Chapter 213 The Mystery of the Morning Prophecy

The rooster crowed three times, and the first light of dawn appeared.

When Chen Mu opened his eyes, the guest room was still filled with loud snoring. Lu Dachuan was lying sprawled out with his quilt kicked to the floor, while Feng Qing slept properly, hands folded on his chest, breathing steadily.

After he and Lu Dachuan finished their watch last night, they handed over to Ling Xiaoning and Ji Xiang; at this moment, those two were leaning against the courtyard gate, one on each side.

Ling Xiaoning's eyelids were heavy, his head nodding; he was clearly at the end of his tether. Ji Xiang wasn't doing much better, though she would occasionally jolt awake, scanning the surroundings vigilantly, but soon her eyes would glaze over again.

Chen Mu got up silently, without disturbing anyone, and pushed open the door.

The mountain wind was biting and bone-chilling, and the sound of the bay horse restlessly stamping its hooves came from the stable.

"Awake?" A soft voice came from his side.

Chen Mu raised his eyes. Lin Xiuer was standing at the entrance of the main hall, holding a wooden basin filled with freshly drawn well water that was emitting wisps of cold air.

Seeing Chen Mu just emerging from the room, she slightly curled her lips into a smile, a flicker of unfathomable emotion flashing in her eyes.

"You are up very early, Officer."

Lin Xiuer said softly, placing the wooden basin by the well platform and beginning to scrub the clothes.

In the faint morning light, Lin Xiuer stood with her side to him, her figure slender. Her movements were unhurried, and her technique for scrubbing the clothes was skillful, no different from an ordinary farm girl.

"Was the post station quiet last night?" Chen Mu asked.

Lin Xiuer's hands paused for a moment, then she continued scrubbing.

"Very quiet. In this desolate wilderness, besides the sound of the wind, there is only the sound of insects. However... some sounds cannot be covered up by the wind or the insects."

Chen Mu's gaze narrowed slightly, and he became a bit more vigilant. Lin Xiuer did not turn back, continuing to scrub the clothes as if talking to herself.

"I had a dream last night. I dreamt that the dark, oppressive sky tore open, and many things crawled out from inside. Some had scales, some had horns, and others... were simply a mass of shadows."

"They were eating people, eating them city by city, from south to north."

Chen Mu listened quietly, his expression calm. However, Lin Xiuer spoke faster and faster, her content becoming incoherent.

"Officer, I saw you. In the dream, you were standing on the peak of an exceptionally high mountain, with nothing but clouds beneath your feet, holding a blade in your hand—the blade was black. Behind you was a cave, and inside the cave, something was breathing. Every time it breathed, the earth shook three times."

"What cave?" Chen Mu stepped forward, continuing to press.

"It's a monster cave!"

Lin Xiuer blurted it out, then hurriedly covered her mouth, a flash of fear in her eyes.

"No, no, I shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have... shouldn't have..."

At this point, she was incoherent, her fingers unconsciously twisting the clothes.

"Three more years, at most three years... the heavens are going to change. The Dragon is going to turn over, the imperial court's banners are going to fall, many people are going to die, and the blood will flow enough to dye the moat red..."

Her tone was incoherent, like someone talking in their sleep.

"It's chaotic, all chaotic... The Dragon and Snake rise from the land, the world is turned upside down. Who is the true Dragon, who is the false Phoenix? I can't tell anymore... I can't tell anymore..."

Chen Mu's footsteps faltered. Watching her slightly trembling back, his brows furrowed tightly.

These words were disjointed, sounding like madness, yet they carried an unsettling eeriness.

"Young lady, why do you say this?"

Lin Xiuer did not answer, only looking up at the horizon and murmuring.

"Three years of sudden wind and rain, the nine-layered palace shakes. A thousand miles of crimson earth and blood, white bones build a new dynasty."

After speaking, she let out a long breath, as if she had exhausted all her strength, and her whole body slumped.

"Officer, just take it as the ramblings of a young woman. No matter who you tell these crazy words to, they won't believe them."

She shook her head with a bitter smile, picked up the wooden basin, turned, and left, her figure disappearing around the corner.

Chen Mu remained standing where he was, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

The other party's words seemed half-true and half-false; the monster cave and the great calamity three years later she mentioned, along with that eerie prophetic poem, all stirred a sense of vigilance in his heart.

This person was definitely not simple. When he came last time, the fear and sorrow in her eyes were real, and this time, the mystery and eeriness were also real.

There was no Demonic Qi on her, nor any signs of martial arts training, but that kind of foresight into the future carried an indescribable eeriness.

At this moment, the guest room door creaked open. Bai Junyi walked out, rubbing his temples, his face still showing signs of fatigue. Immediately after, the others walked out one by one. Hearing the commotion, Ling Xiaoning and Ji Xiang forced themselves to perk up and stood straight.

"All up?" Bai Junyi looked at the sky. "Pack up, we leave as soon as possible."

Lin Xiuer timely brought out breakfast from the backyard—still brown rice porridge, pickled vegetables, and a few coarse flour cakes. Her expression was normal, as if the eerie conversation that morning had never happened. She just lowered her head and silently distributed the food, occasionally lifting her eyes to make brief contact with Chen Mu before quickly looking away, showing no further abnormality.

The group sat around the wooden table in the front hall, eating breakfast in silence. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive; everyone knew what they had to face next.

Ling Xiaoning held his porridge bowl, the warmth going into his stomach, and finally felt a bit more spirited. He leaned over to Chen Mu and muttered in a low voice.

"Chen Mu, don't you feel that this post station is... a bit strange?"

Chen Mu took a sip of porridge. "What's strange about it?"

Ling Xiaoning frowned and scratched his head.

"I can't quite put my finger on it, it's just too quiet. And that Miss Lin is also too... too calm. If it were me, with my father missing and having to guard this desolate wilderness alone, I would have been scared out of my wits long ago."

Chen Mu was noncommittal.

After the meal, Bai Junyi took out the tracking disk, and everyone gathered around.

The needle on the copper disk was still spinning wildly, sometimes pointing southwest, sometimes northeast, and occasionally even suddenly pointing back the way they came, having completely lost its guiding function.

Bai Junyi's expression was exceptionally ugly. "Still no good."

"Damn it, this piece of junk, failing at the critical moment!" Lu Dachuan cursed.

Feng Qing put down his bowl and said coldly.

"Either there is a problem with the post station, or there is a problem with this area where the post station is located."

Shen Suning also said softly.

"Let's leave here first. Once we reach an open area, it might recover."

The group finished eating quickly, packed their gear, and led their horses out of the courtyard. Bai Junyi took out some broken silver and placed it by the well platform as payment for food and lodging.

Lin Xiuer stood at the entrance of the post station, her hands clasped in front of her, slightly curtsying.

"Take care on your journey, officers."

Her gaze swept over everyone again, finally glancing at Chen Mu very quickly before lowering her head and saying no more.

The nine of them mounted their horses and continued moving toward the southwest. In the early morning, the air was humid, and dew still hung on the leaves. The horses' hooves trod on the damp soil, making a dull sound.

Chen Mu rode in the middle of the group, Lin Xiuer's words echoing repeatedly in his mind.

Those words intertwined, forming a blurry and eerie picture.

If what Lin Xiuer said was true, then this so-called great calamity was likely far more terrifying than the current Demonic Qi infestation they were facing.

But for now, he had no time to delve deeper. The golden bell alert from Youxu Valley and the three missing elite squads were the imminent crises.