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墨書 Inktalez
Fifteen years ago, the lonely and destitute Five followed the Beggar Leader southward. At that time, he only knew that having a full meal was the greatest happiness.
He was very thin back then, his body always dirty. Many of the children in the Beggar Gang were disabled; some healthy children were even maimed by the Beggar Leader to evoke sympathy. Five was the only one who had all his limbs intact because he was skilled at stealing. He could snatch coins from a boiling pot in an instant and could deftly slice open a bag without anyone noticing to take out money.
Even now, his hands bear the mottled scars from when he practiced his thieving skills.
When the Beggar Gang passed by Azure Mountain, they were spotted by the Ghost Elder, who was preparing to descend for a journey. Seeing Five's exceptional talent and lively eyes, the Ghost Elder considered taking him as a disciple. However, upon hearing from the villagers at the foot of Azure Mountain that this group was made up of human traffickers, the Ghost Elder was enraged and decided to kill them all.
It was Five who knelt down and pleaded with the Ghost Elder not to kill them.
The Ghost Elder made his intentions clear: he would take Five as his disciple and eliminate these villains.
"But if you kill them, what will happen to my brothers? They still need to eat," Five argued.
The Ghost Elder was taken aback by Five's words. He realized how much this seemingly mischievous child understood about the world. Even he hadn’t considered what would happen to those disabled children if the traffickers were killed.
No one would adopt disabled children; if those traffickers were gone, the children would starve.
Thus, the Ghost Elder spared the traffickers and placed a curse on them: if they harmed any more children, they would surely meet with disaster and die a tragic death.
From that moment on, Five eagerly followed the Ghost Elder around, serving him tea and water, doing laundry and cooking, scratching his back and massaging him. The Ghost Elder grew increasingly fond of Five, nurturing him plump and healthy, reluctant to let him do any hard work. As Five became more mischievous and unruly, he ruled over Azure Mountain until one day he asked the Ghost Elder why he had no parents.
This question had never been asked by any child in the Beggar Gang. The Ghost Elder looked at Five and decided to set aside his original plan of wandering down the mountain. He resolved to take Five on a journey to find his biological parents.
In the end, they found nothing. Since he could remember, Five had been part of the Beggar Gang; he ranked fifth among them, which is why he was called Five. He couldn’t recall his original name or where he was born.
Eventually, their money ran out, and they were starving. The Ghost Elder intended to act as a fortune teller by the roadside but waited for a long time without seeing anyone. Finally, it was Five who stole some money and bought several baskets of buns for them to eat heartily.
It was through Five that the Ghost Elder saw what evil within goodness looked like and what goodness within evil meant.
Later on, they encountered Yang Sanqian, who took them in. From then on, Five began calling Yang Sanqian Brother Yang.
"Brother Yang," he said, "I have a son named Yang Hao who is two years older than you. You will have to call him brother."
"Don't worry, Brother Yang," Five replied confidently. "In the future, I will definitely become the best brother with Yang Hao."
Growing up in the Beggar Gang, Wu learned to navigate life by reading others' expressions. Sweet-talking and charming, he finally began to enjoy a carefree life, albeit with occasional bouts of loneliness and confusion.
Everyone knew he referred to the old man as "Old Immortal" and called him "Ghost Elder," but secretly, he had asked Yang Sanqian for many longevity methods. He was reluctant to consume the elixirs he found; all the ones with life-extending properties were reserved for Ghost Elder, his only family.
Four years ago, Ghost Elder suddenly went to Qilian Mountain and never returned. Wu disappeared multiple times; aside from searching for Mr. Chang, he sought out Ghost Elder’s whereabouts at Qilian Mountain.
Now that Ghost Elder had finally returned, just as they were about to reunite, he suddenly died.
Wu watched as Ghost Elder's Remnant Soul gradually faded away. Choking back tears, he called out "Master," and when Ghost Elder completely vanished, he finally broke down in sobs.
He shut the door, refusing to let anyone in. Feeling wronged, he recalled how they had once fantasized that if one of them died, the other would smile and bid farewell.
But he couldn't do it.
After a long while, when Wu's emotions settled down, I entered the room. Wu Zheng sat on the floor in a daze. I said, "Wu. I'm going to find Guo Daozhen to help locate Miao Guanyin and Zhou Manman. The Yang Family is filled with experts now; you mustn't act recklessly. If you see Ghost Elder again, remember he is no longer your master; his physical body is controlled by Old Scholar's avatar."
May Day was restless. I patted his shoulder and turned to leave the courtyard.
Qiongqi saw me heading out and eagerly crouched in front of me, signaling for me to ride him. I said, "You stay here and protect everyone; Douding is your master."
Douding chimed in, "Brother Yang Hao, if you ride Big Cat, you can go faster."
I replied, "No need; Big Cat belongs to you. I won't take him. Just behave at home and don't run off. I should be back by morning."
"Hao, be careful. The Underworld Sect is in chaos; all factions know about your resurrection. They might suspect you know the secrets of the Book of Life and Death," Jiyao warned.
"Don't worry, Mother. Even if the sect leaders want to capture me, they won't succeed. You take care of yourself." I walked toward the courtyard exit. "By the way, Huzi and Iron Bull, keep an eye on Wu."
Huzi nodded while Iron Bull said, "Boss, if I can't run as fast as you, I can't follow."
I waved goodbye to everyone and soon vanished into the outskirts of Jiangnan.
Guo Daozhen lived not far from Jiangnan in a mountainous countryside area surrounded by rolling farmlands. Each household had flowers and plants at their doorstep, and tea trees filled the hillsides. As I approached Guo Daozhen's farmhouse, I saw Guo Huaiyi tending to flowers in the yard with a few white rabbits kept inside a fenced area.
"Brother Guo!" I greeted Guo Huaiyi.
Guo Huaiyi raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "Oh, isn't this Yang Dacai? You can run all the way here from a hundred or eighty miles away."
I awkwardly asked, "Where's Old Guo?"
Guo Huaiyi replied, "He divined yesterday that Arched Eyebrows is in great danger and went to see a play. I wanted to go too, but he wouldn't let me. I still have Demonic Energy lingering in my body and need to recuperate."
"How did Arched Eyebrows suddenly get into trouble?" I asked in surprise.
Guo Huaiyi said, "That old man is becoming more and more mysterious. How would I know what he's up to? Ever since he got one of the Yang Family High Priest's eyes, he can see many things he couldn't before. Why do you look so pale? Arched Eyebrows is one of the major sects that pushed you off the cliff; their survival has nothing to do with you, right?"
"Arched Eyebrows' survival may not concern me much, but Senior Sister Yu won't just sit back and watch. She might be in danger trying to save Arched Eyebrows. I have to go there," I said, turning to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't go!" Guo Huaiyi pulled me back. "Look, it's already afternoon. Why not eat first before you leave? My cooking has improved lately. My father insisted I raise a few rabbits to calm my mind; I've just decided to slaughter them all."
I replied, "Really, Brother Guo, I must take my leave."
"What do you mean by take your leave? You're impossible," Guo Huaiyi insisted. "How about this: come with me to see something. After that, I'll go out with you. I've mastered the Ghost Gate Secret Technique now; it's time for those stubborn donkeys from the Daoist Sect to remember my name."
Guo Huaiyi chuckled as I reluctantly followed him toward another farmhouse. He led me to hide behind the back wall of the farmhouse. As the sun began to set and the light faded, I asked, "Brother Guo, what are you bringing me here to see?"
"You'll find out soon enough; it's coming," Guo Huaiyi said.
His expression was somewhat excited as we saw a graceful young woman returning with a basket. She looked about eighteen or nineteen years old—though dressed simply, her skin was delicate and didn't resemble that of a typical village woman.
"Just in time," Guo Huaiyi remarked. "She just married into this valley last year... a widow. I've chatted with her a bit. They say she was still a virgin when her husband died; she has a reputation for being unlucky with men—no man dares to approach her."
After the widow returned home, she placed the basket on the ground and reached for a tub of water in the backyard. It seemed the water temperature was just right; she looked around and then stripped off her clothes to pour water over herself with a ladle.
"This..." I felt embarrassed; I hadn't expected Guo Huaiyi would invite me to witness such an intimate scene.
"Shh!" Guo Huaiyi signaled for me to be quiet as we watched the widow's body glisten under the sunset, smooth and radiant. Her slightly rounded backside stirred feelings of desire within me.
“Guo Huaiyi, what are you two doing?” A voice came from afar. Turning around, I saw an old man carrying a hoe walking towards us.
I placed one hand on Guo Huaiyi's shoulder and suddenly vanished.
The Old Farmer stumbled back in fright, dropping his hoe and scrambling away while shouting that a ghost had appeared, claiming that the widow not only brought misfortune to men but also summoned spirits!
Outside Mountain Valley, Guo Huaiyi and I exchanged a knowing smile before heading straight for Western Shu Emei.
Western Shu Emei was rich in mountains and rivers; although the natural environment was not harsh, the mountain paths were difficult to traverse. We traveled through the night and finally reached the foot of Emei Mountain by the next morning.
Along the way, I recounted the events regarding the Book of Life and Death and the Yang Family to Guo Huaiyi. In return, Guo Huaiyi informed me that the recent calamity faced by Arched Eyebrows was due to the Serpent Cult.
The Daoist Sect was in chaos, yet the Supreme Sect remained unafraid. The terrain and environment of the Western Regions were harsh, and the Serpent Cult had long been labeled as a heretical sect. Many years ago, they were driven to the fringes of the Western Regions by righteous factions, establishing their stronghold in desolate mountains. Over time, they became deeply rooted, with no one daring to invade them. Instead, this allowed the Serpent Cult to grow stronger and more stable. Years later, they finally sought out a great serpent as their spirit and inherited magical skills, becoming a formidable force against the Supreme Sect.
With Underworld Sect in turmoil and various factions retreating into isolation, it was precisely during this period that the Supreme Sect sought to absorb other sects. At this critical moment, some factions would not respond to calls from righteous sects. Moreover, Wudang had already been destroyed. Wudang was the leader of the Daoist Sect and had a reputation that surpassed Sword Pavilion; however, its strength did not match that of Sword Pavilion. Now that it was gone, it became a rescue mission for Sword Pavilion's branch while the Serpent Cult aimed to annihilate Arched Eyebrows. Who could stand against them?
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