Chapter 464: with translation of chapter title

The moment he stepped into the light curtain, a familiar, suffocating pressure surged from all sides.

It felt as if his whole body had been plunged into viscous, heavy mercury, each breath requiring tremendous effort.

A needle‑like prickle spread across his skin, the manifestation of the two worlds' rules repelling and squeezing each other at the most microscopic level.

Although Zhao Lao'nian's optimized channel had weakened the repelling force by fifteen percent, this remaining force was still not to be underestimated.

Chen Wen held his breath and focused, exerting the full power of his Lv. 3 (8×) ability on himself, stabilizing his qi and blood to counter the omnipresent tearing force.

His perception was compressed to the limit under the pressure, yet thanks to his level increase it was clearer and more tenacious than during his previous crossing.

He could 'hear' Shi Dun's heavy, war‑drum‑like heartbeat behind him, and Qian Gui's slightly hurried but still steady breathing.

Among the eighteen elites, a few groaned, obviously struggling, yet none fell behind; they all grit their teeth, relying on stubborn will and pre‑prepared skills to endure.

The horses grew more agitated, letting out terrified whinnies, only kept from bolting by the warriors gripping the reins tight.

Before him was not pure darkness, but a flood of indescribable, chaotic, twisted light and shadow.

It was as if countless shattered mirrors reflected bizarre, fragmented scenes that vanished instantly, impossible to grasp their concrete form.

This was a disordered place in the interstice of rules—neither alive nor dead, neither here nor there.

The flow of time here became blurred and uncanny.

It felt as if an eternity had passed, yet also as if only an instant.

When the suffocating pressure suddenly eased and his feet touched solid ground again, a slightly heavy air laden with moisture and earthy odor rushed into his lungs.

From his ears came insect chirps and frog croaks utterly unlike those in the Chen dynasty realm, plus distant, faint dog barks.

Chen Wen snapped his eyes open and quickly scanned his surroundings.

The sky was already light with dawn; morning light filtered through thin mist, outlining an unfamiliar landscape.

They stood at the edge of a sparse woodland, the ground a slightly muddy dirt track, with rice paddies and low farmhouses visible not far away.

Here lay False Song territory, somewhere along the Shandong Circuit.

"Roll call, check equipment."

Chen Wen's voice was steady, instantly dispelling the teammates' brief disorientation from the crossing.

"Report! All twenty‑one present, none missing!"

Shi Dun quickly tallied and reported, his voice tinged with relief.

He stretched his limbs, feeling the initial melding with this world's rules, the lingering repulsion fading quickly.

"The horses are fine, the cargo intact."

Qian Gui also finished his check, then drew from his bosom a compass‑like object etched with fine runes—Zhao Lao'nian's specially made "Positioner," which could help them determine their location in this world and make a preliminary link with known Jing'an Agency outposts.

The team members spread out in practiced fashion, taking advantageous terrain for watch, while soothing the startled horses and tidying the slightly disordered caravan gear.

Chen Wen stood still where he was, closed his eyes, and drew deep breaths of this world's air.

Not merely the scent of plants and earth.

In his perception, especially under the effect of the enhanced Shi Yong, this heaven and earth were shrouded in an ineffable 'atmosphere'.

Unlike the Fortune Momentum within the Chen dynasty realm, which, despite heavenly disasters, still exuded vigorous upward momentum and cohesive order.

Here the Fortune Momentum seemed veiled by an invisible, grayish gauze, appearing stagnant and oppressive, and in certain directions one could faintly sense 'dim' zones like accumulated pathogenic lesions.

Perhaps it was a place of official extortion, or perhaps a stronghold of bullying tyrants, or perhaps… a 'dark energy' contamination point left by the Iron Crow Army's activities.

At the same time, he could faintly detect, beneath this stagnant tide, specks like sparks of 'bright points' or 'vortices' flickering and coalescing in places.

These might be scholars like Li Yuan holding fast to belief, or future variables like Jiangxi's 'Wenqu,' or perhaps… the sparks of the impending 'Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha' rising in this Shandong Circuit.

"Indeed… utterly different."

Chen Wen sighed silently.

The Iron Crow Army‑maintained "scripted world" has, at its base Fortune Momentum, a feeling of being planned and bound, a sense of sinking twilight.

"My lord, the position is confirmed."

Qian Gui's voice interrupted his perception.

"We are now about sixty li north of Yunzhou; thirty li to the southwest lies a preset contact point, the Zhang Family Carriage Firm."

"Good."

Chen Wen nodded.

"Set out at once, head to the Zhang Family Carriage Firm to rest and gather the latest intelligence."

The order given, this small 'caravan' set into motion.

Shi Dun led the way on horseback, handling scouting and vigilance;

Qian Gui coordinated from the center, maintaining the caravan's formation;

Chen Wen appeared to follow casually behind the group, but in fact he kept his awareness of the surroundings constantly heightened.

What they saw along the way was markedly different from that in the Chen dynasty realm.

The crops in the fields seemed to be growing all right, but the farmers laboring there mostly showed sallow faces and wore ragged clothes.

Passing villages, the dwellings were low and dilapidated; barefoot children ran about, their eyes holding a numbness or wariness beyond their years.

Occasional passersby or woodcutters, upon seeing this caravan, mostly hurried away or cast wary, scrutinizing glances.

An intangible tension and sense of poverty permeated the air.

After traveling only a dozen li, upon passing a slightly larger town they personally witnessed a small squad of officials, wolf‑like, drag an old man out of a roadside shop, their scolding and blows ringing incessantly, while the onlooking populace dared not speak out.

"Harsh governance is fiercer than a tiger…"

Qian Gui whispered a sigh beside Chen Wen, his eyes complex.

He oversaw the Jing'an Agency, deeply versed in the False Song's lower‑class ills, yet seeing it firsthand made the impression more immediate.

Chen Wen remained silent.

This was merely the tip of the iceberg of this world's chronic malaise.

Is the 'history' maintained by the Iron Crow Army built upon such a foundation?

His gaze swept over the numb or fearful faces, and the resolve in his heart to 'set things right' grew firmer.

Perhaps, the Liangshanpo's 'rallying of righteousness' is one of the volcanic vents destined to erupt beneath this accumulated malady and corruption.

What he must do is not to block this volcano, but to... guide its lava, burning it toward the direction it ought to burn.

The sun rose higher, and the caravan continued forward along the dirt road.

Before reaching the 'Zhang's Carriage and Horse Firm,' they still needed to pass through a relatively desolate stretch of hills.

Just as they were about to enter a grove, the scout Shi Dun ahead suddenly gave a hand signal; the whole party halted immediately and silently slipped into the bushes beside the road.

Chen Wen focused his gaze and saw, beside the forest path, two corpses lying askew, dressed like itinerant peddlers, their belongings completely looted.

Several crows circled above the corpses, emitting harsh croaks.

And farther into the dark woods, a few vague black shadows seemed to flit by, carrying a faint, unsettling chill.

Killing intent...

Chen Wen furrowed his brow slightly.

It was not the Iron Crow Army's pure 'yuan energy' contamination, but rather more akin to the murderous aura accumulated from human warfare and bloody slaughter.

In this Shandong region, bandits proliferate, seeming to have become the norm.

'No need to pay attention, detour.'

Chen Wen gave the order.

Their purpose for this journey is clear; they should not invite complications.

The caravan silently changed direction, detouring around that ominous grove from the other side.

After this little incident, the troop's atmosphere grew a bit more solemn.

Everyone clearly realized that the place they had entered was far from peaceful.

In the afternoon, a rather ordinary-looking town appeared before them.

The sign of 'Zhang's Carriage and Horse Firm' fluttered in the wind at the town's entrance.

The False Song's Shandong circuit's game of chess— they have already placed their pieces.

And the true adversary may have long been lurking in the shadows, casting a scrutinizing gaze.