Nanxing Town (3)

Huang Laoye said helplessly, “My wife hasn’t been feeling well lately. She took her medicine earlier and has already gone to sleep.

“Otherwise, I’d have her come out to welcome the immortal master personally.”

Yan Jue couldn’t help looking at Qi Xianqing’s social skills in a new light.

Though the heroine was cold to everyone, there was no doubt she was exceptionally good at dealing with people.

Going down the mountain for training was, on the surface, about doing righteous deeds and helping the weak; but for disciples like Qi Xianqing, it was more often about representing the Five Dragons Sect’s image.

Not only did it leave ordinary people with the impression that the immortal masters of Five Dragons Mountain were approachable, but building a good relationship with the employer also made it much easier to exorcise demons and drive out evil spirits in the residence.

Qi Xianqing didn’t hurry into the inner room. Instead, she stood in the hall chatting with Huang Laoye.

The Huang Family was one of Nanxing Town’s major clans. Huang Laoye was deeply devoted to his wife; there was only one madam in the household, and he had also taken one concubine. It had probably been seven or eight years since he had last married.

His wife had always been frail. More than ten years ago, she had given birth to only one daughter; that was the eldest miss, who was now in a deranged state. There were no other children in the family.

Huang Laoye sighed with feeling. “It’s all thanks to my wife managing the household that everything stays in order. It’s a pity we haven’t had a son all these years; that’s always been our regret. So recently, my wife took some medicine from the daoist to regulate her body, and we’re trying hard to have a child.”

“..."

After returning to the front hall and finishing dinner, night soon fell.

The group once again followed Qi Xianqing to the inner room.

Looking in from outside the door, they saw that the room was pitch-dark.

Huang Laoye stood at the doorway and called out twice. Frowning, he said, “The young miss has already gone to sleep—”

He hadn’t finished when he suddenly fell silent.

From inside the room came the faint sound of a woman crying, full of resentment. It drifted erratically into their ears, as if carried on an eerie wind.

Huang Laoye clutched his ears and murmured, “It’s acting up!!! She’s acting up again!!!”

The woman inside gave a sinister, broken sob, then began to laugh.

Everyone listening felt a chill crawl up their backs.

Then the room went quiet.

After that came the sound of a chair being moved, creaking and scraping—

A long, thin shadow suddenly appeared on the papered window lattice.

Qi Xianqing opened the door and strode into the inner room. There, Huang Niangzi was disheveled, standing on a chair with a dazed, distant expression and a faint smile still lingering at the corners of her mouth.

In her pale hand, she held a three-foot white silk sash.

She was actually trying to hang herself!

Qi Xianqing lifted the girl under the arms and carried her down. The young miss’s expression abruptly turned terrifying; she began flailing and kicking violently, crying out “Hu Lang, Hu Lang” over and over, even knocking over the chair beside her in the confusion.

Qi Xianqing pressed the young miss onto the bed, then looked up at Duan Luxi.

“Don’t be nervous. We won’t hurt you.”

Duan Luxi stepped forward, fed the young miss the medicine, then knelt by the bed and frowned as she checked her pulse.

Yan Jue asked, “Is she possessed?”

Qi Xianqing gave a low “Mm,” but didn’t look at her. “An evil spirit.”

Duan Luxi: “Her pulse is very strange. We can confirm that she’s been afflicted by something evil, but I can’t tell what kind.”

Yan Jue stood to the side and studied carefully.

Although she had read the original novel, she only had a rough understanding of the plot; she had no real impression of these messy side details.

Duan Luxi explained it to her.

The evil spirits in the world were divided into many types, with three common categories: ghosts, demons, and fiends.

And beneath those three were countless smaller branches.

Generally speaking, if an immortal master who exorcised evil had no definite evidence, they couldn’t use a specific talisman to dispel it.

A very common symptom among ordinary people afflicted by evil was “losing the soul.”

The soul had somehow wandered off somewhere.

For cultivators, unless they had reached the sixth realm, it was difficult to see souls with the naked eye.

They could only use the Five Dragons Sect’s unique secret art, the “Guiding and Ferrying Formula,” to first find the young miss’s soul.

If the body had lost its soul for too long, it would be very dangerous.

Because there were still many wandering ghosts and lonely spirits in the world, and they might very well seize the chance to move in.

...

Although Qi Xianqing was the leading senior sister, the rules stated that during missions, aside from intervening in moments of crisis, she was supposed to stand to the side and let the disciples handle the actual work themselves.

Among the other three, Duan Luxi had the highest cultivation, so naturally she became the center of attention.

Duan Luxi: “The advantage of the Guiding and Ferrying Formula is its broad range, but its obvious drawback is that it takes a long time.”

With Duan Luxi’s cultivation, casting the spell now would take five hours before the evil spirit could be drawn out.

Duan Luxi added, “I don’t know what exactly Huang Niangzi saw. One moment she’s hanging herself, the next she’s calling for some Hu Lang, and then she starts striking that pose.”

Huang Niangzi was pinned to the bed in a truly indecorous position.

Yan Jue was standing by the bed when she suddenly noticed something and froze slightly.

The lower half of Huang Niangzi’s bedding was completely soaked.

Qi Xianqing seemed to know what she was confused about. “That’s yin essence.”

Yan Jue’s face burned instantly.

In this world, yin essence was almost a kind of color-coded setting; the things women expelled from their bodies during intimacy, along with some other spiritual essences of their own, could all be called yin essence.

In the original novel, the original host had been drained of her yin essence by the male lead, which was why her ending was so miserable.

But right now Huang Niangzi was lying perfectly fine on the bed, and yet she still had something like this.

Chu Fu had been watching from the side for quite a while. Suddenly, he smiled and said, “Senior Sister, I once obtained something that might be able to help you.”

Qi Xianqing turned around and saw Chu Fu handing over a sunflower-shaped spiral-bronze mirror. The mirror was somewhat old, and under the candlelight it gave off a faint sheen.

Everyone froze.

Chu Fu: “This is the Soul-Summoning Mirror. Through this mirror, one can see things the naked eye cannot. Maybe it can summon Huang Niangzi’s soul back.”

Duan Luxi was shocked. “But there are only a few Soul-Summoning Mirrors in the entire world...”

Halfway through, she couldn’t help exclaiming, “You really are hiding your strength; that’s far too impressive!”

Qi Xianqing’s expression shifted slightly. Looking at Chu Fu, she also seemed a little surprised.

Yan Jue stood behind them, her expression darkening.

So this was the male lead’s second golden finger: the Soul-Summoning Mirror.

Because Chu Fu had once encountered an expert in a rock cave halfway up the cliff on Five Dragons Mountain, he had received many divine arts and magical tools passed down by that expert.

Right now Chu Fu had not yet broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, so the magical artifacts he had obtained should only be the “Hundred-Step Carriage” and the “Soul-Summoning Mirror.”

There was no helping it; this plot was proceeding exactly as in the original story. She could stop the male lead from bringing out the Hundred-Step Carriage, but there was no way to stop this Soul-Summoning Mirror.

What happened next should be the male lead relying on the Soul-Summoning Mirror to successfully rescue Huang Niangzi within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, thereby winning Qi Xianqing over by quite a bit.

As expected of the male lead, Chu Fu’s every movement was becoming more and more calm and composed, the smile at his lips more and more roguishly handsome, as if candlelight itself were seeping from his face.

He rolled up his sleeves and placed the Soul-Summoning Mirror at the head of the bed.

Huang Niangzi was clearly lying on the bed, yet in the Soul-Summoning Mirror, the bed was empty.

Chu Fu picked up the mirror and gently stroked its surface. “The mirror’s surface is glowing red, which means Huang Niangzi’s soul isn’t far from us; it’s in this room!”

Chu Fu carried the Soul-Summoning Mirror around the room once. When he reached the soft couch, he suddenly stopped.

Chu Fu looked up at Qi Xianqing. “Senior Sister, I found her soul.”

Qi Xianqing walked over and braced her hands on the table as she looked into the Soul-Summoning Mirror, her expression solemn.

Yan Jue hurried over too and peered into the mirror.

The Soul-Summoning Mirror was now facing the soft couch. On the couch, which should have been empty, there were actually two figures!

Inside the Soul-Summoning Mirror.

Huang Jianniang was wearing a sultry dark red undergarment. Her collar was loose, revealing half of her snow-white, fragrant shoulder. She stood by the soft couch with a coy smile, wriggling her waist.

And on the couch lay a handsome young man, smiling as he watched her dance.

Duan Luxi: “No wonder Huang Niangzi’s soul doesn’t want to come back. So this is where she’s been enjoying herself.”

Qi Xianqing stood up. “Since that’s the case, please have Junior Brother Chu enter and split off a strand of his soul to go into the Soul-Summoning Mirror and bring Huang Niangzi out.”

Chu Fu hurriedly cupped his hands. “Yes. Please rest assured, Senior Sister.”

The remaining three then left the room and waited outside.

Duan Luxi couldn’t help asking, “Senior Sister, compared to the Guiding and Ferrying Formula, how long does the Soul-Summoning Mirror take?”

Qi Xianqing: “The Guiding and Ferrying Formula takes half a day. The Soul-Summoning Mirror only needs the time it takes to burn an incense stick. If the person using it is skilled, then with the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they can bring the victim’s soul back.”

Duan Luxi: “I couldn’t tell that this Junior Brother Chu was hiding his abilities. He’s actually pretty responsible, isn’t he? What do you think, Senior Sister?”

At her words, Yan Jue also looked at Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing was silent for a moment. “Not necessarily. Some people have magical tools, but can’t control them.”

The few of them waited outside for a long while, but still there was no sign of Chu Fu.

Yan Jue had already harbored plenty of dissatisfaction toward this male lead; now that her legs were sore from standing at the doorway, she couldn’t help saying, “Why is he still not out...”

The atmosphere gradually grew tense.

Forget one incense stick; two incense sticks’ worth of time had probably passed.

Yan Jue’s complaint, however, reminded Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing frowned and pushed open the door to the room, walking inside.

Yan Jue followed her in and saw Chu Fu already collapsed beside the bed, beads of sweat covering his forehead, his cheeks flushed with an unnatural red.

Under the dim lamplight, the young man’s face was burning crimson, and a faint smile lingered at his lips... the same sort of infatuated smile Huang Niangzi had worn.

Yan Jue: “?”

Qi Xianqing sat by the bed and stared silently at the Soul-Summoning Mirror.

Yan Jue leaned over to look at the bronze mirror. Once she saw what was inside, she froze completely.

In the bronze mirror, Chu Fu had already stripped off every stitch of clothing and was holding Huang Niangzi as he kissed her, his body slowly thrusting against hers in utter abandon. The scene was highly unsuitable for children.

How could this be so different from the original plot...

Yan Jue suddenly remembered something. “What is Huang Niangzi’s name?”

Duan Luxi: “Huang Yan.”

“...” Yan Jue slowly typed a string of grass in her heart.

This Huang Niangzi’s name was Huang Yan; she was also one of the male lead’s harem members!!!

In the original novel, Chu Fu and Qi Xianqing had also been on this mission.

Chu Fu took out the Soul-Summoning Mirror, split off a wisp of his soul to rescue the person, and who knew that he would instead be bewitched by Huang Niangzi’s beauty and, regardless of anything else, simply hold Huang Niangzi and go wild.

After he had finished his absurdity, he summoned the person’s soul back into her body.

After Huang Niangzi woke up and saw him, she was furious. The two of them sniped at each other back and forth, and because what had happened to their souls was far too ambiguous, they gradually developed feelings over time.

However, in the original novel, Qi Xianqing had not seen this scene inside the Soul-Summoning Mirror.

After the male lead successfully rescued Huang Niangzi’s soul, Qi Xianqing only then entered the room.

The male lead’s explanation afterward for why he had taken so long was that Huang Niangzi’s soul had sunk too deeply and was not very willing to return to her body, so it had been somewhat troublesome to handle.

“..."

Yan Jue suddenly had a bold thought, and in that instant her whole body shuddered.

Could it be because earlier, at the doorway, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from grumbling, so Qi Xianqing had entered the room ahead of time and seen that indecent scene?

If so, did that mean the plot of this novel could be changed?!

Duan Luxi felt as though her eyes were about to go blind. “What do we do? How long is it going to take for Junior Brother Chu to finish?! Should we go and call their souls back ourselves?”

Qi Xianqing and Duan Luxi’s expressions were a riot of emotions; clearly, their minds were about to explode. It had originally been the immortal masters of Five Dragons Mountain rescuing Huang Niangzi, but now the immortal master’s soul had gone out of his body too!

Duan Luxi: “How about this—among the three of us, one more person goes in to save him.”

As she spoke, she was about to sit down cross-legged.

Qi Xianqing raised a hand and stopped her. “This Huang Niangzi’s soul is very heavy with yin energy. If we rashly approach, we’ll all be affected by her.”

The reason Qi Xianqing said this was because she and Duan Luxi were both sword cultivators.

Sword cultivators were born with an iron-hard sword backbone; they were people of extremely strong yang energy.

Yin and yang naturally attracted one another. I’m afraid that the moment the two of them split off their souls, they would be fused by Huang Niangzi’s soul.

After pondering for a long time, Qi Xianqing said, “This magic treasure belongs to Chu Fu. I thought he would be able to control it with ease, but I didn’t expect him to still be affected. Junior Sister Yan.”

Yan Jue froze.

Qi Xianqing: “Your yin energy is the strongest among us. Yin repels yin; only you won’t be affected by her.”

Yan Jue: “...”

Yan Jue’s heart lurched, and in an instant all the blood in her body seemed to go cold.

The original host was a demon, and also the legitimate daughter of the Ghost Mansion Fox Clan; she possessed the rare Pure Yin Physique and had excellent aptitude.

She had thought she had hidden it very well, but she never expected Qi Xianqing to see through her physique at a glance.

Yan Jue met Qi Xianqing’s gaze, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Did Qi Xianqing know... anything else?

Qi Xianqing’s voice drew her back to reality. “Can Junior Sister go and bring out Junior Brother Chu’s soul?”

Yan Jue forced herself to calm down.

Relax. Compared to other physiques, the Pure Yin Physique was actually far too common; anyone with a bit of cultivation could tell at a glance. Qi Xianqing might not know anything else.

Yan Jue glanced at Chu Fu’s flushed face in the bronze mirror and said expressionlessly, “I don’t want to go.”

She did not want to go pull Chu Fu’s soul out; absolutely not. Besides, according to the original plot, Huang Niangzi was one of the male lead’s harem members, and once Chu Fu was done, he would be able to rescue Huang Niangzi. Why should she go in now and make a fool of herself?

Qi Xianqing asked, “You really won’t go?”

Yan Jue: “I don’t want to.”

Qi Xianqing lifted her eyes, her gaze clear as water. “Junior Sister, come over. I’ll show you something.”

Yan Jue’s mind buzzed. Every time Qi Xianqing used that tone, she had an ominous premonition.

Though she was unwilling in every way, Yan Jue leaned over and saw Qi Xianqing take out a familiar wooden box from her Qiankun bag.

Qi Xianqing flipped the wooden box around in the air so the front faced her. “Take a look.”

Yan Jue’s Divine Sense sank, and she saw a colorful picture inside the Captured Shadow Box.

It was the photo of her crying with a nosebleed that day. The beautiful, flower-like girl in the photo stared blankly into the lens, looking stupid beyond words.

Yan Jue: “!!!”

Qi Xianqing: “If you go save him, I’ll destroy the photo. You wouldn’t want this photo to be put in The Five Dragons Encyclopedia, would you?”

Yan Jue stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly sprang up and reached out to snatch it.

Qi Xianqing drew her hand back. What should have been right within reach was suddenly out of grasp; Yan Jue stepped on empty air and fell into the girl’s soft embrace.

Qi Xianqing was a sword cultivator with explosive physical strength and a layer of lean muscle, but by the standards of Thunderflame Sect, which valued internal force, her body was supple and boneless.

Yan Jue fell onto her like stepping onto a patch of cotton; no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t get free.

Qi Xianqing looked at her with great interest until Yan Jue’s face turned bright red. “I’ll go. I’ll go.”

She sank her Divine Sense, split off a wisp of residual soul, and rushed toward the soft couch where Huang Niangzi was lying!