Chapter 176: The Role of the Test Subject (3/10, Autumn Subscription)

"Anyway, ever since I can remember, Lord Lan has already been guarding the village for many years."

"In the past, whenever any anomaly stepped into the village, Lord Lan would appear and slay it!"

"I'll never forget the scene of Lord Lan descending upon my father and slaying the anomaly with a single sword strike. That unstoppable sword qi—no anomaly could withstand it!"

"And since I took over my father's position and became the captain of Man Shui Cun, the one Lord Lan descends upon has become me."

"Of course, it's not just me…the other two captains also get Lord Lan's descent."

"Because our three Lan-lineage families all share the same ancestral blood! This is the pride of us Lan people!"

"But recently, Lord Lan's descents have become less and less frequent. Fortunately, aside from the anomaly entering the village a few days ago, nothing major has happened in Man Shui Cun."

"I'm a little worried something happened to Lord Lan, or maybe he's simply grown tired of looking after our Man Shui Cun…"

Saying this, Lan Yuntian sighed.

But Fang Yue didn't go offer comfort; instead, he was thinking about another question.

Descent, huh…

This kind of method—calling it descent is more like possession, or even…body-snatching!

In any case, there's an ominous feeling about it, even feeling very much like an anomaly's method.

What kind of existence is Lord Lan exactly…

This question, perhaps only Lord Han knows the answer.

But Gu Yue Cun has Lord Han, Man Shui Cun has Lord Lan—could other villages be the same?

Is this a starter-village benefit? Or what?

Fang Yue was a little puzzled, but couldn't come up with an answer.

Setting the thought aside, Fang Yue asked, "Can you make Lord Lan come out now?"

"Can't do it. Only when Lord Lan wants to descend can he descend—this isn't something we can control."

"Alright…then can you tell me more about Lord Lan?"

"Of course! They say Lord Lan never leaves the village, and once an anomaly crosses that line out of the village, he absolutely won't pursue it. I often get this feeling, like what Lord Lan is guarding isn't really us people of Man Shui Cun, but simply this piece of land.

Also, when Lord Lan descends, the person being descended upon loses their memory, and only regains consciousness when Lord Lan leaves.

Also, also…"

Mentioning Lord Lan, Lan Yuntian was quite animated like a youngster chasing a star, rattling off a whole bunch of things.

Once Fang Yue had learned about enough, Lan Yuntian suddenly spoke.

"Right, I heard from the team members that Lord Lan spoke to you?"

Fang Yue was taken aback.

"Mm."

"…Lord Lan rarely talks to people. He said to have you pass a message to Lord Han. I've heard of Lord Han from Gu Yue Cun, but never seen him—seems similar to Lord Lan, both village guardians. I'd like to know, what are you to Lord Han?"

That question left Fang Yue a little unsure how to answer.

After thinking, he said, "Probably…a disciple Lord Han has prepared?"

"You can receive his inheritance?!"

Lan Yuntian stared at Fang Yue in astonishment, face full of disbelief.

"No, no, it's just that I have the chance, that's all."

Hearing that, Lan Yuntian finally felt a bit more balanced.

"Can you tell me about Lord Han? As a fair exchange of information!"

Lan Yuntian emphasized those last few words.

Fang Yue paused, thought for a moment, and briefly shared Lord Han's information with Lan Yuntian.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"…Well, sounds quite different from our Man Shui Cun's Lord Lan. He has his own body, can move freely, and nothing happens when he leaves the village."

Leaving the village still causes trouble—it's just that it's not Lord Han who gets hurt, it's the village…

The two continued chatting for a bit, but each kept things close to the chest, and not much information was drawn out.

Just then, Tail suddenly came running over.

"Ye Ge, An Shenyi is awake!"

Fang Yue's face lit up.

"Lead the way!"

Arriving at the room, An Shenyi was indeed already awake.

"Yeye!"

Seeing Fang Yue, An Shenyi, lying on the bed, grew emotional.

"I knew it was you! While I was unconscious earlier, I vaguely heard your voice—thank goodness! You're alright!"

Fang Yue felt a little moved. An Shenyi must have thrown out the crystal with the resolve to die, yet by luck had picked up an extra life.

Fang Yue briefly explained the matter with the Heavy-Pressure Anomaly, and by now An Shenyi's emotions had also stabilized.

"An Shenyi, I'm planning to have the escort team stay in Man Shui Cun for a few days."

"Why?"

An Shenyi looked completely puzzled.

"…You're injured like this, it's not convenient to travel."

"That's a small problem—just find a leg and attach it."

"Huh?"

"What are you 'ah'ing about? That guy—wasn't he called Tail? Go get my test subjects over here."

Tail looked at Fang Yue with a frown, until Fang Yue gave her a glance, then she went to bring them over.

Chen Xiaomiao, Niu Niu, and two professional team members carrying Niu Niu.

"Why are there only four test subjects?"

An Shenyi looked startled.

"The others were killed by the heavy-pressure anomaly."

"……Useless."

As he spoke, An Shenyi's gaze locked onto Chen Xiaomiao's right leg.

"A woman's leg—no good!"

Niu Niu, still drooling foolishly, eyes vacant, body unnaturally muscular.

"A fool's leg—no good!"

Finally, his gaze fell on the two burly professional team members.

"You—stay. Everyone else, out."

Fang Yue and Tail exchanged glances, about to leave, when Tail suddenly froze and said, "An Shenyi, Miss Miaofa said someone poisoned her into silence—she wants you to cure her."

"Silent? So what if she's silent—I don't need that mouth."

Uh…?

Tail was bewildered; Chen Xiaomiao frantically sent messages, leaving Tail looking troubled.

At that moment, Fang Yue reached out, grabbed Tail's wrist, and pulled her out.

"Ignore her."

"But—"

Fang Yue secretly sent Tail a message.

Tail instantly calmed, nodded, and followed Fang Yue out.

Then the other professional team member, carrying Niu Niu and dragging Chen Xiaomiao by the hand, left and closed the door.

Soon after, a man's scream echoed from inside the room.

The notion that a healer cannot heal himself did not seem to apply to this anomaly, An Shenyi.

When Fang Yue returned to his room, Blood Hunter knocked and entered.

"Ye Ge, are we leaving tomorrow?"

Since that kick, Fang Yue had clearly sensed a change in Blood Hunter's attitude—even his address had subtly shifted.

The problem is… you're a sixty- or seventy-year-old man! Even if you're still cool and rugged, you're still an old man! Is calling me "Ye Ge" appropriate?

"Ye Ge? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Also, we leave at noon tomorrow. The injured stay in Man Shui Cun—we'll pick them up when we return the same way."

"Understood."

Blood Hunter had no objections.

After Blood Hunter left, Fang Yue waited a while, then left his room, exited the inn, and headed toward Man Shui Cun's training ground.

"Deputy Captain Ye? Sorry, you can't leave the inn."

(End of Chapter)