Compendio de hombres apuestos en el mundo de las artes marciales

Capítulo 57

Zhan Yun smiled and bowed to the men: "I am Zhan Yun, and these two are my friends, Xiao Duan and Mr. Xiao. We were passing through your town and originally intended to stay overnight before heading to the main road tomorrow morning. However, upon entering the town, we discovered..."

Awen, who seemed quite familiar with the place, had already poured himself a cup of hot tea and started drinking: "Oh, Dr. Xia, let me tell you, this guy almost scared me to death! Right at the entrance of your alley. Late at night, and it was a full moon night, and he was wearing all white. He just 'whooshed' and floated right in front of me. It really scared me..."

Seeing the three men's puzzled expressions, the middle-aged man gestured for them to sit down, poured them several cups of hot tea, and said with a calm expression, "Since you're just passing through, the three of you can stay here tonight. There are two empty rooms in the back. It's a bit small, but it'll be fine for the night. Tomorrow morning, the three of you should return the way you came. Whether you take a detour or whatever, just don't go through our area."

The three exchanged glances, and this time Duan Chen spoke up: "Dr. Xia, this isn't the first time we've passed through this area. Although Kushui Town isn't large, it used to be quite lively. How could this be..."

Xia Luzhen sneered and interrupted Duan Chen, "This young man must have passed through here a long time ago, right? This Bitter Water Town is no longer what it used to be. Those who could move away have already moved away, and those who didn't can't leave now!"

"What exactly happened?" Xiao Changqing opened his eyes wide, his heart itching with curiosity at the man's words.

Xia Luzhen sighed and gave Awen a meaningful look. The latter sat on a small wooden stool leaning against a dresser, holding a cup and keeping his head down without saying a word. After a long silence, the middle-aged man finally sighed and said, "About half a year ago. That is, starting from last August, girls in the town would go missing every fifteenth of the month."

"A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl was sleeping peacefully in her own bed when she disappeared the next morning. At first, everyone thought she was a kidnapper or some kind of flower thief, and they reported the matter to the higher authorities. The county magistrate led a team to search everywhere, but they couldn't find her anywhere. As time went by, it became a cold case. About a month later, someone in the town found the bodies of two missing girls at the entrance to the woods to the north. They were both dressed in white, hung from trees, all their blood had been drained, and their hearts had been removed."

The three listened, their expressions growing grave. Xia Luzhen continued in a hoarse voice, "At that time, just after the full moon of the fifteenth of the lunar month, three more girls went missing. Everyone panicked this time, and many people went to the county government office to make a scene. The county magistrate also sent people over. But there was still no progress. They couldn't find the missing girls, and they didn't know who had abducted them or what method they had used. And then things got worse and worse."

Is it getting worse? Duan Chen frowned, glanced at Zhan Yun, and then looked at Xiao Changqing. The latter also had a solemn expression and was listening very attentively.

Xia Luzhen picked up her cup and took a sip of tea. Awen, who had been silent with his head down, spoke up: "Later, it wouldn't be regular, either the first or the fifteenth of the month, and it wasn't just sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls. Every night, someone would disappear from the town. But the fifteenth night was always the worst. The night watchman, Xiaodou, said he once saw a person in white leap across the rooftops, carrying someone under their arm. He mustered his courage and shouted, hoping the neighbors would help catch the person. Then he saw the person turn around, and that face…"

Awen spoke slowly, shivering as he spoke: "Its face was deathly pale, its lips were blue, but its eyes were blood red. And what's more, that thing was actually laughing. Xiaodou was so scared that he wet his pants and ran to Huangkui Town in the west the next day to stay with his cousin. He never came back. Gradually, people from the county stopped coming, and some wealthy families moved away. The old people in town said that our Kushui Town was cursed by an evil spirit."

“Therefore, I advise the three of you to stop thinking about attacking our side of the main road. That forest has always been strange, and since this eerie incident, no one dares to enter it.” Xia Luzhen added, her smile somewhat bitter. Outside of Kushui Town, to the northeast, lies a forest; only by passing through this forest can one reach the main road. Therefore, Xia Luzhen's words were not entirely alarmist.

"Every time someone goes missing, their body appears at the entrance of that forest about a month later?" Duan Chen asked, frowning slightly.

Xia Luzhen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."

Xiao Changqing squinted and pondered for a moment before asking, "Are the missing men and women all young, or are there both old and young people?"

Xia Luzhen frowned as she replied, "They're all young people. The oldest is no more than twenty. And..."

"And women make up the majority?" Xiao Changqing interjected.

Awen answered affirmatively before Xia Luzhen could, "That's right. Every month on the fifteenth night, at least two girls will go missing. On other days, both men and women will disappear."

Zhan Yun had been listening quietly, but suddenly spoke up: "Today is the fifteenth again."

Author's Note: This volume is a bit more thrilling, I hope you all enjoy it.

Duan Chen softened slightly, mainly because he corrected his attitude, but his heart remained firm.

However, sometimes, people cannot control the changes in their own mind.

Hehe, group hug! Next update: This Friday, September 10th at 9 AM, stay tuned!

56

Chapter Three: Bitter Water, Bitterness... Humans, Ghosts, Demons...

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the three of them got up. Since they were staying in the same room, Zhan Yun and Xiao Changqing got up first to go to the courtyard to wash up so that Duan Chen could change his clothes.

Duan Chen tied his hair up over his shoulder with a ribbon, poured some cold water into a basin, and was about to bend down to wash his face when he suddenly remembered something. He quickly stood up and walked outside. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the two people in the courtyard holding cups, about to rinse their mouths. Duan Chen said urgently, "Don't drink!"

Xiao Changqing and Zhan Yun had just drawn a bucket of water from the well and were each pouring some into a cup to brush their teeth. When Duan Chen spoke up to stop them, the two had already raised their cups to their lips. Before they could react, they each took a small sip of cold water. Zhan Yun's handsome brows furrowed, while Xiao Changqing turned away and spat it out, making two "pui" sounds. He then looked at Duan Chen with a pained expression, his voice clearly filled with grievance: "Little Duan..."

Seeing the two of them like that, Duan Chen couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips slightly. Seeing that Zhan Yun was still frowning and holding the water in his mouth, he hurriedly urged in a low voice, "Spit out the water quickly, or you won't be able to taste anything in a while."

After saying that, he turned back into the house, took out a kettle, and handed it to the two of them: "Use this." Duan Chen said in a calm voice: "Otherwise, why do you think this place is called Bitter Water Town? The water here must be boiled before it can be drunk. Nobody drinks raw water directly."

Xiao Changqing and Zhan Yun each poured some cold water from the kettle, rinsing their mouths several times before the bitterness subsided. Xiao Changqing stared blankly at the water glass in his hand, muttering to himself, "This isn't water! It's more bitter than any dose of Chinese medicine I've ever drunk, and it even smells awful..."

Zhan Yun had been holding water in her mouth for a while, and her tongue felt a little numb. Once her mouth felt slightly refreshed, she noticed Duan Chen's hair pulled to one side and a smile playing on his lips. A thought struck her, and she cleared her throat before asking with a smile, "Is this what you said I would know later?"

Duan Chen nodded, said nothing more, and turned to go back to his room to wash up.

Although they didn't speak to each other, all three slept very lightly all night. Thinking about what Dr. Xia and Awen had said, and recalling that someone from a family in the same area was about to disappear, even the most carefree person would find it hard to sleep peacefully.

The three tidied themselves up and went to the front to greet Doctor Xia and inquire further about the strange events. After calling out several times without response, they pushed open the door and found a piece of paper on the table, pressed down by a teacup. It was addressed to them. The note, brief in length, explained that he and A-Wen were rushing to see the Lin family girl they had mentioned the previous night and couldn't entertain them, asking for their understanding. It concluded by emphasizing that they should not linger and should leave as soon as possible.

After reading the letter, the three of them took their bundles and left the house. As they walked along the alley, Xiao Changqing circled around Duan Chen pitifully, hesitating and seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. Duan Chen couldn't help but find his appearance amusing, so he stopped and waited for him to speak.

Xiao Changqing fidgeted with his fingers somewhat awkwardly, his dark, jade-like eyes staring straight at Duan Chen: "Little Duan, can we... can we stay a few more days?" Zhan Yun also had this thought, but was afraid that Duan Chen might have something urgent to do and needed to go to Bianjing, so he didn't bring it up.

Duan Chen nodded and readily agreed: "Sure."

"Huh?!" Both of them were a little surprised, and Xiao Changqing even widened his eyes and let out a long "Ah".

Duan Chen calmly explained in a low voice, "There's nothing urgent about going to Bianjing, so there's no rush."

Xiao Changqing said "Oh," and his face immediately lit up with excitement: "In that case, let's investigate thoroughly in this Bitter Water Town for another five, six, seven, or eight days, until we..."

"Senior." The two stumbled as Xiao Changqing tugged at their sleeves, and Zhan Yun asked with a wry smile, "Senior, why are you so happy?"

Xiao Changqing smiled so broadly that everyone loved him: "I'm so excited! It's been so many years since I've encountered something so strange, mysterious, and dangerous! This is much more interesting than the last time at Wanliu Manor! Let's go, let's find a place to have breakfast first!"

The two, who had been dragged along, stiffened their lips. Zhan Yun cleared his throat twice and suggested gently, "Senior, why don't you let us go? Wouldn't it be faster to walk using our lightness skill?"

Xiao Changqing's beaming face instantly turned slightly uncomfortable. As he released one hand, he gave a heavy "humph": "No romance! You think I like dragging you around? Xiao Duan, let's go together..."

It was already broad daylight, but there wasn't a soul in sight on the street. The three walked around the street three times before finally waiting for a shop to open—a porridge stall run by an elderly couple. The old woman served them three bowls of porridge and then went back to get steamed dumplings.

The porridge contained dried vegetables from the previous year, cooked together with the rice until it turned a light green color. It tasted fragrant and slightly salty, the dried vegetables were tender and chewy, and you could taste their sweet juice. The three of them found it very appetizing after just one bite. They also picked up a steamed dumpling with radish filling, dipped it in a slightly sweet vinegar sauce, and it was hot and still had some broth in it, making it very delicious. The three of them had only eaten dry food since noon yesterday, and hadn't even had dinner. When they tasted hot food for the first time, they felt very hungry and couldn't stand it. They ate two and a half baskets of ten steamed dumplings before they felt full.

Seeing the three men eating with gusto, the old woman seemed quite pleased. She served them three more large bowls of porridge, saying it was free. Seeing their puzzled expressions, she forced a smile on her wrinkled face: "You three have come from afar, haven't you? Our town hasn't seen many visitors in a long time. We opened this porridge stall to make things convenient for our old neighbors. Sometimes we cook a big pot of porridge, and by noon there's still more than half left. Since you three like it, please eat more. After you finish, please hurry and leave."

The three men had already been hoping to find out some information, so when the old woman said that, they naturally pressed her for details. The old woman was initially reluctant to talk, but when the three men pressed her, she gave a fragmented account, which was roughly the same as what Doctor Xia and Awen had told her the day before.