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Chapter 450 The Mysterious Creation and Demise
Just as the "dream come true" was swaying triumphantly, a feeling of "destiny entanglement" suddenly descended, as if some terrifying being was secretly watching from the abyss!
"Crunch—"

"Dreams come true" came to an abrupt halt, and no longer daring to linger, the wheels began to move, and it quietly slid backward, trying to hide "my insignificant self" in the darkness at the base of the wall.

After all, it was just a "prop," and it was still somewhat naive to think that by hiding itself, it could avoid being discovered by that terrifying being.

A slender hand pulled the carriage.

Those hands were, of course, extremely beautiful.

Unlike ordinary craftsmen, this hand has no yellowed calluses.

The stepmother's skill in the craftsmanship field was her advantage.

Of course, it won't cause calluses.

"Dream Come True" is furious: Let go of me!

The carriage was large, and her hands were delicate.

But the "dream come true" was held back and couldn't move!
"Dream Come True" trembled, and a "clattering" sound came from the carriage, because it immediately realized that the reason why that little white hand was able to hold it was not because of its strength.

Rather, it was a force that had seeped into his body from that hand, which easily gave him control over several of his key components.

This control is specifically designed for props!
In the Western Regions, it is a skill that only seventh-level craftsmen can master, and it is called the "Core of the Machine".

"Dreams Come True" was unaware that the Ming Dynasty also possessed this power, which craftsmen referred to as "Heavenly Power," and was also a threshold for third-rate craftsmen.

Since that hand has unleashed its "divine power," the "dream come true" has no choice but to obediently comply.

“This thing… is interesting.” The stepmother’s eyes sparkled.

They dragged the carriage towards their house.

Xu Yuan quickly stopped her: "Lin Wanmo, you should get some rest tonight! This thing was originally prepared for you. If you get enough rest and are in good spirits, you can play with it first thing tomorrow morning."

The stepmother feigned anger and said, "I'm not tired, I'm full of energy!"

Xu Yuan looked to Aunt Wang for help, and Aunt Wang coughed and said, "Xiao Mo!"

Lin Wanmo feigned pitifulness in front of Aunt Wang: "Auntie, you said there's such a good thing, and I've seen it all. How can I sleep if I don't examine it thoroughly inside and out?"

Aunt Wang helplessly shrugged at Xu Yuan: "Fine, give it to her."

Xu Yuan pursed his lips and let go of her hand.

You're telling me, this stepmother is such a grown woman, yet she still acts like a child in front of Aunt Wang!

And it always works when I act cute!
Lin Wanmo happily dragged the carriage into the house.

"Dreams Come True" resisted with all its might, not wanting to go in, but it was all in vain.

It was like a helpless, lonely woman, crying her heart out, clinging to the door frame, yet powerless to resist, tragically dragged into the house by the bully.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut, and Lin Wanmo's smug, eerie laughter came from behind it: "Hehehe..."

Xu Yuan shook his head, wondering how many more days his stepmother would have to endure this time.
Unable to blame Aunt Wang, he took his anger out on Dafu.

Why did you have to make such a fuss about "dreams come true"?
If you hadn't made a scene, your stepmother, in her mental state just now, wouldn't have noticed the strange thing about the carriage.

Xu Yuan glared fiercely at Da Fu.

But Dafu didn't see that Fanzhezi was angry with him.

Dafu's flat beak was stuck in the wall, and its two dull goose eyes were less than a finger's distance from the wall.

At this distance, if Dafu tries too hard to see clearly, he will feel dizzy.

Dafu wisely vacated its eyes completely—just as it usually does most of the time.

So you couldn't see the fierce look in Fanzhezi's eyes just now.

But it heard the next sentence from the rice trough: "No one is allowed to put it down!"

"Hang it up all night!"

Dafu desperately tried to kick the wall with its wings and webbed feet. No, hanging like this all night would be too embarrassing…

Lord Xu's subordinates, of course, dared not disobey orders.

Although they felt sorry for Dafu, they still quietly slipped out the door one by one.

Aunt Wang had no choice but to plead on his behalf: "Evil spirits might sneak in at night. If you leave Dafu hanging here, it will be powerless to resist and could be taken advantage of by evil spirits."

Xu Yuan felt that even if these little evil spirits in the city saw Da Fu's appearance, they wouldn't dare to come forward and act recklessly—they might even suspect that this was Da Fu's "conspiracy," using himself as bait to fish for them!
But since Aunt Wang had spoken, Xu Yuan snorted, went up and grabbed Dafu by the neck, pulling it off the wall.

Just toss it aside.

After landing, Dafu felt a little dizzy and disoriented, and his neck, head, and mouth were all uncomfortable.

It spun around a few times, then, scared, obediently scurried to its nest by the bridge stone and lay down.

Its head is facing inward, buried in its neck, while its round, plump buttocks face outward.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head with a smile, his anger dissipating.

That night, the little evil spirits in the city were out of luck.

Dafu was upset by Fanzhezi's behavior, so he sneaked out in the middle of the night and vented his anger on the evil spirits.

They swept through several streets and brought back many bones and furs of evil spirits to enrich their den.

……

On this new day, the almanac forbids the following:

Consulting doctors, singing, stargazing, and repairing roads.

After Xu Yuan got up, he first looked into his stepmother's room.

It was completely quiet inside, with no sign of anyone coming out.

Xu Yuan shook his head. After breakfast, he instructed Aunt Wang, "Auntie, please take good care of Lin Wanmo. Make sure she gets a good rest this time."

Then, he took Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu and set off for Luocheng.

He carried one of the Pingtian Society's memorials and handed another to Yu Yunhang: "If there's anything in the yamen, contact me anytime."

"Yes, sir, please rest assured."

Xu Yuan was somewhat relieved, because he had specifically gone to ask Master Miaoyan about it yesterday, and it took a lot of persuasion before he finally got her to say a few complete sentences.

I learned that Master Miaoyan's senior brother was about to arrive.

The journey from the capital to the north is long; for a normal person to travel by canal would take at least half a month.

But as soon as the senior brothers heard that their junior sister had been bullied, they immediately became abnormal.

Lord Xu originally only wanted to take Lang Xiaoba with him, but Ji Shuangqiu volunteered to come along as well.

The reason given was that she had recently been practicing the "Heavenly Starfall" martial arts technique with Lang Xiaoba, practicing moves together and making rapid progress; they were almost at the end of their training. Ji Shuangqiu even pulled Lang Xiaoba aside to demonstrate to Lord Xu how they "mutually helped each other achieve their goals."

The secret martial art "Falling Star" allows one to concentrate all their strength into a single punch.

If the force of this punch transforms into a meteor and flies three zhang away, it is considered a minor achievement.

Only when one can fly ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) without any decrease in punching power can one be considered to have reached the pinnacle of skill.

To achieve mastery, one must reach the level of a sixth-rate martial artist.

But if Ji Shuangqiu and Lang Xiaoba work hard, they can achieve some success in their cultivation.

For them, Xiao Cheng's "Falling Star" was already quite remarkable.

What she and Lang Xiaoba called "sparring" was simply standing a zhang apart and exchanging blows with the still unfinished "Heavenly Starfall".

You punch me, I punch you.

They were trash-talking each other while fighting.

"Can you do it?"

"I only used ten percent of my strength, and you couldn't handle it?"

"Get up! Why are you kneeling before me?"

"I'm getting serious. Call me 'Dad,' and we'll end this now."

They were just "demonstrating" for Lord Xu for a short while when the two exchanged seven or eight punches.

Lang Xiaoba was almost beaten into a pig's head!

Ji Shuangqiu grimaced and kept rubbing her stomach.

After reading it, Xu Yuan confirmed two points:

First, there's really no way for outsiders to "give them advice".

Secondly, these two seemingly simple-minded people actually found that their practice was effective!
"Martial arts practitioners are indeed a group of honest people!" Lord Xu affirmed the earnest spirit of his two subordinates in their cultivation.

Then Ji Shuangqiu was brought along as well.

However, Xu Yuan always felt a little strange having such a pair of shrewd companions by his side.

He brought a servant boy and a maid, but it seemed he brought nothing at all.

During the last meeting with the ruler of "Lingxiao", Xu Yuan fought a fierce battle of wills, which greatly exhausted his energy and left him with a splitting headache.

I really wish I had a cute little maid to rub my head.

This dream will probably have to remain a dream for some time to come.

The three of them rode at full speed, and with the calligraphy scrolls hanging up, they arrived in Luocheng in just two hours.

Xu Yuan was now very familiar with Luo City, and went straight to the Southern Administration Office upon entering the city.

Ma Tianshou wasn't too busy lately, so he met with Xu Yuan immediately and asked with a smile, "So you're already preparing to become a fourth-rate person? You're about to surpass me, kid. You're a force to be reckoned with. I'm afraid I'll be crushed on the beach soon, hahaha."

The more successful Xu Yuan was, the happier the old man became.

Xu Yuan was discovered by him personally.

This proves that the old man has excellent judgment.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir." Xu Yuan bowed first. This was because Xie Matianshou had asked Xu Shoushen to secretly protect him last time.

Without Xu Shoushen, Xu Yuan could have become Bai Huahun, but he might not have been able to escape from Yuan Tongshen's clutches in the end.

Ma Tianshou nodded and winked at Xu Yuan: "I heard that Bian Lü was so angry that he smashed his favorite jade pendant, hahaha!"

Xu Yuan smiled too.

After exchanging a few words, Ma Tianshou's expression turned serious, and he said, "Originally, I wanted Xiang Qinghuai to accompany you to Pingli County, but a case has just occurred today, and Xiang Qinghuai cannot leave."

Xu Yuan then said, "There's no need to trouble you, brother, every time. Just send someone."

Ma Tianshou then summoned an inspector named "Mu Han" to escort Xu Yuan to Pingli County.

He was just a guide.

Xu Yuan is now a fifth-rate fighter, and Ma Tianshou really doesn't have any strong men under his command who can "protect" him.

Now it's Xu Yuan's turn to protect others.

If Ma Tianshou wants to find a "protector" for Xu Yuan, he has to do what he did last time: use his connections and influence to ask a powerful family for help.

Xu Yuan is capable of handling the task of collecting firewood in Pingli County on his own.

Xu Yuan was anxious, so he immediately bid farewell to the old man and set off with Mu Han.

Mu Han was in his early forties and was a seventh-rate cultivator. He was easygoing and meticulous in his work.

They belong to the type of people in government offices who aren't particularly outstanding, but can complete any task assigned by their superiors.

But if you want more than just "completion," then don't make things difficult for him.

Being an inspector in the Bureau of Purification was just a job to make a living.

The four of them left the city together, and Mu Han said to Xu Yuan, "The old master gave the order for this task this morning, and I immediately retrieved the case files and examined them carefully."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Mu."

Mu Han waved his hand: "Sir, you don't need to be so polite. This is my duty."

Pingli County is located at the foot of Xiaoyu Mountain. The place is strange; there are no large, uncivilized areas, but there are many abandoned villages and ancient wells in the countryside—these are all considered "strange places."

Thirty years ago, this deserted village was called Gangtou Village, and it had thirty or forty households.

It is unknown when it started, but evil spirits have been emerging from the ancient well in the west of the village, dragging villagers who are drawing water down into the well and eating them.

The strangest thing is that ever since evil spirits appeared in this ancient well, another well in the village has slowly dried up.

The villagers have no choice but to fetch water from a distant river if they want to drink it.

But there are also evil spirits in the river.

In addition, the evil spirits in the ancient well would often come out at night to harass the villagers, forcing them to move away one after another. Those who had nowhere to go eventually died in the mouths of the evil spirits, and Gangtou Village became a deserted village.

Last year, a few merchants who were collecting mountain goods passed by the deserted village and accidentally saw a giant python in the ancient well. The python was about the same thickness as the well opening and emerged from the well opening by about 10 feet. Its scales were colorful and it spewed out invisible fire from its mouth. The fire kept changing shape, sometimes like a golden crow, sometimes like a qilin, and sometimes like a wave.

When the merchants saw the python, the strange creature's eyes lit up and it spotted them, scaring them so much that they fled in panic.

They rushed all the way to Pingli County and reported the matter to the county officials.

Strangely, when the county officials led a group to investigate the next day, they not only failed to find the python, but the ancient well had also disappeared!

The place where the ancient well once stood is now only overgrown with weeds!

Xu Yuan wondered, "Could it be that the ancient well was actually an evil spirit that went elsewhere?"

"What you guessed, sir... makes some sense," Mu Han said reluctantly, seemingly not quite agreeing, but not wanting to embarrass Lord Xu.

Ma Tianshou guessed it might be "Dragon's Mouth Fire" because some alchemists had collected Dragon's Mouth Fire, and the situation was roughly the same.

Mu Han guessed that the ancient well had mysteriously disappeared on its own.

Just like it appeared out of nowhere.

These types of small-scale haunted places are often caused by a highly contaminated evil object that corrupts the entire area, leading to the frequent appearance of evil spirits.

However, these evil objects may be secretly taken away, or their yin energy may be exhausted, so they mysteriously disappear.

The group arrived at Gangtou Village around 3 PM.

Then, to my surprise, I saw several wisps of smoke rising from the village!
Lang Xiaoba looked at Mu Han: "Why is someone living here?"

Mu Han was also puzzled. Suddenly, several people came out of the village. The leader was dressed in the official robes of a county official. He was tall and strong with broad shoulders and a full beard.

"Could it be Lord Xu Yuan in person?" The county official greeted him with clasped hands.

"Exactly."

The county official smiled and said, "I am Liu Hu, the county official of Pingli County. A few days ago, the Southern Office sent an official document saying that Your Excellency was coming to Gangtou Village today and ordered me to obey Your Excellency's orders. I waited in the village with my subordinates the day before yesterday, and I was finally able to welcome Your Excellency."

Mu Han stepped forward and asked for the county official's seal to check. After confirming that it was genuine, he asked in confusion, "Are there people living in this village again?"

"Last year, it was discovered that the ancient well had mysteriously disappeared, and people moved in to live there," the county official said.

"I see."

Xu Yuan also got off, tossed the reins to Lang Xiaoba, and asked Liu Hu, "Lord Liu seems to be eagerly awaiting my arrival, but what has happened?"

Liu Hu immediately nodded: "When I arrived in the village the day before yesterday, I found a group of strange detectives who had been living there for a long time. They were also looking for that flower python!"

Xu Yuan was surprised to find that the granddaughter of the supervisor came out to play and "impersonated" the mysterious divine constable.

Unexpectedly, not long afterward, he encountered a group of truly bizarre and mysterious constables.

Lang Xiaoba said with dissatisfaction, "You know perfectly well that those are things my master wants, so why don't you drive away those strange divine constables?"

Liu Hu chuckled awkwardly and stammered, "This..."

Xu Yuan waved his hand at Lang Xiaoba: "You're making things difficult for Magistrate Liu. He hasn't broken the law, and that 'Dragon Mouth Fire' is ownerless. Why should you drive him away?"

Liu Hu hurriedly said, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."

Mu Han then said, "Alright, take us to see the ancient well first."

"Yes, gentlemen, please follow me." Liu Hu led the way, and only after walking halfway did he say, "Lord Xu, in my humble opinion, those strange divine constables are no ordinary people."

"Oh?" Xu Yuan glanced at him. If he didn't have any connections, Liu Hu would have chased him away to curry favor with him.

"They live near the ancient well."

As they spoke, the group had already arrived.

The original location of the ancient well is now overgrown with weeds taller than a person.

The grass in this area is noticeably more than twice as tall as the surrounding grass.

To the southeast, there is a dilapidated courtyard.

Two of the rooms had clearly been renovated. Liu Hu gestured with his chin, "They live in those rooms."

The gate to the courtyard was long gone, and most of the area in front of the courtyard had collapsed.

Xu Yuan and his group arrived, startling the people inside. Five people came out of the two rooms.

Xu Yuan glanced at it and immediately confirmed that what Liu Hu said was true.

One of the rooms was occupied by a young man dressed in fine clothes.

The other four people were crammed into another room.

The master-servant relationship is immediately apparent.

These "mysterious detectives" stood in the courtyard, watching Xu Yuan and his group from afar, their eyes filled with a hint of amusement.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then simply walked over.

Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu immediately followed.

Xu Yuan approached and clasped his hands in greeting: "How should I address you gentlemen?"

The young man in fine clothes nodded slightly: "My surname is Wei, Wei Jinyuan."

He held a broken ivory fan in his hand, constantly turning and playing with it between his fingers.

Although he didn't deliberately display arrogance, an inherent haughtiness stemming from his status naturally emanated from him.
When the other four saw Xu Yuan approaching, they each took a half-step forward, intentionally or unintentionally, to protect Wei Jinyuan behind them.

Xu Yuan nodded: "So it's Brother Wei. May I ask if you came here specifically for me?"

Xu Yuan didn't believe it was such a coincidence.

Then let's just ask them face to face and find out.

The expressions of Wei Jinyuan's four men changed slightly, clearly showing that they had become more wary.

But Wei Jinyuan looked at Xu Yuan with considerable appreciation and laughed, "You're quite an interesting person. Since you asked, I have nothing to hide. I did come here specifically for you."

Lang Xiaoba made a move to step forward, but Xu Yuan blocked him with his arm.

"Why?" Xu Yuan asked calmly.

There is no love or hate without a reason, and of course, there is no targeting without a reason.

Wei Jinyuan did not answer directly, but said bluntly, "Of course it's because you offended me. But don't worry, I won't bully you locals. Let's compare our 'Dragon's Mouth Fire'. If you harvest it first, I will never make things difficult for you in the future."

"But if I get it first, I can give it to you, but you must agree to one condition."

Xu Yuan frowned and asked, "People from Beidu?"

Wei Jinyuan pointed the broken fan in his hand at Xu Yuan: "Not bad, he's smart."

Xu Yuan then asked, "What are the conditions?"

"I can't say right now." Wei Jinyuan waved his hand. "But it doesn't matter whether you agree or not. I know that this Dragon Mouth Fire is very important to you. Once I get my hands on it, you'll have to agree whether you like it or not."

Then he stopped arguing with Xu Yuan, turned around and flicked his folding fan: "Show him out."

He went into the room and slammed the door shut.

The four henchmen stepped forward and blocked the way: "Please."

Xu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head: "A spoiled young master from a prominent family."

Lang Xiaoba said indignantly, "What's so great about him? Putting aside his background, what aspect of him is better than yours, sir?"

Xu Yuan walked back and said with a smile, "We should thank him."

Lang Xiaoba asked in surprise, "We should thank him?"

"He told us without any suspicion: there really is a dragon's mouth fire here!"
"Because Wei Jinyuan and his men arrived early, they must have searched secretly and indeed found the Dragon's Mouth Fire, which is why they were so confident in making the bet with me."

After Xu Yuan and the others left, Wei Jinyuan's four men also returned to the house.

One of them then used a trick; his left ear grew rapidly, becoming as thin as a cicada's wing but the size of a winnowing basket.

It stood upright, facing the direction of Xu Yuan and the others.

The conversation between Xu Yuan and the others was relayed through his subordinates.

His trick was very mysterious; when he repeated the conversation of the crowd, his voice would automatically become that of the speaker.

After Xu Yuan finished speaking, the room fell silent.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

None of the four subordinates dared to look at their young master.

Wei Jinyuan's face twitched.

But a sense of unease crept into his mind: This fellow is cunning! We can't underestimate him!
Ji Shuangqiu asked, "Could they have already harvested it?"

“Of course not,” Xu Yuan said. “Given Wei Jinyuan’s personality, if he had already succeeded, he would have used it to force me to agree to his conditions just now.”

But Wei Jinyuan was right about one thing: this "dragon's mouth fire" was really important to Xu Yuan.

With more than four months to go until the Ghost Festival, Xu Yuan must do his best to improve his strength.

Liu Hu, his eyes darting around, whispered, "My lord, I have been secretly watching them these past few days. I have memorized all the places they have been to."

Lang Xiaoba was overjoyed: "Let's search them one by one, we're sure to find something."

Inside the room, as soon as his subordinate relayed Lang Xiaoba's words, Wei Jinyuan opened his folding fan with a whoosh and fanned himself a few times with a smug look: "I knew that county official was following us with ill intentions, with his shifty eyes."

"Hmph, let them search. Even if they turn those places upside down, they won't find anything!"

His men exclaimed, "They've wasted their time; they're doomed to lose this bet!"

Mu Han's expression was solemn as he said, "The Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall at present is named Wei Shiqi."

Is there any connection between this Wei Jinyuan's Wei and that other Wei's Wei?

Inside the room, Wei Jinyuan closed his folding fan and chuckled, "They really guessed right."

(End of this chapter)