Asura in Arknights

She nodded, but Adele still looked somewhat confused.

After emerging from the painted world, they did not rush to head down to the basin below, but instead planned to rest for a while, at least until after lunch, before continuing their journey.

During this time, they can also do things they like.

Upon realizing that he had indeed crossed Linghai Peak and arrived at a place almost no one had ever set foot in before, Zhao Anping was so excited that he ran around like a wild dog that had been let loose. His father had to follow closely behind him to prevent him from accidentally wandering into any dangerous places.

Suddenly, Zhao Anping stopped, pointed to a spot below, and said...

"Wait... Dad, there seems to be smoke coming from that direction..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhao Youcai reprimanded instinctively.

“But I’m telling the truth! Look over there if you don’t believe me!” Zhao Anping shouted defiantly.

"...There really is smoke?"

Looking in the direction Zhao Anping pointed, Zhao Youcai was surprised to find that there was indeed a wisp of white smoke rising from the rainforest below.

A fire? No... It's drizzling, and the humidity here is so high, a fire shouldn't be able to start. And judging by the height of the smoke, it's clearly not something a small fire could cause.

Unable to figure out what was going on, Zhao Youcai went to Jingzhe and told her about his discovery.

"You mean... we can see a plume of smoke in the rainforest below?"

"Yes, sir, it's in this direction."

Zhao Anping had run a little too far. Led by Zhao Youcai, they circled around halfway up the mountain and came to the other side. Only from this angle could they see the plume of smoke that Zhao Anping had spotted.

"That's it."

Following Zhao Youcai's guidance, Jingzhe and Xuancheng also saw the white smoke that was blown away before it even reached high altitude.

"...Bring me the binoculars so I can take a look." Jingzhe frowned.

Xuan Cheng quickly took out the binoculars from his pocket and placed them in Jingzhe's hands.

After adjusting the telescope's parameters, Jingzhe looked in the direction from which the smoke was coming from.

Through the telescope, she saw no signs of fire, but instead, hidden by the dense forest, she discovered some man-made objects that resembled chimneys.

Below... is that a village?

Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Feeling of Déjà Vu

"A mirage?"

This was the first reaction of Jingzhe. After all, nothing is surprising, except for a village with people. How did they survive in such a desolate place?

What time is it now?

After putting down the binoculars, Jingzhe pondered for a moment and asked.

"If there's nothing wrong with the watch, it's a quarter past noon now."

Xuan Cheng glanced at the time on his watch and replied.

11:15... that makes sense in terms of timing.

The smoke was most likely from cooking lunch in the village, and judging from the height and size of the smoke, the village was probably quite large, with at least a hundred people.

What puzzled Jingzhe was why her master had never mentioned this to her.

If such a village existed, it would be almost impossible for them to miss it while crossing this basin.

Could it be that this village didn't exist when Master came here before?

After all, it had been sixty or seventy years since Zhang Daoling last came here. Anything could have happened in such a long time. Perhaps the village in front of them was settled here during that period.

In just a few seconds, Jingzhe thought of many possibilities.

Judging from the location of that village, it is close to the center of the basin, but if they want to bypass it, they still have a few other routes to choose from.

Jingzhe was unsure what to do next. After all, there's a saying that goes, "Bad people come from poor and remote places." People who can survive in such places might be more dangerous than the environment itself. Jingzhe, with her rich experience in handling cases, had a deep understanding of this.

"...Call everyone over, we need to discuss this matter."

Jingzhe simply gathered everyone together and told them about Zhao Anping's discovery.

At this moment, Zhao Anping also realized that something was wrong, and his excitement gradually cooled down.

"That's roughly the situation. What are your thoughts?" Jingzhe asked. "My personal opinion is that it's best not to cause any unnecessary complications."

"But if we want to get through here, wouldn't it be simpler to ask those people for help?"

Xi didn't think about so many complicated things. Her idea was very simple: since the people in this village lived here, they must be very familiar with the environment. If they could get help from these people, they could cross this basin more quickly.

She just wants to resolve this matter as soon as possible; the longer it drags on, the more uneasy Xi feels.

It wasn't just because she had left her little home, but also because the shadow of the resurrected beast had been looming over her mind, and she couldn't rest easy until she resolved it.

From their current location, they could already vaguely see the majestic peak of Tianyue Mountain. It was precisely because of this that Xi became increasingly impatient and even took the initiative to come out of her room.

“My dear sister, this matter is not so simple.” Nian shook his head and patted Xi on the shoulder.

“…What do you mean?” Xi frowned. She really didn’t think it was difficult at all.

It's just asking the villagers here for a favor, right? At most, they'll have to pay a small price. With so many things crammed into her world of paintings, can't she even afford a little reward?

“I mean, Xi, you don’t go out much, so you might be underestimating the wickedness of people,” Nian said with a somewhat subtle expression. “This kind of village looks a bit strange, and it makes me think of something bad.”

Over the years, she has traveled all over the country and visited countless places. Her knowledge is much richer than Xi's, and she knows that the current situation is quite complicated.

"Oh? What reminded you of?"

This statement about the year actually piqued Xi's interest, and she raised an eyebrow and asked.

“…Well, it’s not something I can’t talk about.” Nian scratched his cheek and said, “I was searching for the origin of the Longevity Army in the Sargon Desert before, and I also came across a village deep in the desert, which is similar to what I’m going to do now. But my situation back then was much worse than it is now, at least I wasn’t carrying so many supplies like I am now.”

Although his body was completely different from that of an ordinary person, he was not yet at the point where he could survive without food or water; he could only endure it for a very long time.

"At the time, I just wanted to get some food and water from that village, but I didn't expect that the village... or rather the tribe, still retained the tradition of cannibalism. I thought they wanted to kidnap me and make me their chieftain's wife," Nian complained.

"...Is this what you wanted to say?" Xi twitched her lips, looking like she didn't know how to answer.

“Right?” Nian raised her chin and said smugly, “No matter how you look at me, I’m a great beauty, right? Of course I have to be careful about these things when I’m traveling around alone.”

Although there were many things to criticize in Nian's words, Xi still understood what she wanted to express.

Encountering a village in such an unfamiliar place, who could imagine what kind of monsters and demons might be inside? They are not short of supplies, and crossing the basin is not impossible for them, so there is absolutely no need to take this risk.

Moreover... who exactly would choose to settle in a place like this?

"Then I have no objection. You guys decide."

Having understood the reasoning behind it, Xi said quite decisively.

"Then let's do it this way. Since no one objects, let's take another route and bypass this village."

Jingzhe finally made a decision.

Anyway, everyone's thoughts were basically the same. They had nothing to lack, so there was no need for them to contact the people in that village.

If they happen to encounter each other while crossing the basin, they'll deal with it then. Even if a conflict does occur, unless everyone in that village is a superhuman, they have nothing to be afraid of.

Apart from one person.

Yi remained silent throughout, offering no opinion.

After they had finished their discussion, Yi tentatively asked, "Tell me, doesn't anyone else think that village looks somewhat familiar?"

Everyone was taken aback when they heard Yi's question.

Why does he seem to be implying something?

"...Why do you ask that?" Jingzhe frowned, somewhat displeased, and asked, "Haven't you been here many times? If anyone among us is familiar with this place, it should be you. Who do you expect to answer your question?"

Clearly, what he just said was complete nonsense.

Ignoring Jingzhe, Yi fixed his gaze on Zhao Youcai and his son, his tone already carrying a hint of threat.

"I'm asking you two, do you really not recognize this village?"

Chapter 100: A Place Reflecting the Soul

Seeing that his employer had suddenly turned against him, Zhao Anping felt extremely wronged. He hadn't done anything wrong! How could he be caught in the crossfire even when he was just lying down?

"No! This is my first time here too, how could I have seen this village before?"

“I’ve never seen it,” Zhao Youcai replied simply.

After the two denied it outright, Yi's face suddenly darkened, and the confident expression on his face disappeared.

Everyone else noticed this subtle change, which gave them a bad feeling.

Although they didn't particularly like the second brother, who was the incarnation of the Year Beast, there was no doubt that he was the most experienced among them. If even he showed this expression, then something terrible must have happened.

...Is it related to the villages in the basin below?

Is it really that complicated? With their fighting prowess, it's not entirely impossible for them to fight their way through.

"I'm saying, aren't you going to explain yourself?"

Li Ang reached out and pressed down on Yi's shoulder, ready to kill Yi's clone if he made any other moves.

The person who reached an agreement with Yi is Jingzhe. What does that have to do with Li Ang? Even if he ruined the Great Yan Emperor's plan, it doesn't matter. At worst, he can just leave after dealing with the trouble here. Does he really want to stage another international manhunt?

What are you hiding?

It's strange to point the finger at Zhao Youcai and his son, and judging from Yi's behavior just now, it's as if he's convinced that Zhao Anping and his son have seen the village below, which obviously doesn't make sense.

Is this his purpose in insisting on bringing Zhao Anping here?

"...Besides the people present, did you bring any other people with you?" Yi asked with a dark face.

Others? Could they be referring to the unconscious Liuyi?

Liu Yi has been placed in the ward originally used by Jing Zhe. Her condition has been very stable recently, but there is no sign of her waking up. Because of the professional care provided by Sang Shen, Li Ang has not paid much attention to her condition in the past few days.

How did Ke Yi guess it?

He only stayed in the world of the painting for a short ten minutes or so, never went to the ward, and no one would be so bored as to tell him about it.

"Alright, no need to say anything more, I know you definitely brought other people with you!"

Yi jumped up in annoyance, as if he hadn't seen Li Ang's threat at all. "Where is that person? Call him out right now."

"So, what does it matter?"

Not only Li Ang, but everyone else had the same question in their minds. However, Yi's reaction was somewhat inexplicable, and without Yi's explanation, they couldn't guess the reason behind it.

The two were at an impasse. If Yi didn't explain things clearly, Li Ang wouldn't reveal Liu Yi's existence either.

Damn it!

Realizing this, Yi gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, "These guys are crazy! They actually hid someone in the world of the painting."

Yi never expected that after encountering the Snake God, his plan would fall apart for such a ridiculous reason.

However, it seems too late to say anything now. Unless he wants to be trapped in this place, he must reveal some information that will satisfy these people.

"Alright, since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you."

With a cold laugh, Yi simply sat cross-legged on the ground.

Now that things have developed to this point, he has nothing to worry about anymore; it's these people who should be worried.

Yi was caught off guard this time, but even if the Sui Beast is resurrected, he is the one who is least worried about since his true form is in the capital of Dayan.

"Lin Qingyan, let me ask you a question first. Why do you think your master, that old codger, only told you this much information? Is it because that's all he knows, or is there some other reason why he could only tell you this much?"

With both sides on the verge of a complete falling out, he was too lazy to maintain a polite conversation with Jingzhe anymore, and simply called her by her full name, which she didn't want to hear.

And this very first question stumped Jingzhe.

Although unwilling to admit it, Jingzhe knew that the latter was more likely. There must be some kind of limitation, which was why Zhang Daoling could only tell her this much information. It was precisely because she realized this that Jingzhe did not ask too many questions.

But if the person hiding the truth is Yi, it's a completely different story. Jingzhe trusts her master, but does she dare to trust Yi, this notorious schemer?

That's why Jingzhe (the character in the story) tacitly approves of Li Ang's current approach of pressuring Yi (another character in the story).

From this perspective, Yi actually failed quite well. If everyone is on guard against him, what's the point of him being a schemer? That is, assuming his identity is not exposed.

"That's probably all we can tell you," Jingzhe replied calmly. "So, could you explain your reasons for doing this?"

"Full of hallucinogenic gases? Heh... Not a bad idea, but there are still too many uncertainties."

As if to vent his dissatisfaction, Yi launched into a tirade of sarcasm at Jingzhe's master, "It was a risk that could have been avoided simply by preparing a sacrifice in advance, yet he still had to resort to such petty tricks. He's so hypocritical it's laughable. Isn't he afraid of messing things up and killing his own disciple?"