113: Chapter 113 Getting Involved

"Young Master, what is it?"

Ye Shishui's gentle voice held a hint of doubt as she slightly turned her head to look at Chen Zilong.

Seeing him staring out the window and taking a sharp breath, she couldn't help but furrow her slender brows, her eyes swirling with confusion and concern.

She wore a pale purple long dress, the hem swaying gently with her movements like a violet blooming in the morning mist, both elegant and mysterious.

Lu Bingyun and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao noticed the strange atmosphere almost simultaneously.

A flash of alertness crossed Lu Bingyun's cold face, and her eyes, originally as calm as autumn water, narrowed slightly.

Tu Shan Xiaoxiao unconsciously pricked up her fox ears, her tail swaying gently, revealing the innate sharpness of a spirit beast.

The three women looked out the window again in unison.

Where Ye Wushuang’s corpse had been just a moment ago was now completely empty!

In an instant, a chill surged from the base of their spines to the tops of their heads.

Ye Shishui subconsciously covered her vermilion lips, her slender fingers trembling slightly.

Lu Bingyun's face turned as pale as paper, and even her breathing stalled for a moment.

Tu Shan Xiaoxiao's fur stood on end, and her amber pupils contracted sharply.

This was simply too eerie.

Even more chilling was that not a single trace of blood remained on the ground; it was so clean it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Only the breeze passing through the bamboo forest made a soft rustling sound, adding to the gloom.

The three women swallowed hard in unison, their throats dry and aching.

Chen Zilong took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Let's go eat."

Just then, Lu Bingyun frowned slightly, her cold voice filled with confusion.

"Junior Brother Chen, Ye Wushuang's death is so suspicious. Shouldn't we go find the Village Chief immediately to demand an explanation?"

Chen Zilong paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the empty courtyard outside the window.

"Of course we must ask, but not now. The people serving food on the first floor are all mortal villagers from this village; we can use this opportunity to fish for information."

"I see." Lu Bingyun realized, nodding gently.

A flash of approval crossed her intelligent face; this seemingly casual decision actually held deep meaning.

Chen Zilong led the three women to the Dining Hall on the first floor.

Many disciples from various sects were already seated in the flickering candlelight of the Dining Hall, but the usual clamor was gone.

Everyone had a look of lingering fear on their faces.

Some were mechanically shoveling rice into their mouths, while others stared blankly at their bowls and chopsticks.

An oppressive silence filled the entire space.

Chen Zilong walked toward a food service window.

Behind the window stood a senile old woman.

Her hair was silver, her face covered in the furrows of time, and her eyes were cloudy yet exceptionally focused.

Surprisingly, her movements in serving the food showed no signs of old age.

Every scoop was steady and evenly portioned.

Chen Zilong glanced at several disciples from other sects behind him and secretly sent a voice transmission asking them to switch to another window.

Those disciples looked displeased, but after sensing Chen Zilong's Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, they could only retreat silently.

Once the people had dispersed, Chen Zilong looked at the old woman and asked in a gentle tone:

"Old Woman, how long have you lived in this village?"

The old woman's movements paused slightly, and an imperceptible flicker passed through her cloudy eyes.

"This old woman was born here and has never left."

"I see."

Chen Zilong continued casually, "Old Woman, you all are truly brave. To keep living here even though there are monsters."

"We're used to it."

The old woman lowered her head to serve the dishes, her voice raspy. "As long as the Demon Suppression is successful, those things won't come out."

"Is that so?"

Chen Zilong's voice remained calm. "Then does Old Woman know why these monsters appear here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wrinkles on the old woman's face visibly twitched, and her hand holding the scoop trembled slightly.

Just as she was about to speak, a middle-aged man walked quickly from the depths of the kitchen.

His gaze was sharp yet held a hint of panic as he glared fiercely at the old woman.

"You're tired, go rest," the man said in a low, unquestionable tone.

As if her soul had been snatched away, the old woman's eyes instantly dimmed. She numbly put down the scoop and turned to leave, wobbling.

Her back was hunched, and every step she took was exceptionally difficult.

"Immortal, let me serve you." The man took the scoop, specifically ladled an extra portion of meat, and respectfully handed it to Chen Zilong.

Chen Zilong smiled slightly, took the tray, and turned to leave.

The group found a table in a corner of the Dining Hall and sat down, secretly exchanging the information they had gathered via voice transmission.

However, the results were disappointing.

Everyone's answers were much the same, as if they had been uniformly trained.

"That Village Chief, I always feel something is wrong with her."

Chen Zilong said thoughtfully, "If we ask her directly, we probably won't get anything out of her."

Just then, Lin Yue walked over quickly.

Her face carried a hint of exhaustion, yet she forced herself to keep her spirits up.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you free later? We don't have enough people for the Demon Suppression. I wonder if you could..."

"Sure," Chen Zilong agreed without a second thought.

Lin Yue clearly hadn't expected him to agree so readily; she froze for a moment before showing a grateful smile.

"Great! Then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Chen to take these ladies to the Compassionate Mother Well."

After Lin Yue left, Tu Shan Xiaoxiao tilted her head, her fox ears twitching.

"Senior Brother, do you really plan to go for the Demon Suppression?"

Chen Zilong nodded, his gaze profound.

"Since we can't find anything out in the open, we might as well enter the game ourselves and personally meet these 'demons'."

After the three women exchanged looks, they all nodded in understanding, indicating they knew exactly what to do next.

Shortly after eating, Chen Zilong led the three women to the front of the Yingxian Pavilion.

They looked closely and saw an old, yellowed map of the village posted on the door.

The edges of the paper were already curling, and the once-clear ink characters had become somewhat blurred.

Just then, Ye Shishui gently reached out her slender, jade-like hand and placed a finger on the map, pointing as she spoke.

"This is where the legendary Compassionate Mother Well is located!"

As she spoke, her fingertip slid across the old map marked by the traces of time, finally coming to a steady stop at a place marked with a special symbol.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the drawing of the well at this location was more detailed than in other areas, as if trying to convey some important information or an obscure warning signal.

Seeing this, Chen Zilong took a deep breath to calm his emotions, then stepped forward without hesitation and said:

"Alright, let's head out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his pace became even more firm and powerful.

The three women following him were the same.

They followed closely behind Chen Zilong, step for step.

Soon, the figures of the group of four drifted further away until they completely disappeared into the winding, snake-like narrow path...