No major events occurred at Lingyun Peak over the next two days. Rong Nianfeng had initially thought that since he was finally free from his training, he could enjoy himself. However, being suddenly idle made everything feel rather tedious; even the freshly bought braised pork hock in his hand lost its flavor.
In contrast, Ye Xingchen spent his time doing nothing but sleeping.
Ever since learning that Liu Li’er did not actually like Ye Xingchen, Ye Xingchen had immediately become a high-risk individual in his mind. Rong Nianfeng became exceptionally cautious, frequently visiting the Xuanyue Pavilion to check if he was still alive, terrified that an oversight might lead to his demise.
Fortunately, Ye Xingchen was perfectly fine, though Rong Nianfeng did catch several suspicious characters sneaking around like rats.
Consequently, Lingyun Peak became lively once more. The crackling thunder sounded terrifying, and even the bluestone pavement was scorched pitch black.
Liu Wen, who had finally managed to regrow half of his hair, found it completely blasted away yet again.
He looked resentfully up at the youth who was sitting cross-legged on the little black cloud with his head propped in his hand, “Rong Nianxue, you and I have no grievances or enmities. Why do you target me like this?”
Rong Nianfeng yawned, “Take a guess.”
Feeling the chill on the top of his head, Liu Wen swallowed his rage but could not help but threaten him as he covered his head, “If you know what is good for you, you had better not interfere in the business between me and Ye Xingchen. Otherwise, I will make you pay!”
Rong Nianfeng raised an eyebrow, hopped down from the little black cloud, and looked at the person lying charcoaled at the bottom of the crater, “You are only acting this way because you are being manipulated by the plot. Think carefully, do you really want to kill him?”
My boy, I am saving your life here.
Once Ye Xingchen awakens, killing you will be no different from chopping carrots.
“What is the plot?” Liu Wen’s patience was entirely exhausted. Taking advantage of his distraction, he suddenly leaped up and summoned his sword from behind.
Before he could finish forming his hand seals, Rong Nianfeng kicked him straight back to the bottom of the crater.
“Stupid to the core.”
A loud crack echoed as another bolt of lightning struck down.
Realizing that there was no reasoning with Liu Wen, Rong Nianfeng simply threatened him fiercely not to cause Ye Xingchen’s death, and then flew back to Lingyun Peak on his little black cloud.
After spending another utterly boring day, he placed the little ghoul on his head and flew toward the Corpse Puppet Pavilion.
Having the little black cloud truly made a difference. Rong Nianfeng quite proudly enjoyed the envious glances of others, especially since he was now draped in the black robe exclusive to the Corpse Puppet Pavilion.
Controlling a flying sword required deep concentration, but operating the little black cloud was completely different. He could steer it while lying down or sitting, and most importantly, it required no spiritual energy at all.
As he looked around, he leaned forward and suddenly spotted a senior brother, or perhaps a senior sister, at the foot of Chenxing Peak.
The figure was extremely well hidden; if not for his excellent eyesight, he probably would not have noticed.
He wondered when the cultivators of the Corpse Puppet Pavilion had become willing to come down the mountain, considering they spent every day either raising little ghouls or making puppet strings.
However, he did not dwell on it, assuming that even the Corpse Puppet Pavilion had its moments of romance, and that they were likely meeting for a secret tryst.
At the foot of the mountain, Xie Si’an avoided everyone’s gaze and emerged from the woods.
“Make sure you did not bring any tails along,” the person wrapped in the black robe said in a deep voice.
Xie Si’an sneered, “Is this the hidden place you spoke of?”
“Rest assured, if anyone comes, we will just kill them,” the person replied.
“Since you said you would search for it, I drew away everyone’s attention. Yet, to this day, you have not made a single shred of progress. You are truly far too useless.” A long sword was drawn at some unknown moment and placed horizontally against the neck of the black-robed person.
The black-robed person slightly raised a hand, using two fingers to press against the sword blade, and said coldly, “I do not want to cause a scene.”
Xie Si’an returned the sword to its scabbard.
“You have the nerve to speak. If not for me during the last trial, you would have almost exposed yourself.” The black-robed person spoke slowly, knitting his brows with a thoroughly displeased expression, “Who allowed a demonic creature like you to participate in the trial of the Corpse Puppet Pavilion?”
He added, “If the little ghoul beneath the Xuantian Cauldron had sensed anything unusual at that time, you would have been thrown into the water dungeon long ago.”
“You surely did not think a demonic cultivator could practice ghostly arts, did you?”
Having his inner thoughts pierced, Xie Si’an’s face turned cold, and he stopped speaking.
“Once the Jiuyou Secret Realm opens again, we can obtain the Mirror of Reversing Heaven.” The black-robed person tilted his head, and the black mist in his hand dispersed gradually like gossamer threads.
Under the gray sky, a fine drizzle fell continuously. The misty rain seemed endless, making the surroundings blurry and indistinct. A gust of wind blew past, slightly lifting his black robe. With mist clinging to light eyelashes that resembled raven feathers, the face of Xie Jingzhi was clearly revealed.
Rong Nianfeng resumed his miserable routine of working from six in the morning until nine at night.
Qiu Nian became increasingly demanding. Once Rong Nianfeng had finally learned how to transform water into fine threads, his master made him sit beside a tangled heap of intertwined threads to sort them out one by one.
He stared until his eyes saw stars, yet he still could not finish sorting them.
Eventually, he fed the threads to the little ghoul.
Qiu Nian: “…”
He was then forced to continue sorting threads for more than ten consecutive days, causing him to lose a significant amount of weight.
Nevertheless, it did prove useful. His cultivation broke through from the fifth layer of Qi Condensation to the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. Although he had not leapt straight into the Foundation Establishment stage, Rong Nianfeng was already completely satisfied. If this trend continued, he would not have to worry about his life anymore!
After another dozen days, seeing that Rong Nianfeng had become much more proficient, Qiu Nian flew him down the mountain.
“Master, where are we going now?”
The wind howled past his ears. Fearing that Qiu Nian would not hear him, Rong Nianfeng shouted at the top of his lungs.
Qiu Nian’s ears buzzed with pain from the noise, “I am taking you to the Corpse Puppet Mountain to choose a little ghoul.”
Choosing a little ghoul?
Hearing him say this, a trace of anticipation arose in Rong Nianfeng’s heart. The cultivation methods of the Corpse Puppet Pavilion were different from those of other sects, as they relied on puppets. One could choose inanimate objects, which were standard puppets. Alternatively, one could choose to raise a little ghoul, which almost every cultivator in the Corpse Puppet Pavilion did.
Little ghouls were much more agile than ordinary puppets. If raised well, they became formidable weapons; if raised poorly, one could lose their entire cultivation at best, or suffer a fatal backlash at worst.
Half an hour later, the two of them gradually came to a halt outside a cave entrance.
The black lines in Qiu Nian’s hands suddenly extended from his black robe, eerily twisting around the cave door.
With a loud boom, the cave door swung open.
A dense stench of blood wafted out, making one want to vomit upon smelling it. The bloody light obscured the sun, and a piercing coldness swept over his body. Rong Nianfeng could not help but swallow his saliva as he followed Qiu Nian inside.
The walls were extremely damp, and the steady dripping of water onto the ground produced a dull, heavy sound.
Suddenly, he heard a piercing shriek of agony.
With a wave of Qiu Nian’s sleeve, a ferocious ghost with disheveled hair and a pale countenance collapsed beside the two of them. Its protruding eyes showed only whites, and it stared fixedly at Rong Nianfeng.
Rong Nianfeng: “…”
He grabbed Qiu Nian’s sleeve and hid behind him. Carefully extending a foot, he kicked the ferocious ghost a bit further away.
“That is a hanging ghost. Do not look into its eyes.”
Rong Nianfeng was so frightened that he quickly covered both eyes, crying without tears, “What should I do, Master? I already looked just now.”
“A hanging ghost can seize a person’s mind and capture their soul. Looking into its eyes will fill you with thoughts of ending your own life,” Qiu Nian explained gloomily.
Sensing that Rong Nianfeng was trembling all over, he comforted him, “It is fine. Just eat it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the little ghoul beneath Qiu Nian’s black robe rushed out, biting and tearing at the hanging ghost that was still shrieking in agony on the ground.
“Keep close to me. Most of the entities in this cave are merely unrefined malevolent creatures. Do not let your mind be captured, and do not fall into their traps.”
Even without Qiu Nian telling him, Rong Nianfeng would not dare to gamble with his own life.
He followed Qiu Nian closely.
The two of them walked deeper into the cave. Looking at the dark, bubbling water, Rong Nianfeng felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Is this not the same black water from the trial?
As if reading his thoughts, Qiu Nian said, “This is not black water. It is a mixture of various herbs and blood used to feed the little ghouls.”
Rong Nianfeng nodded and leaned forward, trying to see what lay beneath the dark water.
A loud splash echoed.
A little ghoul with horns on its head, eyes like mirrors, and fleshy wings on its back suddenly popped out of the water.
Caught completely off guard by this sudden appearance, Rong Nianfeng took several large steps backward, his legs trembling slightly.
“Your cultivation is not yet stable. Once your mind is steady, you can come back to raise these malevolent creatures.”
Rong Nianfeng opened his mouth and murmured softly, “To be honest, I do not think I really want to raise a little ghoul anymore.”
Qiu Nian turned his head, and Rong Nianfeng quickly waved his hands with tears in his eyes, “I will raise one, I will raise one.”
“Cut your finger, shed some blood, and choose a little ghoul to raise first to practice your skills.”
He did not dare to disobey now. Biting his finger open, he watched his blood sink into the black water.
After a long while, there was still absolutely no reaction.
Rong Nianfeng smiled awkwardly at Qiu Nian and bared his teeth, “A mistake.”
He then steeled his heart and bit himself hard once more.
There was still no reaction whatsoever.
Even Qiu Nian found it somewhat strange. He fell silent for a moment, “Perhaps the timing is not yet right. We will try again in a few days.”
With that, he led Rong Nianfeng out of the cave door.
Only after the two of them had walked far away did the little ghouls in the black water bubble up to the surface. Floating on the water, they looked exactly as though they were intoxicated.
“Fragrant, want to eat.”
“Where is he?”
“I want more, I want more.”
Of course, the two who had walked away were completely unaware of the changes occurring inside the Corpse Puppet Mountain.
After spending another half a month at the Corpse Puppet Pavilion, Rong Nianfeng’s mind had stabilized significantly, and the task of feeding the little ghouls at the Corpse Puppet Mountain fell upon his shoulders.
In the beginning, he worried whether he would actually be eaten by those little ghouls. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. After going back and forth a few times, they could be considered old acquaintances.
Rong Nianfeng squatted by the shore, watching the little ghouls floating around in the black water, and could not help but think of what Qiu Nian had said a few days ago.
“If you go there a few more times and let them get familiar with your face, those little ghouls will naturally become close to you.”
The reality, however, was that these little ghouls completely ignored him and were merely greedy for his body!
For example, right now, the moment he turned around, numerous gazes from within the black water fell upon him. When he turned back to look, there was nothing left but the bubbling black water and a few bolder little ghouls floating there, staring blankly at him in a very eerie silence.
Gathering his courage, he poured the black water that Qiu Nian had sent him to fetch from the Alchemy Peak all at once. Ignoring the gazes behind him, he fled as if running for his life.
Those little ghouls were incredibly shrewd. The moment he mentioned forming a covenant, they would roll their eyes, wanting to drink his blood.
Rong Nianfeng was terrified that he might accidentally be sucked dry into a withered corpse, so he naturally refused to agree.
On the way back to the Corpse Puppet Pavilion, a new idea suddenly struck him. Patting the belly of the little black cloud, he executed a sharp drift and headed toward the Alchemy Peak.
He might as well refine some medicinal pills to lure those little ghouls onto the shore first, and then capture them all in one net!
He could also refine some cough-relieving pills for Ye Xingchen and visit Lingyun Peak along the way.
The Alchemy Peak was located at the southernmost point of the Xuantian Sword Sect. Flying there on a sword would take half an hour. However, because he had the little black cloud, a crowd of disciples could only watch in a daze as a black shadow flashed past them, wondering if they were experiencing a hallucination.