Through a small door, they entered the backyard.
The yard was not big, with three rooms in total. The one facing south was the main residence.
Just like the outside streets, an eerie silence lingered in there.
Xiao Xi’er walked in the front and opened the door.
The old wooden door moved staggeringly like a decrepit old man, and after a few inches, as if it was out of breath, it made a squeaking sound.
Like the shop, the doors and windows here were closed even during the day. Not only that, but there were also large pieces of red cloth hanging on the windows and doors, and with the lack of any light or fire, the house was completely dark.
It took quite some while for Jian Xiuyun’s eyes to adapt to the darkness and see clearly.
The room was not big and the furnishings were simple; a wooden table at the entrance and a bed in the corner.
The bed was covered with a red quilt, wrapped around a woman. She held something in her arms and murmured repeatedly, as if she was saying something.
A haggard man sat next to her on a chair beside the bed, his eyes scarlet as he looked wearily at the woman.
There was a lot of movement when they walked in, but neither of the two people paid them any heed.
They seemed to be immersed in their own world.
“Dad, Uncle Li Zheng invited the Immortal Brother.” Xiao Xi’er ran over in small steps, took the man’s hand and shook it.
After hearing the words, the man finally moved, slowly turning his head and looking at them.
His eyes were like a pool of stagnant water, dull and dreary.
“Li Zheng.” He stood up stiffly and saluted.
Li Zheng waved a hand at him, pointed at Jian Xiuyun and Lin Liaoting and introduced them, “They are the immortal cultivators we invited to catch the beast. They are all very profound people, and will definitely be able to avenge Yu’er.”
When Zhao Bai heard this, the corners of his mouth slowly curved up, and he squeezed out a smile. He cupped his hands and said to them, “Then I’ll leave it all to the immortals.”
Jian Xiuyun observed him for a long time and replied calmly, “You’re welcome.”
After saying that, he walked forward and came to the bed.
When he got closer, he could see clearly that Madam Zhao was holding a boy wrapped in red cloth in her arms. The boy’s face was pale and bloodless, his lips blue, and he had obviously been dead for a long time.
But Madam Zhao seemed to be unaware, holding him and shaking him gently while still murmuring something.
Jian Xiuyun listened intently and realized that it was a nursery rhyme.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“The three rivers are deep, the water is clear, Qianchang Mountain, life cannot be conceived.”
Ynfg jcv bnfg jujlc, pera atfrf ofk kbgvr kfgf weaafgfv yjmx jcv obgat.
“Zjvjw Itjb, mjc sbe ifa wf mtfmx sbeg rbc’r kbecvr?” Aljc Wlesec jrxfv afcajalnfis.
Cr rbbc jr atf kbgvr ifoa tlr ilqr, Zjvjw Itjb revvfcis rabqqfv jii wbnfwfcar.
Coafg j qjerf, rtf ribkis gjlrfv tfg tfjv.
Her hair was as messy as weeds and spread out carelessly. Part of it was in front of her eyes, covering the right side of her face, with only the left side left out.
Her skin was extremely white, with a hint of green. Most of her slender, red eyes were enlarged, dark pupils, with only a small part of the whites, painting a scary picture. Her chapped lips had gone white due to dehydration.
Her whole person looked like a ghost that had crawled out of hell.
She suddenly tightened her arms and hugged the child firmly, her eyes frozen with coldness.
“You want to steal my baby?!” She shrieked.
Her voice sounded like an erhu that had been in the dust unused for a long time. It was really sharp and hoarse, and coupled with the cold expression, it frightened Lin Liaoting so badly that he took a step back.
“Madam Zhao, calm down.” Li Zheng saw this and hurriedly calmed her.
“I’m not trying to steal your child. I merely think he has extraordinary talents at such a young age, I can’t help but take a liking to him. I want to see him, okay?”
Jian Xiuyun changed the topic and tried a different approach.
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao seemed to relax a little. She raised her hand to lift the long hair on her cheek, revealing her entire face.
The end of her eyes raised, and she suddenly smiled, saying to the child in her arms, “You are right, our Yu’er looks good, and his homework is also done well. Fuzi also likes him. He often tells me that in the future, my son will be the top scholar, and then become a high official. When Yu’er becomes a high official, he will no longer be a businessman, so he won’t have to be looked down upon by others. Then he will help Xiao Xi’er get rid of her business registration and find a good husband for her. Don’t you think so? Yu’er…”
She murmured to herself for a while, then suddenly raised her head, and with a flash of doubt in her eyes, she looked at Jian Xiuyun. “Look at him? Why do you want to look at him? You don’t want to take Yu’er away from me…I tell you, it’s impossible to take him away!” She said, and shrieked again.
Lin Liaoting on the side couldn’t take it anymore. He tugged Jian Xiuyun’s sleeve and whispered, “Shizun, there’s something wrong with this woman’s brain, why not just knock her out?”
When Jian Xiuyun heard this, his expression did not change. He just reached out and pinched his arm in the dark, whispering, “Are you a thief? You are a disciple of Xuyu Peak, and you represent Xuyu Peak outside. Don’t embarrass us.”
“Oh.” Lin Liaoting replied sarcastically.
Seeing the woman’s appearance, Jian Xiuyun knew that it would be a time-consuming job, so he calmed himself and said to Li Zheng, “Let’s go outside first.”
Li Zheng didn’t want to stay there any longer, so he immediately agreed.
After they went out, Li Zheng sighed and explained, “After Zhao Yu died, Madam Zhao hasn’t been in the right state.”
Jian Xiuyun didn’t respond, just nodded, turning to look at the gloomy room before saying, “In this case, we’ll come back later.”
The hour of rat.Lin Liaoting yawned, following Jian Xiuyun, he asked helplessly, “Shizun, are you sure you want to go there so late? Why didn’t you inform Li Zheng?”
Jian Xiuyun kept walking and replied calmly, “It’s not necessary.”
Taking note of his laziness, Jian Xiuyun’s anger stirred and he scolded, “Is this your mission or mine?”
“Mine, mine.” Seeing Jian Xiuyun getting angry, Lin Liaoting hurriedly brightened up and replied.
It was already late at night, every door was closed shut, with darkness surrounding everywhere due to the lack of lights, and the streets were devoid of any other soul. Occasionally, the wind would blow, rolling up the layers of fallen leaves on the ground, giving it a desolate and lonely aura.
The two of them walked on the empty street. Although Lin Liaoting had always been bold, this atmosphere made his back feel cold. He quickened his pace and walked side by side with Jian Xiuyun.
“Shizun, why do I feel that this Ancient Stone City is too eerie and has no popularity at all?”
“Maybe it is.” Jian Xiuyun answered.
When they arrived at the Zhao’s, they looked at each other and entered the backyard together.
They found the main residence facing south.
Because of the noise the wooden door caused, they did not go through the main entrance. Instead, they carefully opened a window and climbed in.
The people in the room still maintained their previous posture.
Zhao Bai sat on a chair, holding his head with one hand, looking like he was sleeping soundly.
Madam Zhao was sitting on the bed, her body hunched over and her head hanging down. She was also asleep, but she still held Zhao Yu firmly in her arms.
They lightly walked over to the bed.
Jian Xiuyun cast an immobilizing spell on Madam Zhao, and then carefully took out the child wrapped in red cloth from her arms.
Although Zhao Yu was thirteen years old, he was small in stature and had been dead for a long time, so he was not heavy, and it wasn’t strenuous.
But he was a dead man after all. His face was blue, his lips half-opened, and his white teeth were exposed. It looked very frightening.
Jian Xiuyun averted his eyes and signaled Lin Liaoting to pick him up quickly.
Lin Liaoting was reluctant but did not dare resist, so he could only grit his teeth and take him over.
Then he placed the body on the table nearby.
“Untie the red cloth.” Jian Xiuyun ordered.
“Yes.” Lin Liaoting replied with a grimace, then frowning, pinched his nose with one hand and began to untie the red cloth with the other.
Zhao Yu must have been dead for more than three days. The aura of decay and ashes that belonged to the corpse spread little by little as the red cloth was untied.
Lin Liaoting felt even worse and quickly sped up his actions.
Soon, a pale young body was exposed in front of them.
Zhao Yu actually had no clothes on, and his whole body was displayed naked in front of them.
The boy’s skin was a lifeless white color, his legs hung down weakly, his left hand was placed limply on his chest, and the right side was empty, with nothing.
Jian Xiuyun took out a handkerchief to cover his nose, walked forward, and began to check the boy’s injuries.
However, as soon as he took a look, his expression became condensed.
“Shizun?” Lin Liaoting noticed the change in his expression and moved closer. Then he saw that the boy’s right arm was cut off from near the shoulder blade, which was obviously severed by a sword.
“Isn’t this a sword wound?” Lin Liaoting scratched his head, “Didn’t they say there was a beast eating people?”
“They were lying.” Jian Xiuyun frowned slightly and subconsciously grabbed Qinghan Sword.
“Why?” Lin Liaoting was even more confused.
“Perhaps…they are misleading us.” Jian Xiuyun seemed to sense something, and slowly turned around with his sword in hand.
Zhao Bai and Madam Zhao, who were originally asleep, had woken up at some point and were staring at them.
The whites of their eyes had disappeared, leaving only black pupils occupying the entire eye sockets. The moonlight shone through the window on their faces, giving off a cold light.
Happy New Year~
Those treacherous effers! Turning poor common people into who knows what and trying to trap cultivators!
Thank you for the update and happy new year!
🎄
I knew it!
I wonder if Hubby will appear to save the day if things go extremely wrong.
Happy New Year!
Ahhh what a cliffhanger!
Thanks for the update and happy new year!
Thanks for the update!
Awaiting the next chapter!