Back To When The Demon Lord Was A Beggar - Chapter 23

“Don’t even get me started. Only a few days after the incidents began, the Yunshan Sect sent their cultivators down to investigate, but unfortunately, they found nothing at all. That foul thing is cunning, it mostly strikes at night and leaves no trace behind. Those cultivators were completely helpless, let alone us ordinary folk. Besides, ever since the cultivators returned to their mountain after investigating, reports have surfaced of people within the Yunshan Sect itself having their brains gouged out. Whatever this thing is, it is definitely not simple. We hide when we can, and if we can’t hide, well, we just have to accept our bad luck.”

The woman sighed and shook her head. She glanced up at the sky and asked, “It’s getting late. Where are you all headed?”

“We are on our way to the Yunshan Sect,” Shen Shangli replied.

Recalling what the woman had just said, Shen Shangli knit her brows slightly, feeling a surge of worry for the current state of her sect.

The woman looked at the group behind Shen Shangli and suggested, “Since you all seem like good people, why not stay the night in our village? Ever since the brain-stealing incidents began, the Yunshan Sect has been on high alert. They keep a barrier up at night that makes it impossible to enter. It’s better to wait until tomorrow morning.”

“In that case, we might have to trouble you, Miss.” From the moment this woman appeared, Chu Nanzhen’s gaze had been fixed on her, never wavering for a second.

“It’s no trouble at all!” The woman lowered her head, a wide smile spreading across her face. It almost seemed as if she had been waiting for him to say those words.

“You might not find it troublesome, but the other villagers might feel differently. After all, we are strangers. You think we are good people, but what if they think otherwise?” Chu Nanzhen observed her expression closely, as if trying to discern something hidden beneath the surface.

It was truly strange. No matter how he looked at her, this woman seemed desperate to keep them here. After everything they had experienced in the Middle City, he suspected there might be a trap.

Zhi Shiyi took hold of his arm and chimed in, “Xiao Chu has a point. We have our own ways of entering the Yunshan Sect, so we won’t trouble you, Miss. Besides, his hand can’t wait any longer.” As he spoke, he lifted Chu Nanzhen’s hand, which was swollen like a pig’s trotter.

Chu Nanzhen: “…”

You really didn’t need to be that descriptive!

The woman froze for a moment at their words, then froze again when she saw Chu Nanzhen’s hand. It was severely burned, and indeed, it could not be neglected. Snapping out of it, she replied, “I saw that some of you carry swords and figured you must be cultivators from other sects. Our village only has a few households and is mostly made up of the elderly. Because we’re so close to the town, I was worried that foul thing might suddenly come to terrorize us. I thought if you were here, you might be able to save our lives if it showed up.”

So, it was mostly a precaution.

She then looked at Chu Nanzhen’s hand and added, “That’s a bad burn. We are the only village near Yunshan, and since the residents are mostly old, the Sect Master of Yunshan has always taken special care of us. He sent over many spiritual medicines before. We had no use for them, so they’ve just been sitting there. Perhaps one can help reduce the swelling on this gentleman’s hand.”

Hearing there was spiritual medicine, Zhi Shiyi immediately spoke up, “Seeing as it is indeed late, let’s stay the night. It won’t be too late to leave tomorrow morning.” He bowed slightly and added, “We’ll be in your debt, Miss.”

The woman’s eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly with a smile. “Then please, follow me.”

Shen Shangli glanced toward the direction of the Yunshan Sect, hesitated for a moment, and eventually followed them in.

“Your City Lord sure changes his mind a lot. One idea after another,” Lin Fengye muttered, standing there with his arms crossed and rolling his eyes.

Slap!

“Too much talk! Only I get to criticize Shiyi-er, no one else!”

Wu Xiang raised a paw and slapped Lin Fengye across the face. The force wasn’t heavy, feeling more like a ball of cotton hitting his cheek, but it was enough to make Lin Fengye’s blood boil. In the sect, his seniors always treated him well, and his master rarely even scolded him. Yet here, he had simply stated a fact and gotten slapped for it!

A fire began to simmer in his heart. With a dark expression, Lin Fengye glared at the black cat on his shoulder and said coldly, “Get down.”

Seeing his foul mood, Wu Xiang immediately hopped off. He felt that if he talked back now, a beating from Lin Fengye would be the least of his worries, and he wasn’t about to go looking for a fight.

Wu Xiang: Hmph!

The villagers had already extinguished their lights. Due to the environment, they lived in small thatched huts. These huts were tiny, and with the group inside, the space was nearly full.

The woman lit a lamp and brought over several small wooden stools. She smiled ruefully and said, “Please don’t be put off by the place. Not long ago, a massive flood hit us. The crops and livestock were all washed away, so we’ve had to make do with these huts for now.”

Chu Nanzhen didn’t mind at all. The hut he used to live in wasn’t much different from this, and was perhaps even more dilapidated. As the group sat down, the final two companions wandered in. When the woman saw Wu Xiang, she said somewhat apologetically, “I’m truly sorry, we don’t have much to entertain you with, and no fish for the black cat. If you don’t mind, I can boil some rice for you.”

The group quickly waved their hands in refusal. Zhi Shiyi said, “It’s quite alright. Staying the night is more than enough. You should keep the rice for yourself, Miss.”

The flood had destroyed the crops, so rice was incredibly precious to them. Offering it was a sign of great sincerity.

As they sat in silence, the woman brought a small blue bottle and handed it to Chu Nanzhen. She sat before them, trying to start a conversation. “Where have you all come from?”

“We came from the direction of the Middle City,” Chu Nanzhen said while applying the ointment. It felt cool and soothing against his skin.

The bottle contained a cream-colored ointment that didn’t smell like medicine at all, but rather carried a lovely fragrance. As expected of a spiritual medicine, it was extraordinary.

“That city has been deserted for years, why would you go there?” Some villagers, having nothing to do, loved to gossip and ask questions about the outside world.

As far as they remembered, the Middle City had always been inhabited. During the years Chu Nanzhen lived there, people were everywhere. How could it be a deserted city? What were all those people he had seen? Were they just a figment of his imagination?

Seeing their confusion, the woman asked, “That city has been abandoned for five or six years, didn’t you know? The people of the Middle City all died out back then. Everyone thought it was an unlucky place and was afraid they’d meet the same end if they moved there, so the city has stayed empty.”

She thought for a moment and added, “Though it’s been a long time, I suppose it’s not impossible that some brave souls moved back in.”

The group pursed their lips and exchanged glances, not knowing where to even begin with this. Chu Nanzhen was feeling a whirlwind of emotions. If what she said was true, then who were the people he had encountered before? Ghosts?

Zhi Shiyi sighed softly and asked, “As far as I know, aren’t many court officials residing in the Middle City? How could it have been a wasteland for five or six years?”

As a City Lord, he wasn’t required to attend court daily. Six months ago, Zhi Shiyi had entered the Imperial City by decree. That was his third time at court. Though his visits were few, he had memorized the faces of the officials during his second visit. When he went back the last time, the same people were there, not a single one missing. Or perhaps, those officials had already moved away from the Middle City.

However, the woman said, “Ever since the Middle City was abandoned, those high-ranking officials scattered to Jiang City and Chao City, or they entered the Imperial City directly. You cultivators stay on your mountains all day, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know these things.”

Just then, a small streak of white light darted in from outside, looking exceptionally bright in the dark night. It was a reply from the palace.

The letter read:

All is well here, thank you for your concern, Minister Zhi. The Middle City became a wasteland five or six years ago. Just who exactly did you see there?

It was exactly as the woman said, it had been a wasteland for years. As for who they had seen, they were likely the “living dead” citizens of the Middle City. Thinking back to when he first brought Chu Nanzhen back to his manor, what was the meaning behind the Emperor’s eunuch bringing a message saying Chu Nanzhen should return to the Middle City?

Someone had to be pulling the strings from the shadows.

So, Zhi Shiyi wrote another letter: “What I saw were the deceased citizens of the Middle City. Not long ago, I encountered a living man while passing through and brought him back. Your Majesty, why were you so insistent that he return to the Middle City?”

He expected to wait a long time for a reply, but it arrived in moments. Zhi Shiyi noted that the response was unusually fast this time.

The letter read:

What do you mean by this, Minister Zhi? Do you think I arranged all of this?! Whoever you take back is your own business, what does it have to do with me? As for the matter of the Middle City, I will send someone from the sects to investigate.

It really was someone deliberately misleading them.

He wasn’t sure if the culprit was brilliant or stupid.

Brilliant, because they had woven such an elaborate web.

Stupid, because they had tried to pin it all on the Emperor.

“Do you think that eunuch knew anything?” Chu Nanzhen asked, referring to the one who had come to the residence in Chao City.

“Perhaps.”

He could have been sent by the mastermind, or he could have just been a mercenary like Lin Fengye, only Lin was luckier.

“Did you eat that eunuch?” Chu Nanzhen asked Wu Xiang, who was lying motionless on the floor.

A cat ear twitched, and after a long silence, a “meow” came out as a response. The woman leaned in, looking back and forth between the two with surprise. “Is your cat a spirit cat? It can actually understand human speech.”

Wu Xiang: “?”

Wu Xiang: “I can not only understand it, I can speak it too!”

At this, the group couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Lin Fengye curled his lip and told the woman, “He’s no spirit cat, he’s a cat demon.”

Chu Nanzhen nodded and added, “The kind that eats human eyes.”

A look of sheer terror appeared on her face. She picked up her small wooden stool and scurried to the side, terrified that Wu Xiang might gouge out her eyes.

Wu Xiang couldn’t be bothered with her and answered Chu Nanzhen’s earlier question. “I did eat him, but I couldn’t see any visions of his death. It was as if they were deliberately erased. So, I’m afraid I won’t be much help this time.”

Since he put it that way, the eunuch definitely knew something. The culprit had tampered with his memories to avoid discovery. Everything was starting to make sense. From the moment they entered, Shen Shangli had remained mostly silent. Seeing her looking dazed, Chu Nanzhen tapped her shoulder. Her body jumped visibly as she snapped out of it, asking stiltedly, “W-What is it?”

“Miss Shen, what are you thinking about? You seem distracted,” Chu Nanzhen said.

Shen Shangli offered a small smile and glanced outside, a look of worry on her face. “I’m just… worried about someone.”

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