Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Chapter 96: Returning to the Sect
Bai and Mei left the mountains together.
When they emerged from the ice crevice, the sky outside was bright. The heavy snow had stopped, and sunlight reflected off the snow, making Bai Zhengliu squint as it dazzled him.
He furrowed his brows, and Mei Yinghan immediately noticed. Bai Zhengliu first brushed the stray hairs on his forehead, then touched the fabric of his clothes… finally, his eyes brightened, and he let a bit of spiritual light flow from his fingertips to wipe over his eyes.
Originally a method for detecting ghosts, it surprisingly worked well against the snowy glare.
Bai Zhengliu felt delighted and turned to share his discovery with Mei Yinghan. In doing so, he realized that, at some point, Mei Yinghan’s gaze had been fixed on him.
Gentle, calm, with a smile. If the sun in the cold mountains illuminated all directions for travelers, Mei Yinghan’s smile warmed the heart in a way that even the sun couldn’t fully replicate.
Bai Zhengliu’s mind churned with messy thoughts, but his face mirrored the warmth with a smile, sharing it with Mei Yinghan.
Unlike the serious tension beneath the ice crevice facing dangerous wandering souls, Bai Zhengliu’s tone was now light and relaxed. Mei Yinghan noticed this, responding accordingly, thinking: “I really hope Brother Bai always stays like this.”
But this was destined to remain only a hope. The senior brother of Tianshan knew that although they had escaped another peril, countless hardships still awaited them in the days to come.
Before facing those trials, their first task was to return to the Tianshan Sect and report to the concerned masters about their experiences over the past days.
…
…
Counting the days, more than ten had passed since Bai and Mei went up the mountain to search for people.
At first, the Tianshan masters did not notice anything unusual in the mountains. While the lotus pickers had gone missing multiple times, similar occurrences were not unprecedented. The masters did their best to assist, relying on the Tianshan disciples who knew the snowy mountains best.
Several days after Bai and Mei left, a group of Tianshan disciples sent to search other peaks returned, frustrated at finding nothing and unable to help the villagers below. At that moment, Ling Yunzi said, “I wonder how Yinghan and Hanshu are doing now.”
The Tianshan masters suddenly realized that the first four who went up the mountain had not sent word for a long time.
At this point, although Ling Bozi and others were worried, they knew that the few disciples, plus Bai Zhengliu who had come along as a guest, were all highly skilled martial artists—even a blood demon would have to contend carefully with them. In ordinary dangerous situations, nothing should happen.
Yet as days continued, by the eighth day, there was still no news. Moreover, other disciples had also lost contact. The Tianshan masters finally realized that matters were sliding in a very unfavorable direction.
Before Bai and Mei returned, Ling Xiaozhi and Ling Bozi had already ascended the mountain. They wanted first to determine whether anything unusual was in the mountains, and secondly, to assist the disciples if they encountered real danger.
Their efforts were not in vain. Along the way, the two masters encountered another group of Tianshan disciples who had previously lost contact. Though shaken, they were protecting a group of lotus pickers.
Seeing them, Ling Xiaozhi and Ling Bozi were naturally relieved and asked about the situation.This group of Tianshan disciples was completely baffled by what had happened. Hearing the masters’ questions, they answered obediently:
“…Not long after we went up the mountain, we got lost. Afterwards, we encountered a few lotus pickers who said they would lead us to the companions left behind. We followed them for two days, but then the people suddenly disappeared.”
Ling Xiaozhi and Ling Bozi felt their hearts leap to their throats.
While the disciples hadn’t fully processed it yet, the two masters already realized that those few had already passed through the gates of Yama’s palace.
Looking at the lotus pickers beside them, who had not held much hope, even the usually experienced Tianshan masters were shocked by Zhao Da’s tragic condition and hurriedly wanted to bring him back to the sect for treatment. Amid such struggle, what could Bai and Mei have done? The lotus pickers explained that they themselves had only recently encountered Zhao Da and the others. And when Zhao Da appeared, something else floated down from the sky—a blood-stained garment.
There were words written on it, though they couldn’t quite read them.
Hearing this, Ling Xiaozhi and Ling Bozi were both astonished and worried. When they saw the blood garment and recognized Mei Yinghan’s handwriting on it, and noticed the fabric was common among Tianshan disciples, they almost lost their breath. After calming down, they finally had the energy to read the contents.
Then they nearly lost their breath again.
Was the old ghost hiding deep in Tianshan, devouring countless living people over the years?
Not all the living were swallowed; some had their souls left behind, constantly luring new prey for the old ghost?
After studying the blood garment all night, the next day, when the Tianshan masters looked at each other, they found their fingers trembling.
At this point, they had no choice but to confront the truth. They could not allow their junior disciples to continue living in such a dangerous place. Going forward, they either had to eliminate the old ghost or relocate the entire sect—something had to be done.
As for Bai and Mei, honestly, while the masters said, “Those two boys faced numerous risks but always turned danger into safety,” their hearts were full of worry.
Yet they could not find the “entrance.”
Going up and down the mountain several times, the mountains were all the same, the snow the same. Not to mention the previous disciples and lotus pickers getting lost, even those who had been through the ice crevices hadn’t encountered it.
In this situation, the masters’ hearts grew heavy, forced to consider the worst-case scenario. Just then, Bai and Mei returned.
Before the masters could feel joy, they were hit with several major pieces of news.
First, they had already slain the old ghost, and henceforth no disciple or lotus picker would disappear because of him.
Masters: What a relief.
Second, beneath Tianshan lay a massive spirit stone mine, and Bai and Mei had already grasped the preliminary use of spiritual energy. The masters could try it too. If they could guide the spiritual light into their dantian, allowing it to wash their meridians, as Bai and Mei had done, their strength would greatly increase.
Masters: Feeling a little dizzy.
Third, those who had previously come to seek their help—Yu Han and Han Shu—were not living people, but rather senior disciples of the sect who had gone missing and passed away earlier…Masters: “……???”
Ling Yunzi immediately asked, “What are you saying? Those ghosts… they could actually impersonate others?”
Ling Xiaozhi’s mood was heavy: “With Yinghan so familiar with them, he didn’t notice anything?”
Ling Bozi asked, “Now that you say this, you must have seen through them early on. Yinghan, Young Hero Bai, quickly tell us—how should one distinguish in such a situation?”
Bai Zhengliu: “The simplest way still relates to the ‘spiritual energy’ we mentioned before. Just cover your eyes with spiritual energy, and naturally you can see through these illusions. As for how we originally discovered that those two… the two ghosts were not right,” he turned to Mei Yinghan, “Mei brother, you explain?”
The Tianshan masters didn’t understand why he would mention Mei Yinghan in the middle of his explanation. But seeing Bai Zhengliu’s expression, they followed his gaze, all looking toward their senior disciple, eyes full of heavy worry.
The old ghost was gone—but even now, a few masters hadn’t fully processed the news. Still, it was undoubtedly uplifting, and they were genuinely glad.
Yet it was far from a moment to relax. If ghosts had such abilities, then not to mention the future, even the disciples currently sent outside Tianshan to deliver messages could be at risk. Since earlier a ghost impersonated Yu Han and Han Shu, could wandering spirits later disguise themselves as fellow disciples to say or do things before others?
Just the thought of this possibility left everyone uneasy.
Their mood was heavy and solemn. Mei Yinghan noticed and slowly exhaled, recounting how Ling Shuangzi and Ling Kongzi initially picked the wrong tassels.
From this, the masters began to suspect—who would have thought that the junior disciples who had traveled alongside them weren’t truly human?
The Tianshan masters initially showed little reaction. Only when Mei Yinghan mentioned the unusual attire of the two wandering spirits, and how Ling Shuangzi took out a pile of jars and seasonings from his sleeve, did Ling Yunzi’s eyes shrink bit by bit, murmuring, “No—how could it be like this?”
Ling Bozi and Ling Xiaozhi noticed her unusual reaction and hurriedly asked with concern. They saw Ling Yunzi distraught, saying, “I just thought they had gone down the mountain to marry, but they had already died on the mountain? And…”
And not only had they died on the mountain, but over the years had become accomplices of evil, taking countless lives. Even Young Hero Bai and Yinghan had nearly fallen victim.
This was hard for Ling Yunzi to accept.
Her fondness for her junior disciples was now shrouded in a shadow. She was so absent-minded that even when Mei Yinghan called her several times, she only then reacted.
She pulled herself together, looking seriously at the two young men ahead, both relieved and still fearful. Thankfully, both were safe; otherwise, she truly wouldn’t have known what to do.
Just as she thought this, she heard Mei Yinghan say, “However, we were able to kill that old ghost thanks to the two senior uncles.”
The three masters present were all stunned.
Mei Yinghan carefully explained how Ling Shuangzi and Ling Kongzi had been persuaded to enter the sword and assist him. Throughout the process, he, like before when discussing with Bai Zhengliu, only mentioned Ling Shuangzi, omitting what Ling Kongzi had done. But as the two had guessed, the masters’ familiarity with the senior uncles far exceeded theirs. Almost as soon as Mei Yinghan mentioned Ling Shuangzi, the masters silently acknowledged that the two were bound by life and death.
Bai and Mei looked at each other, eyes full of helplessness. Well, no matter what, they had fulfilled the wishes of the two senior uncles.
Author’s note:Here they come, here they come!
Trying to write today about Xiao Bai and Xiao Mei’s relationship progress… I feel like it’s totally fine! (If I don’t get to it, I’ll come back and delete this line (:з」∠))