Yun Qishen

Duan Xiwu and the other two walked along the path they had come from towards the outside of the mountain. Before they had gone far, a strange smell permeated the air.

Duan Xi, unaware of the anomaly, quickly drew his sword to protect Jian Shuhe. Then, a deformed and twisted humanoid monster sprang out from the bushes and faced Youming Xiaocangsheng.

"Watch out, Shuhe!"

Duan Xiwu made a hand seal and channeled his magic power into the sword. The sword energy quickly formed a barrier and repelled the charging monster.

The monster had a slender body and its head was horizontally across its neck. It staggered back two steps before regaining its balance. As it suddenly raised its head, people noticed its smooth, balloon-like face without any features.

The masked merchant hiding behind Jian Shuhe exclaimed in shock, "Good heavens, it's a faceless monster!"

Duan Xiwu floated Youming Xiaocangsheng in the air, blocking his way. He slightly turned his head to glance at the masked merchant, then mimicked his tone and exclaimed in surprise, "Heavens above! There's another shameless monster!"

"Where?" The masked merchant gripped Jian Shuhe's arm even tighter, his eyes trembling as he surveyed his surroundings.

Duan Xiwu glanced at the masked merchant holding Jian Shuhe's hand, then sneered, "Aren't you one of them?"

"..." The masked merchant gritted his teeth, then looked at Jian Shuhe with a wronged expression, "Master, look at him!"

Jian Shuhe laughed as carefree as ever, "Xi Wu, I already told you not to tease him."

Duan Xiwu gave a soft snort and refocused his gaze on the faceless deformity ahead. The faceless monster did not attack them again but turned and staggered deeper into the path.

Duan Xiwu wouldn't give it a chance to escape. With the activation of his magic, Youming Xiaocangsheng transformed into a beam of light, shooting straight towards the monster's chest. The monster was pierced by the sword and instantly turned to dust, while a small piece of white bone also fell off.

Duan Xiwu stepped forward, picked up the small bone, and glanced at it. The scent emanating from the bone made him frown. "Shuhe, things are getting tricky."

"What do you mean?" Jian Shuhe asked, taking the bone from Duan Xiwu's hand. The aura emanating from it made him subconsciously look at the masked merchant behind him.

"Judging from its shape, this is probably a hand bone." Duan Xiwu stared at the bone in Jian Shuhe's hand, while searching his mind for spells and stories related to hand bones.

Just as Jian Shuhe was about to attach a spell to the bone, the round bone quickly faded and became transparent, disappearing in the blink of an eye. "Oh dear, it's gone."

“This doesn’t seem to be from this time…” Duan Xiwu grabbed Jian Shuhe’s hand to check his condition, and only let go of his hand after confirming that the disappearance of the bone did not harm Jian Shuhe.

"That faceless, deformed aura just now was very similar to yours," Jian Shuhe said with a smile to the masked merchant.

The masked merchant's already pale face turned ashen instantly. He raised his hands to cover his ears, "Please stop scaring me! I've covered my ears, I won't hear you! No matter how you try to scare me, I can't hear you! You two are just trying to make fun of me!"

Seeing the masked merchant's reaction, Jian Shuhe found it adorable. Unable to speak to the masked merchant, he turned to Duan Xiwu and said, "This is a love token made by hand bones. It seems he'll encounter a lot of trouble in the future, right, Xiwu?"

Duan Xiwu didn't respond much. He wasn't interested in what might happen to the masked merchant. What mattered to him now was to prolong Jian Shuhe's life.

"I won't listen! I won't listen! I won't listen..." The masked merchant stood there with his eyes closed and ears plugged, muttering to himself. Meanwhile, Duan Xiwu had already pulled Jian Shuhe forward.

The masked merchant cautiously opened one eye to observe, and suddenly realized that Duan Xiwu and Jian Shuhe had already gone quite far. If he didn't catch up soon, he would be left behind.

He hurriedly chased after them, "You two, hey! How could you just leave like that without a word! How could you not call me when you set off! Hey!! Wait a minute, you two! Slow down!! Ouch, I almost tripped and fell!"

【Don't go, Langqin! Come back, Langqin! My love! My dearest love!】

The faint voice didn't chase after it; in fact, it couldn't. Just as Duan Xiwu had said, it wasn't a being of this time, so it couldn't get too entangled with this being.

-

Mo Langqin and Bai Ying escaped the Mo family safely. They have been on the move for more than two months, keeping a close watch on the pursuers. They have now settled in Dongyu Kingdom.

When they first arrived in Dongyu, the money they had brought from the Mo family was no longer enough to afford an inn.

Mo Langqin found a long-abandoned, dilapidated house on the outskirts of the eastern border. Calling it dilapidated was a stretch; with a little repair, it would be a decent place to stay.

It is said that monsters often appear in this suburb, and the people who used to live here moved to the city half a year ago.

They rested peacefully in the dilapidated house for half a month, but Mo Langqin finally decided to bring Bai Ying to live in the city. He believed that only by blending into the atmosphere of ordinary people would the Mo family find them so easily.

The air is a bit dry in early winter. The sun is shining brightly today, and the temperature is almost like early autumn. This is considered to be the best weather in the eastern part of the country during winter.

"Young man, your face is unusually pale! Has the doctor here seen you?" Aunt Pei, the neighbor, was a very kind person.

At this moment, she was heavily pregnant, carrying one child on her back, holding another in her arms, and holding the hand of a slightly older child in her other hand.

She always looked at Mo Langqin with a worried expression, fearing that he might faint due to poor health. After all, Mo Langqin's complexion was extremely pale, like a paper doll in a funeral shop without rosy cheeks.

Mo Langqin smiled at Aunt Pei and continued planing the wood. "Haha, it's alright, Auntie. I'm naturally fair-skinned. It doesn't stop me from working. I have plenty of strength."

"Hey, child, don't overwork yourself. It would be better if you did more of the things children should do." Aunt Pei bounced the child in her arms and hummed a lullaby.

“Auntie, I’m not young anymore. Besides, I have to take care of my family. If I don’t work, I won’t have any money, and I can’t do without money.”

Mo Langqin had initially considered using the power of the ghost beasts to make money. Who wouldn't want to make money easily? With money, one could stay in an inn or buy Bai Ying some of her favorite food and toys, and live a very comfortable life.

But in the end, Mo Langqin still hoped to live a normal life, doing what he could do well at his age. So he found a carpentry apprenticeship, and this carpenter was Aunt Pei's husband, a burly, dark-skinned, and skilled carpenter. (End of Chapter)