Chapter 306

Chapter 305

Ning Yuzhou and Pei Qiyu instinctively reached out to cover the eyes of the young lady beside them.

How could they let her see such a shocking scene?

However, soon they had no time to worry about the unclothed person.

Because behind that person, bones were rolling down from the mountaintop like an avalanche.

The surging bones pursued the person closely, forming a terrifying wave of white bones from afar, rushing down the bone mountain with a fearsome force, as if trying to engulf the fleeing person, creating a formidable momentum.

As the bone wave descended, the rumbling grew louder, almost drowning out the person's screams.

The person ran as if he was about to collapse, narrowly escaping being swallowed by the bone wave.

"Save him!" Ning Yuzhou said to Pei Qiyu.

This was clearly someone who had come seeking help; even if it was a shocking sight, they had to save him.

Pei Qiyu, with a dark face, really didn't want to save such a shocking individual. But this was the first cultivator they had encountered in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones besides Baili Chi and the others, so they had to save him whether they wanted to or not.

Pei Qiyu flew over on his sword, grabbed the person's arm, and lifted him up.

The rescued person quickly clung to Pei Qiyu, almost weeping with joy, shouting, "Ah! Hero, you came just in time! I can never repay your kindness, I wish—"

Pei Qiyu skillfully avoided the bones rolling down from the bone mountain, his forehead veins throbbing as he angrily shouted, "Don't cling so tightly!"

"What's wrong with a hug between men?" the person said, hugging tighter, fearing that Pei Qiyu would throw him off.

Pei Qiyu indeed wanted to throw him off; he had a lover and didn't want to hug a naked, smelly man.

The spirit sword beneath their feet shot away, avoiding the terrifying bone wave like a mudslide.

The bone wave rumbled down until it reached the foot of the mountain, pushing forward for hundreds of feet before finally stopping.

Just as the bone wave finally subsided, a group of skeletons suddenly appeared halfway down the mountain, clattering as they rushed over. Their movements were unusually agile, like nimble fleas, leaping toward the people at the foot of the mountain.

Wen Qiaoyao, without a word, immediately whipped out her long whip and started fighting. To her, all the skeletons looked the same, with no distinction between friend and foe; she would fight first and ask questions later.

Seeing this, Su Molan naturally joined the battle.

With Wen Qiuqiu transformed into a spiky ball, one human and two beasts faced the group of skeletons, and the scene quickly turned brutal—of course, the ones being brutalized were the skeletons, with shattered bones flying everywhere.

On the other side, Pei Qiyu brought the person to safety and then unceremoniously threw him to the ground.

Caught off guard, the person yelped, landing on his back, giving Pei Qiyu, who was standing above him, a clear view, which made him want to gouge out his eyes. He angrily shouted, "Are you crazy, running around naked?"

The person, dazed and disoriented, didn't hear him at all, taking a while to get up.

A warm and gentle voice sounded, "Put some clothes on first!" Accompanying these words, a piece of clothing was thrown over his head.

Only then did the person remember that there were other cultivators present, not just the skeletons, and quickly put on the clothes.

After dressing, he looked at his saviors and found two of them: one was elegant and handsome, like a noble prince, and the other was dark and brooding, like a rogue cultivator, clearly not a good person.

The contrast between the two was stark; if Pei Qiyu hadn't been the one to save him, he might have mistaken him for the bad guy.

"I am Shi Wuming, thank you for saving my life!" the person said gratefully.

At this moment, Wen Qiaoyao and Su Molan, along with Wen Qiuqiu, had already dealt with the group of skeletons. They walked over and, seeing that Shi Wuming was now dressed, breathed a sigh of relief. Upon closer inspection, they found him quite handsome, with clear features and a full forehead, looking harmless like a young gentleman. Despite his mismatched attire, his clean and transparent aura made a good impression.

Unfortunately, his good image was completely ruined as soon as he opened his mouth.

He enthusiastically approached, rubbing his hands together, and said, "Two fairies, thank you very much! You are my saviors, and I cannot repay your kindness except by offering myself. Which of you would be willing to take me in?"

"No!" Wen Qiaoyao said without hesitation, pointing at Ning Yuzhou, "I have a husband, and you're not as handsome as my husband."

Shi Wuming looked at Ning Yuzhou and realized he indeed wasn't as handsome as her husband, feeling a bit sour. Then he looked at Su Molan with hope.

The corner of Su Molan's mouth twitched, and she pointed at Pei Qiyu, saying, "The one who saved you is him, it has nothing to do with me."

Shi Wuming chuckled, "How can it not be related? Those skeletons were chasing me, and thanks to your intervention, they were eliminated. So you are also my saviors! Since I cannot repay your kindness, perhaps—"

Before he could finish, he felt his collar tighten and turned to see Pei Qiyu's sinister face.

"What are you doing?" Shi Wuming asked curiously.

Pei Qiyu, with a dark expression, said, "I suddenly feel that saving you wasn't worth it, so I'll kill you now!"

Shi Wuming: "..."

Shi Wuming, who knew when to read the room, quickly apologized, finally making Pei Qiyu abandon his intention to kill him.

He sighed, "I thought I had met two beautiful ladies who suited my tastes, and my lifelong concerns would finally be settled. Who knew they were both taken! At my age, I don't even have a wife, and I fear I will die here as a virgin, turning into a skeleton..."

Su Molan's cheeks turned slightly red, wanting to stop his nonsense but feeling awkward.

It was Pei Qiyu who suddenly found this person somewhat likable and decided to forgive him.

However, although he forgave him, his attitude remained unchanged. Seeing him still babbling, he slapped him.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Pei Qiyu slapped him onto the bones, "We have questions for you, answer seriously."

Shi Wuming yelped again, saying pitifully, "Sir, didn't you see my delicate skin? You should be more careful with me."

"I didn't see it!" Pei Qiyu, unwilling to argue, asked, "Why are you in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones? When did you enter?"

Shi Wuming, deciding not to get up, sat directly on the bones and honestly said, "I was captured and brought in, it's been several decades."

"Who caught you and brought you here? What was their purpose?"

"As for that..." Shi Wuming put on a troubled expression, "It's a long story."

Ning Yuzhou pulled Wen Qiaqiao to sit down, smiled at Shi Wuming, and said kindly, "No worries, we have time to listen."

Shi Wuming choked for a moment, then quickly resumed his playful grin, "Since this young master and lady have the patience, I'll tell you slowly."

Shi Wuming is a disciple of a certain sect on the Primordial Continent. Once, while out on a training journey, he unexpectedly got entangled in a murder and treasure theft incident, was kidnapped, and thrown into the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones.

"I had such bad luck. I was just passing by, didn't even see the treasure, and it had nothing to do with me, but those people wanted to silence me, so they threw me in here to let me fend for myself. For so many years, I couldn't find a way out of the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones and was controlled by the skeletons of the Tianfu of Burning Hell, forced to work like a slave..."

"Fortunately, I'm smart and finally came up with a plan to escape from the skeleton guarding me. But I didn't expect those skeletons to be so powerful; even when I hid, they still found me. If it weren't for your help just now, I would have been caught again. Thank you for saving my life."

As he spoke, Shi Wuming stood up with a serious face and bowed.

Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiaqiao accepted his bow calmly before asking, "Why didn't those people just kill you directly instead of going through all this trouble to bring you to the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones?"

"Exactly," Su Molan agreed, her face showing disapproval. Did this person think they were easy to fool?

They had entered through proper means and knew how difficult it was to get into the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones.

Shi Wuming smiled, "They didn't dare to kill me themselves because the consequences would be too severe. So they went through all this trouble to bring me here, hoping I would die on my own."

"Oh..."

The four of them looked at him simultaneously. It seemed this person held a high status on the Primordial Continent, likely a core disciple of a major sect. Even those who wanted to kill him had to consider whether their direct actions would be detected and retaliated against by his sect, so they had to find another way.

This showed that the treasure involved in the murder and theft Shi Wuming witnessed must have been very tempting, driving those people to take such risks.

"So this is what you mean by 'a long story'?" Pei Qiyu couldn't help but mock him.

Shi Wuming chuckled, defending himself, "Young master, you can't say it like that. Such embarrassing things should be glossed over. I need to save some face in front of these two fairies, don't you think?"

"What does my face have to do with yours?" Pei Qiyu said coldly.

"Oh, you married men wouldn't understand the pain of a single man like me," Shi Wuming couldn't help but wail, "Before leaving the sect, I promised my master that I would find a beautiful, gentle, and highly skilled wife during this opportunity, one who excels in alchemy, talismans, weapons, and formations. I would bring her back to make him proud, so much so that even if he passed away immediately, it would be worth it..."

The four of them: "..."

With a disciple like this, his master must have wanted to strangle him.

At this point, they realized that Shi Wuming was quite carefree and shameless, saying whatever came to mind, yet slippery and hard to pin down.

Though his explanation covered the basics, it revealed nothing substantial.

Fortunately, they weren't interested in his background, so they didn't pursue it further, instead asking about the Tianfu of Burning Hell.

Hearing this, Shi Wuming's eyes darted around as he asked, "You haven't been in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones for long, have you?"

"We indeed entered not long ago," Ning Yuzhou said calmly, "We heard there were cultivators in the Tianfu of Burning Hell, so we came to check it out."

Shi Wuming looked at them and said, "Have you been to the Tianfu of Burning Hell?"

"We have," Wen Qiaqiao replied, "We were identified by the skeletons shortly after entering and had to blow up the city gates to escape."

Shi Wuming's face showed shock, and he couldn't help but ask, "Lady, what did you just say?"

Wen Qiaqiao patiently repeated herself.

Shi Wuming sat there in a daze, then suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into laughter, shouting, "Yu Xiuluo must never have expected anyone to dare blow up his city gates! He deserves it! I wish I could see his face when he finds out!"

"Who is Yu Xiuluo?" Wen Qiaqiao asked.

"The leader of the Bone Clan of Burning Hell," Shi Wuming said with a smile, "An old ghost with wild ideas."

The four of them said "Oh" again, unable to resist looking at him. Knowing the leader of the Bone Clan of Burning Hell, it seemed this person was indeed not simple.

Ning Yuzhou asked, "Why does the Tianfu of Burning Hell capture human cultivators?"

"Because human cultivators are different," Shi Wuming said matter-of-factly, "Human cultivators have blood and flesh and wear clothes, while skeletons are just bones and don't need clothes. To them, aren't human cultivators different?"

His reasoning was so logical that no one could argue!

Unfortunately, Ning Yuzhou wasn't swayed, summarizing, "It seems the Tianfu of Burning Hell indeed has powerful skeletons that can distinguish between skeletons and human cultivators, even those with the Bone Token. Let me guess, it must be Yu Xiuluo, the leader of the Bone Clan of Burning Hell, whose cultivation is extremely high, reaching the highest realm of the lower world—the Yuan Sheng Realm."

"As for why they treat human cultivators this way, there must be other reasons, possibly due to some characteristic of the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, or—"

He stared straight at Shi Wuming, his warm and gentle eyes revealing a piercing intensity.

Shi Wuming's heart raced under his gaze, almost losing composure.

After a while, he suppressed his racing heart, wiped his sweat, and sighed inwardly. Are young people nowadays all so terrifying, able to deduce so much from just a few words? He nearly died of fright.

Shi Wuming quickly said, "Oh, young master, you truly have divine insight, to figure this out! Fine, I'll tell you. Yu Xiuluo is indeed a Yuan Sheng Realm powerhouse, so you mustn't confront him. As for why he captures human cultivators, I guess it's because he thinks his skeletal body looks ugly and envies our human bodies with blood and flesh. He wants to study how skeletons can grow flesh."

Upon finishing, he saw the four of them staring at him expressionlessly.

He asked, puzzled, "What are you doing?"

Ning Yuzhou and Pei Qiyu looked at him coldly, as if waiting to see how he would continue lying.

Wen Qiaqiao stroked Wen Qiuqiu's fur, maintaining a cold and noble demeanor, ignoring him.

Only the more compassionate Su Molan said, "Prince Shi, do you think we look easy to fool? Well, I may not be smart, but I'm not stupid enough to believe everything."

If it were an ordinary person, they would have been ashamed after hearing Su Molan's words.

But Shi Wuming was not ordinary; he laughed heartily, delighted, "Oh, you've seen through me!"

Seeing that the four still looked at him with cold eyes, Shi Wuming sighed and finally said seriously, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but with your current cultivation, knowing too much would be of no benefit."

"That's not necessarily true," Ning Yuzhou said calmly. "How do you know it won't help us?"

Shi Wuming's gaze fell on him, and he suddenly said, "What about your Bone Restoration Orders? If you've already found what you're looking for, you should leave as soon as possible. The Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones is not as simple as you might think."

The four exchanged glances but remained silent.

Shi Wuming, understanding the principle of knowing when to stop, did not press the matter further. Instead, he said, "I haven't even learned your names yet, my saviors."

They introduced themselves to him.

"By the way, you said you found a way to escape. It wasn't by stripping naked, was it?" Pei Qiyu asked sharply.

Shi Wuming: "..."

From his reaction, Wen Qiao and the others knew Pei Qiyu had guessed correctly, and their expressions became indescribable.

Shi Wuming, however, was unashamed and argued, "What's the big deal? Cultivators don't concern themselves with trivialities. If it means gaining freedom, sacrificing a bit of dignity isn't much of a sacrifice."

Was it really just a matter of sacrificing dignity? It was simply indecent.

Shi Wuming complained, "Actually, my method was quite good. After all, there are very few cultivators in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones. I've been out for so long and only encountered you few." Then he added cheerfully, "It seems my luck is still good. Thanks to you fellow Daoists, I'm sitting here safely."

He then asked, "What are your plans next? If you don't mind, could you take me along? I'll leave with you."