Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Lin Dao Likes Yu Ruan Ruan

As the group stepped into the small town, in a hidden corner, several hoarse voices sounded: “There are a few little rats who slipped in.”

Another voice replied, lazy and cruel: “Then deal with them while we are at it; a few Qi Refining and a few Foundation Establishment little rats, truly ignorant of life and death.”

A third voice cautioned, low and tight: “Do not get careless; disciples of those so-called righteous sects always have life-preserving trumps, and if we slip up and they send out a message that spoils the grand plan, neither of us can bear the consequences.”

A fourth voice promised, cold and confident: “Understood; I will make them die without a sound, unable even to cry for help.”

Silence fell again, as deep as the shadowed eaves.

Dai Zhou and the other three walked along the street, knocking now and then on the houses to either side, but they saw no one.

Wan Li Xuan rapped a little harder than the rest, and at one private home the door, which had not even been latched, swung open under his palm.

The four entered and took a circuit through the place, yet found not a single person, not even a living chicken or duck.

Dai Zhou frowned as he looked at the chicken coop in the yard, at the scattered droppings and feathers that remained: “Strange; there is not the slightest sign to read in here.”

Tao Yu Shuang returned from the kitchen, her voice steady as she reported: “There are signs of people moving about in the house; I estimate people were still living here as recently as a few months ago.”

The meat and vegetables left in the kitchen had rotted and stank, the rice jar still held rice, but the water vat stood dry.

The four left that house. Walking last, Tao Yu Shuang suddenly felt something, and whipped around: at the far corner, a human-shaped shadow seemed to be peeping at them. It was too dark to see clearly, and once discovered, the shadow slipped away at once.

Tao Yu Shuang called out on instinct: “Someone is over there!”

Startled, the other three turned at once, but all they caught was a fleeting black silhouette.

Wan Li Xuan said with eagerness burning in his voice: “I will give chase.”

Lin Dao raised a hand to stop him as Wan Li Xuan was about to rush off: “Wait.”

Wan Li Xuan snapped back, eyes widening: “Wait for what?”

He shot Lin Dao a glare: “Lin Dao, do not tell me you are scared.”

He sneered, letting long-stored resentment show now that Qin Yuan and Yu Ruan Ruan were not present: “What, did you get lucky on one training trip and come back at Foundation Establishment, only for your courage to shrink?”

Wan Li Xuan and Lin Dao had rubbed each other the wrong way for more than ten years. Both had been stuck at ninth-layer Qi Refining, unable to move an inch. Wan Li Xuan had been anxious, but compared to Lin Dao he had stayed optimistic, because he had joined the sect years later and therefore had more time to reach Foundation Establishment.

What Wan Li Xuan had not expected was that six months ago Lin Dao went out to temper himself and returned having broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage in one leap, becoming an Inner Sect disciple. For someone who loved to compare himself with Lin Dao, that lodged like a thorn in Wan Li Xuan’s heart.

Dai Zhou could not stand it and frowned as he tried to mediate: “Enough; look at the time and place, do not fight among ourselves. Whatever grudges you have, settle them after we return to the sect.”

Wan Li Xuan shot a cold snort at Dai Zhou’s false solicitude, then turned and glared at Lin Dao again as he took two steps closer and dropped his voice: “Do not think I do not know. You fancy Junior Sister Yu, but Junior Sister Yu is not someone you can climb up to.”

Having said this, Wan Li Xuan felt as if he had seized Lin Dao’s weakness; satisfaction surged through him as he strode off.

Lin Dao’s expression went odd for a heartbeat at that inexplicable remark. [Fancy her?] His face chilled, as if he had just heard a joke.

When Wan Li Xuan had gone a fair distance, Dai Zhou looked back at Lin Dao and spoke to soothe him: “Lin Dao, we are fellow disciples, and we are out on a mission; whatever it is, endure for now.”

When they accepted this team commission, none of the four had checked who the other teammates were; only after the team had been formed did they learn the roster. It just so happened that the two who never got along—Wan Li Xuan and Lin Dao—were put together. Dai Zhou had asked Qin Yuan to travel with them to Scarlet Sun City precisely because Qin Yuan, at mid Foundation Establishment, might be able to keep those two in check.

Tao Yu Shuang, who had kept her own counsel, finally spoke up: “We should catch up.”

An alchemist and the weakest in battle among the four, Tao Yu Shuang made it a point to offend no one. She would not get involved in the personal feud between Wan Li Xuan and Lin Dao.

Lin Dao, forced to accept that someone had just saddled him with a new persona, answered with a voice edged in ice: “Mm.”

The three then followed after the receding Wan Li Xuan.

On the other side of town, Qin Yuan knocked on the door of an inn, with Rong Shu and Yu Ruan Ruan standing behind him. After several knocks, footsteps finally came from within.

Qin Yuan’s brows lifted a fraction as he unobtrusively pressed his right hand to the Beast Taming Pouch at his waist.

The door opened from within to reveal a white-haired, hunch-backed old lady. She studied the three and asked cautiously: “Are you from out of town?”

Qin Yuan offered a mild smile and cupped his hands: “Yes; I am traveling with my two younger sisters to visit relatives. It is late, and we were hoping to find lodging at a town inn. Elder, why is the town so deserted? We have not seen a single soul.”

As he asked, his eyes stayed fixed on the old lady’s face, watching for the slightest change.

The old lady sighed: “You should leave.”

Qin Yuan pressed: “And why is that?”

The old lady’s expression tightened with fear as she answered: “Because this town is cursed. A few months back it was lively here, but then more and more people began to disappear for no reason, and some died strange deaths at home. Even the authorities could not find the cause; panic spread. Those with means, and those still young and strong, moved away early.”

Qin Yuan did not entirely buy the tale, but he continued to ask: “Then why are you still here, elder?”

She shook her head and sighed: “I am old; I cannot walk far, and I have no kin left. My family has lived in this town for generations. I cannot be bothered to move. I am at the end of my years anyway; if I die, then so be it.”

Qin Yuan’s thoughts spun, though nothing showed on his face as he asked: “In that case, elder, would you be so kind as to let the three of us stay one night?”

It was already dark, and this was the only living person they had found; Qin Yuan wanted to draw out as much information as he could from this old lady.

She stepped aside and gestured them in: “You may, if you are not afraid.”

“Thank you,” said Qin Yuan as he glanced back to signal Rong Shu and Yu Ruan Ruan, and the three stepped into the inn.