novelapdf Chapter 377 Don't be a show-off, did you hear me?
Chapter 377 Don't be a show-off, did you hear me?
Mo Chengyue looked down at the feather talisman in his palm.
The talisman paper was as thin as a cicada's wing, with iridescent light flowing around its edges; it was clearly not cheap.
He looked up.
"You're making it hard for me to maintain my persona of 'I'm just an ordinary librarian'."
Jin Qiaoqiao rolled her eyes at him.
"You haven't had that thing for a long time."
She paused, then lowered her voice.
"Also, if Hongfengdu is really related to water ghosts, corpse demons, bewitching spirits, etc., don't rush to the front just because you know a little about formations."
"Things on the river love to drag those who think they're clever into the water."
Mo Chengyue's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.
"Have you done this before?"
Jin Qiaoqiao's expression turned indifferent for a moment.
"The demon realm has many swamps and marshes; what kind of filth haven't they seen?"
"Some of these aren't about killing people; they're about first learning to speak like a human and then deceiving them into going through the motions."
As she said this, she suddenly reached out and straightened his collar.
The action is fast.
Yet it carries an undeniable air of assertiveness.
"If you really want to go, bring everything you need to save your life."
"Moon Shadow Illusion Pendant, Spirit Wood Crown, Thunder Talisman, Soul Protection Talisman—don't skimp on any of them."
"In the end, saving money usually means saving someone else money for their coffin."
Mo Chengyue felt a pang of unease upon hearing this.
"Your overall ability to say auspicious things has been declining lately."
Jin Qiaoqiao snorted.
"I learned it from you."
Mo Chengyue immediately replied, "I don't acknowledge that."
As the two were talking, a wind chime suddenly rang from the west side of the cave.
The delicate, clear sounds carried a faint, warm fragrance of perfume.
Lin Miaoyin leaned against the veranda of the small building, the hem of her purple gauze skirt being gently lifted by the wind, revealing a section of her snow-white ankles.
She glanced at Mo Chengyue, then at Jin Qiaoqiao's hand that was too close to hers, and her red lips curved slightly.
"I knew it."
"If he's going out, I won't be the only one who comes to block his way."
Mo Chengyue's forehead twitched.
"You found out too?"
Lin Miaoyin slowly walked down the steps.
"Now, if there's even the slightest disturbance on Qingquan Peak, who can hide it from?"
"Besides, it's you who's going to a place like Red Maple Ferry."
She walked closer and looked him up and down.
His gaze was as if he were looking at a precious piece of porcelain that had just been repaired but could crack at any moment.
"You look unwell."
"His face isn't ugly yet."
"That means he won't die."
Mo Chengyue sighed, "Thank you, your concern is always so distinctive."
Lin Miaoyin raised her hand, her fingertips holding a slender silver jade piece.
"Take it."
"This is the Yin Xin Pei."
"If you encounter bewitching voices or seductive whispers, it will give you a jolt first."
Mo Chengyue took it, his expression complex.
"Your delivery of protective amulets has now become an assembly line."
Lin Miaoyin scoffed.
"That's because your efficiency in causing trouble is also very consistent."
She took half a step forward, lowering her voice.
"If Red Maple Crossing were just an ordinary water monster, it wouldn't have been specially delivered to you."
"Since both the Sutra Repository and your master have brought this matter up, it means there's probably more to it than meets the eye."
"When you get there, don't think about showing off."
"Observe first, listen first, and pretend to be weak first."
Upon hearing this, Mo Chengyue's expression became more serious.
"I'm familiar with this."
Lin Miaoyin narrowed her eyes.
"You'd better be really familiar with it."
"Don't show off your unnecessary skills when it comes to crucial moments."
Jin Qiaoqiao coldly chimed in from the side.
"If he were truly honest, he wouldn't be standing here today."
Mo Chengyue looked around and felt like a fragile, high-value commodity about to be packed up and sent to a dangerous place.
Just as he was about to speak, another clean and crisp footstep sounded from in front of the cave.
He wore a black robe, his hair was tied up, and a slender sword hung at his waist.
Qin Wanzhuang walked from the end of the stone steps, her steps were not fast, but her aura directly suppressed the chaotic air in front of her.
She glanced at the three of them, and finally her gaze settled on Mo Chengyue.
"You've accepted the mission?"
Mo Chengyue nodded.
"Red Maple Ferry".
Qin Wanzhuang didn't waste any words.
"How long until you leave?"
Before 3 PM.
Qin Wanzhuang hummed in agreement and tossed him a slender-necked white jade bottle.
Mo Chengyue caught it.
"This is?"
"The Pill for Concentrating the Mind and Stabilizing the Soul"
Qin Wanzhuang spoke in a flat tone.
"Evil spirits often haunt the waterside."
"Your old wounds to your soul haven't healed yet, take this with you."
After she finished speaking, her gaze swept over his cuffs and waist.
"Did you bring your sword?"
Mo Chengyue said, "I brought it."
"Where's the talisman?"
"Bring it too."
"A thunder talisman?"
"have."
"An escape device?"
"……have."
Qin Wanzhuang then nodded.
"It's acceptable."
Jin Qiaoqiao clicked her tongue lightly beside her.
"You're asking that like you're auditing an account."
Qin Wanzhuang replied to her coldly.
"It's better than finding out he didn't bring his brain with him when you're about to leave."
Mo Chengyue: "..."
He desperately wanted to fight for some dignity for his intellect.
But faced with being surrounded by fire from three sides, he wisely remained silent.
Lin Miaoyin chuckled softly.
"Look, he's behaving himself now."
Qin Wanzhuang didn't respond to that, she just looked at Mo Chengyue.
"Red Maple Ferry is only investigating this one matter; no one is allowed to take on any other troubles along the way."
Mo Chengyue immediately said, "I agree with that."
Qin Wanzhuang added, "If you see something's wrong, retreat first."
Mo Chengyue continued to nod.
"I'm very good at it."
Qin Wanzhuang stared at him for a long while, then added a sentence indifferently.
"You're good at agreeing verbally first."
Mo Chengyue fell silent instantly.
Jin Qiaoqiao and Lin Miaoyin both burst out laughing.
A mountain breeze swept through the pine branches.
The area in front of the cave was bustling with activity for a while.
Mo Chengyue looked down at the feather talisman, sound pendant, and pill bottle in his hand, and then thought about the already numerous array flags and talismans in his storage bag. Suddenly, he felt a strange sense of security.
And an even stranger sense of debt.
He raised his hand and rubbed his temples.
"Everyone, I'm just going to Red Maple Ferry, not to undergo tribulation."
Lin Miaoyin said leisurely, "There's not much difference."
Jin Qiaoqiao said, "At least the tribulation will be clearly understood."
Qin Wanzhuang, on the other hand, drew a direct conclusion.
"Stop talking nonsense and go pack your things."
Mo Chengyue opened his mouth, but in the end, he resigned himself to his fate and turned around to open the stone door of the cave.
"OK."
"I'll pack."
"But let's make this clear first, if I return safely, these protective items—"
Jin Qiaoqiao raised an eyebrow.
"Trying to renege on your debt?"
"That's not possible."
Mo Chengyue looked grief-stricken.
"I wanted to ask if there are any group-buying discounts."
There was a moment of silence outside the cave.
The next moment, Jin Qiaoqiao raised her hand to hit him.
Lin Miaoyin leaned against a pillar, laughing so hard her shoulders trembled.
Even Qin Wanzhuang's eyes barely betrayed a hint of speechlessness.
Mo Chengyue seized the opportunity to slip inside and slammed the stone door shut behind him.
The moment the door closed, he leaned against it and let out a long breath.
"We haven't reached Red Maple Ferry yet."
"The atmosphere felt like I was being led to my execution."
He muttered to himself as he began to take inventory.
Spirit Wood Crown.
Moon Shadow Illusion Pendant.
The backup flags for the Small Sumeru Vajra Formation.
Seven Thunder Talismans.
Nine soul-protecting talismans.
Several Breath Concealing Talismans.
Illumination beads, antidote pills, hemostatic powder, and two sets of change of clothes.
Finally, he placed the Breath-Chasing Feather Talisman, the Sound Heart Pendant, and the Mind-Concentrating and Soul-Stabilizing Pill into the most convenient positions.
After tidying up, he sat down on the edge of the tatami mat and quieted down for a while.
The faint, intermittent voices of three women could be heard outside the window.
The tone was not harsh.
But for some reason, it brought a bit more life to this otherwise deserted cave.
Mo Chengyue lowered his eyes, looking at the mission jade slip in his palm.
Red Maple Ferry.
There is a boat, but no oars; night fog; red lights.
It doesn't look like a place suitable for leisurely slacking off at all.
But it is precisely in places like this that we cannot judge a book by its cover.
With the mortal ferry crossing disappearing one after another, the sect has only issued one solo investigation mission.
This indicates that the matter is currently stuck between "suspicious" and "undetermined".
It could simply be an evil spirit that eats people.
It's also possible that someone is using the river to set up a trap.
Mo Chengyue narrowed his eyes.
"It would be best if it were just a ghost."
"What if a person is pretending to be a ghost..."
He put the jade slip into his sleeve and stood up.
"That's even more annoying than a ghost."
The stone gate reopened.
The three women outside the door were still there.
Mo Chengyue paused for a moment.
"Are you planning to see me off at the mountain gate?"
Lin Miaoyin raised her chin.
"Otherwise what?"
Jin Qiaoqiao said, "So you won't have to turn back to the Sutra Repository and pretend to be dead halfway there."
Qin Wanzhuang was the most straightforward.
"Walk."
Mo Chengyue had nothing to say.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of three distinct yet equally powerful gazes, he could only descend the stone steps of Qingquan Peak.
At the end of the mountain path, the clouds and mist began to part.