Chapter 16 Soul Cleansing Lake

The few hundred people walked around the edge of Soul Cleansing Lake, dazed.

Their expressions were dull, their eyes vacant, as if they had lost their souls.

"Damn, what's going on here?" Cao Shao said in surprise.

"Those people all wanted to enter Soul Cleansing Lake in the past, but their minds were confused by the evil spirits."

A strange light flickered in the old man's eyes.

"A fool and his money are soon parted. If you still want to go, then go ahead."

The old man turned around and went back to his shack, pretending to close the door.

"Old man, wait!" Qin Qianxue called out to stop him.

The old man turned around, the few white hairs on his head fluttering to one side, and stared fixedly at Qin Qianxue.

"If we have to enter Soul Cleansing Lake, is there no other way?" Qin Qianxue asked.

"Oh? You must enter that lake?"

The old man moved slightly to the side.

"Then come inside first. It's too tiring to stand outside and talk. This old man can't take it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man walked in on his own.

For some reason, Qiao Yu always felt that the dark doorway was like a wild beast opening its jaws, waiting for its prey.

Qiao Yu followed behind Qin Qianxue and walked in. After the few of them entered the house, the big yellow dog, which had been listless, stood up, full of energy.

The inside of the house was as dilapidated as the outside.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a bed, a broken pot, a table, and two stools.

No one knew how this old man usually spent his time.

"Sit anywhere, don't be polite, just make yourselves at home," the old man said with a smile.

Qin Qianxue glanced at the two stools. They were dirty and covered in black stains. She thought it was better to stand.

"It's okay, we'll just stand. Old man, please tell us about Soul Cleansing Lake."

"This little girl is quite impatient."

The old man glanced at her, grinned, then sat down on the stool with a thud and began to speak slowly.

"Didn't I already explain it clearly? Soul Cleansing Lake is the place where evil spirits are bred."

"Any living person who tries to enter Soul Cleansing Lake will be collectively besieged by all the evil spirits, and eventually become a lake slave, forever wandering around the lake."

As he spoke, the old man raised his eyelids and swept them across the faces of the six people, revealing a meaningful smile.

"If a living person wants to enter Soul Cleansing Lake, the only way is to sacrifice another living person to the evil spirits!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Qianxue and the others clearly became vigilant.

The distance between the six people widened slightly and silently.

Qiao Yu quietly held two rings in his hands. Once they started fighting, Cao Shao and Wu Chengfu would probably target him.

Sure enough, Cao Shao's eyes already showed a fierce glint as he looked at him.

"How can we believe that you're not lying to us?" Mi Yuan asked the old man.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. You can just go into the lake, I'm not stopping you," the old man said, spreading his hands.

Clang!

A broadsword was placed directly on the old man's neck. If it moved forward even half an inch, the old man would inevitably be decapitated.

"You should be considered a living person, right? Then can I just sacrifice you?" Mi Yuan said coldly.

The old man didn't panic at all. He even calmly picked up the porcelain pot on the table and poured himself a large bowl of water.

"Do you know the process of the sacrifice? I am the guardian of this generation. If I die, no one will know how to enter Soul Cleansing Lake."

Qiao Yu was secretly shocked. A guardian?

Logically speaking, Ji Pingyang should have told him about the guardian of Soul Cleansing Lake.

"I don't care who you are."

Mi Yuan pressed the sword forward a little. The sharp blade cut through the skin, and blood immediately flowed down the old man's bark-like neck.

"Either you find a way to send me into Soul Cleansing Lake, or I'll chop you up right now."

The old man raised his eyes and stared at Mi Yuan. Mi Yuan didn't budge, and even pressed the sword forward a little more.

"Mi Yuan, don't get so excited, calm down," Qin Qianxue said, playing the peacemaker. She was really afraid that Mi Yuan would chop the old man up with a single blow.

"Hehe, hehehe, hahahaha!"

The old man suddenly raised his head and laughed loudly, and a foul smell of garlic wafted through the house.

The old man laughed until tears came out of his eyes before saying.

"Very good, you are very brave. I do know a path that can bypass the evil spirits and reach the lake, but I don't know if you dare to go."

"What's there to be afraid of? Lead the way."

Mi Yuan was not afraid at all. She believed that in a state of preparedness, those evil spirits could not possess her a second time.

"Don't worry."

The old man stood up, walked to the only bed, and lay down on it with a groan.

"It's almost dark. The danger of walking that road will double once it gets dark. Let's get a good night's sleep and set off the next morning when it gets light."

"Old man, where do we sleep?" Qin Qianxue asked.

There was only a tiny bit of space in this room, and there was only one bed.

"Sleep wherever you want. I wouldn't mind if you want to sleep next to this old man."

After the old man finished speaking, he grinned and patted the empty space on the bed lewdly.

Qin Qianxue frowned and walked out of the house. Qiao Yu followed suit.

They had only been out of the house for a short time when the old man lying on the bed began to snore evenly.

No one knew whether to say that the old man was carefree or that he was really skilled and bold.

"Damn, what do we do now? Are we really going to sit outside all night?" Cao Shao asked angrily.

He felt that Mi Yuan was making a mountain out of a molehill. Instead of taking the path the old man mentioned and facing those unknown dangers, he would rather deal with Qiao Yu.

"Let's make a fire, cut some vines and branches, build a temporary shelter, and make do for the night."

At Qin Qianxue's suggestion, the six of them split into three groups to find the materials needed to build the shelter.

Qiao Yu and Tang Lan, who had not said much, were assigned to one group.

The two walked in silence. Qiao Yu followed silently behind Tang Lan, and he took the initiative to break the silence.

"Thank you for saving me just now."

Tang Lan stopped instantly. Qiao Yu almost crashed into her.

Just as Qiao Yu was puzzled, Tang Lan's voice sounded.

"Look ahead."

Qiao Yu heard the sound and looked forward. A piece of cloth-like material was hanging on the tree in front of them.

The thing was furry, with an orange-yellow color, and some places were stained with something like blood.

Qiao Yu took a few more steps forward and realized after careful observation that what was hanging there was actually the skin of a Huang Pizi (weasel)!

And the skin was broken off at the base of the claws, obviously from the one they had just killed.

Qiao Yu felt a chill in his heart. The Huang Pizi was clearly dead. Who had skinned it and hung it here?

Was it the old man in the shack?

Or… was it Tang Lan, who had brought him here!