Chapter 48: Tiger-Head Shoes Trampling the Infant's Funeral Hall (Fourteen) I reported to the authorities, but no one...

Ye Shaolin met their resentful gazes, straightening his back, his expression unwavering.

Wen Gu watched them from above, longsword in hand. Ye Qingzhan looked at her father anxiously, fearing the enraged crowd would attack.

The reviled crowd remained silent, but gradually gathered around Ye Shaolin. He remained motionless, standing at the entrance of the cave.

The small man, holding a torch high, shouted to the crowd behind him, "Ye Shaolin colluded with the witch and harmed our child. Let's arrest him and bring him before the authorities, then kill the Snow Girl and avenge our child!"

The crowd roared, "Seize the Snow Girl's Tears! Bind Ye Shaolin!"

Ye Qingzhan's heart surged with these furious shouts, clenching in a knot.

Wen Gu took a step forward, ready to charge with his sword, when he saw several men leap through the crowd and rush to Mr. Ye's side.

The Beggars' Gang children quickly formed a small circle, protecting Ye Shaolin. Xiaoliu looked at the gathering crowd and asked, "I, Liuliu Dashun, am standing right here today. I bet no one dares to touch Mr. Ye!" "

If you dare to touch a hair on our head, the leader will kill you all when he returns!"

Sansan also pointed at a man in the crowd and roared, "What right do you have to talk about Mr. Ye? You gave birth to us, but abandoned us because we were sick. You didn't even raise us, so how could you say it was hard work?"

Li Zhixing, who had been the leader for a few days, knew the difficulties these children faced. Some had six fingers on their hands, some had missing forearms, some had lame legs... and almost none were completely intact.

The children cursed at each other, tears streaming down their faces.

The man, seemingly oblivious to his words, shouted above the children, "Don't listen to these little bastards! These little beasts raised by the Snow Girl should have died long ago, yet they're still alive and well, destined to become monsters in human skin!"

His words, over and over, washed away the guilt of abandoning the children. The lingering guilt faded as the light in their eyes dimmed. From silence to a boiling frenzy, they advanced like puppets, holding up their blazing torches and advancing step by step toward the cave entrance.

The children and Ye Shaolin retreated together. At the cave entrance, the Snow Girl, who had been watching silently for a long time, tilted her head, her silver hair flowing down her back, as if she were witnessing a farce, suddenly stepped forward, blocking the way.

Seeing the Snow Girl approach, the others stopped, unwilling to approach, and stared at her intently. The memory of the man torn to pieces by the Snow Girl, a horrific death, suddenly crossed their minds. The hands holding the torches began to tremble.

The Snow Girl turned around, glanced at Ye Shaolin and the children of the Beggar Gang, then glanced at the cave, and told them with her eyes to go into the cave.

Ye Shaolin asked the children to go in first and take good care of the babies in the cave, and he wanted to fight side by side with the Snow Girl. Xiao Liu couldn't stand up to the two of them, so he took the children of the Beggar Gang into the cave first. He knew the path in the cave, and he wanted to take his younger brothers and sisters

. After the children went in, the Snow Girl's eyes swept over the faces of the people surrounding her one by one, as if she was trying to remember their appearance, or as if she was looking for someone.

Suddenly, she retracted her gaze.

- The person who created her like this had long been dead.

The Snow Girl dug her fingertips into the ground, kicked the ground with her feet, and was ready to go.

Seeing her like this, Li Zhixing pinched a piece of ginkgo between his fingers and flicked it out. Wen Gu immediately swung out the long sword that was covered with evil spirits.

The sword plunged into the earth, and the surging evil transformed into a thick fog, blocking the Snow Girl's forward momentum. It also extinguished the torches, obscuring everyone's vision, and sending panic surging through the crowd.

"Why are the torches out?"

"Who did this?"

"Why is there fog? Why can't we see anything?"

"The Snow Girl is the daughter of the mountains, forests, and rivers. We won't anger the mountain god

, will we?" Li Zhixing leaped into the panicked crowd and shouted, "The mountain god is angry! Run! If you don't, you'll die!"

Using ignorance to deceive ignorance is a good tactic.

The villagers scattered, but the soldiers remained motionless. Li Zhixing pondered for a moment, then pulled a few pine cones from his sleeve and lifted them upward. The cones spun in the air, shattering into thousands of silver needles that pierced the sword-wielding wrists of the soldiers.

Wails of pain rose.

His mission complete, Li Zhixing clapped his hands, waved his sleeves, and walked towards the Snow Girl.

Amidst the chaos, ginkgo leaves descended beneath the Snow Girl's limbs, slowly expanding and spreading like a soft blanket, enveloping her before slowly rising into the air and soaring toward the higher ground where they stood.

Suddenly, a net dropped from the sky, landing squarely on the Snow Girl. Someone on the ground continuously gathered the net's chains, dragging her underground.

The Snow Girl, bound by the shrinking ropes, let out an agonizing scream.

The incident unfolded so quickly. Wen Gu, holding the ginkgo leaf above his ear and holding the black lotus transformed by Yin Sha, leaped down first, pulling the longsword from the ground. Li Zhixing hurriedly released several ginkgo leaves from his sleeves, attempting to sever the ever-increasing net.

Through the swirling black mist, Ye Qingzhan, with his excellent eyesight, could clearly see the figure at the center of the chaos—cloaked in a white Taoist robe and a laughing fox mask, one hand gathering the ropes, the other holding a whisk.

It was him again, Dr. Fox.

Fearing to alert the enemy, Ye Qingzhan used the ginkgo as a shield and whispered, "Wen Gu, Dr. Fox is about ten steps east of you. He's the one who set the net."

Too many evil spirits had been unleashed tonight, and black fog was swirling. Even Wen Gu, his master, was hampered by the net. He treated Ye Qingzhan as his eyes, following her instructions and retreating a dozen steps, stopping somewhere.

"Now!" Ye Qingzhan's voice echoed from the ginkgo tree. "Turn around and cut!"

Wen Gu turned and swung his sword.

The chain attached to the net snapped in two, clanging to the ground. The Snow Girl lay on the ginkgo tree and soared into the air again.

Wen Gu was about to draw his sword again, to slash the obstructing white fox Taoist with one blow, but Ye Qingzhan woke him, "Don't fight to the death." He remembered the exiled immortal's words: the illusion can be "broken," but not destroyed.

Dr. Fox was inextricably linked to the death of the illusion's master, and he must not be killed lightly. Killing him would likely destroy the illusion.

In the black fog, Dr. Fox couldn't see clearly and looked around in confusion. Li Zhixing, who also had a ginkgo needle pin on his ear, generously poured the prickly pine cones from his sleeve on his head, and left happily with the Snow Book.

He really didn't understand why Dr. Fox did everything by himself. It was him who hid behind the bamboo forest to make the river flood, and he also caught the Snow Girl by himself. Was it because he didn't trust the power of the officials and the people or was he too confident in his own "immortal power". Anyway, he didn't have the mystery and courage that a mastermind should have.

Wen Gu retracted his sword, and with the help of Ye Qingzhan, he found Mr. Ye who was knocked unconscious at the entrance of the cave, carried him on his back, returned to the Black Lotus mount, and returned to the high ground. The exiled immortal stepped onto the broken wall before them.

The Snow Girl also landed safely on the ginkgo needle.

Ye Qingzhan walked over, touched her silky white hair, and said, "Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."

The murderous aura that enveloped her immediately dissipated, and the Snow Girl obediently allowed her touch. Ye Qingzhan withdrew his hand, looked at Mr. Ye lying on the ginkgo mat, and looked at the exiled immortal, and asked, "After we reunite the Snow Girl with the children, we will send me... Mr. Ye back to Fu Bar."

Li Zhixing nodded, and Wen Gu slowly withdrew the overwhelming evil. The two people and one immortal took the Snow Girl and Mr. Ye, and rode the Snow Book in the barrier set up by Ye Qingzhan, and headed towards the distance.

Li Zhixing casually threw a ginkgo leaf, which fell on the fox man who was looking up at the moment. He didn't know whether the ginkgo leaf could bring news, because the piece on Yin Chenjue's body could no longer feel its existence.

It seems that the fantasy realm characterized by "strangeness" will disappear with the end of a worldly matter, and the people involved will also disappear.

Whether the details of this fox Taoist priest can be found out is still difficult to determine.

The black fog dissipated, and everyone went away.

***

Before Mr. Ye woke up, several people went to the place where Shanniang and the children in the cave were staying.

After Grandma A Tao brought the news from the White Fox Temple, the three knew that Dr. Fox was going to capture the Snow Girl, so they thought about how to save her. Before that, the children in the cave had to be transferred first.

That night, Li Zhixing first came to Yudie Peak to look for Xue Nu. He looked around the mountain and found a secluded hiding place. Just when Wen Gu was guarding Ye Yuanwai at the entrance of the cave, they entered the cave in advance and connected the path inside the cave, so that the two places were connected.

Ye Qingzhan also set up a barrier in the cave that could recognize people to ensure that the children of the Beggar Gang would not get lost in the cave. After passing the barrier, they could see Shan Niang.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and Shan Niang's worries were relieved.

Xue Nu and Shan Niang reunited in the flowers where fireflies were dancing. Xin Xin and Wang Jingshan squatted in the flowers, looking at them with their heads tilted.

Ye Qingzhan guarded Ye Yuanwai, Wen Gu stood beside her, and the exiled immortal lay on a tree branch, all listening quietly and watching silently.

The two stood in the middle of the flowers, the watery moonlight falling on them, like a blessing from the ninth heaven.

Xue Nu looked at Shan Niang, and Shan Niang looked at Xue Nu.

Shanniang had transformed from Ruyi into Shan'e, the people in the story and the people in the fantasy realm merging into one. And the little girl named Wanshi Ruyi, in the real past, became the first to die unjustly amidst the siege. Xiaoliu, Sansan, Xiaoshi, and the others were also not spared.

Fortunately, the fantasy realm, while cruel, also had some kindness.

At this moment, they all sat quietly and peacefully in the Hundred Flowers Garden, surrounded by two wonderful people.

The children in the stone cave were also among the flowers, some lying down, smelling the fragrance, some crawling forward, chasing fireflies, and some weaving garlands with one hand.

All of them were smiling.

This was their first time outside the stone cave, the first time they had seen flowers and the moon,

even if it was all fake.

"So it was you who avenged Xinxin." Shanniang took off her coat and draped it over the Snow Girl, then used a handkerchief to wipe away the dust and mud that had clung to her fingers.

The Snow Girl, like a child naive to the world, gazed at her intently with clear eyes.

"That day, I could have finished my work earlier and taken charge of the Xinxinhui Inn," Shanniang said, "but the fourth concubine of the palace suddenly fell ill with a fever. Mr. Wang asked to call a doctor, and I did, but she died. They thought I was too slow and said I had harmed the fourth concubine, so they beat me and kicked me out of the palace."

Ye Qingzhan looked at the bloody hole that had reappeared on Shanniang's forehead, thinking that this was caused by the beating.

Xue Nu raised her hand and touched the bloody hole that had scabbed over in her fantasy realm.

"This was not caused by them beating me, I hit myself."

Ye Qingzhan was shocked. Shanniang continued, "How could I have known Fourth Aunt's fever was so severe? She was gone in a mere stick of incense." She gathered Xuenu's clothes and spoke slowly, "I was beaten, and I rushed to the place I'd agreed to meet with Xinxin and Jingshan, but I couldn't find them. I only saw the drum floating on the river."

"Xinxin said she wouldn't lose the drum, no matter what."

Shanniang lowered her eyes, letting the warmth fade a little before raising them. "I fell into the river, but I couldn't swim. Brother Chu returned from hunting, saved me, and... fished out Xinxin and Jingshan."

Her voice grew softer, but each word struck home.

Xuenu sobbed from her chest.

Shanniang removed the weeds from her white hair, and continued, "Xinxin listened to me so much, how could she run into the river? The place we agreed to meet was clearly under the elm tree at the east end. Who brought her to the river? And who threw her drum into the river?"

"I want to know, I want to know... I reported to the police, but no one paid attention. I begged people, but I was scolded. They all asked me why I left the child alone by the water. I didn't, I really didn't."

Xinxin ran over and hugged her, saying, "Xinxin was waiting under the elm tree. She saw someone with the same back as my mother. Xinxin went to chase him, and met a fox."

After she finished speaking, the three ghost ferries looked at each other and immediately understood.

"The fox Taoist said that he saw my mother, and gave Xinxin a piece of crispy candy, asking Xinxin to wait for her mother by the river. The crispy candy was the same as the one made by my mother, so Xinxin thought that my mother gave it to the fox Taoist to bring to her."

"Xinxin ate the candy, felt dizzy, and fell asleep. When she woke up, she found Wang Jingshan by her side."

Wang Jingshan immediately continued: "After Shanniang went to see the doctor, I was afraid that she would be alone for too long, so I came out to look for her and saw her lying by the river."

Shanniang looked at her daughter who was holding her and said, "Did the fox Taoist trick you into going?"

Xinxin nodded.

Shanniang regretted it and said, "The fox also tricked me."