Chapter 41: Such a Long Night

In the profound darkness, light gradually emerged. It was the flickering flame of a candle.

A pale orange halo spread from the candle flame, like a faint mist, enveloping the ordinary wooden house. The dark brown timber walls looked somewhat ancient, yet they were free of cobwebs. On the table, a bamboo cover concealed leftover food. A girl of seven or eight years old lay prone beside the table, swinging her legs, casting a resentful glance at a boy sitting on the threshold, gnawing on a piece of fruit.

Ning Changjiu instantly recognized the boy as the girl's younger brother.

Her mother was weaving a bamboo mat by the door, talking to her brother, who listened absently.

Her father was splitting firewood nearby; he looked strong and youthful for his age.

Although this family wasn't wealthy, they seemed to be living a good life in an era of peace.

Just as Ning Changjiu was trying to understand the family dynamics of Ning Xiaoling's household, disaster struck in an instant.

The little girl had not lied to him; when she said it was the most crucial moment, it truly was.

An unknown wind sliced past like an arrow, and the candle flame flickered out. Suddenly, hoofbeats outside the door sounded like they were tearing up the ground. Drums pounded in her ears, followed by the screams of women and children from outside.

Ning Xiaoling was also stunned with fear. She cried out her father's name, but though she opened her mouth, no sound came out.

A strong gust of wind, like an invisible hand, swept her off her feet and onto the ground.

"Mountain demons... it's mountain demons... they've broken in!"

People outside shouted, and house doors rapidly slammed shut, banging in unison. On the street, a pack of wild beasts, resembling wolves but wreathed in black flames, charged out and incessantly slammed against the large doors.

Evil spirits and demons had been causing chaos among humans for a long time. If this was the situation in the city, then small towns near desolate mountains and wilderness areas would be utterly deserted after a few waves of mountain demon attacks.

To these mountain demons, the city seemed like a fenced enclosure, where their prey was kept and periodically hunted.

Most of them were formed by mountain ghosts congregating and attaching themselves to living animals, stripping them of their minds but simultaneously stimulating their bloodlines, causing their bodies to swell several times in size, becoming terrifyingly grotesque.

Ning Xiaoling heard the shouts. In the darkness, she heard a series of rapid knocks on the door, followed by what sounded like her mother's scream. She called out for her parents several times, but there was no answer. Then, she heard her younger brother crying.

Ning Xiaoling rushed to his side and asked, "Where's Mother?"

Her brother sobbed, "Mother's still outside..."

Ning Xiaoling was horrified. In the complete darkness, her brother had instinctively run back into the house and closed the door.

She recalled the scream from moments ago and felt a chill run through her. She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. The little boy fell to the ground, and in a tearful voice, he cried, "I was saving your life! What are you pretending for? Why didn't *you* open the door when Mother knocked?"

Ning Xiaoling felt a chill throughout her body. The surroundings were pitch black, and she couldn't see the boy's face. Her mind felt like a chaotic mess, all emotions having bitterly intertwined the moment darkness fell, now erupting completely.

The little boy covered his mouth and ran towards the stove.

Legend had it that kitchen stoves were protected by the Kitchen God, and evil spirits generally dared not approach them.

Ning Xiaoling frantically reached out and found the wooden door. The moment her hand touched the bolt, she remembered her mother's scream. Her blood surged with emotion, and in a sudden impulse, she pulled out the bolt and rushed out.

The little boy shouted from behind her, "Are you crazy? Close the door! I don't want to die with you, you good-for-nothing!"

In fact, the moment Ning Xiaoling opened the door, she regretted it.

She vaguely saw a pool of blood and flesh on the ground. She dared not identify it, feeling only dizzy and disoriented.

There was no moon in the sky, and the demon-hunting sorcerers were nowhere to be found. The pungent smell of blood assailed her nostrils, and gusts of demonic wind cut her face like knives. The fear of death instantly overwhelmed her familial affection. Her legs went weak, and she stumbled, her body collapsing. She felt her hand touch something sticky and still warm.

She dared not think what it was. Her mouth hung half-open; she couldn't even let out an instinctive scream.

A dark shadow darted behind her, seemingly not noticing a small-framed girl there, and simply trampled over her.

Fortunately, it wasn't a full-grown mountain demon, or Ning Xiaoling's spine would have been completely shattered. Yet, even this small mountain demon sent shockwaves through her organs, and a sweet taste in her throat was followed by a spurt of blood.

Relying on instinct, Ning Xiaoling struggled to her feet, wanting to run back inside. But the stomp had disoriented her, making her body feel as heavy as lead. Unable to tell which way was which, she ran towards the street.

After a few steps, she realized she had gone the wrong way, but it was too late to turn back.

She kept running when she suddenly heard a sound: the languid notes of string and wind instruments. She wondered if she was mistaken. How could anyone be playing music on a day when mountain demons were attacking the city?

Her footsteps were relentless as she followed the sound, running until she vaguely saw a tall gate. The music drifted from within. She tried to ascend the steps but tripped, her body colliding with the door with a thud.

Dazed and disoriented, the door suddenly opened, and light fell upon her. She felt a gentle gaze, mixed with a hint of surprise, fixed on her.

"Is that you?" a girl's voice asked. "Come in with me."

Ning Xiaoling was pulled by a fair, delicate hand and, in a daze, stepped through the gate. The moment the great door closed, all the darkness seemed to be shut out behind her. Before her stood a lantern tower ablaze with light. Maids with lanterns moved through the winding courtyards, and the sounds of strings and flutes flowed like a babbling brook beneath a bridge. Lotus-shaped crimson lanterns floated down the water, their reflections creating myriad soft and vibrant patches of color.

The brightly lit pavilion shone exceptionally brilliantly amidst the beautiful lanterns, as if it sought to steal all colors from the world. Figures moved to and fro within the building, and through the half-open windows, the graceful and beautiful forms of dancing courtesans could be seen.

Ning Xiaoling's eyes widened. She wondered if she had fallen into a dream and involuntarily shed tears.

"What's wrong?" the girl who had pulled her in asked.

Ning Xiaoling stood stunned for a long time before finally shifting her feet and saying, "Outside... there are mountain demons... they're... killing people! How can you still..."

Her voice was a little shaky, and she struggled to form proper sentences.

The luxuriously dressed girl smiled faintly. "This is Jinxiu Garden. There are cultivators residing here. Those mountain demons are merely petty imps; they wouldn't dare to pass through here."

"Petty imps..." Ning Changjiu murmured, repeating the phrase. She secretly wiped her blood-stained hands on the corner of her clothes, her face a ghastly white.

She remembered her parents' screams, the chunks of flesh scattered on the ground, and wondered how these could be considered "petty imps."

She looked up, daring not to gaze at the festive lantern tower before her, where singing and dancing continued. It was as if the demonic wind sweeping through the city, leaving corpses everywhere, couldn't touch this place at all. That was the disaster of ordinary people, never theirs.

She fearfully wanted to retreat, feeling that everyone coming and going in that building was a devil.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked her again.

Ning Xiaoling knew this noble young lady. She had met her a few times while carrying water. This lady was very kind-hearted and had once had her servants buy steamed buns for Ning Xiaoling to eat.

Ning Xiaoling asked, "Why did you open the door for me?"

The noble young lady replied, "The mountain demons don't dare approach here. I was just coming downstairs and happened to hear a banging at the door, so I came to see. It is indeed dangerous outside now; you can stay here for the night."

Ning Xiaoling stared blankly. "What about... everyone else?"

The noble young lady sighed. "Mountain demons are endless. They hide deep in the mountains, and ordinary cultivators who go after them face near certain death."

Ning Xiaoling asked, "Then... what about those legendary immortals?"

The noble young lady replied with a slight sneer, "Immortals don't concern themselves with the lives or deaths of mortals."

Just as they, too, disregarded the lives and deaths of ordinary people.

Ning Xiaoling felt something was wrong, yet at the same time, it seemed as if this was simply how things were, just as she wouldn't concern herself with the lives of birds and beasts, or the existence of mayflies and ants.

"What happened to your family?" the noble young lady asked.

A pang of sadness struck Ning Xiaoling's heart, and tears streamed down her face again.

The noble young lady sighed softly, "Then find an empty room and stay there for the night."

As she spoke, the noble young lady released her hand and walked towards the brightly lit pleasure house.

Ning Xiaoling stood rooted to the spot, at the boundary between light and darkness, like a child who had lost a toy, helpless and bewildered.

She walked to a dimly lit corner, slowly crouched down, hugged her knees, and buried her head. It was still early spring, and the night was cold; she shivered ceaselessly, her body gradually growing stiff.

A song echoed in her ears, repeating again and again:

"Rouge Pavilion,Brocade Garden,Pear trees piled with snow, peach blossoms overflowing.Behold tonight's small pavilion lantern feast,Filled with beautiful times and lovely couples.When the Jade Toad hangs in the sky at midnight,Ascend the White Cloud Temple again..."

Again and again, the song was clear and ethereal, like murmurs in a dream.

As she listened, she memorized it. Her body seemed to rise with the wind, ascending to the White Cloud Immortal Temple on the Jade Toad in the sky.

It wasn't until cockcrow that someone woke her.

"Why are you sleeping here?" She saw the noble young lady's somewhat annoyed face again. "Never mind. I'll send someone to escort you home."

Ning Xiaoling suddenly shook her head vigorously. "I... I know the way myself."

At dawn, she suddenly awoke, and as if fleeing, she ran towards the door.

Outside, on many streets, there was a terrible scene of slaughter. City soldiers had fought the mountain demons all night. The ground was littered with the bodies of soldiers and mountain demons alike, a complete mess.

Now, the great battle seemed to have ended, and many armored figures began clearing street after street.

"Whose child are you? Why are you still out here? Where were you all night?" She suddenly heard a soldier's stern voice from behind her.

Ning Xiaoling responded with a sound and then quickly ran towards her home.

As she ran, she vaguely overheard a soldier complaining, "If only a few of those cultivators would come, wouldn't killing them be as easy as slaughtering chickens? But they just refuse to act. Oh, so many people die needlessly every time. Cultivation truly goes to the dogs..."

"Cultivators..." Ning Xiaoling felt a little dizzy. She suddenly recalled the couplet outside Jinxiu Garden's gate. She couldn't read, but she had heard people recite the second line:

"May their path of cultivation last as long as heaven.""Last as long as heaven..."

She ran back home. The moment her foot crossed the threshold, a chill wind assailed her face.

"Brother?" she called out uncertainly, looking at the trembling figure in the corner.

The figure turned its head, revealing a hairy, sharp-snouted, monkey-like face.

This was a creature that had escaped the slaughter of the night.

Ning Xiaoling let out a scream, wanting to recoil, but it felt as if something was binding her, making her utterly powerless.

The small mountain demon's eerie green eyes stared at her, then a chilling glint pierced her to the bone. It let out a sharp cry and pounced.