15: Chapter 15 Murderous Intent on a Rainy Night, When the Abyss Begins to Tell Ghost Stories
A fine rain fell like silk.
Yet the rain made no sound, as if every drop landed on cotton, rendering this withered forest deathly silent and unnerving.
On a treetop, the figure of the Rain Master merged with the night, only the occasional drip of water from the edge of his bamboo hat proving a living person stood there.
A Heaven-Slaughter grade assassin of the Shadow Sect.
He never struck unless it was a killing blow.
Li Mo sighed, moving his hand from the slightly cool forehead of the little girl and tucking it back into his sleeve, his fingertips gently tapping the restless human-skin book, Little Black.
"Fellow Daoist."
Li Mo spoke using the hoarse voice of 'Immortal Master Que Yi', his tone slick and worldly like a merchant's.
"This humble Daoist is just a scrap collector, passing through. Picked up a money-losing burden."
He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the little girl, his face full of disdain.
"How about this? I'll offer you the few hundred Spirit Stones I have on me. Please, be merciful, pretend you never saw us. How about it?"
The Rain Master did not answer.
He merely brought the green bamboo flute to his lips.
*Woooo—*
A sharp shriek pierced the dead silence.
In that instant, the curtain of rain in the sky seemed to freeze, as if time had been paused.
Immediately after, inside every single water droplet, a sharp ice flower bloomed!
"Rainstorm Pear Blossom."
The Rain Master's voice held no more warmth than the Killing Intent he created.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!*
Millions of ice needles churned into a storm, emitting an ear-splitting shriek, blanketing every inch of space within a ten-zhang radius.
This was no assassination.
This was meant to grind everything in this area into dust!
A death trap. No retreat.
"Won't even haggle. So rude."
Li Mo's eyes turned cold.
He did not move, because he could feel those pitch-black eyes behind him staring unblinkingly at him.
The little girl wasn't afraid.
He, naturally, could not dodge either.
"System, activate [Evil Qi Control], fuse with [Environmental Mimicry]!"
Li Mo's thoughts raced.
In the instant before the ice needles could pierce the tip of his nose, he stomped down heavily with one foot!
"Rise!"
*Boom!*
The mud mixed with rotting leaves beneath his feet instantly surged skyward, transforming into a spinning black mud shield that enveloped both of them.
*Ding ding ding ding ding—!*
A continuous, explosive rattle of dense impacts sounded.
Those ice needles capable of piercing metal and stone, upon striking the mud shield, were like moths flying into a spider's web. Their momentum was instantly dissipated, melting away without a sound.
On the treetop, the Rain Master's brow furrowed beneath his hat.
"Evil Qi taking form?"
The bamboo flute in his hand spun faster. The flute's pitch rose, sharp and shrill, exuding the murderous aura of clashing armies.
"Change formation, Rain Dragon's Lament!"
Three transparent water dragons, each as thick as a bucket, took shape mid-air. Carrying the terrifying Spiritual Pressure of the Great Perfection Foundation Establishment stage, they roared and twisted towards their targets from three directions!
Li Mo watched the three water dragons, a slight frown creasing his brow.
A direct clash would be too loud, too conspicuous. It would attract the patrolling Elders of the Heavenly River Sword Sect.
He had to use a strange move, end this quickly.
"Hey," Li Mo asked without turning his head, "He stinks so bad. Can you tell what's wrong with him?"
The little girl tilted her head. A trace of eerie light flashed within her pitch-black pupils.
"His eyes are for show."
Her voice was soft yet cold, as if stating a fact.
"He relies on the sound of the rain from his flute. When rain touches something, he 'sees' it."
She paused, the corner of her mouth quirking up in a smile that didn't match her age.
"But what if... the rain lied to him?"
The rain lied to him?
Li Mo was stunned for a moment, then a flash of inspiration struck him.
Sonar positioning! Then create a false sound field for him!
Brilliant!
"Little Black, chow time!"
Li Mo violently flung his sleeve.
The black human-skin book shot into the curtain of rain like a bloodthirsty bat, cackling weirdly.
"Read for me!"
Li Mo transmitted his Divine Thought, issuing the command.
"Read that one, 'Midnight Ghost Stories: Listening to the Rain in the Mass Grave'!"
Mid-air, Little Black excitedly split its spine open, as if grinning a wide maw leading to the abyss.
*Rustle rustle—*
Its pages flipped madly.
An indescribable, bizarre fluctuation carrying intense mental pollution instantly spread throughout the entire withered forest along the countless raindrops!
In the Rain Master's 'world of hearing', the entire world collapsed.
A raindrop landing on a leaf was no longer a 'tap', but a woman's giggle.
"Hehehe... your flute sounds so nice..."
Raindrops landing on him were no longer cold, but icy hands stroking the back of his neck.
"Your neck... so pale..."
The water dragons formed by converging raindrops had their heads transform into disheveled ghost faces. Their dragon roars became heart-wrenching, soul-tearing wails.
"No... impossible!"
The Rain Master's face turned as pale as paper. The melody from his flute fell into complete disarray.
What kind of demonic sorcery was this?!
It could directly pollute sound and rain?!
The rainwater seemed to come alive, carrying countless ghost stories, madly drilling into his ears, his nostrils.
"Ah—!!"
The Rain Master screamed, threw away his bamboo flute, clamped his hands over his ears, and plummeted headfirst from the treetop.
His Dao Heart, under this 'dimensional reduction attack' from Little Black that originated from the abyss, shattered upon contact.
"When you're sick, I'll take your life."
Li Mo's figure closed in like a ghost.
He pointed his fingers together like a brush, sketching in the air.
[Evil Qi Control] + [Blood Manipulation]!
"Halt!"
A blood-red character for 'Halt' imprinted itself with perfect precision on the Rain Master's forehead.
The Rain Master stiffened completely. The light in his eyes rapidly extinguished. He fell rigidly into the muddy water, completely unconscious.
Li Mo had spared his life.
A mad Heaven-Slaughter grade assassin would inspire more fear in the Shadow Sect than a dead one.
"Job done."
Li Mo recalled Little Black, who seemed reluctant to stop, hoisted the little girl onto his back again, and disappeared into the depths of the rain curtain without a backward glance.
...
Half an hour later.
Heavenly River Sword Sect, behind the Scripture Pavilion.
Covered in mud, Li Mo squeezed in through a disused dog hole, his movements so practiced it was almost pitiful.
"Phew... home."
As long as he was within the range of the Mountain Protection Grand Array, he was absolutely safe.
He set the little girl down, looking at this mud-covered little thing who still stood ramrod straight, feeling a headache coming on.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Chu Linger," the little girl said flatly, curiously surveying her surroundings. "The smell here... is nice."
"Scripture Pavilion. Lots of books. Naturally smells nice."
Li Mo tossed her a set of gray Servant clothes.
"From today, your name is Xiao Cui. You're my distant, barely-related cousin. Not quite right in the head, and a mute. Remember, here, don't look at what you shouldn't, don't listen to what you shouldn't. Otherwise..."
He pointed at Little Black, who was rubbing its pages against a table corner.
"I'll have it tell you bedtime stories every night."
Chu Linger glanced at Little Black. Far from being afraid, she seemed interested. "Good, I've been having trouble sleeping."
Li Mo was utterly defeated.
This girl was definitely a freak.
Right at that moment.
From the staircase leading to the second floor came an extremely faint, almost imperceptible sound of footsteps.
Every hair on Li Mo's body stood on end!
[Anti-Reconnaissance Instinct] blared a piercing alarm in his mind!
A top-tier expert! And one carrying scrutiny and suspicion!
"Someone," Chu Linger also sensed it, quickly hiding behind Li Mo and whispering, "Someone with a sword. His sword... is crying."
Someone with a sword?
Li Mo's heart pounded wildly. He immediately shot a glance at the Treasure-Seeking Rat, Squeak, in the corner.
Squeak understood. *Swoosh!* It darted into an old mouse hole in the wall.
Li Mo, meanwhile, switched expressions in a second, seamlessly transitioning from the coldness of 'Immortal Master Que Yi' to the simple-minded, foolish look of the Servant Li Mo.
He picked up a broom, pretending to sweep, and shuffled tremblingly towards the staircase entrance.
"Who... who's up there?" he asked in a voice trembling with fear.
From the shadows of the staircase, a tall, slender figure slowly emerged.
Clad in snow-white robes, a longsword hanging at his waist, his face as cold and stern as a ten-thousand-year glacier.
The Sect Master of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, Ye Gucheng!
Li Mo's heart skipped a beat.
Oh, crap!
What was the Sect Master doing, not sleeping in the middle of the night, coming to the first-floor Servant quarters?
"Sect... Sect Master?!"
Li Mo 'frightenedly' dropped his broom, *thudding* to his knees, his forehead pressed against the cold floor.
"Thi... this lowly one didn't know the Sect Master was coming! A capital offense, a capital offense!"
Ye Gucheng ignored him.
Those eyes, which seemed to contain endless Sword Intent, first stared fixedly at Li Mo for a few seconds, then swept over Chu Linger behind him, who was clumsily trying to hide her dirty clothes.
"At this hour, why are you not asleep?" Ye Gucheng's voice betrayed no emotion.
"Re... replying to the Sect Master, it... it just rained. The roof leaked. This lowly one was fixing it."
Li Mo stammered an explanation, simultaneously reaching out to push Chu Linger's head down.
"Thi... this is this lowly one's distant cousin. Not quite right in the head, and a mute. Qu... quickly kowtow to the Sect Master!"
A flash of humiliated Killing Intent passed through Chu Linger's eyes, but she still clumsily knelt as Li Mo did, making "Ah-ba ah-ba" sounds.
Ye Gucheng's gaze seemed to soften for an instant. But then, his eyes fixed on the hemp sack Li Mo had used to carry Chu Linger, lying by his feet.
At the bottom of the sack was a patch of not-yet-dry, distinctive black mud.
"This mud is from the withered forest on the western foothills of the Cloud Break Mountain Range."
Ye Gucheng reached out with two fingers, pinching a bit of the soil.
His gaze instantly transformed into two sharp swords, piercing towards Li Mo.
"What was a Servant from the Scripture Pavilion doing in the Forbidden Ground, the withered forest?"
Li Mo's blood almost froze.
Careless! He'd forgotten to deal with that trace!
What to do? What lie to spin?
Say he went to gather herbs? A Servant going to a Forbidden Ground to gather herbs? Asking for death?
Say he went to meet a lover? Even more absurd!
At this critical juncture, Li Mo's brain operated at an unprecedented speed.
His face instantly switched to an expression of heart-wrenching grief, mixed with foolishness.
He abruptly raised his head. His eyes were already brimming with tears.
"Re... replying to the Sect Master!"
Li Mo's voice carried a sob, full of simple-minded sorrow.
"It's... it's the hamster this lowly one raised... Big Strong. It... it died of old age yesterday!"
"This lowly one heard people say the soil in the west has spiritual properties, can help it get a good reincarnation next life... This lowly one... this lowly one went to choose a burial plot for Big Strong!"
The air fell completely silent.
Even Chu Linger, hiding behind Li Mo, was stunned.
She looked up at this man who had just been decisively lethal, now crying like a two-hundred-pound idiot, momentarily forgetting she was supposed to be playing a mute.
Ye Gucheng was also taken aback.
He had envisioned countless possibilities.
This Servant was a Demonic Path spy, a scout from a rival Sect, even an old monster who had undergone Possession and Rebirth.
But he never, ever expected the answer to be...
Going to choose a burial plot for a hamster?
This reason was absurd to the extreme, stupid to the extreme, yet... perfectly aligned with the cognition and behavioral logic of a low-level Servant.
The sharp, sword-like intensity in Ye Gucheng's eyes wavered for the first time.
Looking at Li Mo's grief-stricken, foolishly simple face, the taut string in his heart inexplicably loosened a fraction.
Could it be... he was really being overly suspicious?
Just then, the longsword at his waist emitted an extremely faint hum.
A faint, almost imperceptible, yet supremely noble aura flashed from the 'silly girl' behind Li Mo, resonating precisely with the sword's hum.
Ye Gucheng's expression changed slightly!
What he sensed wasn't imperial majesty, but a... flavor of the 'Dao'!
This first floor of the Scripture Pavilion actually concealed some heaven-defying Opportunity?!
His gaze instantly swept past Li Mo and Chu Linger, looking towards the deeper bookshelves. His eyes became burning and profound.
So that was it!
The sudden inspiration he felt late at night, sensing an impending Opportunity here, wasn't related to these two Servants, but to the Scripture Pavilion itself!
He, the Sect Master, had been led astray by a Servant's hamster...
Ridiculous.
"Enough."
Ye Gucheng withdrew his gaze, resuming his glacier-like expression.
"Handle your family matters. Don't let it happen again."
As the words fell, his figure had already vanished from the staircase entrance.
Only after that mountain-like pressure completely disappeared did Li Mo dare to rise from the floor, his back soaked with cold sweat.
He wiped the 'tears' from his face and let out a long, deep breath.
That was close.
A little more, and things would have really gotten out of hand.
He turned his head, meeting Chu Linger's eyes, which were filled with 'What kind of weirdo are you?'.
Li Mo grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth, reverting to his simple, honest look.
"What are you looking at, silly girl."
"Go change your clothes already."
"Tomorrow, you start learning how to sweep the floor."