bookrebus Chapter 376 Ordered to Descend the Mountain
Chapter 376 Ordered to Descend the Mountain
It's not that I'm reluctant to part with it.
Mo Chengyue turned the thin paper, which resembled a resignation letter, over and tapped the edge of the paper lightly twice with his fingertips.
"The main thing is that I've developed a conditioned reflex to the phrase 'going out for a trip'."
Lin Wanqing stood by the table and blinked.
"Is Senior Brother scared?"
Mo Chengyue glanced at her.
"This is the reasonable reverence a mature monk has for high-risk events."
Elder Chen snorted.
Speak like a human.
Mo Chengyue honestly replied, "I'm afraid of the trouble."
Lin Wanqing couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Elder Chen ignored him and slammed his ebony staff on the ground.
"The Red Maple Crossing incident is neither a sect war nor the extermination of a great demon."
"People have been going missing one after another at the ferry crossing. At night, red lights are often seen reflected on the river. There are boats without oars, coming from the mist and going back into the mist."
"Go and find out the truth. If it's just evil spirits causing trouble, then deal with them as well."
"If a cultivator is implicated, then send a message to the sect."
Mo Chengyue held the jade slip, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"Elder Chen, this description doesn't sound like 'handling it off the cuff' anymore."
Elder Chen said calmly, "That's why I sent you."
I don't trust anyone else to go.
Mo Chengyue looked up, his expression complex.
"Your words sound like a compliment, but to my ears, they sound more like an overtime notice."
Lin Wanqing nodded beside her.
I think so too.
Elder Chen glanced at her.
"You know a lot about this?"
Lin Wanqing immediately lowered her head.
"This disciple does not understand."
Elder Chen then looked at Mo Chengyue again.
"You've almost mastered the art of concealing your breath, nourishing your meridians, and using escape techniques. If you continue to stay cooped up in the Scripture Pavilion, you'll only end up becoming a bookworm."
"Go out into the mortal world and soak up some of its vitality."
Mo Chengyue remained silent for a long time.
"What if this disciple doesn't go?"
Elder Chen pushed the resignation letter forward half an inch.
"Then I'll resign from my post."
Mo Chengyue looked down at the paper, then looked up at him.
"Elder, this is not a discussion, it's a single-choice question with two options."
Elder Chen's beard twitched.
"Good to know."
Lin Wanqing whispered, "Senior brother, actually, Red Maple Ferry isn't too far from the sect."
Mo Chengyue looked at her.
"You've always been very courageous in your ability to comfort people."
Lin Wanqing held the booklet and added a sentence carefully.
"And the river fish there are delicious."
Mo Chengyue paused.
"...That sentence works."
Elder Chen, too lazy to listen to his ramblings, turned and left.
Before going downstairs, he left without looking back.
"I'll give you half a day to prepare."
"Descend the mountain before Shenshi (3-5 PM) today."
"When you come back, explain everything clearly. If you come back with a lot of problems like you did at the mine last time—"
Mo Chengyue immediately responded.
"I will try my best to minimize drafts."
Elder Chen stopped in his tracks, seemingly wanting to turn around and scold him, but in the end he just snorted coldly and went downstairs.
The upstairs area quieted down.
The shadows of clouds drifted slowly past the window, and the jade slip on the table glowed with a faint spiritual light.
Lin Wanqing leaned closer and whispered, "Senior brother, are you really going?"
Mo Chengyue sighed.
"I have to go."
"If I refuse now, Qingquan Peak will know tomorrow that I don't even dare to disembark at the mortal ferry."
"At that time, my second senior sister will think I'm lax in my will, Lin Miaoyin will think I'm too cowardly to be entertaining, and Jin Qiaoqiao will probably ask me if my leg is broken."
Lin Wanqing suppressed a laugh.
"What about Elder Leng?"
Mo Chengyue's eyelids twitched.
Why are you adding weight to an already heavy topic?
Lin Wanqing immediately pursed her lips.
I won't ask anymore.
Mo Chengyue pressed the jade slip to his forehead and carefully reviewed the records of Hongfeng Ferry once again.
The file is not long.
It's quite a mixed bag.
The earliest mention was a month ago, when a night watchman patrolling Hongfeng Ferry said he had seen a black boat with an old red lantern on the river.
The ship was dilapidated, its mast was crooked, and it was able to sail against the current despite the lack of wind.
Further on, the two ferrymen disappeared.
Then, a guest at an inn heard a woman singing in the middle of the night. The next day, when he opened the window, he found that the windowsill was wet, as if it had just been soaked in river water.
Seven days ago, even the storyteller at the ferry crossing disappeared.
Only an overturned wooden box remained on the shore, containing several old storybooks that had been soaked and ruined by the water.
Mo Chengyue put down the jade slip and gently rubbed his temples with his fingers.
"Red light, black boat, missing, night song, wet window."
"This configuration is already quite complete."
Lin Wanqing whispered, "Is it dangerous?"
Mo Chengyue said, "The danger is not certain."
"But it looks like a workers' compensation claim form will be issued."
Lin Wanqing didn't quite understand, but she felt that her senior brother's tone was very solemn, so she nodded solemnly as well.
Mo Chengyue chuckled when he saw her like this.
"never mind."
"I'll go back and pack my things first."
"If anyone comes looking for me today, tell them I'm on orders to go out, for at least three to five days, or at most—"
He paused for a moment.
Lin Wanqing asked nervously, "What if it grows longer?"
Mo Chengyue calmly said, "I hope you won't erect a cenotaph for me in the long run."
Lin Wanqing was startled.
"Senior brother!"
Mo Chengyue raised his hand.
"Just kidding, it's to lighten the mood."
"How could you actually take that seriously?"
Lin Wanqing glared at him.
"This is not funny at all."
Mo Chengyue put away the jade slip and stood up.
"Okay, next time I'll try to say something auspicious."
As he walked out of the upper level of the library, the wooden planks of the stairs creaked slightly.
Disciples were still coming and going on the lower level, flipping through books and handing over jade tokens. In a corner, two outer disciples were whispering among themselves.
"Isn't that Senior Brother Mo?"
"It's him. Didn't they say he just returned from Ice Soul Peak?"
"Tsk, that's tough."
"Keep your voice down, what if he hears you?"
"It's alright if you hear it, Senior Brother Mo seems to have a good temper—"
Mo Chengyue didn't stop walking, but silently added a sentence in his mind.
He has a good temper, mainly because he's too lazy to cause a bloodbath at the entrance of the library.
He left the Sutra Repository and followed the stone steps toward Qingquan Peak.
The mountain breeze swept through the forest, ruffling the hem of my clothes.
It was still early, and the mist among the peaks was very thin.
But before he even reached his cave dwelling, he saw a slender figure standing at the entrance in the distance.
She wore a pale yellow dress and her hair was adorned with small gold feather ornaments that shimmered in the sunlight.
Jin Qiaoqiao stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the old pine tree outside the cave.
The moment she saw Mo Chengyue, her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.
"You really are going to run away."
Mo Chengyue paused in his steps.
"Your Highness, the word 'run' is very hurtful."
"I'm on a business trip under orders."
Jin Qiaoqiao straightened up and walked a few steps to him.
"Where to?"
Don't try to fool me with vague words.
Judging from her posture, Mo Chengyue knew that someone had probably already leaked the information.
The library may not be the fastest place to spread books, but it certainly is the fastest to spread news.
He sighed.
"Red Maple Ferry".
The nonchalance on Jin Qiaoqiao's face vanished instantly.
"That earthly ferry crossing by the river?"
Mo Chengyue nodded.
Jin Qiaoqiao frowned.
"I've heard about that place; it's been rather unsettled lately."
"Are you going alone?"
Mo Chengyue said, "Theoretically, yes."
Jin Qiaoqiao gave a cold laugh.
"Theoretically, you should still be lying in the cave recuperating."
After she finished speaking, she raised her hand and pressed down on his shoulder.
The demonic energy, like a warm current, swept across the surface of his meridians very quickly.
Mo Chengyue stiffened slightly when she pressed him down.
"How come you're all becoming more and more skilled at examining injuries?"
Jin Qiaoqiao ignored his banter and just stared at him.
"My meridians feel smoother than they did a few days ago."
"The old wounds in my soul are still there."
"In your state, you still dare to touch the evil spirits on the river?"
Mo Chengyue replied earnestly, "I wouldn't dare."
"But not daring to go and not going are two different things."
Jin Qiaoqiao stared at him for a couple of moments, then suddenly scoffed.
"The most troublesome thing about you is that even though you're terrified, you refuse to back down when it really comes down to it."
Mo Chengyue corrected.
"I will withdraw."
"It's just that they usually don't retire as early as people imagine."
Jin Qiaoqiao was so angry she laughed.
"OK."
"So, how do you plan to get there?"
"Royal vehicles? Flying boats? Or should we hire a carriage down the mountain?"
Mo Chengyue waved the mission jade slip in his hand.
"With a limited budget and a somber atmosphere, I'll probably have to fly for a while on my own first."
Jin Qiaoqiao said, "Don't fly away."
Mo Chengyue was taken aback.
"Um?"
Jin Qiaoqiao took out a small cyan-gold feather-patterned talisman from her sleeve and slapped it directly into his palm.
"Take it with you."
"My Peacock Clan's Breath-Tracing Feather Talisman will automatically warn us when it encounters illusions of the soul or demonic illusions."
"If something really happens, crush it, and my people will be able to find you."