activa-t Chapter 108 The Inspection Tour
Chapter 108 The Inspection Tour
That night
The vast town of Wugu had long since fallen into silence.
Fang Hongxuan quietly pushed open the window. The street was dark and gloomy, with only fireflies dancing along the street edges.
"What happened?"
Even without activating his zombie form, Fang Hongxuan could sense the amount of life force and the surge of blood and qi to some extent. However, when the window was opened, he was completely unaware of anything! Or rather, he couldn't sense anything at all!
He seemed to recall the thief who had been burned by contact with Cuojin during the day, and an indescribable sense of dread permeated his entire body.
The normally smooth and lustrous scabbard of the Cuojin sword was now scorching hot, and even the name of the Cuojin sword inside the scabbard faintly emitted a crimson-gold light.
"Squeak..."
The door was pushed open
An extremely dull and rigid face peered through the crack, with a pale white lantern below it.
The newcomer was none other than the short, stout waiter named Fugui. He struggled to turn his neck and face Fang Hongxuan.
"Sir, there is a curfew in Wugu Town. If you go out now, you might be caught by the patrol..."
"No heartbeat...the blood and qi in my body are stagnant and difficult to circulate...like a living corpse..."
Fang Hongxuan was not unfamiliar with strange scenes, but if his guess was true, then Wugu Town was probably not a place inhabited by a group of living dead!
"What if I insist on going out..."
After much deliberation, Fang Hongxuan decided to test the waters. If he was merely following orders, he had dozens of ways to evade their detection and scrutiny... If they possessed a degree of self-awareness, it would make things much easier for him.
"Then I must say I'm sorry..."
Fu Gui's dull expression suddenly turned into a ferocious one, and icy cold yin energy overflowed from his seven orifices, followed by dark red blood.
If it were an ordinary person here, they might be scared half to death.
But who is Fang Hongxuan?
He was a daring demon-slaying captain, and had already experienced many perilous situations. This childish game was naturally no problem for him. If he hadn't wanted to test him further, this waiter named Fugui would probably have been beheaded the moment he stepped through the door.
Clang, clang...
In the cramped room
The washbasin, bronze mirror, and wardrobe were smashed to pieces by Fugui. The various sounds of things hitting the ground mingled together, creating a great commotion. However, none of this disturbed the guests in the other rooms; apart from the occasional barking of dogs from the street, the surroundings remained silent.
"So that's how it is..."
'Clang'
The gleaming blade flashed like a crescent moon, blinding anyone who saw it. Fu Gui's head, along with the beams and pillars of the house, was severed in one stroke, his狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) expression forever etched on his face, blood streaming from his seven orifices. The headless corpse, about to charge at Fang Hongxuan, fell to the ground with a thud.
The filthy blood in the blood tank sizzled and hissed, and a foul-smelling gray mist rose to its peak until it disappeared without a trace.
'Squeak...squeak...'
A biting wind kept blowing into the room, and the half-closed door was banging haphazardly against the walls.
Two lines of bloody footprints of varying depths stretched to the end of the corridor. Doors along the way were violently kicked open, and dozens of wooden doors slammed against the walls, yet no one responded.
房内
One by one, people lay on the beds with their eyes closed, yet they seemed to be fast asleep, unable to be awakened no matter how they were called. Looking around, they all appeared to have blocked blood and qi, their hearts devoid of any beating. The only difference between them and Fugui was that they were unable to move freely.
Fang Hongxuan didn't resolve everything, not because he was kind-hearted, but because he wanted to see how these people would return to normal after sunrise.
on the street
The gongs and drums sounded in unison, and the suona horns blared loudly.
The sounds of singing bowls, wooden fish drums, and chanting rang out one after another, the six distinct sounds blending together to create a strange and eerie atmosphere.
The boys and girls who were carrying bamboo baskets on their heads were no longer holding them up, but were playing and frolicking like innocent children.
Eight burly strong men carried the palanquin with smiles on their faces, but this time it wasn't the Goddess of Fertility who was traveling; instead, they were escorting another pair of children. The children on the palanquin were filled with fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as they huddled together in a ball.
Behind the strongman was a large group of monks, who held aloft plaques and ceremonial guards, their faces extremely vigilant, as if they were escorting some rare treasure. Dozens of people dressed in black walked behind the monks. Upon closer inspection, Fang Hongxuan spotted Li Zhixu, whose face was swollen and red, in the crowd.
"How did he end up among them? Could this group eventually stop at that temple of the goddess? Let's follow them and take a look... maybe we'll find something unexpected..."
However, unnoticed by Fang Hongxuan, a group of believers dressed in black were intently watching his every move in the nooks and crannies.
"Hmm... someone is watching me..."
Despite feeling a faint stinging pain in his back, Fang Hongxuan followed the escort team without changing his expression.
...
"The target has been spotted! Quickly return and report to the master! He intends to follow the procession into the Niangniang Temple..."
"Oh no! We've lost them..."
The believer responsible for monitoring Fang Hongxuan was about to turn back to report when he felt a sharp blade pressed against his neck.
"I ask...you answer..."
"Buzz..."
Before Fang Hongxuan could voice his doubts, the believer was about to shout a warning. Fang Hongxuan, quick-witted and agile, didn't have time to cover his mouth; he had no choice but to slit his throat to prevent future trouble.
"Hmm...there's no heartbeat or pulse either..."
"In that case... let's deal with these men in black first... lest they reveal my whereabouts..."
...
"That meddlesome demon-slaying captain will probably fall for it... Once he enters the temple with the group, I can use the power of 'binding' to trap him inside. Then, at midnight, when the goddess awakens, I can tear him apart, suck his marrow, skin him alive, and tear out his tendons to vent my hatred..."
"I wonder if the patrol's sentries spotted him..."
Li Zhixu, looking somewhat uneasy, had his palms and the backs of his hands soaked with cold sweat, while behind him lay a muddy mess.
The procession ahead was bustling with noise and drumming; behind them, in the quiet alleys, only the thud of corpses falling to the ground could be heard.
The moon was obscured by evening clouds; the night was dark and the wind was high.
It's not only a good time for a deep sleep, but also the perfect opportunity to commit murder...
However, the further Fang Hongxuan went into the temple, the more intense and bone-chilling the cold air became. This was a sign that the Yin energy was about to reach its peak, which meant that there was an evil spirit here that was about to become powerful.
"That lurking sense of being watched is growing stronger; could it be that they've already discovered something..."
Fang Hongxuan, somewhat uncertain, hid in the darkness and watched the procession about to enter the Niangniang Temple.
It must be said that this temple of the goddess is extremely ingeniously designed. Only two corridors on the left and right lead into the temple, while the rest of the area is occupied by a very dangerous and turbulent river. This makes it extremely difficult to enter the temple by any other means.
It wasn't that Fang Hongxuan couldn't dive in, but rather that the water was filled with yin energy at night, and recklessly entering would disturb the goddess of fertility who resided there...
"Let's follow them and see..."