Although the words sounded a bit off, Lu Zheng’s surprise was genuine.
More than a dozen scholars had disappeared from the town at once. No matter how you looked at it, most of them were probably dead.
Ji Zizhen had been missing for four days, so logically, the chances of survival were slim.
However, since he was alive, Lu Zheng didn’t mind meddling in some trivial matters. After all, abducting a few scholars in a remote town was likely the work of minor demons or ghosts. How much power could they possibly have?
“About ten miles north by west of the town, what’s that place?” Lu Zheng turned to ask the innkeeper.
The innkeeper, sporting a small moustache, flinched with a hint of fear in his eyes. “Ten miles north by west?”
“Yes!” Lu Zheng nodded. “Is there a problem?”
The innkeeper swallowed hard. “That’s the Li Family Fort. It’s been abandoned for decades.”
It was probably the story of a prominent family from Xiahe Town a century ago, gradually declining until their descendants scattered and their land fell into ruin.
“It’s said that seventy years ago, the last dozen or so people living in the Li Family Fort suddenly vanished. Because of its remote location, no one has gone there since. The few who did said the place was eerie and terrifying, not a good place.”
“Alright, got it.” Lu Zheng nodded.
No doubt about it, it was either an outside ghost that discovered this prime spot and took it over, or a ghost from the Li Family’s past that had cultivated enough to emerge.
“Let’s go take a look!”
The four of them bid farewell to the innkeeper and immediately left the town, heading north.
“What kind of ghost dares to steal a man from me!” Hu Cainiang pouted. She had left her scent on Ji Zizhen, so normally, other creatures should have noticed.
“Wait a moment, Qingyan, none of you make a move. Let me see how much power this ghost has!” Hu Cainiang said confidently.
“Alright,” Liu Qingyan agreed without insisting.
However, as they reached a mountain hollow, they saw a group of people emerging from nearby ruins.
“Lord You? Sister Du?”
Leading the group were You Che and Du Huan from Yizhou’s Supernatural Affairs Office.
Behind them were four or five pale, weak scholars, barely able to walk. Ji Zizhen was among them.
“Young Master Lu?”
Du Huan’s eyes lit up. She smiled, gave an ambiguous glance at the three women by his side, then winked at Lu Zheng. “What are you doing here?”
“Cainiang?”
Seeing Hu Cainiang, tears welled up in Ji Zizhen’s eyes. He tried to rush forward but nearly fell after a single step.
Hu Cainiang shook her head helplessly and stepped forward to support him.
“Hmm?” Du Huan looked at Hu Cainiang and Ji Zizhen, then back at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng first introduced Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying to the two, then briefly explained the relationship between Hu Cainiang and Ji Zizhen before asking, “A mere century-old ghost, why would it require both you and Lord You to act together?”
“It was a misunderstanding,” Du Huan shook her head. “We thought it was someone from the Southern Border Goddess Sect.”
“What?”
“The Southern Border has been restless lately. Many sects have infiltrated the Central Plains to cause trouble, including the Goddess Sect,” Du Huan explained. “This ghost’s actions were similar to the Goddess Sect’s, so we thought they had snuck into Yizhou. Turns out, it wasn’t them.”
“Oh!” Lu Zheng nodded.
If it was an invasion by a major Southern Border force, that would make sense.
The Southern Border sects, with their main bases outside the Jing Dynasty, could act recklessly. For instance, when the Yuan Saint Sect came looking for a saintess substitute, it caused a major mobilisation of the Supernatural Affairs Office.
The Yuan Saint Sect sought a saintess substitute, while the Goddess Sect targeted men to drain their yang energy. Why did they all rely on external means?
“It was just a century-old ghost that killed a dozen or so scholars. We dealt with it. These are the survivors, but their vital energy is heavily depleted. They won’t recover for a year or two, so forget about sharing a bed.”
Du Huan gave a pointed look at Hu Cainiang and Ji Zizhen.
Since Hu Cainiang and Ji Zizhen had a fleeting romantic connection, they first escorted Ji Zizhen away.
Lu Zheng and his two companions, along with Du Huan and You Che, took the remaining scholars back to Xiahe Town before departing together.
“The Yuan Saint Sect before, now the Goddess Sect. Do Southern Border sects often infiltrate the Jing Dynasty?” Lu Zheng asked, puzzled.
“They usually operate in the southern regions and rarely venture deep into the Central Plains, unless they don’t plan to return or have something critical, like last time when they sought a body for the saintess to possess,” Du Huan explained. “The Southern Border is chaotic, and most are at odds with our dynasty. But their internal rivalries and grudges are just as intense, so the pressure on us is less than from the Northern Border. Still, the Southern Border is a miasmic land, sparsely populated and dangerous. Whether it’s mountain tribes or rogue cultivators, they pose a significant threat to ordinary people.”
You Che suddenly added, “A few years ago, the Southern Border faced some upheaval. Many major figures either died or went into seclusion, but things have stabilised recently.”
Lu Zheng blinked. “Does the Jing Dynasty not have spies in the Southern Border?”
Du Huan laughed. “You’ve been reading too many storybooks. The leaders of the major Southern Border sects have thousands of years of cultivation. Who could spy on their affairs? Even the head of our Supernatural Affairs Office in the capital wouldn’t dare venture deep into the Southern Border.”
Lu Zheng was speechless. Alright, he’d been reckless. But he didn’t mind. After all, what did the affairs of major powers have to do with a minor layman like him?
Still, Lu Zheng’s eyes gleamed. Figures with thousands of years of cultivation, was that the ceiling of this world?
He had many unanswered questions.
When did the path of cultivation in this world begin?
Were any of the first cultivators or demons still alive?
Why did this world resemble ancient China so much, with Buddhist and Taoist traditions?
Did the figures from myths and legends truly exist? If so, where were they?
In the modern world, these weren’t issues because it was a technological society.
In this world alone, these questions weren’t a big deal. They were just about the origins of cultivation.
But to Lu Zheng, they were significant.
Bong
He instinctively sensed something greater lurking above Earth and this world.
A smile tugged at Lu Zheng’s lips. Immortality didn’t seem like a dream anymore.
His vision might surpass that of many experts in this world.
After all, he was a genius!
“Yuyin, when I’m strong enough, I’ll take you to see greater sights, to find out if the Fantian Seal exists, and to see which is stronger, you or it!”
Yuyin, “…”
