Chen Chuan and Zhan Jiyue stood before the cliff edge. A torrential downpour cascaded from above, but upon reaching the perimeter of their bodies, it met an invisible barrier and was deflected away.
After falling, the rainwater merged with the runoff on the ground, streaming to the edge of the cliff just a few steps away and forming a plummeting waterfall that roared in unison with the heavy rain.
Chen Chuan watched for a moment, then said slowly, "Before heading out, I looked over some public records regarding this area. Two years ago, Hai Village was struck by a mudslide. Nearly all the villagers were wiped out. The two survivors contracted a bizarre illness a few months later and passed away as well."
"Hai Village?"
Zhan Jiyue froze. "Weren't the two back there—" Breaking off mid-sentence, he realized the implication, and his brow furrowed. He looked toward Chen Chuan. "Councilor, can we head back and take a look?"
Chen Chuan turned, walked to the driver's side, and tapped on the window. It rolled down immediately. He asked the driver, "Assistant Lai, do you know the way back?"
"I do, I do! This stretch should be the mountain road leading to Mount Shihe. It was abandoned over a decade ago. Back before the road was broken, I even drove on it. Strange... how did we end up driving here?!"
The driver was still badly shaken and deeply embarrassed. He had driven his entire life without making a blunder, yet today he had made a fool of himself in front of high-ranking department officials.
Chen Chuan said, "Assistant Lai, this has nothing to do with you. Drive with an easy mind from here on out. Whatever we run into, we'll handle it."
"Understood, Commissioner!"
Driver Lai was quite professional and had decent psychological fortitude. Even after encountering such an irrational phenomenon, once he gathered his wits, he quickly composed himself. When the two got back in the car, he drove steadily, paying double attention to the road outside.
On the way back, they encountered nothing else unusual, and the rain outside gradually subsided.
By the time they returned to the stretch of road where the small restaurant had stood, the rain had stopped completely, and even the ground was rapidly drying.
The three looked out the windows. Where the Hai Family Restaurant had stood just half an hour ago, there were now only a few crumbling low walls and broad swaths of bricks, tiles, and weeds half-buried in mud.
If not for the cracked section of concrete road ahead and the surrounding terrain confirming this was indeed the spot, one would almost think they had come to the wrong place.
Driver Lai stared agape, sitting in the car speechless for a long time.
Chen Chuan and Zhan Jiyue stepped out and walked up to the ruins. Zhan Jiyue examined them, his gaze turning slightly grave. "Judging from these traces, it has been at least two years."
Hearing his words, Driver Lai shuddered, murmuring, "That's not right..." His voice trembled. "Last year... and just a few months ago, I came here!"
Chen Chuan looked at him. "Assistant Lai, how many times have you been here before? Do you remember when? I need exact dates."
The driver hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, I have data!"
As an on-staff driver in the department, his implant recorded detailed driving logs. He immediately pulled them up and transmitted several dates to Chen Chuan, then slapped his own head.
"Right, I remember now! Every time I came, it was raining! Just not as hard as today."
Chen Chuan looked over the data he provided. Assistant Lai had indeed visited frequently; the records showed that over the past two years, he had come a total of five times.
Judging by the travel routes, almost every time he passed by here, he would stop for a meal, either alone or recommending others to join him.
It seemed he genuinely loved the food at this restaurant.
Zhan Jiyue stepped aside and managed to contact the outside. Earlier, the field signal had suffered some interference, but now that the rain had cleared, he successfully reconnected with the external field.
After a long while, he returned and said, "Councilor, I made a specific inquiry into that middle-aged couple's situation.
"The couple opened a shop here over a decade ago. Two years ago, they indeed died in the mudslide you mentioned. They had a child who, just as they said, attended Zhongjing Agricultural Technical Academy.
"However, I learned of another detail: half a year ago, their child apparently heard that the urban legend of Mount Jie could help bring back lost loved ones, so he went into the mountain. His whereabouts are currently unknown."
Driver Lai's face twisted in horror upon hearing this. "Bring them back... it couldn't be—" He glanced at the ruins and swallowed hard.
Chen Chuan said, "Is that so?" He looked at the ruins. "In that case, that urban legend is rather effective."
Zhan Jiyue took a breath and asked, "Councilor, is this merely an urban legend?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Just an urban legend."
Zhan Jiyue fell silent for a moment, sighing softly, whether out of regret, lamentation, or something else entirely.
Chen Chuan said, "Let's go. To Mount Jie."
Zhan Jiyue agreed and followed Chen Chuan back into the car. The urban legend here seemed connected to Mount Jie; he too wanted to understand what was really happening.
The car turned from this branch road back onto the main route. This time, the speed picked up slightly. In under twenty minutes, they saw blockade barriers, along with patrolling constables and guards on sentry duty.
The car came to a stop. After information verification, the guards promptly saluted and waved them through.
Afterward, they passed several checkpoints, going through without impediment and gradually penetrating deep into the Mount Jie region.
In the new era, because Mount Jie boasted lush vegetation and scenic landscapes, it had always been a famous tourist destination, attracting visitors from Zhongjing and nearby areas to tour the scenery.
Yet ever since the roads were blockaded, not a single person could be seen. Occasionally, stray animals wandered by. Weeds choked the ground, and dense foliage reached across the road. Passing beneath the canopy, shielded from the sunlight, carried an eerie chill.
When the vehicle could go no further, the three stepped out.
Driver Lai had been here many times, so he served as a guide leading the way in front, though he walked gingerly and kept his voice down—the incident earlier had left a lingering shadow on him.
Chen Chuan had originally intended to see that long-haired woman who handed out cameras, but after following the mountain path for a long time, nearly reaching the summit, they saw no one.
Zhan Jiyue looked up, catching a faint glimpse of an upturned eave. "I recall there's a Fish King Temple scenic spot up there."
"Right!" Driver Lai said. "There's a legend that during the Tiansheng era of the Qi Dynasty, torrential rain fell one year—even heavier than what we just encountered. Water rushed down the mountain; they say the Xuan River rose thirty feet, and water submerged the entire base of Chiqiu.
"And over here at Mount Jie, a giant fish fell from the sky, landing right on this mountain peak. There's an old Zhongjing saying: 'When fish cross mountains, hounds will cry; when earth dragons stir, homes cannot lie.' Sure enough, an earthquake followed.
"It's said over a hundred thousand people around Zhongjing died, with countless injured. Later, after guidance from a Xuanist, the local mountain folk enshrined the giant fish's remains in a temple at the peak, where incense has burned through successive dynasties. Strange to say, ever since that enshrinement, even if tremors occurred elsewhere, Mount Jie never suffered an earthquake again."
Chen Chuan looked up toward the temple. According to the records, a fissure torn out of nowhere had appeared here at Mount Jie back then.
However, that fissure was quickly brought under control by the imperial court of the time. Detailed records of that fissure were nowhere to be found now; all that was known was that it came suddenly and departed just as strangely, growing weaker and weaker over centuries until completely vanishing in the early years of the late dynasty.
This temple was likely the original location where the fissure appeared, though it had burned down several times. Each time, local folk lifted the fish bones from the rubble to rebuild it. The surviving structure appeared to date to the late dynasty.
"Let's go up and take a look."
The three reached the summit and entered the temple, where they saw the enshrined fish skeleton. Judging by the surviving bones, it was likely an alienated creature from the Confluence.
Seeing Chen Chuan surveying the surroundings, Zhan Jiyue asked, "Councilor, could these anomalies be related to this temple?"
Chen Chuan replied, "We'll see."
After circling the temple, he walked outside and looked toward the east. From here, he could see a slightly lower hill very close by—the very place they had passed earlier, Mount Xiaochi behind the Hai Family Restaurant.
He turned in another direction, looking west, where another hill of similar height stood. Records indicated it was named Mount Chengze.
He noticed an abandoned motor and cable car on the mountain. He said, "There used to be sightseeing cable cars here?"
Driver Lai stepped forward. "Yes, built several years ago to develop a mountain scenic area. Not just here, but connecting Mount Xiaochi, Mount Yinman, Mount Bei, and several other peaks. I heard the cable cars on both sides even operated for a while, but for some reason people were evacuated later, leaving only these behind."
Chen Chuan nodded and gave a signal. Chaoming, who had been obediently perched on his shoulder, immediately took flight, streaking into the clouds and circling overhead for a while.
In just a short time, Chaoming flew across all the surrounding peaks, and everything it saw was relayed directly into Chen Chuan's spiritual perception.
When Chaoming returned and landed, Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, then said, "I have a rough lead. Let's head back first."
Descending the mountain, on their way back, Driver Lai hesitated several times, wanting to speak.
Chen Chuan noticed and asked, "Assistant Lai, what is it you want to ask?"
"Commissioner..." Driver Lai said uncertainly, "The food we ate back there... could it, could it..."
Chen Chuan said, "You're fine. Assistant Lai, you've eaten there more than once before, and returning caused no harm, so you can set your mind at ease."
Urban legends could not yet be fully explained by known science, but most were likely aggregates of spirit and energy—in government terms, anomalous matter. They might be reenactments of past imagery, or simply pure illusions.
Yet as long as it was an urban legend, there were certain rules. If they caused harm to people, it was only through specific fixed patterns. If your actions did not fall within its scope, you would be unharmed.
Zhan Jiyue said, "No need to worry. Didn't we eat it too? I thought the flavor was quite good."
Driver Lai hastily nodded in agreement. Although these two were entirely different from him, he drew some comfort nonetheless. Besides, what else could he do? He had already eaten it.
After the vehicle returned to the department, Zhan Jiyue said before getting out, "Councilor, if there are follow-up matters, please call on me again. I believe I might be able to help."
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Chen Chuan nodded. "Very well."
Chapter 1365