Chapter 69: Taking Action

“As you all know, lately there have been far too many strange spirit and ghostly incidents in Lingnan Prefecture. Of those that have been designated as forbidden zones, there are two within our own jurisdiction, and no fewer than ten throughout the entire prefectural city. The Jia family considers this a grave provocation against them,” Wei Junkun said in a low voice as he looked at the people below.

To be classified as a forbidden zone, at minimum, the anomaly involved would be on the level of a true monster. The previous incident at Fengshui Stream fell into this category. Such forbidden zones could affect as little as a single village or as much as an entire town, and were simply beyond human power to handle.

Recalling the ghost ship that sailed the Fengshui Stream, the blazing river, and those bizarre golden insects, Ning Xiu was finally coming to realize how serious the situation truly was.

Lingnan Prefecture had jurisdiction over thirteen counties; in other words, nearly every county had experienced at least one anomalous event, and some places had more than one. This situation had already begun to disrupt the normal functioning of the prefecture.

“Fortunately, the area under our Bamboo Grove Association’s charge is not the main battleground. Our task is simple: coordinate with the Jia family’s people to handle the aftermath. Above all, do not cause widespread panic among the populace.”

Wei Junkun’s gaze settled on Ning Xiu, and he continued, “Elder Ning, you’re most familiar with Fengshui Stream. There shouldn’t be any problem with you taking responsibility for the aftermath there, correct?”

“No problem,” Ning Xiu replied with a nod.

He was curious to witness firsthand how these so-called noble families dealt with the anomalous. Did they truly possess the prowess described by Wei Junkun and the others—were they really like beings with three heads and six arms?

The Bamboo Grove Association’s territory contained only two forbidden zones in total.

After the meeting, Ning Xiu did not linger but immediately gathered his men and set out for Fengshui Stream. The other forbidden zone was under Su Lie’s command; the association’s high-level combat strength was simply stretched too thin these days.

All those accompanying him were skilled fighters of recognized rank. Even though Ning Xiu’s group was only responsible for handling the aftermath, the threat was still the anomalous—bringing along ordinary disciples would only get in the way.

Each man mounted on a swift horse, they rode hard and fast. By dusk, Ning Xiu once again caught sight of the familiar river.

On one side of the river, wild silence; on the other side, the same desolate quiet. Since being declared a forbidden zone, no living soul had come here.

Clip-clop, clip-clop…

Footsteps echoed from a distance, and a solitary figure gradually appeared within their line of sight.

The red sunset slowly descended in the sky, its afterglow spilling across the land, stretching the stranger’s shadow longer and longer.

He walked slowly from the edge of the sky to the bank of Fengshui Stream, then sat down by the river and lifted his feet.

Ning Xiu recognized the youth at once—he had not expected the Jia family’s Jia Sizhen to look like this!

“This should be the place,” the boy said with a smile. He took off his boots, dipped his feet into the stream, and continued, “I don’t know who gave you the courage to provoke the Jia family. Nor do I understand your purpose.”

He smiled again, revealing gleaming white teeth.

“Now that I’m here, are you still not going to make your move?”

No sooner had the words left his lips than the river’s surface began to boil.

The golden flesh-eating insects beneath the water suddenly sprang to life, swarming madly to bite at the youth’s feet.

In mere moments, his feet were chewed to a bloody mess—first the toes, then the instep. The golden insects devoured flesh at a terrifying speed, and in the blink of an eye had reached his ankles.

Yet the boy’s face showed no pain whatsoever. He looked down at his mangled feet and shook his head, as if dissatisfied.

That expression seemed to say: how could feet like mine, be as vulnerable and corruptible as anyone else’s?

He reached into the water, scooped up a handful of “golden sand,” and poured it over his feet. “Since you’re so eager to eat, I’ll let you have your fill.”

From their vantage point on the distant hillside, Ning Xiu and his men watched in horror. Was the man insane?

What happened next was even more astonishing: the “golden sand” took on a deep, blood-red hue.

The sand stopped writhing and began to fall from his feet, one grain after another, in a soft, rustling cascade.

The boy laughed at this sight.

He stood up—no mistake, though his feet were gone, he stood up.

Before their eyes, the wounds at the ends of his legs began to heal rapidly. In the space of a single breath, two new feet had grown, identical to the ones before.

To regrow feet that had been devoured—was this still a human being?

This was nothing like the noble families Ning Xiu had imagined; he had thought they were simply cultivators with deeper reserves of power, perhaps qi practitioners at most. In his previous life, before crossing over, he’d read his fair share of xianxia novels and was prepared to accept a great deal.

But never had he expected to witness a scene like this.

Such undying, indestructible existence reminded him of the anomalous itself—wasn’t that the very essence of anomaly?

In this moment, Ning Xiu viewed the noble families as little more than monsters in human skin.

On the other side, the youth stood by the river and called out, “Still not going to show yourself? If you won’t come, then I’m coming to you.”

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, Fengshui Stream suddenly erupted into flames.

The blaze lit up the boy’s smiling face as he walked step by step toward the burning river, until the water swallowed him whole.

“Elder Ning, what should we do now?” a steward from the outer sect asked nervously. Understandably so, for all that had just occurred was far too shocking.

“We wait,” Ning Xiu replied.

“What if the Jia family’s lord never appears?” someone else fretted.

Ning Xiu glanced back at the speaker, but said nothing.

If even the noble families could not handle this anomaly, what hope had they? Other than fleeing, what choices remained?

He gazed silently at the distant burning river, saying not a word.

The strength of these noble families had surpassed all his expectations. He had seen with his own eyes how dreadful those golden flesh-eating insects were—they could not be burned, not be cut, and for ordinary people, they were nearly tantamount to immortality.

He himself had not dared to enter Fengshui Stream to investigate, largely out of fear for how many of those insects might dwell within.

If a person entered the water and was set upon by such a swarm, not even their bones would likely remain.

Yet such terrifying creatures had, moments ago, been inexplicably killed. Ning Xiu still could not understand why.

The night breeze swept by, but Ning Xiu felt not the slightest chill.