Chapter 287: The mysterious Taisui Village! Dragon-Tiger Tomb, Zhang Family Grave

Zhongnan Mountain!?

"You want to let him enter Zhongnan Mountain? How can this be? He is your person? How can I let someone of unknown origin enter Zhongnan Mountain?"

Meng Qingli had a strange expression; she glanced at Qin Ergou, then shook her head.

"Hey, hey, hey... did you wash your hair today?" Zhang Fan suddenly asked.

"Wash my hair? No, why?" Meng Qingli was stunned, her eyes full of confusion.

"If you didn't wash your hair, why is your head full of water?" Zhang Fan shouted sternly.

"..."

"He is of unknown origin? Can he be more unknown than you? You are a person of the Zi-Rat, a dark pawn of the Wu Wei Gate, a mole planted by the Thirteen Zodiacs in Zhongnan Mountain. How can you still consider yourself a righteous character?"

Zhang Fan stated facts truer than gold like a machine gun.

"How did you get so into character while acting that you started defending the purity of the Zhongnan Mountain Daoist orthodoxy?"

"No matter how unknown our Ergou's background is, he is still more worthy of investigation than you!" Zhang Fan said confidently.

Qin Ergou's family had lived on Toad Treasure Mountain for generations, honest and hardworking. His past three generations... no, his past eight generations could be checked. In terms of political vetting, no one could compare to him.

If it were in the old days, with his family's background, he could have been directly recommended to Qinghua or Peking University.

You want to compare backgrounds with him? Can you even compare!?

Hearing Zhang Fan's words, Qin Ergou couldn't help but straighten his back, even though he had failed every time he applied to Zhongnan Mountain.

But this time, with Zhang Fan here, he felt he could do it again.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Meng Qingli frowned.

"Do I need to explain to you what I want to do?" Zhang Fan squinted at her: "You just need to do as I say."

"With your status in Zhongnan Mountain, it shouldn't be difficult to guide one disciple."

Meng Qingli was no ordinary disciple; at the Great Being Realm, she was among the elite of the elite, even among the ten great famous mountains of the Daoist world.

"Fine, but he can only start as a bottom-tier disciple," Meng Qingli said in a low voice.

After entering Zhongnan Mountain, disciples also need to undergo assessments.

Small quizzes, monthly exams, midterms, mock exams, finals... based on each person's cultivation and conduct, they are assigned ranks and taught Daoist arts.

"That is enough," Zhang Fan nodded.

Too high a starting point is not good; it easily attracts attention. With Qin Ergou's current potential, it won't be long before he can stand firm in Zhongnan Mountain and shine brightly.

"Brother Fan..." Qin Ergou listened silently, finally unable to hold back, his eyes flashing with gratitude.

Ever since his grandfather died, he had lived alone at the foot of the mountain. For so long, only Zhang Fan had been this good to him, not only teaching him Daoist arts and protecting his life but also paving the way for his future and guiding him into Zhongnan Mountain, fulfilling his grandfather's dying wish.

"This is all I can do for you," Zhang Fan patted Qin Ergou's shoulder.

Compared to Bai Yujing's proposal, he preferred letting Qin Ergou enter Zhongnan Mountain to cultivate the Dao. Firstly, it could fulfill his wish, and secondly, compared to the Wu Wei Gate, entering the Daoist world and the system clearly had a more promising future.

"Brother Fan, don't worry, I will definitely not let you down. From now on, this life of Ergou is yours..."

"I will definitely study the Dao well in Zhongnan Mountain. One day, I will become the number one."

Qin Ergou clenched his fists and said decisively.

Pfft...

Before the words were finished, Meng Qingli couldn't help but laugh, her eyes looking at Qin Ergou with a bit more mockery.

"After you enter, don't ever say such things in front of people, lest you make them laugh their teeth off."

Everyone knows that the current number one of the younger generation in Zhongnan Mountain is An Wuyang.

He is also the designated successor of Zhongnan Mountain.

Even Meng Qingli wouldn't dare say such things about striving to be number one, let alone a nameless novice who has just stepped out into the world.

If such words were spoken in front of fellow disciples, one would be either a lunatic or a fool.

"If he can't become the Zhongnan number one, I will expose you."

Zhang Fan squinted and said lightly.

As the words fell, the mockery on Meng Qingli's face gradually froze, replaced by a look of disbelief.

"Why would you expose me? What does it have to do with me?"

"If it has nothing to do with you, why are you interrupting?" Zhang Fan retorted.

"..."

Meng Qingli opened her mouth, remaining silent.

"Don't mind her, just follow your heart," Zhang Fan patted Qin Ergou's shoulder, encouraging him.

Life is for cultivation and experience. Whether success or failure, fate or calamity, all are for tempering the soul. Therefore, lying flat or internal competition are both fine, as long as one follows their own thoughts and aligns with nature, that is the Great Dao.

"Can I go now?" Meng Qingli said in a low voice.

Having escaped death, she was wary of Zhang Fan to the extreme and naturally dared not linger.

One must know, this man of similar age before her had already started plotting to destroy the foundation of the Wu Wei Gate, completely overthrowing the Thirteen Zodiacs, and slaying the Chen-Dragon who had practiced the Five Elements Wrong King in the human world.

Such a person hid madness in his bones; how could one get close to him?

"Go? Go where?" Zhang Fan said lightly.

"You..."

"You want to leave before the matter is finished?"

As the words fell, without waiting for Meng Qingli to react, Zhang Fan suddenly opened his mouth, like a bottomless abyss, chaotic and vast, and directly swallowed Meng Qingli's soul.

"Brother Fan..." Qin Ergou's eyes trembled, watching in a daze.

In his understanding, this was swallowing a living person whole in one bite.

"Zhang Fan, you don't keep your word."

Meng Qingli's voice resounded, carrying deep anger and despair.

"Don't worry, what I say never counts, but this time can be an exception..." Zhang Fan said lightly.

"But I can't believe you just because of your few words. Let me leave a mark on you."

Rumble...

Meng Qingli's soul shook, finally arriving inside Zhang Fan's soul-inner landscape. Darkness invaded, the Great Night descended, and the surroundings were chaotic and vast, like the vast abyss, like the brilliant universe.

"The Great Night does not brighten..."

Meng Qingli's eyes widened, a deep despair surging in her heart.

Such despair could not be compared to losing a battle; it was the swaying of the immortal path, the cutting off of the road ahead, the vanishing of mortal cultivation, and the despair of past memories suddenly turning into smoke.

"No... no..."

Meng Qingli's delicate body trembled, her voice trembling and unable to calm down.

"Enter my spirit, and you shall gaze upon the long night!"

Just then, Zhang Fan's voice resounded faintly, coming from all directions, as if omnipresent and omnipotent.

In this soul-inner landscape, he was the god, the immortal.

Darkness surged like thick ink, suddenly condensing, the Dao extinguished, the fate cut off... the essence of the Great Night not brightening condensed into that drop of thick ink, slowly seeping into Meng Qingli's soul.

"Ahhh..."

Meng Qingli's tragic voice suddenly rang out, echoing in Zhang Fan's soul-inner landscape, gradually swallowed by the intense dark night.

"What did you do to her?" Bai Yujing looked at Zhang Fan and asked.

"Words are the weakest promises; I must leave some means to control her," Zhang Fan said lightly. Not to mention anything else, Qin Ergou was his person now. If he were placed in Zhongnan Mountain and Meng Qingli had other thoughts, he would truly be caught in a dilemma.

But now it was different.

Zhang Fan was no longer what he used to be. Especially since the harvest from this Toad Treasure Mountain trip was too great; not only did he practice the Five-Fold Soul Light, but he also swallowed the White Bone Relic and refined the Toad Dragon Treasure Qi.

The Great Night not brightening, which everyone regarded as a fierce beast, he could instead utilize, turning the calamity into a seal and branding it into Meng Qingli's soul. With just a thought, in an instant, the Great Night would not brighten, Meng Qingli's cultivation would be washed away, her soul would return to silence, and she would completely become an ordinary person.

"You actually have such means?"

Bai Yujing looked Zhang Fan up and down, her expression strange.

Since stepping into the Great Being Realm, with the Soul Light mysterious and born, Zhang Fan's soul seemed to have become even more different. Even the calamity of the Great Night not brightening could be utilized; such mystery was truly unimaginable.

"You seem..." Bai Yujing stopped mid-sentence.

"Seem what?"

"You seem a bit different from your dad," Bai Yujing murmured softly, then shook her head: "Let's go, if the sky brightens, we will miss the opportunity."

!

Once the opportunity is missed, finding the sun and moon shining together and the Taisui approaching will not be easy.

"Ergou, follow me," Zhang Fan turned back and instructed.

"Okay!"

Qin Ergou nodded heavily, staying close behind Zhang Fan, not leaving his side.

At this moment, he had already regarded Zhang Fan as his only reliance in this world.

Bai Yujing led the way, and the group continued to grope forward following the guidance of the shadows.

Suddenly, a peach forest appeared in front, stretching before their eyes. Within hundreds of steps, there were no other trees, the grass was fresh and beautiful, and fallen blossoms were scattered.

"Winter has not yet retreated, how can there be such a large peach forest in full bloom here?" Zhang Fan wondered.

Moving forward not far, they saw a small mountain with a small opening, as if there was light.

The three entered through the opening, which was initially narrow, only allowing one person to pass.

"Is this the entrance to Taisui Village? Why is it so..."

Zhang Fan became more and more shocked as he walked, feeling more and more strange, and couldn't help but think of a classical Chinese essay he learned in middle school.

The three followed the opening for dozens of steps, and suddenly it opened up. Before their eyes, thick fog filled the air, faint lights flickered, the bright moon hung high, chickens and dogs could be heard, cicadas chirped and birds sang, and the air was filled with the scent of field ridges, looking exactly like a village before streetlights existed in his childhood.

"This is Taisui Village!" Bai Yujing said in a low voice.

She had been the Si-Snake for nearly twenty years, but she hadn't returned many times.

Thick fog filled the air, and visibility was extremely low.

Zhang Fan looked up and saw an ancient stone tablet standing not far away, covered in moss, and faintly, two strange large characters could be seen, but they couldn't be identified.

"This is the Daoist script of the Wu Wei Gate..." Bai Yujing explained.

Qi Delong had said that in ancient times, the Daoist arts of each sect were secret transmissions, and to prevent the scriptures from leaking, each family had its own script.

Thump... thump... thump...

Just then, a strange sound came from afar, like the sound of some creature stomping on the ground.

"Don't speak, wait until we go in."

Bai Yujing's expression tightened, and she raised her hand to signal silence.

Zhang Fan widened his eyes and saw that in the distance, through the hazy fog, tall and strange figures were passing by, their scarlet eyes like lightbulbs, revealing a weirdness in the dark and silent night.

A moment later, the group of strange figures finally walked away.

Seeing this, Bai Yujing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that just now?" Qin Ergou couldn't help but ask.

"Ink Hooves!"

"Ink Hooves? What kind of thing is that?" Zhang Fan wondered.

This kind of thing wasn't even recorded in the 【Dao Secret Record】, so naturally, he hadn't heard of it.

"That is a kind of exotic beast from ancient times, often found in deep mountains. It is said that anyone who sees its hoof prints will bring bad luck, ranging from a serious illness to the destruction of the family..." Bai Yujing explained.

Because of this, at certain times, the Ink Hoof was regarded as a plague god, and many people in the mountains would offer sacrifices and worship it.

As for its true appearance, no one had ever seen it; they only knew its hoof prints were very special.

"Is it that mysterious?" Zhang Fan was stunned.

Even though he was a Daoist practitioner, such an exotic beast sounded like a legend, and it didn't exist at all now.

"There are many exotic beasts in Taisui Village that only existed in ancient times; they have lived here for generations..." Bai Yujing said lightly.

"I should have gone up to take a clear look just now." Zhang Fan looked in the direction where the strange figures disappeared.

"Ink Hooves feed exclusively on souls," Bai Yujing said in a low voice.

"..."

"So I said that even if people from the Daoist world really found this place, it would be useless. They can't get out of this thick fog. Even if they could, I don't know how many dangers are hidden in this village."

Bai Yujing's expression darkened slightly. Even as the Si-Snake, her understanding of this mysterious ancient village was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Let's go!"

Bai Yujing waved her hand, and the group walked past the ancient tablet and into the vast fog.

Whoosh...

Just after entering the village entrance, a dazzling firelight lit up not far ahead, the night wind howled, swirling and rolling up the paper money filling the sky.

"Is someone burning paper?" Qin Ergou was stunned.

Zhang Fan looked intently and saw that ten steps away, there was actually a tomb, with candles lit, incense burning, and burning paper money dancing in the sky.

The most critical point was that the tomb was about three meters high, with a special shape, built like a mountain, and Zhang Fan had even seen this mountain before...

"Long Long Hu Shan!?"

Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow, deep suspicion arising.

Taisui Village actually had a tomb built at its entrance, and this tomb was built according to the shape of Long Long Hu Shan, with paper money flying and incense smoke drifting.

What decent village would build a large tomb at its entrance?

But then again, Taisui Village didn't seem like a decent village either.

"Aunt Bai, what is this?" Zhang Fan asked.

"This is..."

Bai Yujing stopped just as the words left her mouth.

"This is the Dragon-Tiger Tomb, the Zhang Family Grave..."

Just then, a cold voice came from afar.

Zhang Fan lowered his eyelids and only then discovered that an old man was sitting cross-legged under the large tomb. He was skin and bones, one leg was empty, and a crutch was placed beside him.

This was the first living person Zhang Fan had seen in Taisui Village. The most critical point was that this living person was not a soul, but existed in reality, with flesh and blood.

"Dragon-Tiger Tomb, Zhang Family Grave, the grave is full of dead people, there are no souls in the dead people's orifices, no souls and no spirits to become immortals..."

The lame old man burned the paper money, grinned, and cast a faint gaze over, landing on Zhang Fan.

"Hehe, it's been so many years, the Zhang family people have come again!!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 288 =====