166: mountain spirit

The deathly stillness and eeriness within the post station permeated everyone's nerves like invisible ice water.

"Brother Qin Feng... what... what should we do? Should we stay here? I... I'm so scared..." Xiao Chun tightly clutched the corner of Qin Feng's robe, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly. She wasn't afraid of visible enemies, but this unknown terror—feeling watched by something unseen, with living people vanishing into thin air around them—was what chilled one to the bone.

Ji Ruxue had already moved like a wisp of smoke, quickly scouting inside and outside the post station. Returning to the group, the coldness on her usually serene face intensified: "No ambush, no tunnels, no residual intense energy fluctuations. It's as if the people... evaporated into thin air, or simply left quietly." Even this top assassin, accustomed to the bizarre nature of life and death, felt an indescribable sense of wrongness.

Xia Ya gripped her giant shield, which usually provided a sense of security, her knuckles turning white from the force. She scanned their surroundings and whispered, "Something is wrong, very wrong. Even the horses were only uneasy, not bolting in panic, which suggests no conflict broke out. But how could people leave so cleanly all at once?"

Qin Feng forced himself to calm down and analyze, his spiritual sense spreading like a spider web, meticulously sensing every subtle anomaly in the air. Aside from the unsettling silence, he truly detected no obvious killing intent, malevolent Qi, or Formation fluctuations.

"This place is strange; we cannot linger." He decided instantly, "No matter what happened here, staying means being passive. We leave immediately and continue our journey. Sister Xue, stay vigilant, watch for any disturbance. Xia Ya, protect Xiao Chun and the flanks. Let's go!"

The four quickly exited the post station and re-boarded the carriage. Xia Ya fiercely snapped the reins; the three fine horses seemed to sense the unease as well, stamping their hooves and tossing their manes, pulling the carriage rapidly along the official road toward the northwest, eager to distance themselves from the unnervingly empty post station.

However, after traveling for less than half an hour, the scene ahead caused their hearts to sink once more.

Thick white fog, seemingly surging from nowhere, spread like a living thing between the official road and the surrounding mountain forests. This fog was not ordinary mountain mist; it was so dense it couldn't dissipate. Visibility extended only a few dozen feet, with even roadside trees appearing only as vague silhouettes, while the distant mountains were completely obscured. The air was filled with a damp, cold scent, slightly earthy and mixed with decaying foliage.

"Be careful! This fog is strange!" Qin Feng said gravely, signaling Xia Ya to slow down.

The carriage proceeded cautiously through the thick fog, its speed greatly reduced, almost crawling forward by feel. The sound of the wheels grinding on the road became muffled and indistinct. Everyone's nerves were taut. Ji Ruxue's figure had already vanished from the top of the carriage, presumably having climbed to a high point or scouting ahead.

The fog grew thicker, reaching a point where one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. Xia Ya had no choice but to stop the carriage completely; continuing might risk falling off a cliff or getting completely lost.

In this suffocating silence and confusion, a faint, light, and scattered sound of footsteps, mixed with some indistinct murmuring, drifted faintly from the depths of the thick fog.

"Someone's there?" Xia Ya listened intently.

Qin Feng signaled for silence and stared intently into the distance.

Gradually, vague, shadowy human figures emerged through the thick fog, appearing not far ahead on the official road, and they were increasing in number.

There were villagers wearing coarse cloth and carrying farm tools; traveling merchants balancing shoulder poles; and even several men dressed as Martial Artists carrying weapons... Men, women, and children—hundreds, perhaps thousands of them!

However, their condition was extremely bizarre. Everyone had vacant eyes and dull expressions, moving slowly and stiffly, as if sleepwalking, wandering aimlessly in the dense fog. They paid no heed to the nearby carriage or Qin Feng and the others, as if they were just part of the mist. The murmuring was also meaningless, just unconscious grumbling from their throats.

The entire scene was silent yet vast, filled with a horrifying, inhuman quality.

"This..." Xia Ya sucked in a sharp breath, gripping her shield even tighter.

Xiao Chun's face was pale, and she covered her mouth to keep from crying out.

Just then, Ji Ruxue's figure flashed out of the mist from the side like a phantom, landing on the carriage shaft. Her expression was more solemn than ever before. She lowered her voice and said, word by deliberate word:

"Not good... We might have encountered a 'Mountain Spirit.' Or perhaps, some kind of large-scale Essence Spirit Domain capable of confusing minds and creating illusions."

"Mountain Spirit?" Qin Feng frowned deeply. He had heard that in deep mountain forests, ancient battlefields, or extremely Yin locations, peculiar entities that were neither quite human nor ghost could be nurtured due to unique geographical conditions and the accumulation of Yin Qi, resentment, or the lingering obsessions of living beings over long periods. These were collectively referred to by common folk as 'Mountain Spirits,' 'Xiao,' or 'Earthbound Spirits.' They often possessed the ability to distort perception, create illusions, and lure living beings. But controlling hundreds or thousands of people like puppets wandering aimlessly was unheard of!

Was this a problem with the misty mountains themselves, or had... something been disturbed?

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in the Imperial Capital of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Inside a Quiet Room within the majestic Celestial Masters Mansion headquarters—a place filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and solemnity—which housed stacks of case files and a massive Qiankun Bagua Diagram hanging on the wall.

Daoist Zhang Xuan, clad in a purple Daoist robe and wearing a lotus crown, was frowning deeply as he examined the mountains of documents and case files piled on his desk. Every file was marked with an unsettling title:

"Case of Mysterious Death of Livestock in Three Northern Counties, Blood Essence Dried Up"

"Continuous Disappearance of Merchants on Hexi Ancient Road, Only Empty Carts Left at the Scene"

"Entire Village in Southern Border Dances at Midnight Until Death from Exhaustion"

And the most recently received report: "Twenty People Mysteriously Disappear from Post Station on Northwest Official Road near Beiyao City, No Trace Left at Scene."

These reports came from various parts of the Empire, mostly concentrated within the last six months, especially since the large-scale invasion by the Barbarians was repelled.

Daoist Zhang Xuan rubbed his throbbing temples; even his usually steady face showed deep fatigue and worry.

"A time of many troubles, truly a time of many troubles..." he sighed deeply. "The Barbarian army invaded, leaving behind more than just scars on cities and displaced commoners. When war erupts, the bloody killing intent soars, countless people die, and I fear even the Earth Vein's Yin Qi has been stirred up. Those Chi Mei Wang Liang and Mountain Spirits that usually hide themselves, relying on Yin Qi and ill fortune to survive, can no longer remain dormant and are gradually emerging..."

He walked to the window, gazing at the vast sky beyond the Imperial Capital. On the border, although the Barbarians had temporarily retreated, they still amassed hundreds of thousands of troops, watching hungrily. The Empire's elite forces and a large number of Martial Artists were continuously transferred to the border defenses, meaning the garrison strength in internal counties and prefectures had been significantly weakened.

"The court's focus is on the Northern Frontier, and the national treasury is depleted by military supplies, making it truly... impossible to comprehensively cleanse these 'Yin Filth' creatures that are gradually breeding." Daoist Zhang Xuan muttered to himself, his tone filled with helplessness. "But if we let them spread unchecked, at best they will harass the people and cause financial loss; at worst, they might brew greater disasters and shake the foundation of the state..."

He turned back to his desk, picked up his vermilion brush, pondered for a moment, and finally made up his mind, writing his comments on the various requests for aid or warnings:

"Local Daoist temples and stationed Martial Artists are ordered to handle these matters as appropriate, prioritizing self-preservation, while investigating the root cause."

"Instruct all observation posts under the Directorate of Astronomy to closely monitor anomalies in local weather and earth Qi."

"Notify all prefectures and counties to strengthen night patrols and remind the populace to avoid dangerous areas."

"Request the Hall of Offerings to dispatch some mobile forces to selectively deal with several cases..."

Every stroke seemed heavy and futile. This was merely treating symptoms. The world was too vast, the anomalies were increasing, yet the Empire's strength was firmly tied down by the wolf tribes in the north.

The storm was gathering, indicated by the wind filling the tower. The dark side of the Martial Dao world seemed to be quietly awakening and showing its ferocity, coinciding with the chaos and wounds afflicting the mortal realm.