Chapter 52

Quirks of Qianzhong, Enemies in the Forest

As night fell, the group decided to rest in Chenzhou Prefecture for the night, planning to continue their journey early the next morning. They weren't in a hurry, preferring to enjoy the leisure.

However, when they tried to get rooms at the inn, they encountered some trouble.

For some reason, Chenzhou Prefecture forbade couples from staying overnight; pairs of men and women were not allowed to lodge.

Bai She's group, consisting of two men and two women, was turned away from three inns.

"Hey, innkeeper, what kind of rule is this?" Qin Dai became unhappy, already fed up with being bullied by Hong Ye on the journey, and now they were being denied a room! He argued with the innkeeper, "Why can't we stay? Who says two men and two women must be couples?"

"Uh..." The innkeeper looked at them, asking, "You all seem well-matched. Aren't you couples?"

Bai She raised an eyebrow, finding the comment rather pleasing. Qin Dai also said to Hong Ye, "Hey, he thinks we make a good pair."

"Get lost!" Hong Ye glared at him, then told the innkeeper, "We'll have the ladies room together, and the two gentlemen can share a room. What's wrong with that?!"

The innkeeper was in a dilemma, "Miss, please spare us. In Chenzhou Prefecture, it's a custom not to let couples stay overnight. Maybe you should continue your journey while it's still light, head to Qianzhou ahead."

With no choice as they were refused accommodation, the group had to continue on their way.

"What's going on!" Hong Ye couldn't fathom, "What's wrong with couples? There are plenty in the world. Is it a crime now to travel in pairs?"

Bai She and Shi Mei sat in the carriage, pulling back the curtains to observe the passersby. Shi Mei noticed the peculiar attire of the locals – when men and women walked together, the women often wore men's clothing.

"It seems there really are no couples out together," Shi Mei whispered to Bai She, puzzled about the situation.

After some thought, Bai She sent a subordinate to gather information.

The subordinate returned shortly, with an interesting answer, "Apparently, for over a decade, couples have been forbidden to appear together in public here. The locals don’t even dare to celebrate weddings openly; everything is done in secret."

"Why?" everyone wondered.

"It's said that there's a demon in this region, particularly active around Qianzhong, who despises seeing couples in love. Whenever it learns of lovers destined to be together, it wreaks havoc. In milder cases, a few houses might be burned down, but in more severe instances, it can lead to family ruin and even death. As a result, local lovers dare not show affection and pretend to quarrel in public."

This peculiar custom left Bai She and his companions both amused and bemused.

"What kind of demon is it?" Shi Mei asked curiously, "Why is it so unreasonable?"

"The locals don't know; they say it's an old witch."

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Bound by the local customs, the group had to continue their journey, and as night fully fell, they hadn’t reached Qianzhou but stopped in a small grove.

As the weather grew colder, Shimei and Hongye sat inside the carriage, eating grilled meat prepared by Bai She and the others, while Bai She and Qin Dai sat outside by the fire, drinking wine.

Shi Mei soon dozed off leaning on Hong Ye, and in a half-sleep, heard Bai She asking Qin Dai, "How's the investigation going?"

"No news," Qin Dai replied, "But also no evidence."

Bai She took a sip of his drink and sighed softly, "I hope I'm wrong."

Shi Mei drifted into dreams, still wondering - 'Wrong about what?'

The night grew darker, filled only with the sounds of insects.

Deep in sleep, Shi Mei felt someone shaking her; groggily, she opened her eyes to see Hong Ye.

After waking Shimei, Hongye gestured for silence and pointed outside—indicating to watch!

Now fully awake, Shi Mei heard the clashing of swords. She sat up and peeked out the carriage window, seeing Bai She fighting with a figure in black.

The assailant was very short, barely three feet tall, with unkempt hair and ragged clothes, the tatters trailing long behind. Shi Mei couldn't make out the figure's features clearly. She wondered how such a person could be in these deep woods. The figure's bizarre appearance would have been terrifying if encountered alone... but recalling the tree witch they met in Dayu Mountain, this didn’t seem too odd. Shi Mei felt relieved that Bai She was strong enough to handle any danger, feeling safe wherever he was.

This thought suddenly made Shi Mei's heart skip a beat. Sitting in the carriage, hand propping her chin, she pondered - 'With Bai She's strength... is everything easier with him around?'

Hong Ye, observing the battle outside, thought to herself how impressive the old demon's skills were, matching Bai She's prowess for so long. She was fascinated by Bai She's swordplay, noting that the demon was barely holding its own now.

Unable to resist, Hong Ye clapped her hands, wanting to draw Shi Mei's attention to Bai She's extraordinary skills, but when she turned around, she saw Shi Mei lost in thought, frowning and propping her chin.

"Mei Zi?" Hong Ye softly called her name, "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Shi Mei looked up.

Just then, someone outside screamed in pain.

Coming to their senses and looking out, Shimei and Hongye saw the old demon being kicked away by Bai She.

The voice, though hoarse, was unmistakably that of a woman, more precisely, an old lady.

"Impressive, young man, ha ha ha!" the old witch laughed, not angered by her defeat. Sitting up, she pointed at Bai She, "Alright, I'll take you as my disciple."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone struggled to contain their laughter.

Hongye, known for her boldness, leaned out of the carriage and called out, "Hey, old lady, you can't even defeat him, yet you dare to take disciples?"

The old lady stood up, cackling at Hong Ye, "You girl, all dolled up - you're either the type to deceive men or be deceived by them."

"You..." Hong Ye was irked, especially by the 'deceived by men' remark, "You old hag!"

Shi Mei patted her back to calm her, "Don't stoop to her level."

The old lady, adjusting her clothes, said to Bai She, "So, what do you say? I'll count to three for you to decide."

Bai She sheathed his sword, ignoring her.

"Ungrateful!" the old lady spat, turning to leave, muttering, "I can't stand you lot, dreaming of growing old together. Dream on! Sooner or later, you'll go your separate ways, love is short-lived, doomed to loneliness in old age!"

Shi Mei heard her clearly and thought the old lady was excessively malicious, cursing people without reason. Then it struck her, "Hey! Are you the reason couples in Qianzhong dare not show themselves together?"

"Heh heh heh," the old lady paused, looking back at Shi Mei, "What if I am? You little wretch."

"How dare you insult someone!" Hongye was infuriated, "Old witch!"

"Old lady, you really lack virtue, making us homeless," Qin Dai, squatting on top of their carriage, addressed the old woman. "By the way, do you live in the mountains? Do you know the way to the Ghost Fox Forest?"

The old woman paused, frowning, "Why would you go to the Ghost Fox Forest? There's nothing there but old ghosts and foxes."

"I have a message to deliver," Shimei said, feeling that the old woman seemed somewhat similar to the old tree witch they had encountered before, and decided to test the waters.

"What message? For whom?"

"If you know, just tell us how to get there. Why ask so many questions?" Qin Dai seemed unimpressed by her.

The old woman sneered, "Young man, the world will eventually be yours, but not yet. Don't be so arrogant. The Ghost Fox Forest isn't an easy place to traverse. If you tell me the truth, maybe I could show you the way."

Seizing the opportunity, Shimei asked, "Do you know about Dayu Mountain in the capital?"

The old woman was taken aback, "What did you say?!"

At this, the old woman looked as if she had heard there was a ghost behind her; her face turned pale, her mouth agape and eyes wide in shock, barely able to breathe, "What did you say? Dayu Mountain?! Who sent you to deliver the message, speak up!"

Hongye nudged Shimei and whispered, "She definitely knows something. Test her further!"

Shimei glanced at Bai She outside the carriage, who subtly nodded, indicating there was something unusual.

"The people of Dayu Mountain are still alive. Do you remember her…"

"What?!"

Before Shimei could finish, the old woman suddenly ran wildly towards the depths of the forest, shouting loudly, "She's not dead, she's not dead... Hahaha..."

"In just a moment, the person had run off without a trace."

"Leaving everyone behind, utterly confused and exchanging bewildered glances. After a long while, Qin Dai finally snapped back to reality. 'What's going on here?'"

"'She seemed to run off quite happily.' Hongye nudged Shimei, 'Meizi, what's up with her?'"

"Shimei shook her head, 'I don't know... But it seems like she's not the old witch's enemy.'"

"'That crazy old hag,' Qin Dai complained discontentedly, 'She didn't even tell us how to get through Ghost Fox Forest. We'll have to keep asking around.'"

"'Let's just sleep on it,' said Baishuo, glancing at the sky and sitting down by the campfire, though his expression was somewhat troubled. Shimei noticed something was off with him. Was he hurt, or had he discovered something?"

"With that thought, Shimei reached out and tugged at his sleeve, 'Hey, I can't sleep. How about a walk?'"

"Baishuo was taken aback."

"Qin Dai teased Shimei, 'Girl, have you lost your mind? Wandering around in the deep mountains and old forests at night? Be careful, or you might bump into a ghost that'll gobble you up.'"

"'No one would mistake you for a mute if you kept quiet!' Hongye never missed an opportunity to ridicule Qin Dai."

"Catching her off guard, Qin Dai reached out and playfully lifted her chin, 'Indeed, I'm afraid if I don't speak, the beauty might treat me as a mute!'"

"You jerk!" Hongye leapt down and chased after Qin Dai, and the two of them started their ruckus again.

Baishuo stood up and helped Shimei off the carriage, walking away to a distance, leaving the other two to chase and play-fight beside the vehicle.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Shimei asked Baishuo.

Baishuo shook his head, "No, why do you ask?"

"Oh… Did you notice something when you were confronting that old lady? You seemed a bit upset."

Baishuo was somewhat surprised; Shimei was quite perceptive! Or did she care about him, to notice such subtle things?

"It's nothing much... I've seen that style of martial arts before," Baishuo hesitated before adding, "Someone else used it."

"Who?"

"The man in white who impersonated me."

"Him?!" That mysterious man in white, along with his alliance with Qin Dai and the attempt on her life, had left a deep impression on Shimei. "Right, I've also thought of something."

"What?"

"It's about that man in white," Shimei said earnestly. "Have you noticed that he's always around you, his actions seem forced, some even superfluous, but they all serve one purpose in the end?"

Baishuo's brows furrowed as he looked at Shimei, "You mean..."

"He's fully drawn you into this affair!" she said gravely. "Think about it, after Qiao Laokuan's death, the Ghost Blade Sect was initially just seeking revenge. But as the case expanded, you ended up searching for the Jade Buddha and treasures... It seems like someone's always pushing you to get involved!"

After listening, Baishuo stared at Shimei for a while, "You're quite observant."

"You already figured it out?" Shimei sighed in relief. "Then do you know who is trying to harm or use you this time?"

Baishuo fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly, whispering to Shimei, "I have a suspect, but I'm not certain yet... We'll know for sure once we find the Jade Buddha. Fu Si's presence here also somewhat confirms my suspicions."

"Can't you tell me who you suspect?" Shimei asked with a smile.

Baishuo smiled back, "I only tell my wife these things."

With a flushed face, Shimei stomped on his foot and walked away.

Baishuo shook his head with a smile, but the smile on his face gradually faded—this matter was far from simple.