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墨書 Inktalez
Following the sound of voices, Zhao Yang walked into the inner streets of Fengdu City. Although there were people on the streets, the crowd was significantly smaller than that of a typical market, and only a few shops were open for business, most of which were run by elderly individuals.
Zhao Yang arrived at a stall selling roasted sweet potatoes. Having been in the cultivation world for many years, he had eaten sweet potatoes back in Yuwang City and Zhao County, but they were never roasted. So he bought two and began to enjoy them with Song Baliang.
"Old man, may I ask why there are so few people in Fengdu City? Has something happened?" Zhao Yang inquired.
The old man glanced at Zhao Yang and replied, "You must be new here. Fengdu City is haunted; every night you can hear cries. Children mysteriously disappear, and this has been going on for decades. Six months ago, a group of people died; it was said to be poisoning, but no one knows what kind of poison it was. The doctors were helpless, and even when they invited several immortals, it was to no avail. Everyone died outside Fengdu City in Pear Blossom Village."
"Pear Blossom Village?"
"Yes, Pear Blossom Village."
"Is everyone there dead? Is it the source of the poison?"
"Quite the opposite. We don't know if the source of the poison is there, but it is the only place where no one has ever died from poisoning—except for natural deaths, of course. That's why people from Fengdu City suspect that place. However, when they went there, they found no clues. Our city lord moved away decades ago; now Fengdu City can be considered a ghost town, with only some elderly and infirm remaining here." The old man spoke with a tone of sorrow. "Sigh, how did such a fine city become a ghost town?"
Zhao Yang thanked him and flew off in the direction indicated by the old man with Song Baliang. The old man watched them leave in astonishment and called out twice when they didn't respond, sighing, "Another two going to their doom."
Pear Blossom Village was located in a remote area within a mountain basin; the place looked desolate and barren, giving off an impression of lifelessness. Surrounding trees appeared dark as if poisoned.
Zhao Yang had expected to find people in Pear Blossom Village but was surprised to see no one around. On either side of the village stood two stone tablets with crooked inscriptions that were barely legible, seemingly covered by sand for a long time.
Zhao Yang and Song Baliang stared at the stone tablets for quite some time without deciphering what was written on them. Zhao Yang extended his Divine Sense but felt no signs of cultivators nearby. However, within his Divine Sense, he clearly sensed that there were people inside the houses—some peered through windows from behind gaps while others crouched by doors looking out anxiously as if preparing for battle.
Clearly, Song Baliang had also noticed the situation. He approached a door and said to the person inside, "Open up, today it's your turn."
Upon hearing Song Baliang's words, the person inside immediately burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably in a group.
Zhao Yang remained silent, knowing that Song Baliang was just toying with this family. He spoke up, "Don't worry, we aren't here to harm you."
A woman's voice came from inside, pleading, "Please spare us; we only have this one child. Do you really want to take him away?"
"When did we ever say we wanted to take your child? Does your child have gold ingots hanging from him, or is he made of honey? Can he be eaten?" Zhao Yang felt a bit impatient. Even if something were to happen here, he preferred to clarify the situation before saying anything further. The nonsensical remarks annoyed him; he hated being misunderstood and falsely accused, even over trivial matters.
The wooden door creaked open, and a man stepped out. "You really aren't here to take our child; there was just a misunderstanding. I apologize for the trouble."
Zhao Yang waved his hand, his expression showing impatience. He wasn't someone who could be easily appeased with a punch followed by candy. He said, "Cut the nonsense and get straight to the point. I've heard that your Pear Blossom Village is the only place in Fengdu City where no one dies, and many cultivators have come to investigate but all mysteriously perished. Tell me about this matter."
The man let out an "oh" and began to ramble about how certain things couldn't be said and how those who asked had all died. However, upon seeing Zhao Yang's unfriendly and angry demeanor, he became frightened; the aura Zhao Yang exuded was not something an ordinary person could withstand. Thus, he answered honestly, "To answer you, Immortal Master, what you mentioned happened long ago—several decades back. Our Pear Blossom Village was indeed prosperous at that time. Then Fengdu City began experiencing hauntings; many children started to go missing, but none from our Pear Blossom Village ever disappeared. Later on, the population of Fengdu City dwindled more and more until half a year ago when large groups of people began dying. Their faces turned blue and black at death; it was clearly poisoning. Yet no one could figure out what kind of poison it was. Some said it was likely the work of those practicing Evil Techniques. Many cultivators began investigating this matter, but everyone who looked into Pear Blossom Village ended up dead. This alarmed the city lord, who then brought a large group of people to our village. That night, I heard sounds of fighting coming from outside Pear Blossom Village. The next day, the city lord left heavily injured with his entourage. After that, for two months straight, our village started losing infants one after another; now we've reached the seventeenth family affected. But no matter how we try to escape, it feels like there's a wall of ghosts trapping us here."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yang and Song Baliang expanded their Divine Sense, searching thoroughly in all directions.
"No wonder," they both spoke simultaneously.
"What have you discovered, esteemed immortals?" the man asked because he had seen Zhao Yang and Song Baliang's expressions and knew they might have used some immortal techniques since previous investigators had done the same.
"Your village is surrounded by a layer of illusions set by someone; ordinary people simply cannot leave. Approaching these illusions can make one's head spin and senses dull; however, it might be possible for someone foolish enough to escape," Song Baliang revealed his findings.
"Is it really like this?" The man spoke with excitement. "We thought the fool was killed, but it turns out he managed to escape and even asked the Immortal Master to find a way to save us."
"Junior Brother, what have you discovered?" Song Baliang asked Zhao Yang.
Zhao Yang nodded and said, "I believe that those who come to investigate this place are not necessarily the most powerful among us. Especially since the Lord of Fengdu City has been here and left injured, it’s clear that the one causing this trouble is someone of great cultivation. However, since the Lord of Fengdu City is still alive, I suspect that the source of this trouble must be heavily injured, possibly even on the brink of death. In my Divine Sense, there is a gorge fifteen miles from here, and within that gorge, there is a cave where two people are currently located. If my guess is correct, those must be the two individuals. What puzzles me is that their cultivation levels don't seem very high."
As Zhao Yang shared his findings, the man listened in astonishment and praised, "The Immortal Master truly is remarkable! There really is a gorge fifteen miles outside Pear Blossom Village. I went there twice as a child and got scolded by my mother for it; she said there were man-eating ghosts inside, so I never dared to go back. I never expected the Immortal Master could figure this out."
"Such ignorance is truly frightening," Zhao Yang scoffed, and together with Song Baliang, they headed directly towards the gorge in front of these mortals.
"The source of the calamity lies here."
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