Chapter 282: The Enemy Has Arrived

The outskirts of Huang Family Village.

Hearing that each household only had two people, the crowd stopped fighting and dispersed.

"Are you sure that big shot you mentioned can handle this?"

Jushi looked at Mo Lian, swallowing hard. "Can he really deal with inner world residents directly?"

Mo Lian shook her head.

"I don't know either."

"लेकिन anyway, that's just how it is when you run a dungeon with him. You just need to listen to what he says."

"Assuming you're on his side, that is."

With that, Mo Lian walked toward the door.

"I'll leave this place to you."

"Remember, don't do anything unnecessary."

"Don't worry, don't worry. Don't you know me by now?" Jushi nodded with a sheepish smile.

He was genuinely happy. His dungeon tasks had been piling up for three or four years because the mortality rate of the previous dungeon was so high that he simply didn't have the courage to enter.

Just as Mo Lian had said, he only came this time because he was truly out of options, taking a gamble based on his trust in Shen Youran.

However, it still wasn't time to completely let his guard down.

After all, there was still the rather difficult Stage A task.

He understood these inner world residents well; whenever they made demands, they would make things as difficult as possible.

Completing fifteen of them wouldn't be easy.

He looked at the Old Man beside him and asked, "Old man, what do you need me to do? Just say the word."

"Alright."

The Old Man nodded and walked over to sit on a stool in the middle of the room. "Well then, young man, give my shoulders a rub."

"Sure."

Jushi stepped behind the Old Man, acting as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

His mind raced, carefully pondering where the trap might be. Was it that he couldn't use too much force so he wouldn't hurt him? Or was there a specific order to the massage, like working from the outside in?

These thoughts made him hesitate, unable to make a move.

The Old Man waited for quite a while before looking back in confusion.

"Young man, why haven't you started massaging?"

"Right away, right away..."

Jushi forced a smile.

Finally, he closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and gently rested his hands on the Old Man's shoulders.

Unexpectedly, the moment he touched the shoulders, the Old Man sprang up as if he had been electrocuted.

It scared Jushi so much that he shuddered all over.

"I-I haven't even pressed yet! I didn't use any force!"

"What are you talking about?"

The Old Man chuckled.

"You're already done pressing!"

Done pressing???

Jushi looked completely bewildered.

"You mean... this request is already completed?"

"That's right."

The Old Man spoke with a bright smile.

"Next item: sweeping. Just give the floor a casual sweep."

While a still-confused Jushi turned around to fetch the broom, the Old Man happily pumped his fist in secret.

He had knocked out a request so easily, meaning another ten ghost silver was in the bag!

That person had said it clearly: every request he helped these humans complete was worth ten ghost silver.

Jushi picked up the broom. The very second it touched the ground, the Old Man immediately announced, "Good! Very good, the second request is also complete!"

Then, he flashed an almost fawning smile at the thoroughly bewildered Jushi and asked, "Young man, are you close with that lord?"

"Lord? Close?"

Jushi swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly.

"The lord you're talking about... his surname wouldn't happen to be Yan, would it?"

"No, no. The lord I'm referring to should be surnamed Luo."

The Old Man waved his hand as he spoke.

He had previously eavesdropped on the conversation of the household deepest in the village and learned Luo Sheng's surname.

'Oh... that scared me to death... As long as it's not him...'

Jushi breathed a sigh of relief, yet he also felt a vague sense of loss. Why was his mood so complicated?

...

...

Afternoon, Paima County.

A man wearing an oversized Zhongshan Suit arrived at the main gate of Paima County with a squad of men.

Watching the slowly revolving gate, the man and his team followed suit, slowly rotating along with it.

It wasn't some comedic performance; it was simply because East Lake Prefecture regulations mandated that any personnel traveling on official business could only enter the city through the main gate.

And at this moment, since the man had questions to ask, he simply chose to rotate with Paima County's gate, talking as they walked.

"Have you notified the Paima County Magistrate?"

The man looked at his deputy beside him.

"Notified, we notified him."

The scrawny deputy stood in stark contrast to the portly man. Seeing the man hesitate to speak, he took the initiative and asked, "Minister Jing, we're making such a big fuss. Just what Tier is the person we're catching?"

"Good question."

Jing Huan, Vice Minister of the River Department, nodded.

"The person we're here to catch this time should be Third Tier."

Third Tier!

Upon hearing this, the dozens of men widened their eyes in shock.

It had to be known that Jing Huan was Sixth Tier, and Section Chief Zhang beside him was Fifth Tier!

All these people came just to catch a Third Tier?!

"I know none of you can believe it."

Jing Huan coughed lightly.

"But this person is truly guilty of the most heinous crimes!"

"Section Chief Zhang, tell everyone what crimes this person has committed."

"Understood."

The deputy nodded, pulled a small notebook from his pocket, adjusted his glasses, and said, "The criminal we are apprehending this time is surnamed Luo, named Luo Sheng. According to the detailed reports from our subordinates, he is guilty of... polluting a river, as well as the crime of hiding a corpse in a river! The water quality and health of the Minhu rivers have always been a key focus for us. This person's crimes are monstrous. With multiple offenses punished concurrently, he must be swiftly hunted down and brought to justice."

After the deputy finished reading, Jing Huan nodded in satisfaction. He looked at the crowd and asked in a deep voice, "Did you all understand?"

"Understood!!!"

The crowd nodded.

"Very good."

Jing Huan waved his hand.

"Let's enter the city to rest first. We'll feel things out slowly so we don't spook him into running away!"

"Yes, sir!!!"

Seeing the high-spirited crowd, Jing Huan nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

'Damn it, it's already autumn, yet it's still this hot.'

'If the lord hadn't demanded it, why would I ever come to a remote backwater like this?'

'The lord too... Just to catch a Third Tier, wouldn't sending a Fifth Tier be enough?'

'Did he really need to use a Sixth Tier like me?'

'Forget it, forget it. I'll just find an inn to rest for a bit and treat this as a field trip.'

...

...

Fei Yu, who was sitting at home preparing dinner, suddenly sensed something.

She ran out of the kitchen and looked up at the horizon. In the distant clouds, a streak of purple appeared—one that only she could see.

Her expression instantly changed.

That streak of purple was her unique fortune.

Usually, she kept it concealed. For it to reveal itself now meant that the New Heaven above was forcibly pointing out her location.

It was preparing to tell that human.

"Damn it."

Fei Yu rarely cursed, but she swore now, glaring fiercely at the sky.

"I am a person of this world too! Just because I'm not from the same Domain and refuse to be used by you, you'd rather see me sacrificed?"

...

The sky, naturally, did not answer.

As Fei Yu withdrew her angry glare and was just about to give up and go back to making dinner, her gaze suddenly flickered. She saw a wisp of black energy circling entirely above Luohe County.

"An omen of great disaster..."

Thinking of Yan Jing, who had gone out on business, she hurriedly ran back to the kitchen, smothered the freshly lit firewood with ash, grabbed a hat to cover most of her face, and rushed out the door.

...

...

Afternoon, Huang Family Village.

Inside the village, completely oblivious to what was about to happen, a scene of harmony and joy played out.

In less than an hour, everyone's Stage A tasks had been completely finished.

It was simply... a miracle...

At that moment, the group of people was sitting at the village entrance, chatting with the villagers.

It was hard to imagine that humans could establish such a friendship with inner world residents in just half a day, especially without any direct conflicts of interest.

This harmonious atmosphere reached its peak with Yan Jing's arrival.

"Here is your payment."

Yan Jing handed the prepared ghost silver to the inner world residents.

"Your task is done. The lord has said that he won't pursue your past mistakes anymore. You may leave."

"Alright!!!"

The inner world residents were all thrilled to receive their payment and departed shortly after.

The remaining players stayed where they were.

"Have the items been placed?"

Yan Jing looked at the crowd with a smile.

"They're placed, they're placed."

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

By this point, everyone had guessed that the reason the tasks were so effortless—even if Yan Jing wasn't directly manipulating them—absolutely had something to do with him.

If you're going to cling to a big shot's thigh, you have to hold on tight.

Since Shen Youran had sought them out, none of them were the type to stir up trouble.

"Mo Lian, have you checked?"

Yan Jing looked at Mo Lian.

"I've checked everything!"

Mo Lian nodded, then walked over to Yan Jing and said in a low voice, "Three sets of skeletal remains have been buried in every household. The rest of the bones—aside from the portion given to you—have also been perfectly positioned. They were all placed exactly according to how those inner world residents died back then. Each family's remains are neatly grouped together."

"Mhm."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Is everyone here?"

"Hold on, let me count."

Mo Lian quickly counted the group. After counting a few times, her expression grew grim.

"We're missing one..."

As soon as she said this, the crowd was shocked. They quickly figured out that the missing person was a man from the Third Ring Domain.

"I'll go find him."

Jushi stood up.

He and that man could be considered good friends.

But Yan Jing shook his head.

"It's fine. I'll go. I think I know where he is."

He knew?

Seeing Yan Jing's certainty, the crowd didn't say anything more, though they grew increasingly puzzled.

Right now, every single one of Yan Jing's actions seemed utterly mysterious to them.

Unexpectedly, a few minutes later, Yan Jing really did return carrying an unconscious figure over his shoulder, setting him down on the ground.

The man had passed out on the outskirts of the woods behind Huang Family Village.

This was perfectly normal, because Seventh Rank Ye Jinyuan, the Vice Domain Chief of Yueyin, had set up a type of confusion array there. Anyone who touched it would lose their way.

During the few days he had spent in Paima County, he had already scouted both this place and the county thoroughly.

He hadn't shared this information with the others.

He had done so on purpose.

If someone really didn't behave and ran around recklessly, he could use the opportunity to test the Vice Domain Chief's attitude toward humans.

From the looks of it now, he was fairly friendly. For the time being, it could be determined that he wasn't the type to kill people randomly for his own goals.

Moreover, this way, he could send a signal to inform Vice Domain Chief Ye Jinyuan that there were people in Huang Family Village.

Paving the way for what was to come.

Soon, the unconscious man slowly woke up.

After understanding what had happened, he felt deeply ashamed.

"I... thought about taking a walk in the woods... It seemed to be within the dungeon's boundaries..."

"I told you not to wander off!" Mo Lian said angrily, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry."

The bespectacled man wore an apologetic expression.

"It's fine. We'll leave it at that."

Yan Jing's tone was gentle. "The tasks are all done. Don't run around during this time. The dungeon should end by the morning after next."

"Understood."

The group nodded.

Jushi spoke up, "Boss, if there's anything else you need our help with, just say the word."

"We're really thankful you brought us into this dungeon."

"Right, exactly."

The crowd chimed in one after another.

"It's nothing."

Yan Jing's face was calm. "As long as you can keep yourselves safe, that's enough. Shen Youran went over the precautions before you came, right? Did you bring the items?"

"We brought them, we brought them."

Jushi nodded, and an object resembling a colorful ball materialized in his hand.

"This is the Signal Orb Sister Shen had us prepare. They were bought for a heavy sum, about three or four hundred thousand each. The signal smoke they release can instantly cover half a county town."

"Good. Don't complain about the cost; it can save your lives."

Yan Jing nodded.

"You're all clear on the two scenarios for using it, right?"

Since these people had helped out and hadn't caused any trouble, Yan Jing was willing to say a few extra words.

"We remember, we remember."

Jushi nodded.

Before they arrived, Shen Youran had given them instructions.

She told them that if they ran into a man dressed in Daoist robes, they should release the Signal Orb the moment they sensed his killing intent. If they encountered a high-tier inner world resident, they should throw the Signal Orb toward that patch of woods.

His friend going to those woods earlier was likely because those words had sparked some ideas in his mind.

That was why he felt especially embarrassed.

He was just that kind of person—rather honest and straightforward.

"Good."

Yan Jing nodded. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly noticed a pitch-black bird flying over from the sky above Paima County in the distance.

Instantly, his brows furrowed.

It was the Little Bird he had drawn for Fei Yu.