Chapter 62: The Divine Statue Faces Away, Sighing Over the M

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nAn hour later.

nSu Yi and Guo Bing arrived at the unmarked mass graves at the foot of Mother Ghost Ridge.

nThey were greeted by the sight of overgrown grass, scattered headstones, and crows perched on distant leafless trees. From time to time, the birds let out raucous, unpleasant cries.

nAlthough it was still early in the morning, this scenery was enough to make someone panic.

nThe uniformed young woman and her entourage had clearly been waiting for quite some time.?When they saw Su Yi and Guo Bing stroll leisurely toward them, the girl snorted in cold displeasure. “You’re finally here!”

nShe then jumped from her horse and ordered, “Have two people stay behind to look after the horses. Uncle?Yong?and the others are to accompany me into the mountains.”

n“Yes, Ma’am!” The attendants quickly got to work.

n“Guo Bing, lead the way,” ordered the girl.

nGuo Bing hurriedly obeyed. When Su Yi saw this, he went after him. “I’ll go with you.”

nHe’d agreed to ensure Guo Bing’s safe return, so he naturally wouldn’t let Guo Bing take the lead by himself.

n“Who’d’ve thought a stubborn guy like you still had a bit of a conscience?” The girl?in military?uniform mocked.

nSu Yi simply ignored her; he wouldn’t lower himself by losing his temper at an unreasonable little girl, a child who’d obviously been spoiled from a young age.

nThe girl thought about it, then ordered, “Uncle Yong, you go up front too. Don’t let Guo Bing face any danger.”

nThe grey-robed middle-aged man she called Uncle Yong immediately did as he was told. Soon, he and Su Yi both flanked Guo Bing, one on each side.

nGuo Bing was shocked and flattered. He thanked them both repeatedly.

nBut Su Yi inwardly shook his head.?This is a type of protection, but it’s also a type of surveillance. There’s nothing praiseworthy about it.

nThe group proceeded, venturing further into the unmarked graveyard.

nThey passed numerous long-abandoned, overgrown graves. They spotted many dried bones, scattered joss paper, used incense, and broken candles amidst the underbrush.

nThe further they went, the deeper the grass and the thicker the mist. Aside from the occasional call of a crow, it was incomparably desolate and silent.

nGuo Bing held his hunting knife, cutting a path through the grass and brambles. He forged ahead with confidence; this was familiar territory for him.

n“Sir, what is it you want to do in Mother Ghost Ridge?” Guo Bing suddenly asked.

nThe girl in military uniform instantly pricked up her ears.

n“First, tell me: does Mother Ghost Ridge have any particularly strange or eerie places?” asked Su Yi.

nGuo Bing thought about it, then said, “Mother Ghost Ridge has always been prone to haunting. If you’re looking for particularly strange or eerie places, there are actually several of them.

n“One is the temple halfway up the mountain in the white pine forest. It’s been abandoned and in disrepair for a long time. Inside is a statue of a god, but it faces away from the doorway, and its head has long since gone missing.”

nThe girl couldn’t help but ask, “The statue is facing away from the gates? Are you sure someone didn’t move it on purpose?”

n“Why turn away from the world? Because you sigh over the masses’ unwillingness to see the light. If you ask me, this statue must be of Buddhist origins.”

nGuo Bing was briefly stunned. Then, he said admiringly, “You’re definitely well read, sir. Far more so than ordinary folk like me.”

nThe armored girl snorted from further back, seemingly in disdain.

nSu Yi turned a deaf ear to this, then asked, “Aside from its strange statue, is there anything else strange or creepy about the temple?”

nGuo Bing said, “Yes. Quite a bit, too. They say that at night, you can hear chanting from within the abandoned temple. Some say that it’s the sound of ghosts conversing among themselves. All I know for sure is that if you spend the night at the temple, you absolutely cannot extinguish your campfire. Otherwise, the ghosts hidden in the darkness will emerge to devour you. Similar incidents have occurred numerous times in the past.”

n“Ordinary ghosts can’t hurt us.” The armored young woman’s proud, confident voice drifted over from behind them. She’d obviously been listening in.

n“What about the rest of Mother Ghost Ridge?” asked Su Yi.

nGuo Bing really was the medicine-picker best acquainted with Mother Ghost Ridge. He went on to explain its situation and layout in detail.

nBut there were only three places that Su Yi took special note of.

nThe first was a “peach orchard” west of Mother Ghost Ridge. It was shrouded in miasma year round. Anyone who entered, regardless of whether they were human or animal, never found their way back out.

nAnother was a place called “The Mountain Ghost’s Path.” It was on the other side of the mountain. The winding road was shrouded in blood-colored fog. Anyone who stepped into it was subject to ghosts attacking in a mad frenzy.

nThe last was the building standing at the peak of Mother Ghost Ridge. It was nothing but ruins, but rumor had it that long ago, it had been a temple to the City God. At night, fluorescent jade will-o-the-wisps appeared there. Any living person foolish enough to draw near would burn right down to their bones.

nThose three places aside, there were several other danger zones in Mother Ghost Ridge.

nBut the way Su Yi saw it, the “Six-Severings?Yin?Corpse” was sure to haunt one of those three!

nSo long as he picked the right spot, it wouldn’t be hard to find the inauspicious spirit vein, the Six Yin Grass, or the Extreme Yang Flowers, either.

n“Guo Bing, first lead us to that peach orchard!” The armored girl suddenly spoke up. She’d heard his description too, and she’d made up her mind.

nGuo Bing trembled. “Miss, that’s a perilous place….”

n“No need to say anymore,” she said, cutting him off. “Just lead the way. We guarantee your safety.”

nGuo Bing sighed, then turned to Su Yi. “What do you think, sir?”

n“No harm in going there first,” said Su Yi lightly. He was already starting to suspect that he and the girl had a common objective.

nBut natural treasures were ownerless objects, and finding them was a matter of fate. If, when the time came, it came down to a struggle, he wouldn’t be polite.

nWhen she heard this, the girl’s willowy eyebrows knit together.

nThe guard beside her lowered his voice and said, “Young Miss, there’s no need to worry. If he interferes with our operation, we can just kill him.”

n“Mm.” She grunted but said nothing more.

nBy now, they’d already passed through the unmarked graves. Guo Bing led them down a rough trail and toward Mother Ghost Ridge.

nAfter arriving, the clear skies suddenly dimmed. Everything was shrouded in dense, dark clouds, creating a catch of darkness.

nMountain winds blew past, rustling the trees and grasses. A suffocating presence started to permeate the air.

n“Sinister yin mists are rising throughout the mountain, and vicious energies are spreading. This really is the type of place most likely to give rise to malevolent ghosts,” said Su Yi, as if lost in thought.

nOne look at the mountains, and he picked up some clues. 𝒃𝙚𝙤𝙫𝒆𝒍．𝙘𝒐𝙢

n“Everyone, be careful. We’ve already entered the mountains, and it’s highly likely that we’ll encounter unpredictable dangers along the way,” said Guo Bing. He took out a protective talisman and hung it from his neck, his expression serious and alert as could be.

n“Everyone, have your weapons at the ready. Don’t get complacent. If we encounter danger, remember to protect the young miss right away,” said the grey-clad Uncle Yong solemnly.

n“Yes, sir!” The guards immediately took action.

nThe girl in military uniform drew her sword too, only to see Su Yi just standing there, holding nothing but a bamboo staff, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

nDespite herself, she was stunned. A moment later, she snorted, suddenly eager to encounter a ghost or two and see Su Yi scared out of his wits.

n“Elder Guo, hold this bamboo talisman in your hand. It will protect you.” Su Yi took out a seven-inch piece of bamboo and handed it to Guo Bing.

nGuo Bing was surprised, but although he wondered what use a trinket like that could possibly be, he still hurriedly accepted it. “Thank you, Sir!”

nUncle Yong watched this play out, and when he saw the bamboo talisman, he couldn’t help but stare.

nAlthough he couldn’t see what specifically was inscribed on it, he could tell at a glance that it was made of Bluejade Spirit Bamboo!

nNever mind that his staff is made of Bluejade Spirit Bamboo. He just casually gave a talisman of such precious materials to a mere medicine-picker. I’m afraid this Su kid isn’t simple.?Uncle Yong’s brow furrowed slightly.

nBack in the city, Wen Jueyuan had introduced Su Yi simply as their Wen?Family’s?live-in son-in-law, someone of little importance.

nBut looking at him now, it seemed things weren’t that simple.

nShortly after, Uncle Yong set those thoughts aside. His status and cultivation were enough to guarantee that nothing would go wrong with this expedition.

nAs they forged their way ahead, the cloud cover became denser and denser. It was the middle of the day, but it seemed as if they’d plunged into endless darkness.

nFurthermore, the mountain mists obscured their field of view, forcing them to slow their pace.

nSuddenly, a piercingly cold wind swept past. Guo Bing shuddered, and his expression shifted. “This is bad! A ghost has locked onto us! Hurry and retreat; we can’t proceed any further!”

nBut it was then that Uncle Yong snorted coldly, drew the saber he had strapped to his back, and leaped forward.

nSlash!

nA dazzling streak of red saber light shot into the mist, followed by an agonized wail.

nThe shriek only lasted an instant before coming to an abrupt halt.

n“It was nothing but a low-class yin soul. It wasn’t even sentient; no need to panic. Guo Bing, you can continue leading the way.” The grey-robed Uncle Yong walked back, his expression calm. Murderous intent lingered around him.

nGuo Bing sighed, feeling much more at ease. He clasped his fist and said, “With an expert like you here, I don’t feel the least bit afraid.”

nAnother peak Qi Accumulation Realm martial artist. This level of cultivation is practically unheard of in Guangling City, yet here he is, acting as a mere bodyguard. I’m afraid this girl’s status is no lower than that Zhang Yuanxing guy from the prefectural capital,?thought Su Yi.

nCultivation at the peak of the Qi Accumulation Realm?put?you near the top of the Great Zhou’s martial artists, just beneath Inner Furnace Realm Grandmasters!

nThe group continued forging ahead, without any more unexpected incidents.

nThey had Guo Bing to thank for this. Without his understanding of the area, they would undoubtedly have encountered numerous dangers.

nMother Ghost Ridge was just a single mountain, but it was huge, covering tens of miles. Its rocks were jagged, and its vegetation flourishing, with dense underbrush.

nAdd that to the dark clouds and dense mists, and the group’s speed slowed significantly.

nA full two hours passed before they finally reached the mountain’s halfway point.

n“Sir, look over there! The run-down temple I told you about is there, deep in the pine forest.” Guo Bing pointed into the distance.

nThe group looked over, only to see a lush forest of white pines. They were barely discernible through the mists, but there was no way to see into their depths.

n“If it’s already dark by the time we head back, we can always spend the night at the run-down temple.” Guo Bing said this and was just about to proceed when a barely discernible, fiery glow lit up the distant white pine forest.

n“Hm?” Su Yi and Uncle Yong, both positioned at the front of the group, noticed this at almost the same time.

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Chapter end