Chapter 419: White Lingmiao

“Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom! The sun has set, and darkness fills the sky. Nine out of ten households have locked their doors. Only one door remains unlocked, where incense burns and drums beat, inviting the immortals.”

To the urgent rhythm of the drums, Bai Lingmiao circled the naked man, who was bound at the limbs in the center of the room, while she continued to beat her drum.

In the corner, a group of people, men, women, and children, huddled together, trembling with tears in their eyes.

“Today, auspiciously, I ascend the pass, with the Southern Dipper aligned with the Northern Dipper.Before ascending the pass, I first spray the sacred water three times.Stepping towards the west, south, and north, Heaven above and Earth below,May demons and ghosts flee far away!”

As Bai Lingmiao sang this part of the ‘Soldier Summoning Incantation,’ she immediately removed the red veil from her head, soaked it in a nearby water vat, and then, still dripping, placed it directly over the man’s face.

Instantly, the bound man let out a horrifying, wailing scream.

The water-soaked red veil, accompanied by the drumbeats, constantly shifted its appearance. At times it bulged, forming a splitting wolf’s head; at others, it sank into a skull, resembling a cluster of four intertwined snakes.

The screams grew louder and louder, reaching a crescendo. At that peak, the man’s body suddenly tensed like a drawn bow before he collapsed onto the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a faint, translucent red mist figure crawled out from under the red veil and swiftly darted towards a nearby pillar.

Bai Lingmiao remained still until the small mist figure disappeared into a corner of the pillar. Only then did she approach it.

When Ershen’s sharp nails plunged into the wooden beam and forcefully pried it open, a miniature, blood-red palace appeared before them, accompanied by the sound of cracking wood.

This small palace didn't seem to have been crafted elsewhere and then inserted; rather, it appeared to have been sculpted directly from the core of the pillar.

“Have you offended someone?” she asked.

Ershen’s black nails quickly scraped across it, and the entire miniature palace instantly collapsed, its striking red color rapidly fading.

Upon seeing the copper coins offered by the distressed family, Bai Lingmiao glanced at their destitute home. She didn't take the money; instead, she simply turned and left.

“These few coins are too bothersome to carry. Keep them to repair the pillar. Think carefully about who installed this beam, and remember to steer clear next time.”

As Bai Lingmiao stepped out and settled into her carriage, she let out a sigh of relief. “This kind of work is really hard to come by.”

Chun Xiaoman waited for Ershen, who was behind, to bend her legs and climb into the carriage before lightly shaking the reins, setting the carriage off in the direction of Niuxin Village. “Miaomiao, I suppose this month’s immortal task is complete?”

Hearing Chun Xiaoman’s words, Bai Lingmiao nodded. “Yes, but only for this month. Next month, we’ll have to start over.”

With that, she leaned back, lying prostrate on the carriage, and picked up a book, opening it to read.

The book’s content was simple: on the left side was the character for “duck,” and on the right was a drawing of a duck.

Holding a wooden stick, Bai Lingmiao meticulously traced the character for “duck” repeatedly, very focused.

Once she had firmly committed the character to memory, she turned to the next page. This time, it was the character for “pig.”

This particular book for learning characters was not sold anywhere else; it was personally drawn by Gao Zhijian.

Beneath the ancestral hall, there were many scriptures and cultivation methods, but they were all recorded in written characters. To understand what her ancestors had left her, she had to learn to read.

As the carriage wheels creaked, the sky gradually darkened. When Chun Xiaoman pulled back the curtain, the interior was pitch black, with only a pair of luminous green beast eyes floating in the air.

“Miaomiao, it’s so late. Shall we camp out here tonight?”

“You go ahead and do what you need to. I’ll keep reading.”

Hearing her reply, Chun Xiaoman sighed softly, lowered the curtain, and went to gather firewood.

Miaomiao’s personality had changed, and so had her approach to tasks. She had become incredibly stubborn and determined.

Once she decided to learn to read, she spent all her remaining time, apart from eating and drinking, engrossed in the book, seemingly resolved not to stop until she mastered it.

Just as Chun Xiaoman, carrying enough firewood, built a bonfire beside the carriage, she saw Ershen, holding some wild vegetables, standing silently before her.

“Thanks. I’ll get the pot. You keep an eye on the fire and don’t let it go out.”

They didn't need the large pot they used to have; a normal small iron pot would suffice for two people. Chun Xiaoman broke the flatbread into small pieces and threw them into the pot.

When the bread was half-soft, she added some dried meat and wild vegetables, and a makeshift dinner was ready.

Seeing Bai Lingmiao still holding the book even while eating, Chun Xiaoman shook her head in mild exasperation. Her sister was becoming obsessed.

“Why go to all this trouble? Doesn't Gao Zhijian know how to read?”

“It’s better to rely on yourself than on heaven or earth. Besides, his brain isn't sharp enough. What if he reads something wrong? You wouldn’t even know.”

“Have you forgotten how Li Huowang tricked that bald man? I don't want to repeat that mistake.”

“Then how about inviting some teachers?”

“Yes, that’s a great idea,” Bai Lingmiao retorted sarcastically. “And then those teachers can find out I’m a remnant of the White Lotus Society and report me to the Bureau of Celestial Observation.”

Chun Xiaoman frowned slightly. The old Miaomiao would never have mocked her like this.

Her dissatisfaction eased a little only when Ershen used chopsticks to place two pieces of meat into Chun Xiaoman’s bowl.

“You’re the best,” Chun Xiaoman murmured, leaning gently against Ershen's shoulder, and continued eating her flatbread soaked in vegetable and meat broth.

After eating, the two lay down to rest, side by side, back to back.

With a soft touch, Bai Lingmiao's hand rested on Chun Xiaoman's shoulder, gradually dispelling the lingering discontent in Chun Xiaoman's heart.

She turned over and, as in the past, gently embraced Bai Lingmiao's closed eyes. No matter how much Bai Lingmiao had changed, Miaomiao was still the good sister who comforted her in her most vulnerable moments.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, another body pressed against her back—it was Ershen’s.

“Oh, you two…” Chun Xiaoman simply lay flat, sleeping with an arm around each of them.

The next day, when Chun Xiaoman woke up again, she realized the carriage was already moving.

She yawned and came to the front to take the reins from Ershen, but Ershen wouldn't let go.

“I’m here now. I won’t get tired. It’s just driving a carriage, not walking the whole way.”

As they were bickering, a small county town appeared before them. Various tenant farmers, carrying all sorts of game, bamboo baskets, and furs, were hurrying towards it.

“Oh, right, today is the fifteenth. It's market day.”

As the carriage entered the town, a buzzing clamor rose around them. Both sides of the street were filled with vendors and shoppers.

Many people were also out and about without buying anything, making the streets very congested and slowing the carriage to a crawl.

“Why is it so noisy?” Bai Lingmiao, looking annoyed, pulled back the carriage curtain. The bright sunlight nearly blinded her.

Just as she was about to reach for the silk ribbon Li Huowang had tied to her wrist to cover her eyes, she unexpectedly spotted a familiar face.

“Xiaoman, isn’t that Scholar Lu?”