The Emergence of a Strange Artifact

Translator: CinderTL

Seeing the situation, the old village chief felt slightly reassured. It seemed that these people were not bandits, but he still dared not pick up the silver on the ground. He cautiously raised his head and said, "Master, please ask."

Xu Sanyan, sitting on horseback with his eyes lowered, asked, "I heard that there have been ghostly occurrences here recently, and several people have died. Tell me in detail."

The old village chief breathed a sigh of relief. So that was why they had come. He quickly replied, "To be honest with you, Master, the entire Zhao Laosan family of three died. There was also a very pretty young girl who came to ask about it."

A very pretty young girl? That must be Song Zhu.

"What did she do when she came here?"

The village chief thought for a moment and said, "She didn't do much. She stayed at Old Curved Gully for a few days, then secretly pried open the graves of the Zhao Laosan family. Later, she seemed to go to the town to look for some county records."

Xu Sanyan shook his head lightly. How foolish. This was her so-called righteous way of doing things—utterly inefficient.

"How long ago did the Zhao Laosan family die?"

"It's been over a month. Their deaths were terrifying. Their bodies had turned into dried husks, with only a layer of skin clinging to their bones," the old village chief said with lingering fear.

"Take me to Zhao Laosan's house," Xu Sanyan waved his hand, and a large group of villagers followed behind.

The group arrived at Zhao Laosan's house. Xu Sanyan didn't expect to find any strange artifact here, as Song Zhu had likely already turned the place upside down.

In front of a thatched hut, Xu Sanyan pushed the door open and looked inside. Various messy household items were piled together, and the bedding on the wooden bed was still scattered.

The entire house looked chaotic.

Xu Sanyan walked out of the house and asked the old village chief, "Who has entered this house after the Zhao Laosan family died?"

The old village chief hesitated for a moment and said, "Most of the adults in the village have been here. Our village is small, and everyone helped with the funeral arrangements for the Zhao Laosan family. That pretty young girl also came."

Xu Sanyan nodded slightly. He had already searched Song Zhu and found nothing. It seemed she hadn't found the strange artifact either.

Why did the Zhao Laosan family die so mysteriously, while the other families in the village remained unaffected?

"Where did the Zhao Laosan family often go before they died? Did they exhibit any strange behavior recently, or bring back anything unusual?"

"Something unusual..."

The old village chief frowned and thought for a long time. Xu Sanyan didn't rush him and waited patiently.

"I know!"

Suddenly, a child behind them spoke up loudly, startling a woman nearby who quickly covered the child's mouth. "The child is young and doesn't understand. Master, please don't be angry."

Xu Sanyan smiled reassuringly and walked over to the child. He took out a handful of silver pieces, bent down, and said kindly, "You know? Tell me, and I'll give you all this money."

The child's eyes lit up. Though young, he understood the value of silver. He picked the largest piece from the pile and clutched it in his hand. "Zhao Gangdan found a small knife at Old Curved Gully. It was so pretty and even glowed. I wanted to borrow it for a couple of days, but he wouldn't let me."

Xu Sanyan turned to the old village chief. "What is Old Curved Gully?"

The old village chief sighed. "Ah, Master, you may not know. Old Curved Gully is a sinkhole about five miles to the south. It's said that a great general from the previous dynasty fought a battle there against the enemy, and hundreds of thousands of people died. It's a cursed place, and few people go there."

Xu Sanyan patted the child's head, thinking to himself. These children probably went there out of boredom and accidentally found that small knife. That thing was very likely the strange artifact.

Xu Sanyan crouched down and looked at the child. "Do you know where that small knife is now?"

The child shook his head. "Wang Xiao and I went to Zhao Gangdan's house to look for it, but we couldn't find it."

Xu Sanyan nodded with a smile, feeling certain. It seemed the small knife was still somewhere in the village.

"That small knife is an evil object. Whoever voluntarily hands it over will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold!"

Xu Sanyan announced loudly, while glancing at the villagers, trying to read their expressions.

Unfortunately, most of them looked frightened, with only a few showing greed.

In the darkness, a young man at the back of the crowd pursed his lips, indifferent to Xu Sanyan's promise of a thousand taels of gold. With that treasure, he could get as much money as he wanted.

A pretty girl had come before, with the same goal as these people—to find that small knife. This only confirmed his belief that the knife was indeed a treasure.

However, though that girl was pretty, she was too foolish. She spent many days at Old Curved Gully but found nothing.

The young man clenched his fists. This incident served as a warning to him. Once these people left, he would have to leave quickly too. Otherwise, more and more people would come, and he might be exposed.

Xu Sanyan sighed with a hint of disappointment. "Let me be honest with you. That thing is something the Emperor himself has demanded. Whoever hands it over will be guaranteed wealth for life, and their descendants will prosper for generations."

He paused, then his expression turned stern as he added, "If no one hands it over, I'll have to take matters into my own hands. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"

With a sudden motion, Xu Sanyan struck the wall in front of him, shattering it. The threat couldn't be clearer.

The old village chief looked panicked, and the villagers were filled with fear. They all spoke up, "Whoever has that evil object, hurry and hand it over to the Master."

"Yes, it's something the Emperor wants. Hurry and give it up."

The followers behind Xu Sanyan exchanged glances. When had they started working for the Emperor? But no one dared to contradict him.

Seeing that there was still no response, Xu Sanyan asked again, "Who was the first to discover the deaths of the Zhao Laosan family?"

At these words, the young man at the back turned pale, his heart suddenly trembling. This man was much smarter than that pretty girl. He quietly began to move, preparing to run.

Just then, the village chief spoke up, "Was it the Fang family's boy?"

Someone nearby chimed in, "Yes, it was the Fang family's boy. He was very close to the Zhao Laosan family and often visited them."

The young man knew he could no longer hide. He bolted, running at an astonishing speed, comparable to someone at the Peak Stage of Qi Refinement.

Xu Sanyan lightly tapped his feet and leaped into the air, chasing after the young man. At the same time, he ordered, "Keep an eye on them. No one is allowed to leave."

"Yes!"

The two of them raced into the night, one after the other. Xu Sanyan suddenly exerted more force, increasing his speed. In an instant, he appeared in front of the young man.

"Why are you running?" Xu Sanyan suppressed his excitement. The strange artifact was likely in his hands.

The young man's face was filled with panic, but he tried to remain calm. "I... I remembered I left rice cooking at home."

Xu Sanyan was momentarily stunned, then laughed. "Good excuse. Hand over the object. My earlier promise still stands."

The young man tried to bluff his way through. "I don't know what the Master is talking about..."

Before he could finish, Xu Sanyan moved like a ghost, striking the young man's shoulder with a palm strike. A dull "thud" echoed as the young man staggered back five or six steps, losing his balance and falling to the ground. He quickly used his arms to support himself.

Xu Sanyan's pupils dilated in astonishment.

That palm strike had been aimed at crippling him, carrying a surge of Inner Qi. Even Song Zhu, at the Initial Stage of Inner Qi, would have had her shoulder shattered and been immobilized by such a strike. Yet this young man seemed completely unharmed?

(End of the Chapter)

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