Chapter 18 Red leaves weaving like brocade
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“Pei. Yu. Zhi?”
The man in black repeated this name in a hoarse and low voice, with a hint of peculiarity.
Moonlight and starlight fell upon his white hair, giving it a delicate sheen, like a thin layer of frost. His features were picturesque, but painted with a somber and cold hue. After contemplating something, he seemed to smile faintly, his bloodshot eyes flickering. His tone was calm, as if cutting through the moonlight. “Hmm, I know you.”
Pei Jing furrowed his brow, wary and unable to let go of his guard while conversing with this person. Upon hearing this, he thought, “Since I have already introduced myself, shouldn’t the acquaintance reciprocate?”
However, the man in black countered, “Are you very curious about who I am?”
Pei Jing answered directly, “Yes.”
The man in black cast a cold and indifferent gaze at him, his excessively gloomy and pale face expressionless. “In due time.”
Pei Jing was taken aback. This was the first time he had encountered such a person, and it didn’t sit right with him, especially in this eerie and blood-drenched forest.
However, he knew better than to pry into the reticent matters of the young man before him.
Slowly approaching, the man in black traversed the devastation and the mound of corpses beneath his feet. His demeanor gradually grew colder. His blood-red eyes fixed upon a distant direction within the forest. With his arrival, the entire expanse of woods took on an even more peculiar atmosphere.
It was initially just eerie and gruesome, but now the fear and restlessness of the creatures deep within the forest could be clearly felt.
Suddenly, a gust of strong wind blew, and the cries of infants echoed intermittently like that of cats. It was eerie, dreadful, and piercing to the ears.
Pei Jing: These demons really have no regard for their own lives.
Before he could pinpoint the origin of the sound, a surreal sight unfolded before him. The forest came alive, with trees clawing and gnashing their teeth. Leaves transformed into a haunting shade of blood-red, drifting down from their branches, painting the sky with an eerie hue. The ground beneath his feet turned crimson, a stark contrast to the unsettling darkness and lifeless bodies strewn about. As the blood-red maple leaves danced through the air, they emitted a captivating crimson glow, exuding a deceptive beauty.
However, upon contact with anything, these seemingly enchanting leaves became deadly. Without a moment to spare, Pei Jing swiftly turned around only to find an umbrella shielding him from the onslaught of the lethal red leaf rain, just inches above his head.
He tilted his head and saw the young man’s noble and cold profile, with a nose as straight and majestic as a mountain.
The surroundings were enveloped in an ominous crimson hue, with the night sky deep and dark. The earth and the crimson leaves formed a rain-like scene. The young man had silver hair that shimmered like a thousand strands, and his hand holding the umbrella was slender and pale, becoming the only source of brightness amidst the darkness.
This scene felt somewhat familiar.
On the broken bridge, snow and wind turned into poetry, while in the mountains and woods, a rain of blood weaved its own tale.
Pei Jing whispered softly, “Thank you.”
The man in the black robe didn’t even look at him. He walked forward slowly, with the red leaves falling around him, and his robe brushed past, creating a captivating flow of blood. The demons in the forest howled and laughed wickedly. However, beneath the umbrella, it seemed as if all sounds were blocked, leaving only the two of them walking through the realm of heaven and earth in utter silence.
Pei Jing saw him heading deeper into the forest and spoke, “Are you also here in the dead of night to eliminate that demon?”
The man in the black robe tightened his fingers slightly and replied, “No, I’ve come to retrieve something.”
Pei Jing blinked in surprise, “Something from the demon?”
The man in the black robe nodded, “Yes.”
A faint smile flickered across his lips, distant and ethereal like the mist in the woods.
“I intend to stay alive, so I’m afraid you won’t be able to kill that creature.”
Pei Jing paused for a moment, then his gaze turned cold, and he furrowed his brow, saying, “I’m sorry, but this demon has committed countless heinous acts. Today, I will not let it escape.”
The man in the black robe expected this response. He lowered his eyelids, and calmly said, “But you are not my match.”
Pei Jing didn’t want to argue with him. If an ordinary person said such words to him, he would surely not believe it. However, facing this man, Pei Jing’s heart sank, and he replied, “Let’s give it a try then.”
“Is it worth it?”
“What do you mean?”
The man in the black robe leaned in, his aura as chilling as deep snow, suppressing a bloody and murderous intent beneath his solemnity. He spoke slowly and deliberately, “To stand against me for the sake of those unrelated mortals at the foot of the mountain, you should know that if you anger me, I will truly kill you.”
He raised the umbrella high, under the moon’s radiant glow, revealing his distinctively skeletal and eerily white fingers. His eyes, pure as blood jade, were clear and cold.
Pei Jing believed his words. This person could truly kill him, but for some reason, he felt no fear. Towards this stranger, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity and trust, as if they had met a long time ago despite it being their first encounter.
With his finger resting on the Cloud Slayer Sword, the snowy-clad swordsman furrowed his brow and said, “It’s not for them.”
The man in black robe tightened his fingers slightly and chuckled softly. “Then why? Is it Yunxiao’s ancestral mandate to slay demons and eradicate evil, or is it your own self-righteousness?”
Pei Jing: “…” He was a bit annoyed, but he couldn’t defeat him.
The man in the black robe’s expression turned cold once again as he stared ahead, his smile ambiguous, “Put away your unnecessary sense of justice, or else you won’t even know how you died.”
Pei Jing lost his temper. He had become famous at a young age, his path of cultivation smooth-sailing. It was the first time someone spoke to him in such a manner, and it felt somewhat novel upon reflection. He couldn’t decide whether to be angry or to laugh. Pei Jing no longer wanted to suppress his nature. With his snowy attire and jade hairpin, amidst the clear wind and moonlight, he smiled and said, “Is that so? But I believe I will live to a ripe old age.”
The man in the black robe showed no surprise, lowered his gaze, and simply said, “I hope so too.”
Pei Jing initially thought it was sarcasm, but upon careful consideration, it didn’t seem like it.
His voice was soft, distant, and cold, but it carried a hint of another emotion.
What a weirdo.
The red leaves scattered and fluttered, staining the earth with a crimson hue.
Pei Jing sensed that he genuinely meant no harm. He paused for a moment and earnestly said, “Perhaps it’s just that our paths diverge. Since Yunxiao’s founding, we have always upheld righteousness. As the chief disciple of Yunxiao, I should set an example. Slaying demons and eradicating evil is not only a responsibility but also an obligation. Moreover, I am revered throughout the land, and behind that honor comes a burden that I must bear.”
Well, I am invincible, after all.
Of course, Pei Jing didn’t have the audacity to say these words aloud, as one should maintain some dignity in front of others.
They reached the end of the mountain forest. The rain of red leaves ceased. Looking back, they saw a desolate and eerie path, littered with mountains of corpses and drenched in blood. The man in black robe closed his umbrella, his sleeve sliding slightly to reveal a pale wrist, resembling a stream of jade. After listening to Pei Jing’s words, he remained silent, standing in place.
At the end of the mountain forest, a cave appeared, emanating a mysterious green light from its entrance.
The silver-haired man in black robe stopped, pointed ahead and said, “Proceed along the cave, it’s deep inside.”
Pei Jing was taken aback, “Aren’t you going in?”
The man in black robe lowered his head, his pale and handsome face framed by silver hair, devoid of any emotions at this moment. “Let you do the killing.”
Pei Jing hadn’t expected him to give up so easily.
He had prepared himself for the worst. After hesitating for a moment, Pei Jing said, “What exactly do you want? If it’s something like an inner pill, I can extract it for you first, and then we can kill it.”
“There’s no need.”
He put his hat back on, disappearing into the darkness. Just like when he arrived, he walked back the same way and vanished after taking a single step.
Pei Jing tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Could it be that my words actually touched him?”
But upon reflection, that seemed highly unlikely.
Going by the man’s words, they would meet again in the future.
Pei Jing stood at the entrance of the cave, glancing back. The moon and stars intertwined, and the blood and soil created a bizarre and enchanting scene. Along the way, because of that person, it became a journey filled with a different kind of charm.
Now, he had to face that demon.
Upon entering the cave, a strong smell of blood filled the air.
The path underfoot was also muddy and difficult to walk on. Pei Jing took out a luminous pearl to illuminate the cave. Bats hung from the cave walls, and there was a resistance hindering his progress along the path.
ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘᴏᴏʟ, ᴄʀᴏᴡᴅᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀᴘ ᴏꜰ ɪɴꜰᴀɴᴛꜱ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ɪᴍᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴄʜᴜʙʙʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀʟᴇ, ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜱᴋɪɴ ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ꜱᴏ ᴅᴇʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄʟᴜꜱᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴇɴʟᴀʀɢᴇᴅ ᴍᴀɢɢᴏᴛꜱ. Various streams of red trickled down the cave walls, slowly flowing into the pool.
Squatting by the edge of the pool was a woman with long, jet-black hair that trailed onto the ground.
Humming a tune, her singing voice was hoarse and unpleasant.
Her hands stirred in the blood pool, completely unaware of Pei Jing’s arrival.
By the time she sensed the danger, Pei Jing had already pressed his sword against her back.
The woman’s body stiffened, then abruptly twisted her head 180 degrees, turning to face him.
Her appearance was eerie, devoid of distinct features. Numerous faces covered her head, overlapping and contorted in a grotesque manner. In the instant she turned, seven or eight of the superficial faces fell off, screaming and lunging towards Pei Jing, attempting to bite him.
Pei Jing didn’t even need to strike. With a thrust of his longsword, the ghostly faces dispersed into ash.
Realizing it was overpowered, the faces collectively screeched while their hair surged, enveloping themselves in a black cocoon.
Pei Jing remarked, “Was that supposed to be effective?”
The Cloud Slayer Sword swept through, shattering the cocoon woven with black hair. The clothes on the figure instantly tore apart, revealing that there was no human body inside. Instead, it was comprised of hundreds and thousands of faces, filled with agony, struggling and wailing. Each face displayed an expression of terror. The body instantly split into fragments, surging outward, and thousands of faces scattered throughout the cave, desperately attempting to escape.
Pei Jing lowered his gaze, and a glacial blue light overflowed from the tip of his sword, instantly illuminating the world. His long hair billowed, his snowy white robe fluttered, and his brows and eyes exuded elegance. In the vast sea of spiritual energy, he seemed like a celestial being.
“Not a single one of you shall escape.”
A cacophony of relentless screams echoed through the entire cave, reverberating off its walls. The entrance sealed shut, leaving no avenue for escape. In the midst of the chaos, countless sinister faces disintegrated into ashes, accompanied by desperate howls. As the light faded away, a solitary face remained intact, descending to the ground with a dull thud. Dropping at Pei Jing’s feet, the malevolent spirit inside had already perished. It slowly solidified, taking the form of a mask.
With dark eyebrows and crimson lips adorned with rouge, the serene face appeared as if it belonged to a beauty, even with closed eyes.
Pei Jing half-squatted and picked it up, sensing a chilling aura from the mask that he had never experienced before.
“What is this now?”
The more he looked, the creepier it became.
Pei Jing tucked the mask into his storage pouch and continued to explore the cave.
His gaze once again fell upon the infants, and slowly, he began to notice something amiss.
“Why do these infants look nearly identical?”
There were no reports of missing infants near Yunlan City, and as the old man from Mutou Village had said, there were hardly any women there. So how did all these infants come to be?
Pei Jing’s gaze turned pensive, his eyes cold. “Perhaps we should ask the person who abducted the bride.”
Pei Jing descended from the Yunlan Mountains, once again assuming his youthful appearance.
It was already the next morning by the time he arrived at Mutou Village.
As he entered the courtyard, the old man was in the midst of chopping wood. When he saw Pei Jing, his eyes widened.
He set down the axe, unable to believe his eyes. “How did you come down from the mountain? Did you spend the night up there?”
Pei Jing spat out the grass he had been chewing and grinned mischievously. “Yep.”
The old man’s face twitched, exclaiming, “These youngsters nowadays really have no fear of death.”
However, Pei Jing suddenly asked, “Sir, when will your second son return?”
The old man had no idea why he was being asked this, but he calculated the dates in his mind. “It’ll be soon, in about a month.”
Pei Jing flashed a grin at him. “Alright then, I’ll come to visit you at that time.”
The old man was utterly confused. “Why would you come to see me? You’re a disciple of the Immortal Sect, what interest could you have in this rundown place of mine?”
Pei Jing smiled mysteriously and glanced at the house behind him. “Quite interesting, I must say.”
If he guessed correctly, there were many women imprisoned beneath the second son’s house. However, with the appearance of evil spirits in the mountains and forests, they were likely dead by now. He couldn’t afford to alert them prematurely, so he had to wait for his return. After all, there were still some doubts lingering in his mind.
Upon his return to Yunlan City, Pei Jing wasn’t scolded by his Senior Brother who brought them there, which was quite surprising. It turned out that Xu Jing had provided cover for him. The more Pei Jing observed this young man, the more he found him pleasing to the eye. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, wondering why Chu Junyu, another new disciple, was so immature!
When Xu Jing heard that Pei Jing had spent a night in the mountains, his expression was filled with horror. “How many ghosts did you encounter in there?”
Pei Jing casually brushed it off. “Not too many.”
Well, the most wicked demon was already gone.
After the creature’s death, as Pei Jing emerged from the cave, the surrounding forest immediately withered. The blood in the soil evaporated overnight, causing the earth to loosen, revealing scattered remains. The creepy spiritual mushrooms also withered away completely. The mountainous forest had always been a burial ground of chaos, infested with demons and heavy with Yin energy. With the creature making it its home, the malevolence grew even stronger.
Fifteen days passed in the blink of an eye.
The spiritual mushrooms Pei Jing obtained from the toad spirit were sufficient to fulfill his duty. However, as he sat on the cloud crane, he was burdened with concerns. The matter in the Yunlan Mountain Range wasn’t completely resolved yet, but he needed to make a detour to Yunxiao.
Tianqian Peak remained deserted throughout the year, cold and lonely, making it difficult for birds to fly over. His return caused the peach blossoms in front of the palace gate to compete for his attention as he ascended the white steps.
Pei Jing returned to his former residence and took out a black, translucent jade pendant inscribed with a prominent character “ghost”.
This was what he had won from Ji Wuduan during their bet. The mysterious and peculiar aspects of it were beyond his understanding, but Ji Wuduan was certainly familiar with it.
Regardless of whether Ji Wuduan wanted to see him now or not, Pei Jing had to pay him a visit in the Ghost Realm.
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