Chapter 1151: White Shadows on the Hill

Dong Rui asked, "Alright, how do you plan to find her?"

"Back to Bo State. Well, it should be called Peng State now."

"She hasn't left yet?"

"Arsonists always like to return to the scene afterward. She's the mastermind, so she probably wants to admire her masterpiece up close, right?"

Not to mention others, after he and Dong Rui burned down the Heavenly Palace, didn't they also stand on a hill outside Lingxu City and watch for a while?

The view from the front row, of course, was exceptionally good.

Xun City was still Xun City; from a distance, it seemed no different.

As He Lingchuan and his companion approached, they noticed that the city gate, damaged days earlier, had not yet been repaired. It had been dismantled and lay to one side.

The gate was covered in marks of battle, narrating the turmoil of the past few days.

Someone was scrubbing bloodstains off the walls, while the wide-open city gate was adorned with large, beautiful red lanterns.

A new nation demanded a new appearance.

The city gate checkpoints had been removed. Although guards were still present, people were free to enter and exit.

People hurried about, heads bowed, as if they hadn't fully recovered from the battle a few days earlier.

They were neither happy nor sad.

The aftermath of the great turmoil had not yet subsided, still rippling through the hearts of the citizens.

Everyone was discreetly observing, wondering if this new nation would follow the old path of Bo State.

No one was confident.

The announcements in the barbican had been torn down and replaced with new peace-keeping notices.

When new King Youn Guang ascended the throne, his first three priorities were naturally to consolidate power, enact new policies, and win the hearts of the people.

Consequently, there were dozens of peace-keeping announcements on the walls, with special personnel explaining them, and commoners gathered around, discussing animatedly.

The language in the notices was always flowery and high-minded, making every point sound beneficial. How much of it would truly be implemented—whether they were just slogans or genuine actions—remained to be seen.

The people of Shanjin Plains were well aware of official routines; having seen too many empty promises, they were no longer easily swayed.

This scene in front of the notice board had also occurred just a few days prior, but it was already under two different dynasties.

Dong Rui suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the notice board, "Empress Mei's wanted poster hasn't been torn down. Does that mean it's still valid?"

Only the reward amount had been altered.

"It seems there's still a substantial reward for reporting Empress Mei."

He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. Why was this new nation, less than three days old, continuing to pursue a female fugitive from the old dynasty?

Things were getting interesting.

As expected, his targets were never boring.

"Let's go to Jizhen."

Jizhen was originally a military town with a garrison of four thousand. Besides farming, the local residents made a living by doing small businesses with the army. After the troops withdrew, the town became desolate. Now, it has barely a hundred households and a permanent population of just over two hundred, with hardly any young people.

Not even two dogs could be seen.

The inns here were all converted from barracks left by the army. The old man at the entrance had a vacant stare, and his toothless mouth resembled a dark doorway.

The two walked directly past him, but his eyes didn't even twitch; he simply acted as if they weren't there.

He Lingchuan specifically asked him, "Old man, when were the guards on the low hill to the west withdrawn?"

He asked twice before the old man replied, "Yesterday, the day before yesterday."

The desolate town had plenty of space, so the guest rooms were large. However, all four windows leaked air, and when the northwest wind blew at night, it howled like ghosts.

The two requested a common sleeping platform. Ling Guang went in, looked around, and then frowned in disgust, saying, "This is a flea pit!"

It scattered medicinal powder everywhere: on the sleeping platform, in corners, on beams, missing no piece of furniture.

Within moments of the insect repellent being scattered, countless insects and ants scrambled to escape. There was even a nest of five or six rats, from large to small, squeaking as they scurried out through the door crack in a line.

Why do they have to be forced to move when humans arrive? Don't they understand first come, first served?

Only after all the insects and rodents were gone did Dong Rui use strips of cloth to block the gaps in the doors and windows to prevent drafts.

The bedding also gave off an unpleasant greasy smell and felt somewhat sticky and damp; Ling Guang couldn't do anything about this.

Both of them were comfortable sleeping fully clothed outdoors, but here, they were unwilling to lie on the sleeping platform. Instead, they simply pulled up chairs and rested with their eyes closed.

Dong Rui opened the window and looked towards the low hill to the west.

"Will she really come?"

"It depends on our luck; the guards only withdrew two days ago."

Dong Rui pressed on, "How long until she appears? Aren't you a great diviner? Why don't you make a prediction?"

He Lingchuan took out an ounce of gold from his pocket and placed it on the table: "Within fifteen hours."

Ling Guang also became interested, pulling out several days' wages from its pocket: "I bet on five days."

"It's rare for Ling Guang to play along," Dong Rui said, also putting down his stake. "I'll follow Ling Guang!"

The savage ape squatting on the beam scratched its neck, thinking these people were truly bored.

"Just wait," He Lingchuan said, casually pulling a blanket from his storage ring, covering his head with it, and his breathing gradually became even.

Having spent years operating outdoors, he could fall asleep even hanging from a tree.

Dong Rui scoffed and said nothing more.

As it turned out, their luck was bad.

After staying in Jizhen for a full fifteen hours, He Lingchuan's target still hadn't appeared. Dong Rui gleefully pocketed the ounce of wagered gold: "Thank you for the concession!"

This was gold He Lingchuan had lost to him in a bet, a first-ever occurrence!

He was elated, breathing a sigh of relief!

When he returned to Muxu Island, he would find a good place to display it.

Ling Guang, standing nearby, promptly extended a hand: "Half of that belongs to me."

It had also won the bet, so naturally, it expected its share of the money.

After eating, He Lingchuan dedicated himself to cultivation, and Dong Rui, not wasting time, went into another room to conduct experiments.

It wasn't until late into the night two days later that summer insects hummed softly and wild foxes cried mournfully.

Just listening to the sounds, it was as if they were in the wilderness, save for the old man occasionally getting up at night, his heavy footsteps dragging as he passed by.

He Lingchuan, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards the hill to the west.

That place was called White Mound.

Tonight, they finally had something to do.

On White Mound, there was a solitary tomb, and moonlight illuminated the fresh earth.

However, there were no fruits or offerings before the grave, and the tombstone bore only one faint line of text: "Tomb of Lao Song, Bo State."

Lao Song was the full name of the old King of Bo.

After his defeat and death, the new King Youn Guang ordered him to be buried there, intending for him to watch alone over his former territory, Xun City, and see his kingdom seized by outsiders, with no relatives buried alongside him.

A lonely grave, a solitary ghost, with no one to offer sacrifices.

But at that moment, a cloaked dark figure quietly ascended the hill, grabbed a shovel, and began to dig up the grave.

Beside it was a black wolf, also helping to dig. Its front paws scraped away the earth much faster than its master.

In no time at all, the new grave was dug open.

The tomb built by the Peng army for the fallen monarch was, of course, not very elaborate; the soil hadn't even been properly compacted.

Even the wood for the coffin was quite ordinary.

The dark figure struggled to push open the coffin lid, revealing the deceased inside.

The old King of Bo had had his throat slit; his skin was a ghastly white, the age spots barely visible, but the fatal wound had turned black.

The White Mound's geomantic energy was extremely yin, indicating poor feng shui, yet it was conducive to preserving bodies underground.

Of course, the old King of Bo had been dead for many days, so his corpse would not be lifelike. As soon as the dark figure lifted the coffin lid, an unpleasant odor wafted out.

Yet, it reached out and stroked the old King of Bo's cheek, speaking softly:

"You're finally dead. Do you know how long I've waited for this day?"

"Every time I had to feign compliance in front of you, I had to imagine myself doing this—" It suddenly drew a dagger and plunged it violently into the King of Bo's chest!

The force was so great that the entire corpse shifted.

"—I had to imagine my great revenge fulfilled just to be able to laugh in front of you!" It whispered, "I swore I'd eat your heart and drink your blood, or I wouldn't have the face to meet my parents, sister, and brother in the Underworld!"

The dagger was sharp, and with a few cuts, the entire heart was quickly dug out.

"This heart is indeed black, just as I thought."

It actually used the dagger to cut the heart into small pieces, put them into its mouth, and chewed slowly.

A desolate mountain, a solitary tomb, a dead man, a wild wolf, and a dark figure devouring a human heart.

Even the night owls in the treetops couldn't help but flap their wings upon seeing this scene.

The King of Bo's heart was covered in black spots, and the blood clots had congealed; it was very fishy.

But this was not the worst food the dark figure had eaten in recent years.

The heart of her enemy, rotten, shriveled, and foul-smelling, was like her past life.

Thinking this, she even found the flesh in her mouth somewhat sweet.

After finishing one piece, she took another, slowly savoring each bite.

She tilted her head back, and the bright moonlight illuminated her delicate face, revealing the happiness and satisfaction upon it.

Empress Mei.

A fugitive wanted by both the previous and current dynasties.

Even in this desolate mountain retreat, she appeared pitiable, like a fragrant orchid quietly blooming in a secluded valley—

The bloodstains on her mouth and hands even added a touch of cruel and mad beauty.

She fed the remaining half of the heart to the black wolf beside her.

The black wolf sniffed a few times, sneezed, and refused to eat it.

Even a wolf wouldn't eat this stuff, she thought with a chuckle. Empress Mei pulled out a water skin, took a few big gulps, and wiped the bloodstains from her lips.

Her pale wrist was exposed, tied with a red string.

Just then, the black wolf suddenly stood up, bared its fangs towards the bottom of the hill, and its long fur bristled.

Empress Mei looked in the direction it was alerted to, and dots of light appeared at the foot of the hill.

Torches.

At least several hundred people with torches were approaching.

No, they were searching the mountain.

They were there to search for her.

Empress Mei stood up, ready to run in the opposite direction.

But the people below had no intention of coming up.

They ignited something, and with a whoosh, flames erupted everywhere.

In just a few breaths, the entire hill was engulfed in flames.

A fire-gathering array.

A fire-gathering array had actually been set up around this desolate hill and solitary tomb beforehand, ensuring that once ignited, it would have the effect of adding fuel to a fire.

Burning down the entire low hill wouldn't even take two hours.

Moreover, the flames were bluish-white, burning at temperatures of a thousand degrees, hot enough to crystallize even soil. Since the attack came simultaneously from all sides of the low hill, those at the top could only wait for death.

Her ambushers intended for her to perish in the sea of fire!

The raging flames and thick smoke forced her and the black wolf to run towards the hilltop, but this low hill was barely ten zhang high in total. Where else could they go?

Just as she coughed until tears streamed from her eyes, something suddenly emerged from underground.

This was a desolate mountain used for graves; what else could emerge from underground besides zombies and evil spirits?

However, it was a monstrous, strangely shaped creature.

Empress Mei was startled and instinctively jumped back. To her surprise, the monster opposite opened its mouth and shot out a long, ribbon-like tongue, instantly coiling around her and pulling her in!

The black wolf charged forward to protect its master but was also pulled in.