The matter naturally did not escape Liu Xiang's ears.
Jin Yu Lan, as usual, was leisurely wandering within the Thousand姬 Palace.
Looking up, she saw a flash of red standing atop the roof.
She followed, coming up behind the person, and spoke softly.
"Recently, there have been deaths in the south, with extremely brutal methods.
I suspect it was the Myriad Ghost King; only he can turn flesh into white bones."
Liu Xiang smiled slightly, somewhat surprised, and said to himself,
"I didn't expect she had some capabilities. I truly underestimated her."
Jin Yu Lan immediately guessed who he was referring to.
"Liu Muye?"
"I didn't expect the Myriad Ghost King would take a liking to her.
Such a timid, weak, and spineless little human."
"I think the Myriad Ghost King might be trying to use her power to counter the Four Cities."
Liu Xiang also analyzed.
"Although she is just a mere human, I have interacted with her for many days.
I can see that she is indeed a capable person.
With the Myriad Ghost King's help, she will likely become our greatest adversary soon."
"However, your subordinate has one thing they don't understand. Why did you rush to fall out with her?"
Jin Yu Lan finally voiced her doubts.
Liu Xiang answered frankly.
"That Celestial Master Zhang took us to Wangshan Valley, where we met a high monk from the human realm.
That monk immediately guessed my identity and exposed me.
Seeing my identity revealed, I stopped pretending and simply showed my true colors.
But Liu Muye, how could she be my match?"
"Since that's the case, then we have nothing to worry about."
"No, this time, with the Myriad Ghost King assisting her, though she cannot become powerful overnight.
She will undoubtedly become a great threat in the future, so we must remain vigilant."
"Then I will immediately write a letter to the City Lord of Nanhai City and have her pursued at once."
Liu Xiang, however, was not so worried and waved his hand.
"No rush. This matter, they will resolve it themselves very soon.
Afterward, you can find a few excuses to blow this matter out of proportion.
When everyone is condemning her, I truly want to see how she will cope."
"Then I will go and do it immediately."
"Go."
On the other side, I, who had already become the Myriad Ghost King.
Due to prolonged exposure to the sun and unstable demonic power.
After walking only a few steps, I felt dizzy and weak in my limbs.
On the way to Wangyang Sea, I suddenly collapsed.
In a daze, I saw two men in black slowly approaching and pulling me up.
I reached out vaguely and suddenly grasped their necks.
Like a thirsty vampire, I immediately drained their essence.
In an instant, these two turned into a pile of white bones.
I also fainted. When my consciousness gradually returned.
I felt my entire body filled with vitality and my strength greatly increased.
In a daze, I caught a glimpse of the scattered white bones lying before my eyes.
My mind went blank again, not understanding what had happened.
"How are there two piles of white bones here? Judging by their appearance, it's very similar to the death of that King Huan Shan.
Could it be that the murderer has been following me?"
Thinking of this, I felt a sense of unease, gasped, and fled as if escaping.
Not long after, these two piles of white bones were quickly discovered and reported to the Imperial Censor of Nanhai City.
Subsequently, a team arrived and took the two piles of white bones back to Nanhai City.
Afterward, Jin Yu Lan received the appointment to fully investigate the matter.
Within three days, a portrait was produced and posted in streets and alleys.
It stated:
A reward of five million for capturing this person. Truly a grand gesture.
I ran for two days until nightfall.
I didn't know where I had arrived, only feeling the cool breeze.
Taking a slight breath, I looked up and vaguely discerned the silhouette of mountains in the dark night.
Wandering aimlessly, I heard the sounds of commotion coming from the valley.
Carefully climbing halfway up the mountain, I looked down and saw a light emanating from a fire.
Looking further down, I saw a group of people gathered around a bonfire.
Beside them, several horses were tethered, their backs laden with goods.
They were likely a delivery caravan.
However, why were they not on the official road and had come to this desolate wilderness?
Driven by curiosity, I slowly sat by a rock, watching the people below.
I also planned to sleep here for the night and continue my journey tomorrow.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from not far away.
Two youths riding fine horses arrived from a distance.
As they approached, I heard the person sitting on the ground ask.
"Are you also on your way?"
"Sort of. We've traveled here for sightseeing. Are you gentlemen on your way somewhere?"
Hearing the voice, it seemed somewhat familiar. I slowly raised my head to look closely.
Although I couldn't see very clearly, I saw that the two of them, one held a snake-shaped sword, and the other a red-handled spear.
I suddenly remembered who they were and blurted out softly.
"Shui Fang, Ying Lu."
The person sitting on the ground replied to them.
"We are also on our way, but not to any particular place.
You two must have heard about it, the emergence of an evil-doer with a bounty of ten thousand taels.
So we came to take a look, to see if we could catch that person."
This matter had become a huge sensation, with wanted posters plastered everywhere. Shui Fang and Ying Lu naturally knew about it.
However, they were only interested in sightseeing and disliked fighting.
Their presence here was merely a matter of passing through.
So they replied.
"This matter has caused quite a stir, and we two are aware of it.
However, in my opinion, that evil-doer is highly skilled in martial arts, and you may not be their match."
"Don't worry, don't worry. This pursuit is not just by our group.
No matter how skilled they are, they are unlikely to be a match for everyone."
The evil-doer they were talking about, could it be me?
With a heart full of apprehension, I continued to listen.
Shui Fang said.
"That is true, but it's still better to be careful. I think that evil-doer is very cunning."
"Young brothers speak the truth. Come and sit with us."
Shui Fang cupped his hands and said.
"No, we still have to go elsewhere. We won't disturb you any further."
"That's fine. The road is slippery at night. Travel safely."
"Thank you, elder brothers. We're leaving."
Saying that, they spurred their horses and departed.
From this mountainside, I heard most of what was said.
They mentioned that wanted posters had been issued, along with rewards.
Thinking back to what the little rabbit had said, it must have been me.
I immediately became angry and felt wronged.
"Alas! It really wasn't me. Why is everyone pinning the blame on me? This is terrible."
I never expected that in the end, I would have to take the blame for someone else.
With a few sighs, I dared not rest and had to travel through the night, fleeing the area.
After running for days, enduring countless hardships, I finally arrived at Wangyang Sea.
Unexpectedly, their speed was even faster than I had anticipated.
By then, the wanted posters had already reached the vicinity of Wangyang Sea.
Not far from there was the last small town before entering Wangyang Sea, Sishui Town.
I looked at the people coming and going in the town and felt immense joy.
I no longer cared about my appearance and slowly made my way towards the town.
In a daze, I heard passersby discussing matters that I was aware of.
"The person drawn on that notice, I think, looks like a woman."
"What woman? Clearly a man."
"What man? So fair and clean, looks like a woman at first glance."
"How could a woman be that evil-doer? Speaking of which, this evil-doer is too terrifying.
To be able to suck a living person dry until only a pile of white bones remains."
"Exactly, such cruel methods would never be performed by a woman."
"That's not necessarily true. The notice doesn't specify if it's a man or a woman. But there's no need to worry.
I heard that many experts have come out of seclusion to pursue the evil-doer. I think there will be a result soon."
"Yes, indeed. We're almost at the town."
"There are probably many people gathered inside."
"That's right."
I hadn't expected the wanted posters to reach here so quickly.
My originally calm heart, after hearing those unsettling conversations, suddenly became flustered. I couldn't understand how I had ended up taking the blame for someone else.
I also vaguely recalled my current appearance, which looked as if I had been poisoned.
If others saw me like this, even if they didn't recognize me, it would still attract attention.
Thinking this, it would be better to make myself look more disheveled, so that no one could tell who I was.
Having made up my mind, I found a place to blacken my face and mess up my hair.
I also pulled at my clothes to make them look wrinkled and disheveled, as if I had just experienced a robbery.
Now, no one should recognize me, right?
With that thought, I walked with confident steps into Sishui Town.
Upon entering the town, I casually found a tea stall and sat down. The owner quickly came over to pour me tea.
Seeing my appearance, he frowned slightly and asked with a half-smile.
"Miss, where are you from? How did you get into this state?"
I smiled slightly and had a ready explanation.
"I came from Nanhai City. I fell a few times on the way, and that's how I ended up like this."
"Then, Miss, are you injured?"
The innkeeper's eyes were full of concern.
I shook my head and said.
"No, I just got my clothes dirty."
"Oh, does Miss have a destination?"
"I plan to stay at the inn ahead for a couple of days."
Hearing this, the innkeeper felt a little more at ease and reminded me.
"Miss, it hasn't been very peaceful lately. I heard there's an evil-doer.
Cruel-hearted and murderous, Miss should be careful."
"Oh, I've heard about this matter too. Thank you for your concern, boss. I will take care of myself."
"That's good."
The innkeeper placed the teapot down and turned to another table.
I poured myself a cup of tea and drank it slowly.
Suddenly, I heard people nearby discussing the same matter and couldn't help but perk up my ears to listen carefully.
At a nearby table sat three young men. A man in black spoke first.
"I heard that Nanhai City has issued a wanted notice."
The person sitting beside him, leisurely sipping tea, replied.
"Yes, this is unprecedented in a thousand years."
The person sitting opposite them also chimed in.
"I heard that the Four Cities have also responded to the wanted notice. It seems to be a big figure."
The man in black leaned forward mysteriously and suddenly whispered.
"I heard someone say it was the Myriad Ghost King."
Upon hearing this, the other two found it amusing and couldn't help but laugh out loud simultaneously.
The one beside him was even more blunt.
"The Myriad Ghost King died over a thousand years ago. His bones have turned to dust. Where is there any Myriad Ghost King?"
"But I heard someone say he has resurrected and is everywhere, sucking people's essence."
"You're talking nonsense. How can that be?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
My heart leaped upon hearing this. I hadn't expected that news about the Myriad Ghost King would spread so quickly.
For now, it's best to avoid people.
After finishing my tea, I hurried away.
I wandered the streets for a long time. It wasn't until nightfall that I left the town alone and came to the outskirts.
Tonight, my plan to sleep in an inn seemed to be in vain.
I had to find a place to sleep in the countryside.
As soon as I lay down, I suddenly heard the sound of urgent horse hooves approaching like rolling thunder.
In a daze, I got up to check and saw a group of people galloping towards me from not far away.
Carefully, I looked closely and discovered it was a group of people wearing brocade clothes and carrying swords.
They looked like government officials, and I saw them hurrying towards the small town ahead.
I counted carefully; there were about twenty to thirty people in the procession.
Each of them looked like a top-tier expert.
Judging by their appearance, they were likely here for the wanted notice, which meant they were coming for me.
Fortunately, I was quick-witted and left the town ahead of time, thus avoiding encountering them.
I thought that once I arrived here, I would be safe, but unexpectedly, that was not the case.
If I were to sleep here again, it would be equivalent to waiting to be captured. I had no choice but to leave in the middle of the night.
I ran wildly into the woods.
Thinking that it should be safe here, I disregarded my fear and had to sleep here for the night.
In my dream, I vaguely heard footsteps, and my heart immediately became vigilant.
Slowly, I reached out and grabbed a fallen branch nearby.
The person slowly approached, raised an oil lamp, and looked around with a puzzled expression.
"How is there a young lady here? It's so late, why is she alone in the woods?"
Despite his confusion, he kindly tried to wake me up.
"Hey, young lady, young lady, wake up, wake up."
I slowly opened my eyes, pretending to be oblivious.
Rubbing my eyes, I asked.
"Who are you?"
The man in front of me had a woven bamboo basket on his back, filled with some weeds.
He was likely a herb collector.
He smiled slightly and said.
"I'm a herb collector. I was just returning from collecting herbs and passed by this place, seeing the young lady alone here.
I was very worried, so I wanted to ask why the young lady is here?"
Hearing his explanation, my vigilance slowly subsided, and I replied.
"Oh, I was traveling and arrived here. It was already dark, and I suddenly felt sleepy, so I thought I would sleep here for a while."
"Oh, may I ask where the young lady is going?"
"I have a friend who lives near Wangyang Sea. We have been close friends since childhood.
Recently, I heard that an evil-doer, Cang Kuang, has killed countless people. I am worried that my friend might also encounter this evil-doer.
So I rushed to see her."
"I see. From here to Wangyang Sea, it's only about ten li.
But it's already late. If you want to go, it's not too late to set off after it's bright tomorrow.
I think, young lady, why don't you stay at my house for now?"
"Where is your house?"
"It's just ahead, in Sishui Town."
Sishui Town! Didn't I just come from there? Those people are still in that town, how can I go back.
So I found an excuse and said.
"Little brother, you don't need to worry about me. You should go back quickly. I also need to be on my way soon."
He, however, became worried.
"Young lady, this is a desolate place. I'm not at ease with you being alone."
"No need to worry. I can take care of myself."
He thought for a moment, still feeling uneasy, and decided to stay.