Chapter 96 People
Chapter 96 People
When the old man stepped forward, the dim light of the torch revealed the deep and shallow palm prints near the bloody "回" character, as well as the marks of fingers pressed into the stone wall and the bloodstains.
Just looking at it is shocking.
Bai Cen sighed, "How tragic that must have been back then..."
Wang Sumo stopped going forward, Jiang Yutang accompanied her, and Old Master Weng also went to the wall with the bloodstained "return" character.
"The power of this five-palm seal is not weak," Old Master Weng judged, quickly searching his mind for his impressions of various sects and factions from the past ten years in Zhenhu Division.
Although he went to Zhenhu Division to stay away from the emperor and the court, and occasionally slacked off, he was actually very clear about the affairs under the jurisdiction of Zhenhu Division.
Because he had so much free time, he would leisurely read through all the records of every sect that came to pay taxes, from their very inception to their origins, signature techniques, financial situation, and any negative aspects of their character...
The marginal sects, like the Eagle Sect and the Phoenix Yang Sect, are also examples.
After all, people like novelty.
He was no exception.
What else is there to be interesting about Zhenhu Division besides these petty squabbles involving martial arts sects?
He naturally looked at it with curiosity.
"Grandpa Weng, do you recognize this palm print?" Bai Cen asked.
Weng He recognized him, but didn't reply. Instead, he paused and looked at Old Master Qu with some hesitation.
Since the old man arrived at the character "回" with the torch, he hadn't uttered a sound after seeing the deep and shallow palm prints and finger marks on the wall...
At that moment, Bai Cen followed the old man's gaze and saw that there were small pieces of silver hidden in the old man's eye sockets.
"Old..." Bai Cen was about to speak when Old Master Weng gestured for him not to.
As clever as Bai Cen was, he suddenly realized at that moment—this was, this was the Kunlun Palm…
This thought also stunned Bai Cen. Bai Cen turned to look at Uncle Weng, who nodded heavily.
Bai Cen knew he hadn't guessed wrong.
This is the Kunlun Palm, and also the blood palm and fingerprints etched here.
He had just lamented how tragic it was; the bloodstains were quite old, perhaps they belonged to someone the old man knew from before…
Bai Cen subconsciously turned to look at Wang Sumo, and saw that Wang Sumo was indeed craning his neck and looking in this direction.
“Kunlun Palm…” he mouthed to her.
Based on their unspoken understanding and his expression, Wang Sumo immediately guessed what was going on, and then she herself became dejected...
The old man had originally said he would stay here to find the whereabouts of the Kunlun Ring.
Now, the Kunlun Palm technique has appeared here, which means that what Zhu Yu told the old man before might not have been wrong.
The Kunlun thumb ring appeared here.
There must be some clues here, such as the bloody palm prints and fingerprints on the wall.
After a long silence, the old man said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
They've only overcome two hurdles in the Enchanted Town.
Bai Cen quickly chimed in, "Let's go, let's go!"
Everyone else tacitly refrained from mentioning it, and there was no delay.
Behind the "回" shaped blood wall is the entrance to the next inner layer.
In other words, the town of Bewitching Souls might not be as simple as just pouring out some tiger urine and splitting mountains with a single palm strike.
The fact that even a Kunlun Palm strike of this power resulted in death here only proves that the further in you go, the more dangerous it becomes.
Bai Cen also took a deep breath.
He walked ahead with the old man, holding a torch in one hand and leading the horse with the other. Wang Sumo, the old man, and Jiang Yutang were in the carriage.
But this time, the carriage was noticeably heavier than the last.
Bai Cen comforted him, "Grandpa, perhaps things will take a turn for the better later on?"
The old man said in a deep voice, "He should have died on Mount Kunlun twenty years ago. The bloodstains just now are from ten years ago..."
Bai Cen: !!!
Bai Cen suddenly realized that there might be more to the story, but the old man's expression had already turned terribly gloomy.
Bai Cen quickly fell silent, knowing that the old man was probably sorting out and recalling many things in his mind, and that it might be related to the old man's departure from Kunlun Mountain many years ago.
"Grandpa," Bai Cen said after thinking for a moment.
Take the old man to see him.
Bai Cen took a deep breath and then said gently, "Once we leave Bewitching Town, I'll come back with you to find it."
Bai Cen was serious; he wasn't joking.
The old man looked at him but didn't say anything.
Although the two were leading the horses ahead, they were actually very close to where Wang Sumo was driving the carriage, and Wang Sumo could hear them clearly.
Previously, the appearance of the blood-stained character "回" and the blood-stained palm was more shocking, but now, there is silence and worry.
She finally understood why the old man had spoken to her in the carriage earlier, explaining the matter of the "Vajra Pestle." The old man must have sensed the strangeness of the place, and perhaps there was a mystery he had been trying to unravel but hadn't been able to.
The carriage continued to move slowly forward. When it reached this inner circle, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, as if it had entered a secluded little world.
The fog that had dissipated earlier gradually gathered back together here.
The road ahead became difficult to see again.
The surroundings were so quiet that it seemed as if only the sounds of horses' hooves, footsteps, and wheels rolling over pebbles could be heard.
Bai Cen was too embarrassed to speak, but this place felt more like a place where a ghost might suddenly rush out.
"Bai Cen," Wang Sumo called to him.
Bai Cen turned around: "Boss?"
Wang Sumo handed him a water pouch, which he took with delight. He then unscrewed it and found a mouthful of warm water.
After that bite, I felt so much better.
He has always wanted to drink water when he was nervous, especially warm water, and he didn't know when Wang Sumo noticed it.
Wang Sumo said softly, "You can stay there."
"Okay." He didn't refuse.
Those from the Kunlun Sect who were contemporaries of the old man would have been considered masters even ten years ago. To leave such a palm print on the wall must have been a sign of extreme panic, resentment, and helplessness...
What kind of monstrous thing is hidden here?!
It's impossible for him not to be nervous at all!
Previously, they were worried about whether Brother Zhao was in danger if he fell into the secret passage for transporting grain. Now, they are worried about whether they can safely pass through the Bewildering Town and then turn back to find Brother Zhao.
This place is incredibly strange.
Lost in thought, Old Master Weng suddenly spoke up: "Wait, stop the carriage first."
The night was so quiet that Old Weng's voice, though not loud, was still deafening.
The old man and Bai Cen both took the reins of the horses, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.
"What's wrong, sir?" Wang Sumo asked.
Weng and Shen said, "It sounds like there's a sound."
Sounds? Bai Cen looked at Old Master Qu and Wang Sumo. It was too quiet around them; they shouldn't have missed any other sounds, but Old Master Weng insisted that everyone keep quiet.
Sure enough, a moment later, a sound similar to an impact was heard.
Wang Sumo was startled.
Compared to the sound of horses' hooves and wheels, this sound was so faint that it was almost completely drowned out in such a quiet environment.
Old Master Weng and Jiang Yutang were sitting at the back of the carriage, further away from the sound of the horses' hooves, so the spies could only vaguely hear the sound of the wheels.
"It seems to be behind." Old Weng got off the carriage and squatted down on the road he had just passed.
Everyone held their breath, and after a short while, they heard a crashing sound from underground.
This time, Jiang Yutang also got off the carriage and put her ear to the ground.
A brief wait, then we hear it again!
This time, Jiang Yutang swallowed softly.
It didn't sound like grain sacks hitting the ground; the volume of each sound was different. It sounded more like a person hitting something...
Jiang Yutang's face turned ashen, and a chill ran down her spine: "Yes, it was someone hitting their head against the wall."
The moment those words were spoken, the already quiet and eerie atmosphere suddenly intensified.
Wang Sumo couldn't help but hug Weiwu tightly.
The old man and Bai Cen went to the back of the car, leaving Wang Sumo to hold the torch and watch out for what lay ahead.
In the fog ahead, they always felt like there were eyes watching them.
Wang Sumo subconsciously put Weiwu back into the cage, then held the torch in one hand and placed the other hand on the pull ring of the mechanism, carefully looking ahead and to both sides.
Although Bai Cen was also behind the carriage, he listened to the old man and the others talking while turning his head to look at the front of the carriage, where Wang Sumo was.
Grandpa Weng reached out and tapped the ground. It was very solid, and there should be even thicker reinforcement underneath.
The way he knocked on it didn't produce even the slightest penetrating sound.
How much force must have been exerted by the people below when they crashed into it...?
Bai Cen sighed, "Could it be Brother Zhao?"
Weng also shook his head: "It shouldn't be like that."
“Ordinary sounds wouldn’t carry,” Old Master Weng affirmed. “If there really is someone down there, they’re either struggling desperately because they heard the carriage passing by, or…”
Weng He took a deep breath and said somberly, "Either they can't hear the voices from above at all, and they just keep crashing day and night."
The thought of this scene is terrifying.
Especially when I recall the bloody "回" character and the bloody palm print from earlier.
"Should we go down and scout ahead?" Weng He asked, posing a thought-provoking question.
Old Qu is right across from us.
Their eyes met, and they knew each other all too well.
Staying here will endanger everyone; the handprint from earlier is irrefutable proof that Zhao Tong is likely also in Bewitching Town. Continuing forward might allow us to leave safely, but it's at least safer than staying here. However, the chances of survival below are likely to be even slimmer.
Should I prioritize saving myself or rescuing others?
The old man frowned.
Bai Cen and Weng He both knew that there must be some truth here that the old man wanted to find out, so this should be especially difficult for the old man.
Bai Cen also turned to look at Wang Sumo. The owner doesn't know martial arts, and the Eight Treasures Restaurant is still here...
On the other side, the old man said in a deep voice, "Let's go out first, a few more hours won't make a difference."
The old man was calm and composed.
This is how things are now, but he can't drag the girl and the Eight Treasures Pavilion into this dangerous situation.
Weng looked at him with surprise, but there was also relief in his surprise.
After decades apart, the other person must have experienced a lot and is no longer the impulsive and rash chivalrous knight-errant of the past...
"Let's go." After saying this, the old man turned to Bai Cen and said, "Remember this place."
Bai Cen nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Jiang Yutang and Grandpa Weng got back into the carriage.
Bai Cen and the old man turned back. When they were about to meet, Bai Cen looked at Wang Sumo and whispered, "Master, there's a bundle behind the cage. Take out the Night Armor from the bundle and put it on."
Wang Sumo looked at him: "..."
Bai Cen said softly, "It's not as good as the rumors say, but it's not bad either."
Wang Sumo looked at him, and his gaze was sincere. Wang Sumo did as he was told.
Bai Cen stepped forward again to lead the horse.
Wang Sumo indeed took out the Night Armor from his bundle, put it on simply, and then, feeling the chill, put on another set of clothes over it.
Wang Sumo wasn't stupid. At a time like this, it was better to put on your clothes properly than to be fussy, refuse, and cause trouble for others.
Just as Wang Sumo pulled his dark hair out from his collar, a sudden intuition struck him, and he immediately called out, "Grandpa, Bai Cen, bow your head."
In that instant, Bai Cen reacted extremely quickly, pulling the old man down to the ground, and Wang Sumo pulled the ring.
At that very moment, the dark figure that rushed out from the mist ahead was firmly entangled by the net that was shot out, and the more it struggled, the tighter it became, accompanied by a ferocious roar.
Although Wang Sumo moved extremely quickly, he was actually terrified.
Once everything that had rushed towards them had fallen, Bai Cen helped the old man to his feet, and the two of them went forward with torches.
Where the torchlight illuminated, Bai Cen's heart seemed to skip a beat—a hideous face came into view, its entire skin red, or rather, indistinguishable from any skin at all, its movements grotesque and contorted, but…
It's a human!
[Author's Note]
Write quickly, and try to update this afternoon.
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