Seeing that there was no way to change the situation, Yuanwu shouted in a fit of rage, "I was practicing my skills just fine. Although I haven't made any progress in the past few years, I'm still on the right path. He himself has fallen into the demonic path and is dragging me down with him, making me practice evil skills with him. I'm willing to find the placenta for him."
The Compendium of Materia Medica explains the name "Placenta" as follows: "Before heaven and earth, the ancestor of yin and yang, the beginning of Qian and Kun, when the embryo is about to be born, after the nine-nine cycle is completed, the fetus rides on it, traveling to the Western Paradise, the Southern Sea Immortal Mountains, drifting in the Penglai Immortal Realm, and the Milky Way for thousands of miles, hence the name 'River Cart'." It is red when born, turning purple after a short time, hence the name "Placenta." Another record states: "During fetal development, the umbilical cord is connected to the mother, and the fetus is attached to the mother's spine, receiving the mother's blessing. It is formed by the union of the father's sperm and the mother's blood. Although it has a postnatal form, it truly receives prenatal energy, clearly incomparable to other metals, stones, herbs, and plants. Its nourishing effects are extremely potent; long-term consumption sharpens hearing and vision, blackens hair, and prolongs life."
Mu Fengting slowed his advance, but didn't put his hand down. He looked at him with a half-smile and said, "You and Yuanxing went down the mountain to find the placenta?" Mu Fengting was no ordinary person. He immediately thought of the rumor that the female ghost targeted pregnant women and pressed him for an answer: "Why target pregnant women? Doesn't the placenta come out after the fetus is born?"
Yuanwu said bitterly, "Qu Yao's evil technique can only be used on immature placenta. Once the baby is born, it loses its effect. He cherishes his reputation and is unable to go himself, so he sent the two of us to specifically target pregnant women."
Mo Xi thought to himself: Using the placenta to practice martial arts is no different from practicing human life.
Mu Fengting pressed further, "You performed a cesarean section to remove the child for the placenta, so why did you harm other innocent people besides the pregnant woman?"
Yuanwu said, "You're talking about the ghost stories and deaths in the village down the mountain. That might really be a ghost story. I've never done anything like that."
Mu Fengting thought to himself: Judging from how cautious they were at the foot of the mountain, perhaps it really wasn't them. He then asked, "How did Luo Heng die?"
Yuanwu, still terrified from being threatened with having his collarbones crushed, didn't dare to explain himself. But now he finally realized something was wrong and asked, "Weren't you sent by Qu Yao to silence you? Why are you asking so many questions? What do you want?"
Mu Fengting smiled slightly and said, "If you want to preserve your collarbone, Daoist, you'd better cooperate."
Yuanwu thought to himself, "Since we've already fallen for his trick to sow discord, we might as well tell the whole story; perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope." So he said, "I don't know how that kid died. But it's definitely related to Qu Yao."
Where was he buried?
"It's in the woods behind the wing where you used to live."
Seeing that there was nothing more to ask, Mu Fengting pressed Yuanwu's pressure point to induce sleep.
Mo Xi then emerged from the shadows and asked, "What drug did you give him?"
"This medicine is called 'Dream Departure.' It takes an hour to take effect after taking it. It's like falling asleep, and no one can find out the cause of death. I got it from a customer."
The next day, sunrise.
Mo Xi hid in the woods beside the Bixiao Pavilion, intently watching the row of icicles on the eaves that had gradually melted due to two days of continuous sunshine, her brows furrowed in thought. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she finally understood why she had felt something strange about the broken icicle above Luo Heng's head that day. The icicle hadn't broken at the junction with the eaves; it had broken off in the middle! It couldn't have been caused by natural melting ice; it must have been man-made.
After figuring this out, her gaze began to search the open space in front of the Bixiao Pavilion, especially the place where Luo Heng had knelt that day.
Mu Fengting asked softly, "Is there something wrong with it?"
Mo Xi said, "Could you also help me see if there's anything strange about the area near where Luo Heng died?"
Although Mu Fengting didn't quite understand her meaning, he still observed her carefully.
At the same time, the light of dawn climbed inch by inch to the golden summit of Mount Shu, growing brighter and brighter.
Suddenly, Mo Xi noticed a particularly shimmering little spot on the ground. She lightly leaped over and, upon closer inspection, realized it was just a piece of transparent ice, feeling slightly disappointed. Casually picking it up, she was surprised to find that this crystalline fragment didn't melt to the touch. Upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn't ice at all, but an extremely thin piece of crystal. Mo Xi carefully held it in her hand, lost in thought.
It was almost time for the Taoist priest's morning prayers, so they decided to flee into the woods rather than search carefully for fear of leaving traces in the snow. Unexpectedly, a figure rushed towards them with lightning speed—it was none other than the old immortal who had given Mo Xi the advice he had received.
Mu Fengting, fearing that Mo Xi had injured his hand and would be unable to fight, was about to step forward to protect him. Unexpectedly, the immortal had already swept past them, pounced on the snow behind them, and then leaped up, instantly pulling a pure white snow rabbit out of the snow.
He pinched a pair of long, fluffy ears with one hand before turning around and smiling at Mo Xi, "This old man was worried that you had already gone down the mountain. That's good. The weather has been fine these past few days, and it's easy to encounter 'snow quicksand' when going down the mountain. It's safer to wait a few more days."
Upon hearing this, Mo Xi's eyes lit up, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Why is it not advisable to descend the mountain on such fine weather? Please enlighten me, Immortal Elder."
"I wouldn't presume to offer advice. But having lived here for decades, I've seen it all and have some understanding of the patterns. When the weather fluctuates between cold and warm, or suddenly clears up, or when the snow begins to melt in spring, 'snow quicksand' is very likely to occur. Take the past few days, for example. It's been raining continuously, and the rainwater flows under the snow, slowly freezing into a layer of ice. Then, two days of sunshine followed, and with the heat of the sun, the surface of the snow melts, and the meltwater seeps into the snow layer, then refreezes, creating a 'wet snow layer.' This 'wet snow layer' doesn't melt at all with the original snow, so the once-cohesive snow becomes loose. Plus, with the snow and ice mixed together, it's even easier for the snow layers to separate." Sliding. This is where wet 'snow quicksand' is most likely to occur. This type of 'snow quicksand' is the most dangerous. Once triggered, large chunks of snow slide down. Initially, because of the weight of the snow, the speed is not fast, but the texture is very dense, like ink stains on the snow slope. It grows larger and larger as it rolls, thus having a greater destructive force. Wet snow chunks will also carry down trees and rocks along the way, creating even larger snow gravel. Once a person is caught in it, they will never be as lucky as if they encountered dry snow. Moreover, once wet snow stops, it will freeze together immediately, and if a person is buried underneath, it will be very difficult to climb out.” The immortal paused here, seeing the solemn expressions on Mo Xi and Mu Fengting's faces, and seeing them exchanging glances from time to time, he asked in surprise, “Have you two already encountered it?”
Mo Xi respectfully said, "To tell you the truth, Immortal Elder, the two of us were just descending the mountain from the south slope yesterday when we happened to encounter the 'Snow Flowing Sand,' and we barely escaped death before returning to the mountain."
The old man laughed and said, "Young lady, you have survived a great calamity, you are sure to have good fortune in the future." After a pause, he added, "The south slope faces the sun and is more dangerous. Moreover, the slope of the south slope is neither steep nor gentle, but it is the most dangerous."
Mo Xi asked curiously, "What's the explanation for this slope?"
The old man said, “It’s like this. If the mountain is too steep, it won’t accumulate enough snow, while a slope that’s too gentle is unlikely to produce ‘snow quicksand.’ So, this perfect balance of steepness and gentleness is precisely what makes it so dangerous. The south slope is dangerous for another reason. ‘Snow quicksand,’ like floods, has its own high-risk areas. In other words, if a ‘snow quicksand’ occurs in one place, it’s entirely possible for it to recur in the same spot every so often. And as far as I know, the south slope experiences ‘snow quicksand’ more than once a year.” He paused, then spoke solemnly. He said, “Young lady, if you really want to go down the mountain, don’t rush. You must wait for a cold, overcast day. Do not set off immediately after a heavy snowfall or after several consecutive snowfalls. At this time, the newly fallen snow or the upper layer of snow is not yet solid, and the slightest disturbance can trigger a snow avalanche. After a heavy snowfall, there is often good weather. You must give up the good weather and wait for the snow avalanche to pass before you can move. If you absolutely must cross a dangerous area, you should choose to set off one or two hours after the sun has risen high in the sky. If a snow avalanche occurs, it will most likely be before then, thus reducing the danger.”
Mo Xi bowed deeply again and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Elder. Do you know whether 'Snow Flowing Sand' can be triggered by human intervention?"
The immortal said, "That's certainly possible. Even an ordinary person could do it by stomping their feet on a mountain. Not to mention someone who practices martial arts."
Mu Fengting and Mo Xi exchanged a glance, both now certain that Qu Yao was involved in the avalanche. He had deliberately made Mo Xi wait so many days, probably not to allow the elders to discuss Cheng Ying's matter, but to wait for the opportune moment!
Mo Xi said, "Thank you for your explanation, senior."
The immortal smiled, waved his hand, and then carried the snow rabbit away.
Mo Xi said, "Let's dig up the grave again."
Mu Fengting asked, "Do you know how Luo Heng died?"
Mo Xi shook her head and said, "It's just a guess."
Fortunately, the woods behind the side room were not large, and the newly turned mounds of earth were clearly visible in the snow, so the two found it quickly.
As usual, Mu Fengting was the one who carried out the despicable act of digging up people's graves.
The burial was probably done hastily; the pit wasn't dug deep, and Luo Heng's body was soon exposed. Mo Xi carefully examined the wound on his neck, which was exactly the same as the fatal wound on the corpse they had seen at Yanwangpo—a small black dot.
Mo Xi said, "Could it be that those people at Yanwangpo were also injured by ice spikes? So many people can't be a coincidence. The murderer used ice spikes instead of ordinary weapons, perhaps to cover up his unique weapon, or simply to cover up the fact that he has martial arts skills."
Mu Fengting said, "Very likely." He pondered for a moment and said, "I always felt that the incident at Yanwangpo was also done by Qu Yao. I'll try to get information out of him later. You just keep an eye on things from the shadows and don't show yourself."
Mo Xi knew he was aware that she couldn't use a sword, so she obediently nodded. She wasn't one to act recklessly; since someone was willing to take the lead, why shouldn't she?
The two waited until the night was deep and quiet. Although Mo Xi's wrist was injured, his internal strength remained intact. With their lightness skills, it would not be difficult for them to sneak into Bixiao Pavilion without Qu Yao's notice.
Only one light was on in the entire Bixiao Pavilion. The two lightly ascended the suspended ladder and peered inside through the crack in the window. Sure enough, they saw Qu Yao under the light, his hands gripping the hilt of a sword without a blade, muttering to himself, "Chengying, Chengying, why can't you become a sharp weapon in my hands? He Qun passed you on to me simply because he sensed the malevolent energy within me and wanted to use your power to suppress this evil energy, to prevent me from falling into the demonic path. Since he gave you to me back then, why does he think he can take you away from me now by simply sending a young girl? I don't believe that you can become a sharp blade in her hands. Yes, you are a sword that wards off evil, but who in the world knows that, except in He Qun's hands, you can't harm anyone in the slightest? Haha, what a joke, a peerless sword that can't even hurt anyone." Qu Yao became more and more frantic, eventually becoming somewhat hysterical, bursting into a maniacal laugh.
Mo Xi and Mu Fengting exchanged a puzzled look upon hearing this, realizing they had both thought of the same thing: Could it be that the words of Kong Zhou recorded in the *Liezi: Tang Wen*—"I have three swords…none of which can kill, and I will first describe their appearance. The first is Han Guang…the second is Cheng Ying. At the moment of dawn and dusk, if you observe it facing north, you will see a faint, indistinct object, whose shape you cannot discern. When it touches something, it makes a soft, gurgling sound, and it passes through objects without causing them pain. The third is Xiao Lian…These three treasures have been passed down for thirteen generations, yet they have never been used. They are kept in a box, never opened"—could it be that Cheng Ying, which makes a sound when it touches something and passes through the body without causing pain, is actually true? Cheng Ying really cannot kill? But what did Qu Yao mean when he said that Cheng Ying could only injure people in He Qun's hands?