Chapter 918: Chapter 918: The Haunted Town Chapter 918: Chapter 918: The Haunted Town Huang Xiaolong quickly decided on his journey—to head for Lushan in Western Jiang Province in search of the mysterious black knife marked with the number “three”.
He would fly directly to Western Jiang Province from Shanghai and not return to Binhai City for the ti being, but he did call his wives to assure them of his safety.
To venture to Western Jiang Province, Huang Xiaolong couldn’t bring all the demons and his disciple, Ming Kuan, along with him.
In the end, it was agreed that the Fox Demon Queen, the Snake Demon Queen, the Hedgehog, and the Huangpizi would stay in Shanghai.
Huang Xiaolong imparted the variety of lost cultivation thods and secret techniques of the Luotou people to his disciple ng Jingling in one fell swoop, telling her to cultivate in Shanghai with peace of mind while Ming Kuan took care of her daily needs. Huang Xiaolong also took the opportunity to teach Ming Kuan a few Taoist techniques.
Feng Hanyan also stayed by ng Jingling’s side, to protect and care for her.
For the trip to Western Jiang Province, Huang Xiaolong only brought along his little wife Ma Chuxia, and the two little demons, Qingqing and Xiaohong.
The day before they set off, Ma Chuxia found Huang Xiaolong, her brows furrowed in concern. “Little Long, there’s a problem.”
“Oh? What problem?” Huang Xiaolong was astonished.
“Our Taoist Association sent more than a dozen Taoists to Lushan to capture ghosts and exorcise evil spirits, and they’ve all lost contact,” Ma Chuxia revealed with a hint of a bad premonition in her eyes.
“Little Long, all the mbers of our Taoist Association are equipped with satellite phones. Even if they venture deep into Lushan, it should be impossible for them to lose contact. But now, we can’t reach any of those Taoists. Their phones are all switched off, untraceable by GPS, and naturally, we can no longer contact them on WeChat…” Ma Chuxia said grimly. “Could it be that they’ve all… all been killed by malevolent ghosts? According to the information we had before, the ghosts found in Lushan were of the inconsequential Red-Dressed Fierce Ghost variety… The dozen or so Taoists who went had no ordinary skills either, and with their numbers, they shouldn’t have had any trouble…”
After a pause, Ma Chuxia looked up at Huang Xiaolong. “Little Long, could it be that our information was wrong, and that there’s sothing big hidden in Lushan, like a… ghost king or sothing?”
“What are you afraid of, Chairman Ma?” Xiaohong blinked and said. “Even if there is a ghost king, or even a Ghost Immortal causing trouble, once our young master makes his move, they’ll be turned to ashes in no ti. Besides, maybe your Taoists aren’t dead at all? Perhaps they’ve just been captivated by the natural scenery of Lushan, turned off their phones, and are leisurely wandering through the mountains, enjoying their ti.”
“Alright, we’re heading to Lushan tomorrow. Let’s not make wild guesses here,” Huang Xiaolong laughed.
The next day, Huang Xiaolong, Ma Chuxia, Qingqing, and Xiaohong flew directly to Changnan City, the capital of Western Jiang Province.
On the plane, Ma Chuxia also briefly explained the situation of Lushan to Huang Xiaolong.
Lushan, in Huaxia, is a nationally renowned tourist attraction. Famous for its majesty, strangeness, peril, and beauty, it holds extrely high scientific and tourism value. It is acclaid as ‘the leading beauty spot under the heavens’, listed as a World Cultural Heritage site and a World Geopark.
However, despite Lushan’s fa and its daily reception of tens of thousands of tourists from all over the country and the world, only a fraction of it has been developed. A substantial portion remains in its primal, undeveloped state.
Lushan’s historically nad peaks number 171, interspersed with 26 hills and ridges, 20 ravines, 16 caves, and 22 spots of bizarre rocks. Streams develop crevices in river valleys, leading to many fast-flowing watercourses and waterfalls—22 waterfalls, 18 streams, and 14 lakes and ponds…
Such a vast area will naturally require an extended period to be fully developed.
Undeveloped regions are naturally off-limits to tourists, but there are still many who dare to quietly enter these desolate places. Each year, a number of adventurous hikers go missing or die, so of them under very strange circumstances, but such news is naturally suppressed and not released publicly.
“Little Long, in fact, in Lushan’s primitive areas, in the scarcely trodden deep forests, dangers lurk everywhere. One can easily get lost if they venture there, and the miasma that fills the mountains can cause dizziness and swelling in the head. There’s even so poisonous miasma that corrodes human blood and flesh, not to ntion various venomous insects that are deadly…” Ma Chuxia spoke earnestly. “Of course, what’s even more dangerous are the legendary mountain demons, supernatural creatures, and all sorts of monstrous beings. There’s also talk that within Lushan, there are mythical creatures that have cultivated into human forms, specifically to bewitch people…”
“Pfft~~ Really? There are demons in Lushan? Demons that have cultivated into human forms?” Qingqing snickered, her interest piqued.
“It’s just a legend. I can’t be certain,” Chuxia said gravely. “But no one has actually seen a monster. Perhaps, those who have seen it with their own eyes, are all dead.”
“Fantastic! If we could find a monster in Lushan this ti, that would be so much fun!” Xiaohong clapped her hands excitedly.
“You two little sisters, would you please stop fooling around?” Chuxia was getting a little annoyed.
“Darling, don’t mind them, they’re just crazy,” Huang Xiaolong said with a grin.
After more than two hours of flight, the plane landed at Changnan City International Airport, in Xijiang Province.
As soon as they disembarked from the airplane, several energetic middle-aged n radiating Daoist power approached them.
Upon eting, these middle-aged n bowed deeply to Huang Xiaolong and Chuxia with the utmost respect. “Welco, Chairman Ma, and Young Master Huang,” they greeted.
“Little Long, these gentlen are the heads of the taphysical Society’s branch in Xijiang Province,” Chuxia introduced.
“Hmm,” Huang Xiaolong nodded slightly.
One of the middle-aged n, with a sorrowful look on his face, sighed. “Chairman Ma, Xiao Er and over a dozen others went into Lushan to catch ghosts… but… they’ve lost contact… I’m afraid the odds are against them this ti.”
“I’m already aware of this matter. Xiaolong and I have co personally to deal with it,” Chuxia said with a certain dignity, yet she chose not to inform anyone about that black dagger.
“Thank you, Chairman Ma, thank you, Mr. Huang,” said the Taoists in unison. “Please follow us.”
The Taoists then led Huang Xiaolong and the others out of the airport and into a business vehicle that had been prepared in advance.
They headed straight for Lushan!
It took about two hours to drive from Changnan International Airport to the foot of Lushan.
Huang Xiaolong sat in the car with his eyes closed, conserving his energy, while Chuxia appeared to be sowhat tired, snuggling up against Huang Xiaolong’s shoulder to nap.
On the other hand, Qingqing and Xiaohong, like two little demons injected with adrenaline, excitedly pointed and chattered non-stop about the scenery flashing by the car windows.
The car arrived at a small town at the foot of Lushan.
The town was called ‘Xiufeng Town,’ bustling and filled with a strong comrcial atmosphere. Many mountaineers chose to stay in this town in advance either to rest up for the next day’s climb, to experience the charm of the ancient town, or to gather supplies.
As the evening approached, the town was brightly lit, with throngs of people and various stalls already set up.
In the background of the town, the silhouette of Lushan was faintly visible.
Indeed, there were ranges of mountains, luxuriant and lush, with odd-shaped peaks rising, and amidst the tall mountains and steep ridges, mist was swirling. If observed during the day, it would surely give one a sense of being in an Immortal Realm.
“Hahaha~~ This is Lushan, it really does look good. No wonder, many famous poets and lyricists from history wrote poems and lyrics to extol the beauty of Lushan,” Huang Xiaolong laughed as he got out of the car.
A Taoist said respectfully. “Young Master Huang, Chairman Ma, Xiao Er and the others entered an undeveloped primitive area, passing through a very remote and backward village. The mountain paths are rugged, the ravines are many, and the roads are difficult to traverse. It seems that we will have to stay overnight in this town tonight and head into the mountains early tomorrow morning to search for traces of Xiao Er and the others.”
Chuxia Ma turned her inquiring gaze towards Huang Xiaolong.
Huang Xiaolong nodded his head.
At this mont, one of the Taoist priests suddenly whispered, “Young Master Huang, Chairman Ma, to be honest with you, ‘Xiufeng Town’ has also been experiencing frequent hauntings recently… Don’t be fooled by its bustling liveliness and crowds of tourists. In the dark, quite a few incidents have occurred.”
“Oh?” Huang Xiaolong smiled slightly. “What incidents?”
“It’s like this,” the middle-aged Taoist priest whispered. “So tourists co to this small town and after leaving, they et with misfortunes, dying from accidents unexpectedly. So were hit by cars, so drowned while swimming, so committed suicide by jumping off buildings, so by hanging, so died by self-immolation… Our Mystical Society has also sent people to investigate the town, but we haven’t found any clues.”
“Hahaha~~ So you an you want to take action?” Huang Xiaolong laughed.
The faces of the several Taoist priests beca sowhat embarrassed, but they still nodded simultaneously.
“Little Long, exorcising demons and defending the Tao is our duty as cultivators. Since we’re already here, why don’t we just…” Chuxia Ma softly pleaded from the side.
“How many people have died unexpectedly after coming to this town?” Huang Xiaolong asked with curiosity.
“Well… Mr. Huang, as far as we know, over sixty people have t with tragedy…” the Taoist priest said emphatically. “There must be a ghost causing trouble. I once saw so of the bodies and detected a faint aura of yin energy… I think these victims were possessed by ghosts! Otherwise, there’s no reason for them to commit suicide without cause!”
“Over sixty people have died like this?” Qingqing remarked in shock from the side.
“Yes… yes, if we don’t figure out a solution to this, I’m afraid more and more people will continue to die unexpectedly…” a Taoist priest shook his head, sighing deeply.
Huang Xiaolong’s gaze shifted towards the town, his eyes slightly squinting. After a few seconds, he smiled and said, “Let’s go, we’ll enter the town first and find a place to stay.”
The group, indistinguishable from other tourists, entered the town and found an inn where they booked several luxurious rooms.
After completing the check-in procedures, the ti was already past 8 o’clock in the evening, and all kinds of nightlife in the town began to erge.
There were calls from vendors selling goods, haggling tourists, hoarse singing from the singers…
Yet, in such a peaceful and happy town, so dirty, unknown things lay hidden—deadly things!
“Young Master, it’s so lively outside, let’s go out and play! And I’m so hungry! I want to eat, I want chicken!” Xiaohong clung to Huang Xiaolong’s arm and cooed.
“Eat chicken? You think about eating chicken all the ti,” Huang Xiaolong said with a teasing scold.
Right away, Huang Xiaolong led the group out onto the streets of the town.
“Little Long, have you noticed anything?” Chuxia Ma asked quietly from the side.
Although Chuxia Ma was also a Taoist priest with considerable skill in the Taoist arts, she could only feel that the town was indeed unclean after entering, but she could not imdiately pinpoint the location and was uncertain where the malicious spirits and ferocious ghosts that plotted against people’s lives were coming from.
“Of course, I’ve noticed. My little wife, these little things are just a trifle to ~~~” Huang Xiaolong chuckled.
Hearing this, the Taoist priests from the Mystical Society expressed their shock. “Mr. Huang, you already have a lead? Where… where is it?”
Huang Xiaolong smiled without saying a word but was already leading the group to the entrance of a restaurant.
The restaurant was called “Yuelai Restaurant,” and was quite large, with many cars parked outside.
Delicious slls wafted from inside the restaurant along with the clinking of dishes, glasses, and cups, harmonious and continuous.
“Hehe~~” Huang Xiaolong observed the ‘Yuelai Restaurant’ discreetly before smiling and saying, “Seems like business is good. Let’s eat here.”
The group entered the restaurant.
A young and beautiful waitress imdiately ca over, her expression sowhat numb, “How many? Right this way, please. What would you like to eat?”
Huang Xiaolong noticed that there were several faint lines around the waitress’s eyes.
Quickly, the waitress led Huang Xiaolong and his companions to a large table by the window.
Everyone took their seats and ordered their food.
Suddenly, Chuxia Ma whispered, “Little Long, there’s sothing wrong with this restaurant! There’s a yin energy! And the waitstaff, cashiers, bussers… they all have a somber feeling, as if… they have been bewitched…”
“Hey~~ Don’t rush, let’s eat first,” Huang Xiaolong said calmly.
“If there’s an issue with this restaurant, then everyone who eats here will suffer…” Qingqing looked around. “So many people… this ghost has quite an appetite, huh?”
Huang Xiaolong mused aloud, “Of course, not everyone who eats here will have an incident. Ghosts, too, choose their targets…”
Just then, at a small table next to Huang Xiaolong, a young man and woman, who appeared to have finished their al, were wiping their mouths with napkins and gesturing for the check. “Bill, please.”
A sullen-faced waiter ran over, tapped a few buttons on a calculator, and smiled, “The total is 222 yuan for the two of you.”
“Huh? 222 yuan?” The female custor took the bill to glance at it, “Just make it 200 yuan; it’s easier to settle the account with a round number.”
A glint of malice appeared in the waiter’s eyes, and he shook his head firmly, “You see… our little establishnt operates on tight margins, and 222 yuan is already a discounted price. I can’t give you any less. I hope you can understand.”
The female custor was about to haggle, but the male custor across from her took out his wallet and said nonchalantly, “If it’s 222 yuan, then it’s 222 yuan. It’s not like we can’t afford it.”
While counting out 222 yuan from his wallet to hand to the waiter, the male custor suddenly heard Huang Xiaolong interject with a smile from the neighboring table, “222 yuan, right? Don’t pay just yet, order another dish. In any case, the total for the bill must not consist of the sa digits. 222 yuan won’t work, neither will 333 yuan, nor 444 yuan… Do you get what I an?”
“Hmph!” The waiter looked up at Huang Xiaolong, glaring, his face showing a hint of fierceness.
…
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