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墨書 Inktalez
"By the way, the reason you attacked A-Qing earlier was because she is a Wandering Spirit, right?" Was this action purely instinctive, a duty of the Guardian of the Mountain Stone Beast?
"Meow!" (What? What Wandering Spirit? That rude fellow is a Vengeful Spirit! How dare they look down on me! If left unchecked, they'll turn into an evil spirit!) Little White, who had been lost in sorrow, suddenly blinked and became furious.
"...So, is your reason for attacking her because she is a Vengeful Spirit or because she was disrespectful to you?" Your explanation is so confusing!
"Meow!" (Both! I am the esteemed Guardian of the Mountain Stone Beast; how could I allow such disrespect? That mere Vengeful Spirit dared to be rude to me; it was only right to eliminate her!)
...So, you don't like the name Little White, right?
I rubbed my temples in frustration.
It seemed that this spirit beast had quite a high sense of pride.
"Then how should I address you?" I asked.
"Meow." (We do not have individual names.)
"Then... is Little White not good?" Using A-Qing's words: It's cute! It's approachable!
"Meow!" (Do you call dogs that?!) It growled angrily, scratching the ground. "Meow!" (Why does that foolish Suan Ni get a grand name while I am treated like this!)
No, no, you don’t understand. "Xuan" is what I call you; A-Qing calls you Xiao Hay! I silently complained in my mind.
"I see, let me think..." I gazed at its entirely white spirit light and tentatively suggested, "How about calling you 'Snow'?"
"...Meow." It reluctantly accepted.
After confirming Snow's willingness to comply and establishing some ground rules with it, I decided to take it back to meet everyone so that they could get acquainted and avoid any accidental harm to allies in the future.
By the way, is A-Qing really a Vengeful Spirit? But I can't see any resentment in her...
"By the way, Snow," I couldn't help but ask curiously as we strolled back, "you seem to really dislike Xuan. Why is that?"
Dislike is a rather polite way to put it; in reality, Snow's attitude towards Xuan is one of extreme contempt and disgust.
"Meow!" (Because he's stupid!) Snow succinctly replied.
"What do you mean?" What kind of stupidity could provoke such a reaction?
From what I know, Xuan may seem a bit dull, but he shouldn't be that annoying, right?
"Meow ah ah ah ah ah!" However, under my questioning, Snow suddenly exploded like a boiling pot, spouting off a long string of complaints—
The responsibilities assigned to the Guardian of the Mountain Stone Beast include not only suppressing the resentment on Potter's Field but also primarily focusing on subduing the spirit of the Yiling Ancestor.
However, after years of cautious searching with no results, most stone beasts have shifted their focus towards exorcising evil spirits.
Only Xuan is different.
This black Suan Ni, tasked with guarding the mountain path, seems to have developed an interest in the Yiling Ancestor after hearing too many tales about him circulating among Wandering Spirits. He even began to admire him...
"Meow ah ah ah ah ah!" (What is our primary duty? It’s to suppress that damned Yiling Ancestor! Yet this stupid guy talks about the Yiling Ancestor all day long. Whenever he sees someone in black passing by, he gets excited and greets them, even directly asking if they are the Yiling Ancestor... He not only fails to understand why he’s here, but he also lacks any sense of self-awareness or dignity as a Guardian of the Mountain Stone Beast! What kind of craftsman made this fool?!)
After listening to Snow's lengthy tirade, I couldn't help but feel completely bewildered.
So Xuan... is actually a fan of Wei Wuxian!
No wonder they were so eager to guide Song Zichen; after all, he happened to be dressed in a black robe... I couldn't help but chuckle.
Since Snow took pride in being the Guardian of the Mountain Stone Beast, he found it even more intolerable that Xuan didn't take his responsibilities seriously at all.
It felt like we had two beings with the worst compatibility... I couldn't help but mourn for myself silently.
I had a feeling that the days ahead would become quite lively... the noisy kind.
***
“... Huh?” I was slightly surprised to see a familiar figure standing near the cave entrance.
“Is the Daoist back?” I remembered that Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen had gone out for a night hunt. Why were they back so soon?
I had originally planned to let Snow and A-Qing get acquainted and build a good relationship before they returned.
Additionally—
“... Xuan, what are you doing?” I walked over, looking at Xuan with confusion as he tightly clutched the hem of Song Lan's robe.
What was going on here?
“Ah, Xiaohua, you're back! You're alright... ah!” A-Qing, who had intended to check on my well-being, immediately got scared and hid behind Song Lan when she saw Snow following me. “Y-You stay away! If you dare to act up again, I’ll have the Daoist deal with you!”
“Gao!” (You’re back!) Upon seeing me, Xuan immediately released his grip on Song Lan's robe and ran towards me.
“Meow!” (Get lost! Don’t come near me!) Snow growled fiercely in warning.
"Ga..." Xuan suddenly stopped, looking around in confusion at the snow, then back at me. After a few back-and-forth glances, he wilted on the spot.
I silently observed the two of them, feeling the tension in the air, and let out a deep sigh.
"Daozhang, what happened?" I turned to ask the solemn-faced Song Lan.
"This is exactly what I want to know—what on earth happened?" Song Lan furrowed his brows as he stared at me. "I received a warning notification from A-Qing, which is why I returned to check on the situation..."
Earlier, when Song Lan was about to leave Potter's Field, he had expressed his concerns for both me and A-Qing. He had instructed that if an emergency arose requiring him to come back for assistance, I should knock seven times on the trunk of the Sophora Tree. Once he sensed it, he would return immediately.
"When I got back here, I only saw A-Qing and Xuan. A-Qing said you encountered a rare and ferocious beast and was worried you couldn't handle it, which is why she hurriedly summoned me to help you. But..." He glanced at Xuan Yi. "For some reason, Xuan insisted on blocking my way and wouldn't let me go."
"Right! This Xiao Hay doesn't seem to know what it's on about, stubbornly pulling Master Song away from finding you. Even when asked why, it just keeps shaking its head and making those strange sounds—it's impossible to understand!" A-Qing chimed in.
"I tried asking a few questions as well, but I really couldn't grasp its intentions. Just when I was at a loss for what to do, you returned," Xiao Xingchen added from the side.
Hearing this, I silently glanced at Xuan Yi and raised an eyebrow.
...So, are you worried that the snow will attack Song Zichen or that Song Zichen will harm the snow?
"Ga..." Perhaps sensing my questioning gaze, Xuan suddenly started rolling his eyes awkwardly before lowering his head in embarrassment.
Well, fine. I understand; no matter which option I mention will offend one side or the other. So it's best not to say anything at all!
"Um, it's nothing; just a misunderstanding. I'm really sorry for troubling Daozhang over this," I said with an apologetic smile.
"What misunderstanding! That beast was truly ferocious! I didn't do anything at all, yet it came charging at me right away wanting to tear me apart! If it weren't for Xiao Hua protecting me in time, I would have been in serious trouble!" A-Qing exclaimed as she poked her head out from behind Song Lan, her tone filled with grievance.
I coughed lightly, my right fist resting against my lips.
“Ahem, well, this is the ‘misunderstanding’ I need to explain now.”
I succinctly recounted Snow's experiences and the events leading up to them.
“I see…” Song Lan mused, his gaze lowered in thought. “Regarding the encirclement of Potter's Field, I have heard a bit about it, but I was never involved and am unclear about the details…”
According to Song Lan, ever since the Curse Wall blocking Potter's Field was torn down during the second major encirclement, the Yiling Realm has been in turmoil.
Afterwards, while various prominent families had considered rebuilding and reinforcing the Curse Wall, the Lanling Jin were currently in disarray and unable to manage their own affairs; the Yunmeng Jiang were hesitant to act due to certain reasons; the Qinghe Nie were taking a wait-and-see approach; and the Gusu Lan, being too far away, found it inconvenient to intervene. Thus, the matter was left unresolved.
Unfortunately, the local populace was struggling, and there were no Esotericism families stationed there permanently to help; they could only rely on occasional passing cultivators and Wandering Daoists for assistance.
This was also why Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen decided to descend the mountain for night hunting.
Song Lan looked at Snow with a solemn expression.
“If the Guardian of the Mountain Stone Beast can still maintain its integrity, it should alleviate some of the burdens on the residents here… I truly regret what you have endured.” After speaking, he and Xiao Xingchen bowed respectfully to Snow.
“Meow.” Snow returned the gesture with a semblance of grace.
“…So, because it is a spirit beast with a high sense of pride, it cannot accept being belittled by others calling it ‘Little White’.” This was deliberately said for A-Qing's benefit. “Now, allow me to reintroduce: this is our new Guardian of the Mountain Stone Beast—Snow. Please take good care of it.”
“What! So that’s how it is!” A-Qing reluctantly stepped out from behind Song Lan but still kept a wary eye on Snow. “But still, isn’t Snow being a bit extreme? While I also dislike being casually called ‘Little Blind’, I wouldn’t resort to violence over it! I’m not like that rogue Xue Yang…”
“Speaking of which, A-Qing, are you a Vengeful Spirit?” I couldn’t help but ask curiously. “Do you harbor unquenchable resentment in your heart?”
“Vengeful Spirits?” A-Qing said, bewildered, as she scratched her head. “I know I’m just a wandering soul! As for whether I have grievances or not... well, if we’re talking about resentment, then of course I do! If I get the chance, I’ll definitely give that Xue Yang a good beating!” As she spoke passionately, she couldn’t help but wave the bamboo pole in her hand wildly. “Hmph! I used to be afraid of him, but now he’s just another wandering soul like me. He’s nothing special. Since we’re both ghosts, I don’t have to be afraid of him anymore!”
“A-Qing, don’t say that,” Xiao Xingchen, who usually had a gentle demeanor, suddenly looked serious. “That person harbors a lot of malice; after death, he might turn into a fierce ghost. If you encounter him, you won’t be able to handle it as just a mere wandering soul.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? We’re all ghosts here; why can’t I do anything to him?” A-Qing pouted in dissatisfaction.
Xiao Xingchen gently patted her head and said helplessly, “Stop clinging to meaningless past events and forget about that person…” He hesitated slightly before looking at Song Lan with a questioning gaze. “By the way… what happened to him later?” He had only heard from A-Qing that Xue Yang was killed by someone with a sword, but after that, he had no idea what happened.
“I only remember that his body was taken away by someone using a teleportation talisman, but I don’t know where it went…” Song Lan’s expression was grave, suppressing his anger.
At that time, after he pulled out the nail from his skull and regained his consciousness, he had rushed to the righteous manor to see Xiao Xingchen without caring about Xue Yang’s fate or whereabouts, so he hadn’t witnessed the entire process.
Now, no one knew where Xue Yang’s body had ended up.
After a long silence, Xiao Xingchen let out a heavy sigh.
“Well, it’s probably for the best that we won’t meet again…”
I could only remain silent and lower my gaze, not saying a word.
Although it was merely my speculation, I believed that Xue Yang must have been controlled by Jin Guangyao using the Yin Tiger Talisman and mixed in with the corpses during the second great purge. Amidst the chaos, his body was likely completely destroyed in this Potter's Field…
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