【Texture】(41, 42, 43)

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-23

Author: Wandering Traveler,
September 3, 2015, first published on sis.
Chapter 41:
Carrying the woman in white on my back, our movement speed quickly slowed down. A few minutes later, an arrow
whizzed past my left shoulder, about a meter away. I realized that the pursuers behind us were now
within the range of their crossbows…
At the same time, I heard shouts from the pursuers behind me.
“Friends in front, it’s fate that we met by chance! Leave the spirit maiden here, and we’ll
call it even!”
“Brothers in front… you can’t escape! Hand over the woman, and you can just keep walking… this
has nothing to do with you!”
Although I really wanted to say something sarcastic to them, I knew very well that their real purpose was to
coax me into speaking. Because the most important thing in cross-country with heavy loads is the regulation of breathing, if I spoke,
it would inevitably disrupt my current breathing rhythm and slow down my movement even more. The guy who sparred with me
for a moment using Tai Chi techniques must be a trained martial artist. As such, he would certainly know how to regulate his breathing. I
suspect that the guys shouting behind us were likely acting on his orders.
After shouting for a while and seeing that neither Jack Fred nor I reacted, the men stopped shouting and
simply increased their pursuit speed, closing the distance between us. At the same time, they fired
a few more crossbow bolts in the direction we were fleeing. However, they quickly realized that in the darkness, the chances of hitting us with arrows were slim,
and reloading the bolts would only slow them down. So, after missing their first volley, they gave up
the idea of continuing to fire and focused solely on chasing us.
Feeling the pursuers getting closer and closer, I realized that escape was probably impossible. After all, I was carrying
the woman in white, and we were running through the mountains, unlike on flat ground. So, I decided to steel myself, turn around, and fight
them to the death. But just as this thought crossed my mind, Jack Fred
suddenly slowed his pace. He abruptly turned his head and pointed the beam of his flashlight at a bush a few meters ahead. Then he
moved the beam away and pointed the flashlight in another direction. But his left hand pointed back at the bush.
I was puzzled. But I didn't stop and ran straight to his side.
"You take this woman and hide inside. I'll use the flashlight to distract them," Jack Fred
said clearly after I reached him. Because the forest was open, if I turned around and shouted to me,
the pursuers behind us would inevitably hear. I didn't have much time to consider the feasibility of this guy's suggestion. Carrying
the woman in white on my back, I ducked into the bush.
After I disappeared inside, the German waved the beam of his flashlight and continued to flee forward.
I lay prone on the grass inside the bush, carrying the woman in white on my back.
A moment later, when the dense, noisy footsteps of the pursuers came from outside the bushes, I felt my heart
leap into my throat. I held my breath, my right hand gripping the iron hammer tightly.
Those few seconds felt incredibly long. Only after the last footsteps
passed near the bushes did I begin to breathe softly. I lay prone for another minute or two, until the sounds of the pursuers faded into the distance
, before I straightened up and let out a long breath. I realized that Jack Fred had successfully
lured the pursuers away, which surprised me somewhat. Some of the German's previous actions
seemed erratic. But unexpectedly, he was quite clever. He had discovered during the escape that
the pursuers were actually using the beam of his flashlight to determine our position and direction of movement.
He had used this to outmaneuver them. Now, the woman in white and I didn't need to run anymore, and
the chances of him escaping alone were much higher than if he were with me carrying the woman in white.
I remained in that position, waiting a few more minutes. Only after complete silence fell did I straighten up
.
I laid the woman flat in a thicket of weeds among the bushes, then tore open
the clothing around her waist. After one glance, I was speechless.
Even in the darkness, I could see that the woman's skin was fair and smooth. But
the sight of the crossbow bolt wound was horrifying. Around the rope, densely covered with tiny symbols, the woman's skin, centered on the wound
, looked as if it had been corroded by strong acid; the skin was festering, and wisps of smoke were constantly emanating from it.
Horrifyingly, liquid was constantly flowing from the wound. The liquid was not human blood, but a translucent blue
. Most astonishingly, this blue liquid emitted a faint fluorescence in the darkness
…
I frowned, unsure of what to do. Hesitating, I couldn't help but look at the white-clad woman's
current expression. Although the woman was unconscious, her face was contorted in pain. Her once beautiful
face was now twisted into a grimace…
I thought for a moment, then gritted my teeth, took out a lighter, grabbed a section of the exposed rope, and lit it.
After burning through the rope, I immediately grabbed the crossbow bolt attached to the rope behind the woman and pulled hard. When the burned
section of rope was pulled out from the woman's lower back, her entire body shuddered violently
. She had been unconscious, but the intense pain jolted her awake.
I held the crossbow bolt in my hand and weighed it; it was quite heavy, seemingly
made entirely of pure silver.
After regaining consciousness, the woman simply turned her head and gazed at me intently, her beautiful face
serene and gentle. I was somewhat at a loss for what to do. Although I had forcibly removed the arrows and rope
, the woman's wound remained, and blue fluid continued to seep out. I was naturally familiar with battlefield first aid , but even a fool could see that the woman in white was no ordinary human. 　　I had absolutely no idea whether
ordinary first aid would work on her. 　　Seeing the conflicted expression on my face, the woman in white actually smiled slightly. Then she turned to the side…

She braced herself with her hands on the ground, seemingly trying to lift herself up, but after only a slight movement, she collapsed again. I quickly
moved to the woman's side, extended my left hand to support her shoulder, and slowly straightened her upper body
.
The woman looked up at me, her dark, bright eyes revealing gratitude. Then, she
whispered several words to me. But I still couldn't understand a word. I could only slowly shake my head at her,
then point to my ear with my right hand, and wave my hand in front of her to indicate that I didn't understand
what she was saying.
The woman looked disappointed, biting her lip as if deep in thought. Then, she suddenly spoke again
. This time, however, she wasn't speaking. Instead, she began to sing softly…
in short bursts, then pauses. After listening for a few lines, I was stunned!
This melody, these pauses… it was clearly the music I had heard by the pool in the cave after escaping from the underground palace
! I had discussed this piece with Mr. Tang for quite some time. I suspect this poem is
"Wind and Rain" from the Book of Songs, and Mr. Tang agreed with my speculation. However, I still lack conclusive evidence
to prove it.
When I heard this song drifting from afar in the cave, I felt more of a
sense of mystery and fear. But now, the woman in white is leaning against my arm, softly singing this song to me.
I realize that the melody is actually very melodious and beautiful.
As the woman in white's slightly hoarse but extremely gentle voice echoed in my ears, I felt a strong drowsiness.
Suddenly, the echoes of several pursuers shouting in the distance jolted me awake. "No,
this is not the place to sleep!" I quickly made a shushing gesture to the woman in white. This gesture
seems to be widely known and its meaning is clear. Upon seeing this, the woman in white immediately stopped singing. However,
she maintained that gentle expression as she looked at my beautiful face. I thought for a moment and finally decided to try to treat the woman in white 　　's abdominal wound
using the conventional bandaging method .
Knowing we couldn't communicate verbally, I repeatedly feigned falling to my side in front of her, then
made a slapping motion with my right hand. The woman in white blinked, and as she blinked, I noticed she had
eyelashes, just like any other woman. They were long and neat, and her blinking gave her an innocent and
naive air.
As she blinked, she seemed to understand the purpose of my actions.
After a moment's thought, she understood. She shifted her body, and with my deliberate guidance, slowly
lay flat on the ground. I didn't know if she would feel pain while I treated her wounds. There was no anesthetic
. And I wasn't sure if it would even work for her, so even if it hurt, she would have to endure it.
But how to tell her all this was a problem for me. I didn't know how to use gestures to express it to her
. So I could only say, "It might hurt a lot, try to bear it. If you really can't,
you can groan, but please don't make a sound..."
I didn't expect her to understand. To my surprise, after I finished speaking, when I looked at her,
she actually nodded slightly and made a "hmm" sound. However,
judging from her blank expression as she stared at me, I guessed she ultimately didn't understand what I was saying. The sound was merely a confirmation that
she had heard my words.
I suddenly remembered that I had bought two small packages of chocolates at the supermarket. Chocolate is a high-
calorie food, a common emergency food for outdoor adventurers. Before going into the mountains with the German, I had
casually grabbed two pieces and put them in my pocket, just in case.
I wasn't sure if the blue liquid flowing from the woman's body was her blood. But if it was, perhaps the sugary chocolate could
replenish some of the sugar she had lost due to blood loss. Of course, all of this was assuming that her
condition after blood loss was the same as that of a normal human.
I immediately reached into my pocket, pulled out a piece of chocolate, tore open the wrapper and foil, took
a small bite in front of her, chewed quickly, and swallowed it. Then I held the rest to
her lips. The woman looked at the dark, unappetizing thing I offered her with some surprise, but seeing me eat that small piece, she
hesitated, then slightly opened her mouth and swallowed most of the chocolate with her lips. Then,
a series of incredibly dramatic actions unfolded on her face…
First, her lips moved slightly, and she squinted tentatively; then her eyes widened, and her cheeks puffed out; then, I saw
the woman in white chew rapidly, finally making a "gulp" sound in her throat… She
had swallowed the entire chocolate in her mouth without fully chewing it.
The woman wore an almost intoxicated expression. Most importantly, I saw her stick out her red
tongue and lick her lips. After licking it all, the woman in white opened her eyes wide, her dark, bright pupils
shimmering, staring at me expectantly, wanting more.
I had no choice but to take the remaining piece from my pocket, remove the wrapper and thin paper, and offer it
to her mouth again. This time, she didn't hesitate at all, lowering her head and opening
her mouth, taking the whole piece in one gulp, her cheeks puffing out high.
"There are only two pieces left. Eat this one slowly..." I said, spreading my hands in front of her to indicate that
I had none left. Whether she understood or not, I didn't know. However, it turned out that my gestures
were completely unnecessary; this time, the woman in white didn't even chew, but instead kept moving her cheeks,
clearly fully savoring the taste of the chocolate.
Watching her focused expression as she tasted the chocolate, my mood brightened somewhat.
"This woman in white seems to be a foodie... Those guys who captured her clearly miscalculated! If they had known earlier
, using food as bait would have been much easier than their current violent capture." Thinking this,
I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.
The woman in white noticed my smile and immediately smiled back, her eyes narrowing.
…She smiled, her eyes narrowed, and with her cheeks puffed out, I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my heart! "If she were an
ordinary woman, she would be so adorable."
At that moment, I suddenly remembered the wound on her abdomen. Realizing that her attention was focused on savoring
the chocolate, her mind was distracted, making it the perfect time for me to bandage her. I immediately bent down
to examine her wound. Upon closer inspection, I was astonished.
The wound, which had been festering and emitting wisps of white smoke, had stopped smoking and even seemed to
have shrunk. The blue fluid that had been oozing out had also greatly decreased. From this, I deduced that the white-clad woman's
wound was healing at an astonishing speed.
I couldn't help but look up at the white-clad woman's face again, only to see her eyes slightly closed, seemingly completely absorbed in
the delicious food in her mouth.
I thought for a moment, and although I judged that her wound was healing rapidly, for the sake of caution, I
should still bandage it for her. Having confirmed this, I immediately took off my coat and then unbuttoned
my shirt. The coat's material was too thick and stiff for bandaging, and while the shirt wasn't suitable either, I
had to make do with it for the moment. Bare-chested, I forcefully tore the shirt into several pieces for use. First, I wiped away
the remaining blue liquid from the wounds, then used two folded pieces of cloth to press firmly against the woman's front and back wounds
. Next, I used the longest two pieces to wrap around her slender waist and secure them.
While bandaging, I felt somewhat agitated. Inevitably, the woman's waist and abdomen
were exposed to my view. Her curves were beautiful and smooth, her skin fair and silky to the touch.
As a physiologically normal man, I actually felt a certain arousal upon seeing all this.
The woman finally finished the chocolate. She seemed to understand that I was helping her, so she remained silent throughout
, even moving her body to facilitate my bandaging.
After I finished bandaging, I somewhat timidly wanted to distance myself from the woman in white. Unexpectedly, the woman in white suddenly
reached out and hugged my waist. Her entire upper body buried itself in my bare chest…
I sat there, stunned. For a moment, I was completely at a loss.
The woman in white's hands roamed back and forth across my back, gentle and soothing. That tingling, slightly itchy
feeling gave me an unprecedented sense of comfort. The woman's face was pressed tightly against my chest, and I
could even feel her small, firm nose gently rubbing against my chest skin.
The woman's next actions intoxicated me even more. Her face moved against my chest, and finally,
I clearly felt her tongue gently licking my left nipple.
This area is the most sensitive spot for many men. Unfortunately, I
was no exception. The moment I was stimulated, my already eager lower body completely
ignored my will and stood erect on its own. And this erection directly pressed against the woman in white's thigh
.
Even through my pants, the woman in white clearly sensed the change in my lower body. She looked up,
smiling at me. Just as my attention was focused on her expression, one of her hands silently
moved to my waist, then pressed against my erect penis…
At that moment, I was completely overwhelmed.
Unconsciously, I slowly lay down on the grass, and the woman naturally knelt before my chest. She brazenly
began licking my upper body, one hand hooking around my neck, the other hand directly pinching my
erection through my pants, her fingers gently parting and kneading. Stimulated by her hand movements, my penis involuntarily
began to tremble rhythmically.
The woman licked and kissed, moving towards my head…
Her tongue was wet and smooth. It traveled from my chest, finally touching my earlobe. Then, I
felt her take my entire earlobe into her mouth, gently licking it with her tongue.
"Who cares if she's human or ghost... This feels so good. I don't care anymore! Even if she
eats me up piece by piece right now... I don't want to move an inch..."
I was completely immersed in the extreme pleasure emanating from my body.
I didn't care where I was or what my surroundings were like! My hand was even on the metal buckle of my belt
. In a few more seconds, I might unhesitatingly untie the last restraint on my body...
"Bang..."
The gunshot was exceptionally clear in the darkness. The loud noise instantly jolted me awake from this extreme pleasure
. I sat up abruptly. The woman in white, who was lying on top of me, was caught off guard
and slid down to the ground. She then looked up at me, staring blankly. A blush crept onto her fair cheeks
; she was clearly bewildered by my sudden cessation of our "interaction."
"
I'm...I'm sorry..." I momentarily forgot that the woman in white probably couldn't understand me
, and simply apologized habitually.
I immediately stood up. Seeing me speak to her again with an
apologetic expression, the woman in white smiled again, then reached out and hugged my leg, trying to climb back
onto me.
Realizing the sound was a gunshot, I lost all interest in our intimacy. I quickly placed my hand
on her shoulder and lowered my head, saying, "Don't make a sound. I don't know what's happening outside."
Only after saying this did I realize the woman in white couldn't understand me. I could only patiently gesture for her to be quiet, wait where she was, and that
I would go out and check.
The woman tilted her head, gesturing at me for a while, seemingly understanding what I meant. She then nodded,
released her grip on my leg, straightened up, and quietly knelt down in place.
The bushes provided excellent concealment, covering the inner ring of lawn while also blocking
any view from the inside out. Therefore, to see what was happening outside, I had to come out from there. I wore...
I put on my coat and carefully peeked out from the bushes.
Using the natural light from the moon and stars, I could observe the surrounding area within a few meters
. Aside from scattered footprints on the ground, there was nothing noteworthy. Looking further away, I could only make out
the basic outlines of distant hills. I tried to pinpoint the general direction from which the gunshots had come, then
extended my gaze in that direction. On the right, somewhere in the middle of the distant hills, I vaguely saw some flickering
lights. I suspected they were from flashlights or similar lighting equipment. This meant
someone was active in that area…
I observed for a while but couldn't identify the people moving there. Just as I was about to continue
observing, two more gunshots rang out…
This time, I was certain the gunshots came from the location of the flickering lights. I immediately frowned
…
Those guys who had surrounded the woman in white must not have been carrying weapons. Otherwise,
they wouldn't have hesitated to use them when chasing me and Jack Fred. The sudden appearance of several armed
men over there made me realize the complexity of the situation in this area.
"No, this isn't a place to linger! The German has successfully lured the pursuers away. I can't just sit
here waiting for dawn. The best course of action now is to find a way to escape
to the highway with the woman in white. Wang Lie, Ye Tong, and the others aren't ordinary people; even in these mountains, with their abilities, they
shouldn't have any major problems. As for the German, since he's with Wang Lie and the others, he must
have some special abilities. And since he dared to lure the pursuers away alone, he must have some confidence
. So I don't need to worry too much about him. On the other hand, I don't have their special abilities, and I'm still
with the woman in white. Who knows what might happen if I stay in the mountains? For safety reasons, getting to
the highway, trying to flag down a car, and taking this woman in white to the Guandi Temple in Tianfu Palace in Chang'an Town to find Han Zhe is the most sensible thing to do
..."
Having thought of this, I quickly decided on my next course of action. After confirming
the general direction of the highway, I backed away and retreated into the bushes.
Turning back, I saw the woman in white still sitting there calmly, in the same posture I had just left. Noticing
I was looking at her, she immediately smiled at me, leaning forward in a posture and movement strikingly similar to
those of Japanese housewives in movies and television, greeting their husbands at the entrance.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but let my imagination run wild. Being nearly forty and still single isn't what
I truly desire. My previous three relationships weren't just casual affairs; I genuinely hoped to
build a family and live a normal married life with my partners. However, love and fate are truly unpredictable.
Despite my sincere feelings, all three of my former lovers ultimately parted ways with me for various reasons
…
Of course, the reasons for these failed relationships weren't always the women's fault; in a sense, it was more
due to some of my stubborn personality traits.
For example, my first partner, Zhang Lu, broke up with me because I insisted on exposing some illegal and unethical activities at her workplace in the media
. I still remember what she said to me when she left…
“Yan Ping, you’re a good person! But don’t you realize how arrogant you are? Yes, the company is the company,
and I am me. I don’t need to bear any responsibility for what the company did! But have you thought about it? You exposed
what happened in our company. How can I continue working here? How can I face my other
colleagues? It’s so hard to find a good job these days. Are you sure you can help me find a suitable one
? You’re too selfish, only thinking about yourself. Have you considered my position…”
These words suddenly flashed into my mind, and my heart felt like it had been hit by a heavy
hammer. For a moment, I slumped down. The woman in white noticed that something was wrong with me and quickly knelt down and
moved to my side to support me, while repeatedly patting my chest and back. She knew
I couldn’t understand her language, so she didn’t speak, but just looked at my face with concern.
I tried to banish the unpleasant memories from my mind, and it took me a while to catch my breath.
I looked up at the woman in white and gestured with my hands, "It's not safe here, we need to move."
Then, without waiting to see if she understood, I took her hand and stood up
. I pulled her out of the bushes. The woman in white was very compliant with my pulling, offering no
resistance or objection. However, judging from her unsteady gait, although she had a strong recovery ability, she
was clearly still suffering from her wounds.
After emerging from the bushes, I looked towards the distant hills. Just as I had expected, although
the people there might not have been intentionally heading this way, the light was now
closer to where I was. If we didn't leave, those people were very likely to reach this area.
I turned to the side, put my arm around the woman in white's waist, and immediately helped her walk towards the approximate
direction of the highway.
The area of light was several hundred meters away from where I was, but considering the hilly terrain,
complex conditions, and the fact that it was nighttime, it would take those people
a long time to reach where the woman in white and I were. Thinking of this, I didn't rush. Considering
the woman in white's condition, I chose to walk slowly.
After struggling for a while, I helped the woman in white finally reach
the top of the small hill where we were. Soon, I saw several rapidly moving lights in the distance. Mentally calculating
their speed, I confirmed that the lights were from the headlights
of vehicles.
I glanced at the woman in white's expression; she was also affected by the rapidly moving lights in the distance.
Attracted by the light, a look of confusion mixed with fear crossed her face. But when she noticed me
looking at her, she smiled at me again. Unconsciously, she leaned her head on my shoulder… her
attitude was as if she would follow me to the ends of the earth.
Chapter 42
It didn't look too far, but it took me almost two hours to finally see
the roadbed of the highway while supporting the woman in white. At this moment, I felt a little calmer. Looking back at the dark and deep forest behind me
, I felt a sense of relief, as if
I had escaped from a desperate situation. For the past two hours, my nerves had been on edge. I was worried that
there might be interceptors nearby at any time. I had been guessing that those pursuers were obviously after the woman in white
, and they might be carrying something like the Germans who carried
items that could detect yin energy or directly track her. But when I saw the highway, I suddenly realized that my worries were probably
unnecessary.
At this point, after reflecting on the series of events that had occurred in the area surrounding Liziping, I roughly understood
the connections between some of them.
The ones who dug up the bodies of the deceased in Zhoujia Village were most likely the same guys who had been
hunting down the woman in white. They dug up the corpses and used certain sacrificial rituals and magic arrays to create zombies, their purpose being to use the zombies to lure the woman in white, because they knew she would capture the zombies and absorb their
malevolent energy! The need to use zombies as bait to lure the woman in white also indicated that they
had no other way to pinpoint her exact location. Otherwise, why would they
risk attracting the police by digging up the villagers' graves?
In that case, I really didn't need to worry about those guys quickly finding out my and the woman in white's current
location. And the thief stealing food at Huai Shu Gang… I felt I had found the culprit now
. Judging from the woman in white's gluttonous nature when she ate the chocolate, I was almost certain that
she was the one stealing the villagers' food! With her ability to appear and disappear without a trace,
it would have been incredibly easy for her to slip silently into an empty house and devour all the food on the table. However, considering the speed at which she ate
and the amount of food enough to feed a whole family, I couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Although her body
was still covered by her large white robe, the way it was revealed by the wind showcased her
well-proportioned and slender figure. I found it hard to believe that a woman of such a physique could eat so much food in one go
. But then I thought again, the woman in white couldn't be judged by human common sense, and I felt relieved
.
With the highway in sight, worried that things might get complicated, I immediately decided to pull the woman in white onto the road.
But after pulling her, I clearly felt resistance from her body.
I turned to look at her face; she was now displaying a pitiful expression. It was
clear she was terrified of the metal guardrails on either side of the highway and the cars constantly speeding by
.
Unable to communicate verbally, I didn't know how to explain to her that those things weren't something to be afraid of. Seeing the woman's hesitation
, I suddenly had a brilliant idea. I mimed eating rice in front of her,
then pointed towards the highway. My intention was to tell her that once she got on the highway, she could find food.
The woman in white blinked repeatedly again, seemingly considering and assessing the credibility of my statement
…
After thinking for a long time, a resolute expression appeared on her face, as if she had finally made a decision. When I
pulled her forward again, she finally reluctantly allowed me to pull her along, and then we
slowly climbed towards the surface together along the trapezoidal embankment of the highway.
At that moment, I had a strange feeling of amusement and exasperation. I felt like a kidnapper using a lollipop
.
With the woman in white pulling me along, we struggled to climb over the metal fence. Only when my feet touched the solid concrete pavement
did my heart finally settle down. Now, all I had to do was try to flag down a passing car
. As for the possibility of succeeding, I wasn't worried. My wallet was still safely in my pocket
; at worst, I could just wave the bills at passing drivers.
Thinking it through, I immediately pulled out my wallet, took out several hundred-yuan bills, and prepared to rush into the middle of the road and wave them to stop any passing cars . The woman in white stood beside me, watching 　　my actions
curiously , but made no other move. 　　Just moments later, a small car sped towards us. I immediately rushed into the middle of the road, 　　waving my arm vigorously, and most importantly, displaying the bills in my hand clearly under the lights. The car finally 　　stopped a few meters away from me. Then, a male driver leaned out of the driver's seat and began cursing at me 　　. 　　"Are you crazy? You want to die!" 　　I quickly forced a smile and moved around to the side of the driver's seat, waving the banknotes. "Sorry, 　　sir. Could you take us into town? We'll pay, you name the price." 　　But to my surprise, as soon as I made way, the male driver immediately pulled his head back into the driver's seat, stepped on 　　the gas, and sped past me… 　　Watching the car disappear into the distance, I stood on the roadside, dumbfounded. It seemed that the driver valued safety more than 　　greed for money. I could only wait for the next car to pass. 　　After several cars gave me similar treatment, I realized something was wrong. 　　If one driver had simply been cautious and refused to give me and the woman in white a ride, 　　that would have been one thing. But several drivers treating us the same way left me bewildered. Years ago, my comrades and I had also 　　hitchhiked on the road, and back then, even strong young men were given rides by drivers. At that moment, it was just 　　me and another woman, plus me waving cash around—why couldn't I find a single driver willing to pay? 　　The worst part was the way some drivers looked at me, like I was a criminal. This was something I'd never experienced before.

Ah, my experience…
The woman in white seemed to understand now that the passing cars with their flashing lights were merely vehicles, and
her fear of the oncoming traffic vanished. She stood quietly by the roadside, watching me
run back and forth. As another car sped away while I tried to negotiate at the door,
the woman in white suddenly cupped her face in her hands and giggled…
I turned around awkwardly and shrugged, only to see her pointing at me while still laughing
. I looked to my right, following her gesture. A moment later, I finally understood why the drivers
looked at me like I was a criminal.
I was holding money in my left hand, but that iron hammer in my right. Realizing this, I
was momentarily speechless… No wonder the drivers, even seeing the money in my hand, had no
intention of giving me a ride. Who would let a stranger carrying a weapon into their car? It
was practically suicide!
I quickly tucked the hammer behind my back and fastened it to my belt. Although we were already on the highway, I still
had to be prepared for anything. This hammer was my only weapon for self-defense, and
I didn't intend to just throw it away until I was absolutely sure it was safe.
The woman in white tilted her head, watching my somewhat clumsy actions, and her smile grew even brighter. Staring at
the woman in white, I was momentarily stunned. It wasn't
until her expression changed and she frantically waved at me that I snapped out of my daze.
I turned my head and saw another small car approaching from a distance. It
was a small-displacement private car, and after a quick glance, the model seemed vaguely familiar. But I
didn't think too much about it and immediately stood in the middle of the road again.
A dozen seconds later, the car stopped a short distance in front of me. I was worried that this time the other party would use
my sideways approach to the car door to speed away, so as I ran towards the vehicle, I always stood directly in
front of the car's hood. But just as I reached out to press the hood of the car and was about to explain, the car window rolled down
, and the driver leaned out.
"Brother Yan? It's you? Why are you flagging down a car on the highway?"
The voice sounded like a woman's, and it seemed familiar. I quickly moved closer to the window. My
vision had been obscured by the car headlights, so I only saw a silhouette. But when I got to the door, I was astonished to see that it
was Xu Le standing in front of me! No wonder the car looked familiar; I had ridden in this car before.
"It's Xu Le! My God, I'm saved! Could you please give us a ride? We're
in a hurry to get into the city! I won't give you a free ride; I'll pay whatever you ask." Seeing that it was Xu Le, I immediately
felt like there was a way out. Even if I offered money, other drivers might not have been willing to give
me a ride. But this was Xu Le; she knew me and
was familiar with my identity and workplace. She was bound to be willing to help.
Sure enough, when I said this, Xu Le immediately replied, "Brother Yan, you're too polite. I'm heading to
the city anyway, so please get in."
Hearing this, I quickly ran to the back of the car, opened the door, and turned to run to the woman in white,
helping her into the car.
Seeing me help the woman in white into the car, Xu Le looked surprised. However, when her
eyes met the woman's, she still showed friendly politeness and smiled at her.
The woman in white returned the smile.
After we were seated in the back, Xu Le started the car.
As she drove, Xu Le kept glancing at the back seats in the rearview mirror. However, compared to
me, who knew the situation better, she was mostly just peeking at the woman in white. While watching, she asked, "Brother Yan,
what happened? Why are you here at this hour, stopping cars? It's almost midnight."
"It's a long story! By the way, Xu Le, why are you driving through here now? Can you tell me
?" Naturally, I wouldn't tell Xu Le about my past experiences, so I quickly shifted the topic
to her.
"An acquaintance of mine recently opened a dance training center in the next county. He asked me to go and
teach some new instructors. I was planning to come back after breakfast tomorrow. But the boss suddenly informed me that
the instructor leading tomorrow's class has taken leave, and I need to rush back to help out. That's why I'm driving back in a hurry."
Xu Le was an honest girl. Seeing that I was asking her, she didn't think too much about it and quickly explained
why she was driving through here at night.
"Oh, that must be really tough on you! And your boss too... If someone needs to take leave, couldn't he just find another
coach in the city to cover the class? Why did he have to call you back to help? You have to run back and forth, wasting
so much time and energy! And you don't even get proper rest. Isn't he deliberately making things difficult for you by arranging things like this?"
Actually, I know the owner of the gym where Xu Le works. We usually greet each other when we meet, and
we have a fairly good relationship. I remember him as a nice guy. But at this moment, in order to keep the conversation focused on Xu Le, I
had no choice but to go against my conscience and "spread rumors" in front of her.
"Brother Yan, it's not what you think! I went there to teach by myself, secretly
. My boss doesn't know. They just opened a new place, and hiring full-time trainers would cost a lot of money. I figured
I already knew all the training content, so why waste that money? That's why I volunteered to help her out. My
boss doesn't know I went there to teach. He just had me fill in according to the normal schedule. It wasn't him trying
to mess with me..."
And so, under my deliberate guidance, my conversation with Xu Le completely focused on her going to the neighboring
county to provide free training for her friend and her daily work. And since my presence here might involve
the topic of the woman in white, Xu Le unconsciously forgot to ask me any more questions, especially since she needed to
drive and couldn't think about much else.
The woman in white seemed very curious about the car when she first got in. She kept looking around, examining the
interior. Once Xu Le started moving, she was
captivated by the rapidly moving scenery outside the window, her face unconsciously pressing against it…
Although I was talking to Xu Le, I was also observing the woman in white's actions.
Judging from her behavior, this was probably her first time riding in a car; I even suspected she might never have been
exposed to modern science and civilization.
Those who captured her called her the "Spirit Maiden." And in a sense, she was someone I personally
brought out of that underground palace prison. I didn't know if she had lived and existed in that
underground palace before meeting me. What kind of being was she? How old was she? I was filled with questions.
While talking to Xu Le, I pondered these questions, my eyes
wandering aimlessly around Xu Le's car, except for occasionally glancing at the woman in white. After looking around for a while, I noticed that Xu Le's car
had a lot of plush toys and stuffed
animals in the back seat, the driver's side drink compartment, and the dashboard, as well as snacks like chewing gum and chocolate chips.
It's common for unmarried women to have these things in their private cars. I suddenly realized the woman in white was probably a foodie. We were still some distance from entering the city
, and I was worried she might do something that would arouse Xu Le
's suspicion out of curiosity. So I immediately thought of using the snacks to distract her.
"Xu Le, can we eat what's in your car? Sorry, my friend and I are a little hungry,"
I interjected.
"Brother Yan, just help yourself. It's food in the car. Don't be shy. It might
take a while to get to the city, so if you're hungry, have something to tide you over," Xu Le replied while driving.
I then reached behind the back seat, took a bag of potato chips, tore it open, and handed it to the woman in white. The woman in white
only snapped out of her daze after I nudged her arm a few times. She somewhat blankly accepted the potato chips I offered. Seeing
me mimic eating in front of her, she carefully reached out and pried
a chip from the bag, observing it intently for a long time before cautiously putting it in her mouth…
Then, a series of fascinating expressions from the woman in white unfolded once more. Next, within seconds, she
stuffed the entire bag of chips into her mouth.
Thankfully, Xu Le was focused on driving and talking to me, and didn't see the woman in white eating in the rearview mirror . Otherwise, I'm sure she would have been 　　shocked
by the woman's greedy eating . 　　After swallowing all the chips, the woman in white leaned back in her seat, squinting her eyes, as if still savoring 　　the taste of the food. That made me feel a sense of relief. The woman in white opened her eyes, noticed me 　　looking at her with my head turned to the side, and immediately smiled. She leaned towards me, her entire body pressed against my chest. 　　As she reached out to hug me, she kissed my neck. I hadn't expected the woman in white to be 　　so inconsiderate in this situation, and I was momentarily flustered, unsure how to react. 　　Just then, Xu Le coughed deliberately from the driver's seat. She had clearly noticed 　　what was happening in the back seat through the rearview mirror. I quickly placed my hands on the woman in white's shoulders, forcefully pushing her away from my 　　chest. At the same time, I tried to sound calm as I explained to Xu Le in the front, "She's probably 　　a little cold and wants to stay warm by leaning against me." 　　Xu Le didn't turn around, just gave me a forced smile in the rearview mirror, and said, "If she's cold, 　　I'll turn on the air conditioning." She then reached for the air conditioning switch. And she immediately turned it up to the maximum speed… 　　The woman in white seemed oblivious to everything, but realizing I didn't want to get too close to her, she 　　moved back to her seat, still only offering me a smiling expression. 　　At that moment, I suddenly realized the atmosphere in the car was quite awkward. Xu Le didn't speak to me anymore. Instead, she 　　drove in silence. However, out of the corner of her eye, she kept observing the situation in the back seat through the rearview mirror, 　　and I noticed her breathing was somewhat heavy. 　　The woman in white maintained her posture, but all her attention was focused on my face… 　　I was a little flustered, wanting to continue talking to Xu Le, but momentarily forgetting 　　where we were in our conversation. Just then, my phone suddenly beeped several times. I immediately used 　　the opportunity to check my phone to temporarily avoid the two women's gaze. 　　Actually, these beeps weren't from a call or a message. 　　They were just notifications from a public message received on my social media app. After leaving the Liziping service area, there was absolutely no signal in the forest area. Now 　　, as we get closer to the city, my phone has regained a signal. 　　It beeps several times because it received several messages during the period without signal. 　　I scrolled through my WeChat Moments and Weibo, browsing through other people's posts of 　　trivial things like "inspirational quotes" and "historical revelations," when I suddenly remembered that I should probably contact Han Zhe first. It's already 　　past midnight; Han Zhe is probably already asleep. He's a cultivator and skilled in health preservation. Unless there are special circumstances 　　, he usually goes to bed early and gets up early. Even if he's not asleep, the Heavenly Palace is already closed, and 　　without him contacting the gatekeepers, I probably wouldn't even be able to get the gates open. So, I 　　quickly dialed Han Zhe's number. 　　To my surprise, as soon as the call connected, Han Zhe pressed the call button. Before I could even speak 　　, he spoke first. "Is that Yan Ping? I heard from Ye Tong that you went to Liziping with them to investigate 　　! So, did you find out what happened there?" 　　It seems Han Zhe knows about Wang Lie and the others, as well as my trip to Liziping. Since that's the case, it saves 　　me the trouble of explaining. "It's a long story! By the way, aren't you asleep yet?" 　　"Wang Lie went out to investigate, so I usually stay up late, mainly waiting for your news. So..."

"I haven't slept. What? Aren't you with Wang Lie and the others? What happened in Liziping?" Han Zhe's
voice became tense as he spoke, realizing I was contacting him alone.
"I got separated from Wang Lie and the others. I don't know what happened to them! You know I'm not as capable as Wang Lie and
his group. So I didn't dare stay in Liziping any longer. I'm in
big trouble right now, and I don't know what to do. You're the only person I can think of, so I'm coming to find
you right away."
"Trouble? What did you encounter? How did you get separated? With Wang Lie involved, is there
anything you can't handle? That guy's real abilities are much stronger than you imagine!" Han Zhe was clearly
shocked on the other end of the phone.
Hearing this, I realized Han Zhe had misunderstood! He probably thought that Wang Lie and the others had encountered some extremely
ferocious demons and monsters and were separated. I quickly explained, "It's not what you think.
I don't know the specifics of what happened to Wang Lie. He's probably with Ye Tong and that young man named Li Jing.
I was with that German guy named Jack Fred. I
can't explain the details over the phone right now. I'll explain in more detail when we meet."
Han Zhe replied immediately after hearing what I said. "Is that so? Then I'll go to the duty room right away and
tell the duty officer to open the door for you. I'll wait for you here."
After hanging up the phone, I looked up apologetically and made a new request to Xu Le, who was driving in front.
"Um, Xu Le, could you please take us a little further after we get into the city?
Could you take us to Tianfu Palace in Chang'an Town?"
I thought Xu Le would agree immediately. But to my surprise, the girl hesitated for a moment before stammeringly
declining my request. "Brother Yan, I have to rush to my shift tomorrow morning. So
I want to go home early after entering the city to rest. So, I can only drop you off at
the bus station near the toll station. You should be able to find a bus to Chang'an Town there. I'm so sorry!"
Seeing Xu Le say this, I didn't say anything more. After all, she had already helped me a lot
, and it would be very impolite to make any further requests.
The next ten minutes or so of driving were pure torture for me. The car was unusually quiet and stuffy. Because
we were on the highway and it wasn't my own car, I felt embarrassed to open the windows for ventilation. Xu Le was actually experiencing
the same torment; I could even see beads of sweat constantly sliding down her pale neck. I wondered why she
would rather endure the stuffiness in the car than turn off the air conditioning. But I also realized that this girl
didn't seem too happy at the moment. Considering her feelings, I could only remain silent.
The woman in white seemed completely unaffected by the temperature inside the car.
Throughout the entire ordeal, she simply leaned back in her seat, her eyes fixed on me, without breaking a sweat. It was as if she could only
see me.
Finally, the car exited the highway and went through the tollbooth. I quickly rolled down the window, but
Xu Le didn't react to my action.
A few minutes later, Xu Le parked the car on the side of the road outside the local west bus station. I was heading to the Liziping service area,
from where I would catch my inter-provincial long-distance bus. I quickly opened the car door, pulled the woman in white out of the car, and then
leaned close to the driver's side window.
"Xu Le, thank you so much for helping me! How much should I give you?"
Xu Le rolled down the window, shook her head at me, and forced a smile. "No need to pay me back.
It's only right that I gave you a ride. You forgot, you helped me last time too, and I haven't even
paid you back yet," Xu Le said. It was then that I remembered I had helped her resolve a situation where she was being harassed by other men.
Back then, I used Yan Guang's name to pay off those young men. If Xu Le hadn't brought it up, I would have almost
forgotten about it. Now that she brought it up, I couldn't really force her to accept my money anymore.
I could only lower my head and repeatedly express my gratitude.
After thanking her, I turned to find a taxi around the station and immediately take the woman in white to Chang'an
Town to meet Han Zhe. Unexpectedly, Xu Le suddenly called out to me.
I turned around and saw Xu Le looking at me, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated
. I blinked, somewhat confused. After a long pause, Xu Le finally uttered a few
words. "Brother Yan, I don't think she's right for you. Of course, that's your own business, and I have no right to interfere
. If you like her, just pretend I didn't say anything." With that, Xu Le bit her lip, started
the car, and quickly disappeared from my sight. I stood blankly by the roadside, not understanding
what Xu Le meant…
Although it was already past midnight, the area around the station was still bustling with travelers coming and going, and
taxis waiting for passengers lined the roadside. I quickly found a car to rent and pulled the woman in white into it.
The woman in white was dressed completely differently from ordinary people. However, perhaps because people are
so open-minded these days, ordinary citizens are used to all sorts of strange clothes. So even when passersby saw the woman in white
, they only glanced at her a few times. In their eyes, she was probably
one of those trendy young people who pursued individuality and eccentricity, or perhaps one of those so-called "cosplays
." Surprisingly, no one seemed surprised by the woman in white's attire. This included even
the taxi driver I took.
I got into the taxi with the woman in white, and the driver simply asked for my destination, pressed the meter,
and then focused on driving. Aside from glancing at the woman in white in the rearview mirror when we got in, he didn't
say anything more and silently dropped us off at the gate of the Tianfu Palace in Chang'an Town. After
getting out of the taxi, I noticed the small gate used by staff to enter and exit the main gate of the Tianfu Palace was open. I realized that
Han Zhe must have contacted the duty room, and the staff there had reserved it. I quickly pulled the woman in white towards the small gate.
I pulled, but couldn't budge her. Turning around, I saw the woman in white staring at the Heavenly Palace with a terrified expression, her whole
body trembling violently. It was as if she had seen something utterly terrifying.
Anxious, I pulled her twice more, but unexpectedly, she suddenly broke free
and ran towards the dark alley across the street from the Heavenly Palace.
Chapter 43
Seeing this, I immediately gave chase. Fortunately, the woman in white was injured and couldn't
jump as she usually did; she could only run on the ground like an ordinary person, her body swaying, and her speed was slow.
After entering the alley, I immediately caught up with her against a wall. She was curled up
in a corner, hugging herself and trembling. She looked up at me and just shook her head repeatedly.
At first, I was puzzled by her behavior. But after a moment, I understood the possible
reason.
Whether the woman in white was a demon was still uncertain. However, judging from the hunters' use of silver arrows to capture
her, it's clear that something like silver, possessing "sacred and exorcising" abilities,
would definitely have a suppressive effect on the woman in white. The Heavenly Palace, which I'm about to take her into, is, to me, merely an
ancient architectural complex with tourist attractions. But it is undeniably a "temple," naturally
possessing certain sacred powers, and its incense is still burning brightly. Therefore,
it's understandable that the woman in white is afraid of the Heavenly Palace and unwilling to enter.
To uncover the woman in white's identity and the secrets she holds, I can only rely on Han Zhe. Unfortunately,
Han Zhe resides within this "temple," the Heavenly Palace. To find him, I must go inside. The woman in white
is now showing extreme fear of the Heavenly Palace complex and absolutely refuses to go. Thinking about this, I'm suddenly
at a loss.
"What should I do? Although the woman in white is injured, she's still much stronger than me
. You can tell from how she dragged those three pursuers from the treetop and jumped around with me and Jack Fred between her legs
. So if we really use force, I'm afraid I'm no match for her... But Han Zhe is still
waiting at the Guandi Temple inside the Tianfu Palace." As I thought this, I looked up and suddenly saw
a glowing sign on the side of the alley leading down. The sign read
something like "XX Hotel, Free Long Distance Calls Within the Province, 24-Hour Hot Water." A solution popped into my head.
"First, find a room for the woman in white at the hotel. Then call Han Zhe. The hotel is in
the alley next to the Tianfu Palace; Han Zhe will be there in a few steps. It seems the only way is for Han Zhe to meet the woman in white at the hotel
."
After deciding on the meeting method, I quickly pointed in the direction of the Tianfu Palace and then frantically shook my head
and waved my hands in front of the woman in white. I told the woman in white that we weren't going to the Heavenly Women's Palace. Seeing my actions,
she understood and her tense and fearful expression eased slightly. Then, I repeatedly pointed to
a brightly lit hotel in the distance, indicating to her where we were going. It took
her a while to understand my intention. It seemed that as long as we didn't go to the Heavenly Women's Palace, she wouldn't mind
going anywhere else with me, so after realizing I was taking her to that hotel, she slowly nodded. And so,
I smoothly led the woman in white into the hotel.
It was a small roadside shop. Inside the counter, only an elderly woman, probably a middle-aged woman, was
intently watching a variety show on TV. I leaned over the counter and told her I wanted a room.
The woman indifferently pushed the registration book in front of me.
"Register your ID number," she said, then noticed the woman in white behind me.
Perhaps finding the woman in white's attire somewhat odd, she added meaningfully after I registered,
"Guest, prostitution is prohibited here."
I was in a hurry to find a place for the woman in white to settle down, and didn't care about the unfounded
speculation and malicious assumptions the older woman implied. So, I didn't bother to reply, took the room key from her, and immediately led the
woman upstairs. After finding the room according to the doorman's number on the key tag and entering, I finally breathed a sigh of
relief. I pointed to the bed, indicating for the woman in white to go and rest, and then immediately dialed Han Zhe's
number.
"Han Zhe? I've arrived, but I've run into some trouble. I might not be able to come to the Heavenly Palace to
find you. Could you come to my place for a moment? I'm at this XX Hotel outside the Heavenly Palace."
Han Zhe seemed surprised to hear me mention the hotel's name. He couldn't quite understand why I was standing right outside the Tianfu Palace without going in
, but he still agreed to come to the hotel to find me immediately.
After hanging up the phone, I felt a sense of relief. Presumably, once Han Zhe saw the woman in white,
all the secrets surrounding her would soon be revealed. I leisurely pulled up a chair in the room,
sat down, and took out a cigarette from my coat pocket. After entering the forest area, out of basic public decency, I
refrained from smoking, fearing it might start a forest fire. Then I was running all the way, afraid that
the light from a cigarette would reveal my location. Later, I got into Xu Le's car, and smoking in a lady's car is extremely
impolite, so only now could I finally light one to relax my mind
and nerves.
The woman in white knelt on the bed, initially just watching me make the call, but soon she
became curious about the softness of the bed. Kneeling, she unconsciously began to move her body slightly up and down, feeling
the elasticity of the mattress beneath her. And her movements were getting more and more exaggerated; to me, her behavior
was exactly like that of a child jumping and playing on a mattress. As I watched, I suddenly realized my stomach was growling.
Although I had eaten a large dinner with Ye Tong, we had been traveling for several hours through the mountains, knocking over a zombie on the way,
and then having a fierce fight with the hunters. All of this was strenuous activity, and I hadn't
felt it before because I was so tense. Now that I relaxed, the hunger pangs immediately surfaced. I opened the window and looked outside.
Suddenly, I spotted the neon
sign of a Western fast-food restaurant flashing across the street from the hotel. Chang'an Town is incredibly bustling and vibrant during the day, and I hadn't expected this international fast-food chain
to have a branch here. I'd never noticed it before when I visited, but now that I saw it, it was perfect for solving
my immediate food problem. I immediately opened my phone and searched online for the phone number of the branch in Chang'an Town
, then called right away.
"Is this xxx fast-food restaurant? Do you deliver now? Yes, I'm in town! You can deliver,
that's great! Could you please deliver a set meal to room xxx at xxx Hotel?" As I said this, I turned
and saw the woman in white sitting on the bed. I quickly changed my mind. "Two portions will do," I said, then, remembering the woman's unpredictable
appetite, I changed my mind again. "No, no, just send three portions. Plus two chicken legs and two
hamburgers..."
To lure the woman in white onto the highway, I had offered to take her to find something to eat. Although it was just a
temporary measure in the heat of the moment, one must keep one's word. Now that I had this offer, I naturally decided to
fulfill my promise to the woman in white.
Next came the waiting.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I immediately went to open it. Han Zhe appeared in the doorway.
I didn't say anything, but gave him a wink before stepping aside. Han Zhe found my somewhat mysterious
attitude rather strange, but he still went straight into the room. Upon entering, Han Zhe saw
the woman in white still kneeling on the bed, swaying back and forth. I froze on the spot...
After closing the door tightly, I turned around and walked to Han Zhe's side, saying, "The trouble I was talking about is her!"
The woman in white also noticed the new person in the room and immediately stopped her "playful
" behavior. She knelt on the bed, looking at Han Zhe curiously with a calm and peaceful expression.
Han Zhe, facing the woman in white, glanced at me sideways and lowered his voice, "Yan Ping, do you... do you
know what she is?"
I replied softly. "To be honest, I don't! That's why I brought her here for you to see."
Hearing me say this, the muscles on Han Zhe's face twitched. "The yin energy around her is heavier than ever before!
If you hadn't been right next to me, I almost would have used a talisman on her."
"You can rest assured about that. She doesn't seem to attack people proactively anymore. When we bumped into her at Liziping,
someone tried to capture her. But I only saw her run away, without harming anyone. And
when I was with that German guy, we almost fell into a ditch, and she saved us. So, she shouldn't be the kind of
demon that actively harms people. Can you tell what she really is?"
Hearing me say this, and seeing that the woman in white was still kneeling quietly on the bed without any unusual movement
, Han Zhe seemed to relax a little. After observing the woman in white for a moment, he shook his head and turned to
me, saying... "This is the first time I've ever seen a demon with such a dense concentration of Yin energy. Even
the thousand-year-old Corpse King I encountered before is far inferior. You said she didn't retaliate when attacked, but instead chose
to run away? That seems like something only Yin demons and a few other types of monsters would do. These monsters
absorb the Yang energy of living beings through other methods and are less willing to directly harm mortals with violence. But you said she
actively saved you and Jack Fred when you were in danger? That makes it hard for me to judge. I've
never seen any demon actively help humans. You know, to demons and monsters, humans
are simply food. They might let their food go if they don't need it for a while… but they would never actually save
their prey's life."
"Those guys who were hunting her called her a Spirit Maiden," I whispered to Han Zhe
.
Upon hearing this, Han Zhe's face immediately showed an incredulous expression, and he stammered
as he confirmed it with me. "What...what did you say? Say it again? Those people who captured her called her...called her the Spirit Maiden? You
didn't hear me wrong?"
I nodded solemnly. I was certain I hadn't misheard. And I wasn't the only one who heard it;
that German, Jack Fred, did too! When the German returns, he can testify for me as well
.
Seeing my affirmative attitude, Han Zhe seemed stunned. It took him a while to recover from his shock
. He lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought. Seeing his expression, I didn't ask any more questions. Instead, I went
to the small square table in the room, took out the prepared tea leaves and teacups, and brewed some tea. Just as I finished brewing two cups,
someone knocked on the door again. I went around Han Zhe to open the door; it was the food delivery.
After exchanging a few polite words with the delivery person, I paid, closed the door, and carried the food bags to the woman in white's bedside.
Then I opened the paper bags containing various foods and laid them out in front of her.
The woman in white, smelling the aroma of the fried food, immediately recognized its properties.
Without waiting for my signal, she grabbed a chicken leg and took a bite right in front of Han Zhe and me
…
I was already used to her greedy eating habits. Han Zhe, witnessing her reaction
, gaped in astonishment, unable to close his mouth for a long time. It seemed the woman in white was eating fried chicken for the first time; she
even chewed and swallowed the bones. After quickly devouring one leg, she
grabbed another and began to wolf it down again. While eating, her bright, beautiful
eyes narrowed to slits, seemingly completely immersed in the joy of the food.
Seeing the woman in white's reaction, Han Zhe's previous tension eased considerably.
After I took a hamburger and sat down at the chair by the square table, he went straight to the chair on the other side of the table and sat down.
He picked up the teacup I had prepared and said softly… "If she really is a spirit maiden, then I can't tell if she's real or
not! Because although I've heard of spirit maidens, I've never actually seen one."
I took a bite of my hamburger and asked while eating. "What is a spirit maiden? Why would someone..."
" You want to capture her?"
"What is a Spirit Maiden? I can't explain it clearly right now. But if she really is a Spirit Maiden,
then being surrounded and captured is almost inevitable." Han Zhe stared at the white
-clad woman sitting on the bed, her attention completely absorbed by the food, and blew on the tea in her teacup before continuing, "Spirit Maidens are extremely peculiar beings in legends
. They are not demons, but they are not human either. They may be naturally born, or they may be artificially created. In ancient texts
, Spirit Maidens are actually classified as spirits and immortals. Moreover, in most cases, Spirit Maidens
are not called Spirit Maidens; more often, they are considered gods! They are called goddesses!"
Hearing this, I coughed up the food I was chewing. This sudden action
immediately attracted the attention of the white-clad woman, who immediately looked up at me with a concerned expression. I
quickly waved to her to indicate that I was alright. The woman in white looked at me for a moment after seeing my gesture, and after confirming that I was indeed unharmed
, she was once again drawn to the other food in front of her, focusing her attention and energy on the food
…
I lowered my voice, looked at the woman in white, and whispered to Han Zhe for confirmation. “What did you say?
You said this woman is a goddess, a goddess? Have you ever seen a goddess eating hamburgers and chicken legs like this?”
Han Zhe, observing the woman in white wolfing down her food with great interest, corrected my statement
. "She's a goddess, not a deity! In ancient times, a deity generally referred to a witch who sold her body. To put it bluntly, she
was a prostitute! A goddess, on the other hand, is a true deity-like being. Legend says they can live forever,
but they are not immortal. That's all I know about spirit women. To be honest, I can't confirm that
she is a true spirit woman. Because from the few descriptions and records about spirit women I've read,
I've never heard of spirit women possessing such powerful yin energy. Of course, this might be due to my ignorance.
I never believed that spirit women really existed in this world before. So I haven't really done
much research or understanding about spirit women in the past. What I'm telling you now is what I
learned from some descriptions and records while researching other things. By the way, since you're already
here, why didn't you just come to the Guandi Temple to find me?"
I wiped my mouth and pointed at the woman in white. "It's all because of her. We were already at the door, but she
absolutely refused to go into the Heavenly Palace. I had no choice but to run to this inn, book a room, and then have you
come out to see her."
Han Zhe's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened, seemingly pondering
the specific reasons why the woman in white refused to enter the Heavenly Palace. He was far more familiar with the relevant theories than I was, and soon he murmured,
"Could it be that she's afraid of the Heavenly Palace? Hmm... that's understandable. Judging from the yin energy on her, it certainly
clashes with a place like the Heavenly Palace. She's definitely not suitable to enter the Heavenly Palace. However, to confirm whether she is truly a spirit maiden
, I'm afraid I'll need to spend some time researching and verifying. This is probably not
something that can be done in a day or two. What do you plan to do with her in the meantime?"
"I don't know. I brought her here to find you because I wanted to entrust her to you. If you can't find a suitable place
, I guess I'll have to take her back to my home, or send her to my brother Yan Guang's Dyeing Street."
Seeing that even Han Zhe couldn't immediately and accurately determine the woman in white's true identity, I was somewhat frustrated.
"Neither is suitable! Although I can't be sure if she's a spirit woman, the terrifying yin energy emanating from her is
definitely not something an ordinary dwelling can handle. Let me put it this way, in this room right now, if we don't
find a way to harmonize the yin and yang after she leaves, I estimate that all sorts of ghosts will soon proliferate here. That
will cause a lot of trouble. And as you said, someone is trying to capture her, so while we're taking care of her,
we also have to consider how to deal with those who are trying to capture her." Han Zhe frowned.
Han Zhe's attitude made me somewhat uneasy. Helping the woman in white was purely
a spur-of-the-moment decision, and now that she's with me, I don't know what to do with her. I came to Han Zhe
with the intention of passing this "trouble" on to him. I was afraid that Han Zhe would tell me he refused to
accept the woman in white and that I would have to find a way to settle her myself. Fortunately, Han Zhe only frowned slightly in thought
for a moment before his brows relaxed.
"Right, that should be fine! Just hand the woman in white over to Wang Lie! Wang Lie possesses
the ability of 'Two Elements,' able to manipulate yin and yang energies. As long as this woman stays by Wang Lie's side, he will naturally have a way to constantly
harmonize the yin and yang energies around her, ensuring that the places she's been won't
become yin-gathering places due to her strong yin energy. Moreover, Wang Lie is strong enough; I estimate that no one has the ability to snatch this woman away from him
. If even Wang Lie can't protect her, then any other method is useless. By the way,
what exactly is Wang Lie asking you to go to Liziping for? When he gathered people, he only sent me a text message.
I'm always lazy and don't like going directly to the scene with him, so I didn't go. When I talked to Ye Tong on the phone,
he only told me that Wang Lie included you in this trip to Liziping. I don't know anything else.
Can you tell me now?"
Hearing Han Zhe suggest handing the woman in white over to Wang Lie, I breathed a slight sigh of relief. Finally, I don't have to
worry about the woman in white anymore. Just then, Han Zhe asked about the situation in Liziping, and I realized that Wang Lie
and Ye Tong might still be wandering around there. And what about the German guy? I wonder
if he's managed to escape the pursuers. Thinking of this, I didn't dare delay and immediately
recounted my experience in Liziping to Han Zhe.
Realizing Han Zhe was worried about Wang Lie and Ye Tong, I explained my observations in the simplest terms possible
. Details like giving the woman in white a simple first aid and how I brought her here were
omitted.
After listening, Han Zhe habitually tapped the armrest of his chair, seemingly hesitant.
But just then, his phone rang. Han Zhe immediately took out his phone and looked at it...
His expression immediately relaxed considerably…
“Great, speak of the devil! It’s Ye Tong calling.” While explaining
the source of the call to me, he immediately answered the phone.
“This is Han Zhe! Are you alright?”
“You met up with Jack Fred? That’s good. Yan Ping has already returned to my side with his men
… Yes, the one he and Jack Fred encountered… What are your plans?… Oh, we need to send
Xiao Jing home first, and you need to take the zombie back first. Jack Fred and Wang Lie are coming over?… Okay, Yan Ping and I
will wait for them here. By the way, Yan Ping and I aren’t inside the Heavenly Woman’s Palace, but at the XX Hotel on the side street outside the Heavenly Woman’s Palace
. Tell them to come directly to the hotel. Drive carefully on the way back, don’t let anyone follow you.”
After saying that, Han Zhe hung up the phone and turned around to say. “Wang Lie and the others are already on their way back.
They’re all fine, we can just wait here now.”
After saying that, Han Zhe took a sip of tea and looked up at the woman in white. Looking up, I realized the woman in white
had finished all the food laid out on the bed and was now kneeling upright,
calmly gazing at me. Han Zhe followed her gaze and, noticing her attention was fixed
on me, became puzzled. He turned his head and whispered in my ear, "
Why is she staring at you? Do you know why?"
Hearing Han Zhe's question, I paused, then realized that since I had decided
to rely on Han Zhe and Wang Lie to unravel the secrets surrounding the woman in white, I should first be honest
and tell them everything I knew about her. So,
after calming myself, I finally explained the crucial information I hadn't told Han Zhe before.
"I don't know why she keeps looking at me! But this isn't the first time I've run into her.
I first saw her in that underground palace, in the burial chamber where Xia Nan's coffin was kept..."
Hearing this, Han Zhe stared at me in shock. "What did you say? You mean, she... she didn't
appear out of thin air? But she crawled out of that cage at the foot of Phoenix Mountain?"
Seeing Han Zhe's expression, I didn't know how to explain to him for a moment, and could only avoid
his gaze. Knowing that the woman in white came from the cage at Phoenix Mountain, Han Zhe was already so shocked. If I told
him that the reason the woman in white was able to escape from there to the surface, and what I did in the process,
I suspected that Han Zhe would probably want to eat me alive on the spot.
So I immediately abandoned my original idea of being honest with him. He irresponsibly deflected,
saying, "When I first saw her, she was in the underground palace. As for how she got outside, I
don't know."
Han Zhe didn't realize I was lying and shirking responsibility. What he was worried about was
what changes would occur in the underground palace beneath the Phoenix Mountain tunnels after the woman in white left.
"This is really troublesome! Yan Ping, that underground palace is actually a cage suppressing fierce demons and evil spirits. My
understanding of that underground palace is extremely limited. However, based on some known documents, the various
arrangements within that cage form a self-contained system. You and Tang Hui were purely lucky to have come out alive.
It seems unlikely that this woman in white is a demon, but if she herself is
a link in the cage's demon-suppressing system, once she leaves the cage, no one can predict what changes will occur within it!"
Han Zhe was unaware that Wang Lie had already described some of the actual situation of the underground palace to me that evening.
Now, in his anxiety, he seemed somewhat restless.
"No, we need to discuss this when Wang Lie returns! For safety reasons, we probably need to find a way to send her
back to her cage."
Hearing Han Zhe's suggestion, I was immediately stunned!
"What did you say? Send her back to that underground palace?" I couldn't help but turn to look at the woman in white.
The woman in white naturally didn't understand what Han Zhe and I were talking about. Seeing me looking at her, she immediately gave me a sweet
smile. At that moment, I suddenly remembered the scene in the underground palace when I was preparing to explode the tunnel, and the woman in white appeared, begging me to take her
away, then crying and weeping. Thinking of her entering that cold and terrifying underground palace again
… I immediately felt a profound sense of loneliness and sorrow, as if I were sharing her experience…
"That's exactly what I mean! After all, there are too many secrets in that cage. So far, we
only know a tiny fraction of them. The cage was dug up twice before, and
two ferocious zombies emerged from it. Now, Tang Hui and you went down and brought out some more items. I'm worried
that, like the previous two times, some terrible demons will emerge from it again. I've been holed up at the Guandi Temple these past few days
, thinking about how to set up a magic array, and then I've asked Wang Lie and the others to go down into the tunnel to set it up
to strengthen the cage's defenses. These are just some remedial measures we can take.
I'm not really sure how effective they will be. Now that you've told me she also came from there, I'm
even more worried. What is the purpose of all this? It's nothing more than protecting ordinary people from the
ravages of those demons and monsters. For the safety of the local people, I think we must send her back into the cage
." Han Zhe then explained his thoughts and reasons for making this suggestion to me.
I understood that what Han Zhe said made sense, but just thinking about the scene inside that underground palace sent
chills down my spine. The woman in white knelt on the bed, smiling at me. In a moment of impulsiveness, I
yelled at Han Zhe, "I disagree! I brought her here, and I'm responsible for her! If you want to send
her back to that hellhole, then pretend I never said anything before! I'm taking her away right now."
Hearing this, Han Zhe became anxious. "Yan Ping? What did you say? You're taking her away? Are you kidding me
! The level of yin energy she possesses will cause feng shui changes wherever she goes. I don't want to exaggerate.
No one can predict or judge whether the feng shui changes will be good or bad. However, the consequences will inevitably..."
"This will bring a lot of trouble. Can you handle all this trouble?"
Hearing Han Zhe's dismissive tone, I was somewhat annoyed! I admit that
my knowledge and understanding of these supernatural and superstitious things is probably less than a fraction of what Han Zhe knows. But I absolutely cannot
tolerate Han Zhe's plan to send the woman in white back to the underground palace. Therefore, without considering the possible consequences, I
said to Han Zhe firmly, "I'll say it again. I found her, and I brought her here.
The right to decide what to do with her should be mine. I strongly
disagree with your idea of sending her back to that cage!"
Hearing me bring up the topic of who has the right to decide what to do with her, Han Zhe didn't know how to refute
me. He had practiced Zen meditation for a long time, and his cultivation and magnanimity had reached a certain level. Therefore,
he couldn't be as unreasonable and nonsensical as I was. So for a moment, he could only sit in his chair
and adjust his breathing.
Seeing that he had stopped speaking, I walked to the bedside and beckoned to the woman in white, signaling her to get up and
leave with me. Seeing this, Han Zhe spoke again. "Alright, even if you're right, you have the
right to decide what to do with her. I won't stop you, but is it appropriate for you to just take her away like this
?"
I turned and asked. "What do you mean?" "
You went to Liziping with Wang Lie and the others. They're on their way here now. You're not even going
to greet them before taking her away. Isn't that incredibly rude?" Han Zhe
didn't look up as he spoke, only staring at the floor. It was clear he was very disappointed in my behavior.
Hearing Han Zhe mention Wang Lie, I paused. Remembering
Wang Lie's terrifying abilities, I doubted whether I would still be able to take the woman in white away from him after he arrived. But the more I thought about it,
the more my inherently roguish nature surfaced. "Alright, I'll stay here and wait for Wang Lie to
arrive! Leaving now with the woman in white would make me seem afraid of that guy. He may be powerful, but I won't be
so intimidated as to avoid facing him..."
At that moment, I didn't understand why I had such thoughts. Actually, from the first time I met Wang Lie at the hospital
, I unconsciously developed a nameless competitive feeling towards him. Although
our relationship grew increasingly harmonious in subsequent interactions, and I realized that aside from his
somewhat arrogant nature, Wang Lie was actually a very worthwhile friend, I still harbored a sense of resentment towards him
. This feeling was completely absent from my interactions with Han Zhe, Ye Tong, and even Mr. Tang.
Driven by this thought, I returned to the chair next to Han Zhe and sat down. Together with Han Zhe
, I quietly waited for Wang Lie to appear.

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