Jiaohua

Chapter 1674: Like a Shadow
The entire underground palace was dark and desolate. The piercing sounds that were coming from Feng Qingang had already been noticed by the "ears" that were rushing over, and even attracted more people, such as Fang Xiyu, who had just come out to look for Feng Qingang.

Upon arriving, Fang Xiyu saw the Liao family members who had been killed by two of Feng Qingang's men.

The four bodies had only recently died, and their money and masks hidden deep within their bundles were still there. Fang Xiyu quickly searched but couldn't find their map.

Looking at these packages that have hardly been touched, the murderer must have left immediately after finding the map.

Who would lack topographic maps?
Fang Xiyu was the first to rule out Feng Qingang.

According to Xie Huaichu and Lü Wuwei, if Feng Qingang is indeed Han Ruiqian, the Prince of Nanrui, then as the master of this underground palace, Feng Qingang could not possibly be unaware of its existence.

As for that old bastard Li Ling, he can only be the one chasing and killing people in this underground palace. It's impossible for him to be scared and just take the map and leave.

Fang Xiyu quickly determined that Xie Huaichu and Lü Wuwei must have killed these people and then taken the topographical map.

The person chasing them is very likely that old man from Liling.

Fang Xiyu took out his topographical map and looked up in the direction from which the ear-piercing sound came from.

According to the topographic map, the nearest exit is in that direction.

Although the purpose of Xie Huaichu and Lü Wuwei's visit is still unclear, it is highly likely that they have already decided to leave after discovering that old man Li Ling.

Since that old man was chasing them, he must have gone in that direction.

Fang Xiyu turned her head to look in the other direction.

Inevitably, after hearing those sounds, Feng Qingang would choose to go in the opposite direction, so Feng Qingang is currently on another road.

Fang Xiyu quickly sorted out his thoughts and, after making a judgment, he headed in the direction he had chosen without hesitation.

Fang Xiyu would never have imagined that, after hundreds of years, Feng Qingang had long forgotten his territory.

Now, he moved swiftly, holding a topographical map in one hand and a dagger in the other, his eyes growing increasingly fierce.

And that sharp, piercing sound followed him everywhere.

As if he didn't believe in superstition, Feng Qingang suddenly turned around and walked back.

Not long after, the sound appeared in front of him again.

Feng Qingang's two subordinates turned pale.

Feng Qingang stared coldly at the stone wall in the darkness. Suddenly, he turned around and continued walking in the same direction.

Two of his men followed without a word.

Then, the sound appeared in front of them again.

Sharp, harsh, fingernails scraping against the old wall.

Furthermore, even Feng Qingang himself didn't believe that he hadn't been entangled by "something".

But he didn't care. As he said before, why would he be afraid of these things?

Feng Qingang gripped the dagger tightly in his hand; he was absolutely fearless!
The two men's legs gradually went weak, especially the inherent oppressive atmosphere brought about by the darkness, which made them feel that the voice had become a living thing, crawling into their bodies bit by bit through their ears, collars, and sleeves, sticking to their scalps and wriggling under their scalps.

And, they gradually felt a chill.

After confirming that the chill was not emanating from their bodies but rather from external sensations, one of the subordinates spoke up: "Master, is there also a Cold Palace here?"

“Yes,” Feng Qingang replied.

The entire underground palace consists of three cold palaces. This one is the second largest. Feng Qingang's only impression of it is that a group of reckless people tried to rebel against him and suddenly imprisoned him in this cold palace.

Of course, he did not die; he was rescued by his men who arrived just in time when he was about to succumb to the cold.

Those who imprisoned him did not escape from the underground palace; they wandered around for a while, but were eventually caught by him.

These people were all skinned alive, and he did it himself.

Memories from hundreds of years ago suddenly became vivid in Feng Qingang's mind.

Just then, the sharp sound suddenly turned louder, an extremely shrill and ear-piercing sound that seemed to scrape their bones and pierce their very souls. Feng Qingang abruptly stopped, his eyes wide as he stared at the source of the sound.

The two henchmen were on the verge of collapse; their teeth were aching and numb.

“Someone is definitely behind this…” Feng Qingang gritted his teeth and said, “Who is it? Who could it be?”

His voice was low, and even at this moment, his emotions remained stable; he did not erupt in anger.

The next moment, the sound rang out again, sizzling as it cut across the stone wall. As he stopped, the sound seemed to come from near and far, as if it were lingering around them.

"Master... let's go," one of the subordinates urged.

Feng Qingang nodded and stepped forward.

As he walked, he suddenly started running.

Two henchmen hurriedly followed.

Feng Qingang was not good at fighting. He didn't like exercising, preferred cold to heat, and hated sweating. So he couldn't keep up after just a few steps.

But the sharp sound was always there beside him; no matter how fast he ran, the sound kept up!

Feng Qingang, unable to bear it any longer, finally erupted.

He grabbed the dagger in his hand and rushed forward, his face grim as he stabbed wildly at the wall.

Ancient dust flew as he chiseled with great force, one stroke after another, yet the sound remained unaffected, slowly returning as he moved back and forth, seemingly appreciating his incompetence.

Feng Qingang was truly at his wit's end, and when he got tired of stabbing, he resorted to kicking.

His two subordinates dared not persuade him to stop. One stood guard behind him, while the other went back the way he came and listened intently.

Although Feng Qingang's commotion was noisy, the subordinate could still faintly hear someone coming and hear voices.

The subordinate immediately reported, "Master, someone is here!"

Feng Qingang stopped what he was doing and said angrily, "Let's go! We need to leave as soon as possible!"

He glanced down at the map by the light of the tinderbox and pointed forward: "This way!"

As he left, the piercing sound also disappeared, but before they could adjust, a sharp, sudden bang would erupt, startling them like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Before you've gone a hundred steps, you'll come to another fork in the road.

Feng Qingang was taken aback, and quickly looked down at the topographic map again.

The two men also noticed something amiss: the fork in the road wasn't on the map, and the road didn't match up.

At the same time, the chill they felt intensified.

The subordinate said, "Master, have we gone to the wrong place?"

Feng Qingang thought so too, but even if they had gone the wrong way, this fork in the road didn't seem to exist on the topographic map, and it didn't match any of the forks on the map.

Could this topographic map be wrong?

At that moment, the voices behind them grew closer and closer.

One of the subordinates couldn't help but urge, "Master..."

Feng Qingang frowned as he looked at the two roads in front of him, unsure which one to take.

Another subordinate spoke up: "Master, they're almost here."

The voices pressed in like demons, and the piercing noise continued, constantly disturbing the mind.

"Master!!" The subordinate's voice involuntarily trembled with tears, because he could clearly hear the person speaking.

Feng Qingang gritted his teeth: "Let's go!"

He randomly chose a road.