When the Immortal Venerable Picked-Up the Demon Cub - Chapter 42

Zhu Ning also felt something was off, yet she couldn’t stop herself from moving forward. Small mounds dotted the sunken ground, each lacking a tombstone. The sheer number of them made Zhu Ning’s scalp tingle. Logically, any place like this would be uninhabitable for miles around.

But when Zhu Ning glanced at the elderly woman’s house, not far away, she grew puzzled. Shouldn’t these superstitious ancient people be even more cautious about such things? How could anyone choose to build their home in a forest containing a mass grave site?

The forest already saw little sunlight year-round. If hunting convenience was the reason, settling in an ordinary forest would have been the most logical choice. But this forest contained a mass grave site, which defied all reason and common sense.

Lin Xiayan, having lived in the Demon Realm for so long, had little understanding of mortal taboos and hadn’t immediately noticed anything amiss.

Seeing Zhu Ning’s frown, she asked, “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?” Zhu Ning explained her analysis, and Lin Xiayan finally understood. The way she looked at the elderly woman’s house now held a complex mix of emotions.

Before they could decide whether to leave, they spotted a white rabbit standing among the small grave mounds. Its fur was spotless, unlike any wild rabbit they’d ever seen. Instead, it looked plump and beautiful, like something from the celestial realm.

Lin Xiayan, intrigued, took a few steps toward the rabbit. The scene before them instantly transformed from the desolate Mass Grave Site into a lavish mansion. Two large red lanterns hung at the entrance, their crimson glow like fresh blood swaying in the wind. The sky darkened, as if a heavy snowstorm was imminent. Lin Xiayan glanced back to see Zhu Ning’s equally bewildered expression.

“Where are we? Is this an illusion?” Zhu Ning asked. Even with her Yin-Yang Eyes activated, she detected nothing amiss beyond the usual Yin energy. The opulent mansion stood before them, unmoving, both real and unreal, leaving Zhu Ning stunned.

As they stood frozen in place, the sound of opera drifted from within the mansion, accompanied by the faint clang of gongs and drums. The festive atmosphere seemed so intense it threatened to lift the roof off the building.

Who would hold such a joyous celebration in a Mass Grave Site? Zhu Ning thought, her unease growing with each passing moment. The hairs on her body stood on end. She moved closer to Lin Xiayan as the opera sounds grew louder, as if all that separated them from the scene inside was the push of a door.

Neither Zhu Ning nor Lin Xiayan knew who would open the door. They stood there hesitating for a long time. Lin Xiayan had already formed a barrier around herself with her cultivation energy and raised her hand to push the door open. But before her fingers touched the blood-red surface, the door was pulled open from the inside.

The one who opened the door was a very short old man. With his sharp features and monkey-like face, he looked mean and nasty. He glanced at Lin Xiayan, then at Zhu Ning, and muttered under his breath about his bad luck before coldly gesturing them inside. “If you’re here for the feast, what’s the point of standing at the door like this?”

A feast? Zhu Ning and Lin Xiayan were even more confused. What kind of feast would be held in a mass grave site? The more Zhu Ning thought about it, the more her skin crawled. She looked around warily, but the courtyard’s layout seemed normal, and even the ghostly energy had faded considerably.

This discovery didn’t reassure them at all. Instead, it made them even more tense. Though Lin Xiayan had been a powerful figure in the Demon Realm for many years, this was the first time she’d faced a situation where the enemy was hidden while she was exposed.

The deeper they went, the stranger the people became. None of them looked like good people, yet they laughed and chatted merrily, even raising toasts to Zhu Ning and Lin Xiayan from afar, their enthusiasm bordering on frightening.

Earlier, in the dim light by the gate, the old man hadn’t seemed remarkable. But now, under the candlelight, it was clear that his robes were sewn entirely with gold thread, an extravagant display of wealth.

From their celebratory words, it was clear that today was the old man’s birthday. The opera singing in the courtyard grew louder, as if to deliberately draw Zhu Ning and Lin Xiayan’s attention. Unfortunately, Lin Xiayan, being from the Demon Realm, had no interest in human amusements. And Zhu Ning, having grown up in a modern world saturated with electronics, had long lost any interest in opera, especially such a poorly performed one.

Neither of them spared the stage a single glance. The incessant melody, however, was beginning to give Zhu Ning a headache.

“Lin Xiayan, are you feeling dizzy?” Zhu Ning asked, her expression grave. It was her own carelessness that had led them here. If they lost their strength now, how would they ever escape?

Lin Xiayan struck Zhu Ning’s left shoulder with a palm strike. The sudden pain jolted Zhu Ning awake, and now the opera music sounded eerily like funeral dirges.

Lin Xiayan grabbed Zhu Ning’s wrist, determined to break out immediately, but a child blocked their path from a corner.

“You two clearly haven’t been here before.” Though a child, its voice was even more mature than Lin Xiayan’s disguised voice. Zhu Ning followed the voice, looked down, and studied the child’s face. What she saw made her jump back in shock.

The child’s face was deathly pale, yet its cheeks were flushed crimson, like a paper figure from a paper effigy shop.

This discovery nearly made Zhu Ning scream, already on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, Lin Xiayan reacted swiftly, clamping her hand over Zhu Ning’s mouth.

At the same moment, Lin Xiayan felt something soft and warm press against her palm…

Only when Zhu Ning stopped struggling did Lin Xiayan awkwardly lower her hand, her gaze still drifting.

Zhu Ning, paralyzed by fear, was too preoccupied to notice Lin Xiayan’s strange expression. She stared intently at the child, terrified it might suddenly transform into a skeleton.

“So you really are a first-timer. You’re scared of me? If you met those guys, you’d probably run away screaming.” Zhu Ning finally realized her authority as Sect Leader of Yun Cang Mountain had been challenged. Remembering her powerful cultivation, she wondered why she was afraid of this child.

She straightened her back, forcing herself to appear unafraid. “Where is this place? And who are those guys?”

But the child clearly had no intention of answering. He crossed his arms and said quietly, “If you want to leave, just walk straight out the door. Don’t look back, not even once. Walk ten li, and you’ll find out exactly where you are.”

Though the child looked frightening, his words carried a hint of kindness. Zhu Ning had heard the legend about walking forward without looking back before. She exchanged a glance with Lin Xiayan, thinking it was worth a try. After all, with Lin Xiayan, the great Buddha, by her side, what demon or monster would dare cause trouble?

Zhu Ning suddenly remembered Lin Xiayan’s usefulness. She followed her like a loyal follower, ignoring the old man and other guests’ warnings. They walked straight ahead without looking back, no matter what sounds or events occurred behind them.

And so, they walked smoothly out of the courtyard. After a few more steps, Zhu Ning calculated they had gone about ten li. When she turned back, she was horrified.

What they had just left wasn’t a courtyard at all. It was the Pit of the Dead, right in the center of the Mass Grave Site. If the surrounding area was covered in countless small, unmarked graves, the center was a pit with no graves at all.

The Pit of the Dead held corpses that had just been thrown in, as well as bones that had long since turned white. Either way, the sight was enough to make anyone shudder with fear.

“This…” Lin Xiayan wasn’t so much afraid as disgusted. The thought of having stood among those corpses made her, a woman who had never been particularly fastidious, want to wash herself ten or eight times over.

Zhu Ning’s eyes were blank as her understanding of this world from the book was shattered once again. The book had glossed over such details in a few sentences, but now she was living every moment for real, walking every step the original owner of her body had taken. Watching from the sidelines and experiencing something firsthand were two entirely different things.

As an atheist, Zhu Ning had now witnessed demons, cultivation, and the ghosts of the Mass Grave Site, as well as the illusions of the Pit of the Dead, all within just two days of leaving the mountain. She couldn’t even imagine what else she might encounter in the coming days. Originally, she had believed her cultivation was strong enough to sweep away any ghosts or monsters, but now she was utterly terrified.

Lin Xiayan waved a hand in front of Zhu Ning’s delicate face. When she still didn’t react, Lin Xiayan spoke up, “What’s wrong? You’re the Sect Leader of Yun Cang Mountain, after all. Can’t handle seeing a Pit of the Dead?”

Lin Xiayan had never been good with words. Her attempt to comfort Zhu Ning was clumsy at best, so Zhu Ning didn’t blame her, but her mood remained gloomy. “I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed…”

“Overwhelmed by entering the Pit of the Dead?”

At that moment, Zhu Ning genuinely wanted to kill Lin Xiayan. But when she met Lin Xiayan’s gaze, her courage failed her again. Despite being the Honored Master, she was constantly being bullied by her disciple.

Lin Xiayan stopped joking. Seeing how late it was, she knew they’d be at a disadvantage if they stayed any longer. Without a second thought, she grabbed Zhu Ning and started pulling her back.

“You don’t have to drag me like that,” Zhu Ning protested, her voice losing confidence with each word. “It’s almost dark. I wouldn’t stay out here anyway…” But as the sky darkened, she knew returning to the elderly woman’s house meant another night of torment.

Zhu Ning felt like crying but couldn’t. She was already exhausted before the real trouble even began. She used to complain about authors not giving characters enough plot lines, but now she realized her own script was overflowing with them.

Lin Xiayan considered this and let go of Zhu Ning’s hand. One walked back with her head held high, chest puffed out, while the other trudged along, head bowed in dejection.

As usual, smoke rose from the elderly woman’s chimney at the appointed hour. But this time, Zhu Ning didn’t find the usual scene of frantic activity. Instead, the elderly woman sat by the stove, weeping into her hands.

“What’s wrong?” Even in her dejected state, Zhu Ning had to rally her spirits to comfort the old woman.

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