The old accommodation did not have many facilities, but it was very tidy. Smoke was rising from the kitchen, and something was cooking in the pots. Wu Xuan slowly woke up when he felt dizzy. As his blurred vision returned, his eyes settled on the discolored wooden ceiling above him. There was a smell of some familiar food, and he sat on the bed with a hand on his hungry stomach.
He tried to remember what had happened but was startled a little by the man who suddenly appeared at the front door.
"What?" Wu Xuan muttered as if he couldn't believe it. Meng Zhi, who had stopped where he was, also in shock for a while, but quickly returned to normal. "You slept for two days," he said, walking into the kitchen with the paper bag in hand.
"What are you doing here?" Wu Xuan asked, rolling his eyes. Meng Zhi's face shrunk in anger. "What's that tone? I should have just left you to the wolves!" He threw tantrums.
"So, I didn't say not to!"
"You ungrateful little one! You need to go to hell!" Meng Zhi shouted, shaking the paper bag up and down.
"Rabbit!" Wu Xuan straightened up as if struck by lightning. "Where is he? Where is the rabbit?"
Meng Zhi smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, about that—" Before he could even finish his sentence, Wu Xuan jumped out of bed and grabbed Meng Zhi by the collar. "If something had happened to him—"
"M-Mom?" A child's voice came from the door.
Wu Xuan said, ".....???"
"This is what I was trying to tell you. You didn't let me finish." Meng Zhi roared angrily and pushed Wu Xuan aside.
The little boy stumbled and walked towards Meng Zhi, smiling. Dressed in a soft cotton robe, he looked to be between three and four years old. "Mama!" He shouted, hanging on Meng Zhi's robe. "How many times have I said that I am not your mother." Meng Zhi shouted, jumping back in panic, ran into the kitchen.
The little child tripped and fell backward. With his eyes wide, he stared at Wu Xuan. Kneeling down, Wu Xuan gently ran his fingers over the little child's face. There was a small red devil mark on his forehead and those silvery hazel eyes looked like someone he knew.
"Lingyu?"
The little boy jumped onto Wu Xuan's lap, clapping his hands happily. "Mamma!"
"That rabbit ate your spiritual energy," Meng Zhi came out of the kitchen carrying a smoking pot. Placing it on the small round table, he turned around, removing the warm gloves.
"You...ate my energy?" Wu Xuan asked as he stood up holding the small child. "It's okay, it's okay... don't worry about it," Wu Xuan said with a big smile on his face as he saw the child's smile fade. "I'm glad you did it."
Meng Zhi "...???"
"Hey, the food is getting cold. If you eat it or not, I am going to eat." Meng Zhi said with a sneer as he looks mom-child play.
Wu Xuan, who came to the table with the child, sat down in a chair next to him. He was feeling dizzy and weak. The little boy was sitting on his lap and playing with black hair falling freely over his shoulders. Meng Zhi shared some soup into a small cup and placed it next to Wu Xuan along with a spoon.
"I checked your wounds," he said, taking a cup of soup for himself. "They're all healed, um-"
"Anything to ask?" Wu Xuan asked as he sipped the soup. "About that time, you said you were Yue Ling." Meng Zhi said looking away. "Really?"
Wu Xuan said "...???"
"Did I say such a thing?"
Meng Zhi "....."
"Ah, forget it, it can't happen anyway. It might just be a lucky chance." Meng Zhi himself was anxious to change the subject.
"Even so, why are you following me? Perhaps, do you like me?" At Wu Xuan's words, Meng Zhi dropped his cup of soup on the floor and coughed quickly as the soup came out of his nose. "You! Don't you have respect?! I'm your senior stupid little one." He screamed further.
"Oh?"
"You were not even twelve years old when I was at Juyao Peak."
"Oh?!"
"Why don't you speak? Did you swallow the soil?"
Wu Xuan put the spoon aside. "No, I was just checking to see if your taste buds were dead. This is salty broth!"
Meng Zhi "...."
"Anyway, now that you're awake, we need to get out of here quickly. Over fifteen demons attacked us while you were sleeping. Are you carrying anything unholy?" Narrowing his eyes, Meng Zhi said, looking at Wu Xuan. He had no specific reason why the demons were attacking them. It was probably because of the Wuyin Sword, but Meng Zhi wasn't sure. After all, those demons didn't even seem to fear Hu Ze's name.
"Ah, one more thing," Meng Zhi murmured, seeing that Wu Xuan was saying nothing. "That spider woman absorbed souls were all Fresh Souls."
Wu Xuan's eyebrows furrowed. "When she said that she shouldn't have bothered to catch you, it became clear to me then. You are not a fresh soul. You have lived at least five lives." Meng Zhi said.
"Since they can't find the Soul flower ground, they capture the fresh souls released into the world, right?" Wu Xuan said thoughtfully and seemed to be saying it to himself. His expression was one of anger.
"Fresh souls are like diamonds to soul-eating demons. That soul can significantly increase their power. Using the elemental dagger, they gather fresh souls for no good at all."
Wu Xuan quietly listened to Meng Zhi. On his lap was Lingyu, smiling, playing with his hair. "The elemental dagger is a treasure of the Lotus Sect. The best place to start an investigation is the Lotus Sect." he finally said.
"Even so, I have nothing to do with it, because I have more important work to do."
"I just said that what is happening is terrible. What do you mean you have nothing to do with it? Aren't you the Demon Slayer of the Wen Sect?"
"Ah yes, I'm the Demon Slayer. Shall I kill you now?"
"Wu Xuan!" Meng Zhi stood up, pounding the table with clenched fists. Due to the shock, the bowl of soup crashed to the ground. The little child hung around Wu Xuan's neck in fear. But at the same time, an explosion was heard from the front yard.
"Damn it! Why can't they give me a break!" Meng Zhi snarled angrily as he walked into the yard.
"Get lost you motherfu- Hu Ning??" Meng was startled when he saw the tall and braided-haired red-clad man facing him. He wore an iron face mask and had bright red eyes.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" Meng Zhi asked, taking a step back, channeling spiritual energy as if to prepare for whatever was about to happen.
"I heard you got the Wuyin sword," Hu Ning said in a sarcastic tone, crossing his arms across his chest. "So it's all because of the sword," Meng Zhi muttered to himself.
"No need for further chatter. Hand over the sword." Hu Ning said.
"Why do you think I'll give it to you?" Meng Zhi snorted.
"You already gave me that thing. Giving something else will not be a problem.".
"I only gave it to you for the infinity key. Get the fuck out!"
"What kind of oil do you use on your hair?" Wu Xuan, dressed in a black robe, entered the yard.
Hu Ning "....???"
Wu Xuan was smiling, but there was a hint of mortal danger in that smile. It seemed he was telling Hu Ning to leave. Seeing that, Meng Zhi also felt a chill run down his spine. For some reason, Hu Ning seemed to retreat. He took a few steps back and left without saying anything.
"Let's go," Wu Xuan said as he went back into the house, carrying the bag and picking up the little boy. "What am I coming for?!" Meng Zhi snorted.
"Oh, good luck then," rolling his eyes, Wu Xuan walked out of the house. A small village appeared a little far away, apart from that, huge withered plants were scattered everywhere. It was austere and unpopulated.
Wu Xuan walked forward along the dusty path, felt Meng Zhi walking behind him and a little smile appeared on his face.
"That's my brother, that demon." Meng Zhi said as they walked. Wu Xuan said nothing but listened intently.
"You're going to Lian Sect, aren't you? Why don't we go through Ghost City?"
Wu Xuan stopped where he was. He didn't remember telling Meng Zhi that he was going to the Lian Sect. "I know," Meng Zhi said, stepping forward. "I know who Yu Lingyu is, and so does the child in your hand."
"If we hurry, we can leave before the sun goes down completely."
"I don't think it's safe to go through the Ghost City," Wu Xuan answered a question, sounding serious for the first time. It is no secret that the spirit city was full of various spirits. And only wandering spirits could enter it. Only there they could take physical form.
"There are rules. As long as we follow them, no one can hurt us. Even if the demons want to attack us, they can't."
Wu Xuan looked at the sleeping little child cuddled to his chest. "Guide…" He said to Meng Zhi after being silent for a while. Seeing that Wu Xuan agreed with something he said, Meng Zhi was a little surprised but continued walking.
The Ghost city is hidden from the human world. Its gates open with the last rays of the sun and close automatically with the first rays of the sun the next day. In it, a variety of demon spirits and human spirits beings live in harmony, and it is a kind of black market.
Meng Zhi walked forward along the narrow footpath in the forest and stopped at the two-way junction. They had been walking without rest since morning, but by the time they reached there, the sun was already about to set. The sounds of birds and animals were echoing throughout the forest. Wu Xuan wore a bamboo hat and Meng Zhi stood motionless at the intersection and waited. Abandoned two-way junctions were often gateways to the spirit city.
Still, nothing happened. As the sun slowly set in the evening, the sky was bathed in red, making the entire environment a red painting. Wu Xuan could sense the changes in the environment around him. The temperature dropped rapidly and the wind picked up. Somewhere a soft, gloomy song was being heard and the trees were dancing to the beat of the wind, shaking their branches.
"It's opening," Meng Zhi said in an excited voice. Wu Xuan walked up to him. He could feel the negative energy gathering at the starting point of the two-way junction. When Meng Zhi gave a signal, the two of them suddenly stepped into the intersection, and in a moment they were no longer in the middle of the forest.
A large number of lanterns were floating in the sky. They flickered orange and looked like stars in the starless sky. They stood on a high and wide wall. It was so wide that about twenty horses could stand in a row. On both sides of it were barren lands and there was not even a name for a plant. After a while, Wu Xuan realized that they were not the only ones there. Hundreds of more were walking forward over the wall.
"That's the Ghost City," Meng Zhi said, pointing to the huge and tall black stone walls where the pathway ended.
Suddenly everyone was nervous. They were all jumping to the sides and giving way. Pulling Wu Xuan back, Meng Zhi motioned for him not to make a sound.
Green flames were floating in the distance. As they approached, it became clear to Wu Xuan that they were not torches. They were spirits who held green fire in their heads. "Guards," Meng Zhi whispered in a low voice. "They can't see, so don't make a sound."
Wu Xuan already knew it. The job of the Spirit Guardians is to destroy anything that could endanger the city. Inevitably, they regarded the cultivators as their worst enemies. Holding his breath, Wu Xuan quietly stepped aside. The skin of the Spirit Guardians was light green, and their eyes were like glowing green crystals. They were all dressed in old, dark green and white robes.
"It's a shame to have such beautiful eyes but can't see," Wu Xuan said after they left.
Once the guards were out of sight, the crowd started moving again. Wu Xuan was walking forward, studying the other spirits. Some were human and some were demons. Some were crippled, others were bleeding, and another had a pig's head. They were all different from each other.
The bright lanterns in the sky above were triggering a past memory for Wu Xuan.
It also happened on the walls of spirits.
That day too, thousands of lanterns, their flames like eclipsed stars, were shining in the night sky. Lu Yu leaned against the fence of the wall and his eyes focused on the person next to him.
His hair was blowing in the wind as small strands of hair fell on his face.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he murmured.
Lan Jue, the person dressed in night-black robes and wearing a bright crescent moon-shaped silver hair ornament, turned to Lu Yu and smiled. His eyes narrowed as he smiled.
"Lanterns?" he asked with mild amusement.
Lu Yu smiled. "Maybe," he admitted as his cheeks flushed red. "But… also it could be something else too."
Lan Jue tilted his head slightly. "Oh," he let out an amused voice, breaking the distance between Lu Yu and himself with one step. "The beautiful thing that young master Lu said, could it be me, perhaps?" He asked in a playful voice, poking Lu Yu's face.
Lu Yu, the tall silver-robed youth did not move. He let out a soft sigh and closed the rest of the distance. His lips captured Lan Jue's. Moist and soft, they were stirring Lu Yu's emotions. Lan Jue did not object. He wrapped his arms around Lu Yu's neck and closed his eyes.
"Wu Xuan!"
Lu Yu also wrapped his arms around Lan Jue's waist.
"Wu Xuan!!!"
"Hey! Wu Yi Xuan?! Are you sleeping while standing up?"
Startled by Meng Zhi's voice, Wu Xuan came to his senses. "Why did you have to jump in the middle of my best memory?!" he asked, rolling his eyes sarcastically.
Meng Zhi ".....???"