When Xin Mei returned to the Imperial Mausoleum, it was close to dusk, and from a distance, she saw smoke rising from the chimney of the kitchen. Presumably, Silan was heating steamed buns and pastries for everyone. Tao Guoguo and his brother's frolicking voice were indistinct and occasionally mingled with the roar of Zhao Guanrenrespectful term of address for a man in the Song Dynasty¹—no matter how chaotic the outside world was, the Imperial Mausoleum was always the same.

Xin Mei looked back and smilingly asked.

Lu Qianqiao shook his head. “No need. I'll watch as you go.“

Xin Mei put away Qiu Yue, walked down a few steps downhill, and then turned back. Lu Qianqiao still stood quietly on the hillside, as dusk spread its glow on his clothes and hair.

He nodded as he watched her happily run down the hillside and rush like a streak of smokevery quickly⁴ into the tomb pa.s.sage. Not long after, Silan cried out in alarm, Zhao Guanrenrespectful term of address for a man in the Song Dynasty¹ gave out a loud shout, and finally they turned into bursts of laughter, as it rippled in the smoke from the chimney.

As a matter of fact, ever since Lie Yun Hua was exchanged as a pledge of his love to Xin Mei, its temperament had changed greatly. In the past, it always believed in its n.o.ble blood so its ignored everyone except him, not to mention Qiu Yue, which in its eyes was an ugly and useless slovenly pelican. He didn't know what kind of stimulation did Xin Mei have given it. After she married in, it absolutely stuck to Qiu Yue like glue and lacquerChinese idiom : be inseparable⁵. All day long, it would look at the other party with its eyes full of respect and adoration. It only hated that the other party didn't have a horse a.s.s. Otherwise, its flattering breath could be sprayed on it.

“We'll see them again next month.”

It was getting dark, and everything around was silent. The wind blew the dark clouds over the moon. Soon, light snow began to fall. Snowflakes drifted in from the flimsy window which made Xin Xiong sneezed because of the cold. He could not help but ask the unreliable man in front of him, “That…have we reach my son-in-law's mansion yet?”

Raising birds of paradise just to pull a cart was wasting natural resources recklesslyChinese idiom :not to know how to use things sparingly⁶! Xin Xiong, a professional, was deeply saddened by this kind of behaviour.

The long vehicle landed slowly and finally stopped at a place with thick mist and snow. The Great Monk kindly pointed in a certain direction, “Boss Xin just go inside. I reckon that your daughter will find you after a while.”

He was also the leader of a village at any rate. He could see that the thick mist outside was obviously caused by some kind of a formation and did not belong to natural weather. If there was no one to lead him, he couldn't walk out for ten or eight years.

Dangerous?

His feet involuntarily fell to the ground and rushed forward a few steps along the other side's road. When he stood and looked back, he couldn't see even half a figure of human except for the thick mist!

However, there was a curse of the Fox Clan attached to the long vehicle. It was incompatible as fire and water two things diametrically opposed to each other⁹ as it was also impervious to sword or spearChinese idiom : untouchable¹⁰. The only one who could rip open the vehicle and smashed it to pieces was the War Demon Clan.

The Great Monk smiled wryly, “You know I will come so you keep a watch outside the Imperial Mausoleum?”

The Great Monk looked pale and reluctantly smiled, “General, I have properly delivered your father-in-law to the Imperial Mausoleum.”

There was still no answer coming from Lu Qianqiao, while the whip continued to tighten. It was estimated that even a stone could be crushed by this whip.

He raised his head and said something to the War Demon who was in the deep darkness in front of him. In the next moment, the layer of golden light around his body turned into foam and the whip quivered. His body became like tofu, as it twisted into flecks, and fell onto the snow field with blood spread over.

At that time, Xin Xiong, who was stranded in the Mist Formation confusingly, was swearing loudly. He had originally come to see his daughter and son-in-law with full joy. Now, he didn't see any people, and he was trapped in this terrible place, while suffering from hunger and cold.

He was swearing in gusto, when he arm was being pulled again. He wanted to scream, but it got stuck in his throat. He could only feel that his body began to soar again. Snowflakes and mist hit him in the face, made him in a daze. But it was only for a moment, when it suddenly opened up to a wide panoramafig. everything becomes clear at once¹¹ before his own eyes, as snow covered and vast tomb pa.s.sage appeared.

The man who was pulling him whispered. Why did his voice sound like his son-in-law?

It was a long night, and the snow was getting heavier and heavier. Soon the sad bodies of the Great Monk was buried under the snow. Unknowingly, after a long time, faint sounds of someone walking on the snow could be heard, as two dark figure hurriedly went straight to the body. They startled when they caught sight of the blood spread all over the ground, and then they crouched down. One of them whispered, “Great Monk, he's gone.”

The two men nodded hard.

He was so glad that he was a fox, not a white rabbit or a gray wolf. Otherwise, his would lose his life here today.

The Great Monk shook his head as his heart still fluttered with fearChinese idiom : have a lingering fear¹², “For Li Chaoyang, I have to attack her when it was least expectedChinese idiom : to catch somebody off guard¹³. My trump card can only be used once. If I use it for the second time, it will not work since the enemy has already prepared himself.“

“What's next? According to the Elders, they intend to continue to use this trump card of yours to go against the War Demon Clan. Are you going back to take this orders?“

“In that case, what are you going to do? You can't appear in front of the war demons, or you will be hunted. Why did you have to do something troublesome by sending the man to the Imperial Mausoleum?“

“…are you planning to run for your life first alone?”

Anyway, he had advised them many times before, however, the Elders ignored the advice as if they were air and then forced him to deal with Li Chaoyang. So, he obediently came here to deal with it. Normally, ordinary people would die if they were hit by the curse, but whether the perfect war demon was really dead, and whether this kind of behavior would provoke the War Demon Clan to cause greater slaughter of his clan, he was too lazy to care.

“Do you think I'm that kind of person?”

He better ran for his life.

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