"If you don''t believe me, would you like to feel for yourself? Feel if I have a tailbone or not."
Yu Yi examined his expression, pondering seriously for a moment before nodding, "Alright then."
If she was going to feel, she would. If it really was his bone, she''d return it.
Xue Chenjing was visibly startled, apparently not expecting her to actually want to touch his tailbone to believe him. His eyshes fluttered quickly twice, like a startled butterfly, a sh of embarrassment passing through his eyes before he could hide it.
"You really don''t believe me?" Xue Chenjing asked. Seeing her nod in affirmation, he inhaled deeply in frustration, ultimately choosing topromise.
He moved closer to Yu Yi''s side, turning slightly, and reached out to grasp her wrist, pressing it to his lower back. Through gritted teeth, he squeezed out four words, "Feel for yourself."
Yu Yi''s fingertips slid down along his concave spine, feeling for the position of his tailbone through the no-longer-thick spring clothing.
Xue Chenjing turned his head away, facing her with the back of his head. His ck ponytail nearly whipped her face, revealing a stretch of snow-white neck and gradually reddening ears beneath the hair strands.
Yu Yi pressed down with a bit of force, and Xue Chenjing''s fingers within his sleeves clenched tightly. His shoulders and back tensed, revealing clear muscle contours. It was as if a spark had ignited from his tailbone, spreading a indescribable heat throughout his body.
Xue Chenjing''s breathing almost stopped. His tentacles, invisible to others, drooped to the ground like soft noodles, their tips curling and uncurling uncontrobly, twisting into spirals in the empty air.
Yu Yi was oblivious to this, focusing on feeling his tailbone. The sensation under her fingertips was soft, and indeed, in the ce where humans should have a tailbone, she couldn''t feel the corresponding bone structure on his body.
"Are you the same as humans?" Yu Yi asked reasonably. For a monster like him, it should be easy to hide his tailbone, right?
The heat in Xue Chenjing''s body suddenly cooled. His misty eyes regained their rity. He turned around, stepping away from her hand, and stared coldly at the tentacles in the air that others couldn''t see. He said, "If you don''t believe me, then forget it."
Yu Yi''s gaze swept over his paling face, and she held out the tailbone in her palm to him. "Alright, I''ll trust you this once. After all, you helped me break open this ce."
When Xue Chenjing heard her mention Xue Mingyuan, his expression became even more unpleasant, almost gritting his teeth. "Such a simple formation, I could have broken it too."
Before Yu Yi could respond, his tentacles shot out from the side, quickly snatching the tailbone from her palm. His form turned to mist before her eyes, disappearing into a nearby crack.
Sure enough, this bastard changed his attitude as soon as he achieved his goal.
Yu Yi frustratedly clenched her now-empty palm, lowering her head to ask Crane Senior Brother, "Did I get tricked by him again?"
Crane Senior Brother tilted his bird head, making two "ga ga" sounds.
Yu Yi eximed in surprise, "You''re actually speaking up for him?"
Crane Senior Brother: After all, he was the one who rescued it from those fierce cultivators of Zhaohua Pce.
Yu Yi looked around this empty spiritual eye. After the spiritual energy had drained away, nothing was left here, even the water in the pool had dried up. She searched around but found nothing of value, so she summoned her sword and flew out of there.
...
Themotion in the Ghost City naturally rmed the nearby vigers. Since thetter half ofst night, they had been feeling intermittent tremorsing from the direction of the Ghost City, and once again heard the continuous, shrill cries of cranes.
The nearby viges were so frightened that they lit torches, illuminating their viges inside and out as bright as day, not daring to let the fire go out for a moment. They feared that something from the Ghost City might break through the barrier and drag them away as scapegoats.
The surrounding vigers were anxious for most of the night. They didn''t dare toe and investigate the Ghost City in the dark, only daring to gather a group of strong men to observe from afar when the sun rose.
Outside the Ghost City, the ashes of incense and talismans burned during yesterday''s ritual remained. On the talisman rope encircling the Ghost City, newly added talismans were still fresh, their vermilion runes bright and eye-catching.
But everyone could sense the disturbance within the Ghost City, seeing the shadows of evil spirits darting about inside.
This unprecedented scene frightened everyone. People kept looking towards the Vige Head, asking when the immortal cultivators from Zhaohua Pce would arrive.
The Vige Head''s face was full of bitterness as he tried to reassure the vigers, "Soon, soon. Last night, I already burned themunication talisman left by the immortal cultivators to report the disturbance in the Ghost City."
The vigers were somewhatforted by his words, but the Vige Head''s heart was pounding. As mere mountain vigers, how could they always summon immortal cultivators at will? Themunication talisman burnedst night had yet to receive a response, and he couldn''t guarantee that the immortal cultivators woulde.
If it weren''t for that immortal crane breaking through their barrier yesterday, the immortal cultivators from Zhaohua Pce wouldn''t havee so quickly.
The Vige Head stared at the newly added talismans on the rope, wondering if he should tear one off to test. If the barrier weakened, the immortal cultivators would surelye to check. With disturbances two days in a row, they could use this opportunity to request the immortal cultivators to reinforce the barrier ahead of schedule.
But hearing the miserable wails from within the Ghost City, he worried that if he destroyed one talisman, these lingering evil spirits would immediately rush out and devour them.
Just as everyone was in a dilemma, specks of white light suddenly began to drift out from within the Ghost City. At first nce, they looked like skynterns floating out from the ghost realm, rising higher and higher until they finally dissolved in the sunlight.
Within that light, asional remnant scenes could be seen reflected, showing the shadows of people and beastsughing, arguing, and in various states – as if a stage y had been moved to the sky.
The vigers below were both frightened and curious, all craning their necks to watch the sky. After some time, the sky stage came to an end, the ghostly wails gradually ceased, and the cold yin energy within the Ghost City melted awaypletely, like snow under the sun.
The talisman rope surrounding the Ghost City spontaneously burst into mes, burning away thest traces of yin energy from the Ghost City.
Feeling this change, the gathered vigers rejoiced, "Vige Head, it seems the ghosts and monsters in this Ghost City have been pacified! Did the immortal cultivators from Zhaohua Pce already enter?"
"That''s wonderful, we can finally sleep soundly at night!"
"Without the Ghost City''s yin energy affecting thend, our vige crops will have a good harvest this year."
The vigers cheered jubntly, taking out yellow paper and incense from their baskets to kneel and kowtow towards the Ghost City. Amidst the flying incense ash, suddenly, a crisscrossing sword light shot out from behind the half-copsed city gate of the Ghost City.
The vines climbing on the gate creaked and copsed with a rumble. A slender figure slowly walked out from among the fluttering green leaves and white flowers, followed by a tall immortal crane.
As soon as Yu Yi walked out, she saw a group of people burning incense and paper money, kneeling and bowing to her, which startled her quite a bit.
Fortunately, a white-haired old man took the initiative to approach her, his face bearing a respectful smile as he repeatedly expressed gratitude: "This old man didn''t receive a reply from the immortal cultivatorsst night, and thought they might have been dyed by other matters. We didn''t expect you had already entered the Ghost City."
As the Vige Head spoke, he wept with joy, hurriedly wiping his tears with his sleeve. He eximed excitedly, "Thank you, immortal cultivator, for ridding us of the evil spirits in this city. The people from several nearby viges have lived in fear of this Ghost City for generations. Now we can finally be at ease, and from now on, our children can y without worry."
Other vigers gathered around, thanking her in a mor of voices. Some even knelt down, wanting to kowtow to her.
Yu Yi could hardly stop them from bowing, and quickly said, "There''s no need to thank me, everyone. As a cultivator, exorcising ghosts and capturing monsters are part of my duties. This was also a form of cultivation for me."
The Vige Head nodded repeatedly through his tears, agreeing with whatever she said, "The immortal cultivator is right. You must be tired after pacifying a whole city of ghosts. If you don''t mind, please invite your other fellow disciples to rest in our vige for a while. I''ll arrange for people to prepare a feast to celebrate right away."
Yu Yi was just a rogue cultivator, with only Crane Senior Brother beside her. How could she have any fellow disciples? She waved her hand, saying, "No need, no need. I''m just a rogue cultivator passing by, lending a hand. There''s no need for such courtesy."
The Vige Head asked in surprise, "A rogue cultivator? Aren''t you from Zhaohua Pce?"
Yu Yi blinked in surprise, then exined with a smile that she was a disciple of the Qingxuan Daoist Priest, without any formal sect affiliation, and could hardly aspire to join a great immortal sect like Zhaohua Pce.
The people around exchanged nces, and after their initial shock, someone called out, "That''s true! Those Zhaohua Pce folks onlye to tie some paper talismans every time, iming they can suppress evil spirits. We''ve never seen them actually solve the problem of this Ghost City. Immortal Lady, with your great abilities, it''s Zhaohua Pce that can''t measure up to you!"
"Exactly! The Qingxuan Daoist Priest who could train such a formidable disciple like you must be a great immortal himself."
"Immortal Lady, you''ve solved the Ghost City''s curse for us. When we return, we''ll surely build statues and temples for the great immortal Qingxuan and you, offering three incense sticks every day. We won''t worship that so-called Zhaohua Pce anymore."
Seeing that the crowd was getting carried away, the Vige Head quickly reprimanded them, "Silence! What nonsense are you all spouting?" He pointed to the sky sternly, "Are immortal sects something you can casually specte about?"
The Vige Headmanded considerable respect among the vigers from the surrounding area, and his words immediately silenced everyone.
Yu Yi also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, and besides, she hadn''t done anything particrly extraordinary. Statues, temples, and daily incense offerings - she could hardly ept such honors.
Unexpectedly, after silencing the crowd, the Vige Head turned to her and said, "However, making a statue to worship the Immortal Lady is indeed appropriate. May I ask what your Daoist title is? We''d like to inscribe it on a que for you."
Yu Yi was torn betweenughter and tears. Seeing that it would be impolite to refuse outright, she thought for a moment and said, "If you truly insist, perhaps you could make a statue for my master instead. Without him, I wouldn''t be who I am today. My cultivation is still shallow, and I''m not worthy of being ced on an altar."
With this suggestion, the crowd finally relented.
Yu Yi took out a portrait from her storage pouch. The figure in the painting held a sword in one hand and formed a mystical gesture with the other. Dressed in a blue Daoist robe with a flowing long beard, he truly looked like an otherworldly sage. This was a self-portrait left by the Qingxuan Daoist Priest.
In the Bamboo Grove Secret Realm, there was a room dedicated to her master''s paintings and calligraphy. The old man had left many self-portraits, from his youthful years full of vigor to his prime years as depicted in this painting. Each stage of his life was represented by dozens or even hundreds of portraits.
Before leaving the secret realm, Yu Yi had taken one with her.
The Vige Head epted the painting with utmost reverence, promising to ensure that people from nearby viges would sincerely worship it. They wanted to invite Yu Yi to a banquet in the vige, but unable to bear their enthusiasm any longer, she quickly made an excuse and left.
Xue Chenjing, hiding in the underground of the Ghost City, reintegrated his tailbone into his body. Only then did this frail form regain some strength. He clenched his fist, his eyebrows rising in delight, his eyes full of joy.
Countless transparent tentacles emerged from the shadows at his feet, carrying him up the broken rock walls. He quickly emerged from the crevice of the underground pce.
When he reached the surface and returned to the ruins of the Ghost City, he happened to hear a long cry from Crane Senior Brother.
Xue Chenjing looked up, the joyful expression on his face suddenly fading, turning gloomy once again.
The crane pped its wings and flew into the distance. On its back, a figure could be seen. Yu Yi, hugging her green bamboo sword, was bathed in brilliant sunlight. Her robes fluttered, the red pomegranate bead string in her hair shone brightly, and her ck tresses danced in the wind.
She left swiftly and decisively,pletely forgetting that she still had a little dog.
No sooner had Yu Yi left the Ghost City than another group of cultivators arrived.
Talisman lights fell rapidly like daytime meteors into the Ghost City - it was the cultivators from Zhaohua Pce.
This time, many cultivators hade, including an elder of Zhaohua Pce. Behind the elder followed Shen Qingzhi, the head disciple of Zhaohua Pce. Just looking at this lineup showed how seriously they took this matter.
Before the Zhaohua Pce cultivators evennded, they saw the talisman ropes surrounding the Ghost City had burned to ashes. This barrier that had been restraining ghosts wasn''t forcibly broken by someone; rather, as the spirits in the city dissipated, the barrier naturally copsed.
That''s why the Zhaohua Pce people couldn''t detect it immediately and arrivedte.
The elder acted decisively. Uponnding, he sensed that all the yin energy and ghostly aura in the Ghost City hadpletely dissipated. His gaze swept around, and he immediatelymanded, "Lin Fang, take a few people to intercept the vigers who haven''t gone far. Ask them about what happened here."
"Liu Yin, lead the rest to thoroughly investigate inside and outside the Ghost City for any anomalies."
As everyone carried out their orders, the elder turned to Shen Qingzhi and said, "Qingzhi,e with me."
Shen Qingzhi responded, "Yes, Elder Yan."
The two came to the withered locust tree in the center. Elder Yan''s expression was grave as he bent down to pick up a yellow leaf. With just a light touch, the leaf crumbled to dust in his hand.
This locust tree was thoroughly dead.
He brushed off the leaf fragments and looked down into therge pit that had copsed next to the locust tree. Without dy, he jumped down into the hole, stepping on bricks and stones. Shen Qingzhi instinctively followed behind him.
Elder Yan waved his sleeve, and several talismans flew out, shooting towards the copsed bricks and stones ahead. Under the talisman light, the huge end walls and stones seemed as light as falling leaves, moving aside with a rumble at the elder''s gesture.
The two proceeded deeper underground, soon reaching the half-copsed underground pce.
Shen Qingzhi turned his head to survey the surroundings, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He had visited this Ghost City several times but never knew there was such a space underground.
Elder Yan didn''t turn around, but seemed to guess his thoughts and voluntarily exined, "This was once the ancestral hall of the Ji family, originally hidden by a barrier."
He seemed quite familiar with this ce. After just a nce at the extinguishedmps scattered on the ground, he quickened his pace and headed straight for the circr mound. When he saw the deep fissure under the mound, he clicked his tongue and said, "Not good."
As he spoke, his form turned into a blur, swiftly diving into the fissure. Shen Qingzhi put down themp he had just picked up and followed him down.
A momentter, the two emerged from the ground fissure one after another. Elder Yan''s expression was stern, while Shen Qingzhi seemed rather puzzled. He asked uncertainly, "Elder, is there something down there?"
"Zhaohua Pce has long been merely suppressing but not eliminating the evil spirits in this city, all to hide what''s in the underground pce." He nced back at Shen Qingzhi. "Never mind, you''ll know when we return to the pce."
As they came out of the underground pce, a disciple came to report that they had learned from the vigers about a rogue cultivator who had been here. She had guided all the ghosts in the city to transcendence, but had left half an hour ago.
Elder Yan immediately strode out, ordering, "Bring those vigers here. I want to question them personally."
As the Zhaohua Pce group left the ruins of the Ghost City, under the dense foliage and vines in the city, more than a dozen plump little ck worms slowly wriggled out. The little ck worms had recorded all the scenes that urred in the Ghost City in their eyes, and their figures silently disappeared.