Chapter 2695 The Mad City Lord's Love-Hate Relationship 17

Yangjian.

Imperial Merchant Inn in the capital city

The sky was still dark; only one night had passed in the mortal realm.

Jin Chen and the other three were awakened from their deep sleep at the same time.

Sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, casting a warm glow, unlike the chilling atmosphere of the ghost town, reminding them that they had left that eerie and sinister place.

"Finally out!" Chu Jiushan let out a long breath, rubbing his face vigorously as if trying to wash away the ghostly aura that had clung to him, restoring some color to his face. "The mortal world is so much better! If I had stayed in that hellish place for a few more days, I would have gone crazy."

Zang Huai'an immediately looked around at his companions to make sure everyone was safe and sound. Then, his brows furrowed, and he suddenly remembered something. He looked at Jin Chen and asked in a deep voice, "Brother Jin, what about Liu Zhou... did he come out with us?"

Jin Chen: "No, when Yang Hun was summoned to leave, his soul did not react and remained in the Ghost City."

Zang Huai'an was a calm and kind man, but upon hearing this, his brows furrowed, and he couldn't help but feel distressed.

"I hope he's lucky... Luckily we found him a relatively safe corner to hide in beforehand, but the ghost town is dangerous, and I'm afraid he won't be able to hide for long."

The array outside the room was removed, and the voice of the Grand Preceptor's disciple came from outside the door, "Four of you, the Grand Preceptor has come to ask you questions."

The door opened, and the Imperial Advisor, dressed in a plain white robe, slowly walked in.

Her gaze swept over the four of them, her voice cold and clear, "Was your dream last night successful? What is the ghost city really like? Does it truly exist beneath the capital, as the rumors say?"

Chu Jiushan and the other two opened their mouths, but for a moment they didn't know where to begin.

The ten days in the ghost town were bizarre and extremely dangerous, and returning to the world of the living now feels like a lifetime ago.

Jin Chen, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. He rubbed his temples and said directly to the Imperial Advisor, "Serve hot tea first."

National Division:"……"

The disciple standing behind her twitched his lips almost imperceptibly. This person was incredibly bold; even His Majesty treated her master with utmost respect!

The Imperial Advisor paused for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling his disciple to prepare tea.

Steaming hot tea was served, and the four of them held it in their hands. The warmth spread to their limbs and bones, and they finally felt truly alive.

Chu Jiushan gulped down several cups before finally exhaling a long breath of hot air.

Seeing their near-exhausted appearance, the disciple couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is Ghost City really that dangerous? How did you all become so haggard in just one night?"

In his opinion, even if the ghost city was terrifying, it shouldn't have such a big impact on cultivators in just one night.

Liu Shuoyue put down her teacup, a complicated expression on her face, and corrected, "It wasn't just one night; we spent a full ten days in the ghost city."

"Ten days?!"

Inside the room, everyone, including the Imperial Advisor, was utterly astonished.

Even the usually composed Grand Preceptor showed obvious surprise. She calculated with her fingers, her eyes flashing, "Half an hour in the mortal world is equivalent to a whole day in the ghost city."

Chu Jiushan nodded vigorously, still shaken. "Yes, we endured ten days in there! It felt like an eternity!"

Soon, Elder Yaozong was also invited to examine the four of them.

The elder took each person's pulse, his expression grave. "The yin energy has invaded the body, though it hasn't damaged the foundation. However, you need to rest and recuperate properly to dispel the yin cold, otherwise, there may be hidden dangers."

When it was Jin Chen's turn, the elder placed his fingers on Jin Chen's wrist pulse, but showed a look of surprise and uncertainty. He examined him repeatedly, and finally looked up in astonishment.

"Young hero...you..."

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Don't let them diagnose a serious illness!

The elder of the Medicine Sect stroked his beard, clicking his tongue in amazement, "How strange! Young hero, you are completely unaffected by the Yin energy of the Ghost City. On the contrary... your inner strength seems to be even more refined. Your cultivation is truly unfathomable. I admire you!"

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Advisor's gaze towards Jin Chen deepened even further.

She pondered for a moment, then asked for details, "The ghost powder can only last for one night. You stayed in the ghost city for ten days. How did you then conceal the presence of the living and avoid being watched by the ghosts?"

"Could it be that a fierce battle broke out with a vengeful ghost?"

Jin Chen picked up the freshly poured hot tea and blew away the foam. "I have the inheritance of a sect and have my own secret techniques to protect myself. I'm not so bad as to not even have something to conceal my aura."

National Division:"……"

She had a vague feeling that Jin Chen was truly arrogant and haughty.

However, judging from their demeanor and cultivation, they are indeed the best among their peers. At present, we still need to rely on the information they brought back, so we can't say anything for now and can only suppress our displeasure.

After resting for half a day and taking a short break, the four of them told the Grand Preceptor about the important things they had seen and heard in the Ghost City over the past ten days.

Of course, Chu Jiushan and the other two did not mention a word about the entanglement between Jin Chen and the city lord.

-

In the afternoon, Jin Chen and his companions bid farewell to the Imperial Preceptor and headed straight for the outskirts of the capital.

As Liu Zhou had previously stated, they quickly located the Liu family's home, which was situated not far from the moat.

However, before they even got close, they could hear mournful cries coming from the neighboring courtyard, and white banners were hanging at the entrance, indicating that a funeral was being held.

Upon inquiring with the neighbors, it was discovered that the deceased was none other than Old Li, Liu Zhou's companion, who had been pulled from the moat that very morning.

According to the officials, when Old Li's body was discovered, his neck was severed at the root, and his head was nowhere to be found. His death was extremely gruesome, just like Liu Zhou's description in the Ghost City, where the old man bit off his head.

His death in the mortal world corresponds perfectly with his encounter in the ghost town.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhou's family was wailing and lamenting because Liu Zhou's body had not yet been recovered. The moat was swift and had many hidden currents and whirlpools in its depths. The officials had tried several times but gave up, believing that the chances of survival were slim and unwilling to take any more risks.

Liu Zhou's mother was an elderly woman with gray hair. Upon seeing Jin Chen and his three companions, who possessed extraordinary bearing and seemed to be cultivators, she knelt down and pleaded with tears streaming down her face.

"Imperial sages, I beg you to help me! The officials say there's something strange in the river and refuse to go back in... My son wants to see me alive, or at least see my body! I can't let him be denied even a proper burial..."

Liu Shuoyue quickly helped the old man up and comforted him gently. Zang Huai'an felt sorry for him and replied in a deep voice, "Don't worry, old man, we will do our best."

The four of them returned to the moat.

The sun was shining brightly, and the water was sparkling, but standing on the shore, one could feel a dampness that seemed out of place with the bright spring sunshine.

Liu Shuoyue was naturally perceptive. After frowning and sensing for a moment, she whispered, "This place is very strange. Yin and Yang energies are intertwined and resisting each other. The Imperial Preceptor and the powerful figures in the capital have profound Taoist skills. They should be able to sense the anomaly here. Why have they never sent anyone to guard and investigate it?"

Zang Huai'an took out a compass artifact from his cloth bag. It was covered with runes and was a secret treasure for tracking passed down through generations of the Zang family.

He wrote Liu Zhou's birth date and time in cinnabar, burned talismans to summon spirits, sprinkled the talisman ashes on the compass, and chanted incantations.

The compass needle trembled, then pointed shakily to a certain spot on the river and remained stationary.

“There!” Zang Huai’an put two fingers together and pointed to a seemingly calm deep pool downstream.

"I'm a good swimmer, I'll go get it!"

Chu Jiushan volunteered, took off his outer robe, and plunged into the icy river.

The river was swift and icy cold, with extremely low underwater visibility and turbulent undercurrents. With his superb swimming skills, Chu Jiushan struggled to dive to the location indicated by Zang Huai'an. After a moment of searching, he indeed touched a body entangled in water plants!

He struggled to drag the body out of the water, and Jin Chen reached out from the shore and pulled the wet Chu Jiushan and the body onto the bank.

It was indeed Liu Zhou, but his body had been soaked in the river water until it turned white, and his face was ashen. His soul was still trapped in the ghost city.

"Take it back first," Jin Chen said.

“I have a secluded house outside the city, which few people know about. Let’s go there first,” Liu Shuoyue suggested.