After feasting on watermelon and grilled fish, the group was ready to continue their journey.
As Mu Cengxiao departed, he plucked all the beauty-enhancing jade grasses by the side of Lanying Lake and stuffed them into his storage bag, presumably to bring back as a gift for Liu Yunxin. Zanxing couldn’t quite decipher Mu Cengxiao’s current emotional state. On one hand, she observed the subtle atmosphere between him and Meng Ying, and on the other, she thought of his childhood sweetheart, Liu Yunxin. It seemed that his desire to marry eight wives was still alive and well.
Moving on from the shores of Lanying Lake led them to the foot of Wudong Mountain.
Standing at the foot of Wudong Mountain and looking up, the mountain resembled a whole piece of azure jade, shimmering in the sky. The forest was dense, stretching as far as the eye could see. Numerous streams and pools dotted the mountain, with splashing waterfalls visible just a few steps away. The water was clear, and there were green pebbles lying at the bottom of the stream, emitting a soft light.
Tian Fangfang’s eyes widened as she reached out to pick up two pebbles and held them in her palm, asking, “What is this? Jade?”
“It’s stone jade,” Meng Ying glanced at the stones in her palm. “It’s stone, but it looks just like jade.”
“If we took these into the Hua Jin Pavilion, they could easily pass for real,” Tian Fangfang said, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to put them into his bag. Meng Ying shook her head, “It’s useless. Stone jade only glows in the waters of Wudong Mountain. Once it leaves the secret realm, it’s no different from ordinary stones.”
Tian Fangfang paused at his words, then withdrew his hand disappointedly, saying, “That’s a shame.”
Wudong Mountain’s peaks were exquisite, appearing gentle and continuous from a distance, but in reality, they were majestic and treacherous. As they climbed, occasionally looking back, they could see clouds and mist swirling, resembling heights of thousands of feet. Occasionally, a bird with long green feathers would fly by.
After bypassing a deep pool and traveling several dozen miles uphill through lush vegetation, a footprint suddenly appeared in the verdant landscape. The footprint was as large as a cart wheel, hidden among the dense bushes, likely left behind by a beast.
“It looks like the footprint of a tiger,” said Tan Tianxin from Chihua Sect.
“This tiger must be quite large,” Pu Tao remarked, looking at the size of the footprint, and instructed the female disciples from Xiang Ling Sect, “Everyone, be cautious.”
“There’s no need to worry, Fellow Daoist Pu Tao. Are we cultivators afraid of earthly beasts?” A disciple from Yin Feng Sect chuckled. “If there’s any danger, we’ll just kill this beast, skin it, and make a pair of boots out of its hide.”
The members of Yin Feng Sect were always extravagant in their speech, and others had grown accustomed to it. However, when Men Dong heard this, he instinctively hid behind Gu Baiying. Being young, he naturally harbored a fear of wild beasts attacking people.
Seeing this, Zanxing comforted him, saying, “There’s no need to be afraid. Even if there’s a tiger, we have a lion here.” She lifted up Mimi by the nape of her neck. “She barely qualifies as the king of beasts, doesn’t she?”
Everyone looked at the cat, who looked confused and bloated as if pregnant, and fell into silence.
After struggling for a moment, Mimi jumped out of Zanxing’s hands and lazily yawned as she crouched on the ground.
Gu Baiying said, “Let’s go, don’t just stand there. The people from Chihua Sect are already ahead.”
After walking for perhaps two or three hours, the sunlight was not as intense as at noon, casting broken golden hues on the forest floor as it filtered through the dense branches. The higher they went, the denser the forest became, with less sunlight penetrating, creating a more eerie atmosphere.
In the distance, a winding stream flowed gently.
As they took a few steps forward, they suddenly heard the sound of a woman singing.
The song was light and melodious, like pearls falling on a jade plate. In this deep mountain, it sounded exceptionally ethereal. Just by listening to the singing, one could imagine a beautiful woman with graceful charm.
The cultivators were initially startled, then became tense, asking, “Who’s there?”
“I’ve never seen it before,” Tan Tianxin said disdainfully. “Just a bunch of bumpkins.”
Nie Xinghong shook his fan and smiled, saying, “If I’m not mistaken, this should be the ‘Celestial Song Vine.'”
The Celestial Song Vine?
Zanxing was taken aback. Following the footsteps of the cultivators, she saw a stone wall ahead covered densely with lush vines. These vines seemed to grow on something, completely covering the entire mountainside. On these vines, sporadically bloomed some pale pink flowers, each with only two petals resembling human lips. At this moment, as the flowers opened and closed, it seemed as if they were speaking.
The song emanated from these flowers.
“It’s actually the ‘Celestial Song Vine,'” Zanxing murmured.
“Sister, what’s the ‘Celestial Song Vine’?” Tian Fangfang asked.
Zanxing: “I once saw a book called ‘The World: Listening to the Voices of Flowers and Grass’ in the sect’s library, which recorded a hundred types of flowers and grass that can produce sounds, among which is the ‘Celestial Song Vine.’ It’s said that this flower can mimic the singing voice of mortal women, with a charming and captivating tone, luring people to approach.”
“Is that so?” Tian Fangfang reached out to touch it, “That’s quite rare.”
Zanxing shouted, “Don’t move!”
Tian Fangfang’s hand trembled, turning back in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“The ‘Celestial Song Vine’ feeds on flesh, so don’t get too close.”
As soon as she spoke, a disciple from another sect suddenly reached out and grabbed a bird resting on a branch by the roadside. He then threw the bird towards the Celestial Song Vine—
In an instant, countless vines shot out from the mountain wall, entwining the bird within them, and soon the bird’s trace disappeared. The pale pink flowers, resembling human lips, emitted a creaking sound as they greedily chewed, accompanied by the light sound of swallowing saliva.
A shiver ran down everyone’s spine.
After a moment, the vines gradually loosened, once again covering the mountain wall, leaving only a few bird bones and feathers in front of the wall. The Celestial Song Vine seemed somewhat unsatisfied, making a tsk tsk tsk sound as if savoring the taste, and then resumed singing.
The woman’s singing voice remained enchanting, but the cultivators present no longer found it novel or interesting.
If it were someone else, they might have been devoured by the Celestial Song Vine already. Perhaps countless cultivator bones lay buried in front of this mountain wall. The more pleasing the song, the colder it made one’s spine.
Although the cultivators entering the secret realm were the cream of the crop among the younger generation of their sects, they were still relatively young and inexperienced. Seeing the vines for the first time, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy. One cultivator said, “Forget about this Celestial Song Vine, I think it’s more like a Demon Song Vine. It’s full of demonic aura. It’s better to just chop it down with a sword!” He then reached for his sword.
“Hey,” Nie Xinghong waved his hand, stopping his action, “The Celestial Song Vine is a vine. Even if you chop it with a sword, it will grow back. You can’t get rid of it with a sword. If you want to completely get rid of it, you have to use fire. But these vines have covered the entire mountain wall. If you really set them on fire, the whole mountain will be gone.”
The cultivator could only reluctantly sheathe his sword, saying, “Consider this vine lucky!”