Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 205 Where Insects Fly, Demons Arise

"Good disciple, at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, capture Doctor Xue and wait for your master!"

Li Qiushui didn't even give him a chance to reply. With a light touch of her toes, she leaped onto the rooftop next to her and disappeared in a few bounds.

Jiang Mingzhe and Wang Yuyan exchanged a glance and said helplessly, "So many people have died. If word gets out, some fellow disciples or friends might cause trouble. We can't stay here any longer. I'll go get the horses, and we'll leave as soon as we find Zhong Ling."

They went to the stables, took three horses, and left with Wang Yuyan. The two searched the streets and alleys for a long time but could not find Zhong Ling.

Wang Yuyan pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "Hey, don't be in such a hurry. I think Zhong Ling must have gone back to Dali on her own. You told her to run back to Dali!"

Hey?
Jiang Mingzhe glanced at her and thought to himself that this little girl had become quite clever. She neither called him "little uncle" nor "big brother," but instead called him "hey!"
After frowning and thinking for a moment, she recalled that in the original novel, Zhong Ling had traveled all the way from Dali to Shaolin Temple in search of Duan Yu, wandering alone through thousands of mountains and rivers, which showed that she had a pretty reliable survival ability.

Moreover, the Lightning Sable didn't die at the hands of the Manggu Toad as it did in the original story. With this highly venomous sable by its side, its safety is further enhanced.

However, in his estimation, the possibility of Zhong Ling returning to Dali was extremely small. Most likely, she would either go to Suzhou to find A Zi and Mu Wanqing, or hide on the way, waiting for Murong Fu or Duan Yu to join her.

He had no choice but to put aside his worries for the time being and sighed, "Well, this girl is clever and quick-witted, she should be alright. Let's go first."

The two men and three horses left Xuchang overnight, heading west under the heavy darkness.

Jiang Mingzhe soon realized that he had made a mistake.

Wang Yuyan is actually afraid of the dark!

Tonight, thick clouds obscure the moon, the night is vast and dark, and you can't see your hand in front of your face.

Jiang Mingzhe was not prepared to walk at night. He had no lanterns or torches, and looking ahead, he wondered if he had even opened his eyes.

He didn't seem to care much, but he could clearly hear Wang Yuyan's breathing becoming increasingly rapid, so he couldn't help but ask, "Yuyan, are you feeling unwell?"

Wang Yuyan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly cried out, "No, it's just that you...you're too far away from me. I can't see you, and I keep thinking that you might...maybe you've been captured by a monster..."

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled, realizing that the other person might be afraid of the dark, and quickly took out a tinderbox to light it.

A soft light shone brightly in the darkness. Jiang Mingzhe turned his head and saw Wang Yuyan with a pale face and tears streaming down her cheeks. When she saw Jiang Mingzhe looking at her, she quickly wiped away her tears.

Jiang Mingzhe looked around, trying to find some wood to make a torch, but the area was a vast wilderness covered with low-lying grass and no trees in sight.

There were many insects in the grass. When they saw the firelight, they all flew up and bumped around aimlessly. One insect, about the size of a fingernail, hit Wang Yuyan's face, startling her so much that she cried out and fell backward.

Fortunately, Jiang Mingzhe reacted quickly and grabbed Wang Yuyan, preventing her from falling off the horse.

Just as he was about to pull his hand back, the tinder suddenly went out. In the instant darkness engulfed him, he felt a softness in his palm. A tender little hand slipped in like a live fish and held him tightly. The palm was covered in fine sweat, clearly indicating that he had been quite frightened.

In the darkness, the two could not see each other's faces, and remained silent for a long time.

The two horses rode side by side, with Bai Mudan in his right hand and Wang Yuyan in his left. After walking for a while, his mind started to stir, and he whispered, "Yuyan, aren't you scared anymore?"

Wang Yuyan tightened her grip and said softly, "Knowing that someone is nearby, I won't be afraid."

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled silently, lowered his voice, and asked in a sinister tone, "Heh, so how can you be so sure that the hand you're holding is mine?"

While asking the question, he secretly regretted: I should have simply become Li Qiushui's disciple and asked her to teach me the skill of sound transmission and soul search. That way, I could be next to Wang Yuyan, but my voice would travel several feet away before I asked her the question. Wouldn't that have been more effective?

However, he overestimated Wang Yuyan's courage. As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yuyan let out a scream, quickly withdrew her hand, and burst into tears.

This startled Jiang Mingzhe, who quickly said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's just my hand. Uncle is just teasing you."

As he spoke, he reached out and touched Wang Yuyan's hand.

Wang Yuyan was clearly furious. She cried and waved her hands wildly, shouting, "Go away! Go away! I don't want you as my uncle!"

Jiang Mingzhe hadn't expected to frighten her so much, and realized he'd gone too far with his joke. He repeatedly said, "It's my fault, it's my fault, don't be angry."

As he spoke, he reached for Wang Yuyan's hand, but Wang Yuyan pulled his arm, lifting his hand and pressing it against something plump and tender.

Wang Yuyan stopped crying abruptly, but didn't lower her arm. Jiang Mingzhe was stunned for a moment, then nodded to himself: No wonder Zhong Ling always called her Fatty...

He composed himself, followed Wang Yuyan's forearm to her palm, took her hand as before, and said softly, "I really didn't know you were so timid. I shouldn't have joked with you just now. It was my fault. Don't be angry anymore, okay?" After a long while, Wang Yuyan gave a soft hum and sniffled, "I am timid. I've been afraid of the dark since I was little. My mother often scolded me for being useless because of this and would deliberately lock me in a dark room. She wouldn't care even if I cried until my voice was hoarse. But after she left, my nanny would secretly come and sing to me at the door, and then I wouldn't be so afraid."

Wet nurse? Jiang Mingzhe blinked, thinking to himself, "You, Li Qingluo, possess such a powerful weapon, yet you won't even feed your daughter?"

He said gently, "Your mother is wrong, Yu Yan. You mustn't follow her example!"

Wang Yuyan gently hummed in agreement: "I definitely won't follow her example."

Yes, you should feed your own child!

Jiang Mingzhe nodded in support.

Then Wang Yuyan whispered, "Hey, can you sing?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "Me? I'm not a good singer."

"No problem!" Wang Yuyan seemed to perk up, her tone becoming cheerful: "Sing for me, even if it's bad, I won't laugh at you."

Jiang Mingzhe smiled slightly, thought for a moment, and began to sing: "The dark sky hangs low, the bright stars follow, the insects fly, the insects fly, who are you thinking of..."

The night is endless, the song is soft, and the road beneath our feet seems to have no end.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they suddenly saw lights flickering in the distance. Jiang Mingzhe touched his hoarse voice and said happily, "Yuyan, look, there seem to be houses over there. Let's ask for lodging for the night. Hmm, do you have any money on you?"

Wang Yuyan was so engrossed in the song that she was no longer afraid and softly replied, "Yes, there are."

Jiang Mingzhe smiled and said, "Then there's no problem."

He urged his horse onward, but the lights were quite far apart. After walking for a while, they were still flickering, and he couldn't see if they were houses.

After walking for a while, they finally got closer. Jiang Mingzhe let out a soft "Huh?" and Wang Yuyan quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Mingzhe said slowly, "Why is that light green?"

Wang Yuyan stared intently, and sure enough, the light was a greenish color, flickering alone in the darkness, appearing extremely eerie.

Her heart, which had finally settled, leaped into her throat. Her voice trembled as she said, "Could it be...could it be a will-o'-the-wisp? I've heard people say that in the dead of night, will-o'-the-wisps lead the way in the wilderness, and those who follow them go to the underworld and never come back..."

Before she could finish a sentence, she was already on the verge of tears.

Jiang Mingzhe's hair stood on end. He then thought to himself, "What am I afraid of? My martial arts have reached this level, and my blood and energy are incredibly vigorous. Even if there is a ghost, it should be the one afraid of me!"

He shouted, "Don't be afraid! What will-o'-the-wisp? If it dares to come, I'll kick it out! Hmm, let's go around it."

Although he thought he didn't need to be afraid, he was actually a little nervous, and his loud voice was also meant to bolster his courage.

Wang Yuyan was naturally delighted and quickly said, "Yes, yes, let's quickly go around it."

Just as Jiang Mingzhe was about to urge his horse around, he suddenly heard a chilling voice drifting over: "Hehehehe, there's no way around it, no way around it! Will-o'-the-wisps appear, lives are lost. If you really want to live, leave that bitch behind and let her keep the old ancestor company, hehe..."

Wang Yuyan trembled all over and clung tightly to Jiang Mingzhe, saying, "No, I don't want to stay."

Jiang Mingzhe had already realized that the other party was also using an extremely strange sound transmission technique, so it was undoubtedly a living person, so what was there to be afraid of?
He whispered comfortingly, "Yu Yan, don't be afraid, the other person is human!"

He immediately shook the reins and rode off. Before long, he saw a green lantern hanging from a tall bamboo pole, and a three-legged cauldron on the ground, covered in patina. A short, fat old man with a bald head and white beard sat arrogantly on the cauldron, his eyes darting around, full of wickedness.

On either side of the large cauldron, seventeen or eighteen men of varying heights stood, each with a fierce expression and strangely colored clothing, clearly not Han Chinese.

Wang Yuyan exclaimed "Ah!" and pulled Jiang Mingzhe aside, whispering, "These people are from Bilin Cave in Yaoshan, Sichuan. That fat old man is probably the cave master, Sangtugong!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingzhe's heart stirred. He thought to himself, "Isn't Sangtugong one of the thirty-six caves and seventy-two islands under the Lingjiu Palace? How did the Lingjiu Palace get involved in this great chaos?"

Then the short, fat man's eyes changed slightly as he stared intently at Wang Yuyan, stroking his beard and chuckling maliciously, "Little girl, you're pretty and have good eyesight. I rarely come to the Central Plains, and it's already strange that you know my name, but to recognize me at a glance is even more amazing. Hmm, not bad. Come here obediently, and after I've played with you, I won't kill you."

(End of this chapter)