The Rizhao mountain range consisted of countless undulating peaks, yet Baijian Mountain was not among those connected to the main range. To the east of Rizhao lay the Nayan River, and to the south was the Withered Wood Forest; Baijian Mountain sat atop a towering peak right in the heart of that very forest.
The Withered Wood Forest was exactly as its name suggested: a vast expanse of desiccated trees where not a single blade of grass grew. Even the beasts, birds, and insects within were nothing but skeletal remains; creatures of flesh and blood were practically non-existent.
After descending from Rizhao Mountain, the group trekked along the edge of the primeval forest for over two hours before finally reaching the entrance to the Withered Wood Forest.
"...So, once we enter the forest, you must follow Senior Sister Fuhua’s footsteps closely. Do not stray even an inch, do you understand?" Ming Zhu had been prattling on the entire way. Ming Fuhuan and Lu Qingkong were too bothered to pay him any mind, but Zhou Fuxue and another female cultivator from the West Mountain, Younü, were inexperienced newcomers. They huddled close to him, listening to his rambling.
Younü was the youngest junior sister of the West Mountain, roughly the same age as Zhou Fuxue. Her face was still childish, yet one could already see the budding silhouette of a future beauty. Her starry eyes were full of light as she chirped around Ming Zhu like a sparrow. "Eldest Senior Brother is so knowledgeable! You’re amazing! To think you know so much. This is my first time in the Withered Wood Forest; I’m not nearly as calm and composed as you. I truly feel ashamed."
Ming Zhu was triumphant, nearly floating away on the wings of her flattery. "But of course. Though the Withered Wood Forest is full of abominations never seen in the outside world, you won't be afraid once you've visited a few times."
Zhou Fuxue had only been listening because he wanted to know what the forest was like. Hearing this, he let out a cold snort and exposed him without mercy. "Eldest Senior Brother, if you aren't afraid, why have you been clutching Senior Sister Fuhua’s sleeve so tightly?"
Ming Zhu: "..."
Ever since they had entered the outskirts of the forest, Ming Zhu had been glued to Ming Fuhua’s side, shivering as he hooked his fingers into the hem of her outer robe, refusing to let go for dear life.
Ming Fuhua turned her head and gave him a frigid look.
Ming Zhu cleared his throat, puffing out his chest to save face. "That, uh... ahem. Your Senior Brother is only holding her because I'm worried she might be scared. You kids wouldn't understand."
Younü was easy to fool. She immediately gasped, her admiration deepening. "Eldest Senior Brother is so considerate!"
Ming Zhu smirked. "It’s nothing, really. Hehe."
Zhou Fuxue watched his cowardly display with a cold eye, scoffed, and ignored him.
The Withered Wood Forest was filled with towering, ancient trees, withered and yellow from root to leaf. When a breeze blew, the leaves rustled with a dry, clattering sound. Upon closer inspection, many birds made of bleached bone perched lightly on the branches, fluttering skeletal wings. Their pitch-black eye sockets seemed to watch the five people below, and from time to time, they made a "click-clack" sound as their bones knocked together.
The timid Younü shrank toward Ming Zhu’s side in fear, whispering, "E-Eldest Senior Brother... those birds... are they still alive?"
Ming Zhu gently patted her head and said softly, "This is the Withered Wood Forest. Everything here is neither living nor dead."
As soon as he said this, not only did Younü tremble, but even the stoic Zhou Fuxue felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't help but lean closer to Ming Zhu.
Along the way, even as skeletal wolves, tigers, and leopards watched them hungrily from the shadows, Ming Fuhuan and Lu Qingkong remained expressionless. They walked forward as if they hadn't seen the terrifying, skull-like monstrosities, perfectly composed.
In contrast, the three trailing behind were a different story. Every time they spotted a skeletal animal, Younü and Zhou Fuxue would instinctively flinch. Occasionally, Younü would let out a series of screams. Eventually, even Ming Zhu, who was struggling to maintain his "Eldest Senior Brother" dignity, began screaming along with them. The scene was utterly chaotic.
Younü: "Ah—Eldest Senior Brother! A bone tiger! Ah!"
Ming Zhu: "Aaaahhh!! I can't see it, I can't see it! Don't make me look!"
Younü: "..."
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
The once-silent forest was now filled with their alternating shrieks. Finally, Ming Fuhua couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Ming Zhu and pulled him to her side, dumping the two children onto Lu Qingkong to lead. Only then did peace return.
They walked quietly for a while. As they ventured deeper, a mist as yellow as shifting sand began to rise around them, smelling acrid and choking.
A massive skeletal snake slithered slowly through the withered grass nearby. Ming Fuhua’s eyes flickered, and she reached out to cover Ming Zhu’s eyes.
Ming Zhu hung limply against her shoulder, asking weakly, "What is it?"
Ming Fuhua ignored him and spoke to Lu Qingkong. "The Bone-Wither Mist is ahead. If we stay in it too long, I fear we’ll turn into those 'neither living nor dead' skeletons as well. Can you use a tool to carry these two?"
Lu Qingkong replied, "I have a waste spiritual root. I haven't even reached the Golden Core stage; I cannot fly on an object."
Ming Fuhua frowned. Once the skeletal snake had finally crawled past, she released her hand.
Ming Zhu said, "Master brought me here last time. How come we didn't encounter this... this Bone-Wither Mist?"
"It is the Bone-Wither Mist," Ming Fuhua corrected him coldly. "Master Guining possesses celestial spiritual power; he could naturally disperse the mist with a single palm strike. We do not have such capability."
Lu Qingkong looked at the faint mist nearby. Seeming to have a thought, he pulled a palm-sized wooden boat from his sleeve. "Stand back."
The others were puzzled but moved away.
Lu Qingkong placed the wooden boat on the ground and traced his long fingers twice over the formation etched onto the bottom. The boat began to grow—perhaps because Lu Qingkong wasn't entirely familiar with this specific formation, the boat shrunk back twice midway through. However, it soon successfully expanded to the size of an ordinary vessel.
Lu Qingkong hopped onto the boat and checked each formation within it before saying, "The formations on the boat can barely hold for half an hour. We just need to reach Baijian Mountain before they fade."
Ming Fuhua was not skilled in formations, but she had heard a thing or two about this eccentric junior brother. Rumor had it that despite his young age and his "waste" spiritual root, he was exceptionally gifted in mechanics and formations. Master Guining had made an exception to take him in as an indoor disciple.
She nodded. "Half an hour is enough."
Seeing Ming Fuhua nod, Younü cheered and hopped happily onto the boat. She waved to Zhou Fuxue, saying familiarly, "Junior Brother, come on!"
The boat was extremely crude, covered in complex formations that looked somewhat eerie upon closer inspection.
Ming Fuhua pulled Ming Zhu onto the boat, pressed his head into her embrace, and gave Lu Qingkong a slight nod.
Lu Qingkong sat cross-legged at the bow. He took a metal shard from his sleeve and slotted it into the center of a formation. The wooden boat jolted instantly. Two wings suddenly sprouted from the sides, rows of wooden feathers aligned and locked into a black wooden beam with wedges—that beam was also densely covered in formation runes.
Then, the rickety boat slowly rose from the ground. Amidst the screams of the two children and Ming Zhu, it shot into the sky. It took a long moment for it to wobble and stabilize. Lu Qingkong, face unchanging, manipulated the formations to steer them toward the distant, jagged peak of Baijian Mountain.
Younü, her face pale, gripped the edge of the boat. Looking down at the shrinking forest, her childish curiosity eventually overcame her fear. She began chirping excitedly to Zhou Fuxue.
Zhou Fuxue was slow to warm up to others. No matter how much Younü talked, he only offered an occasional "Mm." He didn't waste a single word. Even with Younü’s bubbly personality, she eventually got bored. She abandoned Zhou Fuxue and shuffled over to Ming Fuhua, looking curiously at Ming Zhu, who was buried in her arms. "What’s wrong with Eldest Senior Brother?"
Ming Zhu was curled up at the stern, half his body buried in Ming Fuhua’s lap, his hands death-gripping her waist. His fingers were trembling.
Ming Fuhua patted his back gently and said flatly, "It’s nothing. He’s afraid of heights."
At the bow, Lu Qingkong seemed to let out a cold snort, his mockery plain to see.
Ming Zhu didn't even dare open his eyes. He kept asking, "Fuhua, are we there yet?"
He muttered this for nearly half an hour. Finally, the group crossed over the pervasive Bone-Wither Mist and arrived shakily at Baijian Mountain.
Baijian Mountain towered into the clouds, covered in withered trees and giant boulders. Skeletal birds and beasts moved through the terrain, silent and eerie.
Hearing Younü jumping and shouting that they had arrived, Ming Zhu finally sat up slowly. He took a random glance at the ground, and his face instantly turned white again.
Ming Fuhua stood at the bow beside Lu Qingkong as the boat drifted slowly toward a stone platform on the mountain.
Beside them, Zhou Fuxue was forcefully covering Ming Zhu’s eyes, hissing through gritted teeth, "Just don't look! Close your eyes!"
Ming Zhu wrapped his arms around the boy, trembling, and wailed toward Ming Fuhua—the only person who could give him a sense of security. "Fuhua! Fuhua, save me!"
Ming Fuhua acted as if she hadn't heard him. She spoke coolly to Lu Qingkong, "I heard you are a waste spiritual root who can do nothing, unable even to form a Golden Core. Why would you want to come to Baijian Mountain to seek a spiritual weapon?"
Even when called a "waste," Lu Qingkong’s expression didn't change. He didn't feel the shame or resentment that Zhou Fuxue did; he seemed used to it. His dark eyes stared at the approaching mountain. "I didn't come for a spiritual weapon. Even if I found one, I couldn't wield it without a Golden Core."
Ming Fuhua asked, "If you aren't here for a weapon, then what are you after?"
Lu Qingkong tilted his head slightly. His unbound long hair whipped wildly in the wind. Even the elegant Rizhao robes looked sinister and dark when worn by him. He said calmly, "I am crafting a mechanical device that can house all formations within it. I need ironware that carries spiritual energy. Don't you think Baijian Mountain is the best place to find materials, Senior Sister?"
Ming Fuhua’s eyes darkened instantly. The weapons on Baijian Mountain all possessed spirits; they couldn't be casually melted down for parts. The only place where weapons had no spirits but retained residual spiritual energy was...
Ming Fuhua looked at him coldly, as if looking at a heretical deviant. "You want to go to the Discarded Sword Tomb?"
Lu Qingkong revealed a dark, chilling smile. "Why not?"
"Have you forgotten Master Guining’s warnings before we left? The Discarded Sword Tomb is a powder keg of hidden dangers; even Master Guining cannot guarantee a safe return," Ming Fuhua said sharply. "Do you think a waste spiritual root like you can go in and come out alive?"
Lu Qingkong replied impassively, "How will I know if I don't try?"
Ming Fuhua was about to say more when the boat beneath them suddenly lurched violently. The screams of Ming Zhu and Younü followed immediately.
Ming Fuhua turned around. "What happened?"
Ming Zhu was shielding Zhou Fuxue and Younü in his arms, pointing to the side with a look of terror. He stammered, "We... we-we-we hit something!"
Ming Fuhua froze. She saw a massive skeletal bird whistling past the side of the boat. Its sharp, bony wing-tips had shredded the wooden wings on both sides of the vessel. The entire boat began to tilt and sway uncontrollably.
Seeing the giant skeletal bird, Lu Qingkong didn't look panicked. Instead, he showed a trace of morbid fanaticism, murmuring, "A Changyuan?"
The Changyuan had a massive wingspan. Even in its "neither living nor dead" skeletal state, its flight remained elegant. After smashing one of the boat's wings, it slowly flapped in the air, banked slightly, and dove toward them again, seemingly intent on smashing the boat into a pile of scrap wood.
Ming Zhu and Younü: "AAAAHHH!"
***
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Is Everyone Else's Eldest Disciple Like This? | Chapter 11 | The Forest of Withered Bones | Novela.app | Novela.app
