There are few outsiders in the town, so there are naturally few hotels. Ding Jinghuan had already found the cleanest one, but the hygiene was still worrying.
"I'm so sorry! That's just how it is in this small town, please bear with it!"
Ding Jinghuan said helplessly.
"It's alright, we're here on business, not for tourism. We just need a place to rest."
They didn't expect to get a good night's sleep.
Gu Xicheng took one of his own clothes and spread it on the bed for Lu Qing to use as a cushion.
Lu Qing immediately began meditating and cultivating, continuing all night until dawn.
The next morning, as dawn broke, Lu Qing opened her eyes and drew back the curtains.
The sun slowly rose from the horizon, and the rosy dawn dyed the clouds red, a sight that was pleasing to the eye.
Lu Qing quietly admired the beautiful scenery.
Suddenly, a wisp of black mist rose closely following the morning glow, spreading rapidly across the horizon like a black cloth, trying to obscure the sun.
The black mist was filled with gloom, resentment, and coldness, threatening to devour everything.
Lu Qing's pupils contracted.
Just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Qingqing, what are you looking at?"
Lu Qing was startled and suddenly came to her senses.
Looking at the horizon again, the black fog had disappeared, and the sunrise was still beautiful. Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion.
"Qingqing! Qingqing!"
Gu Xicheng called several times before Lu Qing responded.
"It's nothing, I'm watching the sunrise, it's quite beautiful!"
Gu Xicheng glanced at the horizon and smiled:
"You're prettier than me!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than an extremely exaggerated "Ugh!" came from behind him.
The two turned their heads and saw Wang Yanjun clutching his chest, looking disgusted.
"You guys continue! Don't worry about me!"
Gu Xicheng's face darkened: "Are you pregnant? How many months along? Why are you having such strong symptoms?"
Wang Yanjun: "..."
"Alright! You two can go on your lovey-dovey stuff, I'm going out to find something to eat."
Wang Yanjun didn't want his breakfast to be dog food, so he quickly left.
Gu Xicheng and Lu Qing exchanged a smile.
"I brought toiletries, let me go brush my teeth and wash my face!"
"Um!"
After washing up and changing their clothes, the two left the room.
Ding Jinghuan also happened to come out of his room:
Good morning! You two, didn't you sleep well last night?
Gu Xicheng: "It's not that I'm uncomfortable, it's that I didn't sleep at all, I meditated all night."
Ding Jinghuan smiled apologetically:
"I'm so sorry, after we finish our business, I'll treat you to a good bath and a good night's sleep in the city."
"Captain Ding, you're welcome. Please go down now!"
"good!"
The three of them went downstairs, and Wang Yanjun happened to have just returned with breakfast.
The group sat in the hotel lobby, finished their breakfast, and then set off for Huangni Village.
There was still a distance to travel from the town to Huangni Village, and Lu Qing and the others didn't want to take the bus again, so Ding Jinghuan got a three-wheeled electric vehicle to bring them back.
"It's about 20 li from here to the village. If you don't take a bus, you can only ride a tricycle."
"It's alright! At least this car is well-ventilated, so I won't get seasick. I'll just sit here!"
Wang Yanjun, Gu Xicheng, and Lu Qing jumped up and sat on the straw laid out inside.
Ding Jinghuan drove off with a whoosh.
Although the tricycle didn't look very good, it was still quite fast, but the wind was a bit uncomfortable.
Gu Xicheng and Wang Yanjun consciously sat in the windward spot to block most of the wind for Lu Qing.
The road was bumpy, but my butt hurt a little; I didn't get dizzy.
It took about half an hour to drive twenty li (approximately 10 kilometers).
Ding Jinghuan stopped the car and pointed to the large rock in front of him, saying:
"That's the boundary of Huangni Village. It rained a few days ago, and the roads inside are all muddy. If a car drives in, it might get stuck. Let's get out and walk. Nianchun's house is not far from the village entrance."
"good!"
The three jumped off the tricycle and walked towards the village.
Huangni Village is named so because it is covered with loess soil, and when it rains, the ground is covered with yellow mud.
Their shoes were quickly covered in mud.
The more mud she stepped on, the heavier her shoes became, so Lu Qing had to shuffle along the curb.
Before long, they arrived at Nian Chun's home.
"That's the tiled house in front. The man sitting at the door is Nian Chun's father, Nian Fu."
Nianfu is quite old and has difficulty walking. He is sitting in the doorway sunbathing, using a cane.
Lu Qing approached and quickly sensed that something was wrong.
The house felt deathly still that spring.
That's right!
It's death energy, not evil energy!
Evil cultivators possess evil energy, while death energy is only found in corpses.
The entire house of Nian Chun's family was filled with an eerie, deathly aura, and even sunlight couldn't penetrate it.
"Everyone be careful, something's wrong here!"
They all became more vigilant and slowly walked over.
"Grandpa, is this Nian Chun's house?" Wang Yanjun asked.
Nian Fu opened his tightly closed eyes, lifted his eyelids, glanced at Wang Yanjun, and then lazily muttered:
"He's here to see that brat again!"
"He's not home, don't come looking for him."
"Do you know where he went?" Ding Jinghuan asked.
"I don't know." Nianfu closed his eyes again, looking like he didn't want to talk to anyone.
"Grandpa, do you know where those people who came looking for Nian Chun went?" Ding Jinghuan asked again.
"I don't know." Nianfu's tone became even more impatient.
Ding Jinghuan sighed: "Sir, we are police officers. Your son has committed a crime. Could you please cooperate?"
Nianfu: "If he's done something wrong, go find him. I don't know anything about it!"
Ding Jinghuan had the good temper to deal with him, but Wang Yanjun did not.
He pulled out a gun and pressed it against Nianfu's forehead:
"Old man, I advise you to speak properly, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
Nian Fu opened his eyes wide and glared at Wang Yanjun:
"You dare point a gun at me? Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"
A chilling smile curled at the corner of Wang Yanjun's lips:
"I still have questions for you. I won't kill you, but if you don't cooperate, I have plenty of ways to make you wish you were dead!"
Annual payment? He scoffed dismissively.
"Don't kid me! You police have regulations, and since I haven't done anything wrong, you wouldn't dare to lay a hand on me!"
Wang Yanjun grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up:
"Old man, I forgot to tell you, we're a special department, we don't have such rigid rules!"
“What do you want to do? If you dare to hit me, I’ll file a complaint against you!” Nianfu threatened.
Wang Yanjun chuckled nonchalantly:
"Complain? Go ahead! I'll break your legs and sever your tendons in a bit, leaving you without arms and legs. Let's see how you complain about me then!"
Now that I'm paying annually, I'm finally scared.
"You...you stop threatening me! I'm not easily intimidated!"
Wang Yanjun then pulled out a knife and stabbed Nian Fu hard in the thigh.
He showed Nianfu through his actions that what he had just said was not just empty talk.
Strangely, although Nianfu was screaming in pain, there was not much blood coming out of the wound.
It was dry and hard, like a needle piercing a dried-up corpse.
Lu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.
It seems the older brother has figured it out: although this annual payment appears to be as alive and able to talk and move as a living person, it is actually a dead person.
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