For safety reasons, Miss Qi was left at her residence - if something happened to her in a dangerous place, no one who met Shi Wuqi could afford to pay for it. They got up early and, led by the Ye brothers and sisters, arrived at Qinglu Ya.
To be precise, it is the valley below Qingluya.
The fog in the valley is called mountain mist. The morning fog has not cleared away yet, and in the ravines of Shaofeng Mountain, the milky white barrier penetrates into every corner. Ye Zixu said that she also forgot when she came last time. Maybe it was later, and there must not be such a heavy fog.
When vision is restricted, a person's other senses become more sensitive. Through the humid mist, they could smell the fragrance of unknown plants mixed in the air. It was complex and layered, and even the most high-end perfume in the palace could not imitate this feeling. The ears can also hear many sounds, even if they are as subtle as a bird that has not yet awakened breathing evenly in its nest, seeds quietly germinating in the moist and soft soil, a drop of round morning dew slipping from a slender leaf... all these sounds are rich. Aura, this aura spreads from the ears to the mind, from the nose to the heart.
Every inch of skin can feel any disturbance around it. They walked carefully, and no one tripped or got scratched, as if the layout of the entire road had been arranged in advance.
However, Ye Linxi is still clumsy.
This must be related to people's spiritual perception. For example, Ye Zixu is actually no better than her brother. Although it is not likely to stumble, it is natural to get lost.
"How about... we wait until the fog clears before leaving?" Mu Wan asked her.
Although Miss Ye was stubborn, she also knew that there was no other way but to stare in the fog. They sat on a large rock nearby, back to back, shoulder to shoulder, sighing uncontrollably.
What should we do if this fog persists?
The sun has risen a little higher, illuminating the mist curtain more clearly. The visibility is much higher than before, and many things have gradually emerged in outline, from far to near, but they are still not clear enough.
At this time, Mu Wan felt something unusual in the distance.
"Mountains and Seas," she said, "I think there is a demonic spirit nearby."
"I think so too. But in this spiritually charged place, it's perfectly normal."
"I think there's something special." Mu Wan stood up, "It just... makes people care about it inexplicably. I want to see it."
She was telling the truth. She knew that her spiritual power was somewhat inferior to that of Shanhai and others, but it was already higher than that of ordinary people. That demonic aura made her very concerned not because of how strong it was, but because it felt familiar to her. But Shanhai remained indifferent, proving that he might not feel anything. Mu Wan guessed that it might be a demonic energy that only she had seen before.
She meant...maybe Lord Kuchtsuki.
Mu Wan could not remember Lord Xueyue's demonic aura too clearly. The more terrifying the power of a monster, the more complicated its aura will be. It will not leave a deep impression on people, but will only feel terrifying, and even ordinary people can sense it. If she calls Shanhai, Mu Wan and the Ye brothers and sisters may be in trouble; if she doesn't tell them, she is afraid that she will not be her opponent. After thinking about it, she decided to go and have a look.
What's more, last time, she was too angry and didn't have time to ask Yingyue Jun - or the whereabouts of her master.
He shouldn't be here...what can he do here? Mu Wan didn't have time to think too much. She needed to determine where this evil aura came from. Shan Hai was silent for a long time, knowing her temper, so he had to remind her to pay attention to her safety. A Luan wanted to follow him, but he pulled him back and sat down.
Mu Wan took out her umbrella and cautiously walked towards the place she found suspicious. The evil spirit quickly faded away, making it difficult for her to be sure. But since she recognized it, she must have seen it before. The more she thought about it, the less determined she was to find out the looming traces. Mu Wan looked back three times at first to determine where he was when he left. But the demonic aura became weaker and weaker, and she walked faster and faster, farther and farther. When the morning fog completely cleared, she had no idea where she had gone.
But the mysterious evil spirit finally stopped. Along the way, Mu Wan stopped and walked, panting from exhaustion. When she pushed aside the tall grass in front of her, a towering tree suddenly appeared in front of her.
This tree is so strange, so strange.
It is so huge that it is indescribable that a small village could fit into its girdle. But it grew very strangely, growing crookedly all the way up, like a huge arm stretching out from the soil. And it was bare, without a single leaf. There are many small animals living on it. Birds and monkeys have all made their homes on it. Perhaps it is because it is high and dangerous, and they are willing to stay there even without the protection of leaves. I just thought it would be even more spectacular if it also had a tree crown.
The scene was so bizarre that she didn't even notice a man sitting on a rock in front of the tree, drawing pictures.
The man looked back at her. Mu Wan then looked away and looked at him. This contact made her realize that the evil aura was coming from him.
But she had never seen this man.
He has delicate features and looks about the same size as the mountains and seas. He also has long, silky hair, but his face is much softer than Wu Qi's. The texture of that long coat looked very expensive, and maybe he had a distinguished status, but I don't know why he was here alone.
There was a painting basket behind him, with many different scrolls in it. Mu Wan walked closer and felt the demonic aura coming from here, mixed with other auras.
"Girl, you..." His voice was also very soft.
"I'm sorry." She felt surprised, "I, um, I got lost and came here... Did I disturb you?"
He smiled and put away his pen.
"No, there isn't."
"If I may interrupt you...what are you doing?"
"I like to travel around and paint some strange scenery. For example, this one, I have seen it from far and near, and I only came to it this time."
As he spoke, he pointed to the dead tree in front of him. Mu Wan looked at the tree and then at his painting. This scroll is very large. I have just made a few strokes, but nothing can be seen yet. But judging from the strength of the strokes, we can see some decent brushwork.
"This tree, is it dead?"
"Either death or life."
"Huh?"
"And over there" he raised his hand and pointed far away through the forest, "there is an identical tree over there."
Mu Wan looked in the direction he pointed, which was the opposite direction to where the "Crooked Neck Tree" was leaning, but he saw nothing.
"Ah, I haven't asked for advice yet..."
Mu Wan was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded: "Ah, I'm in Xia Liangqiu Mu Wan, from Xueyan Valley."
"I'm Chengyou." He looked slightly sideways, "Xue Yangu...are you a disciple of Xue Yan Sect?"
"Exactly."
"Well, I know one of your senior brothers. You have many disciples, so Miss Liangqiu may not know him. Ah, no, I think you must know..."
"Tell me about it? Maybe I know."
"I know about the disappearance of your sect master, and I feel deeply sorry for it. I happened to visit that old friend who came from Xueyan Valley and didn't stay here long. That friend, whose surname is Wu, has temporarily taken over the affairs of your sect."
Mu Wan's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Are you talking about our senior brother, Wu Yuangui? Are you his friend?"
"That's natural. Hey, could it be that you are the little junior sister who traveled far away in his mouth?" He raised his eyebrows slightly.
"It's me! How is senior brother doing? And my senior sister Yan Muxue, have you ever met her? I wrote a letter, but I don't know if they received it..."
"They're nice and they miss you."
Cheng You stretched out his hand to pat her on the head, but immediately realized that this was not appropriate for a girl he had just met, and immediately retracted his arm. He turned around, took out a scroll from the painting basket behind him, and slowly unfolded it in front of her.
"Look, this is the monster I met in Xueyan Valley."
This painting shows a snow-white rabbit with black tips of ears and red eyes. Most people would only think it was an ordinary rabbit painting, but Mu Wan thought it was very lifelike, as if it would blink its eyes and move its three-petal mouth in the next second.
He was indeed a very good painter, but Mu Wan felt that this was more than just a painting.
"Did you see it?" Cheng You smiled again, "I included all the shikigami in the painting."
"No wonder..."
"What's the wonder?"
"Ah, I was far away just now, and I felt a familiar monster... It turns out that it is the monster in my valley. Oh, I am really... It turns out that you are also a demon warrior."
There are so many trees and grasses that are so confused. How come you can’t even tell the difference between your own things?
"Oh, by the way," she continued, "I also have my own shikigami, but not many..."
She opened the umbrella, and two charms with different strange words fell down, and she caught them with her fingers in an instant. Then she handed them to Chengyou.
"Bai Di and Han Shui Ji." He took it and recognized it at a glance.
Mu Wan flipped through several scrolls in the basket and asked him without looking back:
"Are these all your shikigami?"
"Not all. Some are ordinary paintings, and some are empty scrolls. There are only four real shikigami."
When she turned around, Cheng You returned the charm to her, pointed at her umbrella and said, "This can collect a lot of shikigami."
"It seems inconvenient to carry the painting on your back." Mu Wan took it.
"I only have four or five that I use frequently. If they are too bad, I will replace them. It is impossible to travel around the world without some means of self-defense."
Cheng You unfolded the scroll with the rabbit on it and lowered one end. The lively rabbit jumped down and jumped into the woods. Mu Wan stared at it, and when he looked back, he put away the scroll he had just painted.
"You don't want to draw anymore?"
"Change the place and paint the other side."
"...Why? Doesn't painting mean sitting in one place for a long time?"
"I like to draw...different sides. Drawing like this is the real look."
Mu Wan followed him for a few steps, not quite understanding what he meant.
She kept following and wanted to ask more about the valley.
