Chapter 1432 - 776: Unbelievable

"Brother."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable with this address, Yin Weiyin asked:

"How far is the road ahead?"

Chen Yi, sitting by the edge of the carriage, finally spoke up upon hearing this, saying slowly, "Only a few dozen miles more, we'll be able to rest in the county town by tomorrow."

Yin Weiyin nodded slightly at these words, glancing sideways with disgust at Miss Donggong, who was engrossed in sniffing her smelly feet.

Earlier she was a ghost, a bit annoying but still fine, but now she's human. Having traveled with her for a while, she realized how difficult this girl was, so uncouth in behavior, ruining a perfectly good shell.

It wasn't that she was fragile and couldn't handle the journey's bumps; as someone from the Taoist sect, it was normal to endure the hardships of nature. But… sharing a carriage with such a person was truly a test of her inner peace.

Miss Donggong had no sense of propriety, first stretching with bones crackling, lacking any lady-like grace, then pulling out half a piece of dried food from some corner, scattering crumbs everywhere, and now she was… examining her own feet.

Her actions were so wild and carefree, it was simply… unbearable to watch.

She turned her gaze outside the window.

The carriage had reached the foothills, and the road was gradually leveling out. Although both sides were still dense forests, the gaps between the trees revealed open fields and scattered smoke from distant cooking fires.

Dusk was approaching, with clouds at the horizon dyed a gorgeous gold-red by the setting sun, adding warmth to the desolate mountains.

It seemed Donggong Ruoshu finally finished studying her feet, let out a huge yawn, eyes tearing at the corners, and then fell backward sprawling, her head thumping lightly against the carriage wall, completely unconcerned.

She opened her rather lively eyes, looking unfocused at the carriage ceiling, and suddenly hummed an off-tune melody, peculiar and incoherent, echoing in the dimming carriage.

Yin Weiyin could not stand Donggong Ruoshu. Chen Yi knew this and also wanted to find a comfortable place to rest as soon as possible.

But the mountains were blue mountains, the waters green waters, and the village was a deserted village.

And without a comfortable place to stay, even with the Jade Girl by his side, it wasn't possible to engage in Dual Cultivation with Donggong being such an impediment.

Chen Yi sighed inwardly. If only Donggong Ruoshu could be replaced with the Little Fox, there would be no need for restraint, and he could have an open indulgence with Yin.

He had promised Yin Weiyin long ago to protect her as the Taichua Goddess in front of outsiders to save face; though Donggong was a friend, she didn't count as an inside person, and Chen Yi always kept his word.

He remembered back in the day, as soon as midnight struck, he slipped right into the master's room...

The carriage continued on, passing through this forested area, and it was on to the next forested area, no wonder they say Bashu Land is full of spirits and gods, so many mountains and forests as the gathering places of nature's spiritual energy, making it hard for spirits not to abound.

As the sky darkened, reaching the foothill, lifting the curtain revealed a desolate temple halfway up the mountain.

The night could be spent there.

Arriving at the temple entrance, the carriage came to a steady halt. Seeing she wouldn't have to share a room with Miss Donggong, Yin Weiyin felt a bit more energized. With a wave of her hand, she put away the Paper Maid. Chen Yi got off the carriage, carrying three sticks of incense, and pushed the door, entering; the decrepit wooden door squeaked, and right upon entering, he stepped on broken tiles, clearly abandoned long ago.

Deep within the temple, an indistinct statue of Buddha was enshrined, wild grass growing within the lotus seat.

Chen Yi casually offered the three sticks of incense, saying, "Pardon the intrusion," then laid out a blanket and cushion, and started a fire.

Yin Weiyin brushed her sleeve, feeling pleased not having to squeeze with Donggong Ruoshu in the carriage, and decided to let the stupid girl sleep in the carriage.

Unfortunately, although it was a deserted wilderness with no one else around, the dilapidated temple still didn't provide space for Dual Cultivation for the two of them.

She sat down gracefully, closed her eyes, forming seals and meditating.

With blue-green grass clustering under the cushion, the female crown with a cloud pattern hairpin meditated in contemplation, harmonizing with the Buddha on the lotus throne.

Chen Yi silently watched Yin Weiyin. She meditated day and night, both different; the former often reciting sutras as a practice, while the latter was meditation connecting with nature, all typical for a Taoist, as Chen Yi well knew, although he, as a Taoist, didn't often engage in such practices.

Through the holes in the roof, the night sky was visible, moonlight pouring over the three walls, a rare and splendid sight.

It didn't last long, though; rain descended from the skies.

The firelight was somewhat weakened by the cold wind, and Chen Yi braved the rain to get firewood from the carriage, looking up to see a group of merchants rushing through the rain in the rainy night.

Mules and donkeys carried large packages up the mountain, merchants pulled canvas over their goods to prevent them from getting wet, likely containing herbs, dried fungi, or tea leaves, as only these goods would be worth traveling north day and night just after the New Year.

Most traveling merchants would have a darts master or followers with them, and this group was no exception, consisting of eight people — one darts master and two others in matching clothes, presumably followers.

The eight wet figures approached the temple, spotted the firelight, and then saw Chen Yi. The leading merchant hastily said:

"Young man, can you lend us some fire, lend us some fire? It's raining heavily, and we have nowhere to go."

This desolate temple wasn't his, so Chen Yi naturally agreed and opened the door, noticing there seemed to be others inside. The merchants led their mules and donkeys to the side hall serving as a stable, only separated by a wall, so they weren't afraid of theft; besides, the wall was broken. Then they squeezed into the hall, the flickering firelight leaving them momentarily stunned.

In blue fire-patterned clothing, with a silver hairpin on her head, she bore a resemblance to the Goddess.

The darts master let out a short "Eh!" and the others returned to their senses, not daring to look further. In these wild mountains and fields, encountering such a woman was both awe-inspiring and intimidating.

During this time, someone glanced at Chen Yi two or three times, seeing his attire, and guessed he was either the layman's follower or guard, thus feeling a sense of closeness.

This closeness was drawn from comparison, as the layman meditating with a Seal seemed unattainable, making the guard appear much more approachable.

The merchants hurriedly shed their drenched outer garments, wrung out the water, shook them, and found a corner away from the fire to hang them to dry.

A few people gathered around, extending their cold, slightly red hands closer to the dancing flames for warmth, the steam from the wet clothes mingling with the smell of burning firewood, permeating the dilapidated hall.

Yet as if within a Barrier, it never spread to the side where the female crown was, and upon closer inspection, there was a talisman on the ground.

After the initial awkwardness, the merchants noticed the blue-clad female crown remained silent with closed eyes, ignoring the surroundings, and the young guard quietly added firewood without showing any intention to drive them away or impatience, gradually letting them relax and converse softly.

A middle-aged man with dark skin rubbed his hands and was the first to speak, with a thick Shu accent: "This trip has been a real misfortune. I thought that just after the New Year, the road would be clear, so we rushed early rather than late to quickly send these bags of 'Mengding Yellow Bud' to Chengdu Prefecture; a few old tea houses there are updating their stock in spring and will pay well. Who would have thought that just as we entered the mountain, we'd encounter this wicked weather!"

Beside him, a slightly lean companion responded with concern: "Your tea leaves are still relatively safe, wrapped layer upon layer with oiled paper and covered with canvas, at worst, the packaging will get damp. But my baskets of chuanxiong and coptis chinensis are really troublesome; they're most afraid of dampness. If this rain lasts till dawn, the medicinal properties will likely diminish."

"Chengdu Prefecture is still closer," sighed another slightly older merchant, who dressed slightly better than the rest but was just as bedraggled, "My batch of Cordyceps and matsutake must be rushed to Chang'an; there, the nobles await spring nourishment, cannot afford any delay. With this rain, the mountain roads are even slipperier, slowing the mules, possibly delaying several days again."

The others sighed along with him, realizing that being a merchant was tough, relying on the timely and favorable conditions. Sudden weather changes, damaged goods, and delayed journeys were palpable losses.

The topic naturally shifted to the unexpected rain.

"What does Master Huang think?"

"It's very sinister," Master Huang spat, "Around noon, we still saw the sun, the sky was as blue as if washed, and before long, dark clouds moved in suddenly, pouring rain like buckets. Such weather is even quicker to change than a child's temper. It's too strange."

"Indeed," the lean herbal merchant nodded in agreement, "I've traveled this path at least seven or eight times, and during this season, it's typically drizzling at most. Such torrential rain coupled with such strong winds is truly rare. Listen to the wind outside, howling like ghosts crying."

His words drew a unanimous shiver from several people, who tilted their heads to listen intently.

Outside the temple, the wind indeed turned fiercer.

No longer just simple whistling, but mixed with sharp screeching, accompanied by dense raindrops, pounding on tiles, the ground, and distant tree branches and leaves.

Occasionally, a gust of wind hits the temple walls without warning, causing the already unstable beams and columns to groan under the weight, dust falling steadily.

The rain seemed to become more intense.

"...just speaking, and the rain got heavier..."

"With ghosts involved..."

Chen Yi glanced sideways at the rain curtain.

Perhaps it was a prophecy come true.

There was indeed a ghost in the rain.