C46 Strange Village

With the resplendent morning glow, the mountain gate of the Mystical Peak was dyed gold by the morning light that was projected from the ten thousand feet high clouds.

In a huge plaza, several Snow Winged Hawks were ready. The tens of disciples that were selected yesterday in the Violet Peak Hall had gathered here since long ago.

Li Meng solemnly stared at the Huayun City, Han Chen, Shen Yu and the other disciples, his voice was like thunder, "This is the first time you are going out on a mission, I can't guarantee that you won't encounter any danger. But I will do everything in my power to protect you. If you don't want to go, then leave immediately. "

Naturally, no one would cower at this time. This was a rare opportunity.

Li Meng nodded his head in satisfaction, he waved his hand and bellowed: "Get on the Snow Winged Eagle's back, let's go!"

Several Snow Winged Hawks flew into the sky in an orderly manner along with the loud and clear cry of the eagles. The black shadow on the ground moved, and most of the disciples that came to send them off revealed envious expressions.

"Han Chen is really amazing, he's the only newcomer."

"Him! "A monster."

"Back in the outer sect, he was scolded as trash every day! I think the people of the past are blind. "

Wu Jun, Xin Lan, and Dawei watched Han Chen leave as they shared their thoughts. Thinking back to their first meeting, Han Chen was the same as them, at Tempered Body 7th Layer. However, if one wasn't careful, they would be left far behind. No one would even be able to clearly see how he increased his speed.

Outside the Zi Feng Hall, the second sect master, Xuan Ying Zi, the Great Elder and several other Senior Elder, raised their heads and looked at the Snow Winged Hawks that were gradually moving further away.

"Sect Master, can you tell what's different about that disciple called Han Chen?" The Great Elder's lips moved slightly as he muttered.

"Nope." Xuan Yingzi lightly replied, "He's very ordinary. I'm still puzzled; why would Elder Mu recommend him to me?"

"Haha, not only Elder Mu, even Elder Song He also wants me to pay more attention to that boy."

"Oh? Is this true? "

"I forgot to tell you, he's just a newbie that just entered the inner court."

...

The blue sky was white and the mountains were green. Riding on the Snow Winged Eagle and overlooking the scenery below, it was truly a type of enjoyment.

Han Chen and Shen Yu were naturally riding on the Snow Winged Eagle, and the two of them were chatting and laughing, showing their happiness and satisfaction. However, this surprised the other disciples. Everyone thought, how did Han Chen trick Shen Yu to get his hand? Ever since that kid entered the inner sect, he had beaten up his Senior Brother and Senior Sister, making it difficult for people to not pay attention to him.

"Shen Yu, do you know the situation of the psychedelic forest?" Han Chen asked.

"I know a bit, but I don't know much about it."

"Then tell me."

"En!" Shen Yu nodded his head, his large eyes slightly turned, organized his thoughts and answered, "There are many beasts living in psychedelic forest. It was almost isolated from the outside world, and in the outlying areas, there were a few local residents. I also heard that there are many natives in the forest! "

"Oh? Living together with magical beasts? "Those natives are definitely very strong?"

"Nope!" Shen Yu laughed lightly and asked, "If they were very strong, why would the Great Clan Elder send us here? I think that the strongest amongst them would not exceed the mastery. "

Han Chen could not help but be taken aback. Indeed, the strongest in the team was only at the third level of mastery. On the surface, it was equivalent to the battle strength of a magical beast of the seventh rank. From this, it could be seen that in the eyes of outsiders, the psychedelic forest was not that dangerous.

However, was it really possible that there was no danger from such a natural phenomenon? It was unknown.

The Snow Winged Eagle's speed was extremely fast, and it continued to fly day and night. Everyone was resting on the eagle's back. At night, Shen Yu cuddled up in Han Chen's embrace, sleeping like a cute little kitten. The corner of Han Chen's mouth raised into a faint smile, and his heart was filled with simple happiness.

Li Meng was guiding the way on the Snow Winged Eagle at the very front. The other disciples were either chatting or resting with their eyes closed.

The night sky was bright and filled with stars! The shining star emitted a faint red, baleful light, like the eyes of a fierce beast, as it coldly swept its gaze across the crowd through the clouds.

After flying for nearly a month, psychedelic forest finally appeared in everyone's line of sight. From afar, the towering trees looked pitch black. The howls and roars of magical beasts came one after another.

"Everyone be careful, it's about to descend." Li Meng reminded everyone loudly.

Following the sharp cry of the eagle, the Snow Winged Eagle lowered it to a depth of seven to eight meters on the ground. Li Meng took the lead and jumped down first, and the others quickly followed suit.

The soft soil and the moist smell of the forest assaulted his senses. Li Meng first told the Snow Winged Hawks to search for food, before returning after receiving his orders.

A magical beast of the fourth or fifth rank had a high IQ! Especially after being trained by a sect, it was easier to accept the message from humans. Under Li Meng's instructions, the Snow Winged Hawks left one after another. Everyone successfully arrived at the outskirts of the psychedelic forest.

The towering trees blocked out the sunlight, and the forest gave off a depressing atmosphere.

"Protector Li Meng, where are we going now?" The one who asked was a young female disciple. She was dressed in pink and held a beautiful long sword with red gemstones in her hand. Her name was Li Yun, and she was an outstanding person with a bit of a reputation in the inner sect.

Li Meng glanced at Li Yun, and then scanned the surroundings, "First, find a village nearby to understand the situation of psychedelic forest."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The group of over a dozen people continued to move in a certain direction. Along the way, they met a few small magical beasts of the first or second rank, but no one was interested in killing them. After travelling for nearly a month, he wanted to find a place to have a good rest.

"Look, there's a village there." A sharp-eyed disciple noticed the situation and cried out in surprise.

Everyone looked over. Indeed, a few hundred meters in front of them, a yellow village was sitting there. They could vaguely see the shadows of people moving about.

Without much consideration, Li Meng led the group towards that direction. Taking a closer look, they discovered that it was a small village with about thirty households. A simple earthen room, it was full of the aura of a country girl.

Many disciples frowned. Li Yun creased her eyebrows and muttered in dissatisfaction, "This is the kind of place! How do I live with you! "

"That's right, I've been tired for a month already. Even if I wanted to find a better place to rest, I wouldn't be able to." Another young man echoed.

Hearing their complaints, Li Meng glared at them and scolded them, "What are you all doing? Do you think that we're here for sightseeing? Hmph, I told you this when we first arrived. "This is a mission. It's too late to regret it now."

The few people who spoke earlier were so scared that they almost jumped up. They immediately lowered their heads and didn't dare to say anything else.

Han Chen secretly shook his head and turned to look at Shen Yu. What surprised him was that Shen Yu did not have any complaints on his face, but on his face, there were some expectations, and his big intelligent eyes looked around.

Everyone walked into the village. At this moment, the active villagers all stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes in their direction.

"I am Li Meng, from Mystical Peak. May I ask where is your village manager? " Li Meng cupped his fists and asked a middle aged man who was in his forties. However, what he didn't understand was that the other party didn't reply and only coldly looked at Han Chen and the rest.

"This elder brother, I wonder if you can answer my question?"

Li Meng tried to say again. However, the result was the same as before. The thirty odd villagers in front of them did not say a word. He kept his eyes on them.

This was the first time Li Meng had seen this kind of situation. Behind him, Li Yun, Huayun City and the other disciples all looked confused. Even if the villagers did not welcome them, they should have at least said something. But now, they were all standing on the spot like wooden puppets. It was really hard to understand.

"They are so strange! Do you want to scare us to death with your eyes? " Shen Yu said softly.

Han Chen frowned, and observed the villagers carefully. He could not help but realize that all of them were staring blankly, with nothing in their eyes. Each of them was as stiff as a statue.

"Don't tell me they …"

Just as Li Meng was about to make his next round of inspection, an old man with wrinkles all over his face walked over with unsteady steps and a bent back. Behind him was a boy around seven or eight years old. The boy was slim, pale, and his eyes were wide with fear.

"Guests, I am truly sorry. I am the Village Chief of this village." The old man's voice was hoarse, but his words were very clear.

Finally seeing a normal person, Li Meng's brows relaxed as he walked over and cupped his fists in greeting, "I am Li Meng, and have accidentally disturbed your village. I hope that village head can forgive me."

"Master, you're being too serious. Since a guest has come, this village naturally brings honor to our humble dwelling. How could we possibly disturb you?"

Han Chen, Shen Yu and the rest, thought that the village chief knew how to speak. Li Meng politely nodded his head, and then pointed to the surrounding villagers, "Village Chief, I wonder what happened to them?"

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." The old elder waved his hand, and the surrounding villagers were startled for a moment. Then, they expressionlessly turned around and went back to their work. It was as if what had just happened didn't exist.

"Everyone, if you have anything to say, please go to the Frigid House first!" It's been a long time since a guest has come to my little village. Please come in, please come in. "

Seeing the village chief's warm welcome to the village, Li Meng felt too embarrassed to refuse. Immediately, he brought the disciples behind him to follow the village head to his residence.

After a while, in a relatively spacious living room, the Old Village Chief called Li Meng to sit down, his movements trembling, his steps unsteady, as though a gentle breeze could knock him down.

Han Chen, Shen Yu, Huayun City, Li Yun and the rest were standing on both sides. As for the little boy who had followed beside the old Village Head, he was curled up at the foot of a wall, seemingly unwilling to speak to anyone.

"That was my grandson. When he was young, he became seriously ill, but in the end, his mind became muddled. Now, he's scared of strangers." The old elder sighed.

A thought struck everyone, and they immediately retracted their gazes and turned back to the old elder. Li Meng heaved a sigh of relief and went straight to the point, "Village Chief, we come from the Mystical Peak, so we want to understand some things from you."

The Old Village Chief did not seem to have any concept of the Mystical Peak, so the change in his expression was not big. As long as I know, I will tell you. "

The other party's cooperation made Li Meng feel slightly happy, "Village head, recently, did something big happen in psychedelic forest?"

"Nope." The village chief shook his head, "Our village has always been peaceful."

"Are there any other weird things?"

"Hur hur, then even more so."

Just these two answers couldn't help but cause Li Meng's heart to sink a little. He slightly creased his brows, and sank into deep thought. Behind him, Huayun City suddenly spoke, "Village head, forgive me for my bluntness. Just now outside, those villagers didn't seem to welcome us. "

Everyone could hear the hidden meaning behind Huayun City's words, and focused their attention on the village chief. The latter sighed as sorrow gushed out from her murky eyes.

"Sigh, all the outsiders felt that our village was very strange. In reality, living in this place that was cut off from the rest of the world, no matter how normal people were, they would become abnormal. It is precisely because we have been isolated from the outside world for so long that their minds have become numb. That's why I'm not willing to communicate with others. "

After hearing what the Old Village Chief said, everyone present was emotionally moved. When they thought about it, they felt that their fate was really quite tragic.

In the next moment, Li Meng asked some other questions. The Village Chief also had some answers, but almost no useful information. With no other choice, Li Meng decided to stay in the village for the time being and make his next plan.

The Village Chief was very enthusiastic about the people staying here. There were a lot of empty rooms, so there wasn't a shortage of rooms.

Late at night, a crescent moon shrouded by thick dark clouds. The night in the little village was deathly silent. Not even a bark. The only thing that could be heard was the roar of the magical beasts in the depths of the forest. To live in such a place, one's mind was constantly in a state of tension.

On the sleepless night, Han Chen stood in the courtyard and raised his head to look at the dark sky.

"Han Chen, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Her gentle voice carried a trace of surprise. In the hazy night, Shen Yu appeared even more beautiful. Her long hair fell on her shoulders and she wore a white evening dress, like a fairy from the heavens.

Han Chen laughed, "Aren't you the same?"

"En!" Shen Yu pouted and said helplessly, "I don't dare to sleep, there are cockroaches and rats in the room."

Naturally, these 'evil' creatures were present in the countryside. At the start, he would occasionally hear a few female disciples screaming.

"What about you? Why didn't he sleep? Are you afraid of mice? " Shen Yu continued.

"No." Han Chen shook his head, his pitch-black pupils revealing the profoundness of his thoughts, "I was thinking about that little boy I saw earlier in the day."

"Little boy? What happened to him? "

"His eyes are full of screams and cries for help."

Shen Yu could not help but be taken aback. She pursed her red lips and looked at the other party in astonishment. Han Chen's expression was somewhat complicated, "He is very pitiful, and don't you think that the village head is strange?"

"Strange? What's strange about that? "

"What he said today is truly full of holes. In a moment, he said that all the outsiders felt that the village was very strange. After a while, he said that this place was cut off from the rest of the world, and everyone's thoughts were numb. This obviously didn't make sense. For people who lived here, dealing with magical beasts every day, logically speaking, they should be very cautious and strong. But here it is the opposite. "

Hearing Han Chen's explanation, Shen Yu became silent, and the matter became complicated and confusing again. It was only the first day, yet he already encountered such a troublesome situation. Who knew what he would encounter in the future?

"Who is it?" Han Chen bellowed, his gaze sweeping across to a corner in front of him, only to see a black figure speedily running out.

"It's the child." Shen Yu said in shock.

Han Chen squinted his eyes and instantly made a decision, "Let's go take a look."

The two of them followed him into the boundless darkness. Soon, they saw a child running away in panic. He was swaying so unsteadily that they were worried that he might fall down at any moment.

However, his legs were clearly weaker than Han Chen's and Shen Yu's. In just a few blinks of an eye, Han Chen had already arrived in front of him. The boy was so scared that he retreated. Just as he turned around, he wanted to run back. Unexpectedly, he was stopped by Shen Yu again. His terrified expression covered that small pale face, and his feet accidentally slipped, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Don't, don't come over, don't come over." The boy held his head in his hands, curled up like an ugly lobster.

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you." Shen Yu comforted her gently and tried to help her up, but he seemed to be even more afraid now.

Han Chen crouched down and said softly, "Don't be afraid, we really won't hurt you."

The two tried to persuade each other for a long time before the other managed to regain his composure. However, his eyes were still filled with fear. It was as if Han Chen and Shen Yu were man-eating monsters that could make her shiver.

"What's your name?" Han Chen asked.

The boy didn't answer, still panicking. In this situation, Han Chen suddenly felt a headache. He had originally wanted to find a way to break through from a child, but now it seemed that it was not going to work.

Just then, Shen Yu flipped his palm and took out a small paper bag. After opening it, a strong fragrance wafted out from the pastry. Han Chen couldn't help but be taken aback. Wasn't this supposed to be the snack of the "Aroma Scent Restaurant" in Linyun City?

"Little friend, do you want to eat?" Shen Yu placed the pastries in front of the boy.

The boy gulped and nodded timidly. Shen Yu smiled and picked up a piece of pastries, placing it in the other party's hands. "Quick, try it."

The boy curled up his body and put the pastries into his mouth. He first took a small sip, then stuffed all of them into his mouth and ate them in large mouthfuls.

"Is it good to eat?"

"En!"

"Do you still want to eat?" Shen Yu said with a faint smile, his big eyes curved like the adorable crescent moons. The boy nodded.

"Alright, you just need to answer a few questions for sister. I'll give you all the pastries, okay? "

It was easy for a child to be coaxed. After a brief moment of absent-mindedness, the boy nodded his head again. Shen Yu frowned, and blinked his eyes at Han Chen complacently. Han Chen was secretly amused, thinking that when Shen Yu was young, Clan Leader Pu Yuelin had probably used this move many times to coax her.

"Tell me, what's your name?"

"Shi, Shi Lei." The boy whispered back.

"Shi Lei. "Hmm, not bad. This pastry is yours now." Shen Yu encouraged him while giving him a piece of green bean cake.

Shi Lei didn't expect to get the delicious food so easily. A rare look of joy appeared on his face. His dull eyes seemed to glow a little more. Shen Yu did not ask immediately. Instead, he waited for the other party to finish eating the pastries.

At this moment, Shi Lei understood that the two of them weren't bad people and weren't as scared as before.

"Alright, Shi Lei, let's continue asking. After answering the question, there's something to eat. "How about it?"

"Alright."

Han Chen was impressed, and secretly gave a thumbs up. Shen Yu smiled and said to Shi Lei: "Xiao Shi Lei, did something happen in the village? Why did everyone else become like that? "

Hearing this, Shi Lei's face was filled with terror once again. Han Chen immediately patted his back softly and comforted him, "It's alright, with big brother and big sister here, we will protect you."

Under the encouragement of the two, Shi Lei's lips moved slightly and he finally spoke the truth. The village, the village's aunts and uncles, all of them were dead. I saw them all die with my own eyes. "

Dead? Han Chen, Shen Yu's face changed, then what about the villagers he saw earlier in the day?

Shi Lei continued, "Later, for some reason. They were alive, alive, alive again. "Scared, I'm so scared."

Dead, alive again? These words confused the two. Did someone use some kind of method to make the dead become like that?

"Who did it? Who killed them? " Han Chen asked nervously.

"Weird, monster." "A scary monster." Shi Lei was so shocked that he grabbed onto Han Chen's arm tightly, his nails almost digging into Han Chen's flesh. Han Chen could clearly feel the fear in the other party's body.

"The monster killed everyone in the village. Grandfather and I hid under the bed. Grandfather told me that the monster will come back, and it can only stay in the village. Don't tell anyone else about this, and the monster won't kill us. "

Little Shi Lei's words were slightly incoherent, but their general meaning was still discernible. It was likely that the Old Village Chief was afraid of the monster and did not dare to speak of it.

But what kind of monster could it be, bringing a devastating disaster to a village! In the outer regions of psychedelic forest, the highest level demonic beast should not be above rank 3.

Furthermore, there were no obvious wounds on the bodies of the villagers during the day. The reason for their deaths was not because they had been bitten and killed by fierce beasts.

"What did that monster look like?"

"Very, very frightening. I, I can't remember, I can't remember. " Shi Lei hugged his head with a pained look on his face.

"Alright, alright, Shi Lei is good. Don't be scared, with your elder brother and sister here, it's fine." Shen Yu gave all the pastries to the other party, "These are all for you."

Seeing the colorful pastries in front of him, Shi Lei relaxed a little, "Thank you, thank you sister. I, I want to leave it for grandpa to eat. "

and Han Chen both felt their noses ache from the child's most sincere feelings. The villagers were truly pitiful. Just what kind of monster would cause slaughter?