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墨書 Inktalez
Hate Gu had already transcended the realm of ordinary curses, and the one who wielded it had resigned himself to death, so it was only natural that the Cat Bone Bracelet could not detect it.
"But you still fell for my trick, didn't you?"
Peng San Po said, "As long as you are willing to help me find Yuer, I will kneel and bow to you three times to apologize and then take my own life to free the child from the poison."
Qiqi replied coldly, "I've moved on. I really can't help you. Even if I could, I don't like being threatened."
"Are you really not afraid that I will infect you with the Hate Gu that this guy has, leading us all to perish together?"
Qiqi said, "What is a mere Hate Gu? What power does it hold? If you don't believe I can lift this curse, then go ahead and try."
"Do you truly not understand? Because of this child, you have already offended the Gu God. Do you still want to remain stubborn?"
"This is my own business; it has nothing to do with you," Qiqi replied coldly.
"Fine, anyway, my Yuer is waiting for me in the Underworld. I'm going to find him! We will all perish together!" Peng San Po muttered a spell and was about to unleash the Hate Gu, intending to use its infectious nature to kill both Qiqi and Wei Ning.
"Wait. Old hag, look at what this is!" Qiqi suddenly pointed to a spot not far away. Wei Ning then noticed that Qiqi's Soul Beast had vanished at some point and was now slowly approaching with a platform on its head.
Seeing the platform atop the Soul Beast, Peng San Po's expression changed drastically as he exclaimed in disbelief, "Impossible! No way! You couldn't have found my curse altar in such a short time—it's impossible..."
It turned out that Qiqi had somehow located Peng San Po's curse altar without him knowing. Once the altar was opened, Peng San Po would undoubtedly meet his end.
Interrupting Peng San Po's words, Qiqi said coldly, "How I found it is none of your concern."
Peng San Po sighed deeply and said, "You win. With a disciple as formidable as you under Peng Bai, it's only a matter of time before you attract trouble. Please tell him I will be waiting for him in the Underworld."
Wei Ning hesitated, saying, "Qiqi, let's all calm down and discuss this. Maybe..."
Qiqi coldly interrupted, "If you want to die, no one will stop you. The well nearby is uncovered; just jump in and be done with it. But I don't want to die, especially not at her hands."
"But killing is against the law," Wei Ning stammered.
"This is self-defense."
Peng San Po suddenly let out a grim laugh. "Either way, I'm dead. I might as well drag you down with me!" With that, he lunged forward, aiming to seize the insect altar on Luo Er's back.
"Don't let him get the altar!" Qiqi shouted urgently. With a flick of her hand, a cloud of red mist shot out from her palm, momentarily halting Peng San Po's movement. He realized that Qiqi had definitely used some kind of hex on him, but at this point, knowing he was doomed, he couldn't care less. He had to grab the altar first; only then could they all perish together.
Qiqi and Wei Ning were about four or five meters away from the old woman, and it was too late to chase after him. Meanwhile, Luo Er seemed paralyzed with fear, crouched there without moving.
"Luo Er! Knock it over!" Qiqi yelled. It seemed to snap Luo Er out of her stupor; she shifted her weight back, causing the altar to tilt dangerously. Just as it was about to hit the ground, Peng San Po reached it just in time, his fingertips grazing the altar.
"I got it!" The old woman felt a surge of joy, but suddenly a sharp object struck her wrist. She flinched, and with a loud clatter, the altar fell to the ground.
Upon closer inspection, it was Wei Ning's Red Umbrella that had struck Peng San Po.
"Sorry about that. I accidentally broke your altar," Qiqi said calmly, maintaining her composure even in such a life-threatening moment.
As soon as Qiqi finished speaking, an inexplicable fire erupted around Peng San Po, engulfing him instantly. He screamed for help as his clothes turned to ash in an instant, releasing a foul odor of charred flesh. His features twisted in agony as he writhed in the flames.
At that moment, flames also erupted in the direction of Peng San Po's home. The villagers of Peng Family Village emerged but did not make any move to help put out the fire at Peng San Po's house.
This might be because Peng San Po is a detested Grass Witch, so even when her house caught fire, no one bothered to help. Wei Ning felt a pang of sympathy; Qiqi was also a Grass Witch. Was she destined to follow in Peng San Po's footsteps, living a lonely life?
"Wretch! I know you plotted this all along to kill me!" Peng San Po shouted amidst the flames.
"You brought this upon yourself," Qiqi replied coldly. In the glow of the fire, her face appeared somewhat ghastly. Wei Ning could no longer bear to watch and turned away.
"Fourth Sister, we have been sisters for life. I couldn't avenge you, and I'm sorry. I... I have come to accompany you now. And Yuer, don't be afraid. Mother is here; I will hold you tight and won't let you feel cold anymore."
Peng San Po's voice grew weaker as the flames quickly extinguished. It took less than a minute for the fire to go out completely, and when the light faded, there was no trace of Peng San Po left—only a three-inch-long black snake lay motionless on the ground, already dead.
Qiqi sighed and pointed at the dead snake. "If a Grass Witch dies like this, it ends up like this. It's our fate, unavoidable. If I am ever killed by someone, and you see a snake like this, remember to bury me and perform the Qiqi ritual for my ninth day; otherwise, I won't be able to reincarnate."
Seeing Peng San Po's tragic end made Qiqi feel a sense of sorrow for the fate of others. She walked over and picked up the snake that had once been Peng San Po.
"Let's go."
Wei Ning looked at the dead snake that had once been Peng San Po and felt a deep sense of empathy. Her mind kept replaying Peng San Po's last words: "You plotted this all along."
Could it be that everything was part of Qiqi's plan? Had she intended from the very beginning to bring about Peng San Po's demise while using Wei Ning as merely a pawn or an excuse to kill her?
If that were true, why would she want to kill such a lonely and miserable old woman?
If not, then how did she find Peng San Po's Gu altar?
Gu Masters' altars are hidden in the most secretive places, known only to the closest individuals. Qiqi had only come to Peng Family Village recently; it was impossible for her to locate Peng San Po's altar in such a short time. Could it be that Qiqi deliberately led Peng San Po away and then sent Luo Er to find her altar?
Otherwise, how would he know that Peng San Po was coming to harm them? Luo Er had just arrived when Peng San Po was about to strike, bringing along the Gu Dan.
Why was that?
Wei Ning looked at the graceful figure of Qiqi walking ahead, feeling a surge of emotions.
The two found a hotel that was still open. Perhaps due to the incident with Peng San Po, neither of them felt much like talking. They each booked a room and went to rest.
The next morning, Qiqi called Wei Ning early, and they set off again.
This time, Wei Ning finally felt like he had returned to the modern world because Qiqi chose a modern mode of transportation: a car.
Sitting in the car, Wei Ning couldn't help but recall the last ghostly ride he had taken with Guo Fei, feeling a lingering unease. However, he thought to himself that it was early in the morning, so they probably wouldn't encounter anything unclean.
Qiqi took Wei Ning first to Changsha by car, then transferred to Wuhan, and after several more transfers, even Wei Ning lost track of where they were. Finally, Qiqi stopped near a mountain village, pulled out a map, and murmured, "This doesn't seem right; it should be here. The map Peng Bai gave me is accurate. Did we take a wrong turn?"
Hearing this from Qiqi nearly made Wei Ning faint: "This road idiot!"
"What’s wrong? Don’t want to go anymore? Don’t forget who I came for. If you’re impatient, just go find it yourself. That way I won’t have to deal with you," Qiqi retorted coldly, tossing aside some dough.
Wei Ning said, "Sister, can you let me see the map you have?"
After thinking for a moment, Qiqi threw the map to Wei Ning. The map was made of animal skin and had likely been passed down through many generations; the ancient script written on it was already blurred beyond recognition. Wei Ning took it and examined it closely before nearly fainting again: "Sister, you’re holding it upside down!"
"Really? I can't read maps, and besides, that map is so worn out. Who knows what it shows? You're so smart; why didn't you ask me earlier?" Qiqi bluntly shifted the blame onto Wei Ning.
Wei Ning waved his hand, feeling helpless against this sister who would never admit her mistakes. He pleaded, "Sister, it's my fault, I admit it. But right now, it's not about who's right or wrong; we need to hurry and find this place." He pointed to the blue dot on the map. "We need to find Yunmeng."
"You can cover the extra fare," Qiqi replied coldly.
The two of them struggled for two nights. Throughout the journey, Qiqi never gave Wei Ning a pleasant expression, and naturally, he was anxious not to offend her again.
Time had changed everything; Yunmeng Marsh had long been erased from the map of China and had become a historical term. Therefore, the map Peng Bai gave to Qiqi was not very accurate. They guessed and stumbled their way to what they referred to as Yunmeng Ancient Marsh. By now, Yunmeng Ancient Marsh had lost its sprawling lakes. It was shrouded in mist all day long, transformed into a remote forest far from civilization. At the foot of the mountain stood a large wooden sign that read: "Mountain Closed for Forest Conservation."
"This should be it," Wei Ning nodded at Qiqi. "Let's head up the mountain."
Qiqi snorted coldly and said, "I hope you're not mistaken."
"Haha, I'm usually very lucky. Unlike some people who can't even read a map but still want to charge ahead."
Qiqi suddenly stepped on Wei Ning's foot hard.
"Help!" Wei Ning immediately screamed in mock horror.
"Let's go," Qiqi ignored Wei Ning's poor performance and took the lead up the mountain. Without an audience for his antics, Wei Ning followed behind, feeling somewhat pleased. Ever since he met Qiqi, he couldn't quite understand why he seemed to have become much more cheerful. Teasing Qiqi had become one of his happiest pastimes, and the pain of losing one eye seemed to be gradually fading away.
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