Chapter 67: The Deer's Cry

Chen Mo looked at the Grey Mist gradually spreading before his eyes; he did not rush to strike the Gong and Drum in his hands, but instead tapped his feet on the ground and retreated continuously.

As he moved away from the military camp, the Grey Mist that had emerged in his vision vanished completely, and looking at the camp again, it appeared just as it had before.

No matter how he looked at it, whether he used his Blood Qi eyes or not, the military camp seemed to be the same scene.

It seems there is still a certain difference between the Grey Mist and that Blood Moon; at the very least, one can be seen directly, while the other can only be discovered when one is pulled into it.

Chen Mo looked at the military camp before him, his heart inevitably falling into deep thought.

The Grey Mist seems to exist only in certain specific areas; as long as he leaves that area, he will not be dragged into the Grey Mist.

With this thought in mind, he immediately exerted his full strength to rush toward Zhu Niu Ji.

The night market was incomparably quiet; whether it was people or other living beings, all had long since gone to rest.

At a glance, there were only a few night watchmen still working hard.

Chen Mo slowed his pace and lightened his steps, slowly stepping into the market; sure enough, a faint grey mist was slowly filling his eyes.

Chen Mo immediately withdrew from Zhu Niu Ji again; he did indeed intend to enter the Grey Mist to explore, but it should not be so hasty.

As he moved away from Zhu Niu Ji, the mist that had gathered around him slowly began to dissipate, until it returned to nothingness once more.

Chen Mo looked toward the distant military camp, then looked at the Zhu Niu Ji before him, combining this with his previous experience of fleeing all the way without ever encountering the Grey Mist.

A vague conjecture gradually emerged in his heart: the Grey Mist might only appear in places where there are people at night; at the very least, a certain number of people need to be gathered within a certain range for the Grey Mist to be attracted.

This would explain why he only fell into the Grey Mist when near Zhu Niu Ji and the military camp, while having fled in the wilderness for so long before, he had never encountered the Grey Mist.

Besides this, there is one more point: under what circumstances does one fall into the Grey Mist?

At the very least, one point can be determined: it should not happen in a state of deep sleep; if that were the case, even with the Gong and Drum to drive away the Grey Mist, people would still be lost in the Grey Mist every few days.

Because the dispersal by the Gong and Drum cannot be called absolutely safe; it can only be said to maintain relative safety.

The sound of the gong can carve out a safe area at night, but the Grey Mist, or rather the Red Moon, will continue to erode this area.

If people were dragged into the Grey Mist in any state, then even with the Gong and Drum, people would inevitably go missing often due to various accidents.

But this situation rarely occurs, so it can only mean one thing: the erosion of the Grey Mist targets only those with a clear consciousness.

But if that were the case, why were these night watchmen beating the Gong and Drum not dragged into the Grey Mist? He himself had not failed to pass through at night before, and at that time his consciousness was absolutely clear, so why was he not dragged into the Grey Mist?

Chen Mo pondered carefully, while also contemplating the situation when he first entered the Grey Mist.

He stepped into Zhu Niu Ji again, only this time he deliberately walked toward the core area.

Unlike the edge area before, the street where he was now standing belonged to the residential area of most commoners, and many patrolling night watchmen would pass through here beating their Gong and Drum.

Finding a back alley to lie in wait, Chen Mo was still cautiously observing his surroundings; the Grey Mist did not surge in as he had imagined, and his Blood Qi eyes swept over the surrounding streets, the bright moonlight falling, appearing incomparably desolate.

And looking further out, there remained only the land shrouded by the crimson moonlight.

From the current situation, combined with the circumstances he suffered when he first entered the Grey Mist.

Chen Mo could already roughly summarize how to enter the Grey Mist at night.

First, there needs to be a gathering of many people within a certain range; as for the number, it must be at least forty people.

Second, one must maintain a clear consciousness at night, at least not be in a state of deep sleep.

Furthermore, the area one is in must not have had the sound of a Gong and Drum for a short period, giving the Grey Mist sufficient time to shroud oneself.

Only by satisfying the above points would he be dragged into the Grey Mist.

Of the three conditions above, one is easy to appear, but the probability of all three appearing simultaneously is not high.

Just like those markets in Zhu Niu Ji that are bustling during the day, there is almost no one there at night.

Although the night watchmen go there, they do not go often, mainly staying in the residential areas to beat the watch.

If he were conscious there, he would be dragged into the Grey Mist, whereas in other places where the sound of the Gong and Drum often rings out, he would remain safe and sound no matter how long he stayed conscious.

Thinking about it, this is likely why the Grey Mist does not often drag people into it.

Of course, whether the specific situation is like this, Chen Mo cannot assert; these situations are only what he has deduced, and he dares not confirm them as true.

Moreover, the situation he has deduced now only applies to the present; the Grey Mist is very likely a type of Ruins Realm, and for every additional person who knows about it, it may undergo unpredictable changes.

However, based on the situation he has explored now, he is already able to conduct targeted exploration of the Grey Mist.

Chen Mo did not rashly enter the Grey Mist of Zhu Niu Ji directly; he was unsure whether the number of people gathered within a certain range would affect the strength of the strange beings in the Grey Mist.

Most importantly, the patrolling and gong-beating at the military camp were arranged by him; he could roughly determine the time of the gong-beating, and then use his Blood Qi eyes to observe carefully to see which parts belonged to the edge zones.

This would ensure that even if he entered the Grey Mist, he could safely withdraw within a certain time, ensuring he would not let himself be trapped in it for a long time.

He had this Gong and Drum himself, but he had not yet confirmed that beating the Gong and Drum inside the Grey Mist could also allow him to withdraw.

Therefore, there must also be someone helping to beat the gong outside the Grey Mist.

Arriving at the military camp, Chen Mo observed briefly while preparing his own state, letting his Inner Qi recover faster.

His level of Blood Qi was far superior to ordinary people; the wounds left on his palms had healed in just over an hour, without even leaving a scar.

After observing outside the military camp for another hour or so, until he had figured out the specific situation and time intervals of the gong-beating, and his own Inner Qi had recovered sufficiently, Chen Mo then walked into the military camp again.

The Grey Mist emerged continuously, fluttering around his body like one mass of smoke after another.

Before long, Chen Mo entered the Grey Mist completely, and the military camp before his eyes disappeared.

The Grey Mist appeared incomparably silent, with no sound coming from it; looking at it, there was only the mist fluttering.

Chen Mo dared not be careless; the Gong and Drum had already been tied to his chest in advance, which not only ensured it would never be thrown off or lost during a fight, but also allowed it to be used as a piece of heart-protecting armor.

He had tested it before: the most important thing about the Gong and Drum is the striking; whether or not a gong hammer is used is not important.

Even beating it with his hands could achieve a similar effect, though the sound would be duller and the range of the Blood Moon dispersed would be smaller, but for him alone, there was no great difference.

Chen Mo looked at the boundless Grey Mist before him and opened his Ear Consciousness; vision within the Grey Mist was too restricted, so listening further and more clearly would allow him to make preparations in advance if any strange beings appeared.

However, he was also prepared to strike the Gong and Drum at any time; as long as the slightest accident occurred, he would leave.

"Yo... eh..." A few extremely long and shrill cries rang out in his ears; that sound was definitely not something a human could emit.

Chen Mo could roughly judge the direction of this sound: it was to his front left, at a distance of probably no more than fifty zhang.

And the other party was still calling out continuously; the long, shrill sound was like opening an iron door that had not been opened for a long time, creaking and groaning continuously, which sounded extremely annoying.

That strange creature that appeared seemed to have heard his movements, and was leaping toward him; there was no doubt it also regarded him as prey.

The only thing Chen Mo could determine from the sound was that the strange creature likely had four hooves.

Since that thing was actively seeking him out, he could wait at his ease for the exhausted enemy.

He first took down the bow and arrows from his waist; although his vision was restricted within the Grey Mist, after activating his Blood Qi eyes, he could still see everything within ten zhang.

This distance was enough for him to loose two or three arrows.

A moment later, a creature leapt into Chen Mo's sight.

It was an extremely cute little sika deer, with bright fur and white plum blossom spots on its body; its two eyes held innocence and ignorance as it surveyed everything before it.

No matter how he looked at it, it did not seem as evil as the Blood Monkey he had seen before.

Chen Mo did not hesitate in the slightest and drew his bow to shoot; although this little deer looked incredibly docile, he dared not be careless.

If this little deer was not a strange creature, then he would eat venison tomorrow.

If it was, then he would see what this little deer would leave behind for him.

Furthermore, if this little deer was not a strange creature, then why would it suddenly appear here?

"Ah!" Chen Mo fired two arrows in succession, hitting accurately and without error; the feathered arrows pierced directly through the little deer's abdomen.

This caused it to let out an incredibly miserable shriek, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out.

Chen Mo's eyes showed no surprise at this; this little deer was indeed a strange creature, and its strength was not bad, as his two feathered arrows had only embedded themselves in its body rather than passing straight through.

But it was still far from the Blood Monkey he had seen before.

Chen Mo picked up his long spear, intending to end the deer's life.

However, the two feathered arrows embedded in the little deer's abdomen were actually being assimilated by it, and in an instant, they turned into two flesh-red tentacles hanging from the little deer's body.

The little deer stopped wailing, its two eyes revealing a ferocious blood-red light, and it bared a mouthful of sharp teeth that absolutely did not belong to a sika deer, pouncing toward Chen Mo with a foul Wind.

(End of this chapter)