The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 284 Strange Land (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Where have we come to? The three of them were all taken aback when they heard this.

Xiao Feng asked in bewilderment, "What does Elder Wu mean? Where have we ended up... Haven't we been heading south all along?"

Wu Changfeng, who was ahead, sighed and said, "That's not what I meant. It's just that we've ended up somewhere... what's going on..."

"Where have we arrived?" Zhao Ti asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Elder Wu, have you seen anything strange?"

Wu Changfeng hurriedly said, "Young master, that's right. You can't see the tall grass behind us, and as for what's in front of us... I don't know how to describe it."

Zhao Ti nodded and said, "Let's go take a look."

As he spoke, he spurred the horse on its flanks, increasing its speed. A dozen breaths later, the three of them had arrived beside Wu Changfeng.

At this moment, a change appeared on the faces of all three. Zhou Tong murmured, "This is...this is..."

Xiao Feng's thick eyebrows furrowed: "Is this still the grassland? How could there be a place like this on the grassland?"

What was once a vast grassland where grass grew taller than a horse suddenly becomes barren and desolate, stretching as far as the eye can see. The scene is so disjointed that it is hard to adjust at first.

On this boundless open space, countless small mounds of earth were arranged, resembling burial mounds, but smaller than normal graves, stretching for an unknown distance.

Zhou Tong, holding a torch, asked, "Where did all these... graves come from?"

Wu Changfeng asked, "Are these all graves? Why are they so small?"

Zhou Tong said, "Look at that mound, there's a tombstone and a plaque in front of it. What else could it be but a grave?"

Although the torches illuminated a limited distance and the moon was not visible in the night sky, the starlight shone down faintly. The group, all skilled in martial arts, possessed exceptional eyesight and saw that something was standing in front of the small mounds.

These things range in size from no more than half a foot long to the size of a palm, some made of stone and some of wood, resembling tombstones.

Zhou Tong dismounted, took a few steps closer with a torch in hand, and carefully examined the inscription, saying, "There are words on this stele."

Zhao Ti and Xiao Feng dismounted and went over. They saw that the small tombstones were indeed engraved with words, crooked and twisted, but they were not written in any script from the Song Dynasty, Khitan, or Western Xia.

Xiao Feng looked at Zhao Ti: "Your Highness, are these characters? Or some kind of runes or incantations?"

Zhao Ti pondered, "It's hard to say. I don't recognize these characters either. They could be talismanic incantations."

Wu Changfeng said, "This, this can't be the legendary ghost talisman, can it?"

These words seemed to send a chill through them, causing their hair to flutter and a sense of coldness to creep into their hearts.

Zhou Tong asked, "Are there ghosts in the world?"

Wu Changfeng said, "How could there not be? Since ancient times, people have talked about ghosts. It's written in books that the City God Temples built in various places are places that connect the living world and the underworld."

Zhou Tong said, "Elder Wu, this is just scribbles... This grave is too small, it doesn't look like a human grave at all."

Wu Changfeng's face turned pale: "Isn't it a human grave?"

Xiao Feng said with a solemn expression, "Judging from these, they are undoubtedly graves. But such small graves don't really look like human graves, and there are so many of them?"

Wu Changfeng shook his head: "Chief, what else would erect a grave besides a person, and even have a tombstone? This whole area must be a cemetery, right?"

“A graveyard…” Xiao Feng nodded: “But even a graveyard wouldn’t be completely barren.”

Wu Changfeng said, "Could it be a custom of some tribe to build such small graves, with no grass growing at all? Perhaps it's a custom to steam the soil and spread it on this land?"

Zhou Tong said, "It's possible that it's a tribal custom. In Qionglai, there's the practice of hanging burials, and in Tibet, there's the practice of sky burials where the dead are not buried. Both are quite strange."

Wu Changfeng said, "That's it. There are many people of the grassland tribes, and the funeral rites of the same tribe are probably very different. Small graves and mounds are not too strange. I was making a fuss just now."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng looked at Zhao Ti: "Young Master..."

Zhao Ti looked to both sides and saw that there was no end in sight on either side. If he wanted to go around, he would not only have to clear the grass, but also spend a lot of extra time.

He laughed and said, "So what if there are ghosts in the world? People aren't afraid of ghosts, so why should they be afraid of people?" Wu Changfeng quickly replied, "What you say makes sense, young master."

Zhao Ti said, "Besides, there is no vegetation in this area, so it will be much faster to go through here. Even if it is slightly disrespectful to the dead, just try to pass through the gap in the middle."

The three nodded, and Wu Changfeng, who was in front, said, "Then I'll continue clearing the way." With that, he picked up his ghost-head broadsword and walked straight ahead.

Zhou Tong saw this, quickly raised his torch to illuminate the way, and followed behind.

After walking for a while, the group realized that the cemetery was enormous and seemed endless. All around them were small graves, all looking quite similar, which made them feel lost and confused.

Xiao Feng said, "Young Master, we've lost our way, and we can't even see the grassland anymore."

Zhao Ti said expressionlessly, "It's alright, just keep going."

The four walked for a while longer, and suddenly clusters of red light appeared ahead, quite conspicuous. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that there were several small red lamps placed in front of several small graves, with burning candles inside.

Wu Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief: "Since there are sacrificial lamps here, it seems we're not far from the houses. This cemetery must be coming to an end."

Zhao Ti glanced at him and said, "Would someone live very close to a cemetery?"

Wu Changfeng said, "I don't know that. I suppose you live not far away?"

Zhao Ti said, "Then let's hurry on our way."

The four walked for a while longer, and sure enough, they saw the graves gradually disappear and they arrived at a certain place.

Several ancient, dark pine trees stood in front, partially obscuring a manor.

Zhou Tongqi said, “There really is a family here, and their house looks quite large.”

Xiao Feng said, "That's strange. Why is it still in the style of the Central Plains? There are very few such manors on the grasslands."

Wu Changfeng laughed and said, "It's just a little bit, but it's not that there isn't any. Look at what's right in front of us."

Zhou Tong said, "It's still a bit strange. There's such a large cemetery in front of the village. Aren't these people afraid?"

Xiao Feng said, "It's hard to say whether they are a reclusive martial arts family."

Wu Changfeng nodded: "What the gang leader said makes sense. Perhaps there are many people in that manor, and they are all skilled in martial arts, so they are not afraid of any graveyard."

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes as he looked at the manor ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The main gate of the manor faced the four people directly, with large red lanterns hanging on both sides, illuminating the gate in a bright red glow, creating a very festive atmosphere.

Just then, footsteps were heard coming from inside the village, and the door creaked open, revealing a young boy.

The child, dressed in an apricot-yellow jacket and with his hair styled in double buns, clearly a Han Chinese, looked at the group with curiosity: "Who are you? Why have you come here?"

Wu Changfeng quickly stepped forward and said with a forced smile, "Young man, we are just passersby and do not know where this place is. How come there is such a place on the grassland?"

The boy said, "So you're just passing by. My master just said someone was passing by and told me to go out and check. I suppose it's you. Since we've come here by chance, please come in and have a cup of tea."

Xiao Feng asked, "How did your master know we were coming here?"

The boy laughed and said, "My master is highly skilled in martial arts. Now that it is dawn and quiet, he naturally heard the footsteps in the manor. My master is also from the Central Plains and has been living in seclusion here for many years. He will probably be very happy to see you Han people dressed like this."

Xiao Feng hesitated upon hearing this and looked at Zhao Ti.

Zhao Ti gave a half-smile and nodded slightly, then the group continued on their way.

Upon reaching the gate, the boy opened all the doors with a smile and said, "Please come in, everyone."

At that moment, Zhao Ti suddenly reached out and grabbed at the child's neck with lightning speed.

(End of this chapter)