more of a drunkard than a constable."
The way this man drank was indeed somewhat unrestrained. Sang Wan couldn't stand it, so she leaned forward and brought her mouth close to his lips, sniffed the wine, and said to herself, "It is indeed good wine."
Her movements were fluid and graceful, her demeanor composed, while Zhui Ming, who had been so carefree just moments before, was now stiff and unable to move.
Sang Wan couldn't help but chuckle to herself, then turned away as if unaware, and said, "Zhuiming, Zhuiming, you must have unparalleled leg techniques. No wonder your legs are so long."
Being addressed by such a beauty, with such words, even Zhui Ming felt a little embarrassed and could only say, "It's just a nickname used by people in the martial arts world."
After saying that, he added as if by some strange twist of fate, "Actually, my surname is Cui, and my name is Cui Lueshang."
“Cui Lueshang,” Sang Wan said thoughtfully, “this name sounds somewhat sad.”
Zhuiming smiled upon hearing this. He was a magnanimous man. He plugged the gourd with the soft stopper, pointed to his own nose, and said, "Let this sad drunkard take this little girl home."
"Don't call me 'Miss' anymore," she said, her eyes darting around. "Just call me Wanwan. I can't go home anymore. Can I go home with you?"
Zhuiming was walking forward, intending to lead the way down the mountain, but upon hearing this, he stumbled.
He quickly shook his head like a rattle-drum, clearing his mind of all the jumbled thoughts. "Young lady, you can't just say things like that to people. Is there some difficulty? Just tell me. After all, I'm a constable."
Sang Wan took another step forward, seemingly referring to something, and said, "I didn't just say this to anyone; I'm talking to you. The problem now is that I'm homeless, and you're unwilling to take me home."
The hardship is that she is homeless, after all, she has no money.
And for some reason, she felt a sense of trust in this weathered, unruly, and contradictory man before her; perhaps it was because cultivators always had a bit of physiognomy to judge people.
He seems like a good person.
But she also had a mischievous urge to tease him; she had never met such a special person before.
Of course, she was still young and spent most of her time cultivating in the sect. Apart from her fellow disciples, she hadn't met many other people.
Zhuiming was usually the only one among his four fellow disciples who could make girls laugh, but now he was speechless after being talked to by a young girl in her late teens, which really made him...
This young girl is exquisitely beautiful, with delicate and aloof features, and a pair of clear and bright eyes, giving her a pure and innocent appearance.
But she had a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows, which added a touch of captivating charm. Her cool and charming girlishness was mixed together, and her tone was tender and soft. Zhui Ming began to wonder if she was really the incarnation of a fox spirit from a supernatural novel.
Just as I was about to suggest taking people to an inn in the city for a few nights, I heard a sound coming from the ground behind me, like the scraping sound of a snake crawling on the ground.
Zhuiming reacted extremely quickly, grabbing Sang Wan's arm and taking two steps back, shouting, "Watch out!"
After saying that, he looked down at the ground, but it was not any kind of snake he had expected, but a vine with green buds still growing on it!
Looking along the vines, it turned out they stretched quite a distance from the forest!
There's no end in sight!
Zhui Ming was startled; he had never seen vines that could stretch and move on their own.
Before he could observe carefully, seven or eight vines suddenly stretched out from all directions. He dodged them with his light-footed skills, anxiously trying to use their strength to get the little girl away first.
Turning my head to look, I was surprised to find that the little girl seemed to know kung fu, and her dodging skills were quite good.
Slightly relieved, I couldn't think of anything else at this point, focusing solely on dodging the damned vines.
This brings us to the fact that these two people, when put together, couldn't find a single weapon.
Sang Wan was seriously injured, and since she couldn't mobilize much spiritual energy in this world, and all the weapons in her Qiankun bag were shattered, she was now truly a tiger fallen into the plains, bullied by dogs, and could only hide.
Needless to say, Zhui Ming was born with internal injuries. Due to the side effects of the medicine, he was unable to exert any strength in his body and therefore did not carry any weapons such as swords. His weapons and killing moves were his legs. However, no matter how advanced his leg techniques were, he could not break through these tough and strange vines.
If your legs get entangled in these vines, you're probably in grave danger.
Even with this eerie scene, Zhui Ming didn't believe it was the work of demons or ghosts; he only suspected that someone had used their internal energy to activate the vines.
But the vines were visibly 15 zhang long. Who in the martial arts world could use their internal energy to this extent beyond 15 zhang?
Two fists are no match for four hands, and two legs are even less able to withstand the ever-growing vines.
Exhausted, a vine quickly wrapped around Sang Wan's leg. Zhui Ming flew over to help, but was instead entangled by the vine as well, and the two of them were bound tightly like dumplings.
A note from the author:
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