Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The owner of this crescent-shaped birthmark, Liang Qunyu, belonged to a relatively distant branch of the Eastern Continent's royal family, whose fiefdom encompassed Mistwater Town. In the original novel, the author dedicated considerable attention to her, establishing her as a significant romantic interest for the male lead, Jiang Ziliu. Her role was particularly prominent during the male lead's mid-story exploration of the mortal realm.

As for why Rong Yu remembered this birthmark, it was because the author seemed to harbor a particular fetish, emphasizing it in the narrative. The male lead, during their intimate moments, was depicted as loving to hold her wrist precisely at this spot, his fingers tracing the slightly raised birthmark.

Because of this, she earned a nickname among the male lead's subordinates: "Lady Moon."

No wonder Rong Yu had felt something was amiss during their earlier conversation. Reflecting now, even though she had deliberately altered her voice, subtle movements, and habits, a faint incongruity persisted. It turned out she was disguised as a man.

With this realization, Rong Yu scrutinized the green-clad guard standing beside her. Though tall and slender with delicate, almost neutral features, it was clear this was also a girl.

The four then departed the stage and headed towards the heart of Mistwater Town. After only a few steps, a voice suddenly called out from behind: "My dear Yu'er, Yu-gege, do wait for me!"

Hearing this, Liang Qunyu closed her eyes, her face etched with profound annoyance, and turned around through gritted teeth: "Xiang Yao! Why are you following me again!"

Who was this? Rong Yu also turned around curiously, observing a young man in white robes rushing over, gasping for breath, as if fearing the person in front of him would vanish if he slowed down even a step.

Strangely, despite running so strenuously, he still clutched a fan, occasionally fanning himself a couple of times, as if by mechanical habit.

Upon catching up, he stopped, panting heavily, barely able to breathe. His hand waved the folding fan so vigorously it tousled the hair on his forehead. With strikingly feminine and almost enchantingly beautiful features, he smiled once he regained his breath: "I can't help myself. Without you, I can't eat or sleep. How could you bear to abandon me?"

Perhaps due to the utterly bewildered expressions on Rong Yu and Lu Shitu's faces, Liang Qunyu helplessly pointed at Xiang Yao and introduced him: "This is my..."

"Future wife," Xiang Yao interjected suddenly. He blinked, reached out to embrace Liang Qunyu, cutting her off. He wore a mischievous look, as if deliberately trying to tease Rong Yu and Lu Shitu.

Well, well, so they were putting on a show of being a homosexual couple? Rong Yu, knowing Liang Qunyu was actually a girl, found it amusing and thought to himself that this guy seemed to possess a real flair for drama.

But while he didn’t take it seriously, another spectator did. Rong Yu felt Lu Shitu stiffen beside him, his eyes fixed intently on the pair across from them, as if frozen in shock.

Xiang Yao seemed determined to play the role of a same-sex lover to the fullest. He clung to Liang Qunyu limply, whining coquettishly: "Husband, say something!"

Liang Qunyu’s face turned pale. Before she could speak, the green-clad guard beside her struck Xiang Yao’s shoulder with her scabbarded sword, swift and decisive. Xiang Yao immediately straightened up.

Rong Yu felt completely unmoved, even amused. He had no intention of playing along with Xiang Yao’s act and turned to check on Lu Shitu.

In this world, there was no unified ideology that deemed homosexuality either a sin or entirely natural. Attitudes varied widely—some were very open, others conservative, and customs differed from place to place.

Rong Yu, on one hand, knew these two weren’t actually a same-sex couple, and on the other, had no personal objection to homosexuality, adopting a mindset of "whatever works, none of my concern." But for Lu Shitu, a straight man raised in a conservative, feudal major sect, he had likely never even heard of same-sex relationships and was probably startled.

When Rong Yu turned to look, sure enough, Lu Shitu’s face turned red. He seemed somewhat at a loss, staring blankly at the two. After a moment, he averted his gaze and, for some reason, shot a glance at Rong Yu before looking away quickly, as if electrified.

This reaction was very strange. But before Rong Yu could ponder it further, Liang Qunyu motioned for them to continue toward the tavern.

Along the way, through their conversation, Rong Yu gathered that Liang Qunyu had trained with a local major sect since childhood, believed herself quite capable, and wanted to exorcise demons and monsters to help her father. However, her father didn’t trust her to take on such tasks, so she focused on what was troubling him most recently—the anomalies in Mistwater Town—and sneaked off to help on her own.

Liang Qunyu flicked a melon seed shell onto a tree by the roadside, complaining: "My father said they’ve invited experts and that this matter should be left to them. What 'experts'? I’ll definitely solve this before those so-called 'experts' do and show him!"

Her melon seed shell cleanly severed a small branch from the tree, which held a dried fruit. Liang Qunyu caught it and smiled at her guard: "Young Master, look! I’ve improved, haven’t I?"

The guard took the shell and branch from her, gave an "Mmm," and carefully wiped Liang Qunyu’s hands with a handkerchief.

Rong Yu thought to himself: Is it appropriate to say that right in front of the experts?

But from their conversation, he could already tell these people had no ill intentions and weren’t involved in the schemes of the sect leader’s faction. Rong Yu began considering how to reveal their identities.

Soon, the approaching town governor personally solved Rong Yu’s problem.

After learning the truth, Liang Qunyu stared at Rong Yu in shock: "You... are the experts?"

Rong Yu replied modestly: "Well, not particularly expert." He was, after all, just the legendary number one master in the world. Haha.

Xiang Yao, however, looked him up and down and nodded: "Indeed."

Rong Yu: ...Indeed, my eye!

Once confirmed, Liang Qunyu’s expression brightened with delight: "That’s great! I can join you in the investigation! That way, no one can stop me or send me back."

The mayor, so worried he was tearing his hair out, said: "Why are you sneaking out dressed like this again... Please, just go back." The mayor also bore the surname Liang and, distantly related, could be considered a cousin of Liang Qunyu’s.

Liang Qunyu: "No."

Helpless, the mayor began explaining the situation: "Immortal Master, I wonder if you’ve heard of a strange incident that occurred in Mistwater Town many years ago, roughly... eight years ago."

Rong Yu thought back to the original story. When the male lead ventured into the mortal realm to deal with the demonic qi, Lu Shitu was still being bullied and exploited within the sect. Rong Yu hadn’t paid much attention to the male lead’s arc during this period. He only remembered the male lead gathering romantic partners and fighting minor monsters, encountering many demonic beasts. As for some strange event from years ago, he truly hadn’t come across it.

The mayor continued: "Back then, Mistwater Town suddenly experienced what they called a plague. It started with a family living near the back mountain. People gradually fell ill with a strange disease—those afflicted became dazed and foolish, as if they’d lost their minds. Various renowned physicians were consulted, but all they could say was that there was nothing physically wrong and the cause was unknown. Over time, those affected would gradually wither away, as if drained of life."

Everyone present was shocked by this horrifying tale. Liang Qunyu unconsciously lowered her voice: "Really?"

The mayor nodded: "It’s true. But calling it a 'plague' isn’t entirely accurate because not only people fell ill—animals also became listless and died suddenly, and even plants and trees withered. That area is now barren."

Rong Yu frowned: "It really doesn’t sound like a disease. It’s more like... the entire land was contaminated by something."

The mayor agreed: "Exactly! So those still living nearby fled. Later, the strange illness somehow stopped spreading, and the matter gradually settled."

"However..." He paused thoughtfully before adding, "It’s said that those who fell ill, in the days before they lost consciousness, seemed to have been frightened. Some claimed to have seen ghosts. So there have always been rumors in town that this was a ghost’s curse. Some said it was done by demonic cultivators, others that the feng shui of the place was flawed. That’s why people here are particularly wary of anything related to ghosts or demonic cultivators."

Rong Yu suddenly recalled his previous visit to Mistwater Town. It indeed seemed that way. The townspeople also seemed to avoid the back mountain, which was why they had detoured around it and hadn’t seen the barren land the mayor described.

Rong Yu asked: "So what’s happening now?"

The mayor’s expression turned grim: "It’s said that recently, the area near the back mountain has started showing signs of plants withering and livestock dying again. There have also been reports of people... seeing ghosts."

Rong Yu looked thoughtful: "Hmm."

He felt the situation wasn’t as exaggerated as it seemed. In the original story, the male lead’s time in the mortal world was relatively uneventful—just killing monsters. There were ghost encounters, but nothing about some inexplicable strange illness. This was likely a case of overinterpretation and rumors snowballing.

Such bizarre and terrifying phenomena would be commonplace in the lands of demonic cultivators on the reverse side of the continent. But on the proper side, according to the original work, major turmoil didn’t occur until the very end of the novel. Before that, everything was calm, and nothing significant happened.

As she listened, Liang Qunyu’s expression grew serious. She glanced at Rong Yu, who hadn’t yet stated his position, and said: "Uncle, take me to see what’s going on over there."

The mayor wore a look that screamed "Please spare me, stop adding to the trouble," staring at Liang Qunyu with a pained expression.

Liang Qunyu didn’t argue. Instead, she suddenly lightly tapped the table with her finger. At first, nothing happened, and everyone looked at her curiously. But the next moment, the teacup in front of the mayor shattered, its scalding contents turning into fine ice fragments that landed squarely on his front.

The mayor looked down at his suddenly soaked clothes: ...

Liang Qunyu lowered her voice solemnly: "Uncle, my father’s situation... you know it too. If another incident like this happens on his territory now, it would be truly bad. Look, I am, after all, the personal disciple of a Cloud Mountain Sect elder. I might be able to help. My cultivation progress has stalled recently, and my master said it’s time for me to travel and gain experience. Shouldn’t this be my first trial in my cultivation journey? Let me try. At the very least, you’ve assigned Young Master to protect me."

Rong Yu also spoke up: "Lord Liang, would it be possible for you to take the two of us to see the affected area? This matter may not be as terrifying as the rumors suggest. After all, no one has been harmed yet, right? Those affected back then might have had some other strange illness. Perhaps we should investigate before drawing conclusions."

The mayor eagerly replied: "It would be best if the Immortal Master could take a look. But that place might be dangerous, so please prepare accordingly. Xiao Yu, you... *sigh*. You’ve always had your own ideas. I can’t control you..."

The mayor turned worriedly to Liang Qunyu’s guard: "Miss Feng... Young Master, please take good care of her."

The group then headed toward the back mountain. Along the way, Rong Yu observed his surroundings and noticed that Mistwater Town was indeed much more desolate than before. Many houses were locked up tight, as if their occupants had moved away. The closer they got to the back mountain, the more empty houses they saw.

As they neared the area the mayor had mentioned, Rong Yu looked ahead and faintly sensed something odd about the air in that region—it seemed shrouded in a faint dark mist. But upon closer inspection, nothing seemed unusual.

Rong Yu suddenly recalled that when he first arrived at Mist River Town, just after stepping off the carriage, he had took a quick look around the town and had a vague feeling something was wrong. Thinking back now, it seemed precisely because of this reason.

Rong Yu shared his feeling, and the five others looked around. Rong Yu noticed the Lady Feng even made a hand seal over her eyes. But after a moment, everyone said they couldn’t see anything unusual.

Perhaps it was because there was a tributary of Liuyun Stream here, which connected more closely to the demonic realm, so his sixth sense was warning him?

Before Rong Yu could figure it out, he noticed Lu Shitu beside him slightly quickening his pace, subtly positioning himself half a step in front of Rong Yu, his hand silently resting on the hilt of his sword.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yao seemed to have was up to his usual antics, tearfully leaning closer to Liang Qunyu and said plaintively, "Brother Yu, I'm so scared."

Liang Qunyu glanced at him and chuckled, "Good, you should be."

Xiang Yao: …

While they were interacting, Rong Yu noticed Lu Shitu’s gaze fixed on them, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Soon, they arrived at the house of the first family that fell ill the town mayor had mentioned. The land's abnormality might not have been obvious before, but near this house, it was impossible to ignore—truly barren, without a single blade of grass.

Lu Shitu observed the ditch nearby and said, "Master, look."

Rong Yu followed his gaze and saw the water flowing gently in the ditch, but there was no moss or duckweed, so clean it seemed almost fake.

The town mayor led them around to inspect the surroundings and explained, "This is the first family that fell ill. Only a woman and her son lived here, and the woman was the first to get sick. Back then, she suffered from an incurable dementia-like illness. The physicians said only celestial beings could cure it, so her son actually went to a mountain of the immortals to seek medicine. He didn’t get the medicine, and by the time he returned, he missed his mother's last moments. When he heard she had died, he never even returned—he turned around and went to that celestial sect, supposedly to become a disciple. But perhaps it was a fortunate turn of events. Later, all the other residents nearby fell ill, but he alone escaped."

As he told the story, the group pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard. The yard was utterly barren; the stone slabs that had faded and cracked, yet not a single weed grew, which was downright eerie.

The town mayor added, "If the Immortal Master wants more information, perhaps you could try to find the child who lived here. I only know his surname is Jiang."

Hm? Rong Yu suddenly turned to look at him, about to say something, when they heard Liang Qunyu’s voice from the backyard, "Come quickly, look over here!"

It turned out that Liang and Feng had somehow gotten ahead of them and were already in the backyard. Seeing this, Xiang Yao dropped whatever he was holding, stood up, and hurried toward the backyard first, with Rong Yu and the others following closely behind.

When they reached the backyard, they saw the back door wide open, and on the rear mountain adjacent to it was a cave entrance leading directly inside. Liang Qunyu and the other, who had just called them over, were nowhere to be seen.

They called out a few times but received no response. Xiang Yao paused for a moment, then stepped through the yard gate without hesitation and entered the cave. Rong Yu couldn’t even stop him, so he had to follow.

The town mayor anxiously called out from behind, "Immortal Master, please be careful. If you can find my wayward nephew, please bring him back. Our Liang family will surely reward you generously."

But Lu Shitu gently stopped Rong Yu and stepped into the cave first. Rong Yu followed behind, making a hand gesture, and the cave was suddenly lit up by an unknown light source.

The area where they stood was a relatively open chamber, seemingly enclosed. But upon closer look, they noticed a hidden small opening in the corner, just large enough for one person to pass through—easy to miss if not examined carefully.

Rong Yu walked over and called inside, "Young Master Liang? Young Master Xiang?"

From deep within, Xiang Yao’s voice echoed, "Immortal Master, I’m just ahead. Follow me forward. If anything seems wrong, I’ll call out to warn you."

The spacious cavern showed signs of artificial carving, and coupled with what seemed like a man-made door at the cave entrance, its purpose became quite clear.

Rong Yu said, "This might have been used by that family to store food."

Lu Shitu nodded in agreement.

Rong Yu extended his spiritual awareness to probe the narrow passage in the corner, sweeping it like radar, but detected nothing unusual. The two then proceeded inside one after the other, with Lu Shitu still insisting on walking ahead.

The tunnel twisted and turned, sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, sometimes ascending, sometimes descending, winding through the mountain in a strange, convoluted path. As they walked, Rong Yu remarked, "This cave seems quite old, not quite the same as the cavern earlier."

Lu Shitu responded, "This disciple has a speculation. This place closely resembles what ancient texts describe as an immortal's trick—Cang Mengmeng."

Rong Yu thought he misheard, "What?" Was his disciple trying to be cute with him??

Lu Shitu paused, and when he spoke again, his voice carried a hint of hesitation, and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. Still, he repeated as Rong Yu expected, "...Cang Mengmeng."

His voice was no longer as clear and bright as in his childhood but had the deep, raspy magnetism of an adult male. Saying such cute reduplicated words made it... doubly adorable.

Rong Yu suppressed a laugh, "What does that mean?"

"The texts record that in mountains with dragon veins, there are sometimes hidden paths like this. Immortals once loved using spatial spells in such places. Those walking inside might sometimes find themselves in another dragon vein, with the scenery shifting endlessly. Cang... Mengmeng refers to the children's game of hide-and-seek."

Rong Yu understood, a smile in his voice, "You're quite knowledgeable."

Lu Shitu said sincerely, "This disciple’s knowledge is shallow, not even one ten-thousandth of Master’s."

Rong Yu thought to himself: Wow, sweet-talker.

Although he knew full well this wasn’t true—Lu Shitu had read through the entire sect’s collection in Shouzhong Peak; what did he himself know?—who wouldn’t feel happy hearing such praise? So Rong Yu was still quite pleased.

But this happiness made Rong Yu think back to Lu Shitu’s unusual behavior some time ago. Back then, he seemed to reject him? But judging by his recent actions, it didn’t seem like he held any grudge.

Rong Yu pondered for a moment and decided to take the opportunity to ask, "Shitu."

Hearing Rong Yu call him, Lu Shitu immediately focused entirely on him, about to respond, when the light Rong Yu had conjured in the cave suddenly went out. At the same time, a cold hand covered Lu Shitu’s mouth. He only heard Rong Yu’s breathy whisper in his ear, "Shh."

Lu Shitu’s scalp almost tingled. The subtle, cool scent from Rong Yu’s hand filled his nostrils, his lips barely brushing against Rong Yu’s soft palm, and the airflow from Rong Yu’s breath brushed past his ear.

Too close. It was... far too close.

But his blood boiled only for an instant. Soon, he understood why Rong Yu had acted this way.

From within the darkness, a faint sound gradually approached.

Rustle, rustle—closer and closer.