The Case of Disappearing Villages - 2

'This Sa Keling seems like an immortal by description. We could be wrong... maybe he was just an impressive man. But holding him a suspect mentally wouldn't be a problem.' Fu Yating thought.

"Brother Wuyun, are you heading to Xiaodou?" The driver asked cheerfully. Apparently, this man's name was Wuyun. Was he from the Southern kingdom?

"Yes." He said and made his way towards Fu Yating. Feeling hostility, Zhou Yixiao immediately stepped in between. Wuyun angrily spoke, "I don't know what you are up to, but Sa Keling hated cultivators. No matter what soul calming you perform, it would only put him to further unrest if it comes from cultivators."

"How long since Shaori was wiped out mysteriously?" Zhou Yixiao deliberately ignored him, making him angry. But surprisingly, Wuyun calmed his anger before answering.

"Tonight would mark the third week." Then Shaori must be the first village to have been wiped out, Fu Yating thought. "The last time I had met him, Sa Keling had been preparing to travel to six different villages with a company of traders. Likeng, Paizi, Ganbi, Bojian, Cuiqi and Molai."

"Why are you telling this to us?" Zhou Yixiao asked, the smile still intact on his face.

"Except for Molai, all the other villages have been wiped out." The driver from earlier gasped, bidding goodbyes after hearing something unnecessary. "The Shrine monks, along with a few soldiers are taking away anyone who speaks publicly of the incident. If you really are cultivators, then save Molai."

Fu Yating stared with a shocked expression. All the places Sa Keling had planned to visit were getting destroyed overnight. He couldn't exactly trust this stranger, except that this was the only real clue they had found. Wuyun may not have any reason to lie to them, but even if he did; if the villages he mentioned were indeed the ones to be wiped out, then he was a suspect in the situation.

They had two places to investigate. First, any remains of Shaori were necessary to look into, but not so much had been left of the trampled village. Otherwise, they could guard the last standing village Molai. If the connection Wuyun makes is true, then the disappearance should stop with Molai and the case should come to a halt.

"My Lord, where to begin?" Zhou Yixiao asked.

Fu Yating looked at Wuyun, the man's angry face was telling them to get lost. Then why had he asked them to protect Molai?

"Let us ask around some more, first. Mr. Wuyun, thank you for the information." The man nodded in response and walked away towards his carriage. The carriage seemed strange upon the first glance, like a passenger's carriage being used for transporting goods instead. There was a reason mortals used different carriages for different situations. Carriages for travelers were made with comfort in mind, thus had less space to store goods. For any carriage driver, such a small detail could be a big loss in the longer run.

"My Prince," Zhou Yixiao whispered softly and held his shoulders, pushing him away from the crowd's view. Fu Yating realized that Zhou Yixiao's youthful appearance had made him underestimate how tall the ghost really was. "Do you trust that man?"

"Not at all." Fu Yating replied honestly, despite being flustered by the gesture. "He is, as if reading a script given to him by somebody else."

Zhou Yixiao moved away and smiled again, "Let's just ask around more. Need to confirm if the villages he mentioned were indeed the ones that have suffered?" Fu Yating nodded and they started asking around other people. Just like they had been warned, most people were unwilling to speak of the subject. Those who spoke little bits after insisting for a while, corroborated Wuyun's claims to be true. The five villages, were indeed the ones to have been wiped out.

Another issue in this area, was that people didn't have relatives in other villages. This part of the kingdom traditionally followed the rule to only be wed within your own village. Zhou Yixiao commented in an irritated manner, "These villagers don't even have any relatives in the concerned villages, but in this one village, everyone is related to the other."

"It must get difficult to find marriage partners for the youngsters then, if every youth is somebody's uncle or aunt somehow." Fu Yating asked an inn owner. She properly explained, that any blood relations after three generations were considered to be null. Even in her own case, her husband and she shared the same great-grandfather.

Zhou Yixiao made a disgusted face and the woman laughed at him. Fu Yating also noted, that this area in the Northen Kingdom could've been targeted for this particular aspect? If the villagers had relatives in every neighboring village, then the issue would've already reached the Capital. But since no one cared for strangers, and the villages were so far away from each other, the only ones truly bothered by the incident were caravan owners and inter-village merchants.

"This is difficult. We can't tell what exactly has been erasing the villages." Fu Yating spoke with an urgent tone. He didn't know when the next village would be destroyed; didn't know if the next attempt would even happen.

"Who else could cause such a mass devastation? Of course it is related to ghosts." Zhou Yixiao playfully commented. He walked a few steps ahead of Fu Yating, as they reached the outskirts of Shaori.

Fu Yating felt surprised at that. "For a ghost yourself, you are quick to assume it is done by a ghost. I thought you were planning to defend ghosts with the way you speak."

"Ah, my Prince, it isn't like that. Only deities consider themselves a community; ghosts are very introverted outside of their dying wishes. We don't care about other ghosts."

Fu Yating nodded, as it made complete sense. "But the incident could be caused by some corrupt Heavenly officer too. Or perhaps, a mishap of mana by a cultivator?"

"Five entire villages cannot be destroyed by accident. And a deity wouldn't do such dirty work by themselves. Heavenly officers could be involved, but not directly. They get their work done by mortals or the dead, it's more convenient that way." Fu Yating also had similar ideas, and was once again impressed by how smart and unbiased Zhou Yixiao was. Being a ghost himself didn't make him turn away from logic.

They walked closer to the destroyed town and stopped at the entrance... or what was supposed to be the entranced.

Acres of shipped wood and stone, a rotting stench and an air of gloom welcomed them to Shaori. Contrasting the village they had first entered, Fu Yating thought if this village used to be just as lively?

Just near the entrance, this road was supposed to be the market. He could make out outlines of broken carts and sheds. Zhou Yixiao frowned and stared at one particular broken wall. "My Prince, do you recognize this destruction?"

"Yes." Fu Yating paused, looking around once more. "Looks like the place was trampled by a herd of wild animals." There were no footsteps on the grounds, but other than that, everything looked erratic and inhuman. "Wild animals don't hold grudges so specifically. They couldn't have targeted specific areas to destroy."

"Someone directed their anger this way." Zhou Yixiao finished and folded his hands. He kicked a hanging log away to discover a rotting arm. He made an angry noise and walked back close to Fu Yating.

"Yixiao, be good. Don't kick the corpses. You should wait outside, let me perform soul calming for them. May they rest in peace." Fu Yating said.

"That's not going to work. Their souls aren't here."

...what?

Fu Yating hurriedly pulled out a talisman and stuck in near his foot. He chanted the words, 'May the souls rest in peace' but just like Zhou Yixiao said, nothing.

Fu Yating couldn't make out why this was happening.

"This place wouldn't be so glum if the souls had already moved on to afterlife. Where could they be? And why is there so much resentment in this area if there are no souls!?"

"My Prince, calm down." Zhou Yixiao placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "These people didn't get the time to develop resentment, they were killed in an instant. The resentment belongs to whatever ghosts trampled this place, they must've left this trail."

"Yixiao.... where are these souls?" Fu Yating's voice slightly trembled.

He didn't know why, but a bunch of missing souls really ticked him off the wrong way, could it be something he had experienced in the past? No... thinking about it would only give him another headache. Fu Yating pressed his hands against his forehead and lost strength in his legs, 'I don't remember anything important.' He thought.

Zhou Yixiao holds his right hand to support him and the left hand steadies his shoulder. "My Prince, don't think about it. Please stop thinking about it."

Yixiao must think his Master was so pathetic. Always fainting and having headaches.

"Whatever is worrying you, it's not worth thinking." Yixiao softly reminded. He was caring, and kind even as a ghost. And his seniors would always say, being a little selfish was always the right way, and he would never listen.

"It is worth it. It must be worth it..." Fu Yating's head panged and his vision remained hazy. "If it gives me this much trouble, it must be important to me."

He couldn't see Yixiao's expression for a good minute, but he felt the twitch in his hand at his words. The memories that are missing in his conscience, must be important to him.

When Fu Yating could feel his strength again, he slowly let go of Yixiao's hands. He was sort of surprised by the sincere expression Yixiao was throwing his way, as his moved by his words.

Every time, Fu Yating waited for Yixiao to ask questions. What was happening to him, and why he'd so many times, collapse from a headache; but Yixiao would only look at him with knowing eyes.

It was freeing, to have to provide no explanation for your being.

Perhaps, Fu Yating himself tried his best to not pry into the ghost's personal business? No, Fu Yating kept asking about things, made bargains in every situation. Yixiao had only been generous and loyal, for some reason.

Seeing Fu Yating fidget with his own sleeves, Zhou Yixiao smiled and spoke. "If you're feeling well now, let us move on." He deliberately avoided the subject Fu Yating would be conscious about. "I think we both have similar ideas of where to head next."

"If Shaori was destroyed, then the immortal must be alive. Yixiao, are you suggesting we head to Molai?" Fu Yating asked.

"My Prince is still testing me, we're going to Xiaodou." He motioned for them to walk outside the village lands, "Let's meet with Wuyun and his boss."