After brushing the dirt from its surface, Lu Sheng wrapped one hand around the tablet and lifted. With a dull groan, the stone slab tore free from the earth, soil and clods of mud cascading down its sides.
The black stone tablet stood nearly a meter tall. As the last of the dirt slid off, several faint lines of carving emerged near its base. The characters were blurred and worn by time, yet Lu Sheng could barely make them out.
‘Walking on the path of loneliness, leading toward the pain of despair. Joy, life, death, hope…’
Beneath that line lay additional carvings, written like an explanation. Lu Sheng’s eyes skimmed through them, and understanding dawned. At last, he realized why the so-called Unlaughing Master could never be found.
“What’s this? Some stupid Anomaly game?” He set the stone tablet back down and slowly scanned his surroundings. “Everyone. Return to Tea Town. This investigation is over.”
The Crimson Whale Sect disciples were taken aback. Still, the Sect Master’s orders were absolute. They immediately bowed in acknowledgment, not daring to question him.
Xu Chui and Ning San stared intently at the stone tablet. They did not recognize the ancient Song script, nor did they know what Lu Sheng had seen, much less grasp the meaning of the carved words. Yet one thing was clear to them: whatever was written on that tablet was what had changed the Sect Master’s mind.
The group withdrew swiftly, leaving only a small detachment behind. Lu Sheng ordered them to guard the village entrance and strictly forbade them from entering. These men were veterans in hunting ghosts and Anomalies, and having followed Lu Sheng for a long time, they knew exactly how to handle such a situation. He had no cause to worry. On top of that, they carried ample anti-illusion medicinal powder produced by the pill room. Ordinary illusions would not affect them.
Without stopping along the way, Lu Sheng led the trio, including Yan Kai, back to Tea Town. Though the three were confused, they understood that the Crimson Whale Sect must have had its reasons for retreating. After all, an Elder of the sect had fallen into the hands of an Anomaly, his fate unknown. There was no way the sect would simply let such a matter rest.
“As Chao Long said, you can only see what you wish to see if you go to that place at a specific time.” Inside the study of Tea Sect, Lu Sheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his tone calm as he addressed Yan Kai, Xu Chui, and the others.
“A specific time?” Yan Kai murmured. “Now that you mention it, all the legends surrounding the Unlaughing Master happened around midnight. Could it be that the Unlaughing Master only appears then?”
Lu Sheng turned to him with a faint smile. “Is Mr. Yan Kai very interested in this legend?”
“Er… just a little,” Yan Kai replied politely. “But since Sect Master Lu has come in person, I’m sure nothing will go wrong.”
Duan Rongrong spoke up softly, “But that Serpent of the Eastern Seas, Chao Long, traveled such a long distance to this small town just to find the Unlaughing Master. There must be some hidden agenda behind it.”
Lu Sheng shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Tonight, I’ll go there myself. No matter how many people visit that place, the result is the same. They all see the same thing.”
A voice suddenly chimed in from behind a bookshelf. “Do you need me to come with you?”51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSL4oMITlg
The little umbrella girl stepped out quietly, as if she had always been there.
Lu Sheng smiled at her. “No need. Very soon… very soon, this will all be over.” He paused before continuing, “This time, we’ll reduce our numbers before going again. But it might not be today.”
The others exchanged glances, unable to grasp his meaning. Still, with the Sect Master having spoken, none of them dared to ask further.
They rested for a while within Tea Sect. During that time, Tea Sect quietly tracked down the person who had first begun spreading the legend.
As expected, the man had been dead for several days by the time he was discovered. It was only when his corpse began to rot inside his house, releasing a nauseating stench, that the neighbors finally realized something was wrong.
With that, every lead was severed. The trail went cold, and the situation fell back into chaos.
Time slipped by unnoticed. In the blink of an eye, several more days had passed.
Lu Sheng showed no intention of leaving Tea Town, and there was still no sign of Chao Long within the town’s borders. Yan Kai’s group grew increasingly uneasy, all the more so because they knew Chao Long was most likely still lying in wait at that place.
Yan Kai tried questioning Lu Sheng on several occasions, but never received a clear answer about when he intended to act. After waiting for days, he could only grit his teeth. In the end, he quietly took his senior apprentice brother, Wan Hezi, along with Duan Rongrong, and headed back toward that village once more.
…………
Thick fog blanketed the mountain range, smothering everything in a pale, formless gloom.
Yan Kai, Wan Hezi, and Duan Rongrong retraced their steps back to the village with practiced ease. Yet the place they returned to felt nothing like before. The fog-choked settlement lay silent, as still as a graveyard, an oppressive quiet pressing in from every direction.
Yan Kai stopped at the village entrance and swept his gaze across the empty streets.
“Where are they? Weren’t the Crimson Whale Sect guards and the Wandering Heart Society’s people supposed to be here? Why can’t I see anyone?”
They had chased after Chao Long’s trail without pause in order to complete their investigation. To that end, they had sought Lu Sheng’s backing, hoping to borrow the Crimson Whale Sect’s strength. Yet the situation had veered sharply from their expectations. The sect had withdrawn entirely, choosing to sit idle.
Lu Sheng seemed to be waiting for something. Ever since laying eyes on that stone tablet, he had done nothing but bide his time.
Left with no alternatives, the trio found themselves forced into a corner. The Dugu Family’s deal carried a strict time limit. If this dragged on any longer, Wan Hezi would inevitably bear the consequences.
Thus, the three of them could only act on their own.
Still standing at the village entrance, Yan Kai turned and exchanged a look with Duan Rongrong before lowering his voice.
“Senior Apprentice Brother, why don’t you sit this one out? Let Rongrong and me enter tonight. You can stay outside and use your ability to scout. Just find him. Don’t worry about anything else.”
Wan Hezi shook his head hard. “Absolutely not!” His expression tightened. “I’m the one responsible for this. I accepted the reward myself. You and Rongrong have nothing to do with it. I’ll go in alone.” He forced a crooked smile. “When it comes to telling jokes, your senior apprentice brother is still pretty confident.”
“Senior Apprentice Brother…” Yan Kai trailed off.
He could see the resolve in Wan Hezi’s eyes. Though Wan Hezi was usually flighty and unreliable, once he became serious, he turned unwavering and stubborn to the core. Once his mind was set, nothing could shake it.
“Stop talking. Junior Apprentice Brother, I know you mean well. But I must take responsibility for my own actions. This mess I’ve brought upon myself… I’ll clean it up myself.” Wan Hezi’s voice carried an air of finality. The moment the words left his mouth, he turned and strode straight into the village. In the blink of an eye, his figure was swallowed by the dense fog.
“Senior Apprentice Brother!” Startled, Yan Kai and Duan Rongrong rushed after him. Yet, strangely, Wan Hezi was nowhere to be seen, even though he could only have been a few steps ahead.
The night was deathly still. Within the endless expanse of white fog, not a single footstep could be heard.
Yan Kai grabbed Duan Rongrong’s hand and guided her forward with their backs pressed against a wall. His palm slid along the cold, uneven stone, occasionally slipping against patches of slick algae.
A creeping sense of dread settled in their chests. This was the very place that had ensnared even an Elder of the Crimson Whale Sect. Experienced as they were, every step demanded extreme caution. Charging in recklessly, as Wan Hezi had done, was nothing short of courting death.
“Stay close behind me, Rongrong!”
“Got it!”
Hearing her reply, Yan Kai steadied his nerves. Throughout their many travels, the two of them had survived unscathed thanks to their bloodline’s acute sensitivity to danger. At this moment, there was no warning stirring within them. That could only mean they were still safe.
With Rongrong in tow, Yan Kai advanced along the stone wall, his senses stretched taut.
Thud.
A blur suddenly flashed past them. The silhouette looked unmistakably like Senior Apprentice Brother Wan Hezi.
“Senior Apprentice Brother!” Yan Kai shouted as he yanked Rongrong forward in pursuit.
The figure did not slow. It veered sharply and dashed up a flight of stone steps, vanishing into a stone house.
Yan Kai faltered. Then, as he focused his gaze, he caught sight of the corner of the robe Wan Hezi had been wearing, disappearing beyond the doorway.
Grinding his teeth, Yan Kai released Rongrong’s hand.
“Rongrong, wait outside the door. I’m going in after Senior Apprentice Brother!”
“Alright!” Duan Rongrong’s voice rang out from behind him.
Without sparing a moment for further thought, Yan Kai slammed the door open and rushed into the stone house.
An empty courtyard lay before him. There was no sign of Wan Hezi anywhere, as though he had vanished without a trace.
Yan Kai slowly drew the longsword from his back, his grip tightening as his gaze swept across the surroundings. Step by careful step, he edged toward the main hall.
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Pa pa pa…
Without warning, raindrops began to fall.
The thick fog receded at a visible pace, torn apart by the rising wind. Within a handful of breaths, it dispersed completely.
Ka-cha.
A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, thunder rolling close behind. In an instant, the rain became a torrential downpour.
Only then did Yan Kai truly see where he stood.
He was in the courtyard of a stone house. Directly ahead loomed the main hall, brightly lit. The wooden doors were shut, yet through the paper window, the silhouette of a seated figure was clearly outlined.
Yan Kai’s eyes narrowed. Slowly, he began to retreat, one step at a time. The fog had vanished far too abruptly to be a natural occurrence.
And the scene before him, the lone figure seated within the hall, matched the legends of the Unlaughing Master far too closely to be coincidence.
He was not ready to face this legend yet.
…………
“Aiya, there’s light here! Right here! Come quickly!” Amid the pounding rain, three young figures in long robes splashed toward the stone house.
In the dreary weather, the brightly lit house stood like a beacon. It promised shelter, warmth, and perhaps even a cup of hot tea.
Chen Ziguang and Xu Pei had planned to reach the nearby town to rest, but night fell faster than expected. An accident along the road delayed them further, and before they realized it, they were still some distance from town when the rain came crashing down. With no other options, they could only seek refuge here.
By the time they ducked beneath the eaves, their scholar’s robes were soaked through.
“I hope the clothes in our packs aren’t drenched as well. Who would’ve thought the ox cart would break down?” Chen Ziguang sighed. “Sigh… this trip has been nothing but accidents.”
“Tell me about it,” Xu Pei replied with a helpless sigh. “This is my third attempt at the exams, yet it’s the first time I’ve ended up in such miserable straits.”
The two scholars, both bound for the city examinations, were traveling with a young book boy. None of them had imagined being trapped in a torrential downpour along the way.
“Let’s go in and ask for a cup of hot tea,” Chen Ziguang suggested.
Dong, dong, dong.
The book boy stepped forward and knocked on the door.
With a soft creak, the door opened from within.
Yan Kai stared in surprise at the three figures standing outside. He had not expected anyone else to appear at such a moment.
“You…”
Xu Pei hurried forward and bowed politely. “May I ask if you are the owner of this house?”
Yan Kai hesitated for a heartbeat before replying, “No… I’m just taking shelter from the rain.”
“What a coincidence. We’re here to escape the rain as well!” Chen Ziguang exclaimed, his eyes lighting up along with the others.
“Who’s outside?” A deep, resonant voice rang out from within. The doors of the main hall were pulled open, and a well-built man strode out, a saber strapped across his back and a scar cutting across his face.
He swept a guarded gaze over Yan Kai and the three newcomers. “Have you come here to shelter from the rain as well?”
“Er…” Yan Kai froze, momentarily caught off guard. He had not expected the person seated inside to be this scar-faced man.
“Junior Apprentice Brother! I’m here!” Another figure stepped out from the hall. It was Wan Hezi, a porcelain cup in hand as he finished a mouthful of water.
“Why are you alone? Where’s Rongrong?” Wan Hezi asked. “The fog suddenly dispersed earlier. I came in and saw this brother here resting and drinking water, so I asked for some as well. That’s when I heard noises from outside.”
Understanding finally dawned on the scar-faced man. “Oh, so we’re all here to take shelter from the rain.” He gave a brief nod. “If you don’t mind, come inside and rest. It’s a bit dirty and messy, but at least the roof doesn’t leak.”
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