Chapter 90

The red sun was sinking in the west, and the sky was filled with a myriad of hues.

The four of them landed before the mountain village, where the gray stone, yellow earth, and black tiles of the buildings were intertwined with wisps of cooking smoke rising straight up, merging into the mountain mist.

The land was indeed as the innkeeper had said—a place of spiritual beauty, almost like a natural gathering place for spiritual energy, with excellent feng shui.

Lin Du felt the spiritual energy around her. Although it couldn’t compare to the spiritual veins laid down by the Supreme Sect, it was still much more abundant compared to the thin spiritual energy they had encountered along the way.

It was the time when cattle and sheep were returning to their pens. There was no need for a herder; a few yellow cattle were leisurely making their way down the mountain.

Someone emerged from a house, calling out in an unintelligible dialect. Not far off, a small stream could be heard with the tinkling of silver bells, and a young girl was singing a melodious tune, clear and melodious, like the gurgling stream.

As the song grew closer, the four of them turned to look. The last bit of the sunset light on the distant mountains transformed into the golden edges of the girl’s clothing and pleated skirt.

Lin Du suddenly glanced thoughtfully at Tao Xian. As the sunset light fell into her eyes, it seemed to add a divine sparkle.

“Excuse me, miss, is this Qinglu Village?” Tao Xian asked politely for directions.

The girl’s face was tinged with a blush, her eyes sweet and glistening. Upon hearing the question, she tilted her head and smiled, “Yes, it is. Are you looking for a place to stay?”

“We’re here to find someone, Granny Ma. Do you know if she’s still in the village?”

The girl tilted her head and thought for a moment, “Granny Ma? She should still be in the house of the pregnant woman in the village, but I’m not sure which one.”

“There are many pregnant women in the village?” Lin Du asked casually.

“It’s almost spring, so it’s the right time,” the girl seemed not to fully understand Lin Du’s question but quickly smiled again upon seeing Lin Du’s face.

“You’re very beautiful, like the Moon Goddess herself! I imagine the Moon Goddess must have looked like you when she was young?”

Lin Du was taken aback, then lowered her gaze and smiled, “I think I’m flattering myself.”

The records of local customs describe that in western Yunnan, villages worship various deities—mountains, rivers, winds, thunder—all things have their own gods.

“If you wore a white robe, you’d look even more like her,” the girl gestured, “but even in green, you resemble the Moonlight Vine.”

Xia Tianwu’s eyes lit up, “May I ask, miss, I’m a healer and particularly interested in plants. What kind of plant is the Moonlight Vine? Could you teach me about it?”

“You don’t know what the Moonlight Vine is?” The girl was surprised. “It’s a sacred object representing the Moon Goddess. The place where the Moonlight Vine grows is blessed by the Moon Goddess. If…”

The girl suddenly smiled shyly, “If the flower of the Moonlight Vine falls on someone’s bedside, that person will become the Moon Goddess’s bride…”

“Wan Xia! What are you doing over there? Hurry up and come back!”

Someone called from behind, and the girl quickly turned, waving her hand, “Got it, coming back!”

She turned to the four with a smile, “I have to go now. Goodbye, strangers.”

The girl’s skirt fluttered as she walked away, the silver bells on her feet leaving a delicate sound in the air, like a distant peacock.

Lin Du caressed her Floating Life Fan, lost in thought. “The Moon Goddess really is a bit of a rascal.”

After all, flowers are the reproductive organs of plants. Sending flowers to someone’s bedside is quite a straightforward expression.

“Do the deities worshipped in these villages… really exist?” Mo Lin furrowed his brow, feeling that something was odd about the girl’s words.

For cultivators like them, their belief is in their own path, which is different from the direct worship of deities in these villages. Each person follows their own path.

“If they do exist, they are unlikely to be true gods,” Lin Du pondered for a moment. “But to them, anything greater and stronger than humans could be considered a deity.”

What kind of true god would involve themselves in the affairs of a small village and boldly act like a rogue, abducting women?

The idea of becoming a deity’s bride seemed like nothing good to the girl.

The four of them entered the village and stopped in front of a courtyard made of gray stone, inquiring about Granny Ma.

“You’re looking for Granny Ma? She’s probably resting at the village chief’s place.”

“With spring coming, it’s the right time.”

The person they were talking to stood in the courtyard, with a seven or eight-year-old child running around behind them.

“Right… when exactly?” Tao Xian asked.

“When the next generation starts to sprout in our village,” the person smiled. “What do you need Granny Ma for?”

“We need her help for medical reasons,” Lin Du interjected. “May I ask where the village chief’s house is?”

“It’s at the far end, near the Moon Well.”

Lin Du thanked them and led the group inward. Along the way, they could still smell the pungent odor of chili oil and hear the constant clatter of cooking utensils, almost masking the sound of crying.

Xia Tianwu and Lin Du both looked toward the source of the crying.

The house was silent and showed no signs of cooking, only the sound of crying.

“Why is it a girl?”

“I didn’t want a girl. If it were a boy, there might be a chance to leave this village, but…”

The woman’s crying was intermittent, soon interrupted by a male voice filled with suppressed anger.

“Stop saying nonsense. What’s wrong with a girl? It’s a blessing from the Moon Goddess! Besides, I’ve never left the village either. So what?”

Xia Tianwu frowned slightly, while Tao Xian turned his head and saw that Lin Du’s steps had not faltered. Meeting his gaze, Lin Du even smiled, one hand holding a heavy iron folding fan, its veins slightly bulging from the firm grip.

They continued on and indeed found a well. The well was surrounded by a tangle of vines, dark green almost to the point of black, covered with a mist-like layer, giving the vines an eerie gray-white appearance. White buds were scattered on the vines, looking somewhat translucent in the evening glow.

Xia Tianwu paused for a moment and whispered to Lin Du, “The vines in Granny Ma’s courtyard, although they look a bit different, are definitely the same. I wouldn’t mistake this scent.”

Lin Du squinted at the layout.

If the vines were originally there, it would indeed be a divine favor.

“What’s wrong? Is something strange?”

“From the layout we’ve seen so far, it looks like a natural Yin gathering and Spirit trapping formation. The vines on the well are the formation’s veins,” Lin Du paused, “though it might not be accurate.”

Natural formations are rare. Lin Du had learned the basic forty-nine formations, the incomplete ten from ancient times, and was currently studying the comprehensive collection of one hundred and eight formations.

These one hundred and eight formations are something that every formation master in the cultivation world must master. If one masters them, they can hold a position in the formation master alliance.

Not sure if it’s because she had studied the ancient formations, Lin Du learned the one hundred and eight formations very quickly. She only had the less commonly used formations left to study and memorize.

Xia Tianwu didn’t mind Lin Du’s “might not be accurate” comment. When it came to her junior’s guesses, they were rarely wrong, especially with something like formations.

She pondered for a moment, “So, you think these vines might be recent?”

“A suspicion, not necessarily accurate.”

Lin Du glanced at the array plate she used to detect Yin energy. The needle had already risen past halfway, indicating a heavy Yin presence, but it was mixed with abundant spiritual energy and close to the mountains, making it difficult for cultivators to detect with their five senses alone.

“It’s also possible that it’s natural. This village might be a good place for raising corpse puppets.”

Xia Tianwu’s expression hardened as she looked toward the village chief’s courtyard.

Tao Xian and Mo Lin had already arrived at the village chief’s door and knocked.

The courtyard was clean and bright, but not more spacious or luxurious than the other villagers’ courtyards. Inside, an Granny Ma with black hair sat at one side of a square table, and an elderly man sat beside her, but there were no young adults.

Xia Tianwu again detected the faint floral scent on the Granny Ma.

She discreetly placed her hand on her waist belt and watched as Mo Lin stepped forward to explain their purpose.

“I am Mo Lin, a direct disciple of the Supreme Sect. I encountered an evil practitioner who uses human blood, and during the confrontation, I was accidentally poisoned with a gu toxin. I have heard of your esteemed reputation and have come to seek your help with diagnosis and treatment.”