Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 24

While Yun Qing and Fu Xue were grieving in the courtyard, Madam Ding summoned her courage to come out of her room.

She carried a lantern, and because she had just been pricked by needles and suffered a fright, she walked very unsteadily, not daring to put on airs by calling for her maids. As she swayed, the lantern swayed with her.

Yun Qing heard footsteps behind her and turned to look.

Jiang Baiyu and Cheng Suiyan had also followed her out.

Many servants were peeping from rooms not far away.

Madam Ding cautiously bowed to Yun Qing and said chokingly, “Thank you, Daoists, for your help tonight. You saved my life.” As she spoke, she couldn’t help wiping away tears.

With her pale face and trembling appearance, she did look somewhat pitiful. If Yun Qing hadn’t experienced her viciousness in the dream, she might have felt sympathetic.

Madam Ding said, “As the saying goes, don’t trouble two masters with one matter. Please help us by whatever means necessary to quickly eliminate that demon. My Fan family will reward you handsomely.”

Just as Yun Qing was about to reply, Yunniang came stumbling over, fell to her knees, and pleaded:

“Immortal lady, fairyl maiden, bodhisattva! Little Tower isn’t a bad child. Please spare her! It’s all my fault. I took her home on my own initiative. If you must capture someone, capture me instead. Spare Little Tower—she’s just a child!”

Cheng Suiyan remarked quietly, “What kind of child can level an entire mansion in an instant…”

His words seemed to embolden Madam Ding, making her think someone was backing her up. She straightened her back and said harshly:

“I almost died by your hand today, and you still have the nerve to beg for mercy? When Erlang returns, I’ll make him divorce you!” As she scolded, she raised her hand to slap Yunniang’s face.

Fu Xue couldn’t bear to watch and grabbed her wrist, saying with slight anger, “We were speaking civilly. This immortal lady despises physical violence. If you cause more trouble, I’ll have to chant a spell!”

Madam Ding sheepishly withdrew her hand and looked to Yun Qing for help, “Well… Immortal lady, can you eliminate that demon?”

Yun Qing stood with her hands behind her back, maintaining a dignified posture as she answered, “It’s not impossible.”

“Ah, thank you, immortal lady, thank you!”

“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t finished speaking.” Yun Qing tilted her head slightly, looking proud. “My fee is very high.”

Madam Ding hadn’t expected this cultivator to be so direct. After a moment of surprise, she asked, “How much?”

Yun Qing held up one finger and waggled it. “Ten thousand taels.”

Fu Xue secretly gave Yun Qing a thumbs-up: Senior sister, that’s extortionate—well done!

Madam Ding was shocked by the figure and couldn’t help but inwardly complain about how these religious practitioners were greedier than one another.

Seeing her hesitation, Yun Qing shook her head. “If you don’t agree, forget it. Just let this little doll live in your home. Didn’t you always want children?”

“I agree, I agree! Ten thousand taels it is. But I can’t gather that much money right away…”

“No problem, just write an IOU first. Naturally, I’m not worried about you reneging.”

Madam Ding trembled with fear and smiled awkwardly. “I wouldn’t dare…”

Seeing the matter was settled, Yunniang felt utterly hopeless. She suddenly stood up and said angrily, “Immortal lady, if you don’t spare Little Tower, I’ll… I’ll… I’ll kill myself in front of you!”

Yun Qing gave her a bewildered look.

Seeing no reaction, Yunniang put on a resolute expression and violently rushed toward the courtyard wall.

Just as her forehead was about to touch the wall, she seemed to hit an invisible cushion. Her speed was hindered, and then she was gently bounced back, finally landing in a sitting position on the ground.

Yun Qing walked to her and looked at her quietly, saying, “From your birth until your marriage, your grandfather worked hard for fifteen years, just to give you confidence.

Mingyue Tower, Mingyue Tower—he so hoped you would live like the bright moon: pure and radiant, not debasing yourself, always ready to throw away your body, dignity, or even life at the slightest provocation.

Life in this world naturally has many hardships. If you were truly tired of living, I could understand. But now you’re using your own life to threaten others?

You don’t cherish yourself, yet you expect others to value you? What dream are you having?”

Yun Qing spoke expressionlessly, but her increasingly rapid speech betrayed her current unhappiness. Jiang Baiyu raised his hand and gently pressed her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

Fu Xue squeezed past Jiang Baiyu, linked arms with Yun Qing, and whispered, “Senior sister, let’s not get angry.”

Yun Qing shook her head. “Let’s go. We’ll catch that vessel spirit first.”

“How shall we catch her? If we could fight her directly, we wouldn’t fear her, but she’s so cunning. Who knows where she’s hiding now? She can possess even a pebble in this mansion, can’t she?”

“No matter how well she hides, she can’t leave the Fan Mansion.” Yun Qing glanced at Jiang Baiyu. “Baiyu, I need your help.”

Jiang Baiyu seemed to guess her thoughts and nodded slightly. “Mm.”

When the four left the courtyard, Yunniang still sat on the ground, stunned and dazed, like a statue.

****

The formation Yun Qing had set along the Fan Mansion’s walls was called “Rabbit Trap.” It functioned similarly to a spirit-trapping formation but worked completely differently. She had placed it earlier while searching the estate.

Earlier, she had activated the formation while pursuing Little Tower, and had been maintaining it with her cultivation to prevent the naughty child from escaping.

Now, Yun Qing’s plan for finding Little Tower was simple and direct:

First, divide the entire Fan Mansion into nine equal parts and set up nine spirit-trapping formations simultaneously to determine which formation contained Little Tower. Then, abandon the other eight formations and continue setting up nine smaller spirit-trapping formations within the identified area, and so on.

This plan required powerful cultivation to support it. Yun Qing needed to maintain the Rabbit Trap formation, and she didn’t want to exhaust herself. Since Fu Xue couldn’t handle it alone, she naturally thought of Jiang Baiyu first.

They divided the Fan Mansion into nine parts, with Jiang Baiyu responsible for six and Fu Xue handling three. Cheng Suiyan observed from the side, learning.

The night wind billowed as Jiang Baiyu and Fu Xue almost simultaneously rose into the air, drew their swords and held them before them, closing their eyes and softly chanting spells.

Under their feet, symbols drawn with cinnabar emitted peculiar radiance, with the symbols under Jiang Baiyu shining somewhat brighter than Fu Xue’s.

Yun Qing also rose into the air, simply to see more clearly. Scanning around, she noticed a green light cluster jumping in the northwest corner and pointed, “There!” After speaking, she landed and rushed over first.

Jiang Baiyu and Fu Xue had also discovered it, so they dismissed the other formations, leaving only that one.

Little Tower tried to flee again, but Yun Qing laughed, “Run? Hehe, can you escape?”

She indeed stopped running and stood with her hands on her hips, cursing loudly, “Stinking Daoists, you’re too despicable!”

Cheng Suiyan couldn’t help saying, “Such a tiny child, but quite bold with insults.”

Yun Qing smiled and said, “You used a lot of energy demolishing the house earlier, didn’t you?”

Little Tower remained silent, a flash of panic crossing her face.

Yun Qing: “I love eating children. After I catch you, let me think… should I roast you or fry you?”

Jiang Baiyu gave her an amused look. “Steam her, with plenty of ginger.”

Little Tower cried in terror, running around wildly. “Wuwuwu, big sister, save me!!!”

Jiang Baiyu caught her in a few moves and brought her before Yun Qing.

Little Tower helplessly flailed her arms in the air while crying, “Please spare me, I’m made of wood, really not tasty at all!”

Yun Qing pinched her round cheeks. “Then you must answer my questions.”

“Okay, okay…”

“I’m not afraid of you lying,” Yun Qing smiled, glancing at Baiyu. “Baiyu, Incantation of Truth.”