Blackwater Mist, First Signs

The tall city gates of Qingzhou Prefecture City gradually receded behind him. The fields and villages flanking the official road thinned out. Li Yifan, alone on horseback, galloped along the road heading southeast towards his destination, Black Water Town.

He had changed into a set of simple, dark green attire suitable for action, covered by an inconspicuous grey cloak that concealed his Xuntian Envoy uniform and waist token. His Breaking Wind Saber was wrapped in cloth and slung across his back, while his Black Iron Chainmail was worn close to his body. He decided to conceal his identity and investigate discreetly, as the situation in Black Water Town was unknown.

The warhorse beneath him was a fine steed provided by the Xuntian Guard, possessing great stamina. As Li Yifan spurred his horse onward, he mentally reviewed the information from the mission dossier once more.

Black Water Town was located about 150 li southeast of Qingzhou Prefecture City, bordering a branch of the Black Stone Mountains. It was named after a nearby river with water as dark as ink. The town was not large, with around two thousand households, primarily engaged in farming, hunting, and gathering mountain goods. For the past month, residents had been falling into a strange, deep sleep at night, unable to be woken by their families, no matter how they were called, shaken, or even splashed with water. The sleepers' breathing was steady, their complexions normal, and they bore no obvious injuries, as if merely lost in an exceptionally deep slumber. However, after a period ranging from two to three days, or even five to six days, the sleepers would die in a fit of terror during a nightmare, their deaths appearing horrifying.

To date, seven people had perished this way. Panic had gripped the town, and rumors were rife, with some attributing the deaths to mountain spirits and others to a plague or evil disease. Local officials and the stationed Xuntian Guard detachment had investigated fruitlessly and could only report the case.

"Strange comas, dying in nightmares… their souls disturbed?" Li Yifan frowned. The symptoms were indeed peculiar, unlike common illnesses or poisoning. The dossier mentioned that initial investigations had ruled out common sedatives and poisons, and no signs of struggle or occult rituals were found at the scenes. This made him lean more towards the possibility of some malevolent entity or secret technique that specialized in affecting the mind and corrupting the soul.

"If it is indeed the work of a malevolent entity, my Nine Yang True Qi, being supremely yang and potent, is its nemesis. But I must first find its source." Li Yifan made up his mind. His primary task was to ascertain the patterns and commonalities of the comatose incidents to find a breakthrough.

He traveled without incident, galloping at full speed. By the afternoon of the next day, Li Yifan arrived at the borders of Black Water Town.

From a distance, Black Water Town was nestled in a basin surrounded by rolling hills. The town was situated by the mountains and water, with the dark-hued "Black Water River" winding past its edge. It was already afternoon, a time when townspeople should have been active, but the entire town appeared unusually quiet. Sparse wisps of cooking smoke rose, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. Even those present hurried along with worried expressions.

Li Yifan dismounted a short distance outside the town and entrusted his horse to a roadside tea stall, paying for ample fodder. Then, like an ordinary wandering martial artist, he walked into Black Water Town.

The atmosphere within the town was even more oppressive. Most shops lining the main street were closed, and those that were open had few customers. Occasionally, townspeople would peek at him, an outsider, from the cracks of their windows, their eyes filled with wariness and unease. An ineffable sense of dread permeated the air.

Li Yifan remained composed. He first walked along the main street, observing the town's layout and environment. Afterward, he entered a small, still-operating tavern. There were only a few patrons inside, all quietly drinking their sorrows away, no one speaking.

"Customer, looking for a meal or lodging?" a dejected waiter approached listlessly.

"A pot of wine, a pound of beef, and a few small dishes," Li Yifan found a corner by the window and sat down, pulling his hood down slightly to reveal half of his young but steady face.

"Right away, please wait a moment." The waiter responded and left.

After the food and wine were served, Li Yifan sipped slowly while casually inquiring with the waiter, "Little brother, what's going on in this town? Why is it so deserted in broad daylight? Everyone looks so troubled."

The waiter sighed and lowered his voice, "Are you a traveler, sir? You don't know, our town… is haunted!"

"Oh? Haunted?" Li Yifan feigned surprise.

"Yes!" The waiter looked around, his voice dropping even lower, "For the past month, several people have gone to sleep soundly at night and couldn't wake up the next day! No amount of calling or shaking works! After a few days… they're gone! Doctors say they're not sick, and the authorities can't find the cause. Now, everyone's afraid to sleep soundly at night and can't focus on work during the day, fearing it might be their turn next!"

"Such a thing has happened?" Li Yifan frowned. "Do you know if the people who fell into comas had anything in common? For example, where they went, or if they came into contact with anything unusual?"

The waiter scratched his head. "This… I'm not too sure. There was a hunter, a farmer, and even a craftsman from town… They lived in different areas too. Oh, right!" He suddenly remembered something. "It seems several of the people who fell into comas lived near the old residential area by the Black Water River, on the west side of town. But some weren't from there, so it's hard to say."

The old residential area by the Black Water River? Li Yifan noted this information. "Are there any strange rumors in town? Or have any strangers been here recently?"

"There are plenty of rumors, some say the Black Water Dragon King in the river is angry, others say a man-eating monster has appeared in the mountains behind us." The waiter shook his head. "As for strangers… our town is remote, not many outsiders come here usually. A while ago, a wandering doctor stayed in town for a few days, treating people. Later, when things got serious, he left. Other than that, occasional merchant caravans pass through to buy mountain goods."

A wandering doctor? Li Yifan's heart stirred, but he showed no outward reaction. "Thank you for the information, little brother."

After finishing his meal, Li Yifan paid and left the tavern. Following the waiter's tip, he decided to first check out the old residential area by the Black Water River on the west side of town.

The further west he went, the older the houses became, and the sparser the population. The Black Water River curved here, its flow relatively gentle, but the water was indeed as black as ink, not reflecting even in the sunlight, exuding an eerie stillness. Ancient trees with dense foliage grew along the riverbank, their branches forming a canopy that blocked out the sun, making the area appear somewhat gloomy even in daylight.

Li Yifan slowed his pace, his spiritual sense quietly spreading out, carefully sensing his surroundings. The air was filled with a faint dampness and the smell of the river, seemingly normal. Yet, he vaguely felt that beneath this stillness, there lay a trace of an extremely faint, elusive cold aura. This aura was different from Nie Wuya's malevolent energy; it leaned more towards a sense of… decay and submersion.

He walked slowly along the riverbank, his sharp eyes scanning every corner. The mud by the river was damp, bearing some messy footprints, both human and animal. Near the corners of some old houses or under trees, he found some dried, dark red stains. They didn't look like bloodstains but rather like some plant sap or… medicinal residue?

He crouched down, dipped his finger into a stain, and brought it to his nose to sniff gently. An extremely faint, peculiar odor, a mixture of fishy sweetness and decay, entered his nostrils. The smell was very faint; if not for his keen spiritual sense, he would have barely detected it.

"This is no ordinary substance." Li Yifan's caution heightened. He took out a small jade bottle, carefully scraped some of the stain samples, and put them away.

Continuing forward, he arrived in front of a dilapidated River God Temple. The temple was small and long abandoned, its divine statue toppled and covered in cobwebs. However, on the stone steps at the temple entrance, he found the same dark red stains, and they appeared fresher than the previous ones.

Li Yifan entered the River God Temple. It was empty inside, filled with dust. But in a pile of weeds in the corner, he found a discarded black earthenware pot, about the size of his palm. The pot was ordinary, but the mouth retained some solidified, dark red viscous substance, emitting the same peculiar odor as the previous stains.

"This is… a container?" Li Yifan carefully wrapped the pot in cloth and stored it in his storage ring. This could very well be an important clue.

Just as he was about to further search the temple, his spiritual sense suddenly detected faint sobbing and a clamor of voices in the distance. The sounds came from deeper within the old residential area.

Li Yifan immediately concealed his presence and moved silently like a cat towards the source of the sound.

Passing through several narrow alleyways, outside a particularly dilapidated courtyard, more than a dozen townspeople were gathered, each with a sorrowful and fearful expression. From within the courtyard, a woman's heart-wrenching cries could be heard: "Husband! Wake up! Don't scare me!"

Li Yifan's heart stirred, and he squeezed through the crowd. Inside the courtyard, a middle-aged man lay stiffly on the ground, his eyes tightly closed, his face pale, his breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible—exactly the symptoms of the coma! Beside him, a woman was weeping over him, while several neighbors stood by, helpless and sighing.

"An… another one! Blacksmith Zhang has also been affected!"

"It's barely past noon! How could this happen in broad daylight…"

"It's over, it's over, this evil is getting fiercer!"

The townspeople murmured amongst themselves, their fear spreading.

Li Yifan's gaze swept over the comatose Blacksmith Zhang, then he carefully observed the courtyard. It was a simple courtyard, with some blacksmithing tools and firewood piled up. His eyes finally landed on a disused well in the corner of the yard. The well was covered with a stone slab, but from the gaps in the slab, a very faint, peculiar odor, similar to that from the pot in the River God Temple, wafted out.

"This well…" Li Yifan stepped forward and cupped his hands towards the weeping woman. "Sister, please accept my condolences. I am a traveling physician passing through, and I have some knowledge of medicine. May I examine this man's condition?"

The woman looked up at Li Yifan, her eyes teary. Seeing that he was young but had a steady demeanor and didn't seem like a bad person, she nodded repeatedly as if grasping at a lifeline. "Sir! Please save my husband! Please!"

The onlookers also cast hopeful glances his way.

Li Yifan crouched down, pretending to take Blacksmith Zhang's pulse, but in reality, he carefully sent a wisp of pure Nine Yang True Qi into the man's body. The true qi circulated once, and he found that Blacksmith Zhang's bodily functions were fine, his blood and qi were stable, but only at the sea of consciousness between his eyebrows, a ball of extremely cold, foul energy was lurking! This energy was slowly eroding his soul and mind, causing him to fall into a deep coma!

"It is indeed a soul injury!" Li Yifan's heart grew solemn. This cold, foul energy was of the same origin as the trace of decay and submersion he had sensed earlier!

He tried to use his Nine Yang True Qi to disperse the foul energy, but as soon as it made contact, the foul energy writhed violently as if it had a life of its own. Not only was it stubborn, but it also showed signs of counterattacking along the true qi! Li Yifan quickly withdrew his true qi, his brow furrowed.

"What a bizarre evil energy! So venomous and sentient, it's definitely not something ordinary demons can possess!" He was secretly alarmed. Forcing it away, with his current cultivation and understanding of the soul, would likely harm Blacksmith Zhang's foundation, and might even alert the enemy.

He withdrew his hand and said solemnly to the woman, "Sister-in-law, this elder brother has been afflicted by a profound demonic possession. His soul is disturbed, and ordinary medicine is ineffective."

Hearing this, the woman cried even harder. The surrounding townsfolk also despaired.

Li Yifan's tone shifted, "However, it's not entirely hopeless. If the root cause can be found, there might be a sliver of a chance. Sister-in-law, before Brother Zhang fell asleep today, did he go anywhere? Or come into contact with anything unusual?"

The woman tried to recall, sobbing, "My husband... he was still at the forge in the morning, hammering iron. He came back for lunch and said he was a bit tired and wanted to rest... He just sat on that stone bench in the courtyard for a while, and then... he collapsed!" She pointed to a stone bench in the courtyard near a disused well.

The well! Li Yifan's gaze refocused on the disused well. The smell was coming from there!

He walked to the well and examined it closely. The stone slab covering the well was sealed tightly, but the strange odor was indeed seeping through the cracks. He motioned for everyone to step back, then circulated his true qi and carefully lifted the stone slab.

A more potent, cold, and eerie aura, a mixture of fishy sweetness and decay, surged from the well opening! The townsfolk nearby were hit by this miasma and felt a wave of dizziness, retreating with looks of terror.

Li Yifan held his breath, resisting with his qi, and peered down into the well. It was deep, and there seemed to be water at the bottom. It was pitch black, making it impossible to see the bottom. However, the source of the dense evil energy seemed to be within this well water!

"The problem is likely in this well!" Li Yifan concluded in his heart. He replaced the stone slab and said to the crowd, "This well has been contaminated by malevolent forces. Everyone, do not approach it, and certainly do not drink its water! Brother Zhang's illness might stem from this. I will investigate. For now, everyone should disperse. Be sure to lock your doors tightly tonight and be very careful."

The townsfolk were skeptical, but seeing Li Yifan's confident assertion, and having experienced the sinister aura from the well themselves, they could only disperse as instructed. However, the fear in their eyes did not diminish.

Li Yifan comforted Blacksmith Zhang's family and left some ordinary pills to calm the nerves and replenish qi, instructing them to take good care of him. Afterward, he left the courtyard but did not go far. Instead, he found a hidden vantage point nearby and secretly monitored the disused well and the surrounding area.

He had a premonition that the sleeping incident in Black Water Town was far from a mere coincidence. The evil energy in the well, and the clay jars discovered at the River God Temple, seemed to point towards a conscious entity or a conspiracy. The well's aura was already so potent during the day; at night, when the yin energy was at its peak, perhaps new discoveries would be made.

The sun gradually set, and night began to shroud Black Water Town. The town became even more deathly silent. Every household closed their doors and windows early, with sparse lights flickering, making it resemble a ghost town. Li Yifan suppressed his entire aura, blending into the shadows, patiently waiting.

He knew that the real confrontation might have only just begun.