Midnight. The wind was cold, and rain fell.
They had just dealt with one strange phenomenon and hadn't even caught their breath when a signal shot into the night sky. Another squad had encountered a strange phenomenon.
The three men instinctively looked at Jiang Yan.
Even Shan Renhu did the same. He was the squad leader, true, but strength came first. Jiang Yan had proven himself through his power, so his opinion mattered most.
Jiang Yan looked up at the sky. The deep-red signal light blazed brightly.
"Let's go."
He pulled out the long spear and handed it to Ying Cong, then headed toward the signal.
"Jiang Yan." Shan Renhu walked alongside him, holding up the Brightness Gathering Talisman as he reminded him, "You've used your Blazing Flames Talisman too many times. I'm afraid it won't hold up through many more battles."
Jiang Yan lowered his head and looked at the Blazing Flames Talisman in his hand. The tadpole-shaped runes on it had grown blurry.
"When it's used up, they should give me a replacement, right?" he asked casually. He remembered Shan Renhu mentioning something like that before.
Sure enough, Shan Renhu nodded. "As long as it's lost through combat, they'll replace it right away. You don't need to worry too much."
"Mm... Big Brother Shan, you know I might not be patrolling with you anymore in a few days." Jiang Yan paused, thinking. "Is there anyone you have your eye on? I could help you get him into your squad."
"No need." At Jiang Yan's words, Shan Renhu's lips curved into a smile. He was pleased. Jiang Yan really was a man who valued personal ties.
He glanced back at Meng Sheng, who was carefully watching their surroundings.
Shan Renhu smiled and lowered his voice. "That kid Meng Sheng may be afraid of dying and a bit of a coward, but he's got sharp instincts."
"Especially since he stutters whenever he gets nervous. During patrol, as soon as he starts stuttering, I know to be on my guard."
Jiang Yan's mouth twitched. So Shan Renhu had noticed Meng Sheng's habit too.
"Actually, that kid Meng Sheng did pretty well today. He acted like a real man."
Jiang Yan fell silent. People could change. Meng Sheng had grown brave and fearless, while Jiang Yan himself had become increasingly accustomed to this world.
By the village, in the rapeseed fields.
At this time of year, the fields were still a lush green. The dazzling golden rapeseed blossoms existed only in people's imaginations.
Four or five squads had already arrived, but their members all wore long faces.
Clap,
Clap,
Footsteps sounded.
The people looked up and saw Jiang Yan and the others approaching.
Their expressions changed, and they shouted, "Jiang Yan! Old Shan! Don't come any closer!"
"Big Brother Shan, where are we going?"
Ying Cong asked.
"Mm... The place where the signal was just fired. It should be where the village grows rapeseed. There's a huge field there."
As Jiang Yan walked, he thought about a few things. He also asked Shan Renhu for advice. "Big Brother Shan, I remember you saying that when a strange phenomenon appears in one part of the village during patrol, another one usually won't appear elsewhere for a short while."
Shan Renhu nodded. "That's right. It might have something to do with the Rune Soldiers' defense mechanism. I haven't seen enough to understand all the patterns."
"But," Shan Renhu said solemnly, "nothing is ever absolute. Sometimes, experience can get you killed."
As the two spoke, the other squads from the patrol team had yet to catch up when a voice rang out in the distance. "Jiang Yan! Old Shan, don't come any closer!"
"Jiang Yan, did you hear that? It sounds like someone's shouting."
Ying Cong had good hearing and clearly made out the words.
"They said we shouldn't come any closer."
Jiang Yan had heard them too. He exchanged a glance with Shan Renhu, then quickly retreated a hundred meters before stopping.
Before long, two squad leaders came over.
"Hey, what happened to you two?"
At that moment, both men's faces were utterly black. A seedling had sprouted from each of their heads.
The seedlings were a vivid green and looked healthy, their roots burrowing deep into the men's skulls as if they were growing by absorbing their flesh and blood.
"This is the Immortal Flower Curse!"
Seeing that Jiang Yan and the others seemed unfamiliar with it, one of the men explained.
The Immortal Flower strange phenomenon seemed to be a seed. Once it landed, it grew and flowered in an extremely short time, then released pollen.
Anyone who smelled the flowers would have an Immortal Flower sprout from their head. The seedling absorbed their flesh and blood as it grew. Once it bloomed and bore fruit, the fruit would consume every last bit of its host's vitality.
Then, by some incomprehensible means, the fruit would send its own life force back to the source.
"Then how do we break the curse?" Jiang Yan asked bluntly.
"What are we supposed to do?"
The man's face was grim, but he spoke calmly. "Jiang Yan, we've heard that you broke through to the Martial Apprentice Realm these past few days, but this strange phenomenon isn't something you can deal with."
"Even with Captain Tang and Captain Fei, you still won't be able to handle it."
"Because," the man cursed harshly, "this is a Sha-level strange phenomenon!"
Sha-level!
Jiang Yan's expression changed. He already knew the basic classifications of strange phenomena. A Sha-level phenomenon corresponded to the second realm of martial arts: the Three Body-Refining Realms.
"I understand what you mean," Jiang Yan said slowly. "I'll go ask for reinforcements right away."
With that, he took the Brightness Gathering Talisman from Shan Renhu, turned, and headed toward the center of the village.
By now, Tang Long and Fei Shan should have arrived. He needed to pass this information on to them as soon as possible.
Sure enough, before he'd gone two li, Jiang Yan ran into Tang and Fei. He carefully repeated what the squad leader had told him.
"That's right. It's the Immortal Flower strange phenomenon, a Fierce Sha. This strange phenomenon has appeared in quite a few places before, and the town has records of it."
"Then what do we do now?"
Jiang Yan asked in reply. A Sha-level strange phenomenon wasn't something he could handle.
Besides, the air around an Immortal Flower phenomenon was filled with its fragrance over a certain area. He couldn't even get close.
Without a Body Refining Realm martial artist's Inner Qi shielding his body, he didn't even have the right to approach the phenomenon.
One breath of that sweet-smelling air, and he'd be cursed and turned into flower fertilizer.
There had also been a reason behind Jiang Yan's earlier question. He was testing whether the two men knew that Sheng Fuwu hadn't returned—that he'd died out in the wild, eaten by a strange phenomenon until not even a scrap remained.
"Alas, Captain Sheng lost an arm during the day and was badly injured. He's probably in no condition to help. We can only find Lord Chang."
Hmm? It seemed they still didn't know Sheng Fuwu hadn't returned.
They probably thought that since Sheng Fuwu had escaped first during the day and was still at the Body Refining Realm, there was no reason he wouldn't make it back. If he hadn't shown up yet, he must simply be recovering from his injuries in seclusion.
It had never even occurred to them that Sheng Fuwu was dead.
And Chang Chi?
Jiang Yan had heard of him too. He'd been sent by the authorities to live in the village and assist the patrol team.
In fact, Lord Chang was also a Talisman Master.
Most of the talismans in the village were made by Chang Chi.
Of course, the Dahe Gang didn't get to use them for free. They paid real money, though the price was a little lower than the market rate.
"Lord Chang?"
"Don't worry. Lord Chang's cultivation is at least as high as Captain Sheng's was at his peak."
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