Chu Wanning said: "If it was the real Gouchen, how could he only be able to control the dead but not the living? Although this person's spiritual power isn't bad, it's nothing compared to that of the primeval god."
This made sense, but Mo Ran was still suspicious: "When shizun saw this… this dead fox, was that when you knew that the person was an impostor?"
Chu Wanning shook his head: "No."
"Then how did you know…"
Chu Wanning: "Do you remember what this Gouchen said to me when he appeared?"
Mo Ran thought and said: "He asked you how your weapons were, right?"
"That's right." Chu Wanning said. "I have not restrained the aura of the divine weapon in my body and a little perception would have detected that. But as the God of a Thousand Weapons, he did not immediately react when I entered Jincheng Lake and, despite having two weapons, I was only carrying one. I had doubts in my heart at the time, but the point of being there was to obtain a sword, so I didn't want to say more, but I kept an eye on everything next so I wouldn't fall victim to his tricks."
"But…" Mo Ran said, "If he's not Gouchen, how could he forge divine weapons?"
"First, Gouchen casting swords is only a rumour. No one really knows why a lot of weapons are sunk at the bottom of this lake, so the divine weapons may not be created by Gouchen. Second, this person just took the ready-made weapons of the Divine Weapon Treasury for you to choose from. I don't know whether those things are his or not. Moreover, I just took a closer look at the two weapons Xue Meng and Shi Mei chose - they're both fakes."
Mo Ran was shocked: "Counterfeits?"
"Yes."
"…" Mo Ran was quiet before thinking, "Then Jiangui…?"
Chu Wanning said: "Jiangui was genuine. But his goal was never just to give you a weapon."
"Then what is he trying to do?" Mo Ran said. He glanced at the creepy fox corpse lying on the stone bed with disgust. "First they go to the trouble of putting us in a secret room, and then they make something like this to disgust people. What's the plan?"
Chu Wanning said: "You're the plan."
"Huh?"
"Just now, you're only half right. That Gou Chen, the person he went to great lengths to shut down was not us, what he ultimately wants is you."
"What does he want me to do?" Mo Ran laughed dryly, "I'm just a fool."
Chu Wanning said: "I've never seen any fool who can form a spiritual core within a year."
Mo Ran was about to say more, but he realized something and suddenly froze.
——Chu Wanning was… praising him?
This realization made his heart beat faster. His eyes widened and he stared at Chu Wanning. After a while, he slowly blinked his eyes. He had always had some pretty thick skin but now he flushed slightly red.
Chu Wanning didn't look at him but instead pondered: "In addition, Tianwen and Jiangui seem to have some connection with the willow tree in the courtyard. I once read in an old book that when Gouchen the Exalted went down to the human realm, he brought three willow branches from the Heavenly Court. But the ancient book is so anecdotal, what Gouchen did with the three willow branches, I have never known."
He paused then continued: "But if the rumours are true, right now it seems that maybe Tianwen, Jiangui, and the old tree in the courtyard are the three willow branches. Two of them became divine weapons, and the other of them is stuck at the bottom of Jincheng Lake where it became a mighty guard for Gouchen's divine arsenal."
Mo Ran said: "But what does that have to do with me?"
Chu Wanning shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter, it's you who woke up Jiangui."
Mo Ran sighed: "It's like I said, it's really hell!"
"I guessed that what he ultimately sought was related to the willow tree in the courtyard. But from what I know right now, I can only speculate at this point. I can't think of anything more for the time being."
Although most of these are Chu Wanning's speculations, Mo Ran felt that Chu Wanning was so smart, at least he thought so, so he was probably right.
While thinking about this, he walked quickly through the dark underwater secret passage. Passing through the multiple twists and turns of the passage, they walked for a while and finally came to the exit. They took advantage of the unpreparedness of the Jiao people who were patrolling and escaped.
The opening of the dark underground room was located in the courtyard where the giant willow was planted. As soon as they emerged, the sight in front of him took Mo Ran by surprise.
He saw four coffins lying in front of the giant willow, one of which was empty. In the other three coffins, there were three people, namely Chu Wanning, Shi Mei, and Xue Meng.
Mo Ran went pale: "What's going on?!"
Chu Wanning said: "This is a sacrificial corpse coffin. Look at the edge of the coffin. There is a vine attached to it, and the other end is connected to the giant willow. The fake Gouchen only needed you. After he drugged us, he let the jiao take you. He took you to the secret room and put the three of us in this kind of coffin. By sacrificing a corpse, he can transfer the spiritual power of the person in the coffin to the giant willow. It's like sucking blood."
Seeing Mo Ran's horrified face, Chu Wanning said: "Relax. Neither Shi Mei nor Xue Meng was injured. At that time, I pretended to be unconscious and waited for the opportunity to take out the three guards guarding the coffin. The three people you see now are actually the corpses of those demons."
He spoke simply, but Mo Ran took the chance to secretly glance through his eyelashes at the other.
How strong was the cultivation of the jiao people in Jincheng Lake? Chu Wanning's so-called "waiting for the opportunity to take out the jiao" must have been to deal with all three with a single silent blow.
How good was this person…
He hadn't had a good fight with Chu Wanning for many years so when Mo Ran heard this, he felt like he was in a trance. He was transported back to the hardships of his previous life, to the first snowfall. There was an astonishing figure. Their face was slightly turned with eyes like stars.
When Chu Wanning saw him in a trance, he asked: "What's wrong?"
Mo Ran snapped out of it and said: "Nothing."
"…"
"It just seems strange how Shizun turned the jiao into this."
Chu Wanning sneered: "A mere blindfold. If that fake Gouchen can, why can't I? Leave the fake bodies here, so they're not discovered by those lowlifes. Call it returning the favour."
Mo Ran: "…"
The place was dangerous, and it was inconvenient for the two of them to stay for too long so they left immediately after a short rest. However, when they ran to the place they had agreed to meet with Xue Meng, they saw that there was no one there.
Mo Ran turned white: "Where's Shi Mei?!"
Chu Wanning's expression also slightly wavered. He didn't answer but he raised his ring finger, and a layer of golden light floated on the end of the finger. Before going up to Dawning Peak, he had pinned a begonia flower on his three disciples, precisely for tracking purposes.
A few moments later, Chu Wanning whispered dark curses and retracted the light: "Perhaps something has changed here. They probably had to hide from the patrolling jiao. They escaped from the mansion and went to the marketplace. Go on, go over there and take a look."
Both of them were extremely skilled, and they quickly avoided all the patrolling jiao. They flew over the towering courtyard wall and swept toward the marketplace where Gouchen had taken them around during the day.
There should be no day and night under the water, but Jincheng Lake was different from other places. It could sense the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon. At this time, the long night had broken and the sun was rising in the east.
In the distance, Mo Ran saw that the morning market in Jincheng Lake had started, and the downtown area was bustling with people. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seems that Shi Mei and everyone else were safe, otherwise, this place would not still be so peaceful.
Chu Wanning's expression, however, was not particularly good for some reason, but he didn't say anything and pulled Mo Ran over without a word.
"Shizun?"
"Come here."
"What's wrong?"
"Don't go far." Chu Wanning's voice seemed to reveal some guilt, although he was still as cold as always. "Xue Meng and Shi Mei are lost, I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, you'll also…"
Mo Ran saw that Chu Wanning's face was a little pale. He actually seemed to be worried about him. He was stunned at first, and then he didn't know what to think. His heart was faintly moved, and he said to comfort him: "I won't get lost. Let's go, Shizun, let's hurry and find them."
As he spoke, while walking forward, he turned his arm and grabbed Chu Wanning's hand.
"…" Chu Wanning's fingertips seemed to tremble slightly in his palm.
However, it happened too fast and was so slight, Mo Ran was so preoccupied with thoughts of Shi Mei so he didn't scrutinize it. Just chalked it up to his imagination.
"Fish blood steamed buns, fish blood steamed buns that have just been released."
"The slough of the snake, the best clothing material, is the last three feet. After the sale, we will have to wait for the next slough of the slave family."
"Selling squid daizi, this young master just spit out the ink this morning, it's better to take a picture of daizi - hey, don't go, little lady."
The marketplace was full of cries, and the sights and sounds were even more dizzying.
Mo Ran smiled and pulled Chu Wanning forward a few steps. Suddenly, he understood what was wrong. Their footsteps abruptly stopped. His eyes widened and his blood seemed to run cold.
Something's wrong!
Something wasn't right here!
He looked around, and sure enough…
A headless ghost was sitting in front of a stall selling combs and hair products. A pair of long fingernails painted with red cardamom held an angular comb. The ghost rested his bloody head on his knees, combing his hair while gently saying: "This is the finest bone comb. Please take one with you."
That's it!
Indeed that's it! In this busy city, everyone's actions, everyone's words, and everyone's demeanour were exactly the same as when Gouchen brought them here yesterday!
Mo Ran abruptly stepped back a couple steps and bumped into Chu Wanning's arms. He immediately raised his head and said hoarsely: "Shizun, what is this?"
Chu Wanning seemed to have long thought that this might be the case, but when he confirmed it with his own eyes, his heart still sank. He held Mo Ran tightly.
"How did this happen? – What is this? A mirage?"
Chu Wanning shook his head, but after thinking for a moment, he cautiously said: "Mo Ran, have you thought about it? There are many beasts and creatures in Jincheng Lake, and many of them have seen the real Gouchen. So, why couldn't they recognize this fake one?"
Mo Ran's face was devoid of any colour, and it was a little scary: "That's… true."
Chu Wanning said: "Let me ask you. If you were pretending to be Gouchen and hiding in Jincheng Lake, how would you make others say what you want them to say, do what you want them to do, obey your orders, and act for you?"
Mo Ran suddenly understood.
The Zhenlong Chess Formation!
Black and white pieces fall and the heart changes. No one knows the power of this forbidden technique better than him. He almost blurted it out, but when he caught sight of Chu Wanning's eyes, he stopped himself immediately.
How could a sixteen-year-old self easily associate with the three forbidden techniques?
So Mo Ran said: "This is hard."
"No." Chu Wanning said, "This is very simple."
He paused, then said, "You can as long as they're all dead."