ively atmosphere of the village, once so vibrant, is fading away. Even at this site of Xiling Village, as we walked halfway there, we saw houses in the distance, but the road ahead was blocked.The dir...Husband.

Many people think this is a modern term, but it's not.

More than two thousand years ago, this word was used to refer to eunuchs and the elderly, but later it gradually evolved into a term of endearment between couples in ancient Chinese.

Thousands of years ago, the term appeared in various books passed down through generations, and gradually became popular among the people.

Of course, this kind of address is ancient vernacular. To be more formal, you should use terms like "husband," "master," or "official" which were more popular among scholars throughout the dynasties.

But in private, such a nickname sounded intimate and carried a hint of flirtation.

Jiang Qiyun had never asked me how to address him. He simply gave me his mortal name and left it up to me whether or not to use it.

But every time I call him "honey," he gives me this sly, mischievous smirk that's both unsettling and intriguing.

Besides sweet nothings, this is probably the most effective "acting cute" strategy.

My face was a little hot, and he reached out to hug me, saying, "…Knowing how to be coquettish and vulnerable is a good thing."

"Cough..." I felt a little awkward, waiting for him to open the door, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry at all.

My brother rolled his eyes at me and said, "Xiao Qiao, you're in charge of scouting ahead. We're going back to sleep. I'm exhausted from all this running around, and we have a long drive tomorrow."

Xiao Shanming hurriedly said, "Cloud Fan Big Brother, if you're tired, I can drive. Although I don't have a driver's license, I'm definitely better than my senior sister."

"Dumbass, I don't want to eat dog food, get out of here quickly..." My brother curled his fingers and tapped his forehead.

Shen Qingrui couldn't see Jiang Qiyun, but she listened to my brother's words and realized that Jiang Qiyun was beside me. Immediately, she lowered her head respectfully. This attitude was only directed at Jiang Qiyun; towards everyone else, she was domineering and unreasonable.

Oh...Shen Qingrui, I'm afraid she won't be able to marry.

Jiang Qiyun opened a portal and brought me inside. He usually chooses good landing spots for his portals, but this time we were met with a gust of wind and sand.

"Pshh..." I covered my face.

"What's wrong"

"Dust got in my eyes..." I rubbed my eyes hard, hoping to rub out tears to wash away the sand.

He lifted my chin, held open my eyelids with one hand, and gently blew on them.

It's so cold! He even lowered his breath a few degrees, like putting ice-cold eye drops in my eyes, making me cry buckets.

Jiang Qiyun laughed and was a little angry: "Mu Xiaoqiao, are you made of water Your eyes got a grain of sand in them, and you're crying your face off"

I'm the one who can’t help but laugh and cry: "It's your breath that's too cold! It stimulates my eyeballs…"

I raised my sleeve to wipe my face haphazardly, but Jiang Qiyun quickly grabbed my wrist. "You're covered in dust, don't rub it," he said.

He gently wiped away the tears and dust from my face, dabbing at it with the sleeve of his robe.

It's a bit embarrassing, I don't seem to have the demeanor of a little lady or empress.

I am still a mortal, struggling in the red dust, carefully accumulating good fortune and cultivation.

“Well then,” he put down his sleeve and smiled, “Still a lotus flower emerging from water.”

I laughed at him, and the hand I'd been clenching so tightly almost loosened.

The Divine Tiger Soul-calling Seal is a relatively difficult spell, requiring the practitioner to invoke the divine tiger hall and summon ferocious spirits.

Now I can keep the Divine Tiger away from me, but I have to keep my fingers on the feeling-based incantation, otherwise if I let go, the Divine Tiger will vanish.

This is a rather desolate piece of land...

The land in the north seems to have less water than other places. With less water, it's naturally not as fertile. When the wind blows, dust fills the air.

This terrain is completely different from the Southern mountains and rivers. It's vast and boundless, with only a few rolling hills scattered here and there, like a piece of grassland.

I felt the presence of the divine tiger, and Jiang Qiyun led me in pursuit. In a short while, I saw a small earthen mound built with stones.

A long pole was stuck into a stone, with colorful ribbons tied to the top. They fluttered in the night wind.

Jiang Qiyun narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "…Thousands of horses trample, no seal or tree."

What What's what…

"I didn't hear clearly," he explained to me, "Three thousand years ago, there was this custom in the human world...to die without building a tomb, planting trees...Those in high positions were buried deep underground, and after they died, the surface was trampled by oxen and horses, compacting all the soil and traces, not erecting any markers, and not allowing later generations to worship...that is, no entombment or tree-planting."

The Han people attach great importance to the principle of "treating death as life," and they celebrate festivals throughout the year with rituals, which is why there are tombs, tombstones, and trees covering them.

But three thousand years ago, there was a very famous minister, similar to a regent, who used the method of not being entombed or enshrined to sleep for a long time, setting a precedent for this custom.

Later, when the Han Dynasty came, all four directions bowed their hands in submission, and its power shook the entire nation. As for the emperors' tombs, construction was never-ending, and there were many exquisite burial artifacts.

During the Wei and Jin dynasties, Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Cao, was said to be the ancestor of "raising a coffin for prosperity," hence his tomb was not sealed or planted with trees, nor were any burial objects buried with him.

This also affected his son Cao Pi, and even the later Sima family father and son.

In the end, it was Cao Cao's experience digging up tombs that led to this. After all, weren't Han Dynasty tombs full of holes It was because there were too many grave goods, attracting people like flies to flesh.

Even the free and bold nomadic tribes did so, especially that famous Khan throughout history. His tomb was trampled by thousands of horses, resting somewhere on the boundless prairie. Many subsequent nobles followed suit when arranging their final affairs.

Even in death, there's no need for offerings or remembrance by future generations. The only concern is to avoid attracting grave robbers.

And this small pile of stones seems to be surrounding the entrance to a tomb.

This is a small hole opened with wooden supports. The hole is too small; I doubt my body could even fit through it.

"...The Divine Tiger chased it here, but the evil spirit ran away Is it a ghost from this tomb" I whispered to Jiang Qiyun.

The wind was too strong out here, I could barely hear my own words. Jiang Qiyun nodded slightly.

This盜洞 is too small, I wonder if it was deliberately blocked after being discovered.

I crouched there and gestured with my hand to indicate the size of the hole, gauging whether I could attempt to jump down.

Jiang Qiyun glanced at me faintly: "It's definitely going to get stuck, no need to try."

"How do you know" I looked up at him.

I'm still pretty petite.

He glanced at my chest: "I don't know, who else would"

Oh my god!

"You, you... you've become bad!" I was a little angry.

He chuckled softly and shook his head. "I'll go take a look. You stay here and don't wander off."

This week the wilderness was all around me, I ran to where

"Then be careful." I rubbed my shoulders.

Jiang Qiyun saw that I was cold, and took off his own outer robe and threw it to me.

I can't bear to wear it!

His dark robe was embroidered with gold dragons, very exquisite and ethereal. When I put it on, it dragged on the ground. There's sand everywhere here. If I were to go back wearing this windblown and dusty robe, wouldn't that be embarrassing for Lord Emperor

I piled his clothes up and used them as a large scarf to wrap around my head and shoulders. I crouched down beside the pile of rocks, rubbing my hands together in anticipation.

The nights in the north are really cold, while the south is still experiencing autumn heat. In the north, the night air already carries a hint of icy chill like snowflakes.

The wind was too loud, I didn't notice the movement behind me.

》》》

By the time I felt something approaching and turned my head abruptly.

A pitch-black stick suddenly came flying at me!

My reflexes kicked in and I instinctively raised my arm to block it. The impact slammed into my forearm, making me wince in pain!

"Who are you Who are you—" I looked at the small, dark figure behind me and rolled backwards half a circle.

This is a thin old man! He's shriveled like a big monkey, with wary and fierce eyes.

Grave robber Bandit

"You, you..." He choked out, staring at me with a crazed expression: "You too, covet my treasure..."

This... is Guo Daxian'er!

How could he look so neither human nor ghost-like —derstand, of course I do.Mu family, tomb family.What we want is not to quietly hoard wealth and be content with being modestly rich, but rather a visible and respectable status."Well, should I still t...