Chapter 101 Floating on the Grass
Chapter 101 Drifting on the Grass
There is nothing more terrifying in the world than having a disguised, ruthless person right next to you, and you being completely unaware of it.
This kind of unease is when you know what's happening, yet you still feel like you know nothing at all.
Even if you know that such a person exists, finding him in the martial arts world is like finding a needle in a haystack!
Knowing the origin of everything, yet still only able to return to the starting point.
In the silent night, the hooves and wheels of horses rolled over the bluestone road, the creaking sound like a lament in the darkness.
The longer this person remains hidden from the world, the more dangerous the world becomes.
"It's not that I have no thoughts at all."
The old man driving the carriage spoke slowly: "On the other hand, someone who can participate in the hiding of disaster relief grain behind the scenes and command people from small sects like Eagle Gate and Phoenix Gate cannot be an unknown figure in the martial arts world, at least for now."
"He spent ten years rising to a position where he could leverage these resources." In the darkness, Old Master Weng's words were like a startled glimpse: "To find him, we cannot focus on the darkness and shadows; we must look upwards and see the shadows of the major righteous sects in the martial arts world."
What was originally a clueless guess suddenly seemed to have found a clear point of reference.
Yes, compared to the elaborate scheme that led to the discovery of legendary martial arts in the Enchanted Town, the person who would actually be involved in the allocation, concealment, and command of these long-declining or obscure minor sects in the martial arts world to work for him would probably already be a highly respected figure in the martial arts world, or at least have a minor reputation.
Suddenly, Old Master Weng's words made everyone fall into thought.
There are clearly traceable clues, but it's unclear whether it's a good thing or a bad thing...
"Grandpa, what should we do now?" Wang Sumo asked Grandpa.
The old man looked at her, then back at the darkness behind the carriage, and said in a deep voice, "Let's get out of town first, then turn back and see how many people can be saved."
The old man looked at Gu Lianyong: "Lianyong."
Before the old man could finish speaking, Gu Lianyong confirmed, "Senior Qu, I will go with you. The group of us who came out together will hide in a designated place as agreed, with two people going out at a time; every twelve hours, if the two who went out the previous day have not returned, two more will go out. I am here to scout ahead, and I will come back to bring them with me. If there are any others, I am willing to go with the old man to lead them out of the Bewitching Town."
The old man reached out and patted him on the shoulder, nodded, and didn't say anything more.
Wang Sumo leaned back in the carriage, never expecting that the journey to Bewitching Town would take so many twists and turns.
The carriage continued its hurried journey along the cobblestone road. The thick fog that had hung in the air earlier began to dissipate, and the surrounding scenery became faintly visible again. Dilapidated houses and crumbling walls created a gloomy and desolate atmosphere, bearing no resemblance to the idyllic paradise it had once been.
In Gu Lianyong's memory, there were girls washing clothes by the stream, children running with kites on the arched bridge, traveling merchants in the streets and alleys, and women hanging clotheslines from their stilted houses to air out their quilts...
These have now become mere shadows amidst the ruins.
Lost in thought, Wang Sumo asked, "Brother Gu, during the time we were trapped in the Bewitching Town, did you see or hear this person or the voices of these people?"
Wang Sumo's words brought him back to reality.
Gu Lianyong shook his head: "He has never shown his face. Every time these people disappear, or the things on the wall disappear, we faint and lose consciousness during that time. When we wake up, we don't know who it is and have no impression of it at all. Moreover, they don't appear very often. The things are all delivered through a certain department's agencies and pipelines."
After Gu Lianyong finished speaking, he sighed softly, realizing that he had indeed left no trace.
Wang Sumo replied, "At least this person is proficient in pharmacology, able to add medicinal herbs to food, and can also use a suitable amount of sedative incense."
This adds another factor to the subsequent assessment.
Wang Sumo added, "Actually, there's something else I'm very curious about: how long would it have taken to build such a large secret chamber under the Bewitching Town?"
Wang Sumo looked at the old man and said, "When Old Liu mentioned the excavation of the secret passage, even if they could connect all the passages they built over the years, they wouldn't be as magnificent as the secret chamber beneath the Bewitching Town. It can accommodate so many people, with different sections and layers of mechanisms. Not to mention ordinary people, even the powerful and wealthy couldn't do it in a short time. How long did it take to build this secret chamber's mechanisms?"
Moreover, the town of Bewitching Souls was previously inhabited.
According to Gu Lianyong's recollection, there were quite a few residents in the town.
The dilapidated houses they saw along the way were a testament to the prosperity that had once existed there.
There couldn't have been no signs of underground excavation, nor could the entire town's residents have been playing along. Could it be that this mysterious person had been preparing for so long with such a large mobilization?
At this point, Gu Lianyong paused, then said in a deep voice, "Actually, over the years, several of my companions and I have had a certain suspicion."
Gu Lianyong lowered his head, but his eyes were resolute: "The secret chambers beneath the Enchanted Town are intricate and full of traps and mechanisms. Moreover, the design is exquisite. It is not something that can be accomplished overnight, nor can it be done by one person or by local gentry."
"Brother Gu, what do you mean..." Wang Sumo vaguely guessed.
Gu Lianyong looked up at her and Old Master Qu: "That's right, Miss Wang. The secret chamber beneath this Bewitching Town should be an ancient underground palace and mausoleum. Only the entire nation could have built such a grand project. Bewitching Town is a town built on top of this underground palace. However, after a long time and the changing of dynasties, the burial objects in the underground palace, and even the coffins, have all been cleared out, leaving only an empty underground palace and mausoleum."
After Gu Lianyong finished speaking, everyone was deeply shocked.
Grandpa Weng also said, "I have indeed read in some ancient books that some tomb keepers would build villages and towns near the underground palace, or even on the underground palace, to guard it for generations; and some villages, over time, would encounter war, epidemics, and the people would have changed, and they would no longer know what was buried underground."
Wang Sumo: "So, it seems there really might be an underground palace hidden beneath the Enchanted Town..."
Grandpa Weng: "Indeed, such a grand project could not have been completed easily. Moreover, the location and construction of the Bewitching Town were designed to prevent outsiders from easily entering. Over time, it should have become what we saw before. It's just that the people living here may not even know that there is such a place underground."
Wang Sumo: "Could this mysterious person happen to be a descendant of the tomb keeper, which is why he knows this?"
Everyone in the carriage fell silent, and those who could look at Wang Sumo turned to look at him, except for the old man driving the carriage.
“That explains it.” Jiang Yutang said without hesitation.
Wang Sumo continued, "This person is a descendant of the tomb keeper, so he knows the underground palace clearly. Thinking about it a bit further, many of the underground mausoleums are interconnected. If this person is familiar with the underground palace under the Bewitching Town, could he also be familiar with other underground palaces?"
At this point, the old man's eyes paused slightly.
Wang Sumo: "Grandpa, didn't Zhu Yu say that he encountered this person when he went down into the great tomb? He was familiar with the layout of the underground palace, so he used the resources of the Su Jin lineage to travel between various great tombs and underground palaces..."
The old man's gaze sharpened slightly.
Wang Sumo reminded, "The records we obtained from the Sujin lineage are still on the carriage."
Both Grandpa Weng and Jiang Yutang held their breath.
Yes, it's not like there are absolutely no clues!
The clues are hidden in those large stacks of papers inside the carriage!
Suddenly, things took a turn for the better. Whether or not things will turn out well is unknown, but at least we're not completely clueless!
Wang Sumo: "After we leave the town, I will go through those stacks of books with Grandpa Weng and Yutang. Grandpa, you and Brother Gu can go back to Bewitching Town together."
It was as if a glimmer of hope had suddenly appeared, and a little bit of faith ignited in everyone's hearts. They were just one step away from breaking through the last part of the Bewitching Town.
In the blink of an eye, we had already completed the fifth lap and entered the sixth.
According to what Bai Cen had seen before, there were at most seven or eight laps within the Bewitching Town, and the carriage had already entered the inner circle of the Bewitching Town.
"Brother Gu, do you still remember the roads in the town?" Wang Sumo asked, recalling what had happened. According to Gu Lianyong, they had actually spent nearly half a year in the Bewitching Town before entering the secret room, where everyone practiced the martial arts techniques they had found there.
Half a year is not a short time. Since he has been here for half a year, he should be familiar with the layout of the Bewitching Town. Even though so much time has passed and the place has become desolate and overgrown with weeds, the general location will not change. It's just that as time goes by, how much Gu Lianyong can still remember?
Sure enough, after Wang Sumo finished speaking, Gu Lianyong asked, "How many miles are we now?"
How many miles? Everyone was taken aback.
Gu Lianyong: "Bewitching Town is different from other towns. It's like a Bagua formation, with circles going inwards and then connecting to the other side in the middle. The other side is also like a series of passages leading to another entrance and exit of the town."
"The people in the town call this area 'one li'. It's one li to nine li to the east and one li to nine li to the west. The nine li to the east and nine li to the west are actually the same place, which is the road connecting the two sides."
Wang Sumo understood; no wonder.
Wang Sumo: "We came from the west, and after five laps, we are now six li to the west."
They thought they had come a long way and the destination was not far away, but when they suddenly heard Gu Lianyong say that it was nine miles east and west, and then suddenly realized that they were still six miles west, not only Wang Sumo, but everyone was sweating bullets.
It's true that getting out of the Enchanted Town isn't so easy.
Putting aside the danger, the journey is nine miles from east to west, enough to make anyone dizzy.
Even ghosts can't get out.
Wang Sumo rested her chin on her hand: "So we've walked for so long, and we haven't even reached halfway yet?"
However, Gu Lianyong nodded awkwardly.
Wang Sumo vaguely saw Zhao Tong being swallowed up bit by bit by the rice sea, and Bai Cen being chased into a corner by a large group of red-faced monsters...
*
Inside the dark room, Zhao Tong pressed himself against the top of the wall, looking down at the people inside.
Killing is easy, and you can do it anytime, but this underground chamber is too big; you need to follow a living person to find the exit.
The granary guard, A, said, "I told you it would be fine. It's probably just a wild rabbit or cat that came down and disappeared in the blink of an eye. It's happened before, and it takes forever to find it. Let's not waste our time. This underground palace is so big, it'll die in a few days. We'll know where it is when it starts to stink."
Grain warehouse guard B: "Don't be careless. This batch of grain will be transported away in a few days. Be careful and don't let anything happen!"
Grain warehouse guard A: "Then go look again, I'll go back to Dongli first."
Zhao Tong didn't understand what Dongli meant; it was probably some kind of place name in a code...
Granary guard A: "I wonder if they caught that kid from Fengyang Gate yet?"
Granary guard B: "Who cares! Let him wander around the town and see how many days he survives. He's figured out the whole town, but what's the use if he can't get out?"
The granary guard, A, exclaimed, "This guy's lightness skill is too good! Even a dog can't catch him! He says he's 'Floating on Grass,' but isn't 'Floating on Grass' an old man?"
Grain warehouse guard B: "Who knows! Anyway, we can't leave, and in a few decades we'll be old men, won't we?"
Zhao Tong was slightly surprised. Grasshopper was here?
[Author's Note]
Alright, everyone's here!
Now that Xiaobai is floating on the grass, there's someone who can do parkour with him!
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