I Need To Find A Way To Make Her Love Me Again - Chapter 47

Due to the natural undulating terrain of Mount Qingding, the surrounding villages usually consist of only a few dozen households.

By the time Yan Xingyu and her companions reached the area, night had already fallen. However, they saw bright candlelight in the distance, thousands of lights flickering in the darkness, stripping away the silence of the night. The wind rustled through the mountain forest as if urging them to hurry forward.

Seeing that Tongshan Village was situated deep in the mountains yet was unexpectedly large in scale, Yan Xingyu noticed that while the birds and beasts had gone to sleep, a faint clamor emanated from ahead even before they drew near.

Yan Xingyu couldn’t help but remark, “We didn’t find the wrong place, did we? This feels more like a town than a village.”

Yi Rong replied, “We shouldn’t have. Why don’t we go forward and ask the villagers?”

“Mm, I’ll go ask,” Yan Xingyu said, taking large strides and pulling her companion along. As they approached the village entrance, a tall, thin youth appeared and, without a word, threw a talisman at them.

Yi Rong quickly sent out a “Shadow Fish” to act as a barrier, shielding them. Seeing the talisman explode in mid-air and create a significant shockwave, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

Because the opponent was just a youth, she did not counterattack, maintaining a defensive posture instead. She asked, “Who are you, and why are you attacking us?”

Seeing that the newcomers had easily blocked his attack, the youth realized he was no match for them. He turned to run, but he couldn’t outrun Yi Rong’s Shadow Fish. Seeing himself entangled by the black, slimy substance, he couldn’t help but scream.

“Help! Demon folk have entered the village!” “Someone come quickly, save me!” “The demon folk are going to eat me!”

The youth’s piercing screams were so loud they nearly made Yan Xingyu’s ears ring. she shouted, “Stop yelling! What ‘demon folk’? We haven’t even called you a demon yet!”

“Attacking people without saying a word, how are you in the right?”

Before Yan Xingyu could finish her sentence, muffled explosions rang out all around. She turned to see many villagers men, women, young and old, approaching with talismans and nets. The explosions were caused by the talismans they were throwing at her.

Though Yi Rong intercepted them all, Yan Xingyu was displeased. She shouted loudly, “What is the meaning of this? Attacking people indiscriminately! If you continue, don’t blame us for being impolite!”

Whether intimidated by her shout or for some other reason, the restless crowd stopped their movements.

A woman with high-pinned hair and thick eyebrows stepped out from the crowd. She wasn’t tall, but her steps were full of authority. She spoke: “It is late at night. For what purpose have you two come to our small village?”

Seeing that this woman seemed to hold some status, Yan Xingyu replied, “We are here to wait for someone. Is this Tongshan Village?”

The woman said, “It is. However, our village does not host outsiders. Whom are you waiting for?”

Hearing this, Yan Xingyu knew they were in the right place. Thinking that since Liu Ruoni wanted them here, she must be connected to these people, she said, “The person we are waiting for is named Liu Ruoni. I wonder if you know her?”

Upon hearing the name, the woman looked slightly surprised and asked, “Liu Immortal Official?”

Yan Xingyu wasn’t sure about their titles, but the surname matched. She replied, “Yes.”

Upon hearing her answer, the crowd and even the youth who had been struggling in secret, instantly dropped their guard.

“So you are friends of the Immortal Official Liu. We have offended you; we are truly sorry.” Led by the woman, the crowd bowed in unison to apologize.

Watching their bizarre behavior, Yan Xingyu asked, “What is the meaning of this?”

The woman stood up and waved for the villagers to disperse. They scattered at once. She stepped forward respectfully and said, “My surname is Xu, and everyone calls me Lady Xu. Because we were entrusted by Immortal Official Liu to strictly guard the village recently, we are quite wary of strangers.”

“I didn’t realize you were friends of Immortal Official Liu. I am terribly sorry for the clash.”

Lady Xu’s voice became polite and gentle, like a soft rain cooling Yan Xingyu’s rising anger.

Seeing this, Yi Rong released the youth. He glanced at Lady Xu and scurried away.

Realizing it was all a misunderstanding, Yan Xingyu didn’t want to waste time bickering. She asked, “It’s fine. But why did Liu Ruoni tell you to guard the village so strictly?”

Lady Xu noticed the silver snake coiled around Yan Xingyu’s wrist. Seeing its vertical pupils staring at her, she felt an instinctive shiver but maintained her composure. She answered, “Because Immortal Official Liu said that many things, neither human nor ghost, would be appearing recently, and told us to be careful.”

“Things neither human nor ghost?”

Yan Xingyu repeated the words, a sense of realization hitting her as she thought of the cocoons they had encountered in the cave.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was it not just the Yulan Palace that had those “human ghouls,” but Mount Qingding and its surroundings as well?

Feeling that the situation was far more serious than she anticipated, she asked, “How long have you been on guard like this? Have you encountered anything strange?”

Lady Xu replied, “Immortal Official Liu only gave us these instructions a few days ago, so we have been extra vigilant.”

“We haven’t encountered anything recently; perhaps we are just being overly suspicious.” Her gaze fell back onto the silver snake on Yan Xingyu’s wrist as she continued, “The children are young, seeing someone with a snake, it’s hard not to be afraid.”

Hearing this, Yan Xingyu looked down at Little Silver and realized she was indeed a bit eye catching. However, she recalled that Little Silver had remained in its physical form ever since they left Yulan Palace.

She whispered, “Little Silver, why have you been staying outside the whole time?”

“Master, because your current spiritual power allows me to manifest freely. I like being outside.”

Hearing this, Yan Xingyu felt it was indeed unfair to keep it trapped inside her brother’s body, so she gave a slight nod.

She said to Lady Xu, “My apologies, it seems I gave everyone a fright.”

Her eyes then landed on the talisman Lady Xu was clutching, recalling how everyone in the village was armed with them. She remarked, “Everyone here, young and old seems to know how to use talismans. That is quite rare.”

Because Yan Xingyu was a friend of the Immortal Official, Lady Xu held nothing back. She replied, “Within a radius of several miles, there is indeed no other village that can compare to ours.”

“After all, this is the place where Immortal Xiangzhu ascended to divinity.”

Hearing this name again, Yan Xingyu no longer felt it was a stranger’s name. Recalling what she had heard in the past, she felt a complex mix of emotions at this inexplicable, fated connection.

She asked in confusion, “But Immortal Xiangzhu is the ancestor of the Lingluan Palace. Even if she ascended here, it shouldn’t have anything to do with your village, right?”

Lady Xu smiled and nodded. “It is true that Immortal Xiangzhu only happened to ascend here and has no blood relation to the children of our village.”

“Years ago, when the Immortal came to our village, she helped our ancestors deal with a ferocious tiger that frequently raided the village to snatch children. However, that tiger had raised many ‘little ghosts’ (lesser spirits). Once the tiger was gone, the spirits were masterless and threatened to cause chaos. So, the Immortal taught the village schoolteacher at the time, a man named Liu, the method for drawing evil warding talismans.”

“Teacher Liu learned the art of crafting talismans and exorcising ghosts. To commemorate the Immortal’s guidance, he erected a statue in her honor and passed down the craft to his descendants. Not only has this protected the village for generations, but the successors of the Liu family have all stepped onto the path of seeking immortality. We respectfully refer to them as the ‘Liu Immortal Officials.'”

Yan Xingyu let out an “Oh” of realization. “No wonder. So the rest of you learned the art of talisman-making as well?”

Lady Xu chuckled. “We are mere mortals; how could we learn such celestial arts? It is the Liu Immortal Official who crafts the talismans and distributes them to us. We simply follow orders and recite the incantations to activate them.”

Yan Xingyu thought about it and realized it made sense. She wondered to herself: So Liu Ruoni comes from a multi-generational Taoist family?

It seemed both true and not quite, but it was certainly true that they had been making their own talismans for generations. She had previously wondered where Liu Ruoni got so many strange and exotic talismans, turns out she was making them herself!

Thinking of this, Yan Xingyu couldn’t help but ask, “Does Liu Ruoni charge you money for these talismans?”

Lady Xu replied, “Of course. We couldn’t possibly let the Immortal Official work for nothing.”

Yan Xingyu asked, “Then how much do you have to give her?”

Lady Xu said, “One copper coin per time.”

Yan Xingyu couldn’t help but blurt out: “One time?! One copper coin???”

Lady Xu, thinking the other didn’t understand what “one time” meant, explained: “The Liu family’s ancestral decree states that regardless of how many talismans a villager seeks, it is not charged by the piece, but by the visit. Whether you ask for one or a hundred at one time, it is still just one copper coin.”

Lady Xu sighed with emotion at the Liu family’s selflessness, which had kept their village safe and prosperous for generations. She added with a smile, “Of course, no villager would actually be thick-skinned enough to take a hundred talismans at once.”

Looking up, she noticed that Yan Xingyu’s face had darkened visibly. Lady Xu replayed her words in her mind and found nothing inappropriate. Thinking the two might be exhausted from traveling through the night, she said, “You two, the hour is late. How about I take you to rest?”

In Yan Xingyu’s mind, the figures “one copper coin” and “one hundred gold” were echoing back and forth. The hundred gold pieces she had given away weren’t five hundred gold anymore, they had turned into a mountain of copper coins that was now collapsing and burying her.

The weight was almost suffocating. She finally managed a heavy exhale and said through gritted teeth, “Then… I shall trouble you.”

Lady Xu sensed that the woman’s mood had suddenly turned sour, but assuming it was just fatigue, she quickly led them into the village.

“The Liu Immortal Official also left instructions: if anyone came looking for her, they should be settled in the Liu family residence.”

Lady Xu led them to a small courtyard in a quiet corner of the village. Before the white walls and black tiles stood a massive willow tree, its sprawling branches shielding the area before the gate like a protective canopy.

She opened the door with practiced ease and led them to a guest room, lighting a lamp. “Things are a bit rushed tonight, so I won’t be able to entertain you properly. Tomorrow, I will come back to officially welcome you. For tonight, please make do with this.”

Yan Xingyu replied, “It’s fine. We are just here to wait for someone. No need for a fuss.”

Lady Xu didn’t argue, only smiled. “The room is cleaned daily, so please rest easy. I won’t disturb you further.”

With that, she turned and left the room, walking away with a brisk, familiar pace. She seemed so trusting of the two strangers that she didn’t even look back once.

Yan Xingyu was stunned by this display of absolute trust. She remarked, “The people in this village really trust Liu Ruoni. It feels like as long as you drop her name, you can walk sideways through this village however you like.”

Yi Rong, standing nearby, added, “If everything that woman said is true, the Liu family has protected this place for generations. Naturally, they would have extraordinary influence.”

Yan Xingyu blinked and looked around the room. The decor was simple and sparse. Seeing that it was indeed late and that Liu Ruoni wouldn’t be appearing today, she decided it was best to rest and gather her strength for tomorrow.

She looked down at Little Silver, who was coiled around her wrist with its small head raised, also inspecting the environment.

She said, “Little Silver, time for you to go back and sleep.”

Little Silver replied, “Master, I can sleep out here too.”

Yan Xingyu pursed her lips and let out a long, slow sigh. “But Little Silver… don’t you understand the concept of ‘propriety regarding what one should not see’?”

Upon hearing this, Little Silver didn’t say another word and vanished from her wrist in an instant.

Seeing Little Silver bolt so quickly somehow tickled Yan Xingyu’s funny bone, and she burst into laughter.

Seeing the tension finally leave her companion’s face, Yi Rong walked over and pulled her into an embrace. Leaning close to her ear, she whispered, “What’s wrong?”