In the next few days, the Zhou sisters seemed to have made some progress in their efforts to gather information. They often gathered together to talk in private and even went out secretly without telling Nie Yu and the others. Gu Pinglin could roughly guess what they were going to do. In addition, as for Lan Feiyu, he and Zhang Sheng had similar temperaments and were very close to each other.
At night, the door of the Zhou sisters' room opened gently, and two figures flashed out one after another.
"Sister, are you really going?" Zhou Caiqin whispered, a little nervous, "What if we run into 'him'?"
Zhou Caige said: "We are just trying to find out the news, we are not going to fight him, and there are disciples from the Feijian Palace guarding nearby, so we are not afraid."
Hearing her say this, Zhou Caiqin became bolder and said excitedly, "Then let's go."
The two girls were about to perform their escape trick when unexpectedly a window opposite them suddenly opened, making quite a noise. The two girls, already feeling guilty, were startled at once.
"Hey, isn't this Miss Zhou?" Duan Qingming stood in the window and asked in surprise, "Where are you two going so late?"
His voice was not loud, but it was so quiet in the courtyard that it was particularly clear. Before the two sisters could reply, the door next to them opened and Nie Yu walked out: "Why, you want to go out?"
The two sisters were most afraid of this senior brother, so they dared not tell the truth. Zhou Caiqin hurriedly stammered, "We want to go to the front to get some hot water..."
"It's getting late. I'll go call them. You wait." Nie Yu said, and then turned to Duan Qingming, "You are..."
Duan Qingming smiled and bowed: "I am Duan Qingming from Lingxin Sect. I have long heard of Master Nie. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Nie Yu didn't say much. He just bowed to him to show his gratitude, then went to the front to call for water. Duan Qingming also closed the window and took a rest.
After all this trouble, the Zhou sisters' plan failed, and they had to give up and go back to their rooms. In the next two days, whenever they wanted to sneak out, various accidents would happen and trip them up. But that's how people are. The more they can't do something, the more they want to do it. The two sisters were very anxious.
During this period of time, there were many new faces in the guest house. When traveling, for safety reasons, cultivators with some money would choose to stay in the post houses of large sects. Gu Pinglin secretly observed that most of these new guests were independent cultivators, and there were also a few disciples from second-rate families. One of the women caught Gu Pinglin's attention.
This happened by chance. When Gu Pinglin met her at the gate of the courtyard, she happened to be harassed by two wandering cultivators.
"The girl is alone, do you need our help?"
"No... No thanks." The woman was very timid. Faced with two casual cultivators who took the initiative to chat with her, she hurriedly stepped back with a red face, lowered her head to make way, and her voice was lower than a mosquito.
Little did they know that in the eyes of Dengtu Zi, this look of hers made them even more tempting. The expressions of the two wandering cultivators became more and more unbearable. One of them came closer and said, "It is a great destiny that we meet each other when we are away from home. What is your name, young lady? Which immortal mountain do you worship in?" There was a hint of tentativeness in his words. If she was a disciple of a big sect or a girl from an aristocratic family, he would not be able to afford to offend her.
"My last name... my last name is Duan," the woman said in a low voice, without even raising her head, "I have something else to do, please go ahead." After that, she walked away quickly.
After watching the graceful figure leave, the two casual cultivators smiled at each other with some ill intentions.
Gu Pinglin witnessed the teasing and slightly curved his lower lip.
interesting.
The surname Duan was of course a lie. It was true that this woman was timid, but she was also very smart. The two casual cultivators were obsessed with her beauty. If they had paid a little attention, they would have found that although her clothes looked ordinary, they were made of the common Huanhai yarn, which would not sink in water. Only girls from small aristocratic families and maids from large aristocratic families could afford to wear them. If they had a broader vision, they would have found that the inconspicuous ebony hairpin on her head was even more extraordinary. It was a rare sword wood, which should have been made by the forger of Shengong Valley and made into a magic weapon for self-defense, so ordinary people would not recognize it.
This is even more interesting.
How precious is a sword-wood hairpin? Even the daughters of a noble family may not have one. This girl wore a precious sword-wood hairpin, but wore a maid's dress that did not match her. It was obvious that she wanted to conceal her identity. Perhaps this dress was "extremely simple" in her eyes.
This woman has an extraordinary identity.
Gu Pinglin didn't see her face clearly, nor did he speculate on her identity. When he turned around and saw the two wandering cultivators still discussing something furtively, he couldn't help but sneer.
A person who doesn't know whether to live or die.
The time is almost up... Gu Pinglin sat down on the stone bench in the yard and waited quietly.
Not long after, Xin Ji led someone in. When he saw Gu Pinglin, he smiled and said, "Master Gu, Young Master Cheng is here."
"Where's Duan Qingming?" Cheng Yi was covered in dust, looking disheveled and tired. He looked around anxiously, "That old man is chasing us. He's right behind us. He wants to kill us!"
Gu Pinglin didn't know what to say. They had been through hardships together in the sea bone pit, and he had taken good care of him, but now he was only thinking about using Duan Qingming. He was so naive, and he must be a genius. I really don't know where Duan Qingming got the magic to attract these freaks.
"Why did you come here like this!" Xin Ji sighed. After all, he was experienced and had figured out the whole thing. It was obvious that Yan Sen was deliberately holding back on Cheng Yi in order to find this place.
Cheng Yi was confused: "Duan Qingming asked me to come."
"We have to get rid of him first..." Xin Ji probably thought it was too stupid to reason with him, so he stopped talking and said, "I'm afraid the old demon Yan Sen is about to arrive. We should inform Master Duan as soon as possible and avoid him."
"He's arrived." Duan Qingming walked down the stairs.
"Ah, he's here!" Cheng Yi turned around in a hurry, looking around, as if he would run away at any time, "Where is he?"
"Don't worry," Duan Qingming comforted him, "He won't kill us now."
"Really?" Cheng Yi immediately believed him and breathed a sigh of relief, "That's great!"
Seeing Xin Ji's anxiety, Gu Pinglin waved his hand to stop him: "Yan Sen once killed more than a dozen disciples of Feijian Palace to sacrifice the Soul Sword. With this great hatred, he will never show up in the territory of Feijian Palace openly."
Xin Ji thought further: "That being said, we can't be trapped here forever, right?"
Gu Pinglin didn't take up the topic and looked at Duan Qingming: "Everything is ready now."
Duan Qingming said, "Well, we can start now."
"Tonight?"
"Tonight."
Gu Pinglin saw clearly that he had deliberately stopped the Zhou sisters before, of course not out of kindness, but to delay time and wait for today, and he also earned Nie Yu's gratitude for nothing: "How do you plan?"
Duan Qingming bowed to Xin Ji and Cheng Yi and said, "I still need your help with this plan."
Cheng Yi agreed readily: "Okay."
Xin Ji smiled reluctantly: "Master Duan, if you have any instructions, just tell me."
Duan Qingming motioned for the two to come closer, whispered some instructions, and finally asked, "Did you remember it?"
"This is easy. I'll remember it." Cheng Yi answered first.
Xin Ji rolled his eyes and said, "Master Duan, rest assured that the two of us will not fail in our mission. Little friend Cheng is also tired, so I will take him in to rest first."
Being chased by Yan Sen all the way, Cheng Yi had indeed suffered a lot. Seeing Duan Qingming nod, he followed Xin Ji into the room to rest.
Gu Pinglin was still sitting on the stone bench: "You are cheating me again."
"I have always been sincere. How can you blame me if others are not honest?"
"Tell me what you want to do."
"Junior brother, you are really smart," Duan Qingming leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I really need your help this time."
Feeling a little hot and wet beside his ears, Gu Pinglin turned his face slightly and said, "You also need my help?"
"Of course," Duan Qingming sighed, "Yan Sen is a master of Dan Yijing. He can kill me with just one sword. I am really panicking."
He was very skilled at showing weakness. The fact was that Yan Sen's many swords could not kill him. Gu Pinglin hummed, "Tell me."
The weather was fine during the day, but by the evening, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the moon was invisible at night. Of course, this was nothing to a cultivator, as they could come and go freely with the power of night vision.
In the dead of night, a dark shadow flashed out from Duan Qingming's room and walked away silently over the wall.
Immediately afterwards, two figures, one black and one white, flashed out from Duan Qingming and Gu Pinglin's rooms respectively and fled.
Later on, another white shadow came out of Duan Qingming's room and went in another direction.
…
Gu Pinglin stood under the shade of a tree, looking at the two Zhou sisters from afar.
No one deliberately obstructed them, and the two sisters finally found a chance to slip out. They were talented and were already external alchemy practitioners. They were spoiled because of their status in the sect, so they were self-righteous and acted without considering the consequences. Just look at how they turned against their master and parents for Duan Qingming in their previous lives, and you can see how willful they can be. Just as Duan Qingming expected, they had already found out the exact information, and following them would lead to finding the target.
After a cup of tea, Gu Pinglin said, "What a pity, there is no moon on the 15th."
"It doesn't matter," a voice sounded from behind him, "What happens tonight will definitely be more exciting than the moonlight."
Gu Pinglin turned around.
Duan Qingming had been standing quietly under the shade of the tree. He was rarely wearing a slightly tight, neat black shirt and black pants, with a black hairband and a black ribbon around his waist, which made his tall figure look even more heroic, yet more elegant than other night walkers.
When he first saw him like this, Gu Pinglin was a little uncomfortable.
Duan Qingming took two steps forward and stood in front of him: "Junior brother, your demeanor is not inferior to the number one playboy in the cultivation world."
Taking off his usual solemn dark clothes, Gu Pinglin wore a loose white robe and a golden crown on his head. With his handsome looks, he looked more romantic and had a bit of the air of a dandy from a wealthy family.
Being teased, Gu Pinglin responded on the spot: "No, I am not as good as you, Duan Liu, who also condescends to play the role of a gentleman on the beam."
"Gu Xiaojiu, it's okay to bow your head occasionally in front of me."
“Why should I bow my head?”
"Yes, Junior Brother is outstanding, I am willing to admit defeat," Duan Qingming said with a smile, "It's almost time, let's go."
The roads in Yanlai Village were all paved with stone slabs, with green grass growing in the cracks between the slabs. The Zhou sisters walked along the road and finally sneaked into a small courtyard. The low earthen walls around them had long been dilapidated, and they could see what was going on inside through the gaps. As soon as Gu Pinglin and the other man approached the courtyard, they faintly smelled medicine. Someone in this house was indeed sick.
Zhou Caiqin also pinched her nose and said, "I'm really sick."
"Zhang Cuiyun has been ill for more than two months. I heard from the doctor that her symptoms are indeed very similar to that of evil spirits entering the body and damaging her yang energy. It's a pity that our cultivation is not enough, otherwise we would have discovered it long ago." It is not difficult to enter a mortal's room. Zhou Caige raised her finger, and the bolt on the door fell to the ground. She pushed the door open and walked in.
The pearl floated in the air, illuminating the room.
Zhou Caiqin looked at the skinny woman on the bed, took out a pill from the storage bag, and said with a smile: "I asked Ninth Senior Brother for this. If it is really evil spirit, the condition will definitely improve after taking it for two days."
The two sisters discussed it. The man in the next room did not move. Zhou Caiqin fed the pill into the woman's mouth and made her swallow it. Then the two sisters smiled at each other. Zhou Caige took the pearl and said, "It's getting late. Let's go back quickly. Don't let Fifth Brother find out."
The two went out, and just as they walked out of the yard, the sound of dogs barking suddenly rang out in the quiet village.
The sounds came one after another, it was very lively, as if all the dogs in the village were startled by something and started barking wildly.
The two sisters were shocked and stopped at the same time, looking around. Zhou Caige couldn't help but frowned: "How could this happen? Could something big have happened in the village..."
Suddenly, the dog's barking stopped.
It was eerily quiet all around, as if nothing had happened. Despite such a big commotion just now, no one in the village opened the door to check. The whole village fell into dead silence, and not even the sound of insects could be heard.
Faced with this strange situation, the two sisters did not panic. They had both formed external elixirs and had gone out to train before. They immediately summoned their magic swords and secretly took precautions.
After a moment, "crackling" sounds were heard from all directions, getting closer and closer, and finally appeared in the sight of the two.
"What... is this!" Zhou Caiqin screamed.
She was not afraid, but more disgusted. Those things seemed to be walking, but they were not alive at all. They were clearly complete skeletons of dead people. The paths and alleys in the village were full of them. There were hundreds or even thousands of them. Some were half-rotten, with rotten meat hanging on the skeletons, emitting a disgusting smell. They moved their legs and approached the two sisters. Each skull had its mouth wide open, as if it wanted to tell something.
"It's just a trick of the demon cultivator," Zhou Caige said calmly, "Don't worry, this little thing can't trap us."
Zhou Caiqin came back to her senses and glared with her big eyes: "It turns out to be a demon cultivator. He has offended our Guangling Sect. Humph!"
The zither case on her back popped open, and a green guqin flew out. Zhou Caiqin raised her hand to catch it, then sat down cross-legged on the spot, with the zither across her knees. Her slender jade hand brushed the zither in the air, and the sound of metal and stone spread. The spirit sword floating in the air burst out with sword intent, and the sound of the zither urged the sword energy, like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, and several rows of skeletons fell down.
Zhou Caiqin continued to pluck the strings of the zither, and the majestic sound resounded throughout the entire village. The sword energy was as dense as water, spreading in all directions. The skeletons were swept by the sword energy, as if they had lost their support and fell to the ground one after another.
Zhou Caige was delighted when he saw this, and clapped his hands in praise, "Your segment of 'Guangling Returning Soul' is becoming even more exquisite."
Zhou Caiqin stood up holding the zither, curled her lips and sneered, "How dare you show off such a trick? You'll fall into my hands today."
Zhou Caige said: "Let him know how powerful the Guangling Sect is. Let's go back and see if Fifth Senior Brother will say anything bad about us!"
The two sisters were laughing together, but unexpectedly at this moment, something unexpected happened!
The skulls on the ground actually broke away from the bodies and flew up, densely packed together, with their mouths wide open.
How can there be a tongue in a skull's mouth
They could not make any sound, but in the ears of the Zhou sisters, it seemed as if countless people were talking at the same time, praising, scolding, or blaming, and these voices were all very familiar.