Gu Changsheng heard the words and nodded solemnly.
Even Yuan Bao put away his playful smile.
The higher they went, the more difficult the mountain path became, and ahead, they could vaguely see the path breaking off into the clouds!
That was the end of the mountain path and the start of the bridge on the plank road!
However, seeing mountains running to death of the horse, although it didn’t look far, it took Gu Changsheng and his party quite some time to reach there.
When they were no more than thirty feet from the bridgehead, Gu Changsheng felt the presence of dozens of powerful breaths!
This kind of breath belonged to masters!
As they approached the bridge, the mountain path broadened. Zhou Mu paused slightly to let Gu Changsheng catch up and took her hand. He was still handsome as ever, the strands of hair on his cheeks still moist with a hint of rain from the mountainside.
With their fingers interlocked, Gu Changsheng felt an inexplicable sense of tranquility.
"Who wishes to traverse the Sky-reaching Path into Bashu? State your names!" A cold rebuke came from ahead, and a black figure suddenly appeared at the open end of the mountain path, gazing at them with an icy stare.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mu frowned slightly and remained silent, his Inner Strength slowly emanating around him.
Their journey was to meet the City Lord of Jinchuan City; there was no need for them to skulk or hide!
"Haha! This old body was wondering who wished to cross the Heavenly Path, only to find that it’s Prince Mu gracing us with his presence!" An old woman’s voice rang out. She emerged from a stone cave hewn into the cliffside. Though her body was hunched, her gaze towards them was neither servile nor overbearing. "Ten years ago, when Prince Mu passed this Heavenly Path, he was still the Commandery Prince. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, a decade has gone by and Commandery Prince Mu has become the distinguished Prince of Great Zhou. Indeed, it is a joyous occasion to celebrate!"
Zhou Mu looked at the old woman standing high above them and, with a slight frown, said in a deep voice, "Granny Wu Shan, I hope you’ve been well since we last met ten years ago."
"Well indeed!" Granny Wu Shan replied immediately, waving her hand back to him. Then, with a puzzled expression, she said, "Prince Mu, ten years ago you traversed this Heavenly Path of mine to pass through Bashu. Another ten years have passed, and here you are, leaving the comfort of being Prince Mu of Great Zhou, coming to this harsh and evil land of Bashu again - why?"
Upon hearing her words, the corners of Zhou Mu’s mouth lifted slightly, with a faint smile appearing on his face, "Granny Wu Shan pretends to be ignorant! As the guardian of the Heavenly Path, all messages from Great Zhou to Bashu must pass through you. Could you truly be unaware of my intentions?"
Granny Wu Shan, upon hearing this, raised her white eyebrows on her wrinkled old face, but did not speak.
"Granny, I’ve come to ask for passage to meet the City Lord of Jinchuan City. I implore you to clear the Heavenly Path and grant me passage," Zhou Mu spoke firmly, his stature as commanding as the Divine Residence.
Granny Wu Shan’s eyes flashed with a sharp light as she stared intensely at Zhou Mu and said in a deep voice, "Only once, and not twice! When you, Commandery Prince, brought your army to my doorstep in Bashu demanding passage, do you really wish to repeat such a scene?"
At those words, Zhou Mu’s expression darkened.
Seeing this, Granny Wu Shan showed no fear, instead turning her gaze to the person standing hand in hand with him. She pointed a long finger at them and said sharply, "You! Prince Changsheng! Take off your straw raincoat!"
There was even a hint of urgency in her voice.
Gu Changsheng, upon hearing this, felt a trace of bafflement cross her face.
What the hell, why was she being singled out?
As Granny Wu Shan screamed shrilly, one or two dozen black figures suddenly emerged from the stone caves on both sides of the cliff!
The people of Bashu, generally shorter in height compared to those from the Central Plains, glared intently at Gu Changsheng with fiery eyes. It was indeed difficult to ignore such a feeling!
"How dare you! My spouse is not for your eyes!" Seeing their wolfish stares, Yuan Bao immediately objected!
Throwing down the reins, he took a few steps and spread his arms in front of Gu Changsheng, like a protective mother hen with her chick.
"This is my lord’s betrothed! You cannot look at her!" Yuan Bao spoke loudly, his face alert.
The spookiness of the people from Bashu was not one whit less than that of the Southern Border!
He had to be cautious and vigilant!
"Silence! If you want to cross this Heavenly Path of mine, let her reveal her true face! Otherwise, don’t even think about setting foot into Bashu through here," Granny Wu Shan, hearing his words, became furious, her piercing gaze sweeping toward Yuan Bao as if trying to see through him to the person behind. The impatience on her old face was clearly visible!
Hearing this, Zhou Mu’s expression also changed.
This Granny Wu Shan, guarding the necessary Heavenly Path to Bashu for so many years, was truly unpredictable!
This time, it was likely not going to end amicably!
"Granny, are you refusing the toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit?" As he looked at Granny Wu Shan standing above, Zhou Mu spoke with a commanding voice, and the pressure of a man of high status began to spread, his hand also slowly moving towards his waist.
His weapon was always concealed at his waist!
"Zhou Mu! You may be Great Zhou’s Prince, but you are not the Lord of Bashu! Within the boundaries of Bashu, you cannot bully or show off your power! Do you think I simply stand guard at the Heavenly Path? Let me tell you the truth, even the Lord of Bashu has to show me some respect! Don’t force me to take action! Let her unveil her true face!" Granny Wu Shan replied, her face grim with resolve, a skull-headed cane appearing in her hand, pointing directly at Gu Changsheng.
The skull glinted ominously, sending chills down one’s spine. The large dark sockets flickered with a green light, resembling claws from hell, eerie and unpredictable...
"My weapon has not appeared before the public for over twenty years, Zhou Mu, don’t force me!" With fiery eyes, Granny Wu Shan stood her ground without yielding an inch!
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if swords were drawn and bows were made ready!
When Gu Changsheng caught sight of that skull-headed cane, he couldn’t help but be startled.
Feeling the fluctuations in inner strength from the person beside him, Gu Changsheng quickly reached out to stop them, "Evildoer, don’t do it! She is a Ghost Witch!"
"A Ghost Witch, who sacrifices the living souls of newborn infants, trapping them within the skulls of the most ferocious and evil people, repeating this process until a hundred souls are harvested, only then can one become a Ghost Witch! Going Against the Heavens, with nine deaths and one thread of life, out of the many who attempt to become a Ghost Witch and survive, barely one in ten succeed. The Witch Clan of Wu Shan are the inheritors of the Ghost Witch cultivation method, serving as household servants to the Bashu Witch Master for generations!" A tiny voice rang out cheerfully in his mind.
Gu Changsheng could feel the excitement of the Dandan Bug.
This bug, by nature fond of sleep, actually woke up just as she was about to enter Bashu!
"A Ghost Witch?" Zhou Mu furrowed his brow upon hearing this, clearly unaware of the Ghost Witch matters.
"I’ll explain it to you later!" Gu Changsheng soothed as he tugged at Zhou Mu’s hand; now was not the time for explanations, she had to deal with the situation at hand first.
She pushed Yuan Bao, who was blocking her way, to one side and took a step forward, looking up through her hooded cloak.
"You know I am a Ghost Witch?" Granny Wu Shan seemed to have heard Gu Changsheng’s words and looked at her incredulously.
"Indeed, Changsheng does not know why Granny insists on seeing me, but I have one question: If I reveal my true face, could Granny introduce me to the City Lord of Jinchuan City, aka the Bashu Witch Lord?" Gu Changsheng was never afraid to negotiate!
Since Granny Wu Shan had a request, it would be foolish of her not to take the opportunity to bargain.
Just now, the Dandan Bug had said that the Wu Shan Clan had been household servants to the Bashu Witch Master for generations!
It would be brainless not to make use of this connection!
Upon hearing this, Granny Wu Shan furrowed her brows but was still eager to speak, "You take off that cloak first before we talk!"
"Heh heh..." Gu Changsheng laughed upon hearing this, "Granny, this seems a bit insincere. I can take off the cloak, but only if you lead us through the secret passage into Jinchuan City and help me meet with the Bashu Witch Master!"
"Granny, you surely understand my intent. I am determined to go to the Southern Border and must pass through Bashu by necessity. It would be best not to come to blows if an agreement can be reached with the Bashu Witch Master. Otherwise, Changsheng is not one to be trifled with!"
At these words, waves of inner strength began to radiate from Gu Changsheng’s body!
Her hooded cloak rustled as it was shaken by the force, and Gu Changsheng stood firmly, her imposing aura bearing down on the dozen or so people at the bridgehead!
Her inner strength was far superior to Zhou Mu’s!
In this world, there was no one who could match her inner strength!
Under this overwhelming pressure of her inner strength, even Granny Wu Shan was forced to take a step back to steady herself. Though she showed shock on her face, there was no anger—instead, her eyes held a trace of joy. As her skull-headed cane tapped the ground, she looked straight at Gu Changsheng and spoke solemnly, "Very well, very well! Well done! I agree to your terms! Show your true face! I shall lead you through the secret passage into Jinchuan City and introduce you to the Witch Lord!"
"Granny, it cannot be! The secret passage is a secret of Bashu, and it should not be leaked to those outside the Witch Clan!" The people behind Granny Wu Shan exclaimed in shock when they heard this.
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows; how could the Bashu Witch Tribe, shunned by the world, not have a way out?
"Granny, you are a servant of the Witch Master, you must know the rules, right? Servants who commit offenses are punished more severely. You could be subjected to a tortuous death by fire and boiling oil!" Another person stepped forward with an anxious look, earnestly advising her.
With a resounding thud of the skull against the ground, Granny Wu Shan raised her aged hand with determination and said curtly, "Spare me the nonsense. What does it matter if I have to endure the fire and boiling oil execution? It’s not your place to criticize what I decide to do. Get lost!"
The next moment, the two well-meaning advisers were sent flying by her skull-headed cane, crashing against the cliffside before coming to a stop!
Seeing this, Gu Changsheng was startled.
This Granny Wu Shan was indeed unpredictable and ruthlessly decisive!
Being a servant of the Bashu Witch Master, she was , so the Bashu Witch Master himself was surely no simple character!
This time, there seemed to be a tough battle ahead!
After brushing aside her own underlings without changing her expression, Granny Wu Shan still fixed her piercing gaze on Gu Changsheng.
Since she had already agreed to her terms, Gu Changsheng didn’t hesitate any longer and reached for the hemp rope of her cloak.
The execution by fire and boiling oil sounded terrifying, but she needed to enter Bashu! She wanted to know the secret passage that led to Jinchuan City on the other side of the Sky Bridge. Otherwise, it would just be Sichuan Road, which would take a significant amount of time to pass through with her army!
Unscrupulous in the pursuit of her goals! Even if it implicated this ruthless Granny Wu Shan, Gu Changsheng spared no regrets!
As Gu Changsheng moved, Granny Wu Shan’s eyes narrowed to slits, not even blinking!
Once everything was put aside, Gu Changsheng looked up, and Granny Wu Shan immediately pounced over...