Chapter 21 Li County Pear Blossom Lantern Festival (3)
Exploration Division, Armory.
"You two put these on. The small size should fit, right?"
Fu Ze took out two sets of their Exploration Division's dark blue standard robes and handed them to Liu Sheng and Song Haiyin.
"They're engraved with protective Talismanic Incantations that can withstand three attacks from weird objects of 'Dangerous' Rank and below. However, there's a certain chance they can't resist a rule kill, so you must be careful about that."
Once certain bizarre forbidden rules are triggered, death is inevitable—that's a rule kill.
Although Liu Sheng and Song Haiyin had no experience exploring weird objects, they had received complete training and were aware of this basic knowledge.
"These are Soul-Stabilizing Pendants, blessed and empowered by the Supreme God. Wearing them can calm your mind and slow down the Guai Qi's erosion of your consciousness. When you enter a Weird Domain, you must avoid drastic fluctuations in your mental state. If you notice any of us becoming disoriented, you must immediately remain vigilant. If the situation isn't right, attack immediately; do not hesitate, and do not show mercy."
Fu Ze's tone was serious. In a Weird Domain, the most dangerous thing is not physical attack, but the erosion of the mental Domain, which gradually pulls people into the abyss without them realizing it. Even if they are not killed by a rule, they might become invalids due to mental derangement. And companions in a Weird Domain are not necessarily helpful; they might even turn into blades aimed at oneself.
Liu Sheng carefully accepted the Soul-Stabilizing Pendant and felt a coolness emanating from it, instantly revitalizing her spirit and clearing her mind considerably.
Upon closer inspection, the jade was transparent like water, with intricate Talismanic Incantation patterns engraved in the center, shimmering with colorful light.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of the Weaving Bureau's products, they are indeed excellent."
Then Fu Ze continued to take out various items from the cabinet, one by one.
"The Ghost Qi Detector modified by Siku Liu is very effective."
"This is a peach wood sword. It has a miraculous effect when attacking weird objects, but it's likely difficult against weird objects that are too powerful."
"One dagger for each of you, for self-defense."
"Three protective Talismanic Incantations, which open a shield for thirty breaths."
"And three Fireball Talismans and three Ice Arrow Talismans each."
Fu Ze also specially gave Liu Sheng a Talismanic Incantation activator, because Liu Sheng is not a Cultivator and must rely on Spiritual Artifacts to activate the power of the Talismanic Incantations.
Song Haiyin, however, is a Cultivator of Initial Realm Rank 1, and although her cultivation is not high, she can activate them herself.
"Three Small Return Pills. If your life is in danger and you can still take medicine, just take one... Bandages, wound medicine, bone-setting paste... And a pouch of spiritual beads. Liu Sheng can use them to power Spiritual Artifacts, and Haiyin, you can use them to replenish your Spiritual Qi."
"Remember to put all these in easily accessible places."
Liu Sheng and Song Haiyin obediently stuffed everything into their Storage Pouches at their waists.
Their Storage Pouches were not of high Rank and had limited capacity, so naturally, they should put these most important items there.
"The most important thing is this."
Fu Ze performed a spell, and a hidden cabinet suddenly rose from beneath the floor in the center of the room. He opened the cabinet, which was not large, and it was pitch black inside.
Before Liu Sheng could clearly see what was inside, Fu Ze pulled out three palm-sized wooden boxes from it, their surfaces covered with intricate inscriptions and dark patterns, and wrapped with many seals.
Liu Sheng was very familiar with this item. Wasn't this the box the Exploration Division used to contain weird objects every time?
"You probably already know, it's a weird objects container. When a weird objects is weak, it can be stored inside. It's engraved with a mustard seed space Talismanic Incantation, so no matter how large the weird objects is, it can be contained."
Fu Ze still explained it to them.
"However, I will try my best not to let you do this. If something goes wrong with the containment, you will suffer a backlash. Given your strength and experience, you must not use this item unless absolutely necessary."
Fu Ze gave a final warning, then went out to wait for Liu Sheng and Song Haiyin to change.
After they finished dressing, the two walked out of the armory, both clad in dark blue narrow-sleeved robes, their hair tied up high, looking very capable; they carried peach wood swords on their backs, daggers hidden in their sleeves, and Soul-Stabilizing Pendants hanging from their waists, their entire bodies faintly shimmering with spiritual light.
"This time, with Yuan Zheng's word, the equipment provided to you two is quite luxurious. Normally, besides basic provisions, we mostly need to exchange for more with Karma..." Fu Ze sighed.
"Any unused items must be returned, so you must come back alive!"
The usually serious and earnest Fu Ze rarely told a joke that wasn't really a joke, and Liu Sheng and Song Haiyin really couldn't bring themselves to laugh.
"Let's go!"
Night had fallen deep, and the divine radiance of the Supreme God enveloped the three hurrying figures, their gazes hidden, obscure and unclear.
At this moment, they could already see a circle of towering golden light walls, reaching into the clouds, glowing in the center of Li County, with Talismanic Incantations floating—that was Yuan Zheng Zhang activating the Talismanic Incantation.
Inside the light circle was a dense, deep darkness, as if all darkness had been sucked into it. Nothing could be seen, but just looking at it made one's heart palpitate.
They rushed to the location agreed upon with Yuan Zheng Zhang, which was Renhe Street, on the outskirts of the Li County market, not far from the Weaving Institute.
Along the way, they could see the common people looking towards the light wall with concern, curiosity, or grief. Some even cried until they fainted on the ground, likely because close relatives were trapped inside.
However, ordinary people were truly helpless in this situation and could only wait for the authorities to act.
Yuan Zheng Zhang was already waiting beside the light wall, his face very tired, his wrinkles looking much deeper than usual.
It was all due to overexertion, Liu Sheng thought to herself.
"May the Supreme God bless you."
Yuan Zheng Zhang looked deeply at them, then waved his hand to open an opening for them to enter.
"May the Supreme God bless you."
Fu Ze and the three of them sincerely returned the blessing. Although Yuan Zheng Zhang was outside, his responsibility was not light. Then they entered one by one.
He watched the three figures disappear into the light wall and sighed.
If possible, he certainly wouldn't want Fu Ze to take two inexperienced civilian personnel inside, especially Liu Sheng, who had no cultivation whatsoever. Even with so much equipment protecting her, her chances of survival were likely slim...
However, in times of crisis, all fellow members of the Weaving Institute could be incorporated into combat units, which had been made clear upon their admission.
He hoped Liu Sheng would be lucky enough to survive. After all, where could he find another document clerk who was so useful, could refine Artifacts, and even self-improved?
Yuan Zheng Zhang didn't know that Siku Liu, whom he was so worried about, was already impatient to enter the Weird Domain quickly.
As Liu Sheng got closer to the Weird Domain, the "Mama" inside her kept stirring restlessly.
"Hungry, food."
Little Tentacle repeatedly emphasized, and if it had a mouth, it would probably be drooling all over the place by now.
Liu Sheng desperately suppressed its urge to emerge and quickly followed the leading Fu Ze into the Weird Domain.
...
After Liu Sheng entered the Weird Domain, there was no one beside her.
They had all agreed to stick close to Fu Ze, but as soon as they entered the Weird Domain, they were separated.
However, Fu Ze had warned that such a situation might occur, instructing everyone to guard their minds, act cautiously, avoid triggering any deadly rules, and hold on until they could regroup.
The entrance behind Liu Sheng quickly closed. Looking back, there was only a dark, empty street. Yuan Zheng Zhang and the light wall had vanished without a trace.
There was no turning back.
Her heart tightened.
Snapping back to reality, Liu Sheng found herself standing in the center of a street as bright as day, illuminated by lanterns.
The moon was bright and clear in the sky, with scattered stars, and the night sky was like woven silk.
Colorful lanterns hung all over the streets and alleys, from traditional palace lanterns and lotus lanterns to auspicious goldfish lanterns and jade rabbit lanterns. Coupled with the pear trees blooming like clouds in the streets and alleys, the entire market looked like a dream, with shifting light and shadow.
Children held small lanterns, weaving through the crowd, their faces brimming with innocent smiles.
On both sides of the street, stalls lined up, and vendors hawked various snacks. Candied hawthorn was sweet, roasted rice cakes were soft and sticky, and lamb soup was fresh and fragrant, filling the air with the aroma of food. Many stalls were also filled with various exquisite handicrafts and lantern riddle games, attracting passersby to stop and look.
In the distance, there were also various performances like acrobatics, lion dances, Dragon dances, and opera. Spectators gathered in circles, gasping in amazement, clapping, or cheering, making the scene incredibly lively.
Are these real people?
Could it be that the weirdness hasn't encroached upon this place yet?
Liu Sheng was filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Everything before her looked too normal, so normal that it made her doubt whether the weirdness had truly erupted.
It was even so normal that it made her feel a little nauseous. She could feel something very evil hidden beneath, watching her from where the lights faded.
"Mama", however, became excited, poking its head out from Liu Sheng's fingertip, taking a deep breath, and letting out a satisfied burp.
It feeds on Guai Qi, and its behavior was enough to indicate that this place was already full of Guai Qi.
Liu Sheng was still pondering when she was suddenly bumped by a small body.
"Sister, I'm sorry!"
A tender voice timidly rang out.
Liu Sheng looked down to see a boy with two pigtails tied up on either side of his head, his face flushed from running hard, looking up at Liu Sheng pitifully.
It turned out that the child was playing with his companions, holding a lantern, and ran too quickly, accidentally bumping into Liu Sheng.
Seeing that Liu Sheng didn't respond, the child lowered his head and ran off with his lantern to find his playmates.
Only then did Liu Sheng realize that the lantern the child was holding was actually a human head.