MOF Chapter 85
by Volare“You!” Si Wumian’s face was filled with anger and disappointment, so angry that he couldn’t even speak.
Xie Yiling said, “What benefits did Autumn Water Hall promise you, that you’re willing to throw your life away?”
Nie Xiangsi’s tone became ethereal, like a wisp of light smoke that could dissipate at any moment, “Benefits? Living a life of licking blood from a knife’s edge, with the benefit of losing your life at any moment?”
After she finished speaking, she began to tremble again. Xie Yiling sensed the instability of her spiritual power and looked down. Nie Xiangsi’s left hand had actually begun to rot.
“Not good, the mother Gu is acting up again.”
Nie Xiangsi was in so much pain that her liver and intestines were breaking, and her body began to struggle entirely on instinct. Xie Yiling almost couldn’t hold her down.
“This is…” Nie Xiangsi’s face was twisted with pain, and her smile was extremely ugly, “The punishment for betrayal, hahahaha! The Second Hall Master, he must know.”
In the bone-chilling winter night, Shui Sheng kept wiping the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, muttering, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t say anything, I didn’t say anything, don’t punish me.”
Xie Yiling said, “Master, help me.”
Nangong Ci got up and helped him control the Gu curse on Nie Xiangsi’s body.
Originally, the offspring Gu had to be drawn out by the mother Gu, but Xie Yiling had another set of techniques.
The fundamental reason why the mother Gu could draw out the offspring Gu was the scent on the mother Gu.
As long as he could transform into the scent of the mother Gu, the offspring Gu in Nie Xiangsi’s body would naturally be attracted.
Thinking that the Gu on Nie Xiangsi’s body was the mother Gu to Shui Sheng, he first used his spiritual power to try to make contact with the Gu where Nie Xiangsi was implanted, and then transformed into the exact same Gu scent.
With this traction, the Gu worms in Nie Xiangsi’s body attacked, and Shui Sheng screamed and fell to the ground. A familiar pain struck, and his hands and feet convulsed violently as a conditioned reflex, like a dying fish struggling to the end.
Si Wumian failed to catch him, and his arms were empty. He couldn’t help but look at Shui Sheng, who was writhing on the ground in pain. “Senior Brother Xie, this child…”
“Don’t worry.” Xie Yiling’s tone and expression were very calm, giving Si Wumian a reassurance, “Pay attention to his tattoo there, and his face.”
Si Wumian received the order and stared at Shui Sheng without blinking.
Before long, a black-purple Gu worm appeared in Xie Yiling’s hand. He dragged the Gu worm, and circled it around Shui Sheng’s legs and face. After waiting for a moment, a bulge appeared on Shui Sheng’s calf.
Xie Yiling and Si Wumian’s eyes changed, and they watched warily as the bulge squirmed in Shui Sheng’s flesh, and then slowly crawled upwards.
During this time, Shui Sheng wailed constantly, crying heartbreakingly.
“It hurts! It hurts so much! It’s killing me! Third Hall Master, I was wrong, I won’t dare to do it again!”
And the Third Hall Master Nie Xiangsi in his mouth, was in no less pain at this time.
Fortunately, the offspring Gu in Shui Sheng’s body was attracted by the scent of the mother Gu, and the crawling speed became faster and faster. Before long, it crawled out of his nose.
Xie Yiling quickly grabbed the offspring Gu, clenched it in his palm and tightened it forcefully, turning it into powder.
Shui Sheng was wailing, when suddenly the pain disappeared from his whole body. He was stunned on the ground, letting the tears that hadn’t reacted from the pain flow down.
“Alright, alright.” Si Wumian sighed, “The Gu on your body has been removed, and you won’t be controlled by others in the future.”
Shui Sheng’s face was first filled with surprise, and then with great panic, as if Si Wumian’s words weren’t letting him live, but letting him die.
Si Wumian also understood in his heart that even if he was controlled by others, forced to collude with evil, and be a dog that came when called, it was still called “reliance” for Shui Sheng.
Suddenly gaining freedom was a kind of loss.
Xie Yiling repeated his trick and drew out the Gu worm in Nie Xiangsi’s body.
At the moment of crushing the Gu worm, Nie Xiangsi’s whole body relaxed, as if relieved of a heavy burden.
She was drenched in sweat from the pain, and couldn’t wait to take a bath, but looking at Xie Yiling and the others’ expressions, there was probably an interrogation waiting for her.
“I’ve said everything I should say.” Nie Xiangsi took the initiative to speak, “However, about the Second Hall Master, I do have something to hide.”
Without the interference of the Second Hall Master, Xie Yiling could finally listen to Nie Xiangsi’s confession.
He led Nangong Ci to sit down at the table, and said to Nie Xiangsi, “You sit down too.”
Only then did Nie Xiangsi gradually feel that her palms were already ice-cold. She propped herself up on the ground, the previous Gu curse had almost exhausted her energy. Her eyes went black, with dazzling golden light in the blackness, and she swayed forward.
A pair of hands steadily caught her.
Xie Yiling leaned his head back, and supported her arms with half of each palm.
Si Wumian let Shui Sheng sit down as well, and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
Nie Xiangsi thanked him, took a sip, lowered her eyes and slowly said, “The Second Hall Master is not a mortal.”
The first sentence shocked Xie Yiling and the others.
“He is,” Nie Xiangsi thought about her words, her brows furrowed with her thoughts, “A demonic creature with both Yin and Yang in one body.”
Shui Sheng glanced at Nie Xiangsi, fearfully holding the teacup, and silently drank tea.
“Yu Qiong is actually Yin and Yang in one body?” Xie Yiling was a little surprised. This detail was not recorded in the *Record of Strange Contracts*.
“When I met him, I sometimes heard him speaking in a man’s voice, and sometimes in a woman’s voice. He likes to wear loose robes, and you can’t see his figure from his clothes, let alone tell whether he’s male or female. But he should be very thin, and when standing face to face, I have to look up to see his eyes.”
The legendary Yu Qiong was not only Yin and Yang in one body, but also the Second Hall Master of the Autumn Water Hall. Xie Yiling’s mind was a little confused for a moment.
Being able to collude with demons, what was the origin of this Grand Hall Master of the Autumn Water Hall?
Xie Yiling didn’t think about these things for the time being, and asked, “Then how do you traffic children? After the trafficking, how do you train them?”
Nie Xiangsi recovered some strength, and her voice was much louder than before, and it became the melodious tone again, “The Second Hall Master is good at bewitching, and he can bring back a dozen children by himself. He uses a little demonic power, and even parents hold their children and send them into his hands. However, he usually only uses this method in remote places. There are many disciples at the foot of the Immortal Sect, and he doesn’t often appear.”
“Is that all?” Si Wumian asked.
“That’s all.” Nie Xiangsi shook her head.
Si Wumian looked at Xie Yiling, asking with his eyes if there was anything else.
After a long time, Xie Yiling asked, “Then Xie Qing, is he really…gone?”
Nie Xiangsi recalled carefully, and shook her head, “This name is really a bit distant. I probably heard someone mention it when I was first trafficked to Autumn Water Hall, but I never heard it again later.”
“People die every few days in Autumn Water Hall, those who are sent out to do tasks, those who are sent out to scout information, those who are disguised as beggars begging. At first, they always thought about running away, but they didn’t know that humans are no match for demons, and they were all killed by the Second Hall Master without exception.”
“It’s really a heinous crime!” Si Wumian said angrily, “How could such a big thing only come out now? I’ve never heard of any Autumn Water Hall before.”
Xie Yiling pursed his lips. As soon as he thought that Xie Qing was very likely to have been killed, the temperature of his whole body couldn’t help but drop again and again.
He had only confessed Xie Qing’s matter to Nangong Ci. Over the years, Nangong Ci would also help him inquire every time he went down the mountain, but after Autumn Water Hall abducted Xie Qing, it completely sank into the mortal world, without any news. Until now, it finally rekindled.
Nangong Ci’s hand slowly moved, and under everyone’s gaze, he gently grasped Xie Yiling’s hand.
It was ice-cold.
Xie Yiling subconsciously curved the corners of his mouth, revealing a reassuring smile, then remembered that Nangong Ci couldn’t see.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to tell Nangong Ci that he was fine, his heart suddenly tightened for no reason. As if he had a premonition, he suddenly raised his head to look at the window. At the same time, a ray of spiritual power flew out from his hand, piercing the window. He only saw a flash of silver-gray.
“Master, Yu Qiong has appeared! Chase!”
He shouted, and Si Wumian immediately followed. The two jumped out of the window, chasing after Yu Qiong.
Yu Qiong needed to use his eyes, so even if Nangong Ci followed, he wouldn’t be able to see. So he stayed here, to see if he could ask Nie Xiangsi some more detailed information.
The door was knocked at this time.
Nangong Ci was vigilant in his heart. He set up a barrier in the house, so the outside couldn’t hear the sound. Who would suddenly visit in the middle of the night?
He removed the barrier and listened carefully. The person outside knocked on the door, waited for a while and didn’t hear Nie Xiangsi come out, and continued to knock on the door.
“Miss Nie, Miss Nie.”
Wen Rumeng’s soft voice came into the ears of the three people in the room.
Nie Xiangsi was hesitating whether to answer the door, when Nangong Ci spoke, “Young Master Wen may have something urgent to find Miss Nie, so open it.”
Only then did Nie Xiangsi get up to open the door.
“Miss Nie, you’re not asleep yet.” When Wen Rumeng saw Nie Xiangsi, his ears turned red. After he asked, he shyly pursed his lips and showed a concerned smile.
Nie Xiangsi cleared her throat and asked with a smile, “Young Master Wen is knocking on the door so urgently, how can I sleep? I don’t know if Young Master has anything urgent? Knocking on the door in the middle of the night, aren’t you afraid people will misunderstand?”
“I, I,” Wen Rumeng’s face instantly turned red to the top of his head when he heard this, “No, Miss Nie, I didn’t mean to. It’s just that I just saw your window outside.”
He paused, not knowing how to say the next words.
Nie Xiangsi asked, “What happened to my window?”
“Your window,” Wen Rumeng looked at her boldly, then quickly shifted his gaze, “Your window, how did two…two men fly out?”
He finished his words here, but Nie Xiangsi understood. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “Not only did two fly out of the window, but there are two sitting in the house.”
“What!” Wen Rumeng was shocked, “Could it be that thieves broke into the house to rob? Are you hurt?”
Nie Xiangsi looked at him. Although she sighed that he was really a fool, warmth still surged in her heart. A trace of tenderness flashed in her eyes, “Don’t worry, it’s the Immortal Lord of the Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion.”
Wen Rumeng suddenly realized, “Oh, so it’s Fufeng Daozhang and the others, why are they back again?”
As soon as the barrier was removed, the laughter of Chunfu Building reappeared in his ears. Nangong Ci listened to the conversation between the two people at the door, and understood the relationship between the two by seven or eight points.
In order to avoid attracting attention, he opened his mouth and said, “Second Young Master Wen, why don’t you come in and talk.”
When Wen Rumeng heard this, he respectfully obeyed the order.
After closing the door, Wen Rumeng learned a general idea of the Autumn Water Hall, except for Nie Xiangsi’s identity.
After listening, he was naturally filled with righteous indignation, “I didn’t expect that there would be such a demonic cave in the world, disregarding human life and doing evil! Fufeng Daozhang, if there is anything that Wen needs, you can say it, as long as you can eliminate the evil, no matter what the price, I will do it!”
Nangong Ci slightly curved his lips, and said, “Fufeng appreciates Young Master Wen’s kindness. Why don’t you trouble Young Master Wen to make a trip and tell Cang Ling Du in Shuo Cheng about the fact that the beggars in the town are ordered by Autumn Water Hall, and Autumn Water Hall uses Gu to commit murder and colludes with demons.”