TRYMBPIETM 27: The Ancient Tree’s Deep Shade(21)

Shen Wenxu was dumbfounded.

He anxiously said, “Senior Uncle, wait a moment, my master said—”

The old master found him annoying and waved his hand dismissively, instructing others to set up the altar.

The Xuanxu Sect had been worshiping Xing Shuangzhan for over 1,200 years and was extremely familiar with the ritual process.

They had prepared thoroughly, even bringing a small white jade altar, allowing them to set up at an astonishing speed.

Shen Wenxu collapsed to the ground, his face pale as he watched his senior brothers busily working, his chest tight with anxiety.

This isn’t right.

They can’t do this.

He had many things to say. His lips moved, but nothing came out.

The members of the Paranormal Control Bureau glanced at him, showing slight sympathy, but did nothing.

According to their agreement, they could not interfere with the Xuanxu Sect’s affairs.

No matter how much they disapproved of these stubborn old-fashioned practitioners who refused to open their eyes to the world, the most they could do was complain—they couldn’t stop the ritual.

Shen Wenxu was a rare clear-headed individual within the Xuanxu Sect, but unfortunately, he was somewhat timid. Even though he knew the timing of the ritual was wrong, he lacked the authority to stop it.

A few powerful members of the Paranormal Control Bureau discussed briefly and decided to take shifts keeping watch to prevent the ritual from backfiring.

The old master glanced at the scattered Paranormal Control Bureau members with contempt, inwardly thinking that their worries were unnecessary.

They had been worshiping Xing Su for so many years and had never once failed.

Smoothing out the wrinkles on his Taoist robe, he took out three incense sticks from a bronze box engraved with candle dragons, lit them with a special talisman, and stepped onto the altar with measured steps before placing the incense into the burner.

Thin streams of smoke curled upward, rising perfectly straight.

The entire offering phase proceeded as smoothly as the old master had anticipated.

He stepped back and called for the supplicant to come forward and pray.

The supplicant was nervous, clutching the incense sticks tightly as he carefully ascended the altar.

His birth chart was unique. He had been raised by the Xuanxu Sect since childhood, learning all the necessary knowledge for rituals.

He knew that the association had nurtured him for this very moment, and though he feared the unknown, he also felt a sense of expectation he couldn’t quite describe.

Taking a few deep breaths to suppress his agitation, he shakily recited the prayer he had memorized by heart and slowly bowed.

Suddenly, a fierce wind rose, rustling the trees, yet the incense smoke remained perfectly straight.

The temperature around the altar plummeted, and within mere seconds, frost formed on the stones, grass, and soil—something that should not have occurred in early summer.

A lazy voice rang out above the altar.

“Holding a ritual at this time? Are you blind?”

“Get lost!”

As soon as the words fell, the altar shattered.

The supplicant bore the brunt of the impact and was instantly knocked unconscious by Xing Shuangzhan’s violent ghostly aura.

The flying debris struck the surrounding practitioners, causing many to cry out in pain.

The old master, standing atop the altar, was unlucky enough to be thrown off directly, rolling down the steps.

With a crisp crack, a stone struck his leg, twisting it in the wrong direction.

A wave of intense pain flooded his mind, and the old master let out a wretched scream. His face turned pale, sweat drenched his forehead, and he nearly collapsed.

Shen Wenxu was shocked and, setting aside his fear and anger, scrambled up from the ground to move the debris and help his shishu to the side for treatment.

The Paranormal Control Bureau members remained on high alert, weapons raised for a long time, but nothing else happened.

They exchanged glances.

Even the slowest among them could tell why Xing Su was angry after witnessing this scene.

Glancing at the Xuanxu Sect members, they saw that each of them was injured and looked embarrassed.

Scoffing, they shook their heads, put away their weapons, and resumed their search for a way into the Yuhua Mountain Range.

The old master gritted his teeth through the pain of his broken leg.

They had never encountered such a situation before—what was going on with Chi Qingzhou?!

Could even a world-ending ghost king like Xing Su be bewitched by a mere human?

A sharp alarm from a detection device interrupted the old master’s thoughts.

What happened?!

Everyone tensed and rushed over.

On the screen, the spiritual and ghostly energy levels in the Yuhua Mountain Range had skyrocketed, completely overwhelming the yin and resentment energy.

Everyone was momentarily speechless until Shen Wenxu was the first to react, a vague thought forming in his mind.

Hurriedly, he pulled out his phone. As expected, all livestreams of Scenery Along the Way had resumed.

Clicking into Chi Qingzhou’s personal livestream, his face went blank for a moment.

“Ah… M-Mr. Chi took the Ghost King Xing into the mountains?”

…..

Song Yuzhi leaned on a thick tree branch, trudging forward with uneven steps.

His face still carried traces of disbelief. He stole a glance at the person behind him.

Chi Qingzhou walked diagonally behind him, his steps steady as he occasionally looked around, as if searching for something.

Song Yuzhi couldn’t help but wonder—had the mad shaman conveyed some special message to Chi Qingzhou?

Just before entering the mountain, Chi Qingzhou had taken him to see the crazed shaman NuoQi

At the time, Song Yuzhi thought the shaman might have some instructions for him and even worried about his inability to understand Puluo language.

But the shaman never spoke a single word.

She simply stared at Chi Qingzhou for no more than three minutes before Chi Qingzhou slightly bowed and softly said, “Thank you, I’ll be careful.”

Even now, Song Yuzhi had no idea what they had communicated.

Confused, he followed Chi Qingzhou into the Yuhua Mountain Range, where Chi Qingzhou immediately handed him a cleaned tree branch.

Seeing Chi Qingzhou empty-handed, Song Yuzhi felt embarrassed and said, “Mr. Chi, my knee is really fine. It doesn’t affect my movement at all—”

Chi Qingzhou nodded quickly, replying vaguely, “Just take it. It’ll be faster this way.”

Faster?

Song Yuzhi was briefly puzzled but didn’t dare ask further. He simply gripped the branch tightly and quickened his pace up the mountain.

Strangely, the moment he held the branch, he developed a subtle intuition.

Even though he had never been to the Yuhua Mountain Range before, he felt an odd sense of familiarity.

He instinctively knew which paths were safer and even had a vague feeling that certain directions would lead him to his destination more quickly.

Only now did Song Yuzhi fully believe that he was truly Ah Lai’s fated one.

He was so moved that even climbing felt easier.

Seeing this, Chi Qingzhou quietly murmured to Xing Shuangzhan,

“His perception is strong. It looks like Ah Lai still has a long way to go before becoming a ghost god.”

Xing Shuangzhan, unbothered by his contractor’s concern for another friend, smiled and responded, “Once this is over, he should be close.”

Chi Qingzhou agreed, feeling a small sense of joy.

He hummed a tune from the PuLuo clan, and cautiously, the system emerged a small light orb from his shadow, timidly calling his name.

[That…., host.] It reminded Chi Qingzhou in a tone that Song Yuzhi couldn’t hear, [I just checked the backend and found that you’ve triggered a special mission. Would you like to accept it?]

It hinted wildly: [It’s the kind of special one, the kind you want!]

Chi Qingzhou paused: “Is it the kind related to Xing Shuangzhan?”

System No. 16594: [Yes, yes, it’s that kind, special.]

Chi Qingzhou: “What’s the specific mission?”

System: [This mission was triggered when you entered the forest just now, and it’s a bit different from what I’ve seen before. It just says ‘Slap Qu Feng’s face,’ with no other explanation.]

The system wasn’t quite sure who this ‘take the wind’ referred to, but Chi Qingzhou knew.

Qu Feng, NuoQi’s husband, Zhu Yantong’s master, had once been wanted by the Paranormal Control Bureau before changing his identity. He was a very skilled ghost master, especially knowledgeable about the PuLuo clan’s culture.

He was somehow connected to Xing Shuangzhan?

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head in confusion.

Xing Shuangzhan calmly said, “I’ve never met him. He’s probably related to those subordinates who betrayed me.”

Chi Qingzhou: “Accept it, accept it now. I remember your tasks have priority levels, right? Put this one at the highest priority.”

System: [Uh, but priority needs to be assessed…]

Chi Qingzhou fixed his gaze on it: “Hmm? Can’t change it?”

The system trembled and shouted: [Yes, yes! Host, wait a moment, I’ll handle it right away!]

Chi Qingzhou was finally satisfied.

Song Yuzhi had been walking ahead for a while and noticed that Chi Qingzhou had fallen behind. He quickly turned back to ask, “Mr. Chi, is something wrong?”

Chi Qingzhou shifted his attention, started walking again, and smiled: “Nothing, I was just checking something.”

He stepped over a decaying log in the forest, and suddenly, a violent wind began to stir in the mountains.

Leaves were blown up from the ground, swirling wildly between the tall trees, hitting their faces and causing stinging pain.

Song Yuzhi could hardly open his eyes, hurriedly raising his hand to shield his face, his voice trembling.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

Chi Qingzhou raised his head, surprised, and said, “Oh?”

Unknowingly, he had already successfully entered the PuLuo clan’s territory.

With Song Yuzhi’s lead, his visit had been silently permitted, and all the clan’s protective arrays had not been triggered.

However, the yin and resentment from the Yuhua Mountain range were flowing in one direction, as if protecting something.

Chi Qingzhou lowered his gaze and squinted his eyes slightly.

Qu Feng had successfully entered the clan’s territory for cultivation, and it turned out to rely on resentment?

Using resentment to create a false impression of a Grand Shaman’s tragic death and a body consumed by anger, combined with the Grand Shaman’s own blood, he had fooled the PuLuo clan’s territorial array. From one perspective, it was quite a brilliant method.

Chi Qingzhou muttered, “He’s quite smart, but unfortunately, this kind of intellect wasn’t used for righteous purposes.”

The wind was too strong, and Song Yuzhi didn’t catch what he said: “What?”

Chi Qingzhou raised his voice: “It’s not very safe here. Mr. Song, walk a little further up the mountain, find a bigger tree, and wait for me under it.”

“What’s going on?” Song Yuzhi asked, startled, “Mr. Chi, where are you going? I’ll go with you!”

Chi Qingzhou didn’t stop his steps and had already walked tens of meters.

He waved his hand behind him without answering.

Song Yuzhi’s face turned pale: “Mr. Chi! Mr. Chi! Don’t go! Wait for me! Don’t leave me behind!”

He shouted while desperately trying to catch up with Chi Qingzhou.

But no matter what, he couldn’t catch up with him.

Although Chi Qingzhou seemed to be walking slowly, Song Yuzhi just couldn’t keep up.

Sensing something was wrong, Song Yuzhi dared not run anymore and swallowed nervously, his eyes full of helplessness.

…

Chi Qingzhou followed the direction where the yin and resentment gathered.

Xing Shuangzhan stepped out from his shadow, his hand resting on his shoulder, adopting a protective posture.

Although he knew Chi Qingzhou didn’t need protection, Xing Shuangzhan still did it out of habit.

The two walked for about ten minutes before a huge Dragon Brain Tree^[1] appeared in front of them.

This tree was at least 60 meters tall, with a thick main trunk and dense branches and leaves.

Right under the tree, a round altar made of mountain stones was completely shaded by the tree’s canopy.

The altar had a bluish-green hue, with nine levels of stairs leading up from the bottom, carved with numerous celestial, mountain, and animal motifs.

There were channels carved in the four cardinal directions, with streams of water seemingly defying gravity, gathering toward the center of the altar and rising into a misty fog.

Chi Qingzhou stopped, looking up in a daze.

“Brother Xu, this altar looks like the one you used.”

Xing Shuangzhan didn’t answer, his fingers lightly caressing the back of his neck, offering comfort.

Chi Qingzhou, feeling the eerie presence in the center of the altar, which was strikingly similar to Xing Shuangzhan’s ghost energy, slowly lost his smile.

He took out the wooden stick he had used before and softly asked, “This person is from the same group as the ones who stole your ghost energy, right?”

…

The crew of the program Scenery Along the Way sat around in a small farmhouse courtyard, eating and chatting casually.

The director leaned against the live-streaming van, fanning himself with his hand, discussing how to write the suspension notice.

“Otherwise, we’ll say the equipment was damaged in a special segment due to insufficient preparation?”

“Do you think the audience will believe that?”

“What else can we say? Given the current situation, we might not be able to restore the live broadcast tomorrow.”

The director nodded after thinking it over and asked her to write a draft.

Then he turned to his partner, “Has Mr. Chi returned yet?”

The assistant director: “No, he probably went up the mountain with Mr. Song.”

The director clicked his tongue, but didn’t say anything else.

Minutes ago, their phone signals had been restored, and they immediately called the police.

The police had understood the situation and told them the rescue team was about to reach Yinping Village, asking them to wait for help.

Everyone decided not to return to their rooms and stayed in the courtyard to wait for the rescue team.

As for Chi Qingzhou and Song Yuzhi, they were also concerned, but they knew that with Chi Qingzhou around, Song Yuzhi would be fine.

They found a few light topics to chat about, but before long, the staff member monitoring the network movements suddenly screamed and fell off his chair!

His face turned pale, and he trembled all over: “No, no, the live stream has started by itself again!!”

Everyone froze, and the director was about to help him up when he stood still for two minutes before yelling.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

Everyone snapped out of it and crowded around, asking, “What happened? Didn’t everything seem fine earlier?”

The director was too stunned to know.

He turned pale with fear.

Finally, it was Tang Qichen who reacted the fastest. He grabbed his phone and opened Chi Qingzhou’s live stream, observing carefully.

Most of the guests on the show were ordinary people and couldn’t discern anything unusual. Only Xu Xinxi struggled for a moment before suggesting they should go up the mountain to find Chi Qingzhou.

She whispered, “Mr. Chi is the most capable and knowledgeable among us. There’s no place safer than by his side.”

Zhong Lingshu suddenly remembered what Chi Qingzhou had said about Xu Xinxi and, with a flash of understanding, immediately stood up to support Xu Xinxi’s suggestion.

The others quickly caught on and agreed to go up the mountain.

Chi Qingning, who initially wanted to mention his injuries, saw that everyone had made up their minds and didn’t say anything.

Everyone quickly packed their things. The audience, still unaware of what was happening, began flocking to the live stream, eager to watch.

Despite their anxiety, the guests had to put on a smile and interact with the audience.

Finally, after the staff finished packing, the guests found an excuse to play games and rushed to the Yuhua Mountain range.

It was fortunate that Yinping Village was close to the Yuhua Mountain range, or they wouldn’t even have been able to get up the mountain.

Most of the audience didn’t realize anything was wrong. Seeing that Chi Qingzhou and Song Yuzhi weren’t in the main group, they went to their live streams, only to become even more confused.

They couldn’t help but ask:

[Why is Mr. Song with CQZ? Isn’t their relationship special?]

[What new segment is the director trying now?]

[Is this just the program pushing CQZ too much? Using Song Yuzhi, an award-winning actor, to prop up CQZ’s fame, and the crew isn’t embarrassed?]

[LOL, what do you mean ‘pushing’? Are you implying Mr. Chi is just a pretty face?]

[Would you dare call Mr. Chi a pretty face in front of him?]

[Isn’t ‘pushing’ the truth? Look at CQZ’s status; is it even deserving?]

[Stop talking nonsense, I just want to know if you’d dare say that in front of Mr. Chi.]

[Haha, they wouldn’t dare. Afraid Mr. Chi might knock their head off.]

Those trying to pick a fight were left speechless and moved to Chi Qingning’s live stream to curse Chi Qingzhou.

Some confused fans of Song Yuzhi still thought that Chi Qingning and Song Yuzhi were friends and came to ask Chi Qingning.

With people surrounding him, Chi Qingning couldn’t be too blatant and just gave them a forced smile before limping toward the mountain top.

Tang Qichen rolled his eyes at his back but was stopped by Liang Ji before he could speak out.

Chi Qingning pretended not to notice and trudged a few dozen meters forward, feeling increasingly dizzy, when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

He looked up and found that, unbeknownst to him, dense white mist had filled the forest.

The mist grew thicker, and Chi Qingning’s head became more muddled.

By the time he realized, everyone else had disappeared.

Panicking, he took a step back, but when he turned around, everything around him changed.

The lush forest was gone, replaced by the home he had lived in for over a decade.

Unaware he had fallen into an illusion, he stood, dazed, near the entrance.

The crystal chandelier cast a cold light, and Chi Qingzhou was standing across from him, looking much younger with a joyful and innocent smile at the corner of his lips. This made Chi Qingning’s heart stir in annoyance.

This confrontation felt strangely familiar. When had he experienced something like this?

Chi Qingning tried hard to remember, and after a while, he finally realized that it was today that Chi Qingzhou was brought home by his parents.

He couldn’t help but sneer in his heart.

How ridiculous. A country bumpkin just returned from a small town, and dared to block his way?

Who gave him the guts?

Chi Qingning looked at the person in front of him and gave a restrained smile.

“What do you want?”

Chi Qingzhou smiled slightly, pointing to the villa’s entrance. “My foster parents are just outside. Aren’t you going to meet them?”

Who?

Chi Qingning reacted and realized it was his biological parents.

He glanced at Chi Qingzhou with a complicated expression. After a brief pause, his eyes were already filled with tears.

“Chi Qingzhou, I know what you’re upset about.” His voice was choked, “Although you’re the biological son, even people who keep a dog for a few years can develop feelings. My parents raised me for 19 years. I just want to spend more time with them. Is that wrong?”

The audience, unaware of the illusion, exploded.

[?? What is Chi Qingning saying?]