MOF Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Ghosts Dwell Among Three Graves, Lamenting White Bones; Half a Lifetime Raising a Son, Empty Tears of Sorrow…

Xie Yiling fanned away the dust in front of him, covering his mouth and nose as he said, “This house looks like it hasn’t been inhabited for a long time.”

Nangong Ci raised his hand and drew a talisman in the air. With a flick of his fingertip, the talisman seemed to gain its own awareness, wandering around the room. Although it was just a small talisman, Xie Yiling inexplicably felt that it possessed the same rigorous aura as Nangong Ci.

The talisman circled around several times without discovering anything unusual, and Nangong Ci casually retrieved it.

Xie Yiling smiled openly at him, “Master, do you still need this thing? I think it’s quite interesting, can I take a look?”

Nangong Ci took out the talisman and handed it to him.

Xie Yiling reached out to receive it, studying it in his palm like it was something new. Indeed, it was the first time he had seen Nangong Ci use this.

“This talisman is called ‘Inspect’,” Nangong Ci explained to him from the side, “It can check for the presence of evil or resentment.”

Xie Yiling nodded as he looked it over, “It’s really a good thing, Master. I want to learn this when you teach me later.”

His curious face fell into Nangong Ci’s eyes, seemingly stirring up some memories in Nangong Ci. Nangong Ci suddenly changed the topic, “I’m going to visit Yong City, to pay a visit to Jiang Senior.”

“Okay, I’ll go wherever Master goes,” Xie Yiling said without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, Nangong Ci’s expression changed slightly, “The Tian Yong Residence in Yong City was exterminated five years ago, didn’t you know?”

Xie Yiling slightly averted his gaze, “What do you mean by this, Master? I’ve been living in Ghost City, busy with making a living, and know nothing about the outside world.”

Such a clumsy excuse probably couldn’t even fool A Si.

But surprisingly, Nangong Ci didn’t continue to pursue the matter. His tone was flat, without a trace of questioning, “Then you should have experienced the Great Wilderness Year.”

Xie Yiling’s hands turned cold. He raised his eyes to look directly at Nangong Ci, his lips moved, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Disaster comes from the mouth, disaster comes from the mouth.

Nangong Ci’s gaze once again fell on Xie Yiling’s face, like scrutiny, or perhaps just a simple gaze.

Xie Yiling forced himself to meet this gaze, looking into those familiar cold eyes. Nangong Ci’s eyes were very light, sometimes making people feel like his eyes were two glass beads, without a trace of warmth.

This idea was simply adding insult to injury.

In the countless times Nangong Ci had looked at Xie Yiling, even before Xie Yiling noticed Nangong Ci’s gaze, those eyes already held an unmelting heat.

“Ten years ago,” Nangong Ci was silent for a long time, then suddenly spoke, as if slowly unsealing his memory, “There was a sign of the Heavenly Flood descending.”

Heavenly Flood, descending?

Wasn’t this the Heavenly Secret he had learned back then? It was a disaster he had tried his best to prevent, even at the cost of his life.

“I, I know about this,” Xie Yiling glanced at Nangong Ci, feigning composure.

Nangong Ci looked at him, his voice a little low, “Although the sign of the Heavenly Flood descending did not come true, the following year ushered in a drought. Almost all the rivers dried up within a month, the green mountains collapsed, the soil became barren, and the people’s farmland was not spared. At that time, even blood locusts appeared in the world, leaving no grass behind wherever they passed.”

Xie Yiling felt like he had been struck by a thunderbolt on a sunny day, his whole body quickly turning cold, with only Nangong Ci’s slow narration in his ears.

“That was a Great Wilderness that ate people without spitting out bones. The Immortal Sects tried their best, but failed to stop this disaster. For three whole years, only devastation remained.”

When Gu Huanzhi came in, he keenly noticed that the atmosphere between the two was not right. The room had been roughly cleaned up, and Xie Yiling silently found a white candle, lit it, and placed it steadily on the table.

Most of the only wooden bed in the room had been eaten through by insects, making it almost impossible to lie on.

Xie Yiling put away the talisman and went to the thatched hut to search for some clean thatch to spread on the ground. He also rummaged through the cabinets and found a thin cotton blanket, which he spread on the thatch. During this process, he deliberately avoided looking at Nangong Ci.

The four of them sat side by side, leaning against the edge of the bed just right, not too crowded. Xie Yiling picked up A Si and placed him in the middle, letting him snuggle up to Gu Huanzhi and Nangong Ci, while he chose to sit on the outermost side. In his mind, Nangong Ci’s words lingered.

Whether it was the Heavenly Flood or the Heavenly Disaster, neither could hide a cruel fact.

He, Xie Yiling, who thought he was clever all his life, was ultimately just being played by the Heavenly Dao.

Didn’t he want to block the disaster for the common people? You block the Heavenly Flood, but I can still bring down the Heavenly Drought.

Xie Yiling suppressed a fire in his heart, burning him with agonizing pain. He lowered his head and lowered his eyes, feeling extremely guilty, unwilling and afraid to feel Nangong Ci’s presence, adopting an evasive posture.

He was too arrogant, mistakenly thinking that he could defy the Heavenly Dao, but in the end, he only harmed those he cherished, causing them to be separated for decades for no reason.

It turned out that destiny lay in heaven, and only life and death were in one’s own hands.

But… why did Nangong Ci suddenly bring these things up to him? And why did he think of using Yong City to test him?

Could it be that he already suspected his identity?

At this moment, Xie Yiling’s mind was in a state of chaos, his thoughts were confused by the anger of being tricked by the Heavenly Dao, so he didn’t come to any conclusions.

Unwillingness and resentment gradually receded in the stillness of the insects chirping outside the house. Xie Yiling calmed down, abandoning his plan of “taking things one step at a time” since his rebirth, and made a decision in his heart.

No matter why he was reborn, or for whom he was reborn, it could be considered that the Heavenly Dao owed him. The only person he was sorry for was Nangong Ci, who knew nothing.

Fortunately, he had a chance to start over. In this life, he would never repeat the same mistakes.

Xie Yiling stroked A Si, who had already fallen asleep, quietly staring blankly at the wooden door, gradually feeling sleepy.

The night was silent, and all sounds disappeared for a moment. Even the breathing of the others sleeping in the room could not be heard. Half-asleep and half-awake, Xie Yiling felt as if a gust of cool wind brushed across his left cheek, followed by a damp feeling on his left hand.

The cold air penetrated his bones, and he couldn’t help but shiver. But in reality, he didn’t move at all.

Something was standing to his left. At this time, Xie Yiling’s mind was clear, but his body was fixed in place, unable to move. Nangong Ci was to his right.

Thinking of this, Xie Yiling suddenly relaxed a bit in his heart. As long as this thing made a move, it was impossible for Nangong Ci not to notice with his cultivation.

A rustling sound came from above his head, sounding like some vine plants were growing instantly. He couldn’t help but feel curious.

When that thing drooped down to his head and swept across his face a few times, Xie Yiling suddenly understood what it was – it was human hair.

Cold sweat on his forehead dripped down along his eyebrows and eyes under this stalemate, causing a slight itch when itRoute over his jaw.

He didn’t know how long it had passed, perhaps an hour, or perhaps only half an hour. Xie Yiling suddenly woke up from a sense of weightlessness.

“Master—” He gasped a few times, subconsciously raising his left hand to grab Nangong Ci. Only one word came out, and that hand was caught by Nangong Ci halfway.

“What’s wrong?” Nangong Ci tilted his head to look at him in the remaining candlelight, but saw that Xie Yiling was covered in cold sweat, his face as pale as paper, and the hand he was holding was also cold.

“There, there’s something in the house!” Ignoring the subtle awkwardness between the two before, Xie Yiling gasped and said to Nangong Ci.

Gu Huanzhi also woke up when Xie Yiling called out the first time. He reached out and half-embraced A Si, who was still asleep, moved closer to them, and frowned, “Senior Brother Xie, are you okay?”

Xie Yiling shook his head, “I’m fine, but I feel nauseous. That thing’s hair kept tormenting me.”

Nangong Ci’s eyes darkened, “Being able to avoid the Inspection Curse, it must have some ability.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he handed over a handkerchief and said softly to Xie Yiling, who was covered in cold sweat, “Wipe it off.”

Xie Yiling took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead, whispering, “Thank you, Master.”

Nangong Ci just shook his head lightly.

The group immediately packed up their things and went out. Gu Huanzhi said, “I’m afraid we can only spend the night in the wilderness tonight.”

Xie Yiling carried A Si and looked around. Only the sky, mountains, and forests had different shades of color.

He turned around and looked at Nangong Ci, “Master, even you couldn’t detect it. Could it be something extremely evil and powerful?”

Nangong Ci said, “Inspection is not omnipotent. The plants and trees near this house are lush, and it doesn’t look like there is a gathering of evil energy. It shouldn’t be.”

Not an evil spirit, could it be a refined creature that cultivated? Xie Yiling speculated in his heart, recalling the feeling of the hair brushing against his face, and felt a little disgusted again.

Nangong Ci continued, “Although Inspection can detect evil resentment, it cannot detect sorrowful thoughts. That thing is probably lingering in place because it has sorrow and thoughts in its life, but does not generate resentment, unwilling to leave.”

With a “snap,” A Si spread out his hands, each palm with a ball of fire. He blinked his black and white eyes and asked, “Do you want to go look for it?”

Xie Yiling stared at the two flames in his palm, surprised, “A Si, you can also do this kind of magic?”

A Si shook his head, quite proudly, “Of course, I can do a lot more!”

Using the light from the fire in A Si’s hand, the three searched nearby, pushing aside the densely growing weeds and walking towards the back of the house. As expected, they saw something.

They were three extremely simple graves.

Saying they were graves was not as good as saying they were three mounds of yellow earth. Perhaps due to wind and rain, the three mounds had been beaten to pieces, indistinguishable from each other, and only a few outlines of varying depths could barely be seen. White bones were scattered on the mounds, and weeds grew everywhere.

Nangong Ci held his hand and drew a spell. Only a few wisps of white light turned into smoke and drilled into the graves. Before long, a “person” stood in front of each grave.

One was an old man with white hair and a hunched back, one was an old woman with a pale face and white hair, and the last was a woman in her prime.

As soon as the three “people” saw them, they trembled with fright, wishing they could kneel down immediately and said, “Immortal Masters, spare our lives! Although we were not great benevolent people during our lives, we never did evil. After death, we did not obliterate our kindness and cause trouble to others. Please spare us, Immortal Lord!”

Xie Yiling asked, “Were you in the house earlier?”

As soon as the woman heard this, she hurriedly explained, “This matter has nothing to do with my in-laws. I did not intentionally scare the Immortal Lord. I apologize for disturbing the Immortal Lord’s rest, and hope to be forgiven!”

Xie Yiling waved his hand, looking at her waist-length black hair with lingering fear, and asked, “Why did you suddenly enter the house?”

The woman was also a little puzzled, “I don’t know either. At that time, I suddenly became uncontrollable, as if attracted by something, and lost my mind for a while. When I woke up, I was already standing next to the Immortal Lord.”

Of course, Xie Yiling could guess that it was probably because of the Ning dan wan, but he still looked at Nangong Ci in confusion, as if seeking an answer.

Nangong Ci said, “It should be because of the Ning dan wan. That thing has too much spiritual energy and will inevitably attract some trouble.”

Xie Yiling said with some curiosity, “So it seems, I am now a popular target?”

Nangong Ci’s expression darkened when he heard this. He didn’t know what he was thinking of, pursed his lips, and said, “May I ask what your names are?”

The old man said, “My surname is Luo, and my given name is Zhong. My humble wife is Gao Benyun, and my daughter-in-law is Mu Rulan.”

Xie Yiling tried to ask, “Since you have already passed away, why haven’t you reincarnated, but instead stayed here?”

The old man shook his head a few times, and when he opened his mouth, his throat was choked with sand, “Why wouldn’t we want to leave? But we have an unfilial son, who not only failed to achieve great things, but also learned ghost techniques to trap the three of us here.”

The three of them heard this, realized something was wrong, and looked at each other.

Gu Huanzhi exclaimed, “There’s actually such a thing?”

The old woman said, “That rebellious son initially learned ghost techniques, but he didn’t control them. My old man and I were old and sick, and couldn’t withstand the evil energy, so we passed away. Rulan was weak, and soon her life was taken by that wretch’s methods! He was probably following someone’s instructions, using the few of us for experimentation. He trapped us but couldn’t undo it, so he left on his own and never came back.”

Gu Huanzhi became even more angry when he heard this, “Such a beast in human clothing, if I meet him, I will definitelyDefeat him!”

Xie Yiling couldn’t help but sigh, “Half a lifetime raising a son, empty tears of sorrow; a room of white bones, nowhere to return. It’s truly tragic.”