bestfiction Chapter 455
Chapter 455
As evening approached, a vast expanse of terraced fields stretched out before us. However, there had been little rainfall recently, and the mountain streams were almost dry. The entire field relied on a spring halfway up the mountain, causing great anxiety among the local people. In the distance, the water god temple and the mountain god temple were filled with people kneeling and praying day and night.
"Alright, get to work. Xuanjing, you take the recording stone and remember this."
Zhong Ming quickly crossed a mountain and found a small lake. The lake wasn't large, but Zhong Ming used the "Extreme Flood Turbulence" technique, which created several waterspouts above the lake. These waterspouts almost swept away the entire lake, flying into the sky and colliding with each other, creating a torrential downpour.
"I'll rest for a bit, you keep an eye on things." After doing all this, Zhong Ming sat cross-legged. In the distance, exclamations could already be heard. This little bit of water had solved the immediate problem.
"Sleep here, come back tomorrow morning, and then we'll leave."
......
A day later, after leaving the deep mountains, there was a small, rare plain, but the very center of this precious place was not planted with farmland, but with a mine.
The mine is in this location; where can you go to seek justice?
The two men entered the mine with the bounty poster in their hands, and an hour later, they emerged carrying a giant earth lizard in each hand.
The miners were deeply grateful for the few corpses, but it was unclear whether there would be any problems if the Earth Lizard egg and the Red Heron were stuffed into a pet bag together.
.....
If someone else gets to a mission first, the treasure is often surrounded by monsters. This mission is very rewarding. Not only will the person who posted the bounty pay a lot of money to buy the treasure, but the monster's corpse will also belong to the hunter. It's normal for many people to take on this mission.
.....
In the dimly lit room, Xuan Jing, dressed in iron armor, was covered by a dark yellow robe embroidered with the Eight Trigrams and the Four Divine Beasts, and cloud and mountain patterns. He was dancing wildly and incoherently.
Zhong Ming soaked a talisman in the water, then took out a pill and threw it in as well. After Xuan Jing finished his "ritual," he poured all the water into the pool, and the pool immediately became crystal clear.
"If you have any minor illnesses or ailments, drink a bowl of this while the medicine is still effective, otherwise it will become ineffective."
The villagers, who had been thirsty for several days, flocked to the scene. Those with better physical strength quickly carried wooden buckets and earthenware bowls of water to deliver to the sick in their homes.
This is the only nearby water source, but it has been contaminated by a rotting carcass. People don't even know how the carcass got in there, and they strongly suspect that someone deliberately dumped it there.
Some people with good stamina walk long distances to fetch water, while the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled have to choose between dying of thirst and falling ill.
......
After leaving this place, we continued along the road and arrived at a new mountain range.
An optional mission: find a medicinal herb in this mountain range. The client is very mysterious and has not revealed any more information. This herb is very rare, but its effects are not great. There is currently no effective way to preserve it, and it must be used within two months of being picked. The dynasty also has little stock.
They searched for a long time, using their flying swords to search the mountains, covering all four surrounding peaks, and finally found it in a remote corner.
......
“We’re getting late.” Zhong Ming counted on his fingers and looked at the sun. “It’s almost the fourth day, and we’ve still spent too much time searching for that medicinal herb.”
"It's nothing. Fellow Daoist Yue may not have everything go smoothly either. Besides, it's just the cost of one drink. That dead dragon could have been enough for countless drinks."
Xuan Jing spoke absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the entrance to Hong Town in the distance.
“I always felt that something was off about that place.”
"where?"
"It's right at the main entrance."
Few towns display such a clear "gateway." The entire town is surrounded by a dilapidated wooden fence, so badly damaged that people can easily squeeze through. However, it undeniably serves to delineate the town's boundaries.
The entrance to the town was less a gate and more a dismantled wooden fence.
Two stones were placed on either side to hold in place a few broken logs, preventing them from collapsing and causing a chain reaction that would cause the entire fence to fall down.
The two landed at the town gate. There were no gatekeepers or soldiers collecting town fees. Only a beggar lay half-dead beside them, glancing at the two before turning over and continuing to sleep.
Looking at the desolate scene before him, Zhong Ming felt a chill run down his spine.
"What do you think is wrong?"
"Nothing is right."
If it weren't for the need to maintain the image of the dynasty, or the fact that Zhong Ming was standing beside him, he would definitely have thrown an explosive tag at the homeless man next to him first, as he looked too much like some kind of zombie.
"Hey, you sleeping over there, I have some food and drinks here. Come answer a few questions, and I'll give them to you if you answer them correctly."
The homeless man scratched his butt, struggled for a moment, and then turned over to face the two men.
"Ask away if you have any questions." His voice was hoarse, and the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched. Judging from the shape of his mouth, he was trying very hard not to curse.
Zhong Ming took out some meat and waved it in front of him.
The man looked disdainful, but his body betrayed him by moving forward slightly.
"Who are you? You don't look like a homeless person."
“I own a paper mill. I can’t stay here any longer, but I don’t want to leave the town.”
His tattered clothes didn't look cheap. Zhong Ming nodded and continued to ask, "What happened here? Why are you homeless?"
The homeless man stared at him with his mouth agape.
Xuan Jing chuckled, tore off a piece of meat from his comrade's hand, and threw it into the homeless man's mouth.
The other person hurriedly swallowed it whole, but regretted it as soon as they finished. They smacked their lips, realizing they hadn't even tasted it properly before it was gone—what a waste!
With the lingering aroma of meat in his mouth, he swallowed again before replying, "This place is haunted. Don't look in the mirror, because if you do, you'll see ghosts, and they'll come looking for you at night."
"Mirrors? Are all the mirrors in town like this?"
"That's the case."
"You know so much, yet the ghost hasn't come after you? Why are you still alive?" Zhong Ming threw the piece of meat into his mouth, and he happily chewed it for a long time before he came to his senses.
"The ghost that comes looking for you doesn't necessarily eat you. I don't know if it finds you unpalatable or what, but many people have survived, but even more have died."
Zhong Ming touched his chin, a bad feeling creeping over him.
"Come have a drink."
Zhong Ming was somewhat displeased, but he still did as he was told, taking out a wine pot and wine cups. Just as he was about to pour the wine, the vagrant pounced on him, grabbing his arm that was holding the wine pot and refusing to let go.
"No, don't pour it! There are ghosts even in calm water. Just pour it into my mouth. If I can't see it, I'll be fine. If I can't see it, I can live."
The man shakily brought his mouth to the wine pot, but Zhong Ming pushed him away.
"You should have said so earlier. Look up and open your mouth."
The push was extremely forceful, instantly dispelling the homeless man's malicious intentions.