Chapter 28: Baili Huaishan Village

Wu Chang immediately said: "Master, speak freely—so long as it is within my power, I dare not refuse."

Seeing Chiyuan spoke slowly: "Funny enough, my journey is also bound for Baili Huaishan Village."

"Will the Daoist Priest also attend the ritual?"

"No. A few days ago, I passed through Baili Huaishan Village and saw its demonic aura surging wildly—something monstrous was about to emerge. My usual talisman was not with me, so I left temporarily, planning to return fully prepared to subdue the demon."

"But on my way to subdue it, I encountered these two Lan Shan Ghosts. Now one has escaped—I fear it will unleash its fury and harm innocents. I must eliminate it swiftly. I must ask you, young hero, to aid me with the demon in Baili Huaishan Village."

"Once you enter Baili Huaishan Village, could you help me investigate and locate the source of the demonic aura?"

"Hidden side quest: Find the source of the demonic aura in Baili Huaishan Village. No penalty for failure. Accept quest?"

Why think twice? Accept! Wu Chang said: "Master, rest assured. We wanderers of the martial world consider subduing demons and eliminating evil our duty—of course I will help."

Seeing Chiyuan bowed slightly, then drew from his sleeve a white flag and said: "If you find the source of the demonic aura, plant this flag into it—it may suppress the aura and prevent the demon's revival."

"Item name: Dihun Flag."

"Item type: Dungeon Item (Dungeon Items cannot be removed from the dungeon realm)."

"Item rank: C."

"Item description: An artifact passed down since ancient times, inscribed with orthodox Daoist methods."

"Item skill: Dihun."

"Skill description: Activate the Dihun Flag to enter a spirit-traveling perspective, seeing nearby soul entities, calming and purifying spirit-based demons, suppressing evil and malevolent energies, erasing attachments and resentments, and restoring peace to the souls."

This is actual gear?

Confirming the Dihun Flag held no traps only deepened Wu Chang's suspicion.

Although Seeing Chiyuan himself bore no resentment, his talisman sword, bronze bell, and iron mirror each carried seven or eight strands of resentment—some of them players' resentments.

The death scenes recorded in these resentments had nothing to do with Seeing Chiyuan; most depicted battles against demons. Yet bearing so many resentments still made Wu Chang wary.

But if the item itself was fine, then were the resentments on his tools merely a misunderstanding? He asked Seeing Chiyuan: "There is one thing I must ask, Master: how do you distinguish demonic aura from resentment? For instance, are the resentments on your tools themselves demonic aura?"

"Demons are born from the resentment of heaven and earth, sharing the same origin as resentment. Young hero, you truly come from a great sect—your innate spiritual awareness surpasses ordinary mortals, able to perceive the resentment on my tools."

Seeing Chiyuan's expression remained calm, his answer without hesitation.

"To be honest, my sect is a wilderness hermit school—our talisman forging methods are incomplete, lacking the crucial opening-light ritual. So we use slain demons as catalysts to open the light of our tools."

"This method is a shortcut, not orthodox. The karmic ties and resentments of the demons we kill are inherited by the tools, and over time, they turn the tools into weapons of evil."

Wu Chang understood: "So that's how it is."

The misunderstanding cleared, their rapport improved.

After the Lan Shan Ghosts' attack, neither had any sleep left. Wu Chang seized the chance to learn about the dungeon realm from Seeing Chiyuan.

Seeing Chiyuan, born of the Daoist tradition, had solid theoretical grounding—and over these past years of demon resurgence, he had been a frontline exterminator with abundant practical experience.

Combining theory and practice, his understanding of demons formed a coherent system, greatly benefiting Wu Chang.

As dawn broke, Seeing Chiyuan packed his belongings, mounted the black donkey from the stable, and rode off in the direction the Face Demon had fled.

Wu Chang also led his horse, heading toward Baili Huaishan Village as pointed out by Seeing Chiyuan.

Baili Huaishan was no ordinary place—even Seeing Chiyuan feared it, and the path was far from peaceful.

After half a day's travel, he had encountered at least thirty to forty player resentments.

Toxic mists that dissolved bone and flesh, snow pits that swallowed travelers whole, venomous snakes and insects that easily pierced leather and cotton clothing…

And strange demons like the Lan Shan Ghosts—deadly threats lurked everywhere in the woods.

No wonder the main quest was to reach Baili Huaishan Village—this stretch of road accounted for most of why the dungeon nearly spiraled out of control.

Some dead players were careless; others deliberately courted death.

For instance, the resentment Wu Chang was now examining lay before a red forest, just three or four li from Baili Huaishan Village.

"That Daoist Priest said never enter the red forest—I'll see what happened."

The player in the resentment, confident in his strength, spoke these final words—and died inside the red forest, never even seeing what attacked him.

Thanks to these reckless pathfinders, Wu Chang had cleared most dangers from his route.

Player resentments were undoubtedly the best markers.

But guided by these countless markers, he not only stepped only on safe ground—he also took many shortcuts. Even the oldest hunter in the mountains would never dare travel this fast.

Normally, reaching Baili Huaishan Village would take two days and nights—but he completed the journey in one day, successfully avoiding the high-risk event of "camping outdoors," arriving before nightfall.

As he neared the valley entrance, Wu Chang dismounted and walked, observing Baili Huaishan Village.

Baili Huaishan Village, as its name suggests, was built within a valley.

The valley floor was flat, surrounded by mountains on all sides; a clear spring at the peak flowed down, forming a stream that cut through the valley.

Farmland stretched along both banks of the stream; clusters of small houses dotted the fields, making optimal use of the space, evoking a peaceful, rustic harmony.

Its superior terrain made Baili Huaishan Village the only one of the five villages in Baili Huaishan that could sustain itself solely through farming, needing no hunting or trade.

Yet the once-idyllic pastoral scene now radiated oppression and gloom, as if drenched in a BBC-style afterlife filter.

Even before entering the valley, he felt dampness and chill, like wearing clothes that never dried.

Thick yin energy swirled through the valley, making all living beings feel uneasy.

The night-watch villagers quickly spotted him and rushed back to report to the village chief.

Before long, several young men escorted an old man out of the village.

The old man was thin and wiry, his back bent from overwork, appearing nearly seventy, yet his voice carried strong vitality, free of frailty.

"I am Liu Shan, village chief of Baili Huaishan Village. Young hero, why have you come here so late at night?"

Wu Chang bowed and replied: "I am Wu Chang of Tang Men. I am traveling under my sect's orders and heard the New Year's Ritual in Baili Huaishan Village is grand—I wish to observe it."

Liu Shan shook his head. "In past years, it would have been fine for a martial hero to witness the ceremony. But now our village is beset by troubles—we can barely manage ourselves, let alone entertain guests. Please forgive us, and come again next year."

Wu Chang unslung a cloth bundle from behind his horse, untied the rope, and shook it forward, revealing its contents.

Amid the villagers' gasps, the corpse of the Ox-Head Lan Shan Ghost appeared before them.

"Young hero, what is this?"

Wu Chang called out loudly: "This demon is called a Mountain-Blocking Ghost. It was formed from the gathered vengeful spirits of those who fell from cliffs. I passed by yesterday and disposed of it on the way. The trouble your village encountered — perhaps I can be of some use."

A villager cautiously approached the Mountain-Blocking Ghost, took a yellow talisman from his bosom, and when the talisman came within a meter of the Mountain-Blocking Ghost, the paper charm burst into flame.

"Village Chief, it really is a demon!"

Once the Mountain-Blocking Ghost's identity was confirmed, the atmosphere in the clearing instantly shifted.

Liu Shan, who moments ago had kept everyone at arm's length, now seemed to grow wind beneath his feet. In two or three strides he was at Wu Chang's side, and like an elder he hadn't seen in years, he grabbed hold of Wu Chang's sleeve.

The old fellow's grip was so strong he nearly pulled Wu Chang off balance.

"Hero Wu, with such abilities why didn't you say so earlier? You nearly caused this old man to slight you. Tiezhu, what are you standing there for? Quickly, have someone prepare wine and dishes, and clean a guest room!"

"Hero, this way please. Don't be fooled by Huaigu Village's remote location — this place gathers the very essence of Baili Huaishan. Especially all manner of mountain goods, the flavors are exquisite — you might not find them outside even if you had the money."

Because of the Mountain-Blocking Ghost, Wu Chang reacted a little sensitively at the mention of mountain goods, but the mountain goods of Huaigu Village should be from a legitimate source, so he held his tongue and followed Liu Shan into the village.

His smooth entry into Huaigu Village was in no small part thanks to Seeing Chiyuan.

At the inn, Seeing Chiyuan had told him that mountain folk might seem simple and honest, but in truth they were the most pragmatic of all.

If entry to the village was blocked, one could either pave the way with real gold and silver, or simply lay the Mountain-Blocking Ghost's corpse on the ground.

Wealth and force were more persuasive than any words.

Thanks to Seeing Chiyuan's method, Liu Shan was unusually warm toward him. Not only did he let Wu Chang enter the village smoothly, he also elevated him to a specially honored guest for the ceremony that had previously been difficult to arrange.

Main Quest One was thus accomplished.

Liu Shan hosted Wu Chang with the village's highest standard of hospitality. The mountain goods brought to the table were even more tempting than those the Mountain-Blocking Ghost had conjured with magic, and Wu Chang ate until his mouth was dripping with oil.

During the meal, Liu Shan half-cloaked his probing in familial warmth, fishing for information about Wu Chang's background.

Wu Chang, for his part, drew on the countless fantasy novels he had read, combined with the intelligence from Seeing Chiyuan, and chatted freely through the meal. He painted the Tang Clan as an ancient hidden-world sect, leaving the villagers wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Wu Chang's words quickly spread throughout the entire village. A story told three times turns false into true, and under layers of embellishment and artistic enhancement, by the time it reached the end he had transformed from a disciple of a hidden-world great sect into a Star Lord descended from the heavens.

Three rounds of wine passed, five courses were tasted.

Just as Liu Shan was about to lead Wu Chang off to rest, a young man burst in frantic with urgency, his face full of panic:

"Village Chief, it's terrible — Xiao Ning has been possessed by an evil spirit!"

(End of chapter)