One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chapter 219 Night Market Life on the Border

The night market is mainly concentrated on a relatively wide street in the center of town. This is where the lights are brightest and the crowds are largest. Various food stalls line both sides of the street, selling border delicacies that Nie Lingfeng has seen or hasn't seen before—bamboo rice, lemongrass grilled fish, fried bamboo worms, cold papaya salad, "sa pie" (a type of rice noodle salad mixed with special seasonings such as beef intestine juice), and various other foods wrapped in banana leaves and grilled that he couldn't name. The air is filled with the aromas of various spices, chili peppers, and grilled meat, creating a unique and impactful flavor characteristic of border night markets.

Chen Duo's eyes were completely overwhelmed the moment she stepped into the night market. Her little nose twitched incessantly, and her emerald green eyes darted between the dazzling array of food stalls and the colorful neon lights, her face filled with amazement and...indecisiveness. (☆▽☆)

"Brother...brother," she instinctively wanted to call out to Nie Lingfeng, but then remembered the reminder and quickly changed her address, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement, "So many...so many I've never seen before!"

Nie Lingfeng was also infected by the bustling and vibrant atmosphere of the night market, and temporarily lowered his guard. He took Chen Duo's hand and walked to a relatively clean-looking and doing good business stall.

"Boss, two servings of Sa Pie, one sour and spicy, and the other... just slightly spicy is fine," Nie Lingfeng said in the local accent he had learned. He knew Chen Duo couldn't handle spicy food very well.

"Alright!" The owner, a quick and efficient Dai woman, quickly mixed two servings of rice noodles, poured on a special dark green sauce that had a peculiar sour and slightly bitter aroma, sprinkled on chopped cilantro, chili peppers, and crispy fried pork skin, and handed it over.

The two of them, each holding a disposable bowl, sat down on a small stool next to the stall. Chen Duo carefully picked up a mouthful of rice noodles coated in sauce, blew on it, and put it in her mouth. Instantly, a multitude of flavors exploded in her mouth: sour, spicy, bitter, fragrant, along with the smoothness of the rice noodles and the crispness of the side dishes! Her face immediately scrunched up, but her eyes lit up, and she mumbled, "Mmm! It tastes... weird! But... delicious!" She took another bite, and after getting used to the peculiar sour and bitter taste, she seemed to be able to appreciate the complex aroma and layers of flavor even more. Her face turned red, and sweat beaded on her nose, but she couldn't stop eating. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

Nie Lingfeng also ate; the taste was indeed unique and appetizing. As he ate, he casually observed his surroundings. The night market was bustling with people, mostly tourists and locals seeking pleasure, but some figures caught his attention.

For example, not far away, in front of a stall selling "mountain goods" (dried wild animals and strange plant roots), two ordinary-looking but sharp-eyed middle-aged men with slightly bulging temples were squatting. They appeared to be selecting mountain goods, but their attention was clearly not on the merchandise; instead, they were subtly scanning the crowd, especially those tourists who were alone or looked like "new faces." Were they from Yanben? Or were they informants for some other force?

For example, in the shadows at the edge of the night market, several young men dressed in black bodysuits, thin and agile beyond human comprehension, moved swiftly like ghosts, disappearing into a small alley. They carried a faint, herbal, and chilling aura, similar to that of the "exorcising" items worn by Azan Ki or Yan Ben.

What bothered Nie Lingfeng even more was that, as the night deepened, the invisible, unsettling restlessness in the air seemed to grow increasingly pronounced. It didn't come from the clamor of voices and music, but rather from something that seemed to seep out from underground, from the surrounding mountains, and from the air itself—a low, oppressive, and chaotic "field." An ordinary person might just feel a bit stuffy and irritable, but Nie Lingfeng could clearly sense that this "field" contained a very faint, unsettling aura of evil and blasphemy associated with "Nanmu Cave."

It seems Azan Ki was right; the influence of "underground things" is intensifying as night falls. Those "mass hysterias" are very likely occurring under the amplification of this "field."

"Brother, I'm finished eating." Chen Duo's voice interrupted his thoughts. She had devoured the entire plate of "sa pie" (a type of Sichuan-style stir-fry), even drinking several sips of the soup. Her cheeks were flushed, and she licked her lips, still stained with sauce, with satisfaction. Then, her gaze was firmly drawn to a stall next door selling "pa ru da" (a Southeast Asian dessert made with sago, coconut flakes, condensed milk, and breadcrumbs). (☆▽☆)

Nie Lingfeng smiled and bought her another serving of Paoluda. Chen Duo held the cool, sweet dessert and ate it in small bites, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with happiness.

Just then, an unusual commotion and exclamations came from the direction of the night market entrance!

As if by an invisible hand, the crowd parted. Several burly men in black combat uniforms, wielding rubber batons and riot shields, their expressions grim, roughly pushed aside those blocking their path and escorted a man in a white lab coat, wearing a mask and carrying a silver metal case, quickly heading towards the depths of the night market, closer to the edge of town. The man in the white lab coat, his eyes indifferent, seemed oblivious to the chaos and shouting around him, clutching the case tightly in his hands.

Is it someone from Yanben? Or is it the town's "official" force? Judging from the size of the box and the man's attire, he seems more like... a doctor or a researcher? What are they rushing off to so late at night?

Nie Lingfeng's heart skipped a beat, and he whispered to Chen Duo, "Duo Duo, wait for me here for a moment. Don't wander off. I'll be right back." He pointed to a fruit stall nearby, "Right here. Take a look at the fruit. I'll be there soon."

Chen Duo was focused on her paolaoda when she heard this. She nodded obediently and said "Mmm" in response. Holding her bowl, she walked to the fruit stand and looked curiously at the strangely shaped tropical fruits, seemingly having her attention temporarily diverted.

Nie Lingfeng, like a fish swimming silently, blended into the crowd and followed the group of people hurrying along at a distance. He wanted to see where these people were going so late, with a man who looked like a doctor. Could it be related to "Nanmu Cave" or the disappearance incident?

The group didn't linger at the night market. They walked straight through the busiest area and turned onto a darker, more secluded path leading to the western hillside of the town. The path was lined with low, dilapidated shantytowns, sparsely lit, with few pedestrians, and the air thick with the stench of garbage and excrement.

Nie Lingfeng followed at a distance, concealing his aura to the extreme, like a true ghost. He noticed that the higher he went up the hillside, the more pronounced the unsettling, evil "field" emanating from underground became. At the same time, he faintly heard, from the direction of the dark, dense forest higher up the hillside... extremely faint, yet filled with pain, oppression, and some kind of inhuman wailing, intermittent sounds!

The sound had a strange similarity to the screams of the imprisoned experimental subjects he had heard at the Yaoxing Society base, but it was also more... primal, more filled with despair.

Could it be that Yanben or the town's forces are also conducting some kind of shady "research" or "detention" related to "Nammu Cave"?

Just as Nie Lingfeng was about to get closer to see what was going on on the hillside—

"Bang!"

A dull thud, like a heavy object falling to the ground, followed by a short, piercing scream, suddenly came from an abandoned bamboo house not far ahead, beside the path! Immediately afterward, there were chaotic footsteps, terrified shouts, and... a chilling "crunch" sound, like a wild beast gnawing on flesh!

The group of men in combat uniforms also heard the commotion and immediately stopped, warily raising their weapons as they surrounded the abandoned bamboo building from which the sound had come. The man in the white coat, however, changed his expression, clutched the box tightly, and hid in the middle of the group.

Nie Lingfeng's eyes narrowed, and with a swift movement, he silently climbed a tall banyan tree nearby, using the dense foliage as cover to look down at the abandoned bamboo building.

The moonlight was dim, barely enough to make out the dilapidated outline of the bamboo house. At the entrance lay a dark figure, seemingly a man, motionless, a pool of dark liquid spreading beneath him. Inside the house, an even larger, more twisted shadow could be vaguely seen writhing, emitting a sickening chewing sound.

Is it a wild beast? Or... something from underground has come out?

Just as Nie Lingfeng was concentrating on observing, preparing to see clearly what the dark shadow was, he suddenly felt a slight burning sensation in his chest! It was the dark "exorcising" resin that Ajarn Ki had given him, which he always carried with him! At this moment, it was actually getting slightly warm and emitting a much stronger aroma than before, a mixture of burnt smell and strange fragrance!

Almost simultaneously, the enormous black shadow writhing in the bamboo house seemed to sense something, abruptly stopping its movements. Then, slowly and extremely stiffly, it turned its "head"... towards the banyan tree where Nie Lingfeng was hiding!

Two dark red orbs, seemingly burning embers and filled with pure malice and hunger, lit up in the darkness, locking onto Nie Lingfeng's location!

It was discovered!

Alarm bells rang in Nie Lingfeng's mind! This thing's senses were incredibly sharp! Moreover, it seemed to have an extremely strong reaction and... hostility towards the "exorcising" item given to it by Azan Ki!

"roar--!!!"

A deep, hoarse roar, completely inhuman and filled with blasphemy and destructive desire, suddenly erupted from the dark figure! The entire abandoned bamboo building shook violently at the roar! Several small cracks even appeared on the ground outside the bamboo building, emitting an ominous dark red glow!

The group of men in combat uniforms were clearly startled by the sudden, terrifying roar and change, and they all retreated, their faces showing horror. The man in the white coat even had his legs go weak and almost collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, Nie Lingfeng, perched in the tree, had a cold gaze, and a dark golden power began to quietly flow within his body. It seemed that this "stroll" after the night market had yielded far more "rich" results than he had anticipated.