Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Tranquil Harmony Town Anomaly

While everyone else reeled and stumbled, Lin Dao stood as if nothing had happened. Arms folded, expression calm, he stood planted on the deck like a sword thrust into the planks—back straight, immovable as a mountain.

Sensing her gaze, Lin Dao shifted his eyes and met Rong Shu’s curious, probing look. The man’s air of careless indifference vanished; in an instant he became like an ancient sword hidden in an abyss suddenly unsheathed, a chill edge flashing so sharp it set the heart quaking.

Rong Shu’s eyes felt as if something had stabbed them. A sudden stab of pain made her flinch and squeeze them shut, and she whipped her head aside. It hurt. She had just lifted a hand to rub at her eyes when a man’s hand caught her wrist. A second later, Lin Dao’s cool voice sounded by her ear: “Don’t move.”

There was a nameless authority in that voice that made obedience feel instinctive. His other hand came down to cover her eyes. Warmth bloomed against her lids and spread inward; the pain faded quickly. Once he confirmed she was all right, Lin Dao withdrew his hands.

Rong Shu had barely opened her eyes when his voice sounded above her again, toneless as before: “Little girl, too much curiosity is not a good thing.” She drew her small body in on itself, wanting to pretend she did not exist at all, but that would be stupid. After two seconds’ thought, she nodded obediently, traced a finger across her lips in a zip-it gesture, and stayed quiet.

This time it really had been carelessness on her part. [Who would have thought that a single glance… and my eyes almost went blind QAQ.]

Rong Shu pressed a hand over her thumping little heart as her thoughts raced: Lin Dao did not seem nearly as simple as he looked on the surface. From that one glance, she had felt countless Flying Swords pricking her eyes. A heartbeat slower and she might truly have been blinded. She turned to look toward Qin Yuan and the others. By now the flying boat had left the birds’ breeding ground and returned to its previous cruising speed. Qin Yuan and the rest had just let out a breath of relief and had not noticed what had happened on her side. Lin Dao had already moved a few steps away from her. Rong Shu did not dare sneak another look, and so she did not realize that he had also cast a cleansing technique on his own hands.

Qin Yuan glanced around at them and said, matter-of-fact: “It will be dark soon. I checked the route in advance. There’s a small town nearby where we can spend the night. The flying boat was attacked by the Long-Necked Red Feather Birds. I’m not sure whether anything was damaged. Tonight I can give it a full check.” The birds’ breeding grounds changed every season and were not something he could have predicted. Aside from that brief fright, they had suffered no real loss. It made sense to rest and reset, and the others agreed readily. Rong Shu naturally nodded along with the crowd.

So as not to disturb the ordinary folk in the town, Qin Yuan brought the flying boat down outside the outskirts. Once everyone had disembarked, he put the flying boat away into his Storage Pouch. “Not far ahead is Tranquil Harmony Town.” Among the group, Qin Yuan’s cultivation was the highest, so he had, without question, taken point as the squad leader. In the cultivation world, strength commanded deference; Dai Zhou’s trio, being below Qin Yuan in cultivation, tacitly accepted his lead.

Qin Yuan found the situation—everyone defaulting to him—quite satisfying. Though he wore an easy smile for all and sundry, in his bones he was proud. Among these people, the only one he truly cared about was his junior sister, Ruan Ruan. Yu Ruan Ruan stayed close by his side, enjoying the special treatment that came with it. Rong Shu walked in the middle, ringed—whether intentionally or not—by Dai Zhou’s trio as a protective circle. The three were unhappy, but a new disciple still needed protecting; better that than needless trouble later. Bringing up the rear, Lin Dao’s usual lazy air shifted the moment Tranquil Harmony Town came into view. He paused, and a faint, blade-cold glint flashed in his eyes. He looked again at the others ahead who had noticed nothing, let the glint vanish, and followed on as if nothing had changed.

When Qin Yuan’s party stepped into Tranquil Harmony Town, the streets were desolate, not a soul in sight; the doors and windows on both sides were tightly shut. Only then did they sense that something was wrong. This was hardly their first time leaving the mountain to do tasks; they knew well enough what a normal small town should look like. As disciples of Heaven’s Evolution Sect, first among the righteous sects of the Southern Wilds, they took demon-slaying and safeguarding the people as their duty, and when such an anomaly appeared before them, it was their responsibility to look into it.

Qin Yuan took a Sound Transmission Talisman from his Storage Pouch and pinched it tightly between his left index and middle fingers; if they encountered something they could not handle, he would notify the sect at once and request aid. He warned them in a low voice: “Everyone, be careful.”

Yu Ruan Ruan hugged Qin Yuan’s left arm—the one holding the talisman—and looked up at him nervously: “Senior brother, is there danger?” Qin Yuan could only soothe her: “It will be fine, Ruan Ruan. Your senior brother is here.” After much coaxing she finally released his arm, though she still pressed close, not leaving his side for even a step.

“Senior Brother Qin, why don’t we split up and scout the area first?” Dai Zhou suggested. Tao Yu Shuang added softly: “It would be best if we could find a townsman and ask about the current situation.”

“That’s fine. Be careful,” Qin Yuan said after a moment’s thought, nodding. “There are seven of us, so we’ll split into two groups. If you discover anything, return here first and inform the others. Do not act rashly.”

Dai Zhou and the other two nodded: “Understood.”

They began to divide the teams. Qin Yuan naturally kept Yu Ruan Ruan with him; he would not feel at ease leaving her to Dai Zhou or Lin Dao. Rong Shu was also his junior sister, so she would remain with his group as well. Qin Yuan knew perfectly well that if he told Dai Zhou or Lin Dao to protect Rong Shu, they would likely shirk it. He proposed the groupings himself, and the other four had no objections. With the teams set, they fanned out to scout Tranquil Harmony Town.