Chapter Sixty-Three: The Ancient Village of Miao Territory

I was taken aback for a moment before I returned to myself, offering an awkward smile. “Oh, I got it wrong. The locust tree is a ghostly plant. Normally, you shouldn’t plant a locust tree in front of your door, lest it invite spirits into the house. Is that right, Master?”

Master nodded, finally speaking. “It’s good you remember, let me explain. Since ancient times, nothing is absolute. Take the so-called yang plants—peach trees, willows, mugwort—these have their uses, but each comes with advantages and disadvantages. If used incorrectly, they can bring trouble. Conversely, the locust tree, though a yin thing, has its benefits in certain circumstances. Remember that well.”

I nodded sheepishly. After Master finished, he placed the two strands of blood he had drawn on the table; golden light wrapped around the blood, hovering above the tabletop. Master formed a seal with his hands, waved it over his brow, then pointed at the blood, chanting, “Divine head flees the darkness, crossing into the spirit realm. Eye of the Dao, open!”

As the words fell, Master’s eyes flashed with golden light again, faint golden runes dancing across his gaze, stunning even Chu Mengxi, who stared wide-eyed. Master fixed his gaze on the strands of blood and spoke again, “Nine luminaries in order, the Dao lingers, essence shines, primordial spirit disperses.”

With those words, the surroundings suddenly transformed into a different scene. I was startled, looking around—now we stood in a forest. Chu Mengxi wasn’t surprised at all; rather, she seemed amused. Master’s chair had become a stone bench. I stared, bewildered, “Master, what’s happening?”

But before I could finish, Master motioned for silence. I stared at him in confusion; I’d never seen Master use such a spell before—it was just… so fascinating.

“Hehe,” “hehe,” my thoughts were interrupted by the laughter of children. Looking ahead, I saw two children, a boy and a girl, who upon closer inspection proved to be Old Zhang’s kids. The boy, obviously the elder, held a kite, while his sister chased after him. The chase and laughter filled the woods not just with birdsong and rustling leaves, but with the pure, innocent joy of childhood—a happiness that felt almost tangible.

The children ran and laughed, passing by us as though we were invisible. We turned to watch as the girl stumbled and fell. Her brother hurried back, calling, “Are you alright, little sister?”

She shook her head bravely, stood up, dusted off her leaf-covered knees, then made a face and said, “Hehe! Now it’s your turn to chase me, brother! Come on, come on!”

She ran ahead, glancing back at her brother, who laughed and gave chase. But as she looked back, she collided with someone. We stood behind them, and saw a hunched figure in a gray shirt—her face indistinct, but from the outline it was clear she was a woman. Master, who had been sitting, stood up abruptly and said in a grave voice, “She’s here. That’s her.”

I turned to Master in confusion, but the hunched figure ahead rasped, “Children, are you two playing alone here?”

The little girl nodded innocently, “Yes, yes, Grandma. My brother and I are playing tag. Do you want to play with us too? Hehe.”

“I’m old, I can’t run anymore. But…” The hunched figure cackled, “But Grandma can give you a gift, if you give me one in return. How about it, little girl?”

The girl blinked at her, and her brother caught up, saying, “Sister, Mom said we shouldn’t take things from strangers.”

“Cackle… little ones, I’m no stranger. Do you know who I am?” the hunched figure asked.

“Who are you?” The boy eyed her suspiciously.

She smiled, “I’m a good friend of your father.”

“You’re lying,” the boy said instantly.

At that, the hunched figure closed her mouth, then let out a sinister laugh. “If you don’t believe me, ask your father when you get home. Little sister, you’ll love this gift.”

With that, I couldn’t see exactly what she did, but suddenly the boy collapsed to the ground. The girl thought he was joking and laughed, “Brother, brother, the ground’s dirty. Get up, or Mom will be angry again!”

No matter how she called, the boy didn’t respond or get up. Now the girl started to panic, shaking his arm, but still no reaction. She burst into tears, and the hunched figure took the chance to say, “Don’t cry, little one. If you cry, your face won’t be pretty. Look, I have a candy for you. Your brother’s just tired, he’s fallen asleep. Don’t cry, cackle…”

The figure laughed again. The girl wiped her tears, looked at the candy in the figure’s hand, and sniffled, “Grandma, is my brother really just tired?”

“How could Grandma lie to you? But to eat this sweet candy, you must give me something in return.”

The girl paused, innocently replying, “Alright, alright! What does Grandma want? Xiao Wen will give it to you.”

The hunched figure smiled, “Xiao Wen! That’s your name, isn’t it? How lovely. Cackle… Xiao Wen, can you give me a strand of your hair?”

“My hair? Why do you want my hair, Grandma?” the girl asked.

“Cackle… Xiao Wen’s hair is so pretty, I want to keep one as a souvenir,” the figure coaxed.

At that, the girl stopped crying and nodded, yanking out a strand and handing it over. “Here you go, Grandma!”

“Good girl. Now Grandma will give you the candy. Take your brother home quickly, it’s getting dark.”

She nodded, and as she bent to wake her brother, the figure seemed to do something—she collapsed beside him.

The figure waved her hand, and four foxes appeared, carrying the siblings out of the woods.

Seeing this, Master sighed, waved his hand, and the scene snapped back to the guesthouse. Master wiped away the golden light on the table and said, “No time to waste. Xiao Xuan, we’re leaving at once. Chu girl, stay here and wait for us.”

I nodded, Chu Mengxi agreed, and Master packed up his things and took me outside. We followed our memories to the woods where the children had played, just outside the old town. As we walked through the forest, we searched for any clues we could find.

After a while, Master and I found the spot where the children had stood. Master frowned, “Such heavy evil! This old witch has some skill.”

I sensed it too, frowning in agreement. Master crouched, searching the leaf-strewn ground, while I examined nearby surroundings. After a moment, Master beckoned me, “Come here, boy.”

I ran over, and Master pointed to a small black object on the ground. “Look at this.”

“What is it, Master?” I asked in confusion, reaching for it, but Master hurriedly stopped me, “Don’t touch it! Be careful not to get poisoned.”

I drew my hand back immediately. Master explained, “This is a little container the witch uses for her poisonous insects. Though the bugs are gone, the residue is still toxic.”

I nodded, then asked, “But such a tiny container—what kind of poisonous insects does it hold?”

“Many kinds. Ant poison for gnawing at the heart, caterpillar poison for itching the organs, spider poison, scorpion poison, and so on—all deadly creatures,” Master replied.

“How will we find her?” I pressed.

Master thought for a while, looking at the increasingly deserted old forest ahead, then stood and said, “Let’s go.”

I nodded, following him deeper into the forest. The woods grew denser as we explored for half an hour, and the spider webs strung between trees began to annoy me. I broke off a branch and used it to sweep away dead leaves as I walked.

“Wait!” Master suddenly called, waving his hand.

I stopped behind him and looked ahead. Master had also taken a branch and poked at the ground. I looked closer and saw a mottled spider lying dead, its eight legs curled up. Master flipped it over and said, “This witch actually has a five-colored spider, such a rare venomous creature—remarkable.”

I was stunned. “Five-colored spider? What’s that, Master?”

Master gazed at the spider. “A poisonous creature rarely seen. As far as I know, it only exists in ancient villages of Miaojiang. Could the witch be from the Miaojiang sect?”

I didn’t know much about those poison masters and couldn’t respond. Master continued, “Let’s go. If this really involves the ancient Miaojiang village, things will get troublesome.”

I nodded, following him, asking, “Is the Miaojiang village very powerful?”

Master walked ahead, knocking aside the dead branches, “Their reputation is terrifying, but it’s really their chief, Lu Tangjun, who’s ruthless. The only reason they’ve survived these years is because of him.”

“Master, who’s stronger—you or Lu Tangjun?” I asked.