MOF Chapter 73
by VolareSi Wumian and the other disciples’ hands trembled uncontrollably from the impact of the evil aura, and their swords also wailed mournfully.
Xie Yiling snapped back to attention and said to Nangong Ci, who was locked in a fierce battle with the aura, “Daozhang, hold it back!”
With that, he darted behind the aura, transforming his spiritual energy into a sword. Stepping on the sword bodies that formed a staircase-like connection, he unexpectedly drove Bu Song into the aura.
Bu Song’s spiritual energy acted like a blazing fire through a haystack, scorching and devouring the skeleton, causing it to twist more and more violently, its shape becoming increasingly grotesque.
Nangong Ci instructed the disciples below, “Change formation, draw swords!”
Finally hearing those words, Si Wumian couldn’t wait to change his sword-wielding posture. As he moved his arm, a wave of soreness and numbness surged forth like bamboo shoots after a rain.
The disciples moved their feet in accordance with the spiritual formation. A beam of light shot into the sky, slowly shrinking the area covered by the formation, forcing the evil aura to compress. At this moment, thousands of sword energies appeared within the formation, crisscrossing and piercing through the aura’s enormous body. The sounds of cutting and slicing echoed one after another.
An incrediblyDeep stench filled the air, like a coffin containing a long-sealed corpse being opened. The smells of earth, blood, and decay collided, assaulting everyone’s sense of smell.
Wherever the odor passed, the plants withered sadly, losing moisture and becoming dry. The stubborn rocks shattered into dust, easily blown away by the wind.
Almost at the same moment, many disciples bent over, lowered their heads, and vomited the mouthful of blood that had been stuck in their throats for a long time.
Xie Yiling wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth. After vomiting, he felt much better.
The evil aura was split into countless fragments. Each disciple held a brocade bag, chanting incantations to capture the aura and bind it within the bag.
Soon, under the sword energy, the aura’s volume continuously decreased until it was completely absorbed into the Nangui disciples’ brocade bags. However, the nauseating smell still lingered in the air.
The spiritual banners on the four walls were all recalled.
Just as Xie Yiling was about to suffocate, a hand suddenly reached over and covered his mouth and nose.
“Hmm?”
He turned his eyes and saw Nangong Ci calmly instructing the disciples to pack up, and telling the remaining Wen family father and sons, who hadn’t fainted, how to get rid of the stench.
Xie Yiling blinked and gently blew into his palm.
Nangong Ci calmly withdrew his hand and handed him a small, triangular sachet.
Xie Yiling took it and placed it under his nose to cover the bad smell. His heart softened, but then he thought of the eldest Wen son and whispered, “Sixth brother, the direction from which the evil aura came seems to be the eldest Wen son’s room.”
Nangong Ci nodded. “I noticed it too.”
Sure enough.
Xie Yiling frowned. “I find it strange. A wisp of the evil aura was lost and attached to an object. Out of greed, it wanted to devour spiritual energy and was discovered by us. Logically speaking, it shouldn’t have exposed the existence of the entire aura.”
Nangong Ci said, “Demons and evil are often strange and difficult to fathom.”
After the disciples finished packing, they tried their best to hide their disheveled state. Although they had no external injuries from today’s exorcism, they had suffered severe internal damage and would probably need to recuperate for more than half a month.
Wen Qingliu stepped forward to express his gratitude and offered to give several boxes of jewels as a gift, but Nangong Ci politely declined.
Xie Yiling went over and said, “There’s no need for money. However, I have a question. I wonder if Master Wen can answer it?”
Wen Qingliu said, “This Wen knows everything and will say everything. Immortal Lord, please ask.”
Xie Yiling said, “We came to exorcise the evil spirit, without informing you in advance or sending a message later. How did Master Wen arrange for someone to wait at the door so early?”
Wen Ruyu, standing two steps behind Wen Qingliu, said, “Immortal Lord, it’s like this. My eldest brother is somewhat knowledgeable in divination. We also learned from him that you Immortal Lords would be coming.”
Nangong Ci said, “With such abilities, it seems that the eldest Wen son is no ordinary person.”
Wen Qingliu’s face was full of smiles. “If only he were as capable as Fufeng Daozhang said. That eldest son has a perverse temperament and doesn’t like to see people, which worries me all day long!”
“Father, enough, enough, stop always talking about eldest brother’s faults.” Wen Ruyu reminded him, “The Immortal Lords are injured and are eager to go back to heal!”
“Right, right, right!” Wen Qingliu quickly said, “I almost forgot about this. Fufeng Daozhang, why don’t you rest in the mansion tonight? Anyway, the bedrooms have been arranged. Just tell me what medicine you need, and I will do my best to send someone to buy it.”
“No need.” Nangong Ci said, “It’s almost dawn. We should go back.”
Wen Qingliu personally saw the guests out. The distant sky was faintly lit, and he watched as the group of white-clothed disciples disappeared into the air. He put away his smile and said in a deep voice, “Wen Rui, have your eldest brother come see me.”
Wen Ruyu glanced at Wen Zhenhe, who shook his head helplessly.
Wen Qingliu had only been sitting in the main hall for a short while when a person appeared at the door.
He was exceptionally handsome, with some of Wen Ruyu’s ruggedness and some of Wen Zhenhe’s refinement, and even more of the lazy charm that the two of them lacked. However, his complexion was too pale, and his lips were as red as blood. At first glance, he looked like a monster. His long hair was haphazardly draped behind his head, looking as if it hadn’t been combed for many days.
After entering the door, Wen Liangchen didn’t say a word, his dark eyes only staring at Wen Qingliu.
Wen Qingliu, sitting on the seat, was imposing without being angry. He walked down a few steps and slapped him without saying a word. The cheek quickly swelled up after this slap.
Outside the door, Wen Zhenhe stopped Wen Ruyu, who wanted to rush in, and earnestly said, “Second brother, don’t be impulsive. Even if you go in, eldest brother won’t be grateful to you, and father won’t stop. Why bother pleasing neither side?”
“Bastard, can’t your father order you around anymore? To get you to come out of your room, do I have to kowtow to you three times and bow nine times?”
Wen Ruyu heard Wen Qingliu’s furious voice and felt a tightening in his heart. “Father is going to punish eldest brother again. I still have to go in!”
“Don’t go in.” Wen Zhenhe restrained his waist. “Alas, to be honest, I don’t know what eldest brother is thinking. If he would just talk to father properly, he wouldn’t always be punished. Moreover, you’ve tried to speak up for him before, but he doesn’t appreciate it at all! Sometimes I even suspect that eldest brother is deliberately angering father.”
Wen Ruyu didn’t understand. “Who would want to be punished for no reason?”
His left cheek burned like fire. Wen Liangchen’s head was turned to the side by the slap, then slowly turned back. “What are you angry about this time?”
“Rebellious son! Rebellious son!” Wen Qingliu became even more angry when he saw his expression. “You’re neither human nor ghost all day long. I ask you, today’s monster, did you use some kind of demonic way to lure it to the mansion?”
Wen Liangchen was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Father, are you getting senile? If I really had such great abilities, then who do you think would be the first to die?”
Wen Ruyu and Wen Zhenhe, who were eavesdropping through the wall, felt a thud in their hearts.
Wen Qingliu’s face turned pale with anger, and he wished he could poke Wen Qingliu’s nose into his face. “Good, very good! You evil creature, someone come!”
After waiting for a long time, Wen Ruyu and Wen Zhenhe hesitantly walked in.
Wen Qingliu’s eyes changed, and he actually took a step back. “What do you two want to do?!”
Wen Liangchen saw his movements and contemptuously curled his lips.
Wen Ruyu explained, “Father, it was really dangerous today, so we let all the servants go to rest. You haven’t slept all night either, you should go to rest too. Your health is important.”
Wen Qingliu said, “Don’t think I don’t know what you two are planning. Take your eldest brother to the underground chamber and lock him up, without food for three days!”
With that, he angrily flung his sleeves and left, leaving Wen Ruyu and Wen Zhenhe looking at each other.
“Eldest brother, I’ll go get you medicine…”
Wen Liangchen didn’t answer, avoiding them with a direct gaze. Joy and hatred intertwined in his eyes, refracting a gleam of dim light.
Wen Qingliu was wrong. The evil aura wasn’t lured into the mansion by him, but it was indeed because of him. The aura sensed malice several times more intense than that of ordinary people on his body and actively sought him out.
They mutually benefited and exploited each other.
Unfortunately, the arrogant serpent-dragon remnants of evil aura were ultimately just remnants and could not resist the combined efforts of the immortal sect members.
Wen Liangchen walked to the underground chamber and went in without looking back.
*
After returning to Nangui, the group of disciples who had exorcised the evil spirit truly recuperated for some time. By the time the wounds in their bodies had healed, all the crabapple blossoms in Nangui had withered.
Inside Fufeng Pavilion, the furnishings were well-organized. Outside the Bìshān screen, there was a table and a stool. Next to the windowsill was a pear-blossom wood desk, on which there was an unfinished copy of the pavilion’s precepts.
Inside the screen, there was only a soft bed.
Xie Yiling lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and called out, “Thirsty—”
A small figure appeared in response at the door. A Si held a teacup in both hands and curiously glanced at the pattern on the screen as he passed by.
Overlapping Bìshān mountains, with only a winding path appearing and disappearing, and a person slowly walking on the road.
During this period, due to A Si’s unremitting persistence in eating, not missing a single meal, and eating as much as an adult, he finally grew a layer of flesh on his body, filling in the overly thin areas. His cheeks became snow-white and round, and he was always kneaded by the other Nangui disciples whenever they met him.
Xie Yiling didn’t open his eyes, tilted his head, touched the edge of the cup with his lips, moistened them with water, and then said, “Hungry—”
A Si dutifully went to get him food. Light footsteps were heard outside the door, and Xie Yiling, who had been lying on the bed like mud, leaped up from the bed like a carp, “Let’s go, let’s go, Daozhang is back.”
As soon as Nangong Ci entered the door, he heard Xie Yiling’s rising tone, “Sixth brother, you’re back. How was it today? Was the evil aura removed?”
It had been nearly a month since they brought the evil aura back to Nangui. It was easy to bring it back, but it was extremely difficult to remove it.
The headmaster and the various elders of Nangui worked day and night, trying every method to thoroughly remove the evil aura, only to find that it was impervious to both soft and hard tactics. No matter how they used swords, spears, poison, or fire, they couldn’t kill it. They could only imprison it in the bottomless abyss first.
Nangong Ci shook his head and said, “It’s easy to treat the symptoms but difficult to cure the disease. However, as long as it’s strictly guarded, it won’t be able to leave the bottomless abyss.”
Xie Yiling patted A Si, took the tea from his hand, “Come, have a cup of tea, it’s almost getting hot.”
He pushed Nangong Ci to sit down at the table, “Wumian said that he heard cicadas chirping in Nangui a few days ago.”
Nangong Ci took a sip of tea and said, “It’s not that fast.”
Xie Yiling sat next to him, staring at him with a silly smile.
Nangong Ci didn’t need to look closely, lowered his eyes and smelled the tea: “No.”
A Si looked at Xie Yiling’s immediately dejected expression, boldly poked Nangong Ci’s arm, raised his face and looked at him solemnly, “Say yes.”
Xie Yiling’s smile, which he had just withdrawn, immediately reappeared, “Sixth brother, just let me go and see. Why can Lu Jinnian guard the bottomless abyss, but I can’t? In terms of spiritual strength, I’m not worse than him, am I?”
“It’s not that I won’t let you guard it, it’s elder brother’s intention.” Nangong Ci put down the teacup, “He’s worried you’ll neglect your duties.”
“This is clearly prejudice!” Xie Yiling retorted.
Nangong Ci said, “You have a previous example.”