Fleeing for his life.

The little demon creatures in the Imperial Tomb truly lacked any sense of crisis. After living in the underground palace for a few days, each of them felt stifled. Combined with the fact that the imagined danger had not arrived, they all moved back to the surface and continued to pass their days in noisy commotion.

When Xin Mei returned to the Imperial Tomb, it was already approaching dusk. From afar, she could see cooking smoke rising from the kitchen chimney, presumably Si Lan heating up buns and pastries for everyone. The faint sounds of Tao Guoguo and her younger brother playing and roughhousing drifted over, occasionally punctuated by Official Zhao’s roaring voice—no matter how chaotic the outside world became, the Imperial Tomb remained the same as always.

“Lu Qianqiao, do you want to go over and have a look?”

Xin Mei turned her head and asked with a smile.

This general was usually quite decisive about everything, but whenever he encountered her, he became clingy. At first, he said he would just escort her to the cliff’s edge, but as they walked, he simply lifted her onto Lie Yunhua, saying he would escort her another five li. After five li came another five li, and in the end, it turned into him personally escorting her all the way into the Imperial Tomb.

Lu Qianqiao shook his head. “No need. You go, I’ll watch.”

Though meeting would be joyful, considering the time, he would likely be unable to make it.

Xin Mei put away Qiuyue and walked down the slope for a few steps. When she turned back, Lu Qianqiao was still standing quietly on the hillside, the evening glow of dusk spreading across his clothes and hair.

She waved her hand and called out loudly, “Come back next month, and I’ll make you Tofu General!”

He nodded, watching her run cheerfully down the hillside and dash into the Spirit Path in a flash. Not long after, Si Lan’s surprised cry rang out, followed by Official Zhao’s loud shout, which finally transformed into waves of laughter rippling through the cooking smoke.

Tofu General… He lowered his head and couldn’t help but smile. Leading Lie Yunhua, he was about to return along the path they came when he noticed it also seemed rather reluctant to leave, so he said in a low voice, “…Missing Qiuyue?”

Speaking of which, ever since Lie Yunhua had been exchanged as a token of affection to Xin Mei, its temperament had undergone tremendous changes. Previously, it had always prided itself on its noble bloodline and treated everyone except him with indifference, not to mention Qiuyue—in its eyes, Qiuyue was just an ugly, useless, slovenly pelican. Who knew what stimulation Xin Mei had given it, but after she married over, it became absolutely inseparable from Qiuyue, constantly gazing at the other with worshipful and respectful eyes, only regretting that the other didn’t have a horse’s rear, otherwise it could have blown its flattering breath onto it.

“You’ll see each other again next month.”

Lu Qianqiao patted Lie Yunhua’s melancholic head, leaped onto its back with one bound, and man and horse vanished like faint smoke beyond the Yunwu Array.

The sky gradually darkened, all sounds fell silent, and the fierce wind blew dark clouds over, obscuring the moon. Before long, small snowflakes began falling softly. Snowflakes drifted in through the not-very-reliable carriage window, freezing Xin Xiong until he sneezed repeatedly. He couldn’t help but ask the young man sitting across from him who looked rather unreliable, “Um… haven’t we reached the son-in-law’s residence yet?”

This frivolous young man had suddenly delivered several boxes of buns and pastries a couple days ago, saying they were from Xin Mei. It just so happened that recently it was the New Year period, and Xinxie Manor had no business to attend to, while his apprentices could gradually handle things on their own. Xin Xiong had conceived the idea of visiting his daughter and son-in-law. This young man also said he was one of Lu Qianqiao’s subordinates and could help guide the way, so they agreed to meet during the day at the Xinxie Manor’s main gate. As soon as he went out, he was stunned by the young man’s splendid golden long carriage.

Using Paradise Birds to pull a carriage was simply a waste of heaven’s gifts! As a professional, Xin Xiong felt tremendous heartache over such behavior.

The Great Monk sat by the window, his left hand wearing black silk gloves occasionally stroking his right arm. That arm was somewhat strange, lying horizontally like a piece of wood, unable to move at all. He smiled gently at Xin Xiong and said, “Don’t worry, Boss Xin, we’ll arrive shortly.”

The long carriage slowly descended and finally stopped in the thick fog and white snow. The Great Monk kindly pointed in a certain direction. “Boss Xin, just walk straight in. After walking a bit, your daughter will probably discover you.”

Xin Xiong looked bewilderedly at the pitch-black expanse outside, then turned back to look at him. “You… you’re not going to escort me inside?”

He was, after all, a manor master and could see that the thick fog outside was clearly caused by some kind of array formation, not natural weather. Without someone to guide him, he could walk for ten or eight years and still not get out.

The Great Monk gently pulled him down from the carriage, then very politely gave him a push, saying with a smile, “I would very much like to escort you, old sir, but first, I also cannot break the Yunwu Array, and second… if you don’t leave now, it will be dangerous.”

Dangerous?

He didn’t have time to ask. He only heard a thunderous “boom,” and the long carriage just a few steps behind him was smashed to smithereens in the blink of an eye. Xin Xiong gaped in shock, suddenly feeling someone grab his arm, followed by his entire body flying toward the thick fog as if riding clouds, his son-in-law’s voice vaguely ringing in his ears: “Go inside first!”

His feet involuntarily landed on the ground, and following the force of the other’s momentum, he rushed forward several steps. When he stood firm and turned to look back, aside from the vast thick fog, there wasn’t half a human figure to be seen!

The Great Monk looked at the long carriage that had become fragments with an unchanged expression, murmuring, “Truly remarkable ability…”

The long carriage had the Fox Clan’s spell attached to it—impervious to water and fire, immune to blades and spears. Under heaven, the only ones who could slash through and smash this carriage to pieces were the War Ghost Clan.

Immediately after, the sound of a horse’s neighing came from nearby. A completely fiery-red steed came riding on the wind, charging directly at those several Paradise Birds that were flapping their wings and crying out. One red and several golden streaks of light tangled together and shot into the sky, unlikely to return anytime soon.

The Great Monk smiled bitterly. “You knew I would come and have been guarding outside the Imperial Tomb all along?”

No one answered him. The black long whip was invisible and formless in the thick fog of the snowy night, instantly coiling before his eyes. The Great Monk closed his eyes, shook his long sleeves once, sat down cross-legged, and a layer of golden light enveloped his entire body. The long whip wrapped around his body but couldn’t pull or lift him, only circling around him tighter and tighter, gradually constricting.

The Great Monk’s face turned pale as he said with a forced smile, “General, I properly returned your father-in-law and even sent him into the Imperial Tomb.”

He had clearly sent the hostage back with good intentions.

Still, no one answered. The long whip continued to tighten—even a stone would probably be crushed.

The Great Monk’s expression became somewhat pained.

He raised his head and said something to that War Ghost in the deep darkness opposite him. The next moment, the golden light covering his body shattered like bubbles. The long whip trembled, and his body, like tofu, was ground into fragments and crashed onto the snowy ground with a thunderous sound, fresh blood spreading everywhere.

After a long while, Lu Qianqiao emerged from the forest and walked to the shapeless corpse. He crouched down and observed for a while, then suddenly tilted his head to listen toward the Yunwu Array for a moment before decisively rising and instantly disappearing into the array.

At that moment, Xin Xiong, who was trapped in the Yunwu Array in a flustered state, was cursing furiously. Originally full of joy at coming to see his daughter and son-in-law, he now hadn’t seen anyone yet was trapped in this godforsaken place, suffering from hunger and cold.

He cursed bitterly, “That stinking brat, I knew he was no good! Using Paradise Birds to pull a carriage—clearly a scoundrel at first glance!”

Just as he was cursing energetically, someone grabbed his arm again. His cry of alarm stuck in his throat as he felt his body begin to ride clouds once more. Snowflakes and fog came rushing at his face in a blur of confusion. In just a brief moment, his vision suddenly opened up, and the snow-covered, vast Spirit Path appeared before his eyes.

“Keep walking straight ahead.”

The person pulling him gave a low instruction. That voice—no matter how he listened, it sounded like his son-in-law.

Xin Xiong turned around delightedly. Beside him was nothing but empty space, only snowflakes swirling. That person whose voice sounded like his son-in-law had disappeared again.

The long night stretched on, and the snow fell heavier and heavier, quickly burying the Great Monk’s miserable corpse. Who knows how much time passed when faint footsteps on snow gradually sounded, and two pitch-black figures ran straight toward the corpse. Seeing this miserable sight covered in blood, neither was surprised. They simply crouched down, clapped their hands, and one of them said in a low voice, “Great Monk, he’s gone.”

After a while, a frivolous voice sounded softly, still a bit timid: “…Really gone?”

The two nodded vigorously.

The corpse buried under white snow suddenly trembled, followed by a “crack” as it transformed into several broken stones. Under the stones was a hole he had dug. The Great Monk was squatting in the hole, sighing deeply, “Almost died… Fortunately, foxes can dig holes…”

Truly fortunate that he was a fox and not a white rabbit or gray wolf or something, otherwise his little life would have been lost here today.

“Li Chaoyang has already been cursed by you, and you’re still afraid of that general? He hasn’t become a Perfect War Ghost yet, has he?”

The Great Monk shook his head with lingering fear. “Li Chaoyang was caught off guard—a trump card can only be used once. Using it a second time, when people are prepared, it won’t work.”

That general looked like a block of wood, but unexpectedly was cunningly astute. Having guessed it was him who dealt with Li Chaoyang, this time the general didn’t even show his face, hiding in the forest and directly wielding his long whip. Even if the Great Monk could cast spells all over his body, not being able to see him meant there was nothing he could do.

“What do you do next? Judging by the clan elders’ intentions, they still plan to continue using this assassination method against the War Ghost Clan. Will you go back to receive orders?”

The Great Monk sneered, “Assassination can only be used once. Using it again would be foolish. I’m not going.”

“Then what will you do? You also can’t appear before the War Ghost Clan in the future, otherwise you’ll still be hunted down, right? Why did you bother sending people to the Imperial Tomb?”

He thought for a moment, raised his head to look at the dark sky, and suddenly smiled. “If I hadn’t sent him over, how could I have met the War Ghost General alone… Let’s go to places further south—the clan elders will be forced to relocate there sooner or later anyway. I’ll establish a home and household first.”

“…You plan to flee for your own life first?”

“‘Fleeing for my life’ sounds too harsh—I’m a good person who loves peace and detests conflict. This provocation of the War Ghosts will inevitably have bad results. I’ll wait for the elders to come rolling back in disgrace to cry and complain to me while also admiring my foresight.”

Anyway, he had advised them many times before, and the elders had ignored it all like farts, forcing him to come deal with Li Chaoyang. He obediently came and dealt with him. Logically speaking, ordinary people who were hit with that curse spell would definitely die, but whether a Perfect War Ghost would truly die, whether this action would enrage the War Ghost Clan and provoke even greater slaughter—he was too lazy to care about that.

“…You actually just want to flee for your own life first, don’t you?”

“Do I look like that kind of person to you?”

The Great Monk jumped out of the hole, righteously patted his clothes, and without another word, took off running—

Fleeing for his life.