Chapter 277: with translation of chapter title

At seven o'clock in the evening, the last car stopped steadily at the foot of the mountain, and a man dressed in black coarse hemp clothing, wearing black long boots, and a bamboo hat stepped out from it.

At a glance, he resembled a wandering knight-errant of ancient times.

Looking closely, it became apparent that his clothing was deliberate.

Although the outer clothing was made of hemp, the turned‑back collar revealed that the fabric was interwoven with extremely tough silk threads; when the car lights shone on it, some of the threads reflected a silvery‑white light.

He wore a pangolin claw the size of a thumb around his neck.

No one knows how many years that claw has been aged; it has been polished smooth and round, its top wrapped in a piece of bronze engraved with seal script.

What attracted me most was the vajra umbrella he held in his hand.

Although the vajra umbrella was closed, its appearance resembled an unsheathed sword, yet I could still see some Bagua patterns in the overlapping ribs.

These two items alone were enough to reveal the visitor's identity.

He is the inheritor of the Moujin Xiaowei transferred from the organization by the Fang Chuan Sect.

After he stood firm, he lifted the bamboo hat on his head, revealing a meticulously combed pompadour.

He appeared to be over forty, tall and upright, with a dignified bearing; his physique showed muscle tone, indicating he trained regularly.

After the Fang Chuan Sect greeted him, he put the bamboo hat back on his head, covering his face to maintain mystery.

The rain grew heavier, and faint thunder rumbled from the distant horizon.

According to Liu Junyan's speculation, the three‑eyed toad should be undergoing its tribulation tonight, and there already seem to be signs.

At that moment, a subordinate of Hui Yuemo reported that something had happened at the nearest town.

Hui Moqiong immediately frowned: "Didn't Seventh Lord remind Elder Fang? Didn't he say the relevant authorities were already organizing the villagers' evacuation? How could something still happen?"

I waved my hand, telling him to calm down, and asked Hui Yuemo: "Are there any casualties?"

The six surrounding villages had indeed been evacuated overnight, but the time was short, the crowd large, and since only a possible flood from heavy rain had been mentioned, the villagers cooperated but were unwilling to go far, gathering instead in the two nearest towns.

In four of those six villages, livestock had been looted, and the thieves took only the hearts.

Of the two nearest villages, one lies by the river; that thing likely followed the riverbank, taking advantage of people's inattention to snatch a little girl, and when our people gave chase……

Hui Yuemo paused, then drew a long breath before speaking with difficulty: "The little girl's corpse was fished from the river; her chest…… was bloody, and inside it was empty."

Beast!

Hui Moqiong cursed under his breath, and Hui Xiaotiao lifted his foot to leave.

Hui Yuemo grabbed him firmly: "Xiaotiao, where are you going?"

"That thing won't stop here; having succeeded once, it will surely repeat its trick." Hui Xiaotiao said, "I remember that river; I used to swim in it as a child, and I will take people to guard that river."

Hui Yuemo was somewhat worried about him, but Liu Junyan said, "Let Xiaotiao go."

Hui Xiaotiao clasped his fists and said, "Xiaotiao obeys the order!"

Having said that, he hurried off.

He was too thin; his silhouette was quickly swallowed by the night and rain, and Hui Yuemo's eyes filled with worry.

Hui Moqiong didn't know whether he felt sorry for his sister or was uneasy about Hui Xiaotiao, and he said, "Maybe I should guard the river instead; I said I would protect that kid."

Liu Junyan said, "Right, you also need to guard the river, downstream of Xiaotiao."

Hui Moqiong blinked: "Huh?"

Liu Junyan's pupils contracted as he said, "If it weren't for this incident, we might have overlooked this point; if I remember correctly, this river in Changshi should be connected to the Zhu Pan River, right?"

That single remark woke everyone like a dream.

Hui Moqiong immediately fetched a map, studied it, and discovered that the position of this river in Changshi indeed lay in the upper reaches of the Zhu Pan River.

This is a huge loophole.

We even suspect that the group of lamas who transported corpses from Niuhu Mountain to the ancient battlefield might have taken this water route.

He is so familiar with this water route that he could easily flee via it when cornered.

What's worse is that we have all come to Changshi, while only Li Qingying and her group guard Wufu Town.

Moreover, the Zhu Pan River still seals Chen Ping and his netherworld troops.

If the situation in Changshi affects Wufu Town……

The consequences would be unthinkable.

Our overall plan must be revised immediately: Hui Xiaotiao will guard the river stretch beside the town, while Hui Moqiong will guard the downstream.

The next moment, Liu Junyan actually turned toward me.

As our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively asked, "What are you doing?"

"Xiao Jiu, go back to Wufu Town overnight." Liu Junyan said, "You expended too much last night and haven't recovered; I wasn't planning to let you act tonight anyway, so it's perfect—I'll have someone send you back to Wufu Town."

I immediately refused: "I'm not going."

Liu Junyan advised: "Xiao Jiu, don't be willful; Wufu Town needs you."

"Āyàn, if even so many of us defending Changshi's ancient battlefield tonight were to fail, what could I possibly defend by returning to Wufu Town?" I firmly said, "I would rather stay in Changshi and share weal and woe with you."

Liu Junyan was left speechless.

I ignored him.

I knew his intention in telling me to leave wasn't really to have me guard Wufu Town, but to protect my life.

How can there be intact eggs under a overturned nest?

I began making nonstop calls, consecutively contacting Li Qingying, Tang Tang, and Yu Nian, urging them to prepare quickly.

Especially Yu Nian's side.

If we cannot hold our side, then hers…… will likely be more ominous than auspicious.

As for me, I'm not worried about Li Qingying.

First, the Dang Pu itself is protected by a formation array, so ordinary unclean things cannot enter it.

Second, there are also the Mystic Cat and the Red Flag Child in the Dang Pu.

Thirdly, Li Qingying is clever; after she receives news, she will contact Xiaoye immediately.

Although Xiaoye is currently detained and seems unfree, Liu Junyan said that as long as he wishes, even while detained he can mobilize his subordinates.

Xiaoye will not stand by and do nothing.

After arranging these, it was already around nine o'clock.

The muffled thunder on the horizon grew from far to near.

We also immediately informed Fang Chuanzong about the incident in the town, and he promptly sent people to guard another town.

But as the crowd gathered, bad news spread without legs, and people's hearts were filled with panic.

Even though guards were posted around the town, some townsfolk and villagers still sneaked out, hoping to flee to a more distant town.

As a result, several more people met with misfortune one after another.

When the bodies were found, without exception the heart area was empty.

Fang Chuanzong was also harried; he personally came to find Liu Junyan: "Liu Qiye, we can't wait any longer; if we keep waiting, only more people will die, and once the populace riots…"

He lightly shook his head, his tone becoming somewhat firm: "Liu Qiye, let's act in advance; you use the Golden Scale to lure the three-eyed toad, and I will bring people to clean up…"