Chapter 1: A Coincidental Encounter Reveals New Clues

  It was already dusk when we returned to the Miao village hall. Everyone had been waiting inside for a long time and were chatting and laughing, seeing me and Old Wang walk in, they quickly stood up to greet us.

  Old Wang nodded and said with a sigh: "Let everyone wait for a long time, hurry up and sit down."

  As soon as the dishes were served, everyone started eating with gusto. The delicious food in front of me couldn't stir up my appetite at all. After coming down from the mountain top, the words of the abbot of Lingyin Temple kept echoing in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of person this Mò Jīn Xiào Wèi was that he mentioned.

  "Alas, in this vast sea of people, where should I go to find the Golden Armor General with the pangolin claws? Should I really let Master sit and wait for death? Thinking of Master's kindness to me being as heavy as a mountain, but now having to watch him suffer from this damned curse, my heart is unbearably bitter."

  The lively atmosphere at the banquet was making me a bit irritable. Everyone was still loudly discussing all sorts of things that had happened in the past few days. I felt annoyed but couldn't bring myself to extinguish everyone's enthusiasm after all, I couldn't let my personal affairs dampen their fun.

  The more anxious I felt, the more I couldn't sit still. At this moment, I had no choice but to stand up and bow my hands to everyone, saying: "Everyone, please take your time. Today, I accidentally caught a cold and feel a bit uncomfortable. I'd like to go back to my room to rest. I'm really sorry that I won't be able to accompany you all."

  "Go, Ghost Road. At this time you may need is quiet, wait a minute I let people send some food to your room. If there's anything, just call someone to tell me." Old Wang knew what I was doing and got up to comfort me.

  I looked at him with gratitude, and Old Wang also had a worried expression. Just now at the banquet, he didn't say a word either. It seems that he is also worried about Master's affairs.

  The surroundings were eerily quiet except for the sound of footsteps from the warriors patrolling outside. I couldn't help but let out a long sigh as I thought of my master. Lying alone on the bed, my restless heart still couldn't calm down.

  I got out of bed and fumbled in the travel bag by the bedside to find the tobacco pouch my second brother had given me yesterday. Looking at the white jade tobacco pouch in my hand, I hesitated for a moment before filling it with tobacco. My second brother said that if I encountered any troubles, taking a few puffs would help calm my mind.

  With the candle on the table, I lit my pipe and closed my eyes, taking a deep drag of the thick smoke. I couldn't help but feel a slight urge to cough as I exhaled the smoke from my mouth. After that, a feeling of weightlessness flooded into my mind. It was as if I had seen again the scenes of my childhood playing with Master by my side. Master sat beside me, looking at me with kindness, and all my worries seemed to have been swept away to the farthest reaches of the sky.

  Suddenly, I felt a surge of clarity in my mind. I pinched my thigh hard and slapped myself on the ear, scolding: "You stupid master, didn't you teach me since childhood that as long as there's a glimmer of hope, I mustn't give up? And yet, I have so many good brothers who will help me. That Mo Jin school lieutenant, no matter how difficult it is to find him, I must find this person from the vast crowd and cannot let this only clue be broken."

  Having made up her mind, she knew what to do next and suddenly felt much lighter. Just as she was about to leave the room and return to the hall, she heard someone knocking on the door outside and saying, "Is Ghost Dao brother in?"

  Recognizing the voice, he hastily opened the door. Hu Ling carried a tray of dishes and walked in with her head down, carefully placing them on the table before saying: "Ghost Dao brother, you didn't eat anything earlier, so you must be hungry, right? These are some dishes I made especially for you, hurry up and eat while they're still hot."

  After finishing, she personally served the rice and dishes to my hands. When I took over the meal from her, I suddenly had a feeling of wanting to cry. It's been a long time since someone has taken care of me like this. This long-lost feeling made me think of the scene where Master personally fed me when I was a child.

  "Brother, if you have something on your mind, just tell me. Don't keep it bottled up inside. I'm your wife, whatever troubles you have, we'll face them together." Huo Ling said softly, looking at me with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

  I nodded heavily, and the tears I had been holding back finally overflowed. Afraid that Lao Lin would see me crying, I quickly turned around with my bowl of rice and swallowed my tears along with the food in big gulps.

  "Guǐ dào gē gē hái yǒu hěn duō cài ne bù yào chī guāng fàn." Jiǎng huà jiān yǐ shì ná zhe cài pán zi xiàng wǒ dì le guò láo kàn dào wǒ de mú yàng jīng dào: "Nǐ zěn me kū le?"

  Seeing Hook's flustered appearance, I couldn't control myself anymore, threw away the rice bowl and tightly hugged Hook into my arms, afraid that the person in front of me would disappear from my side.

  Gou Ling leaned on my shoulder and sobbed, "Ge Ge, no matter what happens, I'll be by your side. As long as we face it together, there's nothing we can't overcome."

  Looking at the scattered food and broken bowls on the ground, he felt apologetic to her and sighed: "Ling Mei, you're really good."

  At this time, someone outside the door knocked and said, "Is brother in?"

  Recognized it was Second Brother's voice, quickly released the hook and opened the door for Second Brother. Saw that several brothers were all at the door.

  After entering the house, my second brother looked at the messy floor and his eyes were already displeased. He glanced at me again and rebuked me, saying: "Big brother, this is your fault. Even if you're troubled in mind, you can't vent your anger on your sister-in-law, can you? She brought food to you with good intentions, but you smashed it all over the floor! How long have you been married?"

  All brothers are staring at me with anger, I am really a mute eating bitter melon, having bitterness but cannot speak out.

  Houleng saw the situation and hurried out to mediate, unexpectedly speaking in a sister-in-law's tone: "Second brother didn't do this. Just now it was your big brother who accidentally broke it due to his anxiousness. I'll clean up afterwards, that's all."

  After finishing speaking, he hummed a little tune and went out of the house with a broom, and all the brothers looked at me with infinite suspicious eyes.

  After tidying up, Fourth Brother anxiously asked: "What has become of Guzi?"

  I shook my head and sighed, "Alas, how can I say it? This afternoon Old Wang took me to see a senior member of their clan. He told me many things about the curse on my master and the method to lift it, which I've figured out. However, this cursed object is extremely difficult to find, so I may need to trouble all of you brothers again."

  "Big brother, what's troubling you? Just say it and I, old six, will be the first to help you bear the sky. Haven't we also had scars as big as a bowl on our necks?" Six younger brother said generously.

  I looked at Lao Liu with gratitude and said, "Brothers, do any of you know about Mo Jin School Lieutenant? That old man said that if we want to understand the ancient characters and strange pictures in my master's letter, there may only be this kind of person who knows it in today's world. The name Mo Jin School Lieutenant sounds very mysterious, as if he is involved in some grave-robbing and tomb-raiding affairs. I don't know if such a person really exists in the world, and whether we will have the chance to meet him in the future is hard to say."

  After finishing, he looked at his brothers and saw that they all shook their heads. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. At this time, the third brother suddenly asked: "Big brother, can you describe this Mō Jīn Xiào Wèi in detail? Over the years, I have been crawling around with some people in ancient tombs deep in the mountains and forests, and I have also made a few good friends who have gone through thick and thin. Since that Mō Jīn Xiào Wèi is also doing this kind of thing, maybe they will have some understanding of him."

  "I'm not clear about the specific situation either, I only know that person must have been carrying a golden amulet made from pangolin scales on him." I shook my head and said.

  "Ah, I have a friend named Sima Lin, and he has something like that hanging from his waist." exclaimed Third Brother.

  Hearing San Di's exclamation, I was stunned on the spot. It seems that this old heaven is not disappointing those who are kind-hearted. Everything has its own destiny.

  Third brother paused and continued: "I did think of something. When I came here, Sima Lin had already sent me a letter asking me to invite you all to go to Qinling Mountain in Henan together, but after seeing the token from big brother, I knew that big brother was in trouble, so I delayed and didn't rush to Henan. Big brother, look at this letter he sent me."

  Third brother said, after finishing, he took out a yellow letter from his chest. The letter read: "Huang Yun, my brother, I, your younger brother, brought people to the Qinling Mountains in Henan to look at the mountains and found a large tomb group. It is suspected that it was built by the Cao family of the Three Kingdoms. Inside, there are many strange things. The people I brought with me all died. Fortunately, I escaped in time, otherwise, I would have encountered disaster. I heard that you have several sworn brothers who understand yin and yang. If they can be invited to come and help, it will definitely become a fortune that we can rely on for food and clothing. When arriving at the border of the Qinling Mountains, all the way, only our brothers can see the hidden signs. Foolish younger brother, Sima Lin, pays his respects."

  Holding the letter in my hand, I couldn't help but feel extremely excited. The elusive Mo Jin School Lieutenant was actually Old Three's good brother. It seems that we are one step closer to lifting the curse on my master.

  "Everyone, I loudly said: 'Brothers, we will head down the mountain tomorrow and first return to Chen Zhou to see my master. Then we will set out to meet up with Mo Jin School Lieutenant Sima Lin. Now each of you go back to your rooms to rest and recharge for tomorrow's journey.'"

  After the brothers dispersed, one person lay on the bed and still couldn't hold back the excitement in his heart. The words of Sima Lin's letter were a bit strange to me. The superior said that Mojing School Lieutenant is omnipotent and can deal with ghosts and monsters, it seems that this time he overturned the tomb is not simple, otherwise he would not be so cautious about it, and even invited us brothers to go together, could it be Cao Cao's grave?

  However, there is a saying in history that "Cao Cao's 72 suspected tombs" but thinking that Cao Cao was a man who planned deeply and would definitely prevent people from disturbing his tomb after death. So today, the location of Cao Cao's grave is still uncertain. For hundreds of years, it has been an unsolved mystery. I heard that countless people have searched for it, but always returned without success. Due to the similar customs and culture between the Three Kingdoms period and the Northern Dynasties, later generations often mistakenly took some northern dynasty nobles' tombs as Cao Cao's tomb.

  As soon as it dawned, I bid a hasty farewell to Old Wang with Hou Ling and the brothers. Old Wang knew that I had urgent matters to attend to and did not detain me, only reminding me to be extremely careful in the future and to come visit him on the mountain whenever I was free.

  Without delay, Lao Wang and others arrived at the foot of the mountain, mounted the fast horses already prepared by Lao Wang, and in a few days they reached Chen Zhou.