As that dazzling red glow spread across the sky, a gentle, lingering melody from a zither drifted over. The music was soft yet full of emotion, as if pouring out endless secrets of the heart. Sometimes it broke, sometimes it flowed, like water droplets or a babbling brook. Who could know such sorrow? Each note felt like a spell, making one drowsy—then suddenly, the music stopped abruptly. Silence. It brought clarity, yet confusion too, leaving one unsure of the time and place, as if the song had lasted a thousand years…
Just then, a hazy gray mist drifted in from outside. Strangely enough, the mist carried a weirdly fresh fragrance. White flower petals began to swirl in the air—white chrysanthemum petals, to be exact. Carried by a chilling wind, the petals danced across the sky above the hot spring pool, soon blanketing the entire area.
Suddenly, two people rushed in—it was the two beautiful girls from the small stone bridge. Now, their faces were pale with terror. The girls hurried to the edge of the hot spring, and one of them opened her mouth wide and screamed, "Outside—it's terrifying! He's coming—"
"Whoosh—whoosh—" Two streaks of black light shot out from the swirling white chrysanthemum petals, striking the girls squarely on their backs. Instantly, their bodies shuddered as a cloud of black mist spread from their backs over their whole bodies, like an invisible venomous snake wrapping around them. Their eyes widened in horror as they collapsed to the ground, clutching their throats, trying to scream but unable to make any sound. Then, the black mist surged over their faces—a terrifying scene unfolded as their once lovely faces and bodies shriveled rapidly, their muscles and blood seemingly drained in seconds—"Thud! Thud!" They hit the ground, transformed into two mummified corpses!
From the moment the two girls rushed in to when they became dried corpses, less than two minutes had passed. The scene was brutally bizarre, leaving Shawn Young with his mouth agape, utterly stunned. A chill ran down his spine as cold sweat broke out.
Luna Xiao’s face turned pale in an instant. She stepped back a few paces, staring at the swirling white chrysanthemum petals with furrowed brows and cried out in alarm, "The Nine Chrysanthemum Sect!"
"Heh, heh—yes, Chief Xiao, you’ve got sharp eyes. This is indeed the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect’s Soul-Devouring Blood Curse! Well, does it impress you?" A man’s voice came from the gray mist, with a strange accent and a chilling undertone. Then, a young man dressed in ancient Japanese samurai garb, with long hair and a peculiar Japanese shamisen in his hands, wearing wooden clogs, appeared by the hot spring pool.
"Heh heh—Moon Dance, this is the Young Master of the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect—Danba Changyun. He’s heard your Qimen Dunjia skills are quite something, so he wants to challenge you himself!" Andrew Qi sneered.
"Hmph—" Luna Xiao snorted coldly, but inside she was growing anxious. She knew Danba Changyun was up to no good, and with Andrew Qi and Wan Chongyun, those two traitors, backing him up, it would be tough to escape today!
"Hmm? Nine Chrysanthemum Sect? What’s their deal?" Shawn Young muttered, looking over carefully. He noticed Danba Changyun’s face was even more delicate than a woman’s, with a strange androgynous beauty, but his eyes were cold and murderous. Shawn couldn’t help but think, "No wonder this guy can be buddies with Andrew Qi! Maybe there’s some bromance there!"
Seeing Shawn Young’s curiosity, Andrew Qi explained, "All Qimen Dunjia techniques originated in China, the ancestor of all feng shui and divination. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, thanks to exchange between China and Japan, these arts spread to Japan, merging with local religions and spawning new sects. The most famous are the Kōga Ninja and the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect—the former blended Qimen Dunjia with ninja arts, while the latter fused it with Japanese feng shui, creating a whole new philosophy. The Nine Chrysanthemum Sect is highly skilled in star divination and magic! This Young Master Danba is one of their top practitioners! Heh—Elder Guo, you’re in for a treat today!"
"Oh—he really does look like he’s got some serious magic going on!" Shawn Young studied Danba Changyun and responded absentmindedly.
Danba Changyun hugged his shamisen and slowly approached Luna Xiao. Suddenly, his expression sharpened and he stopped, turning his head toward a fake mountain. In stiff Chinese, he said coldly, "Friend hiding down there, isn’t it tiring to stay hidden? Why not come out for some fresh air?"
As soon as Danba Changyun finished, the earth beneath the fake mountain bulged, then burst open with a ‘thump.’ A middle-aged man with a buzz cut, wearing a camouflage vest, fat and shifty-looking, with thick eyebrows and prominent cheekbones, popped out of the ground. He pointed at Danba Changyun and grinned lewdly, "Well, well, you little pretty-boy Jap! You’ve got some skills! I was buried deep in the dirt and you sniffed me out! Not bad! You’ve got some tricks!"
Danba Changyun didn’t get angry. He just sneered and said to the fat middle-aged man, "Since you’ve come out, your other friend doesn’t need to hide anymore, right? Why don’t you both come out and play?"
The fat middle-aged man paused, then shrugged helplessly, gave Danba Changyun a thumbs-up as if to say, 'You got me,' then turned and shouted toward a tree about ten meters behind the fake mountain, "Old Geng, stop hiding! They’ve already found you!"
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
At the fat man’s shout, the leaves atop the big tree scattered with a ‘rustle’ and a figure flipped through the air, landing on the ground. With a few swift movements, as agile as a monkey and quick as a ghost, he darted to the edge of the hot spring and stood beside the fat man. Everyone could now see him clearly—a middle-aged man in a dirt-brown vest, skinny and sly-looking, his eyes darting around. His bony right hand still clutched a twig.
The two middle-aged men stood together, one fat and one skinny, looking comically mismatched. The skinny one glanced at Luna Xiao and May Gu, then clutched his crotch and shouted, "Damn! Two super hot babes! I can’t take it, I’m hard! Old Zhu, you hard yet?"
Luna Xiao’s cheeks flushed red. She spat lightly, then gracefully waved her right hand, instantly shrouding herself and May Gu’s curvaceous figures in a veil of mist.
The fat man called 'Old Zhu' glared at him, then looked at Danba Changyun with a lewd grin, "Hard, my ass! You know I’m not into that. But this pretty-boy Jap is something else! I’m feeling something for him!"
"Oh! Haha, almost forgot, you’re into chrysanthemums! This pretty-boy Jap is from the Chrysanthemum Sect, no wonder you’re so interested!" the skinny guy snickered.
"Uh—You two must be confused. I’m with the Nine Chrysanthemum Sect, not the Chrysanthemum Sect!" Danba Changyun clearly didn’t get their crude joke about 'chrysanthemum,' and quickly tried to clarify.
"Hahaha—Old Zhu’s got his eye on your dazzling little daisy!" The fat man laughed shamelessly, his lewd gaze roaming over Danba Changyun as if he wanted to tear his clothes off.