Empty City
Seeing Jiang Jingzong's pleading look, Jiang Jingyuan turned his eyes away but did not say anything. He did not care about Jiang Jingzong's words, mainly because he did not want to spoil Liu Jingyu's interest.
Jiang Jingzong breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately, he looked up and met the gloomy gazes of Jiang Jingjian and Jiang Jinghui. He gritted his teeth and pretended not to see them. He lowered his head and sat aside to flatter Liu Jingyu: "You have no idea how many places she has been! The few of us who left the palace were to follow our master to study, and the farthest we went was not far from the Great Abyss. But Liu Jingyu is different! She has been to so many places and witnessed all kinds of strange stories!"
"Isn't that right?" He turned his head to look at the gentle and well-behaved girl next to him, smiled ingratiatingly, and said, "I'm looking forward to your story. Tell us now!"
He turned to look at Jiang Jingyuan and the others and said, "You are looking forward to it too, right?!"
Jiang Jingyuan and the other two nodded seriously.
"It sounds interesting and I am really looking forward to it," said Jiang Jingsui.
"Yes, we haven't really seen the scenery outside the palace." Jiang Jingjian said very supportively.
Jiang Jingyuan also nodded, said "hmm" seriously, and looked at Liu Jingyu intently.
Liu Jingyu pursed her lips and smiled. Her pretty pink dress made her face look rosy and fair. She was as gentle as water, yet still innocent and naive.
Her voice was gentle, sweet yet crisp, and she smiled generously and said:
"Okay, I've certainly been to a lot of places and seen some incredible things... Well... then let me first tell you about something that happened to me six months ago..."
"Half a year ago, a group of six of us crossed a deep mountain forest in Chen Kingdom. After walking for another day and a half, from a deserted area to a place where people occasionally passed by in groups of three or four, we finally came across an old city wall.
“The words ‘Mountain City’ were written on the plaque.
"We entered the city. For such a remote place, the streets were unusually bustling. Shoved by the crowds, we nearly missed the inn. After days of climbing over mountains and hills, and with dusk approaching when we arrived, we decided to spend the night in the city.
"Everything was normal before sunset. Apart from the unexpected bustle, there seemed to be nothing unusual. Although the innkeeper had previously said that the city was even more lively at night these days and recommended that we go to see the celebrations at night, we were too tired to go out at night and all rested in the inn.
"That dreamless sleep was truly peaceful. But...
"I don't know when it started—
"In the silent night, in the deserted city, intermittent waves of eerie, terrifying sounds rang out, like a cat walking on the eaves howling at the top of its lungs, or like countless babies crying at the top of their lungs..."
The biting cold wind made the windows bulge and make a "puff" sound. A trace of cold air seeped into the room through the gaps in the window, and it was eerie and stuck tightly to the faces of the two sleeping people.
Suddenly, a sinister and strange sharp cry pierced the night sky, suddenly waking up the old city that had long been in a deep sleep.
"Miss!"
A deliberately lowered female voice sounded in Liu Jingyu's ears, with obvious warning.
Inside the room, a ray of moonlight quietly streamed in through the window, making the darkness even darker, and the unlit areas became as black as a sticky mud.
A pair of clear and bright eyes opened silently in the darkness. Without any confusion, they were as sharp as a sword drawn from its sheath, flashing with a cold light.
Liu Jingyu stood up quickly and walked to the window. Listening to the sharp and eerie sound of a baby crying echoing outside, she turned around and asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything unusual in the room?"
"No," the plain-clothed woman, having already completed her inspection of the room, replied with certainty. "Not only in the room, but throughout the inn itself, it's quiet, as if no one is there. The other four people living next door haven't moved either. I just tried to contact them, but there was no response."
——This is a bit difficult.
They had encountered many things in their travels, so even if something strange like this happened in the city, they wouldn't panic. But if four people were killed overnight for unknown reasons, it would be a difficult situation... Liu Jingyu frowned, sensing the difficulty of the situation.
"Miss, could it be that they are..." The woman next to her looked embarrassed and spoke with some concern.
"No," Liu Jingyu said calmly, "There are many reasons why we can't get in touch. They might just be blocked by something and can't join us, or it might be the two of us who are trapped. No matter what, we must not panic."
Listening to this, the plain-clothed woman also realized that she had been too flustered just now. She immediately calmed down and said, "Yes, Miss."
The room became quiet again. Liu Jingyu stood by the window, thought for a moment, reached out and pushed open the window. The two looked out the window and saw that the streets in the city were empty.
After waiting for a while, they didn't see a single person on the street, but the strange sound, like the cry of a wild cat or the howling of countless babies, still echoed in their ears for a long time, making their backs chill and their hair stand on end.
"Didn't the innkeeper say that it would be very lively at night? Is the celebration over? Otherwise, why are the streets so quiet now? Didn't anyone else hear the howling of ghosts and wolves...?" Liu Jingyu thought with a frown.
Liu Jingyu asked, "Can you confirm the current time?"
"Of course, miss. The time shown on the sundial is 11:00 PM," said the woman in plain clothes.
Liu Jingyu was lost in thought, subconsciously turned his eyes away, and was about to leave the window.
suddenly!
Out of the corner of her eye she seemed to catch a glimpse of something moving on the moonlit street outside the window.
Liu Jingyu suddenly turned his gaze back——
The moonlight cast a clear blue and white fluorescent color. The street squeezed by houses on both sides was empty. Even the wind didn't blow. It was clean and desolate.
——Something is moving somewhere?
"Did I see it wrong?" Liu Jingyu frowned and looked away after confirming that it was correct.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—"
It was as if the sound of a baby crying was echoing in the empty city, ethereal and eerie, one sound after another, tormenting people's tense nerves.
Liu Jingyu felt a sudden surge of panic, her furrowed brows furrowed for a long time. Her face was pale, and she felt as if countless ghosts and spirits were surrounding her, a chill piercing her bones. She seemed to feel...
This strange howling sound became increasingly piercing...
Um? !
Liu Jingyu turned back suddenly——
On the dark blue street, an unknown white object was stuck to the ground, twisting and struggling to crawl forward!
——That’s a person!
Liu Jingyu was shocked.
The next moment, she quickly suppressed her fear and opened her eyes wide to look.
Under the moonlight, the white figure moved forward slowly and painfully.
Suddenly, the man's head turned stiffly, and suddenly turned his head half a circle from his neck -
The skin underneath its furry face is invisible, and its soft brown hair has a few black stripes running across its forehead.
He had a small nose, and pointed yellow-white fangs jutted out from either side of his lips. A pair of eyes, occupying one-third of his face, stared out at Liu Jingyu by the window, glowing brightly like two orange lanterns swaying in the darkness...
“!!!”
Liu Jingyu's pupils shrank and he staggered back two steps unconsciously.
The scene was eerie and ghostly, with a lynx-like face forcibly placed on a pale human body. It was strange and sinister, like some kind of night-walking monster from some primitive legend...
There was a loud bang!
The darkness suddenly approached her face, and Liu Jingyu suddenly came back to her senses. In front of her was a human face that was very close.
The figure's face was facing away from the moonlight, and her slightly twinkling eyes were filled with worry. The loneliness in Liu Jingyu's ears faded, and with it came the anxious calls of "Miss" from the person in front of her.
"There's something on the street!"
Liu Jingyu supported the table behind him with one hand, not caring about the pain from his lower back hitting the corner of the table, and spoke hurriedly.
As she spoke, she hurriedly stepped forward again, approached the window, and with a heart in her throat, she peered out—
It was cold and clear, and the streets at night were not dark even without lights, but a bright, dark blue.
The moonlit streets were white and bright, as if no evil could escape them. The streets were deserted, as if the strange creature with a cat's face and a human body had never appeared.
“Wow!”
“Wow, wow—”
Like the howling of a wild cat or the desperate wailing of a baby, it echoed throughout the deserted city. Each sound, like countless echoes or overlapping howls, was not mournful, but rather eerie and strange.
——It was like accidentally entering the ancient mountains where the legendary evil wizard lived.
According to legend, to the crows' mocking laughter, crying, white babies would be thrown into a pot of boiling soup one after another. A long spoon would stir the soup, and the babies' cries would become louder and louder, as if they were crying out their last tears and blood...
The two people in the room felt their scalps tingle, the most primitive fear and wild laughter assaulted their minds again and again.
“Bang!”
Liu Jingyu gritted her teeth and slammed the window shut.
The wailing still existed, but the volume had obviously been reduced a lot and was no longer as torturous.
The two people in the room went limp, barely holding onto the wall to avoid falling. After calming down, both of them felt a cold sweat on their backs.
Amidst the wailing, the two men gasped in fear and took a moment to catch their breath. Then they looked at each other and helped each other to stand up.
After taking a break, Liu Jingyu walked to the door of the room and wanted to open it, but was stopped by the woman next to her in a panic: "Miss, it's too dangerous outside! At least this room is safe. Let's wait in the room until dawn!"
"But we don't know how long the safety of the room will last. We can't just sit there and wait for death." Liu Jingyu said calmly, "Our previous experience has taught us that danger is also the key to success!"
She said, "And we must find other people. Otherwise, how can we deal with this strange situation in the city just by the two of us?"
"But...but this is too risky!" the woman next to him said anxiously, "If something happens to the other four, how can I protect the young lady?! What can the two of us do..."
"No!"
Liu Jingyu showed no emotion. Her eyes were clear and cold, and her voice was calm. She spoke matter-of-factly, "We can't be sure that the others must have had an accident. It's also possible that the person who was blindfolded and covered his ears—"
"It's the two of us."
"We have to go find them." Liu Jingyu said.
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