Peaceful Jianghu - Chapter 55
"Your contract with Mu Puwei has taken effect. From now on, you are a sacrifice to the gods. Wen Si will make you wish you were dead." After the old nun finished speaking, she opened her mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke into Liao Xiaoqing's face.
Xiao Dao peered through the crack in the door and paused—just who was this old nun? She seemed to be very skilled with concealed weapons; that puff just now was a sleeping smoke, indicating that she had a tobacco pouch hidden in her mouth. Not just anyone could use such a concealed weapon.
The moment Liao Xiaoqing smelled the smoke, her eyes went blank, and she stood there woodenly. The old nun pulled her around and led her into the alley next to the woodshed.
Xiao Dao quickly patted Xue Beifan and pointed to that alley.
Xue Beifan understood. Xiao Dao had previously speculated that the entrance to the Xianyun Mountain Waterfall Treasure Cave might be inside the Xianyun Temple, and this alley next to the woodshed was the place they suspected.
They had hidden in the alley for a while and discovered that besides the mud and ash, there were also some porcelain shards embedded in the ground. When the sunlight reflected off them, the ground had a shimmering effect, and it was a long, winding path that looked very much like the Xianyun Mountain Waterfall. If the legendary treasure cave was located below the Xianyun Mountain Waterfall, then the real waterfall was likely just a decoy! So the design was ingenious; it was the shadow that gave Xiaodao the hint.
This tactic is very common. Xiaodao learned from her mother how to discern clues hidden within rumors. They are usually ambiguous, like saying a mountain isn't a real mountain or a river isn't a large river, just to confuse the public. It's important to avoid preconceived notions.
The old nun pulled the dazed Liao Xiaoqing and quickly ran into the alley. After stepping on the bluestone slabs a few times, suddenly a square entrance appeared on the ground with a "whoosh," large enough for two or three people to pass through, and there seemed to be steps below.
Xiao Dao noticed that Xue Beifan was staring intently at the entrance. Clearly, he wasn't interested in what would happen to Liao Xiaoqing; his only curiosity was whether there were any Dragon Bone Five Diagrams inside the cave.
Xiao Dao was puzzled. Although the Dragon Bone Five Maps were supposed to be a treasure map, why were the Xue brothers in such a hurry for it? Logically, the Beihai Sect shouldn't lack money or martial arts manuals. Xue Er's priority should be helping his elder brother reclaim the Beihai Sect, so why was he willing to be misunderstood rather than help? Although he was usually jovial, he would occasionally furrow his brow, seeming preoccupied. What were these two shrewd brothers up to?
The old nun pulled Liao Xiaoqing down to the ground, and Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan followed. Xiaoyue stayed above to keep watch and provide backup.
As expected, the Immortal Cloud Temple held a hidden wonder. Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan followed them down into the underground palace. The hard, cold bricks beneath their feet told them that the cellar was quite old. A long, arched corridor wound its way down, occasionally turning a corner. Xiao Dao secretly calculated the distance—good heavens, they'd dug all the way into the heart of Immortal Cloud Mountain!
Fearing discovery, the two dared not light a tinderbox, as it was pitch black all around. Xiao Dao was still running ahead, and Xue Beifan, seeing her running like a rabbit, quickly tugged at her arm, "Don't be so reckless, be careful of traps."
"Shh!" Xiao Dao reached out and covered his mouth. "You're so stupid! Look, the old nun didn't even light a lamp, and Liao Xiaoqing is acting all silly. What traps could they possibly avoid?"
"That's true..." Xue Beifan, seeing that the stairs were quite steep, asked Xiao Dao with a grin, "Do you want me to carry you?"
Xiao Dao was furious; this guy always had the time to cause trouble! Deciding to ignore him and walk on, Xue Beifan grabbed her arm. Feeling Xue Beifan so close, Xiao Dao blushed and pushed him away, saying, "Go away!"
"It's dark!" Xue Beifan feigned a pitiful look, clinging to her and refusing to let go. "I'm afraid of the dark."
Xiao Dao felt that even his temper had been tempered by Xue Beifan. He took out a luminous pearl from his pouch, and its cold, eerie light immediately illuminated the surroundings.
This photo turned out to be worse than no photo at all; Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan were terrified by the surrounding scene.
Whether it was the old nun's whim or this arrangement was originally there, there was a recess on each side of the long corridor, in which were scattered fragments of wooden figures, such as wooden heads, hands, and feet. In the cold light, the pale color of the wood looked almost lifelike.
Xue Beifan pulled Xiaodao's hand and walked down step by step. Xiaodao was probably too busy worrying about the strange wooden figures to notice that Xue Beifan was holding her whole hand.
Upon reaching the last step, a stone chamber appeared before me, perhaps serving as a transitional space, similar to an entrance hall. A stone door in front of me was slightly ajar, from which faint light emanated and the sounds of people could be heard.
Xiao Dao hid the glowing pearl and, together with Xue Beifan, tried to peek through the crack in the door. Just as they reached the door, they heard a scream and cries for help.
Xue Beifan instinctively pulled out his knife and hid behind the stone door.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Xiao Dao peered through the door. After only one glance, he quickly turned back and frantically winked at Xue Beifan.
Xue Beifan heard Liao Xiaoqing's cries for help coming from inside, as if she was resisting something, along with strange clicking sounds and the sound of nails being hammered.
Xue Beifan couldn't help but look inside, and saw three nuns. Besides the old nun, there were two others who were the same two they had seen in the woods that day.
At this moment, the old nun was bowing and chanting scriptures before a wooden Arhat statue. Meanwhile, two other nuns were forcibly stuffing Liao Xiaoqing into an open wooden figure. Liao Xiaoqing seemed terrified and struggled desperately.
There were several wooden figures standing side by side nearby, some of their shells open, each containing a person. These wooden figures seemed custom-made, varying in size, but each contained a woman. These women appeared to be alive, but their lips were pursed, preventing them from speaking, and they were tightly trapped inside the wooden figures, unable to move. Xiao Dao immediately thought of the moving wooden figure he had seen in the forest yesterday.
I couldn't help but shudder. Had this old nun forcibly turned a living person into a wooden doll?
The woman stuck inside a wooden figure standing next to Liao Xiaoqing looked very familiar; Xiao Dao recognized her at a glance—wasn't that the seventh concubine of the Cai family?!
Xiao Dao was probably a little stunned. Seventh Aunt was looking outside when she saw someone at the door. She didn't know if she wanted to call for help, so she shook her head and struggled, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Xiao Dao.
Xiao Dao was dumbfounded, wondering what she was going to say, when Xue Beifan suddenly leaped up behind her, and with two "whoosh" sounds, two darts landed on the spot where they had just been hiding.
"hehe."
At the same time, two cold laughs came from inside the stone chamber. The old nun slowly turned her head to look outside the door, where two figures were hidden in the darkness.
"Oh, it seems we're still missing a wooden figure."
With a creak, the stone door was slowly pushed open, and the old nun came out carrying an oil lamp. The dim light of the lamp illuminated half of her wrinkled face, and although she smiled, her appearance was extremely ferocious.
At this moment, the other two nuns loosened their grip, seemingly wanting to help, when Liao Xiaoqing shouted, "Help!"
Xue Beifan hid the knife behind his back and looked at the old nun with a smile, "Master, can't you count? Shouldn't there be two missing?"
"Hmm?" Old Ni squinted at Xue Beifan with a half-smile. "Wooden doll, only for girls."
Xiao Dao peeked out, wanting to see as well, but Xue Beifan still blocked her face, just like before, seemingly unwilling to let the old nun see her appearance clearly.
"Are you running out of wood?" Xue Beifan asked the old nun, stepping aside with his knife to let her escape to the stairwell. "Or is it that you can only make female wooden figures and not male ones?"
Old Ni seemed to have heard something funny, and he laughed loudly with his face upturned. Finally, he said in a hoarse voice, "Men only deserve to use pipes."
Xue Beifan raised an eyebrow slightly, and then felt Xiao Dao tug at his sleeve twice from behind.
"They're going to use a coffin for me, don't distract me." Xue Beifan retreated to the stairwell and whispered to Xiao Dao, "You slip away first."
Xiao Dao leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Xue Er, those three nuns are all men."
"Huh?!" Xue Beifan exclaimed in surprise, and at the same time, Xiao Dao tugged at his hair. "Watch out!"
Xue Beifan leaned back to avoid the sneak attack of several darts, and Xiao Dao sat down on the stairs with a thud, rubbing his buttocks in pain.
She raised her head in anger, only to find the old nun's sly eyes fixed on her, a smile on her face. "Little girl, you're quite pretty."
Xiao Dao immediately realized that she had seen his face clearly, so she quickly covered her face and looked up at Xue Beifan—what should she do?