Su Si had a way of dealing with villagers. He showed no surprise or fear, always smiling and amusing Yin Deng.
After collecting their clothes and closing the door, Su Si’s expression turned serious. “It seems they really like Sect Master Shi. I’ve been in this village for almost half a month and haven’t heard anyone mention it.”
Shi Jingzhi frowned. “I’ve never heard of such a symptom. Brother Su, have you encountered any other strange things during your time here?”
“Believe me, this is definitely not a good place.” Su Si played with the cleaver absentmindedly. “The weather, the temperature, the humidity of the wind—nothing has changed in half a month. What’s even more terrifying is that they haven’t asked me to do anything.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Qing’s expression became increasingly puzzled.
Su Si casually tossed the cleaver onto the table and reached out to pull Yan Qing’s face. “San Zi, we lived together for two years, and I should have taken you out more often. In this world, there’s no pie in the sky that’s force-fed to you; only cases of forcibly taking you as a wife, not as a father.”
Shi Jingzhi intervened to ease the tension. “Forcing someone to come but not allowing them to leave, without any ulterior motives, can only mean they want to harm you.”
Yan Qing suddenly realized.
“The Taiheng Sect has a clean and upright reputation, but I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing. It seems the children have all turned foolish.” Su Si let go of Yan Qing’s face with an expression filled with concern.
With limited information in their hands, the group couldn’t plan ahead. After chatting for a while, it was time for lunch. Shi Jingzhi had an impressive record, so Yin Ci had prepared a table full of fish.
Su Si didn’t touch his chopsticks. “San Zi, can you still return to Taiheng? According to what you said, Senior Shi doesn’t seem angry with you. How about changing your identity… You two, I’m not saying that the Kushan Sect isn’t good. But as you can see, my brother here is just a piece of wood and can’t withstand any storms.”
Yan Qing lowered his eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t go back.”
Su Si shook his head and wiggled it. “Forget it, forget it. If you can’t go back, then you can’t. When I become a great hero, I’ll protect you. How about this, once we leave this place, you can come with me…”
Seeing the master and disciple start eating, Su Si finally picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
“I’ll go with you.” After swallowing the fish, Su Si spoke seriously. “Being realistic is important, even for a great hero. Sect Master Shi, does your Kushan Sect still need people?”
Shi Jingzhi: “…”
Shi Jingzhi: “To be honest, I’m out of money.”
“Forget about money. Let’s not worry about that. I still have some silver on hand, and that’s enough for meals.” Su Si was enthusiastic.
Yin Ci glanced at Lord Bai and suddenly interjected, “Brother Su, what can you do?”
“Ah?”
“Since Shizun isn’t taking on disciples, then you can only be a servant. Yan Qing is good at miscellaneous tasks, while I handle hunting and cooking. So, what does Brother Su plan to do?”
Su Si scratched his head for a moment. “How about I lend you Lord Bai?” he suggested.
‘Now it’s in my hands,’ thought Yin Ci. ‘If that goose demon really has extraordinary intuition, it can be used when searching for the Shirou.’
He thought to himself and glanced at Shi Jingzhi, only to find his master looking at him with an affectionate gaze that gave him goosebumps.
Yin Ci nearly choked on the fish soup.
“A’Ci, eat slowly.” Shi Jingzhi patted his back.
Despite his fears, Shi Jingzhi still held more fondness than caution for his disciple.
Before entering the Ghost Tomb, he had entrusted Shen Zhu to thoroughly investigate everyone. Along the way, while he was fearful, he had secretly observed each person. If someone had assumed another’s identity, he should have noticed. But he didn’t.
He had also fought against that person in white. Judging from their bone structure, the white-clad person was only around twenty years old. After reaching the third level, with only a few dozen people remaining, the range became even smaller. Yet, he still couldn’t find them.
And the one whose background he couldn’t uncover was none other than Yin Ci. He had tried probing multiple times, but Yin Ci remained unmoved like a mountain, making it impossible for Shi Jingzhi to come to a definite conclusion.
So, he resorted to a compromise—he would place a layer of window paper between the two of them and put the matter on the back burner. By saying “I don’t care about private matters”, regardless of whether Yin Ci was the person in white or not, it wouldn’t harm their relationship.
Apart from these things, Yin Ci was a perfect disciple—thoughtful, sensible, and skilled in cooking. If an ordinary person were caught up in these extraordinary events, they would inevitably harbor resentment and grievances. However, Yin Ci not only had no complaints but also raised objections to Su Si’s desire to join them.
Shi Jingzhi inexplicably remembered the cat he had secretly raised in his childhood.
That cat had an extremely strong sense of territory and was keen on hissing at everything unfamiliar. Other than that, it was good to pet. The current situation seemed to be black and white, as if it wasn’t that important.
Lost in his thoughts, Shi Jingzhi burned his tongue with a fish ball. Before he could say anything, Yin Ci handed him a cup of cold water.
If their encounter at Kushan was truly fate, then this time fate was rather gentle to him.
After satisfying their hunger and thirst, Shi Jingzhi took out the clear silver bamboo pole and compared it to the coarse hemp cloth, sighing.
Su Si was eager to prove his worth. Even before he finished swallowing the fish in his mouth, he became more talkative. “Sect Master Shi, what are you worried about?”
“The previous flag is damaged, and I want to make a new one. Going to the banquet at night with just a bamboo pole will only raise suspicions,” Shi Jingzhi explained while smearing some soot from the stove and skillfully drawing the bold and vigorous characters: “Medicine Cures Illness”.
“Surely there must be an embroidery expert in this village. But I’m not at ease with taking things out. Bringing in an outsider would also be inconvenient for conversation. Brother Su, do you have any ideas?”
“I have needles and thread… but San Zi can at most do some patchwork, not embroidery. How about Sect Master bring a kitchen knife and keep it in your pocket?”
Wouldn’t that make it even more suspicious? Shi Jingzhi firmly shook his head.
After finishing his fish soup with a loud gulp, Su Si let out a big burp. “Well, then I have no solution. There are only four grown men here. Who would have the idle time to learn embroidery?”
Yin Ci replied expressionlessly, “I can.”
Su Si: “…You can both cook and do embroidery. Brother, are you really his disciple and not his wife?”
Yin Ci couldn’t be bothered with arguing with the younger generation. “I happen to know a little bit.”
It wasn’t that he enjoyed it; he was simply bored and had tried all kinds of crafts to pass the time. Even if Shi Jingzhi wanted a sugar painting right now, he could easily create a zodiac animal on the spot.
Ignoring his astonished master, Yin Ci directly took the bamboo pole and fabric and skillfully started sewing the flag. In no time, the flag took shape, even more exquisite than the previous one.
Shi Jingzhi was deeply moved. “A’Ci, if you were a girl, with this skill alone, you would definitely marry well.”
Yin Ci coldly raised his eyes. “Shizun, what characters do you want to embroider on this flag? Let me think… ‘Medicine Cures Illness’, right?”
Shi Jingzhi suddenly fell silent, not daring to say another word.
In less than half an hour, the flag was embroidered. Yin Ci’s stitches were delicate and neat, the characters on the flag were clear and full, and the fabric was well stretched. Shi Jingzhi hung his jade pendant on it and vigorously rubbed his face against the flag, clearly delighted.
Su Si looked at Yan Qing. “San Zi, I thought you enjoyed doing housework, but there are people in this world even crazier than you… You can’t admit defeat!”
Yan Qing: “???”
While the three of them were busy with their own discussions, Yin Ci secretly approached Lord Bai, attempting to touch it. If this goose demon’s intuition was truly remarkable, perhaps it could help him find a dead end. Although he despised this creature, it was necessary to build a good relationship.
But to his surprise, Lord Bai widened its round black eyes, and the two flesh antennae on its head slowly stood upright. It opened its mouth at Yin Ci, revealing rows of fine teeth.
Yin Ci continued to reach out—he had tamed countless demons, so how could he be afraid of this creature?
As it turned out, it dared indeed.
Lord Bai slowly bit down on Yin Ci’s hand and twisted it forcefully. It stared at him defiantly, as if issuing a warning. Helplessly, Yin Ci had to pry open its beak and retract his hand.
Fine, there’s always tomorrow.
Nightfall arrived quickly.
The four of them changed into ordinary attire from the village and headed to the banquet with Yin Deng. Considering the situation, Lord Bai would easily be mistaken for an extra dish, so they had to leave it behind to guard the house.
The banquet was set up in an open space on the side of the village, with round tables arranged. The four of them joined the Yin family at one table, and the table was filled with abundant dishes. Laughter and joy surrounded them. If they hadn’t just found out that someone had died, this scene wouldn’t be much different from a countryside wedding feast.
Having eaten a lot for lunch, the four of them didn’t have much appetite now and barely touched their chopsticks.
Yin Deng thought they were being reserved. She put down the spoon she was using to feed her younger sister and smiled at Shi Jingzhi. “Big brother, from now on, the whole village is one big family. Don’t feel like outsiders.”
“Yes, half of this banquet is for you. It’s been a long time since we had new guests in the village, so everyone is very happy,” Yin Deng’s mother added in a gentle voice. “Tonight, the Goddess will make an appearance. It’s a big event.”
Shi Jingzhi: “The Goddess?”
“The village immortal!” Yin Deng cheerfully said. “Mom said that the Goddess has been here for over fifty years but usually doesn’t show herself. However, if a child is born in the village or new people arrive, she comes out to greet them.”
Yin Ci happily sucked on the tip of his chopsticks. Everyone at the banquet treated him as if he were invisible. He felt more at ease than the attention-grabbing Shi Jingzhi and could freely look around.
As scheduled, the Goddess made her appearance after the banquet.
The Goddess was exquisitely beautiful, appearing to be less than thirty years old. She wore a casually styled light green dress and her black hair loosely tied in a bun, with a jade hairpin inserted that swayed with her steps.
She walked through the lively banquet, and the surrounding festive atmosphere instantly dissipated by half. The villagers dared not touch the Goddess and their eyes were filled with reverence and infatuation.
…An immortal?
Yin Ci didn’t sense anything particularly special about her.
The Goddess stopped in front of Shi Jingzhi and carefully examined him, showing a satisfied expression. But before she could speak, a woman rushed over from the side.
The woman hurriedly knelt down, holding the hem of the Goddess’s clothes, and stammered, “Great Goddess, could you make an exception and let Lao Liu come back to accompany me for two more years? I know ascending to immortality is a good thing, but, but…”
“Auntie Liu, what are you doing?!” Yin Deng’s father lowly scolded. “The elixir is not meant for ordinary people. Have you forgotten the rules?”
Auntie Liu looked like she was in her middle years, but there was still a youthful lament in her eyes. “Lao Liu left too early. I suddenly said at noon that I wanted to drink broth, and he went to cut…”
Yin Deng couldn’t understand the underlying sadness in the conversation. “But that was Uncle Liu’s own carelessness, and besides, ascending to immortality isn’t a bad thing.”
Auntie Liu just continued crying.
The Goddess wasn’t angered; she gently helped Auntie Liu up. “Parting from life and death is always hard to get used to. It’s normal if you’re not accustomed. The banquet is too noisy; you should go home and rest for a while.”
The Goddess had a gentle and compassionate appearance, exuding a somewhat merciful Bodhisattva-like temperament. As Auntie Liu looked at her face, her tears gradually stopped, and she nodded absentmindedly.
She got up, bowed to the Goddess, and staggered back. But just halfway, she suddenly fell to the ground and cut her palm deeply.
Shi Jingzhi instinctively reached for the medicine box.
“No need to bother. She’s also ascending to immortality,” Yin Deng exclaimed loudly.
Auntie Liu cowered on the ground, sitting there as if she hadn’t reacted. A large amount of blood gushed from her palm, seeping into the ground.
Shi Jingzhi still paid no attention and stood up to go over and bandage her. Auntie Liu was like an unconscious puppet, motionless, allowing Shi Jingzhi to clean the wound and apply ointment.
“Auntie Liu, go home and get ready. You don’t have much time left…” someone nearby said to her.
“She’ll come with us, and I’ll treat her,” Shi Jingzhi interrupted. “This injury isn’t a big deal; it shouldn’t be fatal.”
The Goddess watched with interest. “Very well, everyone needs to adapt, so let him go. In a few days, he will surely come to find me.”
Yin Ci stared fixedly at the Goddess, sensing something vaguely.
In that brief moment, he felt the aura of magic from the Goddess. The incident with Auntie Liu just now wasn’t an accidental fall; it was intentional by the Goddess.
Shi Jingzhi’s behavior also surprised him.
Although his master couldn’t be considered evil, his kindness wasn’t so overflowing. Shi Jingzhi had already reached his limit by tending to Auntie Liu’s wound, so it didn’t make sense to bring her along. However, this convenience worked in Yin Ci’s favor. If he could discover the secret of the villagers’ easy deaths, he might be able to conduct some experiments on himself.
Shi Jingzhi said, “Yan Qing, carry Auntie Liu on your back. We’re leaving.”
“Shizun, why do we have to take her back?”
Shi Jingzhi glanced at Yin Ci with burning eyes and whispered, “You know that my health isn’t good.”
“Yes.”
“Auntie Liu’s pulse is three parts similar to mine.”
The author has something to say:
Yin Ci: He’s a fox. Happy, pet him and touch him.
Shi Jingzhi: He’s a cat. Happy, pet him and touch him.
Some time later.
Yin Ci: Change back!
Shi Jingzhi: You change back first!
