Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1310 Bloody Disaster

The old man is not some hermit or sage, he has just lived too long, so long that he no longer has any colleagues around him.

"This is the last dog I know of that was raised by a Wei person." The old man touched the black dog that was still chewing jerky. "This is the fourth one. He always sent the dogs away before, but this time it's the dog that sent him away."

"That's a new grave." Lu Ning said.

"Well, it's too hot in the summer." The old man said, "He has two children here, but they didn't leave any relics. They buried the things he used to use when he was alive."

"Are those two kids still here?"

"Of course not. Southern Xinjiang doesn't have the hometown sentiment of the Great Wei. They live along the mountains. Even the merchants in that town have changed one after another."

"Then... I want to ask you, what is the origin of the stone that is often used for exchange here? Since this place has sent people like you here, they should not use ordinary stones as currency for transactions, right?"

The old man was silent for a moment, and then said, "That is a specialty of Southern Xinjiang. Before we came here, the people of Southern Xinjiang had already traded with it. This stone is called the Monster Awakening Stone, and it comes from the secret realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven in Southern Xinjiang."

"Secret realm?"

"That's true, but it's the same story as those circulating in the Wei Dynasty." The old man sighed, "When we were young, we would tell our children those stories to scare them, saying that if they didn't obey, they would be captured by monsters, and so on. In southern Xinjiang, they would tell children that if you don't obey, the gods from the outer world will come and capture you and make you into medicine."

As he spoke, the old man also took out a few stones from his arms.

"They say these are the residue from refining pills. There is a tradition of collecting herbs and making pills in southern Xinjiang, so many people have heard this story since childhood. But I don't know where these stones came from. The strange thing is that if someone picked up those colored stones from the mountains and ground them into similar sizes, they would not be able to fool the people of southern Xinjiang. They can tell whether the stone is real or fake at a glance."

“Can you tell this?”

"When I came here, there were many people who had the same idea, but they were beaten out of town with sticks." The old man shook his head and said, "I still don't know how they distinguished it. I only know that people in southern Xinjiang really regarded the stone as money. When I was young, I also asked where Tianwaitian was, but the most senior people in southern Xinjiang I met couldn't tell me the reason."

Lu Ning knew that this would be the outcome, so she skipped the topic and continued chatting with the old man. After chatting for about an hour, she stood up and said goodbye. The old man also saw her off to the door and pointed out: "Going south from here, there is no road to go. The south is mountainous, the mountain roads are long, and there are many monsters. If you want to see the scenery here, just choose the low hills to take a look, and don't go into the deep mountains."

"Thank you, husband."

Lu Ning knew that he meant well, so she thanked him immediately. After bidding him farewell, she left the forest, whistled to call out the hidden horse, and continued to head south.

  =

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Xingyin in the north of the Yangtze River was originally the site of the old imperial palace of the Wei Dynasty. However, due to the long-term war, the emperor seldom came here, and gradually lost the emperor's favor. However, the previous governor of Xingyin was a capable person. When he governed the local area, he also used his prestige to ask for a lot of benefits from the capital, and taxes and labor service were reduced. Now the governor has been transferred. Although the new governor is greedy, he is only a little greedy. After all, he is half of the imperial city. Who knows who here is a man with connections.

Therefore, this place is much more prosperous than those towns in the south of the Yangtze River that have suffered from war.

At the entrance of Mozi Street, an old fortune teller wearing a melon-shaped hat and known for his accurate predictions was glaring at the woman who was telling fortunes in front of the stall.

"Why is there going to be a bloody disaster? Are you trying to fool me?" Wen Rong stared at the fortune teller with a slightly angry look on her face. "I know you guys are all charlatans, but can't you say a few nice words? I'm in a good mood today, and I'm willing to pay you some money to hear some auspicious words, and you told me 'there will be a bloody disaster within a year'?"

"Girl, what you said is wrong."

The fortune teller—Tao Xuanzu said immediately.

"Most fortune tellers in the world are indeed liars. They dare to tell fortunes for people after reading half of the Book of Changes. But I am different. If they don't have real skills, they will naturally make money by saying a few nice words to make you happy. But when the time comes, they will run away and you won't even be able to find them. But I, the old man, have to help you get rid of disasters and solve problems after taking the money. If I don't tell you, wouldn't I be unworthy of the money you gave me?"

"Oh." Wen Rong looked unconvinced. "Then tell me in detail, what is the blood disaster method?"

"This is not easy to calculate." Tao Xuanzu stroked his beard, "You know how much ability I have. I can calculate disasters, but I can't calculate them so finely. If you use tricks, you may be able to get through this disaster, but you will have to sacrifice most of your life and property. If you are unwilling to give up, then I am afraid there is no solution."

"What do you mean by giving up most of your life and property? You want me to give you all my money, right?" Wen Rong saw through it at a glance, "How can you be so greedy at your age?"

"No... I don't want to give it to you, but you have to decide for yourself. There is gain in loss, and only if you are willing to give up your worldly possessions can you save your life in the future." Tao Xuanzu waved his hand, "Alas, you won't understand even if I tell you, you——"

"Old Tao, why are you setting up your stall here again?"

A young voice sounded behind him. Wen Rong turned around and saw a Taoist priest with his head wrapped tightly, with only a pair of eyes exposed. He nodded to Wen Rong and said to Tao Xuanzu, "I found a place. Let's have lunch quickly and get on with our journey."

"Why don't you take a rest?" Tao Xuanzu immediately left Wen Rong behind and asked the Taoist priest about his health. "You're not well yet. What if you get sick again?"

"Your spirits have improved a lot in recent days, and the time of your illness can be controlled. It is better to travel during the day. The sooner you reach the Qihuang Sect, the sooner you can seek medical treatment and medicine." The Taoist said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

"Wait!" Wen Rong grabbed Tao Xuanzu and said, "Why don't you explain it to me?"

"How can fortune-telling explain things clearly to people? If I did that, I'm afraid I'd be dead soon."

Tao Xuanzu reluctantly pushed Wen Rong's hand away. He was no longer thinking about fortune-telling, but was anxious to get on with Ma Zi. The two of them left quickly, and Wen Rong stood there, sneering.

She has seen many swindlers, even if they have a helper.

"Forget it, it's just a few copper coins."

Wen Rong came to Xingyin because she had heard rumors of evil spirits in the palace. This made her extremely certain that her target was there.

The second stage mission: The one who stole the throne.

The previous king left behind a will, which must have been tampered with. Wen Rong's mission goal is to bring the original will to light. As for what kind of impact it will have, it has nothing to do with her.

After receiving such a task, Wen Rong was of course curious about what kind of waves this will could stir up in the current Wei Dynasty. This must be a dangerous matter, and she still needed to find a way to get herself out of it.

"Boss, give me two sesame cakes, a pot of good wine, and half a pound of meat." She walked into a restaurant and ordered some wine and meat generously. She had been scouting the palace at night for the past few days, and now she had basically figured out the situation, so she could start tonight.

As for the evil spirits in the old palace, she was not worried. Now she was no longer the little thief in Zhenjian Villa who had no ability to protect her life.

When the shopkeeper brought the food to the table, Wen Rong immediately poured herself a glass of wine. The wine was still turbid, but Wen Rong didn't care, there was nothing better in this era.

But the fortune teller's words about "bloody disaster" still made her feel a little concerned.

She picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. The meat without much spices was just stewed for a long time, and the taste was much lighter than the real food. But Wen Rong didn't care about it, she just enjoyed the feeling of eating.

"Let's do some insurance."

The key fell from her sleeve. There were not many customers in the restaurant at that time, so she needed to choose a few suitable targets to see who was most qualified to be given a "keyhole".

She has already found some accomplices, but it is hard to say how strong these people are. At least the keyhole has not revealed any extraordinary abilities in them. Theoretically, tourists still have the best potential, but since the last failure, Wen Rong has become much more conservative.

Just then she saw a young woman with a sword enter the room.

"Boss, I want to ask you something." The woman's voice was gentle, but Wen Rong felt a little apprehensive. Perhaps out of her thief's instinct, she felt that this woman seemed to be a government official.

"How far is it from here to the old palace?"

The boss who was sitting at the door of the store looked up at the woman and said lazily, "It won't take long to get there after walking a short distance."

The woman threw a piece of silver to the boss, who hurriedly caught it and said with a smile, "If you walk there, it will take about half an hour. The old palace was built by the water, and we are built along the water in Xingyin, so it is a long way to walk from here. But if you take a car or a boat, it will be much more convenient."

"Thank you."

After the woman finished speaking, she looked up at Wen Rong. Wen Rong quickly lowered her head and asked for a bite of the pancake.

Was this woman so perceptive, intentional or unintentional?

The main reward she received for completing the first mission was the "Qi-Reading Technique". As long as she had enough time, she could see a person's fortune and even more information. However, this skill obviously had further means, which the distribution center had not yet given.

But just now when she secretly looked at the woman and wanted to use the art of gazing to spy on her, the woman also looked over at her immediately.

“This kind of vigilance…”

Wen Rong would not indulge her curiosity. She just warned herself to stay away from this woman next time she met her.

After spending some time eating the pancake, she asked the boss for a piece of oil paper to wrap the remaining meat and walked out of the restaurant. She walked to the corner of the street and threw the oil paper package to an old beggar squatting there.

"Any news?"

"Some officials are posting notices at the city gate." The old beggar stretched out his hand to open the paper bag, picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, closing his eyes in enjoyment as if he was tasting some delicious food. "Sprinkling clean water on the street and cleaning up the main road. Since the prefect came here, he has never done such a grand thing."

"Can you hear more?"

"Girl, you can't listen through a wall with these super-ears. You really need the wind to listen." The old beggar smiled. "But the governor must know something. Why don't you ask him?"

"Looking for him? That's not a good thing. I don't want to have anything to do with the officials, let alone the governor."

Wen Rong touched the key in her sleeve, which always made her feel at ease.

"Then I can't help you much, but if you come to the corner and find me, I'll always be there."

Wen Rong nodded and turned into another street.

These days, she has used the keyhole to unlock the abilities of four people, and this old beggar is one of them. The ability to hear the wind from a mile away is not considered a combat ability, but it is very consistent with the identity of the old beggar.

As for the other three, they were also unable to really provide her with any help in going to the palace.

One can make himself walk without leaving footprints, one can shrink his body to the size of a child, and the other can cover himself with cloth so that he won't be noticed.

It would be useful for petty theft, but these abilities would be useless if they entered the old palace. There was an evil spirit there, and no one knew what kind of people had been replaced by the guards. Anyway, it was a heavily guarded place now. Except for Wen Rong who could sneak in with his own skills as a thief, the others who had their keyholes opened would die if they went in.

She walked into a clinic, nodded to the gentlemen who were dispensing medicine in a familiar manner, lifted the door curtain and went to the backyard.

"Doctor Wen, I..."

  Wen Rong suddenly stopped in the middle of his words!

She had already smelled a faint smell of blood, which was obvious in this place covered by the smell of medicinal herbs. It was normal for the clinic to have a bloody smell, but this smell seemed to come from the living room, not the ward.

Doctor Wen is the one who can cover himself with cloth to avoid attention. This ability allows him to avoid almost any assassination from others, but now... it doesn't work?

  Wen Rong walked over cautiously, pushed open the half-open door of the house, and immediately saw Mr. Wen slumped in his chair with a dagger stuck in his chest and blood all over the floor!

"Tsk."

The people in front didn't notice anything unusual, so the murderer must be very skilled. Mr. Wen was killed by a single blow before he could even react, so the murderer's purpose was very obvious.

The ability bestowed by the keyhole was not for nothing. The old beggar listened to rumors on the street every day, so he had super hearing. Mr. Wen's ability was probably related to his hiding. He was killed today, but Wen Rong had no chance to ask what he was hiding from.

but--

"A bloody disaster."