The group arrived at Pingding Mountain.
As they neared the mountain village, their spirits lifted, and they even began chatting and laughing.
If they could spend the night in the village, it would be relatively safe. They only needed to hold out one more day before joining the Forbidden Guards.
Only Ren Qing's expression grew increasingly grave. He deliberately led the group at a slower pace, taking the opportunity to observe their surroundings.
Those villagers who had suddenly left had been gone for more than half an hour without returning. They must have encountered some accident.
Or perhaps something had driven them away?
Xiao Wu scratched the mosquito bite swelling on his face and could not help saying excitedly, "We're finally reaching the village."
"Li Quan, are you home?!!"
Guo Qing shouted loudly as he rushed along the winding path toward the village atop the mountain.
Yet all that answered him was deathly silence. Only the mountain wind whistled strangely as it passed through the cracks between the thatched huts.
The bizarrely shaped trees around them looked inexplicably eerie beneath the shroud of shadow.
Refusing to believe it, Guo Qing charged into the village, with Wang Wen and the others hurrying after him.
Ren Qing stopped Xiao Wu and Zhu Ding. Standing at the village entrance, he continuously surveyed the surroundings with his Double Pupils and quickly found where the footprints converged.
He walked over and bent down to inspect the footprints, discovering that they were all equally deep, even the spacing between steps nearly identical.
"What is it, Qing Ge'er..."
Xiao Wu's voice trembled, but when he saw that Ren Qing remained relatively calm, he quickly steadied himself as well.
"It's nothing. I'm just looking around before finding a house to stay in for the night."
A suspicion arose in Ren Qing's heart, and he followed the footprints deeper into the village.
Having lost his backbone, Zhu Ding could not help edging closer and asking softly, "Officer Ren, why is there no one left in the village?"
"Don't scare yourselves. Maybe they left temporarily because of some urgent matter."
Ren Qing arrived at the end of the footprints. It was a Sky-Piercing Tree that had grown for several centuries; the villagers should have gathered here.
There was nothing unusual about the Sky-Piercing Tree itself, but Ren Qing noticed streak-like marks on its trunk, seemingly left behind by dried slime.
Ren Qing carefully examined the marks, then picked up an insect carcass. There were actually bits of flesh mixed within it.
A snail.
Song Rong...
His target truly was the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone, and he had set out several days before the Forbidden Guards. Perhaps he had already found the Forbidden Zone.
As for why he had risked discovery by the Forbidden Guards to return to Pingding Village and control the villagers, Ren Qing could not figure it out either.
Ren Qing subconsciously gripped the Blood Heart the Yamen had distributed beforehand in his robes. If he wished, he could contact the Forbidden Guards and have them come.
But now that he had figured out the situation, his mind instead settled.
On the way here, his Double Pupils had not detected any insects or animals carrying eyeballs. This meant Song Rong did not dare recklessly scatter spies everywhere.
Therefore, with Song Rong's cautious nature, he would never reveal himself easily in such a situation.
Moreover, he was already in his twilight years. Even extending his lifespan could not change his frail body, making it even less likely that he would expose himself in plain sight.
Ren Qing only needed to remain alert against attacks by wild beasts. They should still be safe.
At that moment, Guo Qing emerged from a nearby thatched hut with shock written all over his face.
He said to Ren Qing, "Officer, every house in the village is empty. There are even meals still laid out on some of the tables..."
Wang Wen, who had been a step slower, believed the villagers had been transferred away by the Forbidden Guards, so he paid it no mind.
"Since there are no signs of fighting, the villagers must have left of their own accord."
After discussing it for a while, they saw that Pingding Mountain was about to be swallowed by darkness. There was no way they could travel the mountain roads at night.
Ren Qing promptly instructed, "Let's stay here for the night. We'll set out again at dawn tomorrow."
He chose a larger thatched hut and quickly used flint to ignite some firewood. The warm flames gradually drove away the chill.
They could also warm the dried rations they carried over the fire; otherwise, they would be far too hard to eat.
The mountain damp was shut outside, while the temperature difference between morning and night was close to ten degrees.
Xiao Wu yawned, and the fatigue of traveling all day immediately erupted among the group. Everyone could not help feeling sleepy.
Ren Qing felt fairly well. With Strange Mouth keeping Pig Eyes digesting in his stomach, his strength was continuously replenished.
"I'll arrange the night watch first, so everyone can get some rest."
Since there were seven of them, Ren Qing, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Ding formed one group, while the remaining Fire Workers and constables split into pairs.
Each group would keep watch for about two hours, allowing them to stay focused.
Ren Qing reminded them, "Remember, even if you need to relieve yourselves, do not go far from the house. There may be wild beasts in the mountains."
Everyone agreed repeatedly. They used furniture to brace the wooden door shut so the mountain wind would not blow it open.
Those who were not on watch lay down beside the bonfire, and snores occasionally rose from among them.
Zhu Ding stood vigilantly by the window. Whenever he grew sleepy, he stood up and walked a few laps.
Xiao Wu washed his face with water, then walked over to Ren Qing and said, "Qing Ge'er, you should rest for a while. Zhu Ding and I can keep watch."
"How can I rest? In extraordinary times, we cannot let down our guard in the slightest."
Ren Qing's gaze swept over the forest outside the window, where he could vaguely see bats flying past the treetops.
Xiao Wu did not disturb him further. After adding some firewood to the bonfire, he went to stand watch.
Ren Qing silently pondered Song Rong's purpose in coming to the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone. It felt as though only a layer of window paper separated him from the answer, yet he simply could not pierce it.
He simply changed his way of thinking.
If I were Song Rong, why would I go to the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone...
Song Rong's cultivation had to advance through Eerie Objects following the same Aberration path. Could there be Ghost Envoy Realm Eerie Objects related to the Hundred-Eyed and Skin Peeler within the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone?
Impossible. The Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone had not displayed any similar abilities at all.
Song Rong would never do anything without certainty.
Unless he had confirmed that the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone contained the Eerie Object he wanted. Perhaps it had nothing to do with either the Hundred-Eyed or the Skin Peeler.
Ren Qing realized that Song Rong used eyeballs to possess animals, and suddenly understood. His expression became exceedingly complicated.
To control animals from afar, even indirectly, could not be accomplished by relying solely on the Hundred-Eyed's ability to create Illusions.
That meant Song Rong possessed a third Art.
In fact, the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone had demonstrated a similar ability. It could control Fire Workers from a great distance, and the two should follow the same Aberration path.
It seemed the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone truly contained the Ghost Envoy Realm Eerie Object Song Rong wanted.
Ren Qing was fortunate that he possessed the Information Flow.
This showed just how great the drawbacks of mastering Arts by devouring Eerie Objects were. Otherwise, how could Song Rong have been trapped in the mere Half-Corpse Realm?
No matter how deeply Song Rong schemed, once he entered the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone, his life and death would still depend on fate.
Ren Qing had no particularly good way to respond. He could only wait until he joined the Forbidden Guards; whatever happened afterward would have nothing to do with him.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The night watch was taken over by another group. Ren Qing lay beside the bonfire and pretended to sleep, while secretly devoting part of his attention to contemplating the Eye-less Method.
And in the darkness, a pack of mountain wolves was racing toward Pingding Mountain.
Thanks to readers 160506141214740, Wooden Dragon Diagram, and There's Juice for their tips.
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