"Hey, look at this kid, seriously! He bumped into someone and didn't even apologize."
Mu Jixue didn't say anything, but Xiao Yang, who was always ready to stand up for injustice, complained.
"I apologize on behalf of this child. Kids are naughty and don't like meeting strangers."
Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head) saw this scene and quickly apologized, being extremely smooth and leaving no room for fault.
"It's fine, it's a small matter."
Mu Jixue waved her hand, indicating she didn't mind.
Yun Zhonghe looked at the child, then entered the inn with everyone else.
This inn was called Xianghe Inn.
Seeing Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head), the inn owner came forward and handled the check-in for everyone.
After booking the rooms, Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head) bid farewell to everyone, saying they could find him at the Town Head's mansion if they needed anything.
The group went upstairs, not to their own rooms first, but gathered in Yun Zhonghe's room.
Everyone sat down in the room.
Song Ziwei took out a sound insulation Talisman, and after injecting spiritual power into the Talisman, a sound insulation barrier unfolded, covering the entire room.
This barrier prevented outsiders from hearing the conversation inside the room.
After setting up the barrier, Song Ziwei also sat down.
"Alright, what does everyone think about Qingzhu Town? I always feel something is off."
Yun Zhonghe started, looking at everyone.
Chapter 61: The Eerie Town
"Yun, I also feel that this Qingzhu Town is a bit strange."
The first to speak was Lin Zhongyu. Always good at observing people's expressions, her intuition was equally sharp, catching some subtle clues.
"Didn't they say the disappearances were causing a huge stir? Why do the people in the town seem completely unaffected? I just saw someone performing acrobatics on the street, it was quite lively, you couldn't see any sign of panic at all?"
Lin Zhongyu accurately pointed out the strangeness beneath the town's prosperity.
After she finished speaking, her gaze swept towards Yun Zhonghe, like a student waiting for a teacher's evaluation.
When she saw Yun Zhonghe's nodding approval and appreciative look, her face couldn't help but show a look of pleasant surprise.
I got praised by Yun!
Her heart cheered with joy, like she had received little flowers.
"Yes, didn't they say that because of the disappearance incident, it escalated more and more, which is why it was reported to the Immortal Alliance? Also, why is there no news from the previous team of Cultivators who came here? If Qingzhu Town is really so stable and peaceful, they shouldn't have absolutely no news?"
Miss Luo Qing also presented her opinion.
As a rogue Cultivator, she had done more missions and had rich experience, but she was naturally more self-conscious and timid. In reality, her strength was not bad.
However, this time, because Yun Zhonghe, this elder brother who was particularly good at taking care of people, was here, it also gave Miss Luo Qing the courage to express her views.
Yun Zhonghe also nodded, agreeing with Miss Luo Qing's idea. The latter slightly breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, shyness appeared on her face, feeling greatly encouraged.
Song Ziwei thought for a moment and looked at Yun Zhonghe: "Yun, did you find anything wrong? When that Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head) invited us to stay at the Town Head's mansion just now, you suddenly interrupted and didn't let us go. Is there something wrong with this Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head)?"
Yun Zhonghe found it hard to say if there was a problem. He did feel something was fishy, but there wasn't enough evidence yet, just a few clues.
Yun Zhonghe said: "Just now, I was observing that Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head). After he heard me say we weren't going to the mansion, his expression became very unpleasant. He was probably prepared. I boldly speculate that this Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head) has a problem, and the Town Head's mansion is probably a den of thieves. The previous team of Cultivators who have been missing until now probably fell into this trap."
Yun Zhonghe paused, then continued: "Moreover, this town is also strange. I found that the people in the town behave very stiffly."
"What do you mean? I think the people in the town are fine, except for their somewhat strange attitude."
Xiao Yang couldn't help but ask curiously.
Yun Zhonghe got up, motioned for everyone to follow him, and moved to the window.
He gently pushed the window open a crack: "Come and see."
Looking down from here, they could just see the children playing in the alley.
The child who had just hit Mu Jixue with the leather ball was also among this group of children playing with the leather ball.
"Isn't that the impolite child from just now?"
Xiao Yue saw him and recognized him at a glance.
Yun Zhonghe didn't say much. He merged his two fingers, condensed spiritual power at his fingertips, and a miniature Sword Qi burst forth from his fingertips, shooting out.
It was the first time everyone had seen Yun Zhonghe's Refining Qi into Sword up close. They couldn't help but secretly marvel, but at the same time, they were curious about what Yun Zhonghe was going to do.
They saw Yun Zhonghe's Sword Qi lightly brushed the edge of the leather ball, not piercing it, but bouncing it away.
The leather ball rolled and rolled onto the ground not far away.
"Hiss..."
"Yun's sword technique is amazing. How did you manage to touch the leather ball with Sword Qi without harming it at all?"
"Not only has he mastered the technique of Refining Qi into Sword at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but he can also control it to such a subtle degree. I'm impressed."
Song Ziwei, as a Disciple of Heaven Sword Sect, a sect specializing in producing Sword Cultivators, had never seen such a Genius as Yun Zhonghe.
She had heard about Yun Zhonghe in Cangzhou City before and thought it was an exaggeration, but after witnessing it firsthand...
Yun Zhonghe: "..."
No, I'm not showing off my skills to you. Can't your attention focus on something other than my technique?
Perhaps this was the occupational hazard of Cultivators.
Yun Zhonghe helplessly pointed at the group of children, motioning for them to look at the main point.
They saw the group of children seemed completely unaware and were still playing with the leather ball.
It's just that they were now hitting.
"This, what is this?!"
Xiao Yue trembled, her face losing color.
The eerie scene before them made everyone's hair stand on end.
Luo Qing, who had the lowest sense of presence, suddenly spoke: "They are Puppets! These people have all turned into Puppets!"
Yun Zhonghe didn't expect someone to know this, and immediately looked over with an encouraging gaze.
Luo Qing suddenly became the center of everyone's attention. She felt a bit uncomfortable, but still mustered the courage to speak.
"I've seen people like this." Luo Qing seemed to be lost in memories. "My hometown village was like this. Overnight, everyone turned into Puppets."
"That year, I was only six years old. Because I was playful and ran into the mountains, I luckily escaped. When I returned to the village, I found something was wrong. Why were everyone still harvesting rice in the fields late at night? I was too scared at the time, so I ran away."
"Later, I saw many Cultivators go to the village from a distance. They told me that evil Cultivators were causing trouble, and everyone in the village had been turned into Puppets by the evil Cultivators. They were already living dead and couldn't be saved."
"After that, a kind Cultivator gave me a Cultivation Technique and some travel expenses, and I've been cultivating by myself until now."
Luo Qing spoke while trembling uncontrollably.
Obviously, the events of that year had left a considerable trauma on her.
Luo Qing added: "People who turn into Puppets have a characteristic, which is that their pupils are exceptionally black and lifeless, and they repeat the same actions when not controlled by anyone."
Yun Zhonghe looked thoughtful: "That's right, the people in this town have all turned into Puppets! When I first entered the town, I heard the vegetable seller and the buyer bargain four times, each time for the same price. The children playing stumbled in the same place five times."
"Everyone's behavior is repetitive. Perhaps it's not obvious when put together, but if you observe carefully, you'll notice something is wrong!"
"But Wu Zhenzhang (Town Head) is different. He is no different from normal people. Either he is the evil Cultivator, or the evil Cultivator is controlling him, or he is an accomplice. Either way, he is not innocent."
After some research and analysis, the eerie aura Enveloped in the town seemed to gradually dissipate, and everyone's hearts were slightly raised, no longer as carefree as when they first arrived.
They also realized the seriousness of the problem.
Seeing this scene, Yun Zhonghe felt that the plot was developing in a good direction.
Although the original plot didn't mention details, it said that as soon as this team entered the town, they fell into a trap, and by the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
Afterward, everyone escaped to the dungeon and then found clues about the previous team. At this time, only Qin Hongye, who was accidentally caught up in it, was left alive.
Everyone fought desperately, but in the end, they were no match for the evil Cultivators, and only two people escaped.
The current situation was much better than in the plot.
Chapter 62: Huang Mao Understands Aotian Better Than the Female Lead
After discovering that something was wrong with the town, everyone's vigilance was immediately maxed out.
Although everyone was not old, at this age, they were all outstanding, each having strengths superior to their peers.
As long as they maintained sufficient vigilance, they wouldn't easily fall into ordinary traps.
Yun Zhonghe also made several firm suggestions, advising everyone not to act alone for the time being, to stay in the inn, and not to touch the food and water in the town.
Yun Zhonghe was well prepared. He distributed the food and water in his Qiankun bag.
Luo Qing, being a rogue Cultivator, was used to carrying dry food and purified water with her, and she also took out her reserves.
Song Ziwei had a bottle of Grain Abstinence Pills. One pill could last for seven days, eliminating the need for food and water. She distributed one pill to each person.
Although everyone didn't know each other before, they were unexpectedly united at this time.
Lin Zhongyu felt that all of this was due to Yun Zhonghe constantly facilitating everyone's cooperation, which created this good atmosphere of mutual help.
She looked at Yun Zhonghe with a few more different emotions in her eyes.
From beginning to end, Mu Jixue did not speak. She looked somewhat dazed.
"Xue'er, what's wrong?"
Lin Zhongyu noticed the dejected Mu Jixue and couldn't help but ask worriedly.
Mu Jixue's face was very unsightly, and she hesitated to speak, but in the end, she only spoke to Lin Zhongyu in a voice only she could hear: "Xiao Yu, I'm sorry... It's all my fault for dragging you here..."
She regretted it a little. She didn't expect this mission to be so dangerous. If she hadn't insisted on dragging Lin Zhongyu away from Yun Mansion, they wouldn't have come to this den of thieves.
Moreover, at the critical moment, she was completely useless.
Yun Zhonghe was uniting the team, uncovering the strange truth of the town, and distributing various supplies to his teammates.
The others were also contributing their part more or less, but only she, Mu Jixue, seemed completely useless and couldn't even get a word in.
Furthermore, she was the one hit by the leather ball, yet she didn't notice the details that something was wrong with the child. It was Yun Zhonghe who discovered the clue.
In her mind, in actions like this, she should be the one leading the team out of the predicament, the core figure of the team.
However, now she was like a marginal character.
This gap made her feel a little flustered, and she even had a feeling that she wasn't that great after all.
Was I too arrogant and conceited? Because I have amazing talent, I thought I could do anything and that I was right...
This time, although Yun Zhonghe took her leading role, she didn't feel any resistance at all.
She was conquered by Yun Zhonghe's actions.
Mu Jixue, who had always lived in the praise of others, began to examine herself for the first time.
"Xue'er, don't overthink it. We are a team, and everyone is important."
Lin Zhongyu comforted her. After all, they were childhood friends, and seeing Mu Jixue's downcast appearance, she was definitely very worried.
However, their interaction was seen by Yun Zhonghe.
Although the two of them thought they were being very discreet, they still underestimated Yun Zhonghe's spiritual sense.
He also intentionally wanted to Cultivate Huang Aotian's character and make her realize her shortcomings.
In the original game, Huang Aotian was not perfect from the beginning. She also had flaws and shortcomings, but after experiencing some major setbacks, she gradually grew up and became a true empress.
If he could guide Huang Aotian and help her avoid some detours, not only could he avoid some bad endings that might happen in the game, but he could also change Huang Aotian's opinion of him and earn some impression points.
Perhaps gradually, the two of them would get along well.
This indirect teaching was also intentional on Yun Zhonghe's part.