Strangeness Everywhere

At that moment, a gust of cold wind blew in from a distant alley, sweeping up old talismans, incense candles, paper ash, and other debris as it came whistling toward them.

Yet when this strange wind reached the Youdao Division's gates, it seemed to meet some invisible resistance and began to whirl in place with a mournful howl.

The two martial brothers could not help feeling their scalps tingle.

Zhao Yifan swept his sleeve, and the vortex exploded, scattering scraps of talisman paper across the ground.

Just then, someone emerged from within the Youdao Division.

"Hehe, this humble Daoist is Jia Song, Deputy Commander of the Yinshan Town Youdao Division. At last, I have been waiting for the two outstanding disciples of Lingbao Temple!"

An aged Daoist dressed in a light-purple robe and wearing a Dao official's hat came out smiling to greet them, accompanied by two young Daoist priests with somewhat pallid faces.

Along with them came the scent of wine and meat wafting from their bodies.

The old Daoist in purple, who called himself Jia Song, was very advanced in years. His eye bags hung heavily, his pupils were dull and gray, and the loose old skin on his face sagged. When he smiled, his face creased all over, giving off an air of twilight decline.

Yet the faint aura of cultivation emanating from him was not to be underestimated.

This Deputy Commander Jia was exceedingly warm and immediately came forward to exchange pleasantries.

"Thank you both, fellow Daoists, for coming to lend us your aid. You must have had a hard journey. These past few days, fellow Daoists and wandering heroes who have come to help are mostly gathered in the rear courtyard, discussing matters over a feast. Later, you must drink a few cups to warm yourselves..."

As he spoke, the old Daoist Jia gave a meaningful look. One of the young Daoist priests hurried forward to lead away Li Qingyun and the others' yellow-maned horses, taking them to be properly settled and fed.

"May I ask the names of you two fellow Daoists?"

Jia Song's gaze roamed back and forth over Li Qingyun and Zhao Yifan. Then he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth still stuck with shreds of meat. The loose old skin beside his drooping mouth swayed as though it might fail to hold on and fall off.

"I am Zhao Yifan, and this is my junior brother, Li Qingyun!"

Zhao Yifan answered with some respect.

Though the old Daoist appeared decrepit and near death, his cultivation surpassed Zhao Yifan's. Zhao Yifan could not afford to neglect propriety.

"Good, good, good. Truly young and promising..."

Jia Song smiled loosely, but his dim eyes suddenly shifted, showing the whites as he stared fixedly at the silent Li Qingyun and the Big Black Cat dozing with narrowed eyes on his shoulder.

"This Fellow Daoist Li seems to cultivate lightning arts? Your bearing is sharp as a cliff, and your lightning intent is pure and true. Truly impressive!"

Old Daoist Jia's words made Li Qingyun's heart tighten.

This old Daoist looked frail and declining, yet his gaze was venomously sharp and deep as the sea, carrying a trace of strangeness. He was not someone to be taken lightly.

Li Qingyun composed his expression and said humbly, "Deputy Commander, you flatter me. I dare not accept such praise!"

"Haha, you two should come inside quickly. It truly is quite cold outside! Yinshan Town's geographical conditions are unusual. Every year after autumn begins, it starts getting unbearably cold..."

Jia Song called to them as he smiled and led the way ahead. Li Qingyun and Zhao Yifan naturally followed close behind.

The Youdao Division was vast within, with winding corridors, gardens, ponds, and courtyards within courtyards. Offices for division affairs such as talisman crafting were scattered throughout, but perhaps because the staff had already gone off duty, scarcely any officially employed Daoist priests could be seen.

With so few people around, this enormous and empty Youdao Division appeared all the more dim and sinister.

Following the old Daoist through those vacant corridors and idle halls, Li Qingyun felt the chill on his body growing heavier.

They were clearly indoors, yet it was even colder than the streets outside!

Gusts of ghostly wind came from between the pillars and eaves, though he had no idea where they blew in from. That wind was icy and yin-cold, making the hairs on his body rise slightly.

Li Qingyun felt as though he was not walking inside a building, but through an ancient tomb steeped in cold darkness.

His right hand, hidden within his sleeve, quietly formed a lightning seal. Six kinds of lightning seals shifted and evolved soundlessly.

His left hand hovered near the bronze shortsword at his waist, ready to draw it at the first sign of trouble.

He looked at Zhao Yifan, who was half a step ahead, and saw that his senior brother had sensed something too. Quite a few strands of his hair were beginning to stand on end.

"Qin Qing, go have someone light all the lamps. It is so dark and dreary—don't let the two fellow Daoists from Lingbao Temple laugh at us!"

Noticing their subtle reactions, Jia Song seemed to reveal a thread of coldness at the corners of his sagging mouth beneath the dim light. He turned and rebuked the young Daoist priest beside him.

"Yes, yes, it was this lowly one's oversight..." The pale-faced young Daoist priest shuddered all over at once, lowered his head, and hurried away.

Soon after, lamps began to light up throughout the empty, secluded halls and courtyards.

At last, the lights dispelled some of the chill, and Zhao Yifan's stern expression eased somewhat.

Then, from the brightly lit inner courtyard came waves of shouting, laughter, and the clinking of cups as people drank together. The desolate Youdao Division finally seemed to have gained a little human presence.

Li Qingyun looked thoughtfully at the old Daoist in purple walking at the very front, then suddenly asked in a clear voice:

"Deputy Commander, may I ask whether Commander Zhou Gang's condition has improved at all?"

Scenes of riding into Yinshan Town flashed through his mind: silent homes, deserted taverns, mute passersby...

Then his memory returned clearly to the town entrance, to that forlorn notice board. Its talisman papers were old and yellowed, their surfaces peeling away, yet one relatively newer red notice had left an impression on him.

The words on that red paper carried the tone of an admonition to all the town's residents, and they had been issued in the name of Zhou Gang, Commander of the Yinshan Town Youdao Division.

"...Thirty-seven people have vanished without cause in Yinshan Town. The household-protecting Ghost Suppressing Talismans seem to fail from time to time. All townspeople must keep their doors tightly shut after nightfall and silently recite the Dao Lord's mighty name for protection. Under no circumstances may they go outside... This Commander has suddenly contracted a vile illness and is bedridden, unable to fulfill his duties and protect this town. I am ashamed before you all! A few days ago, I issued calls for aid in every direction. Before long, wandering heroes of the martial world and masters from temples and monasteries will surely come to offer assistance and uncover the mystery behind the evil hauntings in this town..."

Li Qingyun quickly calculated the timing.

It had already been several days since Zhao Yifan mentioned Lingbao Temple's mission to suppress ghosts and bring peace to Yinshan Town, while this notice issued by Commander Zhou Gang had clearly come even earlier.

Over thirty people had already gone missing then. By now, there were likely even more!

Other cultivators should have arrived during this period, so why was the town's atmosphere still so strange, without the slightest improvement? The clouds of doubt in his heart grew ever thicker.

He even wanted to turn around and leave at once—leave this tomb-cold Youdao Division, leave Yinshan Town, a place stained with ill omen!

"Hehe, on Commander Zhou's behalf, this old man thanks you for your concern, young friend. The Commander was injured by a ghostly creature half a month ago and is now bedridden, recuperating at his Household in town!

Rest assured. With capable people from all walks of life like yourselves, all concerned for the people and gathered in this town, we will surely uncover that ghostly demon and restore a bright and clear sky to Yinshan Town!"

Jia Song halted in his tracks, turned to Li Qingyun, and explained with a smile.

Under the candlelight and lamplight, the old Daoist in purple appeared even more steeped in the air of twilight decline.

"Oh, that is good. My senior brother and I should pay him a visit later!"

Li Qingyun showed a trace of concern and regret.

His sudden question just now had actually been a surprise probe, to see whether he could test anything out.

Old Daoist Jia was deep as the sea and watertight in every respect.

But the other pale-faced young Daoist priest's expression changed in an instant. He seemed to want to speak but held back, and the moment Deputy Commander Jia began speaking, he immediately lowered his head and eyes, returning to his original demeanor.

Before long, everyone arrived at a large room brightly lit with lamps.