Chapter Thirty-Three: A Dramatic Change in the Town

Mo Shan clutched the token in his fist and looked toward the direction where the azure serpent had vanished.

Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s foremost wondrous peak, stands crowned with snow all year round and is famed for its narrow and treacherous mountain paths. Very few ever reach its summit. At the very top lies the Wudang Sect, a place no ordinary person can ascend.

Seen from below, the peak seemed to pierce the heavens, half-hidden in cloud and mist, boundless and unreachable, like a celestial pillar standing alone at the center of the world.

Mo Shan faintly felt that three grand words seemed to hang before his eyes:

Wudang Mountain.

Perhaps this was the marvel of strange landscapes and flowing waters, the way of feng shui.

“Just now I didn’t notice it, but now I feel all hot inside, a little restless and itchy, as though there’s endless strength surging through me,” Mo Shan said in puzzlement.

“That’s normal. That creature has lived for who knows how many years, and its nourishing value is extremely high. Especially for martial artists, it has tremendous effect. It can replenish the old deficiencies within the body, making one strong and fit, and even prolonging life,” Ruoxi explained.

“Then does that mean eating more serpent meat can strengthen the body?” Mo Shan asked.

“Mm. In theory, yes. But if you eat too much, the body will adapt to it.” Ruoxi herself was not entirely sure; she had only skimmed some books on the subject. Still, it was enough to explain things to someone like Mo Shan, who knew nothing at all.

“So impressive? Then tomorrow let’s come back and catch some serpent meat to eat!” Mo Shan seemed to have hit upon a brilliant idea.

“Give me a break. The two of us aren’t even enough to fill the teeth of the creatures in this forest! And you’re still thinking about eating serpent meat? If we really came here, we’d die and not even know how!” Ruoxi rolled her eyes at him. He really had no idea how to seek death.

“Hey, where are you pulling me to?” Mo Shan asked as he looked at Ruoxi dragging his hand.

“Home!” Ruoxi said irritably.

What Senior Canghai had just said was indeed right. Continuing to linger here would absolutely be dangerous, and she faintly felt as though something had happened at home.

Her heartbeat was pounding fiercely. This must be intuition, she thought.

...

No one knew how long they had walked before the overgrown branches and weeds gradually gave way to a country path.

Mo Shan’s nose twitched, as if he had caught some unusual scent. Holding Ruoxi’s hand, he said with a solemn expression, “I smell something strange.”

“What smell?” Ruoxi also sniffed, but all she could detect was the same as before: the scent of plants and trees.

“There’s nothing strange. Hurry home! Father is still waiting... waiting for us!” Ruoxi said anxiously. She seemed not to notice anything amiss.

After crossing mountains and ridges, a quiet little town stood before them, utterly still. There was not even the sound of a bird or a tree, a forest or an insect, which made it all the more eerie.

Ruoxi and Mo Shan unconsciously came to a halt, both wearing strange expressions.

The view shifted to the stone-paved streets of the town. The bluish-green slabs were covered with gray dust, so thick and dense it was as if a faint coat of paint had been spread over them. There were even a few bright red traces, like blood.

This could not help but stir a sense of unease.

“Something must have happened! Otherwise there’s no way it would be like this!” Mo Shan frowned, thinking back to the senior’s strange behavior. He clearly had plenty of time, and yet he had left in such haste.

Ruoxi’s face was filled with a complicated mix of emotions: confusion, worry, fear.

She simply left Mo Shan behind and ran toward the town.

Her footprints stamped one after another across the bluish-green stone slabs.

Ruoxi, dressed in a black martial outfit, looked left and right as she went in. Her expression grew even more grave, and at some point the Soul-Surprising Sword had already appeared in her hand. Its sword light radiated brilliantly, dazzling even under the sun.

Seeing Ruoxi abandon him and run ahead, Mo Shan knew something was wrong and immediately gave chase.

The moment he stepped through the town gate, his mouth fell open in astonishment.