Jiaohua

Shen Lie and Banjiu Xianshi had just arrived near the Cold Palace.

In front of them came sharp, piercing sounds as if they were afraid of not scaring people to death, and behind them came voices that were not afraid of revealing their location.

Liu Jia and his men, as well as Banjiu Xianshi's apprentices, felt a chill run down their spines, while Banjiu Xianshi himself became excited.

He had only ever seen a handful of madmen in his life who could shout so loudly in the dark, sunless tunnels filled with corpses and treacherous hearts.

Master Banjiu looked at Shen Lie walking ahead and clearly sensed that Shen Lie's emotions had changed.

They are currently very close to the old man and Sect Master Gu.

However, judging from the sound, they were not in the same secret passage.

The only remaining worry of the Half-Nine Immortal Masters was that they might stray from the path as they walked.

Upon hearing the piercing sound, the old man did not immediately determine who had made it.

But the piercing sound never stopped, sometimes near, sometimes far, and it would suddenly accelerate, occasionally letting out a sharp "scream" to scare people. The old man then had his answer.

Elder Gu, standing to the side, said, "Could this voice be...?"

The old man nodded: "My apprentice."

Elder Gu exclaimed with delight, "This girl arrived just in time!"

Mu Tingyu was also delighted: "That's wonderful! It's been so long since I've seen Ali!"

The old man glanced at Mu Tingyu, not quite understanding what made him happy. Then, he looked at Sect Master Gu and said, "My disciple is now a general in command of troops. When we meet, please don't call her 'little girl' anymore. She is a general, not a little girl."

Elder Gu said, "Don't worry about that, I know what I'm doing!"

The old man shook his head: "No, don't call her that behind her back. You must truly regard her as a general."

"...Hmph, fine, since you saved me now, I'll do as you say!"

“Let’s go,” the old man said, “let’s hurry over there.”

Feng Qingang did not stop walking; he walked very fast, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

We came to another fork in the road, and the route no longer matched the one on the topographic map.

Feng Qingang frowned, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart.

One of the subordinates said, "Master, I feel colder and colder."

Feng Qingang said in a deep voice, "Don't disturb me."

He looked at the topographic map, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong.

Just then, a soft, ethereal female voice murmured from the darkness: "The wind passes over the bridge—"

The two henchmen immediately turned to look at the source of the sound, drawing their swords to protect themselves.

On the contrary, Feng Qingang did not immediately realize that the name was being called to him.

Feng Qingang asked coldly, "Who are you?"

"The wind passes over the bridge~" the female voice called out again, the sound distant and lingering.

Feng Qingang said, "Come out."

"Hoo~" the woman breathed softly.

As she spoke, the shrill sound rang out again, and not just once, but everywhere, from front to back.

Feng Qingang gritted his teeth and strode away: "Let's go!"

The female voice came from Li Xinya.

Although she was from the six northwestern states, she spoke many languages. Princess Ulan came from a nomadic tribe on the northern grasslands and spoke the Wanrong language, the most extensive language in the northern language family.

Only a native of Northwest China could combine the various Rong languages ​​with the Central Plains Chinese so fluently and naturally.

Li Xinya was both nervous and excited, and turned to look at Xia Zhaoyi.

Xia Zhaoyi and Feng Ping held daggers in their hands, sharpening the tips against the wall. Li Xinya glanced over, and Xia Zhaoyi gave her an approving look before continuing to chase after Feng Qingang.

The topographical map was no longer valid, so Feng Qingang relied entirely on his senses to move forward, but no matter where he went, the piercing sound kept haunting him.

At the same time, the chill that Feng Qingang felt was intensifying, especially the sweat he had produced while walking briskly, which became damp, cold, icy, and sticky when stimulated by the chill, making him very uncomfortable.

After turning the corner, there was no way forward. The two men panicked completely. Feng Qingang quickly went over and felt around on the wall: "There must be a hidden door. Find it for me!"

One of his men had just arrived when he seemed to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye and quickly turned back.

A masked woman stood at the crossroads they had come from, coldly watching him.

The subordinate cried out in fright, "Master, look!"

Feng Qingang and his other subordinate turned around, but the woman had already disappeared.

The subordinate ran forward to look around, and in the darkness, a figure flashed by.

"Master, there really is someone! Not a ghost, but a person!"

Feng Qingang said, "Chase!"

Feng Ping ran very fast. When Feng Qingang and two of his men caught up with her, Feng Ping quickly hid herself.

At the same time, Li Xinya appeared at the end of another intersection and called out in the same voice, "Feng Guo'er Bridge~"

Feng Qingang turned his head to look.

“The wind has passed over the bridge, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” said Li Xinya.

"Why would I be afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you!" Feng Qingang roared angrily, gripping his dagger as he chased after him.

Li Xinya disappeared immediately.

Nearby, the piercing shriek sounded again, each squeak like a scratch on one's heart, making one's teeth ache.

Feng Qingang chased to the intersection, and the shrill sound rang out twenty paces ahead. Li Xinya's voice appeared again, faintly: "Did you see my face clearly?"

Feng Qingang immediately ran over.

A lamp was lit on the wall in the distance, and under its light, the passageway was deep and long, and there was no one there.

Something seemed to brush past behind him, and Feng Qingang quickly turned his head to see a masked woman standing in the darkness.

The mask was golden, and the woman's clothes were not clearly visible, but the golden light of the mask was particularly obvious. When viewed from this angle, it looked as if a face was floating in the air.

The woman stood still, just looking at him, which finally allowed Feng Qingang to see the details of the mask on her face.

Feng Qingang thought he was seeing things and took a step forward: "You..."

The woman suddenly raised a dagger and strode towards Feng Qingang.

Feng Qingang's eyes widened, and he turned and ran.

But then she reappeared at another intersection, lunging at him from the corner where she had just disappeared, dagger in hand.

Feng Qingang fled in haste, only to realize then that his two men were gone.

Chased all the way, Feng Qingang lost his bearings and was completely disoriented. When he finally came to his senses, he was enveloped by a chill and found himself at the main gate of the Cold Palace.

The flat ground in front of the main gate is at least five times more spacious than other intersections and bends. Above it are three gently sloping stone steps. The gate of the cold palace is closed, and the distant firelight faintly illuminates the chill of the place.

This is the place Feng Qingang is most familiar with in this area.

Feng Qingang turned to look behind him, and just when he thought all the commotion had subsided, the slightly broken Chinese voice rang out again: "You're afraid of me? Heh..."

The laughter was light and cheerful, tinged with mockery.

Feng Qingang frowned, raised the dagger in his hand, and drew an extremely clean arc between his long fingers, facing the darkness.

"I'm here..." the woman's voice chuckled.

The sound came from the left front, but Feng Qingang caught a glimpse of a figure rapidly approaching from his right side. (End of Chapter)