infodatos Chapter 62 Mirage
Chapter 62 Mirage
Colorful clouds spread along the border.
Within the auspicious clouds, waves surged and rolled, as if a giant python were weaving through them.
'Buzz'
As the rainbow faded, a peach blossom grove hidden within the canyon was faintly revealed. Within the grove, peach blossoms fell in profusion, like a shower of petals.
At the top of the valley lies a boundless heavenly pool, its waters swirling with white mist and hanging down the edge of the canyon, gradually disappearing from view only after completely enveloping the peach blossom forest.
Deep within the peach grove, one can vaguely see flat land, rows of houses, lush farmland, irrigation canals extending in all directions, and the faint sounds of dogs barking and roosters crowing.
Among them were kind-faced men who came and went, working in the fields. In the shade, there were elderly men and children with their hair in tufts, enjoying themselves, and women spinning yarn and weaving needlework inside the houses.
...
"This...this is the Peach Blossom Spring they spoke of..."
Chen Qinghe was well aware of the Peach Blossom Spring story in the Blue Star textbooks... However, this was the first time he had ever actually witnessed this dreamlike mirage.
"This is definitely not an auspicious omen; it's more like the work of demons..."
Although Jian Shiqing was equally shocked, his intuition as a demon-slaying captain kept reminding him that all those who pretended to be gods and ghosts in the world were evil spirits that could steal one's soul.
The celestial phenomenon gradually dissipated after half an hour. Fang Hongxuan slowly rose from the bluestone slab, and just as he was preparing to organize his equipment and call the two to set off, the statue of the Earth God inside the temple emitted a hazy light.
A bamboo stick suddenly fell from the cracked bamboo tube on the offering table.
"Are you trying to give me some hints?"
As Fang Hongxuan thought this, Chen Qinghe, who was beside him, stepped forward, picked it up, and handed it to the two of them. All three of them stared in slight silence at the somewhat moldy bamboo skewer.
The reason is simple: the small seal script on the bamboo slip, with the marks of the carving covered by cinnabar, clearly reads "Forty-four slips".
Although the fortune-telling tablet in this temple has long since disappeared, the number seems rather unlucky.
The once vibrant land seemed to have lost all its color, and the originally detailed statues instantly turned into indistinct clay figures.
"The local earth god... has disappeared..."
Jian Shiqing felt a bitter taste in his mouth, and even his expression turned sorrowful.
For the demon-slaying captain, there is no safe haven in the wilderness except for temples protected by the City God and the Earth God.
"So what if it dissipates?"
"This land has lost its protection, and evil spirits run rampant."
As they spoke, the three could faintly hear the hoarse roars of the zombies. This forced them to leave the area as soon as possible.
Three horses emerged from the earth god temple one after another, their galloping hooves kicking up clouds of dust.
...
"Is this Guanjiang Village just ahead...?"
Gazing at the breathtaking mirage before him, Tian Guangzu felt a surge of joy. Regardless, discovering the unknown always somewhat offsetted any wrongdoing. And if he could bring back something useful to his master, an even greater reward would follow.
"grown ups..."
A small, pockmarked farmer timidly spoke, waking the hopeful Tian Guangzu. His short, lanky companion beside him was even more nervous. Yet, their mixture of joy and anxiety made them look rather comical.
'Clang'
The heavy baggage was tossed at their feet, its contents of gold, silver, and valuables dazzling them. Without even a chance to thank them, they hurriedly gathered the scattered treasures.
Tian Guangzu did not stop it, but watched coldly from the sidelines.
"Haha...we're rich! We're really rich..."
The skinny peasant happily gnawed on the gold ingot, feeling its softness, and he was overjoyed.
"It really is gold ingots... Once the plague here is over, I'm determined to take three concubines... Maybe five or six women will be willing to follow me to make a living."
"Now I don't have to worry anymore... I'm rich now."
Once their emotions had calmed down, they remembered the benefactor before them. Just as they were about to kneel and thank him, a flash of light appeared before their eyes, and the two of them were thrown out together.
All they saw were two headless corpses kneeling before Tian Guangzu, and splattered blood, before darkness engulfed them.
Tian Guangzu looked disdainful and snatched the luggage back from the two men.
"Don't you even know what kind of filthy thing you are? Do you really think you can take the reward money alive?!"
After wiping the hemp clothing off the corpse and holding the steel knife, Tian Guangzu jumped off the warship with satisfaction and headed towards the deserted Guanjiang Village ahead.
...
The setting sun cast a dim light, and evening clouds quietly drifted along the border.
Even withered crops could not be seen between the lush weeds; only ever-growing weeds were the main feature of the fields.
The lush tree canopy contrasts with the long-dead trunks, and the creaking waterwheel spins in the dried-up canal.
In the middle of the village road lay a half-rotten blue donkey, its head raised towards Tian Guangzu, emitting a mournful bray.
The entire Guanjiang Village exuded an eerie atmosphere. Although it was completely silent, there was no trace of the distinctive stench of the walking corpses, which made Tian Guangzu secretly on guard.
"Could it be a miasma-seeing technique similar to that of Shenmu Village? If so, without any reference points, venturing in rashly would likely be extremely dangerous."
"If I had known this would happen, I would have spared that scoundrel's life."
Tian Guangzu quietly withdrew from the village road, carefully erasing even the traces of his arrival. He hid in the surrounding bushes, waiting for his pursuers.
"Then you can pave the way for me..."
...
Beyond the forest, near the river, lies a patch of yellow sand.
The surrounding area is lush with vegetation, but this piece of land is barren, with withered vines, yellow sand everywhere, and cracked soil turning into sand.
The three fine horses became restless, and if it weren't for the skillful horsemanship of the three riders, they would probably have scattered by now.
"How could such a strange place exist so close to a water source? Could it be that some unknown demon is lurking here?"
Jian Shiqing dismounted, cupped the sand in his hands, sniffed it carefully.
"Even though this place has long been desertified and has been exposed to the scorching sun, I can still faintly smell the stench of urine mixed in with it..."
'Buzz'
The ground trembled violently, as if an earth dragon were turning over. Seawater flooded the riverbank, and all the surrounding trees and plants suffered.
"Something's coming up..."
The three men's warhorses could no longer contain themselves and galloped off at high speed, carrying the three of them. They only stopped after traveling several miles.
It was two zhang tall and one zhang wide. Covered in a foul stench and with pustules all over its body, the pig-dragon slowly crawled ashore, with an extremely thin left arm attached to its lips and tongue.
Its left arm was dark green, and its skin was covered with tiny scales. What was somewhat chilling was that the left arm could even move and make various gestures.
If you look closely, you can even see the faint outline of a human face in the palm of its hand!
"Is that the part of the body that the plague demon was cut off? Why is its right arm missing?"
Chen Qinghe, however, looked horrified. He stared at the pig dragon for a long time before calming down and telling the story.
"That must be the legendary Dragon King of the River in Niujia Town... How did it become like this now..."