Xiaolin Town lies to the northeast of Fenglin City, separated from it by another town called Qing Shan Town. In terms of straight-line distance, it is the farthest town from the main city within the Fenglin City domain.
Led by Wei Yan, the group rode without stopping, passing through Qing Shan Town without a pause and reaching the outskirts of Xiaolin Town in just half a day.
There are no green mountains outside Qing Shan Town; the name has been passed down for who knows how many years, perhaps there were once, but now the landscape has changed dramatically.
However, there is indeed a small forest of moon cypress trees outside Xiaolin Town, though its size is very limited and one can see the end of it at a glance. Moon cypress has a calming effect and furniture made from moon cypress wood is highly sought after.
It is said that the forest used to be much larger, but because moon cypress trees are extremely valuable, the townsfolk often engaged in illegal logging, causing the forest to shrink. If it weren't for an order from Fenglin City specifically prohibiting illegal logging, this small forest might have disappeared years ago.
The constables sent from Qing Shan Town were stationed in the forest, sitting or lying around in a rather relaxed manner. It was only when they heard the sound of hooves approaching that they gathered together to greet the group.
These constables were mere mortals, of course they did not dare to investigate the town under the current circumstances; they only served as observers and a warning presence.
Wei Yan halted his horse outside the forest, casually glanced at these men, and then asked, "What is the situation in Xiaolin Town?"
The constable leading the team from Qing Shan Town was a broad-faced man in his forties. Upon hearing the question, he replied, "Since five days ago, a fog has risen outside Xiaolin Town. At first, we didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just a change in the weather. We could still see the outline of Xiaolin Town and the vague figures of people; some from Qing Shan Town even went there to visit relatives. Yesterday, we received orders to set up a checkpoint here and observe. We haven't seen anyone come out, but the fog has become thicker and thicker, and now we can't see anything at all."
Jiang Wang, standing among the Daoist academy disciples, looked towards Xiaolin Town. The Fenglin City domain was his hometown, and although he grew up in Fengxi Town, he was not unfamiliar with Xiaolin Town.
The West Mountain bandits he had once defeated single-handedly with his sword were based in the West Mountain, ten miles to the north of Xiaolin Town.
In the past, one could see Xiaolin Town from the moon cypress forest. The town was not wealthy, but it was peaceful and harmonious. Now, looking at it, there was only a dense fog.
At this moment, Wei Yan's voice rang out: "You were ordered to observe Xiaolin Town here, yet you are so careless and undisciplined. What's more, some of you took the opportunity to illegally cut down moon cypress trees. Are you here on official business, or are you here to seek personal gain?"
The constables from Qing Shan Town had already turned pale, and the leading constable was bowing repeatedly, wanting to explain something.
But Wei Yan's punishment had already been spoken: "The moon cypress trees that have been cut down should be sent to the city guard camp. In addition, everyone's salary will be deducted for a year, and the constable, who has the responsibility of leadership, will be dismissed!"
The broad-faced man's face turned ashen, but he did not even dare to protest, and just retreated sadly.
Upon hearing Wei Yan's punishment, Jiang Wang noticed the few felled moon cypress trees.
Wei Yan had already taken everything in at the first moment of arrival.
Jiang Wang was impressed by Wei Yan's keen observation, but at the same time, he felt that this man was really strict.
Xiaolin Town had fallen, and this moon cypress forest was temporarily ownerless. These constables were risking their lives to set up a checkpoint outside Xiaolin Town and took the opportunity to cut down a few trees to subsidize themselves. Although it was a dereliction of duty, it was actually understandable.
Qing Shan Town was not wealthy, and a year's salary deduction meant that these constables' lives would become immediately strained. Especially for this middle-aged man in his forties, being a constable might have been the peak of his lifelong struggle. With just one word from Wei Yan, he was back to square one.
However, this trip was almost like a military expedition. With Wei Yan leading the team, he was like a commander-in-chief. His orders were military commands, and no one could disobey.
After dealing with the matter, Wei Yan pulled the reins and led the way, galloping towards Xiaolin Town.
The horses were from the military camp, and the riders were cultivators from the Daoist academy. Although there were only more than thirty of them, they were well-disciplined and moved like lightning, giving off the momentum of a thousand troops.
The horse hooves thundered like rolling thunder, but then came to an abrupt halt!
Those warhorses, seasoned in battle, reared and neighed loudly in front of the fog that enveloped the entire Xiaolin Town. No matter how the riders urged them, they refused to take another step.
The more than thirty warhorses were terrified and neighed in unison. It seemed that there was something inside Xiaolin Town that terrified them. The scene was chilling.
Even though the riders' strength prevented any embarrassing falls from their horses, their morale had already taken a significant hit, no longer the spirited group that had left the city.
Even the usually calm and composed Wang Changxiang's eyes became grave.
Only Wei Yan's expression remained unchanged.
He wore a suit of armor that was covered in scars. The sword at his waist was long and straight. The warhorse under him was tall and majestic.
It was common knowledge that these were Wei Yan's three favorite possessions.
But he suddenly drew his sword!
It was as if a bolt of lightning had flashed through the air, and the sword light had already vanished. The warhorse under him stopped neighing, and its large head was severed from its body, then sprayed out a distance by the gushing blood from its neck.
The horse's corpse fell to the ground with a thud.
Wei Yan pressed his sword, looked at the fog-covered town, but his voice was cold: "What use is a horse that is afraid to fight in battle?"
"Good!" The first to respond was Du Yehu. He had a straightforward and fierce nature and liked to get straight to the point. He immediately punched down and shattered the horse's head. "Brother Wei, how are we going to charge next?"
Wei Yan raised his right hand slightly, "Follow my orders. Dismount and prepare for battle. Form a spearhead formation, with me as the tip, and charge straight into Xiaolin Town!"
Wei Yan's act of killing the horse had already made everyone realize that there was no way to retreat. There was no room for hesitation now, and they all dismounted.
Wei Yan continued, "Raise your weapons!"
A sharp sound of blades being drawn from their sheaths!
At this moment, Wei Yan's plain-looking adjutant stepped forward. He raised his right palm upwards, made a seal with his left hand, and muttered something. Finally, he said, "Sharpness!"
Jiang Wang felt a surge of sharpness in his long sword. This sword, which could only be described as fine, now seemed almost capable of piercing through anything.
"Flame Attachment!"
Flames ignited on all the weapons! The cultivators holding their swords and knives were like holding torches, ready to pierce through the fog-covered town before them.
"Solidify!"
Ling He felt his body become tough, with a sense of fullness that made him want to trade punches with someone. But he just glanced at the furious-looking Du Yehu beside him and quietly dismissed that illusion.
Zhao Rucheng thought that group enhancement spells were at least upper-grade spells. Yet Wei Yan's unremarkable-looking adjutant had cast three spells in a row without changing expression. The Ministry of War truly had many hidden talents.
No matter what everyone thought, during the march, there could only be one will. Under the enhancement of the spells, Wei Yan, with his sword in hand, took the lead and stepped into Xiaolin Town.
The group moved cautiously, the town was so quiet that only their footsteps could be heard.
After a while, the fog seemed to become even thicker.
The fog was so dense that it was almost tangible. One could not see beyond three steps, only the firelight on the weapons stood out stubbornly in the seemingly endless thick fog.
Reluctantly, they had to contract their formation again, reducing the distance between them from five steps to three. Any closer would affect their combat.
Jiang Wang and his brothers were positioned in the middle rear of the formation. Their cultivation levels were the lowest, and they received the default protection, which was not something to be ashamed of and was also a fine tradition of the Daoist academy.
Du Yehu cracked his knuckles loudly. He was not nervous but excited, eager to try his hand.
Jiang Wang had no doubt that even if the notorious nine great demons, whose names were spread throughout the world, were in front of him, he would dare to throw a punch without hesitation. Of course, whether he could win or not was another matter.
At this moment, a cry of alarm suddenly came from the outer edge of the formation, "What is that?!"
Another voice replied discontentedly, "Just a ghost, what's there to be afraid of?"
But soon there was a change of tone: "So many?!"
Wei Yan, upon hearing this, turned his head sharply and slashed horizontally with his sword!
A huge blade of light cut through the air, slicing through the thick fog for a moment!
And in that moment, everyone saw it: the entire street was filled with staggering, gnashing, and clawing ghosts, densely packed together.
In broad daylight, the hundred ghosts walked abroad!