The Crisis of Red Cloud Stockade, the Soundless Sound?

A widow had died, and in the madhouse, no less. Unless someone officially reported it, no one in the yamen would bother looking into it. Otherwise, they would have to pay out of their own pockets to investigate the case. Working as runners in the yamen was just a job, after all. Naturally, none of them wanted to get involved. In these turbulent times, countless lives as insignificant as wild weeds were snuffed out every single day. How could the yamen possibly manage them all? Unless the deceased held some noble status, or unless far too many "weeds" perished all at once. Lin Qinghe's gaze settled upon the servant, a fleeting aura belonging to a weapon wielder flaring from him. The servant, already hunched over, was now so terrified that he dropped to his knees. "These past... past few days, yesterday, Qi Yuan of the Qi family was sent to the madhouse..." "Qi Yuan?" Lin Qinghe frowned. "The matrilocal son-in-law of the Shen family?" Half a month ago, the news of Qi Yuan entering the Shen family in Ninghe County had caused quite a stir. Lin Qinghe had met Qi Yuan a few times. His father had been an implement master who ultimately perished. However, thanks to the residual prestige of his ancestors, Qi Yuan had managed to secure a post in the yamen. Yet the fellow turned out to be gluttonous and lazy, entirely unable to endure hardship, and ran off after working for barely half a month. Over the years, he had finally squandered his entire family fortune. Fortunately, he had married into the Shen residence as a son-in-law; otherwise, Lin Qinghe felt it would only have been a matter of time before Qi Yuan's corpse turned up in some street corner. "Him?" Contempt surfaced in Lin Qinghe's eyes. He did not suspect Qi Yuan of having anything to do with this matter in the slightest. Leave alone the black-and-white exotic beast hound—Qi Yuan couldn't even defeat Director Zhou Xiao. "I've seen the boy Qi Yuan before. He doesn't have what it takes, unless... someone from the Shen family intervened. But if the Shen family took action, he would have left long ago. Or unless the Shen family paid a steep price to hire an alchemist to concoct supreme medicine for him, raising his foundations," said Zhou Hu, a yamen runner standing by his side. Lin Qinghe nodded. Zhou Hu was a subordinate he had always found very capable and dependable. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he said in a low voice, "Zhou Hu, in a few days, I'll be transferred to the commandery seat. Do you want to come with me?" Upon hearing this, the surrounding yamen runners instantly cast envious glances at Zhou Hu. Unlike them, who came from impoverished backgrounds, their chief, Lin Qinghe, hailed from a prominent clan. His posting to Ninghe County was merely to gild his credentials. Zhou Hu was taken aback. For some reason, an ominous premonition stirred in his heart. "Chief, let's talk about this in a bit." Roughly an hour later, the yamen men withdrew from the madhouse. Zhou Hu caught up with Lin Qinghe, a look of worry clouding his face. "Chief, if you take me to the commandery, I will never forget your kindness. However, the tenure for a chief constable is usually at least three years. Why are you suddenly leaving? Could it be... something has gone wrong with Red Cloud Stockade?" Lin Qinghe had been in Ninghe County for two and a half years. Reasonably speaking, he only needed to stay another six months before being promoted to the commandery. Yet with half a year left, he was not staying and was leaving directly. Something was amiss. Recently, villagers had been vanishing from Red Cloud Stockade one after another, and Lin Qinghe had been handling the matter. Zhou Hu thus suspected that his departure was connected to this issue. "You're right. It is related to Red Cloud Stockade," Lin Qinghe said without concealing the truth. For a powerful aristocratic family, so what if some careless words reached the ears of commoners? In this world, prominent clans had little need to hide anything. "The recent disappearances in Red Cloud Stockade—after investigation, it turns out to be the work of a guiling. And this guiling is... Yellow-rank, and not an ordinary Yellow-rank at that!" At the mention of this, Lin Qinghe looked deeply troubled. The guiling of this world were classified by strength and lethality into several ranks: Mortal, Yellow, Mysterious, Earth, Heaven, Divine, and so forth. Mortal-rank was the weakest; some merely absorbed the yang energy of men, perhaps injuring only a dozen or so living souls. Yellow-rank was entirely different. A Yellow-rank guiling was potent enough to bring disaster to an entire region, wiping out a village of hundreds. An ordinary county yamen would find dealing with a Yellow-rank guiling exceptionally difficult. "Yellow-rank? It's actually Yellow-rank!" Zhou Hu's expression tightened. "Hurry, notify the people of Red Cloud Stockade to evacuate! All of them!" "They can't evacuate." Lin Qinghe shook his head with a helpless look. "The guiling in Red Cloud Stockade is very peculiar. It originated from an ancient well, and that ancient well connects to Red Cloud Stockade's subterranean river. Almost all the villagers in Red Cloud Stockade have drunk water from that well. They... are all doomed to die! "Furthermore, the people of Red Cloud Stockade have been working day and night to craft Red Cloud porcelain. The final batch of tribute porcelain for the State of Moshan is about to be drawn from the kilns. They cannot leave right now!" What Red Cloud Stockade was most famous for was its Red Cloud porcelain. This porcelain was exquisite, translucent, and favored above all by high-ranking officials and nobles. Ten years ago, the State of Moshan went to war with the State of Ning. Ning was defeated, ceding several prefectures and agreeing to provide various tributes. Red Cloud porcelain was among those tributes. The final batch of tributes would be completely fired in half a month, after which it would be transported to the prefectural city. Therefore, no matter what, the people of Red Cloud Stockade could only die. Zhou Hu knitted his brows tightly, anguish written all over his face. He understood now: the chief's clan had received word of this and was transferring him away in advance. Otherwise, if Red Cloud Stockade were destroyed during his tenure, Lin Qinghe's performance evaluation would not receive top marks, which would hamper his future career in officialdom. "Is there no way to transfer a Yellow-rank weapon wielder here?" Zhou Hu knew all this, yet he was still furious. Red Cloud Stockade held a total of seven hundred households, with a population in the thousands! "The guiling in Red Cloud Stockade is very peculiar. A Yellow-rank weapon wielder won't do; it requires a Mysterious-rank! But right now, Mysterious-rank weapon wielders are all tied down at Yeshan Lake. Where would they find the time to care about these kiln folk?" Lin Qinghe said helplessly. Although he felt pity for those kiln folk, he was powerless. Mysterious-rank weapon wielders were exceedingly rare in the State of Ning. As for Earth-rank and Heaven-rank, they were rarer still. In fact, the State of Ning didn't even possess a single Heaven-rank weapon wielder. Earth-rank weapon wielders were already the pinnacle of martial strength in Ning! "Chief, I, Zhou Hu, cannot accompany you to the commandery!" Zhou Hu said through gritted teeth. Lin Qinghe let out a long sigh upon hearing this. "If you abandoned Red Cloud Stockade just to follow me to the commandery, perhaps I wouldn't hold you in such high regard." *** "This is a guiling?" "Doesn't look very strong!" "As expected, how could a mini-boss generated by a game ever compare to the sturdy physique I trained myself?" In the pitch-black night, Qi Yuan looked at the octopus-like mass of a guiling before him and let out a light sigh. "Young Master, hurry... hurry... your old servant can't hold out much longer!" "Give me a bit more blessing!" "Ah! It's kissing my mouth! It's shoving tentacles into my mouth! Mmmph..." Chen Kangbao gritted his teeth, his pale, flour-like face flushed crimson. His frail body clamped down like an iron vise, locking the guiling tightly in place. "You've been blessed, don't rush. I'll kill it right away." Although Qi Yuan had been diligently killing mosquitoes these past few days—even pretending to be a cat to catch mice—his experience points had grown very slowly. His combat strength remained rather ordinary. While hunting mosquitoes tonight, he had spotted this guiling and followed his previous method: blessing Chen Kangbao so the old man could pin the guiling down. "Hold on for just a bit longer." Qi Yuan glanced at the guiling, curiosity showing in his eyes. [Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling, a Mortal-rank guiling. In the Immortal Realm, it is comparable to a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.] Qi Yuan was very intrigued. This Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling looked ferocious, yet its actual combat ability seemed fairly mediocre. If judged by whether it could blast a street or shatter a planet, this creature might not even measure up to an early-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. *Could it be... because different worlds have different rules?* Qi Yuan wondered. It was like one person living in a world made of cotton while another lived in a world made of steel; naturally, the one in the cotton world would appear far more destructive. Of course, there were many more questions he could not yet understand. He had gathered too little information, and his environment was too enclosed. Right now, he was trapped in an information cocoon within the game. "I am a kitchen knife!" Qi Yuan struck, chopping his hand down like a blade onto a tentacle of the Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling. Instantly, the tentacle severed, and black fluid gushed out. "Whoa, this juice is sweet and delicious!" Chen Kangbao said with delight. "Mortal-rank guiling are sweet!" "Hold it tight! It's still struggling, don't let it hurt me." As Qi Yuan spoke, he struck again and again, as though chopping vegetables. Given his current strength, he would have had a hard time facing this Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling head-on. But with Chen Kangbao pinning it down, it was entirely different—it was like fish on a cutting board. At this moment, Qi Yuan grew thoughtful. "I understand now how to roleplay a kitchen knife! Chen Kangbao, you're my chopping board!" Chen Kangbao held the guiling down while Qi Yuan chopped away repeatedly—wasn't that the very essence of roleplaying a kitchen knife? Upon realizing this, Qi Yuan suddenly noticed that the progress bar for roleplaying a kitchen knife had reached 30%. A notification chimed. [Progress in roleplaying a kitchen knife has reached 30%. Your body has gained kitchen knife attributes, unlocking the Sharpness attribute.] [Your body has become sharper.] "Huh? I unlocked kitchen knife attributes and turned into a kitchen knife?" Qi Yuan distinctly felt his body grow sharper. Yet he was quite worried. This was an ancient setting. A kitchen knife clearly wasn't... made of stainless steel. Should he supplement some carbon tomorrow to become steel first, and then become stainless steel? Otherwise, what if he rusted from bathing too much? "Young Master, are you done yet?" Chen Kangbao urged anxiously. "I'm about to burst!" He had swallowed a great deal of the Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling's blood. "When you hear the cold, emotionless mechanical system voice, you can let go." As Qi Yuan spoke, his palm, imbued with the Sharpness attribute, chopped violently into the body of the Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling. Instantly, the Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling was cleaved into pieces. "You have slain the Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling. Experience points have increased substantially." The cold, emotionless mechanical voice sounded. Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. His character level had surged all the way to Level 15. He had jumped six levels in one go—far faster than killing the black-and-white exotic beast hound! After reaching Level 9, he had killed a great many mosquitoes without leveling up at all, as if hitting a bottleneck. Now, he was finally Level 15. After reaching Level 15, he distinctly felt that something about him was different. If he had still been a mortal before Level 9, he could now be considered barely extraordinary. As the Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling died, Qi Yuan noticed that its remains seemed to dissipate into black smoke, vanishing completely. This surprised him somewhat. Chen Kangbao, beside him, was a bit disappointed. His stomach was still empty, and he hadn't gotten to eat the Seven-Clawed Ink Guiling. Although guiling weren't edible, he was the servant of a Heavenly God. Eating a bit of guiling shouldn't be too much to ask, right? "I think we need to hunt more guiling. Slaying guiling really levels us up fast!" Qi Yuan said earnestly. Killing mosquitoes was far too slow. And the brothers and sisters in the madhouse spoke so pleasantly, were so interesting, and had never offended him. Qi Yuan naturally wouldn't kill them indiscriminately. Hunting guiling was by far the best choice. "Guiling?" Chen Kangbao frowned, seemingly deep in thought. Right then, Qi Yuan's brow suddenly furrowed as well. "Quiet." Chen Kangbao promptly shut his mouth. A contemplative look appeared on Qi Yuan's face. "Did I just hear someone calling me?" Just now, in the dark, he seemed to hear someone calling his name. However, this world's soundproofing was far too good; he couldn't hear clearly. "Could it be... the Soundless Sound?" "No, that's not it!" Qi Yuan shook his head vigorously. The Soundless Sound made no sound at all. What he had just heard was an actual voice; it merely seemed distant, so he couldn't make it out. *** Inside Red Cloud Stockade. Zhou Hu was dressed in a constable's attire, a broadsword hanging from his waist. Likely because of last night's rain, the red clay ground was muddy, clinging to the soles of his boots. As he stepped onto the blue flagstones, a trace of hidden worry lingered in his eyes. Before the official kiln batch was drawn, word of a Yellow-rank guiling emerging in Red Cloud Stockade could not be leaked. Otherwise, he could not bear the responsibility, and Lin Qinghe would be implicated as well. Right now, he felt both self-reproach and torment. "Lord Zhou, this is the place. Last night, Uncle Li... suddenly vomited water from his mouth, and then... died." The young boy Li Xiaodan wore clothes covered in patches, his small face dark. Though young, he frequently worked in the kilns. The person who had died bizarrely yesterday in Red Cloud Stockade was Li Xiaodan's neighbor. "Mm." Zhou Hu entered the crude house built of red clay and mud bricks, emerging about fifteen minutes later. His expression was exceedingly grim. In recent days, more and more people were dying in Red Cloud Stockade. "Lord, come inside for a cup of water," Li Xiaodan called from outside. Looking at Li Xiaodan's frail frame, Zhou Hu thought for a moment and stepped into the boy's house. He had a son of roughly the same age. Inside Li Xiaodan's house, the crude interior was visible at a single glance. There wasn't even a proper bedroom—only a half-wall acting as a partition, pushed right against a bed. Li Xiaodan brought over a cup of water. "Lord, drink!" "Drawn from the ancient well?" "Yes." "Drink less of this water. It doesn't seem clean." Zhou Hu did not drink the water. He felt helpless inside. Was there anyone in Red Cloud Stockade who hadn't drunk this water? "Lord Zhou, people have been dying frequently in the stockade lately. What is going on?" Li Xiaodan asked apprehensively. "Don't worry, I'm here," Zhou Hu said after a brief pause. "With you here, Lord, everything will definitely be fine!" A naive smile broke across Li Xiaodan's face. Just then, Zhou Hu's gaze was drawn to a peculiar "idol" resting on an offering altar in the room. "What is this? You believe in gods?" Zhou Hu asked, curious. "A traveling merchant passed through a few days ago. He said many people over in the Central Lands believe in this deity. With things being so unsettled in the stockade lately, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to protect my little sister. So I gritted my teeth and bought this idol, praying day and night in the hope that He might protect me and my sister. "This deity is called Divine Descent! "The traveling merchant said He is the strongest... divine artifact in the Central Lands!" Guiling were divided into ranks: Mortal, Yellow, Mysterious, Earth, Heaven, Divine, and so forth. The implements wielded by weapon wielders shared this same ranking system. A powerful implement, though devoid of consciousness, possessed unfathomable might. Many people chose to worship divine artifacts to seek protection for their region. "Never heard of it." Zhou Hu shook his head. At the same time, he kept his unsaid thoughts to himself. If this idol truly possessed such divine might, Li Xiaodan could never have afforded it. Which meant... Li Xiaodan had likely been swindled by that traveling merchant. After all, even Zhou Hu couldn't afford an idol like that, let alone Li Xiaodan. Just then, a cool, crisp voice drifted in from outside the house. "Divine Descent was the guardian divine artifact of the State of Baicang. Alas... in a great catastrophe a century ago, this divine artifact shattered and turned to ash. "Your idol is real... yet when the god has fallen, of what use is an idol?" A tall Daoist nun with a face like cold jade walked inside. Mentioning Divine Descent, her eyes carried an endless melancholy. "Little boy, will you sell this idol to me for five hundred taels of silver?"