60: Chapter 60 Investigation Team

Xie Feng felt for the jade token from his sleeve, channeled Spiritual Qi into it, and pressed against the Spirit Stone.

The jade token flashed twice, and Wen Yushu's voice came from within: "Brother Xie. Any discoveries in the mine?"

"Discoveries of your grandfather." Xie Feng poked the ground of the mine with his blind staff. "Gu Jian confessed everything. Elder Wen Heng had him bring me to Ranhuo City, not to retrieve a sword. Did you know about this?"

Wen Yushu's voice sounded again, his tone completely unchanged.

"I knew."

"If you knew, why didn't you tell me?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't have come."

Xie Feng was so angry his nose was almost crooked. Tu Ziguan was squatting nearby, the corners of his mouth split all the way to his ears, until Xie Feng swept him on the calf with his staff, causing him to howl and leap away. Mo Tang sat on the ground repairing an iron plate without raising her head, her shoulders shaking rhythmically. Even Gu Jian was leaning against the rock wall, the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly, but after receiving a glare from Xie Feng, he shut his mouth and began playing dead.

"Fine, whatever." Xie Feng took a deep breath. "Then do you know that a Fire Vampire crawled out from the bottom of the mine? It swallowed one of Tu Ziguan's earth-shaking thunders as a snack on the spot."

"A Fire Vampire?" Wen Yushu's voice fluctuated: "What kind of creature is that? What means does it have?"

"This is a servant of Cthugha, and that thing you guys sealed down below is definitely not an anomaly!" Xie Feng said irritably.

"What did you say? Whose servant?"

Great, he had been censored. Xie Feng currently had no idea what these Cthulhu-like gods were trying to pull, completely failing to understand the standards and rules of their censorship. The Fire Vampire wasn't censored, but Cthugha was.

Next came the sound of the transmission token being passed over. The person speaking again was no longer Wen Yushu; the voice carried a hint of steadiness and age, unmistakably belonging to Wen Heng. This old man had been eavesdropping for quite a while.

"The Sect helped you investigate the Xie Family's affairs in Cangyun City, helped you fend off accountability from the Tianque Sect, and helped you collect cultes des goules so you could read it for over a month. You can't read the book for free."

Xie Feng's mouth drooped; he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

"Elder Wen Heng." Xie Feng slammed his blind staff against the ground. "Next time you can just issue the task directly to me; there's no need to send Gu Jian to trick me."

Wen Heng said unhurriedly, "It's not a trick. The sword is real. I just had you take a look while on the way."

Xie Feng took a deep breath and brought the jade token closer to his mouth. "You heard everything in the mine. The Fire Vampire. This thing is the servant of a terrifying deity named Cthugha. Eight out of ten, the thing sealed beneath Ranhuo City has something to do with Him."

"Cthugha." Wen Heng repeated those words.

Since he was able to say this word, the effect of cognitive isolation on a Seventh Realm Cultivator had already weakened. Wen Heng had seen cultes des goules and read fragments of Dreamlands classics; his cognitive framework was no longer on the same level as ordinary Cultivators.

"What do you need me to do?" Xie Feng asked.

"Go find Qin Tianzong," Wen Heng said. "I will speak with him."

The jade token went dark.

The four people walked out along the mine tunnel. Outside the mine, the sky was completely dark. The city walls of Ranhuo City crouched in the night, and the furnace light from the city ramparts dyed the low-hanging clouds dark red.

The sulfur smell in the air was heavier than when they first arrived, and the entire city was exuding the scent from the depths of the earth.

At the entrance of the City Defense Mansion were still those two rows of Imperial Guards.

Mo Tang displayed her bronze tally. An Imperial Guard glanced at it and stepped aside. Qin Tianzong stood in front of the forging table, next to a young Cultivator Xie Feng had never seen before. He wore the dark gray casual attire of the Artifact Hall, with tight cuffs and a row of ultra-fine carving knife leather cases hanging at his waist.

Qin Tianzong placed the copper ingot in his hand onto the forging table with a thud.

"Wen Heng contacted me with a jade token just now. He told me about the mine." He turned his head and jerked his chin at the young Cultivator. "Qiao Song, a Fourth Realm Disciple of the Artifact Hall, has followed me for seven years. During your investigation of the outer perimeter, he will lead you."

His gaze turned to Qiao Song. "These few are..."

"Junior Sister Mo Tang, from the Artifact Hall." Qiao Song nodded, his gaze lingering for a split second on the wooden box on Mo Tang's back. "You dismantled the core runes of three of my Puppets in the Artifact Hall and didn't put them back together after taking them apart."

Mo Tang shifted the wooden box half an inch further behind her. "Dismantling was for research. I would have put them back together after researching."

"It's been two years."

"My research was rather thorough."

Qiao Song did not press further and turned to Xie Feng. Qin Tianzong added coldly from the side: "Xie Feng. His cultivation level isn't high, but his ability to cause trouble is not low. However, if he says there is something, you can believe him. But he is only in the First Realm, so protect him when fighting breaks out."

"Elder Qin," Xie Feng began, "how much did Elder Wen tell you about the Fire Vampire?"

"Just a name." Qin Tianzong tapped his finger on the edge of the forging table. "And those things in your Meridians—Elder Zhao mentioned them to me. I didn't ask much. Old Zhao's lips are tight; there aren't many things that would make him make a special trip to discuss matters with me. He said you can see some things that we cannot see."

"Originally, I was going to investigate the Seal in person. But the tripartite discussions have dragged me down; the Tianque Sect is stubbornly insisting that the Seal is completely normal, while the Third Princess has data in her hands that can expose them. With both sides at a stalemate, we cannot free ourselves for the time being. The few of you should go to the outer perimeter first and gather the data back. The temperature of the mine, the Spiritual Qi concentration, and the decay rate of the rune barrier. Qiao Song will lead you, and if there are any abnormalities, contact me directly."

He felt two jade tokens out of his sleeve, identical to the one in Tu Ziguan's hand. He handed one to Qiao Song and tucked the other into his own sleeve.

Tu Ziguan was momentarily stunned. "Elder Qin, this jade token of yours...?"

"Would you consider coming to the Artifact Hall later, kid? Your ingenuity is not bad."

"Holy shit! Did you pay patent royalties?"

Tu Ziguan was rendered speechless. This Artifact Hall Elder was truly extraordinary—he was able to replicate it just by glancing at the jade token on his waist?

Xie Feng covered his mouth and chuckled secretly. "When are we setting off?"

"Tomorrow morning." Qiao Song hung the token at his waist, his gaze pausing on the four people in turn. "Is there anything else I need to know in advance?"

"Yes." Xie Feng turned his head, the two hollow sockets beneath the black cloth pointing in Qiao Song's direction. "The Fire Vampire does not appear alone; it is a servant, and that thing is essentially a hive-mind creature. The thought process of a Fire Vampire is similar to a 'hive mind'. Every victim killed by a Fire Vampire has their memories and wisdom absorbed into this 'hive mind'."

"Tomorrow when we enter the outer perimeter, if you see cracks on the ground, do not get close. As for the light spots, flames, or anything that looks like living fire emerging from the cracks, do not fight them with fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques. Use water, ice, or pure physical attacks. If you can't beat them, run."

Qiao Song nodded.

"Got it."

The few began to pack and prepare the necessary equipment. Tu Ziguan said he wanted to make a trip to Master Huo's place, and then they would gather in the evening to set off and begin the investigation.