Chapter 34
It seemed that the singing and dancing in Luoyi also made it difficult for Wei Jie to fall asleep.
Fortunately, even though he didn’t sleep, he also came to the corridor, so he pulled her back in time.
Xiao Xiao came back to her senses and looked back at the restaurant in shock and doubt – that singing voice was so domineering that it could hook people’s souls. No wonder there were so many obsessed people surrounding the restaurant.
What kind of powerful character could mix such enchanting voices into the singing?
Xiao Xiao immediately thought of Wei Jie’s mother mentioned in her master’s secret manual – the female demon Si Ling.
Could it be that the person who was singing for Prince Can in the restaurant at this time was Wei Jie’s mother?
Xiao Xiao had only read descriptions of female demons in books before and didn’t know how powerful they were.
But now, just the remnant sounds transmitted in the wind were so captivating. If that female demon appeared in front of her eyes, how could she resist?
Xiao Xiao suddenly understood the situation where the Four Great Sects shouted and surrounded the Wei family’s Qilao Mountain back then.
If the head of the Wei family couldn’t resist such enchantment, once that female demon had ulterior motives, she could really manipulate him and cause a catastrophe…
And now, Xiao Xiao had no time to worry about the female demon using singing to manipulate people’s hearts. She was more worried about… whether Wei Jie had heard that it was his mother’s singing voice.
However, it seemed that Wei Jie didn’t have much curiosity about that singing voice.
He only glanced at the distant restaurant, then rubbed the acupoint on the side of Xiao Xiao’s neck and said lightly, “Although a lively big city looks full of yang energy, it is actually the best hiding place for ghosts and demons. Whether it’s for living in seclusion or hunting, it’s actually much more convenient than deep mountains and old forests. There seem to be many demons in this city. Your concentration is not enough. Next time, when you feel that your mind and spirit cannot be guarded, you should press the Fengchi acupoint on the side of your neck in time. That acupoint can directly reach a person’s Linggong. If you guard it, you can remain unperturbed.”
When he said this, he was more like Xiao Xiao’s benefactor, patiently teaching and speaking with sincerity.
Wei Jie’s long fingers pressed on the Fengchi acupoint with strength and flexibility. Xiao Xiao felt much more energetic and comfortable.
Moreover, the lingering power of the soul-enticing singing was still there. She even let Wei Jie rub her neck in a daze.
When Wei Jie spoke, she felt a little weak and leaned into the broad embrace of the handsome man, closing her eyes and regulating her breath, trying hard to gather her true qi to resist.
I have to say, his massage was quite comfortable…
At this moment, Yu Ling’er was also awakened by the shouting of the drunkards on the street. When she opened her eyes and found no one on the bed, she transformed into human form, rubbed her eyes and came out to take a look.
But unexpectedly, when she pushed open the door, she happened to see Cui Xiao Xiao nestling in Wei Jie’s arms like a little bird relying on a person…
The silhouette of a handsome man and a beautiful woman nestling under the moonlight, with their hair intertwined in the breeze… was indeed pleasing to the eye.
But Yu Ling’er saw at a glance that Wei Jie was still rubbing the slender neck of the girl in his arms, looking like an urgent scene… No matter how you look at it, it’s a man and woman meeting in secret and getting intimate in the deep of the night!
When Xiao Xiao was taking a bath, her words about her pure and innocent relationship with her disciple were still ringing in her ears. But the little fox felt that she had experienced the ugly side of human nature!
Already getting so intimate, yet still claiming to be pure and innocent? Sect Master Cui was really lying without blinking an eye!
No wonder her mother used to warn her that human nature was cunning and sinister, far surpassing their fox tribe!
At this moment, Xiao Xiao finally came back to her senses. When she turned her head and looked at Yu Ling’er, she naturally also saw her contemptuous gaze. She immediately struggled out of Wei Jie’s embrace and explained, “I was bewitched and lost my soul for a moment. He was just helping me guard my true spirit!”
Yu Ling’er said with a false smile, “Yes, yes, there are really many ways for your Talisman Sect to guard the true spirit! It’s not like you don’t have a room. There’s no hurry to do it in the room!”
Humph, hanging the name of master and disciple, why bother to get intimate and show off in the corridor? Their human race really doesn’t know the two words “shame”?
Faced with the fox girl’s sarcasm, Xiao Xiao was really speechless. Unfortunately, Wei Jie poured oil on the fire from the side and said leisurely, “Master, she’s right. Do you want to go to my room?”
Hearing this, the little fox sneered and disdainfully swished her tail under her skirt. With a snap, she closed the door, not disturbing the secret meeting of the man and woman anymore.
Xiao Xiao looked at the tightly closed door with a guilty conscience and said in a shocked voice, “Men and women should not have physical contact! Why should I go to your room?”
Wei Jie said innocently, “My room’s window faces the inner courtyard and is far from the street. The sound can’t be transmitted over, just right for you to rest. I’ll just squeeze in a room with Tang Youshu.”
Xiao Xiao was stunned. It turned out that she had misunderstood… But since he had such good intentions, why didn’t he make it clear in front of Yu Ling’er?
The singing voice was too domineering, and Xiao Xiao didn’t dare to challenge it. She could only thank her disciple, and then quickly went to his room.
She was not in a hurry to sleep, but was afraid that if she stayed in the corridor, Wei Jie would hear that enchanting singing voice and become curious, and then go to investigate.
After all, once he met his mother, it would be the beginning of a misfortune.
Although the reunion of mother and son, and then the separation of life and death, was a necessary path of tribulation in Wei Jie’s life, Xiao Xiao felt a little cruel just thinking about it.
In her heart, she still hoped that the time when Wei Jie reunited with his mother could be delayed. At least he could live a happy and peaceful life for a few more days…
However, she didn’t know that when she turned around, Wei Jie stood in the corridor, his gaze deep as he looked at the restaurant with swaying candlelight and endless laughter for a long time.
When Xiao Xiao entered Wei Jie’s room and lay on the bed, her face was pressed against Wei Jie’s long robe placed beside the pillow.
Xiao Xiao casually hung up the robe, only to find that there were bamboo strips strung with a rope under the robe.
Xiao Xiao tried it and found that the strung bamboo strips could just support her arm.
Her arm was injured and couldn’t heal. She couldn’t exert any strength, so she had been simply propping up her arm with tree branches and bandages along the way.
During the day, she saw Wei Jie buy a bundle of bamboo strips used for making bamboo slips. She didn’t expect that he used the bamboo strips to make a support board to fix her arm…
She looked at the exquisitely made support board, then put it back in its original place, and brutally covered that well-intentioned gesture with the robe she had just hung up.
Then Xiao Xiao lay down again, turned to her side with a slight frustration, and looked out the window.
She hated Wei Jie’s attentiveness, which would make her feel a little suffocated and make it impossible for her to stand by and watch Wei Jie walk through his destined tragic life.
Xiao Xiao forced herself to recall the shock when the heavenly punishment descended, hoping that the feeling of awe would dispel the inexplicable pity that arose in her heart for him.
But tossing and turning like this, even if she couldn’t hear the singing, she was bound to be sleepless.
As a result, when she got up the next morning, Xiao Xiao had slight dark circles under her eyes and a sleepy look on her face.
When she went downstairs for breakfast, the little fox looked at the yawning Cui Xiao Xiao knowingly, then glanced at Wei Jie, who also seemed to have stayed up all night and looked a little tired. She sneered again and muttered disdainfully, “Tsk tsk, actually not sleeping all night. I think this Talisman Sect… might as well change its name to the Passion Sect!”
Xiao Xiao felt that this fox girl seemed to have become more daring and always liked to sarcastically taunt people.
She didn’t sleep all night and was in a bad mood. She was about to scold Yu Ling’er, but Wei Jie spoke coldly first, “Okay! Let’s change it today. In a while, you stand at the gate of the brothel and dance a fox dance to recruit some strong disciples to practice the art of yin and yang together!”
Hearing this, Yu Ling’er couldn’t eat the egg that had reached her mouth. With a cry, she ran out of the inn in tears.
Tang Youshu understood that Wei Jie and his grand-master were not people who practiced such absurd and evil arts. He could only persuade his master in a low voice to let go of his anger and not to stoop to the level of a fox demon.
After Wei Jie drove away Yu Ling’er, he seemed to be in a better mood.
While drinking hot porridge, he said to Xiao Xiao, “When I was wandering around before, I met a friend who said that there is a ghost doctor in Luoyi City who can change life and death and has magical hands to bring people back to life. He used to see patients all year round, but in recent years, the number of times he sees patients has become less and less. In the past two years, he only sees patients on the day of the Ghost Gate Opening in the middle of July at midnight. If you want him to diagnose and treat you, you need to hold a white lantern and wait at the west end of the vegetable market. However, it is said that he only sees one patient a year, so we will give it a try when the time comes and see if it works.”
Hearing him say this, Xiao Xiao didn’t respond and only ate the dried radish in small bites.
Because she knew that in the original trajectory, Wei Jie also went to seek that ghost doctor for diagnosis.
But at that time, because Wei Jie went alone, Master Tang Youshu was not clear about the process. He only briefly described that there were ten people who went to seek medical treatment that night, but in the end, only Wei Jie survived.
When Tang Youshu rushed to the midnight vegetable market, Wei Jie, whose arm had already recovered, was standing in the middle of a pile of corpses, covered in blood, with a dazed expression.
At that time, it happened that the night watchman passed by. He screamed in horror, attracting the soldiers to surround and capture him.
Fortunately, those soldiers were subordinates of Prince Can, the lord of this city. Prince Can was a generous person and liked to recruit strange people.
At first sight, Prince Can took a liking to Wei Jie. Not only did he suppress this midnight murder case, but he also made Wei Jie his guest of honor…
But paper couldn’t wrap fire. This incident eventually left Wei Jie with a reputation for being violent and bloodthirsty.
If it were before, Xiao Xiao would only think that a demon was a demon. No matter what heinous crimes he committed, it was driven by his despicable demonic nature.
It was not surprising that he killed other people seeking medical treatment in order to obtain the only diagnosis qualification to treat his arm.
But now, she had been with Wei Jie for so long and had some understanding of him.
Although this person was flippant and occasionally sarcastic and teased people, he had no other ill intentions.
She really couldn’t imagine that Wei Jie would kill so many unrelated people for no reason just to reattach his arm.
Could it be… just because he was poisoned by the snake venom and his demonic nature was triggered, the original Wei Jie had become violent and cruel?
Unfortunately, no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t figure it out. Now she could only take one step at a time and proceed according to Wei Jie’s original trajectory.
However, this time the person seeking medical treatment had changed to her. She believed that at least it would not cause a bloody catastrophe…
When the Ghost Festival arrived, the day when the ghost gate opened wide, Wei Jie took Xiao Xiao to the lantern shop early to buy white lanterns.
On this day, the white lanterns without any patterns seemed to be particularly popular. When Wei Jie and the others went to buy them, they were actually sold out.
When they went to another lantern shop, Xiao Xiao’s peripheral vision swept behind her, and then she casually said to Wei Jie, “Someone has been following us all the way…”
Wei Jie also calmly said, “Not only following us, the customers who bought white lanterns before us seemed to have been followed as well…”
Xiao Xiao’s mind moved, and she guessed the reason for being followed…
The ghost doctor only sees one patient this year. This unique quota is very important. Judging from the sale of so many white lanterns today, there should be quite a few people seeking medical treatment this year.
It seemed that someone was anxious to see a doctor and had already started to take action in advance.
I wonder how this person plans to deal with so many competitors to ensure his unique qualification.
The master and disciple looked at each other, and then they had a tacit understanding. They walked together into a dark and deserted alley.
After they entered the alley, they heard the sound of rushing wind behind them. Two big men jumped out from behind, holding sacks and wanting to cover Wei Jie and Xiao Xiao.
Next, there were groans and screams in the alley, and the sound disappeared after a short while.
When the master and disciple came out of the alley again, they had a few more daggers in their hands, as well as a pair of strangely shaped hooks – these were what they found on the bodies of the two big men.
Those two big men had already been captured by Wei Jie and interrogated. These two men had tight lips. No matter how Wei Jie asked, they remained silent. It seemed that they were not from the Central Plains.
Their weapons were also very special. They looked more like hooks for hunting and capturing fierce beasts.
Seeing that he couldn’t get any answers, Wei Jie knocked the men unconscious, put them back into the sacks, and threw them into the dirty ditch behind the alley.
The water there was not deep, not enough to drown people, but enough for those two men to drink a pot.
When the two of them bought the white lanterns and returned to that alley, they happened to see the two men break free from the sacks and leave in a disheveled state, supporting each other.
So the master and disciple followed them all the way, wanting to see who was behind this person who didn’t allow others to see a doctor.
But those big men were very good at escaping. After Wei Jie and Xiao Xiao followed them for a while, they actually disappeared without a trace.
You should know that they were full of the smell of ditches and should be easy to identify.
Wei Jie had seen a lot and was knowledgeable. He knew the reason, “They should be hunters, best at tracking and concealing their body shape and smell… When it’s tonight, we should be able to see the real culprit among the people seeking medical treatment.”
Xiao Xiao silently nodded. For some reason, she had a feeling that this midnight of the Ghost Festival would definitely not be peaceful!
When they returned to the inn, Yu Ling’er, who had run away in a fit of temper, also came back.
There was no other way. She was bound by the poisonous oath with her mother and couldn’t leave Xiao Xiao and the others for too long.
Because Yu Ling’er still couldn’t flexibly control her tail, when the ghost gate opened wide, the yin energy was too strong, making it easy for the fox girl to reveal her original form.
Wei Jie let her stay in the inn. Of course, the little fox, who was born disliking being alone, had to have someone accompany her, so Tang Youshu also stayed behind.
When night fell, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie went out with white lanterns in their hands.
Recently, Luoyi City was holding a selection for the top courtesan, and there were prostitutes parading on the streets every day, making it very lively.
But tonight, perhaps because the yin energy was too strong, people who were a little superstitious would not go out.
The huge Luoyi City suddenly became much quieter.
Although there were not many pedestrians, there were more patrolling soldiers on the streets, driving away the staggering drunkards and urging them to go home quickly.
When they walked to the street of the vegetable market entrance, those shops had long been tightly closed. Except for a night watchman slowly walking over, there was no one else on the street.
When the night watchman saw them appearing at the entrance of the street with white lanterns in their hands, he shrank back in fright, then muttered and mumbled, wanting to take a detour.
However, Xiao Xiao was sociable. She walked a few steps forward and chatted with the night watchman, “Uncle, let me ask you, do you know when the magical ghost doctor will come?”
When she finished asking this, she saw the night watchman’s face turn pale, and he was so frightened that even his lips were trembling.
The night watchman originally didn’t want to pay attention to Xiao Xiao, but Xiao Xiao looked pure and delicate. Just looking at her made people feel pity. Seeing her so young and about to rush into the ghost gate, it wouldn’t hurt to persuade her a few words.
So the night watchman lowered his voice and said to Cui Xiao Xiao in a low voice, “Miss, I advise you to leave quickly! In the past two years, there have always been people who died miserably at this entrance on the night of the Ghost Festival. When dawn comes, corpses suddenly appear all over the street! No matter how many soldiers are sent to patrol the streets, it can’t be prevented… Tsk tsk, it’s too terrifying! Didn’t you see the official soldiers patrolling the streets and dispersing the night returnees? Hurry back…”
After saying that, the night watchman hurriedly took his clapper and got far away from this vegetable market entrance.
Hearing the night watchman’s words, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie looked at each other again.
Wei Jie’s expression also became serious. He had only heard elsewhere that this ghost doctor’s medical skills were superb and had cured many people, but he didn’t know that there were such bizarre murder cases at the Ghost Festival night in recent years.
But listening to the night watchman’s tone, it seemed to be something that had only happened in the past few years. What exactly happened here?
Xiao Xiao suddenly thought of Wei Jie’s original trajectory – he was also found standing in a pile of corpses at the entrance of the street, covered in blood. That year’s murder case… was it really committed by Wei Jie?
At this moment, the night was getting darker. For some reason, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie stood with white lanterns for a long time, but they didn’t see any soldiers coming to drive them away.
Today happened to be the Ghost Festival. There were paper burning in many street corners and alleys. Although the people had been driven away by the soldiers, there were still pots of burning paper. When the wind blew, sparks flew.
In the pungent smell of smoke, the fog was pervasive. Xiao Xiao suddenly found that this originally four-way intersection suddenly… had another unfamiliar alley.
There was a stone tablet at the entrance of the alley with the words “Nineteen Li” written on it.
Xiao Xiao’s eyes widened slightly, because when she was strolling on the street during the day, she also incidentally looked at the distribution map of the streets and markets in Luoyi City posted at the entrance of the street.
There were a total of eighteen alleys in Luoyi City, named by number, but… when did this nineteenth alley appear?
On that stone tablet, there was also a medicine flag inserted, with the words “Enter the alley for medical treatment” written on it.
At this moment, Xiao Xiao found that one or two groups of people were also walking towards this alley with white lanterns in their hands.
So many lanterns were sold during the day, but in the end, only three groups of people came to seek medical treatment, including Xiao Xiao. It seemed that those unidentified people during the day had successfully made a lot of moves.
Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie looked at each other and also followed these two groups of people into the alley.
At first glance, this alley was no different from other alleys. At night, the doors of every household were tightly closed.
But when Xiao Xiao walked closer, she found something strange – the households in other alleys would have candlelight shining through. But the courtyards of the households in this alley were all pitch-black, without any light or signs of life.
The alley was full of cobwebs everywhere, and there was a bone-chilling coldness.
Did people really live here?
When Wei Jie entered the alley, he was holding the lantern he bought during the day. This kind of plain white lantern was generally only hung under the eaves of the mourning hall during a funeral.
In the dark night, the lit lantern was so white that it was a bit eerie.
After entering the alley, they found that there were already two groups of people holding white lanterns, standing still under two separate walls.
Although these two groups of people were dressed as traveling merchants, judging from their exceptionally dark and rough skin, as well as the exposed tendons and bones on their arms, they didn’t look like they were in business.
These two groups of people first silently sized each other up, and then they all turned their gazes toward Wei Jie and Cui Xiao Xiao in unison.
Compared to their numbers, Wei Jie and Xiao Xiao looked very thin. Just a young man and woman, standing alone with lanterns.
However, no matter how many people came to seek medical treatment, the ghost doctor only saw one.
And now there were three white lanterns in the alley, which meant that three people wanted to see a doctor. So Xiao Xiao found that the other two groups of people looked at her with quite unfriendly eyes, full of hostility.
Those who knew the name of this ghost doctor were not ordinary people.
Xiao Xiao pursed her lips and thought: I just don’t know how this ghost doctor chooses patients. Could it be like the selection of top courtesans on the street, only choosing the pleasing ones?
At this time, the night curtain was low, and except for the distant red-light district, everywhere was silent. This place seemed to be isolated from the world. One could neither hear the sound of patrolling soldiers nor the sound of the night watchman’s clapper.
So in the dark alley, there were only three white lanterns that were so white that they were eerie, emitting a dim light.
At this moment, a thin old man wearing a silk long shirt standing opposite Xiao Xiao hoarsely asked, “Miss, are you the one who wants to see a doctor?”
Obviously, he saw Xiao Xiao’s propped-up injured arm and made such a guess.
Seeing Xiao Xiao nod, the old man smiled bitterly and said, “Looking at your appearance, your complexion is rosy and you don’t look seriously ill. It’s just some external injuries. If you find some rare herbs, it will heal eventually. Why do you have to come here to see a doctor? This ghost doctor only diagnoses once a year. Miss, please be kind and don’t fight with this old man, okay? Look at me, how miserable I am!”
With that said, he suddenly turned around and took off his big leather hat.
On the back of his head, a ferocious and painful face suddenly appeared, glaring at Xiao Xiao with slanted eyebrows and bared teeth. If you look closely, beside this face with bared teeth, there were two more fist-sized faces squeezed together, like tumors, bulging. These few faces were all baring their teeth at Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao seemed to be frightened like an ordinary girl, her face turning pale and hiding behind Wei Jie with teary eyes, looking quite scared by this old man.
However, the little girl was a bit too curious. Even though she was so scared, she still peeked out timidly and asked timidly, “May I ask, old sir, what illness do you have?”
Seeing that he had scared the little girl, the old man sneered and no longer answered.
But at this moment, someone from the other group beside them said, “There are already three heads growing. This is beast poison entering the brain marrow… In my opinion, there is actually no need to treat your illness. I have never heard of anyone surviving after being poisoned by the Enlightenment Beast!”
Xiao Xiao glanced over and saw that the person speaking had a hooked nose, but he was wearing a thick cloak with a collar that was too high to see his appearance clearly.
But judging from the hooked-nose man’s words, he should be clear about the old man’s condition and could even tell the cause.
Enlightenment Beast? Xiao Xiao felt that this name sounded a bit familiar. She seemed to have seen it somewhere.
