"It's you?"
After experiencing a shock that shattered her worldview, Chen Ying finally came to her senses and immediately headed towards the port.
She didn't know what was going on, but reason told her it couldn't be that simple. A spell that could drive all the sorcerer families in the world crazy was being used as a dowry for a concubine? That was almost as outrageous as exchanging half the country for a prostitute!
She couldn't understand what was happening. She desperately needed someone to guide her, and the person she trusted most in the world was naturally her teacher...
But when they arrived at the port, they suddenly remembered that there were no more ships at the dock.
The docks today are completely different from the bustling scene of a few days ago. A few days ago, cargo ships came one after another, and there were at least a thousand laborers at the docks. Even at midnight, the docks were brightly lit and bustling with activity. She still remembered that Ma Erniang at the entrance Heavenly Capital.
But ever since the white mist appeared on the river, the dock has become increasingly deserted, almost returning to the scene when the Liuzhou dock was abandoned.
However, at this moment, a figure appeared at the dock that surprised Chen Ying.
The woman, dressed in red, looked alluring and delicate, standing alone on the dock, evoking pity.
Isn't this the beautiful concubine of Chen Qing that Master asked me to escort here before?
No... does that mean I'm already the second concubine?
Thinking of this, Chen Ying felt even more uneasy looking at the guy in front of her, and couldn't help but grit her teeth...
"Where are you going, young lady?"
The speaker was A Li, who had always stayed in Cui Yan's former courtyard. She had to have her three meals delivered to her every day and rarely went out. This time, however, she had gone so far, which was unusual for her.
"That's what I wanted to ask," Chen Ying said coldly, looking at the other person. "Where are you going?"
"Oh?" A Li chuckled sweetly, "I thought Lord Chen didn't care about me anymore, but I didn't expect him to still send someone to find me."
"You're overthinking it..." Chen Ying sneered.
So, that guy surnamed Chen really didn't care much about his delicate concubine; she almost ran away and he didn't even realize it...
Thinking of this, Chen Ying didn't even realize that the corners of her mouth had unconsciously turned up.
"Does that girl want to leave by boat?" A Li asked with a smile.
"You want to run away too?" Chen Ying looked at the other person with amusement.
"I kind of want to..." A Li nodded honestly, glancing at the layer of mist on the river that seemed to never dissipate.
Chen Ying was taken aback and looked at the river as well. Her expression immediately turned serious. She had been summoned by that man surnamed Chen to check on it that morning, but to her surprise, the fog showed no sign of dissipating by noon. Did this mean something?
Just then, the silhouette of a ship slowly emerged from the mist in the distance.
"A ship is coming?" Chen Ying's heart skipped a beat. If she wasn't mistaken, this might be the first ship to enter the port today.
But as the ship drew closer, they saw a group of people on deck jumping up and down in anger.
What on earth is going on?
The ship was clearly filled with merchants, and they all looked like they were in tears.
"What kind of boatmanship do you have?" a fat merchant yelled at the old sailor at the helm, "You call yourself an old boatman? You've been going around in circles for days, and you've turned back!"
"Gentlemen, it's really not my fault!" The muscular boatman gave a wry smile. "I've been helmsman for so many years, and this is the first time I've encountered such a strange situation. I've traveled this river route countless times over the decades; I could navigate it with my eyes closed without making a mistake. Especially this last time, I was going to take a straight line, intending to bypass the waterway through Whitewater County, but this strange fog..."
The boatman felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about what had just happened. It felt like he was trapped in a loop, no matter which way he went, which way he turned, or which way he took, he would eventually bring the boat back!
and...
"Sir, look!" The boatman pointed to the sky with a helpless, bitter smile, "It's that time of day again!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked up and felt a chill run down their spines. How strange! It was just dusk a moment ago, how come the sun is already high in the sky again?
"You just said you've been wandering around in this fog for days?"
Hearing this, Chen Ying, who had been listening in, approached and asked with a serious expression.
Who is this young lady?
Seeing the two beautiful women, the ship merchants' mood immediately improved.
Some of them even had their eyes darting around furtively.
With such beauty, whose daughter is she? She even came here without a single servant!
If we could get it to Heavenly Capital, we could probably sell it for a hefty price!
"Answer my question!" Chen Ying was too lazy to argue with these merchants. With a flick of her magic, a gust of wind pressure swept over them, and before any of the merchants could react, they all knelt down with a thud.
Some worldly merchants immediately realized what was happening and kowtowed repeatedly. "Are you an official from the Yin-Yang Academy? We were blind and offended you, please forgive us!"
"You just said you've been wandering in the fog for several days?"
"Yes..." The merchants kowtowed repeatedly like chickens pecking at rice, even though they didn't know what the Yin-Yang Academy was, they were still quite frightened by the strange magic.
Are you kidding me? They can make you kneel on the ground and unable to get up without even using their hands or feet. That kind of ability is something these vendors can't mess with.
"How is this possible..." Chen Ying stared blankly at the mist by the river upon hearing this. If she remembered correctly, this mist had only appeared yesterday, right?
"When did you set off?" A Li had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
"They probably set off four days ago!" one of the merchants calculated.
"Say the calendar!" A Li said coldly.
"Uh... the fourth day, yes, the fourth day, I remember!" the merchant hurriedly said, "Isn't Liuzhou duty-free? After we made a fortune on our last shipment, we wanted to make a second trip while the momentum was still high. We urged that cloth merchant surnamed Wang to deliver the goods, but he delayed us for two days, and the goods didn't arrive until the evening of the third day. We inspected and loaded the goods overnight, and set sail early on the fourth day. I remember it clearly, there's no mistake!"
The fourth day of the lunar new year?
A Li and Chen Ying exchanged a strange look. The other party said they had been at sea for four days, but the fourth day of the lunar month... was clearly yesterday!
"Do you know why?" Chen Ying asked, looking at A Li.
A Li, unusually serious, shook her head.
She came to the dock because she had a premonition, as if something dangerous was approaching.
This feeling made her very uncomfortable. Even after Samsara for a thousand years, she had never experienced this sense of crisis that gave her goosebumps all over her body.
You must understand, she is a Samsara demon, unafraid of death; for beings like her, death is merely a new beginning.
but...
What was about to arrive made her feel a threat unlike any she had ever felt before, as if encountering it would pose a real life-or-death crisis!
"Let's go!" Chen Ying boarded the ship and Human Dao, "Get up, set sail, I'll go with you!"
"This..." The group of merchants exchanged glances, hesitant for a moment. After all, the fog did seem rather eerie, but they dared not disobey their ancestor. Finally, the leader gritted his teeth and said, " Old Li, set sail!"
Perhaps it's not a bad thing. With adults from the Yin-Yang Academy following along, they might be able to find their way out of the fog, and maybe they'll be able to sell their goods in time.
"Aren't you coming?" Chen Ying asked, looking at A Li who showed no sign of boarding the ship.
A Li hesitated for a moment, then finally shook her head.
She felt... it would be safer to go back to Chen Qing's place...
--
The ship set sail extremely fast under Chen Ying's Wind Travel Technique, leaving the dock in just a few breaths and heading into the thick fog.
A Li frowned, turned around to leave, but suddenly saw Chen Qing rushing over.
"My husband is here too?" A Li asked with a smile.
"Where is Chen Ying?" Chen Qing asked directly.
"Oh dear, I thought my husband was worried about me, but it turns out he's worried about that wild woman outside!" A Li said coquettishly.
"Speak up when I ask you a question!" Chen Qing said coldly, "You should be able to sense it, shouldn't you? With this thick fog surrounding you, the guys in the capital who can protect you might not be so useful!"
"And what about you, my lord?" A Li looked earnestly at Chen Qing: "Can you protect me?"
"That depends on whether you cooperate or not."
"How does Your Excellency wish me to cooperate?" A Li approached with a smile, whispering in Chen Qing's ear, "Would you like me to lie down or stand up?"
Chen Qing: "..."
"Alright... I was just joking." A Li looked at Chen Qing's dark face, stopped teasing, and pointed to the riverbank, saying, "A boat just came by, and the merchants on board said some strange things, and your little lover ran off with them."
"Strange words?" Chen Qing asked hurriedly, "Say those words word for word so I can hear them."
"Oh dear, how could I possibly remember?"
Do you believe I'll have you thrown into the river?
"Is the adult truly so heartless?"
Seeing Chen Qing's increasingly dangerous gaze, A Li's heart skipped a beat, and she scoffed, "A man as hard as stone, so boring."
He then briefly recounted what the merchants had just said.
"They traveled back and forth in the fog for three days? Emerging each time at dusk?"
"Yes..." A Li squinted and smiled, "My lord, tell me, which powerful being in this fog is so mischievous? Having the leisure to toy with these hard-earned merchants?"
"It's not a joke..." Chen Qing shook his head. "It's to protect them!"
"Protect?" A Li was taken aback.
Before he could ask any more questions, Chen Qing turned and left.
"Hey, sir, where are you going?"
"Looking for someone!"
Chen Qing walked quickly without looking back, secretly making plans in his mind.
Frankly speaking, the chances of Chen Ying encountering the Shen Family are slim, because the world inside that fog is infinitely complex. Back then, millions of players were trapped inside, and many players didn't encounter a single fellow player even after three days and three nights.
However, a low probability doesn't mean it's impossible; some unexpected events should still be avoided.
"Hey, sir, wait for me..."
A Li, who had been following behind Chen Qing, couldn't help but frown. Her abilities were sealed, and she was pregnant. Her physical strength was even worse than that of an ordinary woman. She had been following Chen Qing for more than half an hour, and her feet were blistered. He didn't even think to wait for her. This Chen guy really didn't know how to cherish a woman.
Just as she was about to complain, a chilling and terrifying feeling suddenly surged into her heart, causing her to abruptly look up.
Unbeknownst to them, the two had arrived at a desolate place. This extremely barren place was devoid of even a single weed, clearly a place where even dogs wouldn't venture, yet it now made her feel extremely dangerous.
There's a fog ahead.
Unlike the fog on the river, this fog had a faint black tinge, like a layer of hazy black veil!
" Chen Qing, where is this? Don't come any closer!" A Li warned hurriedly.
She could feel a terror unlike anything she'd ever experienced in a thousand years, giving her an urge to run away.
Chen Qing ignored A Li and instead called out into the black mist, "Is Commander Yuchi here? Please show yourself!"