Chapter 747 - 411: Native Husbands and Yellow Children

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Sha Lifei quickly waved his hand, "Brother Zhang, you’ve been talking for so long, what exactly is this ’fog guest’?"

"Well..."

"Fast Ship Zhang" helplessly replied, "I am not part of the Mystical Sect, how would I know these things? Anyway, the countryside around here calls it that."

Wang Daoxuan noticed another thing, "Lingyun Temple, is it the one on Wushan Wenfeng?"

"Ah, that’s right."

Upon hearing the response from the young attendant, Wang Daoxuan frowned slightly and whispered to Li Yan, "I know that place, it’s the only Taoist Temple of Taixuan Orthodox Sect in Wushan, where Master Sanfeng once stayed for cultivation."

Although nothing was explicitly stated, Li Yan understood the implication.

They hadn’t forgotten that when they suppressed the serpent before, some cultivators from Wushan helped the Ghost Sect and fought with Zhenwu Palace.

Wushan, similarly a Cave Heaven Blessed Land, however, is a gathering place for various cultivators and is not under the control of Taixuan Orthodox Sect.

It’s possible that someone destroyed the Taoist Temple during the chaos of war.

Li Yan pondered, then shook his head and said, "No matter, just be careful. It’s cloudy today; there might be rain tonight. We don’t have time to waste here."

They are in the business of subduing demons and eliminating evil, naturally not afraid of any "fog guest."

"Fast Ship Zhang," understanding the situation, didn’t say much more. He packed up things with the others and departed under the worried gaze of the inn attendant.

Soon, they disappeared into the thick fog...

...

Thick fog envelops everything, shielding the sky and the sun.

In the mountains and forests, the outlines of trees are blurred, appearing and hiding in the mist.

"This fog does seem a bit suspicious."

Sha Lifei looked around and couldn’t help but whisper, "Even on cloudy days, the fog should disperse with the sunrise, why is it getting bigger now?"

Li Yan glanced at Lv San, saw Lv San slightly shaking his head indicating nothing unusual, then spoke, "Stay alert, Brother Zhang, how far do we have to go to reach there?"

"Fast Ship Zhang" quickly replied, "It’s close; over this mountain, there’s Jinyangping, the largest village fortification on the nearby mountains..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Yan suddenly raised his hand and turned around.

"Someone is coming, be cautious."

Upon hearing this, everyone held their weapons and stayed on guard.

Soon, urgent footsteps echoed through the fog, chaotic sounds with quite a number of people, even the neighing of mules and whining of wooden carts.

"Who goes there?!"

The clattering of weapons rang out, apparently, the opposite side noticed them too, but with a distance of a hundred meters between them, neither side could clearly see the other’s appearance.

"Fast Ship Zhang" cupped his hands and shouted, "Travelers in the wilderness, heading to Jinyangping for a visit, don’t misunderstand."

The other side didn’t respond immediately, instead, one person stepped through the thick fog until their figure became visible, only then did he cup his hands and say, "Everyone, we are going to Jinyangping as well, let’s join forces."

The speaker was tall, with dark skin, wearing a coarse blue cloth outfit, and a black cloth wrap on his head. There were silver earrings hanging from his ears, a typical native appearance.

Li Yan and the others stood out too much in appearance.

Though the man was cautious, he didn’t say much.

Soon the rest of the team caught up, men and women of all ages, with large boxes on the mule carts, and some carrying suona and other musical instruments—clearly a theater troupe.

Li Yan was seeing a Tu Clan theater troupe for the first time.

Sha Lifei, seeing this, chuckled and approached to chat, "Brother, you headed to perform?"

"You flatter us; we specialize in hall operas. I see you have drums among your luggage, are you on a job too?"

"No, they’re just for playing around..."

Quickly, he got their background clear.

These folks came from Badong County, specializing in Badong hall opera, also known as "stepping hall opera," not Jianghu Artists but mixed locally.

The farthest they’ve been is Zigui, Wushan, and such places.

A couple of days ago, someone had gone to the county and paid a deposit, inviting them to perform a mourning opera at Jinyangping. However, due to last night’s heavy rain possibly delaying the trip, they started early today and encountered the thick fog.

"Fast Ship Zhang" had a grave expression, asking, "Is the family you’re going to with the surname Zhang?"

"Yes, how did you know that, uncle?"

"To be honest, the host there is my brother."

"That’s quite fortunate..."

After probing each other, they finally let down their guards.

Sha Lifei chatted warmly with them, while Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan remained indifferent, eyeing the troupe.

The person speaking wasn’t the principal.

Seated on the mule cart was an elder wearing a bright red robe and black turban, full of wrinkles with a worn gaze.

The others behaved exceedingly respectful towards the elder.

The elder bore marks of Evil Qi, evidently a member of the Mystical Sect, yet his Dao was average, perhaps just One Layer.

Likely a regional Divine Witch.

Li Yan discerned much more.

He could sniff out one of the boxes contained densely packed machetes, each harboring a sharp aura, charged with Astral Bane.

This theater troupe isn’t that simple...

...

Perhaps due to the number of people, nothing unforeseen happened along the way, and after an hour, they finally reached Jinyangping.

After passing through dense forest, the mountain wind descended from the south, dispersing the fog, revealing the complete view of the village.

Jinyangping is a vast level ground on the mountain, shaped somewhat like a basket with its north side facing south, centralizing the village, surrounded by terraced fields.

On the road leading into the village, earthen and stone foundations supported rows of wooden walls, with watchtowers atop for sentry, villagers patrolled with bows and arrows.

The walls bore marks of axes, knives, and fire burns.

Evidently, this village had been visited by rebel armies yet managed to hold its ground.

Their entry was blocked outside, village folk passed messages, and after a long wait, the fort gate slowly opened.

A young man, accompanied by several others, strode out.

Seeing "Fast Ship Zhang," he appeared excited, rushing over, and stammered, "Uncle, you finally made it."