367: A whole ghost town!

In an instant, the entire official road fell into dead silence.

Those farmers who were originally carrying loads, and the merchants driving ox carts, all froze in place at this moment.

Who knew who was the first to kneel down with a "thud"!

Immediately after, just like knocking over dominoes, the commoners on the entire official road knelt down in unison.

Someone's vegetable basket overturned on the ground, and fresh melons and fruits rolled everywhere.

There were children who were just about to cry, but were tightly covered by their parents' hands.

"Your... Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Is this real..."

A few murmurs of disbelief spread through the crowd.

These commoners who faced the yellow earth and turned their backs to the sky, had never imagined.

That in their lifetime, they would be fortunate enough to see such a noble of the imperial bloodline, Your Highness the Crown Prince, with their own eyes?

Since the founding of the Wenjing Dynasty a thousand years ago, there had never been a precedent of the Crown Prince leaving the Imperial City.

Let alone traveling thousands of miles to this remote border region of the Southern Frontier.

"You are the State Governor of Jinming Prefecture?"

A cold voice suddenly broke the silence.

Lu Xuan did not know when he had come down from the carriage, and was now standing with his hands behind his back.

The Dragon patterns on his deep purple Dragon robe were exceptionally dazzling under the sunlight.

Lu Xuan looked down indifferently at Wei Yuanlang, who was kneeling on the ground.

Wei Yuanlang only felt a gaze as if it had substance, landing on his back.

He immediately broke into a cold sweat, his forehead hurriedly pressing hard against the scorching stone slabs, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate, State Governor of Jinming Prefecture Wei Yuanlang, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Lu Xuan's expression was indifferent, and he waved his hand casually.

"Rise."

These three understated words, however, were like a spring breeze, clearly entering the ears of everyone present.

The commoners felt as if they had received a pardon, and kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Most people hurriedly stood up, lowered their heads, and ran quickly into the city.

How could such imperial majesty be something they, these commoners, could look directly at?

But there was still a small handful of the bold ones, hiding in the city gate tunnel or the corners of tea houses, peeking secretly.

They stood on tiptoe, stretching their necks, wanting to catch a glimpse of the true appearance of this Crown Prince of the Wenjing Dynasty.

Some even gathered the courage to peek through their fingers—this was a rare spectacle in a hundred years!

"Is that Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

An old man selling sugar figurines muttered in a low voice, "My goodness, that Aura..."

"It is even more imposing than those Young Masters from big families!"

Before he finished speaking, he was pinched hard by his old wife beside him.

But the old man still couldn't help but take another glance.

In his eyes, Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, and even the sunlight gilded him with a golden edge, as if a Heavenly God had descended to earth.

Wei Yuanlang, standing behind Lu Xuan, had fine beads of sweat constantly oozing from his forehead.

His waist bent even lower, almost folding into ninety degrees.

While fawningly reporting to Lu Xuan, he used his wide official sleeves as cover, desperately winking at the Vice Prefect behind him.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince must be tired from the journey, your subordinate has already prepared a modest banquet in the state government..."

As he spoke, his hand hidden in his sleeve quietly made an "eight" gesture.

This was to remind the Vice Prefect to prepare again according to the specifications of the Eight Treasures and Jade Food.

The Vice Prefect understood, and while no one was paying attention, he secretly moved back a few steps.

He suppressed his trembling legs and turned to run into the city, but accidentally stepped on his own hem.

He fell with a "thud".

This useless old fellow, usually so shrewd and capable, now had an accident at such an important moment.

Wei Yuanlang was so angry that his beard curled up, cursing this idiot for ruining things in his heart.

He hurriedly turned to apologize to Lu Xuan: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please forgive me, Magistrate Hu he..."

Before Wei Yuanlang finished speaking, he heard Lu Xuan say indifferently: "No need."

These three words were light, but they made Wei Yuanlang and that Vice Prefect Hu feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

His legs went soft, and he almost knelt down again.

But he saw Lu Xuan's gaze sweep over the commoners peeking on both sides of the street.

"I have come here this time to investigate a case, not to enjoy myself."

...

Qianfu Town is located thirty miles southeast of Qingming Prefecture, with its back to Qingming Mountain and facing the Huangyue River. It is one of the most prosperous towns in Jinming Prefecture.

There are more than three thousand households in the town, and every market day it is bustling with noise and excitement, with merchants gathering.

But just on a rainy night half a month ago, this vibrant town suddenly fell into dead silence.

"My Lord! Something terrible has happened!"

That morning, a blood-covered courier stumbled into the state government office.

"Qianfu Town... the people of Qianfu Town... are all gone!"

Wei Yuanlang still remembers the chill of that moment.

When he brought the Yamen Runners to Qianfu Town, what he saw was an eerie empty city.

The doors and windows of every household were wide open, and untouched food was still set on the tables.

The goods of the street vendors were neatly arranged, and even the tea in the tea houses was still steaming.

But strangely, there was not a single person to be seen.

"Not... not even a dog was left..."

The advisor following behind Wei Yuanlang at the time, his voice was trembling uncontrollably.

The most terrifying thing was that Wei Yuanlang personally led people to search the entire town, and could not find even a drop of blood or a piece of broken bone.

More than three thousand people disappeared into thin air just like that, as if they had been completely "swallowed" by some indescribable existence.

Thousands of commoners died overnight; this was simply demanding his old life.

What was even more hair-raising was.

After Wei Yuanlang left Qianfu Town, a few days passed.

When he led a team to investigate Qianfu Town again, while still half a mile away from the town gate, he, a Martial Dao Grandmaster, already had the hair on his body standing on end.

This time, Qianfu Town was different from the last time.

"State Governor... do we really still have to go in?"

This eerie feeling was even noticed by the accompanying head constable.

The steel sabers in the hands of every garrison soldier and Yamen Runner were trembling slightly.

Although Wei Yuanlang was still forcing himself to remain calm, he could not stop the cold sweat from seeping out on his back.

As a strong Martial Dao Grandmaster, his martial intuition was screaming warnings.

The dead-silent Qianfu Town ahead was like a giant mouth waiting to devour people.

Even under the scorching noon sun, he could feel that bone-chilling cold.

That was not ordinary cold, but some kind of... living, malevolent Yin Qi watching in the dark.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat!"

Wei Yuanlang made a prompt decision, ordering everyone to withdraw three miles away.

Facts proved that this decision saved many people's lives.

In the following days, every Martial Artist who rashly entered Qianfu Town to investigate did not survive the night.

The most terrifying thing was that the corpses of these people all turned into decayed bone ashes.

On the official road, a massive, imposing procession was moving slowly forward.

In front were three hundred iron cavalry clearing the way, all in black armor on steeds, their hooves striking the blue stone slabs with a rhythmic roar.

Following behind were thousands of garrison soldiers, their long spears like a forest, banners covering the sky.

And in the very center of the procession, that gilded carriage pulled by eight pure white Ferghana horses shimmered in the sunlight, exceptionally eye-catching.

"Big Brother! Look over there!"

In the dense forest on the hillside beside the official road, more than a hundred bandits with blades were lurking in the shadows of the trees.

The scarred man leading them narrowed his eyes, greedily staring at the convoy down the mountain: "What a grand display, the person sitting in that carriage must be a fat sheep!"

"But this formation..."

Greed was greed, but the scarred man had no intention of making a move.

With so many people on the other side, even if each of them spat once, they could drown his force of over a hundred!

These bandits led by the scarred man were all wandering in the deep mountains and old forests at the borders of various prefectures in Jinming Prefecture all year round.

Hitting and running to a new place.

"These people are terrifying!"

The bandits hid deep in the dense forest, each of them terrified, secretly peeking at the massive procession on the official road.

They saw that the cavalrymen were all wearing fine steel chainmail, and the standard combat sabers hanging at their waists were gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The thousands of garrison soldiers behind were even better equipped, with spears like a forest and crossbows drawn, clearly an elite force that had fought on the battlefield.

"Damn it..."

The scarred man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling constantly, "Just those three hundred iron cavalry in front would be enough to harvest our lives."

What made them even more terrified were the experts in the procession with deep Auras.

Any random leading officer, the Aura radiating from his body, made these bandits feel afraid.

Especially those armored guards riding tall horses, their eyes as sharp as knives, clearly tough characters who had experienced battlefield slaughter.

"Boss, this formation..."

The one-eyed minion swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "I'm afraid it's enough to attack the Fu City, right?"

The scarred man did not answer, but stared fixedly at the eight-horse treasure carriage.

As the carriage curtain moved slightly, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a pair of eyes as deep and terrifying as an abyss.

The scarred man trembled all over, and his crotch wet itself disappointingly.

"Boss, something is wrong..." a one-eyed minion suddenly lowered his voice.

"That carriage... it seems to be pulled by eight horses..."

The scarred man was stunned upon hearing this, and his face changed drastically immediately.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The scarred man's voice changed pitch, and he scrambled to escape deeper into the dense forest, "That is... that is the retinue of Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Seeing this, the other bandits immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

The bandits who were eyeing them covetously just a moment ago now wished they had two more legs, fearing they would be discovered by the overwhelmingly strong procession down the mountain.

An hour later, the massive procession slowly came to a halt.

Wei Yuanlang hurriedly dismounted, ran to the side of the gilded carriage in three steps, and cautiously bowed to report: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Qianfu Town... has arrived."

His voice trembled involuntarily, but his gaze could not help but look toward the towering town gate five hundred meters away.

Two two-meter-tall blue stone lions glared with wide eyes, as if warning those who came to stop.

On a stone tablet over a zhang high in the center, the three vermilion characters "Qianfu Town" were as bright as blood.

Under the scorching sunlight, they emitted an eerie luster.

Looking through the gate of Qianfu Town, inside were rows of houses and buildings.

Residences with blue bricks and dark tiles, tea houses with flying eaves and upturned corners, shops with faded banners...

If it were not empty, it should have been a bustling and lively big town.

However, it was terrifyingly quiet at this moment, not even a dog's bark could be heard, only the wailing of the wind blowing through the empty streets.

Wei Yuanlang's back was already soaked.

He clearly remembered that when he came last time, there were no such blood-colored patterns on the stone tablet...

And now, those eerie runes were slowly squirming on the surface of the stone tablet like living things...

Hiss...

Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold wind swept over from Qianfu Town five hundred meters away, blowing the feather on Wei Yuanlang's official hat to tremble violently.

He subconsciously raised his hand to hold his hat brim, only to see that the garrison soldiers behind him were all pale.

A few even had weak legs and were almost kneeling on the ground.

"State Governor... M-My Lord..."

A young garrison soldier's teeth chattered, and his spear fell to the ground with a "clatter", "Look, those... those windows..."

Wei Yuanlang followed his gaze and immediately felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave—on the paper windows of the shops along the street, countless twisted human figures were clearly reflected.

Those figures were either sitting or standing, some seemed to be drinking and having fun, some seemed to be bargaining, exactly like an ordinary market scene.

But yet... the entire street was empty!

Crash!!!!

The lanterns in front of the tea house suddenly lit up in unison, and the eerie green firelight illuminated the entire street with a ghostly atmosphere.

Even more terrifying was the century-old locust tree in the center of the town; the copper bells hanging on the withered branches moved without wind, making a crisp "ding-dang" sound.

The sound was pleasant at first, but listening closely, it sounded like... like countless people whispering!

Wei Yuanlang turned his head with difficulty to look at the carriage, through the gap of the swaying curtains.

He saw that Lu Xuan still had an indifferent expression, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth...

Very good!

It's those ghost things again!

Moreover, the ghost things here are obviously much stronger than those in Mo Gui Alley.

Lu Xuan is not afraid of these ghost things being strong; he only fears they won't appear.

Lu Xuan stepped down from the gilded carriage slowly, standing with his hands behind his back, his deep gaze quietly staring at Qianfu Town ahead.

Lu Yi and the three Imperial Guards, like ghosts, silently gathered around.

They stood in a triangular formation, protecting Lu Xuan in the center, obviously prepared to follow.

Lu Xuan's peripheral vision swept over these three human weapons; these Imperial Guards seemed to be protecting him, but in reality, it was more like... surveillance.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince! You absolutely must not!"

Wei Yuanlang almost rushed forward on his knees, his forehead hitting the blue stone slabs heavily, making a dull "thud".

His voice trembled so much it almost changed pitch: "This Qianfu Town is extremely weird. If anything happens to you... your subordinate... your subordinate..."

At this point, this dignified State Governor, Wei Yuanlang, was already pale.

Countless terrifying images flashed through his mind—if the Crown Prince were to be hurt by even a single hair.

Not to mention his own head would not be safe, I am afraid the entire Wei clan of nine generations would be razed to the ground by the one in the Imperial Palace.

That scene, just imagining it made him almost faint.

"Your subordinate is willing to enter the town to investigate on behalf of Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Wei Yuanlang suddenly raised his head, revealing a touch of determination in his eyes, "Even if it is a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, your subordinate will..."

Lu Xuan certainly understood his thoughts.

Wei Yuanlang would rather enter this ghost town alone to die than let him, the Crown Prince, take risks.

After all, for this State Governor, dying heroically in the line of duty could still earn a reputation for loyalty.

But if something happened to the Crown Prince, what awaited him would be a disaster of collective punishment a thousand times worse than death.

"I have my own judgment, withdraw!"

This cold shout made Wei Yuanlang's eardrums ache.

When he came back to his senses, he saw only a fading afterimage left in place.

Lu Xuan's figure had already appeared in front of the Qianfu Town gate five hundred meters away!

Lu Yi and the three of them were stunned for a moment, then quickly turned into three black shadows, flashing to Lu Xuan's side.

Iron armor cold and stern, following like a shadow.