Mountain Patrol Military Officer-Chapter 71 - Three Parties Take Action (Seeking Follow-up Reads)
Chapter 71 -71: Three Parties Take Action (Seeking Follow-up Reads)
Chapter 71 -71: Three Parties Take Action (Seeking Follow-up Reads)
Chen Yuan heard the words of Old Monk Bai Mei.
His gaze flickered; his thoughts spun.
Earlier, a message had circulated within his Mud Ball.
“Slay a Heart Demon of Old Monk Bai Mei, gain +15 Luck Points.”
At first, when he emerged, he was a bit surprised.
Destroying this scene could actually earn him Luck, and it was relevant to the old monk.
This confirmation now suggests that this place is indeed dangerous, as the monk described.
There are two reasons: one is the Tao Trace left by one’s Tao Heart, and the other is those left behind here, whether they were those who debated scriptures and sought enlightenment, lost their way, or Martial Arts Experts who fell in this place.
The mark left by an Achiever could trap these people; if they cannot break free, they might develop Heart Demons, becoming utterly lost here until their death.
While Chen Yuan’s thoughts were swirling, a shiver ran through his heart.
The Divine Souls of tens of thousands of Qingshan County residents had been sucked into this unpredictable realm—most certainly a perilous situation.
He thought of Old Wu, who always cared for him, waiting at the end of the alley;
the spirited Little squirrel, the timid White Fox,
along with the neighbors who loved to hold proverb-debating sessions;
…
A surge of emotion rose within Chen Yuan.
Alone in this world, these were the people close to him.
He couldn’t just abandon them.
However, because of the contract, he could vaguely sense the direction of Little squirrel and the others.
Deciding not to linger any longer,
before leaving, he still asked Old Monk Bai Mei:
“This place is fraught with danger; would Master like to accompany me?”
Old Monk Bai Mei, his eyebrows and eyes lowered, uttered a Buddhist chant,
“Amitabha Buddha, since the benefactor has just arrived and bears a destined connection with this poor monk, I am willing to guide the benefactor for part of your journey!”
Saying so, the monk flicked a Buddha Bead from his hand.
In the span of a breath, it grew to the size of a millstone.
Then it flew into the river,
skipping like a stone, dashing across the water.
Afterward, the monk lightly leapt and landed on the Buddha Bead, sitting down cross-legged.
Seeing this, Chen Yuan generated wind under his feet, stepped into the river with lightness, walking on water without sinking, and whistled as he followed.
The two headed towards the east of the great river.
And as the two left the deck with such movements,
the people on the boat appeared completely unaware, busy with their own tasks.
As if they hadn’t seen them at all.
However, soon, a mist rose from the surface of the river.
Covering everything.
……..
At the Scripture Debate Place,
within a Contemplation Space,
a giant city, with a thunderous crash, descended upon the white fog.
Then, the darkness rose quickly like a tide, enshrouding the entire city, so dense that one couldn’t see their own hand.
Suddenly, trails of fireflies, like shooting stars, cascaded from the sky.
They fell into this city, spanning dozens of miles, burrowing into house after house.
Immediately following, a green lamp descended from the sky, landing above the city.
Then suddenly started to spin swiftly.
Flames flew out of the green lamp’s fire, spinning into the air.
And then they entered every household!
Lighting up thousands of homes!
Soon after, moans and groans arose from all over the city.
From the streets, from every family.
“Ouch, why does my head hurt so much?”
“How did I fall asleep all of a sudden?”
“Husband, you’re awake!
So am I; I just had such a strange dream.”
“Master, master, something’s wrong—the servants at home, they all fell to the ground…oh, they’ve woken up again…”
“Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper, why are you lying on the ground, are you alright?
I don’t know what happened just now…”
“Why is there such thick fog outside?”
“….”
Almost simultaneously, the town’s people wake up, drowsily.
Voices of shock or confusion spread throughout the city.
Some were puzzled as to how they suddenly fell asleep.
Some recounted their recent dreams, only to find disturbing similarities, instantly filling them with doubts.
Some felt as if nothing had happened, simply thinking they had fallen asleep suddenly.
Yet, some sensed that something was amiss,
“Why are the lights on at home?”
It was an unwritten rule among the residents of Qingshan County to extinguish the lights at night.
Such were the ways of the world.
Looking outside again, one saw pitch darkness, with a dense fog spreading.
The blackness, like ink, entered the rooms, suppressing the lamplight into a dim curve,
creating a suffocating oppression.
Even the stars outside were wholly obscured.
At this moment, on the streets, a watchman clutched his forehead, waking up with a groan.
“What’s going on, why did I fall to the ground?”
The watchman clutched his swollen forehead, grimacing in pain, filled with surprise and doubt.
Implements like the lantern and gong were scattered all around him.
Bending down to pick them up, he cursed under his breath,
“Damn it, looks like I need to drink less in the future.”
The watchman thought it was because he had habitually drunk too much liquor for courage before starting work and blacked out as a result.
After all, in these times, being a watchman at night requires some nerve, for fear of encountering unclean entities.
The watchman picked up his things, ready to continue his duties.
But as he stood up and looked around,
he noticed the terrifying darkness and the thick fog that prevailed.
The streets and houses around him were missing from sight.
The light from the lantern could only illuminate three feet ahead.
Beyond that, it was so dark that he could not see his own hand.
No starlight, no moonlight, and the heavy fog shrouding everything made him inexplicably nervous.
He walked cautiously through the black night and fog.
Not long after,
suddenly,
footsteps echoed from within the fog behind him.
“Tap, tap”
He was startled and stopped in his tracks.
The footsteps disappeared instantly.
The watchman’s face relaxed, thinking the footsteps were just his own—a trick of this accursed weather that nearly frightened him.
He continued forward,
and the “tap tap” of footsteps started again.
Gradually, the watchman’s expression grew more troubled.
Why were there two sets of footsteps?
“Who’s there?”
The watchman mustered his courage, turned around swiftly, and called out loudly.
Shining the lantern behind him, only the thick fog greeted him—nothing else.
And the footsteps had stopped.
The watchman stood still, holding up the lantern, looking around anxiously.
After waiting for a long while, there was no further sound.
This made him increasingly doubt whether he had drunk too much, blacked out, and imagined the noises.
Just as he shook his head to clear it and become more alert,
suddenly,
from within the fog behind him,
“Tap tap tap…” the footsteps quickened.
It was as though a drum was pounding hard against his heart.
The watchman, terrified, turned back and shone the light.
His pupils dilated instantly.
A ghastly green-robed man with a rotting body and eyes closed was standing three feet away.
The watchman, scared out of his wits, trembled and fell to the ground.
The lantern rolled out of his hand, tumbling into the fog.
Darkness swarmed in instantly.
In the next second, the decaying man suddenly opened his eyes.
Then, a scream.
In a flash,
the watchman was dragged into the darkness.
Meanwhile, in Jiazifang, a chubby little boy tensely held up a lantern.
Calling out in the fog-filled streets.
“Mom!”
“Where are you?”
“Mom!”
His voice seemed to carry far and wide.
It was so empty and quiet that there were echoes.
On the boy’s shoulder, a little squirrel clung to his left shoulder, its fur on end, eyes watchful and alert in the darkness.
It had been here before.
On his right shoulder, the White Fox whimpered, calling out to something.
Just then, from the fog ahead, the sound of clear reading arose.
Following that, the fog dispersed.
A brightly lit private school appeared.
…….
Meanwhile, outside in the world, in Qingshan County.
It was already daytime.
The flow of time seemed different on both sides.
Above the Nu River outside Qingshan County,
hundreds of boats raced against each other.
Each small boat was loaded with people and livestock.
The dock was bustling with activity.
People were shouting, moving all sorts of goods, driving carts and leading horses, all entering Qingshan County.
