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"Staying here is dangerous as well," Su Heng said. "The well is contaminated, and I need to check on Heikui Mountain even without this matter. Besides, anyone else going would be a waste of effort."

Since he started practicing martial arts, Su Heng\'s actions had become more resolute.

In front of his own son, Su Gui felt increasingly inadequate.

"Should we send a couple of men with you for support?" Su Gui suggested.

"No need," Su Heng shook his head, "The difference in our abilities is too great."

In reality, if he did encounter a dangerous situation, even having two Protectors with him would only be a burden.

On the other hand, Su Heng could make the trip much faster by himself.

"Well... alright then," Su Gui sighed with a sense of resignation.

This world...

He felt increasingly alienated and indecisive when faced with issues.

Unbeknownst to him, Su Heng had become the backbone of the large family, the true decision-maker.

"I\'ll leave now."

Not wanting to waste any time, Su Heng gave a few instructions and then pushed the door open to leave.

He strode forward vigorously, causing the ornamental trees planted in the courtyard to sway and rustle.

In the blink of an eye,

Su Heng\'s figure had vanished from Su Gui\'s sight.

The latter looked up to see a gloomy sky, with leaden clouds hanging low and the dull sound of thunder rolling in from the plains outside the city, signifying impending rain.

* * *

Screech!

A bird with a white head and black feathers soared, circling over the city\'s windward side.

Su Heng paused in his steps.

He was in a slum area near the western city wall of Changqing County, known as Mouse Alley. It was a place of mixed repute, with the most deplorable environment.

The alley, filled with trash and yellow dust, was devoid of light, flanked by dark, shabby houses.

Old clothes, patched aplenty, hung from bamboo poles outside the homes, with just a slight difference in color between those of men and women.

There was also a decrepit stool in front of the door.

Not far away, a pile of dog excrement had been stepped on and smeared.

Su Heng heard coughing from the alley and the creaking of wheels grinding against the ground.

In the darkness,

A single-wheeled cart was slowly pushed out of the alley.

The cart bore three bodies carelessly piled together, and the person pushing it had a grey cloth over his face, though his eyes still looked sickly.

Su Heng stepped aside to clear the way.

His eyes narrowed as he peered deep into the alley.

Within the darkness, shadows stood silently, their bodies emaciated, their faces numb, their skin and faces covered with sores caused by pollution.

Whether it was an illusion or not,

Su Heng felt as if he saw a strange yellow light in their eyes.

"So many people, all infected by the plague."

He remembered the incident not long ago with the decaying corpse attacking people at the Xu Family\'s doorstep.

Looking at these lower-class citizens whose conditions were clearly not right, even someone as strong as Su Heng couldn\'t help but feel a chill in his heart.

Leaving Changqing County, he followed the official road northward.

When he reached a giant banyan tree, he turned left onto a mountain path. Moving forward, he would arrive at the Nine-Windings River, where the Protectors usually fetched water.

Low shrubs grew on either side of the road, dotted with dark red fruits.

These fruits were called "Earth Enigma Berries," said to be a kind of traditional medicine.

As for their specific medicinal effects, Su Heng wasn\'t sure.

But he did remember that after eating these fruits, one\'s mouth would turn pitch black, impossible to wipe clean.

Continuing forward,

He rounded a steep cliff.

Standing on a large rock, Su Heng soon heard the babble of water from a distance.

Jiuqu River, located north of Changqing County, flows from west to east throughout the year without interruption.

As children, Su Heng, Su Shang, and Su Li would often come here to fish and picnic under the accompaniment of their family\'s Protectors.

However, in spring, due to the melting ice and snow on the mountain, the river\'s flow would increase, making it somewhat murky.

These fragmented memories slowly surfaced, but Su Heng did not act rashly.

Mist had begun to rise in the woods.

The turbid, dark waters of the river flowed from west to east, while a silk-like white fog enveloped the surface of the river, silently moving west, creating an extremely eerie scene.

The icy fog flowed over the surging water surface, over the abandoned, broken docks of Jiuqu River, over the low shrubs and rocks in the woods, and finally over Su Heng\'s ankles.

A bone-chilling cold penetrated his marrow, causing Su Heng\'s muscles to tense as the firelight of his True Qi circulation flickered in his eyes.

This fog was not normal;

It not only blocked his sight but also made the sound of the Jiuqu River grow increasingly distant.

Soon, Su Heng saw nothing but a white expanse, with only the nearby rocks and woods within a three-meter radius visible.

"Flap flap!"

An unusual noise came from above, and the branches trembled lightly.

Su Heng looked up to see a brown owl perched on a tree trunk, tilting its head and curiously peering at him.

He withdrew his gaze.

With black cloth shoes stepping on the ground, Su Heng continued forward.

Even though his vision and hearing were impaired, Su Heng\'s sense of smell remained functional.

Another benefit from his attribute panel—he was extremely sensitive to the scent that demons exude. As long as a demon appeared near him, Su Heng would certainly notice.

But before he sensed the presence of a demon, another scent had already made its way into Su Heng\'s nostrils.

It was an old, decayed, spoiled blood smell.

"The Protectors who came to Jiuqu River to fetch water?"

This thought flashed through Su Heng\'s mind, but he soon felt it was incorrect.

The blood scent was not fresh. Mixed with soil, damp and decaying, it was clear that someone had died some time ago, their body pecked at by wild beasts and birds, leaving just scant traces of freshness behind.

Su Heng hastened towards the direction from which the scent of blood came.

Pushing through the bushes in front of him, he entered the forest and quickly arrived at the destination.

On the clearing ground, two sets of remains lay one in front of the other, with their heads separated from their bodies, the flesh consumed cleanly, while the rotten heads had fat white maggots wriggling in and out of the dark eye sockets.

The blasted earth, broken and fallen trees, the upturned and torn shrubs...

There were traces of fierce combat all around.

Su Heng\'s nose twitched slightly. Beneath the scent of rotting human blood, there was another faint scent with a light fragrance of blood.

That scent did not belong to humans or beasts; it could only come from a demon.

And such an invigorating fragrance indicated that its owner was certainly not to be underestimated.

Suppressing his nausea, Su Heng carefully turned over the corpses.

Underneath the skeletal remains and shattered clothing, Su Heng found a wooden Token in the blood-soaked soil.

He held the Token in his hand and took a closer look.

Hiss...

Su Heng\'s heart tightened, and his pupils contracted sharply.

On the back of the Token, the ancient characters for "Green Thatch" were engraved.