A man among dragons, building a mysterious ancient church.

Chapter 124 The Zhou Family of Xiangyang
"We've arrived. This is Xiajiawan."

The unassuming minivan slowly drove into the town, its exterior speckled with mud and its tires covered in yellow mud, making it quite inconspicuous.

But inside this beat-up little car sat a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman, a stark contrast to the van itself.

The two, who are so handsome and beautiful that they look like celebrities, shouldn't be sitting in such a dilapidated van.

The girl in the passenger seat adjusted her seat back as far as possible and tried to stretch her legs to relieve the discomfort of sitting for a long time: "I'm really fed up, tomorrow is the National Day Golden Week."

"Why do we have to come here to investigate the so-called Three Gorges Dragon Shadow during a perfectly good long holiday?"

Unlike the complaining girl, the young man driving the car, though not old, already looked calm and composed: "Minlan, be serious."

"This incident may very well involve the next generation of the species."

"Three weeks ago, serious incidents occurred in several towns and villages in the Three Gorges area, with people witnessing the black dragon or hearing its distant roar."

"According to eyewitness accounts, that dragon was at least several stories tall. Such a dragon body could not be formed by some small fish or shrimp."

"If you're not careful, you might be able to take a long vacation underground forever."

Zhou Minlan glanced at her cousin Zhou Minyan, ignoring his last remark about taking a break: "Hasn't the family already sent people to investigate?"

"Why did you make us come here?"

The two siblings came from the Zhou family in Xiangyang. In this vast land, there are many mixed-race families.

The various families varied in strength, some were thriving and others were reduced to only a few large and small cats.

But above these families are several ancient clans, each with a history spanning over a thousand years.

This perfectly illustrates the old saying: dynasties come and go, but powerful families remain.

With a continuous lineage spanning over a thousand years, one can imagine how profound the heritage of these ancient families must be.

Several ancient families are responsible for managing the local mixed-race community.

Xiangyang is located in Hubei Province and is very close to the Three Gorges. This Dragon Shadow incident, even if we don't say it happened at the Zhou family's doorstep in Xiangyang, could be said to have happened right across from the Zhou family's house.

As a local strongman, he naturally has to come and take a look when something happens.

Zhou Minyan steered the wheel and slowly made a turn: "Because someone is covering up this incident."

"The family had no idea about this at first. It was only a week ago, when the rumors about the Dragon Shadow spread like wildfire, that the family received the news from gossip in the streets."

"The family immediately dispatched many investigators from the collateral branches to conduct on-site visits and investigations in various nearby towns and villages. They discovered that something was wrong, as people in various towns and villages said they had seen the black dragon and heard its roar."

"It's practically common knowledge, impossible to keep secret, and there's no way to erase memories on such a large scale. Yet the internet is completely silent, with not a single word of the Dragon Shadow incident leaked."

“You know, these towns and villages aren’t just full of elderly people and children; there are also quite a few young and middle-aged people who know how to use mobile phones and the internet.”

Zhou Minlan slowly bent her legs back, no longer relaxing: "Is there an invisible hand erasing all traces of the Dragon Shadow incident from the internet?"

"How many hackers would that require, and how much manpower? Or is it some kind of AI like the one in Kassel?"

Zhou Minlan wasn't stupid. She and Zhou Minyan were both carefully cultivated members of the Zhou family and knew very well that these kinds of things on the internet must involve some powerful force.

It's no longer just about the Three Gorges Dragon Shadow; behind that dragon, there's also a hybrid power!
“Anything is possible.” Zhou Minyan’s expression was cautious, clearly wary of this enemy: “The branch investigators have personally visited many places.”

"It was very easy to find out about a strange force that claimed to be the Old Days Cult and worshipped the Heavenly Venerable of Blessing and Mysterious Yellow."

"Many of the sideline investigators reported the same message: residents of various towns and villages received the protection of the Heavenly Venerable Fusheng Xuanhuang by reciting his name, and were eventually able to drive away the black dragon."

"That's impossible." Zhou Minlan had experienced the strict education of the Zhou family since childhood and knew very well how cruel and violent the second-generation race was. How could they be driven away by a name? Did they think this was a fairy tale to lull a child to sleep?
Zhou Minyan also gripped the steering wheel slightly, showing that she was not at ease: "But that's just how it is."

“One investigator may get wrong information, but if ten or thirty investigators all report back with completely consistent information, we must take it seriously!”

"At the very least, we need to find out the details of this old cult."

"The family think tank concluded that either the old cult was exceptionally skilled and used some kind of large-scale hypnosis on the villagers in various towns and villages, allowing them to 'witness' a kind of collective illusion."

"Or perhaps there really was a secondary species that was forcibly driven away by the Old Ones through some means."

At this point, Zhou Minlan understood her family's intentions. The matter was not simple, involving both the next generation of the race and the mysterious Old Days Cult.

Whether it's the collective illusion created by the Old Days Church or the next generation that the Old Days Church drove away, it all shows that the Old Days Church is a very powerful force.

The legend of the dragon's shadow is spreading like wildfire throughout the towns and villages of the Three Gorges, but the internet is completely silent. Perhaps this is because the old cult has erased the news.

Therefore, the previous investigators from the side branches of the families were unable to conduct in-depth investigations due to insufficient strength. At this time, it is necessary for these family elites to cooperate and work together to investigate the Old Days Cult.

“The Old Days Cult?” Zhou Minlan murmured the name repeatedly, wondering when such a hybrid religious force had ever appeared in the local area.
That shouldn't be the case. Several ancient families have controlled the local mixed-race community for over a thousand years, experiencing ups and downs, but they have never left the mixed-race community.

The Zhou family knows every mixed-race power with any influence by heart. What on earth is this suddenly appearing Old Days Cult? An outside force?
“The family places great importance on the Old Temple.” Zhou Minyan turned two corners and started driving south, towards the direction of the Old Temple in Xiajiawan.

"Because many investigators discovered that this Old Days Cult completely disregarded the rules, didn't care about the Abrahamic blood pact, and didn't hide the fact that they had dragons from the public!"

"They even openly and brazenly publicized the history of the dragon race and informed the public."

Zhou Minlan was also surprised that the Old Church would do such a thing. This is not right, is it?
With so many mixed-race factions in the world, everyone follows the unspoken rule of keeping it a secret from the public. The Old Ones' actions are highly inappropriate.

"Won't this cause panic?"

Zhou Minyan shook his head: "Believers who trust the so-called Old Days Church will not panic. After the Dragon Shadow incident, the Old Days Church has gained the trust of the people in this region."

Tsk, Zhou Minlan had already realized that this operation could not be easily tipped off, otherwise it would be easy to get caught up in the sea of ​​people and create countless troubles.

When the car arrived at the old temple in Xiajiawan, Zhou Minyan and Zhou Minlan got out and met up with Zhou Qi, a member of the side branch who was already waiting by the roadside.

Zhou Qi, a man a few years older than them, looked like a young man who went fishing in the wild every day: "You've finally arrived."

"The family believes that there are secrets hidden inside the old temple, which is too dangerous for investigators like us. They have requested that we wait until you arrive before we are allowed to enter and investigate."

Zhou Minyan shook hands with a smile, which was considered a greeting.

"Is that the old temple?" Zhou Minlan observed the temple with a puzzled look, noticing its simple yet grand appearance.

It is described as rudimentary because it lacks the surrounding walls that a temple should have, and it lacks the meticulous axial symmetry of a courtyard, because there is no courtyard at all.

It's just a bare, two-story Taoist temple building.

It is praised for its grand scale because it is very generous in its materials; the Taoist temple covers an area of ​​about 200 square meters.

The main hall has a hip roof with blue tiles, while the side halls have gable roofs with gray tiles. The roof ornaments are fireproof, and the roof ridges are decorated not with symbols like the Bagua or cranes, but with some kind of strange, segmented worm and pupilless eye patterns.

The walls were painted vermilion, and the gate was wide open.

From the wall materials and roof tiles to the intricate carvings, Zhou Minlan could tell that the materials and craftsmanship were of the highest quality, indicating that the old temple was not short of money.

Since money is no object, why not do it properly? At least get a fenced-off front yard?

　Thank you to Fengzhongxiaopang, ①苆_._随缘 (I really put my heart into choosing a name), Lingdianqinghui, and 20240421091915767 for your votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)