Chapter 39 Qingfeng Temple
2029 Words
The Western Depot people halted outside the main hall of the temple.
Ming Lan ordered the guards to wait here and beckoned Qin Zhong closer with the lantern.
Outside the hall, he had seen the slender figure surrounded by dimly swaying candlelight.
She was standing in the room center, facing away from Ming Lan towards the colossal wreck of a Buddha.
Unlike the outfit from this afternoon, she was wearing a crimson long-sleeved overcoat embroidered with golden peonies and a red pleated chiffon dress. Tied around her slim waist was a colorful silk ribbon, and inserted in her high pinned-up bun was a golden hair stick with double tassels.
The flamboyant red was like a fiery flame, reminding Ming Lan of the manglietia flowers he had seen on the way here. Lying around them was the boneless and tranquil night sky, and their blazing color was attractive but also mysterious, horrifying their audience for no reason.
Staring blankly at that eerily crimson back, Ming Lan suddenly felt his heart throbbing with dread.
With the sight of her at this moment, he had uncontrollable thoughts of the fiercest ghost in folklore... Namely, the scarlet lady!
A shiver went down his spine, and Ming Lan had to shrink his slender neck into the fur cloak beaded with colorful gems. His mouth opened, exhaling a cool white fog.
A horripilation of unprecedented uneasiness enveloped his whole body.
"Yun Guaner..."
Weakly and meekly, he let out a tentative call to the figure of fiery red.
She didn't respond or look back. Standing still at the foremost of his vision, her posture unchanged as if it had been fixed by an invisible force!
Sweat ran down Ming Lan's cheeks profusely. His teeth trembled wildly.
Dong! Dong!
All of a sudden, the temple bell chimed from somewhere. The low and distant echoes lingered in the night for a long time, especially clear in the late-night tranquility. Along with them, hordes of night birds fluttered their wings and flew above the temple.
The fear almost ripped Ming Lan's soul from his body. He panted and shuddered violently.
Why did the bell ring at a deserted temple in this hour?
Extreme fear eventually incurred unexplained fury. Ming Lan began to hate Yun Guaner for asking him here and even suspected that the horrible scenes were all set up by her!
"Qin... Qin Zhong, bring the men to take her down." Ming Lan pointed his finger at Gu Yunxi's back, his face full of anger.
There was no response behind him.
Ming Lan turned back in surprise. Inside the yard, hanging all over the crooked tree were giant and scary spider webs, wrapped in which were the guards he brought, unclear if dead or alive. Their faces were twisted as if they had seen the utmost horror before losing their consciousness...
Ming Lan felt his scalp numbed up. Turning around, he found that the main hall was bright with spooky green.
The candlelight that had been orange just one second ago was now sinisterly green like ghost fire from hell. Surrounded by this ghostly light, Gu Yunxi finally turned her face slowly.
"Master... Ming..."
The prolonged call was miserable as if a ghost from hell had been sobbing.
"Ahhhh."
With only half a glimpse of Gu Yunxi's green face, Ming Lan was so scared that his soul almost left his flesh. Howling as loud as he could, he turned to escape.
Yet the path behind him had been blocked by heavy fog. Ming Lan's limbs went soft, slumping onto the ground. Exhausted, he had no way but to wait for the dense fog to swallow his body.
"Help! Help."
Ming Lan shouted. His mouth was wide open but his chest was so heavy that he couldn't breathe. His vision gradually melted and blurred...
Leng Qingtang flashed from the ruined Buddha statue in a neat black suit, his hair flowing slightly.
Jumping off the altar, he approached Gu Yunxi with a smirk and stood with his hands folded back.
"Master, what had Lord Ming seen that could scare him like this?!"
Puzzled, Gu Yunxi walked closer and bent over to study Ming Lan, who had collapsed on the steps outside the hall,
Leng Qingtang looked straight at him and explained sarcastically,
"I put 'Qipo Powder' in the icing you used to make cakes. The powder is a great tranquilizing tonic and non-toxic if taken alone. However, it will react with manglietia pollen. People who have taken Qipo Powder will have strong hallucinations if they inhale the pollen. On the way to the northern suburbs, Ming Lan had to go through a manglietia forest. This afternoon, I asked you to deliberately hint him about the ghost in the Qingfeng Temple. Thus, it inflicted a terrifying illusion."
"He will not be scared to death, will he?" Gu Yunxi was astonished by the truth and covered her chest with hands.
Leng Qingtang assured her,
"No, he and his people fainted just because of the foggy d**g. They should wake up after four hours. We are fine because we have taken antidote before departure."
Gu Yunxi suddenly realized.
It was no wonder that before leaving, the Master had forced a cup of tea down her. It turned out to be an antidote for the smog. Gu Yunxi glanced upward at the Master's face, and then bit her lower lip, looking gloomy.
Despite her affection for him, the thought made her uncomfortable that he had secretly put the d**g into the pastry without telling her in advance.
Cupping her hands in the cuffs, she murmured bitterly,
"Master, drugging Lord Ming... Why didn't you explain it to me first..."
Leng Qingtang startled. It seemed that he had not expected such a reaction. Smiling unnaturally, he approached her and coaxed softly,
"I was worried that you might be afraid if I told you first. Next time... If there is next time, I will definitely discuss it with you first, alright?"
Just wanting to take her in his arms, Xiao Xiaoshen and Yuan Qian stepped into the main hall. Both of them stepped directly over Ming Lan's body while ascending the steps.
Xiao Xiaoshen smiled proudly when he saw Leng Qingtang.
"Master, Qipo Powder from Doctor Jiang was very effective. Lord Ming was immediately scared down!"
Leng Qingtang nodded and asked the Tenth Captain, Yuan Qian,
"How are the pawns of the Western Depot?"
"Rest assured, Master. They're asleep."
Yuan Qian shook the egg-sized silver balls in his hands. Two deep and lovely dimples showed on his baby face when he smiled.
"Along with those scouts who came here this afternoon, all men were put down by the Xiaoyao Ball. You and Yun are free to take the carriage and leave. We'll take care of this place."
The silver balls in Yuan Qian's hands were a hidden thrown weapon filled with ample anesthetic smog. Hurled onto the ground, the shell would shatter, and the smog inside would dissipate. Because of its round and smooth shape, it was named "Xiaoyao Ball" in the martial arts circle. It took only one to make ten cows to sleep for a whole morning.
"Good. I'll reward you when you report back!"
Leng Qingtang felt very pleased now. Casting a brief word to his men, he went out of the main hall, holding Gu Yunxi.
In the yard, Cheng Wanli and the Seventh Captain Jiang Xiong were cutting down the Western Depot bodyguards hanging on the trees one by one and lined them up on the ground. Jiang Xiong was from a circus before joining the Eastern Depot, so it was not difficult for him to get some strange props.
Laughing, Jiang Xiong gave Qin Zhong a kick and reported to Leng Qingtang,
"Master, there is one scared to death among the cowards of the Western Depot!"
"Oh? Take care of the body!"
"OK!"
Leng Qingtang glanced at the face of Qin Zhong but failed to recognize him as the aggressive guard who had wanted to duel him in the Eastern Depot.
When Cheng Wanli inspected Qin Zhong's body, he found a small roll of red cloth under the clothes. Observing carefully beneath the moonlight, his face suddenly changed.
"What happened?"
The strange look on the Chiliarch's face did not escape eagle-eyed Leng Qingtang. He took Gu Yunxi and walked to him.
"Nothing... Never mind!"
Seeing Gu Yunxi, Cheng Wanli was even more embarrassed, blushing while holding the cloth roll.
Leng Qingtang took the hint and instructed Gu Yunxi to return to the carriage first. Then he went with the Chiliarch to the side.
"Master, don't be mad after you see this. That eunuch Ming Lan is truly a swine!"
Cheng Wanli lowered his voice and finished with a flushed face, rolling out the cloth in front of Leng Qingtang.
Leng Qingtang was taken aback into speechlessness. His handsome face was filled with rage. Clenching his teeth, he stared at the two objects on the red cloth. A storm was roaring and thundering deep in his eyes. It would not surprise him no matter how many young eunuchs and maids had been sullied by Ming Lan with these obscene tools. Now he even intended a move onto Yunxi.
"Follow me!" Leng Qingtang gave an angry command to Cheng Wanli, and the two returned to the main hall again.
Xiao Xiaoshen, Jiang Xiong, and Yuan Qian were chucking and about to pour the potty over Ming Lan. When they saw their Master had returned, they urged quickly,
"Master, this place is filthy. Please stand aside!"
Leng Qingtang's eyes were vicious. He nodded his head at Ming Lan on the ground, ordering in a low voice to his subordinates, "Strip him."
"Master, we'll do as you command. Don't stain your hands."
Cheng Wanli looked at the Master and squeezed the red cloth roll in his hand so tight that his vines were bulging. Obviously, he was provoked by the two items wrapped in the cloth as well.
Gu Yunxi was just about to turn sixteen years old this year, merely a half-grown girl in his eyes. How could the eunuch Ming Lan come up with such a perverted way to t*****e her.
With a tense dace, Leng Qingtang pierced Ming Lan with his raging eyes sharpened enough to kill with.
"Didn't Ming Lan give Yunxi a pair of chrysanthemum earrings? He must love those flowers..." he said softly and slowly, "Let's give him a taste of the tools he brought... on his own chrysanthemum!"
"OK! Master!" Cheng Wanli nodded in agreement, holding down the sense of amusement. Mutely he was amazed by his Master's unforgiving measure.
.
Gu Yunxi sat in the wheel of the carriage, awaiting the Master with indescribable anxiety harbored in her heart.
Seeing him and Chiliarch Cheng out of the Qingfeng Temple safely, she could finally unleash the pressure.
"Girl, let's go back!"
Upon seeing Gu Yunxi's bright face, the wrath and resentment in Leng Qingtang's heart dissipated instantly. Striding onto the carriage, he curved his lips into the gentlest smile.
Before he could fold his body under the curtain, he caught something with his acute sense of hearing and straightened up hurriedly, contemplating the surroundings cautiously with a frown.
"Master, what's wrong?" Gu Yunxi was bewildered.
"Nothing. Let's go!"
"Then... What to do with the earrings Lord Ming sent me?" Holding the pair of gold earrings in her palm, Gu Yunxi asked the Master.
Leng Qingtang replied casually, "Keep it! Might be useful in the future!"
Gu Yunxi, the Master, and Cheng Wanli were in one carriage. Xiao Xiaoshen, along with the other two captains, changed into clean clothes and then mounted another. Eventually, the two carriages pulled away.
After the Eastern Depot people were all gone, a white figure flew off the ridge of the Qingfeng Temple's main hall. His movement was so light that silence sustained when his feet touched the ground.
Excellent levitation technique!
He was the young gentleman who was acquainted with the Eastern Depot in Baoyue Restaurant.
Looking in the direction of the carriages, he pursed his lips in chuckles and said to himself,
"That girl is really interesting! Wherever she goes, chaos follows..."
- Writer
