It was a cool night, and the breeze passed through the long streets, blowing down the lights in the courtyard.
In Qianji Sect, the disciples were patrolling the mountain and keeping vigil as usual, and they were still talking about the villain who killed the elder a few days ago.
"Who would have thought that Elder Xiao, who had such a high level of cultivation, would die quietly in the hall."
"That's right, I heard that there were no traces of a fight. Elder Xiao was killed with one blow, and his skull was pierced!"
"Fortunately, I was patrolling the mountains at the time. If I had met that evil man, nine lives would not be enough to kill him!"
"Oh, really?"
A cold voice sounded behind the two of them, like a ghost in the night, coming silently.
The two of them were trembling with cold hairs on their backs, but they pretended not to hear and continued walking forward.
"Senior Brother Chang, the moonlight is so beautiful tonight."
"Yes...yes, it's great."
As the two of them were talking, they heard footsteps coming from behind. They took one step, followed by one step, and took two steps followed by two steps, as if their toes were touching their heels. In an instant, they were so frightened that they ran up the mountain.
.
Before they could even run a few steps, the two of them fell to the ground and fell to the grass beside them, their bodies and heads separated.
…
The next day.
The three elders looked at the ten corpses in the courtyard, staring at each other, and they all fell into deep thought.
"Elder, twenty-five of the disciples patrolling the mountain have died in the past two days. Everyone says it is ghosts causing trouble. Otherwise, we should cancel the night patrol!"
After hearing what the disciple said, the leader, Elder Ye, slapped the long table angrily, causing the teacups on it to fly up and splashing tea all over the floor.
"There are no ghosts. It is clearly done by the enemy, just to take revenge on Qianjimen! Why didn't you obey the order and send the signal as soon as possible?"
All the disciples were trembling and did not dare to speak.
They couldn't answer this question, and those who could answer were already lying on the ground.
"But everyone heard ghost cries coming from the mountains. Could it be that Elder Xiao is back?" the disciple asked again.
"Presumptuous! What nonsense are you talking about!" Elder Ye's beard stood straight with anger. He was about to scold him, but was interrupted by Elder Feng beside him.
"Elder Ye, disciples have had troubles one after another, which has made people panic. This is not the solution. How about informing the sect leader and letting him make the final decision on the night patrol?"
Elder Ye glared at Elder Feng beside him, his old face full of resentment. "The sect master is retreating at a critical moment. He ordered that all matters within the sect should be handled by the three of us. It would be better not to disturb the sect master."
When Elder Feng heard this, he stopped talking. He secretly complained that the three of them were co-governing. Who doesn't know that he, Elder Ye, is respected in everything?
Elder Wu on the side never spoke a word from beginning to end, as if he didn't care about the life and death of these disciples, and was quietly waiting for Elder Ye to make a decision.
After a long silence, Elder Ye finally made a decision. "The night watch cannot be stopped. Arrange some of the disciples in the sect to join the night watch. Each team should reserve five people, bring fireworks, and send a signal as soon as possible if something happens!"
Silent night.
As usual, Elder Feng finished practicing the exercises and slowly returned to his residence.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he was stabbed in the cheek by a sharp stroke. If he hadn't dodged in time, his life would have been decided here.
He looked at the figure in front of him, but he trembled. After taking a closer look, he immediately said angrily: "Who are you? How dare you pretend to be Elder Xiao, please reveal your true identity!"
"Me? I'm not a human being. I was the ghost who was killed by you!"
Xuan Ye's face hidden under the bamboo hat smiled coldly, and the wolf hair in his hand glowed red, turning into a snake and pounced on Elder Feng.
Elder Feng was about to pick up his pen when he was surprised to notice a red light under the snake. When he looked closely, he saw that it was a dagger!
Not only had he never heard of such a mysterious technique, but he was also horrified to see it. The magic pen in his hand was knocked away before he could draw any strokes.
He bumped into the old tree in the courtyard, vomited out a mouthful of blood, and hurriedly shouted: "Someone is coming! Someone is coming!"
"Stop shouting. I threw them into the old well before you came back. They may have soaked up by now!"
Xuan Ye had no expression on his face as he approached Elder Feng step by step. The wolf hair in his hand turned into a long knife, dragging a knife mark on the ground.
"Who are you?" Elder Feng still couldn't believe it. When he saw Xuan Ye's face under the bamboo hat, his face instantly turned pale. "Are you really a ghost?"
Xuan Ye didn't answer, chopped down the man with his long knife, wrapped the head in oilcloth, turned around and disappeared into the night.
The next day, Kuili left the city gate.
Just after dawn, the city guard who opened the door saw a head hanging high on the flagpole. The deceased had a ferocious face, as if he had been severely frightened during his lifetime.
Not long after, the people below were crowded, and they all speculated that it was a ghost.
It wasn't until the Qianji Sect people arrived and took away the head that things calmed down a bit.
Inside Qianjimen, Qianji Palace.
The two elders lowered their heads and remained silent. There was a corpse lying on the ground, which was the dead Elder Feng.
"What a rebellion!" Ye Cheng threw the tea cup on the long table to the ground with a stern expression. "The dignified elder of Qianjimen was assassinated inside the mountain gate, and his head was hung on the city wall for public display! My
I’ve really lost my face by you!”
"Sect Master..." Elder Ye started to speak, but was interrupted.
"Third uncle, I have always respected you, but the way this matter was handled is so pedantic!" Ye Cheng looked disappointed and sighed: "Has anyone found out who did it?"
"This...I..." Elder Ye lowered his head, unable to think of a suitable candidate.
It was Elder Wu who answered first. "The disciples are all spreading rumors whether it is Elder Xiao's ghost, or...or the one who escaped into Changhuang Well that day..."
"Impossible!" Ye Cheng slapped the table with a palm, and the table exploded instantly, he said coldly with a dark face.
"Not to mention that he is only in the middle stage of transformation, but his injuries are a bit more serious than mine. It has only been less than ten days. Unless he comes back as a ghost, how could he kill an elder quietly!"
Elder Ye shrank. "Some disciples said that they really heard the sound of ghosts crying."
"Third uncle, are you old and confused! Even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe such nonsense!"
Ye Cheng's injury was not healed yet. He had a headache caused by this incident. He covered his forehead and sighed: "Immediately send your disciples down the mountain to search the city. You, old man, go to the city lord's palace to report it and ask them to seal the city and lock down the news. Otherwise, I will go out later."
They all have no shame in their faces!”
"Yes, I will go now!" Elder Ye said and left in a hurry.
Ye Cheng glanced at Elder Wu, who also hated iron. "Elder Wu, take two deacons and half of the disciples down the mountain to search the city. You must find the thief. If you find the fireworks, I will rush there immediately."
past!"
"Got the order!"
On this day, Kuili City was turned upside down, but not a single person was found.
Until nightfall, many disciples were still staying in the city at the foot of the mountain, reluctant to return to the mountain gate.
For two days, Qianjimen seemed to have lost its mind and was thrown into chaos by this invisible ghost.
It was not until the signal came from the mountain gate that these disciples had no choice but to go to the mountain gate.
Walking on the stone steps up the mountain, everyone was frightened, looking at the dark woods on both sides, and shrinking back one after another.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the forest.
Everyone turned around and saw a dark shadow floating in the dense forest.
"Oh my god, there is a ghost! There really is a ghost!"
Those with a sharp eye can recognize at a glance that the figure is very similar to Elder Xiao.
"Elder Xiao is back! That's Elder Xiao!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the crowd was frightened and fled in all directions like birds and beasts.
The two elders, Ye and Wu, looked equally horrified. They looked at each other and came to the forest together. They found that it was just a piece of clothing hanging on a tree.
Elder Ye became furious and tore off his clothes to stop the disciples. "There is no ghost, it's just a piece of clothing. Go back to the mountain quickly!"
After finally returning to the mountain, the disciples looked decadent, their eyes dim, and they had no intention of doing night patrol.
Only then did Ye Cheng realize that he had made a mistake. He originally thought that sealing off the city would surely lead to the discovery of the murderer, but now not only did he fail to do so, but he also suppressed the morale of his disciples.
"Damn it, it happens at this time!"
He looked at the tired disciples in the courtyard and felt very anxious. In just a few days, the Qianji Sect was destroyed. Who on earth had such ability?
"Could it be a traitor?" Ye Cheng glanced at the two elders beside him, but quickly dismissed his doubts.
The three elders had always been at odds with each other, and he knew it. If he wanted to kill an elder quietly, it would be impossible for the remaining two to do so.
"It's really a ghost..."
Ye Cheng was also confused. Looking at the silent night, it seemed as if a black shadow flashed past. His body trembled violently and he almost fell down.
Elder Ye noticed that Ye Cheng's face turned pale and whispered: "Master, what's wrong with you?"
Ye Cheng shook his head, was silent for a long time, and finally made up his mind. "Disciples, our sect is unfortunate and suffers from frequent deaths. On the surface, the murders are caused by ghosts, but in fact, they are caused by enemies. The night patrol is canceled tonight, and everyone will rest in the main hall with the leader of our sect.
, just in time to see the true face of the ghost!"
He still compromised. If he couldn't stabilize this string, when his heart collapsed, there would really be no way to recover.
After hearing these words, the disciples felt a little relieved and walked into the hall one by one to find a comfortable place to rest.
On the other hand, the two elders had some strange expressions on their faces. They were used to being comfortable, so being crowded together with hundreds of people at once, and having to sit and drink tea all night, was a bit uncomfortable.
Until the middle of the month, nothing unusual happened.
It wasn't until midnight that some disciples couldn't help but stand up and quietly walk out the door.
Everyone was shocked to see it. Could it be that they were possessed by evil spirits?
Ye Cheng also frowned and stared coldly, asking coldly: "Where are you going?"
"I...my...disciple really can't hold it in. If you don't go to the latrine, it will leak out." The man's legs were trembling and his face was red from holding back.
All the disciples couldn't help laughing, and secretly sighed in their hearts that it was a false alarm.
Ye Cheng was disgusted in his heart, but he was very indifferent on the surface. "Don't move alone. Anyone who has woken up at night should go together. I'll give you half a quarter of an hour. If you don't come back, you will die outside!"
This sentence made many disciples who wanted to get up at night give up their thoughts and thought of holding on until dawn. But there were always those who couldn't hold it in any longer and went out together.
Elder Ye twisted his body and blushed when he saw Ye Cheng giving him a strange look. "Master, I want to go out for convenience."
Ye Cheng gave a faint hum and said: "Third uncle, go back quickly, be careful!"
Who would have known that as soon as Elder Ye left this door, he never came back...