Пьяные облака, слегка спящая луна

Глава 10

"Find Ling Bing's primordial spirit?"

"Yes, that is, Ling Bing's primordial spirit from her previous life. We must get Ling Bing's primordial spirit before midnight tonight, then erase the memories of her previous life and reunite the primordial spirit with Ling Bing's current three souls and seven spirits!"

"That's true, but how can we find Ling Bing's primordial spirit?"

“I’m absolutely certain that Ling Bing’s primordial spirit from her previous life is in this house!” Mo Han’s eyes were filled with determination.

"But this house is so big, how are we going to find it? Besides, we don't have much time left!"

Zheng Qi's tone became anxious.

“Master once said that if the primordial spirit is not with the three souls and seven spirits, it will definitely stay with the original corpse. Therefore, Ling Bing’s primordial spirit must be guarding his corpse from five hundred years ago. In other words, as long as we find his corpse from his previous life, we will find the location of his primordial spirit!”

"But where could his body be hidden?" Zheng Qi bit his lip and pondered.

"This is my second time visiting this house. Although I have thoroughly investigated it, I have found nothing. I think the one who tied the knot must untie it!"

"You mean to let Ling Bing..." Zheng Qixin already understood Mo Han's plan at this moment.

“There are seven courtyards in this house. In my opinion, the most suspicious one is the seventh hall. Moreover, Ling Bing seems to have a very deep memory of the seventh hall. I want him to go into that hall again and see if he can find any clues!”

Zheng Qi fell silent. Mo Han's method wasn't impossible, but given Ling Bing's current state, he really didn't want to provoke him further or subject him to any more blows. He couldn't bear to see his friends die one by one before his eyes; he couldn't accept it. He had already lost Li Fan; if anything else went wrong, how could he face everyone, how could he face his own conscience?

Mo Han, seemingly having already seen through his thoughts, said to herself:

“I know Ling Bing has been your buddy for over ten years, and you must feel bad for him in this state. But neither of us wants to be trapped here waiting for that demon to take us all away, right? If Ling Bing’s primordial spirit from his past life has truly merged with his current three souls and seven spirits, and is then manipulated by those men in black, not only will the people in this house be doomed, but I fear that all living beings will never have peace again!”

"But we don't know if Ling Bing will remember his past after entering that hall. If he can't, and it worsens his illness, wouldn't we be losing more than we gain?"

Zheng Qi still didn't want to treat Ling Bing like that. He thought of the way Ling Bing hugged him and cried her heart out that day.

"Now that things have come to this, we have no other way out. No matter what, we have to try anything, even if it's a hopeless situation," Mo Han said resolutely, leaving no room for negotiation.

After considering it for a moment, Zheng Qiquan finally nodded. Mo Han happily patted him on the shoulder and they walked towards the front hall together.

Just as Zheng Qi was pondering how to persuade Yu Xue and the others to let Ling Bing re-enter the seventh hall, he heard Ling Bing's incoherent crying and laughing coming from the front hall. His heart skipped a beat, thinking that something bad had happened to Ling Bing again.

It's truly one wave after another.

Zheng Qi and Mo Han strode into the main hall. They saw Ling Bing gesticulating wildly and laughing loudly at everyone. Upon seeing Zheng Qi and Mo Han, he suddenly stopped and began to sob. Just as Zheng Qi was about to comfort him, Ling Bing started reciting poetry in a daze again. Ye Feng and the others stood dumbfounded, staring at Ling Bing's seemingly insane behavior, clearly terrified by his antics. Nearby, Yu Xue was sobbing uncontrollably in Meng'er's arms.

Zheng Qi and Mo Han rushed forward and grabbed Ling Bing:

"Ling Bing, what's wrong with you? Wake up!"

He then slapped him a few times. Ling Bing stopped abruptly when Zheng Qi slapped her, staring blankly at them.

Zheng Qi sighed softly and whispered to Ling Bing, "Ling Bing, I'll take you somewhere!"

After saying that, he helped Ling Bing walk towards the back garden. Ye Feng and the others were instantly bewildered by Zheng Qi's actions:

"Where are you taking Ling Bing, Zheng Qi?"

As he spoke, he hurriedly followed closely behind Zheng Qi and the others.

Mo Han looked helplessly at everything before her, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

"It seems the arrow is already on the bowstring, and there's no turning back!"

Zheng Qi helped Ling Bing slowly walk to the last hall.

"Zheng Qi, have you forgotten how Ling Bing went mad? Why did you bring him here?"

When Yu Xue saw that Zheng Qi had actually brought Ling Bing to the place that had driven him crazy before, she was filled with rage and roared at Zheng Qi at the top of her lungs.

"Yu Xue, calm down. Zheng Qi must have his reasons for doing this!"

Meng'er grabbed Yu Xue tightly and urged her urgently. At this moment, even Ye Feng was filled with doubt. What was wrong with Zheng Qi? Had he gone mad too? Ling Bing was in this state, so why was he being brought here? Wasn't this pushing him to his death? However, no one dared to raise any objections. They believed that Zheng Qi would never do anything to harm Ling Bing.

"Believe Zheng Qi, he did this to help Ling Bing!"

Mo Han patted Ye Feng on the shoulder and said something, and Ye Feng gave him a wry smile.

Ling Bing stared blankly at everything in the hall, looking up at the inscription on the central wall. Then, he slowly turned and walked from one side of the wall to the other, gently touching the plaster on the wall with his hand. The plaster fell off with a soft "plop plop," raising a thin layer of dust. Ling Bing walked back and forth, seemingly admiring everything in the hall.

Seeing this, Zheng Qi and Mo Han couldn't help but feel anxious. Ye Feng and the others looked at Ling Bing, then at Zheng Qi and Mo Han, completely confused about what the two of them were up to.

Time passed slowly, and Ling Bing had been doing this for almost two hours, but he was still repeating the same actions with a blank expression.

As the sun sets and dusk settles, the garden gradually becomes somewhat gloomy.

Zheng Qi and Mo Han walked to a spot not far from the hall entrance:

"What do you think we should do? He doesn't seem to remember anything at all?"

Zheng Qi asked anxiously, his tone tinged with a hint of resentment.

Mo Han ignored Zheng Qi's question, one arm crossed over his chest, the other stroking his chin, which was now covered with a short beard, as he gazed at the butterflies fluttering lightly in the evening breeze and thought to himself...

"Logically, this room should have helped him regain some memories, but why can't he remember anything except those few poems? Could it be that the reincarnation of the world's ruler isn't him? But apart from him remembering this house and the poems in this room, everyone else here is completely clueless about everything. Or perhaps we've come to the wrong place? Maybe there's nothing else in this room that he can remember besides those few poems?"

Thinking of this, he raised his head, looked at the sunset glow floating on the horizon, and said to Zheng Qi:

“I think we should check if there’s anything else in this house that we haven’t found yet. I deduce that his body is closely related to this house.”

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Ling Bing in the hall.

At this moment, Ling Bing had stopped circling and was staring intently at the stone mill altar. Mo Han's heart stirred upon seeing this. He quickly walked towards the stone mill altar, and Zheng Qi immediately followed.

"Look, there's an offering table in this hall, with an incense burner and candlesticks on it. What do you think this signifies?"

Mo Han pointed to the offering table and everything on it, then turned to Zheng Qi and asked, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Zheng Qi frowned and thought for a moment, then said with a look of astonishment:

"You mean, this hall is the 'main hall' used for family ancestral worship?"

Mo Han nodded and said:

“Look, this house faces south and is a north-facing house in terms of the overall terrain. The main room in the middle of the main room is the ‘main hall’. The seven houses are built in accordance with the layout of the ‘main hall’. There is a main room in the middle and three dark rooms on each side.”

"Are you saying that the layout of each room in this house is based on the 'main hall' used for family ancestral worship?"

"That's right. Now look at this stone mill offering table. Generally, there isn't a stone mill offering table in the 'main hall' of a family ancestral worship ceremony, that's the first point; secondly, look at the shape of this stone mill offering table. A typical offering table is similar to the layout of an eight-immortal table, with a flat top and four pillars at the bottom. But don't you think that although this stone mill offering table is carved from a single huge stone, why is the top set according to the flat surface of the offering table, but the bottom is changed to a cylindrical stone pillar as the base?"

"Could it be that the stone mill altar's legs are different from other wooden altars, and that it was originally designed with a cylindrical stone pillar as its base?" Zheng Qi wondered.

"No, I've visited some ancient temples where there are stone mill altars, but they're all carved with four stone pillars at the bottom. I've never seen one with a single cylindrical stone pillar as the base," Mo Han shook his head and denied.

"Could it be that because the lower part is difficult to carve, a simple cylindrical stone pillar was used as the base instead?" Zheng Qi raised another objection.

Mo Han smiled and pointed to the stone mill altar, saying to Zheng Qi:

"Look, the four corners of this stone mill offering table are all carved with flowers, birds, fish, and insects, and the carving is exquisite and delicate, with vivid shapes, definitely not the work of an ordinary person. Think about it, the carving on the top is so meticulous and detailed, but the bottom is simply a plain cylindrical stone pillar instead of a base. Isn't that very illogical? Tell me, which excellent craftsman would be willing to ruin his craft like this, unless the stone mill offering table is carved into this way for some other purpose!"

After saying that, he gave Zheng Qi a meaningful look.

After listening to Mo Han's detailed explanation, Zheng Qi looked down and saw that the stone mill offering table was indeed carved with flowers, birds, fish and insects around its surface. Although it had been worn down by the years, the lifelike appearance of the original carvings could still be seen.

Zheng Qi couldn't help but secretly admire Mo Han's shrewdness and meticulousness.

Mo Han said to him, "Let's move this stone mill altar aside and take a look."

Zheng Qi nodded and together with Mo Han grasped both ends of the stone mill offering table, trying to lift it with all their might. However, no matter how hard they tried, the stone mill offering table remained motionless. Ye Feng and Cheng Jin, who were standing nearby, also rushed over to help, but even with the combined strength of the four of them, they couldn't move the stone mill offering table an inch.

Mo Han told everyone to stop what they were doing. He walked around the offering table, then squatted down to examine it closely. He stood up, walked to the right side of the stone mill offering table, grasped its right corner, and forcefully pulled it to the left. The stone mill offering table didn't move. He then walked to the left side of the stone mill offering table, grasped its left corner, and forcefully pulled it to the right. With a few rumbling sounds, suddenly, in the center of the main room, two bluestone slabs slowly moved to either side, revealing a stone hole about one meter square.

Zheng Qi and Mo Han exchanged a delighted glance and hurried to the cave entrance, where the others also gathered around. A faint, chilling aura, mixed with a musty, stale smell, emanated from the cave entrance. Several dark, blue stone steps were visible on one side of the entrance; looking down, the cave was pitch black and seemed bottomless. Just as Mo Han and Zheng Qi were about to discuss whether to go down and investigate, Ling Bing, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly rushed over with a startled expression. She shoved Zheng Qi and the others aside and scrambled down the steps. Before anyone could react, Yu Xue screamed, and then quickly followed Ling Bing down the steps, disappearing into the dark cave in the blink of an eye.

Zheng Qi tried to stop them, but it was too late. He could only sigh softly and turn to Ye Feng, Meng'er, and Cheng Jin, saying, "You guys wait here and don't wander off. Mo Han and I will go down and look for them. We'll come right back up when we find them."

"No, if we're going, we should all go together. Don't forget the oath we swore to share both hardship and happiness. I can't just stand by and watch you risk your life to save Ling Bing and the others alone!"

With tears glistening in his eyes, Ye Feng looked at Zheng Qi and said firmly.

Zheng Qi was deeply moved and put his arm around Ye Feng's shoulder, saying, "You truly are my good brother!"

Immediately, Zheng Qi and his group of five decided to go down into the stone cave to search for Ling Bing and Yu Xue. "Today is July 14th, are you really planning to do that?"

Inside Panyun Cave, Yun Piao gazed at Feng Xing with deep concern. She was genuinely worried for him. Could she and Feng Xing, with their combined strength and the power of the Spirit Pearl, truly defeat their master and the Lord of the World? Was the old Taoist's words true or false? Could drinking the blood of the extremely Yin and extremely Yang beings truly conceal their demonic nature and control the Spirit Pearl? Success or failure hinged on tonight, but what fate awaited her and Feng Xing after tonight? Thinking of this, her mind was in turmoil, a sense of unease lurking all around her.

Looking back, she had just completed her thousand-year cultivation and taken human form. Due to her fox-like nature, she loved to frequent the human world, displaying her alluring charm. One day, she was recognized and injured by a Taoist priest. Fortunately, her master happened to pass by and rescued her, naming her Yun Piao and later taking her under his wing. From then on, she followed Feng Xing and served her master. Over time, feelings developed between them. She originally wanted to finish serving her master and then live a happy life with Feng Xing like a married couple in the human world. But who could have imagined that Feng Xing had such ambitions? Thinking of this, her heart became uneasy and anxious. The happy times they had spent together flashed through her mind like a movie. But now, those happy days were gone forever. She didn't know if she would ever have them again. If she could have another choice, she would rather retire with Feng Xing to the deep mountains and forests to live their peaceful life as fox spirits, and never again have to live a life of intrigue and deceit for the sake of dominating the world.

"We have no way out, do you understand?"

Feng Xing stroked Yun Piao's smooth, black hair with affection and spoke slowly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

Feng Xing had vaguely sensed that his master was beginning to distrust him. He knew that if he didn't use the power of the Spirit Pearl tonight to utterly destroy his master's soul and spirit, then he and Yun Piao would be the ones to perish without a trace. So no matter what, he had to fight tonight, whether he lived or died.

Yun Piao nodded, tears welling in her eyes. She felt a drop of blood slowly seeping from her heart, a sharp pain piercing her entire body.

"Lightning, how's the matter going?"

"Reporting to Master, everything is proceeding according to our plan!"

"Good, Lightning, well done. Let's trap them like turtles in a jar then. Haha..."

"Master, what about Feng Xing and the others?"

"Hmph, you two traitors, don't reveal anything for now. I have my own plans for this!"

A smug grin appeared in Dian Shan's eyes. "Feng Xingyun Piao, your good days are over! I, Dian Shan, have worked so hard to possess Li Fan's body, wearing his stinking skin and suffering alongside them, while you're enjoying yourselves and currying favor with your master. Now I'll show you what I, Dian Shan, am capable of! Hmph, there's a good show waiting for you tonight. I'll make sure you disappear from my sight forever!"

In an instant, the lightning bolt transformed into a silver-gray one-eyed wolf, darting away like a whirlwind.

Zheng Qi led the way, with Mo Han bringing up the rear. The five of them, supporting themselves against the damp, cold mud wall, slowly made their way down the steps. At first, a sliver of sunlight slanted in from the cave entrance, and Zheng Qi managed to descend a few steps using the faint light. But after only a few steps, it suddenly became pitch black, so dark that they couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces. Zheng Qi and the others had no choice but to let their eyes adjust to the darkness while cautiously groping their way up the nearly thirty steps, relying on the feel of their feet on the ground.

All around was quiet and pitch black. The air was somewhat stuffy, and there was a strange smell mixed in. After Zheng Qi and the others confirmed that they were standing on flat ground, they huddled together tightly, no one speaking, only the heavy breathing of each other could be heard. After everyone calmed down and breathed a slight sigh of relief, they slowly took in their surroundings. At this moment, they realized that they seemed to be squeezed into a narrow space. Cheng Jin cautiously stretched out his hand where there was no one to lean against, and suddenly a cold, piercing sensation went straight to his fingertips, startling him so much that he immediately withdrew his hand.

The spirit pearl on Zheng Qi's chest began to heat up slightly again, slowly emitting a faint red light. Although the spirit pearl was wrapped in a divine bag, it still emitted a hazy red light in the darkness through the gaps in the bag's fibers.

"Hey Zheng Qi, why is your chest glowing red?"

Meng'er suddenly saw a red halo surrounding Zheng Qi's chest and couldn't help but scream. Everyone was startled by her sudden cry and broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, it was just a scare and they breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Zheng Qi was pondering whether or not to explain the spirit pearl to Ye Feng and the others, he heard Mo Han speak up:

“Zheng Qi, take out that spirit pearl. First, it’s dark here and we can’t see anything, so we can use it as a night-light pearl; second, we can also use it to exorcise demons and monsters, as a talisman.”

Upon hearing Mo Han's words, Zheng Qi immediately took off the magic bag from around his neck and took out the spirit pearl.

Instantly, the spirit pearl emitted a red light in the quiet darkness, illuminating the area where Zheng Qi and the others were. The red halo slowly moved around them. Ye Feng and the others were stunned by the spirit pearl's extraordinary brilliance, their eyes filled with envy. They surrounded Zheng Qi, bombarding him with questions about the pearl's origin.

"Now is not the time to discuss the origin of the Spirit Pearl; saving lives is the priority," Mo Han anxiously reminded him from the side.

His reminder immediately silenced everyone. Zheng Qi used the red light to look around. It seemed they were in a secret passage leading to the basement. The passage was about two meters high and nearly one and a half meters wide. Except for the bluestone slabs under Zheng Qi's feet, the sides, sides, and ceiling were all neatly constructed of bluestone bricks. The bluestone walls felt damp and cold. Zheng Qi took a few steps forward with the spirit pearl and shone the light, but all he could see was darkness ahead, an unfathomable abyss. Zheng Qi couldn't estimate the length of the passage, so he and the others decided to walk along it to search for Ling Bing and the others.

Everyone wore tense expressions, gritting their teeth and pressing their lips tightly together, their hearts pounding in their throats. Each person tried to keep their footsteps as quiet as possible, moving forward stealthily. A chilling wind blew slowly from behind, and the further Zheng Qi and the others went, the colder it felt, prompting them to quicken their pace. Everyone was on edge, worried about Ling Bing and the others' safety, yet also filled with unknown fear of the passage they were traversing. No one dared to utter a sound; only the sounds of their heavy breathing mingled with the uneven footsteps echoing through the passage. On the brick wall, the red light emitted by the spirit pearl illuminated the figures of Zheng Qi and his group, causing them to sway incessantly as they moved forward.