Chapter Twelve: Heart-pounding

  Shocking and thrilling

  Ye Zi Chun's disappearance left everyone in utter shock and disbelief. Behind the rock was a steep cliff, with no place to hide. Even if he had flown away, his shadow should have been visible. Had he vanished into thin air? Yun Xiang Tian and Huang Min carefully searched every inch behind the rocks, hoping to find some clues about Ye Zi Chun's disappearance. Huang Min gently tapped on the cliff wall, while Yun Xiang Tian slowly approached the massive rock.

  Hong Shangu suddenly shouted, "Has anyone seen that first National Army brother who saw the ghost?" After Hong Shangu's shout, Yun Xiangtian and Huang Min only then remembered there was such a person. The crowd returned to the main hall and found the National Army brother by the wall cabinet, but he was still snoring away. Huang Min had someone bring over a basin of cold water and splashed it on his face, and he suddenly woke up with a start, flipped over, and got up, but seemed to still be in a state of fear, muttering to himself, "Ghost, ghost, there's a ghost!" Huang Min walked forward, kicked him to the ground with one foot, and angrily said, "Damn it, you're just a coward. Get up for me, and if you dare to spout nonsense again and disrupt military morale, I'll kill you." The soldier seemed to have completely woken up, immediately got up, stood at attention, and replied, "Yes, sir!" But when Huang Min wasn't paying attention, he still looked around nervously. Huang Min took a headcount of his own people and found that except for Ye Zichun's disappearance, everyone else was safe and sound. With the enemy approaching, he didn't dare leave the camp for too long, so he said to Yun Xiangtian and Hong Shangu, "Brother Yun, Mountain Lady Hong, I have military duties and can't stay here for long, so let's part ways here." He also specifically instructed Yun Xiangtian, "Brother, when you have time, go visit my brother and drink tea with him."

  Yun Xiang Tian clasped his fists together and said: "Definitely, definitely, brother slow down." Hong Shan Gu then said: "Officer Huang slow down, forgive me for not sending you off far."

  When the lanterns were lit, the mountain stronghold finally quieted down. Yun Xiang Tian and Hong Shan Gu had dinner together, Yun Xiang Tian felt strange, he thought that Hong Shan Gu didn't seem to care about what happened today and tonight. She was talking and laughing as usual, calm and composed. After arranging the affairs in the stronghold, she walked over and pulled Yun Xiang Tian's hand, saying kindly: "Tell Auntie about you and your father." This sentence brought up Yun Xiang Tian's extraordinary family experiences.

  Yu Xiang Tian's family fled their home and entered the mountains, with torches burning brightly behind them. They shouted: "Yu Tian brother, Yu Tian brother, where are you? Come out! We absolutely do not have any intention of harming you, why did you leave without saying goodbye in the middle of the night? Let us be known as unkind and unjust." No matter how loudly they shouted, Yu Tian remained silent, only carrying his wife and dragging Xiang Tian forward. Although Yu Tian possessed extraordinary skills, he was still carrying his wife and child, so their movements were slow. The pursuers were getting closer and closer, but ahead of them was a cliff. Feeling hopeless, Yu Tian put down his wife Xiang Yi and sighed: "Heaven has abandoned me! I only hope that my death can protect the secret of Feng Ling Mountain and not be revealed by treacherous people." After saying this, he hugged Xiang Yi tightly and said tenderly: "I'm sorry Xiang Yi, in this life I couldn't take good care of you, let you suffer all sorts of hardships. In our next life, I'll make it up to you, even if I have to be a dog or a horse." Xiang Yi suddenly smiled lightly at Yu Tian and said without any regret: "Yu Gege, having a husband like you in this life is enough to comfort me for my whole life, I don't have any regrets. If in the next life you do not abandon me, I will still be by your side."

  On a rainy day, he was shocked and couldn't understand how Xiang Yi woke up. He carefully asked: "You... you're awake?" He saw Xiang Yi nodding silently and excitedly said: "Thank goodness you've finally woken up! It's great, it's great." Suddenly remembering his own situation, he felt a bit disappointed and said: "Sorry Xiang Yi, I didn't want the first thing after your awakening to be like this." Xiang Yi knew what he meant, she leaned into Yu Tian's arms and softly said: "Yu Gege, Xiang Yi doesn't regret it, being able to die with Gege is enough for Xiang Yi. It's just that Yu Er is only seven years old... Alas, fate is playing tricks on us!"

  After finishing, the two looked at Yun Xiang Tian who had a confused and innocent face but was full of panic and asked: "Yue Er, are you afraid?" Yun Xiang Tian, who didn't know what was going on, stubbornly raised his head and said loudly: "I'm not afraid! With Dad and Mom here, Yue Er is not afraid of anything."

  Just as the family was about to jump off the cliff together, a man suddenly rushed up and tightly hugged Yutian and Xiangyi. Several big men then rushed up and grabbed Yutian's family. The first man who rushed up loudly said: "Brother Yutian, why are you doing this? Is it because your brother treated you poorly and didn't welcome you properly? Do you want to give your brother a reputation for being unfaithful and unjust?" Yutian looked at the newcomer with hatred in his voice and said: "I dare not accept such praise. From now on, please don't mention 'Brother Yutian' again. I am really unworthy of it. The way Master Hua treats my humble wife is something that I can only hope to achieve."

  Hua Lao Ye's real name is Hua Guan Xiong, a well-known philanthropist in the Shang Rong area. In his youth, he was fond of chivalry and had traveled extensively with his sword. During his travels, he met Yu Tian and they became sworn brothers after going through thick and thin together. He was overjoyed when Yu Tian came to seek refuge with him this time. With his help, Yu Tian was able to settle down in Shang Rong smoothly. However, he couldn't understand why Yu Tian would leave without a word in the middle of the night. Therefore, he led a group of people to search for him and when he saw Yu Tian attempting to jump off a cliff, he rushed forward to save him and his family. But what he found was that not only did Yu Tian not show any gratitude, but he also insulted him. Hua Lao Ye was perplexed and asked, "Yu Da Ge, why are you doing this? Where have I gone wrong? Please enlighten me! Don't leave without a word, or our Jianghu friends will say that I'm not a good host and that my chivalry is just a joke."

  It was a chilly rainy day, and just as he was about to speak, Xiang Xi grabbed him and walked forward, saying in a soft voice: "Hua brother, don't be angry, there's a huge misunderstanding between you two regarding me. Don't worry, all the misunderstandings will be cleared up one by one. I'm just tired of the noise, and I want to find a quiet place with Rain big brother to live a carefree life."

  Hua Guanxiong was overjoyed to hear Xiang Yi's clear and normal speech, just like an ordinary person. He excitedly stared at Xiang Yi and said, "Sister, you're fine! You're really fine! This is truly heaven's blessing!" His excited appearance was like that of a poor child who had suddenly picked up a golden ingot, rejoicing with hands and feet dancing, and a face full of joy.

  Looking at Hua Guanyong's excited appearance and Xiang Xi's mysterious words, Yu Tian was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

  Hong Shangu listened very seriously to Yun Xiangtian's account of his family's experiences, her expression changing from furrowed brows to smiles as the story unfolded. When she heard about Xiangyi's unjust treatment and Yun Xiangtian's words, she couldn't help but ask: "What's going on? Tell me quickly!" Just then, Xiuzhu walked in and glanced at Yun Xiangtian, saying: "What's all the commotion about?"

  Yun Xiang returned to his room, feeling a bit tired, and bid farewell to Hong Shangou. He thought he had to figure out the truth about last night's ghostly disturbance and Yezi Chun's disappearance. He even began to suspect that the Japanese were also involved in the secrets of Fengling Mountain, and he needed to take action immediately. However, first, he had to understand the truth behind Yezi Chun's mysterious disappearance - whether it was an accident or a deliberate act with ulterior motives. So, he simply tidied up and walked out of his room, carefully making his way to the rock where Yezi Chun had mysteriously vanished. According to Yezi Chun's running speed and the time he shouted for help, Yun Xiang calculated the exact location where Yezi Chun disappeared. After repeated deductions, he was almost certain that Yezi Chun's disappearance was related to this rock. He carefully examined every inch of the rock, hoping to discover its secrets. However, after searching for nearly an hour, he found nothing. He looked around the small area, no more than a few feet in diameter, and couldn't help but wonder: "I've searched countless times, why haven't I found any clues?" Could Yezi Chun have been taken away by ghosts? No, absolutely not! He had dealt with the ghosts here several times before. But why did Yezi Chun leave no trace when he disappeared? Where had he overlooked something? He carefully re-examined the rock again, trying to recreate the scene. Suddenly, he saw a light in the distance moving towards him, followed by footsteps and muffled voices. He quickly crouched down and hid behind a bush near the cliff.

  Two small henchmen from the mountain stronghold walked by, complaining in a low voice. One said: "I don't know what's going on, but the stronghold has been so unpeaceful lately? The ghost is even haunting the great hall!" Another said: "Sigh, why bother with so much? As long as the ghost doesn't haunt your bed, we just need to do our own job well. Other things will be taken care of by someone else." The first one said again: "Originally, the Suspended Sword Cave and Black Tiger Peak were already eyeing us covetously, now Ye Zichun has brought in the National Army to mix in. What treasure is there in the stronghold that attracts so many evil spirits?" The other kicked the first one's foot and said: "Do you want to die? Or do you want to be taken away by a ghost like Ye Zichun? Is this something we small henchmen can concern ourselves with? If others hear you talking about this, report it to the leader, you won't have enough heads to chop off!"

  The first speaker didn't care what he said; "Alright, alright, I'm a coward, don't scare me, or something bad will happen. I'll become a vengeful spirit and haunt you, making it impossible for you to live in peace." The two of them chatted idly as they walked around the rock and headed towards the thicket where Yun Xiang Tian was hiding. Just when Yun Xiang Tian was at a loss and didn't know how to respond to the two men, the first speaker said; "Okay, okay, let's not go any further. This is a place where ghosts roam, it's bad luck to get too close. Who would be sick enough to come to this haunted place? Are you looking for death?" The other person stopped in his tracks, but still held the lantern above his head and peeked towards the thicket, saying; "That's what they say, but if something unexpected happens, our two lives will be gone." The first speaker said dismissively; "I don't believe anyone from outside would fly in here." The other person said again; "I'm afraid..." Before he could finish speaking, the first speaker interrupted him; "Afraid, afraid, afraid, you're just a big scaredy-cat. I don't believe the brothers in the village would come here at midnight. Let's go, let's go, and sit over there." After finishing speaking, he turned around and walked towards the rock. They sat on the rock, chatting idly about nothing in particular, seemingly not planning to leave anytime soon.

  Hiding in the bushes, Yunxiang Tian's heart was racing with anxiety. He didn't know when the two would leave. If they left after dawn, his tracks would be exposed, and Hongshan Girl and the foolish monk would misunderstand him. Even if they didn't do anything to him, they would still harbor resentment. If that were the case, it would be difficult for him to carry out his work in the future. He anxiously thought of a way to escape, slowly scanning the surroundings to see if there was a place where he could slip away without startling the two. When he turned around, he couldn't help but be shocked - he found that behind him, a pair of eyes were staring at him intently.