Chapter 41: The Jester's Leap (Part 1)

  Headache, Qin Xiaoling said many voices, what does it mean? Where did the people come from, where did the sound come from? Will a dead body have auditory hallucinations? The two were at a loss and didn't know what had happened.

  "... wails... crying..." Qin Xiaoling continued to say what she had heard, what made her uncomfortable. But the content that came out was even more confusing for Qin Yifan and others.

  Suddenly, Lin Qiulü slapped her forehead: "I remembered!" As soon as she said this, Qin Yifan immediately shifted his gaze from Qin Xiaoling to her.

  "Among the things that Yuan Qinglao left behind, there was a string of Buddhist beads carved into skull heads. Xiaoling took them away. Is it that thing?" Now Lin Qiulü also started getting used to calling Qin Xiaoling by her name, rather than using the polite but distant term "Miss".

  Lin Qiu Lu mentioned this, Qin Yi Fan also remembered the matter. At that time, Qin Xiao Ling felt that the aura above was very fond of it, so she wanted to go over and absorb it into her body. Moreover, at that time, it was said that the string of Buddhist beads sealed many resentful spirits. Could it be that what Qin Xiao Ling heard were the cries of these resentful spirits?

  If it's really a problem with this string of beads, there will be a lot of trouble. Qin Yifan is highly skilled in martial arts, but he doesn't understand the way of Taoism at all. Lin Qiulü has made some progress in her cultivation, but she has no experience in helping restless spirits ascend, and it's even more difficult since it's a vengeful spirit trapped inside a corpse.

  At that time, Qin Xiaoling said she wanted to absorb the evil spirits on the Buddha beads and free those trapped resentful souls. Unexpectedly, before even discussing absorbing evil spirits, it seemed like the resentful souls inside the beads had already revolted.

  They rested at a convenient place by the side of the road, and because they were in a hurry to alleviate Qin Xiaoling's suffering, they didn't particularly choose it. There were still people passing by around them. They also felt someone passing by, but the other party had no malicious intent, seemingly just rushing on their way, so they didn't pay much attention either.

  What exactly went wrong, Qin Yifan thought carefully. It seems that the initial feeling of something being off about Qin Xiaoling was a sign, and now it has violently erupted. It seemed to have started after taking back the evil-warding bead that Lake Brother had given her before he left, could the root cause be related to this?

  She tried to give the evil pearl back to Qin Xiaoling, and indeed, after Qin Xiaoling received the evil pearl, she felt much better and was no longer in such pain. What's going on?

  Lin Qiulü watched from the side, her mind racing wildly. When Qin Xiaoling calmed down, she furrowed her brow and said: "It seems that this should be the vengeful spirit in the pearl unable to bear the majestic righteousness of the imperial palace, so it rebelled."

  Qin Xiaoling insisted on watching the excitement, and in an ordinary city, there was no great harm. Even if she were to enter the imperial palace alone, as long as she didn't use magic, there wouldn't be any major problems. The big problem lies with this string of pearls.

  At a normal pace, Qin Xiaoling might be able to slowly absorb the evil energy on the beads over time and gradually unseal those vengeful spirits. However, it's different inside the imperial palace. The imperial palace is filled with majestic and righteous energy, the true dragon's aura is overwhelming, especially in the grand hall where the emperor meets his ministers, it's a realm of utmost yang and firmness. That string of Buddhist beads, no matter how evil, is just an inanimate object, how can it resist the aura of heaven and earth?

  It's estimated that the evil spirit in the pearl was completely consumed by the aura of the Grand Temple. However, the vengeful spirits were tightly suppressed by the temple's energy and didn't dare to make a move, quietly hiding inside Qin Xiaoling's body. Qin Xiaoling naturally didn't feel anything unusual.

  Qin Yifan handed the evil spirit bead to Qin Xiaoling, and Qin Xiaoling immediately received a sufficient replenishment of evil spirits. Those resentful souls were instantly suppressed. However, as soon as they left Qin Xiaoling's side, the evil spirit slowly faded away, and it was no longer possible to suppress those resentful souls. Moreover, they had already left the imperial palace, so there was nothing that could suppress them. Qin Xiaoling felt uncomfortable and hid underground, which happened to be far away from the sunlight, but instead gave those resentful souls an opportunity.

  Of course, this is just Lin Qiulü's speculation, but it is very consistent with Qin Xiaoling's current state. Now that she has put on the evil spirit bead, Qin Xiaoling feels much better, which can be explained. However, this is only a superficial solution and not a fundamental one. It was thought that as long as Qin Xiaoling absorbed those evil spirits, she could release the sealed vengeful spirits, but it turned out to be completely different from what was expected.

  I don't know what kind of person left this thing behind, it's so evil. The countless vengeful spirits trapped inside are definitely not the work of Yuan Qing Lao Dao. Even if you count all the lives he took, it wouldn't be more than a thousand, and who knows, maybe even less than the blood on Qin Yi Fan's hands. I just don't know where he got this evil thing from, and how it ended up in Qin Xiao Ling's hands, causing her to suffer such injustice because of her kindness.

  Qin Xiaoling seems to be much better, and the evil-warding bead appears to be effective. Qin Yifan then lets Qin Xiaoling put away the evil-warding bead. After resting for a long time, they set off only when Qin Xiaoling feels that there is no major problem.

  This time, Qin Xiaoling did not enter the underground, walking under the bright sun was much better than letting the vengeful spirits wreak havoc underground. Only, this way, their characteristics became more obvious. However, there were not many people around, and it didn't cause any trouble.

  But just the next day after getting up

  Not far away, I encountered a situation. The knights riding horses on the road seemed to pass by every now and then, and each time they passed by, they would stare for half a day. This road was empty yesterday, but today it's like entering a bustling city, with people passing by every now and then, and those people's eyes looking this way had a strange gaze, which can't be described as having any particular flavor.

  It seemed like there was a small village ahead, but it was crowded with people. The only way forward seemed to be through the village. Qin Yifan glanced at the crowd and gave Lin Qiulu a signal, who understood. He whispered a few words to Qin Xiaoling, and the three of them walked into the village in a big and upright manner.

  It's said to be a small village, but it seems there is also a small shop for travelers to rest. However, at this moment, the only person in the shop besides the young waiter is no outsider, and although many people from the village are outside, they all gather outside.

  Many people seem to have rushed here in a hurry, and many of their mounts are still emitting hot air. Almost everyone is armed, occasionally casting fierce glances around them. When they saw Qin Yifan and the others enter the village, the crowd that had originally gathered together dispersed like melting snow, quickly making way for them and letting the three of them pass through.

  "Honorable guests, please come to the village's small shop for a rest!" A middle-aged man with an air of nobility bowed and welcomed them. Without waiting for their agreement, he shouted into the small shop: "Waiter, bring tea, honorable guests have arrived!"

  The little servant had already received his orders and came running out to greet them, slinging the towel over his shoulder, bowing low and making a welcoming gesture with his hands, shouting in a shrill voice: "Honored guests, please come in!"

  Qin Yifan glanced around, the people around them gazing at them with eyes that seemed to want to swallow them whole. He couldn't help but sneer inwardly, yet still didn't go against the middle-aged man's intention: "Lead the way!"

  "Ah, welcome! Honored guests, three of you!" He let the three people in and quickly ran inside, passing them, and flapped a towel on the stool by the large table in the center, then wiped the table before inviting the three to sit down. His movements were quick and efficient, looking like he was used to doing this. The speed at which he served tea was also very fast, and soon each of the three had a cup of tea in front of them, and even some snacks were brought out with great courtesy. It was rare for such attentive service to be found in a small village shop.

  Three people entered the small shop in perfect coordination and sat down at a position almost visible from the door, outside people seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but immediately became tense again, continuing to stare around vigilantly.

  "Master Chen, now that we've got him subdued, let's have a chat!" A man on horseback shouted loudly, his target being the middle-aged man who had just asked Qin Yifan to rest.

  "The leader of the horse team, it's not that we're not sworn brothers, but this opportunity is too rare, and I won't let go no matter what. If you have any tricks up your sleeve, bring them on, Chen will take over from here, absolutely no hesitation." The middle-aged man refused to back down, his words sharp as a needle.

  Qin Yifan and the other two watched like spectators as the people outside clearly divided into three groups: one was led by Chen Zhuang, another by Ma Bang, and the third seemed to be some scattered individuals without a unified organization, likely lone travelers who had rushed over after hearing the news.

  No need to ask, looking at the situation, the three of them can also guess that they are the focal point of contention among these people. It's just unknown why it seems that everyone here doesn't take the three of them seriously, treating them as soft persimmons that anyone can bully.

  The journey is tiring, but it's not bad to have a place to rest. There's tea, water, seats, and rooms, the host treats us like honored guests, and outside there's excitement to watch. This kind of life isn't bad either. The three of them suppressed their laughter, quietly watching the show, occasionally eating and drinking, feeling quite comfortable.

  It seems that the situation outside the door is still in the stage of verbal sparring, with everyone being relatively restrained. No one has taken action, and they are just debating back and forth about Jianghu righteousness and human relationships. Strangely enough, both sides have their own reasons and evidence, speaking eloquently like a tongue-twisting lotus flower or a river that never ends. For some unknown reason, no one has made a move yet.

  Lin Qiulü temporarily looked at these people with the eyes of a cultivator, unable to see their depth, and curiously asked Qin Yifan. Qin Yifan smiled slightly, pointing out in a low voice: "The masters on both sides have not arrived yet, and the scene is calm without anyone stirring up trouble, so they can't start fighting. Let's wait and see, today's excitement is worth watching!"

  Since Lin Qiulü asked, Qin Xiaoling must have had the same question, so Qin Yifan explained while leaning towards the two of them. As one of the Feng Wei, Lin Qiulü had never experienced such a lively and complicated Jianghu dispute from start to finish, and was very interested, savoring it with relish, no less than Qin Xiaoling's desire to watch the excitement earlier. She completely forgot that she and her two companions were the focal point of those people's debate.