"Tomorrow at noon, there's a hot spring party in the Serenitea Pot. I hope you can come!"
Feng Yi invited Gan Yu as they parted ways.
"Mm, I will!"
Gan Yu smiled sweetly and agreed, then returned to her overtime work.
Feng Yi waved goodbye to Gan Yu and headed towards Mt. Mingchi.
Now, all he had to do was spend time with Hu Tao and wander through the Lantern Rite festival. That would mark today as successfully managed!
The moment he stepped into the territory of Mt. Mingchi, the temperature plummeted. A chilling wind whistled, echoing through the valley like a terrifying wail.
"If someone with a faint heart stumbled in here, they'd be scared to death!"
The deeper he went, the dimmer the light became. The moon's glow seemed to be completely obscured by a hazy black fog.
The ley lines here were in utter disarray. As Feng Yi concentrated, he sensed polluted spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy, entwined with black mist, clung to an ancient statue, seemingly corroding it.
If Feng Yi wasn't mistaken, the statue depicted the image of the Archon, Chl.
For the sake of caution, Feng Yi decided it would be best to inform Zhong Li later.
*Hiss—*
Feng Yi's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a ghostly figure flashing by in the distance. It was moving too fast; in that fleeting glance, Feng Yi could hardly identify its form.
*Wail—*
That irritating, mournful wind wailed again, making Feng Yi's hairs stand on end.
"As a scholar who cultivates righteous spirit, you mere specters are but fleeting clouds and mist! For the sake of heaven's benevolence, I give you three breaths to depart, or I shall scatter your souls to the winds!"
Feng Yi shouted, not out of fear of ghosts, but because he disliked dealing with such things.
Why? Because they looked creepy but offered little substance when encountered.
If Feng Yi went all out, relying on his invulnerable golden body, amplified by golden fragments, and activating his River God domain, he dared to exchange blows even with an Archon.
"Three!"
Feng Yi placed his left hand behind his back, retrieving a golden paper from his River God divinity and holding it between his fingers.
Invincible Gold was ready!
"Two!"
Feng Yi summoned his mechanical spear with his right hand, a cerulean glow adhering to it.
Weapon enchantment complete!
"One!"
With a final low growl, Feng Yi activated his River God's Eye, scanning the invisible entities around him. Any spirit that entered his line of sight would not escape his charged strike.
*Hoo—*
Just as Feng Yi's nerves were taut, a small white specter darted out from behind a tree. Feng Yi hurled his spear, pinning it to the tree.
"Feng Yi, don't be nervous, it's me, it's me!"
Hu Tao peeked out from behind the tree and chuckled. She had intended to play a prank and scare Feng Yi, but the little specter she had thrown out was instantly dispatched by Feng Yi.
"Hu Tao?! This prank isn't fun at all!"
Seeing that it was Hu Tao, Feng Yi finally relaxed and put away the golden paper in his left hand.
He had thought he was in for a tough fight, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding.
That made sense. With Zhong Li stationed here, what kind of demons or ghosts would dare to cause trouble?
Feng Yi pinched Hu Tao's cheek, muttering a slight complaint.
"Heh heh, I wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn't know you were such a scaredy-cat..."
Hu Tao pried away the large, paw-like hands that were fondling her face and chuckled with a twinkle in her eye.
"How can you call a scholar's caution being a scaredy-cat? This is prudence! This is stability! When one is alone in a foreign land, if one is not careful, one might not see the next sunrise... Right, weren't you supposed to be officiating the Lantern Rite ceremony? Why are you here?"
Feng Yi retorted Hu Tao's words with righteous indignation, then remembered that Hu Tao should have been at the boundary, presiding over the soul-guiding ceremony.
"Guest of Honor Zhong Li said you were here and was worried you might not find your way to the boundary, so he sent me to pick you up!"
Hu Tao said with a smile. Guest of Honor Zhong Li was truly remarkable, able to sense Feng Yi's arrival without even leaving his residence.
The little specter, pinned to the tree: Did you guys forget something? I'm innocent!
"Then let's hurry. I actually have something to tell Zhong Li as well!"
Feng Yi was surprised that Hu Tao was sent by Zhong Li, and thought Zhong Li was being overly cautious.
He was quite familiar with the boundaries of Mt. Mingchi; he had traveled through it many times in his previous life in the game!
The transparent little specter with low presence: Hey, hey, don't leave me behind! Help! Help!
Little Specter: *Sob sob sob* You're still the kindest to me!
Today, I finally don't have to do homework. Yay!
The little specter was overjoyed and couldn't stop grinning.
Ever since Hu Tao found it, the little specter had been living a life of arduous study.
"The Self-Cultivation of Ghosts"
"How to Be a Qualified Little Specter"
"A Thousand Ways for Ghosts to Develop (A Thousand Uses)"
"Hu Tao's Poetry Collection (Mandatory Memorization)"
These were essays that needed to be copied every night.
The little specter claimed to wake up earlier than a rooster and sleep later than a dog.
Hu Tao was the most outrageous master it had ever followed!
And today, Hu Tao, in her human kindness, finally gave it a day off.
The little specter laughed so hard it was delirious, but its laughter sounded somewhat eerie to Feng Yi.
"Zhong Li, I've brought Feng Yi back!"
Hu Tao pulled Feng Yi along as they walked towards the interior of the boundary.
As Feng Yi walked, the setup for the soul-guiding ceremony truly opened his eyes.
Several gentle and bright oil lamps were hung high in the air, arranged in mysterious positions, guiding the way for lonely souls.
Below, arriving solitary souls queued up obediently to enter the boundary.
This scene gave Feng Yi a sense of déjà vu, like people queuing up to cross the Bridge of Helplessness in the afterlife.
"Feng Yi, I can handle the rest of the time. The Lantern Rite festival should not have ended yet. You and Hu Tao should go quickly!"
Zhong Li sat on a stone platform. Seeing Feng Yi arrive, he nodded and said to him.
"Zhong Li, on my way here, I saw..."
Feng Yi informed Zhong Li about the situation with the statue. Seeing Zhong Li nod in acknowledgment, he then left with Hu Tao.
"Hu Tao is gone, it's time for us to talk—Chl!"
Zhong Li stood up, his gaze sharp, as if it could pierce through the rock and directly see Chl, who was sealed underground.