That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Xie Yunqi breathed a sigh of relief, strode forward, and kicked a pine cone away with a "whoosh".

She was so careful, taking each step cautiously without daring to take the next, which was incredibly frustrating for her.

"but......"

Fang Zhiyi changed the subject:

"Since Lao Zhou and the others were able to encounter it, it means that the Gu worms here may have mutated and can survive freely without a host."

"what?!"

Xie Yunqi's courage vanished instantly, and he immediately shrank back to his previous position.

Like her, Lu Zhao, who was walking at the front, also lost his courage, hiding most of his face in his collar which he had pulled up desperately.

"Miss Fang, do you think it would be useful to cover myself up from head to toe?"

"Completely useless."

Fang Zhiyi smiled broadly.

"..."

Lu Zhao stood there with a bitter face and pulled Jiang Jingming to his side.

"Jingming, you're not scared, are you? Then come with me."

"Ah."

Jiang Jingming responded calmly, then drew Wujiu and swiftly cut through the thorny vines that were entwining it.

The unease in his heart was far more concerning to him than the Gu worms, the demoness, or the massacre of his entire family.

This mountain was indeed unusually quiet; not a single bird had chirped since the group entered.

The air was as heavy as a dead mountain, where at night a hundred ghosts would hold a grand feast of demons and monsters, waiting for these few living people to stumble upon it.

The higher you go, the more treacherous the mountain becomes.

Aqing chose not the winding mountain road, firstly because she was worried about encountering the patrolling Shen Du Guards, and secondly because that road was too roundabout and too far.

So in the end, the group could only grab onto the vines and climb like monkeys.

Jiang Jingming wrapped a section of vine around Fang Zhiyi's waist and tied it in a tight knot so that she wouldn't fall off the mountain if her hand slipped.

The green vines wrapped around her slender waist, using only a short section of the vine.

After struggling to cross the last mountain gully, Jiang Jingming suddenly heard a rumbling sound like muffled thunder.

"It's a waterfall! We've arrived!"

Lu Zhao shook his hands, which were marked with red welts from the vines, and took a deep breath.

"Brother Lu Zhao, can you smell anything?"

Jiang Jingming stood sideways, his right hand slowly pressing down on the hilt of the knife.

"smell......"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao sniffed.

The air was indeed filled with an intoxicating floral fragrance.

He couldn't quite describe the smell, only that it was very fragrant. Lu Zhao was certain he had never smelled such a floral fragrance before.

After a long while, he was suddenly jolted!

This is the fragrance that Lao Zhou was talking about!

The group was still some distance from Tingpu Villa, but the fragrance of flowers had already drifted over, and there wasn't even a breeze in the mountains.

According to Lao Zhou, they also smelled the fragrance of the flowers at the time. Although they found it strange, they didn't pay attention to it and continued on their way.

When they arrived at the entrance of Tingpu Villa, Tiezhu, who was traveling with them, had already run into trouble. His face was ashen, and there were only two bloody holes left in his eye sockets.

Lu Zhao recalled the expression on Old Zhou's face when he said this, which looked almost like a wisp of a soul that had crawled back from hell.

Chapter 100 Crimson Bones

"gone."

Someone patted him on the shoulder from behind. Lu Zhao turned around and saw Jiang Jingming giving him a faint smile.

"Brother Lu Zhao, I will protect all of you, believe me."

Despite his youthful appearance, he spoke those words with the composure of a general who regarded Mount Tai as nothing more than a feather.

Lu Zhao was slightly taken aback, and suddenly felt that he was like a soldier following the general's horse, willing to draw his sword and fight bravely at the general's command.

No matter what lies ahead, as long as the general is in front, he will draw his sword and follow. It's that simple.

"Damn it, why make him look so handsome!"

Jiang Jingming had already walked ahead. Lu Zhao wiped her face and followed his back, muttering complaints under her breath:

"Brother Mingming, I've also dreamed of being a general... Who wants to be a lackey? Who wants to be a lackey? What use is a lackey besides taking a hit for the general?... Forget it, I'll start as a lackey."

After all, he couldn't say something like Jiang Jingming's words, such as "I will protect all of you."

He's both childish and damn handsome.

......

The waterfall roared, and it seemed as if splashing water droplets were falling on everyone's faces; it was impossible to tell whether it was rainwater or spring water from the waterfall.

Xie Yunqi walked while raising his hand to cover his face.

She now feels that the water here is tainted with the smell of dead people, and therefore strongly resists it.

As the fragrance of the flowers grew stronger, Fang Zhiyi sniffed with interest, and that familiar sly expression returned to his face.

Jiang Jingming keenly noticed the change in her expression, narrowed his eyes slightly, and scrutinized her as he asked:

"What flower do you smell?"

No.

Fang Zhiyi shook her head seriously.

"Is this flower's fragrance poisonous?"

Jiang Jingming changed his question.

Then Fang Zhiyi said with a smile:

"If it were poisonous, we would all be dead by now."

That means it's not poisonous.

Jiang Jingming felt that he was starting to find a way to communicate with her.

In any case, she's unlikely to say anything to you clearly; she'll just leave you guessing over and over again.

"Aqing, slow down."

Jiang Jingming strode forward and blocked A Qing, who was about to go out alone to scout ahead.

"Ok?"

Aqing turned her head, somewhat puzzled.

It's always been like this before, I don't know why it's not working today.

Jiang Jingming looked into her clear eyes and was momentarily speechless.

He couldn't explain why either. He couldn't exactly say something like, "Ah Qing, I'm panicking, so you have to stay within my sight and preferably not leave my side for even half a step," could he?

In this way, Ah Qing might mistakenly believe that her young master is in heat and angrily strike him with her dagger to bring him back to his senses.

After a long standoff, Jiang Jingming had no choice but to tell the truth:

"I have a bad feeling. This place is dangerous. Ah Qing, you will stand with me through thick and thin."

Aqing paused for a moment, then gently grasped his wrist and nodded:

"it is good."

Jiang Jingming breathed a sigh of relief, and looking ahead, he found that Xie Yunqi had already reached the end of his field of vision.

She tilted her head back, seemingly in amazement, then turned around, waving her arms and speaking loudly to him.

Unfortunately, it was too far away, and the waterfall roared like thunder, so we couldn't hear anything clearly.

Jiang Jingming walked to her spot and then realized what she was marveling at.

The three waterfalls cascade down from different directions, like three sword marks slashed by gods, cutting the entire mountain apart.

The waterfall cascades down the steep mountainside, connecting the sky and the foot of the mountain, surging and magnificent.

No wonder such a large sect would name itself "Listening to the Waterfall"; it truly lives up to its name.

"It feels like a dragon might fly out from below!"

Xie Yunqi shouted loudly at Jiang Jingming while leaning out of the cliff without any hesitation.

The splashing water droplets fell like stones, and she closed her eyes slightly, her glistening eyelashes also gathering moisture.

Jiang Jingming stepped forward and silently shielded Wujiu in front of her.

Sometimes I feel that the young lady isn't as carefree as she seems. Whenever she quiets down, it's as if she's hiding something.

Perhaps that's why she's always making a fuss, because she doesn't want to think about those things.

Aqing also stood by the waterfall, gazing quietly at the bottom of the spring.

Everything reflected in her pupils became quiet, even the cascading waterfall seemed to be frozen in time, and the whole world stood there quietly with her.

While everyone was drawn to the waterfall, Fang Zhiyi wandered off on her own.

She seemed uninterested in the waterfall, instead pushing aside the overgrown vines and looking to the other side.

Jiang Jingming caught a glimpse of her movements, became suspicious, and stepped back to follow her.

Fang Zhiyi didn't turn around, but she could tell it was him coming, so she raised her hand and gently stopped him.

"Don't get too close."

"why?"

Although Jiang Jingming asked a question in return, he still stopped in his tracks.

Fang Zhiyi paused for a moment, then pointed to his waist as a gesture.

Jiang Jingming understood her meaning, drew Wujiu, turned it around, and handed her the hilt side of the knife.

Judging from Fang Zhiyi's hand gestures when holding the knife, she must have never learned swordsmanship, as she struggled to lift Wujiu with one hand.

"Don't hold the knife like that, it's easy to hurt your wrist."

Jiang Jingming couldn't help but remind her, and then turned his wrist to indicate.

"it is good."

Fang Zhiyi observed his movements and adjusted her posture accordingly.

"If you find it too heavy, you can hold the knife with both hands."

Jiang Jingming crossed his hands, held the knife in the air, and made the simplest slashing motion.

Fang Zhiyi waited patiently for him to finish giving his instructions before imitating him by grasping Wu Jiu's hands with both hands and swinging him forcefully.

Wu Jiu's pitch-black blade flashed through the air, severing all the dense vines that were blocking the view.

"good."

Jiang Jingming smiled and praised:

"I think Sister Healer could consider abandoning medicine and taking up martial arts."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Fang Zhiyi smiled slightly and handed Wujiu back to him.

Jiang Jingming sheathed his sword and was about to continue joking with her, but he quickly stopped laughing.

The fragrance of flowers was even stronger than before, almost making one feel dizzy.