14 By the river's edge

Tall, evergreen trees covered the land as far as the eye could see. They were rocked back and forth by the strong northern wind, seemingly dancing to a silent tune. A fresh, earthy smell of pine suffused the air. The sky was covered by thick, grayish white clouds, creating a somber atmosphere. Though it was noon, the forest ground lay still, as if in quiet mourning. Not even the birds could be heard. The only thing that dared disturb the silence was the calm trickling of a wide river that lay to the side of the woods. By the river's edge stood a village. It appeared to have fallen into a deep sleep, the timbered houses not showing any signs of life.

This was the scene that Qi Juan and Ling Mingyu layed their eyes on after activating the transportation array that would bring them to Jin Wu town. Luckily, the first batch of disciples that had been sent to deal with this assignment had set up a temporary array after arriving here. However, the small settlement that lay before them was of course not Jin Wu town itself, but one of the smaller, more secluded villages near it. This was a necessary precaution in order to ensure the safety of Jiang Feng Sect. It would be very unfortunate if a cultivator of the demonic faction were to stumble upon such a temporary array while going out to shop in mortal towns or cities after all! Therefore, all disciples were instructed to hide these gateways as much as possible.

Before Qi Juan and Ling Mingyu had set off on their mission, they had thoughtfully prepared some things for the journey. A teary eyed Ling Bolin had not allowed Mingyu to leave without giving him at least five different kinds of medicinal pills 'just in case'. They had also traded their flashy garments for simple, unadorned dark blue outer robes. Mingyu found that Qi Juan was particularly nice to look at when wearing such plain clothing, a discovery which made him feel both weirdly embarrassed and confused.

Currently, the two of them stood underneath a fir tree by the river, looking at the mortal dwellings that lay in the distance.

"This should be Ri Mu village" Qi Juan said in a low voice as he took a careful look around.

Ling Mingyu also turned to examine his surroundings. The air in this place was much colder than in the sect. If he didn't know that it was mid July, he would have easily believed it to be autumn already. The eerie silence surrounding them made him slightly nervous. It was as if they were the only living beings around.

'Maybe whoever used to live in this forest was smart enough to leave here... or they are already dead.' he thought, suppressing a shudder. Ignoring his slight anxiety, Mingyu looked at Qi Juan.

"Do you want to check out the village?"

The young man opposite him nodded. As they walked along the edge of the broad stream, a narrow bridge made of logs came into view. It was connected to a gravel road, which lead them right to the entrance of Ri Mu village. Everything looked completely deserted. Qi Juan walked towards one of the houses, knocking on the door loudly. There was no response.

"Anybody home? This is the municipal government! We are here to collect overdue taxes! Open the door at once!" he shouted in a powerful voice.

Still, nobody answered. Mingyu raised his eyebrows in slight astonishment. So lofty immortals would also use these kinds of tricks? Who knew!

"It seems there is really nobody home." Qi Juan sighed.

Nobody liked to pay taxes, and people especially loathed government officials. So, if someone came for their money under false pretenses, they would surely come out to give that person a piece of their mind. Well, that was the theory, at least.

"Wait. This one." Mingyu said suddenly, striding further down the road before stopping in front of another small wooden building. Qi Juan quickly chased after him. As the other spoke, Mingyu had noticed the curtains behind one of the house's windows moving ever so slightly. This was obviously no coincidence! He knocked just as Qi Juan had done before. After a while, just as he was about to give up, the door opened a crack. From behind it, an old woman's voice could be heard.

"Who are you people and what do you want?! You don't look like those greedy government dogs, so don't even try lying to me!"

She peered at him through the narrow gap with unhidden suspicion and hostility in her gaze. Though she was quite advanced in age, her black eyes were still sharp.

"I'm truly sorry to bother you, auntie. We are looking for our friends. Our group separated quite a while ago and were supposed to meet up close by, but we haven't heard for them in a long time. Have you seen anyone around here?" Qi Juan explained in a curteous and gentle voice.

The woman looked at them in discontent before snorting.

"Young people like you shouldn't be lingering around here, it's not safe! But if you've already come this far... fine, come in then." she grumbled before finally opening the door fully and stepping aside.

The interior of the house was simple but clean. The old woman led them to a sturdy, wooden dining table before busying herself with preparing tea to serve. As she walked into the kitchen, Qi Juan leaned towards Mingyu and whispered in his ear.

"Well done. That was quite attentive of you."

Mingyu cold feel his face heating up. However, he remained unmoved on the surface, only lightly pressing his lips together.

"Thank you." he whispered while stealing a glance at Qi Juan sitting on the bench beside him.

The other just smiled in response. At this time, the old woman returned with a well worn tea pot and sat down in front of them, serving the tea with a gruffy but steady hand. It took a while for her to begin speaking. But when she did, the hostility had disappeared from her voice.

"You really shouldn't be playing around here. This is not a place for people to enjoy... not anymore." she said in a depressed tone before letting out a sad sigh.

"What do you mean, auntie? I feel that the scenery here is quite beautiful." Qi Juan inquired curiously.

"En, it really is... or well, it used to be. Young man, please leave this place. Do not stay the night. If your friends are already gone, then there is nothing you can do for them anymore."

She sighed solemnly, her shoulders hunched as if bent under the weight of countless worries and grievances. Mingyu could not help but feel aggrieved for her.

"Why do you say that they won't come back?" he asked her in a low voice.

For a moment, the woman seemed to hesitate. She assessed them silently before deciding to continue:

"I know you might not believe the words of a poor, old hag like me, and you also might think that I am crazy. But, the things that happen here, I have experienced it myself. It has happened countless of times already, not just here, but in the other villages, too... anyone who leaves their house at night never returns. Even... even my husband has never come back."

Qi Juan looked at her, a serious expression clouding his handsome features.

"I am sorry auntie."

The woman shook her head, her wrinkly hands clasped tightly around the teacup.

"He has already been gone for almost half a year. You must know, my husband was one of the first ones to disappear. Nobody believed me at that time. They said he must have gotten tired of me and just run away. We don't have any children and I am already so old, there was nobody who could go out into the forest to look for him."

Ling Mingyu and Qi Juan listened to her attentively. Mingyu then questioned:

"How did your husband disappear? Did you see him leave the house?"

"Yes, I did indeed see it. It was quite... confusing. I woke up because I heard the front door closing. My husband was not beside me. He is a very deep sleeper and usually doesn't wake up during the night. So, I decided to take a look at what was going on. When I opened the front door, I saw him walk towards the bridge, so I hurried after him. But no matter what I said, that old fool wouldn't respond at all... he wouldn't even look at me! It was winter, and we were only wearing our nightgowns, so I couldn't bear staying outside any longer. Though, he didn't seem to notice the cold at all. Truly, it seemed as if he was posessed!"

Qi Juan and Mingyu exchanged a meaningful look. Something sinister was going on. They were sure of that.