lf."You like this... I really can't trust you to go out alone, do you know how to take the bus or a taxi And people were staring at you... Now girls are all about looks, they'll swarm you!" I muttered...Every time Jiang Qiyun appears behind me, that woman goes crazy and screams that there's a ghost.

"Even a normal person wouldn't be so scared just by seeing you, would they" I really couldn't understand.

That woman also said that I have a ghostly face behind me

No matter how you look at it, Jiang Qiyun is handsome and extraordinary, with the bearing of a celestial being. He shouldn't scare people into collapsing and screaming, right

Having been called "ghost" twice by this woman, Jiang Qiyun also felt a bit puzzled, but his focus was different from mine.

"Where's the woman's amulet" he asked.

"Here." I pulled it out of my pocket.

Jiang Qiyun carefully traced the patterns and embroidered characters on the talisman with his finger. In a daze, I seemed to see the silver light around him become even more ethereal.

I shook my head, he was just like usual. Did I see things

“….This pattern seems to be something…” He frowned: “There must be someone behind these two, they’re cowardly and greedy, surrounded by resentment, they’re probably just cannon fodder… Let's go, we can’t let them die.”

"Hmm."

》》》

At the end of the passage were some broken stones, as if they had been knocked down. I shone my flashlight upwards and saw an S-shaped, slanted upward passage. It was more difficult to climb here, but the soil on both sides of the passage showed fresh tracks, indicating that the man and woman had both run up from here one after the other.

To my surprise, the opening led to a dry well!

This... how do I climb up

Looking down the well, it was pitch black.

There were no stars, no moon, no wind, and no sound.

It was as if it were frozen darkness.

That woman... I carefully looked around the well, but didn't see anyone.

But there was one place where the blood was still fresh.

"...Go quickly." Jiang Qiyun's face was grave. He pulled me out, and there were signs of friction on the ground outside the wellhead, as well as a high-heeled shoe.

"Wouldn't it be that fat guy who dragged her up" I whispered.

Jiang Qiyun stood by the well, frowning without speaking.

This must be the secluded courtyard, but here… it seems like a primeval forest. The dilapidated houses are entwined with vines and even enveloped by trees that have grown for many years.

From here, you can see a giant tree in the center of the main courtyard. Its dark branches almost completely cover most of the buildings.

Jiang Qiyun frowned and said, "You can't see these things from the front gate. The terrain of this mountain gate is strange. It's just some small houses used as distractions. The terrain behind it is very low, and under the cover of these trees, it looks like a valley unrelated to the Taoist temple."

"...The air is so damp... Something must have been drawn here" I scuffed my foot against the tree roots beside me, their surface covered in a slick layer of moss.

"It's not about attracting them here, it's more like this place is a nest for something." Jiang Qiyun let out a soft hum.

"The Qingyu Taoist Temple had secrets dating back hundreds of years. It was said that for generations, people only maintained and respected the mountain gate, never daring to demolish it… or even approach it." Jiang Qiyun said with conviction.

"Lingxuzi, the old Daoist, must know something about this place's secrets. He's the current headmaster, and many secrets were passed down orally from the previous headmaster before his ascension. He definitely knows there are some 'things' here that shouldn't be touched."

I was a bit stunned. Ling Xuzi, as a Daoist master, is someone I considered very reliable in the circle.

Unattached to fame and fortune, he will also come out of seclusion to help others if there is something going on in the circle, regardless of personal gains or losses.

Did he also bury some secrets

“However, the situation here, these shade-loving plants gathered here, doesn't seem like something formed over the past hundred years. Ling Xuzi Lao Dao is only a successor, blaming him is pointless.” Jiang Qiyun said in a more reasonable way.

I used my small flashlight to shine around, the faint mist here seemed to "swallow" the light, and the flashlight's beam couldn't reach more than ten meters.

"Let's go take a look at that tree." Jiang Qiyun pointed to the tree in the courtyard.

That tree is positioned lower than we are, but its trunk is tall and imposing, as if it grew up from the ground itself.

Jiang Qiyun carried me over the wall, and I looked back at the just-past courtyard. The gate was covered by vines, the walls were overgrown with tree roots, and some even protruded from the ground, squeezing the wall until it collapsed halfway.

Only the front yard mountain gate, standing tall in front of me, was something I had never seen before...

"Calling this a mountain gate, it's more like a cave entrance... how can you go downhill after passing through the gate" I muttered under my breath.

Jiang Qiyun turned his head to look at me and nodded. "Indeed, from here, that mountain gate seems to be intended to block any moonlight that might shine through."

Huh

I stood in the courtyard, looking back. The mountain gate indeed blocked the view of the trees that had not been obscured before.

The flashlight in my hand, like a lantern, could only illuminate a small area around me. And it also fully exposed my position—I only dared to be so bold because Jiang Qiyun was here.

The banyan tree in the courtyard was a tangle of intertwined trunks, their bases forming a sturdy circle, towering like an umbrella.

The flashlight swept across the tree trunk, and Jiang Qiyun immediately spoke: “Shine it there again.”

"Where Here" I, like a little helper, quickly turned the lights back to their original position.

"Hmm." Jiang Qiyun nodded slightly, stepping forward to take a look.

In the darkness, where the lights were dim, Jiang Qiyun's movements appeared ghostly and ethereal, like a fairy descending from the moon.

He carefully examined the tree trunk's girth and markings, whispering, “There’s a stele… inside this trunk”

“A tombstone” I rubbed my arms. “A tombstone isn’t a lucky thing…should we take a look”

I took out a multi-purpose knife from my bag. This was procured by my older brother, military surplus, a must-have for "walking the rivers and lakes."

Jiang Qiyun chuckled, "You've gotten wilder over the years."

I felt a little awkward. The Mu family had started as bandits panning for gold, which probably seemed disrespectful to this Lord of the Underworld.

Jiang Qiyun didn't say any more, he reached out and took the multi-function knife from my hand.

Watching the blade flip between Jiang Qiyun's slender fingers, I felt a touch of magic.

He didn't want to destroy the plants here. People say that plants also have a spirit, and growing into such a large tree, it must have lived for hundreds of years. Its lifespan is almost as long as that of a minor deity.

I saw him pry open a small gap and quickly reached out to help him lever it, so he could see if there was any inscription inside.

As soon as I reached out, my hand met the cold, damp stone tablet. A chill ran through me like an electric shock, from my fingertips straight to my brain!

A black city, gigantic trees, in the darkness under the trees... a pair of enormous and wicked crimson eyes.

"Ah!!" I cried out, jumping back suddenly.

Jiang Qiyun didn't expect my sudden shriek, he quickly reached out and pulled me back.

"How is it" He held me in his arms, and his concern touched me deeply.

"I... I think I'm hallucinating..." I whispered.

Jiang Qiyun frowned and said: "You need to be more confident. What kind of illusion You've practiced for so long, and you have great opportunities. You can go up to the heavens, down to the earth, and walk through the three realms. Do you still think that some things are just illusions"

"Well, that's what I saw!" I retorted, switching to a more confident tone.

Jiang Qiyun pinched my chin: "Mu Xiaqiao, it's good to be cautious, but sometimes you also need to be more confident. With your current experience, are you afraid that no one will believe what you say"

"Hmm..." I nodded, trying hard to recall the fleeting image from my mind just now.

Those crimson eyes that radiated malice, and the pupils that sent shivers down my spine—I'll never forget them.

>ana means being free from all desires and distractions... True bliss comes from happiness within.""Without you, I could attain serenity... But without you, where would my bliss be""I can't figure it...