“Sigh…” Jiang Wuchao sighed again.
Lu Xiaochan raised his hand and tugged at the Immortal-Locking Ribbon. That faint golden stream of light immediately attracted Jiang Wuchao’s attention.
Jiang Wuchao was startled in his heart, speculating what kind of immortal artifact that faintly visible silk was.
“Brother Wuxi, tell me, what could make a village suddenly decay, to the point where not a single living person could be seen?”
Shu Wuxi replied. “It’s just an illusion.”
These few words, like a thousand-pound mountain, fell on Jiang Wuchao’s heart.
His shoulders trembled. The disciples of the Meng family, with their shallow cultivation and insufficient foundation, could be excused for being deceived by an illusion. But for himself, with over three hundred years of cultivation, to also be fooled, it meant that the evil spirit confusing him was no ordinary one!
He looked at An Heng again, just about to transfer another breath of true qi, hoping he could at least explain clearly what kind of evil spirit was lurking here. But Lu Xiaochan spoke up. “Brother Jiang… that An Heng is really out of breath, isn’t he? I truly can’t hear his breathing at all.”
Like thunder waking one from a dream, Jiang Wuchao looked closely again. The An Heng before him had his eyes wide open, his face ashen, with a large bloodstain on his chest – his lungs were empty! His body had long since stiffened, so why did Jiang Wuchao feel he still had a breath left as he carried him all this way?
Terrible! This was also an illusion!
Suddenly, An Heng’s hand stiffly raised up, covering his own chest, and his throat made a whimpering sound.
“My heart… where has my heart gone…”
In an instant, Jiang Wuchao drew his sword and retreated ten feet away.
Lu Xiaochan gasped, pointing at An Heng and saying, “That… that dead person moved again!”
“I told you long ago not to meddle in affairs that don’t concern you.”
The implication was, if you hadn’t asked me to let Jiang Wuchao in, you wouldn’t have heard this terrifying scene.
Jiang Wuchao gritted his teeth. If he hadn’t encountered Shu Wuxi and Lu Xiaochan, he would have fallen for the illusion. He probably would have been ambushed by the evil spirit outside the ruined temple’s door. It was only because he heard there were others that the evil spirit remained quietly inside An Heng’s body, waiting for an opportunity.
When Shu Wuxi exposed the illusion, the evil spirit in An Heng’s body could no longer restrain itself.
The moment he drew his sword, Jiang Wuchao formed a sword formation and rushed forward, straight towards An Heng’s face.
A small silver bell on the sword hilt began to shake, its crisp ringing gradually turning from the sound of a babbling brook to that of huge waves crashing on the shore. Lu Xiaochan immediately realized Jiang Wuchao was activating his sword formation and quickly raised his hands to cover his ears.
The evil spirit in An Heng’s body was drawn out by the sword formation and refined in an instant.
Jiang Wuchao sheathed his sword and went to check on An Heng. An Heng painfully turned his face, his eyes regaining a glimmer of clarity.
“An Heng!”
“Evil… temple…”
After saying these two words, he breathed his last.
Jiang Wuchao still wanted to transfer true qi to keep him alive, at least to let him explain clearly what had happened, but it was too late.
“Is he completely dead now?” Lu Xiaochan lowered his hands from his ears.
“Mm.” Shu Wuxi responded faintly, tugging on the Immortal-Locking Ribbon. Lu Xiaochan immediately lay down on Lushu’s back. “Sleep now.”
Jiang Wuchao turned around, staring hard at Shu Wuxi’s face, which showed no trace of any emotion.
Among the three thousand immortal sects in the world plus the four directional sword sects, which sect didn’t consider exorcising evil spirits and upholding righteousness as their duty? This could not only improve one’s cultivation but was also the responsibility of cultivators. Yet this senior seemed to care about nothing, not only unmoved by innocent people being invaded by evil spirits but also indifferent to the life and death of fellow sect disciples.
Here is my translation of the Chinese text into English, maintaining past tense except for direct thoughts/speech, preserving spacing, and keeping sentences separate:
What is politeness?
“Sigh…” Jiang Wuchao sighed again.
Lu Xiaochan raised her hand and tugged on the Immortal-Binding Ribbon. That faint golden stream of light immediately attracted Jiang Wuchao’s attention.
Jiang Wuchao was startled in his heart, guessing what kind of immortal artifact that faintly visible ribbon might be.
“Brother Wuxi, tell me, what could make a village suddenly decline, to the point where not a single living person can be seen?”
Shu Wuxi replied: “It’s just an illusion.”
Those few words fell like a thousand-pound mountain on Jiang Wuchao’s heart.
His shoulders trembled. The Meng family disciples with their shallow cultivation and weak foundations being fooled by an illusion was understandable. But for himself, with over 300 years of cultivation, to also be misled – this indicated that the evil spirit deceiving him was no ordinary one!
He looked at An Heng again, just about to transmit another breath of true qi to help him at least explain clearly what evil spirit was lurking here. But Lu Xiaochan spoke up: “Brother Jiang… that An Heng really has no breath left, right? I truly can’t hear him breathing at all.”
Like thunder waking one from a dream, Jiang Wuchao looked closely again. The An Heng before him had his eyes wide open, his face ashen, with a large bloodstain on his chest – his internal organs were gone! His body had long since gone rigid. Why had Jiang Wuchao carried him all this way, feeling as if he still had a breath of life?
Terrible! This too was an illusion!
Suddenly, An Heng’s hand stiffly raised up, covering his own chest. A whimpering sound came from his throat.
“My heart… where has my heart gone…”
In an instant, Jiang Wuchao drew his sword and retreated ten feet away.
Lu Xiaochan gasped, pointing at An Heng and saying: “That… that dead person moved again!”
“I told you earlier not to meddle in other people’s affairs.”
The implication was: if you hadn’t asked me to let Jiang Wuchao in, you wouldn’t have heard this terrifying scene.
Jiang Wuchao gritted his teeth. If he hadn’t encountered Shu Wuxi and Lu Xiaochan, he would have fallen for the illusion. He likely would have been ambushed by the evil spirit right outside the ruined temple’s door. It was only because he heard there were other people that the evil spirit in An Heng’s body remained quiet, waiting for an opportunity.
When Shu Wuxi exposed the illusion, the evil spirit in An Heng’s body could no longer restrain itself.
In the instant he drew his sword, Jiang Wuchao formed a sword array and rushed forward, aiming straight for An Heng’s face.
A small silver bell on the sword hilt began to shake, its crisp ringing gradually transforming from the sound of a babbling brook to that of huge waves crashing on the shore. Lu Xiaochan immediately realized Jiang Wuchao was activating his sword array and quickly raised her hands to cover her ears.
The evil spirit in An Heng’s body was drawn out by the sword array and refined in an instant.
Jiang Wuchao sheathed his sword and went to check on An Heng. An Heng turned his face with difficulty, his eyes regaining a glimmer of clarity.
“An Heng!”
“Evil… temple…”
After saying these two words, he breathed his last.
Jiang Wuchao still wanted to transmit true qi to preserve his life, at least to let him explain clearly what had happened, but it was too late.
“Is he completely dead now?” Lu Xiaochan lowered her hands from her ears.
“Mm.” Shu Wuxi gave a faint affirmative, tugging on the Immortal-Binding Ribbon. Lu Xiaochan immediately lay down on Lushu. “Sleep now.”
Jiang Wuchao turned around, glaring intently at Shu Wuxi’s face that showed no trace of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.
Among the three thousand immortal sects in the world plus the four sword sects, which one didn’t consider it their duty to exorcise evil spirits and uphold righteousness? This could both improve one’s cultivation and was the responsibility of cultivators. Yet this senior seemed to care about nothing at all, not only unmoved by innocent commoners being invaded by evil spirits, but also indifferent to the life and death of sect disciples.
Jiang Wuchao’s heart trembled. Could it be… that this young gentleman wasn’t an immortal sect senior at all… but rather an evil cultist from the Demon Capital?
At this moment, Shu Wuxi was only gazing at Lu Xiaochan, who had closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep. It seemed that since Jiang Wuchao had entered, Shu Wuxi’s gaze hadn’t left Lu Xiaochan’s body. As the firelight flickered, Shu Wuxi’s profile took on a somewhat demonic charm… as if the moment Jiang Wuchao blinked, Shu Wuxi would swallow Lu Xiaochan in one bite.
Jiang Wuchao gripped his sword tightly, growing worried.
If this Shu Wuxi truly came from the Demon Capital, he must be a deeply cultivated demon. Moreover, Shu Wuxi wasn’t carrying any sword. Was he trying to lure this blind little beggar into the demonic path, or was he planning to use him as an offering to some evil god?
Lu Xiaochan had originally been sleeping facing outward, but he turned over and slept facing inward.
After sleeping for just a bit, he sat up again.
“Brother Wuxi! There’s a dead person in the temple! I can’t sleep!”
“There’s a dead person, so why can’t you sleep?” Shu Wuxi asked.
“You… aren’t you afraid An Heng’s soul will come back and turn into a vengeful ghost seeking revenge?”
“That won’t happen. The fact that An Heng could be possessed by a low-level evil spirit of ‘anger’ shows that his own cultivation was very shallow, too concerned with fame and fortune. Since his cultivation was shallow, after death he wouldn’t be able to condense his soul and form a spirit body. He can’t become a vengeful ghost.”
Jiang Wuchao listened quietly. This young scholar knew all about the classifications of evil spirits in the world. Jiang Wuchao truly couldn’t believe he wasn’t an evil spirit cultist from the Demon Capital.
“I still can’t sleep. I’m hungry!”
In truth, Lu Xiaochan couldn’t really eat much. He always felt that the evil spirit in An Heng’s body probably wasn’t the one that had cast the illusion on Jiang Wuchao. Moreover, they still hadn’t found the fierce Madam Meng. Lu Xiaochan didn’t feel very at ease.
“I prepared some food for you.”
Shu Wuxi took out an oilpaper package containing several baked flatbreads.
Lu Xiaochan tilted his face up and sniffed, then stretched his head towards Shu Wuxi’s direction.
“Eat.”
“Feed me, won’t you? I’ve been touching things all over this ruined temple, my hands are dirty. Plus, I won’t know if crumbs fall on me!”
Lu Xiaochan sat cross-legged, face upturned, like a baby bird in its nest waiting for its mother to bring back insects.
Shu Wuxi paused, then said, “Promise you won’t move around.”
The meaning of not moving around was that Lu Xiaochan’s paws couldn’t have any improper intentions towards Shu Wuxi.
“I promise.”
Shu Wuxi pinched a flatbread and brought it to Lu Xiaochan’s lips. Lu Xiaochan was stunned for a moment.
He hadn’t actually expected Shu Wuxi to really feed him. Although he felt Shu Wuxi had been taking good care of him all along this journey, granting his every request, for him to be this good to himself made Lu Xiaochan’s heart feel both warm and slightly bitter.
He took a bite of the flatbread and found it was still hot.
“Eh? How is it still hot?”
They had left Lushu Town and been walking in the mountains for at least a day. There definitely hadn’t been any place selling flatbread along the way. Shu Wuxi’s flatbread must have been bought when they left Lushu Town. From the aroma, one could tell it was the preserved vegetable flatbread from Old Locust Alley.
“You don’t like cold things, so I kept it warm.”
He had used his true qi to maintain the flatbread’s temperature.
“…You’re so good to me.” Lu Xiaochan’s eyes were about to turn red again.
He could endure others beating and scolding him, but he just couldn’t bear someone being this kind to him.
Sitting far away, Jiang Wuchao heard this and that bad feeling in his heart grew even stronger.
Who would use their true qi to keep a few flatbreads warm? This was almost like the behavior of an infatuated man trying to please his lover. But the question was, why would Shu Wuxi go out of his way to please a little beggar?
Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly. Jiang Wuchao knew in his heart that this little beggar had a hard life, with no one to care for him for so many years. Being coaxed so carefully by this scholarly-looking person from the demonic path, he might fall deeply into a trap.
Jiang Wuchao felt pity for Lu Xiaochan, and knowing Lu Xiaochan’s kind nature, he was even more reluctant to see him lured astray by evil cultists!
But Lu Xiaochan seemed to trust this scholar completely. What exactly was their relationship? Perhaps he had misunderstood the scholar?
“Hey, Lu Xiaochan, where are you going after leaving Lushu Town?” Jiang Wuchao asked, pretending to be casual.
“Me? My brother is taking me to get my eyes treated!” Lu Xiaochan said while chewing on the flatbread.
“Where are you going to treat your eyes?” Jiang Wuchao thought, could it be that the scholar was using this as an excuse to deceive the little beggar?
This was truly despicable!
The little beggar’s eyes were blind from birth, clearly a problem he was born with. Ordinary doctors couldn’t possibly cure it.
“To… Tailing Pavilion.”
Lu Xiaochan knew that Tailing Pavilion was a famous immortal sect, renowned for its medical skills. Saying this outright, Jiang Wuchao would probably think he was daydreaming. But he was a good person, so Lu Xiaochan felt no need to hide it from him.
Jiang Wuchao’s fingertips trembled slightly as he glanced again in Shu Wuxi’s direction.
Shu Wuxi was putting the last piece of flatbread into Lu Xiaochan’s mouth. Lu Xiaochan’s teeth caught it and bit down, while Shu Wuxi’s fingertips lightly held the last bit of the bread. Just as it was about to touch Lu Xiaochan’s protruding tongue tip, he quickly withdrew his hand.
Lu Xiaochan licked the crumbs from the corners of his mouth and asked, “Is it gone?”
“There are still three more.”
“That’s good!”
Jiang Wuchao continued asking. “But do you know how to find the Tailing Pavilion?”
“I don’t know. But it’s fine as long as Brother Wuxi knows!” Lu Xiaochan tugged at the Immortal-Locking Ribbon on his wrist, and Jiang Wuchao narrowed his eyes.
At this moment, he clearly saw the spirit patterns on it. It was indeed the immortal sect artifact “Immortal-Locking Ribbon”. Those who could use it couldn’t possibly be from evil sects. He knew Lu Xiaochan couldn’t see, and the scholar was using the “Immortal-Locking Ribbon” to lead him so he wouldn’t get lost. But for just a little beggar, wasn’t the “Immortal-Locking Ribbon” too much of an overkill?
“Do you know that even famous immortal sects might not be able to find Tailing Pavilion? Getting treatment from the Tailing Pavilion depends on fate.”
Jiang Wuchao was hinting to Lu Xiaochan that this “brother” by his side was probably deceiving him.
“Then we’ll leave it to fate. Anyway, I’ve been blind for sixteen years already.” Lu Xiaochan smiled with narrowed eyes, licked the preserved vegetables stuck to his teeth, turned over and lay down to sleep again.
Jiang Wuchao sighed. Unless this scholar made a move to exorcise evil spirits, he couldn’t guess his background at all.
If he didn’t know his background, he also couldn’t feel at ease letting Lu Xiaochan follow him to seek out the mysterious and elusive Tailing Pavilion.
Lu Xiaochan, having eaten his fill, forgot about everything, including the corpse in the ruined temple. His breathing became deep and long, and he fell asleep shortly after.
Jiang Wuchao hugged his sword, knowing he couldn’t keep staring at Shu Wuxi to observe him, as it would be very impolite. But he was certain that Shu Wuxi hadn’t rested at all, instead propping his chin up and watching Lu Xiaochan all night long.
The next morning, a faint mist enveloped the outside of the Earth God Temple.
Jiang Wuchao buried An Heng’s remains in the woods outside the temple, taking his identification tag with the intention of returning it to the Meng family when he had the chance.
Jiang Wuchao returned to the temple, expecting Shu Wuxi to wake Lu Xiaochan, but as long as Lu Xiaochan was asleep, he showed no intention of waking him.
Jiang Wuchao remained silent. It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that Lu Xiaochan stretched and sat up.
“Let’s go,” Shu Wuxi said, gently pulling on the Immortal-Locking Ribbon.
At this moment, the spirit beast Lushu had fully taken on the form of a white horse. It obediently walked out of the temple door, lowering itself to wait for Lu Xiaochan to climb on.
Lu Xiaochan rubbed his lower back and said, “I have to ride again? My thighs still hurt…”
“Then I’ll go get that carriage for you,” Shu Wuxi said.
“Carriage?” Lu Xiaochan tilted his head in thought, instantly realizing Shu Wuxi meant the carriage left behind by Madam Meng.
There were still two dead people in there!
He definitely didn’t want to ride in it!
“No! No need! No carriage! This is fine, feeling the breeze, light and healthy!”
Lu Xiaochan scrambled up using both hands and feet.
Jiang Wuchao, following behind them, said, “This area isn’t very peaceful. I’d like to travel with you two. If we encounter evil spirits causing trouble again, it would be good to have someone to help.”
Lu Xiaochan knew Shu Wuxi didn’t like outsiders, but this evil spirit seemed very powerful. Strength in numbers, Lu Xiaochan felt more at ease with Jiang Wuchao around.
“That’s right, Brother Wuxi! If Brother Jiang falls for an evil spirit’s illusion again and dies without knowing why, that would be too unlucky! Let him come with us!”
Lu Xiaochan said from his high perch.
Jiang Wuchao was left speechless. He had originally intended to protect Lu Xiaochan, this brainless little beggar, but the way Lu Xiaochan put it, it seemed like they were the ones looking after Jiang Wuchao. He could have flown away on his sword, leaving this ominous place behind.
Shu Wuxi didn’t speak, just walking forward into the mist.
Lushu, carrying Lu Xiaochan, followed right behind Shu Wuxi. Lu Xiaochan kept shaking the Immortal-Locking Ribbon, making tinkling sounds. “Brother Wuxi! Brother Wuxi! Is it okay?”
Shu Wuxi still didn’t speak. Jiang Wuchao knew he was unwilling, but still followed behind them.
The Immortal-Locking Ribbon had spiritual energy. With Lu Xiaochan shaking it all the way, spiritual energy dispersed, actually keeping ordinary evil spirits from approaching.
They walked through this entire forest and suddenly saw another village.
From afar, Lu Xiaochan could already hear various sounds: the sound of chopping firewood, the sound of washing water being thrown out from doorways, and the playful sounds of children catching fish around a water vat.
Lu Xiaochan sniffed. The wind carried the aroma of food, the scent of men’s sweat from labor, and the milky fragrance of babies.
Their group had just experienced an evil spirit’s illusion. Jiang Wuchao gripped his sword tightly, unable to distinguish if everything before his eyes was real or an illusion.
“This… should be real, right?” Lu Xiaochan asked, turning his face.
“Mm.”
With Shu Wuxi’s affirmation, Jiang Wuchao’s hand slowly relaxed.
“Can we rest here for a while? I think I smell catfish stewed with tofu.” Lu Xiaochan swallowed.
Jiang Wuchao chuckled. This little beggar really had a keen nose.
“Alright.”
Surprisingly, Shu Wuxi continued to pull Lushu along for a while.
The villagers who saw them looked at them with surprise.
Lu Xiaochan was naturally fair-skinned and handsome. A young girl feeding chickens couldn’t help but ask, “Young master, where are you from, and where are you going?”
The girl’s voice was sweet. Lu Xiaochan immediately smiled, revealing two small dimples on his cheeks.
“I’m from Lushu Town, and I’m going to…”
Before he could finish, Shu Wuxi in front merely raised his wrist. Lu Xiaochan was yanked by the Immortal-Locking Silk and fell onto Lushu’s back.
“Brother Wuxi! Why are you pulling me? It’s very impolite when the young lady was talking to me!”
“What is politeness?” Shu Wuxi asked coldly.
Lu Xiaochan couldn’t answer.
They arrived at a household. Lu Xiaochan’s eyes curved in a smile. “So you were bringing me to find catfish stewed with tofu!”
A woman was stewing dishes on a stove at the doorway. Beside the stove was a small table where her husband was playing with their child. The family of three looked very happy.
Shu Wuxi walked up and said without any pleasantries, “I want to buy your catfish stewed with tofu.”
Lu Xiaochan: “…”
Jiang Wuchao: “…”
The woman: “…”
The man, holding the baby, came to Shu Wuxi and said, “This young master must be from outside? This pot of catfish stewed with tofu is for our family, not for sale. Besides, money is of no use in our isolated little village.”
Well, they were turned away.
Lu Xiaochan immediately put on a smile. He was good-looking, and his smile made him appear even more harmless.
“This big brother, my brother and I have been walking for days, eating only dry food. We finally smelled the aroma of catfish and tofu soup, so we couldn’t help but intrude!”
Jiang Wuchao sighed. The little beggar’s words sounded more human.
The man and woman looked at each other, then said, “Oh, I see. In that case, let’s eat together!”
“Thank you!” Lu Xiaochan said, then took out a small rabbit made of dough from his pocket and gave it to the baby.
The baby had never seen such a delicate little thing and loved it dearly. The couple became even more hospitable towards them.
The woman ladled a large piece of catfish for Lu Xiaochan. Lu Xiaochan smiled, and the couple smiled along with him.
Jiang Wuchao knew that this place was only half a day’s journey from that decaying, ruined village. The people in this village might know what had happened there, and could possibly deduce what kind of evil spirit had caused all of this.
“Big brother, big sister, we’ve been hungry for a long time. Last night, we finally passed by a village, thinking we could ask for some hot soup, but there wasn’t a single person there. What’s going on?”
Lu Xiaochan was also very curious, listening intently.
The woman and the man exchanged glances.
“This… where should we begin?”
It turned out that the desolate village was He Family Village, only half a day’s journey from this Li Family Village.
Decades ago, the two villages used to trade and intermarry, living in harmony. Until one day, a woman came to He Family Village. It was said that she had been sold by her parents to an evil gentry, and unwilling to be humiliated, she had fled all the way to He Family Village.
The people of He Family Village were kind-hearted and took her in. A few years later, the village matrons wanted to find her a good family, but she was beautiful and charming. Many hot-blooded young men in the village admired her, refusing to give way to each other, and even fought. Two young men even lost their lives because of this.
He Family Village had been peaceful for generations; how could such a thing happen? The mothers of the two young men hated the girl to death, and the village girls also disliked her, so they drove her away. The girl went into the mountains, and it was said that she was eaten by wild beasts that very night.
Several young men from the village who admired her went into the mountains to look for her remains but never returned. From then on, couples in every household in He Family Village could not find peace, arguing constantly, and not a single family was harmonious.
The villagers said it was the girl’s resentment, so they built a temple for her in the mountains. Especially the girls who were about to get married would go there to pray for the art of controlling their husbands. In the first few years, every bride who had prayed at this temple would have a loving relationship with her husband, as close as glue. But within three years, the wives would kill their husbands and their husbands’ families, cutting out their hearts to eat.
The villagers said that that temple was an evil god’s temple and wanted to burn it down. The entire village went, but they couldn’t find it. However, after that, the incidents of loving couples and their families having their hearts dug out and lives taken continued to occur. Over time, the He Family Village declined and was abandoned.
Lu Xiaochan listened intently, treating it as just a story, but Jiang Wuchao lowered his head and frowned.
He understood in his heart that it was likely the wrongfully dead girl who had attracted an evil spirit, taking revenge on the He Family Village.
Just as he was about to ask where the legendary evil spirit temple was located, Lu Xiaochan suddenly covered his throat and started coughing, his small face turning red.
“Oh my! Did the young master get a catfish bone stuck? I’ll go get some vinegar!”
At this moment, Shu Wuxi flicked a finger of true qi into Lu Xiaochan’s lips, which gracefully entered his throat, dissolving the fishbone.
Jiang Wuchao saw it clearly. That finger of true qi was pure and transparent, it couldn’t possibly be evil energy, so Shu Wuxi must truly be a cultivator. But… who exactly was he?
Lu Xiaochan coughed twice, realizing it no longer hurt. He understood in his heart that Shu Wuxi had helped him, and immediately smiled in his direction. “Thank you, Brother Wuxi!”
