The 1348 Plagues

Ancestors used theA hole-shaped black cloud formed atop the mountain, darker than its surroundings and impenetrable to moonlight.

The deeper you go into the mountains, the heavier the oppressive, damp, and cold atmosphere becomes.

The trees on this mountain were overgrown and chaotic. When we reached the halfway point in the dark, a chilling aura emanated from the summit, surprising us.

My brother is fearless. He holds a protective copper talisman in his mouth and opens the way with his乾坤 (Qian Kun) sword.

The old man and his son followed me, but the higher we climbed, the more afraid they became. A gust of wind blew past, and the cowardly son's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, his lips pale as he peed his pants.

"I, I..." He suddenly shook his head frantically: "No, I'm not going..."

"You...aren't you still holding back something from us" I frowned at him.

He swallowed hard and whispered, “I never thought it was her, she... she was possessed by a female ghost… I… after the new year… I still… had sex with her a few times. I didn’t know she was pregnant back then… Later, my father beat me and scolded me, but he couldn’t control me so he locked me up… I’ve dreamed about it many times…”

"What did you dream about" I asked in a low voice.

"I dreamed of a ghost wearing a long robe... the kind worn by opera singers, calling to me... Every time I wake up, I find myself pressed against the cellar door, as if trying to get out..." He held his head and said, "I'm going mad. If my father hadn't locked me in, I might have walked out myself!"

At that, the old man suddenly knelt down before us.

“Two of you, two of you, please save my son! Even if he's wrong, he... he doesn't deserve to die... Please... I'll give you all my savings... My wife passed away years ago, he's all I have…” The old man kowtowed frantically.

My brother and I are very in sync. We moved to the sides with a tacit understanding, without giving him any space to kneel.

"Old man, wake up and speak." I said, squatting down.

The old man hadn't expected his son to be so entangled with that woman, or rather, the ghost. He couldn't keep his son locked up forever, and a cellar couldn't keep out ghosts anyway.

My older brother started, “Old man, it all boils down to you raising him wrong. Haven’t you heard the saying ‘Doting on a child is like killing him’ Haven't you heard ‘Gambling leads to theft, adultery leads to murder’”

The old man’s education wasn’t high, he shook his head and said: “I only know I can’t discipline him… What should I do now that the child is grown”

Oh, looking at Old Man's appearance, I feel a little softened.

"You should get up first. We came here to help Old Zou, and once the problem is solved, you can all rest assured." I said.

My brother glared at me, meaning: even if we're going to resolve this, we should still scare them a little. Why let them off so easily

What can be done then In the past, ancient China had severe punishments for adultery, with some laws even stating that "anyone who catches an adulterous couple should immediately kill them, without question."

As we all know, the saying "catch a thief with his loot, catch an adulterer with both parties," spread this way.

If such adulterers are caught in the act and a struggle results in their deaths, they will be acquitted.

And now under today's social laws, this is just a moral issue. Even if you beat up an adulterer, you could become the defendant.

It can be said to be the advancement of society that values life, or it can be said to be the decline of morals.

The consequences of an affair often lead to devastating violent incidents. Therefore, our ancestors warned "Gambling leads to theft, adultery leads to murder," as a cautionary tale.

The old man is not a bad person; he is just an ordinary old man who doesn't want his son to be misled by the ghost and lose his life.

"I was wrong, really wrong..." The cowardly son trembled and couldn't stand up.

I stared at him coldly and reminded him, "You better keep up with us now, or when that female ghost comes looking for you to rekindle your romance, you won't have anywhere to turn for help."

Hearing this, he grabbed his father and struggled to get him up, actually wanting his old father to carry him.

I shook my head silently and turned to pull out my small compass.

This small compass, at one corner, has a delicately carved jade character. Originally, this compass was very effective at tracking yin energy, but now the needle is heavy and sluggish, as if some power is heavily pressing down on it.

But the needle's tip, still struggled to move.

Jiang Qiyun looked at the funnel-shaped black clouds in the sky and said to me, “Be careful. I’m going to take a look... If there's anything you can't handle, just call me.”

"Okay…" I nodded.

This is a test.

When there are clouds gathering on the river, we're in a state of "overconfidence".

But this time, we've learned our lesson. As a master travels the world, the most important thing is to be mentally prepared. We can't afford to be careless anymore.

A cold wind blew, and a rustling sound arose. The cowardly son suddenly exclaimed, "Someone! No, there's a ghost behind me!"

When we turned back, there was actually a ghost behind him!

"If you keep freaking out like that, I'll kick your butt down the mountain and send you home to crawl into a hole!" My brother warned him in a low voice.

"Really, really there...there's a hand on my shoulder..." He was terrified, crying out, "Let me walk in front! I don't want to walk behind anymore... Father..."

My brother laughed and said, "Alright, lead the way. We're going to the top of the mountain."

This cowardly son scrambled forward with his hands and feet, but after taking only a few steps, he suddenly stepped into an empty shell of dirt and plunged downwards!

My brother reacted quickly and pulled, but he was still stuck in a pit.

"...You get what you deserve!" My brother yelled, getting ready to pull him up, but I don't know why this cowardly son could get so fat even when locked in the cellar. He wouldn't budge.

My brother tried several times, then got angry and shouted: "Xiao Qiao, let's just ignore this useless thing! He's a coward, all soft bones, except his manhood is hard enough to cheat. He's no different from an animal! Let's go ourselves, what kind of crap only brings trouble! We can't waste time!"

The old man and his cowardly son were both on the verge of tears. In this situation, they didn't dare to retort at all.

My brother is right, we can't waste any more time. That funnel-shaped cloud in the sky, I don't know what's going on with it, we can't afford to delay any longer.

Better late than never, this female ghost came to such a place and told me about some cultivation techniques. Could she be planning to cultivate here

I set up three talismans to ward off evil spirits around them and hurried up the mountain.

With no one left to plead with, the old man and his son frantically called out to us in hushed tones, but I didn't stop. My brother wouldn't even bother listening to them.

"There!" My brother pointed to a white thing in the gap between the withered trees.

White things

I almost didn't recognize her—the ghost had stripped naked and was standing under a large tree. This place is on top of the mountain. What on earth does she think she's doingid out first and ask him... Mù Xiǎoqiáo, where are your men"“What a brute! That’s awfully rude,” the young mistress complained, while silently reciting a sutra to summon the two little ghost attendant...