“This is Baiwa City?”
“Why doesn’t it look like what we imagined?”
“Why is it filled with monsters?”
“Junior Brother! What are you doing? Don’t act rashly!”
On this particular day in Baiwa City, about two or three hundred cultivators entered the city one after another. They had all been sent by their sects on a mission to search for treasure.
In their minds, Baiwa City was supposed to be a “no-man’s-land” on the frontier. However, to their astonishnt, the city turned out to be completely different. The entire place was inhabited by monsters—none of them had taken human forms, but all of them were intelligent.
Even more surprising, these monsters mimicked human behaviors to an uncanny degree. They moved about with such semblance of normalcy that, if not for their appearances, one might mistake them for humans.
Sensing that sothing was amiss, a few sect disciples decided to return to their sects and report this discovery to their masters. Yet, they quickly realized that they were unable to leave. They were trapped in a barrier that isolated them from the outside world—so much so that even their communication swords could not get through.
For a mont, Baiwa City buzzed with activity due to the arrival of these hundreds of cultivators. So of them, already disdainful of the demon race, grew even more agitated when they realized they were trapped. In their frustration, they tried capturing so of the demons to interrogate them.
The outco? Those cultivators were brutally beaten by the city’s residents.
Particularly fearso were the patrol officers—upright walking old dogs. Despite not having taken human forms, these dogs were as powerful as mid-stage Sea Observation Realm cultivators. Many of the sect disciples were either imprisoned or killed on the spot. So unfortunate ones were even tricked by pig butchers, only to end up being cooked into dishes.
In retaliation, so sect disciples killed the pig butchers, but this only escalated tensions.
Soon, both the humans and demons in the city grew wary of each other. The newcors, especially, beca exceedingly cautious and refrained from acting recklessly.
Fortunately, apart from the strange residents, Baiwa City operated much like any ordinary town. Its atmosphere was unexpectedly normal.
Many of the outsiders attempted to subtly inquire about the rumored treasure from the local residents. However, all of their efforts proved fruitless.
Before long, they ca to understand one crucial fact:
This place was isolated from the outside world. Most of the “people” here were aware of the world beyond but had never ventured out. As for whether Baiwa City held any treasures, every resident they asked dismissed the notion. So even rolled their eyes at the outsiders, sarcastically remarking, “If there were truly any treasures, we would’ve taken them for ourselves. Why would we leave them for you outsiders?”
The cultivators begrudgingly admitted that the locals had a point.
While the city was bustling with tension and activity, Xu Ming and the white goose had already arrived at the courtyard ntioned by Brother Lizard Lang.
Xu Ming knocked on the courtyard door.
Before long, a two-legged fox appeared.
This fox was entirely pink, adorned with a flower on its head, dressed in a colorful skirt, and had long, delicate eyelashes. Its appearance was strikingly elegant.
“Oh? A human gentleman? How rare, how rare. What brings you here, sir?” the pink fox asked with a smile.
“Ah, sorry to bother you. I heard this place was once inhabited by a human couple, and I ca to take a look. Brother Lizard Lang ntioned it to ,” Xu Ming replied, ntioning Brother Lizard’s na.
“Oh, Brother Lizard Lang? Of course, you’re welco. But you should know, sir, I’ve only lived here for two years, and the courtyard has had quite a few owners before ,” the pink fox explained.
“That’s fine,” Xu Ming said with a smile.
“Then please, co in.”
“Thank you.”
Xu Ming stepped into the courtyard.
The yard wasn’t large; it was a modest two-part courtyard.
It was impeccably clean, showing how diligent the pink fox was in maintaining it.
“Would it be convenient for to take a look inside the rooms?” Xu Ming asked. Though the host was a fox, and a female one at that, it felt sowhat impolite for him to intrude into her private quarters.
“Well…” The pink fox seed hesitant at first, but seeing how handso the human man was, she found it hard to refuse.
“My rooms are a bit ssy, but if you don’t mind, you’re welco to take a look,” she finally nodded.
“Thank you,” Xu Ming said, bowing politely.
Watching Xu Ming’s graceful deanor, the pink fox couldn’t help but wag her tail slightly.
She led Xu Ming to look through two guest rooms. One had been repurposed into a storage room, while the other belonged to her younger sister, who was currently away at work.
Finally, the pink fox took Xu Ming to her own bedroom.
The room was decorated almost indistinguishably from that of an ordinary human woman. There was a bed, a table with two chairs, and a vanity table holding a bronze mirror and so rouge.
To be honest, Xu Ming was quite curious—how did a fox with a furry face even apply makeup?
After spending about the ti it takes for an incense stick to burn inspecting the rooms, Xu Ming used his Dao Pattern Eyes to scan for hidden compartnts or anomalies. However, he couldn’t find anything unusual.
Baiwa City had existed for over a hundred years, and this courtyard had likely changed owners countless tis. Xu Ming began to doubt that this place held any useful clues.
“Goose? (What’s this?)”
Just as Xu Ming was about to bid farewell to the pink fox, the Tianxuan Goose walked over to a brick near the base of a doorfra. There was a thin groove etched into it.
“This might just be erosion from water,” Xu Ming comnted. He had already scanned the entire room with his Dao Pattern Eyes and found nothing in the groove.
“Honk honk honk (But Xu Ming, I feel like there’s sothing off about this groove),” the goose said.
“What’s off about it?” Xu Ming asked.
The goose rubbed its head, then released a wind blade at the groove. The mont the blade touched it, it vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
“Hm?” Xu Ming began to pay closer attention.
Kneeling down, he directed a small fla of spiritual energy into the groove. The fire was imdiately extinguished.
It seed the groove possessed so kind of restrictive enchantnt.
Xu Ming realized that his Dao Pattern Eyes, which relied on spiritual energy, had not yet fully evolved. If this groove was protected by a minor formation that isolated spiritual energy, it made sense that he couldn’t see inside.
Suddenly, a mory of Shen Sheng’s words echoed in his mind: “If you could grant one last request, please take my ashes back to Qingyang County.”
Xu Ming untied his bundle and took out a small urn containing Shen Sheng’s ashes.
He poured the ashes into the groove, filling it completely.
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