[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies":3,"chapter-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-358":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Kraft Anomalous Studies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283836,4467,"Chapter 358: The Old Path","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-358",358,"\u003Cp>“My lord, where are we going now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Field crouched low over his horse’s neck, the damp wind carrying the scent of mane into his nostrils, each word emerging with an involuntary curl of the tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This family, long hidden in the deep mountains, retained a sharp military bearing; after quickly ascertaining the situation in a few brief words, they set off light and fast, carrying only a few days’ rations and clean water, leading the way toward an unfamiliar direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a terrifying speed, they cut diagonally across the stream valley and crashed into the forest still sunk in its dazed shadow, moving farther and farther from the main path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A shortcut.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A reply as blunt as his demeanor drifted from ahead, with no further exchange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since setting out, Field had learned only one thing: the middle-aged man’s full name, Benedict. And that he and the young squire, Lu Xiusi, were indeed father and son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiusi, however, was more talkative than his father and grandfather, retaining an untamed liveliness and eager to converse with outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chasing directly won’t catch him, but if we move fast enough, we might cut him off by going through here.” He explained, his tone brimming with confidence in the terrain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know where he’s headed?” Despite focusing entirely on controlling his horse, Field caught the unspoken implication, “Has this happened before in your territory?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct.” Noticing the guest was unskilled in riding, Benedict slowed slightly, closing the distance, “My father handled it before; now it’s my turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Field’s surprise, he detected no pride in the man’s acceptance of responsibility—he had assumed such a family would cherish such symbolic inheritance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following custom, he politely commended him: “Your family’s benevolence brings honor to your name—might you elaborate, so I may recount these deeds?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Venturing into the mountains to search for lost villagers was no ordinary lord’s duty. And to do so repeatedly, until it became tradition, could serve as a model of knightly virtue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s not as you imagine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Benedict himself denied the honor, slowing further until he rode nearly shoulder to shoulder, as if ensuring Field heard every word: “We do it only for the survival of our territory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And I advise you: once you find your companion, leave quickly—if we can find him at all—don’t try to uncover the reasons behind it. Those who dwell on such matters never meet a good end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For such a taciturn man to utter a full sentence like that was rare, his tone grave and rigid, almost a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curiosity urged Field to press further, but having been plainly told it was inappropriate, he fell silent, unsure how to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Lu Xiusi smoothed the tension: “Please don’t take offense—it’s merely a well-intentioned reminder from past experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t doubt our sincerity. Helping you is helping ourselves. Last year’s harvest was poor; if we lose another season’s grain, the village may not survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lu Xiusi!” Benedict sharply cut his son off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explanation did not resolve Field’s doubts—he only felt more questions rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I am no coward. The journey ahead concerns the lives of my brothers in the Church; no matter how dangerous, I must understand what lies ahead.” Field pleaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if some evil or occult force truly exists, I trust the Father’s light will protect me. Do not insult a monk’s devout resolve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to die Qingxing ly while seeking the truth than be forever trapped by the fog that devours the mind of one’s companion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone-like guide gave no immediate reply. The silence grew terrifying. Lu Xiusi dared not speak. Only the occasional clatter of hooves striking tree roots beneath the earth echoed like a wooden bell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rising light, unnoticed, reached the space between two mountains, revealing a patch of unnatural barren slope from behind the black curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soil-rock surface held only low scrub and a few young trees, lying before exposed rock walls, forcing the path and tiny streams into grotesque detours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the slope’s end, faintly visible were worked stone blocks—like discarded building blocks crushed and piled together by a giant hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single glance, before the mind even recognized what it was, triggered reflexive terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This was once a village,” Benedict spoke, perhaps the shocking sight having cracked open a fissure in his stone-like composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It existed before our family came to this fief. Locals believed in something that dwelled high up, linked to rare, erratic downpours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean…” Field started to say he had studied local folk records, but could not find the right term for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know other places have similar tales, but their customs differ: they always retrieve those who flee madly into the mountains, to prevent them from summoning ‘that thing.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our ancestors first thought it was the superstitious fear of fools, blaming floods triggered by storms on those who could never return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But two strange downpours within three years changed his mind. The first vanished a missionary; the second, his long-serving scribe. The off-season flood that followed plunged the territory into an agonizing time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the road deteriorating, the three slowed again, making Benedict’s tale clearer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do not mean to question your faith, but perhaps there are places where the Father’s light cannot reach—places one ought not tread.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this village failed to stop the madman who escaped?” Field carefully guided his reins around obstacles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unusual terrain, combined with shallow root systems, made the road especially treacherous; one misstep could plunge into mud soaked with ruins, thick and sticky as if dragging the horse with the hands of drowned souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They were always careful—more so than we are. Most times, they restrained those showing signs of madness before trouble arose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It wasn’t their fault—it was an accident no one foresaw. About twenty years ago, an unprecedented storm trapped them. Everyone stayed indoors, sheltering, counting supplies. But the rain was too heavy—so heavy that half the mountain turned to flowing sludge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What I’m about to say may be offensive, even heretical—please forgive me—but before that storm, there was…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Field froze. A grotesque, horrifying thought slithered toward him, sparked by the sudden clarity threading through the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips moved unconsciously, voicing the half-sentence Benedict had left unsaid:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Church party passed through here…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1048,"2026-06-20T02:15:56.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7b42bf960b26bf4aae6a5e79fb7f5e02eab109436e9f6bb0aac9e0ea0dd9c5f8","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-359","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-357",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]