The Rise of the Witch

The sound of hooves clattering on the stone slabs echoed faintly.

Xing Yang climbed the steps and arrived at the gate of the courtyard. The gate was nowhere to be found; it had probably long since decayed from the wind and sun.

The surrounding courtyard walls were old and dilapidated, but strangely there were no wisteria or wild grasses.

Upon entering the courtyard, a chill immediately hits you, making you feel a little scared. The horned dragon horse also stomps its hooves and shakes its head in fear and unease.

At the same time, large raindrops began to fall, pattering loudly on the ground, and creating circular ripples in the ponds on both sides.

Xing Yang immediately led the dragon horse, wading through the weeds in the cracks of the floor tiles and rustling through the dead leaves, into the hall.

After tying the Horned Dragon Steed to a stone pillar in the back hall, Xing Yang wandered around for a while, then dragged over a large, withered tree branch that had probably been broken by a strong wind. He casually snapped it in half, opened his mouth, and spat out a few sparks, which ignited a flame.

By the light of the fire, one could see traces of fire on the ground, indicating that someone had once set the fire there, and there was more than one such place.

Xing Yang sat leaning against the fire, calmly watching the flames and waiting. He had never seen a ghost cultivator before.

Soon after, amidst the pattering rain outside, a series of shouts could be faintly heard: "Quick, get out of the rain! Quick, get out of the rain..."

A man was seen holding a large iron pot over his head to shield himself from the rain, carrying a lot of things on his back. He rushed into the courtyard and ran straight into the hall.

  

The man was carrying a jumble of pots, pans, and other household items. He glanced at Xing Yang dismissively upon entering, then shouted outside, "It's nothing, come in!"

Immediately afterward, two strong warriors came running up carrying a sedan chair. The sedan chair was covered with a pink gauze draped with poles, and a graceful woman could be vaguely seen reclining inside.

It was called a sedan chair, but it was actually a light and comfortable chaise lounge. By the firelight, you could see a woman lying on her side inside, looking relaxed and at ease, but you couldn't see her face clearly.

After the group carried the sedan chair, which was covered with a light veil, to the shady spot and put it down, one of the warriors said, "So some friends have arrived ahead of us. Sorry for the intrusion... Cook, make us a fire, quickly."

"Alright!" The first person to run in responded, began to unload the messy things off his body, picked up a butcher's knife, and went to find firewood.

The cook quickly dragged in two large tree branches, chopped them up, and started a fire.

The soldier shouted again, "Cook, hurry up and cook!"

He pulled out a few pieces of firewood from the fire and lit another pile next to it. He took off his clothes, wrung them out, and sat down to dry them. Another valiant man did the same.

The cook quickly set out the pots, pans, and even a cutting board. He then took out vegetables and meat from the large bag he had brought and started chopping them in the hall, making a ping-pong sound. Xing Yang watched in astonishment.

Two martial arts practitioners and a cook were busy running around, fetching water, rinsing rice, washing vegetables, and doing all sorts of chores.

Finally, the cook took out a few sections of fresh bamboo tubes from his bag, cut them open, filled them with rice and water, and then took them to the fire to roast.

After rinsing the iron wok, it was placed on the fire. The sesame oil sizzled as it was poured in, then the vegetables were added and stir-fried. Soon, the aroma of stir-fried dishes filled the hall.

The once gloomy hall suddenly became more lively and welcoming.

Before long, the four dishes and soup (two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes) were ready. Xing Yang could see it clearly and confirmed that it was indeed two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes and soup.

It looks simple, but in this place and in this environment, being able to cook a hot meal can only be described as happiness.

Xing Yang's teeth ached from watching, but he felt waves of envy and jealousy. He also wanted a chef like that... because the rice, vegetables, and meat were all made with spiritual ingredients!

A soldier walked up to Xiangfei's couch and said with a smile, "Madam, it's time to get up and eat."

A languid groan came from inside the light gauze curtain, and you could vaguely see the person lying inside stretching and slowly getting up.

The gauze curtain parted, revealing a pair of yellow embroidered shoes with simple cloud patterns. Then, a pair of bare legs touched the ground, and a bright and charming woman emerged from the gauze curtain, instantly brightening the gloomy hall.

She wore only a close-fitting vest on her upper body, with her high-rising bra barely visible underneath, and a light blue gauze draped over her smooth, exposed shoulders.

The vest was very short, leaving her slender waist below the ribs completely exposed, making one irresistibly want to reach out and touch it. Her navel, slightly sunken in her smooth abdomen, was sometimes visible and sometimes hidden in the light blue gauze, making it hard to look away.

She wore a green pleated tulle skirt, with tiny gold beads hanging from the hem. The weight of the skirt pulled at the hem, making her hips appear even more pert as she walked, and also highlighting the contours of her thighs.

Her figure, with its prominent curves and serpentine shape, was extremely alluring. Her skin was smooth and delicate, and her daringly revealing clothing featured striking colors, exuding a captivating yet unrestrained and wild charm...

Whether it's Mi Xiaoling or Wa Xin, because they are witches, their appearance and figure have reached perfection. Even Su Wenling's appearance is the limit that ordinary women can achieve. But when it comes to women, three parts are in their looks and seven parts are in their temperament!

This woman, however, displayed that seven-tenths of her charm to the fullest, making her appear even more alluring than Su Wenling.

As for shrine maidens... they are to be admired from afar but not to be trifled with.

The lady nodded, her eyes sparkling with affection, and was about to sit down when her bright eyes caught sight of Xing Yang. She gracefully invited him, "Young man, if you don't mind, why don't you join us for a bite?"

Logically speaking, in the wilderness where no one knows each other, one should never eat food from strangers; this is common sense when traveling.

The lady only exchanged casual pleasantries.

To everyone's surprise, Xing Yang immediately stood up with a smile, cupped his hands in greeting, and walked over, saying, "I'd be honored to accept your kind offer. Thank you so much, sister and brothers!"

The two martial artists, the cook, and even the lady all seemed somewhat taken aback, watching as Xing Yang walked over, plopped down, and then greeted them like a host: "Sister, please sit down. And you three brothers, don't just stand there."

The lady paused for a moment, then chuckled, shook her skirt, sat on the large bag, crossed her legs, and said gracefully, "Didn't you hear what the young man said? Don't just stand there."

Upon hearing this, the other three simply sat down on the ground. The cook scooped two bowls of rice from the bamboo tube, handing one bowl to the lady and the other to Xing Yang.

They themselves held the charred bamboo tubes directly in their hands.

Xing Yang ate without any hesitation. All the food, whether rice, vegetables, or meat, was spiritual food, but it wasn't considered high-grade. The spiritual rice was of inferior quality, and the meat was just that of a meat demon.

But the chef's skills are just too good!

Xing Yang no longer pursues essence and energy when he eats. Firstly, his cultivation level is stuck before the Purple Pattern Realm. Secondly, even if he were in the mid-to-late stage of the Red Pattern Realm, the essence and energy he needs to perform a single battle dance would require at least a hundred years to accumulate if he ate spiritual food like this every day.

So he's just enjoying the taste... and the meal in front of him just happens to be extremely delicious.

The lady held her bowl, fiddling with her chopsticks, but only ate a few bites. Her main focus was on Xing Yang, a smile playing on her lips.

Suddenly, she reached out with her chopsticks, picked up a piece of tender meat, and put it into Xingyang's bowl.

The martial artist and the cook, who were eating noisily on either side, paused for a moment, then continued eating as if nothing had happened.

The lady seemed oblivious, enthusiastically placing food on her plate every now and then, saying, "Try this, my cook's skills are quite good... Young man, what's your name?"

Taking a moment from his busy schedule, Xing Yang said, "My name is Xing Yang. Thank you for your hospitality, Madam. May I ask your honorable name?"

"Just call me Madam." The lady avoided answering directly, continuing to greet him, saying, "Judging from your attire, young man, you're already a White-Armored General of the Demon Suppression Division at such a young age. You're quite something!"

"The lady and her entourage dared to stay here; they must be no ordinary people."