Fairy, don't try to mess with my filial piety

After weighing the pros and cons, Little White Tiger decided to temporarily restrain his playful nature and said:

"Very well then, I'll go back to the valley to find my mother. When the Twolegs come back, remember to bring the wild boars with you. I told you where they're going to be!"

The little guy ran back quickly. In his own territory, he didn't have to worry about encountering any danger. Mrs. White Tiger could help him at any time, unless the little white tiger ran out of the territory by himself.

Having learned from previous experiences, the little white tiger is now very honest.

The three of them watched the little guy go away, then they looked away and continued on their way.

As Chu Wuji was walking, he suddenly slapped his head in frustration and said regretfully:

"I forgot. I was just trying to persuade Xiaotu to go back. I was thinking of asking what the mountain was called, and what the nearby villages and countries were called."

Auntie Green Snake said happily, "That silly big-faced cat, even if you ask her, she probably won't know. She probably hasn't even been to a human village to play."

"That's true..." Chu Wuji had to admit that it made sense.

After walking for nearly a mile, Chu Wuji realized that his resonance with the mountain was rapidly weakening. He must have entered the mountain where zombies were infested.

The situation was a little different from what I had imagined. There was no desolate and withered scene ahead. Instead, there were lush trees, dense bushes and green grass.

A large area ahead exudes a vitality that is inconsistent with the deep winter, and many precious medicinal herbs can be seen at a glance.

Even Chu Wuji, who doesn't know how to identify medicinal herbs, has seen the distinctive Ganoderma lucidum, which is hard to mistake!

"There are zombies here?" He couldn't believe it.

Bai Sujin thought for a moment and guessed, "It's probably to hide the zombie. A bare hilltop would be too conspicuous. Besides, Wuji, didn't you notice there are no signs of small animals inside?"

"Indeed, there are so many medicinal plants here that there is not even the sound of birds or insects." Chu Wuzhi nodded.

Auntie Green Snake suddenly reminded her, "Don't look around! That thing is squatting on the tree watching us. It's really sensitive. It can detect our presence right away."

Chapter 187: Taboos of the Nian Beast

Chu Wuji looked up and saw a purple figure.

She was a young girl of marriageable age. After being transformed into a zombie, she became green-faced and had fangs. Her fangs pointed outwards, making her look ferocious and vicious.

The clothes she was wearing looked like training clothes, and were blackened from being stained with too much blood. Chu Wuji had worn this kind of clothes many times in the past and was very familiar with all the styles of training clothes.

There were torn wounds in the zombie's clothes and rotten wounds on its body, deep enough to reveal the bones, but the state of decay was captured in the freeze frame, otherwise the entire body would have been rotten.

Perhaps after her death, her body was transformed into a mountain-guarding zombie by a mysterious being before it completely decayed.

The three men were staring at the zombie, and the zombie woman was also staring at them, her dark and lifeless eyes filled with death.

I don’t know if it was out of fear, but the zombie woman suddenly jumped away, leaping like flying, and disappeared into the quiet woods. Even her breath was hard to detect. Maybe she had retreated, or maybe she was still hiding in some dark place.

Chu Wuji muttered, "This looks like a... martial arts-trained zombie. She jumps with a martial arts stance, and her body is quite flexible. How can she be stiff?"

Bai Sujin explained, "Because her realm is high, and she has achieved a minor level of success in the Wandering Corpse state, I'm afraid she might be able to reach the realm of 'Unbreakable Bones' in the future."

This is a unique distinction between the realms of zombies. Ordinary small zombies can be dealt with by ordinary cultivators. However, when it comes to the level of flying zombies and wandering corpses, they are difficult to deal with and extremely ferocious, with skin and bones of iron. Ordinary cultivators would probably find it difficult to even injure them, and they can only be dealt with by immortal cultivators.

"Undissolved Bones" are the pinnacle of zombies. To deal with them, one must at least be one of the direct disciples who are about to become masters, with a solid foundation, many spells, and strong skills.

Auntie Qingshe said, "That zombie woman was moving freely and lithely just now. She's truly a wandering corpse. I'm afraid she's even recovered all the martial arts techniques she learned in life. And... has she gained intelligence?"

Bai Sujin had not fought with it, so she could not make an accurate judgment, but this wandering corpse was able to suppress its ferocity and run away after taking one look at the three people. It was indeed quite unusual!

Chu Wuji smiled puzzledly: "I was wondering, no one dares to touch it, worried about bringing bad luck, why doesn't it take the initiative to go out and do evil?"

Aunt Green Snake looked at the boy suspiciously, suspecting that he wanted to tie up the zombie girl and use her as a shield, so that he could use that thing as a mop to pick up shit in the future.

If any monk planned to launch a sneak attack on him, this zombie girl's shield would directly block the spell and even reduce the attacker's cultivation fortune, bringing him misfortune.

"It's a simple logic. If it stays here quietly, no one wants to interfere. But if it takes the initiative to go out and do evil, accidentally killing someone's relatives or friends, or touching the interests of someone important, we have to fight to the death to capture it. Anyway, the price has been paid, so why should we be afraid of losing a little more cultivation?"

Qing Snake's explanation was not accurate enough, so Bai Sujin added:

"In fact, the most crucial thing is that ordinary cultivators cannot see the depth of this thing's blessings and predestined relationship, even the direct disciples of the immortal elders cannot. They might use magic weapons to suppress this wandering corpse without thinking, and then suffer bad luck for a period of time in the future, and their cultivation will go astray, and they don't know why."

The corner of Chu Wuji's mouth twitched. How could he kill demons and monsters and still encounter the disaster of being scammed?

He pondered, "Madam White Tiger said it was refined by a mysterious being in this mountain. If we kill it when it emerges as the 'Nian Beast', wouldn't that indirectly get rid of this wandering corpse?"

Bai Sujin and Aunt Qingshe both nodded, but did not speak out in agreement with this plan.

"Even the zombies have discovered us. That mysterious entity must have noticed us too. We can't get it out."

"Sister, you're right. It has the means to refine wandering corpses, yet it hides here and doesn't show its head for the entire year. It's very cautious. Unless you want it to stay here for years, it can stay here."

If we use this kind of time unit to plan against this beast, we can pretend to leave first, then restrain our breath and come back quietly.

But this is obviously impossible, Chu Wuji will not spend too much time here.

He said, "Let's go down the mountain here and see if there is a village at the foot of the mountain and ask what the situation is."

Now that I'm here, I'd be reluctant to go back the same way. At least I should get to know the local area and see if I have any idea about this mountain.

Aunt Green Snake said she didn't care: "Then go, but I think we can hurry up. My sister and I also need to hide our breath."

After saying that, she and Bai Sujin transformed into two colors of light and slipped into Chu Wuji's sleeves. Two beautiful snakes coiled around his arms, peeking at the outside world through the cuffs, their wet and slippery tongues occasionally sweeping across the back of his hand.

Itchy, but not uncomfortable.

Chu Wuji was quite curious. Couldn't they just turn invisible like the Sky Fox Goddess? Perhaps the different demon tribes had different methods of concealment?

He stopped talking nonsense and quickly rushed down the mountain. With his physical speed alone, he had already left an afterimage.

*

Chizhao Town,

This place is a small border town in Tianji Country. Although it is located in the border area and far away from the prosperous center of the capital, its location advantage bordering the Lihuo Mountains enabled it to develop rapidly in the early years.

The small mountain village has become a town producing medicinal herbs. Every year at that time, merchants come here to purchase medicinal herbs one after another, and there are endless horse-drawn carriages at the town entrance.

It has only declined in recent years. The area where villagers collect herbs has shrunk, the output has decreased, and the businesses that can be supported here have decreased.

Also declining was the local wealthy Gong family, which had maintained its incense for nearly two hundred years.

There were heroes in several generations. Some of the great-grandfathers were immortals, and some of the grandfathers were dragon followers. They made great contributions to the initial stability of Tianji Kingdom.

But now the luck is not good and there are signs of decline.

On this day, at the gate of Gong Mansion, several elders of the Gong family stood there, looking towards the town entrance, hoping that a carriage would appear.

They looked nervous and worried, and looked towards the Lihuo Mountains from time to time, worried that they would offend taboos.

There is a custom in Chizhao Town, which was established by the great-grandfather of the Gong family. During the first half month every year, people should go out less, keep quiet and avoid making any big movements. They can only go out for two hours before and after noon. If they violate the taboo, they have to burn firecrackers to wash away the bad smell on their bodies.

Otherwise, the Nian beast might remember the smell. If it wants to go down the mountain to relax this year, it will follow the smell it likes to find food.

As time passed and the sun gradually set, the Gong family's anxiety was written all over their faces.

An old man of higher status had a heavy face and ordered his servants to prepare firecrackers.

"Why hasn't Gong De come back yet? He said in the letter that he would be back today. It's already afternoon now, so he won't come, will he?"

"Gong De is very steady. He is the eldest son personally taught by Gong Ping. This time, he is bringing the ancestral token to plead for mercy. I think he can call in a deity to avert this unforeseen disaster for our Gong family!"

"What a bad luck! My Gong family has worked so hard, how could we lose such a huge blessing from our ancestors!"

They beat their chests and stamped their feet. They had originally been standing outside the mansion gate looking out, but unknowingly they followed the setting sun and retreated into the mansion, intending to close the gate.

At this time, a handsome young man in a black robe with white hair appeared and came to the gate silently.

He simply bowed and asked, "Did you just... mention Fuyuan?"

The Gong family was startled because the white-haired boy seemed to appear from the direction of the Lihuo Mountains. However, his handsome appearance gave everyone a reassurance, and he looked like a good man with integrity.

An old man followed suit and bowed, tentatively asking, "May I ask if you are the immortal who came from Kongtong Mountain at the invitation of Gong De, a descendant of my clan?"

"No."

"That's Kunlun Ruins!"

"I'm just a casual cultivator. I just heard you mention good fortune and unforeseen disasters. Could you tell me more about them?"

Chapter 188: Rumors about the Gong Mansion

As the sun set, the chill gradually dispelled the warmth of the afternoon, and the people at the gate of Gong's house fell into silence.

The momentary surprise turned into disappointment and frustration.

When the Gong family heard "Ye Xiu" introduce his family background, their smiles disappeared and they no longer held out hope for this inexplicable young man.

Under normal circumstances, Ye Xiu knows a little magic and is basically considered a very respected god, but there are many things that Ye Xiu cannot handle. The Gong family also had immortals among their ancestors, so naturally they would not lose their minds and worship devoutly when they heard about a cultivator.

Even if this person is an exception among wild cultivators, a master who is unrivaled in his field, he will definitely have his own name, such as XX True Lord or Immortal Lord, and then report which force he accepts offerings from, which can also prove that he is a leader among wild cultivators.

But the simple phrase "wild cultivator" from this white-haired young man really makes it difficult for people to have good expectations of his strength.

A strong-willed daughter-in-law of the Gong family was about to explode and scold the outsider for meddling in other people's business, but was stopped by an old man with considerable authority.

"No rudeness!"

This old man was the second patriarch of the Gong family. He turned to the young man at the door and bowed to apologize, saying:

"Little Immortal Master, it's not that I don't trust your help, but there are some unusual troubles here. If my Gong family asks for your help, it would be dragging you into trouble. Thank you for your kindness, Little Immortal Master!

Besides, we have already asked the gods from Kongtong Mountain to help, so there is no need to trouble the little immortal master anymore!"

Clan leader Gong Er did not ask about Chu Wuji's background. He gave the butler a look, and the butler immediately took out a purse containing a gold ingot and handed it respectfully to Chu Wuji.

"..."

Chu Wuji was completely confused. How did he get the money without any reason? He was not here to blackmail anyone.

Clan leader Gong Er showed a friendly apologetic smile:

"A small token of my respect, to establish a good relationship. If you happen to pass by Chizhao Town, it's best to leave quickly. There's a custom here that says you should go home and hide around this time, otherwise you'll easily be in trouble."

Chu Wuji couldn't say anything more since the other party was so polite. If he continued to ask about Fuyuan, he would be asking for trouble.

"Okay, then I won't bother you any more." He turned and left, looking for an inn in the town to rest.

Chizhao Town is indeed quiet. It is normal that people don't like to go out in the cold winter, but it is still broad daylight now. The sun is just setting, the cold is just coming, and the sky is still bright.

Everyone in the town stayed indoors. Occasionally, you could see a few people walking out into the yard to take down dried vegetables to cook. You hardly saw anyone strolling on the streets.

But there should still be quite a few people in the town. Through the paper windows of the houses, you can see people walking around.

As soon as Chu Wuji turned the corner of the street, Aunt Green Snake began to express her dissatisfaction. She was very unhappy with the attitude of the people in the Gong Mansion, and she bit Chu Wuji's fingers to vent her anger.

Fortunately, the bite was not too hard, it was just a joke for Chu Wuzhi.

"These people are so clueless, they act like we're trying to extort money. We were just asking about the Lihuo Mountains, but they're making it all so mysterious!"

"Xiaoqing, we've been polite and don't want to talk about Fuyuan. It might be related to a family scandal. Who wants to tell everyone about their family affairs when they meet a stranger?"

Chu Wuji had similar thoughts to his mother Bai Sujin. He opened the purse and took out a gold ingot. He was slightly surprised and said:

"That's quite generous! What happened to that wealthy family must have caused quite a stir before. I should be able to find out about it elsewhere. By the way, I can also ask why the townspeople here are so 'cowardly'."

Aunt Green Snake was also surprised when she saw the gold ingot. How rich must this family be... She wondered:

"What's going on with the Gong Mansion? They clearly look down on my Wu Ji for being a solitary cultivator, yet they gave us such a large farewell gift. Is this some trick?"

It is truly difficult to understand other people's thoughts, let alone the customs of a foreign country.

Chu Wuzhi did not respond to his aunt because there was a pharmacy in front.

In front of the drugstore, a young woman was knocking on the wooden door, begging the owner inside to open the door and see patients.

"Boss, please be kind and go and see my uncle. He has a high fever and hasn't recovered. He's tried several prescriptions but nothing worked. Now he's almost going crazy!"

An embarrassed voice came from inside the wooden door:

"It's not that I don't want to help Lao Wang. I'm just a wholesaler of medicinal herbs, not a doctor! I've already given you a few common fever-reducing prescriptions, and if they don't work, I have no other options! Do you want me to prescribe random medicine and kill Lao Wang?"

The woman knew she was forcing him to do what he wanted, but she had no other choice:

"As soon as winter comes, the doctors in town will leave to go to other places to make a living. There are no doctors in town now, and only you, boss, know some medicinal herbs..."

Chu Wuji wondered if his mother could treat illnesses, so he walked up to the woman and said,

"I'm from out of town and I know a little bit about medicine. Take me to see your uncle's illness. Maybe I can treat it. If not... come back and knock on the door of this pharmacy."