The abbot of Liangfeng Temple had not only achieved Core Formation, but had long since refined evil qi into his body.
Qin Xuan was nowhere near a match for him. Even if he activated a sword talisman for an ambush right now, the odds of beheading that wicked monk were pitifully low.
At this moment, he finally understood why Captain Hong had been wiping his blade by the roadside.
"Master..."
Qin Xuan spoke up after all.
In the distance, Captain Hong, who had been about to depart, stopped in his tracks once more, looking at Qin Xuan in shock and suspicion.
Beside him, the little fox tugged at his sleeve and hurriedly sent a voice transmission: *Don't be impulsive! If you bring it up again, you'll definitely provoke him. This monk is terrifyingly strong.*
Jin Guan turned around, expressionless, and asked slowly, "Young almsgiver, do you have further guidance to impart?"
"Master, you have long hunted down villains as a knight-errant of the sangha in our commandery. I wish to follow your example. I am currently pursuing an evildoer known as the One-Horned Ascetic, who slaughtered the Wan family in the city. I wonder if Master has any news of him?"
Qin Xuan changed the subject. Jin Guan's expression softened slightly, and he nodded.
"A year ago, that scoundrel surfaced to the east in Linpu City, where he likewise murdered an entire household. Poor monk has also been keeping watch for his movements. Should he show himself in Pingyuan Commandery, poor monk will surely slay him..."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Qin Xuan was about to head into the village when he suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him.
His senses were keen; he instantly pinpointed the direction and looked toward the tall, sinister monk.
Yet that man had not turned his head.
*An illusion...?*
The village head of Daoxiang Hollow was named Sun Sheng, a dark-skinned, prematurely aged middle-aged man.
Having seen Captain Hong and Master Jin Guan off, Sun Sheng quickened his pace on the way back and caught up to Qin Xuan as he entered the village, taking the initiative to strike up a conversation.
Though they had never met before, observing Qin Xuan's bearing was enough to tell him this young man was no ordinary person.
The bizarre happenings in the village remained unresolved, weighing heavily on his mind.
Finding another capable person to take a look would at least bring some peace of mind.
Walking along the rural path from the village entrance, Sun Sheng first introduced himself, then inquired of Qin Xuan, "Is the young master heading into the mountains?"
"Indeed. Is something amiss?"
Sun Sheng's face showed unease.
"Thick fogs have frequently risen in the mountains of late. A single misstep, and one is hopelessly lost. The elders say monsters are stirring up trouble, whipping up wind and spewing fog so they can catch people to eat. Not long ago, several children from the village were catching fish and shrimp by the stream on the back mountain. Someone saw a great mist sweep in, and the children were gone."
He sighed in sorrow.
"If the young master wishes to enter the mountains, you must wait until noon when the haze thins out. Many herb-gatherers live in our village; you could ask them about the paths and familiarize yourself with a few caves and hollows where wild beasts can be avoided. That would be far safer."
Qin Xuan thanked him first, then said, "That won't be necessary. This isn't our first or second time entering these mountains."
Seeing that he had no fear of the monstrous mist, Sun Sheng figured he must be a Qi Refining cultivator.
Just as he was about to describe the mountain's conditions in greater detail, Qin Xuan asked about the band of bandits.
Sun Sheng first recounted the incident in detail. Then, glancing back to confirm that Master Jin Guan was indeed far away, he let out a helpless sigh:
"We villagers of Daoxiang Hollow wanted nothing more than to kill that evil scoundrel! But the master wanted him to repent, so we had no choice but to obey. Master Jin Guan is highly respected, deeply versed in the Dharma, and this isn't the first time he has eliminated pests for our village. We only regret that the master is far too compassionate, leaving even an evildoer like that alive."
His account was essentially consistent with Captain Hong's. Hearing this left Qin Xuan displeased, so he asked no further.
"I happen to be heading into the mountains. If I do come across the demon that abducted the children, and if it is within my power, I will capture it and see if any children are still alive."
"Young Master... no, many thanks, Immortal Master! Many thanks, Immortal Master!"
Sun Sheng grew excited, his voice so loud that those nearby overheard.
From among the villagers, over a dozen people rushed out immediately—both old and young. They fixed their gazes upon Qin Xuan, a faint glimmer of hope in their eyes, and moved to kneel in gratitude.
How could Qin Xuan accept such deference? With a flick of his sleeve, he stirred up a swirl of wind and mist, riding the qi alongside Gu Mei'er. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished without a trace...
Leaving Daoxiang Hollow behind, guided by Mei'er, they turned west from Hawk's Beak Mountain.
Along the way, jagged peaks pierced the clouds and bizarre crags rose precipitously, thick with ancient moss and hanging vines. Six or seven li into the mountains, the roar of a mountain stream rumbled, crooked pines hung upside down from cliffs on both sides, and now and then a white cataract splashed down from the heights.
The summit of Hawk's Beak Mountain was a snow-clad cliff, far more imposing and lofty than the neighboring peaks and cloud-capped ridges.
Qin Xuan sensed along the way with his talisman, observing the shifting contours of the terrain. Seeing the peaks winding along, dipping and rising abruptly like serpents slithering through the grass, he knew a dragon vein lay hidden beneath the earth.
Traversing several more li, the ridges began to turn stiff and rigid, with occasional peaks barren of all vegetation—the telltale sign of a "dead dragon."
Knowing that evil qi was buried underground, and that it was the Soul-Eroding Cold Evil formed from piled demonic corpses, this came as no surprise.
"We're almost there."
The mountain fog gradually thickened. Further ahead lay an expanse of deep forest enshrouded in mist.
Gu Mei'er pointed toward the dense fog and cautioned, "We cannot enter directly. We must first catch a wild beast."
"That's easy enough. Wait here."
Qin Xuan listened intently for a moment, then suddenly dashed forward on his qi into the dense woods. From the fork of a tall tree, he seized an all-black leopard.
Having absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, even though this leopard did not know methods of breath circulation, it had gradually birthed demon qi and developed some prowess.
Yet Qin Xuan cast the Demon-Binding Net that Zeng Mu had used to catch cats, trapping it in an instant.
Bringing the leopard back, Gu Mei'er revealed a stretch of fair arm. Tied around her wrist was a silver wrist-bell used to pray for peace and good fortune.
With a shake of her arm, the wrist-bell chimed. The leopard ceased its struggling, obediently crouching motionless on the ground. She pointed toward the heavy fog ahead, and the leopard set off to scout the way.
This seemed to be a demonic art that controlled the soul.
Yet strangely, Qin Xuan sensed not only demon qi, but also a wave of yin qi—and that yin qi was out of the ordinary, resembling the profound yin ghost dao, bearing a slight resemblance to his own fiend.
Considering that the fox grandfather made a living walking the yin road, how could Mei'er not possess a few treasures of the underworld?
The two followed the leopard into the fog.
Tigers and leopards of the mountains were exceedingly sensitive to auras, unlike Manor Lord Zhu, who had acted recklessly. If the fog contained evil qi, they would never venture into it.
After walking for half an incense stick's time, the two stopped, leapt onto a tall tree, and concealed themselves amid the lush branches and dense leaves.
"Has the leopard entered the formation you mentioned?"
"Yes."
The girl nodded. This was the other grave peril she had warned Qin Xuan about along the way.
"Someone has already discovered the tomb, yet I can still smell the scent of the great medicine. Presumably, these people haven't descended into the tomb yet, otherwise the medicine would have been taken away. When I came to investigate earlier, I even saw the people who set up the formation."
Gu Mei'er said softly, "Qi Refining cultivators from the city also ventured in here to investigate, but most were trapped in the formation and never made it out. That Manor Lord of Lianyun Manor was fortunate; if he had inhaled the evil qi inside the formation, he would never have had the chance to descend the mountain."
Qin Xuan gazed into the depths of the mist, pondering:
*Coupled with Geng Zhi's letter, there are indeed people in the city after the Pingyuan King's tomb, like Jinyanshu. This group laying an array here must want to use the earth's evil qi to hold off newcomers so they can monopolize the tomb.*
He sensed once more; sure enough, the cat was in the direction of the formation.
As if guessing Qin Xuan's thoughts, Mei'er added, "That great medicine is immensely alluring to demons. The cat the young master is looking for can probably smell the medicine's fragrance just like me. If so, it has most likely fallen into their hands."
"Can the two of us deal with them?"
The little fox first shook her head, then nodded. "Of course we can, but we must wait until their leader leaves. That person is very formidable; even without controlling the formation, he is extremely difficult to handle. Once he takes control of the formation, we won't stand a chance."
Seeing how clear-headed her thinking was, Qin Xuan asked further, "Do you know where this bunch comes from?"
She thought for a moment. "Perhaps people from the demon sects. I once saw that leader commanding Soul-Devouring Mist."
This was a demonic mist. When used to escape, if mortals along the way were tainted by it, at best they would fall severely ill for three months; at worst, their souls would be damaged. It was vicious in the extreme.
*A demon sect?*
Qin Xuan immediately thought of Mao Yan's instructions. The Renmao Sect and the Huanyin Sect were currently locked in fierce contention against Guanjiang Mountain, and Mao Yan cared deeply about their movements.
*Could it be...*
*Could the people here be connected to Madam Wei?*
At this thought, he grew even more cautious. He fell silent, waiting for the leopard to stir up a commotion.
After another half hour, the mist in the distance churned as continuous leopard roars rang out. Before long, the roars grew farther and farther away.
Gu Mei'er was overjoyed and made a gesture to Qin Xuan. The two retraced their steps and hid inside a cave in the cliff face.
"The leader isn't there!"
"How can you tell?"
"The leopard entered the formation. But wild beasts that have lived in these mountains for a long time can sense the evil qi here and know how to avoid it. Now that the leopard has escaped from the formation, it means the array is only functioning on its basic evil-gathering properties, and no one actively triggered it."
Shrewdness showed in her eyes. "This bunch is exceptionally cruel—if they can kill, they will never let someone get away. Precisely because the leader isn't around and there's no one to back them up, the others fear they can't match any intruder. So even though they sensed the disturbance, they dared not rashly activate the formation."
"We'll wait here. As long as the leader doesn't return, we can make our move tonight..."
...
Chapter 45