Cleaning up skeletons was a ti-consuming task. Glancing at your left hand to check the ti, you turned to Hu Qing and Xian Qianling and said, "These people must be the victims of Xu Minjiao and Xu Tonghua, originally buried under the soil. The rain caused the mountain slope’s mud to collapse, exposing their skeletons. If it were just the resentful qi of a single skeleton, it wouldn’t be enough to affect such a large area, but with so many, the collective resentful qi lingered, gathered by the stream into the reservoir, and then entering the village. The villagers drinking the mountain water tainted with different degrees of resentful qi naturally showed such conditions."
"What should we do next?" Xian Qianling asked.
After so thought, you said, "Retrieve all the skeletons from this place, identify them and the grudge between the Xu sisters, then take revenge for them—that should do it."
"This case must be many years old by now, whether the parties involved are still alive is another question."
Hu Qing sighed lightly; she had been most affected from the beginning. Always skeptical of ghosts and spirits, she never imagined she would witness them in her lifeti.
"Whether you can solve it, that’s up to you detectives, I’m not responsible for this part," you shrugged.
"What about the villagers?"
"The source of the resentful qi has been eliminated. The villagers will soon start to recover. For those with more serious conditions, you can steep mugwort in water, let them bathe in it daily, and then let them bask in the sunlight for a few days. There shouldn’t be any problems after that."
Sun Mingyu approached, asking a question that had been puzzling everyone, "Chairman Li, may I ask a question on behalf of everyone?"
"Um?"
"Why did we hear the sound of a gate opening earlier, yet we saw no gate? And why was everything pitch black around us?"
"Do you want to see that gate?" you asked softly with a smile. "If you could see it, it would an you are dead. That’s the gate to the Underworld; it’s natural that the living can’t see it."
"Then, those shadowy figures clanking iron chains were..."
"Ghost ssengers."
Hiss—
Everyone couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
"Sorry, but Zhao’er and I have other matters to attend to, the rest is up to you all."
Hearing this, Xian Qianling quickly ca up to ask, "Where are you planning to go?"
"Going for a hike," you said naturally.
Xian Qianling looked you up and down, clearly disbelieving. "Lying to ghosts? There are plenty of places for Yuhang to hike, why co to such a secluded mountain?"
Knowing you couldn’t deceive Xian Qianling, your tone beca firr, "There’s nothing else for to do if I stay, so I might as well walk around with Zhao’er."
"I’m coming too."
"Why are you following?"
"My task is also complete, and since I’m idle anyway, I might as well stick with Zhao’er. Who knows if you have any designs on her? As her roommate and good sister, it’s my right and duty to protect her from the harassnt of so pervert."
Knowing the crazy woman’s rotten temper all too well and aware that it was best not to confront her, you conceded briskly, "Alright, if you want to follow, then co along."
"Hmph, thinking you can be a sleaze under my watch, no way." Xian Qianling, holding Zhao’er’s delicate hand, said with a laugh, "Zhao’er, let’s just have fun, ignore this guy."
With that, Xian Qianling began to lead Zhao’er down the mountain.
"Hey, wrong way; this way." You stretched your hand to point towards the northeast trail.
"Going deeper into the mountains?" Xian Qianling hesitated. "Are you really planning sothing sleazy?"
Holding your forehead, you didn’t even have the energy to scold Xian Qianling anymore. This foolish woman!
"I’m preparing to venture into the mountain for so investigation. If you’re interested, you can co along, but no idle chat on the way. If you’re not interested, please let go of Zhao’er’s hand now."
"I..."
Zhao’er slightly tilted her head, looking at Xian Qianling, her expression unchanged: "Qian Ling, together."
"Did you hear that? Zhao’er said, together! Hmph!"
Seeing the Crazy Woman and Zhao’er walk along the mountain path, you clasped your hands to Hu Qing and quickly followed.
Rang Hongfei nudged Sun Mingyu beside him and whispered, "Should we follow them?"
Sun Mingyu gave a wry smile, "Why would we follow them, to be a third wheel?"
The deeper they went into the mountains, the more difficult the path beca.
Lucky for them, Xian Qianling was no ordinary girl, or she would’ve started complaining long ago.
Although there were three of them, Xian Qianling seed very excited, occasionally looking around and chatting with Zhao’er intermittently.
"Hey, what exactly are you here for?" Xian Qianling and Zhao’er stood on a relatively flat area, looking at you standing under a Thousand-Year Torreya Tree not far away.
You didn’t respond to Xian Qianling but gently patted the tree bark of the Fragrant Torreya tree, which was covered with white powder.
Then, suddenly jumping high, you plucked a green-skinned Fragrant Torreya fruit straight from the branches and leaves with your bare hands.
Xian Qianling and Zhao’er walked over to you, and the forr asked, "What are you doing, picking unripe Fragrant Torreya?"
Still without response, you stretched out your right index finger in front of her.
"Wind Blade."
As you uttered these light, indifferent words, your right index finger was suddenly enveloped in a faint layer of Qi. Then, under Xian Qianling’s astonished gaze, you deftly peeled the green skin off the Fragrant Torreya fruit with your finger, its sharpness rivaling that of a military dagger!
"What, what kind of move is that?" Xian Qianling’s face was filled with surprise as she repeatedly eyed your right index finger.
Still ignoring her, you briskly walked to the side, sat down on a rock, and under the sunlight, closely inspected the Fragrant Torreya fruit in your hand.
As a high-yield economic crop, the Fragrant Torreya indeed has its value. This randomly picked Fragrant Torreya in your hand allowed you to clearly sense the threads of Spiritual Energy within. This presence of Spiritual Energy is sothing other fruits don’t possess.
However, to you, this Spiritual Energy was still too weak compared to that within the sandalwood box.
"Let’s go."
Suddenly standing up, you turned to Xian Qianling and said.
"Where to?"
"Down the mountain, it’s ti to return."
Seeing you walk down the mountain path without a second glance, Xian Qianling asked Zhao’er beside her, "Hey, Zhao’er, don’t you think this guy seems to have changed sohow?"
Staring at your retreating figure, Zhao’er blankly said, "Yun has always been like this, his heart has never changed."
Hearing this, Xian Qianling couldn’t help but scratch her head in slight frustration, "I just can’t figure it out. Where exactly does this spiritual connection between you and this guy co from?"
After hearing her words, Zhao’er stretched out her hand, pointing through the towering branches to the position of her heart: "Here."
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