Liu Shinian chuckled and happily climbed onto the driver's seat of the cart.
Picking up a bamboo pole, he said with a smile,
"Hahaha, I'll teach you how to do it when I have the chance. Let's go!"
With that, he urged the horses onward.
Ada, still as curious as ever, looked around. Ali asked him,
"Ada, don't you go out much?"
Ada chuckled and replied,
"My family is very strict, and they never let me go out freely.
This time, for the Nanhai City Righteous Assembly, my father unusually allowed me to come.
Naturally, I have to have some fun."
"No wonder your wish is so simple," Liu Shinian interjected.
"Ah, although it's simple, for me, it's a luxury," Ada said, his eyes full of dejection.
I comforted him,
"It's okay. Since you're with us now, do whatever you want to do."
"Mm," he nodded, his dim gaze regaining its spark.
"Whoa!"
Liu Shinian suddenly reined in the horses, stopping them.
"What's wrong?" I asked him.
Liu Shinian looked towards the mountain path beside them.
"There are Fengguo on this mountain."
I was a little disbelieving.
"How do you know?"
"I can tell," he replied, turning back to me with a wink. I pouted dismissively.
"Alright, let's go up the mountain."
Liu Shinian was the first to get off the cart, calling us.
Ali looked back at the horse-drawn carriage with concern.
"Brother Liu, is it okay to leave the carriage here like this?
Won't it be stolen?"
Liu Shinian was not worried.
"Don't worry, it won't be. People passing by don't have so many complicated thoughts."
Since Liu Shinian was so confident, we didn't say anything more.
The few of us carefully climbed up the mountain path. The mountains were covered in dense trees, and a gentle breeze brushed our faces.
The dappled shadows of the trees trembled slightly in the sunlight.
At this moment, a gentle breeze blew, scattering slightly yellowed dead leaves.
A yellow leaf, carried by the wind, fluttered down and landed on Ali's head.
Ali seemed to sense something and turned his head in a daze.
The shadow of a tree fell precisely on his fair face.
I watched, feeling a bit mesmerized, and only came to my senses after a while.
I pointed to his head, and he reached up to touch it in confusion.
He caught the leaf that had been resting on his head for a long time.
He smiled slightly and tucked it into his embrace.
I remembered that the leaf was his magical artifact.
But the way he looked just now was that of a pure young man.
"Ali," I called out to him softly.
"Mm," Ali looked up and replied gently.
"I..."
I was about to tell him how beautiful he looked, but was suddenly interrupted by a shout.
"Ah! It's Fengguo! It's Fengguo!"
It was Ada's voice.
Ali and I turned around and saw Ada jumping excitedly not far away.
He looked up, as if he had found the thing he had been dreaming of.
"Did you find it?"
Liu Shinian walked over first.
Ada pointed excitedly at a tree about a hundred feet high.
"Yes, it's there."
Liu Shinian looked up carefully and indeed spotted a yellowish fruit.
Ali and I also hurried over. I asked curiously,
"Where, where?"
Ada pointed at the tree.
"Up there."
I looked up and saw that the tree was a hundred zhang tall, and my vision was limited.
"Ali, can you see it?" I asked Ali.
Ali nodded.
"Yes, I can see it. It's a yellowish fruit."
"Really? Why can't I see it?"
"If you can't see it, it just means your eyesight is poor," Liu Shinian said something nonsensical again.
I was speechless and slowly said,
"Really, can't you say something human?"
"Yes."
"If you can, then hurry up and pick it."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Speechless."
Liu Shinian was always like this, so unserious.
He lowered his head slightly, stepped up, and ascended before our eyes like the wind.
He reached a branch, plucked the fruit with one hand, and landed steadily, all in one smooth motion.
"Here, for you."
He handed the fruit to Ada, who received it carefully, full of gratitude.
"Thank you, Big Brother."
I also leaned in curiously to take a look, but didn't find anything special about it.
Liu Shinian suddenly grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me back.
He said,
"That's for Ada, not for you."
I retorted dismissively,
"I was just looking, I didn't want to eat it."
Ali, with his sharp eyes, spotted another one.
"There's another one."
We followed his gaze and indeed saw another fruit.
Liu Shinian didn't say a word, stepped forward, and ascended.
He flew into the branches, plucked it with one hand, and stepped back.
He said proudly,
"For you."
I accepted the Fengguo without politeness and reluctantly said,
"Thank you."
Then I handed it to Ali, saying,
"Ali, you found it, let's eat it together."
Ali smiled foolishly, took a bite, and then Liu Shinian suddenly sidled over and took a big bite as well.
"What are you doing!"
"There's only one fruit, so the three of us can share it," he explained casually, waving his hand.
"But do you have to take such a big bite?" I looked at the Fengguo, now flattened into a bar, feeling heartbroken.
"If you don't eat it, I'll eat it all," he said, reaching out to snatch it.
To protect the last bit of sweetness, I popped it into my mouth.
Liu Shinian pointed at me and laughed,
"Is that necessary?"
I snorted coldly and walked ahead without paying him any mind.
Ada watched from behind and couldn't help but laugh.
Continuing further into the mountains, I vaguely heard the sound of flowing water.
"There's water," I exclaimed excitedly.
"Mm, it's probably in this direction," Liu Shinian pointed to the left.
We followed him forward.
Indeed, by a small path, we saw water flowing down from the mountaintop, as thick as a bowl.
Liu Shinian walked forward, cupped his hands to taste it, and said,
"It's good, drinkable. Ada, hurry over."
"Coming."
Ada, eating the Fengguo, quickly ran up from behind.
He set the Fengguo aside, washed his hands, and then cupped the water to drink.
After one sip, he exclaimed in amazement,
"Wow, it's so sweet! So refreshing!"
"See? This is the essence of this entire mountain."
"Ali, Muye, you two should come and try it too."
He called us over, and Ali and I walked over together, each taking a handful of water and drinking it sweetly.
Afterward, the few of us sat on the rocks under the shade of the trees not far away, gazing at the sky in a daze.
Ada sighed,
"So beautiful!"
Liu Shinian said,
"If you like it, I can bring you here often."
Ada was very excited and asked,
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Big Brother is so kind."
Saying that, he got up and threw himself into Liu Shinian's arms.
Liu Shinian stroked his head, full of doting affection.
Ali suddenly spoke of homesickness,
"It's as beautiful here as it is in Nanshan, but I haven't been back in a long time."
I patted his shoulder and said,
"Then let's find a time to go back."
Ali nodded slightly, not knowing when that would be.
"Take me with you then," Liu Shinian said.
"Me too," Ada also said.
Ali smiled slightly and agreed,
"Okay, we'll go together."
"Mm, all four of us together," I said.
"Hahaha," the few of us couldn't help but burst into laughter.
We spent the whole day playing on the mountain like this.
Only when the sun began to set and night fell did we reluctantly descend the mountain and drive back to the city.
Upon entering the inn, everyone lost their energy.
They all ran into Liu Shinian's room and fell asleep.
That night passed exceptionally warmly and quietly.
Before dawn, Ada woke up first.
When he woke, he found a quilt on him. Looking around, he realized one person was missing.
He shook Liu Shinian awake and said,
"Brother Liu, Miss Liu is gone."
Liu Shinian yawned and slowly got up from the ground.
He then climbed back onto the bed and continued sleeping.
Seeing that he was unmoved, Ada became a little anxious and stepped forward to say,
"Brother Liu, could Muye be in danger?"
Liu Shinian chuckled, pointed at the person still lying on the ground, and said,
"For this, you need to find Ali. Liu Muye is in cahoots with him."
Ada seemed not to understand what he meant and pestered Liu Shinian,
"Even if we don't look for her, it's already past noon.
We should go get something to eat."
Liu Shinian, annoyed by Ada's nagging in his ear, reluctantly got up.
He woke Ali and said to the groggy Ali,
"Ali, your sweetheart doesn't know where she's gone. Let's go find her."
Before Ali could react, Liu Shinian pulled him up and dragged him onto the street.
The three of them left the inn and walked north for a few hundred meters, arriving at an intersection.
Liu Shinian, relying on his intuition, led them eastward.
Ada, with his sharp eyes, suddenly spotted a man and a woman on the street not far away, chatting very happily.
The two of them interacted frequently, their demeanor very intimate.
"Doesn't that person look a lot like Muye?" Ada asked doubtfully.
"No need to guess, that's her," Liu Shinian recognized the person at a glance and then guessed,
"This woman is really something. Looking at what she has while eyeing what's in the pot.
While we were sleeping, she actually came out to flirt with a man. Ali, go up and teach her a lesson."
Ali looked embarrassed and repeatedly refused,
"I'm not very suitable for this kind of thing."
"Aren't you old lovers? Show some of your authority."
"We're just friends."
"Really? Since you don't acknowledge it, then she's my concubine.
Watch how I teach her a lesson."
Saying that, he led the two of them and rushed over aggressively.
I was chatting happily when I suddenly felt a chill behind my ear.
Turning my head, I saw six pairs of eyes, filled with murderous intent, like cold ice in the dark night, attacking me.
I couldn't help but shiver and felt a little guilty, forcing an awkward smile.
"You, you guys, why are you out too?"
Liu Shinian patted my shoulder and said sinisterly,
"What are you doing? You didn't even tell us."
Then he coldly cast his gaze at the man and asked,
"And who is this gentleman?"
Upon seeing the few people in front of him, carrying a fierce aura and thick gunpowder smell, the man started sweating profusely and quickly explained,
"I, I, I'm just passing by. Miss, I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
With that, he turned and fled.
I sighed, having a rough idea why Liu Shinian was acting this way.
Helplessly, I said,
"Look at you, you scared him away. I was just out for a walk, chatting casually with someone."
Liu Shinian snorted coldly, with an arrogant attitude of "I'm not wrong," and said glibly,
"I've seen plenty of men like this. Don't think everyone is as good as me."
Truly, I couldn't see it at all.
He was an old man, many years older than me.
At night, a thousand paper cranes flew silently through the window and landed on the table.
Ali found it and was very curious, so he opened it.
After reading the content of the letter, he quickly handed it to me.
I took it and read it carefully. It said,
"The matter is not yet resolved, so I cannot return for now. Please wait patiently for a while longer."
Putting away the letter, I asked curiously,
"Is this matter so troublesome? So many people have been sent out, and it's still not resolved."
Liu Shinian explained,
"I heard that this expedition is related to the Myriad Ghost King.
It is said that the Myriad Ghost King's physical body was destroyed a thousand years ago after a decisive battle with the masters of the righteous sects at Myriad Ghost Mountain.
His soul was suppressed within Myriad Ghost Mountain by righteous individuals, and a soul-鎮魂牌 was erected.
For a thousand years, nothing happened. But recently, for some unknown reason,
villagers living near Myriad Ghost Mountain have been disappearing frequently.
And Myriad Ghost Mountain has been shrouded in a black mist."
"Is he going to be resurrected?" Ada asked.
"It's very likely, but the Myriad Ghost King's physical body is already destroyed.
There are only a few lingering souls. If he wants to be resurrected, it will probably be difficult."
"Why are those villagers disappearing? Could they have been captured by the Myriad Ghost King?" Ali guessed.
"It's very likely. Perhaps Master Zhang went there for this very reason," Liu Shinian replied.
Hearing them discuss this, I started to worry about Master Zhang.
It wasn't about returning home. It sounded like a dangerous mission.
I wondered if he could return safely.
So, for the next few days, I wrote several more flying letters to Master Zhang.
Although I received two or three replies, the time intervals between them grew longer.
Sometimes one or two days, sometimes three or four days.
Until I received his last flying letter, which read,
"This place is fraught with peril. Many people have died mysteriously during the investigation.
Or have disappeared mysteriously. If I..."
He had not finished writing, leaving only a blank space at the end, implying that something had happened.
Ali, looking at the content of the letter, also sensed something unusual and comforted me,
"It'll be fine. With his strength, no one can harm him."
"I hope he returns safely."
Ali asked me very calmly,
"If you can't go back, what are your plans?"
Looking at him, I asked shyly,
"If I can't go back, can I follow you?"
He didn't answer my question, but instead said,
"Perhaps Liu Shinian and Jin Yulan will take you in."
I was a little disappointed but unwilling to give up, so I asked him again,
"What about you?"
He smiled knowingly and said,
"I'll just stay with you."
I felt a surge of joy in my heart. I thought he had grown tired of me.
But it turned out he hadn't.
A few days later, the streets were abuzz with talk about this investigation.
As soon as we went out, we heard people discussing.
Passerby A:
"Did you hear? The righteous warriors who went out earlier have returned."
Passerby B:
"I heard. It seems only a few people returned.
The whereabouts of the others are unknown; they've likely met with misfortune."
Passerby C:
"Could they all have been killed?"
Passerby A:
"Don't talk nonsense."
Liu Shinian also heard some rumors and said to me,
"Master Zhang is likely in danger."
"What should we do?" I knew he had an idea.
"Why don't we go ask Jin Yulan for the specific situation?"
Because I had amused Jin Yulan by playing a trick on Liu Shinian at Qingfang Tower last time,
he had given me special permission to enter Qianji Hall without paying.
So, the few of us hurried to Qianji Hall.
Upon meeting Jin Yulan, we intended to ask him about the current situation.
However, he was unhurried. After giving some instructions to his subordinates, he invited us into a room.
He seemed to know the purpose of our visit and said directly,
"I know you all want to know the situation of the righteous warriors."
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point," Liu Shinian said, as impatient as ever.
"Only ten people returned this time."
"What about the others?"
I found it incredible. Dozens of people went out, and only ten returned.
Where did the others go? Thinking this, I involuntarily felt a sense of dread.
"The others have lost contact."
"What about Master Zhang?"
"He also disappeared along with the others."
Everyone present felt a sense of horror. So many people disappearing at the same time was indeed very strange.