nyslfriends Chapter 14 Midnight Phantom
Chapter 14 Midnight Phantom
"Manager Du, he's dead, Manager Du?" Hu Daniu and Wang Shan arrived at Du Fan's place and were shocked when they saw his appearance.
At this moment, Du Fan's face was pale, devoid of any color, his eyes were lifeless and unfocused, and his expression was numb. If it weren't for the wooden stick in his hand still swaying up and down, anyone who saw him would think he was a dead man.
"Dead? Oh, you guys deal with it." Du Fan put down the wooden stick in his hand, but his eyes were still unfocused. He sat on the ground without saying a word, leaning against the tree trunk, his calmness was chilling.
Hu Daniu and Wang Shan had killed people and seen many dead bodies, but Du Fan at this moment not only sent chills down their spines but also filled them with dread.
"Brother Wang, go to Commander Han's place and see if there's anything you can help with. I'll keep Brother Du company for a while."
"good!"
After a long while, a piercing scream suddenly rang out, echoing for a long time in the surrounding sky. Du Fan finally regained his composure and gradually recovered.
……
Half a month later.
"Brother Du, the continuous mountain range ten miles ahead is where the Purple Mountain Sect's mountain gate is located. We should be able to reach it within half an hour." Hu Daniu said loudly. After the Black Tiger incident, there was now a hint of appreciation in his eyes when he looked at Du Fan.
"That's good. Let's finish this quickly so we can report back soon. But Brother Zhang, alas..." Du Fan sighed, remembering Zhang Yan, the outer disciple of the Yao family who died tragically half a month ago, and didn't continue.
Walking alongside Du Fan were Hu Daniu and Wang Shan, whose expressions darkened upon hearing this.
Zhang Yan died tragically in the great battle half a month ago. His body was not buried on the spot or sent back to the Yao family for a proper burial. Instead, a cremation talisman was used to burn it. This talisman was a fake talisman, with low offensive power and little value. Almost every cultivator would carry it with them.
This talisman can be used to start a fire for warmth, boiling water for cooking, but its greatest function is to cremate fallen cultivators. This is because there is an unwritten rule in the cultivation world that after a cultivator dies, there is no need to bury them or build a grave; the person who killed them should cremate them on the spot.
Those who cultivate immortality may practice in accordance with or against the will of Heaven, but ultimately they are defying fate and violating the taboos of Heaven and Earth, and thus do not meet a good end. Therefore, cultivators seek this life and hope for the next. After being cremated, their present life vanishes into nothingness, and they are reincarnated.
On that day, the Yao family's elite guards fought against ordinary people. They were the best in the mortal world, so their casualties were minimal. At this time, their military discipline was strict, their ranks were neat, and there was no trace of fighting.
Half an hour later, the Yao family arrived at the gate of the Purple Mountain Sect. Standing there and looking into the distance, the entire mountain was almost shrouded in mist, with pavilions and towers, red bricks and yellow tiles, faintly visible through the ethereal fog, resembling a fairyland. A gentle fragrance wafted from the mountain, and a single breath brought a sense of tranquility and joy. Occasionally, faint notes of zithers and flutes could be heard, blending with the sound of waterfalls, making one involuntarily lose oneself in the enchanting atmosphere.
"What a magnificent immortal sect!" Du Fan thought to himself.
The Purple Mountain Sect boasts three thousand disciples, with dozens having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, making it arguably the strongest of the three major sects in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom. Legend has it that the current patriarch of the Purple Mountain Sect, Venerable Purple Flame, is a powerful Golden Core cultivator, ranking among the top in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's cultivation world. He possesses extraordinary abilities, dominating the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom for over two hundred years, and suppressing the Thunder Cloud and Green Ox sects. Given the Yao family's status, they are absolutely not qualified to meet Venerable Purple Flame.
"So you're from the Yao family. You're a day late."
The majestic mountain gate slowly opened, and a deep, rumbling sound immediately came from beneath the earth. Once fully open, an old man in gray robes stepped out. This old man had white hair but a youthful face, and an arrogant expression, looking at the crowd as if they were ants.
"Master, we are indeed members of the Yao family. We encountered some trouble on the road a few days ago, which caused the delay. Please forgive us..." Hu Daniu's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a bow, and explained.
"Alright, I don't want to hear your nonsense. Follow me!" The gray-robed old man's face darkened as he interrupted Hu Daniu. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked up the mountain.
"Yes, Master!" Hu Daniu's heart skipped a beat, and he respectfully replied, then called for everyone to follow him up the mountain.
After a long climb, bypassing a deep pool and passing through two plazas, the group was led to the Zishan Sect's pharmacy. During this time, they sensed Zishan Sect disciples occasionally passing by. Due to the gray-robed elder's attitude and the pressure from the Zishan Sect's reputation, no one dared to look around, holding their breath and cautiously following. Therefore, after entering the Zishan Sect's gates, they didn't carefully observe the sect's appearance, only noting its vast territory.
More than a dozen boys who looked like medicine apprentices came out of the Zishan Sect's pharmacy. Led by one person, they were about to exchange spiritual herbs with the Yao family.
"Brother Du, why don't you assist the guards in exchanging the medicinal herbs?" Hu Daniu glanced at Du Fan and said meaningfully.
"No problem, Brother Hu, don't worry." Du Fan instantly understood what Hu Daniu meant and went over to assist with the handover of the spiritual herbs.
An hour later, a large quantity of spiritual herbs was successfully handed over under Du Fan's skillful handling. The gray-robed elder then showed a satisfied expression and said, "It's getting late. You shall stay here and not enter or leave any other locations of my Purple Mountain Sect. Leave the mountain early tomorrow morning. Ali, take the Yao family members to their lodgings."
"Yes, disciple obeys!" A young man quickly accepted the order.
The old man in gray didn't even glance at the crowd, snorted coldly, and turned to leave, never taking anyone from the Yao family seriously.
"Please follow me, everyone."
……
As the moon and stars sparsely appeared and night fell, Du Fan, restless and unable to sleep, went alone to the courtyard to keep company with the starlight.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from afar, getting closer and closer until it was very close to Du Fan's courtyard. Du Fan subconsciously turned around and hid behind the wall.
Through the wall, Du Fan saw a woman with a flustered expression. She was dressed in a white palace dress, with a beautiful face and a charming figure. Her face was slightly flushed, revealing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Her expression was somewhat complicated, but it was still clear that she had something on her mind. She took careful steps and looked back from time to time, extremely cautious.
Du Fan originally planned to go back to his room to rest after the woman walked away, but he had a strong feeling that he should follow her to take a look. Du Fan was startled by his own thoughts. He was never a curious or gossipy person, and this place was the heart of the Purple Mountain Sect. He should never do this. But why did he have such thoughts at this moment?
This idea grew stronger and stronger, gradually overcoming Du Fan's rationality. Unconsciously, he had already taken a step forward.
Du Fan had never felt this way before. He steeled his resolve and carefully followed the woman in palace attire. He memorized the route while maintaining a safe distance, knowing that cultivators possessed divine consciousness.
He followed her for almost half an hour, and the path he had come from was becoming somewhat blurry to Du Fan. Just as he was hesitating whether he should turn back, the woman ahead looked around nervously and then hurriedly turned into a rather luxurious courtyard. Du Fan gritted his teeth and followed her.
Upon entering the courtyard, Du Fan immediately saw the woman heading straight for the main pavilion. Du Fan then quietly hid behind a tree to observe her.
A woman in palace attire stealthily approached the pavilion door and knocked rhythmically. A short while later, the door suddenly opened, and a person peeked out.
Under the starlight, Du Fan could see the person in the room at a glance, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
This was a handsome, flawless man's face. He was wearing white pajamas, and his eyes gleamed with a lewd light. This man was none other than Wu Hao, the pride of the Purple Mountain Sect, who had met Du Fan once before! He was also the one who, not long ago, had sent betrothal gifts to the Yao family with his father, proposing to marry Yao Ruoxi.
The image of that handsome, refined, and virtuous young man in white instantly flashed into Du Fan's mind, a figure that was hard to reconcile with the Wu Hao he was seeing now. Du Fan even began to doubt whether he had seen wrong.
Before I knew it, the door was closed, and I could hear lewd laughter coming from inside, the words of which were extremely offensive.
Thinking of Yao Ruoxi, Du Fan suddenly felt a surge of anger, but he still held onto a sliver of hope that he was mistaken and that this person was not Wu Hao, so he quietly approached the room.
I lay by the window, and the voices inside were clearly audible.
"Senior Brother Wu, have you missed me?" the woman asked softly.
"I think about it every day, so much so that I can't sleep at night." Wu Hao's voice was unrestrained, completely devoid of any refined demeanor.
"You're lying! You want me to marry that lowly woman?" The woman seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
"Hehe, don't you know I'm breaking through a bottleneck? If I use a woman's yin energy to break through, it will be twice as effective. Why would I take yours instead of hers?" Wu Hao chuckled.
"Bah! Who would give you primordial yin! Primordial yin is extremely important for us female cultivators!"
The woman spat lightly, then said with some doubt, "Is this why you want to marry her? Why go through all that trouble, just kidnapping a female cultivator from the outside world? You can have her whatever you want, can't you? With your talent, what bottleneck can't you break through?"
"You don't know, Yao Ruoxi's cultivation aptitude is top-grade. Among rogue cultivators, cultivators with such aptitude are definitely rare. Moreover, due to the sect rules, this matter cannot be brought up in public. After capturing a female cultivator, we must deal with her immediately, otherwise it will definitely cause trouble."
The bottlenecks I will face in the future will not be a one-time event. I can't go out and find a female cultivator every time I break through, can I?
Therefore, after discussing it with my father, I decided to keep her as a pet. I married Yao Ruoxi and took a portion of her primordial yin every time I broke through her limits, treating her like a lamb in a pen, until I drained her primordial yin and she died.
And you will always be my dearest love. As for worldly marriages, do we cultivators care about them? Hehe, come here…”
Du Fan, standing by the window outside, clenched his fists, his heart filled with rage, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
"You beast!" Du Fan cursed inwardly, but he absolutely could not make a move at this moment. He needed to remain calm and think things through carefully. Otherwise, not only would he lose his life here, but Ruoxi would also be doomed. Furthermore, his recklessness might bring disaster upon the entire Yao family.
Thinking of this, Du Fan tried his best to control his emotions and began to quietly move backward, but just then, a cold snort suddenly came out.
Du Fan's heart tightened, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.