Volume 2: World of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio Chapter 19: The Grand Master Appears, the Tree Grandmother Appears
Wang Sheng was originally a little embarrassed when he saw Jiale and the bearded man ignoring him, but he felt relieved when he heard Ning Caichen's words.
In addition, Ning Caichen was also dressed like a scholar, which made Wang Sheng feel more identified with him. He immediately sat down next to Ning Caichen and dried his clothes like Ning Caichen.
Both of them were scholars, and they were chatting about various topics and having a lot of fun.
"Master, it's done."
Not long after, Wansheng returned to the main hall. Ning Caichen and Wang Sheng were chatting happily and had not even noticed Wansheng's appearance. When they heard the voice, they were startled.
Seeing Wansheng's burly figure and his look of keeping strangers away, Ning Caichen and Wang Sheng couldn't help but shrink their bodies.
"Do you want to come with me, Taoist Priest?"
Upon hearing this, Jiale opened his eyes and looked at the bearded man, then asked with a smile.
The corner of the bearded man's mouth twitched immediately, he had never seen anyone so impolite. After all, the bearded man was a cultivator in the Return to Void Realm, he knew that Jiale's words were not sincere. But it was just weird that Jiale, a man, invited him back to the room in the middle of the night.
Without even opening his eyes, he just shook his head. Having lived in Lanruo Temple for such a long time, the bearded man had to admit that Jiale was definitely the weirdest person he had ever met.
"Then I will take my leave first."
After saying that, Jiale got up and left, and Wansheng followed closely behind him. Ning Caichen and Wang Sheng were surprised to find that Jiale was not a mute. However, they were curious about Jiale's identity and why he brought such a powerful guard with him when he went out.
“Ahaha… hoo!”
As it was approaching three o'clock in the morning, Wang Sheng couldn't help but yawn.
Ning Caichen was also very sleepy at this time. He thought that Wansheng had actually prepared a room for Jiale. When they came in, they seemed to see that many rooms seemed to be habitable.
"Brother Wang, why don't we also go and clean up a room and rest."
Wang Sheng had already had this idea and nodded immediately.
The two hit it off immediately, and Ning Caichen did not forget to invite the bearded man, but this time the bearded man simply ignored him.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The wind was still blowing, so Wang Sheng and Ning Caichen found an adjacent room and tidied up a bit, ready to rest.
clang!
Ning Caichen had just put down the book in his hand when he heard the sound of a piano outside the room. The sound was melodious and quite artistic. From the sound, Ning Caichen seemed to be able to hear that there was a beautiful woman playing alone in the yard, which was so pitiful that Ning Caichen wanted to go out and see who was playing the piano.
However, Ning Caichen was indeed a man who read books to the core. Although he was impulsive at this moment, he still kept his original intention.
There were clearly only four of them in the dilapidated temple, so how could a woman appear now, playing the piano? Moreover, how could a woman appear in the middle of the night? Could it be possible?
Thinking of this, Ning Caichen became even more alert and lost his sleepiness. He simply sat down at the table and began to recite the scriptures.
It is also strange that when reciting the scriptures, a calmness naturally arises in the heart, and all the restlessness disappears.
Outside.
A woman in white was sitting in the yard in front of Ning Caichen's door, playing the piano. The melodious sound of the piano just floated into Ning Caichen's yard. However, she could never have imagined that while a beautiful woman was playing the piano, the man in the room was not moved at all, but instead recited scriptures. This was somewhat outrageous.
So many people have come and gone in Lanruo Temple over the years. Even though the woman was quite principled and only killed those who had evil thoughts, she had killed quite a few people. This was the first time she had seen someone like Ning Caichen.
His face was uncertain for a while, but he finally came straight to the window.
"Sir, what's the point of reading alone? Why don't you open the door and let a girl accompany you? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a beautiful woman with red sleeves and fragrance?"
When Ning Caichen heard this captivating voice, his heart trembled even more, and he couldn't help but read even louder.
"fool!"
The woman in white cursed inwardly but continued to try hard, until Ning Caichen could no longer bear it.
"I don't care whether you are a human or a ghost, whether you are a man or a woman, I cannot let you into the house, you'd better leave as soon as possible."
Hearing the determination in Ning Caichen's tone, the woman in white also had a strange look in her eyes, but she did not insist. She was different from the other female ghosts under the grandmother's command. She still had a bottom line. If it was a modest gentleman, she would not be willing to harm him. However, since her debut, it seemed that she had only met such a person.
Fortunately, there are a lot of strangers tonight, so if this one doesn't work, then just find a few others. The one next to him has already been chosen by Xiaoqing, and that young man is followed by a powerful figure with a turbulent blood, which makes her feel a little tricky. She originally wanted to pick a soft persimmon to squeeze, but now it seems that she still has to give it a try.
Go away!
Ning Caichen was relieved when he saw that there was silence outside the house for a long time. However, when he thought of his neighbor Wansheng, he felt a little worried, so he immediately left the house and went to the side.
"Sir, are you comfortable?"
Just as Ning Caichen walked past Wang Sheng's room, he heard a charming voice in it. Ning Caichen's heart skipped a beat and he secretly said, "Oh no!"
Jiale here.
Although Wansheng practiced martial arts, he was quite meticulous and put a lot of thought into tidying up the house. Even if it was not as good as the inn, it was not much different.
Jiale sat cross-legged on the bed while Wansheng stood guard at the door.
When one reaches the master level like Wansheng, his Qi and blood are abundant and he won’t feel anything even if he doesn’t sleep for five or six days.
clang!
A woman in white appeared in the yard and started playing the piano again. The sound of the piano was so melodious and captivating.
Wansheng immediately became alert upon hearing the sound, while Jiale was just sitting cross-legged practicing. It must be said that the sound of the piano really had a soothing and relaxing effect.
The woman in white saw that she was almost done with the song, but the two people in the room were indifferent, and she felt a little angry. It would be fine if it was just one person, but could these two or three of them all get together today?
Slowly came to the door.
"The night is long, why don't you two gentlemen let me accompany you and relieve your loneliness?"
Jiale looked at the woman in white through the window.
I have to say, when I watched those TV dramas and movies in my previous life, I thought Xiaoqian was extremely beautiful. No matter which version she was in, she must be a beautiful fairy. But now that I have actually seen her, I feel that those TV dramas and movies were too conservative. This is really a ghost, but it's even worse. Unfortunately, she is a ghost girl. If she was a fairy, maybe Tianpeng would break his precepts.
"Kill him."
Wansheng already had a dagger in his hand, ready to attack at any time. As a warrior, Wansheng was very sensitive to ghost energy, not to mention he had the protection of the star destiny. He had already been warned by now, so how could he not know that there was a female ghost outside? He just couldn't take action without Jiale's order. Now that he heard Jiale's words, he immediately swung his knife forward.
Xiaoqian, who was still making trouble at the door, felt a strong evil spirit rising from the house. She was frightened and quickly retreated.
boom!
Looking at the place in front of her where Zhan Kong had turned into a spirit, Xiao Qian couldn't help but feel a little scared. When a warrior reaches a high level of cultivation, he is actually quite restrained against ghosts. Just like what is happening now, although Xiao Qian is a ghost general, she is also very afraid of a master warrior like Wan Sheng.
If such a blow really landed on her body, even if she was at a higher level, she would still be injured.
"rude!"
While Xiaoqian was feeling scared, she was also furious. It would have been fine if he wasn't willing, but why did he just attack her?
Xiaoqian was quite skilled and she attacked in rage without mercy, putting Wansheng at a disadvantage in just a few moves.
Inside the room, Jiale watched the battle between a man and a ghost with great interest.
On the way, Jiale saw that Wansheng was making rapid progress and was close to breaking through to the Grandmaster level, so he let him take a few pills to help him. However, the normal digestion of the pills was a little slow after all. He had been planning to let the spirit beast fight with him to help him, but now he happened to meet Xiaoqian, and a life-and-death battle could best stimulate his potential.
Xiaoqian is just a ghost general. Wansheng has a star destiny, and the warrior's blood can restrain ghosts. Although it is difficult to win for a while, it is still possible to remain immortal. This kind of pressure can be said to be neither too big nor too small. It is just right for Wansheng to become a sparring partner and help him digest the power of the medicine. As for what to do if Wansheng accidentally kills Xiaoqian, Jiale said that he would just kill her.
He is not Qiu Sheng, who is so hungry that even ghosts want to have sex with him. Xiao Qian has committed many sins. Even though she has been whitewashed in many novels, it still results in that she has harmed many people.
As the ace under the tree demon grandma, Xiaoqian is undoubtedly the main force in collecting yang energy and yin souls for the tree demon grandma.
Even though she is quite principled and will not harm anyone who can resist evil thoughts, this is a bit unreasonable. If such a beautiful female ghost really seduces a hot-blooded man, I am afraid that even Liuxia Hui cannot guarantee that he can remain calm.
Killing someone means paying with your life, so even if Xiaoqian was killed, it would not be unfair to her.
Xiaoqian watched Wansheng getting stronger and stronger as the battle went on, and her heart gradually calmed down. Xiaoqian was also a very smart person, so how could she not see Wansheng's strange state? If she continued like this, she would not only fail to kill Wansheng, but would get herself into trouble instead.
She glanced at Jiale again, feeling even more angry. In all these years, she had never seen anyone so unsympathetic and ungentlemanly. She just came to seduce him, but Jiale just gave her a killing order.
Thinking that Jiale would be in trouble later, he was about to leave.
Just when Xiaoqian wanted to turn around and retreat temporarily, a breath of air suddenly locked onto her from behind. Xiaoqian's heart trembled, and while dealing with Wansheng, she immediately looked back. This glance almost scared Xiaoqian to death, because the bearded man was the person that these ghosts were most afraid of encountering.
This bearded man is a real killer. He will kill them when he sees them. Even the tree demon can't do anything to him and tells them to just run away if they see him.
How could Xiaoqian dare to provoke such a person? She just ran away from him.
In the past, she had her grandmother watching over her, so it was okay. But why did they attack her today? The bearded man was a little strange. He was not in a hurry to attack her, but just watched from behind. However, as soon as she wanted to leave, he locked her with his aura, as if he would attack her at any time. This situation made Xiaoqian confused and very anxious.
There is a vicious wolf in front and a fierce tiger behind. I really didn't check the almanac before going out today.
He was in contact with the tree demon grandma with his mind, but he didn't dare to relax his hands. He was alert to the bearded man behind him while trying his best to deal with Wansheng.
The bearded man actually wanted to take direct action and get rid of Xiaoqian. As the top tree demon, Xiaoqian was the one who died the most people. Even according to the bearded man's observation, it seemed that Xiaoqian was quite different from other female ghosts and had some principles, but because of this, the men passing by seemed to like Xiaoqian more.
Not to mention waiting for them to be aroused before taking action, even if the price is told in advance, those men will not hesitate. Therefore, even though Xiaoqian is quite principled, she is the most dangerous one in the eyes of the bearded man.
But after seeing Wansheng's condition, the bearded man changed his mind again.
The bearded man practiced martial arts before he learned Taoism, so he could naturally see Wansheng's current condition. He didn't know what kind of magic potion he had taken that had accumulated a large amount of energy in his body. Now he was obviously using Xiaoqian as a sparring partner. In one battle, Wansheng might be able to break through to the grandmaster level. There are only a few grandmasters of martial arts, even in the entire Daqian. Martial arts are difficult.
Since Wansheng has such an opportunity, the bearded man naturally has to help him.
On the contrary, Jiale made the bearded man even more curious. His own guards had fought so hard, but Jiale could still sit still. Was he fearless or was he ignorant? The bearded man was increasingly unable to see Jiale clearly.
In front of Wang Sheng’s house.
Ning Caichen looked into the room and saw Wang Sheng holding a book upside down, enjoying the massage from the woman in his arms with a look of intoxication on his face. The woman in his arms already had sharp claws, and it seemed that she was going to send Wang Sheng away in the next moment. Ning Caichen was so frightened that he yelled loudly.
"Brother Wang, there is a ghost in your arms, run!"
Ghost!
Wang Sheng was startled when he heard the voice. Although he was a scholar and did not talk about strange things, Wang Sheng knew that what he feared most was ghosts. Looking at the woman in front of him and listening to Ning Caichen's anxious voice outside the door, Wang Sheng hurriedly got up.
Xiaoqing was pushed to the ground and immediately revealed a pitiful expression, which made Wang Sheng feel pity for her again.
But at this time, Ning Caichen's voice came again, "Brother Wang, run quickly. It's the middle of the night. Where did the red sleeves and fragrance come from? I just drove the female ghost away. You must not make mistakes."
Wansheng retracted his outstretched hand instantly after hearing that. He was a scholar preparing to take part in the college entrance examination. To have come this far, there must be no fool. He could understand at this moment that he just couldn't escape the temptation of beauty.
He immediately left the woman in front of him and ran out the door.
Xiaoqing on the ground became angry when she saw this. How could she be happy if her good thing was interrupted?
"If you don't accept my toast, I'll drink the wine for you."
With a cold snort, Xiaoqing cast a spell to close the door. She was not Xiaoqian who would care about mutual consent. Since he didn't understand romance, she would just kill him directly.
"Brother Ning, help!"
Seeing Xiaoqing flick her red sleeves and stretch out her ghost claws, the door was closed and he flew backwards. Wang Sheng was almost scared to death and hurriedly shouted for help.
Ning Caichen saw this scene through the window and was also frightened by Xiaoqing's methods. However, Ning Caichen did not escape. Instead, he wanted to open the closed door. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not do it.
Seeing that Wang Sheng was about to fall into Xiaoqing's hands, Ning Caichen felt somewhat desperate. At this moment, he remembered what the bearded man said when they entered the hall.
"This is not the place for you, leave now."
So the bearded man was talking about the ghosts in this place, but why didn't he say it out loud? Thinking of this, Ning Caichen shook his head again. What good would it do to say it out loud? If they hadn't really encountered it, how could scholars like them believe it?
whoosh!
Just when Ning Caichen had given up and Wang Sheng was in despair, a flying sword unexpectedly flew directly past Ning Caichen's ear, broke the door in front of Ning Caichen, and then shot towards Xiaoqing without slowing down. The sword energy was so fierce that even Xiaoqing's face changed.
"Grandmaster of martial arts!"
With a scream, Xiaoqing gave up on Wang Sheng and was about to escape. However, as soon as she reached the yard, she was stopped by a figure. The flying sword was already approaching, and Xiaoqing had no choice but to fight back.
Ning Caichen and Wang Sheng were shocked and scared, especially Wang Sheng. After escaping death, he touched his body and found no scars. He was relieved. He swore that after today, he would be immune to beautiful women. What is this? Dying under the peony flowers, being a ghost is also romantic, bullshit! It is better to live than to die.
Ning Caichen looked at the person who suddenly appeared.
He was wearing a black tight-fitting long suit, long boots, long hair, and sharp eyebrows. Just looking at this person, one could feel an endless chill rising from him, and feel scared unconsciously.
Was this the man who drew his sword and saved them?
Seeing that the flying sword had been taken back by the man in black, Ning Caichen couldn't help but murmur, and he felt relieved and at ease. This man looked like a decisive person. The female ghost was so scared that she wanted to run away. They should be out of danger.
"Who are you? I am a subordinate of the tree demon. You dare to meddle in my business. Aren't you afraid of being killed?"
Xiaoqing was having a hard time dealing with the swordsman, and her words showed that she was fierce on the outside but weak on the inside.
The swordsman ignored Xiaoqing's words and his movements became even more brutal. Xiaoqing's claws became numb instantly and his body was thinned.
"Brother Ning, who is this benefactor?"
Wang Sheng walked out of the room, came to Ning Caichen and asked.
Ning Caichen shook his head. "I don't know either, but we should be safe."
roar!
As Ning Caichen finished his words, he heard a roar suddenly coming from the back of Lanruo Temple. Looking closely, he found that a towering tree had risen up, surrounded by countless branches, and it seemed to have the power to destroy the world. The terrifying thing was that there were countless ghosts behind it, and they were rushing towards them.
Ning Caichen and Wang Sheng's faces changed, and Wang Sheng even cursed in his heart, why does this feel more and more dangerous.
The tree demon grandma was practicing in seclusion. When she heard Xiaoqian and Xiaoqing's cry for help and felt the many extra auras in the temple, she was ultimately unwilling to abandon her two beloved generals, Xiaoqian and Xiaoqing, and took action directly.
In the courtyard of Jiale.
Xiaoqian felt the breath of the tree demon grandma, and her face suddenly lit up with joy. She thought to herself that the grandma had finally taken action. If she didn't take action again, she would probably not be able to hold on.
The bearded man glanced behind him and spoke immediately.
"You deal with this first, and leave the tree demon to me."
Wansheng was now completely focused and had reached the critical moment of breakthrough. He did not respond to the bearded man, but became more and more anxious.
Xiao Qian could no longer hold on at this point. Not only was the guy in front of her getting stronger and stronger, but he also had a layer of starlight protecting him, so she couldn't hurt him at all. This was not a fair fight at all, and she had to escape as soon as possible.
Seeing the bearded man being led away by her grandmother, Xiaoqian did not dare to delay and hurried to escape.
But just when Xiaoqian had this thought, a force of energy suddenly enveloped her again.
Here we go again!
Xiao Qian felt bitter in her heart. This aura was not weaker than that of the bearded man. Instead, it felt more dangerous to Xiao Qian. How could Xiao Qian dare to leave? She felt sad. It seemed that she had to die in the hands of the swordsman in front of her today. She was not a fool. Looking at Wan Sheng who was getting stronger and stronger and seemed to be about to break through, how could Xiao Qian not guess that she was being used as a whetstone to help Wan Sheng break through to the realm of martial arts grandmaster?
Thinking of this, Xiao Qian became even more troubled. It was fine when she was a human, but now that she was a ghost, she was actually bullied like this. You know, the life of a ghost is so miserable. It would have been better for her to be dead. First, she was enslaved by her grandma, and now she was used as a whetstone. I wonder if the knife will be sharpened after all, and they will let her go because she is still a competent whetstone.
He raised his eyes and glanced at Jiale in the room.
The bearded man has been led away, and Xiaoqing's swordsman is only at the grandmaster level. Among all the people in the temple, Jiale is the most suspicious. She had seen Jiale so calm before and had some doubts. Now that it is confirmed, she feels deep hatred in her heart. He is pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger. Such a powerful person, this time I am afraid that not only she will suffer, but even her grandmother will not be able to escape the disaster.
Thinking of this, Xiaoqian actually felt a little relieved. If she had a choice, who would be willing to become a ghost that harms people?
The most desperate person at this moment was Xiaoqing. She had thought she could be saved when she saw the tree demon grandma come out. However, as soon as the tree demon grandma showed up, she was entangled by that annoying guy again. Now, she has no helper. She only hopes that the ghost sisters who were bullied by her before can come to help her without holding a grudge.
But before Xiaoqing could finish her thought, she saw that among the thousands of ghost sisters, only a few came towards her, and most of the others went towards Xiaoqian. The most outrageous thing was that when these few found out that they were the only ones and the opponent was strong, they actually turned around and went towards Xiaoqian. In the end, she had to bear it all alone.
boom!
The swordsman's eyes were cold. He swung his sword and directly cut off Xiaoqing's left arm. Xiaoqing almost fainted from the pain. Everyone thought that ghosts didn't feel pain. Xiaoqing wanted to say that they were all lying. When facing a swordsman with such turbulent blood and energy, even just making a cut on her would be enough to make her grimace in pain, let alone having her arm cut off.
"Grandma protect me, instantly!"
At the critical moment, seeing that the swordsman was about to strike her with the sword again, Xiaoqing dared not delay any longer and directly used the life-saving method. The tree demon grandma gave her and Xiaoqian a life-saving method. As long as they used it at the critical moment, they could instantly appear in other places in the temple and could also block the fatal blow.
The swordsman's sword fell on Xiaoqing, but was blocked by a green light that suddenly burst out from Xiaoqing's body.
Then Xiaoqing disappeared completely.
Seeing this scene, the swordsman's face remained unchanged, but Ning Caichen and Wang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. Before, when they saw the more than a thousand ghosts rushing towards them, they were scared to death. Fortunately, those ghosts changed direction and went to the right. Now even this powerful ghost ran away, and they seemed to be finally safe.
As they spoke, the two of them prepared to step forward to thank the swordsman.
The swordsman was searching for something at this moment. Seeing the bearded man fighting with the tree demon, he was about to go over. But at this moment, a momentum suddenly rose up from the right, causing the swordsman's movements to pause immediately.
"Is someone trying to break through to the Grandmaster realm?"
The swordsman murmured, with a hint of interest on his face. His surname was Xiahou, and his given name was Jie. He was a famous swordsman in Daqian, but the title of swordsman was always prefixed with the number two. This time, he came here just to challenge Yan Chixia, who was once the number one swordsman in Daqian's martial arts world, to clear his name.
He just didn't expect that in this small Lanruo Temple, he would actually meet a warrior who was also about to break through to the grandmaster realm. Thinking of the ghosts that had rushed over there before, Xiahou Jie finally abandoned Yan Chixia and went to the right to support. Martial arts are difficult to achieve, and the grandmaster realm is even more difficult. Masters are lonely, and he also wants a real martial arts opponent. Now that he sees a martial arts grandmaster is about to be born, he must protect him no matter what.
Ning Caichen and Wang Sheng were shocked when they saw Xiahou Jie disappearing to the right.
"Hero, wait for us."
At this time, Lanruo Temple was like a ghost cave to them. Without Xiahou Jie, they dared not stay alone no matter what. Without thinking too much, they chased after him directly.
Let’s look at Wansheng again.
Wansheng, who had been unable to break through because Xiaoqian put too little pressure on him, finally broke through with the help of more than a thousand ghosts.
Wansheng, who has broken through to the Grandmaster realm, is now much stronger than a Grandmaster. He can block more than a thousand ghosts with just one sword.
“Finally a breakthrough!”
Xiaoqian watched Wansheng complete , and for some reason, she felt a little relieved. After all, if Wansheng couldn't break through again, she would not be able to hold on any longer.
Seeing Wansheng’s breakthrough, Jiale’s eyes also lit up.
The evil ghost Xiaohong suddenly appeared in the yard. More than a thousand female ghosts who were shocked by the power of Wansheng's martial arts fell down in an instant. This sudden scene shocked Xiaoqian. Although these ghosts harmed people, they had a good relationship with her. Now seeing these ghosts suddenly die, Xiaoqian was shocked and angry.
"The peak of the ghost general realm!"
Looking at the female ghosts that suddenly appeared in front of her, Xiaoqian felt that it was difficult to deal with them. She wanted to kill them directly. They were undoubtedly enemies. For some reason, tonight was particularly difficult.
"You go first, I'll stop her!"
Xiaoqian might have felt tired, so she left a word to the other female ghosts and rushed towards the evil ghost Xiaohong.
Xiaoqian is also at the peak of her ghost general level, but in terms of strength, she is slightly inferior to Xiaohong. Moreover, she has been fighting with Wansheng for so long that she has long been weakened.
More than a thousand female ghosts were frightened when they heard this. It was impossible for them to escape because Wansheng had blocked their way. On the other side, a swordsman who was as powerful as Wansheng was also slowly falling down.
They had never thought that it was actually possible for the three of them to surround them with more than a thousand ghosts.
In the room.
After using the life-saving method left by her grandmother, Xiaoqing finally escaped from Xiahou Jie's fatal sword and slowly appeared in a house somewhere in Lanruo Temple. Xiaoqing immediately looked around to make sure whether it was safe.
But after meeting Jiale's interested eyes, she couldn't help but feel happy. In her perception, Jiale was just an ordinary person, and one of the people who came to Lanruo Temple that night. Now that her ghost body was damaged, it was just right for her to absorb Jiale's yang energy to recover.
Good luck! Good luck!
"Hey, little brother, don't resist. Sister will make you feel comfortable."
