Chapter 285 "The Mysterious Book of Curses"
Bai Li looked at their disgusted expressions, first stunned, then quickly waved her hands: "Wait! I actually haven't read it! Really!"
But Chen Xingcai and Xiao Ling'er had already synchronized, taking three steps back, their faces filled with "disbelief."
Chen Xingcai crossed her arms, her black long hair gently fluttering in the wind, her eyes carrying a scrutinizing light.
Bai Li lowered her head in disappointment, her shoulders trembling slightly, her tail drooping lifelessly on the ground.
Seeing this, Xiao Ling'er's cold eyebrows and eyes flashed a trace of pity. She hesitated as she stepped forward: "Sister Bai Li, actually we're not..."
"Caught you!"
Bai Li suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling with cunning light, and pounced to hug Xiao Ling'er tightly.
She rubbed against Xiao Ling'er like a playful puppy, her tail intentionally sweeping across the other's entire body: "Now you're dirty too! I can't be the only one who's dirty!"
"Ah! Let me go!" Xiao Ling'er exclaimed, but it was too late—her white clothes were covered with grass clippings and dirt that Bai Li had deliberately rubbed on, and the silk ribbon tying her hair was caught by the tail and loosened, her black long hair cascading down like a waterfall.
The two women exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned to Chen Xingcai. Chen Xingcai warily took a step back, but it was too late—
"Wait! Don't come over!" Chen Xingcai turned to escape, but Bai Li's flexible tail wrapped around her ankle, causing her to stumble and fall onto the soft grass.
The three laughed and played together, rolling around on the grass. Bai Li's tail occasionally swept across their cheeks, the fluffy hair making them sneeze repeatedly. Chen Xingcai's red hair tie had long disappeared, with a few grass leaves mixed in her black long hair; Xiao Ling'er's plain white dress was covered with traces of grass juice, her cold demeanor completely gone.
In this chaos, an ancient book slipped from Bai Li's sleeve, falling to the ground with a "pat" sound. The strange patterns on the cover glowed with an ominous blood-red color under the moonlight.
Chen Xingcai stopped first, curiously picking up the book. The moment her fingertips touched the cover, a chill spread from her fingertips throughout her body: "What is this?"
Bai Li, while adjusting her messy collar, casually replied: "Oh, this, it was handed over by that kid Shen Qingwu, who said it's called 'the mysterious book of curses'." She pursed her lips, her eyes flashing a trace of disgust, "He previously succeeded in framing people multiple times, relying on this thing."
"What does it do?" Chen Xingcai gently stroked the strange patterns on the book cover, those patterns seemed to have life, slightly writhing under her touch.
Bai Li leaned closer, her furry ears brushing against Chen Xingcai's cheek: "It's said to accurately predict what will happen the next day." Her breath carried a faint sweet fragrance, but it made Chen Xingcai feel inexplicably uneasy.
Xiao Ling'er also curiously gathered around, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Is it really that magical? Let's open it and see." Her slender fingers gently rested on the edge of the book page.
The three put their heads together to open the book page, only to see the yellowed paper filled with disorganized text, as if countless people were speaking at the same time, or like a crazy dream that had been torn apart and randomly pieced together.
Staring at the dense, chaotic text on the pages, the three felt dizzy. Those twisted characters seemed to move on the paper like living things, sometimes overlapping, sometimes dispersing, making people's eyes dazzle.
"What is all this..." Bai Li rubbed her swollen temples, her furry ears drooping down, "It's completely incomprehensible!"
Xiao Ling'er also frowned, her slender fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of hair hanging before her chest: "These words are arranged without any pattern, like a jumbled puzzle."
Just as the two were complaining, Chen Xingcai suddenly let out a soft "eh." Her slender fingertips gently pointed to a line of small text, that line of characters was much clearer than the other text: "Look, these characters all have extremely fine patterns in front of them."
Her nails were neatly trimmed, glowing with a healthy pink under the moonlight, in stark contrast to the strange patterns on the book page.
Leaning closer to observe, they indeed found that before each chaotic text, there was a faint, almost invisible pattern, like a deliberately hidden marker. Following these patterns to organize, those seemingly disordered words gradually formed complete sentences:
[Mao hour, third quarter, outer disciple Zhang Lang accidentally drops a teacup...]
[Si hour, exactly, outer disciple Li Jihong falls at the martial arts training ground...]
[Wu hour, kitchen woman Wang Po secretly eats spirit beast meat...]
Most were trivial, insignificant matters, and the names that appeared were ones they had never heard of. The more they read, the more disappointed they became. Just as they were about to close the book, Chen Xingcai's pupils suddenly shrank—
[Xu hour, Immortal Spirit City's City Lord Ji Lingxiu secretly meets with a guest.]
[Ji Lingxiu is extremely shocked by the news the guest brought...]
[Ji Lingxiu hastily leaves Immortal Spirit City.]
"Third Martial Sister?" Chen Xingcai exclaimed involuntarily.
...
After discussing for a moment, the three ultimately decided to take this strange "mysterious book of curses" to Chen Chang'an to seek answers.
They passed through the winding mountain paths and arrived before Chen Chang'an's quiet and secluded residence, only to find the bamboo door ajar and the house empty.
"Strange..." Chen Xingcai frowned slightly, her fingertips brushing against the still-settling dust on the doorframe. "Father is actually not here again? And at night..."
This was truly rare—Chen Chang'an had always been a recluse, rarely leaving his residence.
Bai Li's tail swayed restlessly, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Then how about we..."
"No!" Chen Xingcai saw through her thoughts at a glance, interrupting sternly, "You are not allowed to have any of those crooked ideas."
But Xiao Ling'er said: "But besides your father, your Master is probably the only one in the valley with profound knowledge."
Hmm...
Chen Xingcai immediately fell into deep thought.
In the end, curiosity overcame her wariness of Bai Li, and she nodded lightly.
Hearing this, Bai Li's fox ears perked up instantly, and a brilliant light burst from her eyes.
She was about to cheer but was stopped by a look from Chen Xingcai: "If you dare to be disrespectful in front of Master..."
Chen Xingcai narrowed her eyes, "Don't even think about me taking you out again in the future."
Bai Li immediately covered her mouth, but her tail honestly swirled happily, clearly unable to suppress her inner joy.
The three followed a bluestone path, passing through a bamboo forest filled with spiritual mist, and arrived before Ji Hongli's elegant cave dwelling.
However, the scene before them made them freeze in place—
Chen Chang'an was standing on the stone steps before the cave dwelling, holding his lower back and stretching with a tired look on his face.
His robes were somewhat disheveled, his hair crown was a bit crooked, and fine beads of sweat hung from his temples.
The moonlight shone on his handsome face, outlining his deep contours.
"Father?" Chen Xingcai's eyes widened, her voice slightly raised in surprise. "How are you here?"
...
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