Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

The western frontier was a long and arduous journey, and the mission's carriages and horses traveled a long and winding route, covering more than 300 li a day.

Before I knew it, more than half a month had passed since I left the capital.

When we first left the capital, the reception at the post stations in the towns along the way was quite adequate, and the officials and merchants were all very courteous.

After all, this team was operating under the banner of a joint mission between the temple and the royal family.

But the further west they went, the more perfunctory this hospitality became.

The menu was reduced from eight meat dishes and four vegetable dishes to four meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. The accommodations were changed from a private courtyard to a large dormitory crammed with supplies. At night, the sounds of snoring, horse neighing, and insect chirping made it difficult for anyone to sleep.

The Third Prince Feng Yu's patience was gradually worn away by the daily bumps and roughness.

For the first few days, he was able to maintain his imperial dignity and comment on the "rustic charm" with a critical eye, as if he had truly come to understand the people's sentiments.

By the tenth day, the smile had clearly stiffened.

On the fifteenth day, at a certain post station, he flew into a rage at a bowl of wild vegetable soup that contained only vegetable leaves and no oil, startling the local official accompanying him.

Today marks the twenty-first day since I left the capital.

Outside the carriage curtain lay endless barren, gray mountains, and Feng Yu could barely contain his restlessness.

"How much longer do we have to walk this road?"

He abruptly lifted the carriage curtain and said impatiently to the captain of the guards beside him:

"Commander Yan Feng, you've been traveling all day long, your bones are about to fall apart! This desolate place doesn't even have a decent inn!"

Yan Feng bowed with a blank expression:

"Your Highness, please calm your anger. We are nearing the border. Please be patient for a few more days."

"Endure?" Feng Yu sneered, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Shen Zhen and the others in front to hear.

"When I was in the capital, I never suffered such torment...!"

He didn't finish speaking, but his dissatisfaction was already evident.

Su Mingyuan, riding ahead, only frowned slightly upon hearing this, without turning around.

Ye Zhi Qiu turned his head and winked at Qiu Zheng Nan, lowering his voice to say:

"Look, our prince seems to really be treating this journey to the west as a sightseeing trip."

Qiu Zhengnan glanced at the luxurious carriage following the sound. It stood out even more on the dusty, desolate road, completely out of place with the surrounding barren mountains and wilderness.

She didn't respond to Ye Zhi Qiu's words, but simply shook her head.

The terrain has changed significantly in the past few days.

The fertile plains surrounding the capital gradually receded, replaced by undulating hills and barren mountains.

The road became increasingly narrow and rugged, occasionally passing by the ruins of villages that were completely deserted.

During the midday break between horses, Feng Yu finally couldn't contain himself any longer and walked straight up to Shen Zhen, who was examining a map, his tone questioning:

"Special Envoy Shen, how much longer are we going to wander around in this desolate wilderness?"

We need a definite place to settle down, right?

Shen Zhen raised his head, his gaze calm: "Your Highness, please be at ease."

He turned and beckoned to his guide, an old merchant from the western border of the empire, with dark skin and a lean, wiry build, named Boss Hu.

"Brother Hu, where do you think we should rest tonight?"

Old Hu rubbed his hands together, squinted at the slightly overcast sky in the west, then looked down and calculated the distance before saying in a heavy accent:

"Reporting to Your Excellency, if you continue for another 150 li or so, you will reach Qingwu Town."

At our current pace, we should be able to arrive before dark.

That was the last decent-sized town in this area, with inns and taverns, but...

"Just what?" Shen Zhen asked.

Boss Hu lowered his voice:

"I heard that town... is a bit strange, tsk, I can't quite put my finger on it."

Moreover, a thin layer of blue mist always rises around the town, especially at dusk, hence the name.

However, at least it's a place where you can properly rest and recuperate.

"Qingwu Town..." Shen Zhen pondered, his gaze sweeping over the group.

Both men and horses looked exhausted, covered in dust from the journey. Even the slow horses pulling the cart had their heads drooping, desperately needing rest and fodder.

If what Boss Hu said is true, that is the last major town before the border directly controlled by the empire. Whether it is to replenish supplies or to investigate the border situation, it is necessary to go there.

He looked up at Su Mingyuan, Qiu Zhengnan, Gu Chengye, and others.

Gu Chengye nodded slightly, and Qiu Zhengnan also said:

"We definitely need to find a place to rest thoroughly, check our equipment, and shoe our horses."

Ye Zhi Qiu closed his fan:

"It's good to have a town; maybe you can even find local specialties and food there?"

Upon hearing the words "big town" and "inn and tavern," Feng Yu's expression softened slightly, but he still maintained his aloof demeanor.

"In that case, let's hurry on our way and make sure we arrive at Qingwu Town before nightfall."

"This prince has no desire to continue surviving on dry rations in this desolate wilderness."

Shen Zhen gathered the map, mounted his horse, and his clear voice echoed through the slightly weary ranks:

"All personnel, listen up! Destination: Green Mist Town. Speed ​​up and be there before sunset!"

Once the order was given, the team set off again, and their speed noticeably increased.

The horses' hooves clattered, raising a cloud of dust as they sped westward toward the unknown town, said to be shrouded in a light blue mist.

Feng Yu sat back in the carriage, a barely perceptible expression flashing across his lips.

Whether the underlying anxieties are truly as simple as they appear on the surface, perhaps only he himself knows.

However, after traveling no more than twenty li, a slow horse pulling the baggage suddenly let out a terrified neigh, reared up, and refused to go any further no matter how much the driver scolded it.

"What's going on?" Shen Zhen reined in his horse and turned around.

The driver's face turned pale as he pointed to a rocky patch by the roadside:

"Sir, this horse... refuses to cross that rocky area."

As everyone looked, it was an ordinary riverbank, with only a few animal bones scattered among the pebbles, gleaming pale in the blazing sun.

Su Mingyuan dismounted and approached, fiddling with the scabbard, his expression grave:

"The bones were ashen and gray, unlike those of a natural death."

Director Hu finally spoke, trembling:

"My lords, this... this is the Ghostly Beach that the elders spoke of... We must not approach it after dark, let's leave quickly."

Shen Zhen and Su Mingyuan exchanged a glance. He didn't ask any more questions and said in a deep voice:

"Spur your horses to circle around, remain vigilant, and proceed at full speed!"

The mountain road wound its way through the crowd, and they continued on their way under the scorching sun in a somber atmosphere.

at last.

Before dusk fell, a faint outline finally appeared in front of the group.

The houses were packed together, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, only to be entangled and swallowed by the gradually spreading, faint blue mist.

We've arrived at Qingwu Town.

The group stopped about a hundred paces outside the town.

Shen Zhen reined in his horse and raised his hand to signal.

The banners behind them fluttered gently in the evening breeze. Without saying a word, the members of the four squads spread out in a fan shape to guard the front.

There was no wooden fence or guards at the entrance to the town; only a crooked wooden pole supporting a faded, old lantern, swaying gently in the rising evening breeze.

The words "blue mist" are faintly visible on the lantern.

Within the town, voices, barking dogs, and the faint hustle and bustle of the market drifted through the pale blue mist.

Compared to the deathly silence along the way, it exuded an unusual, excessive "vitality".

However, Shen Zhen frowned slightly.

Not right.

"What's wrong, Captain Shen?" Zhao Huaijin spurred his horse closer, his hand silently resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Sound," Shen Zhen whispered, his sharp gaze sweeping over the flickering lights at the town entrance.

"It's so neat."

Everyone focused their attention.

The commotion that came through—the hawking, the laughter, the children playing—was clear, but it was like background singing on a stage, lacking genuine ups and downs and emotions; each note was stuck on a fixed rhythm.

This reminded Shen Zhen of the Ge Ming case and the Ruanjia Lane stage case.

But he was certain that this was not the work of obsessive memories or erotic fantasies.

Li Qingyan sniffed:

"It smells of food, it smells of cooking..." He paused for a moment.

"There's also an indescribable feeling, subtly hidden in the everyday atmosphere."

Su Mingyuan closed his eyes, his mental energy flowing almost imperceptibly around him. After a moment, he opened them, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes:

"The town is full of life, but the fluctuations in mental energy are... somewhat strange, like a stagnant pool, without the chaotic ripples that should be present in a normal human settlement."

"Suspicious and paranoid!" Feng Yu's voice came from inside the carriage, tinged with impatience.

"There's a town here, are we going to keep sleeping in the wilderness and starving? Let's get inside!"

At this moment, Old Man Hu cautiously approached Shen Zhen and whispered:

"This town is a bit strange. We've never dared to go there before. We've heard that people who go in never come out."

He glanced at Feng Yu and said again:

"I didn't say it earlier because I didn't want to anger His Highness."

Shen Zhen pondered for a moment, then ordered: "Zhao Huaijin and Li Qingyan, take a few people to investigate the inn first."

Qi Xuejian, Chen Xi, please test the energy field.

Everyone else, stay put and remain on guard. No one is to enter the town without my order.

"yes!"