The monstrous-looking black cloud exuded an ominous aura as it floated in mid-air. Suddenly, it sank down, as if sucked in by something, and completely disappeared.
The sky returned to its usual clarity, as if nothing had happened. But, Shen Zhxian’s heart sank and a sense of uneasiness surfaced, which caused him to stare out in surprise for a brief moment.
With the bamboo grove blocking his view, Shen Zhixian couldn’t see what was over there. He could only discern that it was within the boundary of the manor.
He beckoned Yan Jin over. Yan Jin arrived with a coat, which he placed on Shen Zhixian. “What’s wrong?”
“I think there’s something wrong there.” Shen Zhixian frowned slightly, still feeling uneasy. He hadn’t felt like this for a long time, and the strange cloud made him anxious. That strange black cloud gave him an indescribable sense of foreboding.
Shen Zhixian couldn’t say where that weird black cloud went, but he instinctively felt that it wasn’t anything good. He pulled away from Yan Jin and stepped back a little. Stretching his hand toward the window’s edge, he easily flipped over to the other side. “Let’s go take a look?”
Even as he spoke this question, he’d already take two steps away. Yan Jin leaped out the window without saying a word and followed closely behind him.
After passing through the bamboo grove, they arrived at a small, abandoned garden. The garden looked like it’d been deserted for a long time, such that dead leaves and weeds covered the entire area.
They walked with vigilance and discovered that there was no one about–It was so late that the patrolling guards would not come to this remote place.
The further they walked, the more uneasy Shen Zhixian felt. The night was heavy, and the air seemed to be cloaked in an oppressive silence. The pale moonlight fell across dust-covered rocky hills on either side of them.
They walked quietly and stealthily. Until suddenly, the sounds of dead leaves being stepped on rang out in the silence. They stopped immediately and, after listening, realized that the sound seemed to come from the corner. It was seemed as if someone was about to turn the corner
From the corner of Shen Zhixian’s eyes, he saw a depression in the tall rocky hill beside him and immediately pulled Yan Jin over to hide within its shadow.
The small depression was shallow but it happened to face away from the moon’s light. Unless someone was looking carefully, it would be difficult to see them.
Their hiding place was also very narrow so they had to stand pressed against each other. Yan Jin was on the outside, boxing Shen Zhixian in. Fearing that there wouldn’t be enough space for Yan Jin to hide, Shen Zhixian caught him by the waist and pulled him in closer.
Because they were so close together, the difference in height and body shape became quite obvious, making it seem as if Shen Zhixian was actively and enthusiastically embracing Yan Jin.
However, Shen Zhixian didn’t realize this. He only found that Yan Jin was too tall and was blocking his sight. As a result, he pulled Yan Jin sideways and rose on his toes to look over his shoulders.
He saw the person who’d just turned the corner.
—Madam Meng who invited them to the house.
The owner of this manor was the young master who liked to linger in pleasure boats. He was surnamed Meng, with a single character Yun as his first name. He was also a wealthy businessman.
His parents were killed by mountain bandits several years ago. Meng Yun was in the middle of making funeral arrangements when he met a woman. After several exchanges, the two fell in love and became a pair of husband and wife–that woman was the current Madam Meng.
Meng Yun’s ability to do business was quite good, and he could be regarded as a wealthy man. His favorite hobby was to linger in pleasure boats. Whenever he became free, he would run to that place of pleasure. He also liked to learn literary talents and especially liked to compose poetry for these beautiful women…Even though those beauties never recited any of his works.
These were all from the mouth of Madam Shen’s steward, whom Shen Zhixian had questioned. He didn’t comment on Meng Yun’s behavior but only asked because he was curious. This Madam Meng who dared to go to a pleasure boat to retrieve her husband, what was she doing here alone in the middle of the night?
The direction she came from was exactly where the dark cloud had disappeared. Shen Zhixian quietly watched her walk step by step back. She looked extremely tired, with her eyes nearly half-closed.
Madam Meng…seemed to be hiding a little secret.
Madam Meng soon disappeared. Shen Zhixian waited for a while to ensure that there were no more movements. Then, he pushed Yan Jin. “Go out.”
After stepping out, Shen Zhixian stood in moonlight and quickly discovered that Yan Jin’s ears had turned red.
He stopped and stared in surprise at Yan Jin’s ear. Then, he let out a meaningful sound of understanding.
However, Yan Jin was very calm and had no expression on his face. He only looked at Shen Zhixian quietly, as if it wasn’t him who had red ears.
It was just that his slightly clenched fist revealed a little of his nervousness.
Shen Zhixian couldn’t help but want to laugh. Yan Jin’s reaction was very interesting, making Shen Zhixian want to tease him. Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right. He still hadn’t discovered what happened with the dark cloud and Madam Meng. As a result, he could only suppress this naughty desire in his heart and took the initiative to grab Yan Jin’s hand and pull him forward.
They walked for a while, following Madam Meng. Suddenly, darkness glimmered across their eyes and the surrounding area seemed to blurred for a brief moment before quickly returning to normal. But, the moonlight seemed to be blocked by some invisible barrier.
The temperature dropped suddenly. After the rockery, there was a small courtyard that looked quite shabby. Shen Zhixuan whispered, “There’s a formation here.”
They broke into a formation.
However, this formation only served as a shield. It wasn’t too advanced, and its purpose was to prevent ordinary people from discovering this courtyard. However, because Shen Zhixian and Yan Jin were cultivators, it didn’t affect them much.
Several large trees were planted around the courtyard. Shen Zhixian recognized them as locust trees, with branches burdened with layers upon layers of leaves. In the courtyard was a small dilapidated wooden house that looked as if it’d been falling into disrepair for many years. Because the door was slanted, a large gap was exposed next to the ground.
A rusty lock hung on the door. Shen Zhixian picked up a branch and poked it. The seemingly fragile lock shook but did not break. Instead, a lot of fine rusty powder fell down, revealing blurred lines underneath the rust.
Shen Zhixian’s thoughts spun. The lock was ancient and rusty. It obviously hadn’t been opened for a long time. Then, why did Madam Meng come here?…It couldn’t have been because she just wanted to take a walk.
Suddenly, a dark yellow piece of paper caught the corner of Shen Zhixian’s eyes. He bent over and picked up half of the paper talisman that was lying in the grass. The edges of the paper talisman was burnt black, as if it’d been burned.
However, the paper talisman still looked very new. Perhaps, Madam Meng recently brought it here. Shen Zhixian studied the paper talisman, his frown gradually deepening. Using the tree branch, he once again gently scratched at the rusty lock.
Once the rust was nearly scratched away, Shen Zhixian was finally able to determine that the pattern on the lock matched the pattern on the paper talisman.
“This is …”
Although the pattern looked a little familiar, Shen Zhixian couldn’t remember what it was. Yan Jin took a closer look at the paper talisman in his hand and calmly said, “Attraction Seal”
Shen Zhixian took a breath of cold air and repeated, “Attraction Seal.”
How could ordinary people get such a thing? Did Madam Meng know what this was?
Attraction Seal, as its name suggested, were talismans that can attract various 'spirits.” The so-called spirit could be a demon spirit or a wandering soul spirit. The type of spirits that were attracted would also correlate with the cultivator’s strength.
The higher the maker’s cultivation, the more powerful the 'spirit” that was attracted. If cultivators such as Shen Zhixian and Yan Jin were to draw the seal, in all likelihood, they would end up calling a big demon. However, there was no trace of spiritual power on this talisman, indicating that it was made by a regular human. As a result, it could only attract new cultivated demons and small wandering souls.
However, the locks still have traces of spiritual aura on it.
Shen Zhixian suddenly remembered the dark cloud he’d just seen earlier and his thoughts deepend. After looking around for a while, he saw many scorched black fragments among the roots of the weeds.
It was the ashes left after the paper talisman was burned.
What did Madam Meng just do here?
No matter how weak the talisman was, if they were used in large numbers, who knew what kind of creatures it could summon If the black cloud was made up of eighty percent burnt talisman, then where were all the spirits?
What secret was hidden in the yard?
As countless doubts surged up, Shen Zhixian suddenly remembered the painted skin demon’s words. He realized that he was mistaken. According to the painted skin demon, those who enter the Undead City were not human. They would also be marked with the Wang Gui flower. And, in order to leave, they would have to pay a price.
Madam Meng had the Wang Gui flower etched on her wrist. That meant that she’d come from the Undead City. But, why did she leave and what price did she have to pay?
Earlier, when Shen Zhixian saw that she had no spiritual power, he subconsciously regarded her as an ordinary mortal .
Yan Jin obviously thought of this too. With a slight movement of his hand, he pulled his sword out of its sheath. Suddenly, a faint, nearly inaudible chirping sound came from his feet, interrupting his movements.
Shen Zhixian and Yan Jin both looked down at the same time. They saw a small pile of fur squeezed out from the ground by the crooked door.
It had squeezed through the narrow space, causing it’s hair to become messy and covered with mud. Once it got out, it collapsed in exhaustion, softly chirping. .
—It was a baby demon bird that was covered in mud, making it difficult for people to see its true color.
They were surprised to see living things in this desolate place, much less a weak, a little guy looked as if he might just die on the spot.
Shen Zhixuan squatted down, poking at the branches of her hand, and gently poked at the little bird’s tired, trembling claws.
The little demon bird was tired and covered with mud. When it suddenly discovered two people next to it, it trembled in fear. Thinking that they were going to hurt it, the bird struggled hard to stand up.
Shen Zhixian didn’t know if its wings were injured but, even after flapping a few times, it couldn’t fly. It could only crawl on the ground and attempted to escape.
However, the birds’ small legs were still very short. It wasn’t as fast as Shen Zhixian. After the birds took two steps, Shen Zhixian used the small branch to corral it back.
But, a faint light flashed as the little demon bird bumped into an invisible barrier. It fell back and began to cry.
“Ahhhhh!”
Probably because it was hurt, it didn’t have enough strength to get away. The little claws kicked and kicked but it couldn’t kick them away. Finally, its big eyes burst into tears.
Shen Zhixian didn’t expect it to be so coquettish. He turned it around with the branch. “Don’t cry.”
The little demon bird seemed to be worried about something. I suppressed a scream of fear and stood up quickly. Taking two steps back, it watched them with wariness. “You, who are you?!”
“It doesn’t matter who we are, what’s important is what’s in there?”
Who knew whether it was this sentence that caused the little demon bird to be so frightened. But, it shivered and began to show an expression of terror. In a trembling voice, it said, “You, you don’t want to wake up…Hush! You can’t talk nonsense. You might wake it up!”
The little demon bird panicked incoherently, and though Shen Zhixian didn’t understand it, he could guess that there might be something powerful locked inside. That thing might pose a great threat to the little bird’s life, so much so that it dared not even shout loudly.
Seeing Shan Zhixian standing there and looking as if he was going to touch the lock, the little bird was so anxious that it stumbled and rushed to him. It’s small beak caught Shen Zhixian’s hem and tried to drag him back. “No way. You can’t go in. Chirp, chirp! It’s terrible!”
Shen Zhixian nearly touched the rusty lock when suddenly his hand froze. A startled look appeared on his face.
After a short pause, he flipped his wrist and a long sword appeared in his hand.
The clear sword emitted a cold chill that permeated the place. The sword trembled, as if it’d encountered something that made it excited. Shen Zhixian could even sensed that the long-sleeping Frost Return sword spirit….
There was a trace of wanting to wake.
The little bird was stunned. Yan Jin’s gaze swept over. After a moment of surprise, he said, “This is?”
Shen Zhixian held the hilt with one hand and the blade with the other. He exerted a little force to prevent it from moving. The sword let out a cold light, its body trembling. As Frost Return’s owner, Shen Zhixian could clearly feel its agitation.
“There’s devil…” Shen Zhixian murmured. His sword Frost Return was most sensitive to devil qi. When Yan Shen tried to frame Yan Jin with devil qi, it had trembled even when there was only a little present.
This time, not only did the sword tremble, but even the sword spirit itself, who’d been sleeping for a long time, had been surprised–Just what was inside this room?!
The uneasiness that Shen Zhixian had just suppressed now resurfaced with more intensity. Shen Zhixian put away the sword and shook his head at Yan Jin. However, he no longer had any intention of opening the door. He bent over and picked up the little bird, then motioned to Yan Jin to leave.
Yan Jin hesitated for a moment, looking at the rusty lock. Then, without a word, he turned to leave with Shen Zhixian.
They quietly walked back the same way they came. The only difference this time was that Shen Zhixian was carrying a little demon bird.
Perhaps, the little bird was scared stupid because it didn’t speak at all. It wasn’t until Shen Zhixian had walked past the large rocks that it’d been hiding under that it suddenly began to struggle and chirped in pain.
Shen Zhixian’s footsteps paused, and he looked down at it.
The little bird was very small, not even half the size of Shen Zhixian’s palm. His hand was flat, and he held the bird without squeezing it.
But, the little one suddenly struggled, flapping its wings. It’s head twisted and turned, and its two little clawed foot kicked wildly, even as it screamed in pain. It was as if an invisible hand was holding it by the throat. Shen Zhixian could keenly hear it dying in despair.
Shen Zhixian had a thought and moved back a step.
The effect was instantaneous. The little bird’s struggles immediately weakened. After a moment, it managed to calm down and laid tiredly in Shen Zhixian’s hand. The tip of its wings trembled slightly, and it’s little breast undulated with each breath. The beak parted opened. “It hurts…”
It turned out that the little bird couldn’t leave the yard.
There was something in the courtyard that prevented it from leaving.
Shen Zhixian asked softly, “You can’t leave, can you?”
“It hurts …” the little bird chirped and looked at him with grievances. It’s black eyes were tearful and sad. “Save me…”
It was originally guarded against Shen Zhixian. But now it lost its willpower due to the pain. It didn’t care much and started talking.
“I’ve been caught in here for a long time and can’t get out…” The little bird chirped and let out a big cry. “There are still many like me…being eaten…”
The more he heard, the more serious Shen Zhixian’s expression became.
From the little bird’s story, it’d been trapped in this courtyard for a long time. In that period of time, it’d witnessed the arrival of many little demons and wandering souls that had been called here. They were then “eaten” by the thing inside. None were spared.
Except for the little bird.
Even the little bird didn’t know what was going on. It just woke up one day and found itself in this terrible purgatory. A thick, round black qi was gobbling up little demons and little wandering spirits. It’s two claws trembled, but there was nowhere it could run. In the end, it could only curl up the corner furthest from the dark qi, shivering.
It was odd that other little demons and wandering spirits were swallowed cleanly except for the little bird, who’d hid for a long time and managed to stay safe. Until today, when it came out from its hiding spot.
“It hurts … as soon as I try to leave, it will hurt…” The little bird’s tears fell as he cried intermittently, “I can’t leave. If I leave, I’ll die…Help me…”
The little bird wanted them to save it and help it leave. But, Shen Zhixian still had no clue about what was trapping it. From Frost Return’s response, he could only guess that it must be a very powerful demon.
Shen Zhixian put the little bird back in it’s hiding spot. Though the little bird continued to tremble, it stood firm and stared at them with eager eyes.
However, Shen Zhixian had no intention of taking it away right now. One reason was that he could not take it away. The other reason was that he didn’t intend to immediately explore the secrets within the courtyard. Frost Return’s restlessness and his own sense of uneasiness warned him to proceed with caution.
Even if Madam Meng was not directly involved in these matters, she must be aware of it. He may be able get the answer out of Madam Meng…
After thinking it over, he whispered with Yan Jin for a while. They decided not to hit the grass so quickly.
After telling the little bird not to run about too much, they avoided the guard and returned silently back to Shen Zhixian’s room.
It wasn’t too early since only an hour had passed.
This time, Shen Zhixian was finally able to sleep peacefully. He yawned lazily and got into bed. Just before going to sleep, he only remembered to vaguely tell Yan Jin to get up earlier and quietly go back to his room. Then, he promptly fell asleep.
Yan Jin grunted, sounding like he agreed. But, he had no intention of following. So, the next day, a stiff face Shen Zhixian, who wore his outer coat draped over his shoulders, opened the window. Just then, a guard happened to be patrolling past. The two stared at each other in dismay before Shen Zhixian finally slammed the shutter close.
A quarter of an hour later, Shen Zhixian opened the door calmly and walked out neatly dressed, followed by Yan Jin, who was also neatly dressed.
The steward, who’d just arrived with breakfast, was prepared to ask them where they planned on going next. Instead, he stared at them, speechless.
He looked in bewilderment over at the room that was originally prepared for Yan Jin. At this moment, it looked completely undisturbed, as if it’d been uninhabited the entire night. After returning his gaze back to Yan Jin, he asked politely and cautiously, “Was your room arrangements not appropriate?”
Before Yan Jin could say something that shouldn’t be said, Shen Zhixian quickly interrupted with a response and then casually began to inquire about the Meng Manor.
In the end, these were the two innocent guests that had been dragged in by the two masters of the house. As a result, the steward was very polite to them. Although he didn’t answer all of Shen Zhixian’s questions, he still responded to the more innocuous questions.
It must be said that Madam Meng had some skill to so thoroughly control the household. Although the manor belonged to the Mengs, the people within respected her very much. Even when Madam Meng took people to break into the pleasure boats to look for Meng Yun, the steward still refused to talk badly of her. “Madam is wonderful and is very friendly to us.”
Shen Zhixian smiled and agreed with his few words. After pondering, he proposed to see Madam Meng and say farewell to her.
The steward shook his head, apologizing. “Madam said that she’d impulsively affected the young masters so she wanted to come over to apologize. However, she didn’t sleep well last night and fell ill this morning. It’s difficult for her to get up. Please forgive us.”
Such a coincidence that she would conveniently become sick.
Shen Zhixian recalled the exhaustion he’d seen on Madam Meng’s face as she passed by them in the middle of the night. He was about to answer when he heard a voice asking, “Where are the two young masters that the lady had invited back last night? Please invite them to come out. I want to see them…”
The words were said with a trace of anger and jealousy.
Shen Zhixian: “…”
The owner of the house that hadn’t wanted to see them was finally jealous and had arrived to settle accounts with them.
In truth, after witnessing the scene at the pleasure boat last night, Shen Zhixian didn’t particularly like Meng Yun.
Madam Meng was gentle and considerate. She was the model of a virtuous wife that many people admire and depended on. He should cherish her. After all, the place that Meng Yun liked to frequent was all too commonplace.
Even though he only went to the pleasure boats without hanging lanterns and limited himself to watching the girls play and sing a few songs. And, on the occasions when he became too drunk and stayed overnight, he would refuse to let other women serve him. In the eyes of other people, he was indeed quite worthy of Madam Meng.
However, Shen Zhixian still felt uncomfortable. He’d always believed that romantic love should be reciprocal and should have equality, devotion, and loyalty. Meng Yun’s behavior really hinted otherwise.
But, when all was said and done, this was still other people’s family affair. He didn’t understand the real situation nor did he know how the couple got along with each other. It was difficult to intrude and, if not because he needed to inquire about the Undead City, he would have stayed away.
Now that Madam Meng refused to see them, they still had no information about the mysterious courtyard…
Shen Zhixian saw Meng Yun’s frown and didn’t have to think much to know what he wanted to say. He immediately said farewell.
Meng Yun originally wanted to persuade them to leave. When he saw that they intended to leave, he immediately smiled and looked a little less angry. He waved his hand and allowed the servant to present a generous gift. “Due to our recklessness, we’ve disturbed the two young masters. Please forgive us.”
The most important thing in the Meng Mansion was money, and so to their eyes, the most important thing to Shen Zhixan must also be money.
Shen Zhixian didn’t accept it and politely refused. He didn’t stay long and left hand in hand with Yan Jin
The moment he left the Meng’s home, Shen Zhixian unhesitantly returned to the pleasure boat.
Although the pleasure boat was not open in the daytime, Shen Zhixian didn’t care much about the little servants blocking the way. He was full of high spirits, looking like a young hero from the Jianghu. He directed his summoned beast, Yan Jin, “Go and shut them all in the room.”
Without saying a word, Yan Jin pulled off the long, decorative brocade ribbon on the side and used it to obstruct the servants without harming them or allowing them to slip away. He did as Shen Zhixian said and shut them all into a room.
The moment the door closed, the servants shouts became immediately muted.
Shen Zhixian nodded with satisfaction and prepared to go up to the second floor to look for the painted skin demon. When they passed by a private room, they suddenly smelled a faint fragrance.
He responded quickly and dragged Yan Jin back a few steps.
The moment he stopped, a chuckle came from inside the room. The painted skin demon stepped out and looked at them with peach blossom eyes. She said to Shen Zhixian, “The two young masters went to spend the night at the Meng Mansion. Why are you here to bully me?”