Song Qingshu’s cheek twitched slightly. "Hoping to catch a rabbit by waiting at a stump? I can’t believe you came up with that. Yecheng is so large; how long would we have to wait?"
Ruan Zhong spread his hands. "Then what do we do? Junior Sister, you say something. you have the most ideas..."
Nangong Ning furrowed her brows and repeated Xu Xian’s logic in her own words.
To ensure Ruan Zhong understood clearly, her analysis was deeper and more specific than Xu Xian’s.
Many details were revealed one by one.
Ruan Zhong naturally came to understand. As for Song Qingshu, he merely wanted to borrow the phrase Nangong Ning had used earlier: great minds think alike.
The four reached a consensus and decided to continue investigating based on the current clues.
To improve efficiency, Nangong Ning prepared to split into three groups and assigned their tasks.
"Qingshu, you have a keen eye for detail. You’re responsible for investigating the background of Yunxuan Garden. Find the owner behind it—the more detail, the better. See if you can dig out the real reason it closed."
Song Qingshu nodded in agreement.
"Leave it to me."
"Ruan Zhong, you go to the Prefecture Office of Tianzhu County. Go through the records and see when those seals were put up. Since it's a haunting, why wasn’t there a ritual spirit report? Find the runners in charge of the matter and ask them clearly."
Ruan Zhong patted his chest. "No problem."
Nangong Ning specifically warned him, "Remember, speak to people nicely. Whatever you do, don’t get violent."
The latter swore solemnly, "Junior Sister, you still don't know me well enough? I only look a bit rugged; I’m actually very gentle. And I’m a sword forger, you know that. Forging is all about controlling the details. You could say my eyes are like calipers. No conspiracy or trickery can escape these wise and sharp eyes of mine. I guarantee I’ll investigate it until everything is clean and clear..."
The other three stared at him, eyes wide. The only thing remotely believable about what he said was that his face didn’t turn red once during the entire speech.
Nangong Ning raised a hand to cut off his rambling. "Enough. Set out. Regardless of whether there are results, we meet outside Tianzhu County at noon tomorrow."
The two nodded. Song Qingshu asked casually, "Junior Sister, what about you and the Little Grand-Uncle?"
Ruan Zhong chimed in, looking spirited. "Yeah! Why not let the Little Grand-Uncle follow me? I’m all about the details; the Little Grand-Uncle could learn a thing or two..."
Xu Xian was speechless. Details... of everything on his body, the only thing that might be 'detailed' or small was likely his hidden 'little brother.'
Everything else was as rugged as it could be.
Nangong Ning automatically filtered out Ruan Zhong’s words. Looking back at the quiet bamboo forest shrouded in the night, she narrowed her eyes. "Didn’t that local say the bamboo forest behind Yunxuan Garden is haunted at midnight? It’s just turned dark, so I’ll stay behind to see if there’s a real ghost or just someone playing tricks."
She glanced at Xu Xian from the corner of her eye and smiled. "The Little Grand-Uncle isn't afraid of ghosts. He can stay to protect me."
Xu Xian was stunned for a moment before pouting. "I’m fine with whatever."
Ruan Zhong and Song Qingshu exchanged a look. There were sly grins and a sense of schadenfreude on their faces. They even winked at Xu Xian for some inexplicable reason, wearing expressions that said they understood perfectly...
After a brief warning to be careful, they departed on the wind, disappearing into the long night.
This left Xu Xian completely bewildered.
He wondered if the wind had just blown something into their eyes.
"Little Grand-Uncle, shall we go?"
"Hmm? Go where?"
Nangong Ning’s eyes held a soft shimmer as she threw him a flirtatious wink. Her voice was gentle. "Where else could we go? To the little bamboo forest, of course."
Xu Xian shuddered and complained, "Don't start. Be serious."
Nangong Ning frowned slightly. "How am I being unprofessional?"
Xu Xian said nonchalantly, "I wasn't talking about you. I meant this little bamboo forest is unprofessional."
Nangong Ning teased with a smirk, "It’s fine if the forest is unprofessional as long as the person is."
Xu Xian: "...."
The night deepened, the wind grew heavier, and the bright moon hung high in the sky, making the stars appear sparse.
Inside the towering bamboo forest, moonlight occasionally filtered through the gaps between the leaves. As the wind swayed the bamboo tips, the light and shadows chased each other, creating a mottled pattern across the ground.
The whistling wind was accompanied by the rustling of bamboo leaves.
From time to time, the sound of a bamboo stalk snapping echoed.
Startled birds took flight.
Xu Xian and Nangong Ning suppressed their auras and lurked in the darkness.
Xu Xian leaned against a giant bamboo, closing his eyes to rest his spirit...
As midnight approached.
Clouds drifted over the moon, and the night sky grew dim. The already murky bamboo forest became pitch black. Suddenly, a great gust of wind rose through the trees, making the bamboo rattle loudly and startling countless nightingales into the air, chirping incessantly.
Xu Xian’s hands, which were folded across his chest, tightened instinctively.
He slowly opened his eyes to see Nangong Ning sitting cross-legged in front of him. Her beautiful eyes were like an owl's, glowing with a faint white light.
The sudden change made the atmosphere even more eerie. Xu Xian’s Adam’s apple bobbed instinctively. Feeling a bit nervous, he called out in a low voice, "Xiao Ning..."
Nangong Ning placed a finger over her lips in a shushing gesture.
"Shh!"
Xu Xian shut his mouth and looked around. Although it was pitch black, a foundation establishment cultivator only needed a tiny bit of light to see the world clearly with night vision. From his perspective, the bamboo, leaves, and dust were clearly discernible within ten meters. Beyond that, things were a bit hazy...
Nangong Ning whispered under her breath, "Little Grand-Uncle, listen!"
Xu Xian felt it was strange but didn't overthink it. He cleared his mind and tilted his head to listen.
The wind was chaotic.
The rustling was messy.
But amidst the noise, he actually heard the faint cry of an infant.
He immediately became alert.
"This..."
Nangong Ning pointed deep into the bamboo forest and uttered a single word.
"There!"
The two exchanged a look. Understanding her intent, Xu Xian silently pulled the heavy sword, Wait, from his sleeve and shouldered it.
Nangong Ning looked at the conspicuous heavy sword and froze for a second. "Little Grand-Uncle, you?"
Xu Xian whispered, "Don't worry about the details. Let's go see what’s happening."
Nangong Ning had intended to do just that, so she nodded. "Alright!"
They moved through the night like shadows, weaving through the forest with the speed of the wind...
The infant’s cries in their ears grew heavier and clearer.
"Wah! Wah! Wah!"
"Wah-wah-wah-wah!!"
"Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah!"
It was ethereal, soul-chilling, and filled with a despair and shrillness that shouldn't belong to a child of that age...
It didn't sound like a human child; it truly sounded like a ghost infant.
Xu Xian felt increasingly uneasy. "Could there really be a ghost?"
He gripped his heavy sword tightly, using the sound of the wind to mask his footsteps as he followed closely behind Nangong Ning.
Before long, a clearing suddenly appeared deep in the forest, completely at odds with the rest of the bamboo.
The crying was coming from there.
The two stopped instinctively and narrowed their eyes. Just then, the clouds in the sky slowly parted, and moonlight spilled down, landing precisely on the small clearing.
Their vision cleared, and a splash of bright red was particularly striking under the moonlight.
It appeared to be a child.
Wearing bright red clothes, it sat with its back to them, motionless...
The two held their breath, not daring to approach. Such a small child sitting so perfectly upright—Xu Xian knew without even thinking that something was definitely wrong.
The moon was out, the wind had died down, and the crying had stopped.
Just as they planned to wait and see, the red-clad infant seemed to detect their presence. It slowly turned its head around.
In that instant, Xu Xian’s heart leaped into his throat as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
A pale face, blood-red eyes, and cracked lips... It stared at them from across the clearing and suddenly laughed.
"Gig-gig-gig-gig-gig!"
"Can you play with me?"
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