Chapter 965
Make him cooperate properly
"Does Madam mean... he might be a highly skilled master? His cultivation level is being concealed?"
"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't." Lady White Bone turned back to face the bronze mirror. "But I won't act rashly until I've figured it out. I've waited too long for this opportunity; I won't let it all go to waste due to insufficient information."
She picked up the bone comb and continued combing her hair.
The comb glides from the roots to the ends of the hair, each stroke neither too fast nor too slow.
"Go. I need results within five days."
Without a word, Xi Shu turned and disappeared into the darkness of the passageway. Its footsteps were extremely light, almost disappearing into the silence the moment it stepped out of the stone chamber, like a drop of water falling into a deep pool.
The stone chamber returned to silence.
Lady White Bone sat in front of the bronze mirror, combing her hair gently.
The bronze mirror reflected her flawless face, as well as the wall behind her adorned with doggerel poems and paintings.
As the comb brushed against the ends of her hair, her gaze shifted slightly in the mirror for a moment—falling on the painting reflected in the corner of the mirror.
Then she looked away and continued combing her hair.
Five days later.
The wild grass on both sides of the official road had begun to turn yellow, and when the wind blew, it made a soft rustling sound, like countless withered fingers rubbing against each other. The sun hung low in the west, casting long shadows that swayed the figures of pedestrians on the dusty dirt road.
The group on their pilgrimage did not travel quickly.
Tang Sanzang rode on his white dragon horse, gently waving his paper fan, occasionally pausing to recite a few lines of the Rebirth Mantra for a wild chrysanthemum nearly withered by the roadside. Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, walked in front, occasionally turning back to mutter, "Why are you walking so slowly? My old Sun's feet are rusty!" Zhu Bajie carried his rake, humming a little tune, his eyes constantly glancing at the wild fruits by the roadside. Chu Yang brought up the rear, the black dagger at his waist swaying gently, his steps unhurried, like a leisurely wandering scholar.
Xi Shu has been following for three days.
It didn't dare get too close, at most hiding in the withered grass about thirty feet to the right of the official road, using the terrain and wind to conceal its presence. Although small in size, its fur was grayish-black, almost blending into the color of the surrounding wild grass. Its two small eyes remained fixed on the young man at the end of the group—Chu Yang.
This person is too quiet.
The silence made Xi Shu feel uneasy.
The other pilgrims all had distinct characteristics: the monks were kind-faced yet always carried an inexplicable air of profound wisdom; the monkeys were lively and irritable yet possessed a chilling murderous aura; the pig demons were lazy and gluttonous yet occasionally revealed glimpses of Marshal Tianpeng from his past. But this one named Chu Yang was like a wisp of wind, his presence so faint that he almost blended into the background.
Yet he is everywhere.
When Sun Wukong is cursing, he will suddenly turn around and ask him, "Brother Chu Yang, what do you think?" When Zhu Bajie is caught stealing wild fruit, he will subconsciously hide behind him. Even when Tang Sanzang is chanting sutras, he will turn around and ask softly, "Chu Yang, is there anything unclean here?"
Xi Shu listened intently for three days, growing increasingly alarmed with each listen.
They rested at a dilapidated temple at noon today.
The temple had long since collapsed, with only a few charred rafters sticking out of the roof, like a skeleton struck by lightning. The courtyard was overgrown with waist-high weeds, which rippled in waves when the wind blew. The stone steps in front of the temple were cracked in countless places, from which a few stubborn foxtail grasses sprouted, swaying in the sun.
Tang Sanzang tied the white dragon horse to the broken wall and took out some dry rations from his pack to distribute to everyone. Sun Wukong plopped down on the threshold, devoured a steamed bun in a few bites, and started drawing circles on the ground with his golden cudgel. Zhu Bajie held his water bag and gulped down water, his belly bulging like a ball.
Chu Yang didn't rush to eat.
He first walked to the dry well behind the temple, squatted down, dipped his fingertip in the dust on the well rim, smelled it, and then gently tapped the edge of the well with two fingers to listen to the echo.
Xi Shu hid behind a clump of withered vines outside the temple wall, holding his breath.
Chu Yang suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly.
“Brother Monkey, the well behind this temple… is a bit strange.”
Sun Wukong twitched his ears, and his staff stopped in mid-air.
"Why is it weird?"
"The well walls are too smooth." Chu Yang stood up and patted the dust off his hands. "They weren't carved by hand; they were worn smooth by something over the years. There's a sound of water at the bottom of the well, but it's not running water; it's stagnant water slowly seeping in. I guess there's something down there."
Pigsy shivered, and his water bag almost fell to the ground.
"Again? I just finished eating, I hope it's not snakes or rats or anything like that again..."
Chu Yang smiled but didn't reply.
He turned and walked into the temple, but when he passed the clump of withered vines where Xi Shu was hiding, he suddenly paused.
Just for a moment.
It's very light.
It was like accidentally stepping on a small pebble.
The fur on Xi Shu's entire body bristled instantly.
It saw Chu Yang's gaze sweep over this side—a very, very brief glance, as if it were unintentionally passing by. But in that instant, Xi Shu clearly felt a very faint, almost imperceptible wisp of spiritual energy, like an extremely fine thread, gently brush past the tip of its nose.
And then that was it.
Chu Yang continued walking forward, as if nothing had happened.
Xi Shu stood frozen in place, his heart pounding like a drum.
He...found out?
impossible.
Could the spiritual sense of someone at the Qi Refining stage be so detailed?
But the silk thread was clearly intentional.
It hesitated for three breaths, but ultimately did not move.
It decided to wait a little longer.
As they continued their journey in the afternoon, Chu Yang suddenly said to Sun Wukong, "Brother Monkey, there's a market about ten miles ahead. Let's go buy some dry food and straw sandals. The soles of my shoes are worn through."
Sun Wukong glanced at him sideways.
"You must have bad athlete's foot, buddy. You're always rubbing your shoes raw."
"I can't help it, I love walking." Chu Yang smiled gently. "Master should also get a new pair of straw sandals. Walking barefoot on mountain paths all the time makes it easy to get thorns stuck in your feet."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang smiled slightly.
"Chu Yang is very thoughtful."
So the group made a small turn and headed towards a side road on the left side of the main road.
Xi Shu immediately followed.
It circled around to a more distant place, using a row of low earthen slopes and a few shrubs as cover, always maintaining a distance of thirty feet.
The market wasn't actually that big.
There was only one dirt street, with a dozen or so thatched sheds on both sides selling coarse grains, straw sandals, hemp ropes, dried vegetables, salt, and the like. There weren't many people at the market; most were farmers from nearby villages, carrying baskets on their backs, their faces tanned and weary from the wind and sun.
As soon as Sun Wukong entered the market, he went straight to the wine stall.
Pigsy's eyes lit up, and he followed.
Tang Sanzang led the white dragon horse slowly along the street. When he saw someone selling vegetarian noodles, he stopped to ask the price.
Chu Yang, however, did not go shopping with them.
He walked to a dilapidated teahouse at the end of the street, found a low table in the corner, sat down, and ordered a bowl of the cheapest coarse tea.
The tea was leftover from the previous day; it was bitter, dark in color, and had a chipped rim on the bowl.
He drank very slowly, taking small sips, as if he were savoring some delicacy.
Xi Shu hid under an abandoned oxcart on the opposite street corner, staring intently at him through the gap in the cart shaft.
Chu Yang suddenly raised his head, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing directly in the direction of the oxcart.
Xi Shu's heart almost stopped beating.
But Chu Yang's gaze only lingered for a moment before shifting away.
He lowered his head and continued drinking his tea, the corners of his mouth seeming to curve slightly—very faintly, almost imperceptibly.
Then he suddenly spoke to himself, his voice so low that Xi Shu, thirty feet away, could hear him.
"The tea is really bitter."
He paused, then added another sentence.
"However... some things are more bitter than this tea."
The rat's tail was stiffly pressed against the ground.
It's confirmed.
This person... definitely knows they are being watched.
But why didn't he expose it?
Why not let the monkeys do it?
Why continue performing?
After finishing his tea, Chu Yang got up and paid the bill.
When he passed by a stall selling straw sandals, he bought two pairs, gave one pair to Tang Sanzang, and put the other pair on himself.
He didn't throw away the old shoes; instead, he carefully wrapped them in cloth and stuffed them into the bottom of the package.
When he changed his shoes, he had his back to Xi Shu and moved very slowly.
So slowly that Xi Shu could clearly see his right hand gently pressing on a certain spot on the sole of his shoe.
There was a very shallow knife mark there.
It felt as if someone had used an extremely thin blade to slice across the sole of the shoe, and then carefully smoothed it out with mud and ash.
Xi Shu's pupils suddenly contracted.
Is he... marking himself?
Mark a low-level demon in the late stage of Qi Refining?
what is this?
A protest? Or... something else?
That night, they set up camp at the foot of a sheltered earthen slope beside the official road.
The night breeze was cool, carrying the dampness and pine resin scent of the distant mountains and forests.
The campfire crackled, sparks leaping upwards before being quickly extinguished by the night wind.
Pigsy, clutching his rake, snored loudly, his snores shaking the heavens.
Sun Wukong leaned against a large rock, closed his eyes to rest, and rested his golden cudgel across his knees.
Tang Sanzang sat by the fire, his hands clasped together, silently reciting the Heart Sutra.
Chu Yang, however, did not sleep.
He sat on the other side of the fire, drawing something on the mud with a dry twig.
It was drawn very casually, like a doodle.
But Xi Shu, using the darkness and firelight, could see it clearly—
It was a rudimentary map.
The map was marked with an official road, earthen slopes, distant mountains, and even a very thin dotted line that stretched from their camp location all the way to the main peak of White Tiger Ridge in the northwest.
At the end of the dotted line, a small, blurry skull was drawn.
Xi Shu's breathing stopped instantly.
He... knew that the White Bone Demon lived in White Tiger Ridge?
Does he know the lady?
He even knew the approximate location of the lady's cave.
This is impossible!
How could a human in the Qi Refining stage know so much in advance?
Unless... unless he's not an ordinary person at all.
Unless he already knew everything.
The rat's claws dug deep into the soil.
It wanted to run back immediately to report the news, but its legs were as if they were nailed to the ground and it couldn't move.
Because at that very moment, Chu Yang suddenly stopped the withered branch in his hand.
He raised his head and, through the flickering firelight, looked straight into the darkness where Xi Shu was hiding.
Eyes facing each other.
Chu Yang's eyes were calm.
It even carried a hint of... pity.
Then he spoke in a very low voice, something only Xi Shu could hear.
"Go back and tell her."
"The plan can continue."
"I will cooperate."
Xi Shu shuddered.
The next instant, it practically tumbled and crawled into the darkness, running headlong towards White Tiger Ridge without looking back.
Behind me, the campfire was still crackling.
Chu Yang withdrew his gaze and continued to draw the small skull on the muddy ground with the dry twig.
After he finished drawing, he gently wiped it off with his foot.
Then he looked up and smiled at Sun Wukong opposite him.
"Brother Monkey".
"Ok?"
"Wake me up early tomorrow morning. I want to get into the mountains as soon as possible."
Sun Wukong opened one eye, and his golden pupil flashed in the firelight.
"...What mischief are you up to now, you little rascal?"
Chu Yang shook his head and remained silent.
He simply tucked the old straw sandals deeper into the package.
……
Xi Shu ran for his life.
It dared not take the official road, but could only go through the forest, climb the mountain ridge, and wade through the stream, avoiding any possible mountain patrolling monsters and wild beasts along the way.
By the time it stumbled back to Lady White Tiger Ridge's cave, it was already dawn.
It scrambled into the stone chamber, knelt down with a thud at Lady White Bone's feet, and was so breathless that it could barely speak a complete sentence.
"Madam..."
Lady White Bone was applying makeup in front of a bronze mirror.
She raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't turn around.
"explain."
Xi Shu recounted everything he had heard, seen, and felt over the past three days, word for word.
From the words "The tea is really bitter" in Jujube Blossom Valley, to the tentative question by the dry well in the dilapidated temple, to the knife marks when exchanging shoes at the market, and finally to the map on the muddy ground last night, and that light-hearted remark—
"The plan can continue. I will cooperate."
The stone chamber was eerily quiet.
Lady White Bone's eyebrow pencil hovered in mid-air.
a long time.
She slowly put down her pen and turned around.
Her pale, flawless face appeared exceptionally cold and beautiful in the faint light of the first rays of dawn.
"He...did he really say that?"
"Yes," Xi Shu stammered. "I swear on my life, not a single word is wrong."
Lady White Bone remained silent for a long time.
Then she suddenly laughed.
The smile was extremely soft and faint, like moonlight falling on ice, reflecting off a few shards of silver.
"interesting."
She stood up, her skirt silently brushing against the white gauze floor.
She stopped in front of the painting with the doggerel poem hanging on it.
My fingers gently traced the frame of the painting.
"A human at the Qi Refining stage."
"Yet it made the Great Sage Equal to Heaven obey, Marshal Tianpeng submit, and Jin Chanzi call his name."
"Now... they're even offering to cooperate with me."
She turned around and her gaze fell on Xi Shu.
“Ah Yin.”
The gray fox immediately darted out from the corner.
"exist!"
"Bring out those three sets of clothes."
The gray fox was taken aback.
"Three...three sets?"
“Yes,” Lady White Bone said softly, “village girl, old woman, old man.”
"three times."
"Proceed according to the original plan."
She sat back down in front of the bronze mirror, picked up the bone comb, and began to comb her long hair, stroke by stroke.
"Since he's willing to cooperate."
"Then... let him cooperate properly."
As the comb brushed against the ends of her hair, she murmured something.
"Let's see what tricks he's trying to pull."
Morning light seeped in through the cave entrance and fell on her pale profile.
Like a very thin layer of frost.
At the foot of Baihu Ridge, signs of human habitation gradually appeared.
The official road forks here; one continues westward, winding up the mountain, while the other turns south into a narrow valley. Scattered throughout the valley are seven or eight houses, with mud-brick walls and thatched roofs, the courtyard walls so low that even chickens could fly over them. Several old locust trees grow crookedly at the crossroads, their trunks studded with rusty iron nails, supposedly to ward off evil spirits. But now most of those nails are loose, clanging in the wind like someone banging a broken gong in the distance.
It was the hottest time of the afternoon. (End of Chapter)