Chapter 16.1 Mirror
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Pei Jing stepped boldly into the mist, following a faint red figure that appeared and vanished intermittently.
The wind grew stronger, and the infant ghosts, once giggling, suddenly opened their mouths and cried out with small, shrill voices, resembling cat-like screeches.
Pei Jing entered and noticed that the mouths of the infant ghosts were empty, as if their tongues had been pulled out.
The crying of the infants made the woman behind them agitated. Her eyes, filled with bloodshot veins, glared at Pei Jing with resentment, while her hand hidden in her sleeve twitched restlessly.
Pei Jing had no interest in wasting time with these evil spirits. They were devoid of any intelligence and held no value to him.
Withdrawing his sword, a flash of icy snowlight burst through the dense fog, causing great pain to the group of low-level evil spirits.
Several female ghosts, their pale faces turning even paler, emitted piercing screams as they extended their fingers and lunged towards Pei Jing, intent on killing him. However, their bodies were sliced into pieces by the snow-white light and transformed into a pool of thick blood, flowing at Pei Jing’s feet.
The group of infant ghosts instinctively sensed danger and cried even louder.
Their mouths opened wide, revealing half of their pitch-black tongues.
Pei Jing said coldly, “Get lost.”
He emanated a powerful aura, causing all the evil spirits to immediately restrain themselves.
The demonic wind gradually subsided, and the group of infant ghosts sobbed, holding hands as their figures dissipated into the dense fog.
Pei Jing sheathed his sword and contemplatively glanced at the blood slowly seeping into the ground.
The junior disciple sitting by the bonfire couldn’t witness his actions. The fog was thick, and Pei Jing had set up a barrier. All the junior disciple knew was that after he walked for a minute, the eerie laughter and the sound of the wind vanished.
When Pei Jing returned, the junior disciple, who had nearly lost his soul moments ago, was overcome with tears of joy and hailed him as their savior, “You’re incredibly amazing!”
Pei Jing feigned embarrassment and replied, “No, no, they were just a group of mindless ghosts. A little scare was enough to make them flee on their own.”
The junior disciple exclaimed sincerely, “Thanks to you! Otherwise, I think we would’ve really died here.”
Pei Jing found it amusing in his heart. Perhaps you’re the only one who feels that way.
Strangely enough, after being disturbed by the group of little ghosts, the fog in the mountains and forests seemed to dissipate. The moonlight shone clearly and brilliantly, illuminating the path through the woods.
Pei Jing said, “Since the lighting is good now, let’s descend the mountain. I only managed to scare them away earlier. They might come back.”
Upon hearing that the ghosts might return, the junior disciple got up from the ground in fright and eagerly agreed, “Let’s go, let’s go! We can’t stay here any longer.”
Pei Jing pondered for a moment, then looked at Chu Junyu and asked, “What do you think?”
Chu Junyu stood up and said, “Let’s go.”
“Then let’s descend the mountain first.” Pei Jing had secretly observed Chu Junyu and discovered that the young man remained calm throughout, almost to the point of indifference. Neither the laughter of the infants nor the rolling heads had managed to elicit even the slightest change in his expression.
He found it strange, not like someone who had great courage, but more like someone who was completely indifferent to these things.
While descending the mountain, Pei Jing asked Chu Junyu, “Were you scared just now?” But all he received was a cold glance from the young man.
Pei Jing inwardly sighed with frustration. This kid ignored his question again. However, he had encountered enough cold responses from Chu Junyu to become accustomed to it.
They descended the Yunlan Mountain Range and followed the path through the fields.
As they reached the end, they could see a stone with the words “Mutou Village” inscribed on it. It was surprising that such a village actually existed.
Next to the stone stood a withered tree, resembling a twisted figure.
In the dead of night, with only the sound of crows in the silence, the junior disciple stood nervously beside Pei Jing and tentatively suggested, “Should we find another place?”
Pei Jing replied, “This village is the only one within several miles. You might as well sleep in the fields. If something emerges from the soil in the middle of the night, don’t blame me for not going to help you.”
Junior disciple: “…” He chose to be as quiet as a mouse.
At this hour, most of the villagers were fast asleep. Pei Jing wanted to find a household for accommodation, so he knocked on several doors and called out multiple times, but not a single person opened the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Is anyone there?”
“Is there anyone inside?”
Silence echoed back.
Well, that was expected. Who in their right mind would open the door in the middle of the night?
However, fortune favored him as his knocking sound awakened someone. An angry elderly person turned on the lights, opened the window, and yelled at them, “What’s all the noise about?”
Pei Jing felt relieved and looked over, but a bright light almost blinded him. He shielded his eyes with his sleeve and then realized it was the reflection from a mirror on the wall.
The awakened elderly person angrily asked, “What are you people doing?”
Pei Jing walked closer and sincerely said, “Sir, we are disciples from the Yunlan Sect. We were accompanying our senior brothers and sisters on a trip to gather spiritual mushrooms, but we got separated from them along the way and got lost in the mountains. We’ve just managed to find our way out. My friend is exhausted, and we were wondering if you could kindly accommodate us for a night.”
The elderly person narrowed his eyes and asked, “Yunlan Sect?”
“Yes, yes,” Pei Jing hurriedly took out a jade pendant from his sleeve. The words “Yunxiao” were inscribed on it. He made up a story, saying, “You see, we are indeed from the Yunlan Sect.”
The elderly person couldn’t read at all, but upon seeing the two characters, he believed it. Despite his hot temper, he was ultimately a good-hearted person. Moreover, Pei Jing seemed genuinely honest. He closed the window again and after a while, opened the door.
“I don’t have much space for you to stay here. You three can stay in the firewood shed for tonight. I’ll bring you a blanket,” the elderly person said.
“Alright, thank you.”
The elderly person’s house was quite spacious. Inside, there was a small courtyard filled with a stack of firewood, which the elderly person planned to sell. The firewood shed was located at the southernmost part, adjacent to the outhouse, emitting a foul smell and having a damp floor. However, they couldn’t complain at the moment.
Despite his white hair, the elderly person had considerable strength and brought them a heavy blanket.
“It just so happens that I’m going to the city tomorrow to sell firewood. I can give you a ride back,” he offered.
Pei Jing was pleasantly surprised, “Thank you.” Then, hesitating for a while, he pondered and finally asked, “Sir, have there been any lost children around here?”
The elderly person’s hands paused while he was laying the blanket, then he replied, “There aren’t many women in this village, so where would the children come from?”
“Why is that?”
The elderly person’s voice grew heavy, “This is a poor and remote village, strange things happen often. If I were a young woman, I wouldn’t want to marry and come here.” It seemed the elderly person didn’t want to discuss it further and warned them, “I’m only accommodating you for one night, so stay quiet.”
Pei Jing didn’t inquire further and smiled, “Of course, we understand.”
When the elderly person left, the young disciple who had been quiet as a mouse finally sat on the blanket and was about to cry out loud, “How can anyone live in this place? It’s dirty, smelly, and dilapidated. I’d rather sleep in the field!”
However, nobody paid him any attention.
Pei Jing couldn’t shake off the feeling of eeriness in this place. He circled around the house, searching every corner, but couldn’t find any clues.
He was about to share his strange feelings with Chu Junyu when he noticed that Chu Junyu had already stood in front of the pile of firewood in the corner, their light-colored eyes gazing upward.
“What are you looking at?”
Pei Jing walked up and followed Chu Junyu’s gaze, becoming stunned.
A mirror. There was a mirror hanging on the wall of the woodshed, reflecting the door lintel.
“Do the people in this family have such a fondness for mirrors?” Pei Jing wondered, tilting his head and asking, “Do you also find this place strange? I’ve felt uncomfortable since I entered.”
Chu Junyu lowered their gaze, concealing the icy coldness in their eyes.
Pei Jing suggested, “Should we go outside and take a look at what’s not right?”
However, Chu Junyu replied, “Let’s wait.”
Pei Jing was taken aback, wait for what?
Nevertheless, he was willing to trust Chu Junyu for the time being.
And so they waited, and they waited until the next morning arrived.
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