Chapter 31

Chapter 31

As soon as Chen Sixi left, Jiang Xiaoxiao plopped down on the ground.

Her heart and lungs were all in distress, as if scorched by blazing fire, as if something was about to awaken.

...

At the same time, Chen Sixi, who had just summoned all the deities he could to protect himself and was about to go and beckon souls for the second time, suddenly felt the ground shake violently.

A powerful and terrifying aura descended upon them.

The crows in the woods flapped their wings and flew away, and the stray ghosts and ghouls around howled in panic, screeching and scattering.

Chen Sixi: "..."

He had heard of the night parade of a hundred ghosts.

But this was the first time he had seen a hundred ghosts cry in fright.

Look, you're all spirits, and you're crying in front of a human like this, showing no face at all?

The mountain was still shaking.

Chen Sixi couldn't think too much about it either, immediately turning to run back.

Although the Venerable was powerful, she was still a young lady. In this situation, if it really was an earthquake, he had to go back and protect her, lest he couldn't explain it to Xie Xun later.

However, when Chen Sixi returned to where Jiang Xiaoxiao had been, he witnessed an unforgettable scene.

Jiang Xiaoxiao seemed unwell, her face pale and beads of cold sweat on her forehead.

She looked like she was about to collapse.

Just as Chen Sixi was about to go over and help her up, he saw the Venerable, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly shrink down to just three inches tall in the blink of an eye.

The ground-shaking that had occurred just stopped instantly.

The surroundings gradually returned to calm.

Chen Sixi froze where he stood, almost forgetting to breathe.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com

The little thing on the ground no bigger than his palm, that was Jiang Xiaoxiao?!

"Ven... Venerable?"

Chen Sixi squatted down, picked up a small twig, and gingerly poked at Jiang Xiaoxiao with equal parts fear and caution.

Jiang Xiaoxiao had already passed out, unresponsive.

Chen Sixi felt he must be dreaming, for otherwise none of this made any sense.

Now, what was he supposed to do when faced with such a situation in a dream?

Ah, that's right, find a high place and jump off, that should wake him up.

Having figured it out, Chen Sixi quickly spotted a high point and planned to jump off from there in a moment.

Before jumping, he didn't forget to scoop up the little thing on the ground and tuck it into his sleeve.

Standing atop the mountain, listening to the howling mountain wind below, Chen Sixi took a deep breath.

This feeling was too damn real.

To be able to dream like this, he really was a genius!

Closing his eyes, Chen Sixi took a step forward, about to jump, when a voice came from behind.

"Even insects cling to life, what knot is so tangled that you must untie it by taking your own life?"

Chen Sixi turned back to see a man in white robes walking over slowly.

The disorderly burial ground had always been a gloomy and grim place.

But the man's appearance seemed to be a ray of light, instantly dissipating the aura of terror around him.

With his limited education, Chen Sixi couldn't describe the man's appearance and bearing, only the words "radiant and graceful" came to mind.

"Are you... human or spirit?"

After encountering ghosts and seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao turn into a little person, Chen Sixi was nearly deranged.

So much so that even now, he couldn't tell if this was reality or a dream.

The man in white robes came forward and gently pulled Chen Sixi away from the cliff edge.

Chen Sixi seemed to understand something, explaining, "I'm not trying to kill myself, I just want to wake up quickly."

The man didn't seem to care about Chen Sixi's reason for jumping off the cliff, only stretching out his hand, "Give her to me."

"What?" Chen Sixi instinctively took a half step back.

The man said, "The little thing in your sleeve."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sixi's expression turned vigilant, "How did you know... No, wait, who are you?"

Before the man could answer, Chen Sixi bolted down the mountain recklessly, holding his sleeve as he ran, afraid that he might lose the Venerable with a misstep.

"Woo woo woo... Xie Xun, I saw ghosts today!"

As soon as the donkey cart stopped, Chen Sixi rushed through Xie Xun's courtyard gate in a panic, crying, "So many ghosts!"

Xie Xun was watering the vegetable garden and looked over upon hearing this, "You went to the disorderly burial ground to perform rites, seeing ghosts is normal, isn't it?"

"It's not normal at all!"

Now recalling it, Chen Sixi's hair stood on end.

He then recounted in detail what happened on the mountain - how Jiang Xiaoxiao used him as a living spirit-summoning flag, how the soul-beckoning was going well until the ground started shaking violently. He was about to go check on the Venerable when he saw her shrink down to a minuscule size.

Then a man appeared out of nowhere and tried to take her away.

Xie Xun's attention was caught by that part in the middle, "You said what? She shrank?"

In her normal state, her martial prowess was formidable, enough to make even ghosts worry. Yet after being miniaturized, she could be chased around by rats and end up stuck on a doorstep, unable to get over or out.

What a contrast...

Xie Xun set down the plate of pancakes and walked over in a few strides, scooping her into his palm.

Jiang Xiaoxiao panted heavily, then her eyes turned to the plate of egg pancakes.

Indeed, she had been awakened by their aroma.

She had intended to wait for Xie Xun to finish cooking and then dig in directly, but her hunger got the better of her, and she came to the kitchen on her own.

Little did she know she would end up stuck on the doorstep!

Jiang Xiaoxiao eyed her diminutive form with dissatisfaction, her little face puffed up.

While she disliked her current state, to others, she looked indescribably adorable, capable of melting even the hardest of hearts.

Chen Sixi was still asleep in the hall, and Xie Xun suddenly didn't feel like going back in. He placed Jiang Xiaoxiao on the round wooden stool, cut the egg pancakes into smaller pieces, and put them on a smaller plate in front of her.

Just as Jiang Xiaoxiao was about to start eating, she heard a stern reprimand from above, "Wash your hands first!"

She retracted her outstretched hand.

Xie Xun squatted down, holding her soft little hand in one hand and a damp cloth in the other, carefully wiping her hands clean.

After washing her hands, Jiang Xiaoxiao happily picked up a piece of egg pancake.

Xie Xun sat beside her, watching her eat, his lips curling up slightly.

Given Jiang Xiaoxiao's appetite, two egg pancakes would definitely not be enough.

However, Xie Xun had no intention of cooking more.

After finishing the pancakes, Jiang Xiaoxiao could only eye him longingly.

Xie Xun asked her, "When you were at the Heavenly Master's Mansion, did you take medicinal baths every month?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao dreaded medicinal baths, and she didn't know where Xie Xun had learned about them. On instinct, she wanted to lie.

Xie Xun seemed to see through her intentions, saying first, "You can either tell the truth or lie to me. Think it over before answering."

His tone was full of threat.

Jiang Xiaoxiao rubbed her still-hungry little belly, deflated, and nodded in affirmation.

Although Xie Xun didn't know the benefits of medicinal baths for Jiang Xiaoxiao, he guessed that if she didn't take them, the curse would manifest prematurely, as had happened this time before the night of the full moon.

With dough still remaining, Xie Xun fried two more pancakes for her, and ate one himself.

After a simple lunch, Xie Xun prepared to take Jiang Xiaoxiao to the county to gather medicinal herbs.

Chen Sixi woke up at this moment.

Upon seeing the little creature sitting in Xie Xun's palm, he rolled his eyes, feeling faint again.

Xie Xun warned, "Dare to faint again, and I'll kick you out!"

Chen Sixi immediately sobered up, rubbing his face. He looked at Jiang Xiaoxiao again, his expression one of bewilderment.

"Xie Xun, the one you're holding, is the Master, right? Right?"

Xie Xun remained silent.

Chen Sixi continued, "But how did someone so formidable end up like this?"

As he spoke, he extended his index finger, intending to poke Jiang Xiaoxiao's little face.

Who could have imagined that someone so powerful in her normal state would become so adorable when miniaturized, with no martial ability whatsoever?

Chen Sixi found it hard to believe, but his heart was close to melting from the sheer cuteness.

Such a tiny little thing, he wanted to keep her too!

Just as his finger was about to touch Jiang Xiaoxiao's face, Xie Xun's gaze turned cold. "Touch her, and you might lose that finger."

Chen Sixi felt a real sense of threat.

He quickly retracted his hand, sniffling before complaining, "Come on, Xie Xun, I was just curious. Did you have to go that far?"

Xie Xun ignored him.

Chen Sixi couldn't help but sneak another glance at Jiang Xiaoxiao. She was still so adorable, and his desire to keep her only grew stronger.

"Xie Xun, what's going on exactly? Why did the Master become so small?"

"You don't need to know the reason," Xie Xun warned him. "When we go out, you should understand what you can and cannot say."

"I understand, I understand!" Chen Sixi nodded obsequiously.

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, right, I remember seeing a man in white robes before I passed out. Where did he go?"

Xie Xun frowned, "What man in white robes?"

"A man wearing white robes!" Chen Sixi explained forcefully. "About this tall, walking silently, with decent martial skills, it seemed."

"Oh," Xie Xun said. "I didn't see anyone."

His words sent a chill down Chen Sixi's spine. "You really didn't see him?"

If so, then who was the person he encountered? Surely not another ghost?

On Cangwu Mountain, it was because the Master needed to exorcise ghosts that he had temporarily become a living target to lure them in.

But they were now at the foot of the mountain, where ghosts supposedly couldn't follow.

So who was that man in white robes?

Xie Xun said unhurriedly, "You probably encountered another ghost."

Chen Sixi fell backward, fainting once more.