Chapter 285: Secrets of the County, Easily Reversed
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man stroked his beard and chuckled strangely:
“Don’t take it too seriously, young man, it’s just something I was overthinking at the time. As for what it means and where it came from… this old man can’t remember clearly anymore.”
“I’m content that you’re willing to share these thoughts with me, old man.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and cupped his hands.
However, his mind was racing.
After all, the matters of the Netherworld and the Dragon’s Pulse weren’t fabricated.
It seemed that those demons and ghosts had already started taking action ten years ago, secretly plotting some dangerous conspiracy.
And—
He glanced at the old man’s thigh, almost imperceptibly. Upon closer inspection, he could vaguely see a faint, dark aura clinging to his bones like a stubborn shadow, definitely the result of having come into contact with some kind of foul presence.
Although it didn’t cause any obvious disability, the pain was clearly unbearable for ordinary people.
“However, I must warn you, young man.”
The old man’s voice became serious and low: “If you’re leaving Xima Prefecture, it’s best to avoid Huangfeng County. Although I rarely go near that county, there might still be some demons and ghosts lurking there. It’s better to stay away and avoid trouble.”
“I saw that the two women traveling with you are both young, they must be your newlywed wives. For their sake, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Thank you for your concern, old man.”
“You’re too polite… It’s rare to meet such a talented young man like you, I couldn’t help but ramble a bit.”
The old man took a sip of warm sake and smacked his lips: “How about we chat about some family matters? Perhaps I can offer you some advice, young man. As for those supernatural things, I can only advise you to avoid them.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “Why don’t you tell me about your experiences over the years, old man? Running an inn in this wilderness, you must have encountered many interesting things.”
The old man sighed, his gaze distant:
“Indeed, there have been many…”
The dim candlelight flickered, the sound of conversation and sighs lingering in the cold and windy inn. As they talked, the old man didn’t even notice that the pain in his stiff right leg had gradually disappeared.
…
The next morning.
After bidding farewell to the old man, the group set off again, the carriage slowly moving forward.
Sitting in the driver’s seat outside the carriage, Lin Tianlu stroked the soft fur of the snow-white fox in his arms and murmured: “Leaving aside the so-called thirty-six evil lords and thousand-year-old clans, according to the old man, a terrible tragedy occurred in Huangfeng County ten years ago, with countless casualties, all to open some kind of secret realm passage?”
“To require such a massive amount of life force and soul energy, the scale of the ritual must be extraordinary, perhaps even more dangerous than the Path of the Netherworld we experienced in Jianggai County.”
Yang Chanzhen, sitting beside him, let the breeze caress her hair, her expression calm and indifferent: “But I haven’t heard of any incidents in Huangfeng County these years, it’s probably not the work of the Luo Xing, nor is it likely to be any of the known factions.”
“Then do you know about the thousand-year-old clans, Miss Yang? And what exactly is that eight clans’ secret realm…?”
“I don’t know the specifics, I’ve never heard of it before. But the eight clans’ secret realm might be related to ancient times.”
“As I mentioned to you before, Tianlu, thousands of years ago, there were eight clans, but they gradually disappeared with the changing times.” Yun Yue, nestled in his arms, suddenly spoke: “That so-called secret realm might be related to them.”
Lin Tianlu frowned slightly: “There’s truly a lot of trouble.”
He had originally thought that the ancient eight clans had completely vanished, eliminated by time, but now it seemed… they would still cause trouble for future generations.
“Are you going to Huangfeng County to investigate, Master Lin?”
Yang Chanzhen’s purple eyes flickered, looking towards the distant official road. As the winter mist gradually dispersed, the outline of Huangfeng County could be vaguely seen in the distance.
“Even if that fire really happened, it was ten years ago. Tracing its origins would be a huge undertaking. Those evildoers wouldn’t have stayed in Huangfeng County for ten years, waiting for us to investigate them. Why don’t we go to Wuchang Province first and then come back—”
Lin Tianlu was about to continue when he suddenly exclaimed softly, looking sideways towards the nearby forest.
Strange noises gradually emerged from the usually quiet forest, as if someone was screaming and shouting, but the sounds were faint and unclear.
“It seems that the area around Huangfeng County isn’t peaceful either.”
After a while, a figure rushed out of the forest, pushing aside the bushes. She was wearing expensive and exquisite clothes, clearly from a wealthy family.
But this young lady was now fleeing desperately, her face and body covered in dirt and dust, with spots of blood, as if she had just escaped a bloody battle. Her previously delicate and pretty face was now filled with terror, her face pale, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Help… save… run!”
Her cry for help abruptly stopped, and the wealthy young lady quickly changed her words and shouted: “Run as far away as you can!”
Lin Tianlu gently pulled the reins, slowing the carriage to a stop, and looked up at the sky: “The sun is setting, those demons and ghosts can indeed roam freely now.”
“Demons and ghosts wandering outside the city are mostly unrestrained by any laws and will naturally harm passersby as they please.”
Yang Chanzhen’s voice was slightly ethereal, her beautiful purple eyes looking forward indifferently.
A chilling wind swirled and gathered, and a hunched figure with disheveled hair slowly crawled out of the ground, chuckling strangely. Crimson blood dripped from the corners of his mouth and his fingers, a gruesome and terrifying sight.
“Trying to escape? She and all of you won’t escape from me—”
“Tell me, has there been any unusual activity in Huangfeng County recently?”
“Wha—?!”
The hunched man’s pupils constricted abruptly, and he turned his head in shock.
When did the refined scholar, who had been sitting in the carriage, appear beside him?!
“H-How did you—”
“Now’s not the time to play dumb.”
As soon as Lin Tianlu finished speaking, his eyes flickered, and he dodged a blade that suddenly slashed out from the shadows behind him as if he had sensed it beforehand. He reached out and grabbed the necks of the two demons and ghosts, one in front and one behind.
“Gah?!”
“How… could—”
“I didn’t expect you to be a dual-souled entity, your assassination technique is quite interesting.”
Lin Tianlu looked at the panicked demon and ghost before him and glanced at the other, a small and ugly ghost, and couldn’t help but sneer.
If one were slightly careless, even a martial artist at the Azure Spirit Realm would be in danger.
“Aren’t you going to tell me the truth?”
“W-We don’t know anything!”
“Since you don’t know, it’s time to count your crimes.”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip with a solemn expression. As spiritual light surged, the two demons and ghosts screamed in terror, countless vengeful spirits seemingly flashing through their dark eyes. They could only wail and crumble in endless despair and pain.
Crack!
Their bodies cracked and exploded, instantly dying.
Lin Tianlu shook off the remaining spiritual light from his hands, without a trace of pity in his eyes.
This pair of demons and ghosts had killed countless merchants and travelers in this wilderness, their sins countless. They had even just taken a life not long ago, their hearts filled with a thirst for cruel slaughter, unforgivable.
But—
Lin Tianlu quickly paused, and Yang Chanzhen’s eyes also widened in surprise.
After the demon and ghost were destroyed, their Yin energy didn’t dissipate with the wind, but was gathered by some strange method and even drifted towards a certain direction.
“Miss Yang, have you ever seen such a strange technique?”
“There must be a large-scale formation set up in that direction, specifically for gathering Yin energy. But the larger the range of the technique, the more materials and Yin energy are required. Ordinary demons and ghosts couldn’t achieve such a feat, only those large factions have the resources.”
Yang Chanzhen frowned: “It’s similar to the Path of the Netherworld ritual in Jianggai County, but when was the Path of the Netherworld activated in Huangfeng County?”
“There’s definitely something strange going on in this county.”
Lin Tianlu pondered.
It seemed he really had to enter the county and investigate.
If there was truly some hidden danger within the county, he couldn’t just ignore it.
“Husband, what happened outside… Wh-Why is this young lady covered in blood?!”
Mao Ruoyu had just emerged from the carriage when she saw the unfamiliar young lady covered in blood not far away and couldn’t help but be startled.
“Ah…”
The young lady also snapped out of her daze and looked at Mao Ruoyu blankly, but before she could speak, she collapsed to the ground in pain.
Lin Tianlu appeared beside her and bent down to examine her. He found that her body was covered in wounds, big and small, bleeding profusely.
The most severe injuries were on her legs, as if they had been slashed by a blade, the wounds deep enough to see bone. Running all this way had worsened her injuries, and if left untreated, she might bleed to death within half a day.
“Miss Yang, do you know any healing techniques?”
“I can only help stop the bleeding, but I can’t heal these injuries.” Yang Chanzhen followed and quickly shook her head: “After all, Yin techniques are based on Yin energy, which is similar to death energy, it’s difficult to help mortals recover their life force.”
“My husband, I can help.”
Mao Ruoyu quickly walked over and said seriously: “Among the secret techniques I’ve learned, there’s a Yin-Yang Conversion Technique that can help this young lady. But we still need a physician to treat her wounds.”
Lin Tianlu decisively picked up the young lady from the ground: “Let’s enter the city first.”
…
Huangfeng County.
Inside a medical clinic in the center of the county, as the curtain was drawn, an elderly physician walked out.
“Sir, the young lady’s injuries are mostly stabilized. Although she has many serious wounds, but…” The old physician stroked his beard, marveling: “I don’t know if it’s because of her extraordinary constitution or some divine intervention, but her wounds are healing strangely and quickly. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it this far.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and cupped his hands: “Naturally, it’s also thanks to your superb medical skills, old physician. But I wonder how much the treatment will cost—”
“Eh! There’s no need to pay for this patient!”
The old physician waved his hand: “Judging by her appearance, she clearly encountered bandits and thieves outside the city. Most of her wounds are from blades, she’s already quite pitiful, it would be heartless of me to ask for money. Moreover, you were the one who kindly rescued her, sir, I can’t accept any payment from you, it would cause unnecessary gossip.”
“There’s no need to be so polite, old physician, at least you should be compensated for the cost of the medicine.” Lin Tianlu took out some silver from his money pouch and placed it in his hand: “A physician is like a parent, but we can’t let you suffer losses, please accept this.”
“Ah, young man, you’re truly understanding…”
The old physician took the silver, a grateful look on his face.
Lin Tianlu looked at the clinic’s business, seeing that there weren’t many patients and the clinic was quite deserted, he quickly spoke again: “However, I’d like to ask, has there been any unusual activity in Huangfeng County recently?”
“Unusual activity?” The old physician asked in surprise: “What do you mean, young man?”
“I just happened to hear some rumors when I entered the city, that some strange things have been happening occasionally. I wonder if you know anything about it, old man?”
“I don’t know what those strange things are… Wait, now that I think about it, there has been something strange recently, perhaps it’s that old town district acting up again.”
As he said this, a look of apprehension and unease appeared on the old physician’s face: “Many people died back then, perhaps their descendants are performing memorial rituals again.”
“Old town district?”
“After the incident in the county, many houses were abandoned and are now sparsely populated.”
“Was it because of the great fire ten years ago?”
“Great fire?”
But the old physician looked stunned: “Are you mistaken, young man? There hasn’t been any great fire in Huangfeng County. There was a murder case back then, it was said that someone poisoned the well, killing dozens of families in the surrounding area. The other residents felt it was a bad omen and moved away.”
There was no great fire? But rather a poisoning case?
Lin Tianlu was slightly stunned.
But the old man in the wilderness had said—
Wait!
Lin Tianlu’s mind suddenly stirred, and he narrowed his eyes, a faint emerald light flickering within them.
Then, he looked outside the clinic.
“…”
After a while, the old physician asked hesitantly: “Young man, why are you suddenly silent?”
“…Don’t worry, old physician, I was just distracted, thinking about my wives waiting in the carriage.”
Lin Tianlu quickly smiled gently again and cupped his hands: “Since the young lady is out of danger for now, I won’t disturb you any longer. Please take good care of this patient, she has lost her loved ones and must be feeling very sad and lost, she needs patient care.”
“Please rest assured.”
Hearing this, the old physician also turned serious and bowed in return: “I will naturally pay more attention to comforting the patient.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Take care, young man.”
After leaving the deserted clinic, Lin Tianlu returned to the carriage parked outside.
Cheng Yishi had been waiting for a long time and quickly asked: “How did it go, husband?”
“The old physician doesn’t know anything about the incident in the county.”
“I also asked some vendors around here with Ruoyu, and their answers were mostly the same.”
Cheng Yishi hesitated: “Could it be that the old innkeeper from yesterday…”
“It wasn’t that the innkeeper was lying.”
Lin Tianlu picked up the reins again and sighed: “The problem lies with the entire Huangfeng County.”
“Wha… what?”
Cheng Yishi and Mao Ruoyu looked bewildered.
“Master Lin is right.”
Yang Chanzhen suddenly appeared in the carriage, a faint fragrance following her. She waved her sleeve and mused: “I just investigated carefully outside and know why the incident in Huangfeng County hasn’t spread.”
“Please tell us, Miss Yang.”
“To this day, the entire Huangfeng County is still trapped within a mysterious formation. The souls of many residents have even been eroded and stripped away, they’ve already forgotten the incident that happened ten years ago.”
Hearing this, Mao Ruoyu and Cheng Yishi’s eyes widened, and they quickly looked out the window.
The few pedestrians walking on the street were actually all…
“‘Living dead’.”
Yang Chanzhen whispered: “This Huangfeng County has been deliberately disguised by someone using a technique. Many people continue to live as they did before, having forgotten the past, so naturally, everything seems peaceful and safe. Even if other demons or ghosts come here to investigate, these residents still have their souls and bodies intact, making it difficult to detect anything unusual.”
“As for the reason, it’s probably to hide their tracks and avoid being noticed by other demon and ghost factions. But I didn’t expect them to keep it hidden for ten years.”
Mao Ruoyu’s eyes flickered, and she murmured: “What was the purpose of those culprits from ten years ago going through so much trouble to do this?”
Such cruel and ruthless acts, even after wandering for many years in her childhood, she couldn’t imagine.
Lin Tianlu shook the reins and sighed: “Let’s go to the so-called old town district and see if we can find anything.”
…
As the carriage slowly entered the old town district, they immediately sensed its strangeness.
Although the buildings on both sides of the street were intact, there were very few pedestrians on the street, almost no figures in sight. White cloth strips were even hung in front of some houses, making the place look like a deserted and lonely ghost town, eerie and chilling.
But most importantly—
In the old town district, they could feel a large amount of Yin energy converging from all directions.
But such a dense concentration of Yin energy didn’t cause any disturbance, as if it had disappeared into thin air like a mud ox entering the sea.
Lin Tianlu and the others weren’t particularly knowledgeable about Yin techniques and secret methods, but after entering this area, Yang Chanzhen’s eyes became incredibly serious and sharp.
“…”
She appeared in the middle of the street, her long sleeves fluttering as she quickly formed mysterious hand seals. Strange and incomprehensible patterns and formations quickly appeared around her, spreading rapidly.
—Boom!
With a muffled sound, Yang Chanzhen was forcibly pushed back as if repelled.
Lin Tianlu stepped forward and supported her shoulders, asking in a deep voice: “What happened?”
“My cultivation is still insufficient, I can’t directly interfere with the foundation of this formation.”
Yang Chanzhen took a deep breath: “This is a chain formation, and Huangfeng County is just one of its eyes. The main network extends beyond the town, the scale of this technique is far greater than we previously imagined.”
“Is there a way to deal with it properly?”
“If we use brute force, the residents of Huangfeng County will suffer as well, so we can only target the formation itself.”
She mused seriously: “But this formation itself is very strange and unpredictable. To interfere with it without harming the civilians in the county requires a lot.”
“Most importantly… there’s no guarantee that touching the formation itself won’t attract the attention of the mastermind behind it, the danger is unpredictable. And to understand the specific purpose of this formation, I’ll need a lot of time.”
“Miss Yang.”
Lin Tianlu suddenly opened his palm and held it out in front of him: “I’d like to ask, compared to the secret technique that opened the Netherworld, which is superior?”
Yang Chanzhen’s eyes flickered, and she murmured: “They each have their own strengths and weaknesses.”
“That’s good.”
The corners of Lin Tianlu’s mouth lifted slightly.
Then, a magnificent spiritual light suddenly surged from his palm, and a faint image of immortal mountains appeared behind him. Numerous spiritual chains shot out, piercing the void.
A moment later, he released his hand:
“Done.”
