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Chapter 372 They've Taken the Bait (Part 3)

After receiving orders from the Crown Princess, Rongrong led a group of people and, along with Ruan Tianye's travel permit, headed towards Ghost Witch Mountain.

However, the maids around the Crown Princess all knew very well how to carry out her orders.

Rongrong didn't actually "question" Ruan Tianye, nor did she go directly to Guiwu Mountain.

She first led her men to Dongzha Village and other villages that had left traces of the "Dragon Transformation Method".

Several days have passed, and some traces have been destroyed.

Rongrong checked it over very carefully.

In this respect, she is more capable than Gao Wanli.

If all the traces remain intact, Rongrong will likely discover that some details are forged.

But now, all the traces have become "ambiguous".

Rongrong felt that these two people, especially the one who had cultivated the Dragon Transformation Technique, might have actually gone to Ghost Witch Mountain afterward.

So she led her team and discreetly entered Ghost Witch Mountain.

Although they possessed the "tickets" issued by Master Ruan Tian, ​​they were completely unfamiliar with Ghost Mountain.

They entered the mountains from another village called "Datianpo".

Their men spent ten taels of silver to hire a bold young man from the village who was willing to be their guide.

This Datianpo Village is surrounded by fertile land, and every household seems to be living a very prosperous life.

More than half of the families in the village live in bright, spacious houses with blue bricks and red tiles.

There are dozens of oxen in the field.

The children running and playing around in the village were still dressed fairly well.

Unlike the shabby and dilapidated appearance of typical village children.

The young man who came to act as our guide was named "Achong." He was of average height and build.

He always has a friendly smile on his face, which makes people feel close to him.

Besides Rongrong, there were several other female cultivators in the group.

Female cultivators rarely have an oddball like Ji Shuangqiu.

How many girls are willing to cultivate themselves into that towering behemoth?

Therefore, female cultivators are often slender and beautiful.

And then there's Rongrong, who's treated like a princess amidst all the adulation... Ever since joining the team, Achong couldn't help but steal glances at the girls in the group.

Rongrong and the others dismissed this with disdain.

It was just a young man's infatuation. He usually only saw the uncouth village girls in this small mountain village, but now that he saw them, they were like fairies to him.

However, he could only look on; none of the women in the group would be interested in him.

Ah Chong is still very shy. Sometimes when he is caught peeking at someone, he will blush and quickly look away.

To ease the awkwardness, Ah Chong would quickly start a conversation: "Our village has fertile land. As long as we work hard, the land can feed us, and we won't have to worry about food and drink."

However, the people in our village, like me, would act as guides for those merchants when they had nothing to do.

They go into the mountains to collect goods. Without our guidance, they're not only likely to get lost, but the villages in the mountains won't recognize them. They might not only refuse to sell to them, but they could also beat them to death, skin them alive, and butcher them like pigs..."

Beside him was his deputy, a sixth-rate cultivator named "Uncle Li".

Uncle Li frowned upon hearing this: "They even eat people?"

Ah Chong laughed: "Is this your first time visiting Ghost Witch Mountain, gentlemen?"

Uncle Li nodded.

The warrant they possessed did indeed belong to the Prince of Xiang's residence.

However, this stamp is usually not kept in the Prince's Palace, but is instead rented out.

There will be people willing to risk their lives, who will take the tickets and lure people to Ghost Mountain to do business.

Those who risked their lives afterward might only receive a small share of the spoils, while the real lion's share went to powerful figures like the Prince of Xiang's mansion.

The Crown Princess brought the tickets because they were coming to Champa.

But none of the people in the Prince's mansion had ever been to Ghost Witch Mountain.

Ah Chong then whispered, "Gentlemen, please be careful. The villages in the mountains are very different from those outside."

The villagers weren't evil spirits... but they were just as vicious!

Uncle Li nodded; he had vaguely heard similar rumors before.

After leaving the Crown Princess's side, Rongrong became aloof and disdainful of associating with commoners like Ah Chong, leaving all the affairs of the group to Uncle Li.

This team is quite strong and secretly holds tickets, so they can practically run rampant outside the Guanghuo Street.

But they were indeed too unfamiliar with Champa and Ghost Mountain.

Especially Ghost Mountain.

Ah Chong's lies are actually easy to expose.

Since Xu Yuan established a government office in Qihetai Town, the villages in the mountains have stopped receiving any merchants.

All their mountain goods are traded through Wangxiang Village and the guild hall.

They received various daily necessities in exchange.

Before the Lunar New Year, no more merchants entered Guiwu Mountain.

These villages and towns at the foot of Ghost Witch Mountain... are all dangerous.

Take Qihetai Town for example; those who can stay in the town all have some "tricks" up their sleeves.

Qihetai Town was actually quite good, because it was located near the official road, and there were many businesses to do to make a living.

But in villages like Datianpo, it's difficult to even make ends meet by farming alone, let alone build houses or buy cattle.
They naturally have other "businesses" as well.

Ah Chong led the team into the mountains, walked along a long ravine for seven or eight miles, and then crossed a mountain ridge.

A small river flows down the mountain ridge.

The river water is clear, and the sound of flowing water is gentle.

Ah Chong gestured to everyone, signaling them to be careful.

But they had already disturbed the evil spirits in the river.

Suddenly, water hyacinths began to float to the surface of the once calm river.

Round and smooth, a pale blue color, hundreds and thousands of them crowded together in the river.

Then suddenly they all flipped over.

What were those water hyacinths? They were actually the heads of ghost infants!
Their eyes were cold and dark red, with fangs protruding from their lips, looking up at everyone on the mountain ridge, sending chills down your spine!
Ah Chong led everyone to carefully go around them from the side.

A sparrow flew across the mountain ridge, its movements somewhat stiff.

But Ah Chong and Uncle Li below didn't notice.

The dead bird darted quickly to the vicinity of Guanghuo Street.

She chattered excitedly as she told Tian Jing about her discovery.

This flock of dead sparrows is now Tian Jing's subordinate.

After they moved to Ghost Witch Mountain, one of them kept looking for an opportunity to persuade the dragon to go back and take revenge!

After several encounters, a group of them ended up siding with Tian Jing.

The reason is that they were not considered strong even in Xiaoyushan, and they were bullied everywhere after arriving at Guiwushan.

I desperately need to find someone to rely on.

Seeing that they were useful, Tian Jing used a combination of kindness and coercion, and the corpse sparrows obediently submitted.

Rongrong's team entered the mountains later than Xu Yuan because they were conducting research in Dongzha Village.

Tian Jing and Xu Yuan were outside Guanghuo Street, near Gaojia Village.

Yesterday, Xu Yuan went into the mountains and, after communicating with Tian Jing, Tian Jing told Xu Yuan: "I have built a treehouse for you, so that you can rest when you go into the mountains in the future."

Xu Yuan didn't pay much attention at the time and just followed along.

The treehouse is located between Gaojia Village and Guanghuo Street.

When Xu Yuan comes to Guanghuo Street to find them in the future, he can stay here.

Gaojia Village is still quite far away.

Then Xu Yuan saw this so-called "treehouse," or rather, it should be called a: Cloud Palace at the Treetop!

So, you, Tian Jing, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, can actually flatter people?

After Tian Jing merged with the root, he felt very guilty.

Fearing that Lord Xu might see him again, he would first take the life of this "evil spirit" with a single sword strike.

This is by no means an overreaction from Tian Jing. In the Three Offices of Strange Affairs, most people would kill Tian Jing without hesitation if they saw him in his current state.

So Tian Jing racked his brains and came up with this idea.

Using his newly acquired abilities, he transformed several century-old trees into a natural palace of trees.

In terms of scale, it is certainly far inferior to the palaces of the Ming Dynasty.

But there are also more than a dozen houses.

He also asked the dragon for a scale and hung it outside the main gate.

No matter when, the evil spirits in the mountains will not climb up to cause trouble when they pass by.

Unless the dragon disappears from Ghost Witch Mountain.

When Xu Yuan goes into the mountains in the future, he can stay here at night. Isn't that more comfortable than the shacks of those mountain runners or the "shrine of the goddess"?
The two were drinking tea in the Cloud Palace at the top of the tree—Tian Jing had specially brought some things he considered "elegant" from the Guanghuo Street and placed them here for Lord Xu.

For example, some tribute teas from the Ming Dynasty.

On Guanghuo Street, this kind of tribute tea was a hard currency.

This is essential when asking Master Ruan Tian for a favor.

But giving this to Lord Xu was clearly because Tian Jing hadn't yet figured out Lord Xu's intentions.

You might as well just give him the money.

Or perhaps... in the cloud palace atop the tree, a few beautiful female ghosts would be arranged to add fragrance to the room.

Upon hearing the report from the dead bird, the two immediately set off.

A dead bird led the way in the sky.

This group of corpse sparrows worked together, with one group keeping an eye on them with Rongrong and relaying messages to Tian Jing about their location.

Xu Yuan noticed that one of the dead sparrows looked familiar.

That's the guy who believed that the dragon and the ghost queen were a "match made in heaven".

It was indignant, unable to understand how the dragon and its subordinates could make peace with such a villain as Xu Yuan!
But it alone couldn't control the overall situation and was being driven around by the other dead birds, so it could only help along.

If I don't do it, I'm afraid I'll be kicked out by everyone.

In Ghost Mountain, a lone, helpless dead bird is probably just a bite of "mosquito meat".

Tian Jing found it interesting and said to Lord Xu on the way: "That village has a business where they lure people from outside the mountains into the mountains, feed them to evil spirits, and then come back to collect the valuables they leave behind."

Xu Yuan laughed too: "One harbors malicious intentions, the other pretends to be weak while actually being strong. Let's see who can outsmart whom!"

They moved very quickly, and arrived near the mountain ridge two hours later.

A dense mass of ghost baby heads floated to the surface of the stream.

Xu Yuan spotted the "mature baby" at a glance.

The ghost baby had just turned over, facing Tian Jing and Xu Yuan, when it was immediately buried again, sinking to the bottom of the river without hesitation.

These ghost infants had sparse lanugo hair on their heads that was tangled together, forming a patch.

While the other ghost babies were looking up, this one suddenly darted into the river.

The formation was disrupted.

Xu Yuan smiled and released the beast sinew rope, which wrapped around the ghost infant and lifted it up.

"Woo-wah—, woo-wah—"

The ghost baby began to cry loudly.

Their cries are one of their most powerful and cunning techniques.

The cries pierced the soul like sharp blades.

But this time, the ghost baby was really crying...

The animal sinew rope pulled it out of the river, and then pulled out a string of ghost infants.

All the ghost babies started crying loudly.

They were all genuinely crying.

Most of them were eighth-rate, but the first one Xu Yuan singled out was promoted to seventh-rate because he had broadened his horizons by "traveling around" recently.

He was the leader of this river of ghost infants. Although the other ghost infants did not recognize Xu Yuan, they could all clearly sense that the beast sinew rope was at the fifth level.

If you can't beat them or run away, all you can do is cry.

The leader, the ghost infant, was brought before Lord Xu.

It was crying so hard that tears were streaming down its face, like it had two spray bottles in its eyes.

Xu Yuan pointed at Tian Jing: "From now on, listen to him."

"Otherwise, I'll crack your little head open."

"have you understood?"

The leader of the ghost infants nodded rapidly, leaving a blurry afterimage.

Its big head and thin neck make one worry that it might break its neck.

Xu Yuan then let go and threw them back into the river.

Tian Jing memorized the river, planning to return and completely subdue the group of ghost infants after this matter was resolved.

The evil spirits on Guanghuo Street paid little attention to the other evil spirits in the mountains.

But Jiao and Xu Yuan need these "lackeys".

The Corpse Sparrow is in charge of the sky, and the Ghost Baby is in charge of the river.

To have all the intelligence in the mountains.

……

Achong led Rongrong and her group around several more evil territories.

He acted very much like a professional "guide".

During my conversation with Uncle Li, I gradually realized that I had gained the trust of these people.

So Ah Chong said, "It's not far. I'll take you to Yaquan Village and introduce you to the mountain runners there. They'll take you to Guanghuo Street."

"Okay," Uncle Li replied.

After walking a few more miles, the group passed through a grove of trees.

A tall, dark cliff appeared ahead.

At the foot of the cliff, spring water accumulates to form a small pool.

A small village enclosed by wooden walls appeared before everyone's eyes.

Ah Chong smiled and said, "We've arrived."

There are more than a dozen households in the village. The old mountain runner is a middle-aged man with a limp and a scarred face.

They were very wary of outsiders, but fortunately, with Ah Chong's introduction, the old mountain runner agreed to help, but he asked for a high price: two hundred taels of silver, all of which were exchanged for salt and ironware.

Ah Chong said with a grin that he could help, but he would need to be paid some "service fee".

Uncle Li then gave him an extra ten taels of silver and another two hundred taels, instructing him to buy salt and ironware and deliver them to the village the next day.

The old mountain runner, however, said with a cold face, "I won't do anything until I get the goods."

Ah Chong also looked troubled: "Even if I go down the mountain now, I won't be able to deliver the things until tomorrow."

Uncle Li looked at Rongrong and said, "Then you'll have to stay in the village for one night."

Rongrong reluctantly agreed.

Ah Chong took the money and went back immediately, agreeing to return by noon the next day at the latest.

The old mountain runner said coldly again, "You have to pay extra to stay overnight in the village."

Uncle Li didn't care about the small amount of money and readily agreed.

The villagers are all oddly shaped, and their houses are very simple, some even crooked and twisted.

As it got dark, the village gate was closed.

Uncle Li arranged for everyone to stay.

In the center of the village stands a large house, the best house in the village.

Uncle Li wanted to arrange for Rongrong to stay here overnight, but the old mountain runner refused without hesitation: "This house is never used by outsiders."

"We'll add more money..."

"Not negotiable!"

Uncle Li had no choice but to shake his head and give up.

After everyone had settled in, Uncle Li sternly warned them: "Don't cause any trouble tonight!"

But after dark, the aroma of wine and meat wafted from that big house.

Then the men from the village went inside in twos and threes.

Loud laughter and cheers came from inside.

The other houses not far from the main house were all occupied by Uncle Li's men.

Several of them listened intently and soon realized that this was gambling.

Among these people, there were a few who liked to gamble and play games on a regular basis.

As I listened, my hands started itching, and then my heart started itching even more.

He ignored Uncle Li's warning and quietly went inside as well.

I was initially a little wary, but after a few rounds, with both wins and losses, I started to relax.

Just as we were having a great time, the door was suddenly kicked open.

Uncle Li walked in with a sullen face.

The men trembled at the sight of Uncle Li, grabbed the silver coins on the table, and tried to hide behind others.

But as soon as his hand touched the money, the villagers stopped him.

Uncle Li surveyed the entire casino, snorted coldly, and walked up to several of his men, asking, "Open your dog eyes and take a good look at what you're betting on?"

The group of people were suddenly dazed, and when they looked at the silver coins on the table again, they found that things had changed.

The silver coins were stained with blood, which was mixed with several human hearts, livers, and lungs!
Immediately afterwards, they felt excruciating pain throughout their bodies. Looking down, they realized that their chests had been ripped open, some without their hearts, others without their lungs...

They're all laid out on that table!
They were horrified. What I just took out was clearly silver... how did I end up with these things!
"Uncle Li, save me..."

Several people screamed and fell to the ground, blood gushing from their mouths.

The villagers around them instantly turned pale and ghostly!

He stood there, staring at them stiffly and menacingly.

There was no trace of human life left on him.

Uncle Li said coldly, "If you save my men, I can let bygones be bygones for what happened tonight!"

"Gagaga..." A strange laugh rang out, and the towering villagers moved to both sides like wooden sculptures, revealing a passage.

The old mountain runner came out from behind.

He had transformed into a malevolent creature resembling a humanoid wild boar.

"You think you can leave my territory alive?" the evil spirit sneered. "You'll have to gamble too. If you win, you can leave; if you lose, you'll end up like them, leaving behind some of your belongings!"

Uncle Li, his face grim, pulled out Master Ruan's ticket from his pocket: "Are you blind?!"

The evil spirit was stunned for a moment, then glared at Uncle Li with great resentment: "Fine, I'll let you go."

"But those guys, whatever they lost to me, they still have to keep!"

Uncle Li angrily said, "How dare you disobey whose orders?"

The evil spirit suddenly raised its head, its two scimitar-like fangs drawing arcs in the air: "Since you didn't produce your tickets beforehand, even if that one came, he wouldn't be able to find fault with me!"

Uncle Li shook his head and laughed angrily: "I was going to spare your life, but you've chosen to die!"

……

Xu Yuan and Tian Jing watched from a distance.

During the day, they saw Rongrong and her group follow Achong into the huge wild boar cave at the foot of the smoky cliff.

Tian Jing said, "This evil spirit's illusion magic is remarkable."

Xu Yuan nodded. Even if Fu Chongjiu personally used "Dragon Spitting Mirage," he might not be able to defeat this evil spirit's methods.

Xu Yuan then turned and left: "Go and make the arrangements; we'll begin the operation tomorrow."

……

Ah Chong returned to the village yesterday evening and made an appointment with a few close friends to go into the mountains together today.

Those people are so generous; they're bound to make a fortune today!

As soon as it was light, they shouldered their baskets and excitedly headed into the mountains.

They traveled quickly and arrived at the Wild Boar Cave in just over an hour.

The huge cave was pitch black and quiet.

"Hey! They must have all gone into the belly of evil spirits."

"Be careful. Pig Master is fast asleep after eating and doesn't like to be woken up. Be sure to be quiet," Ah Chong instructed.

Just as the group reached the cave entrance, Ah Chong suddenly screamed and looked down to see a blood-stained knife tip protruding from his chest!
The others were shocked, but it was too late.

Suddenly, someone emerged from the darkness, wielding a long sword, and a head flew high into the air…

Those who lost their hearts in the gamble last night harbored the deepest hatred for Ah Chong and were exceptionally cruel in their actions.

After the knife pierced Ah Chong's chest, it twisted a few times, determined to make him suffer a painful death.

Their hearts and livers were put back in, and the alchemists in the team treated them, managing to save their lives, but the process was extremely painful and their skills were diminished.

Then Uncle Li walked out with his hands behind his back, opened his nostrils and inhaled, and the souls of Ah Chong and the others were all absorbed into his body.

"Ignorant fool!" Uncle Li commented.

Ah Chong's soul was released and interrogated severely.

He never expected these people to be so vicious!

Uncle Li easily found out that Ah Chong had no idea how to get to Guanghuo Street.

But Ah Chong knew the way to the nearest mountain village, Yueping Village.

Rongrong said with a stern face, "Let's take care of business first. Go to Yueping Village to find the mountain runner and have him take us to Guanghuo Street."

"After we finish the Crown Princess's errands, let's go back and slaughter that village!"

"As ordered!"

……

Xu Yuan and Tian Jing were in Yueping Village at that time.

……

To get from Yezhudong to Yueping Village, you have to pass through a stone forest.

In the Stone Forest, strange rocks stand tall, pointing straight to the sky.

The rocks are covered with vines that resemble living snakes.

The vines themselves are dark green and covered with strange, snake-scale-like patterns.

At the top bloom small, dark yellow, round flowers that resemble snake eyes.

Uncle Li interrogated Ah Chong's soul and learned about the situation here: "This is the territory of a strange python."

Be careful, everyone, don't provoke it.

Having learned from last night's experience, Uncle Li took out Master Ruan's ticket and held it high in his hand.

As the group entered the stone forest, they could feel a chill seeping into their skin and penetrating straight to their bones.

They hadn't gone far when suddenly someone exclaimed, "Look!"

Uncle Li looked in the direction the man was pointing and saw a huge python head, as tall as a person, lying deep in the stone forest.

On the top of the python's head grew a ghost vine as thick as a thigh, covered with round yellow flowers!
Uncle Li immediately aimed the ticket at it—but after a while, he saw that the strange python did not move.

So he cautiously took a few steps forward to check, and asked in surprise, "Dead?"

Rongrong followed and saw that the python was indeed dead, with some signs of a struggle on its massive body.

The stone forest ahead was in a mess, with many strange rocks broken off.

The men were simply amazed, but after a careful examination, Uncle Li and Rongrong exchanged a serious look.

The two men, ignoring their subordinates, whispered to each other, "What does the young lady think?"

"Uncle Li, since you've already figured it out, why bother testing me?"

Uncle Li said, "I'm not sure, but some of the traces... are quite similar to the Dragon Transformation Technique."

A hint of excitement flashed in Rongrong's eyes: "This strange python is also a dragon. That person killed this evil spirit, presumably to use it as bait for cultivation."

"Cut open the monstrous python's carcass and check if anything is missing; that will confirm it!"

(End of this chapter)