Chapter 411: Eerie Dream

A breeze rustled through the twilight. Amid the sounds of barking dogs and crowing roosters, adults called out in long, drawn-out voices for their children to come home for dinner. Children bounded through the streets and alleyways as dim, yellow lights began to glow from behind windowpanes.

In the distance, clusters of red leaves on the trees shimmered and swayed, like fireworks in full bloom.

Yuelai Inn.

In a superior room, Fang Rui stood at the window, gazing out at the town of Pinghu County.

“Ideal Land?! Peach Blossom Spring?!”

He watched the sky gradually dim and muttered to himself, “I hope the whole atmosphere doesn’t change once night falls.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just then, a knock came at the door. It was the inn’s attendant. “Sir, the owner asked me to bring your meal, along with some complimentary mushroom soup…”

“Thank you!” Fang Rui said, opening the door.

“Hey, don’t mention it! Just give a shout if you need anything.” The attendant’s service was thoughtful and his attitude enthusiastic.

His overflowing enthusiasm and warm, kind demeanor were just like that of all the other residents in town.

After sending the attendant away, he closed the door.

Fang Rui turned around and immediately put away the meal and mushroom soup, then took out some pastries and water from his Spirit Ring.

“When you’re out, it’s best not to eat food from others. It’s not clean, and it’s not safe,” he said, taking the opportunity to teach her.

“Yes.”

Xin Xue’Er tilted her little head in thought for a moment, then nodded. “Mother said to be careful of bad people when we’re outside.”

“That’s right. Xue’Er is very smart.”

“Uncle is very smart, too.”

“Haha!”

Fang Rui couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the little girl nibbling on her food like a hamster.

A moment later.

“Is Xue’Er full?”

“Xue’Er is full. What about Uncle?”

“Uncle is full, too.”

“Then I’ll clear the table.”

“Such a good girl.”

Fang Rui ruffled Xin Xue’Er’s hair. The little girl closed her eyes and hummed contentedly like a kitten.

‘Now this is more like it!’

Being with the little girl gave him a sense of genuine warmth. In contrast, the peace of Pinghu County outside seemed somewhat illusory and ethereal, like a flower in a mirror or the moon’s reflection on water.

After they cleaned up, Xin Xue’Er obediently went to sleep. The little girl had already drifted off before he could even finish one story.

‘I should go take a look.’

With a wave of his sleeve, Fang Rui sent a flicker of Spiritual Light through the room, forming a Restriction.

“Pinghu County by night… I certainly hope you don’t disappoint me.”

He murmured as his figure suddenly turned ethereal. In the blink of an eye, a faint breeze swept through the room, and he was gone.

…

「An hour later.」

Fang Rui appeared silently on a rooftop. He had just spent the last hour roaming through most of Pinghu County, yet he hadn’t found anything unusual.

The only abnormality was the lack of any abnormalities: the entire town of Pinghu County was too tranquil. Under the pitch-black cover of night, there were no thefts, no real arguments, no oppression, not a single trace of evil…

It was just as serene and peaceful as it had been during the day.

‘But in truth, having no problems is the biggest problem of all. How could an entire county be filled with nothing but good people?’

A glint flickered in Fang Rui’s eyes.

“CLANG! The air is dry, be careful with fire!”

A Night Watchman passed by, striking his gong.

‘It must be getting late.’

Fang Rui thought for a moment, then, riding the wind, he slipped into the night and entered an ordinary family’s home.

The husband and wife of the household were following the method described by the shopkeeper who sold the Black Mushrooms earlier in the day. They filled a basin with soil, crushed a Black Mushroom and sprinkled it in, each added a drop of their blood, and then placed it by their bedside.

Then, they blew out the lamp and lay down on the bed.

“Dear, it’s been three days since we’ve… you know. How about tonight…?” the wife asked shyly in a low voice.

“Sigh, I was hoping to sleep early so we’d have more mushrooms in the morning, but… I suppose once is fine!” the husband sighed.

“Forget it, let’s just sleep. More mushrooms means more money.”

“No, I can’t let you hold back. How could I live with myself?”

“Dear, your health is more important.”

“It’s fine, I can handle it. Unclogging the pipes once won’t hurt.”

…

The couple deferred to one another with the politeness of guests, but in the end, they still made love. Afterward, a profound calm settled over them both, and they drifted off to sleep.

Then.

A scene that Fang Rui couldn’t comprehend unfolded. In the basin by the bedside, the crushed mushroom fragments burrowed into the soil, rapidly taking root, sprouting, and growing.

‘No fluctuations of Spiritual Power, not a single trace of Magic… This… this isn’t mystical at all! What in the world is going on?!’

He used his Divine Technique, Emperor’s Gaze, to observe, but even then, he couldn’t detect the slightest anomaly.

Fang Rui wasn’t one to get hung up on things. Since he couldn’t figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. He took one last deep look at the room and turned to leave.

After he left, the couple in the room slept even more soundly. The corners of their mouths were slightly turned up, as if they were smiling, yet it gave off an inexplicably eerie feeling.

…

‘Pinghu County is Yuwen An’s old stomping grounds. If there’s something strange going on, it’s most likely connected to the Yuwen Family. I’ll go take a look there. Hopefully, I’ll find something.’

After a moment of thought, Fang Rui changed direction.

The Yuwen Family estate.

“Let me have a bite, just one bite.”

“Just one bite, then, Grandpa! Have some of my pear!”

“Wow, it smells so good! My dear, good grandson.”

Mr. Yuwen held his grandson, doting on the child as he lived out his golden years. The family was gathered together, full of joy, harmony, and mutual respect.

Fang Rui looked left and right, inside and out, but still found nothing amiss. He left without a sound.

…

Fang Rui completed his tour of the town without finding anything unusual and returned to the inn.

‘I keep feeling like something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. This Pinghu County is truly strange!’

‘So, is the only way to find out to test the waters myself?’

Fang Rui found a basin of soil, took out a Black Mushroom, and crushed it, sprinkling the pieces inside.

“Just needs a drop of blood.”

Without hesitation, he forced out a drop of his own blood and let it fall in.

‘In any case, this identity was created with the Divine Technique, Thousand Transformations. On the way to Rao State, I took the place of a mountain bandit’s strategist, a man nicknamed the ‘Black-hearted Scholar.’ Even this bloodline isn’t my own.’