Chapter 480: Chapter 287: The Land Without a Master, Young Hero’s Paradise (Part 2)
The name of Qinghe City, "Qinghe," comes from a river flowing through the city.
However, this "Qinghe" doesn’t look so clear anymore.
They saw a few sword-wielding women washing chamber pots together there, with people below fetching water, seemingly to cook.
The daily life here is overwhelmingly vivid.
After Duan Yun and his companions learned that there was a usable well at the haunted house, they reluctantly relaxed.
They finally arrived before dark.
They couldn’t deny that this place suited their preferences well.
There was a pile of graves right in front of the house, a typical graveyard scenery house.
Earlier, while walking by the riverside, even though it was getting dark, the surroundings were bustling, but upon arriving here, needing to pass through the wild overgrown field, with half-revealed tombstones occasionally appearing, the surroundings suddenly became quiet and cold.
Indeed, they were being watched from the moment they entered the city, seemingly by people planning to rob them.
Shen Ying and a few others were quite excited, thinking they would get a couple more pieces of furniture, but upon arriving here, the people were gone.
By now, the sky had turned dark, in early summer, combined with being in the mountains and woods, it felt profoundly chilly and eerie.
The entire house stood there in ramshackle condition, its ghostly aura almost rivaling Yuzhu Manor.
Fan Gao shrank his neck, grumbling: "Don’t underestimate this haunted and dilapidated house; it used to be rather coveted."
They had understood that due to the allure of the Golden Palace, coupled with countless Martial World forces converging here, the land and houses in Qinghe City were now as precious as gold.
From the Grey Eagle Sect making a fortune by building houses, it’s evident.
This was because after the White Socks Sect withdrew, the city was swiftly occupied by four major forces, which reached a consensus that chaos in the city was under their control.
They would still deal with blatant murder and rape within the city.
After all, ordinary people were limited in number; killing them would reduce their numbers, affecting their sustenance for those seeking Divine Skills.
Some wandering Martial World folk also showed potential for servile labor, so they endeavored to recruit them.
Thus, the properties and land were under their management, with profits divided among them.
In conclusion, regardless of whether the Golden Palace holds any drama, the Silver must be earned.
It can be said, although Qinghe City hasn’t seen large-scale conflict yet, beneath the surface, tensions are brewing.
As more forces gather here, whether for Divine Skill or fame, or to recruit more servile labor, they secretly defy the four major forces.
In Fan Gao’s professional analysis, if the struggle here intensifies, this place might become unclaimed territory.
With nearly twenty notable forces, a fight would certainly lead to rivers of blood and mass destruction.
Yet Duan Yun believed otherwise, asserting that under his Heroic Spirit transformation, these sects would become compassionate and chivalrous.
Once everyone offers a little love, Qinghe City might become a splendid earthly realm.
After all, they’ve achieved this once before.
Now Yushi Town and Small Spring Town are harmoniously idyllic like a paradise.
However, the two situations differ; Yushi Town doesn’t have as many forces and Martial World folk, and the busiest Demon Slaying Conference and Green Dragon Night mainly attract spectators.
Yet here, the martial crowd is larger and greedier; to instill Heroic Spirit in them, Mr. Duan, Duan Juxia must exert tremendous effort.
Tomorrow, he shall go to the Iron Blood Sect for proper transformation!
Duan Yun and his companions pushed the door open.
Because the haunted house was relatively new, with deaths occurring here less than two months ago, it was considerably better than the previous Yuzhu Manor.
Though rundown, the inner courtyard houses were clearly repaired, livable with some tidying.
Fan Gao saw this group of heroes determined to stay in this house, unable to resist a reminder: "The previous owner of this house was named ’Death Blade,’ claiming that his blade drank the blood of thousands, filled with Evil Qi, allowing him to live here with eight disciples."
It’s said that ghosts would cry and beg when seeing his blade.
Yet they perished overnight, as if possessed, extracting their hearts, stringing them together; reportedly, when their bodies were found, they were dying while roasting their own hearts over a fire."
Actually, Duan Yun and his companions had heard of this incident on their way.
Duan Yun roughly assumed it was a murder, intentionally staged to resemble haunting.
Shen Ying and others thought so too.
As heroes, they never feared being killed.
Even facing evil spirits, they must sincerely shout, "I want to be a hero!" to pass.
Yet being amidst this environment and hearing the description, they couldn’t help but feel a chill down their spines.
Under the crooked tree in the backyard, ashes remained, marking where the group roasted their hearts.
The hall they just passed through, although the shrine plaques on the stone platform were moved away, vaguely resembled a memorial hall.
This kind of house that places ancestral tribute halls indoors indeed gives a lively night-time feeling.
Feng Ling’er first expressed, not wanting to clean the room tonight, wanting to sleep with Xiatou Ying.
Brother Murong chose to sleep with Ning Qing.
After dating for so long, coupled with this environment, Brother Murong finally progressed, able to sleep under the same roof as Ning Qing.
Ning Qing slept on the bed, while he slept under the bed, conveniently aiding his practice.
Ziyu, however, showed boldness, saying she’s unfazed with "sister" accompanying her, even starting to look around, thinking the place might inspire her writing.
As the house wasn’t small and required Duan Yun’s guidance, Fan Gao stayed as a managerial role.
This first night’s watch duty would likely fall to him.
Honestly, Fan Gao felt quite pressured.
He didn’t believe he could exude Heroic Spirit like Duan Yun, unafraid of Ghost Gods.
Spotting his stress, Brother Murong thoughtfully found him a companion—Panda Dabai.
Together, they would handle the manager and watchman tasks.
With the sudden company of a panda, Fan Gao felt slightly more secure.
After a long journey, the group was a bit weary, washing up before sleeping.
Fan Gao also felt tired, couldn’t resist drifting off to sleep, leaving only Panda Dabai vigilantly observing the surroundings under his panda eyes.
The night passed without incident.
After sunrise, seeing Duan Yun and the others awaken, Panda Dabai sighed in relief and fell asleep.
The night here felt eerie, but in daylight, despite the haunted atmosphere, the sun made it much better.
The key was the presence of many women, chirping away, adding liveliness to the entire house.
Duan Yun didn’t stop, slightly disguised himself, and went out to gather information.
His chance for Heroic Spirit transformation mustn’t be delayed.
In the early morning, Qinghe City was filled with people washing clothes, chamber pots, and fetching water for cooking.
The city was veiled in cooking smoke, exuding a sense of hearth warmth.
Suddenly, Duan Yun felt something amiss in the air.
He glanced towards an alley, spotting over a dozen people lying in a room, puffing away.
This group looked rather haggard but highly spirited.
Duan Yun carefully examined the plaque, noting it read "Red Tower Mountain Smoke Factory," with a wooden sign beside promoting, "Sect guaranteed, every puff pure, try smoking."
This was evidently Red Tower Mountain’s industry.
The sects here truly wouldn’t let go of money or Divine Skills.
It was apparent that living in the Martial World here was stressful, hence many came to relax even early in the morning.
Further ahead in a four-story wooden building, two scantily clad dancers stood on the third-floor eaves, dancing.
No, they couldn’t be called scantily clad.
They at least wore thin socks, with two translucent silk scarves on their chests, marked with "Joyful Union Sect’s skill, clean and fun, buy one and get double."
They danced merrily, while many biting the bullet entered, some murmuring, "What’s wrong with relaxing? I definitely won’t come next time!"
Duan Yun watched, unable to help grumbling, "What kind of people are they!"
Not long ahead, he reached the Iron Blood Sect’s residence.