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“Hey! Hey! Wake up! Where did that boy go?”

Inside the small thatched hut, Tang Yueshan was shaken awake by Shangguan Qing.

Tang Yueshan could understand a bit of the State of Yan’s language, but speaking it himself was still a bit of a stretch.

“Wh-what?” He asked, replying in the State of Zhao’s language.

Shangguan Qing instantly switched to the State of Zhao language and said, “I’m asking you, where did your companion go?”

“Eh? Who are you?” Tang Yueshan had blacked out after entering the forest, and had only just regained consciousness not long ago. He had no idea what had happened in the meantime, nor had he fully processed the strangeness of encountering someone on the territory of the State of Yan who could speak the language of the State of Zhao.

“Ah, forget it.” Shangguan Qing sighed. “I’ll just go find him myself. That brat... probably went to the back mountain!”

Tang Yueshan stared blankly at Shangguan Qing’s retreating figure, completely lost as to what he was talking about. “Hey, did you see my companion? A boy in a blue robe, with a red birthmark on his left cheek.”

Shangguan Qing waved a hand without looking back. “Probably went to the back mountain! I’m looking for him too!”

Upon hearing this, Tang Yueshan forgot all about sleep. He immediately sat up, grabbed his treasured bow and arrows, and hurried after him.

A gust of the cool night wind swept past, clearing Tang Yueshan’s mind a little.

They were currently in a small village nestled in a mountain valley, and the forest just ahead was the very place where he and Gu Jiao had been ambushed earlier.

“Young brother.” He asked politely, “May I ask what exactly happened just now?”

Shangguan Qing replied, “You and your companion were rescued by this Ghost King, but it’s a pity your companion didn’t listen. I told him not to go to the back mountain, and yet he sneaked off there in the latter half of the night.”

Hearing that Gu Jiao was unharmed, Tang Yueshan let out a quiet sigh of relief. Sneaking off to the back mountain? That’s nothing. There’s practically nowhere on heaven or earth that girl wouldn’t dare to go.

The more you told her she couldn’t go, the more determined she would be to go.

Next time, just tell her it’s absolutely essential to tour the back mountain, and she would probably lose interest immediately.

Grumbling to himself, Tang Yueshan suddenly thought of something. He turned to the masked Shangguan Qing and asked, “Young brother, your State of Zhao language is pretty fluent. Are you also from the State of Zhao?”

……

Outside the cave, Gu Jiao stared fixedly at the man’s face.

Compared to the portrait she had seen, which depicted a middle-aged man, there were some noticeable changes, like he now bore the marks of time, weathered by age and hardship. Yet the contours of his face and the resolute spirit behind them remained just as they were in the past.

Gu Jiao called his name once more.

Perhaps it had simply been too many years since he had heard that name, because he appeared dazed for a moment, then finally murmured in a whisper after a long while, “Xuan… Yuan… Qi…”

Gu Jiao told him with absolute certainty, “Yes, you are Xuanyuan Qi.”

“Dead…” He said softly.

Gu Jiao nodded. “In a way, that’s not wrong. Xuanyuan Qi is dead, but from that day on, the world had a second Lord of the Shadows.”

“Shadows…” A flicker of confusion appeared in his eyes.

Clearly, after spending so many years alone guarding the graveyard, his mind had become a bit hazy. He hadn’t lost his memory, but many of his memories had already faded or become jumbled.

Xuanyuan Li had once been the Supreme Commander, while Xuanyuan Qi was the Grand General. The two brothers had both been unshakable pillars of the Xuanyuan Family, men of unyielding spirit whose names struck terror into the hearts of both the States of Jin and Liang.

That he had fallen to such a state now… truly evoked deep sorrow and pity.

Gu Jiao said gently, “It’s all right. Take your time remembering.”

And indeed, he began to try earnestly to recall his past.

During this time, Gu Jiao did not disturb him.

Liao Chen had always believed that Long Yi had killed Xuanyuan Qi, but in truth, Xuanyuan Qi had never died.

Gu Jiao couldn’t help but feel curious, what had truly happened between Long Yi and Xuanyuan Qi back then?

And why did he believe himself dead? Why did he insist on keeping “his own corpse” from being properly buried?

He closed his eyes and fully entered a state of deep concentration.

Gu Jiao waved her hand in front of his face.

“No reaction at all, huh? So if I tried to ambush you now, I’d actually succeed?”

As she spoke, Gu Jiao reached out two fingers and swiftly aimed them at his eyes!

He made no attempt to dodge or block her.

Gu Jiao stopped her fingers just an inch before touching his eyes. “Wow, really. All right, then, you go ahead and think. No one’s coming to the back mountain anyway.”

Just as she finished speaking, the sound of furtive footsteps came from the narrow path ahead.

Gu Jiao glanced at the meditating Xuanyuan Qi beside her, gestured for the Black Wind King to stay put, and headed off to investigate.

This cave was in a secluded location; to get out, one had to pass through a narrow crevice between two steep cliffs, push past a patch of dense shrubs and brambles, and only then would they reach the outer trail.

By the time Gu Jiao stepped outside, she came face-to-face with the person sneaking in.

A shadowy figure suddenly appeared without warning, and Tang Yueshan instinctively drew his bow to full tension, ready to shoot.

Gu Jiao quickly called out, “It’s me!”

Tang Yueshan froze mid-motion, then squinted to get a better look at her. “Hey, damn brat, it really is you.”

Good thing I reacted fast, or else I’d have given myself away completely.

Damn brat?

Do people from your region always speak so… bluntly?

A fellow rogue, clearly!

Shangguan Qing withdrew the suspicious gaze he had been leveling at Tang Yueshan and strode briskly over to Gu Jiao. “You didn’t run into the Old Ghost King, did you? Eh? And what’s with the blood on your face?”

Gu Jiao’s expression remained completely calm and collected as she replied, “Oh, you know how it is with young people, hot-blooded and all that. Just a bit of a nosebleed.”

There was no way she was going to admit that she had been bested by that guy!

Not giving Shangguan Qing the slightest chance to spot a flaw in her story, she immediately added, “Also, I did meet the Old Ghost King.”

Shangguan Qing looked thoroughly unconvinced, firmly believing that this boy in front of him was blatantly bluffing.

With the level of martial skill this kid had, the Old Ghost King would have definitely judged him as an intruder and torn him to pieces on the spot.

Shangguan Qing snorted and said, “Oh really? Then why don’t you go ahead and tell us, where exactly is the Old Ghost King? We just went to the graveyard to check, and he wasn’t there.”

Every time Shangguan Qing had come to the back mountain, he had always encountered the Ghost King at the graveyard.

Gu Jiao replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “So it turns out you’ve never actually been to the Ghost King’s lair, huh? And here I thought you were such close friends with him.”

That jab hit a sore spot, and Shangguan Qing immediately bristled like a startled cat. “He’s invited me several times, all right! I just haven’t had the time to go, that’s all!”

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, her tone lightly amused. “Oh.”

Shangguan Qing: “...!!”

On the way here, Tang Yueshan had already learned from Shangguan Qing that someone incredibly powerful, and apparently not quite right in the head, lived in the back mountain. That man was especially wary of martial artists and seemed to treat all of them as potential threats.

I wonder who’s stronger, him or me? Ah, forget it, these two kids are standing right here. It wouldn’t be convenient to start a fight.

Tang Yueshan said, “Let’s just leave this place for now.”

Gu Jiao looked at the two of them and said, “You go ahead. I still have something to do here.”

Tang Yueshan asked, “You’re not returning to Quyang tomorrow morning?”

“I probably won’t make it back.” Gu Jiao replied. Then, uncertain how long Xuanyuan Qi’s meditative state would last, she paused for a moment before saying, “Let’s wait a few days first.”

She had an unusually strong and unshakable gut feeling—if she left Ghost Mountain now, she would never see Xuanyuan Qi again, and the answers she so desperately sought would be lost to her forever.

Shangguan Qing gave her a skeptical look, half believing and half doubting. “You’re not seriously planning to meet the Old Ghost King, are you?”

Gu Jiao said, “You don’t have to worry about me. If anything, it’s your side I’m more concerned about. Xie Hangzhou and the assassins from the Sword Lodge have already retreated. But based on what I know of Gongsun Yu, he’s not the type to let this go so easily. At first light tomorrow, the State of Jin’s army will most likely enter the mountain to wipe out the bandits.”

Shangguan Qing gave a cold snort and replied, “Relax. I’ve got my own plans.”

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…

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