novelapdf Chapter 130 Hurry, someone's coming!
Chapter 130 Hurry, someone's coming!
Yu Xiaoqian lifted a corner of the blanket, leaned down, and brought her delicate and refined face close to Jiang Mu's, softly saying:
"You stay here quietly and don't make a sound."
"It would be troublesome if someone overheard."
Jiang Mu looked at the female ghost, who was nervous about her clumsy acting just now, and secretly found it amusing.
This girl has actually been moved by her own actions and reformed.
He quickly composed himself, feigning a weak and feeble expression, and said in a pale voice:
"Thank you, young lady... That woman was quite fierce, she was..."
"Shh!"
Yu Xiaoqian raised a slender, white finger to her lips, her expression tense, and lowered her voice to say:
"That's Sister Qing. She's so petty and loves to tattle on things to Grandma. Luckily, she got away with it this time... But now there's trouble. Grandma specifically asked for you, but I went back empty-handed. She'll definitely be angry with me."
I need to hurry to the main hall to figure out how to get out of this situation, and while I'm at it, I'll find you some antidote for the corpse poison.
Seeing how naive the female ghost was, Jiang Mu decided to go all out with his act.
He frowned in pain, coughed twice, and took the opportunity to get information out of her:
"Girl, I don't understand. I clearly saw Grandma killed by Senior Yan with a single sword strike at Meiruo Temple, so how come there's another Grandma here...? How many Grandmas do you have?"
Yu Xiaoqian's pink lips twitched slightly:
"What you saw was just a clone of Grandma. Grandma's original body was suppressed here by a very, very evil person and has never been able to regain her freedom. She can only use her clone to go out and do things."
"Suppression?"
Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat, and she pressed for an answer. "Who suppressed it?"
Yu Xiaoqian shook her head, her hair swaying gently beside her cheek: "I don't know either, but it's incredibly powerful. Even my grandmother, with her extraordinary cultivation, couldn't resist it and was trapped in this small space."
"How long have you been a ghost?" Jiang Mu suddenly asked.
Upon hearing this question, Yu Xiaoqian lowered her head.
Her long, flowing black hair cascaded down her cheeks, obscuring half of her fair profile and revealing only a pair of clear yet sorrowful eyes. Her voice was low as she said, "It's been a long time, almost two years..."
She seemed reluctant to discuss her past, and quickly raised her head, earnestly giving her instructions:
"Stay here and don't go anywhere. This secluded courtyard is usually deserted and very safe. Keep that ghost pill in your mouth; it will keep you alive for a while. Don't spit it out. Wait for me to come back!"
After saying this, she carefully tucked the blanket in, placed a bowl of water beside his pillow, and then hurriedly left, looking back several times, her mind preoccupied. Silence returned to the room.
Jiang Mu lay on the bed, listening intently for a moment to confirm that the other person was truly gone. The weakness and pain on his face vanished without a trace. He rolled out of bed, stretched his somewhat stiff limbs, and exhaled a breath of stale air.
"Acting is really physically demanding."
As soon as she finished speaking, the air inside the room distorted slightly, initially appearing as just a wisp of smoke, which then transformed into a voluptuous and graceful figure.
Ji Hongyuan's figure appeared out of thin air.
She sat languidly on a wooden chair, her skirt slit extremely high, sliding down to the hem as she crossed her legs, revealing a pair of long legs encased in black silk stockings.
She wore a pair of dark red high heels, the toes lightly tapping out a crisp "click" sound.
It exudes a mature and captivating charm.
The woman rested her chin on one hand, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes brimming with allure.
"How was it? Was my method pretty good? This little ghost girl is already smitten with you. Look at her tender little face, she wants to hold you in the palm of her hand."
Jiang Mu ignored her teasing, took out the ghost pill that exuded a chilling aura from his pocket, and twirled it between his fingertips:
"This thing won't harm me, will it?"
"That's a ghost pill. Holding it in your mouth will help you conceal your presence as a living person."
Ji Hongyuan licked her red lips with the tip of her tongue, a seductive gesture.
"Ghosts are formless and intangible, relying entirely on a lingering resentment or obsession. A ghost cultivator who has achieved mastery will condense their essence into a pill to stabilize their soul."
For ghosts, this thing is like a second life. But...
She paused, her high heels swaying gently in the air.
"Once the Ghost Core leaves the body for too long, more than three days, the ghost will lose its foundation and dissipate completely, vanishing from the world." She winked at Jiang Mu, her voice soft and seductive.
"By giving this to you, she's essentially entrusting her life to you. Tell me, doesn't she love you madly?"
Jiang Mu was somewhat surprised.
Does this girl named Yu Xiaoqian really trust him that much?
This is so fake.
Ji Hongyuan saw through Jiang Mu's thoughts at a glance, and sat up straight with a smile, her ample bosom rising and falling slightly with the movement.
"What's so strange about that? First of all, you're really good-looking, handsome and masculine. Even older sisters can't help but want to take a bite, let alone those naive little girls."
Secondly...
She stretched out her finger and pointed at Jiang Mu's chest from a distance.
"That girl is too innocent. She's obviously been too well protected and hasn't experienced the wickedness of human nature. It's normal that she'd fall for you after you rescued her twice, and after all that sweet talk."
After all, ghosts can sometimes be more devoted than humans.
Jiang Mu frowned, ignoring the other person's teasing.
Regardless of whether the female ghost's intentions were genuine or feigned, the fact remains that the Tree Demon Granny harmed the innocent, and she should be killed.
As for this girl…
If she really hasn't harmed anyone, it wouldn't hurt to let her off the hook.
Anyway, his sexual orientation is perfectly normal; he hasn't reached the point where he'd consummate his marriage with a female ghost.
"However, there's something strange,"
Jiang Mu suddenly said, "Why does Yu Xiaoqian have a real body? Aren't ghost cultivators supposed to have an ethereal body?"
He had previously killed the ghost cultivator who was entangled with the snake mother.
Although the opponent appears to be a physical entity, in a real fight, its body becomes illusory and unpredictable, not much different from a ghost.
But Yu Xiaoqian is different.
When I touched it, its body temperature was as cold as jade, but the texture was extremely realistic, and the skin was delicate.
It looks almost exactly like a real person.
Especially considering that this girl's cultivation level is only around the third level.
Generally speaking, only after a ghost cultivator reaches the fifth level, or through some great opportunity, can they barely condense a physical form.
Ji Hongyuan's eyes flickered slightly as she slowly crossed her legs, shifting her position. Her skirt slipped down, revealing more skin covered in black stockings. Her voice was languid: "Because she is a virgin."
"A body of incense offerings?" Jiang Mu was taken aback.
"Is it hard to understand?"
Ji Hongyuan twirled a strand of her hair around her finger and played with it. "Gods or cultivators do not have flesh and blood bodies. They are formed by the power of the faith and offerings of all living beings, or by the power of their vows generated through sacrifices."
This is similar to the principle behind the garrison commanders of your Demon Slayer Division.
Their spiritual foundation is largely related to the local shrines and temples. The longer you protect the people, the more grateful they will be, and the more shrines they will build and worship in your honor. The resulting blessings and prayers from these offerings will greatly aid your spiritual practice.
Jiang Mu's expression changed: "You mean, the demons and ghosts here are worshipped by the people?"
He immediately shook his head and said decisively, "That's impossible."
How could demons and monsters be worshipped by the people?
and many more!
Jiang Mu suddenly remembered something.
When he first joined the Demon Slayer Division and went to the countryside to collect taxes, that rogue Zhang Awu casually mentioned that some ignorant people would secretly worship demons and call them "Great Immortals" in order to seek protection.
For example, that Wong Tai Sin.
But the problem is, this doesn't match up with the Tree Demon Granny's situation.
The Tree Demon Granny and her gang are notorious for their wickedness; they send their seductive ghosts to seduce men and cause countless deaths. There's no record of any local people building temples for them, so how could they possibly have such pure incense offerings?
Ji Hongyuan seemed to see through his doubts and slowly said:
"I also found it strange. But after entering this place with you, I noticed a very strong and strange incense smell permeating the air. It is thanks to the nourishment of this incense smell that these low-level female ghosts were able to condense such lifelike true forms."
Jiang Mu fell into deep thought.
This was an unexpected variable.
If it is offered by respectable people, it means that the monsters here are well-loved and are considered "benevolent monsters".
But thinking back to the scene where Yu Xiaoqian tried to harm him at the beginning, Jiang Mu still felt it was impossible.
There must be something fishy going on here.
"Can you sense where this incense energy is coming from?"
Jiang Mu asked.
Ji Hongyuan closed her eyes and sensed for a moment, then opened them and nodded, saying, "Although this aura is concealed by the formation, its source is very strong. We can try to find it."
Without further hesitation, Jiang Mu took out the domino that could conceal one's aura from his bosom and activated it by injecting demonic energy.
"Let's go see what this old hag is up to."
Using the teleportation anchor point of the First Demon Shadow, Jiang Mu quietly slipped out of the house.
The night was as dark as ink, and the entire valley was quiet.
Jiang Mu moved through the shadows.
Ji Hongyuan transformed into a faint red shadow, hovering beside him and guiding his way.
Jiang Mu glanced at Ji Hongyuan beside her, whose feet were off the ground and whose skirt was fluttering, and couldn't help but complain:
"You look even more like a ghost than that female ghost from before."
Ji Hongyuan covered her mouth and chuckled softly, suddenly pressing her body close, almost against Jiang Mu's back, her red lips close to his ear, her breath sweet as orchids:
"Zombies and ghosts are similar in their cultivation methods; both are spirits formed from yin entities. Since you don't have a physical form now, you naturally resemble a ghost. However..." Her slender fingers lightly traced Jiang Mu's chest, her eyes flickering.
"If you're willing to let your sister absorb a couple of breaths of yang energy, her true form can use her clone to return to her original state. That would be much more interesting than being a ghost... You can try it sometime if you don't believe me."
Jiang Mu got goosebumps, glared at her irritably, and quickened her pace.
This female zombie is always horny.
The two evaded several patrolling demons.
Most of these patrolling demons and ghosts are also physical entities, each with a blank expression. Although they are not as lively as Yu Xiaoqian, they are far from being comparable to ordinary wandering ghosts.
As they ventured deeper, the surrounding buildings became increasingly dilapidated.
The demonic aura actually thinned out.
But Ji Hongyuan's expression grew increasingly solemn: "This place is very strange... It's like a place that doesn't belong to reality, yet it's also very real. It seems to be a spatial world that was specially created by some powerful being."
"A spatial world?"
Jiang Mu's heart stirred.
He inexplicably recalled the "Dongtian Daofu" of that Lady Peach Blossom.
That world of ice and snow is also a separate space.
Could it be that this Tree Demon Granny also possesses methods similar to those of a grotto-heaven or Daoist abode?
Impossible, she hasn't reached that level yet.
Guided by Ji Hongyuan, the two passed through many corridors and arrived at a lonely little house deep in the valley.
The hut stood alone on a rocky, high ground.
Not a blade of grass grows around it.
At first glance, the small house, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, appears extremely ordinary and even somewhat dilapidated, like an abandoned dwelling of a forest ranger.
However, once you get within three zhang (approximately 10 meters), you will be isolated by an invisible barrier.
Ripples spread across the air like water.
Golden runes could be faintly seen flowing within it.
"The power of incense originates from here."
Ji Hongyuan floated to the barrier, reached out and pressed down, staring at the small house. A hint of greed and fear flashed in her eyes. "Such pure willpower... even more concentrated than I imagined."
Jiang Mu stood outside the barrier, staring at the seemingly ordinary little house in front of him, his brows furrowed.
What secrets are hidden here?
Could it be that they are enshrining a deity that was once worshipped by the people?
"Do you think you can break it open with brute force?"
Jiang Mu asked.
Ji Hongyuan shook her head, floated halfway around the invisible barrier, and her long, black-stockinged legs were faintly visible beneath her skirt:
"Don't waste your energy. This formation is connected to the earth's veins. Unless you have a cultivation level of at least the seventh realm and can overcome any challenge with brute force, you simply cannot break through it. The only way to get in is to find the core of the formation and cut off its flow of spiritual energy."
"Can you find the core of the formation?" Jiang Mu asked her.
Ji Hongyuan smiled confidently, her red lips slightly curved.
"If it were a formation from a righteous sect, I might have to go to great lengths. But in this land of Yin Sha ghost cultivators, to find the core of the formation, I only need to move my nose and smell that pungent odor to know where it is."
Jiang Mu's eyes lit up.
Although this female demon has a terrible personality, she's actually quite useful in crucial moments.
It can be described as a human-shaped navigation dog.
He immediately said, "Then what are we waiting for? Take me there right away."
Ji Hongyuan did not move.
She then floated in front of Jiang Mu, extended a slender, jade-like finger, gently lifted Jiang Mu's chin, and said with seductive eyes:
"Is this the attitude you get when you ask for a favor?"
"Come here, give your sister a kiss. If she's happy, she'll take you there."
Jiang Mu stared at the woman speechlessly.
What time is it? Still acting like a slut here?
Seeing his hesitation, Ji Hongyuan put her hands behind her back, slightly puffed out her chest, gently twisted her waist, and pouted her red lips, saying:
"If you don't kiss me, I won't take you."
"Anyway, I don't care about slaying demons or monsters, so it's fine to just stay here."
Jiang Mu said expressionlessly, "Alright, then I won't let you use it anymore. You can recover on your own."
"cut."
Ji Hongyuan merely snorted coldly, raising her chin, "If you, Young Master Jiang, are truly such an untrustworthy person, there's nothing I can do. Then let's just wait and see who can outlast whom."
The two stared at each other for a moment in a stalemate.
Jiang Mu sighed helplessly.
"Fine, I give up."
Jiang Mu didn't make a big deal out of it, thinking that she wouldn't lose out anyway.
He leaned forward and was about to kiss Ji Hongyuan's stunningly beautiful and alluring face.
However, just as his lips were about to touch the other person's cheek...
A red shadow suddenly flashed before my eyes.
Jiang Mu felt a blur before her eyes, and then felt a delicate, cool, jade-like touch on her lips.
It's not the soft flesh of the cheek.
Instead, it has a firm, smooth feel, and even a faint fragrance.
Jiang Mu was taken aback and subconsciously looked down.
He froze instantly.
Suddenly, Ji Hongyuan changed her posture and floated high in the air.
His lips were kissing her delicate, crescent-shaped, jade-white instep perfectly.
You can even clearly feel the faint pulse beneath those dark blue veins.
Jiang Mu looked up.
He then saw the stunningly beautiful woman looking down at him, her face displaying a triumphant and mischievous expression.
With her hands behind her back, her posture as proud as a queen, she said leisurely:
"Since you are so sincere, even willing to kiss my feet, I will take pity on you and help you this time."
After saying that, she couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
Laughing quiveringly.
The excessive curves at the front of the garment rose and fell dramatically, exuding a captivating charm.
Jiang Mu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He realized that this woman was inherently very proud.
She wanted to see him humiliated, to see him practically "submit" to her, to satisfy her desire for conquest and control. He straightened up and said coldly:
"Have you had enough fun?"
After laughing enough, Ji Hongyuan floated down to his side, poked his chest with her finger, and said with a coquettish smile:
"Oh, is the little guy angry?"
"Don't be ungrateful. There's a line of people in this world who want to kiss my feet that stretches all the way to the outskirts of Huzhou City. You're lucky to have managed to do it; that's a blessing you've accumulated over several lifetimes."
Jiang Mu kept a cold face, not wanting to waste another word on this perverted female zombie:
"Once you've had your fun, lead the way!"
Damn it, I haven't even touched my sister's feet yet.
Jiang Mu felt very unhappy.
Seeing that he was truly annoyed, Ji Hongyuan stopped teasing him excessively, blew a kiss to Jiang Mu, and then twisted her waist...
"Alright, alright, you're such a boring little devil. Stay close, I'll show you the way."
After saying that, she turned and drifted towards a secluded path on the right.
About an incense stick later.
The two arrived in front of a rather magnificent palace.
The entire palace was built of black stone, and strings of white bone wind chimes hung under the eaves, making a crisp tinkling sound when the wind blew through them.
Two ferocious stone statues of evil spirits stand on either side of the temple entrance.
It exudes a sinister and oppressive ghostly aura.
"It's inside."
Ji Hongyuan pointed to the palace gate.
Jiang Mu nodded, and used the Shadow Demon's teleportation ability to pass through the wall and sneak into the hall.
Inside the hall, there were many pale-faced ghost maids patrolling.
Using shadows and blind spots, Jiang Mu dodged his way through, and finally, guided by Ji Hongyuan, arrived at a spring pool deep within the main hall. The pool was about two meters square.
The pool water had an eerie deep blue color, with mist rising from above.
"Right down here?"
Jiang Mu looked at the pool water, her brows furrowing slightly.
Ji Hongyuan floated above the water and nodded affirmatively: "The core of the formation is below, where the concentration is highest."
Are you sure?
Jiang Mu had some doubts.
Ji Hongyuan rolled her eyes, too lazy to answer, and simply crossed her arms and hovered above the pool, giving off a "believe it or not" expression.
Without further hesitation, Jiang Mu entered the pool.
The pool water wasn't cold; instead, it had a warm feel to it.
Jiang Mu held her breath and quickly descended.
Ji Hongyuan also floated down. Miraculously, the surrounding pool water seemed to be afraid of her, automatically parting three inches away from her, so that she was not wet at all, and her red dress still flowed gracefully.
Upon reaching the bottom, Jiang Mu indeed made a discovery.
On the stone slab at the bottom of the pool, there were golden patterns carved on it, emitting a faint glow.
The direction and style of these patterns are exactly the same as those on the screen of the small house outside.
At the very center of the pattern is a purple stone the size of a fist.
The stone was crystal clear and shimmered with light.
Like a beating heart, it continuously delivers energy outward.
"This is the key point of the formation!"
Jiang Mu was overjoyed and swam over to reach out and pry the purple stone off.
Just then.
"Someone's here, and he's a pro!"
Ji Hongyuan's urgent voice suddenly exploded in his mind.
Jiang Mu was startled and froze.
Before he could react, the red shadow beside him suddenly dissipated, turning into a stream of light that entered his body.
Immediately afterwards, Ji Hongyuan's solemn voice rang out again:
"Don't move! There's no time to run!"
"Quick, put that ghost pill in your mouth, I'll help you mask your human scent."
Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat. Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly stuffed the ghost pill that Yu Xiaoqian had given him into his mouth.
The moment the Ghost Pill entered my mouth, a chill filled my oral cavity.
At the same time, Ji Hongyuan's power surged within her body, perfectly merging with the aura of the Ghost Pill.
In an instant, Jiang Mu felt as if he had turned into a lifeless stone, or a drop of stagnant water dissolving into a pool.
All the vitality, heat, and stellar energy fluctuations around him were completely isolated and shielded at this moment.
At the bottom of the dark pool, it was as if I had become invisible.