278: The four-person demon-slaying team

"Se... Brother Ma, do we really have to do this?"

Niu Zhiyuan looked at his two-meter-tall frame and the crescent shovel in his hand, then at Wang Yao, who looked like a monkey, Zhou Yan, who had turned into a big-bellied man, and Jiang Hongyue, who had become a fair-skinned bald monk. His heart grew increasingly bewildered.

Initially, he had agreed with Zhou Yan's plan to hide their identities, but now that they looked like this, they were even more eye-catching. What was the point of hiding their identities then?

"That's where you're wrong."

Wang Yao swung the staff in his hand to get a feel for it, speaking to Jiang Hongyue and Niu Zhiyuan.

The two of them looked at him with anticipation, wanting to hear his insights. Even Zhou Yan was a bit surprised and wanted to hear what Wang Yao had to say.

"Actually, I don't really understand either, so let's just ask Senior Brother."

His words left everyone present speechless.

If you don't know, why act like you do?

Then, Zhou Yan, who had turned into the big-bellied man, swung a rake at Wang Yao.

"Don't forget to hide your identity, you bastard!"

Wang Yao waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that he understood.

Seeing everyone's questioning gazes, Zhou Yan began to explain to them.

However, it wasn't a direct explanation; instead, he used his Divine Sense to construct a small network, connecting their consciousnesses together.

This was a new Spell Zhou Yan had created by combining the Law of the Heart with another part of the Humanity Legacy he had unlocked.

Since the Buddhist Sect existed in this world, and to avoid copyright infringement, Zhou Yan renamed the Spell he originally intended to call 'Telepathy' to 'Little Smart'.

At this moment, Zhou Yan's voice rang out within the Little Smart network.

"Our current appearances are indeed conspicuous, especially when the four of us are together."

"These appearances are disguises I created using illusion, Talismans, and Artifact Refining methods. Although they aren't exquisite, they aren't something an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator can see through."

"Under these circumstances, anyone who behaves abnormally upon seeing us definitely has a problem."

"And before this operation, I had a sudden premonition."

"You should all be clear about what a Nascent Soul Cultivator's premonition means."

"So for the sake of safety, you must stay close to me and be extremely, extremely cautious."

After Zhou Yan made things clear, the atmosphere among them suddenly became solemn.

They had originally thought the Elders had added a difficult task because of Zhou Yan's inclusion, but now they realized that wasn't the case.

This world is full of mysteries, and a premonition often foretells Opportunity or danger. For a Nascent Soul Cultivator to perceive a crisis so clearly meant this trip was by no means simple.

Even Jiang Hongyue began to have second thoughts.

But seeing that Wang Yao and Niu Zhiyuan hadn't spoken up, he didn't feel right saying anything.

Wang Yao never even considered running; after all, with Zhou Yan there, he was fearless.

To him, one sentence could sum up Zhou Yan: 'My Senior Brother is invincible under heaven!'

Although Niu Zhiyuan wanted to back out, as he had the lowest cultivation, his sense of honor and shame made him too embarrassed to desert.

Since no one proposed a retreat, he could not take a single step back.

However, their first destination wasn't far, and they weren't given much more time to hesitate before the mission began.

The four brothers soon arrived at the entrance of a small town.

Though called a town, its scale was quite large, appearing to have at least tens of thousands of people.

One could only say it was worthy of being a Xuanhuan world; even an ancient town's population could rival that of a typical modern town.

"Zombie Town," Wang Yao read the name. "This name is quite creepy."

"I'll go ask around," Jiang Hongyue volunteered.

After all, he was the most normal-looking of the four, so it was indeed most appropriate for him to ask for directions.

Because their appearances were so striking, many pedestrians passing the town entrance would steal a few glances. Jiang Hongyue soon locked onto a pedestrian who looked like a local Elder and stepped forward to ask.

"Old man, we are Loose Cultivators passing through and would like to stay the night in your esteemed town. May I ask where we can find a place to rest?"

The old man looked Jiang Hongyue over for a moment before speaking.

"If it's not necessary, it's best to stay in another town during this time. If you can't reach the next town before dark, go check Old Hu's house at the east end of town."

After saying that, the old man was about to leave but was gently held back by Jiang Hongyue.

"Wait a moment, old man." Jiang Hongyue slipped a few copper coins into the old man's hand.

The old man's furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

"Is there anything else?"

"Why is this town called Zombie Town?"

The old man weighed the copper coins and tucked them into his robe.

"It wasn't called Zombie Town before; it was changed to Zombie Town later." With that, the old man walked away quickly.

Jiang Hongyue returned to the other three and relayed the information he had gathered.

After hearing this, seeing Wang Yao and Niu Zhiyuan still looking down in deep thought, Zhou Yan simply couldn't take it anymore.

"What the town is called now is written on the sign, isn't it? What we should be figuring out now is why it's called that!"

Hearing him say this, the three of them suddenly realized.

Seeing the three of them like this, Zhou Yan felt even more mentally exhausted.

Zhou Yan also wondered, don't they usually do a lot of missions? Why are they acting like complete novices now?

What Zhou Yan didn't know was that they usually acted as Disciples of Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, and basically never had to disguise their identities like this.

Take Jiang Hongyue, for example; he didn't need to do many things himself. Even if he encountered a difficult problem, he could rely on his status to find someone who could solve it, like the time he sought revenge for Zhou Yan.

The status of a Qingxu Grotto-Heaven Disciple was itself the greatest fool-proofing mechanism. Unless they were on a very difficult mission, they basically didn't need to use their brains much.

The group thus walked into Zombie Town.

This town was strange; they noticed it as soon as they entered.

Niu Zhiyuan didn't have Divine Sense and could only vaguely smell a strange odor in the air, like blood mixed with a foul stench.

Wang Yao and Jiang Hongyue, on the other hand, could directly see the faint Corpse Qi in the air.

"Such heavy Corpse Qi!" Wang Yao said in the Little Smart network.

"It seems our first targets are zombies." Jiang Hongyue added an explanation for Niu Zhiyuan.

"Zombies, four or more, average cultivation at Qi Refining Mid-Stage, one or two of which likely reached the Foundation Establishment Stage."

"Since I haven't seen a Foundation Establishment Stage zombie, it's hard to judge the specific level, so for now, estimate their combat power at Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage."

"There's also another special aura that's hard to identify; you need to be careful."

This was Zhou Yan, who had exposed the enemy's details in less than three seconds.

The three, who were somewhat immersed in their roles, then remembered they had a Nascent Soul Cultivator with them and were immediately much more at ease. But at the same time, they became more alert regarding the premonition Zhou Yan had mentioned.

Like ordinary travelers, the four of them took a general tour of the town. Except for the wealthy district on the west side, they inspected every other area.

The Corpse Qi in this town was unevenly distributed, but it was certain that zombies frequently appeared here, with the most recent occurrence being just two days ago.

As it grew late and they had gathered enough intelligence, the group of four walked toward Old Hu's house, which they had asked about earlier.

By asking passersby along the way, they quickly found the place.

"How strange, why is this house built like an inn? Who builds their house like this?"

While the others discussed in low voices, Zhou Yan's expression couldn't help but change.

This gave him way too much déjà vu.

It was practically as if 'the house has a problem, something will happen if you stay here' was written on its face.

Just then, as if a plot point had been triggered, a middle-aged man suddenly pushed open the door.

He originally wanted to greet them, but seeing their appearances, he was startled and instinctively tried to close the door.

"You must be Old Hu, right?"

"We heard from an old man that we could stay here, so we came looking."

"Don't mind our unusual looks; our hearts are kind."

Zhou Yan gave a simple smile and reached out to hold the door, preventing the other party from closing it.

Seeing the man was still a bit nervous, Zhou Yan added.

"We've been traveling for a long time and are truly exhausted."

"So we just want to eat something and rest for a night."

"Don't worry, we have money, and plenty of it."

After saying that, Zhou Yan took out three taels of silver.

The man's eyes darted around, and he quickly tucked the silver into his robe. Then, he put on a fawning smile and opened the door wide to welcome the four of them in.

"Please come in, the four of you. I'll have my wife start cooking and prepare something good for you all."

According to their pre-arranged personas, Wang Yao strode ahead with clumsy movements, followed by the calm Jiang Hongyue, then the simply-smiling Zhou Yan and the silent Niu Zhiyuan.

Once all four had entered, the man closed the door. The moment the door shut, his expression changed slightly again.

By this time, the sun was at dusk.