The Peculiar County and a Mother’s Plight

Divine Swallow Kingdom, Yuelong County.

Zhuang Xun and his companions arrived before the county gates. After a quick glance at the somewhat contorted characters adorning the entrance, they proceeded into the county town, ushered in by Jiang Ningwan.

The streets were desolate, with sparse figures moving about.

Though a few people still walked the thoroughfares, their steps were noticeably slow, almost sluggish.

“Fellow Daoist, this county town feels peculiar, yet I can’t discern what exactly is amiss,” Shangwu remarked, his expression grave as he walked beside Zhuang Xun.

“What’s meant to come will come,” Zhuang Xun replied calmly. “For now, let’s observe them.”

“Luoying, go back and rest for a bit,” Zhuang Xun murmured.

He gently stroked the pink fox’s chin, and with a flash of spiritual light, it transformed, merging into an insignia on his arm.

At the same time, a sense of doubt lingered in his heart.

However, his thoughts were occupied by a different matter altogether: Jiang Lishuang’s drastic change in personality.

Having spent these past few days together, Zhuang Xun had come to realize that she was, at her core, a lively and adorable young girl.

She possessed an inquisitive nature, coupled with a touch of youthful cunning.

For a girl not yet twelve years old, such traits were perhaps not uncommon. Yet, her subsequent transformation and the catalyst behind it… though he had only spoken a few words, he was certain other events had transpired.

Otherwise, such a profound change, making her seem like an entirely different person, would have been impossible.

The mere loss of her mother alone could not have impacted Jiang Lishuang to such an extent.

Now, having entered Yuelong County, he could distinctly feel a somewhat oppressive and eerie atmosphere permeating the city.

He suspected some malevolent entity lay hidden within.

Therefore, if the original character’s storyline held true, a significant event was bound to unfold here.

An event that would fundamentally alter Jiang Lishuang’s psyche and personality.

****

As he pondered.

Jiang Ningwan had led her retinue of household guards and the three companions to the grand entrance of the Jiang Manor. However, the manor guards stationed at the gate abruptly barred Jiang Ningwan’s entry.

“Our apologies, Young Mistress,” one guard stated. “The Prefect has issued an order: Jiang Ze of the Jiang clan and his descendants are forbidden from entering the Jiang Manor.”

“Why?”

“This humble one is not privy to the reasons, Young Mistress. Please do not make things difficult for us,” the guard pleaded.

Jiang Ningwan’s expression gradually darkened.

She had traveled all the way from the Jade Spirit Kingdom, only to be turned away at her own family’s gates. Was this not an open invitation for ridicule?

Though her spirits had plummeted to rock bottom, Jiang Ningwan still addressed the guards with a calm demeanor.

“Inform my eldest uncle that Jiang Ze suffered a calamity in the Jade Spirit Kingdom; his properties were utterly destroyed, and he was targeted by schemers,” she instructed.

“Left with no other recourse, Jiang Ningwan journeyed to the Divine Swallow Kingdom to find a safe haven.”

“This humble one shall go report immediately,” a guard replied.

Jiang Ningwan then turned and approached Zhuang Xun and his group, bowing slightly. “My apologies, Immortal Master, for making you witness such a spectacle.”

“It’s no matter,” Zhuang Xun responded. “Merely the way of the world.”

“The way of the world…” Jiang Ningwan mused, subtly sensing a deeper meaning in Zhuang Xun’s words. “Immortal Master, have you perhaps discerned something amiss?”

Zhuang Xun silently shook his head, offering no further explanation.

Just then, Jiang Lishuang tugged at his sleeve, speaking with a hint of mystery. “Brother Zhuang Xun, come with me for a moment.”

“Hmm?”

“What are you planning?”

“Just come with me~ Only for a little while…” Jiang Lishuang pleaded, her voice laced with childish entreaty.

Her sparkling, limpid eyes shimmered with excitement.

“Very well,” Zhuang Xun conceded to Jiang Lishuang first. Then, turning to the brothers Shangwen and Shangwu, he instructed, “You two remain here and keep watch. Should anything unusual occur, notify me immediately with a spirit talisman.”

“Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist, have you also delved into the path of talismans?” Shangwu asked, a spirit talisman overflowing with spiritual energy materializing in his palm.

“When traversing the martial world, one must be proficient in a bit of everything,” Zhuang Xun replied.

With that, Jiang Lishuang pulled him away.

****

In a quiet, deserted alleyway.

Jiang Lishuang glanced left and right, and upon confirming their solitude, released Zhuang Xun’s sleeve.

“Brother Zhuang Xun, I have something amazing to tell you!” she exclaimed.

As her words faded, a wave of frigid air emanated from Jiang Lishuang’s body, causing frost to bloom around her, spreading gradually towards his feet.

“I can already project spiritual energy externally! Isn’t that impressive?”

“…”

“To project spiritual energy while only in the early stages of Qi Condensation, you’re still far too premature,” he stated.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Zhuang Xun dispersed the chilling aura surrounding Jiang Lishuang. Then, a ray of spiritual light shot forth from his finger, piercing her glabella, sealing the frigid energy within her body.

“In the future, do not activate this yin-cold energy,” he admonished. “At your current cultivation level, attempting to control it is far too soon.”

“Mm…” Jiang Lishuang murmured, feeling the chilling energy vanish from her body, and quietly hung her small head.

Seeing her dejected expression, Zhuang Xun gently stroked her head, offering comfort. “There, there. Your physique is quite unique; you can generate an extremely yin-cold energy, unlike that of ordinary cultivators.”

“However, your current cultivation is still shallow, and attempting to control it is akin to chasing a fantasy.”

“Furthermore, if mishandled, it could bring harm to both yourself and the mortals around you.”

“I’ve now placed a restriction on you. Once your strength is sufficient to master it, you’ll naturally be able to use it as you please.”

“Oh…” Jiang Lishuang’s shoulders slumped, her head still bowed.

She had initially believed her strength had advanced, only to discover it was merely due to her unique constitution.

Still…

Being stroked by Brother Zhuang Xun… felt quite comforting…

Suddenly, the warmth on her head vanished. Jiang Lishuang looked up, puzzled.

She saw Zhuang Xun had walked to a corner behind her, crouching down, extending a finger as if touching something.

She walked to his side and crouched down with him. “Brother Zhuang Xun, what are you doing?”

Zhuang Xun touched a dried bloodstain in the corner, gathering a tiny bit on his fingertip, and brought it to his nose.

The bloodstain was quite old.

Moreover, the scent carried by this blood seemed reminiscent of a rare poison… one that shattered minds, separated souls from bodies, and drove kin to slaughter and devour each other… Soul-Severing Ghost-Departure Grass…

“Come,” Zhuang Xun said, his voice firm. “From this moment forth, do not leave my side for an instant.”

He rose, pulling Jiang Lishuang’s small hand without further explanation, his expression grave.

“Brother Zhuang Xun, have you discovered something?”

“Don’t ask so many questions,” he urged. “For now, let’s find your mother first.”

‘He hoped the completion of this character’s background story… wasn’t as complicated as he imagined.’

****

Jiang Manor.

Jiang Ningwan paced anxiously before the main gate. As the sky began to blaze with the crimson hues of sunset, still no one emerged, her initial confusion transforming into a wave of worry.

“Could it be that something difficult has also befallen this place?” she wondered.

Just then, a household guard stepped out from the gate, bowing respectfully. “Young Mistress, please return the way you came. Do not inquire further into the reasons.”

“…”

“You must at least provide an explanation, mustn’t you? Even a perfunctory one would suffice…”

Jiang Ningwan was nearly eighty percent certain that something had gone awry within the Jiang Manor.

To deny her entry now, without offering a single reasonable excuse… to not even show their faces… not even a pretense of an explanation; it strongly suggested something was amiss.

The household guard shook his head helplessly, then stepped back, slamming the two grand doors shut with a resounding clang.

Jiang Ningwan reached out to knock, but her hand halted mid-air, ultimately falling into a sigh.

“Alas~” she lamented.

“I truly have become a rootless duckweed…”

Just as she prepared to retrace her steps, Jiang Lishuang tugged at the fabric around her waist. “Mother, Brother Zhuang Xun wants us to follow him.”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ningwan’s gaze slowly shifted to Zhuang Xun.

****

“A moment later, as I instruct, you two will take these two flags and plant them at the easternmost and westernmost points of this county town,” Zhuang Xun began.

“While you’re at it, also search for any flowers with petals like snowflakes and bodies like blood-red jade.”

“If you find them, notify me with a spirit talisman, and I will personally come to gather them.”

Zhuang Xun placed two small flags, one depicting a green dragon and the other a white tiger, into the hands of the two brothers, then issued his command.

“Fellow Daoist, tell us honestly, have you truly discovered something?”

“Time is short,” Zhuang Xun said calmly, glancing at the setting sun. “Do as I say, and I will explain everything later.”

The two brothers exchanged a look, then chose to trust Zhuang Xun. Their figures flickered, and they vanished from their spots.

“Immortal Master, what exactly are you planning to do?” Jiang Ningwan inquired, gracefully walking over to Zhuang Xun’s side.

“From now on, you two, mother and daughter, are not to leave my side. Do you understand?”