The Corpse Clothes of the Green Bag [Complete] - 7

Chapter 81.

At dawn, Yi Qing opened her eyes, yawning, and said, "I slept so well last night, all the way until daybreak."

Can'er also woke up at this moment, rubbing her eyes and muttering, "Strange, I don't usually sleep that soundly."

Han Sheng smiled inwardly, deciding it was best not to say anything; Uncle Shanren had warned him to observe more and speak less when traveling, for too much talk leads to mistakes.

Manager Tie had prepared breakfast, consisting of porridge and mountain vegetables.

After breakfast, once everything was settled, the waiter had brought over three more horses, each one plump and strong.

Can'er, having grown up in western Hunan, had no problem riding horses. Yi Qing and Han Sheng, living in Jiangxi, could ride, but they weren't familiar with it and were quite nervous on horseback.

From now on, they would travel during the day, so Han Sheng and the others naturally couldn't be dressed as corpse-drivers anymore. They each took out normal clothes from their luggage and changed.

The group of five horses then hurriedly set off.

Knowing that Han Sheng and his companion weren't very good at riding, the shopkeeper didn't urge them on, letting the horses move slowly. After a while, Han Sheng gradually got used to it and the speed gradually increased.

The sound of drums and music came from the foot of the mountain ahead. The shopkeeper told Han Sheng that it was the Miao village's quadrennial drum-slaughtering pig festival. If a Miao person stopped them to offer wine, they could have a taste before continuing their journey.

"Hopefully we won't run into Ma Du," the shopkeeper thought.

A large group of Miao people had gathered in the square by the mountain path, playing music and making a lively scene. Under a tall banyan tree, two drums were set up, and a bonfire burned, the burning firewood emitting a faint fragrance.

A Miao man approached, carrying a tray with several cups filled with wine.

"Guests from afar, please have a cup of welcoming wine. Today is the Miao village's drum-slaughtering pig festival," the man said, raising the tray high.

The shopkeeper thanked him, picked up a cup of wine, and drank it all in one gulp, gesturing for Han Sheng and the others to do the same.

Han Sheng took the cup, his gaze drifting to the double drums set up under the banyan tree. A peculiar sight caught his attention.

On a makeshift wooden platform, a tiny, naked baby sat playing, turning its head at that moment, looking in his direction, and giving Han Sheng a strange smile… that smile was all too familiar.

“Shen Caihua!” Han Sheng blurted out, immediately jumping off his horse and rushing towards the platform.

The shopkeeper was startled, but it was too late to stop him.

Han Sheng reached the wooden platform and, upon closer inspection, confirmed it was indeed Shen Caihua.

The ghost baby chuckled and called out, “Mama.”

Han Sheng glanced to the side; under the large tree, Liu Jinmo was smiling at him… “Liu Jinmo, it’s you guys!” Han Sheng exclaimed joyfully.

A thin, gaunt man emerged from under the tree, with an aquiline nose and piercing eyes, his complexion sallow, but his gaze sharp as lightning. This man was none other than Ma Du.

Liu Jinmo approached with a smile, saying, "I've been waiting for you here. The journey to Xiangxi has been turbulent, and I've been worried sick."

Han Sheng's heart warmed upon hearing this, and his eyes even welled up with tears. It was truly a case of meeting an old friend in a foreign land, especially since he was being held hostage by Iron Shopkeeper. With Liu Jinmo's martial arts skills, Han Sheng could truly rest easy.

Liu Jinmo said to Ma Du, "This is the divine physician Han Sheng I've been waiting for."

Ma Du carefully examined Han Sheng, clicking his tongue and saying, "Heroes have always emerged from among the young. Unexpected, unbelievable."

"This is Ma Du, the shaman of the Miao village," Liu Jinmo introduced.

At this moment, the Iron Shopkeeper, standing outside the circle, was in a very awkward position. He couldn't stay, nor could he leave. Last night, he had encouraged this descendant of the Mei family to kill the blood lice, but today he saw that the man was closely associated with Ma Du, and that Han Sheng was even acquainted with him. His carefully laid plans had suddenly taken a turn for the worse; truly, man proposes, God disposes.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Ma Du call out, "So, the Iron Shopkeeper of Huang Gou Ya has also arrived! What a rare guest! Are you also here for the celebration of the slaughter of the village's drum pig?"

The Iron Shopkeeper had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, saying, "Wizard Ma Du, how have you been?" At the same time, he glanced at Liu Jinmo, wondering if this man had revealed the reason for killing the blood lice to Ma Du.

Liu Jinmo's expression remained unchanged, revealing not a single clue. "What a seasoned veteran," the Iron Shopkeeper thought to himself.

Ma Du chuckled and said, "Today is the joyous day of the slaughter of the village's drum pig. Everyone who comes to my Miao village is a guest. Come, follow me inside for tea." With that, he led the way.

Liu Jinmo scooped up Shen Caihua and held him in his arms. Han Sheng called for Yi Qing and Can'er to accompany Liu Jinmo, while the shopkeeper and his assistant reluctantly followed behind.

Inside the stilted house, everyone sat on the floor, and Miao women had already set out wine and tea for each person.

Ma Du didn't look directly at the shopkeeper, but instead started chatting with Han Sheng.

Ma Du first introduced, "The Drum Society Festival is the most solemn ancestral worship celebration in our Miao region. We Miao people believe that the wooden drum is the dwelling place of our ancestors' spirits, a bond and symbol of a bloodline family. The Drum Society is a sacrificial organization centered around the wooden drum, hence the name Drum Society Festival. The first day is the opening ceremony, the second day is for worshipping ancestors and the Thunder God, the third day is the most solemn, for worshipping the God of Five Grains, and the last day is for sending off the ancestors."

Han Sheng was visiting Miao region for the first time and found everything very novel. The customs of western Hunan were indeed very different from those of the Han people.

Ma Du quickly got to the point: "Brother Hansheng, I've heard you're a renowned physician. I happen to be a sorcerer who travels between the underworld and the spirit world, and I also have considerable knowledge of medicine. I wonder what your understanding of the *Huangdi Neijing*, the sacred medical text of the Central Plains, is?"

Hansheng thought he was about to embarrass himself. He had never even seen the *Huangdi Neijing*; he'd only heard the name a couple of times from his father.

Hansheng recalled his father mentioning the *Huangdi Neijing*, but he hadn't been very interested in traditional Chinese medicine at the time, and for a moment, he couldn't remember anything.

Ma Du looked at Hansheng with eager eyes, desperately hoping for guidance from the divine physician.

Hansheng blushed and stammered, "I'm more interested in the *Waijing* (External Classic)." He thought he knew a few strange and unusual prescriptions and medicinal ingredients; at least his method of releasing acupoints had worked perfectly on Wu Daoming and Zhu Biao, though it wasn't very hygienic. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his face.

The shopkeeper scoffed inwardly. A miracle doctor, really?

Unexpectedly, Ma Du's face suddenly changed color. His previously sallow skin flushed crimson, and he stammered, "You...you know the *Huangdi Waijing*!"

Han Sheng smiled silently, thinking, "I won't reveal the *Qingnang Jing* or the *Shiyi Jing*. "

Ma Du was almost breathless. Anyone who studied medicine knew that the *Huangdi Waijing* had been lost over two thousand years ago. This Han Sheng actually knew it; it was beyond Ma Du's imagination.

Liu Jinmo had also heard his master, the bald-headed monk Mei Yiying, mention that ancient China had the *Huangdi Neijing* and *Huangdi Waijing*. The *Neijing* had survived and was the theoretical basis of all traditional Chinese medicine, but the *Waijing*, which recorded alternative treatments, had been lost.

"I've heard of the *Huangdi Waijing*, but I don't know what it's like," Liu Jinmo said.

Ma Du calmed himself and slowly said, "In ancient times, during the reign of the Yellow Emperor, there were three famous doctors in the world: Lei Gong, Qi Bo, and the most famous, Yu Fu. This man's medical skills were extremely advanced. He generally didn't use common Chinese medicine treatments like decoctions, acupuncture, or massage. Instead, he would use a knife to cut open the skin, dissect the muscles, remove the lesions, and then ligate them. He also had many other unbelievable methods. Once, when Yu Fu was crossing a river, he found a woman who had drowned. Her family was pulling her out to bury her. Yu Fu stopped them and asked how long she had fallen into the water. The people carrying the body said it hadn't been long, but she was already dead when they pulled her out. Yu Fu told them to put the body on the ground. He first checked the woman's pulse, then looked at her eyes. Then he had someone find a straw rope, tied the woman's feet together, and hung her upside down from a tree. At first, no one understood why Yu Fu did this. As soon as the woman was hung up, her mouth and nose..." He then spat out muddy water. When he stopped, Yu Fu instructed his men to slowly untie the deceased, lay her face up on the ground, and press and release her chest with his hands. Finally, he plucked a few strands of his own hair and observed them over the deceased's nostrils. He noticed the hairs slowly moving and told the family: "She's alive. Take her home and nurse her back to health."

In Yu Fu's later years, the Yellow Emperor sent Cangjie, Lei Gong, and Qi Bo to spend a long time compiling Yu Fu's medical knowledge into thirty-seven volumes. However, before it could be published, Cangjie passed away. Later, Yu Fu's son, Yu Zhi, brought the book back to his father for revision. Unfortunately, the entire family perished in a fire; the house, the medical books, and Yu Fu and Yu Zhi's entire family were reduced to ashes. It is said that this is the reason why the *Huangdi Waijing* (Yellow Emperor's Outer Classic) was lost and has not been found to this day.

Han Sheng, listening nearby, thought to himself, "So there was a *Huangdi Waijing*. "

Ma Du changed the subject, exclaiming, "Young Brother Hansheng, I've spent my life practicing medicine in the Miao region, and today I'm fortunate enough to meet a divine physician from the Central Plains. It's truly an honor! May I ask if your medical skills are inherited from your ancestors?"

Hansheng humbly replied, "The Zhu family is a family of physicians." He thought to himself, "What would my father think if he heard this?" "I see.

May I ask if you could offer some guidance on Miao medicine?" Ma Du could tell that Hansheng was either hesitant to speak or unwilling to reveal his ancestral medical skills, a common phenomenon in the Han Chinese Central Plains.

Hansheng said, "Actually, I'm only interested in difficult and incurable diseases." This was the truth; common and ordinary diseases weren't covered in the *Qing Nang Jing*, so he knew basically nothing about them.

Ma Du felt a surge of warmth. He was right. Wasn't a true divine physician excelling at treating incurable diseases? Healing what others couldn't, curing what others couldn't cure—that's what a master is!

"Hansheng, how much do you know about Miao medicine?" Madu asked, thinking that if Hansheng could share his thoughts on Miao medicine, he would likely benefit greatly for life.

"I don't know much," Hansheng answered honestly.

Madu said, "In our Miao region, there's a saying: 'Miao medicine has existed for a thousand years, Miao herbs for ten thousand.' Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty wrote in *Shuoyuan: Bianwu*: 'I have heard that the ancient physician was called Miaofu. Miaofu practiced medicine by using straw as a mat and grass as a dog, facing north and chanting ten words. Those who came to him, whether carried or lifted, were all restored to their original state.'

Miaofu was Li, the earliest Miao shaman who practiced incantations and used wine, herbs, and other medicines. The Miao Mountains are rich in medicinal herbs, and even every household grows them in front of their doors. However, our Miao people don't have medical books recorded in our own language; it's always been a matter of 'shamanism and medicine being one family, and divine medicine being two separate practices,' which is far behind your Central Plains Han region. Even now..." "There are only three thousand herbs and eight hundred single-herb prescriptions."

Han Sheng thought to himself, "That's quite a lot." So he said, "In treating illness and saving lives, the quantity of medicine is not important, but its accuracy. When I treat terminal illnesses, I often only use one herb, plus a medicinal guide." He noticed that Ma Du's eyes were wide open, and he was delighted, so he decided to elaborate. "Doctors in the Central Plains are tireless in their use of medicine, often using dozens of herbs for a minor illness to demonstrate their medical skill. However, they don't realize that in this way, the five elements of the medicine interact and restrain each other, making it less effective than using only one herb. As long as the medicinal guide is good, it will be fine."

Ma Du was speechless for a long time after hearing this. Han Sheng's words were like a wake-up call, and he suddenly understood. He couldn't help but beam with joy.

"Extremely insightful! If a doctor can simplify complex matters and use only one medicine to attack the vital point, the body will naturally generate resistance, and how can the disease not be cured? What a doctor needs to do is to use the so-called 'using four ounces to move a thousand pounds,' mobilizing the body's innate physiological disease-fighting mechanisms, achieving 'harmony between man and nature.' Isn't this the essence of the 'Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic'?" Ma Du said with emotion, his eyes slightly moist.

Han Sheng hadn't expected that his words would elicit such a profound understanding of traditional Chinese medicine from Ma Du. Reflecting on it, he felt that what Ma Du said was indeed very reasonable; Han Sheng had never thought about these issues carefully before.

Chapter 82

Shopkeeper Tie chimed in, "Doctors in the Central Plains make more money selling more medicine, right? Everyone knows such a simple business principle."

Ma Du nodded, saying, "Shopkeeper Tie's words don't entirely make no mistake."

Seeing that everyone's reaction was quite positive, Han Sheng decided to elaborate on what he was familiar with: "In traditional Chinese medicine theory, illness is nothing more than the result of blocked meridians and imbalances of Yin and Yang. To give a very simple example, take acupressure. Everyone knows the acupoints on the human body, right?"

Some nodded, some shook their heads.

"Could you please introduce them to everyone?" Han Sheng said to Liu Jinmo.

Liu Jinmo said, "Yes. Humans have twelve regular meridians, fifteen collateral meridians, and eight extraordinary meridians, with 52 single acupoints, 300 double acupoints, and 50 extra meridian acupoints throughout the body, totaling 720 acupoints. Among them, there are 108 vital acupoints, of which 72 are not fatal, and the remaining 36 are fatal acupoints. Fatal acupoints are further divided into four types: those causing numbness, dizziness, mild symptoms, and severe symptoms, with nine acupoints in each type. Together, these make 36 fatal acupoints. There is a saying: 'If Baihui falls to the ground, the coccyx will never return home; if Zhangmen is struck, nine out of ten will die; if Taiyang and Yamen are struck, they will surely meet their demise.'" "Wang, with a broken spine and no set bones, died suddenly below the knee."

Han Sheng nodded and said, "Strike acupoints with a heavy hand, block the meridians, obstruct the flow of qi and blood, causing numbness, itching, weakness, pain, dizziness, or sleep. Acupoint striking techniques vary from school to school, and the methods to undo them also differ. However, as doctors, we cannot possibly know the martial arts of every school. If such a patient comes to us, how do we treat them? Are we helpless?"

Han Sheng glanced around at everyone, seeing them looking at each other blankly, and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

Ma Du felt itchy and pricked up his ears to listen.

Han Sheng said seriously, "Close their mouth and nose, making them unable to breathe, and stimulate their innate primordial qi to strike the blocked acupoints, finally opening the meridians. This can undo the acupoints struck by any school. Of course, this method should not be used on the elderly, children, or those with weak constitutions."

Everyone exclaimed "Oh!" in unison, and Liu Jinmo's face lit up with joy.

Ma Du exclaimed, "Well done! Brother Han Sheng truly lives up to his reputation as a divine physician of the Central Plains. I am utterly impressed! Such a bizarre method of releasing acupoints is truly eye-opening and refreshing!"

Ma Du paced back and forth, muttering, "The way of controlling the rise and fall of Qi, the 'Treatise on the Flow of Vital Energy to Heaven,' this is the essence of the Inner Canon, the diagnostic treatment of the Spiritual Pivot."

Han Sheng felt he had essentially finished speaking, so he sat there smiling silently, appearing particularly profound.

Manager Tie was quite surprised, not expecting this young man to be a divine physician, but being bewitched by my incense, it seems he's not all that divine.

Can'er and Yi Qing, while surprised, were also quite proud of Han Sheng.

Admiring Ma Du, he said somewhat awkwardly, "Brother Hansheng, I have a favor to ask. I would like to trouble you to examine the chieftain's illness. Would that be alright?"

Hansheng was in a good mood, so he replied without hesitation, "No problem."

Ma Du was overjoyed and said, "Please come with me."

Hansheng stood up and asked, "What illness does the chieftain have?"

"Osteoarthritis," Ma Du replied.

Han Sheng was startled: "A strange disease?" He had heard his father mention it. Because the name "osteomyelitis" sounded frightening, he remembered it. In traditional Chinese medicine, it was also called "pulse obstruction" and "strange disease," an incurable ailment. Western medicine called it "cancer number two."

Ma Du nodded and said, "Yes, the *Huangdi Neijing* records this disease: 'It originates in the toes and is called osteomyelitis, its appearance is reddish-black; if it doesn't turn reddish-black, one will not die.' Now both feet are reddish-black; life is worse than death."

Han Sheng quickly tried to recall if there was any record of this disease in the *Qingnang Jing*. Thank goodness, he finally remembered. The text stated, "This disease originates in the distal ends of the fingers or toes, first itching then pain, the nails turn black, and after a long time, they ulcerate and fall off segment by segment. The disease is caused by blood stasis, damp heat, and cold dampness."

"What treatments have the chieftains undergone?" Han Sheng asked.

Ma Du said, "We've been to the provincial capital. After a consultation with Western medical experts, they insisted on amputating the chieftain's legs at the thigh. The chieftain refused, even at the cost of his life, so we brought him back to the village

. I'm using some Miao medicine to keep him alive, but it seems he won't last more than a few days. All ten toes have completely turned black and fallen off." "What kind of Miao medicine have you used?" Han Sheng asked in detail.

"I've used prescriptions to promote blood circulation, warm the meridians, strengthen the body's resistance, and clear heat and toxins, such as rhubarb, calamus, gentian, dried reed leaves, paulownia leaves, tortoise shell, and a stick of local herbs. I even used a hornet's nest from a bamboo branch, but the condition is still worsening day by day. Chen Shigong, a Ming Dynasty physician, spent his life treating osteomyelitis, but he never cured a single case. In his later years, in his book 'Orthodox Surgery,' he helplessly said: 'Of those suffering from this disease, a hundred cannot be saved.'" Ma Du said sadly.

"It can be cured," Han Sheng said with a slight smile.

Ma Du was taken aback, and said with slight doubt, "What kind of medicine do you need?"

Han Sheng suddenly asked, "Do you know how to raise Gu worms?"

"Of course, it's the specialty of Miao shamans," Ma Du said.

"What kind of Gu worms do you raise?" Han Sheng asked.

Ma Du glanced at the others, hesitant to speak. Gu worm breeders generally avoid letting outsiders know, especially with Manager Tie present.

Han Sheng understood, so he said, "I'll go with you to see the chieftain now, we'll talk there."

"Okay," Ma Du turned to Liu Jinmo and the others, "Please wait a moment, Brother Han Sheng and I will be right back."

Everyone drank their tea and wine without further ado.

The chieftain's house wasn't far from Ma Du's place, a large stilted house built on a hillside, with three floors in total. The chieftain's family lived on the second floor, and the top floor was used for storing grain and miscellaneous items, not for living.

The chieftain lay on a bamboo mat on the wooden floorboards in the inner room. When he saw Ma Du arrive, he weakly opened his mouth.

Han Sheng stepped forward to examine the man closely. He was about sixty years old, already emaciated, covered with two quilts, indicating he had a fever, meaning the infection had spread. A pretty Miao girl was feeding him water.

Ma Du leaned down and whispered a few words to the man, whose eyes flashed with gratitude.

Han Sheng said, "Let me see his legs."

Ma Du gently lifted the quilt.

A stench assaulted his nostrils, and Han Sheng was stunned. The man's bare legs were a dark reddish-black, his toes had fallen off, and his bare insteps were swollen and ulcerated beyond recognition. The blackish-red was bloodstains, the yellowish-green was pus, and there were even some white maggots wriggling inside… Han Sheng nodded, and Ma Du gently covered him with the quilt again.

"Alright, now you can talk about the Gu worms," Ma Du said.

Han Sheng gestured for Ma Du to continue.

Ma Du nodded and slowly said, "The Gu in Miao territory is called 'Grass Ghost,' and there are many kinds, including snake Gu, dog Gu, cat ghost Gu, scorpion Gu, toad Gu, insect Gu, flying Gu, frog Gu, ant Gu, caterpillar Gu, sparrow Gu, turtle Gu, golden silkworm Gu, and so on. Besides shamans, some Miao women used to raise Gu, but after liberation, they have almost disappeared.

The Gu I am currently raising are mainly lice Gu and spider Gu. Last night, one of my large blood lice was accidentally killed by Mr. Liu Jinmo. I still have a few small blood lice and two spider Gu."

Han Sheng said, "Are the spiders used for spider Gu poisonous? Also, are there any Gu like leeches that like to suck blood? Please explain in more detail."

Ma Du said, "The spider Gu uses the most poisonous wolf spider in Miao territory, and blood lice love to eat fresh blood." Han Sheng

clapped his hands and said, "That's all. However, while you've cured the chieftain's leg, your Gu worms won't survive."

Ma Du hurriedly said, "That's alright, the Gu worms can be raised again, but the chieftain's illness is more important."

“I need to examine your Gu worms first,” Han Sheng said.

Ma Du told Han Sheng to wait upstairs while he hurried back to retrieve the Gu worms.

“Are you a doctor?” the Miao girl asked timidly as she approached Han Sheng, revealing two attractive tiger teeth.

Han Sheng nodded and said, “You are…”

The girl smiled shyly and said, “My name is Nika. The chieftain is my grandfather. Can you heal my grandfather’s leg?”

Han Sheng smiled. Miao girls are simple and straightforward, and their questions are direct. He told Nika he would do his best.

Ma Du hurried upstairs carrying two earthenware jars and gently placed them on the wooden floor.

Ma Du took a breath, then began chanting a spell. As he chanted, he carefully opened one of the jars, reached inside, and picked up a large black spider the size of a fist.

Han Sheng had never seen such a large spider before and was startled.

This large wolf spider had eight eyes, very thick legs covered in hair, sharp barbs in its mouth, and a sac of eggs on its back.

"This is a highly venomous, burrowing, man-eating female wolf spider, extremely rare. It secretes an anesthetic, so it doesn't feel pain when it eats people," Ma Du explained.

"It eats people?" Han Sheng had never heard of spiders eating people before.

Ma Du explained, "When you're asleep, it injects an anesthetic into your finger, then gnaws at your flesh. Before you know it, when you wake up, your entire arm might be gone. Of course, that only happens when a swarm of wolf spiders attacks."

Han Sheng listened, not only stunned but also feeling a chill run down his spine.

Chapter 83.

Ma Du continued, introducing the habits of the wolf spider: "Ordinary spiders with general venom rely on webs to hunt prey, but burrowing wolf spiders are different. Because their venom is extremely potent, they don't need webs; they attack their prey directly. Rabbits and badgers alike cannot escape their deadly sting. Sometimes even the village dogs are killed and maimed."

"That's wonderful," Han Sheng exclaimed.

"Wonderful? I don't understand," Ma Du asked, puzzled.

Han Sheng explained: "The so-called spider venom actually secretes a digestive enzyme. This enzyme not only deactivates platelets in the blood, preventing them from clotting, but also dissolves the soft tissues and organs inside the prey, making it easier for the spider to feed on them. The human immune system reacts strongly to this enzyme; these are the symptoms of poisoning. The stronger the reaction, the stronger the venom." This was knowledge from a first-year middle school textbook.

The chieftain, lying there, was listening intently. Ma Du looked down and saw the chieftain's eager, expectant eyes.

"Brother Han Sheng, when can we begin treatment?" Ma Du asked.

Han Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "Please go and call Liu Jinmo. I need him to seal several acupoints on the leader."

"Okay." Ma Du went off excitedly.

Han Sheng pondered the method in the *Qing Nang Jing* repeatedly, using poisonous spiders as a guide and leeches as medicine. The most crucial point was that the drainage must never be interrupted; otherwise, the poisonous blood would backfire, causing the patient to bleed to death. Indeed, in Hua Tuo's time, blood transfusions weren't known, so excessive blood loss was naturally incurable.

"Han Sheng, you called for me?" Liu Jinmo stood before Han Sheng, holding an infant.

Han Sheng said to him, "Help me seal the acupoints on the headdress's legs to prevent blood reflux, so I can treat her."

Liu Jinmo nodded, reached out and lifted the headdress's blanket. With lightning speed, he swiftly and accurately targeted four acupoints on the inner thigh (Ji Men, Xue Hai, Yin Bao, Ying Gu) and three on the outer thigh (Ju Liao, Huan Tiao, Bi Guan), all in one fluid motion. His speed and accuracy were truly astonishing, leaving Ma Du completely stunned.

"That's enough. I've simultaneously sealed off six of his meridians: the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming, the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin, the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, the Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin, the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang, and the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin. But it shouldn't take too long, otherwise his lower limbs will become necrotic," Liu Jinmo said calmly.

"It won't be long. Do it immediately," Han Sheng said.

"The chieftain's toes have fallen off, so the acupoints on his ten toes are no longer usable. Please have the Madu shaman bring out two wolf spiders and have them insert their venomous stingers into the Yongquan acupoints on the soles of the chieftain's two feet," Han Sheng instructed.

The Yongquan acupoint is the Jing-Well point of the Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin, located at the center of the sole of the foot. It is the source of the body's energy channels. For example, when a person walks a long distance, if they are suspended in the air without touching the ground, they will not get tired. People with flat feet are not good at walking because the Yongquan acupoint is touching the ground, which hinders the flow of Qi. The arch of the foot is also an evolutionary feature for upright walking. Back then, Zhang Sanfeng realized this principle and created Tai Chi Chuan, using the soles and heels as the axis, always keeping the

Yongquan acupoint suspended in the air to allow the flow of Qi. This was also for this reason. Meanwhile, Ma Du held a wolf spider in each hand, aiming its head at the Yongquan acupoints on the chieftain's feet. A flash of black light appeared from the spider's mouth, and its venomous stinger pierced the Yongquan acupoint… The venom of the wolf spider injected into the Yongquan acupoints, gradually spreading into the bloodstream of the chieftain's legs, breaking down the blockages and ulcerated tissue in the arteries

, veins, and capillaries. Although the chieftain's lower limbs were almost numb, he still felt a tingling sensation, which he found quite pleasant. Han Sheng, intently observing the chieftain's legs, noticed that they were gradually swelling and enlarging. He then said to Ma Du, "You can take out those bloodsucking lice now and place them on the ulcerated areas."

Ma Du nervously pulled out the small bloodsucking lice, slightly larger than the wolf spiders, with grayish-white skin and empty, shriveled abdomens, indicating they had been starving for some time.

The tiny blood lice, attracted by the scent of blood, swarmed forward, greedily sucking up the blood and pus-filled fluid broken down by the tarantula's venom.

As the tarantula continued to secrete venom and the blood lice continued to feed, the deposits in the blood vessels of the spider's lower limbs were gradually cleared, and the skin on the legs lightened from a deep reddish-black.

As the blood lice's bellies swelled larger and larger, their feeding enthusiasm waned, and their pace slowed. However, the newly flowing blood hadn't yet turned completely bright red, and the process still needed to continue.

Han Sheng grew anxious, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The drainage absolutely could not be interrupted. "Quick, go to the pond and find some leeches! Don't stop the drainage!" he urgently told Ma Du.

Ma Du sensed the tense atmosphere and, without saying a word, rushed downstairs.

Liu Jinmo couldn't bear to see Han Sheng so anxious, so he shoved Shen Caihua into Han Sheng's arms and said, "I'll go too." He then leaped down from the second-floor window. In

the mountainous areas of western Hunan, black leeches are often found in streams, ponds, and rice paddies. They are large and wide, adept at attaching to the exposed skin of people and animals, and suck a lot of blood.

Ma Du ran towards the pond at the foot of the mountain, calling out to the Miao people he met along the way, telling them to catch leeches and quickly deliver them to the headman's house.

Although the autumn sun was warm, the water in the pond was very cold. Ma Du circled the pond, but didn't see a single leech. Looking up, he saw that the rice paddies had already been harvested, and there wasn't a drop of water left in the fields. Where could there be any leeches? Sweat streamed down his face.

Liu Jinmo leaped to the stream, reached out and touched it; the water was icy cold. He thought, "Damn it," and sure enough, besides a few small fish, there wasn't even a leech in sight.

Han Sheng waited anxiously on the stilt house.

The little blood lice had completely eaten their fill, and one by one, drowsily, they rolled off the chieftain's legs.

Han Sheng was covered in cold sweat, but still no one had returned. It seemed the lingering poisonous blood was about to flow back, all their efforts were about to be in vain, and the chieftain's life was in danger. Nika stared at Han Sheng with wide eyes.

Just then, Shen Caihua, in Han Sheng's arms, stared at the chieftain with his dark pupils, grinned, and stuck out his tongue, licking his lips maliciously… With a "whoosh," before Han Sheng even noticed, Shen Caihua had leaped out of his arms, pounced on the chieftain's leg, opened his small mouth, bit into a blood vessel, and began to suck blood.

Han Sheng was shocked and rushed forward to pull the baby's legs down, but Shen Caihua's little hands gripped the chieftain's flesh tightly, refusing to come off.

Seeing the baby's belly gradually swell, Han Sheng panicked. Taking advantage of Han Sheng's momentary lapse in attention, the ghost infant switched to the other leg and began sucking.

Finally, Shen Caihua's belly was swollen round, and the blood seeping from between his teeth had turned bright red. Only then did he release his little hands, reluctantly letting go, licking his lips, and letting out a burp. He tried to get up, his bare bottom exposed, but failed.

The chieftain's legs returned to normal color; he was saved.

When Ma Du and Liu Jinmo returned dejectedly, they were astonished to find the chieftain sitting up… Ma Du stood there dumbfounded, seemingly unable to believe his eyes.

Liu Jinmo, seeing Shen Caihua's round, swollen belly, immediately understood what had happened.

Han Sheng said embarrassedly, "He suddenly jumped out of my arms, and I couldn't pull him off no matter what I did."

Liu Jinmo smiled and said, "Last night, he drank the blood of a large blood louse. Later, Ma Du gave him the antidote, but I don't know if there's any poison in this one today?"

Han Sheng turned to Ma Du and instructed, "It's alright, I'll find some pig intestines later to make a 'Three-Shit Resurrection Intestine' to detoxify him."

Ma Du excitedly stroked the chieftain's legs, murmuring, "Amazing, truly amazing!"

Nika's eyes were red, and she looked at Han Sheng gratefully.

Han Sheng instructed Ma Du, "The poison has been completely cleared. Get some herbs that clear heat, detoxify, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue regeneration to apply. He'll be able to walk in a day or two."

Ma Du was now completely in awe. "White peony bark, purslane, and lobelia are used for detoxification and inflammation, while bitter wormwood and dragon-slaying grass can remove necrotic tissue and promote tissue regeneration?" he asked cautiously.

Han Sheng nodded and said, "Of course."

Liu Jinmo picked up Shen Caihua, looking at him with heartache. Han Sheng went over and checked the child's pulse.

"Huh, Shen Caihua shows no signs of poisoning," Han Sheng said in surprise.

Liu Jinmo was overjoyed. That's great! It seems this child might be immune to all poisons. If so, even if he didn't take Ma Du's antidote last night, there probably wouldn't be any problems.

"Thank you for your help, divine doctor. You are the most honored guests of my Miao family. Ma Du, please entertain them well for me," the chieftain said, his voice much stronger.

Ma Du assured him that he would do his best and asked the chieftain to rest assured.

Han Sheng bid farewell to the chieftain and left the chieftain's house with Liu Jinmo, accompanied by Ma Du, returning to the stilted house they had stayed in earlier.

Yiqing and Can'er had been anxiously awaiting news. Upon learning that Hansheng had cured the chieftain's osteomyelitis, their hearts finally settled.

The shopkeeper thought to himself, "It seems this kid might actually have some skill."

At the chieftain's house, the girl Nika earnestly told her grandfather, "I must marry him."

Chapter 84:

Lan'er was a diligent girl. Since Hansheng left, she had kept the house spotless, both inside and out. She had also secretly cultivated several small vegetable plots at the foot of the mountain and along the ditch behind the house.

Wu Chushan felt uneasy all day. At dusk, he decided to go check out the Linggu Cave. He informed Lan'er and then headed south alone.

Passing through the bamboo forest, the mountain man was startled. The top of a military tent emerged from the bushes not far away.

Wu Chushan quickened his pace, heading straight for it.

"Halt! What are you doing?" Two armed men suddenly appeared from the bushes, shouting.

Wu Chushan was taken aback and asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Haha, it's Wu Chushan! Long time no see, you look quite well." Another man emerged from the bushes, short and stout, still wearing the same Zhongshan suit, and said with a grin.

"Meng Zhuqi... Director? What are you doing here?" Wu Chushan sensed something was wrong.

Meng Zhuqi smiled sinisterly and said, "Wu Chushan, let's go inside and talk. Hey, you two keep watch. Drive away any villagers who come near."

"Yes, sir." The two men replied and continued their vigil.

Entering the bushes, Wu Chushan was even more surprised. A huge, grass-green military tent was pitched in the middle of the bushes, completely shrouding the area in a dark aura.

Inside the tent were two cots, several chairs, and simple cooking utensils such as a kerosene lamp and a kerosene stove.

After the mountain man sat down, Meng Zhuqi said smugly, "Let's be frank. You wouldn't tell me the location of the Taiji Yin Aura before, but now we've found it ourselves. See? We're right."

Wu Chushan was speechless.

Meng Zhuqi became more and more smug: "Didn't expect that, did you? The Taiji Yin Aura that's been guarding for 600 years was actually guarded by our Huang family, haha."

"The Huang family?" the mountain man asked doubtfully.

"That's my brother-in-law. Let me tell you, my nephew Huang Jianguo is a red-blooded, promising revolutionary successor. Ten years from now, hehe..." Meng Zhuqi stopped talking, winking slyly.

Damn it, these villains are going to use the Taiji Yin Aura. The mountain man regretted not destroying this dragon's lair sooner, giving them an opportunity.

He had to think of a way to prevent their conspiracy from succeeding. The mountain man's mind raced.

"Are you planning to transplant the bones in?" the mountain man asked tentatively.

Meng Zhuqi shook his head and said, "That would be too slow. We're not fools."

"Then what about you?" Shanren asked, puzzled.

"We're planning to bury the living person directly. We'll need to consult you about any feng shui taboos," Meng Zhuqi said with a half-smile.

"A living person! You want to follow Zhu Yuanzhang's example? That's murder!" Shanren said.

"Anyway, Old Master Huang has an incurable disease. Let's just call it euthanasia. I've heard that poor working people in capitalist societies do this when they get old," Meng Zhuqi said confidently.

Inside the deep courtyard of the Hui-style mansion in Wuyuan County.

Huang Qiansui and his son Huang Jianguo solemnly unlocked the door to the side room and went inside.

An old-fashioned carved wooden bed was completely covered by a white gauze curtain. Huang Qiansui stepped forward and gently called out through the mosquito net, "Father, Father."

From inside the net came the old man's weak voice, "Is that you, Qiansui? Where have you been these past few days? There's no one here. I haven't had any food or water for days..."

Huang Qiansui felt a pang of sadness, but quickly suppressed it

. He said to the old man, "Father, it's me, Qiansui. I haven't been home these past few days. I'll serve you food now, but you need to take a bath first." "A bath? Let's eat first," the old man insisted.

"Grandpa, it's your grandson, Jianguo. You smell terrible; I lose my appetite as soon as I sit down. Let me help you bathe and we can eat together. Today, I'll make an exception and treat you to two drinks." Huang Jianguo said, lifting the mosquito net and gently taking his grandfather's withered hand.

The old man nodded, struggling to get up. Huang Jianguo helped the old man up and carefully put on his shoes.

On the other side of the courtyard, in a wing room, was a family bathroom with a large wooden bathtub filled with hot water, steaming gently.

Huang Jianguo helped the old man remove his clothes and helped him sit in the tub.

"Jianguo, this water is a bit hot," the old man said, glancing at Huang Jianguo with his cataract-filled eyes.

"Grandpa, hotter water helps remove dead skin," Huang Jianguo comforted him.

"My dear grandson, I'll listen to whatever you say. Do you remember when you were little, when I bathed you?" A rare smile appeared on the old man's face, a smile from the depths of his heart, a smile from a distant memory.

"You were naked back then, and you wouldn't come out of the water, splashing me all over..." The old man's smile widened.

Huang Jianguo's eyes reddened slightly.

"Grandpa, let me scrub your body and shave your body hair," Huang Jianguo said calmly, regaining his composure instantly.

"Okay, whatever you want, these are my dear grandson's little hands, so comfortable," the old man said happily.

Huang Jianguo helped the old man lie down on the long wooden bench. He first wiped his entire body with a hot towel and then lathered him with soap. He then took out a sharp razor and carefully began shaving off the old man's body hair.

Looking at the old man's withered body, tears welled up in his eyes. When he reached the old man's pubic area, seeing the few remaining graying hairs, he hardened his heart and removed them as well.

The old man was already almost bald, with very little hair left, but Huang Jianguo still carefully shaved him clean. When the old man wasn't looking, he quickly shaved off his eyebrows with two quick strokes. Before long, the old man was completely shaved, without a single hair left, looking like a bald pig ready for slaughter.

Wu Chushan couldn't think of a solution for a moment, so he said, "Live burial has many taboos in terms of feng shui. What are your plans? I'll listen first, and then I'll share my thoughts."

Meng Zhuqi thought this was good; Chairman Mao said, "Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; believe only one side and you will be misled." So he began to describe the specific arrangements for the burial.

"First, we'll ask Old Master Huang to fast for a few days, then bathe him, shave off all his hair and skin, and bury him naked without a coffin. At the beginning of midnight, we'll tie him up, place him upright in the grave, and then begin burying him. We'll fill in the soil at mid-midnight and finish the grave mound at the end of midnight. After the burial, we'll burn incense and offer sacrifices. That's the whole burial procedure," Meng Zhuqi said proudly.

Wu Chushan was secretly astonished. This was indeed the application of the Taiji Yin Aura. How did they know so clearly? If this were done, within ten years, the Central Plains would be in chaos, the regime would change, and the people would suffer.

"Well? Does the hermit have anything to add?" Meng Zhuqi asked, looking at Wu Chushanren.

"Wrong," the hermit sneered.

"Wrong? Where is it wrong?" Meng Zhuqi asked, staring at Wu Chushanren in confusion.

The hermit snorted, "It should be head down, feet up. You've completely reversed it."

Meng Zhuqi was taken aback, recalling his brother-in-law's instructions—head down, feet up. He couldn't have remembered wrong.

He chuckled a few times and said, "You say it should be head down, feet up, buried upside down. What's the basis for that?"

The hermit Wu Chu coldly replied, "The Yin and Yang realms are different. In ordinary life, you're head down, feet up, right? Heaven is Yang, earth is Yin. But the underworld is different; it's the opposite. It's called Yin and Yang reversed. Therefore, it must be head down, feet up, to conform to the laws of the underworld."

Meng Zhuqi pondered. What the hermit Wu Chu said seemed quite reasonable, but that was what his brother-in-law had instructed. Who was right and who was wrong? It seemed he could only wait until his brother-in-law and the others arrived to discuss it further.

Wu Chushan, watching Meng Zhuqi deep in thought, thought that as long as they buried the person upside down, the five elements would be out of balance, suppressing yang from yin, and reversing the earth's energy. Hmph, the Central Plains would naturally be safe. At most, the Taiji Yin halo would produce only a nation's mother or the president's wife; the common people would still live in peace and prosperity.

"What you said makes sense. Let's wait for my brother-in-law and the others to arrive before making a decision," Meng Zhuqi said.

"You said Huang Qianhui and the others are coming?" Wu Chushan asked in surprise.

"Yes, they're bringing the old man with them," Meng Zhuqi explained.

"When will the burial take place?" Wu Chushan felt a tightness in his chest.

"Tonight at midnight," Meng Zhuqi replied.

Old Master Huang finished his bath, changed into new clothes, and came out of the side room.

"Isn't it time to eat?" the old man asked.

"Grandpa, we won't eat at home tonight. I'll take you out to eat wild game," Huang Jianguo said, forcing back tears.

"Good, good. It's rare to see such filial piety. Grandpa hasn't been to a restaurant in a long time. What kind of wild game do you have?" the old man said, grasping Huang Jianguo's hand.

A few tears streamed down Huang Jianguo's face as he said, "There are pheasants, rabbits, owls, and the like."

Wu Daoming and the nun were also brought along, and Huang Qiansui instructed them to remain silent.

Huang Qiansui personally drove the jeep, with Wu Daoming in the front and the old man, Huang Jianguo, and the nameless nun squeezed into the back. The jeep headed directly towards Nanshan Village, the fewer people who knew the situation, the better.

An hour later, the car stopped behind a tree outside Nanshan Village, and everyone got out and walked.

The old man couldn't see the road and stumbled a few steps.

"Grandpa, let me carry you," Huang Jianguo said respectfully, carrying his emaciated grandfather on his back as they began their ascent along the mountain path.

"This restaurant is a bit far," the old man grumbled on Huang Jianguo's back.

Huang Jianguo felt a pang of sadness, but thinking of the great responsibility bestowed upon him by Heaven to benefit all living beings, he felt this sacrifice was worthwhile and quickened his pace.

"Amitabha," the nun chanted softly.

Wu Daoming was thinking much more deeply. His grandfather had been buried alive in the Taiji Yin Aura, and the Huang family wanted an emperor as their descendant—this couldn't be known to outsiders. He and the nun knew the truth; could they really be let go so easily? Given the methods Huang Qianhui used against his father, he was utterly inhuman, so ruthless and cruel; he would definitely kill him and the nun. The key question was when they would strike. Wu Daoming estimated that five days after the burial, when everything seemed normal, his and the nun's death would be imminent. However, no matter how cunning Huang Qianhui's schemes, Wu Daoming of Lingnan wasn't to be trifled with. He wouldn't sit idly by and wait to die. Hmm, he'd play it by ear and wait and see.

Walking at the back of the group, Huang Qiansui touched the pistol at his waist, thinking, "It's not time yet." Although he had poisoned Wu Daoming and the nameless nun's food these past few days, the dosage was perfectly controlled, and they wouldn't die from the poison for a week. The poison was provided by the hospital director, who was an expert in toxicology.

The group hurried along, each lost in their own thoughts, passing through the bamboo forest. The Taiji Yin Aura was approaching.

Chapter 85:

Huang Qiansui and his group entered the tent.

"Huh, Wu Chushan is here too?" Huang Qiansui's heart skipped a beat; another person to be silenced.

"Brother-in-law, Wu Chushan said to be head down, feet up, otherwise yin and yang will be reversed," Meng Zhuqi said with a forced smile upon seeing Huang Qiansui.

Huang Qiansui glared sternly at Meng Zhuqi; his brother-in-law was incredibly foolish.

Huang Jianguo gently placed the old man on a chair. The old man sniffed the air and said, "Jianguo, why can't I smell anything?"

"You all go out," Huang Qiansui instructed the others to leave the tent, leaving only the three of them.

After everyone left, Huang Qiansui looked at his father, hesitated, and found it difficult to speak.

Huang Jianguo turned to Huang Qiansui and said calmly, "Dad, you can go out now."

Huang Qiansui looked at his son questioningly.

Huang Jianguo nodded calmly.

Huang Qiansui walked out of the tent with a sigh of relief.

He walked up to Wu Daoming, his piercing gaze fixed on him, and said, "Old Wu, is it head down and feet up, or head down and feet up?"

Wu Daoming was taken aback, his eyes quickly glancing at Wu Chushanren. He already understood the man's intention. This man was cunning enough. He had just pulled off a perfectly good Tai Chi Yin Yun, only to end up with an Empress Dowager. And the Huang family had neither daughters nor granddaughters. Was he playing the Empty City Stratagem? Fine, Wu would play along. Anyway, the Huang family wasn't exactly a good family.

Huang Qianhui, a political cadre by training, had seen countless people. Although Wu Daoming tried his best to conceal it, the change in his eyes couldn't escape Huang Qianhui's seasoned and sharp eyes.

Wu Daoming slapped his forehead and said, "That's right, head down and feet up. I was mistaken last time."

Wu Chushanren breathed a sigh of relief, the tense muscles on his face immediately relaxing.

Of course, this subtle change in the man's face did not escape Huang Qianhui's notice.

Huang Qianhui already knew what was going on. He chuckled and said with a double meaning, "Old Wu, you can't let love cloud your judgment! If it weren't for Wu Chushan's reminder, wouldn't we have made a mistake?"

Meng Zhuqi smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, how was it? I was careful enough, otherwise all our efforts would have been in vain."

Huang Qianhui patted his uncle's shoulder and said with a smile, "You should thank Wu Chushan properly."

At this moment, the sound of sobbing came from inside the tent.

Huang Qianhui walked into the tent and saw Old Master Huang and his son Jianguo weeping bitterly... Seeing his father enter, Huang Jianguo nodded.

"Father, I had no choice..." Huang Qianhui stammered.

"You unfilial son! Fine, fine, I sacrificed myself for my grandson's future. Remember, ten years later, when Jianguo achieves great things, I want to be buried with your mother, understand?" Old Master Huang cried out sorrowfully.

“Grandpa, I promise you,” Huang Jianguo said calmly.

Outside the tent, Wu Daoming and Wu Chushan exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

Huang Qiansui called out, “Old Wu, you dig the grave.”

The old man pointed and said angrily, “No, I want to live a thousand years! My son will personally dig his old man’s grave!”

Huang Qiansui blushed, grabbed the iron hoe from the tent, and began to dig silently.

At that moment, the old man’s withered hands gripped his grandson’s arm tightly, trembling incessantly.

Huang Qiansui dug, drenched in sweat. Having lived a life of luxury, he hadn't done any physical labor in years, but for the sake of the greater good, he could only grit his teeth and persevere.

Wu Daoming stood at the tent entrance, silently watching. The nun, unable to bear the sight, stood far away, chanting the Ksitigarbha Sutra incessantly.

Wu Chushan observed coldly, believing that good and evil would ultimately be rewarded, and Huang Qiansui would reap what he sowed.

Meng Zhuqi gazed at the moon, leisurely smoking.

Finally, the hour of Hai (9-11 PM - 11 AM) arrived. Huang Qiansui had dug a hole two meters deep. He grabbed a handful of five-colored soil, his face covered in sweat, and smiled, saying, "Done."

"Old Wu, any more questions?" Huang Qiansui asked Wu Daoming with a cold, gloomy gaze.

Wu Daoming was startled. He saw a flash of murderous intent deep in Huang Qiansui's eyes. He felt a chill run down his spine. He understood; he and the nun wouldn't survive five days.

“No problem, head down, feet up, the five elements will naturally merge in five days.” Wu Daoming forced a smile.

Huang Qiansui nodded and said, “Alright, all of you go out, the old man needs to change his clothes.”

Wu Daoming walked to the nun standing to the side and whispered, “Junior sister, Huang Qiansui is up to no good. I think the best course of action is to flee. What do you think?”

The nun said, “Brother Dao, I’ve wanted to leave that awful place for a long time. Let’s just find a secluded place to live in seclusion.”

Wu Daoming nodded and said, “Now is an opportunity.

” The nun understood and said loudly, “I need to use the restroom.” She then walked into the depths of the bushes.

Wu Daoming said with concern, “Okay, I’ll keep watch for you, junior sister.” He then followed and disappeared into the darkness.

“So cheesy.” Meng Zhuqi snorted, disdainfully.

Huang Qiansui looked at his watch. It was just past 11 p.m., the beginning of midnight. He signaled to his son with his eyes that it was time to make his move.

“Grandpa, let me help you change your clothes,” Huang Jianguo said to the old man.

“Pitter-patter,” tears fell onto his grandson’s hands. Huang Jianguo hesitated for a moment, then began to unbutton the old man’s clothes.

The old man obediently let his grandson strip him naked, standing in the tent. It was late autumn, and the air was chilly; the old man shivered, hugging his arms.

Huang Qiansui handed his son a rope.

Huang Jianguo softly said to his grandfather, “Grandpa, I need to tie you up with this rope, in case you move around.”

“Good grandson, Grandpa won’t move, please don’t tie me up,” the old man pleaded.

Huang Jianguo seemed not to hear, wrapping the rope around the old man’s body, then pulling it tight, binding him like a large rice dumpling.

Huang Qiansui gestured for him to remain head up and feet down, and Huang Jianguo nodded to indicate he understood.

With tears in his eyes, Huang Qiansui said to the old man, "Father, Jianguo and I will be eternally grateful to you. When Jianguo ascends to the throne, we will definitely erect a monument and write a biography for you. You can rest in peace now." He then stood at the tent entrance, turning his back, unable to bear watching any longer.

Under the pale moonlight, Wu Chushanren, hands behind his back, gazed at the moon and recited: "Newly torn silk, pure and white as frost and snow. Cut into a fan of reunion, round like the bright moon. It goes in and out of your sleeves, stirred by the gentle breeze. I always fear the arrival of autumn, when the cool wind will steal away the heat. Cast aside in a box, our affection severed halfway."

Huang Qiansui listened silently, inwardly scoffing, "Petty bourgeois sentimentality, stinking intellectuals. How can sparrows understand the ambitions of swans? Don't think I'll be fooled by echoing Wu Daoming's words. They underestimate me, Huang 'Thousand Years Old'."

He touched the pistol at his waist; now was a good opportunity. Wait, where are Wu Daoming and the nun?

Inside the tent, Huang Jianguo glanced at the Shanghai brand watch on his left wrist; the hands pointed to 11:35.

"Grandpa, let's go down." He gently lifted the emaciated old man and slowly lowered him upright into the cave.

The old man, his hands and feet bound naked, stood trembling in the grave, saying, "Jianguo, Grandpa's cold, hurry up and bury him..."

Huang Jianguo softly comforted him, "Grandpa, it's still five minutes until midnight. Please hold on a little longer for your grandson."

The old man raised his head, his cataract-filled eyes wide open, as if wanting to see his beloved grandson a few more times before he died.

Huang Jianguo stared at his watch, watching the hands finally point to 11:41, the hour of midnight. He breathed a sigh of relief, picked up his shovel, scooped up the first shovelful of dirt, and poured it down without hesitation… Outside the tent, Huang Qiansui asked Meng Zhuqi sharply, “Where are Wu Daoming and the nameless nun?”

Meng Zhuqi chuckled, “They went to relieve themselves over there.”

Huang Qiansui snorted, glancing at Wu Chushanren. His right hand instinctively went to the pistol at his waist, but after thinking for a moment, he released it.

Now was not the time. Killing Wu Chushanren might arouse suspicion from Han Sheng, might actually lead him to the capital, might… No, this would be very detrimental to Jianguo’s development. Wu Chushan and Wu Daoming wanted me to bury my father head-down in the Taiji Yin Aura, which was definitely a deliberate deception. Now I've played along, making them believe I buried him according to their later plan. Wu Chushan won't reveal this for now; he'll definitely silence him, but that depends on whether Hansheng comes to the capital. As for Wu Daoming and the nun, they'll die from the poison in a few days anyway.

"Master, I've buried him according to your method. Is there anything else I should be aware of?" Huang Qiansui asked kindly.

Wu Chushan turned around and said calmly, "No."

Huang Qiansui chuckled and said, "Is Hansheng at home? Why didn't he come with you?"

Wu Chushan said coldly, "If he knew about this, how could he understand?" He then sighed deeply.

Meng Zhuqi walked dejectedly from the depths of the bushes and said to Huang Qiansui, "Brother-in-law, Wu Daoming and that nameless nun, that adulterous couple, have run away."

Huang Jianguo, tears welling in his eyes, shoveled soil into the grave.

The five-colored soil slowly piled up from the old man's feet, down to his knees…his hips…his waist…to his chest. The tears seeping from the old man's grayish-white eyes gradually turned red, and finally blood… Huang Jianguo saw his grandfather open his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

"Grandpa, rest in peace. You will be recorded in history. Years later, the people of the Central Plains will forever remember you," Huang Jianguo murmured, finally burying the old man's head with soil… Huang Jianguo filled the grave and stood on it, tamping the soil down with his feet.

Huang Qiansui poked his head in and asked, "Is it finished?"

Huang Jianguo calmly replied, "It was completed strictly according to the stipulated time and procedures."

Huang Qiansui lowered his head and asked, "Didn't your grandfather say anything at the end?"

Huang Jianguo said lightly, "Grandpa will be proud."

Huang Qiansui and his son Huang Jianguo walked out of the tent. A dark cloud covered the sky, and the world slowly darkened. A chilly autumn wind blew, and Huang Jianguo shivered.

Huang Qiansui instructed Meng Zhuqi, "You continue to hold your position here. The next five days are especially important. No mistakes are allowed, understand?"

"Don't worry, brother-in-law, I won't leave for five days," Meng Zhuqi vowed.

"You can pile up the grave mound again," Huang Qiansui said.

Meng Zhuqi nodded in agreement.

Under the moonlight, Wu Chushan let out a long sigh and said, "The 600-year agreement in Qingtian has finally come to an end. Truly, life is unpredictable." Then he turned and left without looking back.

The autumn wind carried intermittently the sound of his recitation: "Where does the lonely soul linger under the moon? An old friend comes before Linggu Cave. Six hundred years of dreams left behind in Qingtian, all turned to dust in the world. Who would believe that within the noble mansion, ten years of fragrant grasses remained? Enough to leave behind endless sorrow for a thousand years, only this man knows its grief..."

Huang Qiansui stood there, stunned, for a long time before sighing, "Let's begin the memorial service." Huang

Jianguo took out incense and candles, stuck them into the ground, lit them with matches, and then, together with his father, respectfully knelt before the Taiji Yin symbol.

Meng Zhuqi, seeing this, also quickly knelt behind them.

Huang Qiansui prayed, "Father, I am unfilial for letting you leave a few months too early, but your death brought glory to your descendants and blessings to all people. Your death is heavier than Mount Tai! We, your children, will always respect and remember you. May you rest in peace." After saying this, he kowtowed three times heavily.

Huang Jianguo vowed in his heart: Grandpa, I will definitely live up to your expectations. Within ten years, I will surely enter the capital and bring blessings to the people.

A few crows cawed in the dark bamboo forest, the moon disappeared into the clouds, and the earth was shrouded in a hazy mist.

Chapter 86

In the early hours of the morning, Nanshan Village was quiet. Everyone was fast asleep, and all was silent.

Wu Chushan couldn't sleep. After returning from the Taiji Yin Aura, He Xiang and her daughter were already asleep. He quietly went to the east room and lay down on Han Sheng's bed.

For over 600 years, countless generations of Qingtian people had guarded the Taiji Yin Aura, but now it had been seized by a mere director of Wuyuan County, that is, a county magistrate. Although Huang Jianguo looked like a refined scholar, his ruthlessness was no less than his father's. If such a person entered the capital, it would surely be a catastrophe for the Central Plains.

Fortunately, he had a flash of inspiration and decided to bury the body head-down. He also had the cooperation of the enigmatic Wu Daoming from Lingnan. This way, ten years later, the Huang family would at most produce a secretary or chairman's wife. It was just a pity to waste such a propitious burial site.

Just then, Wu Chushan heard a faint whooshing sound. With a "thud," a small clod of earth lightly touched the windowpane and fell.

In an instant, Wu Chushan darted out of the door, only to see a figure flash outside the courtyard. He leaped and chased after it.

In the dim moonlight, two figures stood on the dirt road.

"Your Empty City Stratagem is quite well-executed," said Wu Daoming from Lingnan, standing with his hands behind his back in the middle of the road, smiling.

Wu Chushan chuckled and said, "Since Mr. Wu has broken his oath and revealed the secret of the Taiji Yin Aura, why should you still help me?"

Wu Daoming sighed and said, "Last time, we were spotted by Zhu Biao at the Taiji Yin Aura. Huang Qianhui lured him away and probably forced him to reveal its location. He then also captured me and my junior sister. Now, the Taiji Yin Aura is under their control." Wu Chushan smiled and

said, "With your martial arts skills, how can you be so easily controlled?"

Wu Daoming said, "What you say makes sense, but Huang Qianhui offered to process a one-way permit for my junior sister to go to Hong Kong in exchange for the burial method of the Taiji Yin Aura. I had no choice but to agree." Wu Chushan said seriously, "

The Huang family father and son are not kind people. By doing this, aren't you disregarding the people of the Central Plains?"

Wu Daoming laughed and said, "What you say is true, but what the Central Plains will do more than ten years later... " "What does this have to do with me? I, Wu Daoming, have lived for over 60 years before finally meeting my junior sister. Just think, how many more years do we have left to be together? Even if the Huang family takes control of the capital, my junior sister and I will be old and frail, with little time left. Originally, I was entrusted with searching for the Taiji Yin Aura, simply because as a renowned Feng Shui master, seeing the Taiji Aura was an honor, and it would also bring in a large sum of money, so I pursued it relentlessly. But since meeting my junior sister, my thoughts have completely changed. Money and fame are no longer important. As long as we can spend our remaining years together, that is enough. Besides, my savings in Hong Kong are more than enough for my junior sister and me to live on."

Wu Chushan was speechless after hearing this. Yes, in times of ruin, the people suffer; in times of prosperity, the people suffer. Wu Daoming and his master remained celibate their entire lives, only coming together in their later years. Wanting to live their own lives is understandable. Alas, everyone has their own ambitions, but there is nothing one can do about it.

Wu Daoming sighed and said, "Master, now that the Huang family has no daughters, even if we bury them in the Taiji Yin Aura, it will all be in vain. At least it fulfills my wish, doesn't it?" "

The Huang family has no daughters or granddaughters?" Wu Chu asked.

"Exactly, it was all just a ruse," Wu Daoming replied.

"Haha..." Wu Chu gave a bitter laugh.

After a long while, the master said, "Why didn't you go far away? Why did you come back to find me?"

"We've both been poisoned," Wu Daoming said dejectedly.

Wu Chushan asked in surprise, "You two are both poisoned? With your martial arts skills, how easy is it for you to be poisoned at the same time?"

Wu Daoming sighed, "Yes, after we left Linggu Cave at midnight, we used our lightness skills to travel south. Unexpectedly, after only traveling a few dozen miles, our true energy became insufficient. So we sat down to circulate our qi, only to find that our coccyx acupoints were blocked. They were painful when pressed, and that's when we realized we were poisoned."

Wu Chushan exclaimed, "The coccyx acupoint is the connecting point of the Du meridian, which leads to the Ren meridian. If it is blocked, it will hinder the circulation of qi, and the true qi in the dantian will not rise, thus becoming dead qi."

Wu Daoming said dejectedly, "We think the problem must be with the food at Huang Qiansui's house in Wuyuan. Moreover, the amount of poison was calculated precisely. A large amount would be detected, while a small amount would have no effect. It was just the right amount each day, accumulating for several days until it reached a certain amount, at which point it would cause death."

"How vicious! Do you know what kind of poison you were poisoned with?" the man asked.

"This poison is colorless and odorless, and it can accumulate in the body without being neutralized by daily internal energy. I really can't guess what kind of poison it is, but I don't think it's a commonly used poison in the martial arts world," Wu Daoming replied.

"Then why don't you two go to Wuyuan, capture Huang Qiansui, force out the antidote, or capture that Huang Jianguo to exchange for the antidote?" Wu Chushanren asked.

Wu Daoming nodded and said, "I want to have Hansheng take a look first, and then go find Huang Qiansui to settle accounts."

"Hansheng has already gone to Tianmen Mountain in Xiangxi," Wu Chushanren said.

"He went to see the old man in Xiangxi?"

Wu Daoming asked in surprise. Wu Chushanren nodded

. "Then we two have no choice but to go find that old bastard Huang Qiansui," Wu Daoming said. Wu Chushanren frowned and pondered without speaking.

The coccyx acupoint is located between the coccyx and the anus. In modern Western anatomy, a nerve bundle connects this point to the gonads. During intense sexual activity, stimulating this nerve bundle can produce intense pleasure. I read this in a medical journal when I was teaching at Peking University. Of course, I couldn't say this to the nun.

There are two possibilities: one, they were indeed poisoned, and the poison is lingering in the coccyx acupoint, waiting to take effect; two, they weren't poisoned, and no one poisoned them. Instead, Wu Daoming, a virgin for sixty years, and the nun, who had remained celibate for decades, had never lost their virginity. Now, in their sixties, the so-called "old firewood's rage" suddenly caused them to have intercourse, damaging that nerve bundle and leading to discomfort in the coccyx acupoint, which they mistakenly believed to be poisoned.

"Come here, I want to talk to you alone," Wu Chushanren said.

He pulled Wu Daoming aside, making sure the nun couldn't hear him, and then explained his deduction to Wu Daoming.

Two blushes rose on Wu Daoming's face, and he immediately looked extremely embarrassed.

"If we blindly find Huang Qianhui, and he didn't poison us, wouldn't that be very awkward?" Wu Chushan reminded him.

Wu Daoming said shyly, "In that case, let's also head to Tianmen Mountain in western Hunan and find Hansheng."

"Remember, during this period, absolutely no sexual relations are allowed," Wu Chushanren instructed.

After bidding farewell to the nun, Wu Daoming and the nun traveled through the night to western Hunan.

"What did Wu Chushanren say to you?" the nun asked Wu Daoming softly on the road.

Wu Daoming smiled without answering, his face slightly flushed, but his heart was filled with sweetness.

At dawn, the two boarded a long-distance bus, heading straight for Yueyang.

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few. At the ancient ferry crossing of the 800-li Dongting Lake, Wu Daoming and the nun stood on the shore, gazing at the vast expanse of water. A bright moon was reflected in the lake, its silvery scales shimmering.

“Junior Sister, there are no overnight trains to Xiangxi. Rather than spending the night in Yueyang City, why don’t we take a small boat and cross Dongting Lake at night? Such poetic and picturesque scenery is a rare treat. What do you think, Junior Sister?” Wu Daoming said softly.

“Very well. I’ve been in the nunnery for decades and rarely have the chance to go out. I’ve long heard of the eight-hundred-mile-long

Dongting Lake, which comes from the ancient Yunmeng Marsh. To be able to sail there with you, Brother Dao, is truly a rare opportunity,” the nun readily agreed. Wu Daoming then gave the boatman three hundred yuan, asking him to set sail that night to cross Dongting Lake. In those days, three hundred yuan was no small sum; it could at least buy two pigs.

The boatman, a man in his forties, was naturally overjoyed. He invited the two to board and settle in, then rowed away from the ancient ferry.

The autumn moon was like a plate, the lake water like a mirror, stretching as far as the eye could see, with only the sound of oars.

“Such scenery is something I could never imagine in the nunnery,” the nun exclaimed with emotion.

Wu Daoming smiled slightly and said, "Meng Haoran once wrote in his poem, 'Dongting Lake is vast in autumn, I wish to sail home. I cannot distinguish the lands of Jing and Wu, only the water and the sky remain. The trees along the vast river disappear, merging with the distant sea tide. I linger to prepare a boat, and together we will cross this great river.' He must have deeply appreciated the joy of boating on the lake."

The nun gazed at Wu Daoming with tender affection, feeling a sense of regret for not having met him sooner, and sighed softly, "Brother Dao, you are truly a learned man."

Wu Daoming's heart warmed, and he gently embraced the nun.

The boatman, seeing this, felt a surge of respect, reflecting on his own life spent boating on the lake, still a bachelor, and couldn't help but feel a little melancholy.

The boatman shifted his gaze to the lake; under the moonlight, the still water was undisturbed, utterly silent.

A white shadow flashed across the water in the distance. The boatman rubbed his eyes and saw clearly that it was a person walking on the water… The boatman was shocked, his mouth agape, speechless for a moment, his hands stopping rowing.

It was a woman in white, walking towards them like a fairy in the moonlight.

Wu Daoming and the nun also noticed her and stared intently.

As the woman drew closer, they finally saw clearly that she was a young woman with a pretty but melancholy face, dressed in white, with a baby's garment draped over her arm, her eyes staring straight ahead… “Oh no, it’s the Yin Corpse Shen Caihua…” Wu Daoming blurted out.

Chapter 87

Shen Caihua stiffly turned her neck, her eyes fixed on Wu Daoming, her nose twitching, slowly sniffing as she pressed her body against him.

At this moment, the boatman was already ashen-faced, sitting on the stern deck, trembling like a leaf, his hands covering his head.

The nun raised her hand, poised to strike.

Wu Daoming quickly gestured to stop her, saying, "Wait, she's smelled Shen Caihua."

Sure enough, Shen Caihua sniffed into Wu Daoming's arms, a smile appearing on her face.

Wu Daoming gently removed his own shirt and offered it to Shen Caihua. Shen Caihua grabbed it, then lightly leaped onto the wooden boat, sat on the side, and buried her head deeply in the shirt… The nun was extremely surprised, looking at Wu Daoming with a questioning gaze.

Wu Daoming sighed, "This poor woman, she has become a corpse, and now she can't hear the voices of the living."

The nun looked at her and said, "How can she walk on the water?"

Wu Daoming explained, "The evil aura of a wet corpse is the heaviest, and it is also the most vicious of the eighteen types of corpse transformations. Its greatest characteristic is that it can absorb resentment, which is actually a kind of biomagnetic field. There are quite a few people who drowned in Dongting Lake, and there are some corpses in the lake whose eyes are not closed in death. The magnetic field of the corpses can be attracted by the corpse. The corpse itself cannot float on the water with its feet; it steps on the floating corpses that it has attracted, so it looks like it is walking on the water."

The nun looked curiously into the water below the side of the boat. Under the moonlight, the back of one person and the belly of another person were faintly visible on the water, showing a swollen and pale color, and emitting a smell like rotting fish and shrimp.

Wu Daoming pointed to the two drowned corpses and said, "The one lying face down is a male corpse. All the female corpses are lying face up in the water. Moreover, both of these corpses died unjustly, full of resentment, and were attracted by the Yin Corpse."

The nun said "Oh," and her admiration for this learned Taoist brother grew even stronger. She then asked, "Why were Shen Caihua's eyes so straight just now?"

Wu Daoming smiled slightly and said, "The Yin Corpse's eyeballs don't move, unlike other corpse transformations, so she has to turn her neck to see things."

"Will she hurt people?" the nun asked with some concern.

Wu Daoming replied, "Yes, the Yin Corpse is good at biting people's necks. This is an instinct that all animals have innately. Because the Yin Corpse can only perform simple thoughts, its instincts are expressed more strongly, such as maternal love."

"No wonder it came all the way to chase after your clothes." The nun understood.

"No, although I held the ghost baby for a long time, it wasn't enough to attract Shen Caihua here," Wu Daoming said.

The nun asked, "What attracted Shen Caihua to Dongting Lake?"

Wu Daoming pondered, "Shen Caihua."

The cold moon hung lonely in the night sky, and a gentle breeze blew across the lake, causing the nun to shiver.

"You mean the ghost infant is also in Dongting Lake?" the nun asked.

Wu Daoming thought for a moment, then understood, and chuckled softly, "The ghost infant isn't here, but in Xiangxi. Shen Caihua was just passing through Dongting Lake; our encounter with her was accidental." He glanced back at the boatman, who had collapsed to the ground, and said, "Junior sister, with the Yin Corpse leading the way, how can we not find Shen Caihua? And how did Shen Caihua get to Xiangxi? He must be traveling with Liu Jinmo. Why would Liu Jinmo carry an infant all the way to Xiangxi? He must be with Hansheng."

The nun looked at the boatman's appearance, feeling somewhat worried.

Wu Daoming stood up and laughed loudly, "Back then, I, Wu, also rowed on the Dongjiang River in Lingnan. Decades have passed, and I never imagined that I would be able to row for my junior sister today, crossing Dongting Lake at night. It is truly an honor beyond measure."

With that, he lightly leaped backward, landing steadily at the stern, picked up the wooden oar,

and began to row. Wu Daoming, after all, possessed martial arts skills, and a northeast wind happened to be blowing across the lake, propelling the wooden boat swiftly southwestward, no less than a seasoned boatman.

The nun gazed tenderly at her oar-rowing brother, dressed in a single layer of clothing, his muscles bulging, exuding an imposing aura. Her heart warmed, and she was willing to spend her life boating on the Five Lakes with him.

Before dawn, the wooden boat finally reached the shore, an ancient ferry crossing on the southwest bank of Dongting Lake.

In the early morning, a thick fog blanketed the lake, the air cool and moist, with a faint fishy smell carried on the breeze.

Wu Daoming jumped off the boat and said, "The Yin Corpse shouldn't be exposed to sunlight; it will burn her. We'll have to continue tonight."

They traveled a short distance and found a farmhouse. They gave the farm woman some money, and she happily prepared breakfast. After eating, Wu Daoming and the nun prepared to rest and be well-rested for their journey that night.

The Yin Corpse eagerly rushed into the house, threw herself onto the bed, grabbed a quilt, and curled up inside.

Wu Daoming explained, "The Yin Corpse doesn't need to eat. At midnight, she can breathe facing the sky, absorbing the essence of the moon and the yin energy of heaven and earth."

Wu Daoming inquired with the farmer and learned that this place belonged to Yuanjiang County. They weren't far from western Hunan; at their pace, they could cross Taoyuan County in one night and enter western Hunan.

They rested all day. Wu Daoming remembered Wu Chushan's advice and didn't touch the nun again, despite his burning desire.

As the moon rose over the eastern mountains, they set off.

Under the moonlight, Wu Daoming and the nun followed Shen Caihua swiftly along the road.

Shen Caihua, seemingly familiar with the route, showed no hesitation when encountering forks in the road. Wu Daoming knew she was driven by a maternal instinct to approach Shen Caihua, even though the baby wasn't her own. The child's bio-magnetic field was intimately familiar to her; after all, she had carried the child for nine months. Alas, how many things in this world are unsatisfactory?

Wu Daoming and the nun were already quite skilled in light-footed martial arts. Although their coccyx acupoints throbbed with pain, they were still far superior to ordinary martial arts masters. Yet, after an hour, Shen Caihua showed no signs of fatigue, while Wu Daoming was already panting heavily. He understood this was largely due to his loss of virginity for 60 years.

Looking at the nun, her steps were light, her clothes flowing, her face rosy, her breathing even—she seemed even more radiant than before. Alas, it seems the saying that women live longer than men is indeed true.

In the early hours of the morning, after walking for several hours, they could already see the Xuefeng Mountains in the distance. Wu Daoming knew they had arrived at the Peach Blossom Spring described by the great Eastern Jin Dynasty poet Tao Yuanming.

Historically, this place was one of the sacred sites of ancient Chinese Taoism, praised as the thirty-fifth grotto-heaven and forty-sixth blessed land. Throughout history, countless literati and poets had gathered here, including Tao Yuanming, Meng Haoran, Wang Changling, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Mu, Liu Yuxi, Han Yu, Lu You, and Su Shi, all of whom left their mark.

"Junior sister, the trees are lush and the streams are clear ahead; this is the Peach Blossom Spring. Why don't we rest for a while?" Wu Daoming said, panting and clutching his lower back.

The nun replied, "As you wish, brother."

The three walked to a mountain pass ahead. Beneath the cliff was an ancient stone pool, its clear water reflecting the bright moon like a mirror. In the dead of night, it was extremely quiet and serene.

Yinshi Shen Caihua walked to the side and began to breathe deeply into the moon's reflection.

“This is the entrance to Chicken Cry Valley. Legend has it that this ancient pool is where the Seven Fairies secretly descended to earth to bathe. The water is smooth and silky, rejuvenating, with verdant bamboo groves and birds leaving their tracks. It’s a pity that the clear water retains its fragrance, but the traces of the fairies are hard to find,” Wu Daoming sighed.

The nun walked to the edge of the pool, touched the water with her hand, and indeed found it smooth and silky.

She stood up, and while taking off her clothes, said, “Please turn your face away, brother. I also want to take a bath.” Under the moonlight, the nun walked naked into the pool. Although she was over sixty, she usually lived a simple life, eating vegetarian food and drinking light tea, and maintained a beautiful figure. She was plump and charming, without a belly. Especially her slightly protruding white hair, which reflected the white mist rising from the pool, made her look like a fairy in Wu Daoming’s eyes, truly like the Seven Fairies descending to earth.

“Good! Indeed, there are fairies descending to earth…” Someone in the opposite woods cheered.

Wu Daoming was shocked. Before he could warn the nun, he gathered his inner energy and leaped like a bird into the opposite woods.

The nun, who had never been spied on by a man before, was stunned by the suddenness of the event. She didn't even think to hide in the water, remaining naked in the moonlight.

Mid-air, Wu Daoming, burning with rage, had already concentrated his inner energy in his right palm, preparing to kill the one who had been peeping and cheering. But once he reached the woods, Wu Daoming was shocked and slowly lowered his hand… There was more than one person in the woods! A dozen or so men, leaning on hoes, were commenting on the naked nun… Some said, “This woman has skin like jade, beauty like a fairy, a rare find in this world.”

Others praised, “Look at her, her waist is like a willow, her hips like a horse’s rump, her hair like silver threads, her movements light and graceful, she must have never given birth.”

A middle-aged scholar even recited an ancient poem to the nun: “The ospreys cry, on the river’s islet; a fair maiden, a gentleman’s desire…”

All of them were only a little over a meter tall, reaching only Wu Daoming’s waist; they were a bunch of dwarfs!

At this moment, the nun finally came to her senses, hurriedly put on her monk’s robes, fastened her belt, her face flushed with anger, and with a loud shout, leaped into the air, her palms striking out towards the woods.

"Look at such a beautiful figure, the one I long for, a gift from a beauty." Someone in the group commented again.

The nun, who had rushed into the woods, was also stunned. She turned to look at Wu Daoming, who shrugged helplessly.

Wu Daoming suddenly stiffened; he remembered something and said to the dwarfs, "Are you jade corpses?"

The dwarfs whispered among themselves. After a moment, an old man with a white beard spoke to Wu Daoming, "Sir, we are jade corpses, residing in Qinren Valley. We just saw this young girl, so beautiful and youthful, like a celestial being. We couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Please forgive us if we have offended you." Wu Daoming thought for a moment

and then said to the nun, "Junior sister, these people didn't use any disrespectful language. It seems their praise for you was genuine. To be honest, junior sister, they said what I've always wanted to say but haven't. Besides, they are all jade corpses, different from living people. There's no need to take it to heart."

"They're not living people?" The nun was greatly surprised.

"Yes, they are all jade corpses, one of the eighteen types of corpse transformation. I heard my master mention them years ago, but I never expected to actually encounter them here, and so many of them at that," Wu Daoming said.

Chapter 88

Wu Daoming nodded and said, "These are jade corpses, a type of corpse transformation after death, but it requires a stroke of luck. I suspect it's related to the stone pool water in the Ghost Valley Cave."

The nun looked at the pitiful dwarfs, her resentment gone. She said to Wu Daoming, "Brother Dao, they are quite pitiful. Jade corpses seem to be quite kind."

Wu Daoming explained, "I heard my master say that among the corpse transformations, the kindest are jade corpses and flesh corpses."

"And the most wicked?" the nun asked.

"Shadow corpses and blood corpses. Hmm, where's Shen Caihua?" Wu Daoming replied, noticing that he hadn't seen Shen Caihua for a long time.

The nun went to the roadside, but in the moonlight, there was no trace of Shen Caihua.

"She's probably already gone. Let's hurry and catch up," the nun said.

Wu Daoming nodded and said to the old man, "You have told us many things today. It is a great honor to meet you, but we must go now."

The dwarf old man hurriedly grabbed Wu Daoming's clothes, looked up, his eyes filled with tears, and said, "Please listen to me until you are done, okay?"

Wu Daoming glanced at the nun, who nodded.

The old man continued, “We traveled by day and hid by night, returning to Qinren Valley from Tianmen Mountain in western Hunan. We hid quietly, afraid to come out during the day for fear of being scorched by the sun. We only came out at night to gather and reminisce about the good old days. More than three hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. We lived in obscurity, but a few months ago, two feng shui masters from the north came from the capital and actually found us in the valley.”

“Northern feng shui masters? What are they doing here?” Wu Daoming perked up.

“They brought a compass and an ancient map. The map depicted the terrain of Qinren Valley, and they asked us to dig at night according to the locations marked on the map,” the old man said.

“Dig for what?” Wu Daoming asked with interest.

“The treasure of Yefu,” the old man replied.

“Treasure? There’s treasure hidden in the valley?” Wu Daoming’s eyes lit up.

The old man rubbed his hands together and said, "We don't know either."

Wu Daoming pondered, "Have you found anything?"

"Not yet. There are more than a dozen places marked on the map, but we've only dug five or six so far," the old man said.

Wu Daoming thought for a moment and said, "There's something I don't understand. You don't eat or drink, and you have no material needs. What condition did they use to ask you to work for them?"

The old man blushed and said embarrassedly, "They promised that after finding the treasure, they would bring us some tall female jade corpses from the north, one for each of us."

"Oh, so it's seduction," Wu Daoming suddenly realized.

The old man then said seriously, "We are all respectable people, but as you know, if there are women in the valley, our lives will be more interesting. I hope you can understand."

Wu Daoming quickly said, "I understand very well."

The nun interjected, "So you came out to dig for treasure tonight."

The old man nodded and said, "But we've felt something's wrong these past two days."

"What?" Wu Daoming asked in surprise.

"These two feng shui masters don't eat every day. They take turns going out of the valley late at night and bring back tiny babies from somewhere," the old man said in a trembling voice.

"What do they want with the babies?" the nun asked, puzzled.

"To eat them," the old man replied.

Chapter 89

The moon was high and the wind was gentle. The treetops rustled in the forest, and the air seemed to freeze. No one spoke.

After a long while, the nun murmured, "Eating babies? Who are they?"

Wu Daoming, his face pale, slowly said, "It is said that there are feng shui shamans in the north who nourish themselves by eating the brains of live babies, just like how we people in Lingnan eat raw monkey brains in autumn and winter."

The nun exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Dao, you actually eat live monkey brains?"

Wu Daoming smiled apologetically and said, "Don't worry, junior sister, I have never eaten them."

The nun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

The old man continued, “That’s right, just as this chivalrous man said, they are eating babies’ brains alive. They use a small knife to cut open the babies’ scalps, crack open their skulls, and then two people use small wooden spoons to scoop out the brains and drink from them. The babies cry and scream the whole time.”

“Too cruel! Brother Dao, we can’t just ignore this!” the nun almost shouted.

Wu Daoming was immediately filled with righteous indignation and shouted, “Alright, Junior Sister, what is the purpose of our chivalrous deeds in the martial world? Isn’t it to eliminate evil and uphold justice? Tell me, where are they now?”

The old man said, “I knew you were chivalrous and righteous. Judging from your skills just now, you are martial arts masters. But those two are also skilled in evil arts, so you still have to be careful. A dozen of us tested them before, and we were no match for them at all. Today, we are fortunate to meet you two great heroes. Those babies can be saved.”

A dwarf said, “They are still in the valley. Yesterday, they kidnapped a pair of twins. They won’t be going out again tonight.”

“Please lead the way into the valley,” Wu Daoming said, rubbing his hands together.

The jade corpses led Wu Daoming and the nun into an extremely narrow crevice in the stone wall. Looking up, a sliver of sky peeked through the seemingly unreachable heights, offering only a faint glimpse of light.

"This ancient Qin road winds for two or three miles, its paths crisscrossing and intricately intertwined. Anyone without a guide would surely get lost and never find their way out," the old man explained.

Wu Daoming thought to himself, "Won't it be a huge hassle when we get out?"

Ahead lay a dilapidated stone gate, clearly destroyed centuries ago.

Sure enough, the dwarf old man explained, "This stone gate was destroyed by Ye Fu and his group over three hundred years ago."

Emerging from the gate, the view opened up before them. In the moonlight, several Qin dwellings stood, their architecture extremely ancient, with old windows, secluded walls, carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and corner brackets, amidst fields and bamboo groves, creating a desolate atmosphere.

A light shone from the window of the innermost Qin dwelling, and voices could be heard from within.

Wu Daoming gestured for the dwarfs to stay put. He crept stealthily to the outside of Qin's house, peering through the window... The nun stood with her hands behind her back, relaxed and at ease. Dealing with two petty thieves would require little effort.

The moon hid behind thin clouds, casting a hazy glow over Qin's Valley, a faint scent of blood carried on the breeze.

Inside the window, two middle-aged men in dark blue Zhongshan suits sat at a rough wooden table. On the table were two small wooden spoons and two bowls filled with liquor.

The two men were tall and robust, with square faces, clearly northerners. One of them held a baby only a few months old in his arms, a sharp dagger in his hand. He brandished the dagger, the baby's eyes following it intently, soft whimpers escaping its lips.

“Let’s begin. I’m starving. Baby boys smell a bit more earthy than baby girls. I’ll go get a baby girl tomorrow.” The other man took a small sip of liquor, licked his lips, and spoke in perfect Beijing dialect.

“Okay, baby, don’t be afraid.” The man held the knife tip to the baby’s head, ready to slash.

In a flash, Wu Daoming reached into the baby’s crotch, preparing to shoot him with his penis, but his hand grasped nothing. His penis was already used up, and the newborn was short… In desperation, Wu Daoming shouted, “Stop!” He leaped up and burst through the window.

The sudden shout startled the two men inside. Wu Daoming seized the opportunity to snatch the baby away, then with a graceful turn, landed steadily on the ground.

The two men, startled, did not rise. The man with the dagger coldly asked, "Who are you?"

Wu Daoming smiled slightly and replied, "Wu Daoming from Lingnan."

The two men exchanged glances and shook their heads, seemingly unfamiliar with him.

"What brings you here?" the man asked, disregarding Wu Daoming.

Wu Daoming calmly said, "Eating a live infant's brain is an outrage against heaven. Today, I, Wu, will kill you to uphold justice."

The two men laughed loudly. The man with the dagger said, "You think you can do this?" With that, he flicked his left hand, and two porcelain bowls filled with liquor flew towards Wu Daoming with a whooshing sound.

Wu Daoming was secretly astonished; this man's internal strength was formidable. He dared not be careless and bent his body backward, the two bowls grazing his stomach as they flew past.

Wu Daoming's Iron Bridge technique was quite formidable. As he sprang up, he suddenly felt a numbness in his coccyx, radiating throughout his entire hip, rendering him unable to move!

With a "thud," Wu Daoming fell awkwardly to the ground.

The two men laughed loudly, pointing at Wu Daoming sitting on the ground, and said, "Old man, your legs can't even handle them anymore, yet you still come here to cause trouble. Come on, let's see if this guy's brain is tasty enough."

"Insolence..." came a cold voice from behind.

The two men turned around and saw an old nun with white hair and a youthful face standing at the door.

The two northern feng shui sorcerers, seeing reinforcements arrive, dared not be negligent. Without answering, they swung their palms and pounced on the nun.

The nun leaped backward, floating about ten feet away. The two men pursued closely, attacking her from the left and right.

As the saying goes, "Southern fists, Northern legs," and these two were indeed skilled in leg techniques, and they were from the same school, using the same "Northeastern groin kick," each move aimed directly at the nun's lower body.

This was because people in the old Northeast region generally had a strong sense of male chauvinism, believing that "a good man doesn't fight with a woman." Therefore, martial arts techniques were designed specifically for men. For example, the vicious "groin-striking kick" was specifically designed to attack a man's groin. A single sweep could cause anything from broken testicles and infertility to death.

The two men used their groin-striking technique, habitually aiming their attacks at the nun's lower body.

The nun was enraged. This man was so lewd; she'd rather kill him in one fell swoop. With this thought, her inner energy surged, and strands of silver hair rose… Wu Daoming slowly stood up in the room, his buttocks still numb. He moved to the doorway, anxiously watching the scene while holding the baby. He could see the nun's extreme rage and her readiness to strike with all her might, hoping her tailbone was unharmed.

The baby in her arms quietly watched both sides, as if it too knew this was a life-or-death duel.

With a loud "bang," strands of hair snapped, flashing silver in the moonlight. Cries of agony followed, as the steel-wire-like hair pierced the faces and heads of the two men, shattering their eyes, causing blood to splatter as they fell backward to the ground.

"Good! Truly a fairy descended to earth, ridding the people of a scourge!" the dwarfs cheered.

Wu Daoming breathed a sigh of relief, rushed forward, grabbed the nun's arms, and involuntarily said, "Junior sister, I..."

The nun smiled faintly, leaning close to Wu Daoming's ear, "Brother Dao, I can't move my lower body."

The coccyx acupoint—it's that again! Wu Daoming thought, considering that he and the nun hadn't shared a bed since setting out, it seemed he might really be poisoned. He needed to find Hansheng quickly.

"Don't move, you'll recover in a moment. I was like that just now," Wu Daoming instructed the nun.

Wu Daoming turned around, smiling at the excited, swarming dwarfs.

"These two heroes are truly masters of the martial world! With a single move, they vanquished those beasts!" exclaimed one of the smaller dwarfs.

"They are truly a perfect couple, a match made in heaven!" said another dwarf.

Wu Daoming handed the child to the elderly dwarf, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, "You flatter me, everyone. Tonight, I, Wu Daoming of Lingnan, saw injustice and drew my sword to help, demonstrating the true nature of a chivalrous hero. Now that the villains are gone, I would like to trouble you with a favor."

"Please speak, heroes, we will certainly do it," the dwarfs chimed in.

"This baby also needs your help to find his family and return him as soon as possible. His parents are extremely worried," Wu Daoming said.

"That's for sure. We'll go tonight, don't worry, heroes," the dwarfs assured him.

"Hey, where are those two bad guys?" one of the dwarfs exclaimed.

Everyone looked around anxiously, but the two northern feng shui masters were nowhere to be seen. Only a trail of blood stretched into the depths of the valley.

Chapter Ninety.

"They escaped the valley," said the dwarf elder.

Wu Daoming looked back at the path they had come from, surprised. "Isn't the exit from the valley over there?"

The elder explained, "There's a secret passage here that leads straight to Xuefeng Mountain. The road is rugged and difficult to traverse, and there are no traces of them. The two of them came down from that side into the valley."

"Xuefeng Mountain? Wouldn't that lead to Xiangxi?" Wu Daoming pondered.

"Yes, the way there is through deep mountains and dense forests, rugged and winding, with only a narrow path. We came down from Guigu Cave in Tianmen Mountain using this path back then," the elder said.

So that's how it is. Wu Daoming had a plan in mind. He said to his nun, "Junior sister, let's take this route to Tianmen Mountain."

"You're going to Tianmen Mountain?" the elder asked.

"That's right. If we encounter those two villains along the way, we'll take care of them," Wu Daoming replied.

The dwarf elder pondered, "If you're going to Tianmen Mountain via this route, you'll need to make some preparations. Bring cotton clothes and food; we don't have any in our valley. But please rest assured, we'll take the baby and prepare tonight, and set off again at dawn tomorrow."

After Wu Daoming agreed, the dwarfs went off to prepare.

"Junior Sister, are you feeling better?" Wu Daoming asked with concern.

The nun nodded, smiled gently at her brother, and said softly, "I'm much better now. It seems my internal energy has been increasingly restricted these past two days. Have we both been poisoned?"

Wu Daoming felt a pang of sorrow and said softly, "I've been a burden to you, Junior Sister."

The nun smiled again, her tone even gentler, "Where in the martial world is there no risk? Since I willingly came out with you, what am I afraid of? Even if I die, I can be with you, Brother Dao. That's enough for this life."

Wu Daoming felt a surge of warmth in his heart and embraced the nun, suddenly feeling a tingling sensation in his coccyx.

He stroked the nun's white hair and said sadly, "Junior Sister, your hair has grown even shorter."

"Let's go inside," the nun said, not wanting her brother to be too sad. The two then entered the Qin residence.

Inside were two bamboo beds, on one of which lay a yellow silk cloth. The nun picked it up.

"Brother, look," she said, unfolding the silk.

It was a topographical map, depicting mountains, streams, wooden houses, bamboo groves, and paths. In the upper right corner, in tiny characters, were several lines of writing: "During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty, a fisherman from Wuling made his living by fishing. He followed a stream, forgetting how far he had traveled. Suddenly, he came upon a peach grove, stretching for hundreds of paces along both banks. There were no other trees, only fragrant grasses and fallen petals. The fisherman was greatly surprised; he continued forward, wanting to explore the grove to its end. At the end of the grove, he found the source of the stream, and there was a mountain with a small opening, seemingly emitting light. He abandoned his boat and entered through the opening. At first, it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person to pass through. After walking several dozen paces, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious place." The land was flat and spacious, with neat houses, fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves. The paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. The people there went about their farming, and the men and women dressed just like outsiders. The elderly and children alike were all content and happy.

When they saw the fisherman, they were greatly surprised and asked where he came from. He answered them in detail, and they invited him to their homes, preparing wine and killing a chicken for a meal. When the villagers heard of this man, they all came to inquire. They said that their ancestors had fled the chaos of the Qin Dynasty, leading their wives, children, and fellow villagers to this secluded place, never to leave again; thus, they had become isolated from the outside world. When asked what dynasty it was, they knew nothing of the Han Dynasty, let alone the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The fisherman told them everything he knew, and they all sighed in regret. The others then invited him to their homes, offering him wine and food. He stayed for several days before taking his leave. The people there said, "This is not something to be told to outsiders!"

After leaving, he found his boat and followed the path, marking the landmarks at every turn. Upon reaching the prefecture, he went to the prefect and told him what had happened. The prefect immediately sent men to follow him, searching for the place he had marked, but they became lost and could not find the way again. Liu Ziji of Nanyang, a man of noble character, heard of this and eagerly planned to go, but he did not succeed and soon died of illness. Afterwards, no one else inquired about the place.

Wu Daoming sighed, "This is Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring' from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The painting on the silk should be Qinren Valley. The marks circled in ink on it seem to be the location where Ye Fu hid his treasure." "

The jade corpses dug several places but found nothing," the nun asked doubtfully.

Wu Daoming pondered, "Judging from this silk, it must be from a long time ago. I wonder if it's the treasure map of Ye Fu. As for the more than ten marks, it's probably just Ye Fu using it to create mystery and mislead people. The real treasure location is only one place, known only to himself."

"How did those two northern feng shui masters obtain this map?" the nun muttered to herself.

"Never mind that for now. Let's keep the map safe; it will definitely be useful in the future." Wu Daoming folded the map and tucked it into his robes.

The next day, the dwarfs had already packed their bags and informed them that they had found the baby's parents and had taken the child home.

As the sun rose, Wu Daoming and the nun set off. The dwarfs hid in the cave behind Qin She, waving goodbye with reluctance.

Following the old dwarf's directions, they walked along the path deeper into Qin Ren Valley. Soon, they saw the stone cave, hidden among the bamboo grove.

Wu Daoming took the lead and turned back to the nun, saying, "If we encounter those two northern feng shui masters, junior sister, show no mercy. Kill them severely."

The nun nodded, and the two entered the cave.

It turned out the cave was just a long, narrow tunnel, showing clear signs of human intervention. The passageway sloped upwards, and the air inside was damp and smelled of moss.

Wu Daoming took out the flashlight the dwarfs had provided, shining it on the slippery stone path while holding the nun's hand.

"Look at this," Wu Daoming said, shining the flashlight on the stone wall. A clear trail of moss, about chest-high, could be seen.

The nun said, "This must have been left by those two who escaped, rubbing against the stone wall. Their eyes were blinded by the flashlight." "

Hmm, I think even though they left half the night ago, they probably haven't gone far. We'll definitely catch up," Wu Daoming said confidently.

Not far ahead, the stone cave came to an end. A blinding light shone at the entrance, and Wu Daoming stepped out to find himself atop a small mountain peak.

Looking around, he saw a high, winding mountain range stretching across the horizon.

"That's the main peak of Xuefeng Mountain, Luoweng Bamian Mountain, Subao Peak. It's the watershed between the Yuan River and the Zi River. Crossing it leads into western Hunan, and we can take a shortcut to the Wuling Mountains. In two or three days, we'll reach Tianmen Mountain," Wu Daoming explained.

"Isn't there snow on Xuefeng Mountain?" the nun asked.

"Snow is only seen in the coldest part of winter, the twelfth lunar month. The main peak is less than two thousand meters high; we can go around it through the primeval forest at its base," Wu Daoming explained.

"Brother Dao, you know so much," the nun praised.

Wu Daoming smiled silently. He loved admiring the nun's expression at that moment—pure and innocent, like a well-behaved young girl.

"Let's go," he said. Seeing Han Sheng detoxify as soon as possible was the most important thing; he still had many years to live with his junior sister.

Although Wu Daoming and the nun were poisoned, they were both skilled in martial arts, especially the nun, who was a top-tier expert. As long as they didn't use their true energy, they walked with ease despite the rugged mountain path.

They enjoyed the scenery as they traveled, quite contentedly.

Chapter Ninety-One

: In the Miao village, upstairs in the headman's stilted house, the headman looked at his granddaughter with heartache and said, "Nika, you are the Fallen Flower Cave Maiden, the woman of the Tree God."

Nika looked at her grandfather and said firmly, "Han Sheng is the god; he is the god of medicine."

That night, a bright moon hung in the sky, and the phoenix-tail bamboo swayed its long tips in the cool night breeze. Nika, dressed in white, stood silently under the moon, gazing at the stilted house of the shaman Ma Du's family. The

"Falling Flower Cave Maiden" of Miao territory was one of the three evils of western Hunan, a phenomenon that had existed since ancient times.

In some Miao tribes, there are unmarried women who can weep leaves from trees; they can go to caves and not eat or drink for days without dying, but upon returning, they also refuse to eat or drink and die a few days later. The tribe believes they have married tree spirits or well spirits. Because these girls were unmarried in life, while others hold funerals, their families not only don't hold funerals for them but also hold weddings to celebrate their marriage. There is also an extremely rare type called the "Falling Flower Cave Girl," a girl wearing a flower crown and going alone to the mountains at night to meet with the tree spirit. Some return home dead before dawn, while others disappear without a trace, never to return. The villagers believe they have been married by the tree spirit.

Before dying, the Falling Flower Cave Girl enters a state of ecstasy; her face is radiant like a peach blossom, her eyes bright as stars, her voice melodious like silk and bamboo instruments, and her body emits a sweet fragrance. She will tirelessly wipe tables and chairs, sweep the hall, and tidy up a once dilapidated home until it is spotless, entering a state untouched by worldly concerns. According to Miao folklore, this girl had pledged herself to a god, a being who, though detached from worldly concerns, saved people from suffering. Therefore, she was no longer tempted by any worldly man, only needing to carefully protect her beauty and tranquility, waiting for her god to choose an auspicious day to take her. This destined her life to be free from the anxieties and sorrows her mother had experienced—the pain of childbirth, the longing for a husband, and the jealousy and resentment—and no worldly man would consider using their own marriage to rescue this girl seduced by the illusion of the god. Although, when that day arrived, the girl passed away peacefully with a smile, she steadfastly maintained her beautiful appearance.

Nika was a rare "fallen flower cave girl" (a woman who has passed away peacefully). A year ago, she entered the Great Miao Mountains wearing a flower crown and disappeared without a trace. People believed she had happily married the tree god. A year later, she returned, claiming to be visiting relatives. People respected her and wished to convey their blessings to the tree god.

Nika was actually dead; she was merely a corpse.

Nika stood silently beneath the bamboo, a gentle breeze caressing her beautiful face, a fresh, wild fragrance emanating from her.

A girl emerged from the stilted house of the Ma family, her beauty enhanced by the moonlight; this was Mingyue, the flesh corpse.

Mingyue gazed up at the round moon and sighed deeply.

Nika stared in astonishment at this ethereal girl, and also sighed.

"Who are you?" Nika stepped out of the bamboo shadows and stood before Mingyue.

Mingyue was amazed by the beauty of this Miao girl adorned with a flower crown, her bewildered face, her bright, star-like eyes, her skin like dew-kissed peach blossoms, her sweet, melodious voice, and the intoxicating fragrance of the fields.

"I am Mingyue, who are you?" Mingyue asked.

"Are you Hansheng's woman?" Nika, being a Miao girl, spoke directly.

Mingyue smiled, shook her head, and said, "I already have someone I love. Hansheng is a doctor, and he took me to Tianmen Mountain for treatment."

Nika smiled shyly and said, "My name is Nika, and I'm the chieftain's granddaughter."

The two girls looked at each other, feeling an instant sense of closeness.

Nika asked, "What illness do you have that requires you to travel so far to Tianmen Mountain?"

Mingyue said, "I was poisoned to death a month ago, and now I'm just a corpse. I can only come out for a while when it's quiet at night; otherwise, I can only hide inside Yiqing's body."

"Sister Mingyue, I am the Luohua Cave Maiden from Miao territory. I've been dead for a year. In the mountains, I accidentally ate a wild fruit, and as a result, I became a 'awakened corpse'," Nika said softly.

"A 'awakened corpse'?" Mingyue asked, puzzled. "

During the day, I'm Nika; at night, I'm the Luohua Cave Maiden. My appearance is different; I look much better at night," Nika explained.

"I think you're even more beautiful than a celestial being," Mingyue exclaimed sincerely.

Nika blushed slightly and said, "What should we find on Tianmen Mountain to cure the illness?"

Mingyue replied, "I heard that an old man from western Hunan lives in seclusion in Guigu Cave on Tianmen Mountain. He once cured a corpse."

Nika smiled slightly and said, "You mean Apu Laosi from Miao territory? The Han people call him 'Old Man from western Hunan.'"

"You know him?" Mingyue asked in surprise.

Nika shook her head and said, "The Miao people all know Apu Laosi. His story has been circulating in Miao territory for many years."

Mingyue sighed and said softly, "Alas, I wonder if Apu Laosi is still alive. Will Mingyue ever see Jianguo again in this lifetime?"

"Is Jianguo your sweetheart?" Nika asked.

Mingyue smiled shyly, "He said he would come to marry me in two years."

Nika felt a pang of sadness in her heart and slowly asked, "When are you leaving?"

"We'll set off at dawn," Mingyue replied.

The two girls felt very close to each other, holding hands and sitting side by side on a blue stone, chatting happily. Mingyue recounted her lonely days spent in the nunnery, accompanied only by the dim light of the lamp and the ancient Buddha. She spoke of her first meeting with Huang Jianguo, how she was captivated by his eloquence and dashing good looks, how her first love was so poignant, how Huang Jianguo's vows of eternal love, her lingering longing… and finally, her death from poisoning… “Sister Mingyue, your life was so tragic…” Nika rested her head on Mingyue's shoulder, tears welling in her eyes.

Mingyue gently embraced Nika, her heart filled with longing for the young man far away in the capital.

Mingyue's skin gradually roughened, her facial features became distorted, and her full breasts quietly shrank. Yiqing had returned… Yiqing blinked, surprised to find himself holding a celestial beauty in his arms, inhaling a unique, fleshy fragrance from a woman, unlike the cold female corpses in the crematorium. He was utterly intoxicated.

Yi Qing, holding the girl's hand, trembled as he moved it towards her breasts, inch by inch, his fingers almost touching the protrusion... Nika suddenly became alert, looked up, and was shocked! She jumped up with a "whoosh."

"You! Who are you!" Nika's face flushed red, and she pointed angrily at the ugly, lewd old man.

Yi Qing was still lost in the vortex of happiness, gazing lustfully at this celestial beauty, his hand still trembling as he caressed and pressed her breasts, his nostrils flaring, and a drop of fluid dripping from his mouth... Nika was furious and slapped Yi Qing

hard across the face. Yi Qing snapped back to reality: "I, I am Yi Qing."

Nika also realized that this ugly man was the host of Mingyue, and she was immediately overwhelmed with shame. With a flick of her sleeve, she turned and left.

Yi Qing touched her swollen cheek, staring blankly at the fairy who had gracefully disappeared into the distance. She twitched her nose twice, pinched herself—she wasn't dreaming.

Dawn broke, and Han Sheng and the others prepared to depart.

Ma Du accompanied Han Sheng to the chieftain's stilted house to say goodbye.

Han Sheng examined the chieftain's thigh; his condition was improving rapidly. He told the chieftain he could get up and move around.

Han Sheng declined the chieftain's request to stay a few more days, saying they had to hurry to Tianmen Mountain. The Miao girl, Nika, wasn't there.

Ma Du decided to accompany Han Sheng to Tianmen Mountain, hoping to learn more from the divine healers along the way.

After breakfast, the Miao people of the village escorted them down the mountain with drums and gongs, and as usual, each person drank a bowl of wine.

Liu Jinmo carried Shen Caihua onto his horse, and Ma Du also led his own horse. Together with Manager Tie and the shopkeeper, Han Sheng, Yi Qing, and Can'er formed a group of seven horses, and they set off in a grand procession towards Tianmen Mountain.

"What happened to your face?" Han Sheng asked Yi Qing.

Yi Qing smiled awkwardly and spurred his horse forward.

On the mountain ridge, a white horse stood quietly. The Miao woman from Luohua Cave—the awakened corpse Nika—sat silently on her horse, watching the galloping cavalry disappear into the distance. She pulled on the reins and followed.

Chapter Ninety-Two

: At dawn, the Linggu Cave of Nanshan was shrouded in a thin mist.

Huang Qianhui stood before the Taiji Yin-Yang symbol and laughed heartily, "Five days have passed, Jianguo! In less than ten years, you will rule the capital! Heaven has bestowed a great responsibility upon my Huang family!"

Huang Jianguo stood beside his father, took a deep breath, and said with great ambition, "Father, I will return to the capital immediately, study diligently, delve into the history of the Party, seize opportunities, and strive to become a leader who loves the people."

"My child, simply thinking about loving the people is far from enough. You must learn to manage and utilize various political forces, grasp the demands of mainstream society, and as for the common people, remember one principle, and you will achieve twice the result with half the effort," Huang Qianhui said.

"What principle, Father?"

Huang Jianguo asked. Huang Qianhui chuckled and said, "The people can be made to follow a path, but they cannot be made to understand it."

"I understand, Father," Huang Jianguo said thoughtfully.

"I will go to the capital with you and help you smooth things over," Huang Qianhui said.

Meng Zhuqi leaned closer, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Brother-in-law, in ten years, you'll be a true 'thousand-year-old,' second only to the emperor, above all others."

Huang Qiansui's face darkened, and he said, "Shut up! Look at you, this isn't how a party member should talk."

Meng Zhuqi stammered, "Yes, yes, brother-in-law, you still need to hurry up with that Dr. Zhu matter."

"Which Dr. Zhu?" Huang Qiansui asked.

"Hansheng's father, how could you forget? Only when he returns will Hansheng treat your nephew." Meng Zhuqi reminded him.

"Oh, I know." Huang Qiansui snorted.

Huang Qiansui instructed Meng Zhuqi, "Although five days have passed and the situation is largely settled, this tent can be removed. Repair the burial mound, but don't erect a tombstone for now. Remember, you must send a trusted person to guard this place."

"How long should we guard it?" Meng Zhuqi asked cautiously.

Huang Qianhui glared at him and said, "Just stay here when I tell you to. We'll withdraw when I notify you."

"Yes, brother-in-law, don't worry," Meng Zhuqi said, patting his chest.

"Dad," Huang Jianguo stammered, hesitating.

"Just say what you want to say. Be decisive and efficient in your words and actions," Huang Qianhui said.

"Is there any news from Mingyue?" Huang Jianguo asked, looking down.

"No," Huang Qianhui answered decisively, then said earnestly, "Son, you are destined for great things. How can you be so sentimental? Your ambition is to care for the people of the world. How can you think about a little nun all day long? She will only hold you back. Don't you understand this?"

"I understand, Dad," Huang Jianguo said, looking up at his father.

"Son, Marxist dialectics tells us that external factors are conditions, and internal factors are fundamental. External factors work through internal factors. Now, although we have the external factor of Taiji Yinyun, if we don't work hard on our internal factors, we still won't succeed," Huang Qianhui said.

“Dad, I will. I will work even harder after I return to Beijing,” Huang Jianguo said firmly.

The sun gradually rose, and the thin mist slowly dissipated.

“Are there any children of high-ranking officials among your classmates?” Huang Qiansui asked.

“Many,” Huang Jianguo replied.

“I mean female classmates,”

Huang Qiansui smiled. “Yes.” Huang Jianguo guessed what his father wanted to say.

“Are there any whose parents are of very high rank? The higher the better,” Huang Qiansui continued.

“Yes, but they’re all ugly,” Huang Jianguo replied.

“No,” Huang Qiansui said seriously, “being ugly is just a matter of facial features; the key is that marriage can give you a significant advantage, making things twice as easy. Was Empress Ma ugly? But she helped Zhu Yuanzhang establish the dynasty. Once you’ve achieved your goal, whoever you like will be yours to keep. At that point, these things will be trivial, very insignificant. Haven’t you seen enough of this in the capital?”

“Ten years, only ten years, Dad, don’t worry, I know what to do.” A smile appeared on Huang Jianguo’s face.

Wuyuan County People’s Hospital Inpatient Department.

Meng Hongbing lay on the hospital bed, still without feeling below the neck. Seeing his father, Meng Zhuqi, enter, he called out, “Dad,” and then began to sob.

Meng Zhuqi’s nose tingled, and tears almost rolled down his cheeks.

"Dad, didn't you say Hansheng could cure my illness? And even my testicles? Why haven't you called him yet?" Meng Hongbing sobbed.

"Xiaobing, Dad is just as anxious as you are, but we haven't met his conditions yet," Meng Zhuqi comforted him. Meng Hongbing

roared, "You can just bring him here!"

Meng Zhuqi comforted him, "Xiaobing, even if you bring him here, he won't treat you properly, so it's useless."

"If that doesn't work, I'll just grab Lan'er first, Dad. That Lan'er girl is nice. Once I grow new testicles, I'm definitely going to get her. Sometimes just thinking about her makes my heart itch," Meng Hongbing said with a sinister smile. "

Alright, alright, you have to stay calm and don't tell anyone. I'll help you think of a way after you're completely cured," Meng Zhuqi coaxed his son.

"Dad, I want Lan'er to take care of me," Meng Hongbing suddenly said.

"This...this might be difficult. That Wu Chushan man won't agree," Meng Zhuqi said with difficulty.

The door opened, and Huang Jianguo walked in.

“I’m going back to Beijing tomorrow. I’m coming to see you again before I leave. How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?” he asked Meng Hongbing with concern.

“Brother Jianguo, can you help me think of a way? I want Lan’er to take care of me.” Meng Hongbing turned to Huang Jianguo for help.

Huang Jianguo smiled and said, “Stop fooling around. Think about something serious. Focus on getting better.”

“Brother Jianguo, you have something important to do, so of course you look down on my nonsense. Let me tell you, having Lan’er take care of me is my serious business!” Meng Hongbing glared at Huang Jianguo and said seriously.

Huang Jianguo pondered for a moment, then said to Meng Zhuqi, "Uncle, the fact that Xiaobing can still think of these things at this time shows that he still has a strong hope for life. If Lan'er can really come, it will be of great help to his condition."

Meng Zhuqi rubbed his hands and said, "I'm afraid they won't agree."

Huang Jianguo smiled and said, "This matter can be handled in two steps. First, we can use incentives. I think they must be in dire straits right now. Apart from Dr. Zhu's small income from treating patients, there are so many mouths to feed, and Dr. Zhu is away in Beijing. The method is for the organization to find Lan'er a job as a caregiver at the hospital. Don't say it's for Xiaobing's care; Lan'er won't be able to refuse whatever the hospital arranges. Second, we can use coercion. After all, they are outsiders and can't provide proof of residency. According to regulations, they can be detained for investigation. At the same time, we can imply that the detention could last for several years. As for how bad the conditions in the detention center are, it's good to talk about it. With these two steps, I don't think anyone can refuse."

"Excellent! Brother Jianguo is a natural-born man, full of strategy. Dad is far inferior to you," Meng Hongbing exclaimed joyfully.

Meng Zhuqi hurriedly replied, "Of course, how can Uncle compare? Okay, Dad will get on it right away."

Huang Jianguo thought to himself, this is a small matter. From now on, he will start to consider matters of national importance.

Chapter Ninety-Three:

After crawling for several days inside Linggu Cave, the mother golden-headed turtle led her baby turtles to the vicinity of the bat cave, invading the territory of the red-eyed shadow bats.

The leader and his wife of the shadow bats launched an attack on the golden-headed turtles, and the battle ended quickly because each golden-headed turtle only had one hair on its neck.

After the hair that the nameless nun had shot at the golden-headed turtles' necks was plucked, the golden-headed turtles' blood and qi circulated again. They were grateful for the help of the shadow bats and did not disturb the bat cave. The mother turtle led her baby turtles to continue their journey, crawling directly into Wolong Valley.

Huang Qianhui and his son began packing their belongings, preparing to depart for Beijing in two days.

"Jianguo, what do you think we should do with Zhu Biao?" Huang Qianhui asked, wanting to hear his son's opinion.

Huang Jianguo replied, "This man is a villain. With just a little pressure, he betrayed Wu Daoming and the nun, giving us an opportunity. He knows too much about the Taiji Yinyun affair and harbors resentment towards his uncle's family because of Shen Caihua. Given the chance, he will retaliate and reveal everything, posing a threat to us. In short, this man is a menace and must be eliminated as soon as possible. Furthermore, Wu Chushanren must also be eliminated, preferably through an accident, to avoid arousing Hansheng's suspicion."

Huang Qianhui nodded, thinking to himself, "Jianguo has truly surpassed his father. He's already adept at strategy, ruthless, and decisive. He possesses the basic qualities of a statesman. Now we'll see how the Taiji Yinyun will play its role and manifest itself in him."

Huang Qianhui then summoned Meng Zhuqi to discuss eliminating Zhu Biao.

"It can't be done publicly, it has to be done secretly, preferably staged as a suicide out of guilt," Meng Zhuqi suggested. He had long wanted to get rid of Shen Caihua's lover.

"Very good, make it far away, and sever all ties," Huang Qianhui nodded.

Huang Jianguo, passing through the living room, overheard his father and uncle's conversation and interjected, "Kill him in Wolong Valley, leaving an opportunity to frame Wu Chushan later." He then left. Killing

two birds with one stone, Huang Qianhui truly admired his son.

Meng Zhuqi immediately and swiftly arranged for his trusted men to carry out the matter.

Shortly after noon, Meng Zhuqi, accompanied by two trusted men, arrived at the room where Zhu Biao was being held.

"Zhu Biao, now you have a chance to redeem yourself," Meng Zhuqi said, staring at Zhu Biao.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao immediately perked up and hurriedly said, "Okay, I will definitely listen to Director Meng."

Meng Zhuqi said, "You went to Wu Chushanren's thatched house in Wolong Valley last time, right? We suspect that there are counter-revolutionary poems written by Wu Chushanren hidden there. Would you like to lead a team to search it? If you find the anti-revolutionary poems, you can be credited, and your past will be wiped clean, and you can continue to be your captain. Are you willing?"

"I am willing," Zhu Biao said, looking grateful to tears.

"You can set off now," Meng Zhuqi ordered.

Zhu Biao and the two men escorting him headed towards Wolong Valley.

At dusk, they finally arrived in Wolong Valley and stood in front of the thatched house. At this moment, the sun had already set, and the valley was shrouded in a hazy and desolate atmosphere, with a chilling autumn wind blowing.

Once inside the house, it felt a little warmer.

These two men were Meng Zhuqi's uncles and nephews. The one with the dark skin was called Meng Wu. They were considered Meng Zhuqi's staunch confidants, and usually followed Meng Zhuqi to run rampant in the countryside, enjoying a life of luxury.

"Zhu Biao, what the hell are you standing there for? Hurry up and find that seditious poem!" The two men leaned against the doorframe, lit cigarettes, and started smoking.

Zhu Biao didn't dare to delay and immediately began searching the room.

"Nothing there," Zhu Biao said breathlessly. Apart from a broken table and tattered cotton quilts, the room was almost empty, a clear indication of its state.

Meng Wu snorted and cursed, "Damn it, you're definitely protecting that 'ghost mountain man' on purpose. Tie him up first, we'll search him ourselves."

Another man produced a rope from somewhere and stepped forward to tie Zhu Biao up.

"Wait, why should I be tied up?" Zhu Biao got into a fighting stance; he knew a few martial arts moves too.

Meng Wu shouted, "Oh ho, Zhu Biao, looking for trouble?" He suddenly brandished a Dog Brand pistol.

In those days, the army used the Type 51 and Type 54 pistols, while civilian firearms were a mixed bag. "First, the gun; second, the horse; third, the flower," the best being the German Gun Brand pistol, followed by the Horse Brand pistol, then the Flower Brand pistol, and the Dog Brand pistol was considered fourth, much more impressive than those Mauser pistols.

Upon seeing the Dog Brand pistol, Zhu Biao had no choice but to surrender and was tied up like a big dumpling.

Meng Wu and the other man exchanged glances, their minds in sync; it was time to act.

"Zhu Biao, you little bastard, you've come to steal someone from Director Meng's house! You've got guts. Today, Director Meng will grant your wish and let you meet Shen Caihua in the underworld," Meng Wu sneered.

"Ah, so you tricked me into coming here to harm me!" Zhu Biao exclaimed, suddenly realizing.

"Good that you understand. Come on, put the noose around his neck," Meng Wu ordered.

The man beside him pulled out another rope from his waist, skillfully made a loop, and deftly looped it around Zhu Biao's neck.

"Zhu Biao, don't blame us brothers. Blame yourself for getting Shen Caihua pregnant and giving Meng Hongbing a cuckold's horns. You only have yourself to blame," Meng Wu mocked.

Zhu Biao sighed heavily, utterly despondent.

Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the thatched hut, as if something was approaching.

Meng Wu became alert, gripping the dog tag oar, and tiptoed out of the room. In the dim light of the night, he spotted several small golden-headed turtles. The rustling sound was from their crawling. He breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed, "These things are definitely aphrodisiacs when stewed in soup! Go catch them all and stew them here tonight!"

The other man went to the kitchen, grabbed a bucket, stepped on one of the turtles, and bent down to pick it up. The turtle turned its head and hissed, sending a chill down the man's spine. He felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.

"Ha, pretty good," Meng Wu exclaimed, then aimed at one of the turtles and pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out, the bullet striking the turtle's back. The impact tore open its internal organs. It kicked twice and died. Meng Wu then aimed at the second baby turtle… At this moment, the mother golden-headed turtle appeared. Seeing her babies being harmed, her eyes widened in fury. She raised her head and let out a long, sharp "hiss," a burst of extremely yin energy striking Meng Wu's arm. Meng Wu felt a burning sensation on his arm, and his pistol slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Hiss…" The mother turtle's second breath hit him, and Meng Wu collapsed to the ground. The mother turtle pounced on him, tearing off his clothes, revealing his naked body. The baby turtles swarmed around him, and in no time, only a skeleton remained.

The other man watched helplessly as Meng Wu was devoured, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted. The mother golden-headed turtle also tore his clothes, and the baby turtles rushed forward, but after eating only half, they all began to burp with satisfaction. Seeing that her babies were full, the mother turtle quickly devoured the other half of the man's body.

Zhu Biao witnessed everything from inside the doorway. Terrified, he collapsed to the ground, incontinent, soiling his pants.

The mother turtle crawled towards Zhu Biao, staring intently at him. Firstly, she recognized him as their former landlord; secondly, she found his genitals extremely repulsive. She bit through the ropes binding him, then turned and led her babies deeper into the valley.

A long, long time passed before Zhu Biao was able to slowly rise from the ground. He stumbled to the stream, took off his pants and underpants, and squatted in the cool water to wash his bottom. He then washed the pants and underpants in the water, wrung them out, and put them back on.

He returned to the hut's door, picked up the pistol from the ground, and left without a word.

For himself, and for Shen Caihua, Zhu Biao finally resolved to take revenge.

Chapter Ninety-Four

. At midnight, Zhu Biao stood dumbfounded on the west side of his thatched hut in Nanshan Village, staring at the dug-up grave and the empty cabinet, speechless with astonishment.

Since his capture, no one had told him that two militia members had been bitten in the neck and died in his house, nor had anyone mentioned that Shen Caihua's body had vanished. This information had been kept from him.

He had rushed home from Wolong Valley that very night, partly to fill his stomach, and partly to go to Caihua's grave to tell her that he had decided to begin his revenge, to kill the Meng father and son, to avenge Caihua and himself.

But Caihua was gone… There was only one possibility: Meng Zhuqi had dug up Caihua's body. This was another debt to settle, he thought.

Zhu Biao went into his room, ate and drank his fill, and changed into his best navy blue Zhongshan suit. He had worn this suit when he first met Shen Caihua, and since her death, Zhu Biao had never touched it again.

He checked the dog-brand pistol; there were four bullets left in the magazine, enough to deal with the father and son.

He searched the house and found all the few dozen yuan he had, stuffing them into the pocket of his Zhongshan suit. Zhu Biao knew that whether the assassination succeeded or not, he would never return.

He gazed one last time at the three thatched houses he had lived in for decades; the leader's uniform seemed to still be waving majestically, its gaze fixed intently on him.

The rooster crowed three times; dawn was approaching. Zhu Biao stamped his foot and turned east without looking back.

"The wind howls, the Yi River is cold; the hero departs, never to return." This was a true reflection of Zhu Biao's tragic feelings at that moment.

Passing by Dr. Zhu's house at the east end of the village, "Woof woof..." The large, yellow dog, Benben, ran out and stood by the roadside, shaking its head and looking at him.

Farewell, Benben, he silently greeted the dog. A person must live with dignity; how could you dogs understand that?

"Captain Zhu, is that you?" Wu Chushanren's figure appeared in the mist.

"It's me," Zhu Biao replied.

"Where are you going so early?" the man asked.

Zhu Biao straightened his chest and said loudly, "To do what a man should do."

Wu Chushanren smiled slightly, "Going to find Shen Caihua? She killed two people, she's probably far away."

Zhu Biao didn't understand what the man meant and asked in confusion, "What did you say?"

The man smiled and said, "A few nights ago, someone dug up the grave on the west side of your house. Shen Caihua came out and bit the necks of the two gravediggers, then escaped."

Zhu Biao was stunned.

In the east room of Han Sheng's house, Wu Chushanren recounted what he had seen.

"Shen Caihua has become a corpse, you'd better forget about her," Wu Chushanren kindly advised.

"Where is she now?" Zhu Biao asked firmly.

Wu Chushan sighed and said, "The resentment of the Yin Corpse is immense. I think her greatest concern was for her child, Shen Caihua, which is probably why she died with her eyes open."

"You mean she killed the two gravediggers and went to find Shen Caihua?" Zhu Biao asked.

Wu Chushan nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

Zhu Biao murmured, "But Shen Caihua has already been taken away by Liu Jinmo."

"Liu Jinmo snatched the child?" Wu Chushanren asked in surprise.

Zhu Biao then told the man what Wu Daoming had said.

"Do you know where Wu Daoming and the nun went?" Zhu Biao asked after finishing his story.

Wu Chushanren thought for a moment and said, "They came to my place a few nights ago, suspecting they were poisoned. They came looking for Hansheng, but Hansheng has already gone to Tianmen Mountain in Xiangxi. They've probably gone to Xiangxi too."

Zhu Biao recalled the conversation he overheard that night while hiding in the bushes near Taiji Yinyun.

"Caihua died for me; I must find her," Zhu Biao said.

Wu Chushan thought to himself, "This man may not look good, but he seems to have some sense of loyalty." So he said to him, "Zhu Biao, remember this: if Shen Caihua becomes agitated, she might hurt you. You won't be able to escape then. At that moment, remember to shout out your most private conversations to trigger her memory; perhaps you can save your life."

"Mr. Shanren, you are a learned man. Can you tell me which direction to go to find Caihua and the child?" Zhu Biao asked humbly.

Wu Chushan pondered for a long time, then cast a hexagram in his mind based on the year, month, day, and hour. The hexagram was Kan below and Dui above, representing "Kun" (困), meaning "trapped" or "defeated. " Wu Chushan frowned.

The sixth line of the third hexagram was moving. The commentary on the hexagram says, "The sixth line of the third hexagram: trapped by stone, clinging to thorns; entering his palace, he does not see his wife; misfortune." This means that the yin (feminine) has overridden the yang (masculine), like standing on thorns, trapped. Having just returned home, only to find his wife missing, it seemed misfortune was piling up. Already burdened by various troubles, this latest tragedy was truly ominous.

"Are you really determined to find Shen Caihua?" Wu Chushanren asked solemnly.

"Yes, she died for me," Zhu Biao replied.

"Sigh, then head west," the man said, turning and returning to his room.

Zhu Biao excitedly headed west along the mountain path; Shen Tianhu's home was over there.

As the sun rose, Zhu Biao arrived at the desolate gravesite. Looking at Shen Caihua's former empty tomb, not even a stray dog could be seen, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

A sigh also came from the bamboo grove. Zhu Biao looked up; a thin mist shrouded the grove, a white expanse.

Zhu Biao entered the bamboo grove, and another sigh came from ahead. He hurried a few steps, and outside the bamboo grove, by the fence in front of the thatched hut, stood a man with a worried expression—it was Shen Tianhu.

Seeing Zhu Biao, Shen Tianhu's spirits lifted, and he rushed forward, hurriedly asking, "Where's Caihua? Did you bring Caihua?"

Zhu Biao silently looked at him and said, "So, Caihua hasn't returned?"

"Today is the ninth day, I've been so worried! Caihua isn't at your house?" Shen Tianhu asked in surprise.

At this moment, Shen Tianhu's wife also ran out.

Zhu Biao said dejectedly, "Caihua was kidnapped by Liu Jinmo. I thought he could bring her here."

He then told Shen Tianhu and his wife the whole story that Wu Daoming had told him—that Liu Jinmo had secretly abducted Shen Caihua.

Shen Tianhu and his wife were stunned upon hearing this, and the wife fainted on the spot. Zhu Biao hurriedly helped Tianhu carry his wife into the house, pinching her philtrum until she slowly regained consciousness, then burst into tears.

"Has anything unusual happened in your house recently?" Zhu Biao asked cautiously, not wanting to reveal Shen Caihua's situation directly.

Shen Tianhu shook his head.

"Caihua's diapers have been stolen," the woman suddenly said.

It turned out that the baby diapers Shen Tianhu's wife had hung out to dry on the bamboo fence had disappeared the next morning. This was a remote area, rarely frequented by people, and besides, who would steal a child's diapers?

Zhu Biao understood immediately; Shen Caihua had already been there.

"Don't worry, I, Zhu Biao, will search the whole world to find them," Zhu Biao vowed.

Shen Tianhu took a cloth bag from the cupboard. Inside were several hundred yuan he had saved. He handed the money to Zhu Biao.

"Brother Zhu, you're the child's godfather, you must find Caihua! This is all the Shen family's savings. Take this with you for your journey," Shen Tianhu said, tears welling in his eyes.

Zhu Biao felt a surge of warmth and even a pang of guilt. He silently took the money, put it in the pocket of his Zhongshan suit, then turned and left the Shen family's house.

The man from Wuchu Mountain was referring to Xiangxi, even though he had heard that it was a remote and mountainous region. However, a man's determination to find his wife and children remained unwavering.

He touched the pistol at his waist and resolutely headed west.

Chapter Ninety-Five:

Tianmen Mountain, formerly known as Yunmeng Mountain, suddenly opened up its cliffs in 263 AD (the sixth year of the Yong'an era of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period), forming a magnificent cave—Tianmen Cave—a rare wonder of the world, hence the name Tianmen Mountain. Surrounded by sheer cliffs, the mountain rises majestically, its imposing height and perilous grandeur making it a place of reverence for famous figures and officials throughout history. Tianmen Cave is the highest natural through-mountain cave in the world, opening north and south on a sheer cliff face, soaring towards the heavens, like a mirror or a heavenly gate embedded in the azure sky, perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds, mysterious and unpredictable. The

famous Yuan Dynasty poet Zhang Dui once praised it, saying, "When Tianmen Cave opens, the clouds and mist flow through; even Emei Mountain in Jiangdong pales in comparison." This magnificent and unparalleled scenic spot has stood silently in western Hunan for over 1700 years.

Under the moonlight, Han Sheng stood on the mountain path, gazing silently at Tianmen Cave, marveling at it endlessly.

Ma Du pointed to Tianmen and said, "Beyond that, lies Guiguzi's secluded Guigu Cave. According to Miao herbalists, the cave is inhabited by bats the size of sieves and butterflies the size of palm fans. At the very back is a deep pool, filled with eerie yin energy, and no one dares to enter."

Han Sheng asked doubtfully, "Such a gloomy place must be extremely damp and malaria-ridden, easily causing numbness. It's hard to imagine that an old man from Xiangxi would live here."

Liu Jinmo, holding the baby, said, "Therefore, this person must be extraordinary. In the martial world, extraordinary people and eccentrics always act strangely and cannot be judged by common sense."

Han Sheng nodded in agreement and said, "Living in a cave for a long time, one's temperament will become very reclusive. I wonder if he'll be easy to talk to."

Ma Du said, "Brother Han Sheng, I see some farmhouse lights at the foot of the mountain. Let's go find lodging first and climb the mountain early tomorrow morning."

The group of seven horses headed down the mountain, the clatter of hooves sounding particularly crisp in the quiet night.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered it was a small inn, consisting of no more than three thatched huts.

The inn's door was ajar, with a plaque above it reading "Tianmen Inn," and a faint light shone from within.

Can'er quietly told Hansheng, "This is a 'corpse inn' that caters to corpse-drivers, but now that there are more roads, fewer corpse-drivers are coming, business is slow, and they've started accepting living people too."

Hansheng felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced around; Ma Du, the innkeeper, and Liu Jinmo all seemed nonchalant, while Yiqing was quietly shrinking back.

Apart from them, there were no other houses to be seen in the mountains.

The ghost infant Shen Caihua, nestled in Liu Jinmo's arms, stared with two large, dark eyes, its nose twitching slightly, its little mouth slightly parted, quietly licking its lips… The innkeeper was a withered old Han Chinese man surnamed Wang, with a sunken forehead, a sallow complexion like yellow paper, rat-like eyes, a dog-like nose, yellow teeth, and a vacant, unfocused gaze.

"How come the innkeeper of the Corpse Inn looks like a dead person?" Han Sheng thought to himself. "It seems that people's appearance will change if they come into contact with dead people a lot, just like Master Yi Qing." He glanced at Master Yi Qing.

Yi Qing was born with pig-like eyes, a dog-like nose, and a sheep-like mouth, making him incredibly ugly. He often faced disdain from the families of the deceased at work, and eventually, he requested to work the long night shift. He harbored a deep-seated aversion to people with handsome features, but upon seeing the equally ugly innkeeper, he felt a

sudden sense of kinship. The innkeeper, surnamed Wang, also felt a sense of goodwill towards Yi Qing, as if they were kindred spirits.

The lodging fee was five yuan per person, totaling thirty-five yuan, all paid by the innkeeper, surnamed Tie. He had been the one paying for everything along the way, and Han Sheng felt somewhat guilty.

The room consisted of a row of large communal beds, the bedding reeking of sweat, probably never having been washed. Everyone frowned, but when traveling, one has to make do.

Yi Qing couldn't stand it. Han Sheng knew his fastidiousness and watched as he went to negotiate with the innkeeper, surnamed Wang.

The innkeeper, surprisingly, readily invited Yi Qing to share a bed with him, promising to provide the only set of new bedding.

Han Sheng was still worried. What if the bright moon came out at midnight…? Can'er was furious, clenching his fists and about to rush to the counter, but Han Sheng stopped him.

“How about this, we wait until the end of midnight, and after the bright moon turns back, then let Yi Qing go to sleep,” Han Sheng said.

Manager Tie came to the counter, took out several tens of yuan and put them on the counter, saying, “Manager Wang, we’d like some wine and dishes.”

Manager Wang chuckled and said, “It’ll be ready in a moment.” He spoke with a northern accent.

A little while later, Manager Wang brought over several plates of braised dishes, including braised pig heart, pig liver, pig stomach, and pig intestines, plus an iron pot of white wine, all of which were pig offal. Han Sheng smelled the pig intestines; they had a faint, pungent odor. Liu Jinmo smiled, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, saying, “You have to have a bit of a pungent smell to eat intestines properly.”

Han Sheng thought of his own “Three Shit Intestines” and smiled bitterly.

Yi Qing was called away by Manager Wang to drink wine and eat vegetarian dishes.

The autumn wind in the valley was not only bone-chilling but also carried a soft whistling sound, making one feel the utter desolation of a traveler far from home. Han Sheng thought of Lan'er and his father far away in the capital, and unconsciously drank a few more cups, becoming somewhat dizzy.

An hour later, several plates of pig offal had been eaten, and an iron pot of white wine was empty. Everyone lay sprawled on the large communal bed, drifting off to sleep.

At this moment, only one person remained awake—Shen Caihua.

Manager Wang and Yi Qing sat at a small table behind the counter, drinking together.

Two or three small dishes, namely chili oil and Hunan pickled vegetables, were deliciously pickled, and Yi Qing praised them highly.

"This is a sweet wine I brewed myself with pumpkin and jujubes. Try it and see how it tastes," Manager Wang said enthusiastically tonight.

Yi Qing took a sip and said, "Hmm, sweet and sour, but it feels warm after drinking it. What's this wine called?"

Manager Wang smiled and said, "The pumpkins and jujubes are all selected for their deformities. This makes the wine have a unique taste. I named it 'Crooked Pumpkin and Inferior Jujube' wine."

Yi Qing laughed and said, "That's interesting."

Manager Wang said seriously, "Of course it's interesting. A person's character is like their wine. If a person's features are ugly and their temperament is different from ordinary people, it's actually a unique expression. Yi Qing, although you and I may be considered ugly by ordinary people, that's because of our shallow understanding. Back then, Li Zicheng's strategist, Song Xianze, had a face like a monkey, was less than three feet tall and had a limp. He looked like a ghost, but he was the highest-ranking Yin-Yang master of his time. He overthrew the Ming Dynasty with just one word."

"One word?" Yi Qing asked, puzzled.

Emboldened by the wine, Manager Wang explained to Yi Qing: "Back when Li Zicheng rebelled, Emperor Chongzhen was restless and couldn't eat or sleep. One day, he went on a private visit and met a fortune teller. Emperor Chongzhen wanted to know if the empire would survive, so he casually wrote the character '有' (yǒu, meaning 'to have'). The fortune teller asked what he wanted to know. Chongzhen said he wanted to ask about the state of affairs first. The fortune teller said it was bad, because '有' can be broken down into half of '大明' (dà míng, meaning 'Great Ming'). The Great Ming was gone in half, leaving only half the empire.

Emperor Chongzhen was secretly shocked and quickly said he had made a mistake; it was the character '友' (yǒu, meaning 'friend') from his friend's name." The fortune

teller asked what he wanted to divine. Chongzhen replied that

he wanted to divine the will of the people. The fortune teller said that the character "友" (friend) was formed by removing the top and bottom of the character "反" (rebel), indicating that the people were likely to rebel.

Chongzhen quickly changed his mind and said it was the character "酉" (you) from the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, asking about the fate of the current emperor. The fortune teller turned pale and said that

the emperor was the most honored person in the world, and "酉" was the character "尊" (honored) with its top and bottom removed, meaning his life was nearing its end.

From then on, Emperor Chongzhen became despondent and eventually hanged himself at Jingshan, fulfilling the fortune teller's prediction.

Yi Qing asked, "Was the fortune teller Song Xianze?"

"Indeed," Manager Wang nodded and drank another cup of wine.

Yi Qing downed his drink in one gulp and said, "Alas, it's a pity we're not only ugly, but also lack any skills. Take me, for example, I'm still a crematorium worker."

Manager Wang smiled and said, "I could tell you had a strong aura of death about you. You're definitely someone who deals with corpses all the time. We're really destined to meet. Wait a moment, let me introduce you to another friend."

Yi Qing was about to ask what kind of friend he was when footsteps sounded outside the door.

"The God of Happiness is opening the shop..." someone shouted loudly in the moonlight.

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