Yan Chixia, who had just gotten into the swing of things, shook his head regretfully. If Hao Yun had a good pair of twin swords, the two of them could have fought for a while longer.
Chapter 32 Undead Knight
Hao Yun stayed at Lanruo Temple for three days without encountering any ghosts or monsters. He guessed it was because Yan Chixia was there that the ghosts and monsters dared not approach. Actually, Hao Yun was quite curious to see what Nie Xiaoqian looked like.
On this day, Hao Yun did what he always did: cook porridge and practice the Shangqing Neijia Xin Jing (a Buddhist text).
"I'm going to town to buy some things. Don't wander around, especially don't go behind the temple."
After spending a few days together, Yan Chixia had long regarded Hao Yun as one of his own. Before leaving, he repeatedly instructed Hao Yun not to go to the back of the temple.
Hao Yun wasn't the type to court disaster, nor was he that curious, so he naturally wouldn't go looking for trouble.
In movies, when this kind of plot occurs, the protagonist is usually oblivious to the danger and ignores warnings, then enters a dangerous area. Needless to say, everyone knows what happens next—they all die a horrible death.
As dusk fell, Yan Chixia still hadn't returned, and Hao Yun felt worried. He should have gone into the city with Yan Chixia.
It got dark quickly, and Hao Yun returned to his room to meditate and cultivate. In Hao Yun's eyes, the Shangqing Inner Martial Arts Manual was not very difficult. After only a few days of cultivation, he had the magical power to release two palm thunderbolts.
According to Yan Chixia, Hao Yun is at most a beginner now, and it would take him at least ten years to reach Yan Chixia's level of cultivation.
With a rustling sound, the withered trees outside the window shook, and a person appeared downstairs at the temple.
Hao Yun, who was cultivating, heard the sound, stopped his practice, and opened his eyes. Yan Chixia was back?
Just as I was about to go downstairs to check, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a woman dressed in white walked in carrying a lantern.
"ah!"
Upon seeing someone inside, the woman gasped in surprise and involuntarily took a half-step back.
Hao Yun's heart skipped a beat. This must be the female ghost controlled by his grandmother. Otherwise, how could such a beautiful woman appear in this desolate wilderness so late at night?
The woman carrying the lantern held it in one hand, while using the other hand to cover her face with a light veil from her sleeve.
"What's wrong with this person? Why isn't he talking to me?" The female ghost peered curiously at Hao Yun through the veil.
Although Hao Yun was dressed in ancient costume, his hair was not long. When he had short hair before, Hao Yun always wore a wig, but now that his hair had grown out, he was too lazy to wear it anymore.
Judging by appearance alone, Hao Yun could be described as handsome as Pan An. Dressed in a white outfit, he had the air of a dashing knight-errant.
The two of them stood and sat there, neither of them saying a word.
"Young master, I have lost my way and wandered into this place. May I rest here and wait for my family?"
"Um."
Hao Yun responded with a sound of agreement and lay down on his side nonchalantly, but in his heart he was thinking, "Yan Chixia, if you don't come back soon, I'm going to die."
The appearance of the female ghost meant that Grandma was coming soon, and Hao Yun had no confidence in escaping.
Just as Hao Yun was wondering what he should do if Yan Chixia didn't return, the woman suddenly stumbled and fell on top of him.
"oops!"
The lantern fell to the ground, and the woman lay on top of Hao Yun, looking shy and bashful.
Hao Yun really wanted to complain, "Your acting is so fake, it's not even as good as those young heartthrobs. You can fall flat on your face and just happen to fall into my arms. Even the director wouldn't dare to film something like that."
"Young master, I think I twisted my ankle. Could you take a look?"
The female ghost had a very pleasant voice. She straddled Hao Yun, slowly extending her right leg to reveal her snow-white thigh. As the light gauze slipped down, Hao Yun swallowed hard.
"Do not look at what is improper; do not look at what is improper."
Silently reciting the incantation, Hao Yun closed his eyes, determined not to be tempted, or he would lose his life.
A smile appeared on the female ghost's lips, and she became even bolder, rubbing against Hao Yun's body repeatedly.
"Young master, am I beautiful?"
The female ghost clung to Hao Yun's chest, her light veil slipping down to her shoulders.
"Help!"
A shrill scream instantly shattered the female ghost's seductive words, causing a hint of anger to appear on her face. "Which bastard dared to disturb my good time?"
"Help! There are wolves!"
Hao Yun hurriedly got up and peered out the window. He saw a scholar-like figure carrying a lantern, running at a speed that left Hao Yun in awe.
"Brother, where is the wolf you're talking about?"
The scholar turned his head and saw nothing behind him, so he looked around in confusion.
"Huh, it was just here a moment ago?"
Hao Yun chuckled. Thanks to this guy, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to control himself if things had dragged on any longer.
[Option 1: Make Ning Caichen a Ghost Knight (Reward: Randomly draw one ability from Ning Caichen)]
[Option Two: Steal Nie Xiaoqian's heart (Reward: Ghost Raising Manual)]
[Option 3: Win Grandma's heart (Reward: 100 years of cultivation)]
When the system presented a choice, Hao Yun saw the third option and couldn't help but roll his eyes. Winning over his grandmother's heart was something no one would choose.
Even if you had a thousand years of cultivation, let alone a hundred years, I still wouldn't choose you.
I decisively chose the first option. This glorious and great task of dealing with the Japanese invaders should be left to Ning Caichen.
Hao Yun admires three men the most: the undead knight Ning Caichen, the rough-and-tumble hero Xu Xian, and the harmonious Dong Yong.
Now that one of them is right in front of me, how can I take away his title? Whether there's a reward or not doesn't matter; I've already witnessed history.
"Brother, would you mind coming up for a chat?"
After glancing at the female ghost inside the room, Hao Yun decisively lured Ning Caichen up. He didn't think his half-baked palm lightning could kill the female ghost.
"Sorry to bother you."
Ning Caichen, his clothes filthy, came up from downstairs. Seeing a woman inside, he hesitated at the door for a long time before entering.
"Brother, come in and have a seat. This young lady also got lost and is waiting for her family here. It's fate that we meet. Why don't you sit down and chat?"
Hao Yun strode to the door, pulled Ning Caichen inside, and led him into the house.
The female ghost inside the house was none other than Nie Xiaoqian, who had come out to help her grandmother find blood offerings. Now that Ning Caichen had joined the fray, she found the situation somewhat troublesome.
"My name is Hao Yun, a wandering knight. I am temporarily staying at Lanruo Temple. May I ask how you should address me, sir?"
"Ning Caichen, thank you for taking me in, Brother Hao."
Ning Caichen had the air of an ancient sage, and after entering the room, he didn't dare to look at Nie Xiaoqian even once.
“Brother Ning, it’s fate that we meet. I see you’ve been running around in a hurry, you must be thirsty. I’ll go prepare a pot of tea, please wait a moment.”
Hao Yun quickly left the room and finally breathed a sigh of relief. With Ning Caichen taking the fall, he should be safe for a while. Damn Yan Chixia, did you fall into a ditch halfway? Why aren't you back yet?
Hao Yun, who was muttering to himself, started preparing firewood and tea sets downstairs.
The atmosphere inside the room was extremely awkward. Ning Caichen sat quietly with his head down, while Nie Xiaoqian's eyes darted around, trying to figure out how to handle the two of them.
"Sigh, I wonder when my family will be able to find me."
As she spoke, Nie Xiaoqian walked towards the window. Just as she reached Ning Caichen's side, she cried out and, using the same trick, fell towards Ning Caichen.
To Nie Xiaoqian's surprise, Ning Caichen hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stepped back, avoiding the falling Nie Xiaoqian and letting her fall to the ground.
"Miss, men and women should not touch each other. I dare not be presumptuous. Are you alright?"
Nie Xiaoqian was easily swayed by this tactic, a hint of curiosity appearing in her eyes. Usually, when she did this, the other person would eagerly catch her, and then... Finally, Grandma would appear and eat them.
The unexpected appearance of Ning Caichen, an unconventional individual, actually piqued Nie Xiaoqian's interest.
What are you doing?
Hao Yun, who was serving tea upstairs, looked at the two people in the room with strange postures and was a little confused.
Chapter 33 Battle with the Tree Demon
The tea set was placed in the center of the room. The three of them sat down, and Hao Yun slowly brewed the tea, trying to stall for time.
"Don't rush when drinking tea; first, rinse the cup."
Even if Hao Yun is slow, he will still have tea sooner or later. The three of them held their teacups and began to savor the tea.
Nie Xiaoqian, who was initially anxious, suddenly calmed down and recalled her days before her death.
Glug glug.
Ning Caichen gave an awkward smile. He hadn't eaten all day and had just been chased by wolves. Now that he had calmed down, his stomach started rumbling.
"Brother Ning, are you hungry? I'll go get some food and let you try my family's traditional cooking."
Hao Yun immediately got up, washed the pot, boiled water, and prepared to cook noodles. He really hoped that he could drag it out overnight, and that it would be safe by dawn.
Nie Xiaoqian, holding her teacup, was still lost in thought, her mind completely elsewhere.
jingle.
The bell on Nie Xiaoqian's foot suddenly rang, startling her from her reverie and making her almost forget the task her grandmother had assigned her.
Nie Xiaoqian glanced at Ning Caichen, then at Hao Yun who was cooking noodles, and felt a pang of pity.
"Why."
My life is in my grandmother's hands. If I don't do what she says, I will be tortured to the point of wishing for death.
Silently apologizing, Nie Xiaoqian pressed herself against Ning Caichen.
"Young Master~"
"Miss, please have some self-respect."
Ning Caichen stood up and stepped back, turning halfway to the side so as not to look at Nie Xiaoqian.
"The noodles are ready, come and try them quickly, not everyone can get to eat this."
Two bowls of braised beef noodles without any beef were served. Hao Yun's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that Nie Xiaoqian had tried to seduce Ning Caichen, but had failed.