Chapter 163: Chapter 137: Questioning Each Other

Sang Que and Xia Chan displayed almost identical expressions of shock, their mouths slightly agape, staring fixedly at the muzzle of He Buning’s gun.

Xia Chan was startled by the sound of the gun, while Sang Que was shocked that the Deceit Dynasty already possessed guns.

But as she looked at Qin Ze and Xu San’s expressions, it was clear they had never seen a gun before. If such a thing existed in the Deceit Dynasty, it would certainly be used in the military, and Qin Ze had been a squad leader in the army, yet he hadn’t seen one?

So, where did this gun come from?

From… the modern era?

Sang Que’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked at He Buning once more.

He Buning’s probing gaze landed on Xia Chan, who was somewhat frightened and immediately clung to Sang Que’s arm, leaning on her.

The Human-faced Snake was shattered by the bullets scattered from the flintlock gun, and Sang Que withdrew her gaze to scan the ground behind her. The smoke just now was tinged with red, and there were some black crystal fragments on the ground.

Could the bullets from He Buning’s gun be made from the mixture of vermillion and Obsidian fragments, as she had imagined before?

After the Human-faced Snake was broken apart, Zhao Qi convulsed all over, fell to the ground, and his body exuded a large amount of water, turning into a dried-up corpse in the blink of an eye.

Immediately following, Qin Ze also exhibited abnormalities. The crimson water weeds on his body uncontrollably strangled his neck, tearing into his flesh, burrowing into his chest, and tightly wrapping around his heart.

The evil spirit he controlled was out of control!

At the critical moment, He Buning shook off the black cloak hanging on his arm and draped it over Qin Ze.

The crimson water weeds on Qin Ze instantly released their grip on his neck, withdrew from his chest, turned into water, and disappeared.

Qin Ze also fainted and fell to the ground.

Besides exhausted, Xu San did not show any abnormalities, and attention turned to Qiao Ying standing nearby.

Qiao Ying was still immersed in the shock and grief of Zhang Yuanzhong sacrificing himself to save her, and suddenly feeling the gaze of the crowd, she tensed up, scrambled backward, and looked back at everyone.

Sang Que also found it strange. Qiao Ying had been in Pinghu Village for half a year, submerged under the lake for so long, yet she survived?

And at the moment, she showed no visible abnormalities. Could it be that ’Suoweng’ saved her?

Sang Que thought about how she herself had escaped the control of the Fish Woman thanks to the Witch Lady’s protection; such possibilities weren’t out of the question in the Deceit Dynasty.

“Xiao Wu, tie her up first!”

He Buning ordered, and Xiao Wu patted Xiao Liu, who temporarily couldn’t see, took the Soul-locking Rope off himself, and approached Qiao Ying.

“What are you doing!”

“Don’t move. We’ll release you once we are sure you’re fine!”

“Stay away! Don’t touch me!”

Qiao Ying’s struggling was futile; Xiao Wu quickly subdued her, tying her up tightly and throwing her aside.

The surface of the lake remained turbulent, yet despite the powerful winds, the thick fog surrounding the village and Ping Lake remained completely still.

Xiao Liu, with his eyes wrapped in a cloth strip, groped to stand up, and Xiao Wu hurried over to support him.

Xiao Liu promptly and succinctly relayed to He Buning the scenes he had just seen with his Ghost Eye, summarizing the events behind the Pinghu Village ghost mist incident.

It began with the drought decades ago, when the Fish Woman Village came to the surface from the lake bottom. The Evil Suppression Bureau hadn’t handled it thoroughly, allowing Pinghu Village residents to acquire the Fish Woman’s statue and be enticed, leading to decades of worship.

The timing couldn’t be pinpointed exactly because the Evil Suppression Bureau didn’t allow such records to be kept, to prevent the matter from being spread by those who read them, indirectly strengthening the Fish Woman’s power.

Xiao Liu and He Buning analyzed that the Fish Woman Village should have been suppressed by the local Qingjiang Envoy, whose power weakened after Pinghu Village shifted their worship to the Fish Woman.

In a certain vision, a turtle shell revealed a pained human face, eventually cracked open by thread-like worms representing the Fish Woman, indicating she devoured the Qingjiang Envoy.

After this, Pinghu Village was enveloped in ghost mist. It was precisely because of this ghost mist that the thread-like worms under the lake didn’t spread.

Therefore, the ghost mist was highly likely left by the Qingjiang Envoy as a punishment to turn Pinghu Village’s residents into creatures like the Fish Woman.

And also as protection to prevent the Fish Woman from harming citizens who still worshiped the Qingjiang Envoy elsewhere.

“Boss, I find it odd. The Fish Woman only has the devotion of Pinghu Village residents, while the Qingjiang Envoy has the devotion of several villages around Pinghu. How could the Fish Woman devour the Qingjiang Envoy?”

He Buning thought of the Yin Child, suspecting it assisted the Fish Woman. Such an exceptionally clever Evil Ghost; possessing such means was not surprising.

At this moment, Sang Que spoke, truthfully informing He Buning about Qiao Ying’s encounter with the Bell Doctor during the Pinghu Village temple fair.

He Buning immediately thought of the Bell Doctor from the Purple Cloud Mountain Bandit Village, suddenly realizing the matter had turned convoluted.

Returning to the lakeside, He Buning reached into the water and keenly sensed that the Fish Woman’s power had significantly weakened.

He glanced sideways at Sang Que; surely it was none of the abilities of Xu San or Qin Ze. It must have been something she did.

Though only a year older than Xia Chan, she somehow possessed such capability. Had it been himself, he might not have weakened the Fish Woman and emerged unscathed.

He Buning suddenly became intensely curious about Sang Que’s background, and why she always had Xia Chan with her, who treated her like a real sister.

“Xiao Wu, plant the flag!”

With a stern expression, He Buning ordered, and Xiao Wu stabilized Xiao Liu, efficiently retrieving a banner from his portable chest bearing the large characters ’Evil Suppression Bureau’ and embroidered with ghost faces around.

Sang Que had seen such a flag before, outside the county of Tangyuan during a sacrificial ceremony.

Even though Xiao Liu couldn’t see at the moment, he could sense Sang Que’s curiosity and explained, “Beings like the Fish Woman, who clearly already have Ghost Level strength, cannot be directly eliminated. Fortunately, the situation isn’t particularly dire. Planting an Evil Suppression Bureau flag here can curb the Fish Woman’s power from spreading.”

“Afterward, we just need to post notices around the village’s perimeter to advise people from nearby not to approach here. Over time, as the Fish Woman receives no worship and becomes forgotten, she will gradually weaken and eventually disappear. During this time, if the Yin Walking General from Wangshan City can make the time to personally handle the situation, it would naturally be even better.”

“How long would that take?” Sang Que asked.

Xiao Liu gave a slightly awkward smile, “At the very least, it would take twenty years or so.”

Sang Que: ……

Once the Evil Suppression Bureau’s flag was planted, the furious winds remarkably began to subside. The heavy clouds overhead gradually withdrew, and the lake surface started to calm down.

Yet, the lake water still shimmered with an ominous deep blue, with unknown dark shadows occasionally flitting across it.

After burning Zhao Qi’s corpse, tying up Qin Ze along with the cloak, Xiao Wu began burning incense and paper at the lakeside, sincerely giving thanks to the Qingjiang Envoy.

As long as residents continued to worship the Qingjiang Envoy, it would eventually reappear in this lake and continue to suppress the Fish Woman.

Bound, Qiao Ying knelt by the lake’s edge, ardently bowing in prayer along with Xiao Wu, tears flowing as she thought of her useless husband, Zhang Yuanzhong.

It wasn’t only Qiao Ying; Sang Que also hadn’t expected Zhang Yuanzhong to push Qiao Ying to safety in such a moment of life and death.

Yet, he hadn’t even left a final word behind.

With all that done, Xiao Wu took some time to meticulously search the entire village, still unable to find any trace of Wan Biao.

After everything was arranged, He Buning called Sang Que aside.

“Xiao Wu, plant the flag first!”

He Buning said sternly, and Xiao Wu, after ensuring Xiao Liu was steady, skillfully retrieved a flag bearing the large words ’Evil Suppression Bureau’. It was embroidered with ghost faces along its border and stood with a steady hand.

Though Xiao Liu couldn’t see it, he sensed Sang Que’s curiosity and explained, “An entity like the Fish Woman, which has clearly reached a Ghost Level in strength, cannot be directly exterminated. Placing the Evil Suppression Bureau’s flag here will at least prevent the Evil Spirits from spreading.”

“We will just need to post notices around the village, warning people not to approach this place. Eventually, the Evil Mist will dissipate. When the Yin Walking General of Wangshan City is available to personally deal with this, it would be ideal.”

“Meanwhile, I find it odd that the Fish Woman only has the devotion of one village, while the Qingjiang Envoy was worshiped by several villages around Ping Lake. How could the Fish Woman devour the Qingjiang Envoy?”

He Buning thought of the Yin Child, suspecting that it aided the Fish Woman—a very clever Evil Ghost, capable of such means.

At this moment, Sang Que spoke up, informing He Buning truthfully about Qiao Ying’s encounter with the Bell Doctor at the Pinghu Village fair.

He Buning immediately thought of the Bell Doctor from the Purple Cloud Mountain Bandit Village and instantly sensed the situation becoming increasingly complicated.

He Buning walked to the lake’s edge again, reaching into the water, keenly feeling that the Fish Woman’s power had significantly waned.

He cast a sidelong glance at Sang Que, realizing that Xu San and Qin Ze couldn’t have managed to weaken the Fish Woman’s power; it must have been something she did.

Even though she was just a year older than Xia Chan, she had such abilities. He might not have been able to weaken the Fish Woman and come out unscathed himself.

He Buning suddenly became intensely curious about Sang Que’s background and why she always kept Xia Chan by her side, whom Xia Chan treated like an elder sister.

“Xiao Wu, plant the flag!”

He Buning ordered with a steely face, and Xiao Wu, having left Xiao Liu in a safe spot, quickly retrieved a flag emblazoned with the words ’Evil Suppression Bureau’ and decorated with ghostly faces around its edges from his chest.

“Fish Woman is an entity that clearly has Ghost Level capabilities and cannot be exterminated directly,” Xiao Liu explained, even though he couldn’t see, sensing Sang Que’s curiosity. “Fortunately, the situation isn’t too dire at the moment. Placing the Evil Suppression Bureau’s flag here should inhibit the Fish Woman’s strength from extending further.”

“Afterward, putting up notices around the village to warn others not to approach this place is essential. Eventually, if the Yin Walking General from Wangshan City can make time to handle the matter in person, it would be for the best.”

“In your estimate, how long will this take?” Sang Que inquired.

Xiao Liu gave a lengthy pause, “…It’ll probably take about twenty years or so.”

Sang Que: ……

When the Evil Suppression Bureau’s flag was finally planted, the violent winds indeed began to die down, though the ominous deep blue of the lake water persisted, with mysterious dark shapes occasionally flickering beneath its surface.

After burning Zhao Qi’s corpse and tying up Qin Ze on the donkey cart with his cloak, Xiao Wu by the lakeside burned incense and completed a ritual in devoted thanks to the Qingjiang Envoy.

As long as the villagers continued to worship the Qingjiang Envoy, it would eventually reappear in the lake and suppress the Fish Woman once again.

Bound in place, Qiao Ying struggled uselessly, eventually giving in and bowing her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she remembered Zhang Yuanzhong, her feckless yet self-sacrificing husband.

With everything done, Xiao Wu spent some time carefully searching the entire village but still failed to find Wan Biao.

After this, He Buning led the way, with Xiao Wu carrying the unconscious Qin Ze, Xu San helping Xiao Liu navigate, and Sang Que leading Qiao Ying while Xia Chan gently held onto her Xuan Yu.

The entire group left Pinghu Village unimpeded, as the fog outside the village dispersed on its own. When they reached their horses tied by the roadside, a strong wind blew by.

After placing Qin Ze and Qiao Ying on the donkey cart and making sure they were settled, He Buning suddenly called Sang Que aside.

“I never knew before that Miss Sang is a Yin Walker; it’s a surprise that you can control a supernatural power like the Evil Mist.”

He Buning’s gaze was as sharp as a knife. His curiosity about Sang Que’s background and why Xia Chan regarded her as an older sister had intensified.

“What kind of weapon is this? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep