After traveling over 200 miles, they had left the territory of the Deep Truth Province. The entire journey took a few days.
And when the moon rose slowly, they had reached their final destination.
The mountain looked ordinary, but it was not. When viewed from below, all you could see was fog.
Meters upon meters of fog that made it appear as thick as soup.
The air was cold and damp, carrying an ancient earthy scent mingled with faint hints of sulfur.
"This is the place of the Phoenix's fall, according to the tales," Zhang Yong said, gazing up at the mountain hidden in the fog.
Then they advanced forward, and soon entered the fog's perimeter. There was no point in carrying luminous stones; everything was obscured in this fog.
Even the moonlight had disappeared within it, and they could no longer perceive it.
"There's nothing but fog ahead," Liu Yan grumbled. It was clear that this fog was unnatural.
What was meant was that it wasn't created naturally at all.
"Wait a moment," Wang Fei frowned, then placed his fingers on his forehead before opening them. "Little Brother, my perception doesn't extend beyond the area."
Zhang Yong frowned, then released his spiritual sense. Due to the enhancement of the Sacred Sea of Spirit, his perception range had exceeded five hundred meters. But here, his sense had stopped around the vicinity of the others and didn't extend further.
He reached out and took Kuro out of the pet space. Kuro flew high.
Then Zhang Yong commanded, "Kuro, scout ahead."
Kuro flew high into the dense fog. But after about ten minutes, she didn't return.
'That's strange. Kuro, come back,' Zhang Yong commanded mentally, but there was something strange.
There was no response!
Zhang Yong tried to sense his bond with Kuro, but it suddenly disappeared, and he could no longer feel it.
"It's severing the connection," Zhang Yong said in a quiet but firm voice, his red eyes scanning the dense fog with extreme caution. "Don't stray from each other. This place holds a natural formation, or perhaps an ancient one."
'Although I've been separated from Kuro, she is already a fifth-rank beast, and her escape abilities have reached the sixth rank. There are only a few beasts that can keep up with her,' Zhang Yong thought, trying to reassure himself internally.
Then he turned to Liu Yin. "Sister Liu Yin, can you try using your instrument's sound to explore the area? Perhaps sound waves can penetrate what mental energy cannot."
Liu Yin slowly shook her head. "I'll try." She raised her guqin and began to play a light, sustained melody.
But the notes seemed to be swallowed by the fog. There was no echo, no reflection of sound waves. It was as if the sound disappeared into nothingness.
"No use," Liu Yin said, stopping. "This fog dampens sound as well."
"Hmm," Zhang Yong held his chin, thinking. Then quietly, he placed his finger on his forehead.
Path of Wisdom – Library of Obscurities
However, the skill did not work as it should. This was because he lacked the clues for deduction. If he didn't have the causes, he couldn't know the possible results.
Wang Fei looked at the fog and suggested, "Let's just walk close together. We won't achieve anything by staying here."
Zhang Yong nodded in agreement, although his heart was still worried about Kuro. "Alright, that seems like a reasonable option."
Very slowly, they began to advance through the thick white fog. Each step was measured, their feet sinking into the soft, damp ground.
There was no sound except for their breaths and the faint roar of the wind, which seemed to come from every direction and no direction at the same time.
After what felt like an hour of walking, the scenery around them never changed. There was still only the endless white fog.
"It's like walking in place!" Liu Yan said in frustration. "Are we going in circles?"
"Possibly," Wang Fei said, examining the ground. "There are no footprints. The ground seems to regenerate, or we never left a trace at all. This formation seems like an illusion formation, but the way to break it..."
Zhang Yong held his chin and knew what Wang Fei meant. Natural illusion formations were difficult to break.
With Zhang Yong's experience, he could posit three possibilities. First, this formation was unbreakable in a short period of time. It might be a natural formation, but it wasn't without flaws. It was just that the flaws were few.
Second, there was some sixth-rank or higher beast of the mental type doing something in this place. After all, the nature of mental spirit beasts was different.
Third, there was a major presence in the area, and that was most likely the remnants of the Phoenix's influence.
Then suddenly, a strange sound appeared. It sounded like a strange crying.
The strange crying sound was faint and intermittent, mingling with the roar of the wind. It sounded like a small child crying.
Zhang Yong suddenly stopped, his red eyes flickering with interest. "Wait. There's something."
He cautiously advanced toward the source of the sound, while the others followed in alert. After a few steps, a small figure appeared in the fog.
It was a young girl, no more than five or six years old, with long red hair. Her skin was dark brown, covered in glowing red marks resembling primitive tattoos. She wore simple animal-hide clothing and sat on the ground crying.
"She's... a Barbarian!" Wang Fei whispered in shock. "But what is she doing here?"
The Barbarians were traditional enemies of humans, with a long history of bloody conflict. The appearance of one here, especially a small child, was completely unexpected.
Zhang Yong knelt before the girl, trying to appear as unintimidating as possible. "What's wrong, little one? Why are you crying?"
The girl's body suddenly trembled, and she began to retreat in fear. She raised her head, her golden eyes glistening with tears. "Please don't hurt me!"
Zhang Yong looked at her and wondered if he looked frightening to her. Personally, he was a little disappointed; he had imagined the Barbarians to be at least larger in stature.
Zhang Yong held his chin slightly as he thought, 'Hmm, it wouldn't be good to scare her.'
Then he smiled calmly. "Don't worry, this big brother won't hurt you. How about this: I'll ask you something, and you can answer me, and I won't move from my spot."
The young girl looked at Zhang Yong with wide golden eyes, her tears still falling but she had stopped crying.
She was looking at him with extreme caution, but her curiosity was beginning to overcome her fear.
"Y-you'll ask me?" she whispered in a faint voice.
"Yes, I'll just ask you a few questions," Zhang Yong said gently. "First, how did you get here?"
The girl trembled slightly and sobbed, her red marks glowing faintly. "I... I'm lost. I can't find my way, and I don't know where Uncle Dok and Aunt Mi are."
Zhang Yong looked away, thinking. 'Hmm, this little girl. To reach this place, she would have had to pass through the Deep Battlefield. But It's already tense, so she must have come through the Eastern Plains. It's the only conflict-free area. But what brought her here? That's strange.'
The Deep Battlefield was nothing more than a war zone. It was the fundamental divide between the human race and the Barbarians, a confrontation ground where lives were easily lost.
(A new mission has been issued.)
(
Difficulty: B
Description: Help the Barbarian child
Required: Return the child to her guardians to complete the mission.
Mission fails if the girl dies.
Duration: None
Reward:
10,000 Emotion Points
A lottery chance
Failure:
Eternal loss in the Fog Field for all eternity
)
The blue screen appeared before Zhang Yong, and he smiled, then spoke. "Little one, do you want to go back? I can take you with me."
The young girl looked at Zhang Yong with wide eyes full of hope and fear together. "Can... can you really take me back? But Father said that humans... they're evil."
Zhang Yong smiled gently and extended his hand toward her. "Not all humans are evil, just as not all Barbarians are evil. Let me help you. Does this big brother here look like an evil person?"
The young girl looked at Zhang Yong's extended hand, then at his red eyes, which she wasn't used to, but she saw no evil in them. She hesitated for a moment before placing her small hand in his.
Zhang Yong smiled calmly. "I'm called Zhang Yong. And you?"
"I-I'm called... Mona," the girl said, her voice trembling.
"Mona... a beautiful name." Then he stood and looked at his companions. "I'll take her out of here with us."
"What?" Liu Yan couldn't help but be shocked. "This..." Then she turned toward Wang Fei as if asking for guidance, or at least for him to convince Zhang Yong.
They couldn't leave this place with this girl. If they were found with her, even if she was a child, she would most likely be hunted, and they might be treated as traitors at best.
Such was the depth of human hatred for the Barbarians.
Wang Fei approached Zhang Yong and asked, "Are you sure about this decision?"
Zhang Yong nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I'm fully aware. We can't leave the girl here alone."
Wang Fei smiled and patted Zhang Yong's shoulder. "If you say so, Little Brother, then I agree. I'll support you no matter what. After all, I trust you completely."
Zhang Yong looked at Wang Fei with gratitude. A great kindness filled his mind, and he suddenly felt a slight change in his middle Dantian.
'Hmm? Strange. It seems there's a chance to create another spirit form?'
But Zhang Yong decided to postpone this discovery until they were out of their current situation. Then he looked at the others.
Su Ming shrugged nonchalantly, while Liu Yan was a little hesitant and said, "You might have to take her back to Barbarian territory."
All she received was a slight smile. "Not necessarily. How could this child have gotten here without accompaniment? She also mentioned having uncles with her. Returning her to them is sufficient."
As they spoke, the thick fog around them suddenly began to shift. The white waves that had seemed endless began to fade, revealing a view that had been hidden all this time.
Light!
Everyone was blinded by a sudden scorching light. When they regained their bearings, everything was clear. It was sunlight.
The sudden brightness of the sun caused everyone's eyes to strain.
A full night had passed in the middle of the fog, and they hadn't felt it at all. What was more surprising was that the sky was orange. It was sunset.
And when they could finally see better and turned to look ahead, their eyes involuntarily widened. There was actually a village in this place.
In the distance, rows of houses with blue tiles were scattered and arranged irregularly. It wasn't much different from other informal villages commonly found in the territories.
"Zhang Yong, is this the place you wanted to go? I've never heard of a village here," Liu Yan asked, frowning.
Zhang Yong searched Wu Rushian's memory but to no avail. She had only heard of the place and never went there herself.
After all, she had spent part of her life gathering valuable information from the imperial court.
"There's a possibility this is an illusion. The fog disappeared suddenly," Wang Fei deduced. "Staying here won't be useful. Let's explore that village."
Zhang Yong looked at Mona and smiled as she held his hand. "Mona, don't let go of my hand, okay? We're going to that village to ask questions."
Mona looked at Zhang Yong with wide golden eyes and gripped his hand tightly, then nodded her small head seriously.
The group walked toward the village, and the atmosphere around them was strangely clear and sunny after the dense fog they had been in.
After getting close enough, they noticed a group of children playing among themselves.
When the children noticed them, they began running away into the village. Soon, a group of men emerged from the houses, carrying farming tools—pitchforks, sickles, and anything sharp.
It was natural for a group of strangers to attract their attention. But Zhang Yong still couldn't believe that a village had been built in such a place.
Suddenly, an elderly man stepped forward from the crowd. He wore simple clothes, but his gaze was sharp. "Who are you? And what do you want here?"
At the same time, Wang Fei stepped forward and bowed. "We apologize for disturbing your peace, but we are lost."
The elder looked at the group with a cautious expression, then said, "We do not welcome strangers to stay in our village for long."
"Oh, is that so," Wang Fei bowed politely. "Nevertheless, the sun is already setting, and we are tired from the continuous travel."
"This..." The elder looked with a meaningful gaze, his tone cautious.
Wang Fei approached and took the elder's hand. "Please, Elder, just one night will be more than enough." Then he secretly gave the elder a pouch of spirit stones.
The elder's expression changed, and he sighed, pretending he had no other choice. "If that's the case, I suppose there's no helping it. You can stay in the eastern side of the village, but only for one night."
With the elder's approval, he led them to the eastern side of the village, where there was a small, abandoned house.
The house was simple, consisting of only three rooms, but it was surprisingly clean, as if someone regularly took care of it.
"You can stay here for one night," the elder said in a tone that still carried caution. "But don't wander around the village at night. We have our rules."
The group bowed politely, and Wang Fei spoke, "We thank the village elder for his great generosity."
The elder sighed impatiently. "There's no need for that. If I hadn't seen you traveling with a child, I wouldn't have agreed. My heart can't bear to see little ones suffer."
Wang Fei smiled, showing false appreciation in his heart. "The village elder is not only generous but also compassionate. I wish good fortune upon your lineage for forty generations."
The elder stroked his beard. "There's no need for that. But since we've accepted you as guests, come to my family's home for dinner. I'll tell my wife to prepare more food."
Wang Fei thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then we will accept the village elder's kindness."
The group followed him toward his house in the center of the village.
The house was slightly larger than the others, with a wide courtyard and a small garden behind it.
The aroma of fresh food wafted from inside, making everyone feel hungry despite the caution surrounding them.
They entered to find a large table covered with various dishes.
Notably, the elder had four sons and many grandchildren, which was why he had decided to be relatively cautious of the group.
Everyone sat around the table, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense at first.
Mona clung tightly to Zhang Yong's hand, her golden eyes wandering around the room with curiosity and fear.
During the meal, Wang Fei tried to break the ice by asking about the village and its history. "Elder, you have a beautiful village here. Have you lived here for a long time?"
The elder paused eating for a moment and looked at Wang Fei with sharp eyes. "Our ancestors founded this village several generations ago. We live here in peace, far from the chaos of the outside world."
The reply was vague and brief, which only increased Zhang Yong's suspicions. He knew that something was unnatural about this village.
The natural formation, the way the fog disappeared, and now an isolated village in the middle of nowhere? It was all too suspicious.