"If you don't believe me, would you like to feel for yourself? Feel if I have a tailbone or not."
Yu Yi examined his expression, pondering seriously for a moment before nodding, "Alright then."
If she was going to feel, she would. If it really was his bone, she'd return it.
Xue Chenjing was visibly startled, apparently not expecting her to actually want to touch his tailbone to believe him. His eyelashes fluttered quickly twice, like a startled butterfly, a flash of embarrassment passing through his eyes before he could hide it.
"You really don't believe me?" Xue Chenjing asked. Seeing her nod in affirmation, he inhaled deeply in frustration, ultimately choosing to compromise.
He moved closer to Yu Yi's side, turning slightly, and reached out to grasp her wrist, pressing it to his lower back. Through gritted teeth, he squeezed out four words, "Feel for yourself."
Yu Yi's fingertips slid down along his concave spine, feeling for the position of his tailbone through the no-longer-thick spring clothing.
Xue Chenjing turned his head away, facing her with the back of his head. His black ponytail nearly whipped her face, revealing a stretch of snow-white neck and gradually reddening ears beneath the hair strands.
Yu Yi pressed down with a bit of force, and Xue Chenjing's fingers within his sleeves clenched tightly. His shoulders and back tensed, revealing clear muscle contours. It was as if a spark had ignited from his tailbone, spreading a indescribable heat throughout his body.
Xue Chenjing's breathing almost stopped. His tentacles, invisible to others, drooped to the ground like soft noodles, their tips curling and uncurling uncontrollably, twisting into spirals in the empty air.
Yu Yi was oblivious to this, focusing on feeling his tailbone. The sensation under her fingertips was soft, and indeed, in the place where humans should have a tailbone, she couldn't feel the corresponding bone structure on his body.
"Are you the same as humans?" Yu Yi asked reasonably. For a monster like him, it should be easy to hide his tailbone, right?
The heat in Xue Chenjing's body suddenly cooled. His misty eyes regained their clarity. He turned around, stepping away from her hand, and stared coldly at the tentacles in the air that others couldn't see. He said, "If you don't believe me, then forget it."
Yu Yi's gaze swept over his paling face, and she held out the tailbone in her palm to him. "Alright, I'll trust you this once. After all, you helped me break open this place."
When Xue Chenjing heard her mention Xue Mingyuan, his expression became even more unpleasant, almost gritting his teeth. "Such a simple formation, I could have broken it too."
Before Yu Yi could respond, his tentacles shot out from the side, quickly snatching the tailbone from her palm. His form turned to mist before her eyes, disappearing into a nearby crack.
Sure enough, this bastard changed his attitude as soon as he achieved his goal.
Yu Yi frustratedly clenched her now-empty palm, lowering her head to ask Crane Senior Brother, "Did I get tricked by him again?"
Crane Senior Brother tilted his bird head, making two "ga ga" sounds.
Yu Yi exclaimed in surprise, "You're actually speaking up for him?"
Crane Senior Brother: After all, he was the one who rescued it from those fierce cultivators of Zhaohua Palace.
Yu Yi looked around this empty spiritual eye. After the spiritual energy had drained away, nothing was left here, even the water in the pool had dried up. She searched around but found nothing of value, so she summoned her sword and flew out of there.
...
The commotion in the Ghost City naturally alarmed the nearby villagers. Since the latter half of last night, they had been feeling intermittent tremors coming from the direction of the Ghost City, and once again heard the continuous, shrill cries of cranes.
The nearby villages were so frightened that they lit torches, illuminating their villages inside and out as bright as day, not daring to let the fire go out for a moment. They feared that something from the Ghost City might break through the barrier and drag them away as scapegoats.
The surrounding villagers were anxious for most of the night. They didn't dare to come and investigate the Ghost City in the dark, only daring to gather a group of strong men to observe from afar when the sun rose.
Outside the Ghost City, the ashes of incense and talismans burned during yesterday's ritual remained. On the talisman rope encircling the Ghost City, newly added talismans were still fresh, their vermilion runes bright and eye-catching.
But everyone could sense the disturbance within the Ghost City, seeing the shadows of evil spirits darting about inside.
This unprecedented scene frightened everyone. People kept looking towards the Village Head, asking when the immortal cultivators from Zhaohua Palace would arrive.
The Village Head's face was full of bitterness as he tried to reassure the villagers, "Soon, soon. Last night, I already burned the communication talisman left by the immortal cultivators to report the disturbance in the Ghost City."
The villagers were somewhat comforted by his words, but the Village Head's heart was pounding. As mere mountain villagers, how could they always summon immortal cultivators at will? The communication talisman burned last night had yet to receive a response, and he couldn't guarantee that the immortal cultivators would come.
If it weren't for that immortal crane breaking through their barrier yesterday, the immortal cultivators from Zhaohua Palace wouldn't have come so quickly.
The Village Head stared at the newly added talismans on the rope, wondering if he should tear one off to test. If the barrier weakened, the immortal cultivators would surely come to check. With disturbances two days in a row, they could use this opportunity to request the immortal cultivators to reinforce the barrier ahead of schedule.
But hearing the miserable wails from within the Ghost City, he worried that if he destroyed one talisman, these lingering evil spirits would immediately rush out and devour them.
Just as everyone was in a dilemma, specks of white light suddenly began to drift out from within the Ghost City. At first glance, they looked like sky lanterns floating out from the ghost realm, rising higher and higher until they finally dissolved in the sunlight.
Within that light, occasional remnant scenes could be seen reflected, showing the shadows of people and beasts laughing, arguing, and in various states – as if a stage play had been moved to the sky.
The villagers below were both frightened and curious, all craning their necks to watch the sky. After some time, the sky stage came to an end, the ghostly wails gradually ceased, and the cold yin energy within the Ghost City melted away completely, like snow under the sun.
The talisman rope surrounding the Ghost City spontaneously burst into flames, burning away the last traces of yin energy from the Ghost City.
Feeling this change, the gathered villagers rejoiced, "Village Head, it seems the ghosts and monsters in this Ghost City have been pacified! Did the immortal cultivators from Zhaohua Palace already enter?"
"That's wonderful, we can finally sleep soundly at night!"
"Without the Ghost City's yin energy affecting the land, our village crops will have a good harvest this year."
The villagers cheered jubilantly, taking out yellow paper and incense from their baskets to kneel and kowtow towards the Ghost City. Amidst the flying incense ash, suddenly, a crisscrossing sword light shot out from behind the half-collapsed city gate of the Ghost City.
The vines climbing on the gate creaked and collapsed with a rumble. A slender figure slowly walked out from among the fluttering green leaves and white flowers, followed by a tall immortal crane.
As soon as Yu Yi walked out, she saw a group of people burning incense and paper money, kneeling and bowing to her, which startled her quite a bit.
Fortunately, a white-haired old man took the initiative to approach her, his face bearing a respectful smile as he repeatedly expressed gratitude: "This old man didn't receive a reply from the immortal cultivators last night, and thought they might have been delayed by other matters. We didn't expect you had already entered the Ghost City."
As the Village Head spoke, he wept with joy, hurriedly wiping his tears with his sleeve. He exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, immortal cultivator, for ridding us of the evil spirits in this city. The people from several nearby villages have lived in fear of this Ghost City for generations. Now we can finally be at ease, and from now on, our children can play without worry."
Other villagers gathered around, thanking her in a clamor of voices. Some even knelt down, wanting to kowtow to her.
Yu Yi could hardly stop them from bowing, and quickly said, "There's no need to thank me, everyone. As a cultivator, exorcising ghosts and capturing monsters are part of my duties. This was also a form of cultivation for me."
The Village Head nodded repeatedly through his tears, agreeing with whatever she said, "The immortal cultivator is right. You must be tired after pacifying a whole city of ghosts. If you don't mind, please invite your other fellow disciples to rest in our village for a while. I'll arrange for people to prepare a feast to celebrate right away."
Yu Yi was just a rogue cultivator, with only Crane Senior Brother beside her. How could she have any fellow disciples? She waved her hand, saying, "No need, no need. I'm just a rogue cultivator passing by, lending a hand. There's no need for such courtesy."
The Village Head asked in surprise, "A rogue cultivator? Aren't you from Zhaohua Palace?"
Yu Yi blinked in surprise, then explained with a smile that she was a disciple of the Qingxuan Daoist Priest, without any formal sect affiliation, and could hardly aspire to join a great immortal sect like Zhaohua Palace.
The people around exchanged glances, and after their initial shock, someone called out, "That's true! Those Zhaohua Palace folks only come to tie some paper talismans every time, claiming they can suppress evil spirits. We've never seen them actually solve the problem of this Ghost City. Immortal Lady, with your great abilities, it's Zhaohua Palace that can't measure up to you!"
"Exactly! The Qingxuan Daoist Priest who could train such a formidable disciple like you must be a great immortal himself."
"Immortal Lady, you've solved the Ghost City's curse for us. When we return, we'll surely build statues and temples for the great immortal Qingxuan and you, offering three incense sticks every day. We won't worship that so-called Zhaohua Palace anymore."
Seeing that the crowd was getting carried away, the Village Head quickly reprimanded them, "Silence! What nonsense are you all spouting?" He pointed to the sky sternly, "Are immortal sects something you can casually speculate about?"
The Village Head commanded considerable respect among the villagers from the surrounding area, and his words immediately silenced everyone.
Yu Yi also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, and besides, she hadn't done anything particularly extraordinary. Statues, temples, and daily incense offerings - she could hardly accept such honors.
Unexpectedly, after silencing the crowd, the Village Head turned to her and said, "However, making a statue to worship the Immortal Lady is indeed appropriate. May I ask what your Daoist title is? We'd like to inscribe it on a plaque for you."
Yu Yi was torn between laughter and tears. Seeing that it would be impolite to refuse outright, she thought for a moment and said, "If you truly insist, perhaps you could make a statue for my master instead. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today. My cultivation is still shallow, and I'm not worthy of being placed on an altar."
With this suggestion, the crowd finally relented.
Yu Yi took out a portrait from her storage pouch. The figure in the painting held a sword in one hand and formed a mystical gesture with the other. Dressed in a blue Daoist robe with a flowing long beard, he truly looked like an otherworldly sage. This was a self-portrait left by the Qingxuan Daoist Priest.
In the Bamboo Grove Secret Realm, there was a room dedicated to her master's paintings and calligraphy. The old man had left many self-portraits, from his youthful years full of vigor to his prime years as depicted in this painting. Each stage of his life was represented by dozens or even hundreds of portraits.
Before leaving the secret realm, Yu Yi had taken one with her.
The Village Head accepted the painting with utmost reverence, promising to ensure that people from nearby villages would sincerely worship it. They wanted to invite Yu Yi to a banquet in the village, but unable to bear their enthusiasm any longer, she quickly made an excuse and left.
Xue Chenjing, hiding in the underground of the Ghost City, reintegrated his tailbone into his body. Only then did this frail form regain some strength. He clenched his fist, his eyebrows rising in delight, his eyes full of joy.
Countless transparent tentacles emerged from the shadows at his feet, carrying him up the broken rock walls. He quickly emerged from the crevice of the underground palace.
When he reached the surface and returned to the ruins of the Ghost City, he happened to hear a long cry from Crane Senior Brother.
Xue Chenjing looked up, the joyful expression on his face suddenly fading, turning gloomy once again.
The crane flapped its wings and flew into the distance. On its back, a figure could be seen. Yu Yi, hugging her green bamboo sword, was bathed in brilliant sunlight. Her robes fluttered, the red pomegranate bead string in her hair shone brightly, and her black tresses danced in the wind.
She left swiftly and decisively, completely forgetting that she still had a little dog.
No sooner had Yu Yi left the Ghost City than another group of cultivators arrived.
Talisman lights fell rapidly like daytime meteors into the Ghost City - it was the cultivators from Zhaohua Palace.
This time, many cultivators had come, including an elder of Zhaohua Palace. Behind the elder followed Shen Qingzhi, the head disciple of Zhaohua Palace. Just looking at this lineup showed how seriously they took this matter.
Before the Zhaohua Palace cultivators even landed, they saw the talisman ropes surrounding the Ghost City had burned to ashes. This barrier that had been restraining ghosts wasn't forcibly broken by someone; rather, as the spirits in the city dissipated, the barrier naturally collapsed.
That's why the Zhaohua Palace people couldn't detect it immediately and arrived late.
The elder acted decisively. Upon landing, he sensed that all the yin energy and ghostly aura in the Ghost City had completely dissipated. His gaze swept around, and he immediately commanded, "Lin Fang, take a few people to intercept the villagers who haven't gone far. Ask them about what happened here."
"Liu Yin, lead the rest to thoroughly investigate inside and outside the Ghost City for any anomalies."
As everyone carried out their orders, the elder turned to Shen Qingzhi and said, "Qingzhi, come with me."
Shen Qingzhi responded, "Yes, Elder Yan."
The two came to the withered locust tree in the center. Elder Yan's expression was grave as he bent down to pick up a yellow leaf. With just a light touch, the leaf crumbled to dust in his hand.
This locust tree was thoroughly dead.
He brushed off the leaf fragments and looked down into the large pit that had collapsed next to the locust tree. Without delay, he jumped down into the hole, stepping on bricks and stones. Shen Qingzhi instinctively followed behind him.
Elder Yan waved his sleeve, and several talismans flew out, shooting towards the collapsed bricks and stones ahead. Under the talisman light, the huge end walls and stones seemed as light as falling leaves, moving aside with a rumble at the elder's gesture.
The two proceeded deeper underground, soon reaching the half-collapsed underground palace.
Shen Qingzhi turned his head to survey the surroundings, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He had visited this Ghost City several times but never knew there was such a space underground.
Elder Yan didn't turn around, but seemed to guess his thoughts and voluntarily explained, "This was once the ancestral hall of the Ji family, originally hidden by a barrier."
He seemed quite familiar with this place. After just a glance at the extinguished lamps scattered on the ground, he quickened his pace and headed straight for the circular mound. When he saw the deep fissure under the mound, he clicked his tongue and said, "Not good."
As he spoke, his form turned into a blur, swiftly diving into the fissure. Shen Qingzhi put down the lamp he had just picked up and followed him down.
A moment later, the two emerged from the ground fissure one after another. Elder Yan's expression was stern, while Shen Qingzhi seemed rather puzzled. He asked uncertainly, "Elder, is there something down there?"
"Zhaohua Palace has long been merely suppressing but not eliminating the evil spirits in this city, all to hide what's in the underground palace." He glanced back at Shen Qingzhi. "Never mind, you'll know when we return to the palace."
As they came out of the underground palace, a disciple came to report that they had learned from the villagers about a rogue cultivator who had been here. She had guided all the ghosts in the city to transcendence, but had left half an hour ago.
Elder Yan immediately strode out, ordering, "Bring those villagers here. I want to question them personally."
As the Zhaohua Palace group left the ruins of the Ghost City, under the dense foliage and vines in the city, more than a dozen plump little black worms slowly wriggled out. The little black worms had recorded all the scenes that occurred in the Ghost City in their eyes, and their figures silently disappeared.
