NOTICE: This is edited machine translation

Xu Xing Zhi stumbled back into the house and nearly overthrew a pottery bottle because he could not see clearly.

Holding on to the bottle, the intermittent images in front of Xu Xing Zhi gradually become coherent.

But mostly because he had become accustomed to such dizziness, this time, Xu Xingzh did not faint.

Standing against the wall, Xu Xing Zhi gasped violently and wafted past a large ma.s.s of dense fog. After the tumbling and rolling, it was a clear and bright scene.

A street washed by autumn rain appeared before him.

Across the street from the tea house, it"s supposed to be a brothel from its colorful lights. In the small building, there were women playing in melancholy songs, which was very sad mixed with the sound of autumn rain.

There were few people in the street. Only a lone cabbage rolled across.

A deaf old man selling tanghulu crouched under the eaves of the tea house to shelter from the rain. The gra.s.s handles beside him were full of bright tanghulu that could not be sold out.

The guy in the teahouse went to drive him away, “Go, don"t you see n.o.ble people here? If you b.u.mp into a n.o.ble person, you will have no good fortune in your next life!"

The old man couldn"t hear him. He only knew that he was driving himself away, so he got up and wanted to go as usual.

Xu Xing Zhi, sitting by the window, saw the scene through the rhombus window. He slightly raised his lips and said, “Dian Jia. I"d like to invite the old man in for a cup of tea. Do me a favor.”

After that, he threw a string of coins on the table, and the clash of tinkling coins made the buddy"s eyes green.

He rushed into the rain and pulled the old man in. After hard explanation through gestures, he bowed and welcomed the old man back into the tea house.

Jiu Zhi Deng, who was sitting at the same table with Xu Xing Zhi, poured a cup of tea into his cup and silently held it for the old man. He also took out the solid food wrapped in a tender lotus leaf in his arms and handed it to the old man.

The old man repeatedly thanked him. But he did not change his look. He just nodded a little and got up and went back to the table.

Xu Xing Zhi was discussing something with Meng Zhong Guang. Seeing Jiu Zhi Deng back, he took him to sit down and pointed to the other side and asked, “Listen, how well is the girl playing Pipa?”

Jiu Zhi Deng"s face was cold, “… So-so. “

Meng Zhong Guang looked at Xu Xing Zhi with a smile in his eyes and said, “No better than Shi Xiong.”

Jiu Zhi Deng glanced at Meng Zhong Guang and said nothing.

Xu Xing Zhi pulled a bank note from his palm like a magic trick, “When solving the problem, how about Shi Xiong take you there for fun?”

Jiu Zhi Deng blushed and shook his head, “Shi Xiong, that"s a brothel. No…”

Yet Meng Zhong Guang broke Jiu Zhi Deng"s words with a heartless grin, holding his cheek. “Ok. With Shi Xion, Zhong Guang is happy to go anywhere.”

The girl sitting at their table coughed a little and said shyly with a blushing face, “… Shi Xiong.”

Dressed in Fengling Mountain costume, the girl was born beautifully. There was no false on her face. She was a beautiful sculptural beauty with black hair and snow white skin. It"s very difficult for a girl who was lucky enough to have such a beautiful appearance to be less delicate. So did this girl. There"s an unavoidable aggressive look while she said, “It sounds like Shi Xiong often goes to those places?”

Before Xu Xing Zhi opened his mouth, Zhou Bei Nan next to him interrupted, “… Don"t listen to him. He has no courage to enter those brothels. He just wants to boost his courage with your accompanying."

Xu Xing Zhi, “Shall not tarnish my reputation in front of my Shi Di and Shi Mei!”

Zhou Bei Nan did not look at him and said to the girl, “Last time I went with your Xu Shi Xiong to Shouyang Mountain to hunt for ghost cultivators in exile. After that, he said he wanted to take me to see that Xiaojin Den. He said as if he had seen the world a lot. However, as soon as the girl pulled up his belt, he urged her to stop and said "no no, my wife is ready to give birth", and immediately pulled me to run away.”

Xu Xing Zhi, “… Zhou Pang Zi, are you seeking for death?

Zhou Bei Nan had no fear, “Isn"t that true?”

Only then did the girl show her smile. She shaved her cheeks to laugh at Xu Xing Zhi.

Zhou Bei Nan sat next to his younger sister Zhou Xian. She had similar appearance with her brother, but different temperaments. She listened to his strange words and only smiled gently.

After listening to the words of Zhou Bei Nan, Meng Zhong Guang and Jiu Zhi Deng both breathed a sigh of relief. Perceiving the other one"s reaction, they looked at each other, and quickly turned their eyes away.

Finally, Wen Xue Chen, who was sitting at a table alone, ended the conversation.

He knocked on the cup and ordered Zhou Bei Nan and Xu Xing Zhi, “You two don"t quarrel any more.”

Compared with other stores, this small tea house was very busy.

Several main tables were occupied by disciples of the four clans dressed in various uniforms. Xu Xing Zhi, Meng Zhong Guang, Jiu Zhi Deng and Shi Mei Yuan Ru Zhou shared a table. Zhou Bei Nan sat with his sister Zhou Xian. Qu Chi sat with three or four disciples of Danyang Peak. Only Wen Xue Chen occupied one table and drank alone.

The two disciples of Qingliang Valley he brought, including Lu Yu Jiu, sat at the other table obediently and behaved appropriately, not daring to overstep.

Apart from the disciples of the four clans, a beautiful and slender kid was sitting at the table of Qu Chi, sobbing. Qu Chiwen coaxed him, but he kept crying and crying.

Xu Xing Zhi turned his head and said, “Qu Chi, can you ask out anything?"

Qu Chi also was some kind helpless and said, “Don"t rush. Take it easy.”

He grabbed the child"s cold, soft hand and asked in a good temper, “Can you tell us where those people who took your brother away have gone?”

The child"s eyes were red with sobs. He opened his mouth was open but was too nervous to say a word.

Qu Chi pressed his hand on the back of the child"s head and gently rubbed it, “I know you are frightened. Don"t be afraid. Now you are by our side, nothing will happen. You can rest a.s.sured.”

The child was bewildered. His pale lips slightly open, but he did not utter a word.

Xu Xing Zhi knocked on the table, “Ru Zhou, you try it.”

Yuan Ru Zhou had been quietly watching Xu Xing Zhi since just now. Her face was peachy and her lips raised up. But when Xu Xing Zhi looked at her, she leaned back with the sword and raised her chin coldly, saying, “Yes, Shi Xiong.”

As she stood up, Yuan Ru Zhou smuggled her hand on her hot cheek and winked to Zhou Xian.

Zhou Xian had taken all the girly mood of Yuan Ru Zhou into eyes. She laughed and stood up.

Women should have a better way to coax children, especially beautiful women, who were born with advantages.

Xu Xing Zhi thought so, but the child did not appreciate it at all. He was frightened to drill under the table when he saw Zhou Xian and Yuan Ru Zhou"s companion approaching him.

Yuan Ru Zhou stood still with a puzzled face.

Teahouse owner aside scratched his scalp and explained for the child, “I"ve seen the child twice. Their troupe plays around Dawu Mountain all year round. I heard that the hostess was a shrew and she punished these little disciples as if having any resentment in previous life. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, people could hear the punished disciples crying like kittens. It"s really annoying and worrying. So the hostess also got a name of “Sorrowful to a Ghost”…

Then he shrugged his shoulders and said, “This time the whole troupe was captured by ghosts. It"s afraid that the woman really go to see ghosts.”

Speaking of this, it was not difficult for anyone present to guess that the child was afraid of being suppressed by the hostess, so he was afraid of women.

Yuan Ru Zhou and Zhou Xian had to return separately.

Back at the table, Yuan Ru Zhou whispered, “How can that woman treat  a child like that? It"s inhumane. She also deserves to be taken away by ghost cultivators."

Xu Xing Zhi coughed softly, indicating that Yuan Ru Zhou should stop talking.

Lu Yu Jiu, who had a baby face, buried his head so low that he dared not speak much.

Since the breakdown of the Nation of Ming Ya, ghost cultivators that had not been caught had been scattered. Two days ago, a group of exiled residual ghost cultivators came to Dawu Mountain and captured the whole troupe that had settled in the temple. Only the little boy who hid behind the Buddha statue survived.

Everyone knew that two days had pa.s.sed, and the people of troupe had either been made into pots or been used for alchemy. Now they were afraid that they had no hope of surviving.

Finding out  the hiding place of ghost cultivators and killing them at one shot was still a must. However, only this survived child might know their whereabouts. They had done their best, but he hadn"t  opened his mouth.

Qu Chi, somewhat helpless, said to Zhou Bei Nan, “Bei Nan, you try it.”

Zhou Bei Nan waved his hand knowingly, “Come on, I don"t know how to coax a child. I want to cry as soon as I hear the kid crying.”

Qu Chi turned to Wen Xue Chen again.

Wen Xue Chen was rubbing his temples slowly in the wheelchair. Hearing the words, he delivered a sight. The child cried loudly and shouted, “Mon, monster… Wu- white hair…”

Wen Xue Chen, “…”

Xu Xing Zhi and Zhou Bei Nan both restrained the laughter so hard that their shoulders shook.

Qu Chi coughed a little. When he was thinking hard to a solution, he turned his eyes and saw the old man leaning against the wall to rest and gorging. Finally, he came up with a good idea. He said, “I"ll buy you a tanghulu. Don"t cry, will you?”

However, he soon realized one thing and turned to Xu Xing Zhi, “Xing Zhi, I came out without any money on me. Can I borrow some from you?”

Xu Xing Zhi held the cup, raised a finger and said, “Okay. One hundred spirit stones.”

Qu Chi, “…”

“It"s not from the public bank of Danyang Peak. You don"t have it in your private bank?” Xu Xing Zhi took back his hand and said, “One hundred spirit stones. No less.”

Wen Xue Chen couldn"t help saying, “Xing Zhi, don"t bully Qu Chi.”

Xu Xing Zhi was not courteous at all and said, “Wen Bai Mao, this time, I paid all the money for tea. Can"t I get a reward for it?”

Zhou Bei Nan was upright and said directly, “That child is crying. It"s just a few pennies. Do you have any compa.s.sion?"

Xu Xing Zhi patted Meng Zhong Guang"s head and said, “Who can"t cry? Zhong Guang, you cry.”

Meng Zhong Guang obediently choked two tears at once.

Jiu Zhi Deng, who had always been silent, also spoke for Xu Xing Zhi, “… Zhou Gong Zi, Shi Xiong is not a man without compa.s.sion…”

“Don"t you people from Fengling Mountain talk about order and superiority?” Before Jiu Zhi Deng"s voice dropped, Wen Xue Chen severely interrupted him. “We are talking to each other. Why do you, a middle-level disciple, interrupt?”

Jiu Zhi Deng looked stern and said respectfully, “… Yes, disciple I know the mistake."

Xu Xing Zhi immediately protected his own child and said, “Wen Bai Mao, why shouting at my cute Deng? If you want to show off your superiority, do that to your people of Qingliang Valley. We Fengling Mountain people do not have so many rules as your Qingliang Valley do."

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, the good-tempered Qu Chi once again stood up and made a round play, “Well, don"t quarrel. One hundred spirit stones is OK.”

The business was done. Xu Xing Zhi got up, opened his stool and took out a few pennies from his wallet. He squatted down in front of the old man who sold tanghulu, selected a big fruit-red tanghulu from his gra.s.s handle and stuffed it into Qu Chi"s hand. At the same time, he reminded, “Keep it in the account. Don"t repudiate a debt.”

Then, he turned over the stool with a back and sat on it. He dragged the child to his front and said, “Don"t cry.”

The child sobbed, with a pale face.

Xu Xing Zhi went straight in, without any politeness, and said, “Among the captives, there are your close relatives, right?”

The child looked up in horror, but the tears flowed more rushly.

Having confirmed what he thought, Xu Xing Zhi leaned on the back of the chair, raised a foot of the chair and said, “Parents? Elder sister? “

The child opened his mouth and spoke normally, with a tender and delicate voice, unlike a boy, but like a poor little girl, “… It"s my brother who was sent to the troupe by our parents with me when I was young.

Xu Xing Zhi said, “I"ll help you get your brother"s bones back. Can you stop crying?”

Qu Chi was surprised, “… Xing Zhi, don"t talk like that…"

Xu Xing Zhi raised an index finger to signal the silence of Qu Chi.

The child listened to Xu Xing Zhi"s words, covering his mouth with both hands and trying to hold cry back, but got hiccupped.

Seeing this, Xu Xing Zhi was more clear.

The child should have seen his brother"s death with his own eyes, knowing that he could not have come back alive.

Therefore, the many comforts that Qu Chi had given him before were of little use to him.

Telling him to retrieve his brother"s bones was more practical for the child than empty comfort.

Xu Xing Zhi rubbed his long, messy hair like rubbing a puppy and said, “Good boy. Tell me where you saw the monsters running.”

The child sucked his nose hard, dipped his hand in a cup of tea on the table and drew a mountain.

Zhou Xian was surprised. He looked at Yuan Ru Zhou, who raised her chest slightly and looked proud.

Meng Zhong Guang and Jiu Zhi Deng were both an admiring look.

“Dawu Mountain?” Seeing the sketch drawn by the child, Xu Xing Zhi asked, “They hide to Dawu Mountain?”

The child shook his head and drew the water line from the table towards the west.

Chu Chi, holding the tanghulu, understood suddenly, “… Is it Bai Ma Jian?

The child nodded his head forcefully and stuttered a little, “I saw, I saw them going there, I don"t know… if they are still there.”

Zhou Bei Nan was surprised to ask the result so quickly and said, “Xu Xing Zhi, good for you.”

“Sure. Who am I? Xu Xing Zhi.” Xu Xing Zhi accepted the praise without any guilt. He patted the child"s head and asked, “What"s your name, boy?”

The child did not answer, but first looked at Qu Chi with tearful eyes.

Qu Chi, with a smile and an encouraging look, handed over the tanghulu, which was covered with golden sugar.

Qu Chi"s comfort was not totally ineffective. At least among these people in front, he was the one that the kid most attached to.

After a while, he bit the sugar tip of the tanghulu and whispered, “… My name is Tao Xian.”