How many ancient artifacts, passed down through the ages, lie buried beneath the thick soil of time—some unearthed, gleaming brilliantly, while others remain shrouded in silent obscurity.
The existence of the Divine Ghost Bell is known to few. It appears as a petite bell that makes no sound, yet it is an immensely powerful soul-collecting artifact.
Legend has it that when the Divine Ghost Bell tolls, a thousand souls are gathered, and mountains and rivers tremble.
The bell has the ability to refine souls. Even ghost immortals with celestial status would detour upon encountering it. However, the Divine Ghost Bell lacks sentience; for the righteous, it’s a divine artifact, for the wicked, it’s an unholy tool. Despite its years of silence, those aware of its existence continue the search.
In truth, the Divine Ghost Bell has always been within Lou Muge’s hands—at least until his demise.
Wen Changchu raised an eyebrow, observing the bell tied to his hair’s end, asking, “You don’t know how to use it?”
Lou Muge stood up, “I do know a bit, but I don’t possess it.”
Ning Shaosi also stood, handing a dark black silk handkerchief to Lou Muge without a word.
Wen Changchu was surprised, “I thought the one on your head was it.”
Lou Muge curved his lips, “This one is fake, at most it can store some things, no different from a spatial pouch.”
Internally scoffing, if he had the Divine Ghost Bell, he would have soared to the heavens long ago, without the need to dress up as a girl, hiding away.
After his return, those wanting to kill him were everywhere—some old enemies, some claiming righteousness, and others seeking fame through his death. Regardless of their motives, their goal was the same.
Lou Muge wiped his hands with the black handkerchief, casually tucking it into his bosom. He surveyed the surroundings, noticing similar stone steles nearby, seemingly oozing blood. However, the area remained pristine, much like the tranquil Ancheng village. Lou Muge initially thought of digging up a grave but decided against it, considering the inconvenience at night.
Just as they were about to return, the play was reaching its conclusion. Eagerly, everyone removed the black cloths, relieved to see Lou Muge and Ning Shaosi still standing obediently in their original positions, seemingly not having left at all, letting out a collective sigh of relief.
If only they knew that Lou Muge not only spoke during the performance but also took a stroll around the graveyard, nearly digging up a grave. They might have been left breathless on the ground in tears.
With the play concluded, Lou Muge, holding a mostly empty basket, sat in a carriage heading back to the village. Beside him, Ning Shaosi remained quietly composed, breathing steadily. When he glanced sideways, he met Ning Shaosi’s large eyes.
Before he could speak, he heard Wen Changchu, visibly annoyed, say, “Seven hundred and twelve, why do you keep staring at my boss with that expression on your face?”
Ning Shaosi looked at him, innocently blinking his eyes.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lou Muge chuckled, “When did I say I’m recruiting you as a little brother?”
“Zs rbei gfmbuclhfr sbe,” Qfc Jtjcumte qblcafv ab tlr mtfra, klat j ragjcufis rbifwc fzqgfrrlbc. “Tbe’gf ws ybrr.”
“Tbeg rbei gfmbuclhfr wf obg ktja? C tjcvrbwf fzafglbg?”
Yglulcjiis lcafcvlcu ab afjrf, Obe Zeuf kjr regqglrfv ktfc Qfc Jtjcumte rtbbx tlr tfjv rfglberis, mgsqalmjiis rjslcu, “Ktf alwf lr cba gluta; la mjccba yf rjlv sfa.”
Lou Muge didn’t press further but casually engaged in other conversation. After the carriage arrived, everyone disembarked. The townspeople, just like the night before, gathered at the entrance to welcome them. Upon seeing Lou Muge and his companions, the questions they initially wanted to ask were left half-formed.
Observing these people acting timidly, huddled together strangely pitiful, Lou Muge, who had intended to continue walking, suddenly halted.
As he stopped, Wen Changchu and Ning Shaosi naturally stopped as well, immediately putting everyone on alert.
Lou Muge lazily stretched, “Ah—haven’t had a person to eat in a long time.”
The onlookers widened their eyes, buzzing with discussions. Some even stepped back, trying to distance themselves as much as possible.
Lou Muge chuckled and waved into the crowd, “Chang Anning, come here. I have something to ask you.”
Chang Anning, straightforward in his thinking, had shared good food and wine with Lou Muge at noon, diminishing his hostility. Walking out from the crowd, he asked, “After you ask me, will there be more food?”
“There will be,” Lou Muge answered without much thought.
Chang Anning smiled and approached him, “Go ahead and ask.”
Lou Muge led him forward, lowering his voice, “In the area where you bury the dead, have there been any strange occurrences?”
“Plenty of strange things,” Chang Anning said. “The children of Shan An never play there, saying the Yin energy is heavy. I grew up hearing about those odd occurrences.”
“Specifically in the recent past.”
“In mid-April this year, something quite frightening did happen.” Chang Anning pondered before saying, “Aunt Li experienced a death scare in mid-April.”
Lou Muge remained composed, “The family of the Tao brothers, right?”
“Yes, Aunt Li had a son with a mischievous disposition who ran away from Shan An over ten years ago and never returned. So, Aunt Li had been living alone. In mid-April this year, she died at home, discovered the next day. The village doctor claimed it was a sudden and unexplained death. The village head found two people to wrap her in silk and bury her.” Chang Anning recounted.
“But after being buried that night, Aunt Li returned, covered in filth, and brought with her a pair of twins, claiming they were her grandsons.”
“The Tao brothers came on their own?” Lou Muge, upon hearing this, suspected something amiss with Aunt Li and the twin brothers.
“I don’t know. Aunt Li didn’t say how they arrived. Anyway, she acknowledged the two children. The villagers dared not interact much with them, but there was nothing strange about Aunt Li herself. She continued her life as usual.”
The revival of Aunt Li shortly after her death in April and the strange illness in July were not far apart. Moreover, Tao Ming was the first to contract that peculiar ailment. The people of Shan An should have been suspicious, yet Aunt Li and the two brothers were living peacefully in the village.
“Do you not suspect those two brothers?” Wen Changchu voiced his doubt. “This whole thing clearly happened after they arrived.”
“But the people living around Aunt Li haven’t contracted this strange illness. Besides, Tao Ming is the only one who got sick and survived. The villagers are trying to find the cause of the illness by examining him.” Chang Anning explained.
Lou Muge, after hearing this, suddenly understood. The people of Shan An did have suspicions about the Tao brothers, but from another perspective, Tao Ming was their only hope.
The bleeding stone stele, Aunt Li’s resurrection, the seemingly demon-free Shan An village, and the maddening strange illness—all these perplexing clues circled in Lou Muge’s mind, yet they remained unconnected.
He wasn’t the patient type to sit down and contemplate. After thinking aimlessly for a while, impatience crept onto his face. “This small, broken village has too many troubles.”
“This matter isn’t urgent. As long as someone is up to mischief, their true colors will be revealed,” Ning Shaosi’s voice remained steady, devoid of any youthful impetuosity. Even his tender eyes exuded a sense of composure.
Lou Muge turned to meet his gaze, and suddenly, his heart sank a bit.
Impatient by nature and incapable of learning the words ‘steady’ and ‘calm,’ especially during the period after self-proclaiming as the Demon Lord, he rarely bothered to think so hard.
But his disciple, Ning Shaosi, the one who approached even foot-washing with utmost seriousness, often said things like, “This matter isn’t urgent.”
At the sound of this, Lou Muge’s heart seemed momentarily scalded, a warmth spreading in his chest, dispelling much of his impatience. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Indeed, it’s not urgent. Tomorrow, I’ll check where your drinking water comes from.”
“It comes from the Sleeping Dragon Spring to the east of the village. We’ve been drinking water from there for generations,” Chang Anning explained. “There’s no issue with the water; the Water Goddess protects us there.”
Lou Muge didn’t believe in any Water Goddess. He nodded absently, handing the basket he was carrying to Chang Anning. “This is a reward for you.”
“Just this?” Chang Anning was greatly disappointed, looking at the cooled buns in the basket with reluctance. “We have these at home too.”
Lou Muge patted the basket, giving a thumbs up. “These buns are definitely different from those at your home. I’ve tasted them.”
“But…”
“The boss told you to take it, so take it. Stop wasting words!” Wen Changchu gnashed his teeth, forcefully shoving the basket into Chang Anning’s arms. “Hurry up and go!”
Chang Anning wasn’t as scared as before, but he walked away with a great sense of grievance, carrying the basket.
Lou Muge gave an approving look to Wen Changchu and took steps toward Aunt Li’s house. Ning Shaosi, still holding the faintly glowing lantern, followed behind Lou Muge, looking as if he were accompanying him to Aunt Li’s house.
“Why are you following me?” Lou Muge stopped to ask him.
“I have nowhere else to go.” Ning Shaosi stared at him. Although his face remained calm, there seemed to be a hint of a pitiful expression at the corners of his eyes. It was as if, with just one word from Lou Muge saying “leave,” he would immediately turn teary-eyed.
Lou Muge couldn’t stand this. Without further ado, he continued walking in silence. On the side, Wen Changchu was fanning the flames, “This kid’s face is full of mischief; he doesn’t look trustworthy.”
Lou Muge glanced at Ning Shaosi upon hearing this but couldn’t find any expression related to “mischief” on his face. He then said to Wen Changchu, “If you want to gossip, at least do it behind the person’s back.”
Wen Changchu straightened his chest, unapologetic.
Lou Muge chuckled at the sight. He was currently in a very relaxed state. Such a feeling hadn’t been felt for many years. After being pulled back from the gates of the afterlife, his sharp temper seemed to have been worn down. He returned to the appearance of long ago.
This was better. Although Lou Muge didn’t particularly like this side of himself, he knew that in this state, he could hide himself, not be targeted by countless sword points.
Walking and laughing, when they arrived at Aunt Li’s house, Tao Ming was squatting in the courtyard, washing off the stage makeup from his face with water. Hearing the commotion, he wiped his face with a handful of water. “Is Master Lou bringing a friend?”
Lou Muge glanced at the water in Tao Ming’s basin, involuntarily shivering. He nodded softly, thinking that sometimes mortals were quite formidable.
“Thanks to Master Lou for today.” Tao Ming reached for the nearby cloth to wipe his face slowly standing up. The faint light made his face appear gentle.
Although he didn’t have the striking eyes like Tao Zhai, his gentle demeanor made people naturally fond of him. Lou Muge accepted his thanks and casually mentioned that there was no need. After that, he led Ning Shaosi into the house.
Under the severe cold, the room was much warmer than outside, but the bedding was thin. Lou Muge dared not even take off his padded coat, having to sleep fully clothed. Wen Changchu, in his wolf cub form, lay beside the bed.
Lou Muge had experience taking care of children. He covered them both with the blanket and, in a tender voice, said to Ning Shaosi, “Go to sleep quickly; it’ll be warm once you’re asleep.”
But he forgot that in this room, he was the only one sensitive to the cold.
Thank You for the new chapter (๑ơ ₃ ơ)♥
Thank you for the chapter!! 🩷💖
Thanks for the chapter!
<3
Time to share warmth with little ning uwu
a quick hua Cheng and xie lian type of moment right there ok, ok~😏
thx for the chapter