“Listening Wind Pavilion?”
After cautiously tracking for half an hour, Xu Taiping lost sight of the female ghost at a path leading to a small courtyard in the woods. On the modest gate of the courtyard hung a wooden sign named “Listening Wind Pavilion.”
“Having a place name makes everything easier.”
Although Xu Taiping couldn’t be sure that the female ghost was inside the pavilion, having its name allowed him to at least ascertain his current location.
This was because the maps drawn by the Nine Mansions included introductions to most locations within the ruins of the Immortal Mansion.
“However, I don’t recall seeing the name ‘Listening Wind Pavilion’ in the outer or central regions when I looked at the map before.”
A sense of foreboding crept into Xu Taiping’s heart as he unfolded the map.
He retreated to a more concealed spot in the mountain forest and began searching the map of the Immortal Mansion within the Cloud Dream Marsh.
The Nine Mansions had sent high-level cultivators to explore the ruins many times. Although many areas remained uncharted, the general situation had been clarified.
The map given to them by Senior Sister Zi Yan was purchased from the Nine Mansions at a great cost and detailed the most dangerous places in each region.
“Found it.”
Xu Taiping’s gaze quickly locked onto a location in the central area of the map—Hemp Mountain.
The cliff of Hemp Mountain was marked with a large cross.
The name marked there was none other than Listening Wind Pavilion.
“Although Hemp Mountain is not exactly at the center of the ruins, it’s quite close.”
Realizing the location of Hemp Mountain within the entire Immortal Mansion, Xu Taiping felt a chill run down his spine.
His and Lin Buyu’s luck was indeed not very good.
He then found the location of Dew Garden on the map, which was almost half a map away from Listening Wind Pavilion.
Clearly, it would be difficult to reach there before the ruins’ grand formation closed using ordinary methods.
“Compared to going to Dew Garden, the urgent matter is to rescue Buyu.”
He stopped thinking about Dew Garden and Senior Sister Zi Yan, focusing instead on finding a way to rescue the person at hand.
He then took out a small booklet from his gourd.
This booklet, also purchased from the Nine Mansions by Sixth Peak at an even higher price than the map, recorded the locations of dangerous areas within the ruins.
It even marked the positions of the mechanisms and nearby Corpse Ghosts.
It also detailed how to deal with those Corpse Ghosts.
“I hope there’s information about the ghost of Listening Wind Pavilion.”
With this thought, he began to search through the booklet.
Soon, Xu Taiping joyfully found a section about Listening Wind Pavilion towards the end of the booklet.
But after quickly scanning half a page, his expression turned solemn again—
“Listening Wind Pavilion was originally a study belonging to the master of this Immortal Mansion. In the early years, many cultivators who entered the ruins found numerous high-level techniques and elixir formulas there. Although the items inside have dwindled over time, the collection of books is still vast, and careful searching can occasionally yield rewards.”
“However, starting from one or two hundred years ago, Listening Wind Pavilion has been occupied by two Flying Zombies, one male and one female. The male Flying Zombie has a green face with sharp fangs, tall and burly like a giant, while the female Flying Zombie wears blood-red clothes with long hair, her appearance stunningly beautiful, indistinguishable from a human woman.”
Although this half-page confirmed that Listening Wind Pavilion was indeed the lair of the female ghost he had just followed, which was a pleasant surprise, the discovery of two Flying Zombies turned that surprise into shock.
When he had been tracking the female Flying Zombie, he had secretly calculated.
Based on the elixirs and talisman scrolls he had on hand, as well as his own strength and True Qi he could wield, he would be able to win if he could understand the female ghost and gain the upper hand.
This was also one of the reasons he wanted to confirm the identity of the female ghost.
“Two it is, then. There’s always a way.”
Xu Taiping cast aside his distractions and continued to read the booklet earnestly—
“The actions of the two Flying Zombies are extremely strange.”
“The female Flying Zombie likes to abduct female cultivators who enter the mountain in search of treasures into Listening Wind Pavilion, first washing and changing their clothes, then allowing the male Flying Zombie to chop off their limbs and preserve them in jars, before opening their skulls and sprinkling flower seeds, using their heads to cultivate flowers.”
“The women planted in the jars only die when the flowers bloom, their deaths tragic.”
“Therefore, we have come to call this female ghost ‘Blossom Head.’”
“Fortunately, according to many years of observation by our mansion, these two Flying Zombies have not developed their own will. For example, when outside the pavilion, the female Flying Zombie will only abduct women. If a man is in front of her, as long as he does not obstruct her path, she will ignore him.”
“The male Flying Zombie mostly does not leave Listening Wind Pavilion, spending all day planting and tending to flowers, then boiling the petals into jam for him and the female Flying Zombie to consume.”
“Day after day, it is no different from ants in a nest.”
“Therefore, we suspect that the jam made from Blossom Heads is essential for their cultivation.”
“Planting and tending to flowers and boiling jam every day is the instinctual practice of these two ghostly beings, just like eating and sleeping are for mortals.”
“To prevent these two Flying Zombies from growing stronger, the Nine Mansions have tried to send cultivators to exterminate them, but unfortunately, all attempts have ended in failure.”
“Our subsequent analysis concluded that the failures were mainly due to the ruins’ constraints on cultivators above the Profound Realm, while those below the Profound Realm, under the restrictions of the ruins, could hardly match these two ghostly beings.”
“However, after many years of relentless observation by the Nine Mansions, we have gained some understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these two ghostly beings.”
The above was the complete content of the first page.
“Blossom Head…”
Upon learning that the two Flying Zombies were cultivating flowers using the bodies of young girls, Xu Taiping’s urgency to rescue them intensified.
Nevertheless, he patiently continued, despite the discomfort in his heart, and turned to the second page—
“Regarding the weaknesses of the two Flying Zombies.”
“Firstly, naturally, is their lack of consciousness. Both the male and the female Flying Zombie act on instinct, without thought or adaptability.”
“Secondly, both the male and the female Flying Zombie will fall asleep for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea after consuming the flower jam. During this period, as long as you do not wake them, you are safe even if you enter Listening Wind Pavilion.”
“Thirdly, the female Flying Zombie is very fond of the white crystal chrysanthemums on the cliff. Anyone who enters Listening Wind Pavilion holding these flowers will not be killed immediately. Instead, she will pluck seven petals before killing them. During this time, if you dare to leave or make any sudden movements, she will kill you on the spot.”
“Fourthly, the male Flying Zombie has a taste for wine. After you offer him wine, as long as you do not attack him, he will not kill you. However, he only drinks one pot, and after finishing, he will kill. He only drinks fine wine. If you offer him wine he has tasted before, he will immediately grind you into mincemeat. Over the past hundred years, the Nine Mansions have almost exhausted their supply of wine, so this method is no longer used.”
“Regarding the strengths of the two Flying Zombies.”
“Firstly, apart from both being able to fly, the most formidable aspect of the female Flying Zombie is her long hair, which can be used for attack and defense, killing invisibly. However, she fears fire, but not ordinary fire, it must be True Fire.”