Chapter 692

Chapter 692 Outside Mount Sengyan

The sky was dark, and high red lanterns hung above the city gate, casting some light.

When Lolan Hill reached the city gate, several guards approached her. They held red-tasseled halberds and wore blue-black uniforms with dark yellow armor over them.

“Who are you, and why have you come here?” they asked with some caution, seeing that she was dressed as a girl and not a local.

“I am from Huilu Continent, the Scorching Sun Xiangyu Sect,” Lolan Hill said, taking out a copper plaque to show her identity.

After carefully verifying her identification, the guards reluctantly moved aside, allowing the girl to enter the town.

Is this place so heavily guarded? she thought to herself, then called two birds to follow her into the city.

The town was quiet, with few people on the streets. Most shops were closed, but there were still lights shining from two inns and one tavern. The alleys around the streets were pitch black, making it difficult to see what was inside and causing unease.

Stepping into an inn, Lolan Hill found several guests eating and drinking in the hall. Compared to the desolate outside, there was some life here.

“Are there any rooms available?” Lolan Hill asked at the counter.

The waiter looked up at the veiled girl and was slightly surprised before answering.

“Yes, yes, we still have quite a few vacant rooms,” he said. The inn was rarely visited, so there were naturally many empty rooms.

After asking about the price, Lolan Hill placed several silver rings on the counter. The waiter then called a colleague to lead Lolan Hill upstairs to settle her luggage.

Walking on the wooden stairs, Lolan Hill could clearly hear her footsteps. She observed that the inn seemed to have cut corners in construction, with thinner wooden beams.

Entering the room, the simple bed and chairs came into view. Although there were no stains, a thin layer of dust covered the table and chairs, suggesting that no one had stayed there for some time.

“I’m sorry, I’ll clean it right away,” the waiter apologized, then began wiping with a cloth.

Lolan Hill said it didn’t matter as long as everything was clean. After placing her luggage, she opened the window to look at the street and scenery outside.

“Do the people here go to sleep early?” she wondered, seeing many houses with extinguished lights.

“Not really, it’s just that fewer people live here now,” the waiter explained.

“Why?”

“Because it’s close to Mount Sengyan, which has many ghosts, making it unsuitable for ordinary people. So many have moved away.”

“What about before? There must have been more people, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many houses.”

“You’re right. Before, there were indeed many people here. Many merchants from other places would come to trade goods from Mount Sengyan.”

“Unfortunately, after the world changed, there were frequent attacks by demons and ghosts in Mount Sengyan, frightening travelers and causing many deaths. That’s why fewer people come now,” the waiter quickly answered while cleaning the room.

“Is it good now?” he asked, having wiped the seats and swept the floor.

“It’s fine,” the girl nodded.

“Alright, please rest. If you want something to eat, you can go to the first-floor hall. We’re open all night,” the waiter said, then left the room.

Lolan Hill put down her luggage, took out some prepared nuts, and let the birds eat them. Then she went downstairs to eat something.

Descending the stairs, the first floor seemed even livelier. Besides ordinary-looking guests, a few people in white robes with long knives at their waists had arrived. Their skin was pale, and they sat at two tables, seemingly waiting for their food.

“Did you hear? Someone was attacked by a ghost the day before yesterday,” a few men wearing tattered yellow clothes said while eating white steamed buns with pickles, discussing recent strange events.

“Didn’t the governor send the Black Panther Riders to clear things up recently? How could there still be incidents?” one man asked doubtfully, then took a big bite of the bun.

“Exactly, they can’t seem to get rid of them all. But this time, it doesn’t look like a natural ghost. It’s never been so bizarre before,” another man added.

“How so?”

“There’s a story about someone who broke his leg while riding and had to walk to the next station. He couldn’t make it by nightfall.”

“He was close, only ten miles away, so he continued walking in the dark.”

“Suddenly, someone called out his name from the roadside. He wondered if he had met an acquaintance, hoping to find someone to talk to on the way.”

“He turned around and saw a shadow in the field gesturing to him.”

“It was too dark to see who it was, but the voice sounded familiar. So he calmed down and walked towards it.”

“But after walking for a while, the face was still blurry. He became impatient and wanted the person to come closer. But the voice kept calling his name and gesturing to him.”

“Reluctantly, he continued walking, wanting to see who it was.”

“Finally, when he got close and looked up, he felt a chill, almost jumping out of his skin. The person’s face was exactly like his own, smiling and saying, ‘I am you.'”

“This person was so scared that he ran away, and the voice seemed to be constantly in his ear, calling his name.”

“He ran nearly ten miles until he reached the city gate when the voice gradually faded.”

“When he told the guards about it, everyone thought he was delusional because he came alone and no one was behind him.”

“What happened later?” the others, listening in fear yet curiosity, eagerly asked.

“At first, no one paid much attention. This person lived in constant fear for a while and then suddenly disappeared after staying in town for a few days.”

“A few days later, a merchant passing through mentioned finding a corpse near the city, lying dead in a field several miles away. The death was strange, as if the person had stiffened while standing and then fallen.”

“Interestingly, people remembered the earlier incident and reported it to the authorities. The officials found it was indeed the same person.”

“Enough, enough, don’t say anymore. This makes me never want to walk at night again,” one of the strong men wiped the cold sweat from his back, feeling a bit frightened.

“Waiter, bring me a pot of wine to calm my nerves.”

“Alright.”

Watching the man telling the strange story, Lolan Hill pondered.

In this world, could there really be such strange ghosts? she wondered. Her teacher, Trinasha, was a powerful witch and official of the Mercury Dynasty, specializing in the Necromancer Sequence.

According to her teachings, there were indeed spirits and zombies, but she had never seen ghosts with such strange behaviors and abilities.

Could these be unique to the East? But as a major sect, the Xiangyu Sect had no records of such special ghosts in its library.

Calling out names and exchanging identities involved many layers. If the purpose was simply to kill, it wouldn’t need to be so complicated.

While the girl was analyzing the story’s authenticity, one of the men at the table loudly said, “In my opinion, this is a malevolent ghost raised by the Chi Clan, used specifically to harm people. We should send people to Mount Sengyan to eliminate all the evil Chi Clan members.”

“Hey, keep your voice down. Don’t you see those ‘White Knives’ sitting over there?” a companion pulled his sleeve.

The man turned and glanced at the group in white robes with long knives, snorted, then sat back down. Though he despised these half-human, half-demon creatures, he knew better than to provoke them.

“Guest, your dinner,” the waiter brought a tray with three dishes: stir-fried vegetables, pickled radish, and steamed buns.

“Thank you,” the girl nodded and began eating slowly.

Listening to the whispers of others in the hall, she gradually understood that a group of foreigners lived in Mount Sengyan. They had extremely pale green skin and were proficient in the Nine Nether Forces, known as the Chi Clan. Those in white robes with long knives were descendants of mixed blood between the Chi Clan and outsiders, called “half-human, half-demons” or “White Knives.”

Mount Sengyan was once known as the Sunset Mountain Range in ancient times. There was once a major sect called Sengli Yama Palace.

After sorting out the local information, Lolan Hill gained a general understanding of the situation.

As she finished her dish of eggplant with minced meat, the sound of hurried horse hooves echoed outside the inn, coming closer and stopping at the door.

A group of fully armed cavalry burst in, carrying the chill and frost from outside.

“Boss, bring out the best wine and meat. We’re going to eat here today,” they said arrogantly.

Seeing the dozen or so armored riders entering, the nearby tables quickly made way for them.

“Alright, gentlemen, please wait. The kitchen will be ready soon,” the waiter wiped his sweat, nervously smiling and arranging the riders.

Lolan Hill learned from the murmurs of the surrounding people that these were the “Black Panther Riders” under the command of the local governor, each with combat sequence capabilities ranging from 2-3, truly elite.

(End of Chapter)