Chapter 102 The Pillar-Carrying Sect & Fatty
Chapter 102 The Pillar-Carrying Sect & Fatty
Fengyang Gate, Grass Fluttering – two phrases that would normally be completely unrelated…
But Zhao Tong didn't have time to think much before the two guards at the granary, one fat and one thin, separated.
The skinny man went to find the "cat," while the fat man left the dark room.
He was like a "cat" that fell down the slope, and could only follow another person.
The underground chambers were a complex maze, and it was impossible to remember them accurately in a short time. He had to avoid being discovered and also keep up with every mechanism.
After passing through eight or nine stone gates with traps, the fat man finally felt that something was wrong. Although he couldn't see anyone, he always felt that something was following him.
This place is very close to the slope where the grain bags are thrown in, and sometimes wild cats, rabbits, or even wild boars, unaware of what's going on, fall down and trigger the bell. They come here to find out exactly what fell down.
He had initially thought there was no need to go see it, but now he suddenly felt something was off.
But the trap at the bottom of the slope was so strong that even a wild boar couldn't break free. It was unlikely that a human could have hidden nearby before them.
This underground palace is eerie year-round, and after walking through it many times, I'm not so afraid anymore. But when I think that what's following me right now is unlikely to be a person, but rather some kind of "thing", I realize that it's not a person.
Suddenly, I felt a sense of lingering fear.
In places like this, there are more ghosts than people!
The fat man's face grew increasingly ashen, but stopping seemed to only make him feel a chill run down his spine.
So the fat man quickened his pace, opening door after door without stopping, as if afraid that something behind him might suddenly catch up with him.
Zhao Tong hadn't expected things to go so smoothly all of a sudden.
At first, he thought the fat man was walking too slowly.
He had to leave, hide, and be wary of him suddenly turning back.
But then suddenly, as if he had stepped on something, he darted forward without even looking back or to the left or right.
At first he wasn't sure, but the more he looked, the more certain he became. The other person was running forward desperately, trying to leave the underground palace as soon as possible—which was exactly what he wanted!
He also wanted to leave as soon as possible.
And so, with the fat man in front and him behind, the two of them moved frantically through the underground secret room of West Nine Lane in an extremely enjoyable and harmonious manner.
Until the fat man pressed the last mechanism, Zhao Tong keenly felt the wind from the ground blowing in from outside the mechanism door. Zhao Tong knew that was the last door leading to the ground.
The fat man rushed out of the mechanism door and breathed a sigh of relief. But the moment the door closed, he turned around and saw the figure that had been following him rushing out of the door as well.
The fat man shuddered, and the next moment the other person covered his mouth and pressed him to the ground.
The fat man's eyes were filled with terror.
Zhao Tong hesitated for a moment, and the Qingfeng Mingyue Blade was already close to the fat man's neck. If the blade got any closer, the fat man's head would fall to the ground.
The fat man himself felt death approaching, and the other party's murderous aura was pressing directly to his brow.
The aura of death locked onto him directly. He could even hear his own breathing, but the other party's knife didn't fall, refusing to give him a quick death!
This feeling is even more distressing than death itself!
For the first time, Zhao Tong hesitated after conceiving the murderous intent. The blade was pressed against his neck; a slight lapse in control would claim another life. But inexplicably, De Yuan and Wang Sumo's words echoed in his mind like chanting sutras—
Deyuan: Amitabha, Benefactor Zhao, do not let murderous thoughts control you! When you really want to draw your knife, pause for two breaths, think about whether the other party is truly heinous and must be killed, or whether it is because you are in control...
So annoying!
I don't want to listen anymore!
Then switch to Wang Sumo: Think of it this way, do you really have to kill them? If the other party can't hurt you and hasn't done anything too outrageous, then grit your teeth and try delayed gratification. That means, if you kill one less person, reward yourself by killing three fish, four chickens, five ducks, and six geese!
However, Wang Sumo's words were indeed like a haunting, enchanting melody.
Aside from safely bringing him out of the underground palace, the fat man did nothing else and posed no threat to his safety.
Although he could kill him with a single thought, if he didn't kill him—he could kill three fish, four chickens, five ducks, and six geese afterwards!
Zhao Tong inexplicably convinced himself.
Feeling the blade move slightly away from his neck, the fat man trembled and opened his eyes: "Great hero, spare me, spare me, I have..."
"Shut up!" Zhao Tong said in a deep voice.
The fat man quickly shut up.
"If you don't want to die, do as I say," Zhao Tong's unique expressionless face, coupled with the suppressed yet slightly revealed murderous aura, was equivalent to a fierce glint in his eyes, which frightened the fat man into nodding hastily.
"First rule: I am a great demon. If you call me a hero again, I will kill you!"
Ah, ah? The great demon?
The fat man's face turned green.
"Secondly, if you feign unconsciousness, I will kill you immediately." He couldn't escape with someone here. But if he didn't, the other party would surely leak the information, and both he and the Eight Treasures Pavilion would be in danger.
In that case, this person should be killed.
He would kill without hesitation.
Giving advance notice is a way of avoiding unnecessary trouble, as I've seen this trick many times before.
The fat man was stunned. Good heavens!
He was about to faint from fright, but who knew the other party would be so precise!
"No, no, no, I'm not dizzy!" the fat man quickly assured him.
"Can you find the way here?" Zhao Tong asked.
The name "Bewitching Town" itself sounds suspicious. He naturally didn't believe in ghosts or monsters. Ghosts and monsters are all man-made. Since someone was pretending to be a ghost and had hidden the grain route, there must be many traps and personnel guarding it.
It's not safe for him to just barge in like that.
It will also implicate Bazhenlou.
Given Wang Sumo and the old man's personalities, they will definitely come looking for him, but only if the Eight Treasures Restaurant remains stable.
The old man must be leading the Eight Treasures Pavilion through the Enchanted Town right now.
From the time he broke free from the net used to catch wild boars and rabbits, to sneaking into the dark room, to following the two men all the way, and finally to following the fat man through countless trap doors and out of the underground, at least more than an hour had passed.
The town of Bewitching Souls isn't just big, it's huge; he needs a guide.
The fat man knows the layout of the underground palace like the back of his hand, so the Bewitching Town should be no problem for him either.
The fat man quickly said, "I can find it! I can find it!"
"Draw a simple map of this area for me first." Zhao Tong wasn't stupid; he wanted the other party to draw it first so he could later determine if it was contradictory.
The fat man picked up a twig from the ground and started drawing.
First draw a circle, then cut it in half.
Zhao Tong frowned slightly. The terrain of the Enchanted Town resembled a Tai Chi Bagua diagram.
As the fat man drew, he said, "This is the top of the underground palace."
Zhao Tong knew that the underground palace had a more intricate and complex terrain, which could not be clearly marked in a short time. What he originally wanted to know was the map on the ground, because the Eight Treasures Pavilion could only be accessed from the ground.
He needed to confirm the safety of the Eight Treasures Pavilion first, and then find out the whereabouts of the disaster relief grain.
“Go on.”
The fat man quickly said, "The Bewitching Town is laid out like a Bagua formation, divided into nine li each in the east and west, and the nine li in the east and west are one place."
"Is it dangerous?" Zhao Tong asked simply and directly.
"Danger, danger." The fat man swallowed softly. "Very dangerous."
"What is it?" Zhao Tong frowned.
“They have everything: vicious dogs, weirdos, piranhas, and…” The fat man paused.
"What else?" Zhao Tong was losing patience.
The fat man whispered, "Snake nest."
Zhao Tong didn't pay much attention and said, "Keep drawing."
The fat man could sense that the other party didn't care much, but the most distressing thing about Bewitching Town was the snake swarm coming out from the east. They all used the secret passage of the underground palace, and they would be attacked by the snake swarm above.
Seeing that the other party was not interested, the fat man could only continue drawing. Besides snakes, there were other things as well. As he drew, the fat man explained, not daring to hide anything: "There are three groups of people stationed here in Bewitching Town. One group is us. We are in charge of the granary. Other sects are in charge of the guards and the strange people. We don't really know them. We only know the specific route. We can't get out either."
Who are you?
Fatty: "The Cauldron-Carrying Sect."
Zhao Tong: "..."
"How could there be such a name?"
Fatty: "Everyone in our sect is very strong. The sect teaches us how to lift heavy cauldrons. Before, we used to perform carrying heavy cauldrons and doing acrobatics everywhere. Then suddenly we were recruited and came here to carry grain sacks."
Zhao Tong was exasperated, but the other person looked honest and didn't seem to be lying.
"Who sent you?" Zhao Tong asked tentatively. Although the chances of the fat man knowing the truth were slim, what if he did?
The fat man shook his head: "Only our sect leader knows that we're all here to work."
"Who is your sect leader?"
"Zhang Kangding, the sect leader named the sect after himself, saying that this would reduce taxes." The fat man finished speaking in one breath, not forgetting to gossip, "It is said that it was decided by that Ghost Sorrow of Zhenhu Division that any sect that names itself after its leader can get a 20% tax reduction."
Zhao Tong: "..."
The fat man whispered, "That way, he can remember the sect leader's name and the sect's name together, it'll be easier for him to remember."
Zhao Tong was enlightened.
But this is indeed something that Mr. Weng would do...
"Who sent you here?" Zhao Tong continued to ask.
"Shh~" the fat man made a shushing gesture, "Our sect leader's entire family has been captured. Our sect leader's wife, son, daughter, parents, and sister are all in their hands. If we don't come, our entire sect leader's family will be finished~"
Zhao Tong: "..."
The fat man continued, "We had to come too. If we didn't, the sect leader's whole family would be doomed. Actually, the sect leader's wife is really nice. She usually cooks for us and sometimes helps us with sewing and mending. The sect leader's son and daughter are twins, a boy and a girl, and they even give us candy. They're really kind. And there's an old lady who usually makes us winter clothes and stuff..."
Zhao Tong was speechless.
The fat man continued, "But the other two sects are different from us. Shh~ Fengyang Sect and Five Poisons Sect are different. Those two sects came on their own accord. They said they'd follow us to achieve great things and become a major sect in the martial arts world! Bah! How can something like that become a major sect in the martial arts world? What a pipe dream!"
Zhao Tong frowned: "What are they responsible for?"
Fatty: "Fengyang Sect is responsible for keeping an eye on those weirdos, weirdos, heroes..."
The fat man quickly changed his tune: "Do you know what a weirdo is? You know those people who practice martial arts and whose faces turn completely red! They've lost their minds! They used to be martial arts masters, but they've ended up like this. We all avoid them when we see them! The skinny man told me yesterday that if this is the price of fame, our Kangding Sect would rather stay a small sect forever!"
"Continue," Zhao Tong said noncommittally.
But it must be said that if it were before, he wouldn't have listened to a single word; but perhaps because he was at the Eight Treasures Restaurant, he was willing to listen to any gossip or strange tales.
It turns out that listening more can really change your first impression of people.
The fat man continued, "Fengyang Sect is responsible for guarding those strange people. Those strange people are very skilled in martial arts, so they are all locked up in a specific place in the underground palace. We usually take a detour around it. It sounds terrifying. They often try to get out by banging on the ceiling. But the underground palace is dug so deep, and the beams are so thick, there's no way they can get out!"
"The skinny guy said they've lost their minds. All they remember is that they can get out by reaching the mechanism, and then they repeat that day and night. Compared to us, they're the ones who are pathetic. Even if they get out, so what? Why does the mechanism guarded by Fengyang Gate let a few people out every now and then? When they try to get out of the underground palace in Xili, it's all foggy at night. They either end up feeding the fish or those mad dogs. How can they possibly get out? This is simply the work of madmen!"
He's definitely insane!
Zhao Tong looked at him: "Did you mention Grasshopper before?"
At this point, the fat man sighed, "Isn't Fengyang responsible for keeping an eye on those weirdos? They're all from little-known sects, but the people in Fengyang Sect are wicked and all dream of becoming a major sect in the martial arts world. They'll do anything. That guy called Grasshopper is a kid from Fengyang Tower. He couldn't stand what Fengyang Tower was doing, so he ran away. He calls himself Grasshopper, and he really is fast."
"He saved a lot of strange people, but these strange people are uncontrollable. What's the point of saving them? He wants to go out and spread the word, but there are vicious dogs in the west, in packs, and no matter how fast he runs, he can't get out; there are snakes in the east. The map of the underground palace only ever gives us the part corresponding to ourselves, so he can't find it either. Now the people of Fengyang Gate want to eliminate traitors, so he runs around all day long. Who knows how long he can live?"
"In the end, we are all trapped people. Those strange people who practice martial arts, the Fengyang Sect, and the Five Poisons Sect, are just trapped in different ways. Some are trapped because their families are threatened, some because of their ambition, and some because they have gone mad from their cultivation."
Looking at the fat man in front of him, Zhao Tong suddenly felt it was a waste for him to stay in the Kangding Sect...
"Great hero~" The fat man had barely finished speaking when he saw Zhao Tong's murderous eyes.
"Big, big demon!" the fat man corrected.
Zhao Tong got back to the point: "Where is the granary?"
Fatty: "East Second Lane, there are granaries over there, guarded by the Five Poisons Sect. People have been coming to collect the grain in the last two days. I heard it's all disaster relief grain. These people don't even care about the lives of the disaster victims. They're heartless and insane. If you can find a way to transport that grain away, I'll take you to the granary."
Zhao Tong looked at him, unsure of how to react.
The fat man took a deep breath, clearly having struggled internally for a long time, and finally whispered, "They not only hid food, but also a lot of weapons and explosives."
Zhao Tong frowned: "What do you need these for?"
The fat man shook his head: "We are just ordinary people, how would we know? Kangding Sect is just a peripheral sect, but we still have our own code of honor. Great hero, if you can save our sect leader and his family, I'd gladly give my life to guide you. When I was bitten by a snake, our sect leader carried me for miles. He almost died from running like that, so we have to repay this kindness."
Zhao Tong: "..."
The fat man suddenly cupped his hands in greeting: "I've been in Bewitching Town for so long and haven't seen a single newcomer come in. Great hero, if you can leave safely, my life is yours. I'll take you with me!"
[Author's Note]
A side sect~
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