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墨書 Inktalez
In the middle of the night, we could only rely on the faint light from our flashlight to illuminate the path beneath our feet.
Not wanting to be discovered, we adjusted the flashlight's beam to a dimmer setting.
The path was littered with stones, and I stumbled several times, nearly falling. Just moments ago, I had almost stepped on a rock in the middle of the trail that I hadn't seen clearly.
Fortunately, Mu Xuanche pulled me back just in time. After that, I figured I wouldn't have to worry about tripping again.
He crouched down in front of me, and feeling cheerful, I leaped onto his back as he carried me forward.
During this outing, Mu Xuanche had been exceptionally gentle with me, never allowing me to feel even a hint of discomfort. Yet, there was an unsettling emptiness in my heart, as if something was about to happen.
Suddenly, Bai Qiling, who was walking ahead, stopped and turned to speak to Mu Xuanche.
"Xuan Wang, we've been walking for so long without seeing anything. Do you think the back mountain they mentioned isn't this place?"
Mu Xuanche didn't respond; he frowned as if deep in thought.
I patted his shoulder, signaling him to let me down.
Once on the ground, I squatted down and began to set up a layout on the ground. Mu Xuanche kindly used the flashlight to illuminate my work, making it easier for me to deduce our next steps.
I was trying to determine the direction of what we were searching for, and my deductions came quickly—Northwest.
This location was quite tricky. After I pointed it out to Mu Xuanche, he hoisted me back onto his back and started walking in the Northwest direction.
Bai Qiling followed closely behind, and now this fellow no longer questioned my ability to strategize. However, I couldn't be sure whose skills were superior between him and me in the realm of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. Seeing his Illusion made me envious.
The trees along the way were sparse, but ahead, the thicket was particularly dense, almost impassable. Fortunately, I was on Mu Xuanche's back, so I didn't have to worry about that; the rest was left to Mu Xuanche to navigate.
After about ten minutes of travel, I sensed something was amiss. I asked Mu Xuanche if he noticed anything unusual, and he nodded, instructing Bai Qiling to be alert.
I detected a massive Resentment and a foul odor not far ahead. After all I had experienced, I recognized that smell—it meant there must be decaying corpses nearby.
Mu Xuanche quickened his pace as he carried me forward. From a distance, we spotted a gigantic Banyan Tree. This Banyan Tree was enormous; its branches drooped all the way to the ground. Even if the three of us joined hands, we wouldn't be able to encircle it completely.
The Banyan Tree belonged to the category of large trees, and this Giant Banyan Tree was covered in rust-colored aerial roots, thick and lush.
Before we even approached the Banyan Tree, from about twenty meters away, I could see glowing green specks emanating from it. This light was familiar to me; it was Phosphorus Powder found on dead bodies.
As we drew closer, I finally understood how these Phosphorus Powders and the immense Resentment were being produced. Hanging from the Giant Banyan Tree were countless human heads—roughly estimated to be at least a hundred.
The number was so vast, and they were hanging from the trees. What on earth was going on?
I carefully observed the nearest head and realized it wasn't just suspended by some external force; the roots were embedded in its scalp, trailing down through its neck to the ground.
These heads resembled fruits growing on the tree, each one hanging there.
Suddenly, the head I was examining opened its eyes and stared at me.
"Ah!" I screamed and instinctively flew back into Mu Xuanche's embrace.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Mu Xuanche comforted me.
"That head isn't dead; it's moving and looking at me," I said, trying to distance myself.
But Mu Xuanche pulled me forward again.
He forced me to turn around and look at those heads. I had no choice but to open my eyes and take another look.
To my surprise, the head that had just been staring at me was now closed-eyed and completely still.
Could it be that I had imagined it? I clearly saw it open its eyes. What was happening?
"Who?"
A fierce roar came from behind us. When we all turned around, we saw the old man and the young girl from earlier standing behind us.
Upon seeing our faces, the girl leaned closer to the old man and said, "Grandpa, it's those three from this afternoon."
It turned out that this was a pair of grandfather and grandson. The grandfather approached, holding a flashlight, and after taking a look, he asked calmly, "Who are you people, and what are you doing in Hong Village?"
The old man probably wasn't blind; his eyesight was just poor. He had come closer to see our faces clearly.
The three of us exchanged glances. Bai Qiling was about to step forward, but I took the initiative.
"Uncle, we sensed a strong presence of Yin Qi here, so we came to check it out," I said.
The old man seemed skeptical and turned his head with a cold laugh.
"What kind of people are you? Do you think I'm easy to fool? Ordinary folks can't sense Yin Qi; I'm not that foolish."
We could have ignored this old man since the three of us had enough strength to deal with him. However, to avoid trouble, I replied, "Sir, we are disciples of the Xuan Sect, which is why we can sense the presence of Yin Qi."
"Xuan Sect, people from Golden Cicada," he remarked.
I was surprised that this old man even recognized the previous generation's Xuan Sect leader. Could it be that some divine being was hiding here?
"Sir, my master is Lingyunzi, and Golden Cicada is my ancestor. Do you know him? Why did you suddenly mention my ancestor's name?"
The old man scoffed. "I don't know him. How would an old man like me know those big shots?"
It was hard to believe he didn't know them. After all, how could he bite his teeth when mentioning my ancestor if he didn't? He definitely knew something, but I couldn't figure out the connection.
However, after realizing we were from the Xuan Sect, his attitude noticeably improved. The defensive aura around him had clearly lessened significantly.
After a while, he impatiently said, "You all hurry up and leave. This is not something you can meddle in. Just go."
Mu Xuanche and I exchanged glances, silently communicating our confusion about why this old man was so eager for us to leave.
Mu Xuanche suggested that I should try to keep the old man occupied and extract more information from him.
I agreed with his idea and approached the old man again, trying to be friendly. "Old man, look, we are all practitioners of cultivation too, and our abilities are not lacking. If you really have something going on, we might be able to help you. Just tell us."
The old man glanced at me disdainfully. "What can you three do? Stop messing around and get out of here."
I didn't expect him to be so stubborn, and I found myself at a loss for words as I retreated back to Mu Xuanche's side.
"Old man, if you want to retrieve the blood pool beneath the tree roots, do you really think just the two of you can do it without risking your granddaughter?"
Mu Xuanche suddenly interjected, catching the old man off guard. He quickly responded, "How do you know about the blood pool?"
"How do I know? How do you know?"
Seeing that Mu Xuanche's tone was even more assertive than the old man's, Ling'er immediately flared up beside him.
"How can you speak to my grandfather like that?"
She was truly fearless, and I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious for her.
As a result, Ling'er kept opening her mouth but only managed to stammer out "Ah ah ah..." without forming any coherent words.
The old man noticed something was off and rushed in front of us. "What have you done to my granddaughter?"
Mu Xuanche did not respond to him, not even giving the old man a glance. Furious, the old man pointed at Mu Xuanche and threatened, "If you don't release my granddaughter, you won't be able to leave Hong Village."
"You are threatening me," Mu Xuanche said coldly, glancing at the old man.
Seemingly intimidated by Mu Xuanche's aura, the old man took a few steps back.
"You, you, you..." He was so enraged that he could barely speak.
Waving his cane, he swung it towards Mu Xuanche. Just as the cane was about to reach him, it suddenly shattered into pieces in mid-air.
The old man turned around and pulled a head down from a tree, intending to throw it at Mu Xuanche. I had no idea what use this head would serve.
Worried that Mu Xuanche might be at a disadvantage, I quickly drew my gun and aimed it at Ling Er's head, shouting at the old man, "Try moving again."
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