With virtue

Bai Qian went straight ahead, while Zhao Yunshu stood guard behind her.

Now that they knew this place was dangerous, and that he had a child with him, they needed to be cautious in everything they did. He reminded him from behind, "Be careful. In places like this, don't eat their food, don't drink their water, and don't sleep too soundly. Leave someone to keep watch at night."

Bai Qian found him long-winded, but knew he was right, so she waved her hand and said, "I know, I'm an old hand at this!"

The youngest sister chimed in, "The Taoist priest is just as long-winded as my grandma."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qian's face lit up with joy: "Well said! You little brat, you really know how to chime in. Here's a candy for you!"

After saying that, he actually took out a piece of candy from his pocket, though it was unclear where he had put it.

The little girl took the candy and giggled.

As they spoke, they arrived at the front door of that house. The gate was made of several wooden planks, so it was not very sturdy. You could see the gaps between the planks, which were large enough to stick your finger out and put your eye through the gaps to clearly see inside the yard.

Zhao Yunshu raised her hand and knocked on the door three times. The force she used was neither light nor heavy, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, so it must have been heard very clearly.

"Who is it?" a voice came from inside, sounding like an old woman, but it was still pitch black inside.

In rural areas, lamp oil is very expensive, so most people don't light lamps at night. Lamp oil is a little cheaper, but if you use white or yellow candles, one can easily sell for 150 to 400 coins, which is enough for these rural villagers to save for half a year. So ordinary families only light lamps during festivals.

As for using oil lamps instead of candles, the oil used in those lamps was edible oil. A lamp burning all night would require at least an ounce of oil, equivalent to burning half a pot of grain. Ordinary families simply couldn't afford such extravagance. At night, everyone went straight to sleep; they wouldn't light lamps to entertain guests. That's why there's the saying "carving a hole in the wall to steal light." Light truly needed to be stolen; nighttime illumination was a very expensive thing, not everyone could afford it.

So Zhao Yunshu looked around, then found a twig nearby, rubbed his fingers together, and with a flick of his fingertip, a wisp of fire ignited, illuminating the surroundings.

"Huh?" Bai Qian looked at the Taoist priest in astonishment.

The youngest sister also looked on in surprise at the fire that had suddenly burst into flames.

Clearly, they hadn't expected this Taoist priest to be able to start a fire out of thin air. Had they stumbled upon someone with supernatural powers?

But Zhao Yunshu, holding a torch, raised his voice and said to the old woman, "Grandma! We're just passing by and would like to ask for lodging for the night. Could you please open the door?"

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Then, a creaking sound was heard.

Zhao Yunshu nodded slightly.

Then he said to Bai Qian, "There must be villages around, but this family lives in seclusion. Such things are relatively rare, but they do happen. This family may not be a monster, but if there aren't any nearby... then we'll have to take action."

"How did you know?" Bai Qian asked, somewhat surprised.

The young Taoist explained, "There's a door, and a door hinge. Ordinary people can't make these things, so there must be carpenters around. One household can't support a craftsman, so there must be a village." The creaking sound was from the wooden door hinge turning, indicating that the hinge was made of wood, not iron. In other words... there was a door inside, unlike most poor people's houses, which at most had a board blocking the way.

Making wooden door hinges requires specialized tools and corresponding skills, thus requiring a specialized carpenter. To support a carpenter, the existence of a civilized world is necessary.

The simple reasoning is that if the room isn't some kind of trap, then this reasoning holds true.

In other words, if it is confirmed that there are no villages or even civilized worlds around this house, then it can be confirmed that this is definitely an unusual place, and then we can just start killing.

"Haha, I'm just a novice with no experience." Zhao Yunshu decisively rejected the idea.

What seasoned veteran? Anyone with a brain can figure that out, right? The young Taoist priest has only been wandering with the old Taoist priest for about ten years; he wouldn't dare call himself a seasoned veteran.

The old hands are all buried in the ground.

But Bai Qian stared at him suspiciously for a while, and judging from her expression, it seemed that she originally wanted to continue asking questions.

But at that moment, the courtyard gate opened.

In the firelight, an old woman's face was visible through the crack in the door, half of her face hidden in shadow. Her skin was wrinkled like tree bark, her eyelids drooped, and she looked listless, even somewhat sinister.

Please visit...to see the latest chapter! Address: dEqixs.oRg She barely opened her eyes, her gaze unnatural as she scanned the three people. Then she opened the door a little wider and said, "Come in. There's an empty room. It's the middle of the night, and the mountain path is difficult to walk on. You're all very lucky to have found me here, especially with a baby. It's really pitiful."

The three entered the courtyard in turn. Just as they were about to say something, the wife continued, "A man, a woman, and a child—are you a family? Why are you dressed so strangely?"

"No, no, how could I possibly be related to him? We met him on the road, and this child looked pitiful, so we took him along. We were on our way, but now we're lost and don't know where to go, so we'd like to ask for lodging." Bai Qian waved his hand and said.

Zhao Yunshu nodded, while Yaomei held onto Bai Qian tightly.

Upon hearing this, the old woman looked at the three of them again, but said nothing more, and simply led them into the house.

The room was originally pitch black, but Zhao Yunshu held a makeshift torch, which provided some light. It was clear that the room was very dilapidated, with weathered earthen walls that were mottled and worn. It was unclear what kind of damage and repairs had been done, but it was just patched up and kept in use.

There were spider webs in many places, as well as tables, chairs, and benches, confirming Zhao Yunshu's earlier guess that a carpenter must have worked here.

Cured meat was hanging from the roof beams, but it was covered in cobwebs. No one knew how long it had been there or whether it had been cleaned.

There was an earthen stove in the room, with some smoldering ashes inside the firebox, which was obviously the kindling for cooking tomorrow.

Logically speaking, Zhao Yunshu's torch should have gone out long ago. A simple broken tree branch cannot be used as a torch; it would go out quickly and be blown away by the wind. It would need to be wrapped with cloth and doused with kerosene to burn for a long time.

Zhao Yunshu was ignited using fire magic, so it could burn even without a wooden stick. The wooden stick was just to save some effort and also to cover it up so it wouldn't be too conspicuous.

After leading them into the room, the old woman slowly brought out a ceramic jar and said, "There's water in here. Drink it if you're thirsty, but don't break my jar, or you'll have to pay for it." However, none of the three reached out for water; they all listened to Zhao Yunshu.

However, Bai Qian was the first to act. She took out a dozen or so coins and slammed them on the table: "Old man, I won't drink the water. I just want to ask, where are the villages or cities around here?"

The old woman looked at the money, a gleam of eager anticipation in her eyes, and then said, "A nearby village? There's a village about ten miles from here called Liu Family Village; it's the closest!"

Zhao Yunshu's eyelids twitched, but her face remained expressionless, while Bai Qian frowned slightly, her expression was off.

Only the youngest sister was pleasantly surprised. Liu Family Village? Could it really not be far from here!?

This joy dispelled the little girl's fear. She had already felt a shiver when she entered the room, which was dark and smelled musty.

Moreover, it was gloomy and cold, with a bunch of dark patches on the wall like ghost faces, and many spider webs covering the roof beams. In this atmosphere, it seemed that something was hiding in the shadows in the corners, and something might reach out from under the chair to tug at her legs.

She couldn't help but feel scared and dared not look around. She just kept her eyes wide open and pressed them tightly against Bai Qian's legs.

The old woman offered them seats, but Bai Qian refused, as did the Taoist priest. The youngest sister was even more reluctant to sit; she hid behind Bai Qian, only revealing half her face, clutching tightly.

Seeing this, Zhao Yunshu patted his youngest sister's head and then spoke up, bringing a touch of warmth to the surroundings: "Grandma, this place is a bit remote. Besides Liu Family Village, what's the name of this mountain? Which prefecture does it belong to?"

Upon hearing this, the old woman said, "This place is called Yinfeng Mountain. If you go up, there's a Wild Dog Gully around it. Beyond the gully is a mass grave slope. Further south is Black Wind Ferry, where you can cross to the Yellow Springs. You gentlemen aren't locals, are you? There's no proper prefecture or county seat in these mountains."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qian fell silent, Zhao Yunshu also fell silent, and Yaomei curled up into a ball, clinging to Zhao Yunshu's leg and refusing to let go. Wait, this thing doesn't sound like a place name from the mortal realm at all!

Dead? Into the underworld?

Zhao Yunshu was somewhat speechless, then asked, "So, old man, how do I get to the nearest county town? Are there any cities or anything like that?"

The old woman thought for a moment, then said "Oh!" and said, "Oh! Yes, there is. Go that way, past Wild Dog Gully, walk for several dozen miles, there's a city called the City of the Wrongfully Dead. It's very big, but there's no one there during the day, it's only lively at night. If you want to go, don't go at the wrong time."

As she spoke, she suddenly chuckled softly for no apparent reason, a soft "hehehe," which sent chills down Yao Mei's spine, and she hugged him even tighter.

The name "City of the Wrongfully Dead" sounds like something from the mortal realm.

With that sinister smile, Yaomei trembled violently. She didn't dare look outside, feeling as if even the moon seemed fake.

Bai Qian stood to the side with his sword in his arms, his expression not very good, though he kept a straight face and didn't lash out.

Zhao Yunshu didn't stop, nor did he show anything amiss. He simply asked about a few more place names, such as nearby post stations, temples, rivers, and so on, and the old woman answered them all.

However, the answers were still absurd claims like "Sanyin Temple" or "White Bone Temple," which sounded like the ghost stories told by the older generation to scare children.

Could they be dead? Otherwise, how could they wake up in a cave? And upon further inquiry, everything in the world has changed? I haven't heard of a single place name before?

As the conversation continued, Bai Qian was already preparing to draw her sword and strike, and the girl seemed to have goosebumps all over. Zhao Yunshu stopped her sword, but she couldn't hold back any longer and angrily shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting, you old hag?! What kind of place name is this? Who doesn't want auspicious and easy-to-recognize names? 'Ox Horn Mountain' means the mountain resembles an ox horn; 'Wang Family Village' means the Wang family is large, and if they don't know what to call it, they'll pick something like 'Auspicious Slope' or 'Peaceful Road.' But you, you keep spouting 'Black Wind Mountain' and 'City of the Dead,' trying to scare me? If you really fool me, do you think this sword of mine is just for show?!"

The old woman had been looking like a ghost, neither fully alive nor dead, but after Bai Qian's tirade, she immediately shrank back and hunched over, as if she was terrified of being scolded.

She trembled, took two steps back in fear, and mumbled an apology: "No! No! I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

As they were talking, a young woman, who looked like the family's daughter-in-law, rushed out from the inner room of the main hall, the curtain was lifted in the darkness.

She was dressed in coarse cloth, her hair disheveled, and her face sallow. She had apparently been hiding inside, as if she wanted to avoid being seen. Now, seeing him, she rushed to Bai Qian, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed several times, saying, "I'm so sorry, sir! I'm so sorry! My mother-in-law is mentally challenged! She suffered a trauma in the past, and her mind isn't working properly. She talks nonsense all day long, spouting nonsensical ramblings! Please don't take it seriously!"

"Knowing he's mentally challenged, why didn't you come out before?!" Bai Qian shouted again! This time, he slammed his sword on the table.

"This humble servant has just given birth and is still in her postpartum period. It is inconvenient for her to see outsiders, so I am hiding inside and letting my mother-in-law entertain the guests! It is really not intentional to neglect you. My husband and father-in-law have gone to the city!" the woman said quickly.

As she spoke, she glanced back at the old woman and winked, then turned back with a forced smile: "This place is called Hongtai Mountain, under the jurisdiction of Nan'an County. The river over there is called Lingguikoushui. If you follow it, you'll reach Shuangxi Town, and Liujiazhuang is also there. Sir, just ask around, everyone knows it!"

Bai Qian felt a little embarrassed when she heard the woman speak so fluently and saw that the woman claimed to be in her postpartum period and was kneeling on the ground. She put her sword aside and said, "Since that's the case, get up. I didn't mean to kill anyone, but in this desolate place, your mother-in-law's words were really unsettling. Don't blame me!"

The woman then cautiously got up and went to help the old woman, who was huddled in the corner, still muttering to herself, but her voice was too soft to hear.

Zhao Yunshu remained silent until the woman finished speaking, then asked, "Sister-in-law, may I ask how far Shuangxi Town is from here?"

The woman hurriedly said, "Shuangxi Town is just to the south, about twenty or thirty li away. It takes a whole day to walk there, which is why my husband can't come back. If you don't believe me, Taoist priest, I'll draw you a map at dawn tomorrow!" She looked flustered and somewhat frightened as she spoke.

Zhao Yunshu nodded slightly, then said to Bai Qian, "I haven't heard of these place names before."

Bai Qian didn't reply, she just nodded.

Shuangxi Town, Hongtai Mountain, Nan'an County, Linggui Kou Shui (a local name for a place with a drooling mouth) – all these names sound normal.

But... there wasn't a single name that the young Taoist priest and Bai Qian had ever heard of.

Damn it, this wife is even scarier than that old woman described.