Swing the sword at the future female devil

Chapter 295 The Real and Fake Qin Shuangjiang

“I am a craftsman specializing in ice jelly, and the information I’ve gathered is similar to what’s above,” Lin Zhaoran of the Kunlun Sect also spoke up.

"I am a monk performing a blessing ceremony at the master's house, so I was unable to leave." Monk Wuxiang took out a parchment, on which golden characters reappeared.

"You can't even chant sutras, what kind of religious ceremony are you performing?" Duan Huaige thought to himself, but then he saw writing appear on the parchment in the monk Wuxiang's hand:

However, I noticed something unusual about the people in Qingyang Town.

Their coffins were very light.

Upon hearing this, Duan Huaige pondered for a moment, then nodded to indicate that he understood the information. The others then shared some of the information they had obtained, but they only touched on it briefly; no one was foolish enough to reveal all the information they knew.

Duan Huaige finally spoke again and asked a crucial question:

Was it raining in Qingyang Town when you arrived?

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this and shook their heads. Duan Huaige was surprised, as it was raining outside when he appeared in the City God Temple.

Could it be that this rain was specifically falling at the City God Temple?

"Miss Gongshu, do you know the origin of the Nightmare Qi?"

"Puppet machines are creations of mechanical nature; the more sentient they are, the more abundant their nightmarish energy." Gongshu Jiuyuan, the prodigy of the Mo family, frowned. "Why are you asking this?"

"Master Zhang met me at the City God Temple and spoke to me about it." Duan Huaige briefly recounted the background, emphasizing the nightmare energy and the strange situation in Qingyang Town.

As he spoke, he extended his wrist, indicating that the Five Thunder Soul-Suppressing Seal suppressed the legendary Nightmare Qi.

Gongshu Jiuyuan's face showed a thoughtful expression, as if she had already made a preliminary guess. However, she did not say it immediately, but kept it to herself.

"I was previously possessed by nightmare energy, but fortunately I was saved by Zhang Tianshi. As for my memories of coming to the town with Zhang Tianshi afterward, I have no recollection of them."

Upon hearing this, the crowd's eyes flickered, unsure how much they believed. At this moment, Qin Shuangjiang spoke calmly: "Therefore, there are two directions to verify the known information—one is to go to the City God Temple outside the city to confirm whether Zhang Tianshi has really perished."

"Secondly, Zhang Tianshi and he arrived at dusk, which means they were acting at night... Is there a watchman in this town?"

Gongshu Jiuyuan said, "There is a half-blind watchman who patrols on time every day."

"She's almost blind and still working as a night watchman? Are you sure?" Duan Huaige asked. "Is she also a cultivator?"

“I once tried to send a puppet to follow her, but her hearing was excellent. When she targeted me, even if I controlled it remotely with the Soul Bead, I felt my scalp tingle and as if I were falling into an ice cave. The next day, the puppet was shattered beyond recognition. I never went near that watchman again.”

Duan Huaige suddenly remembered what Qin Shuangjiang had said before: the black-hearted little celestial master Zhang Zhiyao was the night watchman's daughter... Could he get some clues from her?
"Let's split up," Duan Huaige suggested. "I've met Zhang Tianshi, so I can go to the City God Temple to check on his life or death."

"You can try contacting Zhang Zhiyao at the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain... Does anyone know her?"

“I have contact with Little Yao’er,” Gongshu Jiuyuan said. “She commissioned me to make mechanical puppets.”

The group quickly divided into four teams of eight: one went to the City God Temple in the north of the town, one went to the watchman's quarters in the south, one went to find the town's chronicles, and the last team continued to roam the town, investigating its secrets. Learning from the experience of the burly Zhao Tieying, Duan Huaige specifically reminded them not to reveal their cultivation levels to the townspeople and to run away immediately if things went wrong.

After the group parted ways, and Duan Huaige led Qin Shuangjiang all the way to the Zhenbei City God Temple, Qin Shuangjiang finally spoke up and asked:
Is there something else you haven't said?

“Of course, who would be foolish enough to lay everything out with them?” Duan Huaige said without turning his head, “I’ve been hiding a very important piece of information… If this information is revealed, it could very well turn the upcoming trial of assisting the Celestial Master in subduing demons into a horror story.”

"Oh? What is it?"

Duan Huaige suddenly stopped, looked around, and lowered his voice, saying, "What I'm about to tell you, please don't be afraid..."

"The Celestial Master lured Taiqing into the formation..."

Qin Shuangjiang's expression remained calm and composed, but she frowned slightly and said, "Why must we bring her in?"

"Because Qingyang Town is the place where the 51st Celestial Master fell, and it was from him that the Celestial Master's lineage was lost, but in return, the fragment of the Jiangshan Sheji Map was obtained by Longhu Mountain."

"I suspect that some secrets of the fragmented map may be hidden here... perhaps even related to the Taiqing."

As he spoke, he quickly arrived outside the town. The further he walked towards the City God Temple to the north, the colder the atmosphere became, eventually condensing into a thin layer of gray mist on the road.

Is the nightmare energy really outside the City God Temple? Duan Huaige hesitated for a moment, remembering what the old Celestial Master had said about being possessed by nightmare energy.

It seems that the nightmare energy is not actively intruding; in fact, when Duan Huaige reached out to grab it, the nightmare energy even retreated.

"Let's go!" Duan Huaige made up his mind. If they didn't get through this nightmare, they wouldn't be able to reach the City God Temple, let alone find out the truth about Zhang Tianshi's demise.

He took Miss Shuangjiang's slightly cool hand and stepped into the nightmare energy. The original nightmare energy retreated and made way for him. The further he went, the denser the nightmare energy became. In the end, even the surrounding sounds were blocked out, and there was only the sound of his and Qin Shuangjiang's footsteps.

Miss Frost asked quietly, "Are you saying that the town of Qingyang once held a fragment of the 'Map of the Land and its People'?"

“You could say that,” Duan Huaige sighed. “Ever since Taiqing escaped his predicament, he has been trying to complete the incomplete map and reshape the emperor’s body.”

"Logically speaking, Zhang Tianshi couldn't have died so inexplicably, and I shouldn't have been unconscious for three days inexplicably, so I suspect that all of this might be related to her!"

Qin Shuangjiang didn't say anything, but continued to walk with him. The City God Temple was clearly not far from the north of the town, but Duan Huaige walked for a long time along this short road covered by nightmare energy without seeing any end in sight.

Just then, the slow sound of hooves came from ahead. Duan Huaige held his breath and quietly pulled Qin Shuangjiang aside. Soon, a figure emerged from the nightmare energy. The female warrior in black, riding a horse, had a graceful figure and an indifferent expression. The horse beneath her was blindfolded and walked slowly.

Duan Huaige suddenly felt a chill in his hands and feet, because he was shocked to find that the female knight on horseback looked exactly like Qin Shuangjiang beside him.

Or perhaps… the one on horseback is the real Qin Shuangjiang? And the one beside him…

He couldn't help but turn to look at Miss Frostfall, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Sister... oh no, Ancestor... is that you?"

(End of this chapter)