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Chapter 387 Being Too Clever (Part 3)

There are three wells in the village, two of which have water and are located at the north and south ends of the village, respectively.

The area around Jiaozhi has many waterways, so there was originally no need for wells.

But later, when the river was forbidden, they began digging wells.

The villagers often forget about the third dry well.

Jiaozhi is hot and humid, with frequent rain.

Therefore, there are very few "dry wells"; at most, they are abandoned, but there is still water inside.

When Lang Xiaoba and his men arrived at the dry well, they immediately sensed that there was something wrong with it.

The dry well is 15 feet deep.

The well was filled with all sorts of strange plants.

It was very moist but there was no water.

The area around the dry well is flat, but there is not a single house within several dozen feet.

When people build houses, they subconsciously avoid this area for some reason.

Following the manner of Lord Xu, Lang Xiaoba ordered, "Divine cultivator, send down a Yin soldier to take a look."

Then a divine cultivator stepped forward, pressed one nostril and blew out. A pitch-black Yin soldier emerged like a bubble, slowly grew larger, and then floated into the dry well.

Startled, countless poisonous insects in the well quickly scurried into the cracks in the rocks.

The ghostly soldiers reached the bottom of the well and were carefully inspecting it when they suddenly felt water droplets falling on their heads.

The water droplet should have passed directly through the ghost soldier's body, but instead, it struck the ghost soldier's head heavily, like an iron ball.

The ghost soldiers felt the "pain" and transmitted it directly to the divine cultivator.

The divine cultivator was astonished.

The ghostly soldiers in the well looked up and saw a second drop of water rolling down from a fern growing horizontally on the well wall.

The fern looked extremely eerie, just like a human rib!
The droplet was also crimson, a drop of blood.

Snapped!
A drop of water fell and hit the ghost soldier's forehead, causing him excruciating pain. He couldn't help but sag slightly.

Then they saw blood gushing out from the roots of the rib-like fern, flowing down the stem and leaves towards the Yin soldiers like living things.

In an instant, it turned from a drop of water into a column of water!
Splash, splash...

Blood quickly accumulated in the well!
The divine cultivator cried out in alarm and hurriedly tried to recall his Yin soldiers.

But the blood at the bottom of the well congealed into pairs of bloody hands, which grabbed the ghostly soldiers.

The divine cultivator repeatedly urged the Yin soldiers in the well to move their bodies, stretching them to over ten feet in length, but they were still unable to retract them.

Immediately, more blood gushed out from the cracks in the well wall.

In no time at all, the ghost soldiers were completely submerged!

The cultivator groaned, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and cried out in agony, "My Yin soldiers have been melted!"

Lang Xiaoba's expression was stern as he shouted, "Prepare for battle!"

Everyone could see that the blood in the dry well was rising rapidly, and it looked like it was about to gush out.

The alchemists prepared the fire in their bellies.

If that evil spirit bursts forth, first set it on fire and dry it out!

The blood-filled water rose rapidly to the wellhead, then abruptly stopped.

The blood was just right, level with the wellhead.

Not a single drop overflowed.

The captains were on high alert, extremely tense. Time seemed to slow down, and the surroundings were deathly quiet.

Lang Xiaoba stepped forward, but the blood flowed back down.

The closer Lang Xiaoba got, the more blood flowed back down.

By the time Lang Xiaoba reached the well, the blood had already settled to a depth of ten feet.

Lang Xiaoba stamped his foot: "Dig! Dig it up completely, I want to see what kind of evil spirits are down there!"

Lang Xiaoba suddenly became as decisive as the real Lord Xu.

He's also starting to resemble the demeanor of the Lord of Law!

Upon seeing the blood, Lang Xiaoba was overjoyed: I had actually found a clue!

So he issued orders without hesitation.

If we can truly find the root evil spirit of this strange village, it will be a great achievement.

With his current seventh-rate strength, if he were to achieve this great feat, wouldn't the position of inspector be within his grasp?
A hint of fervor lurked in Lang Xiaoba's eyes.

Power is right before your eyes!

The captains swarmed forward.

The martial arts practitioners took the lead, not waiting to find shovels or hoes, and began digging with the weapons in their hands.

Even the divine cultivator who had just lost a Yin soldier seemed to forget his injuries and rushed up to help.

The wellhead was quickly pried open.

Some of the captains couldn't wait any longer and started digging with their bare hands.

In the eyes of every captain, a strong desire was revealed.

Everyone thought that as long as the evil spirits at the bottom of the well were dug out, it would be a great achievement and they could be promoted for it!

Like Lang Xiaoba, their hearts were unknowingly corrupted by a certain kind of "greed".

The villagers were after money, and the captain was after power.

……

Jia Luojing paced back and forth at the village entrance several times—Lord Xu had already withdrawn the captains guarding the village entrance.

Suddenly something swept through the village.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jia Luojing felt as if he had seen Zhao Xianze and his four companions flash by.

His eyes darted around, and for some reason, a turbulent feeling stirred within him again...

He now has some doubts: has this village really become a "ghost village"?
All of this was said by Xu Yuan.

After we arrived, we didn't actually conduct any verification.

If you were to be intimidated by just one sentence from this person...

Xu Yuan, following his own "crime-solving approach," began searching for the young man's home, but his skills were clearly inferior to Xu Yuan's.

If I can see through his tricks and then solve the strange cases in the village, it will prove that I am far superior to Xu Yuan!

Driven by greed for so-called "victory," Rang gritted his teeth and decided to take the risk.

He walked up to Lu Renxing and whispered his thoughts.

Lu Renxing was also somewhat doubtful: "You mean, should we send someone in to confirm?"

Jia Luojing nodded and said, "Lord An sent us to escort Xu Yuan back. If he fools us and we wait outside the village like idiots... how will we explain this to Lord An in the future?"

Lu Renxing was also worried that it wouldn't be a matter of "confessing" then, but rather that he would be severely scolded by Lord An and would never be trusted again.

“Indeed, we can’t do nothing.” Lu Renxing nodded and asked, “Who should we send?”

Jia Luojing looked back; he had brought a squad of captains with him.

Lu Renxing led two hundred battalions of soldiers.

He wanted to send the soldiers, but when he turned around, he saw Lu Renxing scrutinizing him, so he could only grit his teeth and say, "We will each send six men to form a team to go in. If it really is Guimen Village, this team can take care of each other."

"Even if Xu Yuan questioned them, it could also be said that they were sent to support them."

Lu Renxing nodded: "Okay."

The two then went off to choose their own people.

The men were dumbfounded!
Wouldn't it be better if we waited outside?
Are you worried about being scolded by Lord An, so you're willing to gamble with our lives?
Jia Luojing continued to boast shamelessly: "Everyone, don't worry. I'm 70% sure that Xu Yuan is lying to us."

His subordinates were inwardly grumbling: "If you're really that confident, why don't you go in and verify it yourself?"

You dare not go in, yet you force us to go in; that's truly cruel.

But no one dared to say it out loud.

Lu Renxing's side fared better; after all, they were an army, and disobeying orders could result in immediate execution.

Jia Luojing's subordinates, however, were pushing and shoving each other. Jia Luojing had no way to forcibly appoint six people.

Finally, Jia Luojing said, "Let's draw lots."

So soon, six unlucky guys were chosen.

The two families formed a team of twelve people, who stood timidly at the village entrance.

Finally, after being sternly urged by the two adults, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and enter the village.

Once inside the village, they immediately tried to evacuate.

It's just a verification; it's not like we're actually asking them to help Xu Yuan.

But as soon as these twelve people stepped outside, they actually came out again!

"Hahaha……"

Jia Luojing and Lu Renxing burst into laughter.

"That kid was just trying to fool us!"

Lu Renxing praised Jia Luojing highly: "Fortunately, Master Jia saw through his trick!"

Jia Luojing smugly shook his head and said, "Hmph, Xu Yuan is still too green to play these little tricks in front of me."

The two men waved their hands and said, "Let's go into the village!"

Jia Luojing took the lead and charged in with the men of the Shanhe Division.

Lu Renxing followed closely behind with the troops of the river management camp.

The entire convoy then drove into the village with a thunderous roar.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and Zhu Zhanmei returned.

Seeing Jia Luojing and Lu Renxing lead their men into the village, Hua Rong's expression changed, and she asked, "What are you doing...?"

Jia Luojing interrupted her without any politeness, saying, "Lord Zhu, we have all been deceived by Xu Yuan. This village is definitely not some kind of Ghost Gate Village!"

"I just sent someone to test it, and they can come and go freely."

Zhu Zhanmei's mind raced, and she asked, "You were discussing at the village entrance whether you should send someone in to investigate whether the village has become a ghost village?"

Jia Luojing frowned and asked, "What does Lord Zhu mean?"

Zhu Zhanmei sighed, thinking to herself, "How did you all manage to get to your current official positions?"
"Try again and see if you can get out."

Jia Luojing sneered: "What exactly is Lord Zhu questioning? What is your relationship with Xu Yuan? The facts are right in front of you, why are you still speaking up for Xu Yuan?"

Lu Renxing also shouted, "Lord Zhu, mind your place! You are the inspector of the Shanhe Division, and you are here with us to escort Xu Yuan back to the canal dock on the orders of Lord An!"

"Think it over carefully. Do you want to come with us, or will I send men to take you and Xu Yuan back with me?"

Zhu Zhanmei remained unfazed by his threat, saying, "Try it, you'll know the result after just a few steps."

Jia Luojing angrily walked outside: "Fine, I'll make you give up completely..."

But before he could finish speaking, he realized something was wrong.

Suddenly, everything went blurry before my eyes.

After walking a few steps, I realized I was back where I started!

They didn't leave the village!
"Impossible!" Jia Luojing stared wide-eyed, then rushed out of the village again, only to inexplicably return to the same spot once more.

Everyone behind him fell silent instantly.

As everyone can see, Lord Jia Luojing is spinning around in circles in a very strange way!
"No, no..."

Everyone panicked instantly and rushed out of the village, causing chaos in the process.

But soon, the last bit of hope in everyone's heart was shattered, and none of them were able to break through.

Suddenly, everything blurred before my eyes, and I was back in the same place.

"This...this..." The men from the Mountain and River Division were pale and incoherent. The soldiers of the River Camp, however, had no restraint and unleashed a torrent of curses at Jia Luojing: "Jia Luojing, you bastard! I'll make sure you pay even if I have to resort to trickery!"

"You were just waiting outside, but you insisted on dragging us all into this deadly situation!"

Lu Renxing panicked, glared at Jia Luojing, and asked, "I must have been bewitched! How could I have listened to your advice? What should we do now?"

Jia Luojing frowned, his body trembled, and he was completely flustered.

Sending people in was essentially a desperate gamble.

He believed he could win!
He genuinely believed he had won, which is why he led his men in.

But what if he loses? He hadn't thought about that at all before he gambled.

So now he has absolutely no idea what to do.

Zhu Zhanmei shook her head speechlessly and said, "You were discussing and testing the area at the village entrance. Of course, the strangeness of Guimen Village would allow you to successfully test it and lure you all in! What were you thinking...?"

It's almost as if they're saying, "Jia Luojing, you're so stupid."

Among the soldiers of the river garrison, one of them suddenly knelt on the ground: "Lord Zhu, save us! We can only beg you now..."

Zhu Zhanmei waved his hand and said, "Get up, all of you. There's no need for such a grand ceremony. I will do my utmost. Now..."

Zhu Zhanmei thought for a moment and said, "You should go find Xu Yuan first and ask him to protect you."

Lu Renxing quickly added, "Yes, come with me to find Lord Xu."

His commander had mistakenly trusted a treacherous person, leading everyone to their doom. If he doesn't do something immediately to appease his men, a mutiny is likely to break out soon.

Jia Luojing was very reluctant to ask Xu Yuan for help.

But the river garrison soldiers thundered past them.

He dared not do anything to stop it.

If he dares to say anything at this point, the entire river management team will tear him apart.

After the river camp passed, Jia Luojing looked around and found that his surroundings were empty, and the twelve officers of the Mountain and River Division he had brought with him had also disappeared!
They all mingled in the river camp and left together.

Zhu Zhanmei stood outside, sneering at Jia Luojing, and asked, "What are you waiting for? Is your face more important than your life? You don't actually think you're stronger than Xu Yuan and can break through this Ghost Gate Village and walk out alive on your own, do you?"

Jia Luojing's face turned bright red, but he could no longer remain stubborn.

He immediately lowered his head and quickly caught up with the group.

……

Xu Yuan did not return to the ancestral hall, but went directly to the dry well.

Lord Xu guessed that something must have been arranged at the dry well, and his men would "make some discoveries" there.

From afar, Xu Yuan could see everyone frantically digging.

The wellhead was dug open, turning it into a large pit.

Dozens of people are in the pit, frantically digging downwards in a state of "frenzy".

Lang Xiaoba was among them, constantly directing everyone.

Xu Yuan frowned slightly, still using "Dragon Spitting Mirage" to conceal himself, and quietly leaned closer to take a look.

As the captains dug, a cloud of blood mist rose from the depths of the dry well—

"The evil spirits can't hold back any longer!" Lang Xiaoba shouted.

Several alchemists who were prepared beforehand breathed fire at the blood mist together.

Flames from within his abdomen surrounded the blood mist, scorching it fiercely.

A shrill scream came from the blood mist. The evil spirit seemed to have suffered a severe injury. After several attempts to break free, it sank back into the dry well.

The captains cheered.

Lang Xiaoba continued to command, "Dig! Keep digging! Once we find and exterminate this evil spirit, we can break through this Ghost Gate Village and achieve great merit!"

"Good!" the captains responded in unison.

They dug even harder.

Xu Yuan thought to himself, "Something's not right..."

Xu Yuan opened "Looking at Fate" and took a look.

The lives of his subordinate captains were all tainted with a layer of yin energy.

It's not like the villagers who have become evil spirits, where a stream of yin energy condenses and hides within their fate.

Yin energy, like dust, adheres to the surface of "fate".

Just like their "fate," it's sticky.

As they continued digging downwards, the yin energy they absorbed grew increasingly dense.

Xu Yuan's original plan was to go with the flow and see what the evil rope spirit had arranged in the dry well.

But that won't work now. If we wait any longer, Lang Xiaoba and his group might turn on us.

Just as Xu Yuan was about to appear, he suddenly heard Lang Xiaoba say to everyone, "The Lord has treated us with immense kindness. Now that we have discovered an important clue, it is a good opportunity for everyone to make contributions and repay the Lord!"

The captains nodded in agreement: "Indeed! The lord has treated me like a brother, and I often worry that I have no way to repay him..."

In Xu Yuan's "observation of fate" vision, as these words were spoken, the yin energy that had settled on the surface of "fate" like turbid dust suddenly dissipated!

It was as if the "stickiness" on the surface of "fate" had suddenly disappeared.

Their "fate" has become crystal clear!
The evil influence subsided.

Xu Yuan then continued to conceal his whereabouts, while a strange feeling arose in his heart: Why is this happening?
The captains remained highly motivated.

But deep inside the dry well, that eerie feeling began to slowly dissipate.

The occasional gusts of blood mist and the faint roars that could be heard began to gradually disappear.

As Lang Xiaoba dug, he sensed something was wrong. Looking down further, he was instantly enraged: "The evil spirit has escaped!"

Lang Xiaoba slapped his forehead. Oh no! I just said "The adults have treated us with kindness as heavy as a mountain", which inadvertently revealed that I am not actually an adult!
Could it be that these words allowed the evil spirit to see through its disguise and escape?

Lang Xiaoba was filled with remorse, but he also found it strange. With his skill level, he shouldn't have made such a stupid mistake when impersonating an adult.

Moreover... the other captains around me didn't remind me either; instead, they made the same mistake as me.

Lang Xiaoba recalled his state just now and realized that at that time, he only had the strong thought of "making merit and receiving rewards".

This thought suppressed other ideas.

This caused me to...lose my mind!
The other captains are probably the same.

"This is all the work of that damned evil spirit!" Lang Xiaoba couldn't help but curse.

Xu Yuan finally understood.

These lurking evil spirits can stir up desires at all levels, both deep and shallow, within people's hearts.

Desire drives people mad and degenerates.

That must have triggered the desire for "merit" among the members of the Purification Division.

But the evil spirit never expected that the root of everyone's desire for "merit," including Lang Xiaoba, was to repay their kindness!

This prevents the evil spirit from carrying out its next two steps: "madness" and "corruption."

They did not perform meritorious service for themselves.

The infection vanished completely in an instant.

The captains also started cursing loudly.

The captains were mostly rough men, and their curses were very vulgar, their accusations aimed directly at the evil spirit.

Xu Yuan was both amused and exasperated.

I certainly don't need to show myself, but my plan to observe from the shadows and play the role of a bird unaware of the cicada has still failed.

However, Lord Xu was still very pleased.

Sincerity begets sincerity; if you treat your subordinates kindly, they will reciprocate with unwavering loyalty.

Although there are many instances in this world where sincerity is met with ingratitude, at least it hasn't happened in my own government office.

Just then, Yu Yunhang came running over, shouting anxiously, "Sir, you must go back and see! Something terrible has happened!"

Yu Yunhang went straight to Lang Xiaoba: "Lu Renxing and Jia Luojing brought everyone in!"

Lang Xiaoba was shocked: "Ah?! These idiots! But, but I'm not an adult..."

Knowing that he had been exposed anyway, Lang Xiaoba wiped his face with his hand and restored his original appearance.

"Where is the Lord?"

Xu Yuan's voice rang out from the side, and he appeared, heading straight for the ancestral hall: "What are these idiots doing!"

Yu Yunhang and the others hurriedly followed, and Yu Yunhang even added behind the adult, "Inspector Zhu did not come in."

Xu Yuan gave him a strange look. Why are you emphasizing this to me?

Yu Yunhang chuckled.

But Xu Yuan did have a different idea because of this reminder—he changed direction and headed towards the village entrance.

Instead of going back to the ancestral hall to ask Lu Renxing and Jia Luojing, it would be better to ask Zhu Zhanmei what exactly happened.

When Zhu Zhanmei saw Xu Yuan come out, she sighed and said, "Those two idiots dragged you down."

Xu Yuan: "What exactly is going on?"

Zhu Zhanmei then recounted the events in detail, and suddenly made a gesture to Xu Yuan. She then secretly wrote a letter while hiding in the distance and shot it into Xu Yuan's room with an arrow.

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, opened the letter, and took a look.

The letter contained some of the discoveries Zhu Zhanmei had made while walking around the village.

"Thank you, Inspector Zhu."

……

Inside the ancestral hall, Xiang Qinghuai silently watched Lu Renxing, Jia Luojing, and the others.

One is a military officer, the other is a law officer; their official positions are not low.

How could my Ming Dynasty have such stupid officials!

Lu Renxing kept staring at Jia Luojing.

Lu Renxing didn't think he had done anything seriously wrong. He always felt that he was implicated by this fool!
The same was true for the soldiers in the river garrison.

If looks could hurt, Jia Luojing would have been torn to pieces long ago.

Jia Luojing was very conflicted.

He really hoped that Xu Yuan would have a way to break this strange village.

But he still harbored some resentment towards Xu Yuan.

If Xu Yuan could really do it, it would mean that I am really not as good as Xu Yuan, so... I'm conflicted.

Of course, his life was more important, so Jia Luojing remained obedient and dared not utter any more outrageous remarks.

A voice came from outside, and the captains said, "The lord is back."

Lu Renxing rushed out, calling out, "Lord Xu—"

Lu Renxing reached out his hands to shake Xu Yuan's, but Lord Xu dodged him.

Jia Luojing followed him out and tried to get closer to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan raised his hand: "Please stay away from me, sir. I'm afraid I'll catch your stupidity!"

Jia Luojing's face turned bright red.

But he dared not argue with Lord Xu.

Lu Renxing retorted without any politeness, "Get lost!"

Jia Luojing turned and left without saying a word.

Xu Yuan whispered to Lu Renxing, "It's not that I intend to humiliate him, but I have some things to discuss with the general that I don't want him to know—this man is stubborn and self-willed, and I'm worried that if he finds out, he might do something in secret to ruin the plan."

Lu Renxing nodded repeatedly, his attitude towards Lord Xu completely different from before: "Lord Xu is right! I've figured it out, that guy just likes to play petty tricks."

Xu Yuan then whispered his plan to Lu Renxing, who nodded and said to Xu Yuan, "Don't worry, this general will fully cooperate."

(End of this chapter)