There's something wrong with me

Chapter 185 'Well' and 'Branch'

That day, we tidied things up a bit.

Let's have a farewell drink with the 'meritorious' old monk.

Zhang Feng and his two companions then set off lightly, heading to Yangshan, a thousand miles away.

The old cultivator, carrying some collected talismans, returned alone to the general's mansion.

However, Zhang Feng also asked him to pass on a message to the general.

Do not look for me, and whatever news you hear, do not act rashly; be mindful of your own safety.

As for General Hang, this warlord.

Zhang Feng didn't know how to describe it, but perhaps the world was different. He didn't have the "I am the only one who matters in this territory" mentality that many warlords had.

He was more focused on business, believing that harmony brings wealth, and he never claimed to have suppressed anyone.

Even his personality, which allowed him to reach this position, was something his father left him.

It was precisely his 'too amiable' nature that led to the assassination attempt by his subordinates a few years ago.

Zhang Feng decided to give this amiable person a heads-up and protect him.

After all, given his position and the times he lived in, he was still able to be so amiable.

We can't ask for too much.

Compared to the other heroes, in a sense, he was already a very good person.

Sometimes Zhang Feng finds that a person's goodness or badness is relative.

But in other worlds, he would be some kind of villain who disrupts the copper coin system.

……

Three days later, in the evening.

Five hundred miles away.

Zhang Feng and his two companions arrived at the outskirts of a village.

Logically, the three of them shouldn't have stopped, but should have continued walking.

We'll camp in the wild around midnight.

Since everyone here is a cultivator, a pile of fallen leaves on the ground can form a bed.

For us, with our powerful physical abilities, there's not much difference between sleeping on a soft bed and sleeping on mud and leaves.

Only slight differences in sensory perception.

But at this moment.

Zhang Feng stopped in his tracks, staring at the malevolent aura lingering in the air outside the village.

"What's wrong, fellow Daoist?"

When the Taoist saw Zhang Feng stop, he paused and asked a question.

“Something’s not right…” Because Fellow Daoist Lin had cultivated the Yin Earth technique, he could sense the presence of malevolent energy in the air.

Even his past experiences searching for ghosts relied on this kind of 'feeling'.

"There's something wrong here."

Based on the direction from which the evil energy was coming, Zhang Feng headed towards the village, "within an eleven-meter radius of me."

Recently, Zhang Feng optimized his spiritual consciousness structure based on the newly acquired talismans.

Although the number of strokes did not increase, the accuracy and increase in speed were greater.

The most obvious change is that the range has increased by 'nearly' one meter.

The remaining distance of less than a meter was made up for by Zhang Feng's spiritual inspiration.

The exact measurement is now 11.2 meters.

"Follow me." Lin and his companion didn't say much, cautiously following beside Zhang Feng while also observing the villagers.

Some were picking vegetables at their doorsteps, some had just returned from working in the fields, and others were chatting.

"Who are you!" Several children were running around at the village entrance, looking curiously at Zhang Feng and his two companions.

Their lives continued as before, and on the surface, nothing seemed to have changed because of the evil aura.

However, Zhang Feng could see that there was a malevolent aura surrounding their bodies, but they were not reacting yet because they were strong and healthy.

In just a few years, once they are completely corrupted by the evil energy, this village will become a 'ghost village'.

"They have been possessed by evil energy..." Fellow Daoist Lin could also sense the evil energy emanating from the bodies of these people.

"Three Taoist priests."

At this moment, the village chief saw three Taoist priests with extraordinary bearing approaching and led several curious villagers to greet them.

However, this extraordinary quality is only what Fellow Daoist Lin and the Daoist perceive as extraordinary.

Zhang Feng was dressed in plain clothes, looking like a very ordinary young man, the kind you wouldn't notice if you threw him on the street.

But Zhang Feng led the way ahead of Lin Daoyou and his companion.

Lin and his companion followed Zhang Feng like little followers.

Compared to the two of them, the village chief and others felt that all three of them were extraordinary.

"Old man." Zhang Feng saw the village chief leading his men over. Although he didn't know exactly who the village chief was, he knew that he was the leader.

Because the villagers looked at the village chief with great trust.

"Taoist Master, I am..." The village chief then introduced himself and asked, "Taoist Master, are you looking for a place to rest?"

Their village doesn't actually welcome outsiders to stay.

When ordinary people come over, the village chief and others usually try to persuade them to leave.

But Zhang Feng and the other two had such a strong presence that he unconsciously became the one asking questions, like the innkeeper.

When Zhang Feng heard the inquiry, he didn't speak, but instead said directly, "I see some problems in your village."

As Zhang Feng spoke, he specifically looked at the curious women and children who had gathered around.
Have young and old people been feeling tired and sleepy lately?

"How did you know, Taoist priest?" The village chief was puzzled and looked around at the people, wondering if anyone had told the Taoist priest.

“I never said that…” The people around him shook their heads and looked at Zhang Feng with even more curiosity.

"The Taoist priest said there's a problem with our village? What kind of problem?"

They were puzzled, as if something had distracted them, and they immediately forgot about Zhang Feng's earlier mention of 'being lazy'.

“They’ve been bewitched,” Fellow Daoist Lin observed at a glance, “but not very deeply.”

"Hmm." Zhang Feng thought it was normal when he saw them all looking at him strangely.

Because malevolent energy inherently has the effect of 'disorientation'.

Or perhaps the monster that manipulates evil energy deliberately uses it to erode people's minds, making them forget things related to it.

Otherwise, people who should be energetic are now sleeping too much.

The elderly in the family are becoming increasingly frail.

Some men occasionally feel weak.

It might be normal for someone to be in this situation.

But if a village of a hundred or so people is like this, then they should have realized something was wrong long ago.

We shouldn't keep dragging this out like this, and it shouldn't affect our daily lives.

Therefore, all the blame was placed on them being 'bewitched'.

This is also why the village chief likes to chase people away.

However, the fact that Zhang Feng and the other two were protected by spiritual energy, and that spiritual energy naturally overflowed, gave them the feeling that 'they didn't want Zhang Feng and the others to leave'.

This is a human instinct to 'call for help'.

Zhang Feng now has a deep understanding of spiritual energy and the human body, and he can see these things using his Yin-Yang Eyes.

And now, again.

Zhang Feng could clearly see that the spiritual energy of Lin Daoyou and his companion was swirling around them, neutralizing the malevolent energy of the people around them.

This is what is often mentioned in some mythological dramas as 'having a sense of security when you are with a master'.

Because a wise person saves people invisibly.

At the same time, Zhang Feng also noticed that everyone's gaze gradually shifted from curiosity to suspicion.

Finally, some people suddenly remembered something and agreed with Zhang Feng's words.

"Master! My child is exactly what you mean by being a sleepyhead. He can usually go on a crazy day and won't sleep even if you ask him to, but now he falls asleep as soon as he hits the bed. I thought he had changed his nature."

"Third Brother, the child you mentioned is sleepy. It might be the problem in the village that the Taoist priest was talking about."

"Now that you mention it, I've realized something's wrong too. My father's health is deteriorating day by day. I used to think that's normal for older people... but..."

As they talked, they suddenly realized what was going on.

And when the others heard what these people said, they seemed to suddenly have an epiphany.

"Something seems to be wrong in the village..."

"How come we never noticed this before..."

Are we being bewitched by something?

They spoke in turn, their expressions showing a sense of sudden realization.

They genuinely hadn't noticed before.

But now, after realizing this, they suddenly felt a wave of fear.

"Taoist priests..." The village chief then voiced most of the questions he wanted to ask, "Is there a monster in our village...? Did the three Taoist priests sense something was wrong and that's why they came to our village..."

"Hmm." Zhang Feng glanced around at the crowd who were anxiously waiting for his answer. "The three of us happened to be passing by this place and saw that there were evil spirits causing trouble here, so we came here to exorcise them."

"There really is a demon!"

"Is there... a monster in our village?"

"A ghost...there's a ghost..."

The villagers were panicked and looked around.

And at this moment, when they look at their warmest home, their warmest earthen house, they always feel that there is a terrifying monster waiting for them in this dark and empty house.

"Taoist Master..." Many people gathered around Zhang Feng, feeling safer there.

"This monster isn't in your house."

After finishing his sentence, Zhang Feng didn't say anything more, but instead walked towards a well in the village amidst the curious gazes of the crowd.

The well hasn't dried up yet, and there are several buckets of water that have just been drawn from it.

When everyone saw Zhang Feng walk straight to the well, they became even more frightened.

"Could it be... there's a monster in the well?!"

"I fetch water here every day..."

"You're lucky, Fifth Brother, the monster didn't eat you..."

As the crowd chatted, still shaken, they didn't follow Zhang Feng any further, but instead chose to stay far away from the well. "There's something wrong with the water..." Among the crowd were people who had just drawn water; upon seeing that there was a problem with the well, they reacted as if they had been electrocuted, immediately pouring out the water they were holding and even throwing away their buckets.

Zhang Feng stood by the well, using his spiritual sense to gaze at the dark bottom.

About five meters away, there was a hole the size of a football, and a weasel was sleeping there.

It is two meters long, but its waist is about the size of a football, and its limbs are unusually short.

Its bizarre body structure makes it look like a 'snake'.

It's really carefree; even though I've come all this way, it's still asleep.

But upon further reflection, it realized that it didn't possess the same level of spiritual awareness as I did, and couldn't see upwards from inside the cave.

And this is the time to cook.

The sound of villagers coming and going could be heard, and it might have mistaken itself for an ordinary villager.

As for the sound of everyone talking.

Zhang Feng had already used spiritual energy resonance to shield the surroundings.

It's also about putting what we've learned into practice and putting it to the test, using this monster incident as an example.

Now it seems that the effect is good.

"Brother Daoist, is there a demon here?"

At this moment, amidst the silence in the village, Lin Daoyou spoke up and asked a question.

He couldn't see it because a distance of five meters is almost to the third floor.

The well opening wasn't very big, and looking down into it was pitch black.

At the same time, amidst the anxious waiting of everyone, Zhang Feng nodded and said, "Here."

As he spoke, Zhang Feng, amidst the even more anxious expressions of the crowd, stated frankly: "This demon is a two-meter-long weasel, and it looks different from the weasels you have seen before."

Because it looks more like a snake now.

"A two-meter-long weasel..."

"Taller than a person..."

Everyone was in a daze, never expecting that they had been living with such a 'great monster' all along.

"Taoist Master..." Standing in front of the crowd, the village chief, who had previously tried to appear calm, now looked at Zhang Feng with fear, "Can you take 'him' away?"

The village chief's words drew everyone's eager anticipation.

"I came here for this very reason." As soon as Zhang Feng finished speaking, before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief or react, he immediately made a grabbing motion with his palm towards the well opening.

By using the movements of the palms, one can deepen their control over spiritual energy.

The next second, while everyone was still wondering if the Taoist priest would take a torch and go down into the well to capture the demon,

With a piercing squeak, it sounded like a group of mice hissing.

A disgusting monster with a bizarre shape and grayish fur suddenly sprang out of the well, only to be tossed aside by Zhang Feng with a wave of his hand.

"Demon...demon..."

When the monster appeared, everyone's instinct was to run, but in their fear, their legs felt like lead, and they couldn't take a step.

"Such a strong malevolent aura..." Fellow Daoist Lin frowned, not expecting that there would be such a demon in this small village.

call-

The Taoist priest took out the earth spike talisman that Zhang Feng had given him, ready to throw it at any time.

"Squeak!" After being captured in its sleep, the weasel looked at Zhang Feng, who was radiating terrifying spiritual energy, and, like a human, kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.

This weasel has become a spirit.

At the same time, seeing the weasel move like a human sent chills down everyone's spines.

Zhang Feng remained unmoved, and amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, he once again covered its head with his palm, easily beheading it from a distance.

"This demon has been eliminated."

Zhang Feng looked at everyone and said, "Now that it's dead, it won't be long before the source of its malevolent energy is gone."

I will then use the exorcism talisman as a medicinal ingredient to dispel the evil energy from your bodies, and you will recover completely.

As for this well…

Zhang Feng used his spiritual sense to draw a talisman, and an exorcising talisman, invisible to the naked eye, appeared in the air, instantly dispersing the evil energy within the well.
"It's alright, you can still get water to drink."

Psychologically, I feel uneasy about a well that was once inhabited by a monster.

Zhang Feng didn't know whether the others would use it or not.

But knowing that digging a well is difficult, he helped out.

Although the crowd could not see the talisman and did not know what Zhang Feng had done, they felt that the temperature around the well seemed to have warmed up a bit in that instant.
This warmth is mostly psychological.

For a small number of them, Zhang Feng drew a few more talismans to dispel the evil aura emanating from them.

……

The villagers were incredibly hospitable that evening.

Zhang Feng also ate there and took the opportunity to study the weasel again.

This kind of research is useful for subjects related to corpse refining techniques, Yin attributes, the biological structure of demon cultivators, and beast taming.

But also on that night.

Zhang Feng also heard several little children calling him "Great Immortal".

In particular, Zhang Feng did not reveal his name, but they gave him a nickname: "Lingshan Immortal".

This is the Lingshan area.

Similarly, after several little children uttered this name.

Zhang Feng suddenly had a realization, and also a bit of curiosity.

In addition, he had encountered the Lingshan Immortal several times in a row.

Zhang Feng still has relatively vivid memories of him.

then.

The children's cry of "Great Immortal," and the weasel that sounds like a mouse.

Zhang Feng suddenly remembered what had happened in the 'underground world'.

One of my fellow travelers, who loved telling ghost stories, recounted, "My grandmother said that there once was a powerful spirit who kept a yellow-skinned rat, which could even wear human skin and transform into a person."

In addition, there were two little girls among those dolls.

So there's a very high probability that one of the little girls is the traveler's grandmother.

Because according to this timeline, there is a difference of nearly 70 years between this timeline and the 80s.

Although the events themselves are incorrect, the timing, the names used, and the weasel are correct.

That's why Zhang Feng found it quite interesting; he hadn't expected to stumble upon a timeline of a 'branch event'.

If this world continues as it is, perhaps a group of people really will fall into a hole in the ground, and one of them will say, "My grandma said that the Immortal of Lingshan killed the weasel."

But it was precisely the thought of a cave that came to mind.

It is now also within the Lingshan area.

Now that we've thought of it, let's look for the mouse.

……

Early the next morning.

We made a small turn along the way to Lingshan.

Fellow Daoist Lin and the others didn't ask any further questions.

However, to make the search easier with more people, Zhang Feng also told them that he was looking for a rat cave.

Here, we search separately.

……

In ten days, they searched the entire Lingshan area.

Good news! There really is a rat hole, in the same location, but without the traps set by the Great Immortal of Lingshan. Instead, it's just a simple trap to slay a giant rat.

Then kill him.

Once everything is resolved.

Zhang Feng actually had a complex mix of lingering fear and relief.

Because in such a spiritual world, what if rats have already appeared, or even already emerged?

Ignoring it is not a good idea.

Never mind, it's just creating trouble for yourself and wasting time.

Now look what's happened, the whole bunch has been taken care of.

This initial feeling of intense tension followed by relaxation also reduced Zhang Feng's inner demon value by about 5%, which was better than nothing.

……

Many things overlap...

They continued their journey to Yangshan.

Based on this incident involving rats, Zhang Feng made a very interesting observation.

That is, this world clearly does not have the Great Immortal of Lingshan, but it has rats 'created' by the Great Immortal of Lingshan.

Does that mean that if something changes in one world, there will be a 'reflection' in a similar parallel world?

Of course, with so many things in the world, it could also be a coincidence.

But precisely because of written language, Zhang Feng felt that written language might allow him to select some worlds that could be reflected in his life.

Otherwise, how could they have encountered the same guests and heretical practitioners?

Therefore, Zhang Feng concluded that other worlds besides the real world might be parallel.

As for their own world, within the world of the reincarnators, it has already been locked by text.

This has resolved all the messy worries.

However, there is also the possibility of extraterrestrial civilizations.

That is consistent with normal scientific logic.

The universe is so vast, yet it's said that only Earthlings exist.

Zhang Feng didn't believe it, but he didn't have enough knowledge to verify it.

……

While traveling, he pondered and analyzed the talisman and other protective charms to strengthen their stability.

unconsciously.

We've arrived in Yangshan.