"Hmm, how did I get out so easily?" Looking back at Beishan mining town, I felt puzzled. Last time, I wouldn't have been able to get out without the old monk's help. A barrier, invisible to the eye, had trapped us inside.
This time, I was almost at the location of Huang San's lair, and I didn't feel any barrier. Could it be the black-robed senior's doing? That was the only explanation. Barriers don't disappear on their own, and the old monk had said this one would last for decades.
I bowed towards the valley in thanks and then hurried home. I was so hungry my stomach was growling, and my throat felt like it was on fire. If I didn't eat soon, I'd faint.
I wasn't walking very fast. By the time I reached home, it was noon. Seeing the gate so close, I was so excited I could have cried. The past day and night had been like a roller coaster.
As I approached the door, I frowned. Had something happened to someone? Why were there white mourning banners? Had Brother Zhang had an accident? Or Sister-in-law Zhang?
Thinking of this, I quickened my pace. Before I even entered the yard, I ran into Liu the shepherd. I grabbed him and asked, "Uncle Liu, who had an accident?"
Liu the shepherd, carrying a pile of white mourning banners, was in a hurry. When I grabbed him, he clearly showed his displeasure. He opened his mouth to reply, but then his whole body trembled.
"You... you..." Then, with a gasp, he fainted.
"Uncle Liu... Liu... never mind, I'll go in and see for myself!"
Stepping into the small courtyard, I saw many people inside. Some were setting up mourning halls, others were hanging white banners, and some were arranging other matters. It was a scene of busyness, with everyone wearing sad expressions.
Just then, Sister-in-law Zhang walked by, carrying a pile of clothes. "Sister-in-law Zhang, did Brother Zhang have an accident?"
My words startled Sister-in-law Zhang, and all the clothes she was carrying fell to the ground. I glanced down and saw they were all my clothes.
"You... Qingyun, you're not dead?" Sister-in-law Zhang, being experienced, knew ghosts couldn't come out during the day. She grabbed my shoulders excitedly, looking me up and down, and then shouted for Zhang Dabiao.
Hearing her voice, Zhang Dabiao thought something had happened and rushed out, holding a hammer.
"Dabiao, look, Qingyun isn't dead, he's alive!"
The hammer in Zhang Dabiao's hand clattered to the ground. He rushed over excitedly and gave me a warm hug, then patted my back hard.
"It's so good you're not dead. I thought I'd never see you again..."
Listening to Zhang Dabiao's choked words, my mind was filled with confusion. Who was the scoundrel who said I was dead? I'd only been missing for a day and a night, how did that turn into being declared dead?
"That scoundrel said I was dead? I was just gone for a day and a night. Tell me who said it, and I'll go rip out his tongue. Those who speak nonsense are too detestable. I just turned eighteen today and don't even have a girlfriend, and they're cursing me to death. It's utterly despicable."
Zhang Dabiao, who had been looking sad, immediately closed the distance between us. He grabbed my chin and shook it back and forth, looking at me strangely. Sister-in-law Zhang also leaned in and touched my forehead.
"Qingyun, you don't have a fever? Why are you talking nonsense? You've been missing for almost half a month. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gone to such lengths to set up a mourning hall for you."
"Half a month? Sister-in-law Zhang, what are you talking about? I was clearly thrown into Beishan mining town by Hu Yuan the day before yesterday... If I had stayed there for half a month without food or drink, I would have starved to death long ago?"
Zhang Dabiao was a man of action. He directly took out his phone and pointed to the date. "Look yourself, what month and day is it now? If you had only been missing for a day, why would we have set up a mourning hall for you?"
I snatched the phone and looked. I was stunned. The date on it was indeed more than half a month since I had last seen Zhang Dabiao. What was going on?
I had only spent a day and a night in Beishan mining town, so how had more than half a month passed in the blink of an eye? No, there must be something wrong here. But what exactly was the problem?
Could it be that the black-robed senior had altered time? That was impossible. He was only a Ghost Emperor. Even if a Ghost Emperor could alter time, I could believe he could change minutes, but a day equaling ten days? I wouldn't believe that even if you killed me, because such a feat was probably beyond even immortals.
If it wasn't the black-robed senior's doing, then the problem likely lay with Beishan mining town. It seemed that if I had the chance, I would have to investigate it and see what special existence was inside.
After comforting the villagers who came to help and arranging a good meal for them before sending them off, it was just me and the Zhang couple. I asked about Bai Ling'er, why I hadn't seen her.
"After you got into trouble, Bai Ling'er told me you were thrown into Beishan mining town and asked me and her to rescue you. When we rushed to Beishan mining town, we found that the barrier there was impenetrable, as if something inside had mutated.
We waited outside for a day, but we couldn't get in at all. Bai Ling'er's expression suddenly changed, and she said it was broken. Then she flew away in a panic. When I asked her where she was going, she wouldn't say.
It wasn't until the day before yesterday that Bai Ling'er called me using someone else's phone and said you were dead. She said she could no longer feel your presence through our spiritual contract and asked me to help her prepare your funeral... and that's what happened."
"Can't feel it? That shouldn't be the case!" I closed my eyes and circulated my cultivation technique, carefully sensing Bai Ling'er's location. She was very far away, and I could only sense a vague direction.
This spiritual connection hadn't been broken! Why did she say I was dead? When she returns, I'll have to teach her a good lesson. Lying at such a young age is not a good thing.
"Qingyun, what happened after I left?" Seeing my silence, he said again, "If you recognize me as your elder brother, don't hide anything."
I hadn't intended to tell him about my conflict with the Hu family, but since he had put it that way, I no longer concealed it. I told him the entire story, from beginning to end, but I omitted the parts about the black-robed senior and the Fifth Princess.
It wasn't that I didn't want to tell Zhang Dabiao, but every time I prepared to speak, I felt uncomfortable and a chill ran through me, as if a primordial beast was staring at me from an unknown place.
After trying a few times, I had to give up. I skipped over the parts involving them and directly said I was chased by a black dog and managed to escape before returning. As for how I got out of the barrier, I couldn't explain it clearly myself, so I skipped that too.
"That Hu family deserves to die! They got what they wanted and then tried to silence the witness. They're utterly inhumane!" Zhang Dabiao slammed the table in anger. Then he changed the subject, "Qingyun, what are your plans next? Are you going to confront the Hu family head-on?"
"I'm not crazy enough for that. Doesn't the Hu family want to keep the news of the Tiger Kui Seal a secret? Then let's spread it far and wide, let the whole world know that the Tiger Kui Seal is in their hands. Even if the Hu family is powerful, it will keep them busy for a while."
"That's a good idea. This way, even if they know you're alive, they won't have time to bother you. The monsters and demons from the three mountains and five peaks will be enough to keep them occupied. You rest at home, and I'll go spread the news..."