Dream-Reviving Grass and Soul-Returning Incense (2)
The straight flight took much less time than traveling on the ground—by noon, they had already reached the outskirts of Mount Wunian.
“Let’s stop here. We’ll walk the rest of the way,” Gu Quan said.
Gu An guided the carriage to a hidden spot and landed it. Once Yin Gu Huai stepped down, Gu An patted the horse’s neck, and in an instant—the entire carriage vanished.
“Where’s the horse?” Su Qingtang exclaimed. The flight earlier had been thrilling. She had flown on an airplane before, but never experienced anything like this. She had been terrified and fascinated all at once. If not for the serious mission, she might’ve tried to touch the clouds.
Gu An recalled all her amazed thoughts along the journey and explained, “It’s in my pocket. They’re flying steeds. Once we head back to the city, I’ll release them again.”
“Oh, oh!” Su Qingtang nodded quickly. She still understood too little about this world—she’d thought it was just an ordinary ancient era, but it was clearly full of strange wonders.
Then, the group followed Yin Gu Huai into the mountain.
As soon as they entered, Su Qingtang heard a flurry of chirping sounds. Pushing aside some grass, she discovered countless tiny spirits of all colors fluttering about.
[Hello, everyone!]
Her enthusiastic greeting froze the mischievous spirits mid-prank. They circled around her in disbelief.
[What are you all doing, flying about like that? There are so many of you I can’t even tell who’s who! Are you the spirits of Mount Wunian? Have you, by chance, seen a girl about my age enter the mountain some time ago? She came looking for a friend.]
As soon as she finished speaking, all the spirits froze—then suddenly wailed in panic.
[Ah! A ghost!]
[What ghost? Anyone who can see and talk to us must be a monster! No—wait, aren’t we technically ghosts too?!]
[She doesn’t have any demonic aura though… and usually, monsters can’t see us either…]
The brightly colored little spirits flew around frantically, squawking in confusion, completely forgetting their original mischief.
Su Qingtang stood there, mouth open. Was her face really that scary?
When the spirits scattered, she noticed what they had been hiding—a large pit right in the path ahead. Was this their prank?
“Your… Huai Brother,” Su Qingtang began, remembering Gu An’s warning on the way not to reveal identities. That actually made it easier for her to express affection. “There’s a pit up ahead.”
As she spoke, she used a branch to push aside the grass covering it. “See? Let’s take another path.”
She smiled sweetly. The others, having heard her moments earlier speaking in those childlike tones, instantly understood what was happening. That pit had clearly been there for generations—there was no mistaking what kind of trap it was.
“Alright, Huai-ge, we can go around it. Granny Qian’s house should be just ahead,” Gu An said, checking the map.
Yin Gu Huai didn’t object. In fact, the reason he had brought Su Qingtang along was precisely because she could communicate with plants and spirits—a skill he’d recently discovered. Since this was Mount Wunian, full of such entities, her presence would surely prove useful.
They continued forward, and Su Qingtang couldn’t help noticing that Yin Gu Huai always kept just a few steps’ distance from her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts—no time for daydreams, she needed her strength for climbing.
They’d set out in the morning, and by noon they reached the mountain’s base. But not long after entering, a thick fog began to rise.
“Everyone be careful, stay close together,” Gu Quan ordered.
Su Qingtang immediately ran behind Yin Gu Huai, clutching his sleeve tightly.
“This way,” Yin Gu Huai said, scanning with his spiritual sense. “There’s a pavilion ahead.”
As she looked up to follow, Su Qingtang saw the same spirits again—their faces now twisted with mischief. A wave of unease rose in her chest. “Wait, Huai Brother… maybe we should take another look first?”
The group halted, awaiting Yin Gu Huai’s decision. He looked down, seeing her gaze fixed on the air. What was she seeing this time?
Without question, he simply nodded. “We’ll rest here for now.”
At his words, Su Qingtang noticed disappointment flash across the spirits’ faces. Confused, she asked silently, [What are you trying to do? Is there something on that pavilion?]
[You’re spirits gifted by heaven’s energy—shouldn’t you protect the land instead of harming travelers? Don’t you fear retribution?]
One pit could’ve been dismissed as mischief, but twice—especially using a pavilion? That was murder, not play.
The lead spirit sneered. [Why do you care? You might save them once—but can you save them forever?]
[These people carry Granny Qian’s scent. She sent them, didn’t she? I’ll tell you now—whoever helps that old hag dies.]
[Yeah, boss is right!] the others chimed in.
Su Qingtang frowned at the childish faces before her. [Why? You’re bound by heaven’s order. It’s one thing not to do good—but to harm the innocent? You’ll lose your essence for this.]
[Hmph! Mind your own business. Even if you reach Granny Qian’s house, what can you do? Her hands aren’t clean either!] one said, arms crossed before darting deeper into the mountains.
[Wait! Don’t just leave—explain yourselves! You rude little brats!] Su Qingtang shouted after them.
As the spirits vanished, so did the surrounding fog.
Yin Gu Huai stood and said, “The fog’s cleared. Let’s move.”
When they reached the pavilion and looked down from afar, they saw that its center was hollow—had they stepped on it earlier, at least half of them would have fallen to their deaths.
Yin Gu Huai cast a quiet glance toward Su Qingtang, who was still absentmindedly clutching his sleeve. Thank you, he thought silently.
When they arrived at Granny Qian’s house, a woman’s scream rang out.
“Ah—Mother!”
Without hesitation, the group rushed forward, swiftly taking positions to surround the house. Zhou Kaili—better known as Little Black—led several others in storming inside.
The scream snapped Su Qingtang out of her daze. “Was that—” she started to ask, but before she could finish, Zhou Kaili’s own yell followed:
“Ahhh—!”
Was there a ghost inside?!
Moments later, several red-faced men stumbled out, speechless. “Huai… Huai-ge, maybe you shouldn’t go in yet,” one of them stammered.
Yin Gu Huai exchanged a glance with Su Qingtang but stayed put, waiting.
“Uh, sister-in-law, could you come in for a moment?” Zhou Kaili poked his head out cautiously. His face was flushed—and Yin Gu Huai noticed faint handprints there.
[Sister-in-law? Who’s he talking to?]
Su Qingtang glanced around. The only woman present was herself. Was he calling her that?
Zhou Kaili heard her thought and gave an awkward laugh. “Yes, you—could you come help us for a bit?”
Su Qingtang frowned. She didn’t want to. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound decent.
Gu An stepped in, “Please, sister-in-law. Little Zhou isn’t that kind of person. Something might’ve happened inside.”
[And what exactly am I supposed to do?] she grumbled inwardly, reluctantly letting go of Yin Gu Huai’s sleeve. “Huai Brother, do you have anything for protection? I’m scared to go in alone.”
“That Little Black really doesn’t like me, you know that,” she added, pouting.
Yin Gu Huai thought for a moment, then conjured a conch shell in his hand. “This is a communication shell. Wear it as a bracelet—it’ll protect you from a fatal strike.”
Su Qingtang’s eyes lit up. “See? I knew Huai Brother’s the best. The man I like really is wonderful.”
She slipped the shell onto her wrist—the one without beads—and hopped away without another word, cheerful and fearless.
Not a trace of fear in her steps.
[Jackpot! All I had to do was act pitiful to get a charm! Step one in winning Huai Brother’s heart: secure a keepsake. The dragon pearl will be mine in no time!]
[Yes! Hahaha!]
Her inner laughter echoed loudly enough that everyone could hear it. Seeing their prince’s expression turn pitch-black, Gu An quietly took a few steps back. He heard nothing, absolutely nothing.
Zhou Kaili, on the other hand, nearly exploded. Their commander—and she’s planning to seduce him?!
Luckily, her thoughts were broadcast for all to hear. There was no way she’d ever succeed.
“S-so, uh, Little Zhou—what do you need me for?” Su Qingtang asked brightly, almost calling him by his nickname out loud.
Zhou Kaili ignored it and pointed inside. “The young lady inside slipped while bathing and got hurt. Could you help her apply some medicine?”
“WHAT?!”
Su Qingtang stared at him, horrified. “Wow, impressive. You’ve really outdone yourself.”
Grabbing the jar of ointment, she muttered and slipped inside. “Young lady~”
A little later, Granny Qian served a table full of dishes, wiping her hands nervously on her apron. “Honored guests, this is all I have—please make do.”
Yin Gu Huai didn’t mind, and neither did Gu An or the others. “It’s fine, we’re not picky. We can eat anything. We’re easy to—”
They stopped mid-sentence, realizing too late that Su Qingtang was sitting apart on her own small stool.
Following Gu An’s gaze, Qian Hua—Granny Qian’s daughter—noticed her as well. “This young lady might not be used to such food. I still have a few eggs—how about I fry one for you?”
Su Qingtang jumped up. “No need! I can eat what they eat. Really, it’s fine.”
Qian Hua smiled. “I wouldn’t want to upset your relationship as husband and wife over this.”
Husband and wife?
Su Qingtang immediately recalled Little Black’s excuse and shot him a glare before plopping herself down beside Yin Gu Huai. “Nonsense. I’m just tired and want to rest early, that’s all.”
She pointed to the table. “Auntie Qian, Miss Hua, you should eat too.”
She acted as if she were the hostess, and both women laughed as they joined the meal.
After dinner, Granny Qian said, “It’s getting late. The mountains aren’t safe at night. How about I take you there tomorrow instead?” She looked at Yin Gu Huai—the quiet one, clearly the leader.
“Alright,” he agreed simply.
“Then since you two are husband and wife, you can share a room. Mother and I will take the other.” Qian Hua spoke naturally, unaware of the others lowering their heads in embarrassment—especially Zhou Kaili.
“Alright,” Yin Gu Huai replied again.
Pouting, Su Qingtang followed him inside.
Gu An sighed. “Alright, everyone, rest up. We’ve got work tomorrow.”
Inside the small room, Su Qingtang looked around at the simple furnishings without comment. She watched Yin Gu Huai standing by the window, gazing out. “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange since dinner.”
He looked down at her from above—the same innocent face, the same clear eyes that kept fooling him again and again.
“Nothing. Go to sleep,” he said, walking toward the lone bed.
“But there’s only one bed—and one blanket!” she protested.
“I know,” he replied, pulling the blanket over himself. “One is enough for me.”
“What about me?” she whispered furiously.
“Sleep. The floor’s big enough—you’ll find a spot.”
[Wow… such a considerate dragon.]