The elderly couple selling wontons at the entrance were always exceptionally warm whenever they saw Lou Muge. Initially, the old man was reluctant to serve Lou Muge, but after being scolded by his wife several times, he dared not give him a cold shoulder anymore.
Every morning, Lou Muge would sit at the wonton stall and chat with them.
The old man’s last name was Wang, and his wife’s last name was Guo.
Mrs. Guo was four years older than Mr. Wang, and they had been married for over thirty years.
Curious, Lou Muge inquired further, only to learn that both of their families had unique stories. Mr. Wang’s parents went up the mountain for hunting when he was a child and never came back. He grew up as a beggar, relying on the hospitality of various families.
Guo’s elder brother, who suffered from mental disability, had been a burden, deterring any potential suitors for Guo. Despite this, she remained unmarried until a matchmaker intervened, leading to their eventual marriage.
Over thirty years later, Old Wang never minded Guo’s brother’s condition, and Guo didn’t care about Wang’s impoverished past. They built a life together, running a wonton stall, and now, with a son and a daughter, they live contentedly.
To be able to stay together is a blessing. Hearing this, Lou Muge felt a warm glow inside. Living a life where days start with the sunrise and end with sunset is a dream for many.
“Shengsheng,” a soft call interrupted their conversation. Lou Muge recognized the voice, turning to see Ning Shaosi approaching with a gentle smile.
“Want a bowl?” Lou Muge gestured with his bowl.
Ning Shaosi nodded, a piece of silver already prepared in his sleeve. “We can go to the cemetery today,” Lou Muge said. “No progress lately; hopefully, we’ll find something today.”
Ning Shaosi nodded again. Lou Muge was used to his rare words; it seemed he hardly spoke, responding only when necessary, often blending into the background.
Before Ning Shaosi could start eating, a shout interrupted them. “Old Wang! Your wife’s idiot brother caused trouble! Hurry, go check!” The voice carried far, alarming Old Wang, who left everything and rushed to see. Guo also panicked, asking Lou Muge, “Little Immortal, please watch the stall!”
With that, she ran off, and Lou Muge stood up. “Let’s go; we need to see what happened.”
Ning Shaosi put down his chopsticks, left a piece of silver on the table, and lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingertip, a faint glimmer appearing and disappearing.
By the time Lou Muge caught up, he found a crowd and chaos. Cries and shouts filled the air, and among them, he heard Guo’s cries. Pushing through, he witnessed a gruesome scene—a man lying in a pool of blood, his left leg severed, a ghastly gash on his neck, blood flowing freely.
A strange scene unfolded as a man gripped a blood-stained knife. Nearby, two young men displayed furious aggression, ruthlessly beating a curled-up figure on the ground, causing agonizing cries.
Guo pleaded on her knees, begging them to stop, while Old Wang stood beside her in dumbfounded disbelief. A woman knelt by the man, wailing. Amidst the incessant gossip from the surrounding crowd, all the voices blended into a cacophony, ringing in Lou Muge’s ears.
As he pondered this, another cry reached him. Perplexed, he looked over and saw Chang Anning sobbing, her face flushed and pitiful.
“Why are you crying again? Is the one who died or the one getting beaten your relative?” he inquired.
“It must hurt to be beaten like that,” Chang Anning pointed to the curled-up person on the ground. “Didn’t you hear his cries?”
Full of confusion, Lou Muge reached into his belongings and found the fAnning Shaosi had given him earlier. He pulled it out and threw it at the two assailants.
The fan struck one of them, causing him to stagger. Lou Muge caught it as it returned, and not a single sound emanated from the bell on the handle.
The man turned around, roaring, “Who did that!”
Lou Muge stepped out of the crowd, a hint of coldness on his face, inexplicably intimidating, “What skill is there in troubling a fool?”
On the ground lay Guo’s foolish brother named Guo Chuangen, covered in footprints, looking miserable but better off than those around him.
Seeing Lou Muge, the man dared not cause trouble again, angrily pointing at Guo Chuangen, “This fool killed my father! Why shouldn’t I hit him?!”
Lou Muge walked to the corpse, glanced down, and saw that the dead man was none other than Zhao Daye, who had gone mad in the street some days ago and hadn’t been heard from since being restrained by Zhang Rong.
Half of his face was buried in a pool of blood, yet he wore a satisfied and happy smile.
Guo rushed over, embracing Guo Chuangen, shouting, “My brother knows nothing! Don’t hurt him!”
The enraged man, hating both Guo Chuangen and Guo, kicked her in the back. Before he could kick again, old Wang, who had regained his composure, pushed him away.
Old Wang’s children arrived, witnessing their mother being attacked, fueling their anger. Chaos ensued between the two families.
Lou Muge suppressed his impatience, squatting next to the man. Upon investigation, he found the man’s soul nearly vanished, leaving only an empty shell.
He stood up with a stern face.
Ning Shaosi calmly approached, glanced at the fan in Lou Muge’s hand, seemingly pleased, and asked softly, stepping on the blood, “What happened?”
“Soul’s gone,” Lou Muge replied quietly.
A person’s soul remains for twelve hours after death before entering the ghost path. Only those in the underworld or practitioners can detect it. However, Zhao Daye had just died, and his soul was completely gone, evidently extracted.
His gaze scanned the surroundings, finding no one suspicious.
As the two families continued their quarrel, Lou Muge, bothered by the chaos, suddenly felt a tug on his hair ornament from Ning Shaosi.
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.
Qlat j mglrq rbecv, atf yfii gjcu bea, mjerlcu ybat jguelcu ojwlilfr ab rlweiajcfberis ojii rlifca, atflg ffglf ujhfr vlgfmafv ja Obe Zeuf.
Snfc atf bcibbxfgr delfafv vbkc.
Obe Zeuf xcfk la kjr Rlcu Vtjbrl’r reyaif wjclqeijalbc. Kjxlcu jvnjcajuf bo atf rlifcmf, tf jrxfv atf wbra fwbalbcjiis mtjgufv wjc, “Lbk vlv Xeb’r obbi mjerf atf vfjat bo sbeg ojatfg?”
“My father has been bound at home since falling ill. Today, while my brother and I were working outside, this fool rushed to our house, harmed my mother, and untied my father. Armed with a knife, my father rushed here, and by the time we arrived, he had already passed away,” the man replied, his tone monotonous, devoid of any fluctuations.
“Haha, he deserved it! He deserved it!” Guo Chuangen clapped his hands gleefully, “He died justly, it’s his time to die…”
Lou Muge’s eyebrows twitched, “What does that mean?”
“It’s his turn, it’s his turn.” Guo Chuangen, with a foolish grin, shook his head like a child, happily widening his mouth. “None can escape.”
“None can escape?” Lou Muge slowly chewed on these words, asking the crowd, “Who can explain the meaning of this sentence?”
Everyone fell silent, the quietness was palpable.
“Surely it’s something from fifty years ago,” Chang Anning suddenly said.
Fifty years ago again.
Lou Muge looked at him, inquiring, “What happened?”
Chang Anning opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a green light approached, passing through the crowd. Everyone collectively sighed in relief, and a buzzing discussion erupted again.
However, this time, the voices were much quieter, with most people looking at Lou Muge in fear.
“What are you doing to these mortals?” Ze Wan questioned Lou Muge as she landed.
“What’s it to you?” Lou Muge retorted.
Ze Wan angrily said, “If you harm these mortals, it concerns me!”
“Which eye of yours saw me hurting them?” Lou Muge tucked his fan behind his waist, indifferent to arguing with her, and turned to leave.
“Lou Shengsheng, don’t think you can get away with this just because you have this fake Ning Shaosi by your side. You, a member of the human race, willingly associating with demons, it’s ridiculous!” Ze Wan persisted.
Ning Shaosi looked at her seriously, “I am not fake.”
Ze Qian sneered, pulling Ze Wan, “You have nothing to say to such a person; just wait for him to reap what he sows.”
“I am real,” Ning Shaosi insisted to Lou Muge.
Lou Muge responded nonchalantly, glancing at Ze Wan, “I’ll go with whoever I want. None of your business!”
He was not interested in arguing with this young girl, ignored Ze Wan’s angry voice behind him, turned around, and even called Chang Anning to join him.
Chang Anning, with swollen red eyes from crying, walked with Lou Muge for a while before asking, “What spell did you use just now?”
“Why?” Lou Muge casually replied, “Do you want to learn?”
Chang Anning shook his head hurriedly, “I’m not a cultivator. I just found it fascinating. After hearing the bell ring, my body wouldn’t obey me. I wanted to speak, but I could only stare at you and couldn’t move.”
Lou Muge didn’t pay much attention, brushing it off, “Immortal spells are like that. What about the thing you mentioned, fifty years ago?”
“I’m not entirely sure. I wasn’t born fifty years ago. I just heard it from Zhao Daye.” Chang Anning scratched the back of his head, “He mentioned that fifty years ago, some people in the village organized and did something bad, but it’s been so long that no one talks about it now.”
Lou Muge clicked his tongue discontentedly, his eyes slightly narrowed, beautiful brows showing extreme impatience, “If it weren’t for the trial of the gods, I wouldn’t bother with any of you.”
Shan An City’s hidden secrets were impossible to conceal, destined to surface sooner or later, but their procrastination was a blatant waste of time.
“Who knows about what happened fifty years ago?” Lou Muge asked directly.
“Perhaps we can inquire with the village chief,” Chang Anning suggested. “The village chief’s father seems to have been involved in that matter fifty years ago.”
The village chief of Shan An was named Li Wei, forty-six years old, with only one daughter who reached adulthood. He doted on her like the apple of his eye.
Lou Muge had Chang Anning lead the way, casually picking up a wooden stick and gesturing, causing Chang Anning to glance back frequently. Despite his attempts to speak several times, he held back upon seeing Lou Muge’s expression.
Lou Muge lazily lifted an eyelid, “Speak if you have something.”
“Our village chief is a good person…” Chang Anning murmured silently, “His wife passed away early, and he raised his daughter alone, leading a difficult life…”
Lou Muge didn’t want to hear him pity the village chief, showing some impatience, “What are you even saying?”
“Don’t beat him,” Chang Anning stubbornly said, “He can’t endure beatings.”
Lou Muge chuckled, “If I were to beat him, I’d practice on you first.”
Chang Anning shrank his neck, quickening his pace and falling silent. He silently prayed for the village chief in his heart.
Lou Muge had no intention of resorting to violence; he just wanted to scare them a bit.
These Shan An people were not easy to deal with. Despite their apparent timidity, their bones were harder than stones, and deep down, they had a bit of a rebellious spirit. Trying to reason with them was a waste of time, especially considering Lou Muge’s aversion to reasoning.
Accompanied by Chang Anning, Lou Muge arrived at Li Wei’s doorstep. The first person he saw was a girl with two braids sitting on the doorstep, wrapped in thick cotton clothes. With wide-open eyes, she stood up upon seeing Chang Anning, smiling, “Brother Anning.”
Lou Muge took a look and realized this girl was taller than him, quite robust.
The men and women of Shan An were all sturdy, perhaps due to the spiritual energy in the land.
The girl’s name was Li Xiaolan, twenty-six years old, with an innocent and romantic appearance. She jogged towards Chang Anning, making Lou Muge and Ning Shaosi both tilt their heads slightly to look at her.
“Lan Lan, is your father at home?” Chang Anning asked, bending down.
Li Xiaolan nodded, “Just got back, he’s inside.”
Chang Anning glanced at Lou Muge, somewhat hesitating, “I won’t go in. I have some work to do.”
Lou Muge casually agreed and hurriedly entered with Ning Shaosi. He whispered to him, “Act tough when we get inside, let’s scare him first.”
Ning Shaosi nodded, whispering back, “Okay.”
Lou Muge straightened his posture, raising his voice, “Anyone here?”
As he walked in, he contemplated how to make a fierce expression with his beautiful face. He couldn’t rely on the child behind him; he was too innocent.
Back in the days when he was in the demon realm, a mere furrow of his brows could silence thousands of demons. Unfortunately, times had changed.
As Lou Muge sighed internally, Li Wei appeared, “Who’s there?”
Before the words had even settled, he froze at the door, stunned by the two almost grown boys before him.
His gaze swept across, meeting Ning Shaosi’s eyes. The exquisite features combined with a chilly demeanor were colder than the frost and snow of midwinter. As the dark eyes stared straight ahead, the overwhelming force made Li Wei’s knees go weak.
Although he looked like a pampered young master who knew nothing of the world, he exuded an aura of hostility.
Li Wei immediately bent down, welcoming Lou Muge with a flattering smile, “Little immortal, what’s with the leg?”
“Are you the village chief of Shan An?” Lou Muge glanced at the stick in his hand, tossing it aside. Given the current attitude of this person, there was no need for intimidation.
Li Wei nodded, guiding them into the house, “Indeed, it’s cold outside. Please come in.”
Lou Muge stepped inside, and the warmth from the coal stove caused water droplets to form on his hair tips. Spotting this, Ning Shaosi extended two white, tender fingers to wipe away the water droplets, dispelling the cold from his entire body.
Lou Muge felt the movement in his hair and turned to look at him.
Ning Shaosi, now devoid of any cold aura, blinked those big eyes and looked back at him. His eyelashes were moist, accentuating the beauty of his eyes.
With a sudden impulse, Lou Muge felt the gaze was familiar. Almost involuntarily, he extended a finger and touched Ning Shaosi’s eyelashes. Ning Shaosi didn’t flinch, standing there, and the eye he touched blinked, a smile blooming in his gaze.
“Cough.” Li Wei hadn’t expected the two kids to play around in front of him. The intimidation from earlier seemed like an illusion. He thought, after all, they were just children, full of playful antics.
Lou Muge, brought back by this cough, turned his head and continued walking inside.
Just as Li Wei was about to speak, he saw the young man raise his eyes. In that instant, Li Wei felt as if a thousand pounds pressed down on his shoulders. Awkwardly, he knelt on the ground with a thump.
Lou Muge couldn’t help but laugh, “Oh, you’re too polite.”
Li Wei trembled all over, quickly getting up from the ground. He didn’t dare to look again, repeatedly saying, “It’s only right, it’s only right…”
Without waiting for an invitation, Lou Muge plopped down on a chair, exuding a lazy demeanor. He asked, “Today, someone surnamed Zhao died in the street. Do you know about this?”
“I just returned from Zhao’s house.” Li Wei hurriedly replied.
“Guo’s idiot said he deserved it and also mentioned that no one could escape. What does that mean?” He asked directly, without any twists or turns.
“You can’t believe the words of an idiot.” Li Wei smiled helplessly. “Guo Chuangen has been foolish for over forty years, always babbling nonsense.”
“Words from an idiot are often more truthful than yours.” Lou Muge snorted. “Keep hiding, and everyone in your village will end up like the one surnamed Zhao. Do you really think that Water Goddess can protect you all?”
These words were not pleasant to hear. Li Wei, as the village head, still had some prestige, but now, he couldn’t even raise his face. He heard that a few days ago, a child from the Chang family spoke harshly to this person and ended up beaten with a face full of blood…
Li Wei was calculating how to handle the situation. However, Lou Muge couldn’t be bothered to deal with it. He lazily tapped the tabletop, impatiently saying, “Stop concealing things. I know about the dragon you people tried to disturb fifty years ago at the bottom of the spring. It ended up causing a flood, but this time, it’s not the dragon causing trouble. If you keep hiding, no one can save your lives.”
Startled by these words, Li Wei couldn’t control his expression and stared at Lou Muge, “How do you know…”
Lou Muge pressed harder, “Speak!”
“It’s… it’s an event from fifty years ago. I’m not quite sure, but I know that my father and a group of people in the village did something that angered the Water Goddess. She cast a curse, trapping the people in the village for generations. But in the past fifty years, nothing happened, so we thought the Water Goddess had calmed down…”
“Is the Water Goddess protecting you, or cursing you? When you made up the story, didn’t you think it through?” Lou Muge felt a bit helpless. Different people provided different information. Whose version was the truth?
“The curse of the Water Goddess is a blessing for us.” Li Wei said earnestly.
“Then, what did you do fifty years ago to anger her?”
“I don’t know about that.” Li Wei stammered, “I wasn’t born fifty years ago.”
Lou Muge was momentarily out of breath. Standing up abruptly, he frightened Li Wei.
“Dad…” Li Xiaolan hid behind the door frame, nervously staring at Lou Muge.
Seeing the girl so frightened, Lou Muge took a deep breath, suppressing his explosive temper, and sorted through the clues in his mind.
Fifty years ago, Shan An attempted to slay a dragon, but it angered the Black Dragon, causing a storm and flood as punishment. The Water Goddess intervened to save the people of Shan An. Since then, they had been grateful to the Water Goddess.
But what was the reason behind the incident that Li Wei spoke of?
Repeated questioning yielded only responses like “don’t know,” “not clear,” and “not familiar.”
Staring at Li Wei, Lou Muge, frustrated, scolded, “This unfortunate village chief doesn’t know anything. This matter is ancient history, and I was still a child back then, so I really don’t know the reasons behind it.”
After wasting half a day, basically obtaining no useful information, Lou Muge, thinking about the fairy stone on his wrist, decided not to resort to threats with clenched fists. With Ning Shaosi in tow, he left Li Wei’s house.
The two walked slowly, and on their way back, they noticed that Guo’s wonton stall had closed. It seemed they were still arguing with the Zhao family. With the head of the Zhao family dead under suspicious circumstances, it was unlikely they would let the matter rest.
As they stepped inside, Lou Muge suddenly spotted someone by the door, coldly staring at him.
Upon closer inspection, it was Tao Ming’s younger brother, Tao Zhai. He always felt there was a hint of mischief in the boy, clearly cut from the same cloth as Tao Zhai, yet distinguishable.
Tao Zhai stared at him intently, and only when he approached did he whisper, “You can’t save him.”
This was the second time Tao Zhai said this to him. Lou Muge raised an eyebrow, “Seems like you know something. Interested in having a private chat in my room?”
Tao Zhai didn’t expect him to say that, hesitated for a moment, and was about to say something when Lou Muge walked away. His attention was only briefly diverted, soon captivated by the person walking behind.
In an instant, he locked eyes with a pair of calm and emotionless eyes. Although they weren’t close, an oppressive force spread, causing Tao Zhai to instinctively clench his teeth.
However, without pausing for a moment, Ning Shaosi brushed past him, closely following Lou Muge into the room.
“Go find that puppy, Wen Changchu. I want to take a nap,” Lou Muge lifted the quilt, took off his outer cotton coat and shoes, jumped onto the bed, tightly wrapping himself with a fan in his arms.
His internal power was limited, and it could only recover more quickly during sleep. The spiritual energy in the human realm was far inferior to the three realms above, requiring ample sleep to compensate.
Actually, he would benefit more in the water, but Lou Muge wasn’t a water demon. His nature preferred warmth and dryness; he couldn’t stand being immersed in water regularly.
Seeing him lie down, Ning Shaosi didn’t say much. He nodded, turned around, and softly closed the door.
Lou Muge closed his eyes and drifted into sleep. In a trance, he dreamed of the first encounter with Ning Shaosi.
At that time, Ning Shaosi ascended as a god, defeating all challengers in the Divine Trial, ranking first and making a name for himself across the six realms. Standing among the crowd, everyone looked up to him. Little did he expect that this prominent figure would later become his disciple, serving tea and pouring water for him.
Ning Shaosi, plotted by the Zhushis from the old divine realm, fell into an ambush, managing to escape with his life but suffering severe injuries. It was Lou Muge who picked him up from a cave, saving his life.
To protect himself, Ning Shaosi sealed all his divine powers, transforming into a child of about seven or eight years old. He sported a pair of soft white tiger ears on top of his head. No matter who he faced, his demeanor remained calm, yet his beautiful eyes were brimming with liveliness.
Lou Muge remembered those eyes; there would never be a second pair identical in all six realms.
And now, they bore an uncanny resemblance to this youth holding a seven hundred and twelve-piece wooden plaque.
This was one of the reasons why Lou Muge was willing to let him follow.
The dream became blurry, and as Lou Muge moved his fingers, he gradually woke up. He blinked, turned to look out the window, and realized it was getting dark.
Getting off the bed, he got dressed, yawned widely, opened the door, and found that it had started snowing heavily while he was asleep.
Ning Shaosi sat on a small stool in front of the door, his luxurious brocade robe trailing on the ground. Sheltered from the eaves, he watched the snowfall.
Hearing the movement, he turned slowly. Looking at the sleepy-eyed Lou Muge, he smiled gently, his voice as soft as cotton, “You woke up just in time. They’re about to set off for the graveyard.”
Thank you for the chapter!! 🧡
Thank You for the new chapter (੭ु ›ω‹ )੭ु⁾⁾♡♡
💖💖💖💖
<3
The mystery just got even more confusing.. Maybe black dragon and water goddess are actually a pair? And the water goddess is angered by shan an villagers trying to hurt her beloved? 😓
thx for the chapter