chsdbacks Chapter 19: Arrival at Lishan Town, the Enchanting Fox
Chapter 19: Arrival at Lishan Town, the Enchanting Fox
After three days and three nights of continuous travel, everyone was exhausted, like a fully drawn bowstring.
Even with Zhang Ping's ability to sense danger, he couldn't help but feel a growing urge to retreat and find a safe place to catch his breath. Only when the outline of Lishan Town came into view did a faint sense of relief emerge from the group.
"Master, we're at Lishan Town just ahead. Look... nothing seems amiss." Qin Hu led a few scouts back from the direction of the town, stopping in front of Chongxin's horse, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible relaxation.
"Did you see the Lu family's caravan flag?" Chongxin frowned. The letter for help was vague, only saying that they had encountered demons and were trapped, but it didn't even describe the demons.
"The Lu family's flag is flying in the center of town."
"Alright! Let's go into town!" Chongxin slammed his hand heavily on the saddle. Now that he was here, he wanted to see what kind of evil spirits dared to run rampant in this territory!
At the back of the group, Zhang Ping had just sat down next to his luggage, barely warming the ground, when a figure loomed over him. "Brother Zhang, let's go," Quan Hongyan's voice urged.
"Hey, coming right away!" Zhang Ping hurriedly jumped up to tidy up, wiped his face, and followed Quan Hongyan to her side.
Quan Hongyan was one of the few female disciples under Chongxin's tutelage. She was as robust as a man, with short, neat hair and ordinary yet sharp features. After a few meals of roast chicken, the two became much closer than ordinary fellow disciples.
As the caravan approached the town entrance, people finally staggered out of the town. Seeing the imposing presence of the group, several weary faces instantly lit up with wild joy.
"Martial artists! The martial arts masters have arrived!"
"I heard that Sitong Martial Arts School received the letter of distress from the Lu family. That must be it!" Sitong Martial Arts School has a very good reputation in the area around the prefectural city.
"Thank heavens! Master Chongwu of Sitong Martial Arts School is a great expert. With him here, they'll definitely be able to slaughter those beasts!"
"Quick! My rooster that crows at dawn..."
"..."
The procession rolled across the stone-paved road at the town entrance and surged into the town. Zhang Ping's gaze swept over the crowded, haphazard houses and the throngs of people on both sides, a strange feeling crossing his mind. This Lishan Town, isn't it a bit too lively?
"You think there are too many people, right?" Quan Hongyan seemed to read his mind and lowered her voice to explain.
"Lishan Town sounds like a town, but it's practically a small city in essence. It's just a name that sounds good. A large population does attract evil spirits, but the sheer number of people can also suppress some less powerful ones. Besides, the town has the gate of the Demon Exorcism Bureau, so ordinary demons don't dare to cause trouble easily, and powerful demons wouldn't bother to fight the Demon Exorcism Bureau to the death for this small town."
She paused, glancing at the people on both sides frantically carrying out their last remaining food and animals, her eyes becoming complicated: "However... compared to the county town, the Demon Exorcism Bureau here is just an empty shell. The townspeople rely more on us martial artists. Here, martial artists are the bosses."
Zhang Ping's throat tightened; he could see it clearly without Quan Hongyan saying anything more. The surrounding people had sallow complexions and were dressed in rags. In the distance, several men who had clearly refined their qi and blood, adorned with gold and jade, and with pretty girls in their arms, were at the early stage of the Skin Tempering Realm. In Lingchuan Prefecture, they would at most attract attention, but how could they act so brazenly?
That's probably why they're staying here.
"Brother Chong! We've been waiting for you!"
Just as the group reached the center of the town, a middle-aged strong man rushed over like lightning, his blood and qi surging, clearly also at the Refining Realm.
"Brother Lu!" Chongxin dismounted and patted the other heavily on the shoulder. Before the greeting was over, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You're injured? What kind of monster was blocking the road this time? How could it have gotten you like this?"
Lu Qiang's face suddenly darkened, as if shrouded in a dark cloud. "Sigh, it's a long story..." He waved his hand.
"Brothers, you're exhausted from running. Let's settle down and rest first, then we'll talk more later!"
"become!"
"Zhang Di, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going to find somewhere to stay?" Quan Hongyan was about to leave when she noticed Zhang Ping standing there, her gaze sweeping over the tip of his nose. "Huh? What's that on your nose?"
"Ah? Oh... I'll go right away, I'll go with Sister Yan." Zhang Ping quickly raised his hand to wipe his nose.
"Perhaps it's... dust that got on it."
Quan Hongyan gave him a disgruntled look: "Hurry up, there aren't any good rooms for you to choose from in this shabby place."
"Yes, sir!"
As Zhang Ping turned to follow Quan Hongyan, his peripheral vision remained fixed on Lu Qiang, who was talking quietly with Chongxin.
"The stench of demons... it's really pungent." He twitched his nostrils silently. Dog Nose Pattern caught a very faint, strange scent mixed with sweat and dust. It wasn't coming from Lu Qiang himself, but rather seemed to have come from... something not long ago.
…………
The town is small, and the crowds are so dense that it's like a sardine can, there's no room left.
Zhang Ping and his group were crammed into a dilapidated courtyard. Large patches of the gray plaster on the courtyard walls had peeled off, revealing the blackened rammed earth underneath; it was clear at a glance that they were old.
"Stay put in the courtyard, I'm going to check on Master." Quan Hongyan put down her luggage, said this, and hurriedly left.
Zhang Ping sat on a stone stool in the courtyard for a while, feeling somewhat bored.
He got up and went out of the courtyard, intending to take the opportunity to wander around the town. His fingertips lightly traced the bridge of his nose, and the subtle senses of his dog-nose pattern silently spread out, capturing the surrounding atmosphere.
The streets were nearly deserted.
They found a tea stall, under which only three people were sitting crookedly. One of them was wearing the martial arts uniform of Sitong Martial Arts School, and was a disciple of the school who was escorting goods.
Zhang Pingchong nodded.
On the other side were two young men, looking worried, huddled together whispering something. Zhang Ping thought for a moment, then walked over and sat down.
"Shopkeeper, a bowl of coarse tea, please."
"Brother, are you... a top student of Sitong Martial Arts School?" The two men couldn't hide their surprise when they saw Zhang Ping dressed in martial arts attire and taking the initiative to sit down.
"My name is Zhang Ping. May I ask how you two brothers are addressed?"
"My name is Lu Feng, and this is my brother Lu Yu. We are from the Lu family merchant caravan. This time... we thank your esteemed establishment for your righteous assistance!" Lu Feng hurriedly cupped his hands, adopting an extremely humble posture.
Although the Lu family was wealthy, their fortunes had declined significantly. How could they dare to be arrogant in front of the martial arts school disciples? They had just tried to get to know that martial arts school disciple who was sitting alone, but ended up getting a cold shoulder.
Zhang Ping's initiative to strike up a conversation at this moment was truly unexpected.
"So it's Brother Feng and Brother Yu. You flatter me. The Lu family is a long-time customer of the martial arts school. It's only right that we do this out of courtesy." Zhang Ping said politely, but in his heart he was calculating how to get some details out of the Lu family's caravan's encounter with demons from the two brothers.
Upon hearing his question, Lu Feng's lips drooped, and his face fell into a gloomy expression:
"Brother Zhang, you don't know this! My Lu family's trade routes connect the north and south. This Lishan Town line leads directly from south to north to the prefectural city. I've traveled it countless times, and I know the way even with my eyes closed."
But this time, something strange happened. They hadn't gone far from the town entrance when they were swarmed by a pack of spirit foxes! Most of the warriors protecting them were killed, and unable to hold out any longer, they retreated back into town, hoping that the human presence would deter the beasts.
Spirit Fox?
Zhang Ping's heart skipped a beat. The spirit fox, though called a strange beast, was more sinister than any demon. It traveled in packs, preying on humans and livestock, and was usually regarded as a demon.
Adult spirit foxes are not particularly powerful, at most at the level of the Flesh Refining Realm, and very few can break through to the Dirty Refining Realm.
The Lu family was really unlucky this time, running into a huge fox pack. There were two head foxes at the Refining Realm alone, and there were probably hundreds of foxes of all sizes crammed together! They pounced down in the dark of night, and many people died without even a sound.
Zhang Ping listened silently, his nostrils twitching slightly. Sure enough, that peculiar, slightly fishy smell emanated from the brothers. So that's it, the scent of foxes.
He casually probed a few more questions about the Lu family's internal situation, learning that the eldest wife was now struggling alone. Could it be that she was also involved in this business trip? However, this topic was too sensitive, so he quickly changed the subject, engaging Lu Feng in other casual conversation.
Meanwhile, a martial arts disciple who was drinking tea alone frowned, glanced at the three people chatting happily, snorted, put down his teacup, and got up to leave.
Here, after a few bowls of coarse tea, the sun was already hanging low over the edge of the mountain ridge.
A cold wind whipped up dust and debris from the street, swirling and slapping at pedestrians. A few passersby hunched their shoulders, wrapped their thin clothes tighter around themselves, and hurried home.
"Brother Zhang, it's getting late, we should head back." The two Lu brothers stood up abruptly, clasped their hands in farewell, and took their leave.
Zhang Ping was surprised: "It's still light out, shall we sit a little longer?" He wanted to get more information about the city from these two.
"It's getting late!" Lu Feng shook his head, his expression suddenly turning serious, and he lowered his voice, speaking quickly:
"Ever since we retreated back to town, those fox spirits have been relentlessly circling outside! As soon as it got dark, townspeople were being carried off, and even several martial artists were killed! Brother Zhang... please be extremely careful!"
"What?!" Zhang Ping's heart sank, and he almost jumped off the bench.
Why didn't you mention such a critical matter just now?!
He grabbed Lu Feng's arm and asked urgently, "Where are the martial artists in town? Are they just sitting around doing nothing? Where are your caravan's own men?"
Lu Feng's facial muscles twitched, revealing a violent struggle. His eyes lingered on Zhang Ping's face for a moment, and remembering that Zhang Ping lacked any of the arrogance of a martial arts school disciple, he lowered his voice to almost nothing: "Brother Zhang... in this critical moment, taking care of yourself is the most important thing!"
With that, he abruptly pulled his arm back, grabbed the still somewhat dazed Lu Yu, and plunged into the approaching twilight without looking back. Zhang Ping called out twice, only to see two figures hurriedly disappearing into the alleyway.
"This..." Zhang Ping stood rooted to the spot, a chill creeping up his spine. A spirit fox... this ferocious?
This time, the martial arts school's escort mission... I'm afraid they've stepped into a trap.
Back in that dilapidated little courtyard, Quan Yan's face, now flushed but ashen, was like a block of ice, silently confirming his suspicions.