Years later, they met again. Lu Ziyin, being the more gregarious of the group, greeted everyone warmly. Cheng Hong and Yan Tianjiao, however, remained reserved and distant.
Over these years, they had all matured, their temperaments mellowed by the passage of time. Their cultivation levels, too, had soared like rockets.
Lu Ziyin couldn't discern their current cultivation realms. He knew better than to ask; inquiring would be an invitation to humiliation.
It was no longer a secret that Cheng Hong was the North Bamboo Buddha Son of the Maha Zen Temple.
As he wasn't an ordinary monk, the Maha Zen Temple had outfitted him with a three-layered cassock, over which he wore a plain white outer robe. Wherever he stood, it was as if silver flowers bloomed. The prayer beads on his wrist shone with golden merit, exuding a subtle fragrance and sacred solemnity. His cultivation had imbued him with an ethereal Buddhist nature, appearing as if the wind moved the clouds, yet his heart remained undisturbed.
He inclined his head in greeting.
Yan Tianjiao was still clad in his dark robes with crimson flame embroidery, his leather belt cinching his narrow waist. His striking black hair was tied high with a tassel cord. The handsome youth exuded a somber, cold, and peerless arrogance, his frosty aura making him unapproachable.
Did they expect him to greet them?
Don't even think about it. A mere glance would be considered generous.
Lu Ziyin was the most elaborately dressed among them. The Lu Manor of the Southern Sea was known for its wealth. He wore a bronze-patterned yellow tunic, a half-length fur coat of snow abyss mink, a jade and sea pearl coronet, and sharp-toed boots with blue wave patterns. He held a sandalwood carved fan, exuding an air of opulence.
The only female disciple present, clad in green, had simple yet exquisite attire. The fabric, shimmering with wave-like patterns as if moved by an unseen breeze, was undoubtedly extraordinary.
This woman was reportedly the new disciple of the Unrivaled Realm's Venerable Nan Yuan. The Unrivaled Realm had initially intended to send Venerable Nan Yuan's chief disciple, Ru Lan, but she was still in seclusion, attempting to break through to the middle Nascent Soul stage. Thus, another disciple was chosen.
This Fu Wanyan was quite mysterious. Her face was like a secret that couldn't be told, and she always wore a white veil wherever she went. This veil was different from ordinary ones. Although it appeared delicate, once worn, no one could discern her true appearance, not even spiritual senses could penetrate it.
Only her stunning eyes were visible.
From the first glance, Lu Ziyin concluded that beneath the veil, this female disciple must possess a rare and beautiful face.
He, who was always quick to praise beautiful women, was like a bee drawn to a flower, attending to her with utmost eagerness. During their journey to Mercy City to meet those seeking aid, he primarily engaged her in lighthearted conversation and flirtatious banter, trying to forge a connection.
"Junior Sister Fu, why do you hide your face with a veil? It's such a waste of nature's bounty."
"Senior Brother, please forgive me. Wanyan's true face can only be revealed to her future husband. This is a long-standing rule of our clan, and it cannot be broken. It is not that Wanyan intends to be rude."
Fu Wanyan's disposition was somewhat inscrutable. Her speech and actions were neither cold nor overly warm, always maintaining a proper balance, making her company quite comfortable.
"There's such a rule?" Lu Ziyin asked with a surprised smile. "It seems Senior Brother Lu is not the future husband Wanyan has chosen."
Fu Wanyan remained unperturbed. She gently opened her lips and replied, "Senior Brother Lu is joking."
At this, Lu Ziyin couldn't help but look at her more closely. He suddenly clapped his hands and sighed without reason, "If I hadn't heard you say your name is Fu Wanyan, and that your background is verifiable, I would have truly thought some of your words, expressions, and demeanor resembled someone..."
Fu Wanyan was startled and asked softly, "Resemble whom?"
Lu Ziyin hadn't expected her to ask. He felt a pang of regret for speaking so carelessly, but the words were already out. With a look of nostalgic regret, he said, "A beauty who has haunted my dreams to this day."
At this point, Yan Tianjiao, walking beside them, heard Lu Ziyin's words. Having heard him lament this countless times before, he immediately guessed who he was referring to and scoffed inwardly.
How dare he, an outsider, dream of another man's wife? It was utterly shameless.
Cheng Hong lowered his gaze. He hadn't heard anything about her for a long time. Now, hearing someone who had known her in the past mention her with such nostalgic remembrance made the past feel like a dream.
But it wasn't his dream alone; many others also remembered her.
Even with her good disposition, Fu Wanyan, upon hearing the clear difference in his tone, responded, "There are millions of people in the world. Even if there's a first and a last, surely I resemble her, not the other way around?"
Her words carried an air of absolute self-assurance.
This trait, too, bore some resemblance.
Because of Lu Ziyin's words, both Cheng Hong and Yan Tianjiao took a second look at Fu Wanyan. Cheng Hong, who understood Gu Junshi better than they did, glanced at Fu Wanyan and knew she bore no resemblance to Gu Junshi.
If indifference was a resemblance, if pride was a resemblance, if beauty was a resemblance, if composure and confidence were resemblances... then what was special about Gu Junshi?
Yan Tianjiao also cast an displeased glance at Lu Ziyin, frowning impatiently. "Do you think anyone can resemble her? When did your eyes go blind?"
They had all participated in the events of that year. They remembered how Gu Junshi, pregnant, had calmly and coldly battled the Fallen Demon Dragon. When the "Black Gate" appeared, all things dimmed and lost their luster, and the souls of the dead returned to the realm of vanquishers of evil.
They remembered how she had meticulously planned and executed the complete annihilation of the Fallen Demon Dragon, saving the common people from calamity. She had saved them as well. Such an astonishing and extraordinary woman could not be compared to any woman who merely feigned coldness and aloofness.
Lu Ziyin was dreaming if he thought otherwise.
Lu Ziyin, met with Yan Tianjiao's cold, piercing gaze, awkwardly touched his nose, feeling that his words were rather pointless.
Thinking that this situation was largely caused by his own slip of the tongue and poor judgment, and being the kind of person who cherished tenderness, unlike Yan Tianjiao, who was always indifferent to women, he tried to smooth things over. "It doesn't matter who resembles whom, because... you are not her, nor can you become her."
Fu Wanyan cast an unpleasant glance at Yan Tianjiao, then stared speechlessly at Lu Ziyin for a while. Finally, she let out a scoff and from then on, did not utter another word to Lu Ziyin for the rest of the journey.
These two had truly shown Fu Wanyan what it meant for a dog's mouth to yield nothing but foulness.
One believed the other was blind to think she resembled another woman, while the other, while finding some resemblance to another woman, ultimately denied it completely. She took a deep breath and suddenly felt that coming out to find people was an extremely foolish decision.
Seeing that his junior sister had been thoroughly offended by them, Lu Ziyin dared not provoke her further for the time being. He fanned himself theatrically and leaned closer to Yan Tianjiao. "Brother Yan, you're acting strange."
"Get lost," Yan Tianjiao said with a cold smirk, moving away in disdain.
"Don't try to change the subject. Why did you have to butt into my conversation with Junior Sister Fu? You never paid attention to topics that didn't interest you before. How come as soon as Gu—"
Before the name could be fully uttered, Cheng Hong decisively flicked a faint golden light, sealing his throat. Lu Ziyin stared at Cheng Hong in astonishment. The latter, as steady as an ancient bell, said solemnly, "Silence. There's a situation ahead."
No, if there was a situation, wouldn't it be more efficient and less draining of spiritual energy to warn them verbally than to directly seal his voice with spiritual power?
Or was it that you simply found my chatter all the way here annoying and decided to silence me?
Yan Tianjiao glanced at Cheng Hong and readily agreed, "That method is quite good."
Lu Ziyin immediately turned back and glared at him with a sense of bitter grievance.
If you were a true brother, you'd stand with me against this injustice for a moment!
Yan Tianjiao let out a cold laugh, lifting his chin arrogantly like a black cat disdainful of a fool, his phoenix-like eyes narrowing. "Too much chatter delays important matters. Your silence for a while is quite agreeable to me."
Fu Wanyan had inadvertently heard a "Gu" earlier, but Cheng Hong's interruption prevented her from inquiring further. The surname piqued her interest.
However, in their presence, she couldn't directly ask Lu Ziyin.
At this moment, they formed seals and descended as streaks of spiritual light, arriving outside Mercy City at a dilapidated, overgrown temple.
Such abandoned and ruined temples and Taoist abbeys were still numerous outside Mercy City. If one traced back time to a thousand years ago, who wouldn't want to accumulate "merit points" by transcending evil spirits or vanquishing demons and malevolent beings? Compared to simply increasing cultivation through spiritual cultivation, "merit points" were practically a cheat code. They could weaken heavenly tribulations and allow one to shed their mortal coil earlier, becoming transcendent and attaining sainthood.
And Fengdu, this city of mixed dragons, ghosts, and gods, was precisely the readily available "prime cut" back then.
Fengdu's scale back then was not as widespread as it was a thousand years later. It was divided not only into the four ghost cities of Yúyí, Nánjiāo, Méigǔ, and Shuòfāng, but also had established clan and faction powers within the city, and its borders were delineated by garrisoned cities. At that time, it was merely a shelter for lost and helpless ghosts.
Thus, those Buddhist cultivators, Taoist cultivators, and cultivators of the逍遥 (Xiaoyao) path, as if seeing a business opportunity, began to occupy land and build their territories.
However, this prosperity did not last. At some point, the ghost cultivators, demon cultivators, and demonic cultivators of Fengdu transformed from the weaker groups they once were to their current formidable scale.
The cultivators of the righteous path could not understand why Fengdu continued to prosper. Therefore, they repeatedly sent people to infiltrate Fengdu to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, Fengdu's four Ghost Kings were not fools. They strictly adhered to their vows of secrecy and never disclosed the true secrets to outsiders.
Consequently, the righteous path cultivators not only gained nothing but, once discovered, met either a terrible death or an even more terrible one.
Before Cheng Hong and the others could get close, they detected a pungent, bloody, and malevolent aura emanating from the ruined temple. While the others couldn't see the ghostly energy, Cheng Hong, from high above, scanned the area below and saw a dense, cold, and ominous ghostly aura.
Due to the overwhelming resentment, the area of spread was considerable, so Cheng Hong called out to them.
Yan Tianjiao and Lu Ziyin exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions, and charged in from the east and west sides respectively.
Cheng Hong glanced at Fu Wanyan, who stood ready, her cultivation the lowest among the four. He stopped her. "The ghostly energy within is dense; there must be a situation. Venerable Fu, please remain outside. If any unexpected circumstances arise, you can provide backup."
His words were reasonable, and Fu Wanyan had no immediate rebuttal. She nodded to Cheng Hong.
"Then, Master Cheng Hong, please be careful."
Cheng Hong clasped his hands together, nodded, and then transformed into a golden stream of light, entering the temple.
Fu Wanyan frowned. After Cheng Hong's pure white lotus-like figure disappeared, she thought for a moment, then took out several formation flags from her bracelet space and gripped them tightly.
Meanwhile, as Cheng Hong, Lu Ziyin, and Yan Tianjiao entered the temple, they were immediately confronted with a horrific bloody massacre.
Inside the small, ruined temple, visible from corner to corner, the rafters were hung with dried corpses, their limbs contorted. These bodies had been completely drained of blood, swaying precariously overhead like dried jerky. The interior, spanning over a hundred square meters, was filled with a nauseatingly strong smell of blood.
But these dried corpses were not as harmless as real "jerky." The next moment, perhaps sensing the presence of living beings, or perhaps because the time was ripe, their eyes snapped open. They had only black pupils with no whites, their skin covered in corpse spots and rotting flesh. As they exhaled, the stench was suffocating.
The ropes around their necks snapped as they thrashed violently, their heavy bodies falling to the ground with a thud. But the dried corpses seemed unaware. Attracted by the fresh flesh, they excitedly hopped up, their hands clasped, reaching out to grab them—
The moment they "revived," the entire temple was filled with ghostly energy, so dense that their vision was obscured.
The pervasive ghostly energy naturally distorted space, forming a small-scale barrier.
Boom—
The already dilapidated and ruined temple could not withstand such a turmoil. It exploded from within. Fu Wanyan, who was keeping watch outside, looked on in alarm, instinctively shielding her face with one hand. A cloud of dust and flying stones, carrying a rotten, fishy stench, rushed towards her. She couldn't help but hold her breath and retreat repeatedly.
Simultaneously, she raised the formation flags in her hand—
—
Fengdu, Shuofang City
"Hey, hey, look! Isn't that the eldest and second young ladies of the Mu family out on patrol?"
On the dimly lit street, a group of ghost cultivators were peeking out, watching the commotion.
A girl with slightly darker skin but bright and beautiful features was holding the hand of a tall woman in a black cloak. They walked along, talking and laughing happily, escorted by Mu family guards. The street had been cleared of loiterers beforehand.
At this moment, a raggedly dressed young boy was pulling a child, no taller than his thigh, forward. Around a corner, the two parties collided.
Of course, the eldest and second young ladies of the Mu family were protected in the middle, so they were not the ones who collided.
A scrawny young boy and a child naturally couldn't compete with the robust guards. After stumbling backward, he fell heavily to the ground.
Mu Nanxue saw this and immediately said indignantly, "What are you doing?!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
The young boy scrambled to his feet and apologized. As he looked up, a face so beautiful it made one's blood surge was revealed.
But Mu Nanxue had never been interested in beauty. Seeing a man with such a bewitching appearance, her first thought was conspiracy.