The head of Kunlun and several elders discussed for a long time, and they all felt that the letter must be a fraud.
They concluded:
Either Yan Chixia was using this letter to warn them, but in fact his own condition was critical.
Or, it is very likely that the Lord of Black Mountain is an expert at mind control, and the disciple/nephew must have been deceived!
No matter which one it is, there is something seriously wrong with this letter, and Yan Chixia is definitely in a bad situation. They can't just sit there and do nothing.
Qing Yangzi volunteered: "I have fought with the tree demon, so I have experience. I don't know much about the Black Mountain Demon, but the evil ways are all similar. Let me lead the team."
Chi Yangzi, the head of Kunlun, thought for a while and felt that although his junior brother was a little impatient, his strength was beyond doubt, and he was also a rare person who was upright but not pedantic.
He nodded, but still felt uneasy, so he asked his junior sister Xiaoxiangzi to go with him: "Junior sister Xiaoxiang and junior brother Qingyang should go together, and bring a few more disciples with you, so that if there is any change, they can report it in time."
Qingyangzi and Xiaoxiangzi bid farewell to the sect leader together, and took more than a dozen Kunlun disciples with them, and went down the mountain in a mighty procession.
Xiaoxiangzi is the junior sister of Chiyangzi's generation. She is very talented and the youngest, only over a hundred years old.
As an exquisite female cultivator, she was not like Qing Yangzi, who was unkempt and had a beard like a little old man. Instead, she was as youthful as a young girl in her twenties, but her temperament was very peaceful and harmonious.
"Brother Qingyang." Xiaoxiangzi was a little worried, "Is Chixia okay?"
Qing Yangzi said: "Since he was able to send such a clearly problematic letter, it is clear that the people behind him did not intend to take his life. Maybe the Lord of Black Mountain deliberately led our Kunlun people there, so don't worry."
Xiaoxiangzi thought about it and felt that it was right, and he felt a little relieved.
While Kunlun and his group were heading towards Black Mountain, Ning Caichen was also approaching the border of Black Mountain.
However, the first place he went to was not Heishan, but Lanruo Temple.
Because it was here that he met Xiaoqian for the first time, and the person he wanted to see most now was, of course, Xiaoqian.
Lanruo Temple is just a dilapidated temple in the wild mountains and wilderness. It is located in a very remote place and not many people know about it.
Fortunately, Ning Caichen's memory of the dream was very clear. Ever since he came to the small town under the barren mountain of Lanruo Temple, he felt that everything was no different from his dream, and he believed in the dream without a doubt.
He vaguely remembered in his dream that the demons in Lanruo Temple rarely went out during the day, so Ning Caichen bought a lot of self-defense items in the town, chose a sunny day, and went up the mountain.
Guided by the memories in his dream, Ning Caichen found the location of Lanruo Temple shortly after noon.
Ning Caichen's heart began to pound when he saw the Lanruo Temple in his dreams appear before him.
At this point, he no longer doubted the dream, and even believed that it was God who took pity on him for not being able to be with Xiaoqian in his dream, so he gave him this dream to teach him to make up for his regrets.
He took a deep breath and slowly approached the temple.
Squeak—
The dilapidated and decayed door was pushed open, and thick smoke and dust rose up.
Ning Caichen covered his mouth and nose with his hands, glanced around, and nodded in his heart. The furnishings and layout were exactly the same as in his dream.
There was naturally no one here at the moment. He walked around the deserted temple, then turned around and left with an expression of dissatisfaction.
—Of course, pretend to leave.
He found a secluded cave, which had a hidden location and a view of Lanruo Temple.
Time passed slowly, the sun set in the west, and the sky gradually darkened.
Ning Caichen also felt a hint of coldness.
He huddled in the cave, staring ahead without blinking.
He knew that soon, when the sun completely set and the entire barren mountain fell into endless darkness and silence, Lanruo Temple would become lively again.
At that time, lights will be turned on in the darkness, the dilapidated wild temple will be transformed into an exquisite courtyard, and the "girls" who are sleeping and recuperating during the day will wake up.
Lively and prosperous.
If you think about it carefully, a magnificent and exquisite mansion in the wilderness and so many beautiful girls is something extremely abnormal in itself.
But he was unaware of it in his dream. Maybe the vicious tree demon used some confusing tricks
Ning Caichen thought and waited.
But he waited and waited...
When the night was deep and the dew was heavy, and when most of the night had passed, Lanruo Temple was still the dilapidated Lanruo Temple.
There were no bright lights, no magnificent mansions, and even less Xiaoqian, the woman he missed so much.
Ning Caichen:
Is there something wrong with this
He was confused and panicked.
From the moment he dreamed, everything that followed was as he had expected. But something went wrong in the final step.
He lay in the cold cave all night.
Nothing happened.
Ning Caichen didn't believe it and stayed in the cave for another night, but still nothing happened.
On the third night, Ning Caichen, who was feeling a little overwhelmed, decided to just go for it and sleep on the floor in Lanruo Temple.
He thought: If the scene in the dream was real, Xiaoqian should come to find me, right
He closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and waited for the beauty to come.
However... until dawn, Lanruo Temple was peaceful and quiet.
Still nothing happened.
Ning Caichen sat dejectedly on the ground. He had not had a good rest for three days. His face was haggard, his eyes were bloodshot, and his chin was covered with blue stubble. He looked very miserable.
"This is not right, something must have gone wrong..." He muttered to himself, and walked down the mountain in a daze.
In the small town at the foot of the mountain, passers-by couldn't help but avoid Ning Caichen with some disgust.
He didn't care about the looks of these people, found an inn, and fell asleep.
A day later, Ning Caichen figured it out after waking up and having a big meal.
He didn't want to believe that it was just an empty dream, nor did he want to believe that such a vivid Xiaoqian was fake.
He is going to find her!
If there’s none in Lanruo Temple, then go somewhere else where there might be.
In her dream, she had always lived in Lanruo Temple. Apart from Lanruo Temple, no other place...
Somewhere else!
Ning Caichen's eyes lit up: Black Mountain!
Didn’t the lustful old monster Black Mountain have his eyes on Xiaoqian
Is it possible that because of this dream, time has changed and Xiaoqian was abducted to Montenegro in advance
Ning Caichen knew that his idea was ridiculous, and he also understood that his best choice at the moment was to leave here and go home honestly. No matter how realistic the dream was, it was just a dream after all.
But he was unwilling to give up.
He packed his bags and set out for Montenegro with determination.
The people of Kunlun are far away, but they walk fast. Ning Caichen is an ordinary person and walks slowly, but Lanruo Temple is close to Black Mountain.
The two sides happened to meet on the road to Montenegro.
Ning Caichen immediately saw the people from Kunlun who were wearing blue and white Taoist robes and dressed unusually.
He recognized this outfit!
It was the sect costume of Yan Chixia, his good friend in his dream!
Ning Caichen was shocked and searched the crowd, trying to find Yan Chixia.
Naturally, his sight could not be hidden from the people of Kunlun.
Xiaoxiangzi saw that he was a scholar with a clear and upright face and a strong literary temperament, and he was not offensive at all.
She asked gently, "Scholar, I see you keep looking over here, what's the matter?"
Ning Caichen thought about it. Although he didn't understand why so many Taoist disciples appeared, this might be a good opportunity for him.
He then cupped his hands and said, "My name is Ning Caichen, nice to meet you all."
He asked tentatively: "I once met a good friend named Yan Chixia. I wonder if he is from the same sect as you guys?"
"Have you seen my nephew Yan?" Qing Yangzi asked hurriedly, "Where? When?"
"This..." Ning Caichen was speechless. What should he say? Did he say that he had seen it in a dream
Seeing him hesitating, Qing Yangzi was suspicious: "Scholar, why are you hesitating? Is there something you can't tell me?"
Ning Caichen thought about it and said vaguely, "I saw him in Lanruo Temple."
"Lanruo Temple?" Qingyangzi's expression was stern.
He quickly exchanged glances with Xiaoxiangzi. This was completely different from what Chixia said in the letter.
According to Yan Chixia's letter, from the tree demon grandma on down, all the people in Lanruo Temple had long since surrendered to the Black Mountain Old Demon and even moved away their old nest.
If that’s the case, how could this scholar possibly meet Yan Chixia in Lanruo Temple
There must be something fishy going on.
Xiao Xiangzi asked calmly, "Oh? Lanruo Temple? When did you meet my nephew Yan? Did anything happen?"
Ning Caichen picked out some things from his dream and told them, including the fact that the tree demon grandma ordered her subordinates, the demon girls and ghosts, to harm people.
Some details match, which is indeed in line with the usual style of the tree demon grandma.
Qing Yangzi's brows became increasingly gloomy.
What this scholar said sounds very much like the truth.
But this is completely different from what my nephew said in the letter.
Xiao Xiangzi said: "Brother, then we..."
Qing Yangzi waved his hand to interrupt her and said, "Don't worry. Anyway, we are already here. We will know what the situation is after a while."
Hearing this, Ning Caichen hurriedly asked, "You Taoist priests are going to Black Mountain? Can you take me with you?"
Qing Yangzi's eyes widened: "Do you know what Black Mountain is? Why are you going there?"
Ning Caichen then said that he had a woman he loved who was suffering at the hands of the tree demon.
"Since you suffered at the hands of the tree demon, why did you come to Black Mountain?" Qing Yangzi asked.
Ning Caichen: “…”
Qing Yangzi snorted coldly: "You, a scholar, have a big problem."
He had discovered before that what Ning Caichen said seemed credible, but was full of loopholes.
He is on guard.
Qing Yangzi didn't want to waste time on these trivial matters, so he asked a disciple to look after Ning Caichen and said, "Scholar, don't you want to go to Black Mountain to take a look? Then come with us."
Ning Caichen knew that the other party suspected him, but when he heard that they were willing to take him with them, he had no objection at all and followed happily, and was very cooperative when being monitored. This made Qing Yangzi even more suspicious of him.
In less than half an hour, everyone arrived outside Qingshui County.
Before entering the city, Qingyangzi's brows were already furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川".
He and his junior sister Xiaoxiangzi looked at each other, and both saw seriousness in each other's eyes.
The disciples they brought with them this time were all elite members of their sect, so they could naturally see some clues at this moment.
These disciples were not as calm as their teacher, and someone immediately cried out:
"In this small county, the evil spirit is so strong!"
“It shows how rampant Black Mountain is!”
"… "
Ning Caichen stared blankly at the bustling city gate:
He looked at Qing Yangzi: "Senior, what's going on here?"
Qingyangzi ignored him and walked into the city with a solemn face.
In fact, they also felt that something was wrong.
Logically speaking, if there were many monsters wreaking havoc in a small county like Qingshui County, the mortals living there would inevitably be affected.
Looking at the people passing by, everyone looks relaxed and comfortable, and it is obvious that they are living a good life.
Qingyangzi was tired of saying that there must be something fishy going on.
From the moment I saw the letter from Yan Chixia, everything I saw afterwards was full of disharmony.
But the Kunlun people will not give up easily.
They made the same choice as Yan Chixia did before - they found one of the sources of the evil spirit, which is also one of the most lively places in Qingshui County.
Montenegro Incense Powder Shop.
The perfume and powder shop is particularly busy today because it has new rouge and incense.
Hongxiu, the proprietress of the powder shop and perfume maker, is extremely talented in this field. The raw materials produced by Heishan are of much higher quality than those produced elsewhere, so the finished products are naturally sought after by everyone.
Hongxiu was very busy, but she had a very comfortable smile on her face - the master had always been generous to them. In addition to taking care of the various crops in Heishan regularly, the rest of the extra income, such as the profit from the shop, was directly distributed to them.
Several of them own shops in Qingshui County. Although their lives are a bit busy, they have enough money!
Now that she had money, Hongxiu was generous to herself. She hired a craftsman to build the first three-story house on the Black Mountain. The first floor was for entertaining guests, the second floor was for resting, and the third floor was filled with all kinds of beautiful clothes and jewelry.
Many of them were brought back from the prosperous places in the south of the Yangtze River by people she often visited.
It feels great to have money in hand!
"You asked about the sachet. The fragrance lasts for a long time, even a month..." She was talking to a customer when she suddenly paused and looked towards the door.
A group of Taoists dressed in Kunlun costumes were staring at her.
Hong Xiu was stunned for a moment, and then she sent the guests away in a gentle voice. She walked to the door and asked in surprise, "Are you the Taoist priests of Kunlun Sect? What can I do for you?"
Her tone was natural and casual, with a hint of a hearty smile, and she did not have the normal reaction a monster would have when encountering a Taoist priest.
Everyone at Kunlun Gate was also confused by her natural appearance.
Xiao Xiangzi said casually: "Your shop is doing pretty good business, selling spices and... cough!"
She suddenly stopped talking. Why did they bring up this topic
She straightened her expression and put on a serious face like a noble family encountering demons and monsters: "You little demon, why are you so arrogant in the world?"
She was quite careful and used a trick when she said these words. To outsiders, it looked like the proprietress was just greeting someone warmly.
Hongxiu finally reacted.
These days they got along very happily with Yan Chixia. Yan Chixia was handsome and efficient at work, and all the girls in Montenegro liked him very much.
So when she saw Yan Chixia's fellow disciples just now, she subconsciously put on a friendly gesture.
At this moment she finally realized: These Taoists from Kunlun seemed to be here to cause trouble
There is a big difference between a friend's fellow disciple and a stinky Taoist priest who comes to cause trouble.
Hongxiu's face suddenly became more serious than Xiaoxiangzi's: "What are you talking about, Taoist priest? What do you mean by showing off in the world? I am a serious businessman. I sell goods honestly and I don't hurt anyone."
She pointed at the customers coming and going in the shop and said, "Look, these are all customers. What are customers? They are money! If you have nothing to do, please help yourself and don't delay me from making money!"
Everyone in Kunlun Sect was shocked.
Kunlun is the orthodox sect of Xuanmen, a well-known existence. No matter which demons and monsters encounter them, they will treat them with caution, no matter if they are polite or hostile.
It was the first time they encountered such an arrogant little demon.
Who gave her the confidence
Qing Yangzi frowned and looked at the little demon. Seeing that she had a clean aura, it was obvious that she had never committed any murder.
He snorted, "Stop pretending. Let me ask you, where is my nephew Yan?"
It turned out that he was looking for Yan Chixia.
Hong Xiu suddenly realized, "Yan Chixia lives in Black Mountain. He said a few days ago that he sent a letter to the sect. Didn't you see it?"
Qing Yangzi: “…”
It was because they saw that strange letter that they rushed here without stopping.
Hongxiu's tone was extremely natural, as if it was normal for Yan Chixia, a disciple of Xuanmen, to live in the demon clan's base camp like Black Mountain.
Qing Yangzi said: "In that case, please take us to find him."
Upon hearing this, Hongxiu waved her hand and beckoned a pretty girl over. The girl had a slender figure, fair skin, a gentle face, and a very kind smile.
Xiao Xiangzi took only one look and exclaimed: "This puppet is so exquisite!"
Upon hearing this, Hongxiu smiled with pride: "This was made by our husband himself, of course it is exquisite." With her proud look, anyone who didn't know her would think that the puppet was made by her.
She instructed the puppet: "Take these Taoist priests to visit the master."
Then he looked at the people of Kunlun and said, "I am too busy with business today and don't have time to entertain you. You just follow her."
After saying hello, she turned around and went to greet the guests.
Everyone: “…”
Xiao Xiangzi was silent for a moment before he spoke: "I think something is wrong."
Qing Yangzi pulled his beard, also puzzled: "I have walked the world for hundreds of years, and I have never seen such a strange monster."
They looked at each other, and finally said in unison: "Let's go to Montenegro!"
No one noticed that Ning Caichen had become extra silent since he met Hongxiu.
He was both surprised and flustered at the moment.
He had seen Hongxiu, or to be more precise, he had seen her in his dream.
In the Lanruo Temple in the dream, Hongxiu and Xiaoqian are both poor women who are controlled by the vicious tree demon.
If, if Hongxiu really exists, does it mean that Xiaoqian also exists
But why is this Hongxiu completely different from the one in my dream
The Hongxiu in the dream was taciturn, and seemed completely different from the confident and cheerful girl in front of him, except for their appearance and name.
So what about Xiaoqian
Will she still be the Xiaoqian in my dreams
Ning Caichen, with mixed feelings, followed the Kunlun group to Black Mountain.
Montenegro.
Jiang Lin finally received the message from the system: Ning Caichen is here!
He couldn't help but sigh at the fate of the male and female protagonists: Today, Xiaoqian, who was always very diligent in going to the calligraphy and painting shop, did not go to Qingshui County. She let her sister take her shift and stayed in Heishan to rest for a day. And Ning Caichen happened to come.
only…
Jiang Lin thought about Xiaoqian's current appearance and her thoughts on love that she had talked about before.
He plucked a blade of grass, rubbed it gently with his fingers, and said sorry to Ning Caichen in his heart without feeling too guilty: If nothing unexpected happens, you two will probably not be able to have a beauty saving the hero and fall in love at first sight like in the original plot.
Sensing that everyone had entered the Black Mountain area, Jiang Lin called Xiao Qian over and said, "Go and tell Yan Chixia that an elder from his sect has arrived. Go with him to greet the guest."
Xiaoqian went there obediently.
Huaiyin, who was weeding with Jiang Lin: "…"
She clearly heard Jiang Lin call him "elder", and with her strength, she could vaguely sense the powerful and righteous spirit of the Xuanmen in the distance.
The strength of the person who came is much stronger than Yan Chixia.
She was puzzled and asked directly, "Sir, why do you ask me to go and pick up Yan Chixia in person when he comes, but his senior master only lets Xiaoqian go?"
Is Yan Chixia more important, or does Xiaoqian have a higher status in the gentleman's heart than himself
I won’t mention the former. If Jiang Lin answered the latter…
Huaiyin gritted her teeth secretly: The great demon's reputation cannot be trampled upon, even if she is punished, she must let Jiang Lin know that she has a temper!
Fortunately, Jiang Lin had no intention of provoking her.
He said casually: "Oh, it all depends on my mood. If I have time, I can go by myself."
Huaiyin:
She looked up at Jiang Lin, who was observing a medicinal herb carefully, his eyes and brows were gentle and calm, and it was obvious that he had just said something ordinary.
And these words are often the most real thoughts.
As her master, she really doesn't care about the face of being the master of a mountain at all.
"Well, I heard that this Qilan can be used in cooking, but the dosage must be controlled to make it delicious. I'll let A Yue try it some other day." Jiang Lin said to himself.
Huaiyin: “…”
Looking at the Lord of Black Mountain like this, she suddenly felt deflated.
Forget it, I’m already farming and weeding every day, why do I need to show off
At the foot of the Black Mountain.
Just like when Yan Chixia came for the first time, Qing Yangzi and others looked at the clouds and haze lingering above the Black Mountain and fell into deep thought.
"Brother." Xiao Xiangzi couldn't believe it. "Is this really Black Mountain? Haven't you been here before?"
Qing Yangzi was even more confused than her: "I have been here before, but it was more than a hundred years ago. But I just passed by from a distance and didn't come in to take a look. And I remember..."
Montenegro doesn’t seem to be like this!
Could it be that it has been too long and his memory is confused? Qing Yangzi fell into the thoughts of an old man.
Only Ning Caichen was extremely anxious. The Taoists from Kunlun were standing at the foot of the mountain, and they stopped moving as if they had encountered something extremely strange.
"Masters," he asked anxiously, "why don't you leave?"
Qing Yangzi glanced at him and took out the letter written by Yan Chixia from his pocket:
"Don't worry. I think we should take a closer look at the letter written by my nephew."
I thought it was nonsense when I read it before, but now that I read it, I feel that there are many mysteries hidden in this letter.
Ning Caichen: “…”
He was so anxious and wanted to say, "We've arrived and will be seeing people soon, so why are you still reading the letter?"
However, the other party had high martial arts skills and was a senior, so he did not dare to refute.
Just at this moment, two figures slowly walked towards us on the mountain path in front of us.
Yan Chixia's hearty laughter could be heard from afar: "Uncle Qingyang! Uncle Xiaoxiang! Why are you all here?"
But Ning Caichen was stunned.
The only thing left in his eyes was that beautiful figure.