After spending most of the day, the temporary camp gradually took shape under everyone's arrangements.
To avoid disturbing the Forbidden Guards, the Yamen Runners lived on the outer side, while the Forbidden Guards occupied the inner side, with roughly a hundred meters between them.
The tents were braced and reinforced, with firewood specially stockpiled for later use. Rabbit meat from the day's hunt began roasting over the campfire.
A mouthwatering aroma of meat drifted through the air.
The setting sun hung low as everyone sat around the fire, chatting and laughing.
Compared with traveling nonstop for two days, settling down was undoubtedly much easier. Besides, there were no signs of carnivorous beasts nearby.
Only the water supply posed a rather troublesome problem.
Ren Qing had found only a mountain spring that trickled like a thin stream nearby. It was nowhere near enough for the daily needs of dozens of people, much less the Yamen Runners who might continue arriving.
Wang Wen suggested, "Officer Ren, why don't we go up the mountain tomorrow to look for water?"
Ren Qing shook his head. "We'll wait until the Forbidden Guard lords return to camp before deciding."
The Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone might be nearby. If they strayed too far from camp and accidentally entered it, they would not even know how they died.
Xiao Wu stared greedily at the roasting rabbit and interrupted, "Let's eat something first..."
Seven people sharing a single roasted rabbit could not be helped. Most of the other prey had to be saved for the Forbidden Guards.
Just as Ren Qing was about to cut the rabbit apart with his knife, he suddenly noticed footsteps echoing from within the Karst Cave. Two figures were gradually approaching.
Everyone exchanged looks before turning toward the cave entrance.
Song Zongwu emerged with a green-haired woman. Judging by their waist tokens, they truly were Forbidden Guards.
The two radiated an aura that warned strangers to keep away. Though their loose clothing somewhat concealed their Aberrations, their bodies still looked distinctly strange.
Everyone swallowed in unison. Still, apart from Xiao Wu and Zhu Ding, the rest had interacted with Forbidden Guards to some extent.
Wang Wen kept signaling at the two of them. It would be bad if they offended the Forbidden Guards over this.
Song Zongwu walked straight to the campfire, wholly unconcerned by the fearful gazes around him. The person he sought was Ren Qing.
He said in a deep voice, "Ren Qing, you will manage this camp. Starting tomorrow, dispatch Yamen Runners to carry sand and soil in and out of the Karst Cave."
"Hm?"
Ren Qing froze. He had thought coming to the Forbidden Zone would involve some danger, but he had not expected that he truly was here to help the Forbidden Guards mine.
Song Zongwu nodded. "Ren Qing, come with us. We mainly need to mark out the passable areas."
The green-haired woman looked somewhat surprised.
She had not expected to be specifically summoned for this. Could it be that they were also going near the Forbidden Zone?
Ren Qing hurriedly rose and followed behind them.
He could not help looking upward. From halfway up the mountain onward, Camel Peak Mountain was blanketed in dense vegetation and shrouded in thick mist. Even Double Pupils could not make out the situation clearly.
The three stepped onto a path that had been opened up.
As they walked, Song Zongwu chatted casually with the green-haired woman. From what their conversation revealed, the Forbidden Zone lay within Camel Peak Mountain.
Ren Qing had not expected the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone to be so close to the temporary camp. Were they not afraid that something might suddenly go wrong?
Whenever the green-haired woman spoke of the Forbidden Zone, she could not help glancing at Ren Qing several times, clearly harboring concerns.
Seeing this, Song Zongwu said, "Ren Qing has come into contact with Arts. Though he has not reached the level of a Forbidden Guard, there is no harm in letting him know the relevant information."
Ren Qing did not speak to defend himself. He understood Song Zongwu's goodwill.
Because of Song Rong's involvement, sealing the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone had gained a few more variables. If he encountered danger, he would inevitably have to use an Art.
If the Forbidden Guards knew nothing of his circumstances, it could easily lead to misunderstandings.
He simply admitted it. "Senior, I encountered it by chance, but I have only just begun."
The green-haired woman's expression eased, and she gave Ren Qing a slight nod of approval.
For Song Zongwu to value him so highly, he clearly possessed outstanding talent. Perhaps before long, he would be able to join the Forbidden Guards.
After that, the two no longer held back much in their conversation.
Ren Qing pricked up his ears and listened all along the way.
According to them, the more Eerie Objects a Forbidden Zone involved, the more exaggerated the phenomena it formed became. There had even been cases where scorched earth stretched for a thousand miles.
The core Eerie Object of the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone was in the Ghost Envoy Realm. Yet by devouring a vast number of Eerie Objects, its power had reached the very limit of the Ghost Envoy Realm.
Within such a terrifying Forbidden Zone, distortion had already formed both inside and out.
On the surface, it might span only a few miles. But once one truly stepped inside, what lay ahead might be an endlessly vast plain.
Moreover, the Eerie Objects influenced one another, making the Forbidden Zone exceedingly intricate and unpredictable.
According to the Yamen's records, the Ghost Envoy Realm Forbidden Zones dealt with over the past ten years could be counted on one hand. Each had been handled only because it threatened Sanxiang City.
They twisted and turned for several hours, only drawing close in the dead of night.
The main reason was that Camel Peak Mountain consisted of two peaks, making its area far larger than that of an ordinary mountain.
By then, raindrops had begun falling from the sky, mixed with hailstones the size of fingernails that struck painfully against their bodies.
Ren Qing could not help looking back. Down the mountain, there was not the slightest sign of rain.
It was already gradually entering summer. Such abnormal weather had to be caused by the Forbidden Zone.
Ren Qing felt the temperature growing colder and colder. He noticed that the vegetation near the mountaintop remained exceptionally lush, though it looked somewhat unnatural.
The leaves were verdant and luxuriant, yet the branches already carried a hint of death. Not a single insect or small animal could be seen.
The path up the mountain was blocked by vegetation.
Song Zongwu said, "Mu Yi, make your move. I'll check whether the Forbidden Zone has changed."
"Alright."
With a wave of the green-haired woman's hand, the plants automatically parted, leaving behind a gap half a meter wide.
Dense mist appeared before them, constantly churning like a storm-tossed sea.
Using Double Pupils, Ren Qing discovered that beneath Mu Yi's fair, jade-like skin, the vessels forming her meridians were actually plant roots and stems. Even the blood flowing through them was dark green.
It was clear that the plants had all been planted by this Forbidden Guard called Mu Yi, meant to temporarily seal the Forbidden Zone.
Song Zongwu stopped walking, his Six Eyes releasing a crimson glow as they stared ahead.
Ren Qing asked curiously, "Senior Song, have we reached the outer perimeter of the Forbidden Zone?"
"Not even close. The true Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone may cover only one-tenth, or even one-hundredth, of the sealed area."
Mu Yi patiently explained as well, "Whether the plants or the mist, they are only temporary measures we use to seal it. If you truly approach the Forbidden Zone, you'll fall into it in the blink of an eye."
The two then led Ren Qing several meters farther ahead.
Ren Qing unconsciously rotated his Double Pupils. A stabbing pain immediately arose in his head, and his memories from the past two days began to blur.
He stared unblinkingly at the dense mist, his expression gradually turning vacant.
Song Zongwu's six blood eyes opened. He placed a hand on Ren Qing's shoulder, intending to forcibly pull him back.
At that moment, Ren Qing found himself within the dense mist. His vision slowly penetrated deeper into Camel Peak Mountain, and in a daze, it felt as though his soul had left his body.
He was in a state of neither sorrow nor joy. He could sense that he could return at any time, and he even had a faint awareness of danger.
Ren Qing did not know that, through a fortunate coincidence, he had borrowed a trace of the Twin Nightmare Ghosts' abilities after the Double-Pupil User's Aberration.
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