"Boss, it looks like there's no living soul left here." Xiao Rong frowned deeply.
"This Seaweed Ghost was once human." Jiang Shengxiang bent down and picked up a hairpin from the creature's remains. The words Ru Meng were carved delicately into it.
"Ru Meng. That must be her name." Yao Ranran took the hairpin, peering down into the water well.
"Ru Meng?" Xiao Rong's eyes widened. "That maid who opened the door earlier had a belt embroidered with those very words!"
"Do you think they are together?" Jiang Shengxiang asked with concern.
Xiao Rong placed his palm on the old locust tree. "No. They are not together. The Seaweed Ghost is the real Ru Meng."
"You can see this tree's memories?" Yao Ranran asked.
Xiao Rong scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "For now, I can only trace back a little of its memory."
"So that's it. Rong-yé must have received the locust tree's inheritance after breaking through." Jiang Shengxiang's expression cleared.
Xiao Rong nodded.
Yao Ranran glanced at him with envy.
He never trained seriously, always running off to play, yet somehow he had broken through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement.
Tree spirits really did have it easy.
What she did not know was that Jiang Shengxiang also envied the pair of them.
"As expected of the tree spirit belonging to Fairy Ranran, his cultivation speed, though not quite as monstrous as hers, was far above ordinary tree spirits."
"Ru Meng, Ru Meng… why is she taking so long just to open the door?"
"Someone is calling her name," Yao Ranran murmured.
"Strange… where has Ru Meng gone?"
The three of them stayed still.
Then, a figure drifted toward them.
"Are you guests seeking lodging?" The maid wore her hair in twin coiled buns, the same as before, and looked at them with delight.
Yao Ranran noticed that the smile in her eyes did not reach her heart. She replied politely, "Greetings. Forgive us for intruding. We are travelers looking for the way. Could you tell us how to leave this Accursed Mist?"
The maid froze for a moment, then her expression dimmed. "You want to leave? Could you… not go?"
"No," Xiao Rong replied firmly.
The maid tightened her grip on her handkerchief and sighed softly. "Honored guests, you must be immortals from outside. A few days ago, my young lady lost an extremely important treasure. The entire household has been in chaos, yet no one knows where it went. She has been weeping day and night, her heart weighed down with worry. I have been concerned for her for a long time.
Knowing that immortals from outside have the ability to move mountains and seas, when I saw you, I could not help but wish to ask for your aid in finding this treasure to ease her worries. Would you be willing to stay for the night?"
"I am sorry, miss," Yao Ranran shook her head. "Our time is limited. We cannot linger here. Can you tell us how to get out of this Accursed Mist?"
"If you can find the treasure for my lady, she will reward you with a priceless gift," the maid said.
Yao Ranran hesitated. "What kind of gift?"
"Naturally, it is a rare treasure that will aid immortals in their cultivation."
Jiang Shengxiang poked his head out from behind Yao Ranran. "Then can you at least tell us what this treasure looks like?"
"Of course. This treasure… once you agree to help my lady, I will naturally tell you in detail what it looks like."
Xiao Rong curled his lip. "You've been talking all this time, yet you still haven't said what the treasure is. Don't tell me your lady forbids you to tell outsiders what it looks like?"
The maid's shoulders twitched. She lowered her head slightly, as if startled by Xiao Rong's impatient tone. Her pale face showed a hint of panic. Then, a flash of vicious light passed through her hollow eyes. Two sharp fangs burst from her lips as she lunged toward Xiao Rong.
"Those who know… must die!"
Xiao Rong's eyes went wide. It was as if he were nailed in place.
A demonic staff slammed down across the maid's head, flooding her with thick killing intent that swallowed her whole.
"Rong-yé, are you alright?"
Jiang Shengxiang nudged him.
Xiao Rong's stiff mouth twitched. "I… I'm fine…"
"Almost scared myself to death (ΩДΩ)!!!"
-
Tang Residence.
Qinmei Courtyard.
A soft breeze stirred, carrying with it three thousand strands of dark hair that swayed gently.
A woman in a seductive red dress sat on a swing, her brows arched like willow leaves, her face as delicate as a lotus blossom. At the corner of her eye was a tear-shaped beauty mark that seemed to beg for pity. Her feet left the ground as she swayed gently.
"Guests have arrived… perhaps they can help me find my lost treasure…"
Her feet touched the ground. She rose slowly, walking toward the veranda with languid grace, her alluring eyes clouded with a trace of confusion.
…
"Yu Zhu. That is her name. She is also a maid of the Tang Residence, just like Ru Meng, and her questions are nearly identical," Yao Ranran said with doubt in her eyes.
"You ask about the treasure, you die." Xiao Rong hooked his fingers around his own neck, tongue lolling for emphasis.
Jiang Shengxiang shivered. "Fairy Ranran, maybe we should leave. This Tang Residence is giving me a bad feeling."
Yao Ranran looked down at Yu Zhu's clothes and said softly, "What if we change into their attire?"
Jiang Shengxiang's pupils widened.
…
"Senior Brother Zhao, there is a manor ahead!"
The disciples of Yungu Sect had been wandering the Accursed Mist for some time.
Zhao Lingyi retracted his useless spiritual sense and called out, "Stay close. We will see what is in that manor."
Not far behind them, shadows moved in the mist.
"What did Zhao Lingyi see? This mist is strange. The terrain map Master gave me had nothing like it. Let's follow them and see if these righteous sect disciples have the ability to get out of here."
Pu Dingping's voice was low and cold.
A group of figures hunched low, stalking after the Yungu Sect disciples.
Li Qingting of Yungu Sect looked up at the plaque above the gate and read aloud, "Tang Residence."
"Knock," Zhao Lingyi ordered. "We have wasted too much time here. We have found nothing so far. This manor must be the key to all this."
Li Qingting nodded and rapped the knocker.
Clang, clang, clang!
"Boss, these people say they also cannot get out, and they seem to have been here longer than we have."
A vine slowly withdrew from the high wall, sliding back into Xiao Rong's body.
"Alright, I will open the door."
Yao Ranran stepped forward.
The gates of the Tang Residence swung open again.
Clang, clang, clang!
Cold light flashed. Several sharp swords were leveled at her heart.
Jiang Shengxiang's legs shook before he forced himself to stand still.
Yao Ranran blinked, as if she had not noticed the swords at all, and asked mechanically, "Are you immortals from the outside world?"
Li Qingting frowned. "Are you human or ghost?"
Yao Ranran blinked again. "This servant is Ru Meng, maid of the Tang Residence. Are you immortals from the outside world?"
"Senior Sister Qingting, from their looks, I would say they are indeed ghosts," a male disciple remarked. He immediately shifted his sword away from Yao Ranran and pointed it toward Jiang Shengxiang, ready to strike him down.
Jiang Shengxiang stiffened and shouted, "You say we are all ghosts, so why aim your sword only at me?"
The male disciple looked from Yao Ranran's face to Jiang Shengxiang's and snorted. "Ghosts can be good or bad. You hide behind this ghost fairy with that lecherous look on your face. You are clearly not a good ghost."