Chapter 127: The Scholar’s Scheme

After walking quickly over, the young novice whispered a few words into Master Kongwu’s ear. The latter’s expression changed slightly, and he looked up to see a graceful figure appearing on the forest path at some point, accompanied by a maid as she stepped slowly along the stone path.

She wore a green robe and stood tall and slender. Even the loose robe could not hide her graceful figure. Her face was covered with a light veil, her delicate features faintly visible. Her long black hair was tied up high at the back of her head. In her movements, she carried an innate arrogance and aloofness…

A mysterious woman had arrived unexpectedly.

“Master, since you have a distinguished guest, I will not disturb you further and will take my leave!”

Mu Feng stood up and cupped his hands, tactfully preparing to depart.

The mysterious woman clearly had an extraordinary status and was certainly acquainted with the old monk Master Kongwu. If he did not take his leave now and continued to stay, it would be impolite!

“Wait!”

Before Mu Feng could turn around, the old monk called out. After a pause, he slowly continued, “Young Master Mu, if you are not in a hurry to travel, why not visit the He family ancestral graves at the foot of the mountain?”

The He family ancestral graves?

Mu Feng was a bit surprised. After a slight hesitation, he did not press further. He thanked the monk and, supporting Jing Wushuang, turned to go down the mountain.

“Brother Mu Feng, what is the old monk talking about in riddles? What does the He family ancestral graves have to do with us?” Even though Jing Wushuang was clever, she could not immediately grasp the old monk’s intention.

“Who knows? But I think the old monk means no harm.”

Mu Feng gave a faint smile and did not say more in front of Jing Wushuang.

Though he did not know the old monk’s true purpose, he vaguely felt it might be related to the female ghost He Liushuang, whom he had captured in the Eighteen Blood Witch Commands.

Going up the mountain was hard, and going down was not easy either, especially while supporting a weak woman who had just recovered from a serious illness.

The mountain path was rugged and difficult. In some places, there was a steep cliff on one side and a bottomless abyss on the other. The path was narrow and dangerous. To be safe, Mu Feng eventually carried Jing Wushuang on his back all the way down, walking swiftly along the rough mountain trail. When they encountered pilgrims going up, he would step aside to let them pass. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the sun was nearly setting.

To be cautious, Mu Feng did not go directly to the He family ancestral graves. Instead, he carried Jing Wushuang back to the old He residence and set her down. He reinforced the power of the Yang Blood Array by adding a circle of his vital blood.

“Shuang’er, I will go take a look and come back soon. Wait for me here. Remember, no matter what happens, do not leave this circle on the ground!”

“Okay.”

Jing Wushuang nodded obediently.

Though she wished to be with Mu Feng every moment, she understood that she would only be a burden if she went. To put him at ease, she stayed quietly alone in the room.

“If anything happens, crush this talisman, and I will return immediately!”

Mu Feng took out a witch talisman from his robe and placed it in Jing Wushuang’s hand.

It was the simplest kind of witch talisman, with no offensive or defensive power, merely a layer of talismanic script. But once crushed, he would sense it immediately—simple yet practical.

“Mm, Brother Mu Feng, be careful too!”

Jing Wushuang stood inside the Yang Blood Array, watching Mu Feng leave with worry.

Whoosh…

Though it was summer, after nightfall, the wilderness was filled with cold gusts of wind. Especially behind the He family mansion, it felt even colder and more gloomy. Looking out, numerous grave mounds stood coldly in the darkness, with several will-o’-the-wisps flickering faintly in the distance. From afar, cries like those of nightingales could be heard from time to time, sending chills down one’s spine.

Under the hazy moonlight, Mu Feng did not even carry a torch. He went alone to the Back Mountain behind the He family mansion.

The He family ancestors had once been prosperous. Unfortunately, by the generation of Old Master He, there was only one descendant. With the death of the He family’s young lady, He Liushuang, the family line was completely cut off. That was why the old master and his wife were so grief-stricken that they passed away one after another within a year. Over the decades, the grave mounds, left untended, had become overgrown with weeds and were desolate. Some graves were nearly washed flat by mountain floods, presenting a bleak scene.

“Miss Liushuang, come out!”

After confirming no one was around, Mu Feng summoned the Eighteen Blood Witch Commands. Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and the former He family young lady, He Liushuang, transformed into a white mist seeping out from the flag, slowly taking shape.

“Father… Mother…”

This time, the eerie female ghost did not lunge at Mu Feng. Perhaps she had thought it through, or perhaps she feared Mu Feng’s formidable strength. She quickly floated toward her parents’ graves, throwing herself onto the moss-covered tombstones as she wept bitterly.

Back then, she had committed suicide for love, thinking it would end everything. Who would have thought she would cause her parents such grief that they passed away, reducing the once-prominent He residence to its current state?

He Liushuang’s heart was bleeding!

Caressing her parents’ tombstones, she felt deep regret at that moment, realizing how foolish she had been back then.

What had she gained from jumping into the well?

Only pain for her loved ones and laughter for her enemies, besides unwittingly benefiting that heartless betrayer. She gained nothing and instead lost the most precious things.

Wealth lost could be regained; skills lost could be cultivated again. But the affection from parents never fades. Once lost, it was truly gone. By the time regret set in, it was already too late!

“Miss Liushuang, take comfort and see if there is anything unusual about your family’s ancestral graves.” Mu Feng stood quietly behind He Liushuang, comforting her softly.

Seeing the heartbroken He Liushuang, he suddenly thought of his own seriously ill mother, her weak body and haggard face. He silently resolved that after returning from the Poison Sect, he would never part from his mother again. Even if he went to study in the distant Jiangling Prefecture, he would take her with him.

A child’s wish to care for his parents, but they are no longer there!

He swore to himself that he would never let such a thing happen to him.

“Mm.”

He Liushuang wiped the tears from her face and stood up, carefully surveying the ancestral graves that she had visited countless times as a child and once knew so well. Yet, no matter how she looked, she found nothing unusual. After a long while, she looked at Mu Feng and shook her head in confusion. Even now, she still did not know why this mysterious scholar had suddenly brought her here.

Since Master Kongwu had said so, there must be a deeper meaning!

Seeing that the female ghost He Liushuang had found nothing, Mu Feng did not give up and examined the area closely. Finally, he closed his eyes, held his breath, and used his Spiritual Soul to sense quietly, standing motionless. After a long while, just as He Liushuang was about to lose patience and ask, his eyes suddenly snapped open. He pointed to the tallest grave and said, “Miss Liushuang, who is buried in that grave?”

“I am not sure of the details, but I heard it is the burial site of the earliest ancestor recorded in our He family genealogy.” He Liushuang looked at Mu Feng in confusion, completely baffled by his question.

An He family ancestor?

Mu Feng pondered but said nothing. He tapped his toes on the ground and, in a few leaps, arrived before the tallest and largest grave. After circling it once, just as He Liushuang worried he might dig up the ancestor’s bones, he reached out his right hand and pressed it against the ancient tombstone. Then, with a slight effort, he pulled the entire tombstone out of the ground.

Under the hazy moonlight, he saw that the upper half of the tombstone, exposed above ground, appeared normal. But the lower half, buried in the soil, was wrapped in a thick layer of iron, engraved with dazzling patterns—or rather, curses. The thick iron had rusted in many places, clearly having been buried for years.

“Ah… This… Who did this? Who is so malicious?”

He Liushuang cried out in shock. Though she did not know exactly what was happening, the sinister curses on the iron clearly indicated something bad. As soon as she finished speaking, a thought struck her. A figure of a hypocritical, seemingly respectable scholar appeared in her mind. “He Xuangao, could it be… him?”

“Ruthless! Killing without bloodshed, using the accumulated merits of another’s ancestors to change one’s own fate and secure one’s future—truly vicious!”

Mu Feng raised his eyebrows, his face cold. He secretly hoped that the scholar whom the female ghost He Liushuang had met back then, who went to the capital for the imperial exams, was not the same Scholar-Official he knew.

As a scholar, he had read many books, including some on feng shui and destiny. Though far from experts like Daoist Mayi and Master Kongwu, he knew a little. Wrapping a grave in iron and engraving curses on it was one of the most damaging and sinister methods to steal fortune and alter fate.

“Young Master Mu, you are powerful and resourceful. I beg you to be merciful and take me with you to travel the world, to find that villain He Xuangao, so I can kill him with my own hands! I have nothing to repay you with—in my next life, no, for generations, I will serve you as your loyal beast!”

The female ghost He Liushuang looked determined, her eyes red. As she spoke, she knelt before Mu Feng.

All these years, she had thought He Xuangao was merely heartless. She never imagined he could be so malicious! If she did not take revenge, how could she face her parents in the afterlife?

As a female ghost who had committed suicide by jumping into a well, though she had absorbed a lot of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy over the years and gained some power, she was still bound by the natural constraints and could not move freely. Her soul had been confined here all along. Alone, she could never avenge this deep hatred.

“So now, do you finally believe I am not the incarnation of that heartless man?”

Mu Feng’s expression remained calm as he looked at the former He family young lady, heartbroken and determined to seek revenge. He sighed softly. Just as he was about to say more, his brow twitched, and he faintly heard a barely audible breath. He abruptly turned and lunged toward a nearby bush like lightning. “Who’s there? Come out!”

Whoosh…

From the dense bushes, a black shadow shot upward. Instead of confronting Mu Feng head-on, it retreated without hesitation. As Mu Feng was about to give chase, a flash of cold light whistled toward him, carrying a sharp killing intent. He reached out and caught it—it was a sharp broken sword, gleaming coldly in the dark night.

Impressive!

Mu Feng was inwardly startled. When he looked up to pursue, the other had already vanished without a trace. In the blink of an eye, it was as if they had disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace except for the short sword in his hand.