#1249 - Chapter 1249: Fortunately

"Guards! Quickly, put out the fire!" Cries echoed through the night, throwing the entire Hu family into chaos.

Young Master Hu Wei stumbled out of his bed of pleasure, rushing towards the ancestral hall, only to find the once grand and prosperous building engulfed in flames.

Hu Wei desperately tried to charge into the inferno, but Master Hu stopped him, his face filled with grief. "Wei'er, don't go in! The spiritual vein is severed."

Hu Wei's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground. He strained his hands, but couldn't summon even a wisp of wind.

Hu Wei muttered, "How could this be? Our Hu family's ancestral hall's spiritual vein was drawn from the Upper Realm. How could ordinary fire touch it? This is impossible!"

The Hu family had dominated the town for many years, and both new and old grievances had to be settled slowly, but this debt of romantic entanglements would definitely be repaid one by one.

Afterward, under the escort of the crowd, Hu Wei led everyone to Fengyang Mountain, pointing out the locations where he had buried the bodies.

No one in the town would have imagined that they had entered and exited Fengyang Mountain countless times over the years, yet they were unaware that their daughters were sleeping here in their wedding dresses.

Talismans were pasted on the cave, imprisoning the souls of the dead. With an order, these talismans were trampled underfoot, and everyone rushed in. Torches lit up the dark cave, revealing horrifying scratches on the stone walls, a shocking sight.

Everyone retreated, and the entire cave was leveled. As the digging deepened, skeletons were unearthed intact, seeing the light of day once more.

A thousand and one corpses were neatly arranged on the open ground, pieced together simply, as they had not been buried at the same time. Many people recognized their beloved daughters by the jewelry on the corpses.

The last glimmer of hope, that perhaps their daughters were only imprisoned somewhere and might still be alive, vanished at this moment.

Instantly, cries echoed throughout Fengyang Mountain.

After the weeping, everyone identified the bodies and took them back to their ancestral homes for burial. As for the subsequent handling of the Hu family, it would be decided by all the villagers when the new town leader took office.

Life or death, it was irrelevant to Ye Kong.

After everyone had left, Ye Kong carefully wrapped the last unclaimed corpse and dug one meter deeper than everyone else had dug, placing the body inside.

Then, he took out the bamboo hat from his bosom, which contained the last wisp of Asakawa's soul. Ye Kong placed the hat on the corpse's hand, then climbed out and began to fill the grave, one shovelful at a time.

After completing everything, Ye Kong sat down heavily, as if facing a long-lost friend, and began to murmur to himself.

In truth, there was nothing much to say between them; they were merely chance acquaintances.

"Alright, I'm leaving. I'll come to see you again if I have the chance," Ye Kong said, getting up and dusting off his clothes.

Suddenly, a great wind swept across Fengyang Mountain, and in the sandstorm, Ye Kong saw a person in black robes holding the hand of a person in red robes.

The strong wind pushed Ye Kong down the mountain.

Ye Kong descended the mountain, and the scene below had changed drastically.

The streets were lined with towering sycamore trees, with fallen leaves scattered everywhere, yet no one was sweeping them. Wherever he went, the once bustling crowds were gone, leaving not a single person in sight.

Ye Kong casually pushed open a door, only to find it overgrown with weeds and the house dilapidated.

This was too strange. Ye Kong quickly left the town.

Continuing his journey by water, Ye Kong hitched a ride on a passing boat. The boatman leisurely rowed, reciting poetry.

"Life's paths diverge, north and south we stray, you towards Xiang, and I to Qin away."

Ye Kong stood up. "Good poem! Good poem!"

"Ah, it is a gentleman who appreciates it!" The boatman looked at Ye Kong, then suddenly wore an expression of surprise. "Young master, what is this..."

"What's wrong?" Ye Kong asked, turning around.

The boatman pointed to the mirror behind him. Ye Kong walked over, picked up the mirror, and discovered that his hair had turned mostly white at some point.

"This is..." Ye Kong was also unsure when it had happened.

"Young master didn't look like this before boarding the boat. Did you encounter something you shouldn't have?" The boatman asked.

"No, I didn't." Ye Kong suddenly thought of the town. "But I just came from a town."

"The Time Town?" The boatman looked at Ye Kong. "Did you come into contact with anyone from there?"

"I guess, I guess so," Ye Kong replied.

"Then that's bad. Those who come into contact with people from the Time Town will spend the rest of their lives according to the time within the Time Town. Once you leave, time will flow three times faster, and considering how long you've been out, it must have been quite a while now, right?" The boatman shook his head. "I once transported someone, and before the boat even reached the shore, he had reached the end of his life and died on the boat."

"Ah?" Ye Kong looked at the boat that was only halfway across. "Is it still possible to go back now?"

Obviously, it was too late.

"But my friends..." Ye Kong suddenly thought of Qishan and Liu Rushi. Could they already be...?

Thinking of this, Ye Kong spoke up. "Please take me there quickly."

The boatman was puzzled. Were there people who were rushing to their deaths?

Soon, the boat reached the other shore. Ye Kong's hair was now completely white. Before leaving, the boatman gave Ye Kong a bowl of water that could freeze time for him within that day.

"Otherwise, why would I spend all day on the river, never docking?" The boatman joked, then rowed the boat back.

Ye Kong rented a carriage and quickly made his way to the foot of Zhongnan Mountain.

Guided by the wind chime, Ye Kong quickly found the trio's location. At this moment, Liu Rushi and the others were staying in an inn, gazing at Zhongnan Mountain outside the window in a daze.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Qishan opened the door, and Ye Kong with his white hair stood at the entrance.

"Ye Kong, what happened to you?" Liu Rushi exclaimed.

Ye Kong carefully looked at the others. Their hair showed no signs of change.

Thank goodness.