Chapter 128: The Truth About the Nu-Tong

"What is a 'Bug Chamber'?" Hua Yuyan asked, her face turning pale.

The very name "Bug Chamber" was enough to make one's skin crawl.

The lead Miao woman smiled, a sweetness that carried a sharp, venomous edge. "The Bug Chamber is where we raise our gu outside the village. You are so young and beautiful, like a blooming flower; if you could be raised into a gu-human, you would surely be able to bewitch many men and serve our Female Dong Village well."

"Wait!" I shouted immediately. "This has nothing to do with her! Let her go!" It seemed the restaurant owner was right; this Female Dong Village was indeed no place for a woman—especially a young and beautiful one. If they came here, they would be raised as gu-humans.

Furthermore, the art of gu was treacherous and impossible to guard against.

If Hua Yuyan were truly taken to the Bug Chamber or, worse, turned into a gu-human, it would be my fault. As the women prepared to seize her, I clenched my fists and unleashed my inner energy, snapping the ropes that bound me. The women who were escorting me were sent staggering backward, reeling from the sudden burst of power.

I stood up and walked toward them.

The women holding Hua Yuyan were startled by my display of skill. Seeing me approach, they immediately released her, their faces showing fear, and they dared not touch her again.

"I’m fine, Lin Yi. Gu arts won't necessarily be able to hurt me. If we can't get into the village, wouldn't this trip be in vain?" Hua Yuyan whispered to me.

"No, you cannot take that risk," I insisted.

Hua Yuyan looked at me, her gaze burning intensely.

The force I had used to break my ropes had intimidated the Miao women, yet among them, one remained completely unmoved.

"Lin Yi."

Suddenly, the lead Miao woman called my name.

I instinctively turned to look. She was staring straight at me, wearing that same sweet, venomous smile. For some reason, I suddenly felt as if I had fallen into an icy abyss; cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I stumbled, nearly collapsing.

What was happening?

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my mind.

Hua Yuyan noticed my condition and asked, "Lin Yi, what's wrong?"

But no sooner had she spoken than she, too, began to sway. Cold sweat drenched her, and soon, unable to support herself, she collapsed to the ground.

I tried to reach out to catch her, but I also began to wobble, my body failing me. The Miao woman before me wore a strange smile, her image blurring and doubling in my vision.

"Lin Yi..."

Her voice echoed in my mind like a ghost reaper coming for my soul.

I gritted my teeth, fighting to regain my composure, but I could clearly feel my consciousness scattering, unable to focus. Finally, I could hold on no longer and fell.

"Tie them up. Take the man to the Flower Tower and the woman to the Bug Chamber."

With those words, the women bound us tightly and carried us in opposite directions toward the village. After what felt like a long, dizzying journey, I was vaguely aware of being placed on a bed in a wooden building. After that, I remember nothing.

When I regained consciousness, it was already the next day.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the wooden walls, casting dazzling patterns on the floor. I was dazed for a moment, then recalled the events of the previous night. I scrambled up, checking my clothes; I was still dressed, which brought me a small sense of relief. At least nothing had happened.

What had happened to me last night? Could that Miao woman possess some kind of soul-stealing sorcery?

The door was shut, and there was no sound outside. I carefully climbed off the bed and walked to the window to peek out. The location was high up, offering a view of the entire village, filled with wooden buildings and numerous paulownia trees. However, it looked different from what I had seen outside the village yesterday.

The paulownia trees here were enormous; one nearby seemed as thick as the combined reach of four or five men.

Seeing the trees reminded me of Weiyang. The Phoenix clan lived in paulownia forests, and while this place didn't look like the forest from my dreams, it carried a similar aura. Still, my grandfather had said that the paulownia forests had vanished over a thousand years ago, becoming dead land, so their existence here was impossible.

Just then, I heard someone coming up the stairs. Peering through a gap in the window, I saw it was the lead Miao woman from yesterday.

I hid silently behind the door.

As she entered, I struck, but she dodged with a graceful flip. The next second, a Miao blade was pressed against my throat with lightning speed. Her agility was astonishing.

"Well, how was your stay?" she asked, that sweet, venomous smile returning.

"What have you done with Hua Yuyan?" I demanded.

"Village rules, of course. She was sent to the Bug Chamber to feed the gu," she replied.

My heart sank. I stared at her. "Where is the Bug Chamber?"

She burst into a giggle. "Don't be so anxious. She’s fine. I was teasing you."

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"The 'Bug Chamber' she’s staying in is actually our guest room. You two were both struck by a soul-stealing gu last night. If I hadn't saved you, who knows what would have happened to you!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"The village you visited last night is not far from our Female Dong Village, but it is a deserted 'ghost village'—there isn't a single living soul there. If you stay there, you’ll encounter nothing but malevolent mountain spirits and ghosts. Before you even arrived, someone had already set a soul-stealing gu mist there. If I hadn't saved you, you would have walked into a dead end."

"If you don't believe me, test your own strength."

She sheathed her blade and struck at me with her palm. I raised my hand to block, but the force of her blow sent me stumbling. I could feel no inner energy within me; I couldn't channel any technique at all.

"Don't worry. I gave you the antidote to the soul-stealing gu yesterday. You'll recover within a day," she said. "Our mistress wishes to see you. Follow me."

"Who is your mistress?" I asked.

"You'll know when you see her."

The woman led me to a towering wooden building constructed against a massive paulownia tree. It looked ancient, and the tree was breathtakingly large, easily needing a dozen people to encircle it. I realized this village was nothing like the legends.

"Our mistress is inside. Go on."

Filled with curiosity, I lifted the bamboo curtain and stepped in.

A refreshing fragrance filled the room, instantly calming my mind. I saw a woman dressed in Miao attire, standing by the window and looking into the distance. I only saw her profile, but my heart began to race.

The face was so familiar.

So familiar that it felt like a dream. I thought I might be hallucinating, but in that moment, I saw her clearly.

"Weiyang!"

As I called her name, my heart was a whirlwind of emotions, but excitement dominated. Tears welled up and fell.

She turned to look at me and asked, "Why do you address me thus?"

Her question reminded me of my grandfather’s words. Weiyang was of the Phoenix clan; after rebirth, she would forget her past. She had indeed forgotten. But I didn't care—as long as I knew she was alive, that was enough.

I looked at her, my face streaming with tears.

"Lin Yi," she said, "did your grandfather not tell you about me?"

Her words stunned me. How could my grandfather know that a reborn Weiyang was here? If he knew, why would he keep it from me?

Seeing my silence, she offered a faint smile—it was exactly like Weiyang’s. "I think there might be a misunderstanding. I am the Mountain Spirit of Female Dong Mountain. As for the appearance you see, it is not my true form; it is merely what you desire to see in your heart."

"Mountain Spirit? No, you are clearly Weiyang..."

"I am the Mountain Spirit of Female Dong Mountain. Having no original form, I possess a thousand faces. Whoever you hold in your heart, I become that person."

I had heard that mountain deities were often called Mountain Spirits, and that they possessed a thousand faces. Hearing this, I felt a deep, hollow sadness.

Yet, looking at her, I couldn't stay calm. I felt in my soul that she *was* Weiyang, that she had come back to life and stood right before me.

"Lin Yi, you stare at me so intensely. She must be very important to you," the Mountain Spirit said. She walked toward me, her gaze identical to Weiyang's.

I nodded.

In that moment, it felt like a dream, as if I had returned to the past with Weiyang. As if the events at the border had never happened, and she was still here.

I was lost in thought when the Mountain Spirit spoke again. "Lin Yi, your grandfather once asked me about the paulownia forest. In truth, the original paulownia forest was right here on Female Dong Mountain."