But Mu Ranwu's group didn't make a choice either. Mu Ranwu looked around and then asked her disciples, "Which gate do you think is the best?"
What could those disciples say, they naturally followed their master's lead. Mu Ranwu smiled and stood still, seeming not in a hurry.
At that moment, the other cultivators, each showing their abilities like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, also chose their gates to enter the formation. However, people entered the west and east gates,with none going through the gate directly to the north. It was because it emitted a strong black aura, accompanied by occasional roars of monsters, which made it very ominous.
Su Yi Shui turned to Ranran and asked, "If it were you, which one would you choose?"
Ranran blinked and pointed to the large gate directly to the north, "This one!"
Su Yi Shui raised an eyebrow, "Why this one?"
Ranran's answer was straightforward, "The god of wealth said that if I go north, I'll find great wealth! It shouldn't be wrong to listen to him."
Although the god of wealth had noticed Mu Ranwu coming over at that time and deliberately raised his voice to change the topic, but he had never been wrong in indicating the path to wealth!
Qiu Xier shrugged helplessly, "My junior sister, if we die and was given a coffin and funeral goods, that's also considered finding great wealth! How can we listen to a merchant's words for such a important thing like breaking an evil array?"
Unexpectedly, Su Yi Shui nodded after hearing this, pointing to the gate directly to the north, "This path should have fewer people and is more quiet. Let's take this one…"
The remaining disciples did not expect that their master's reason was even more rough and hasty, choosing a path simply because it was quieter and less crowded, which made their expressions crumble.
However, they had to follow their master's decision. So, the remaining disciples followed Su Yi Shui into the gate directly to the north. Mu Ranwu also chose the north gate without hesitation, following behind Su Yi Shui's group.
She had attendants who could stand up to Su Yi Shui, so she wasn't afraid of him turning hostile for now.
Compared to the unreliable mainstream sects and the strange talents of the Yiren Hall, Mu Ranwu was more inclined to trust Su Yi Shui and her former sister's choice.
So, the two groups entered the most dangerous north gate one after the other.
The moment they stepped in, the ground where they had been standing at the center of the formation suddenly collapsed, and flames soared up thousands of feet.
It seemed that Shen Kuo's words were not false. If they had hesitated for another moment, they would have been trapped in the sea of fire.
After entering the north gate, they found themselves in a sealed barrier, not as terrifying as it seemed from the outside.
It seemed like a dark and damp cave here. There was a faint light ahead, but as everyone approached the light, they involuntarily took a few steps back.
It turned out that directly ahead was a stone-built chessboard, and sitting beside it, playing chess, was a monstrous creature that didn't look human at all!
Although it had a human face, its body looked more like a giant flea, full of blood…
Ranran vaguely guessed that the master of this boundary they had entered should be the human-faced flea among the Five Fiends.
It was said that this human-faced flea was the first person to use the Seven Evil Transformation Curse. Back then, he was a close friend of Dun Tian, but he fell for Rong Yao, who would become Dun Tian's wife.
Moreover, after Rong Yao chose Dun Tian, he underwent a drastic change in temperament, turned to the demonic path, and eventually, due to madness, mistakenly used the evil curse and merged with a flea. Since then, he had a half-human, half-insect appearance, became a malevolent fiend, and was used by the Demon King, merged into the Five Fiend formation.
This person was said to be skilled at chess and had developed feelings for Rong Yao through the game. This obsession remained unchanged even after becoming a malevolent fiend. Inside this formation, he managed to conjure up a chessboard for his own amusement.
"This just got interesting, but here come you annoying pests… Well, it's been a while since I tasted human blood. With you here, I can have a hearty meal…"
As the human-faced flea spoke, he suddenly chuckled wickedly, and at the same time, the atmosphere in the cave changed, thickening the air and making it hard to breathe.
All those who entered the cave had already stored their true qi in their dantian, automatically holding their breath like they were diving into water. However, the thickened air here seemed to consume true qi rapidly. In such a situation, it was difficult to maintain a spiritual shield while holding one's breath.
Just then, countless large fleas began to attack, and everyone had to swing their swords wildly in response. However, when Gao Cang cut down one flea, the green liquid splattered onto his clothes, burning through them and causing him to scream in pain.
The same happened to the others. The only one not splashed with the liquid was Ranran. When the insect juice sprayed over, Su Yi Shui immediately pulled her into his arms, protecting her securely. The liquid splashed onto his back, Ranran lifted her head and she could tell from his furrowed brows that it must have burned him severely.
Bai Baishan accidentally got bitten by a flea, and his right arm went numb instantly, making it impossible for him to hold his sword.
However, the large fleas kept coming relentlessly, seemingly endless. If this continued, they would all become numb from the flea bites. Killing the fleas would surely result in the splashing of the dreadful liquid.
By then, they wouldn't need the fleas to eat them; the corrosive liquid alone would dissolve their bodies.
This north gate turned out to be so perilous. Mu Ranwu, hiding behind two attendants who seemed impervious to pain, cursed angrily, "Xue Ranran, look at what you've done, choosing such a sinister gate!"
Xue Ranran wanted to roll her eyes at her. She didn't deceive this Elder Mu to come in, Mu Ranwu eagerly followed but now blamed others.
Ranran knew that they couldn't go on like this. So she shouted at the human-faced flea, "Your chess skills are just so-so, yet you keeping playing? Even I'm feeling embarrassed for you!"
This angered thousands of large fleas, and their angry buzzing made everyone's ears numb.
Then, the sound of the fleas suddenly stopped. As the fleas receded like a tide, the human-faced flea lifted his head, waved his claws, and said ominously, "Little brat, how dare you say my chess skills are bad?"
Xue Ranran nodded and pointed at Su Yi Shui, "My Shifu is the real chess master. Would you dare to challenge him?"
The human-faced flea disdainfully glanced at Su Yi Shui and chuckled, "Alright, it's been a while since I played chess with someone! If you win, I'll let you leave, but if you lose… I'll suck all of you dry until only your skins are left!"
Ranran turned to her master, extremely certain, "Shifu, it's up to you next!"
But Su Yi Shui looked at her strangely and said in a low voice, "When did I ever play chess?"
Now everyone else is getting nervous. Bai Baishan eagerly said, "But Shifu, your chess skills are really quite good. You often set up chess in your study and play alone!"
Su Yi Shui's expression turned cold. Although he had noticed the chess set in his study, he had no memory of playing chess at all.
Ranran deflated, squatting down. She guessed the reason. Su Yi Shui's chess skills should have been taught by the past Mu Qingge. Unfortunately, at this critical moment, he had completely forgotten this life-saving skill.
After asking around, except for Xue Ranran, who had studied the chess manuals in her master's study and played a few games with Su Yi Shui before, no one else knew how to play.
However, Shen Kuo spoke up, "I have some knowledge about it. Why don't you let me handle it?"
But the large flea disagreed. It jumped high and said with an eerie tone, "Didn't you say the little pretty boy would play? We can't change players now!"
Among those who came in, the most handsome man was the one with the cold face. The human-faced flea despised handsome young men the most.
If this man was sucked dry and turned into skin, it would be quite a sight!
Thinking of this, the flea waved its claws and conjured up a huge chessboard, smiling gloomily, "Just playing chess is boring. Let's use people as pieces to play!"
After saying that, it directed a flea to jump onto the huge chessboard.
At this point, Qiu Xier couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "How do we play this? You have countless fleas, but we only have a few people. Won't we run out of pieces soon?"
The human-faced flea barked loudly, making everyone's eardrums tingle, "I don't care! Figure it out yourselves! If you don't even have this ability, how chould you challenge me in chess?"
Su Yi Shui stood beside the chessboard, looking dour like a bad chess player. Ranran channeled, "I didn't know you forgot how to play chess, Shifu. Shall we bluff through a couple of moves first? I'll tell you where to move the pieces, but the pieces…"
Inside this cave, there were no available stones to use. So, after some thought, Ranran handed her shoe, which she had changed out of in the morning, to Su Yi Shui.
Who said we must use people? Using objects should work too, right? As long as there are pieces on the chessboard.
However, as soon as the shoe touched the chessboard, it burst into flames and burned to ashes, leaving nothing behind.
The human-faced flea smirked, "This chessboard is condensed from malevolent qi. If someone with insufficient cultivation enters, they will turn to ash. So, what do you say? If you can't handle it, just admit defeat obediently. I'll make you all look good, using your skins as bed covers!"
Just then, Gao Cang rushed over, "Shifu, let me do it. Where should I stand?"
After he asked, Su Yi Shui also looked at Ranran, but Ranran didn't dare to make a rash decision. This chessboard was too sinister. What if senior brother turned to ashes if he went down? Moreover, as third sister said, their numbers were limited. Even if they added Mu Ranwu's group, they wouldn't last long. Once there were no pieces left, wouldn't that be considered a loss?
But for now, they could only delay. Gao Cang had seen Shifu play chess before, so at least he knew the basics of the first three moves.
So he jumped onto the chessboard first, landing on the left side of the flea.
Just then, as if finding it not exciting enough, the human-faced flea added, "I love fast-paced games and hate dragging things out. If each move takes more than five minutes, then the ones who moved earlier will be invaded by malevolent qi and turn into fleas! No regrets after the move! No regrets after the move!"
*半盏茶 is about 5-7min
After saying this, it chuckled wickedly again.
This thing was really not good. It only mentioned this rule after Gao Cang jumped down. Now Gao Cang was dumbfounded. In other words, if Shifu couldn't win within a few dozen moves and there were no pieces left, everyone who jumped down would turn into something neither human nor ghost!
How short was half a cup of tea's time! Seeing time running out, Qiu Xier panicked and shouted, "Shifu, hurry, I'll jump second!"
At this critical moment, the usually timid Qiu Xier actually volunteered to jump second, not wanting her senior brother to become a disgusting bug!
Just then, Su Yi Shui heard Ranran channel, "Left third line, fourth line intersection…"
So Su Yi Shui echoed her words, and after counting, Qiu Xier quickly jumped down. The people around her exclaimed, "Qiu Xier, you jumped to the wrong spot!"
It turned out that in her haste, she counted the lines wrong and ended up jumping next to Gao Cang. This move was as good as not making one at all.
Qiu Xier also felt foolish, tears welling up as she looked at Gao Cang. However, Gao Cang held her hand to comfort her, "You don't know how to play chess, so making mistakes is normal."
This made the human-faced flea burst into laughter with delight, "A bunch of useless fools, you'll all wait to become human skins!"
As it directed another flea to jump into the malevolent qi chessboard, a melodious song suddenly sounded from the side, as Ranran started humming a tune.
This left everyone puzzled. Even Mu Ranwu sneered and taunted, "Xue Ranran, are you also scared silly? Do you think singing can disrupt the human-faced flea's chess game?"
Ranran seemed not to hear her sarcastic words and continued to sing. Her voice grew louder and louder. Perhaps even Shifu Su Yi Shui had forgotten that this song she was humming, was heard in the secret cave on Tianmai Mountain.
Back then, she had subdued the Vermilion Bird using this melodious and gentle song. According to Shen Kuo, this human-faced flea was once a close friend of the powerful Dun Tian and also loved Rong Yao.
So Ranran had no other plan and decided to use Rong Yao's song to test the human-faced flea's reaction.
Just as the human-faced flea was about to make a move, it suddenly looked up, its face twisted with agitation.
If Mu Ranwu hadn't reminded it with that sarcastic remark just now, it would have almost missed the timing to put down the piece. So after it did, it immediately asked impatiently, "How…. how do you know this song? Shut up! Stop singing!"
Why would Ranran heed it? Its agitated state played right into her hands, so she jumped down as the third pawn piece without warning.
Su Yi Shui had not expected her to jump down without hesitation. When he tried to reach out to pull her up, he was too late.
He slowly clutched his chest with his hand, where he felt his heart lurch just now. What kind of sorcery had this little demoness used on him? Just now, he had felt a sensation as if his chest was about to explode.
But the singing grew louder.
The human-faced flea's expression was now completely twisted, looking confused and flustered, seemingly trying hard to endure something. It strained to put down another flea.
This time, Su Yi Shui jumped down and landed next to Ranran.
Ranran didn't expect him to jump down with her. He was the one playing chess, there was no reason for him to place himself on the chessboard and act as a piece?
But Su Yishui channeled to her, "Focus, and don't stop singing!"
Ranran quickly steadied her mind and continued to sing. However, she couldn't help but reach out to hold the large hand beside her.
She didn't know if they could break out of this deadly chess formation, but before dying, she must hold onto his hand tightly…
The large hand she held hesitated for a moment before slowly tightening around hers. Ranran focused her mind and continued to sing calmly.
Just as the human-faced flea irritably placed another piece, Bai Baishan nudged Shen Kuo, who was staring blankly, "I've been off the mountain for months, and my cultivation isn't as good as yours. I will probably not be able to counter the malevolent qi on the chessboard, so you go next!"
There's an order to follow, to respect seniority, where the disciples should go first, then the uncle masters to follow. When there's no one left, they'll leave it to fate.
But Bai Baishan currently had the lowest cultivation and couldn't even match Qiu Xier, so he let Shen Kuo jump first.
After a moment of hesitation, Shen Kuo followed the senior brother's order and jumped down.
Ranran's singing never stopped. At first, the large flea frowned and tried to concentrate on the game.
But that girl's singing voice is really so alike Rong Yao's! Even the tremolo at the end of the notes is exactly the same. In a daze, when he looked over at the girl, he seemed to see Rong Yao from years ago, in a pink dress, with a charming smile…
But it's hateful that Dun Tian was solely focused on seeking enlightenment, leading to her soul scattering. If she had chosen him back then, even if he turned into a devil or a demon, he would never allow anyone to harm her in the slightest!
Overwhelmed with rage, and seeing that girl's hand intertwined with the man beside her, he seemed to be transported back to the painful moment when he had lost his beloved.
At that time, she had left holding Dun Tian's hand without looking back… When he placed his next piece, he was too slow, and exceeded the stipulated time.
In an instant, all the fleas on the large chessboard screamed and turned into ashes.
By this point, most of the people from Xishan had stepped onto the chessboard. Even Bai Baishan, whose cultivation was insufficient, had jumped onto the board, meaning they were almost out of pieces and nearly had to admit defeat and face death.
But now, the human-faced flea had violated its own rules. So they automatically won the game, and the malevolent qi inside the evil formation gradually dissipated. The large chessboard also vanished into nothingness, and the oppressive and solidified air also dissipated.
Just as the formation was about to break open, the human-faced flea suddenly leaped in front of Ranran and, in a daze, stared at her, asking, "Who are you exactly? How do you know how to sing Rong Yao's song? Could it be… you're her?"
He wanted to ask more, but the malevolent qi had dissipated, and his form couldn't be sustained for long. When the exit of the formation opened, the demonic fleas inside had disappeared without a trace, leaving only the faint cries of the creature in agony, "Rong Yao, why did you choose him and not me…"
As they stepped back onto the slightly warm ground, the Five Fiends Formation was behind them.
After catching her breath, Ranran felt a bit melancholic. The despair in the creature's slightly crazed eyes made one's heart ache. If there were other ways, she didn't want to sing the song of his beloved, stirring up his painful memories.
The word "love", can truly lead one to descend into darkness. She couldn't help but look towards Su Yi Shui. What would happen between them in the future? She felt rather lost in her heart. Its better if he couldn't remember her, this way, maybe he could calmly accept it when her vitality qi ran out, instead of sacrificing half his life for her like before?
As she thought about it, Ranran's heart was filled with a hint of sorrow. Yet, at this moment, she realized she had been holding Su Yi Shui's large hand all along…
Of course, Qiu Xier also held Gao Cang's hand tightly as they exited the formation.
But because of this, made things even more awkward. As Qiu Xier quickly let go of her senior brother's hand, she glanced at Ranran and the hand she was holding with Shifu.
What was going on? Did Shifu get possessed by the Spirit Spring again? Why was he holding onto junior sister like that?
Ranran also wanted to let go, but Su Yi Shui seemed to have no intention of letting go. Instead, he pulled her over and sternly said, "Don't act on your own next time. Why did you jump down without saying a word? Don't you know the chessboard is condensed with malevolent qi, extremely dangerous? How are you, do you feel uncomfortable?"
Before Ranran could answer, Qiu Xier muttered from the side, "Shifu, Senior brother jumped first just now, shouldn't you… show some concern for senior brother first?"
Gao Cang, completely clueless about the ambiguous situation between Master and junior sister, patted his chest and said to Su Yi Shui, "For Master, I would go through fire and water without hesitation. Don't worry, I'm tough!"
With these two clowns running their gag, Su Yi Shui finally let go of Ranran's hand slowly, but his eyes were still coldly fixed on the girl who acted on her own.
Ranran had no choice, while the seniors discussed the situation of others inside the formation, she said in a small voice, "Alright, I was wrong, I'll listen to Shifu's arrangements next time… But junior brother Yue Sheng hasn't come out of the West Gate yet, I don't know how he's doing…"
Just then, Mu Ranwu also emerged from the formation.
The method Ranran used to break the formation just now was also confusing to her. How could Ranran break the formation so easily just by singing a song?
In her previous life, every time she practiced meditation, she was always left far behind by her sister. Master favored her sister, and if her sister comprehended something, he wouldn't explain further and just let her teach herself after.
Now, seeing Xue Ranran break the formation so effortlessly, that sense of frustration of not being able to catch up with her once again surfaced.
Back then, she had used the Fate Transfer ancient jade she had obtained by chance and died together with her sister. At the moment when she stuffed the ancient jade engraved with their two names into her sister's hand, she clearly saw her sister's surprised look at the ancient jade, and then she smiled serenely and held it tightly.
Mu Qingge had known what that was, but she was nonchalant, not caring at all.
Mu Ranwu recalled the information she had sent people to inquire about in Juefeng Village, saying that when Xue Ranran was born, she had patterns resembling "Ran" on her hand, so the carpenter couple named her "Ranran." Now, thinking back, those birthmarks was from the "Ran" character branded from her name on the ancient jade.
That was the clear evidence that she had deliberately stolen her sister's destiny and cultivation.
But this reincarnated girl still lived so leisurely, completely unconcerned that her innate talents and cultivation had been stolen completely, while effortlessly captivating and gaining the affection of those around her.
This kind of *carefree and free spirited attitude, made the thief Mu Ranwu feel not an ounce of joy but rather a sense of inexplicable inferiority and frustration.
*千金散尽还复来 from poem 李白"将进酒"放荡不羁,纵情享乐的豪放品质
Because Mu Ranwu finally realized that whether the elegant figure before her was Mu Qingge or Xue Ranran, she was beyond her reach, someone she could never catch up to…