jdhmnovel Chapter 20, 3 River Town 8
Chapter 20, 3 River Town 8
The tunnel wasn't long, and Mu Qingfeng emerged from it in no time. However, what she saw before her made her wish she could return to the tunnel.
At the end of the tunnel was a secret room. On each of the four gloomy walls of the room hung an ever-burning lamp, the faint light illuminating the tragic scene inside.
On the damp, dark ground lay hundreds of waist-high blue-and-white porcelain vases. Inside the vases were not flowers, scrolls, or trinkets, but rather rows of beautiful young women.
The room was filled with a strong sense of death, as if every inch of air was telling the story of the past tragedy. Their limbs had been cruelly severed, their faces were filled with terror and despair, yet they could not utter a sound.
The girls' bloodshot eyes held endless resentment. Hearing the noise, they all turned to look at Mu Qingfeng at the exit.
Hundreds of eyes, streaked with blood and tears, stared at Mu Qingfeng. From their open mouths, Mu Qingfeng could clearly see that their tongues were empty.
This hellish scene caused Mu Qingfeng to cry out in horror:
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
"Ah"
A cold laugh came from behind her, and Mu Qingfeng slowly turned around, her whole body stiff.
A man was standing behind her, his face pale and bloodless, like a patient who had been ill for a long time.
He wore a turban and a long, straight-collared, moon-white robe, his clothes fluttering in the breeze, exuding a refined and scholarly air. But his eyes held a coldness and madness, like a demon from the abyss. Occasionally, a chilling smile would appear at the corner of his mouth.
The man's steps were light and unpredictable; if he hadn't made a sound, Mu Qingfeng wouldn't have known when he appeared behind her.
"You...who are you?!"
The man did not answer her question, but made his move with a strange and swift motion.
The speed was so fast that Mu Qingfeng had no time to resist before her oval, fair face was grabbed by the man's hand.
"What a beautiful face, but unfortunately, her mouth is just as noisy as theirs. I don't like it."
"You caused their tragic state?!"
Before she could finish speaking, a sharp palm strike came hurtling towards the man. Her fluid and unpredictable palm techniques were like a baby throwing punches in front of him. Every move Mu Qingfeng made seemed predictable, and she couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Before the man could even make a move, Mu Qingfeng was already covered in sweat.
"Now it's my turn!"
A chilling smile appeared on the man's face. With just one palm strike, Mu Qingfeng felt a sharp pain in her chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. She looked at the man in horror:
"Heavenly Gang Palm?! Who exactly are you, and why do you know our Qingcheng Sect's martial arts?"
Like a mischievous child interrupted while showing off a toy, the man said with a disdainful expression:
"What's so surprising about this kind of rudimentary skill that anyone can learn?"
“Our Qingcheng Sect’s martial arts are not some amateurish thing. What’s the big deal if you can beat me? You definitely can’t beat my senior brother.”
Mu Qingfeng's words instantly enraged the man. He stepped forward, grabbed her by the neck, and roared in a hoarse voice, his expression crazed:
"You all look down on me, but I'll show you that only I am worthy of my junior sister!"
Mu Qingfeng struggled desperately but could not break free from the iron-hard arm around her neck. Just as she was struggling to breathe, the arm released its grip, and she collapsed to the ground.
The man stepped forward and pressed her pressure points. His pale fingers gently stroked her face, and her bloodless face seemed to be both crying and laughing as she murmured to herself:
"Junior sister, don't worry, your senior brother will not abandon you, nor will he mind that you are no longer a virgin after marrying someone else. Look how beautiful the body your senior brother has prepared for you is. Once your senior brother has finished the medicine, you can stay with your senior brother forever."
Seemingly contemplating a beautiful vision, the man laughed again, seemingly madly. After laughing for a while, he released Mu Qingfeng and stood up.
Mu Qingfeng, her pupils dilated with fear, watched as the man approached a woman inside a bottle. The woman in the bottle, seeing the man near, frantically opened her mouth and shook her head. The man pulled out a small cauldron, from which a golden worm crawled out and entered the woman's mouth.
Soon, the bottle began to tremble violently, and the woman inside seemed to be enduring immense pain, her beautiful face contorted into a grotesque grimace. Golden worms crawled out of the woman's nostrils, and the man immediately caught them in the bottle and moved on to the next woman in a bottle.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
[Two hours ago]
Hearing a commotion on the right, Gu Mingfeng led the girl over. Through the swirling fog, he spotted a familiar mark. Seeing that Fei Xi knew both sides, he had no interest in getting involved in their conflict. He gave the girl a deep look, then released her and headed in the direction the mark indicated.
A thick fog, like a heavy curtain, enveloped the entire town. Gu Mingfeng grew increasingly alarmed as he walked; the bustling Sanhe Town of yesterday was now completely deserted.
It's broad daylight now. Even with this thick fog, it's unlikely there wouldn't be a single person here.
As he walked, Gu Mingfeng found himself back at the place where he had discovered the mark. Fei Xi and the two opposing factions were no longer there.
The quiet streets had an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.
Stopping in his tracks, Gu Mingfeng looked around in thought for a moment, then leaped onto the rooftop. He couldn't see the path beneath his feet, but he used his ears to discern the faint sounds he heard in every place he passed.
In the thick fog, visibility was extremely low. Finally, he heard a faint sound again, as if something was approaching. Gu Mingfeng carefully moved towards the direction of the sound and saw a group of people appearing and disappearing in the fog like a hundred ghosts walking at night.
The crowd consisted of people of all shapes and sizes, men and women, old men and young children—the residents of Sanhe Town. In this vast, white world, they seemed to have lost their souls, blindly walking in one direction.
Their steps were slow and mechanical, as if driven by an invisible force. In the thick fog, visibility was poor, and only blurry figures could be seen ahead, but people followed those in front without hesitation.
Every face was etched with confusion and helplessness, their eyes vacant, like walking corpses. They were incapable of thought, simply walking silently, as if they had forgotten who they were. Enveloped in the thick fog, they were like puppets being manipulated, involuntarily moving in one direction.
An eerie silence reigned, broken only by the echoing footsteps in the thick fog. No one spoke, no one interacted; only the monotonous sound of footsteps mingled together, creating a chilling scene.
Holding his breath, Gu Mingfeng cautiously moved forward in the group. He moved with lightning speed without making a sound, and soon he reached the front of this strange group.
To the north of Sanhe Town lies Beiliang Lake, formed by the confluence of three rivers. On the misty, ethereal shore, a strange flower, the size of a bowl, quietly blooms, radiating a mysterious light. This flower seems to possess an irresistible magic, drawing the gaze of everyone present. The person at the front, expressionless and with an empty gaze, approaches the flower.
As if lured by the flower, he slowly and resolutely reached out his hand. The moment his hand touched a petal, he collapsed and fell into the water. His black hair instantly turned white, as if the flower had drained all his life force. One after another, people approached the eerie flower, only to fall into the water one after another.
The constant splashing sounds broke the deathly silence. Gu Mingfeng's breathing became heavier with excitement, and he felt no fear at all in the face of this bizarre and tragic scene.
The legend is actually true!
The immortal flower actually exists!
No, the flower isn't fully bloomed yet. Gu Mingfeng counted the open petals... only eight petals had opened so far, one more was needed. That person had said that only a fully bloomed immortal flower would have an earth-shattering, awe-inspiring effect. After surveying his surroundings, he carefully leaped onto the nearest tree to the lake and hid.
He was determined to get the Immortal Flower!
Saving people? What does the life or death of the people of Sanhe Town have to do with him?