Chapter 21
The next morning, the Demon Hunting Team gathered in the courtyard of the Demon Investigation Bureau.
Bags were packed.
Weapons were checked.
Even Bai Jiu had somehow managed to wake up on time.
A miracle.
Ying Lei stood in the center of the courtyard holding the Shan Hai Inch Realm.
The ancient artifact floated between his hands as spiritual energy gathered around it.
“We’ll arrive near Kunlun in a single jump,” Ying Lei announced proudly.
“Try not to vomit.”
Bai Jiu immediately looked concerned.
“What do you mean by that?”
Before Ying Lei could answer, Pei Sijing approached Zhou Yi Chen.
Her expression remained calm as always.
“If we’re heading north,” she said, “we should pass through Sinan Water Town.”
Zhou Yi Chen frowned slightly.
“Sinan?”
“Why?”
“There may be supplies there.”
Pei Sijing replied smoothly.
“And information regarding the roads leading toward Kunlun.”
Zhou Yi Chen nodded thoughtfully.
Neither he nor the others noticed the brief look that crossed her eyes.
Far away, in another corner of Tiandu, Zhen Mei stood watching from a tower.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
The message had been delivered.
The spy had done her job.
All that remained was delaying Zhao Yuanzhou long enough for Qing Geng to prepare.
Back in the courtyard, Ying Lei was already activating the teleportation formation.
Unfortunately-
he had only half-listened to the conversation.
The words “Sinan Water Town” were the last thing he heard before activating the Shan Hai Inch Realm.
“Oh.”
He blinked.
“Sinan.”
“Got it.”
Nobody noticed anything wrong.
Especially not Zhao Yuanzhou.
Who was busy arguing with Zhou Yi Chen.
“Why are you standing so far away from me?”
“Because I enjoy peace.”
“That’s hurtful.”
“It’s honest.”
The teleportation array suddenly erupted with light.
The world twisted.
Space folded.
The courtyard vanished.
A moment later-
the group appeared somewhere else.
A cold wind greeted them.
Silence followed.
Everyone looked around.
Then frowned.
Zhou Yi Chen froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
“…”
The others turned toward him.
“What is it?” Wen Xiao asked.
Zhou Yi Chen stared ahead.
The streets before them were nearly empty.
Buildings stood abandoned.
Wooden signs hung broken from rusted chains.
Dust rolled through the road.
Not a single laugh could be heard.
Not a single market stall remained open.
It looked like a dying town.
A ghost town.
Slowly, Zhou Yi Chen spoke.
“It wasn’t like this.”
Everyone looked at him.
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
“When I came here years ago…”
His voice grew quieter.
“Sinan Water Town was beautiful.”
“There were lanterns everywhere.”
“Boats filled the canals.”
“The streets were crowded day and night.”
Children ran through the markets.
Merchants shouted from every corner.
Music drifted from the teahouses.
The entire town had once felt alive.
Now-
nothing remained.
Only silence.
Only decay.
Bai Jiu swallowed nervously.
“What happened here?”
❄️❄️❄️✨✨✨⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Elsewhere, beneath a withered tree outside Sinan Water Town, Qing Geng stood before the man in black.
The plague-ridden wind howled around them.
Yet neither seemed affected.
Qing Geng raised her hand.
Wrapped around her fingers was a thin red string.
It glowed faintly.
Like blood beneath moonlight.
“This will protect you.”
The man in black accepted it.
“What is it?”
“A binding thread.”
Qing Geng replied calmly.
“Tie it around your wrist.”
“The plague will not disrupt your spiritual energy.”
“The sickness will recognize you as an outsider and pass over you.”
Far away, the Demon Hunting Team stood in the center of Sinan Water Town.
Silence surrounded them.
No merchants.
No children.
No travelers.
Only abandoned houses and empty streets.
The entire town felt frozen in time.
Bai Jiu’s face had already turned pale.
“How…”
“How does a town collapse this quickly?”
Even Wen Xiao looked troubled.
“According to the records, this place was thriving only a few weeks ago…”
Ying Lei kicked a pebble across the road.
The sound echoed far too loudly.
As though nobody remained alive to hear it.
This town felt like a graveyard.
A cold wind swept through the town.
Wen Xiao suddenly looked toward Zhao Yuanzhou.
Then toward Zhou Yi Chen.
A thought had occurred to her.
“The Baize Order.”
Zhao Yuanzhou immediately understood.
“If this truly is a plague…”
Wen Xiao nodded.
“We can’t allow it to spread.”
She looked at the two of them.
“The last time the two halves of the Baize Order resonated, they created a barrier powerful enough to seal Chenghuang.”
“Can you do it again?”
Silence fell.
Zhou Yi Chen immediately frowned.
“You make it sound easy.”
“It wasn’t.”
Zhao Yuanzhou sighed.
“She’s right.”
The ancient demon stepped forward.
“If this plague reaches the neighboring provinces…”
His expression darkened.
“Thousands could die.”
He simply nodded.
“Fine. That’s true…power struggle only kills the innocent people…I see.”
The others quickly stepped back.
Wen Xiao watched nervously.
Even Ying Lei stopped joking.
The atmosphere became solemn.
Zhao Yuanzhou moved beside Zhou Yi Chen.
Close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.
Immediately-
Zhou Yi Chen stepped half a pace away.
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“Whatever you’re thinking.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything.”
“You were.”
“I was admiring the scenery.”
“There is no scenery.”
“There is you.”
“Zhao Yuanzhou.”
“Fine, fine.”
Despite the bickering, Zhao Yuanzhou’s hand slowly lifted.
Golden spiritual energy emerged around him.
At the same moment, blue light began gathering around Zhou Yi Chen.
The familiar mark appeared upon his forehead.
Brilliant.
Ancient.
The air trembled.
The ground beneath them began glowing with countless symbols.
Wind exploded outward.
The two forces sought each other instinctively.
Like halves of something once broken.
Like two rivers reuniting.
Zhao Yuanzhou glanced toward him.
For a brief second-
their eyes met.
Then the lights merged.
A brilliant barrier erupted across the sky.
Golden.
Blue.
Endless.
It expanded beyond the town walls.
Across the forests.
Across the rivers.
Until Sinan Water Town was completely enclosed.
The plague-ridden wind struck the barrier-
and stopped.
The entire town trembled.
Then fell silent.
The quarantine had begun.
But as Zhao Yuanzhou looked toward the distant mountains, unease lingered in his chest.
Because something about this plague felt wrong.
As though someone had planned it.
And was waiting for them to walk directly into its center.