The fiend rolled out from the black fog and rubbed against Qin Xuan's legs, its tiny red eyes filled with fawning affection, shy only of barking like a dog.
Qin Xuan pointed toward the jeweled-canopy spirit grass growing on the earthen wall of the pit.
Understanding his intent, the fiend shot forward in an instant.
It streaked across the chilling gale where dark yin ghost wind and Soul-Eroding Cold Evil intertwined, scrambled up the opposite cliff face, and thrust out its demonic claws. In a single sweep, it uprooted several stalks of jeweled-canopy spirit grass—large and small alike—along with the grave dirt clinging to the wall.
It then glanced toward the depths of the tomb pit, inhaled a deep draft of dark yin ghost wind to invigorate itself, and transformed into a dark silhouette to dash back.
*Good fiend, what a good fiend!*
Qin Xuan smiled as he took the spirit grass. He patted the fiend's canine head, letting it nuzzle him for a moment before recalling it into his Taiyin aperture.
The fiend had been forged from demonic thoughts in the first place, so the dark yin ghost wind posed no threat to it whatsoever.
"Young Master, can I open my eyes now?"
"You may."
Gu Mei'er opened her eyes. Seeing the vibrant jeweled-canopy spirit grass, she beamed with pleasant surprise, yet refrained from asking a single question.
There were six stalks of spirit grass in all, and Qin Xuan handed her the one with the greatest age.
Knowing how vital this plant was to her, Mei'er did not decline. She smiled, voiced her thanks, and retrieved two specially made wooden baskets from her hundred-treasure pouch, saying, "Jeweled-canopy spirit grass must continuously draw upon the qi of earth veins. It will wither quickly once parted from the soil. These baskets are woven from the roots of bamboo nourished by mountain spirit springs. They can preserve the grass's medicinal efficacy for three days and three nights without loss, and if transplanted into spiritual soil during that time, it will take root and survive."
She helped arrange the spirit grass inside before handing the baskets back.
Qin Xuan cast a glance over them. Even separated from the grave pit, this great medicine was still breathing spiritual qi on its own, truly extraordinary. He stowed it away in his hundred-treasure pouch together with the baskets.
Next, he leaped upward and rescued the mischievous cat from its perch.
The fat cat let out a plaintive yowl, its cry thoroughly pathetic.
Qin Xuan had given it the cold shoulder earlier, so it knew it was not in favor. After inhaling days of yin wind, it hung limply by the scruff of its neck, utterly dejected.
Yet to the cat's astonishment, the wicked brute it both feared and owed its life to suddenly turned benevolent. Looking down with a gentle, caring gaze, he offered it a sip of spirit water.
That single mouthful in the depths of despair was truly unforgettable for a cat.
Then came a stern warning:
"I hear cats become much more obedient after being castrated. I'll suggest to your master that she remove that troublesome root of yours, sparing everyone the trouble of running all over the countryside while you chase female cats."
"Meooww!" the fat cat cried in terror.
"Meow all you want," Qin Xuan warned once more. "If you sneak out to cause mischief again, I won't bother saving you."
Neither the man nor the cat noticed that shortly after swallowing the spirit dew, the cat's fur flickered with a brief sheen of light.
Qin Xuan first moved the children outside the tomb and left them in Mei'er's care so wild beasts wouldn't carry them off. Then, with the cat in tow, he cleared the corpses from earlier, pocketing whatever was useful and tossing the rest into the deep pit within the tomb.
These bodies had to be disposed of to leave as few traces as possible.
He then rummaged through the Renmao Sect's lair. Most of what he found were daily utensils of no real value.
However...
He discovered a larger, neatly carved earthen cavern fitted with a door, presumably the living quarters of their leader, Qiu Bailu.
Pushing the door open, he found a rather spacious interior. Candles burned atop three lampstands in the corners, shedding a warm glow.
In the center lay a straw mat inscribed with array patterns, kept running by embedded spirit stones. Suspended above it was an umbrella, beneath which sat a yellow-skinned gourd.
Stepping closer for a better look, he realized the umbrella was meant for gathering and condensing qi. Combined with the formation, it connected to the greater array outside, siphoning the Soul-Eroding Cold Evil from deep underground and slowly funneling it into the gourd.
Just as that man had said, Qiu Bailu intended to refine the evil qi.
Qin Xuan snorted, plugged the yellow-skinned gourd with its stopper, and took it.
The umbrella was made of heavy silk coated with tung oil, dark and somber.
He knew little of the Renmao Sect's artifacts, and it did not look like any great treasure. Still, the canopy was inscribed with bizarre symbols arranged in concentric rings from the top down, with neither beginning nor end and no discernible pattern. It seemed rather profound.
So he took the oiled silk umbrella as well.
In a corner of the wall lay a large pile of items caked in mud, likely excavated from the tomb.
Some of the mud had hardened into stiff clods, while other pieces had been dug up recently and still bore a layer of damp soil.
Qin Xuan looked through them, but they were all useless junk. The Renmao Sect members had probably picked through them already, leaving nothing of value to scavenge.
Just as he turned to leave, a soft "mew-oo" caught his attention.
"What is it?"
Qin Xuan looked down at the fat cat. The cat was gesturing toward a jar-like object encased in mud. Feeling skeptical, Qin Xuan picked it up to inspect it.
The object resembled a large jar, with a short neck, sloping shoulders, and an elongated oval belly.
Shaking off the dust, he saw the head of a divine beast molded onto its belly as an ornament, holding its head high with mouth agape, cradling a pearl within.
Having read feng shui texts from the Faqiu and Xieling sects, he recognized it as a bronze divine beast zun. Unlike ordinary ritual vessels, such pieces were often placed alongside stone carvings to guard tombs and ward off evil.
It was hardly surprising to find such an artifact in a prince's tomb.
Besides, Qin Xuan had already searched the pile once. Even after examining it again under the cat's guidance, he found nothing unusual about it.
Qin Xuan said to the cat, "Are you serious? Since when do you know how to appraise treasures?"
The cat stared at the bronze divine beast zun, cocked its head, and let out a meow, seeming not entirely sure itself.
"Tch, only a ghost would believe you."
Qin Xuan tossed it aside, not buying that the fat cat possessed such an ability.
Yet after leaving Qiu Bailu's earthen chamber, an itch of obsessive compulsion overtook him. He went back, stuffed the divine beast zun into his hundred-treasure pouch like a piece of scrap, and moved on.
Qin Xuan had initially thought of torching the place, but wary of whatever lay deeper in the tomb, he merely dismantled Qiu Bailu's door board and returned to the surface.
Laying several of the children onto the door board, he buoyed it with a breeze talisman and headed down the mountain together...
Deep into the hour of the tiger, dogs barked furiously throughout Daoxiang Hollow, awakening all fifty or so households in the vicinity. Torches were lit before the home of the village head, Sun Sheng, and people packed the courtyard inside and out.
Among the crowd, some hugged their children and wept aloud, while others shouted and cheered in commotion.
"The immortal master vanquished the demons and brought the children back!"
"Wonderful, simply wonderful!"
"..."
Having been placed under a spell by Qin Xuan, the children had not yet awakened.
Even so, seeing them alive was enough for their families to weep tears of joy, rushing over to kneel in gratitude.
Out of seven children, one had not returned.
An elderly man near seventy arrived late, and as he moved to kneel, Qin Xuan supported him. Tears welled in the old man's eyes as he asked in trembling panic, "Immortal Master, did you see my Hu'er? He has large ears, two moles on his face, and a chubby build."
The old man's voice quavered.
The village head had mentioned to Qin Xuan that tragedy had struck this elder's household, leaving this single grandson as his only kin.
Qin Xuan offered a faint smile and said to the old man, "Your grandson bears signs of good fortune and possesses fine bone structure. When I slew the monster, a Mr. Mao who had traveled from Chongjin Pass by the East Sea happened to arrive. He took the boy with him, saying he would teach him the ways of secret fiends and the pursuit of immortality. This is a tremendous stroke of fortune.
"Here is a pill left behind by Mr. Mao, which he asked me to deliver to you."
The old man studied Qin Xuan's expression, then looked at the immortal pill. His grief shifted to disbelief. Meeting Qin Xuan's eyes once more, he saw him nod, and a spark of joy finally broke through his anguish.
"Thank you, Immortal Master, thank you!"
The old man's voice shook. "This old man has nothing with which to repay you. Please, Immortal Master, accept this immortal pill yourself."
Qin Xuan waved his hand. "This was given to you by Mr. Mao. He has an eccentric temper, and I wouldn't dare take it. Consume it, Elder, to prolong your years and nourish your life. Once your grandson finishes his studies, he will naturally return to visit you."
With that, he placed the pill into the old man's palm.
At a loss for words, the elder could only stammer his thanks repeatedly.
Sun Sheng, the village head, quickly chimed in, urging him to accept it while offering continuous congratulations, saying things like "Hu'er is destined for great things" and "I knew he was extraordinary from the day he was born."
Many surrounding villagers echoed the sentiment, some even looking on with envy.
Seeing that a large number of villagers had gathered, Qin Xuan addressed them:
"Demonic vapors are surging within these mountains, and foul creatures will likely burrow out from beneath the earth before long. You would do best to relocate from this hollow within three days—the sooner, the better. Otherwise, what each family loses will not just be children; your entire households will become fodder for demons."
Upon hearing this, everyone was seized by panic.
Qin Xuan retrieved two large handfuls of broken silver from the Renmao Sect disciples' hundred-treasure pouches and spread them across the table in Sun Sheng's hall.
It was not a fortune, but it was enough to cover their short-term expenses.
This was as much as he could do in passing.
Once Qiu Bailu of the Renmao Sect returned, his wrath was certain to fall upon them, even if he managed to hold back for a time. As long as the great tomb remained here and nether ghosts surged forth, the local Divine Way beings would hardly be able to protect themselves, let alone ensure any living soul survived in the village.
There was no need for him to say anything more.
Sun Sheng knew Qin Xuan was not raising false alarms, nor did he have any reason to deceive them. Demonstrating the decisiveness expected of a village head, he immediately instructed every family to pack their belongings and move within two days.
Though some were reluctant to leave their land, the recent events had terrified them too deeply for anyone to object.
"Stop! None of you are permitted to leave!"
Just then, a burly man radiating the scent of incense barged in, shouting to halt them.
The moment the villagers saw him, they hastily made way.
This was Daoxiang Hollow's Divine Way being.
Stepping inside, the burly man eyed Qin Xuan and barked angrily, "Friend, from which immortal mountain do you hail? Do you not know this village hollow is an incense ground under the Hawk's Beak Mountain God Temple? If the villagers all move away, who will replenish the incense here? You are breaking our rules!"
His incense aura was not particularly dense, far weaker than that of the protector deity who had died at Lianyun Manor.
He was merely on par with a Qi Refining cultivator.
Qin Xuan countered, "And who might you be?"
Sun Sheng whispered, "Immortal Master, this is Lord Shi Yan, our village's Green Sprout God."
The burly man gave a dry chuckle. "Not only am I the Green Sprout God, but I have also received conferment from Yingyang Prefecture and belong to the Prince's Temple."
"Oh?" Qin Xuan stood up. "The Prince's Temple? Since you enjoy incense offerings here, why did you do nothing when monsters wrought havoc? When the village children went missing and villains invaded, where were you?"
As the burly man opened his mouth to retort, Qin Xuan's voice grew colder:
"When the demons invade this place, you can retreat to the mountain god temple, but where are these villagers supposed to go? To fill the bellies of demons? Are they supposed to die just to satisfy your incense for a few more days?"
The moment his words fell, a streak of emerald light suddenly manifested. It did not strike to kill, but circled closely around the burly man's neck.
The surrounding villagers were left wide-eyed, letting out gasps of awe without daring to blink.
The Green Sprout God, who usually carried himself with great pomp in the village, was instantly stricken with terror.
Seeing that the man before him could command sword radiance, how could he fail to realize he had crossed someone far beyond his match? Shivering violently, he cried out, "This humble god failed to recognize your greatness! Sword Immortal, spare my life! Sword Immortal, spare me!"
Qin Xuan did not kill him, only saying in a cold voice, "If the villagers wish to leave, they may leave. Do not dare obstruct them. If you still want to partake of their incense, pack up and move your Green Sprout Shrine along with them. Look after them well, and cut out the neglect. In due time, I will return to inspect the situation. If you dare defy me, I will lop off your dog's head for dereliction of duty."
"Yes, yes, of course...!"
Trading his earlier arrogance for utter deference, the Green Sprout God dared not offer the slightest objection. Under the astonished and reverent gazes of the villagers, he saw Qin Xuan off.
In the dim light of dawn, just as on the previous day, a large crowd gathered at the village entrance.
Only this time, they were not seeing off Master Jin Guan, but a young immortal master who had never even given his name. Even the Green Sprout God stood obediently by the village entrance. Just as the villagers moved to bow in gratitude, the immortal master, accompanied by a fox and a cat, had already vanished into the mist. Sun Sheng could only lead the villagers in bowing toward the distant horizon...
Chapter 49