Chapter 332: with translation of chapter title

You gonna talk or not!

You gonna talk or not!

By the carriage, the arguing wouldn't stop.

Fu Cou Zi leapt side to side, baring teeth and claws as he threatened the man hung upside down.

Xuan Feixing, standing nearby, endured and endured, but finally couldn't hold back; he tightened his grip on the whip again and lashed the bandit several times, eliciting a pig‑like bellow of pain.

Xuan Feixing's face was as cold as if he'd spent ten years slaughtering fish in the river at the foot of Mount Yu.

What are you wasting words on him for?! Earlier we all agreed I'd whip him a few times before questioning, and now all you know is 'You gonna talk or not!'

Those harsh words, coupled with those brutal lashes, immediately softened Fu Cou Zi's complaints a bit.

I thought you were the one who'd laid hands on him earlier—who'd have guessed you'd just truss him up and then ignore him......

Xuan Feixing's face grew darker and darker; Fu Cou Zi didn't dare continue, so he could only change the subject, saying:

Anyway, this guy's mouth is really tight! Even with threats and whippings, he won't utter a sound!

Ji Mao Ge, you're well‑versed—any other way to make him talk?

Exactly! Right!

That's exactly how we change the subject!

The person the Empress assigned him is highly skilled, but there's one thing: he's just too fierce! (?? v? v??)

But good thing he's also smart, knowing to divert attention by talking about left and right, scattering the opponent's focus...... scattering...... scattering......

Huh!

How strange!

Why can't I distract him—he's still staring at me!? (? °? °?)

Fu Cou Zi wore a blank stare, watching Xuan Feixing's grim face approach slowly, watching that grim face go around him, watching that grim face......

He snatched away the rag from the hanged man's mouth.

The hanged man finally shifted from muffled groans to a thunderous plea for mercy:

You two knuckleheads, have you got the wrong guy——mmph mmph mmph!!!

Xuan Feixing's expression remained blank; he shoved the rag back into the hanged man's mouth and looked at Fu Cou Zi.

In that instant, meeting Xuan Feixing's lifeless, gloomy eyes, Fu Cou Zi finally remembered everything——

Just now, when they strung him up, they gagged him because his crying for mom and dad was too noisy!

How, how hateful!

All this hopping about while interrogating for ages, and the guy being questioned still has his mouth gagged!

But how can this be blamed on him!

He, he just forgot, that's all!

He's just a Daoist; if he weren't trying to learn some secrets of Mount Yu, he wouldn't need to do this kind of work—he could learn a person's whole life with a single glance!

Now it's all this trouble—isn't it because this guy's life story is useless......

Fu Cou Zi felt wronged; Fu Cou Zi wouldn't speak.

Fu Cou Zi only dared to point wildly inside his sleeve, but after a short while, when he saw Xuan Feixing's annoyed 'Why am I not dead yet' expression, he finally wilted a bit.

Nowadays, wandering the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces isn't like before—before, you'd go a whole year without seeing a few evildoers, let alone a few bandits' misdeeds......

Even a petty Daoist like him, if he smiles and knocks on a door, is sure to get some alms of grain.

But now, not only are those gone, the dangers along the way are far more numerous than he imagined.

On this road, if it weren't for his help, I'd probably......

So, for heaven's sake, don't let the guy get away!

Fu Cou Zi, suddenly inspired, timidly called out again:

Ji Mao Ge...... _(: 3」∠)_"

Xuan Feixing's anger had mostly subsided, but hearing that 'Ji Mao Ge' made his face involuntarily break into a look worthy of a demoness incarnate:

Quick——interrogate——

He's young, but his hostility is truly immense, and with his beloved not by his side, he makes no effort to hide it.

This appearance is genuinely terrifying.

Fu Cou Zi has seen plenty of ghosts, but this is the first time he's seen a person scarier than a ghost; he immediately sidled up, feeling wronged, to the equally frightened man and muttered softly:

He's really about to get angry! You'd better speak, you'd better speak!

If you don't talk, we're both gonna get beaten!

This time, Fu Cou Zi didn't forget to remove the rag from the man's mouth.

However, facts prove that whether or not he removes it is actually not the main issue!

Because the next instant, the hanged man stared blankly for a moment, then couldn't hold back, letting two tears stream down his upside‑down face:

......'Gentlemen, I was just about to ask—what exactly are you interrogating me about?'

We've questioned him for ages, frightened him for ages, and also whipped him several times......

He's said it, he's said it!

But we gotta let him know what we're asking, right?!

You two blockheads, have you ever considered that interrogation means you ask first, ask first!!!

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Since the hanged man spoke, the scene has headed toward a suffocating dead‑end with no return.

By some ill fortune, Fu Cou Zi could faintly sense the yin energy behind him churning and spreading......

You don't need to turn around to know; surely Xuan Feixing is angry again!

But what is he angry about!

Just now both of them were there, he didn't even think to ask!

Fucongzi felt wronged, muttering to himself for a moment, but before Xuan Feixing could strike again, he quickly questioned everything about Feather Mountain——

Afterwards, he heard an answer completely different from what he had expected.

According to the hanged man, for thousands of years, ever since there were inhabitants, this place has always been called 【Feather Mountain】, never hearing of any other prefix.

The reason it's called Feather Mountain is because, according to legend, Feather Mountain has clear waters and lush scenery, stores essence and absorbs spirits, making it extremely suitable for plant and tree sprites to cultivate.

A thousand years ago, someone once saw in broad daylight a sprite attaining the Dao and ascending to immortality here.

That immortal was a pure-white rabbit with a feathered wing on each side, a sash around its neck, holding a flower in its mouth, soaring upward in a galloping posture.....

The locals, out of reverence for the immortal and fear of revealing its true nature, did not directly call it 【Rabbit】; they kept only the 【Feather】 character, and thus came to be this 【Feather Mountain】.

As for them, they are a band of hunters living in the mountains; because the world is lawless and the government cuts down trees and destroys forests, they lost their original livelihood, so they banded together to waylay travelers and rob them.....

This whole account is simple and unsophisticated.

The hanged man spoke again, voice choked with tears; obviously he couldn't fool anyone.

However, precisely because of this, it only made Fucongzi more puzzled——

No wonder the compass kept spinning around; turns out we had already arrived!

But what he was looking for was Xuan Feather Mountain, Xuan Feather Mountain!

Feather Mountain has been found!

But where's the Xuan? Where's the Xuan?

Fucongzi was completely bewildered; even after the hanged man limped away and vanished, he still couldn't come up with any explanation.

Xuan Feixing had been watching coldly from the side for a long time, then, as if offhand, asked:

«The Xuan Feather Mountain you're looking for... which 'Xuan' is it? »

Fucongzi, feeling annoyed, sat cross-legged on the ground, propping his head up in a daze, and upon hearing that, casually replied:

«Naturally it's the mysterious 'Xuan'; what else could it be? »

«It can't be the 'Xuan' in your name...... wait a moment. »

Having said that, Fucongzi suddenly lifted his head, looking at Xuan Feixing, who stood with arms crossed in thought, and for a moment felt doubtful:

«The Empress has always called you Xuan Feixing, and we've come this far together...... »

«I never asked, but what 'Xuan' is the 'Xuan' in your name? »

?? Feather Rabbit: For details, see the winged rabbit motif on the 【Gold-and-silver inlaid pine stone hunting pattern copper umbrella stand】 unearthed from the Han tomb of Threefold Mountain in Stable Prefecture.

? This chapter is borrowed, just to introduce the origin; you don't need to remember this, it won't be tested later hahaha.