Chapter 57 of 100
Chapter 57
9 min read2,251 words
Although it was different from what Gui and Gui had imagined, the hideout of the Gui brothers was not on the mountaintop. After just half a day, the Gui brothers led the group to a cave entrance. Gui Lai pointed to the dark cave entrance and said, "We're here. Inside is where my brother and I stay. You and... this person can rest inside for now. My brother and I will arrange for someone to hunt for game. Unfortunately, there's not much to offer on this mountain, and we can't provide anything decent to honor you, sir."
Although the inside was dark and somewhat eerie, people like Gui and Wu Mian could naturally see the scene inside clearly. Inside, there was a large space, and from the clutter of items like earthen jars and straw mats on the ground, it was clear that only subordinates lived there.
Deep inside the cave, there was an entrance to a passage, which seemed to lead to one or more similar spaces.
Seeing the expressions of Wu Mian and Gui, the Gui brothers misunderstood, thinking that their master and the white-haired man couldn't see inside and were hesitant to enter. Gui Lai shouted at his subordinates, "Aren't you going to get torches? I've told you many times to keep some torches at the cave entrance. How many times have I said it? Look, now you've gotten my master into trouble."
As Gui Lai was speaking, one of the subordinates went inside and, after a while, came out with two torches dipped in animal fat. Gui Lai showed off by using a fire spell to light the torches, then he and his brother Gui Qu each held one and led Gui and Wu Mian into the cave.
The Gui brothers led Wu Mian and Gui to the entrance of the passage. Gui Lai stood at the entrance and said, "We chose this cave as our hideout because it has large and small caves inside. Don't be fooled by the outside; there are over thirty inner caves of various sizes. Including the entrance we came in, there are five visible and seven hidden, making a total of thirteen entrances and exits. If you don't know the layout and don't have a guide, it's dangerous. Over the years, soldiers from Liaodong and Liaoxi counties have often come to raid us. A few times, they even entered the cave, but out of ten who entered, only three or four would come out. Later, the soldiers wouldn't dare to enter the cave at all."
After saying this, the Gui brothers led Gui and Wu Mian through the various inner caves. If you only looked at the cave entrance, you wouldn't imagine that the inside was like a beehive, with dozens of interconnected inner caves. As they walked, Wu Mian was fine, but Gui, who usually talked a lot, remained silent. He only exchanged a few glances with Wu Mian in the darkness.
After seeing all the inner caves, they exited through one of the entrances and walked around to return to the cave entrance. At this point, Wu Mian and Gui no longer held back in front of the Gui brothers. Gui looked at Wu Mian and said, "You noticed?"
Wu Mian nodded and said, "I don't know whether to say your two disciples have good luck or bad luck. This cave doesn't seem to be meant for humans."
As Wu Mian said this, the Gui brothers' faces changed. They had long felt that something was not right in the cave, thinking it might be the spirits of those who had died during the raids. Since they didn't know how to pacify spirits and were reluctant to leave the cave, they had to endure. Fortunately, nothing particularly strange had happened, but they never expected Wu Mian and their master to notice today. They didn't dare to speak and could only listen intently to the conversation.
Gui looked around the cave, smacked his lips, and said, "If it were a demon, there would be some malevolent aura. But if it's not a demon, the feeling is too strong, even more powerful than Tuna and Yin Bai."
The old man turned his head and looked at his two disciples, saying, "Since you moved in here, have you encountered anything strange?"
The Gui brothers looked at each other and almost said in unison, "Yes!" But their answers quickly diverged. "Someone often sees a child running around the cave..." "I saw an old man with a white beard who disappeared in a flash."
Hearing two different answers, Gui's eyes immediately narrowed, and he said to the brothers, "Is it a child or an old man with a white beard?"
"A child, many people have seen it." "An old man with a white beard, not just me, but a few others have seen him too."
At this moment, Wu Mian suddenly said, "Under what circumstances did you see the child and the old man with the white beard?"
The Gui brothers were taken aback, thought for a moment, and then Gui Lai said, "Not long ago, before the previous chieftain died, the child appeared during his last moments. Not only did a few brothers see it, but the previous chieftain also saw it and seemed to say something to the child. Unfortunately, the chieftain was already on his deathbed, and no one could understand what he said. After that, the chieftain passed away."
After Gui Lai finished speaking, Wu Mian didn't react, but Gui's eyes narrowed. He stroked his chin, which had about thirty white whiskers, and although he was looking at the Gui brothers, his eyes were distant, clearly thinking about something else.
The Gui brothers didn't dare to speak, but Wu Mian didn't care. He glanced at Gui and said, "Aren't you going to say something?" This brought the old man back to reality. Gui blinked and smiled at Wu Mian, then looked at his disciples and said, "Didn't you say there was game? Is the wind a kind of game?"
The Gui brothers smiled, and they could tell that their master had something to say to the white-haired man. They wisely went to check on the game. After the Gui brothers left, Gui smiled at Wu Mian and said, "The aura we sensed in the inner cave isn't from a demon. If I'm not mistaken, it's from spirits like ginseng, poria, or polygonum."
Wu Mian frowned. The story of ginseng and other herbs absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and transforming into human form was well-known, but Wu Mian never believed it. Apart from ghost stories, almost all the books on alchemy and magic didn't mention such transformations. It was more plausible for living creatures like Tuna and Yin Bai to become demons, but the idea of herbs transforming into spirits was absurd. As a legitimate alchemist, Wu Mian always dismissed such stories.
Gui's vivid description suggested that the old man was likely making it up. Wu Mian snorted. If it weren't for the fact that this was his disciples' territory, he would have already sent an electric arc.
Gui noticed Wu Mian's skepticism and immediately understood the issue. He smiled and said, "Let's make a bet. There should be spirits like ginseng, poria, or polygonum in this cave. The child and the old man that Gui Lai and Gui Qu saw were such spirits."
Seeing Gui's smiling face, Wu Mian's heart suddenly stirred. It seemed that the old man knew something he didn't... Wu Mian looked at Gui without showing any emotion and said, "What do we bet?"
Gui grinned and said, "Let's bet on the few bottles of elixir you have. If you lose, you give me half of the bottles. If I lose..." The old man searched his pockets and took out the ring he had just obtained, showing it to Wu Mian. "I know you don't value this trinket, but I don't have anything more valuable."
Wu Mian looked at the ring in Gui's hand, which he had just considered a treasure, now being used as a bet. Wu Mian's lips curled, revealing a few overly white teeth, and he smiled at Gui, saying, "Alright, I'll bet with you, but I bet that there are spirits like ginseng, poria, or polygonum in the cave."
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