Minglong

Chapter 241 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap (Revised)
The Hundred-Mile Long Gorge suddenly appears on the endless snowfield, stretching forward into the majestic snow-capped peaks. From a distance, it looks as if the entire mountain range has been cleaved in two by a celestial sword.

Xie Jinhuan stood at the beginning of the rift valley, leading his horse. His cloak billowed in the wind behind him as he gazed ahead at the sheer, sword-like mountain rift, his eyes filled with astonishment.
"Could this have been cleaved out with a sword?"

This was also Bu Yuehua's first time here. Wrapped in a cloak, she looked down and saw that the ravine was half a mile wide, stretching into the depths of the mountains with no end in sight. Her eyes were filled with doubt.

"It is probably a legend made up by later generations based on geographical wonders. Jianchuan is 300 li long, how could it be made by human hands?"

Ye Hongshang stood beside him, carrying a red umbrella, his gaze indifferent.

"This rift valley, in the grand scheme of things, is just a small crack in the world. It's not surprising that someone with high enough cultivation could create it."

Xie Jinhuan's cultivation level was still relatively low, and he couldn't imagine how exaggerated it would be to split open an entire three-hundred-mile mountain range with a single sword strike. After scanning the area for a moment, he stopped his horse on the snowfield and walked along the glacier to search for clues.

Although the rift valley is straight, it contains frozen rivers and woodlands. Once you enter the mountains, you can see some mines on the cliffs on both sides, and the terrain is quite complex.

However, the two were quite lucky. After venturing more than 30 miles into the rift valley, they discovered some traces of human activity on the glacier, pointing to a mine on the cliff face.

Jianchuan got its name because the iron ore produced here is said to be imbued with the sword intent of the Human Emperor, making the weapons forged from it exceptionally sharp.

Whether the legend is true or not is still unknown, but the ore from Lishan is indeed excellent material for forging swords. It has been mined here in every dynasty. Today, the mine owner is Lishan Sword Pavilion, which is more than a hundred miles away. However, by now, the open-pit mines have been almost completely mined out, and what remains are abandoned mine shafts, which have become hiding places for birds, beasts and border bandits.

Xie Jinhuan led his horse to the vicinity of the mine. It was clear that this was an old mine that had been there for hundreds of years. It was only a little over a person's height. There were several footprints on the snow at the entrance, indicating that people had been coming and going at least this morning. The inside of the mine was very deep, and no sound could be heard.

Bu Yuehua felt that the powerful figure who could kill her parents was unlikely to be hiding in such a small place, but she could not ignore the clues. Even if it was a misjudgment, she could still do good deeds by eliminating a group of demons. So she followed Xie Jinhuan into the place, took out the luminous pearl from her bosom, and searched deeper into the place following the footprints.

……

Meanwhile, atop the mountains...

Seven figures lay prone on the mountain ridge, all covered in white cloaks, almost blending into the snow.

Helmsman Chu Xing, holding a telescope veiled in thin gauze, cautiously observed the two people entering Jianchuan and asked:

"Is this person Xie Jinhuan?"

Beside him, He Can's acupoints were locked, and he was bound by chains, his eyes filled with disbelief:

"Are you really not afraid of death? You actually dared to lure this evil star here? You five worthless cowards think you can kill him? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you. Do you know how hard it was for us to get out alive..."

Zhang Chu, who was also tied up, had a buzz cut that had grown a little hair. He was locked to the side, and his expression could only be described as utterly hopeless.

He used to scold him, saying that the evil Taoist only knew how to beat up his own people when trouble arose, and he didn't quite believe it. But now he understands why He Can is such a jinx.

While at Zihui Mountain, the two of them managed to escape by betraying their teammates and risking their lives. They were originally planning to flee to the Southern Frontier, but on the way, they heard that there was a big mess in Fire Phoenix Valley.

Based on his 'cowardly intuition,' He Can judged that this matter might be related to Xie the Great Demon, so the two of them turned around and ran north again, preparing to start a new life in the north under assumed names.

As it turned out, the entire righteous path of the Great Qian Dynasty, including Xie Jinhuan, failed to capture them. They were captured by the northern demonic sects as soon as they left Shanhe Pass!
The reason is that when members of the Underworld Cult join the cult, they have a divine soul mark implanted on their bodies, which makes it easier for ghost messengers to track and manage them. The demonic Taoists in the north were able to recognize the mark of the Underworld Cult.

After Zhang Chu was captured, he was imprisoned and interrogated using ancient methods, where they were asked why they were able to come out alive, why they were still alive when Fa Chen was dead, and whether they had betrayed the organization, etc.

Zhang Chu confessed to wetting the bed when he was three years old, but the other party still did not believe that the two of them had left Zihui Mountain without any trouble. The branch could not find out the reason, so they were preparing to hand them over to their superiors, but they brought them here halfway.

That's fine, but Zhang Chu still doesn't understand which branch of the demonic path the bandits who captured them belong to.

Although the Underworld God Cult is a demonic sect, it has a legitimate lineage and factions. Its first leader was the Corpse Ancestor, and the deity worshipped in the Underworld God Temple is naturally the God of the Underworld.

Even though Zhang Chu was already considered a mid-level official, he was still not qualified to go to the Underworld God Temple for pilgrimage. He only knew that the Underworld God slept in the Nine Netherworlds, with his eyes open as day and closed as night, and that he controlled life and death in the human world.

All devout believers will have their souls "return to the Temple of the Underworld" after death. The ultimate goal of the Underworld Cult is to resurrect the God of the Underworld. At that time, all martyrs will be resurrected and ascend to heaven with the God of the Underworld.

This group of bandits claims to be the "Red Witch Cult," worshipping a witch god. They say their leader is the reincarnation of the Red Witch Zhu Man and will be resurrected in the coming years, at which time all followers will be granted titles and high positions. It has the smell of a shady cult.

But this Crimson Witch Cult is incredibly powerful. Not only can it identify the mark of the Underworld God Cult, but it also has extraordinary connections and influence. Somehow, it tricked Xie Laomo into coming here.

Zhang Chu knew Xie Laomo's abilities all too well. Although they were dozens of miles apart, if they lost sight of each other, Xie could appear behind them in the next second. His face was now pale, and he interjected:

"Chief Chu, this kid is no ordinary person. The seven of us wouldn't even be enough to fill his teeth. Moreover, he's a master at catching criminals; finding us is like child's play for him. You mustn't be so skeptical..."

After confirming Chu Xing's identity, he lowered his telescope:
"You bunch of incompetent fools from the South almost had your stronghold overrun by a mere brat. Do you think our Northern sect is just as useless as you?"

"Ha~"

He Jianjian, another one who didn't believe in superstitions, slightly raised his chin;

"Then you can go. Before you go, help me untie the chains so you don't freeze to death in this godforsaken place. I'll burn you lots of paper money afterwards."

Chu Xing was assigned by his superiors to be an observation post here. Dealing with a prodigy like Xie Jinhuan from the Southern Dynasty was definitely not something a lowly leader like him would be able to do. So he took out a bamboo tube from his cloak, which contained a carrier pigeon.

After the carrier pigeon emerged from the bamboo tube, it circled the snow once before speeding off towards the Lishan Sword Pavilion...
-
Step, step...

The light from the luminous pearl illuminated an area of ​​about ten feet in front of the mine. Inside the cave, there was water, which had frozen over in the extreme cold. The deeper one went, the lower the temperature became, and no sound could be heard. However, some traces of footprints could still be seen on the ground and the cave walls.

Xie Jinhuan carried the spear through the mine, which was a little inconvenient, so he changed to carrying it in his left hand and holding the Heavenly Mace in his right hand, carefully watching his surroundings.

Bu Yuehua held her curved sword upside down, remaining on guard at all times. However, after venturing more than three miles into the mine, she did not find any bandits or traps. It was not until she arrived at a relatively open mine that she noticed something unusual.

The mine has been abandoned for a century, but inside there are bedding, water pipes, scraps of paper, and an oil lamp on the ground.

Although it looks like a temporary stronghold for bandits in the mountains, a picture has been drawn on the stone wall in blood.

The upper half of the painting depicts a woman with flowing blood-red hair and a fierce expression, while the lower half features a snake's tail. She stretches out her arms and looks up at the sky, giving the scene an ancient and eerie feel.

Beside the statue of the evil god, there were many ancient characters written on it. Xie Jinhuan was about to decipher them when he heard Bu Yuehua beside him frowning and muttering:

"The remains of the ancestral witch, buried in the abyss for a thousand eons, are summoned by the blood sacrifice of the Crimson Witch... This is dedicated to the ancestral witch Zhu Man, meaning that Zhu Man died but did not stiffen, his bones buried underground for a thousand years; their leader is the reincarnation of Zhu Man, and will awaken the remains and soul of the ancestral witch through a blood sacrifice..."

Xie Jinhuan can actually understand classical Chinese, and inquired about it upon seeing this:
"Is this what Zhu Man looks like?"

Bu Yuehua shook her head: "According to records, Zhu Man is the incarnation of a fire phoenix. Normally, she should have a human body and a bird's head. A human face and a snake's body belongs to another, more ancient ancestral witch. This Red Witch Cult is a combination of witchcraft and demonic practices, and I don't know where it came from."

Xie Jinhuan paid no attention to the evil god statue and instead checked his daily utensils.

Judging from the traces inside the mine, this group of demon bandits should have been there in the morning. Now they have taken all the magical artifacts and clothing, and even burned the paper. It is no surprise that the top constable of the Ministry of Justice came to attack, and they have already fled upon hearing the news.

Xie Jinhuan searched briefly and came to the oil lamp, only to find that the bandits had left in a hurry; the burned paper was not completely destroyed. Judging from the handwriting, it was a letter communicating with superiors, from which the following information could be roughly gleaned:
The nobleman returned to the capital ahead of schedule due to illness. Before the young emperor's birthday banquet, gather the spirits of another hundred people, just in case...

According to the Southern Herald, the owner of Crescent Moon Manor has apparently arrived in the North. This person has a blood feud with a powerful figure, so keep an eye on his movements...

……

? ?
Bu Yuehua caught a glimpse of the writing and immediately squatted down in front of it, using a luminous pearl to illuminate it and examine it carefully, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her peach blossom eyes. However, remembering that she still had to keep it a secret from Nangong Ye, she still said tactfully:

“My father and the old master of Queyue Manor were both killed by the Soul-Binding Lock, but the perpetrator could not be found. The ‘benefactor’ mentioned here should be the murderer.”

Xie Jinhuan, who had initially thought this was just an ordinary band of demons, now had a serious expression on his face as he turned to look at the human-faced, snake-bodied figure:
"I feel like our whereabouts have been exposed. Who else knows where you are?"

Upon seeing her message here, Bu Yuehua naturally knew that her whereabouts had been exposed, and she frowned in thought:
"I only informed my disciples before leaving, and I haven't had any contact with anyone else since leaving the capital. Apart from Junior Sister Mu, no one should be able to guess where I went..."

Xie Jinhuan didn't believe Bing Tuozi had leaked their whereabouts and suspected that there was a spy from Queyue Manor. He then carefully examined the burned communication documents again:

"This group is rushing to collect the young emperor's spirit essence before his birthday banquet, their purpose is definitely related to the young emperor's assumption of power. This early return to the capital, coupled with his poor health..."

Although Bu Yuehua was in the southern border region, she had traveled all over the world for many years and was not unaware of the top-level situation of the two dynasties.

It is said that Empress Dowager Guo suffered from a brain disease due to her long-term involvement in government affairs. Every year before the winter solstice, she would return to her hometown to recuperate for more than a month, leaving the government affairs to be handled by the young emperor and the State Affairs Hall. However, this year, Empress Dowager Guo returned to the capital ahead of schedule for some unknown reason.

The Red Witch Cult collects spiritual essences, which are used by ghost cultivators to practice their skills and by the cult to enhance their spiritual power. If a 'brain ailment' originates in the spiritual power, this substance can also cure it.

When the young emperor came of age, according to the rites and laws, he should have returned power to the emperor. However, Empress Dowager Guo delayed in returning power, which caused considerable dissent in the court and among the people, and there was a high possibility that trouble would arise.

Therefore, it is obvious who this "noble person returned to the capital ahead of time, was unwell, and rushed to collect the essence of the young emperor before his coming-of-age ceremony, in preparation for any eventuality" refers to!
Bu Yuehua stared at the paper, her eyes filled with disbelief:
"Was it Empress Dowager Guo who killed my father back then?"

?

Xie Jinhuan thought that was impossible. He had seen the red-haired older sister before. If he really wanted to kill the second-in-command of the Witch Alliance, he wouldn't need the Soul-Binding Lock. He could just flick a finger and turn it into blood.

However, if he didn't know Empress Guo and didn't have absolute trust in the red-haired elder sister, he would definitely mistakenly believe that Empress Guo was the mastermind behind the Red Witch Cult just by seeing these handwritings.

This matter happens to be connected with Bu Yuehua's deep-seated hatred, so he will definitely go to Yanjing to keep an eye on Empress Dowager Guo's investigation.

And so they fell right into the evil Taoist's trap of using one tiger to devour another...

Xie Jinhuan felt that the remaining handwriting might be a trap for him, but the premise of setting a trap was knowing that he would also come here, and even knowing that he was with Bu Yuehua...

"Oops!"

Xie Jinhuan realized something was wrong and pulled Qi Yuehua outside:

"Something's not right here, let's get out of here."

"what?"

If Bu Yuehua knew that Empress Dowager Guo was her mentor, she would immediately realize that there was something seriously wrong with these clues.

Bu Yuehua was unaware of this at the moment and was somewhat bewildered, but she absolutely trusted Xie Jinhuan's judgment. She quickly gathered up the tattered paper and followed him out...
-
The subsequent changes are still pending (or 2)!

(End of this chapter)