Hearing this, the three of them were stunned.
Shangguan Mingyan and Qin Yan both looked at Fu Changling. After all, it was Fu Changling who had suggested coming to Taiping Town. If Taiping Town didn't exist, then all his previous assumptions were meaningless. He couldn't help but immediately ask, "How could such a good place disappear?"
"I don't know."
Fu Changling thought for a moment, then asked, "Then how did it disappear, and how did you know about it?"
"Fifteen years ago, when I was only seventeen, my father ran the coffin shop," the woman said slowly, recounting the events of that time. "One night, a woman suddenly showed up at our door. She gave us ten first-grade spirit stones and struck a big deal with us."
"What business?"
Shangguan Mingyan asked curiously, and the woman said solemnly, "To buy a coffin."
"What's so strange about this?" Shangguan Mingyan laughed. "Isn't your family a coffin shop?"
"One thousand three hundred and forty-eight coffins."
When these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
Buying so many coffins at once was definitely not an ordinary thing. Fu Changling opened and closed his small fan and continued, "What happened next?"
"This matter seemed unusual. My father didn't dare to accept it. The woman told him that if he didn't accept, she would push the three of us into the coffin one by one." The woman's face turned pale when she said this. Fu Changling poured her a cup of tea and soothed her, "Tell me slowly. It's all in the past."
The woman responded and put her hands on the teacup to hold it, as if she was looking for a trace of warmth from the teacup to comfort herself.
"My father had no choice but to lead our family to rush the work. Finally, according to her requirements, we delivered 1,348 coffins within three months. She asked my father to deliver them, so my parents left me in the house while they went to deliver the coffins. Then they went to Taiping Town," the woman paused, taking a moment to calm down before speaking slowly, "and never came back."
"I took ten spirit stones and initially hid from place to place. But after a while, the woman didn't come back. I had no livelihood, only the coffin-making skills inherited from my ancestors, so I returned to the coffin shop and reopened it. Then I got married and had children." The woman lowered her head, looking quite tired. "I kept this matter to myself and never mentioned it to anyone."
"Why are you here today?"
Shangguan Mingyan was a little curious. The woman smiled bitterly and said, "There is no other way. The child is sick and needs medical treatment."
Everyone suddenly understood. Fu Changling frowned, "But, if you've never been to Taiping Town, how do you know where it is?"
Hearing this, the woman sniffed and wiped her tears. As if she was afraid that something bad would happen to the three of them, she said seriously, "I haven't been there, but that woman left a map for my father, and he didn't take it with him."
As she spoke, the woman pulled out a piece of cloth. The cloth had turned yellow, and it looked very old. The ink showed signs of smudging, but the words and lines on it could still be clearly seen.
The words "Taiping Town" were circled on the cloth. The woman pointed her fair finger at the blueprint and whispered, "Here, this is it."
Qin Yan took the cloth in his hand and examined it carefully. Fu Changling looked at the woman and said with a smile, "Madam is indeed a nostalgic person. She still keeps something from fifteen years ago."
The woman lowered her head and laughed at herself, "It's just that I have some thoughts in my heart that I shouldn't have. I always wonder when I can see my parents again."
The woman smiled bitterly, "Maybe they are still alive, waiting for me to save them?"
"Madam is truly filial," Shangguan Mingyan said with some emotion, "you will surely be rewarded with happiness after all the hardships you endure."
"I would like to borrow the auspicious words from the Immortal Master."
The woman looked at Qin Yan and said seriously, "I was extremely scared when I came here this time. It was because of my child's illness, and secondly, I was worried that my parents might still be alive. I asked the immortal master to ask for me when we got to Taiping Town if there is an old man named Guan Laosan and a woman named Zhang Cui in Taiping Town. These two are my parents. If the immortal master sees them, please tell them that their daughter Guan Yingying is still alive." The woman said, her voice choked and broke, "She is still alive."
As she spoke, the woman took out the portrait and handed it to Qin Yan. Qin Yan took a look at the portrait and nodded, "Okay."
Guan Yingying bowed deeply, but Qin Yan didn't move. He just said to Fu Changling, "Give her the spirit stone."
Fu Changling stepped forward, counted out ten mid-grade spirit stones for the woman, and then sent her out the door.
After the woman left the door, Fu Changling turned back, twirled his folding fan, looked at Qin Yan, and asked, "Brother, how trustworthy do you think this person is?"
"Just go there and you'll know."
Qin Yan's plan was very simple. Fu Changling nodded and said, "Let's set off tomorrow?"
"Can."
After the three of them had agreed, they went to bed. When they woke up the next day, Shangguan Mingyan packed his things and set off with Fu Changling and Qin Yan.
They followed the map, fearing they would encounter any special formations designed to obstruct the immortals, so they walked like ordinary people. After two days of walking, they finally arrived in front of a large mountain. According to the map, this mountain was the location of Taiping Town.
"What's going on?"
Shangguan Mingyan saw the high mountain rising from the flat ground and was a little confused. "Is Taiping Town on the mountain?"
"No." Fu Changling shook his head and pointed at the surroundings. "Look around."
Shangguan Mingyan turned his head and looked over, and found that there were endless mountains in the distance. The only difference from this mountain was that because it was deep winter, the grass and trees on these mountains were withered and bare. Only the mountain in front of them was still covered with green forests, and it did not look like deep winter at all.
"It's winter, and not a single tree is dead. How can this be an ordinary mountain?"
Fu Changling turned his fan and smiled, and Shangguan Mingyan was quite puzzled. "Brother Chen, what do you mean..."
Fu Changling smiled and turned the golden fan in his hand. A light array floated in the air, and then a strong wind blew from the ground. The light array scattered forward, and the whole mountain rumbled loudly, as if the landslide had occurred.
Shangguan Mingyan nervously grasped his sword, while Qin Yan remained expressionless. Dust rose from the surrounding area, and the ash from the landslide obscured their vision. Shangguan Mingyan coughed lightly and said, "Brother Chen, what's going on?"
"That's okay," Fu Changling said with a smile, "Wait a little longer."
As he spoke, the sound of the landslide gradually subsided, and the surrounding dust slowly settled, revealing the desolate wilderness in front of him.
It was the coldest time of winter. There was no grass or trees growing on the fields. A few crows cawing by made the scene look desolate.
Shangguan Mingyan looked around in shock, and then his eyes fell on a stone tablet. He immediately said, "It's a boundary marker!"
Qin Yan and Fu Changling had already seen it. They stared quietly at the boundary marker. The three words "Taiping Town" were written on the marker. Because of its age, it was no longer very clear. Only the intermittent outlines of a few words could be vaguely seen.
There was some wild grass growing under the boundary marker, covering its base. Fu Changling looked at the marker and said calmly, "No one has taken care of it for a long time."
Qin Yan nodded and stepped forward. "Let's go."
The three of them walked in together. Crows flew by, cawing. The wind blew the dry grass in front of the boundary marker, revealing mottled bloodstains on the roots.
The three of them were completely unaware and continued forward.
They walked in the wilderness for an unknown amount of time until it was almost dark when they finally saw a small town. Before they even got close to the town, they heard noises coming from behind.
For a city, this kind of sound was nothing special, but they had been walking in the wilderness for a long time, and suddenly hearing such a sound still felt a bit strange.
When they arrived at the gate of Taiping Town, Qin Yan took the customs documents, and the guard took a quick look and let them in. After entering the town, the surrounding noise became even louder.
It is not a very big town, but it is very lively. There are people performing acrobatics on the roadside, some are beating drums and gongs, and some are selling candied haws. It looks very lively.
These people all looked smiling, and the clothes they wore were different from those in other places outside. Instead, they were somewhat similar to those in Wangu Cliff.
Shangguan Mingyan looked around and asked in confusion, "Why do the clothes they wear look different from those outside?"
"This was a popular style fifteen years ago."
Fu Changling glanced around as he explained, "Everyone in Wangu Cliff dresses like this because everyone in Yunze Immortal Realm fifteen years ago liked to wear these clothes."
Hearing this, Shangguan Mingyan frowned. "Why are they still wearing their old clothes?"
"Are they human?"
Qin Yan suddenly spoke and asked Fu Changling next to him. Fu Changling didn't expect Qin Yan to ask this suddenly. After a moment of hesitation, he knew what Qin Yan was worried about.
There are ghosts under the Cliff of Ten Thousand Bones. Taiping Town disappeared for such a long time inexplicably. How do the people here live and work? Are these people, like those under the Cliff of Ten Thousand Bones, not real people?
Fu Changling had also thought about this question. After carefully examining it for a moment, he shook his head and said, "No, it is indeed a human."
Qin Yan frowned and said nothing. A light rain began to fall around them, and passersby took shelter under the eaves. Shangguan Mingyan glanced around and finally said, "Well, why don't we find a place to stay first?"
"good."
Qin Yan nodded. Fu Changling looked around and pointed at the inn that looked the most expensive and upscale. "That's it."
Looking at the inn, Shangguan Mingyan paused and forced a smile, "Brother Chen, we don't have much money, so we should save it..."
"I'll pay." Fu Changling held up the golden fan in his hand and said slantingly, "I'm here, do I need you to pay?"
After hearing this, Shangguan Mingyan was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Brother Chen, I couldn't be more happy to be friends with you."
The three of them entered the inn together. With a restaurant in the front and residences in the back, it was enormous and reputedly the finest inn in Taiping Town. Fu Changling led the two inside and immediately requested three top-tier rooms. The waiter readily agreed, led them inside, set down their belongings, and then returned to the lobby.
The three of them found a table by the window and ordered a table of food. At this time, a young girl in a green cloth shirt, holding a pipa, walked in leisurely.
The young woman was very beautiful, a rare beauty in the mortal world. When she came in, everyone looked over. Some people greeted her with care and said happily, "Miss Zhao, we've been waiting for you to come today. If you hadn't come, we wouldn't have been able to eat our meal properly."
"Boss He is joking."
The girl moved around the crowd with ease, speaking politely, and then walked up to the stage in the middle of the lobby.
Then she sat down calmly, plucked a few strings to test the sound, and the surroundings became quiet. The girl smiled at everyone, her eyes seemed to be filled with water, which made ripples in people's hearts.
After she laughed, she lowered her head, moved her hands, and smooth notes came out.
Everyone present was fascinated by what they heard, and even Qin Yan couldn't help but look at the girl a few times.
Qin Yan rarely looked at others casually, let alone women. After Qin Yan glanced at her for a few times, Fu Changling felt an indescribable suffocation in his heart.
He felt that this kind of annoyance was inappropriate, but he couldn't control it, so he didn't dare to look anymore. He just picked up the food in silence.
When the song ended, there was thunderous applause. Qin Yan suddenly stood up and walked towards the girl.
Fu Changling paused with his chopsticks, and before he could react, he saw Qin Yan turn back, stop in front of him, and stretch out his hand towards him.
Fu Changling was rather puzzled. He looked up at Qin Yan, swallowed the food in his mouth, and asked blankly, "What are you doing?"
"Give me some money."
Qin Yan spoke directly. Fu Changling looked at the girl. He saw people coming forward one after another and placing silver in a porcelain bowl in front of the girl. The girl stood up and thanked him. Fu Changling felt a tightness in his chest. He turned his head away and lowered his head to pick up some food. "No."
"All the money bags are with you." Qin Yan stated calmly, "including mine."
“Pay for the report.”
Fu Changling lowered his head and said in a low voice, "I won't give you any money if you don't know the expenses."
"I want to give that girl some money."
"Improper expenses," Fu Changling quickly rejected, "No!"
Qin Yan stopped talking and looked at Fu Changling quietly. Fu Changling couldn't stand his gaze for a moment. He gritted his teeth and finally took off the purse and handed it to Qin Yan. He said unhappily, "Take it away. Give it all to me. We'll starve together."
Qin Yan responded, turned around and walked towards the girl.
Shangguan Mingyan had been eating with his head down, pretending to know nothing. When he heard Qin Yan's response, he couldn't control himself for a moment. He suddenly looked up and looked at Qin Yan. After a moment, he came to Fu Changling and whispered, "Brother Chen, what if Senior Brother really used all our money to please that girl?"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Fu Changling immediately retorted, "Is Senior Brother that kind of person? He is who he is!"
Before he could finish his words, he heard a loud shout from mid-air, "Hey, the one playing the pipa."
This loud shout made everyone quiet down. Qin Yan was just in front of the girl. He took some money from his purse, counted it and put it into the porcelain basin.
At this time, two aggressive servants came down from the second floor, came to the girl, and said with a smile, "Come on, our master has taken a fancy to you and wants you to play in the private room. Come on."
"Sir," the girl forced a smile, "I only play the pipa in the hall and do not serve you privately."
As soon as he finished speaking, the servant grabbed the girl and dragged her upwards, saying, "I'm giving you some face, but you know what kind of person our young master is. Whether you play today or not is not up to you!"
"Help! Let me go! Help!"
The girl screamed. Fu Changling and Shangguan Mingyan looked at each other. Fu Changling hesitated and said, "Save her?"
Shangguan Mingyan was a little timid. "It's not good to cause trouble right after arriving, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a cry of pain from the big man next to him. The two of them looked over immediately and saw Qin Yan taking action as expected.
Qin Yan pinched the hand of the person dragging the girl and said calmly, "Let go."
The slave cried out in pain and trembled, "Let go, let go!"
Having said that, he immediately let go of his hand, and was then pushed away by Qin Yan.
Qin Yan stepped forward, stood in front of the girl, and said to the servant, "She said she doesn't want to, you can't force her, get out."
"Senior brother is truly a man of great courage." Shangguan Mingyan expressed his admiration.
Fu Changling almost cursed out loud, but he held it back and sneered, "This is called a hero saving a beauty. I'm afraid that Senior Brother has fallen for the girl."
"No way?"
Shangguan Mingyan hesitated for a moment, then approached Fu Changling and whispered, "I think Senior Brother likes Senior Sister."
"You're talking nonsense!"
Fu Changling immediately said, "Don't think that the whole world likes you just because you like your senior sister. There is no possibility for a senior brother and a senior sister to be together."
Shangguan Mingyan's face turned red after being scolded by Fu Changling, and he whispered, "It seems that Senior Brother has taken a fancy to this girl."
"You're talking nonsense!"
After two consecutive rounds of nonsense, Shangguan Mingyan felt wronged. He sighed, "Brother Shen, you are too irritable."
Fu Changling
Fu Changling didn't want to speak and turned to look at Qin Yan not far away.
Qin Yan looked at the servant quietly, with a hint of threat in his silent tone.
"Just wait!"
The servant panted and said, "Just wait until I find our young master to deal with you! Do you know who my young master is?"
"I don't know."
"You'll know soon enough!"
The servant tumbled and crawled, running up the stairs, shouting, "The young master of our Fu family is never one to be bullied!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yan looked towards Fu Changling. Fu Changling quickly rushed forward and whispered, "I'll handle it, Senior Brother, don't worry. We don't have such scum in our Fu family."
"Let me see," Fu Changling turned around and looked at the person coming down from the second floor, sneering, "Which young master of the Fu family is so arrogant?"
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