Tingshan Mountain is lush with towering trees, verdant greenery, and the sound of birds echoing through the mountain streams.
Yanzhu ascended the stone steps, scanning her surroundings, a sharp glint flickering in her bright eyes. This Tingshan Mountain was truly a fine place, provided that...
Gaoshu casually plucked a vibrant green leaf with a hint of purple luster. Looking at the dense vegetation, he joked, "Bishui Village certainly knows how to pick a spot—right in the middle of a primeval forest like this. If it weren't for their reputation, wouldn't they be cut off from the world for a lifetime? Even if someone were to vanish mysteriously, there would be no way to track it."
Luomingjing made a swift move and grabbed Gaoshu by the ear. "Can't you learn to hold your tongue?"
Always saying things like that!
Yelping as his ear was pulled, Gaoshu begged for mercy repeatedly: "I was just running my mouth! Ancestor, I’m sorry!"
Deep mountains and old forests...
After hearing this, Yanzhu lowered her gaze. A remote mountain forest—it was indeed an excellent place to commit a crime. This was the very reason Old Liao had asked for her help. If suspects were to scatter in all directions... tracking them down would be no easy feat.
Yanzhu looked up and met Yanshang’s eyes. Yanshang offered a gentle smile that felt like a spring breeze. Yanzhu smiled back radiantly. It seemed she wasn't the only one who had reached that conclusion.
Yanshang spoke, "In a dense forest like this, if an ordinary person met with an accident, no one would report it for weeks. Plus, everyone in this village knows each other; if they were to cover for someone, it would be even harder to investigate."
"Then it might not just be a case involving a few people. Who knows how many there could be? You and Luomingjing should find some time to look around and confirm the situation."
"Understood."
The two walked side by side.
"Hello, we’re the ones who made a reservation a couple of days ago." Yanshang stepped forward to speak with the innkeeper of Bishui Village.
"I’m sorry, but Bishui Village is not open to outsiders right now. Please return the way you came."
Gaoshu couldn't hold back anymore. This was clearly a guilty conscience at work, making up such excuses! "Wait, when we made the reservation, you didn't say it wasn't allowed! Who are you trying to fool with that excuse now?"
Luomingjing slapped Gaoshu across the back. Gaoshu rubbed the back of his head and glared at her, looking wronged. What had he done wrong this time?
Luomingjing looked at the man, her smile blooming like a flower. "Please don't mind my friend; he has a bit of a temper. Look, we’ve been walking for so long, and it’s almost dark. It’s not safe to head back down the mountain now. Could you make an exception and let us stay the night? Please, sir?"
Between the good cop and the bad cop, and the mix of soft and hard words, this polite request served as a face-saving exit. Surely, they wouldn't refuse now.
Yanzhu was looking around listlessly when she suddenly narrowed her eyes and focused on one side—it was her—the young girl whom Old Liao had interrogated but gotten nothing from. Lingran, was it?
Lingran was currently pushing a handcart for an elderly woman.
The woman said kindly, "Ranran, you’ve really gone to a lot of trouble for me."
Lingran smiled. "Not at all, Auntie Liang. Next time you harvest your crops, call me. I’ll help you out."
Yanzhu poked Luomingjing in the ribs with her elbow and gestured with her chin toward Lingran.
Lingran’s smile suddenly vanished. A sharp, piercing gaze darted toward Yanzhu’s direction, but she only saw two men talking to the inn manager, likely still negotiating the room, and two girls chatting face-to-face. Realizing she was being too sensitive, Lingran retracted her sharp look and put her smile back on.
Was it just an illusion? There were more outsiders arriving.
Yanzhu spoke softly: "Let’s go." The moment Luomingjing noticed Lingran looking back, she immediately stepped in front of Yanzhu. It looked as if the two were just talking, but in reality, she had blocked Lingran’s line of sight.
Luomingjing couldn't help but feel startled: She was quite sensitive, wasn't she? Young girls these days were not so simple.
Yanshang and Gaoshu walked over, jingling the keys in their hands to indicate that everything was settled. Yanzhu gave them a look—*We’ll talk back in the room.*
The four of them gathered in one room. After searching the premises to ensure everything was secure, they finally sat down.
Yanzhu stood before the blinds, the reflection of her dark, bright eyes visible in the glass. "How did it go?"
Yanshang’s steady voice replied, "They seem rather difficult to deal with. They kept talking about 'reviewing' things, pretending to be concerned for our safety and implying they wanted to block us from staying."
All they had done was discuss their reservation, which had been made online in advance, yet the villagers had tried to dissuade them—in plain terms, they didn't want them staying there.
Gaoshu was confused. "What kind of reason is that?"
Yanzhu’s lips curled into a faint smile as she looked at them. "Haven't you noticed? People here don't seem to welcome outsiders at all." Gaoshu looked puzzled, a question mark clearly hanging over his head; he didn't seem to have noticed any lack of welcome.
"Think about the tourist villages we’ve been to before. They fight over themselves to invite you into their homes, or at the very least, they push their local products and introduce their specialties. But here, they treat us like we’re invisible. They don't ask, they don't engage; they treat outsiders as if they are irrelevant. And that girl, Lingran... Old Liao said he couldn't get a single clue out of her. She just cried and babbled incoherently. Since the Special Operations Team can't interfere too much with ordinary people, they let her go, but I just saw it on her—a 'field'."
Luomingjing chimed in at the right moment: "I saw it too, though only for a fleeting instant." It was like a mayfly’s life, a mere flicker, as if she had just lost focus for a second.
They were startled. They knew exactly what a "field" was; it was something that should only appear on a cultivator. Only by cultivating a "field" could one truly be considered to have stepped onto the path of cultivation. Depending on the method and the level of cultivation, everyone’s "field" was different.
"So that means she’s the one who killed that boy?" Yanshang voiced his speculation.
Yanzhu shook her head slightly. "Not sure, it was too faint." She was referring to the mana she had felt emanating from Lingran—it was too weak. So weak that it seemed as if it didn't belong to her at all.
Outside the house, more people were arriving in the village one after another.
"More people are coming. It seems this matter is considered quite important," Yanzhu said. The other three crowded toward the blinds as well.
Looking at their attire and their presence, they were definitely outside cultivators. It wasn't just the Special Operations Team, but also members of the Xing Sect and others.
Gaoshu felt himself being pushed lower and lower, and he cried out, "Hey, hey! Don't crowd me! I’m about to fall off the planet!"
The three of them looked down, exchanged smiles, and stood up.
"There are a lot of people here. Does that cause any problems?" Luomingjing looked at Yanzhu, a flicker of worry in her eyes. She was afraid of clashing with these groups; if a fight broke out, even if they had backers, mistakes were inevitable. No one wanted to take risks; perhaps moving carefully and staying safe was all they truly wanted.
"It’s fine. I’m just here to look around. Old Liao has already arranged everything, and besides, we’re just here for a vacation." Yanzhu’s tone was light. "Everyone go back to your rooms and get some rest."
The moment the door locked, Yanzhu’s eyes turned cold. She pondered everything in her mind, her expression now entirely at odds with the face she had shown moments ago.
"This is starting to get interesting. The boy who went up the mountain with Lingran died mysteriously. According to probes, he had lost his soul, yet Lingran was completely unharmed—just frightened. The Special Operations people didn't detect anything wrong. Why is that?"
The sky outside the window grew darker, and a wind began to rise, stirring the encroaching gloom. Yanzhu felt it was necessary to go up the mountain and see for herself.