Chapter 403: First Arrival in the False Song

It felt as if he had passed through a cold, viscous wall of water, and also as if he had struggled for a long time in raging waves.

When the tremendous repelling force acting on his mind and body suddenly vanished, Chen Wen felt solid ground beneath his feet and stepped back onto firm earth.

His body swayed slightly, then he immediately steadied himself.

Right after, Qian Gui stumbled out, face pale, breathing ragged—clearly the passage had taken a heavy toll on him.

"Cough… My lord, are you unharmed?"

Qian Gui suppressed the surging qi and blood, immediately looking toward Chen Wen with concern.

"It's fine."

Chen Wen waved a hand; though his face was also a little pale, his eyes remained clear and sharp.

With four times the physique and willpower, he recovered from the passage's side effects faster than Qian Gui.

He quickly glanced around.

It was a weed-choked slope, the terrain relatively gentle, with low hills and expansive farmland visible in the distance.

It was afternoon; the sun was somewhat glaring, and the air was filled with the scent of soil and plants.

At first glance, it differed little from the ordinary countryside of the northern Chen Dynasty.

Yet, in Chen Wen's perception, this world was utterly different.

Almost the moment he set foot here, his "Shi Yong" ability activated on its own.

A hard-to-describe sense of stagnation and oppression weighed on his heart.

If the "fortune momentum" within the Chen Dynasty were like a spring meadow—though occasionally scarred, overall it was vibrant and teeming with life;

then the fortune momentum here was more like a strictly regulated pool of dead water—calm on the surface, lacking natural vitality within, as if bound by an invisible chain, slowly flowing along a set course.

This was the False Song, a world meticulously recreated by the master of the Iron Crow Army, strictly following a "historical script," and it gave him his first impression.

The Shi Yong ability was not weakened here; rather, due to the surroundings' stiffness and oppression, those few discordant "light points" became even clearer in his perception.

He closed his eyes and carefully distinguished them.

The light point that felt especially vivid and lively in the direction of Hebei Circuit remained steadily present, like a lighthouse in the night, guiding his way.

Its position lay roughly to the southwest, not too far from where they had landed.

"We shouldn't linger here; let's leave first."

Chen Wen suppressed his many feelings and spoke in a low voice.

Although Zhao Lao Nian had not strictly limited the return time, lingering near the passage entrance still posed a risk.

Qian Gui also immediately focused his mind, displaying the quality of a professional intelligence operative.

He quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain, vegetation, and the orientation of distant fields, then took out a simple silk map from his bosom and compared it.

"My lord, judging by the map and terrain, we are likely in the False Song Hebei West Circuit, under Zhen Prefecture; the exact location still needs to be confirmed by asking locals."

"To the southwest… if my sense is correct, that should be Zhao Prefecture."

Chen Wen nodded.

"Let's go—first find a populated place to get clear information."

The two tidied their somewhat disheveled ordinary cloth clothes, confirmed they carried no markings that could reveal their identities, then descended the slope toward a lane that looked like a rural dirt road.

The soil underfoot was loose, the roadside weeds dusted with dirt; everything felt utterly real, no different from the Chen Dynasty's interior.

But that strange feeling in Chen Wen's heart persisted.

The fortune momentum here was too oppressive, as if the whole world lacked a vitality called "hope."

Along the way, occasional farm laborers could be seen in the fields, their clothes ragged, faces sallow; upon seeing Chen Wen and Qian Gui, two strangers dressed as itinerant merchants, most merely lifted their eyes dully before returning to work, rarely initiating conversation.

That silence and numbness contrasted sharply with the weary yet hopeful looks of the people during the post-disaster reconstruction in the Chen Dynasty.

"Sir, excuse the intrusion."

Qian Gui found an old farmer resting by the field's edge, put on a friendly smile, and approached him speaking Mandarin with a slight Hebei accent.

"We are passing merchants who accidentally lost our way; may I ask, sir, what region is this? Which direction leads to Zhao Prefecture?"

The old farmer eyed them warily at first, but seeing their ordinary clothes and kind faces, not resembling bandits, he replied in a hoarse voice.

"This is the area of Yuan Shi County under Zhen Prefecture."

"To reach Zhao Prefecture, continue southwest along this road; it will take another two or three days."

"Thank you, sir."

Qian Gui thanked him, then slipped a few copper coins from his bosom into the old farmer's hand.

"A small token—buy yourself a bowl of water."

The old farmer blinked, a flicker of surprise in his cloudy eyes, and quickly waved his hands.

"You shouldn't, you shouldn't—one shouldn't take money just for giving directions…"

"Sir, you're being polite; it's only proper."

Qian Gui insisted on pressing the coins into his hand, then went on to ask.

"We see that this year's harvest seems poor; are the people's lives difficult?"

The old farmer held the few coins, sighed, and opened up a little.

"Ah, it certainly isn't."

"For the past two years, heaven has given no grain; the harvest is bad, yet the rent cannot be reduced by even a single coin."

"The authorities recently levied an additional 'spring tax,' saying it's to train troops and guard the borders… these days are hard to endure."

He shook his head, said no more, pocketed the coins, shouldered his hoe, and trudged toward the deeper fields with an unsteady gait.

Qian Gui returned to Chen Wen's side and spoke softly.

"My lord, it seems the commoners' burden here in False Song is heavy; popular sentiment may be resentful."

Chen Wen gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the somewhat barren land and the distant low, dilapidated village.

What the Iron Crow Army maintains is merely the macroscopic historical trajectory; as for how much suffering the common people endure beneath this trajectory, that is probably not what it cares about.

Perhaps, this is one of our opportunities.

He once again confirmed the existence of that 'Fortune Momentum light point' in the southwest direction in his mind.

It remained bright, and due to the distance closing in, it felt somewhat clearer.

It was a feeling full of sharp vigor and liveliness, carrying a kind of potential unwilling to be bound.

The target is still to the southwest, and it's gotten closer.

Chen Wen whispered to Qian Gui.

We'll walk and observe, pay attention, and see what else is extraordinary in the False Song domain besides the people's hardships.

Yes.

The two no longer delayed, and proceeded slowly along the dirt road toward the southwest.

They disguised themselves as petty hawkers selling needles, thread, and everyday sundries; whenever they encountered a roadside tea stall or village, they would stop to rest, gather news, improve their map, and further familiarize themselves with the local customs of this 'script world'.

Along the way, what they saw and heard mostly confirmed their initial impression.

People's livelihoods were withered, governance seemed far from clear and bright, and along the way one could even see small bands of disheveled soldiers lazily setting up checkpoints to collect unreasonable 'toll money'.

The whole society exuded an air of decline.

Only in Chen Wen's perception did that ever-closer 'Fortune Momentum light point' resemble the sole bright color on a dull scroll, reminding him of the purpose of this journey.

As they continually drew nearer, his perception of that light point became increasingly subtle.

He could even faintly sense that, around this light point, there seemed to linger an extremely weak, ominous dark aura.

That aura was faint, yet like a bone‑deep ulcer, it bore some resemblance to the feeling brought by the Iron Crow Army and the 'Bone‑eroding', though more concealed.

It seems the Iron Crow Army's 'Shade' has indeed set its sights on this place.

Chen Wen felt a chill in his heart.

His 'Fortune Momentum initial sense' not only let him find the target, but also allowed him to sense the potential threat in advance.

This undoubtedly verified the immense value of this ability.

Pick up the pace.

Chen Wen said to Qian Gui.

I feel that near the target we're seeking, there might be some 'unclean' things.

Qian Gui's expression turned solemn.

Understood.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long.

They passed through a sparse grove, and faintly ahead came the children's playful shouts and the clear sound of reading aloud.

A village surrounded by farmland, looking rather tranquil, appeared at the horizon.

And in Chen Wen's perception, that vivid, lively 'Fortune Momentum light point' now clearly pointed to that village.

It was right there.

Moreover, that faint wisp of ominous dark aura entwining around it also seemed to be within arm's reach.