Night on the mountain was anything but silent. The crickets in the underbrush continuously made a cacophony of rumbling noises. From time to time, fireflies would light up the darkness with a cold, but barely visible light. Most of the time, the dim moonlight was far from enough to warm up the pitch dark night.
A few people were walking through the underbrush with light steps, grass crunching and crackling underneath their feet.
“Bro… Brother Liu.” Miaomiao had started to tremble rather uncontrollably in the rapidly plummeting temperature of the night. She rubbed her arms a few times, “Aren’t we going in circles?” Before she could finish speaking, she sneezed with a thunderous ‘Achoo’ and keeled over.
Even a topographically agnostic 1 [1] Aka directionally challenged, I just went with a more ‘posh’ term 🙂 idiot could feel it. The road they were taking at night was not the same one they walked during the day.
In the daytime, they had made a trip through the entire incense factory with Li Zhun. They didn’t discover anything strange as they made their way around. Until, that is, Mu Sheng tore open one of the incense seals and took out some of the bone-ash infused incense within.
According to Li Zhun, the incense factory wasn’t in production at night. If that was the case, where did this incense with bone ash mixed into it come from?
In the pursuit of the truth, they had to go there at night and make a deeper investigation.
Liu Fuyi was just about to reply but saw her stuffy nose. He seemed to think of something and took off his cloak.
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Ykysxkys awccle bla dspl, dsv byhkdt alynvle ulv. Mbld, pbl qlzv y oyqv sq rzwx czsppsx qaytaydnl awpb yv bla qynl yde pwcpliwldvzu bye y nzsyj vktbvzu oayrrle yaswde bla kd vbl dlmv xsxldv. Tla pbswzela oyp vbld rwzzle cu psxlsdl yde pbl oyp cypknyzzu vokazle yaswde sdzu vs pll Yw Fbldt okvb bkp lulp zsolale yp bl blzrle vktbvld vbl nzsyj yaswde bla, “El nyxl swv kd vbl xkeezl sq vbl dktbv ps obu eke usw olya ps zkvvzl? Maukdt vs qallgl vs elyvb?”
Ykysxkys oypd’v wple vs pvyukdt wr zyvl kdvs vbl dktbv. Tla blye oyp yp pzwttkpb yp kq kv oyp qwzz sq pvyanb rypvl. Fbl czydjzu zssjle yv bkx yde obld vblka tyglp xlv, kd vbyv xsxldv, Yw Fbldt’p lulp vbyv zssjle zkjl ckzzsokdt czynj oyhlp, pllxle vs nsdvaynv.
Tl pweeldzu tayccle yde rwzzle sd bla pbswzela, yde vbld ayrkezu prwd bla cynj yaswde, “Gzaktbv, zlv’p ts.”
Tkp zsdt zypblp valxczle yde bl kxxlekyvlzu tzydnle shla yv Nkw Wwuk, obs oypd’v qya yv yzz, okvb oyadkdt kd bkp lmralppksd.
Ykysxkys pyo vbyv Nkw Wwuk, obs bye fwpv ycswv vyjld sqq bkp nzsyj, vwadle xsvksdzlpp. Fbl yzps pyo bkp lmralppksd ts qasx pbsnj vs tayvkqknyvksd. Xd vsr sq vbyv, bl lhld pbsv bla y pvaydtl pxkzl… Tl vktbvldle bkp pypb okvb y pkdtzl rwzz yde vbld pvyavle vyzjkdt vs bkxplzq, “R yx pweeldzu y ckv nsze, R osd’v vyjl kv sqq vbld.”
Ebyv kd vbl osaze kp Jasvbla Nkw eskdt bwb? Fbl iwknjzu pbssj bla blye vs qsanl blaplzq vs cl y ckv xsal nzlya-blyele.
Usxl vs prlyj sq kv, pbl eke qllz ayvbla yttaklhle. Xq vbl qswa sq vblx, yzz vbl alpv bye yolpsxl nzsyjp prlnkqknyzzu qsa dktbv-vkxl wpytl. Ekvb y pkdtzl tzydnl, ydusdl nswze vlzz vbyv vblu olal lmrlavp. Fbl oyp vbl sdzu sdl okvbswv sdl. Mbl qzypbu cwv vbkd wrrla fynjlv pbl caswtbv kd bla cyttytl… xyel bla zssj zkjl yd wplzlpp qzsola hypl obs qallzsyele sqq vbl alpv sq vbl vlyx.
Rv’p fwpv vbyv…
Did the black lotus really take off his own cloak to give to her?
She suddenly spun her head back, coincidentally meeting gazes with Mu Sheng. Her head turned blank and she subconsciously blurted, “Thank you Young Noble Mu!”
Mu Sheng looked into her eyes that sparkled like gems under the moonlight. His fingers silently clenched within his sleeves. Alright, fine. She tried so hard to avoid being suspicious in front of Liu Fuyi, she didn’t even dare call him by his name.
Ling Miaomiao couldn’t help but shiver in fear as she looked at his emotionless face. She roared inside her head: Hey! Why are you pissed off again!?!?!?!?
After the arc of Jingyang Slope began, Ling Miaomiao had only received a single notification from the system: Mu Sheng’s favorability towards her was stuck at 70%. If one used 50% as the dividing line between like and hate… he should have a slightly good opinion of her……….
It should be a good opinion. Yes.
Then why did he get angry when she sassed him!? When she praised him, he also got pissed off??? When she said the wrong things, he would get angry but when she said kind words, he would also get pissed????
Unable to understand the youth’s heart, Ling Miaomiao could only suffer every second and minute for it. She felt like she couldn’t make a single move, lest she suffer.
They were both lost in their own thoughts. It was only Mu Yao that seriously answered her first question, “This is a yin-yang fissure.” 2 [1] So what yin-yang fissure means here is a membrane/fabric that separates the mortal world and… other levels and or planes of existence.
“What is a yin-yang fissure?”
Liu Fuyi answered, “Jingyang Slope is surrounded by four mountains. This is a naturally formed depression. Depressions in the earth are places that contain the meaning of ‘gathering’. Tens of thousands of villagers were buried here and the yin qi is extremely dense. At night, demons will congregate here. Jingyang Slope in the daytime versus nighttime are two completely different places. That’s why it’s called a yin-yang fissure.”
Mu Yao stopped in front of the river.
Jingyang Slope had two little rivers snaking through it. The one before them was the bigger one. Clean, spring water flowed over lichen covered rocks. Some were as tall as a human, some were as numerous and small as pebbles. They weren’t submerged and the water danced chaotically through them. In the day, this was what they had stepped onto carefully to cross to the other side of the bank, these small pebbles and boulders.
Now that it was nighttime, the water level had risen for some reason, but not enough to cover the rocks.
Ling Miaomiao lifted up her skirt to cross but Mu Sheng blocked her, “Be careful, this is an underground river.”
Miaomiao felt her heart shudder a little. She had nearly forgotten the difference between night and day in this place.
“Just like water demons and sirens, they love to hide in the water and come out at night to absorb yin qi. Before the sun rises again, they leave.”
Who would’ve thought that the small river whose surface reflects the moon would actually be the body strengthening mineral bath water for all kinds of demons……..
She couldn’t think of how the others would deal with them. In any case, she had no way to deal with them. She could only impatiently look towards Liu Fiyi, “Brother Liu, then how are we going to cross?”
Liu Fuyi thought for a bit then smiled, “There’s no other way. You can’t get wet so I’ll carry you over.”
She nodded, about to walk over to him when a cold, wintry freezing voice came from behind her, “Miaomiao, come here.”
Ling Miaomiao turned her head and saw Mu Sheng standing a few meters away from her, staring at her. Below his murky lashes, his watery irises were suffused with a cold light. However, upon switching his gaze to Liu Fuyi, his fury seemed to be doused.
She was a little scared of his expression and retreated a few steps towards Liu Fuyi, “That doesn’t sound good right?…”
”Why isn’t it?” His gaze deepened and his lips curled up. A mocking expression immediately took over his youthful face, “Miss Ling, this isn’t the first time you’ve been an inconvenience to me.”
Liu Fuyi was startled, and suddenly pushed her, who wasn’t prepared at all, towards Mu Sheng while consoling, “Alright, this is fine. Let’s not waste time everyone, cross the river.”
“Hey Brother Liu!” She widened her eyes and turned to try to reach for him, only to grab air. Her wrist was lightly clasped by Mu Sheng and before she knew it, she was next to him.
”I really must apologize, Miss Ling. Brother Liu doesn’t want to carry you.” A blizzard seemed to rage within his eyes as he stared into her eyes. He crouched down, “Hurry and get on me. Or think of a way to get across by yourself.”
Miaomiao raised her skirt and crawled onto his back, arms circling his neck. Mu Sheng brought her into the air without a single warning, nearly causing her to fall off. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got and so she firmly slapped his shoulder, “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick or something?”
”…….” Mu Sheng laughed coldly, “I’m truly very sorry for messing up your wonderful situation.”
Miaomiao scrunched up her lashes and seethed for a while. In the end, she still calmed down and laid down close to his ear, shamelessly asking, “You weren’t angry before we left, what triggered it?”
The youth paused for a moment. He turned away, trying to stay further away from her warm lips, “I’m not angry.”
Miaomiao harrumphed, “If you didn’t get angry, why would you randomly shout out Miss Ling hah?”
Mu Sheng’s long lashes trembled and he retorted: “Didn’t you shout Young Noble Mu as well huh?”
His legs had already submerged into the cold water. The soft sound of water splashing about was accompanied by the ripples breaking the reflection of moonlight on the surface.
Their cold war had lasted less than a minute.
Ling Miaomiao couldn’t relax, her eyes looking everywhere as she patted his shoulder once again. Then, she started to speak in long-winded fashion again, “Hey Mu Sheng. Let me ask you a question: Say there’s a pole. There’s a rope tied to the end of it with at least 3 chi3 equivalent to 40 inches or 100 cm of rope curled up on the ground. Pulling the end of the rope till it’s taut while being level with the base of the pole leaves you about 8 chi4 267 cm or 104 inch from the pole. How long is the rope?
“….” What in the world was she saying?
“It’s a question about the Pythagorean Theorem, haven’t you learnt the pythagorean theorem before?
”………” He scrunched up his brows.
“Have you read the “The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art” before?” 5 [2] The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is an ancient chinese book on… math. Link down below.
”……..” He shut his mouth, deciding that no matter what she said, he wouldn’t reply.
Ling Miaomiao was very disappointed to not get an answer and suddenly slapped his back, “The knowledge of our ancestors is going to become lost with you like this!”
As she couldn’t get a reply the whole way through and as if she had talked so much she had gotten tired, she laid softly on his back to rest for a moment. She somewhat dispiritedly played with his black hair while mumbling to herself, “You’re overdoing it Mu Sheng, no wonder you can’t even make a bamboo dragonfly….”
From start till end, Mu Sheng kept his head low and focused on the water surface.
When they were somewhere near the center of the river, countless demons were attracted over. With a wave of his sleeve, he simply shot out many talismans into the water. The water demons and sirens who popped their heads out, were all knocked back, flying far away and leaving a wide path open for them.
Whether it be the massacre or the undercurrents below the dark surface of the peaceful waters, the person on his back didn’t sense it at all.
Mu Sheng listened to her half-heartedly but upon hearing the key words ‘bamboo dragonfly’ and the disdain associated with it, he nearly grew furious again. However once she reached out to play with his hair, in just two heartbeats, he started to feel something itch….. Terribly.
He felt like something had taken hold of him. Words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. It was as if his thoughts and mind were in the palm of her hand. His vision turned blurry as his lashes fluttered. He felt like water vapor from the water’s surface was affecting his vision.
Ling Miaomiao had spoken much too much, and was now taking a long flight through her mental skyways. All of a sudden, she heard him reply in a low voice, “12 chi.”
“What?”
“The length of the rope.”
It took her a long few seconds to react, and realize that this guy had just given her a delayed answer.
She silently calculated the problem in her head then abruptly slapped his black with an exaggerated excitement overwhelming her, “You’re not bad, Mu Ziqi! I take back my previous words, you’re basically the embodiment of our ancestor’s wisdom.”
“………” Her ridiculous antics had already ruffled his feathers, and he started to get impatient.
He knew he should’ve ignored her. That lunatic of a rabbit.
Ling Miaomiao had always been one to feel on edge and sensitive during long distance journeys. If she had an audience, even if it was but just one person, she would still feel full of energy. But there was some logic to it, she wanted to keep herself and the driver awake.
They only had a few seconds of peace and she felt like sleepiness was already wrapping around her like a vine. Her eyelids grew increasingly heavy but in the midst of her dazed state, she saw a long, thin thing wriggling up Mu Sheng’s leg. It was black with a red forked tongue tasting the air.
She quivered and all of her sleepiness immediately dissipated.
Snake!!!!!!!!!!!
The snake was extremely quick. Just a moment ago it had been on Mu Sheng’s leg and in the blink of an eye it had already crawled onto his waist.
She anxiously braced herself on his shoulder, reaching out with her hand and thinking of knocking it off. Before she could even close the gap, Mu Sheng already shot a hand out to slap the back of her hand, knocking her hand off course.
The shaking affected the snake and it slid off with a ‘hiss’. Mu Sheng shot out an Exploding Sparks. After the explosion and the red light disappeared, the pieces of the water snake plopped into the water, still steaming.
Ling Miaomiao’s eyes were shooting fire as she rubbed her aching hand: “Why’d you have to hit me…”
He was somehow even angrier than her, his voice somewhat shaky, “That’s a snake, were you going to catch it with your hands?”
“It was crawling up your body!!!!” Miaomiao’s indignance immediately deflated. Thinking back upon it, she felt some fear after the fact, “I didn’t think it through……..”
“……”
She didn’t know when they had already reached the other side of the river. Mu Sheng placed her down below a tree, turned around and used his watery dark eyes to stare at him, wisps of anger still floating off of him: “Did you think I couldn’t even deal with a mere water snake?”
“….. I was too anxious.” Miaomiao shrunk into the tree’s trunk, her apricot shaped eyes suffused with a layer of water as she stared at him, “Young Noble Mu is so powerful and mighty, how could you possibly fail to do anything perfectly?”
”You….”
The reeds beside the river bank suddenly rustled at a most inopportune moment. Mu Sheng was in the throes of an anger-filled fit so he unceremoniously shot an Exploding Sparks onto them. Halfway through the air, it erupted into a massive, but harmless fiery explosion. It immediately pushed all of the reeds to the ground.
”Who is it? Get the hell out here.”
From behind the reeds, Princess Duanyang’s ash-covered face showed up with a completely shocked expression.
[1] So what yin-yang fissure means here is a membrane/fabric that separates the mortal world and… other levels and or planes of existence.
[2] The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is an ancient chinese book on… math.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Chapters_on_the_Mathematical_Art
.
Ziqi, Ziqi… You’ve drunk so much vinegar this time, it’s a record! (˃̣̣̥▽˂̣̣̥๑) Our ship captain, Fuyi, is really reliable, he ships ZiMiao as much as Miaomiao ships FuYao, it’s cute! And I thought we would be free for a few more chapters, but the princess is her AGAIN! You’ll end up killed (either because it’s dangerous or at Ziqi’s hands if you’re not careful), girl! Go back to your shiny, pink palace life. (╯⪩o⪨）╯︵ ┻━┻ Ah, thanks for the chapters! Have a nice weekend!
Ah Ziqi, tsundere or just in the strong denial phase tsk tsk. Also why on earth is she here again?? I hate her sm ugh. Thank you for the chapter!!
Oh, no. That princess is here… Hope nothing would happen…
Pfft- that last part is amazing. Also I’m chuckling on my bed like a lunatic, this is too cute
I really love Miaomiao and Liu Fuyi supporting one and another in each of their love life. They’re acting like real siblings lol They’re the sunshine to their respective Mu siblings. ^^