Chapter 86: Again Seeing Kuroko

Ji Yuan saw the entity flee but was in no rush to pursue it. He already knew what it was and had a simpler, more effective solution. There was no need to chase it into the mountains in the middle of the night; his priority was to check if anything serious had happened to Fang Qiu.

Meanwhile, in the Fang family's main house, both mother and son had been startled awake.

Fang Qiu's mother, Mrs. Ding, quickly threw off her covers, slipped on a coat, and rushed to her son's room. There, she found Fang Qiu sitting on his bed, pale, trembling slightly, and gasping for breath.

"Qiu'er, are you alright? What happened? What was that sound just now?"

Fang Qiu's mother glanced around frantically, then sat on the bed, cupped her son's face, and noticed it was drenched in sweat.

"Mother... Mother... I had a nightmare... *pant*..."

Fang Qiu spoke incoherently. The nightmare had started like his usual ones, but then, suddenly, the dream erupted in brilliant light, and endless flames surged towards him. Amidst the inferno, a horrifying, decaying monster appeared in the dream and was consumed by the fire.

The monster's agonizing screams echoed both within the dream and in the room, jolting Fang Qiu awake.

Just then, Ji Yuan's seemingly panicked voice, accompanied by knocking, resounded from outside the house.

"Knock, knock, knock... Knock, knock, knock..."

"Brother Fang, Aunt Ding, what's going on? I just heard a scream. Are you both alright?"

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Hearing Ji Yuan's steady, clear voice from outside, the two inside felt a slight easing of their nerves; the presence of others and their voices always helps to alleviate fear.

"Mother, please go open the door for Mr. Ji quickly."

Fang Qiu steadied himself and spoke, and only then did Mrs. Ding rise to head to the front hall.

She slid back the wooden bolt and opened the door, revealing Ji Yuan standing outside, his face similarly startled.

"Aunt Ding, are you all right?"

"No, no, we're fine. It seems Qiu'er just had a nightmare..."

"Is that so? That's good to hear. I'll go check on Brother Fang."

With that, Ji Yuan accompanied Fang Qiu's mother into the boy's room.

"Brother Fang, did you have another nightmare just now?"

As he spoke, Ji Yuan took out a tinderstick, blew on it to create a flame, and then used it to light the oil lamp in the room.

With the room illuminated, Fang Qiu's complexion improved considerably.

"I'm fine now. Sorry to have disturbed your rest, Mr. Ji. I was just startled by a dream; it's nothing serious."

Mrs. Ding then brought a bowl of water and offered it to Fang Qiu, only to notice that her son wasn't wearing his prayer beads.

"Qiu'er, where are the prayer beads your mother got for you? Why aren't you wearing them?"

"Oh? The prayer beads, um..."

Ji Yuan quickly interjected to smooth things over.

"They must have been left at Brother Ding Xing's house."

"Yes, yes, yes... they must be at Brother Ding's house! Mother, don't worry, they won't get lost!"

"Remember to get them back tomorrow; they're your protective charm! Do you understand...?"

As Mrs. Ding continued to chatter, Ji Yuan confirmed that Fang Qiu was not seriously harmed. Though his vital energy and aura seemed weak, it was merely from the shock.

The next morning, after breakfast, Ji Yuan excused himself for a walk. After leaving the Fang household, he quietly sought out Ding Xing.

In the Ding family kitchen, Ding Xing, who was eating his congee, looked somewhat surprised when he heard Ji Yuan's words.

"The Fang family's graves? Why are you asking about that, sir?"

Ji Yuan sat on a small stool in the Ding family's kitchen, a faint smile on his calm and composed face.

"If I were to say I simply wished to take a look, would you believe me, Brother Ding?"

Ding Xing shook his head.

"Sir, please don't jest. You've only just met the Fang family; there's no reason for you to pay respects to their ancestors."

Due to the familiarity developed yesterday and the villagers' respect for learned individuals, everyone now addressed Ji Yuan with a more deferential title.

"Brother Ding, you heard the scream from the Fang family's direction last night, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I was just about to ask you, sir. What was that noise last night? I thought it was a wild animal. So, it really came from Fang Qiu's house?"

"Heh heh, let's go. You'll understand when we get there."

Although Ji Yuan offered no further explanation, he possessed a compelling presence. Puzzled yet curious, Ding Xing quickly finished his congee, then led Ji Yuan along another small path that wound out of the village and towards the back mountain.

The path wasn't long. After about fifteen minutes of walking and climbing, they began to spot scattered graves. In a corner of a small hollow, they found the Fang family's tombs.

"Mr. Ji, this is the place. *Hiss*... why is it so cold here...?"

Ding Xing, holding his woodcutting knife, pointed to the earth mounds, rubbing his hands together as he spoke.

Ding Xing wasn't worried about Ji Yuan causing any harm. First, he trusted Ji Yuan, and second, he figured a scholarly gentleman like him probably didn't even have thighs as thick as Ding Xing's arms. How could such a person commit mischief without getting past Ding the Hunter?

"Hmm."

Ji Yuan moved closer, his gaze sweeping over the four earth mounds. He then approached the westernmost and lowest-lying grave, reaching out to touch a small clump of fine black ash in front of the tombstone.

He looked up and carefully read the inscription on the tombstone: "Tomb of my father, Fang Shenghan, erected by his son, Fang Qiu."

"Brother Ding, stand back a bit, so you don't get your clothes wet."

Ji Yuan cautioned him, then extended his right hand and pointed towards the grave. A void particle appeared at the tip of his sword-fingers, which then pulled outwards.

"Whoosh... splash..."

Get wet?

As the sound of water filled the air, Ding Xing, who had initially been bewildered, watched in horror as murky, turbid water streamed out from Fang Father's tomb. It flowed like a murky water dragon, pulled about a foot above the ground, then cascaded down a nearby slope towards the foot of the mountain.

The surroundings grew noticeably colder, and simultaneously, an unbearable stench wafted through the air, making Ding Xing feel on the verge of vomiting.

"Hooah~~~"

A hoarse growl emanated from the tomb, startling Ding Xing, who was already horrified and nauseated, into paralysis. He stumbled backward in a panic, nearly tripping over the rocks on the ground.

"Mr. Ji... Mr. Ji...!"

"Don't be afraid. You're safe with me!"

Ji Yuan made a sweeping gesture with his right hand, drawing out all the foul water. Then, with his left hand, as if plucking a flower, he produced a burning lampwick still coated in oil. He held it before him, gathered his spiritual power, and blew gently.

The lampwick, bearing a stable, unextinguishable flame, danced in the air as it flew into the tomb through the small opening just created by the water.

Boom~~~

Fire erupted within, and the glow of the flames vaguely pierced through the tomb's opening.

"Hoo-ah~~ ah~~~~~~"

The terrifying roars from inside the tomb escalated from hoarse to piercing, prompting Ding Xing, whose face was pale and limbs stiff, to instinctively cover his ears.

After approximately a dozen breaths, all commotion subsided.

Ji Yuan let out a soft sigh. It was indeed a 'yin corpse'. There's an old saying among certain paths: "Yin corpses, both corporeal and ethereal, are minor demons and evil spirits that harm their descendants..."

"Dust to dust, earth to earth. All right, Brother Ding, let's go. In the future, you might suggest to Brother Fang Qiu that he rebury his father, perhaps in a sunnier and slightly higher location. Of course, it won't matter if he doesn't move it. Oh, and by the way, don't mention this matter to anyone else."

"Yes, yes, yes... Understood, understood. Hey, Mr. Ji, wait for me, wait for me~!"

Ding Xing's legs were trembling slightly now, and he quickly caught up with Ji Yuan, who was already walking away at a brisk pace, afraid of being left alone there.

Ji Yuan walked ahead, with Ding Xing following closely behind. Ding Xing was still shaken, while Ji Yuan secretly harbored a question: the colorless void particle in his sleeve had now turned black.

'It turned black again, as expected?'

For Ji Yuan, the matter was resolved, so he naturally bid farewell to the four familiar households. For the families, his departure wasn't a surprise, as Ji Yuan had always intended to travel along the official road to Qingshui County.

The villagers, being warm-hearted, specifically escorted Ji Yuan to the previous fork in the road. Ding Xing even insisted on giving Ji Yuan a package of braised rabbit legs wrapped in large bamboo leaves.

"Alright, everyone, this is far enough. And Brother Fang, go visit Wolong Temple to worship, and also light some incense at the Earth God Temple. I believe your nightmares will improve."

"Understood, I'll definitely listen to you, sir!"

Fang Qiu replied with a smile, thinking Ji Yuan was reminding him to quickly buy a new string of prayer beads to cover his lie.

"Then, everyone, until we meet again!"

Ji Yuan formally cupped his hands towards the four households, prompting them to quickly return the gesture with less-than-standard bows, muttering phrases like "Take care" and "Godspeed."

Watching Ji Yuan's receding back, Ding Xing looked at Fang Qiu and suddenly said:

"Fang Qiu, you should kowtow to Mr. Ji twice!"

"Huh?"

Fang Qiu was utterly confused.

"Kowtow? Why?"

Mr. Ji is a good and learned man, but there's no need to kowtow to him, is there? No one else performed such a grand gesture.

"Never mind, never mind..."

Ding Xing brushed off the question and secretly decided that after everyone left, he would quietly go after Mr. Ji. The thought filled him with intense excitement.

However, when Ding Xing later slipped out of the village, running and walking for a full hour, he still couldn't find Ji Yuan. He was as filled with regret now as he had been with excitement earlier.