Tumultuous Night at No-Man’s Cemetery (Part 1)
“Given that we’ve gone through the entire place and haven’t found anything, I’m convinced the yin qi was just a trap waiting to spring on me. They must’ve been aware I came by during the day. If it was any other cultivator, they wouldn’t be able to escape without death qi. What I want know most right now is where would Chen Erzhuang be at night if not at home.”
“Why not cast a formation here and spring it back on him? We can come and check our catch tomorrow,” suggested Xiaoshuai.
“I like that.” Mu Yu cast a spell with his foot and hid four formation foundations in places that weren’t conspicuous. The formation lines covered the entire place and blended in with the environment.
“Let’s go check on No-Man’s Cemetery,” proposed the dragon vine.
“Big Earthworm, what do you want to do at a pit for corpses in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?!”
“In case you haven’t noticed, we are at a store for dead people.”
“It’s different! Let’s go check on the old man. You wouldn’t want to see him strangled to death by the time we get back, do you?”
“Why are you caring for him all of a sudden?”
“We should care for him after he provided us with food. This is what’s called have a conscience, understand? Wouldn’t you feel bad if misfortune befell him?”
“No. You were the one who ate; I didn’t eat anything.”
“Xiaoshuai has a point,” Mu Yu assented, finishing the last line of his formation.
“Wise decision,” responded Xiaoshuai.
“And then we’ll go to No-Man’s Cemetery,” added Mu Yu.
“Why?!” Xiaoshuai cried.
Dahuang greeted Mu Yu when he saw the latter coming back. Elder Xu, who was trembling under his blanket, threw them off and raced over to Mu Yu as soon as he heard the latter enter.
“Immortal Master, what did you find? Will I survive?”
Mu Yu forced a smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t let any harm befall you.”
“Thank you. Thank you.”
“Did anything happen while I was gone?”
Looking shook, Elder Xu exclaimed, “Yes, yes!”
“What happened?” Mu Yu asked, checking for injuries on Elder Xu.
“There was a man with my spitting image here before you came back. He left a message and then took off.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me to tell you he would be waiting at No-Man’s Cemetery since you were looking for him and then left.”
“… Elder Xu, lock your doors. I will go there and be right back.”
“Damn it.”
Xiaoshuai suddenly went over to Elder Xu faster than Mu Yu could stop him. “What are you doing, Xiaoshuai?”
“He’s a mannequin!”
Elder Xu discharged yin qi to his body, but Xiaoshuai beat him to the punch and scratched his arm, scrapping off wooden flakes.
“They’re so identical that I can’t even tell them apart and can even learn speech mannerisms? Xiaoshuai, how did you tell?”
“I can’t tell. All I can say without a doubt is that the spiritual qi around his neck doesn’t belong to me, and he doesn’t have the smell of roast goose on him.”
“I don’t know anything. I’m just a messenger,” cried Elder Xu, using yin qi at his feet to disappear into thin air.
“Was he just a messenger? Damn, I was hoping to stop him.”
“Who cares?! Let’s get to the valley already,” demanded Xiaoshuai, scurrying back into Mu Yu’s shirt.
“Weren’t you objecting before?” the dragon vine questioned.
“Who will make me roast geese if he dies?”
Mu Yu made haste for No-Man’s Cemetery.
***
Though the moon was often used to illustrate tranquillity and beauty, it only beamed death onto No-Man’s Cemetery. The breeze created creepy silhouettes out of the dense fog that the chilly weather formed.
Chen Erzhuang and his four clerks pushed the coffin they dug up before into the valley without hesitation. The coffin rumbled as it crashed into the rock face. The next thing they did was jump down after the coffin!
Yin qi rose from the bottom of the valley, curling, twisting and screeching for a brief moment before settling.
Mu Yu arrived at No-Man’s Cemetery out of thin air after he was done witnessing the entire process Chen Erzhuang and his men went through. For the reason that the mastermind was educated on formations to some extent, Mu Yu planted formations with each deliberate step he took along the edge of the valley. He stopped after nine steps and used a retreat formation to cover the entire valley covertly in his formation.
Mu Yu used light after jumping down after Chen Erzhuang, reasoning there was no need for stealth if the mastermind already knew he was coming. Unfortunately, the mastermind implemented the same trick they implemented at Chen Erzhuang’s store, restricting the radius that Mu Yu’s light extended.
Mu Yu didn’t hear any rumbling. Howbeit, he heard eerie gales and vengeful howls echoing – or so he thought. The lower he descended, the colder it was.
“I’m here. Aren’t you going to show yourself?” Mu Yu questioned, spreading Wood Spirit Sword’s branches underneath him stealthily.
“Kekeke, impudent cultivator. I wonder if Third Heaven’s cultivators’ brains taste nice.”
Mu Yu couldn’t discern the precise direction the voice originated from. Nonetheless, he jabbed back, “There’s too much goodness in mine for you to digest.”
Whoosh! Amongst the yin qi that flitted across, morphing into black mist was a red glow. Together, the image resembled someone with a hunched back and wings.
“I’ve had enough of your games!”
Mu Yu slashed at the mist near the red light, dispersing it to reveal two people. He suddenly shifted his swing trajectory of his swing to avoid harming one of them, clanging against the rocky wall instead. The yin qi layering the walls deflected the sword, sending the sword qi to the opposite wall. Though one might’ve expected the sword qi to ricochet off the second wall, it, instead, cancelled out the qi.
Elder Xu was thrilled to see Mu Yu until the latter nearly took his torso off. From within the mist, Elder Xu cried, “Immortal Master, don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”
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