第一百二十八章：红袖

"This... "
“还用说吗？”
“肯定是遇到妖魔，被吸干了血肉精髓！”
"Tch, I thought he was a master, but he turned into a dried corpse in an instant." Please note that the text contains colloquial expressions that may not have an exact translation.
"There is no way, specialization is the key. This Xiahou Jianke should be a martial sword cultivator. Although his personal sword fighting is fierce and ruthless, he lacks the corresponding methods against demons and monsters. The sharpness of his sword is unable to harm the opponent, so he is bound to suffer!"
"Yan Chixia is also a sword cultivator in martial arts, and it seems that he is slightly stronger than Xiahou Jianke. How dare he live in the Lanruo Temple? Could it be that he has other means?"
The crowd was in heated discussion, speculating and doubting each other.
Su Wen is not eager to reveal the mystery: "Let's not talk about how Xiahou Jianke ended up in such a situation for now. Yan Chixia looked at the withered and skin-and-bones corpse and sighed, softly saying: Xiahou, my dear Xiahou, in life you were entangled in fame, but in death, you are nothing but a lifeless body. Why suffer like this? Don't worry, I won't let you become a corpse exposed in the wilderness."
After saying that, he picked up the dried corpse of Xiahou Jianke, preparing to give it a proper burial.
“却不想……”
Suddenly, Su Wen's gaze turned icy, and his aura changed abruptly: "The dried corpse in Yan Chixia's arms suddenly opened its eyes!"
"Hiss!"
"Suddenly, the corpse opened its eyes. With a gust of cold wind, its withered hands grabbed Yan Chixia directly and its mouth went straight for his neck, intending to feed on human flesh and blood to restore its own vitality!"
"This... "
"Still not dead?"
The crowd was shocked.
Yan Chixia was also shocked and hurriedly reached out to cover the throat of the dried corpse. However, unexpectedly, the flesh and blood of the corpse dried up completely, and it possessed an unimaginable strength. Yan Chixia could hardly resist and quickly pulled out a gold needle about three inches long from his waist. He inserted it into the dried corpse's brow and immediately the demonic energy scattered, and the essence surged as the dried corpse let out a mournful howl.
“果然还有其他手段！”
众人眼前一亮，凝神倾听。
Su Wen spoke in a deep voice, "Yan Chixia breaks the zombie's power with a golden needle, then uses his internal energy to pin the zombie to the stone beach. He takes out a talisman, ignites it with his mana, and throws it onto the zombie, causing it to burst into flames."
"Burning in true fire, the dried corpse wails, and after a moment, turns into ashes."
"Yan Chixia gazes at the ashes of Xiahou Jianke's corpse, anger filling his eyes. He then looks around at the shadowy, sinister forest and shouts, 'Monster, I will not rest until I have dealt with you!'"
“With that, he jumped up and flew into the woods, venting his rage, wanting to force out the trace of the monster.”
Su Wen knocked on the folding fan and explained, "No wonder Yan Chixia is burning with such fury. Ordinary corpses cannot possess such great power. It must be the work of a demon. The demon left a hidden hand in the corpse to ambush Yan Chixia. Yan Chixia knows it well and hates the demon's wanton killing. That's why he is wreaking havoc in the woods, forcing the demon to reveal itself."
“Will the monster appear?”
“Let's not discuss that for now!”
Su Wen smiled and changed the topic: "In the Lanruo Temple, where the lights are lit, Ning Caichen has spread out the wet account book and carefully roasted it near the fire pit. Then he took out books and dry rations, and ate while reading."
Although he may not understand the intricacies of human relationships, his somewhat naive and old-fashioned bookworm character is indeed a diligent and eager learner. He tirelessly studies while working to make a living, and even plans to go to the capital next year to take the imperial examination and serve the country.
Even in the ancient monastery, he never forgets to study diligently, with his eyes buried in books, and his ears oblivious to the outside world. He single-mindedly devotes himself to studying the teachings of sages, completely ignorant of the agonized cries from outside the Orchid Monastery and the commotion next door caused by Yan Chixia.
“就在他用心苦读之时，忽然……”
Su Wan inexplicably smiled and asked, "Outside the side hall, the wind howled as a white figure floated over. Surprisingly, it was a woman dressed in white, exceptionally beautiful and exuding a cold aura. With her delicate and refined demeanor, she displayed the elegance of a refined young lady, captivating the hearts of those who saw her."
"Yes?"
“不是妖魔吗？”
“怎么来了个女的？”
“What's so strange? Monsters and demons often use this to confuse people, and then devour their life force and essence!” Translated:
"Ning Shusheng is in danger!"
The crowd spoke anxiously.
Su Wenqing smiled lightly and continued, "The woman in white entered the side hall, looking at Ning Caichen who was studying diligently, softly calling out, 'Young master!'"
Ning Caichen looked up and followed the sound, only to see a young girl whom he had never seen before. He was surprised and asked, "Miss, who are you and how did you end up here?"
The girl in white approached and with a delicate and fearful look on her face, she said to Ning Caichen, "Sir, I am from Jinhua Prefecture. Today, I came with my parents to visit relatives in Guobei County. Unexpectedly, we encountered bandits on the way and in the chaos, I got separated from my family. Panicked and lost, I wandered here and saw a temple with fire inside, so I came here seeking help."
Upon hearing this, Ning Caichen also had no doubts about the existence of another person. "So that's how it is. Miss, rest assured. We are not far from Guobei County. Please stay here for the night and rest. Tomorrow, I will take you to the county to report to the officials and search for your scattered parents and relatives."
After speaking, Ning Caichen stood up and gave up his prepared bed, saying, "If the young lady doesn't mind, you can rest here tonight, and I will stay next door. If you need anything, just call out."
"This... "
“他是真傻还是假傻？”
“世上还有这么老实的男人？”
“换做是我，早就……嘿嘿嘿！”
“换做是你，人门都不进你信不信？”
“就是，你以为妖魔鬼魅就不挑食啊？”
众人又是一阵哂笑。
苏问节奏不变：“宁采臣如此举动，白衣女子也是一呆，随后才反应过来，急忙上前将他拉住，不知从哪里取出一根金条，交给宁采臣。
Speaking, "Young Master, I am indebted to your great grace and virtue. I have no way to repay you. Please accept this small amount of gold and silver. Moreover, Young Master doesn't need to stay next door. Just stay here with me..."
The woman spoke earnestly, leaning closer, but to her surprise, Ning Caichen's expression changed drastically. He waved his hand to push her away and said with righteousness, "Young lady, please behave yourself. I am not someone who lusts after wealth or takes advantage of others' misfortune. I am not a despicable person!"
After saying that, he didn't care about the woman and turned to the next room.
"This... "
"He is not moved by a beautiful woman, nor is he moved by gold?"
"Where in the world can you find such a fool?"
“也就书里能见到了！”
“苏先生，你这故事说到这里，都是一些俗套啊，一点新奇都没有！”
台下众人摇头，对这段情节并不喜欢，因为这实在太俗套了，不知多少话本小说里都有这样的故事，这样的情节。
Su Wen also did not care, continued to say: "Ning Caichen arrived at the side hall, but in a moment, another person drifted over, faintly and resentfully, softly calling him young master."
"Ning Caichen looked up, but it wasn't the previous girl in white clothes, but a woman in revealing garments with a seductive posture."