A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 106 Mist

As soon as the door opened, He Sui'an appeared beside him, his expression solemn.

Beside him stood Xing Ji, who was also frowning. "We lost them."

This news gave Xiang He a headache. She couldn't let the Four Ghosts and Mirror Flower Water Moon follow them, and to make matters worse, these students had gone out early, and now something had happened so quickly...

The three hurriedly ran downstairs. The shopkeeper, still feeling warm, went to open the door. When he saw the three students looking flustered, his expression changed drastically.

"You really went?!"

The two students collapsed to the ground, their limbs trembling, too terrified to speak.

The people who were woken up by the knocking on the door stood on the second floor, looking at them with different expressions.

Qi Xin, the only one still possessing any rationality, was also in poor condition. His face was deathly pale, and his lips trembled as he said, "N-one of them is missing..."

Xiang He grabbed him and asked, "And then? Did you see anything suspicious?"

"No, I don't know! He... he just disappeared!"

His forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and his pupils were dilated and filled with fear.

Xiang He looked solemnly at Xing Ji, who quickly blurted out, "When they reached the halfway point of the mountain, they heard singing and followed the sound; but a moment later, a sandstorm arose, making them squint, and when the sandstorm stopped, the person was gone."

"I was worried that something might be amiss on the mountain, so I escorted the three of them back first."

Xiang He nodded, "Well done."

He Suian frowned slightly and said, "Zhu Nan, stay and look after these three. We'll go up the mountain."

"No!" the shopkeeper urgently stopped them. "Everyone's gone. Going up there would be suicide!"

Compared to the shopkeeper's panic, Xiang He and the others appeared quite calm. Qi Xin grabbed Xing Ji's wrist, "Brother, brother, you must save him!"

Xing Ji withdrew his hand without speaking, and handed the palm mirror to He, saying, "Remember to summon it when necessary."

"Yes."

Watching the three walk out the door, the shopkeeper could only slap his thigh, grit his teeth, and follow them out. Before leaving, he didn't forget to tell the students inside, "You stay here! Don't go anywhere! There's food in the kitchen, help yourselves!"

The students on the second floor quickly came down, helped them sit down, and offered them tea and water to comfort them.

Zhu Nan carefully placed the palm mirror close to her body, moved a long bench to sit outside the door, and looked at the dark night sky outside, her heart filled with worry.

The three who had gone further away parted ways with the shopkeeper; they headed towards the other side of the mountain, while the shopkeeper went to find the village head.

If something happens to a student taking the exam, they have to find the person responsible.

Xiang He gripped the large umbrella tightly and ran down the mountain. He Sui'an put his arm around her waist and said, "Xing Ji, lead the way."

"Yes."

Xing Ji flew ahead, with He Sui'an following behind with Xiang He in his arms. The path up the mountain became much smoother, and after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the halfway point, where Xing Ji stopped.

He Sui'an put Xiang He down, and the three of them looked up at the sky at the same time. The fog was thick in front of them, and the moonlight shrouded the fog, giving off an eerie atmosphere.

A gentle evening breeze blew by, carrying with it a thick, eerie atmosphere.

Xiang He tightened her grip on the large umbrella and took the lead in walking upstairs. "Don't listen too carefully. If necessary, run first and don't worry about me."

Hearing this, He Suian followed closely behind her, his brows furrowing. "You can't be reckless when necessary."

Hearing this, she paused, turned her head to give him a reassuring look, and said, "I regret that I died."

The two exchanged a smile, but when they turned back, their eyes simultaneously turned cold; the thing on top was no ordinary object.

The fog grew thicker and thicker, and the figures of the people around her gradually became blurred. Xiang He reached out and grabbed He Suian's sleeve, then looked around for Xing Ji's figure, but in the blink of an eye, Xing Ji had already disappeared.

Instead of tugging at his sleeve, Xiang He grabbed his wrist and quickly pulled him closer, their arms touching to ensure his safety.

They had only walked a few steps when a sudden gust of wind arose, blowing sand and dust from the mountain into their faces. Xiang He immediately opened a large umbrella to shield them, and a melodious song rang out.

The misty atmosphere, accompanied by the singing, began to envelop the two of them.

Layers of mist enveloped the two like a tornado. Xiang He folded up the large umbrella, squinted at the figure in front of him, who was sometimes near and sometimes far, swaying from side to side as if dancing.

However, a dark shadow swept past his eyes in a moment, and He Suian used his sleeve to dispel the fog in front of him, but the effect was minimal.

Suddenly a black blade pierced through, but before Xiang He could even raise his hand, He Sui'an had already dispersed it with his fan.

One blade arrived, followed by more black blades. He Sui'an grabbed Xiang He's hand and pulled her behind him, using his fan to fight back.

“This is yin energy,” Xiang He said, holding the large umbrella horizontally in front of him as he chanted, “The radiant glow shines, the spiritual energy shifts in all directions, the energy gathers and twists and turns…”

As soon as he uttered the incantation, the swirling confusion that had gathered half a foot in front of him dared not approach. In an instant, it seemed as if a strong wind had blown it away, and his vision became clear.

He Suian stepped aside, and the two of them could see the dark figure clearly. It was a woman with a graceful figure. She was a little far away, so they couldn't see her face, but they could see what she was holding in her hands.

That was a human head...

The two men's eyes suddenly turned cold, because they recognized that face—it belonged to the student from today's class.

At her feet lay several heads whose faces were obscured—her spoils of war from the past few days.

Xiang He tightened her grip on the umbrella, gritting her teeth as she stepped forward, "This...you've gone too far, haven't you?"

The woman, whose face was obscured, stopped singing, turned slightly, and smiled lightly. "Oh? It's you, Taoist priest!" she said, holding up what she was holding. "Do you think it's beautiful, Taoist priest? I'm very satisfied!"

With her charming smile, if it weren't for this terrifying scene, one would really think she was delicate and pitiful.

Xiang He took a few steps forward, but He Suian held her wrist tightly to prevent her from getting confused again and getting separated from her.

The woman didn't stop the two from approaching, but just murmured while touching the object in her hand. Just as the two were about to see the woman's face clearly, the object slipped from her hand, and with a "whoosh," a figure appeared beside her, and she leaned against the person in front of her.

"A burly guy came along, I really like him!"

The two of them stared intently; the figure was very familiar—it was Xing Ji!

He Sui'an frowned, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Let him go."

The woman seemed not to hear, her slender fingers gently stroking Xing Ji's chest, while she hummed a little tune.

Knowing he was worried, Xiang He pulled her hand away and grasped his hand instead. "Don't worry, Xing Ji has only lost his soul. I can call him back. Be careful and don't act impulsively."

The slight warmth of the hand being held soothed He Sui'an's anger.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Yes, I'm going to get her back. You focus on dealing with her."

“Okay,” Xiang He released his hand and moved to the side while pressing his fingers together, “The Heavenly Gate moves, the Earthly Gate opens, a thousand-mile child brings the soul… Yin and Yang are connected… Xing Ji returns to his body.”

“Xing Ji returns to his body… Xing Ji returns to his body…”

Calling Xing Ji's name repeatedly, He Sui'an walked straight toward the woman, who completely ignored them and continued to hum a song while leaning against Xing Ji.

Only when he got closer could He Suian see the woman's face clearly; her appearance was charming yet unreal.

"Click" —

He Sui'an looked down and saw countless white bones beneath his feet.

The heads that had been placed at the woman's feet seemed to have been awakened by the noise, their eyes snapping open and mouths agape as they flew towards He Sui'an—