The Invincible Supreme Medical God-Chapter 1075 - 574: Active State
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"Feng Yan, you're forcing my hand!" he thought. He stood there quietly for a few breaths, lowered his head for a moment, then strode forward, following Du Lingfei and Feng Yan. Before long, they disappeared into the forest.
Four hours later, they were still hurrying along. Night was falling, the sun setting, ensuring the forest gradually darkened.
"We're here!" Feng Yan suddenly said. The three of them stopped walking and gazed at the forest. Ahead, the trees thinned, revealing numerous limestone boulders jutting from the ground.
A large complex of courtyards could be seen, arranged to house hundreds of people in a grand mansion. At this hour of night, a clan would usually be at its most active, yet unexpectedly, the mansion was completely dark and silent. Given the darkness of the sky, the whole place seemed almost abandoned.
The only light came from two lanterns hanging at the main entrance. Even without wind, the two lanterns swayed back and forth, casting flickering shadows on the guardian stone lions beneath them.
The sight made Feng Yan and Du Lingfei's faces flicker.
As for Yan Xiaobao, the moment he saw the mansion, a sense of impending danger surged in his heart. It felt as though every inch of his flesh was screaming.
"Something's happened—" Feng Yan said, his heart pounding. Yet, before he even finished speaking, the main gate suddenly banged open, and an evil wind blew out. Simultaneously, a figure appeared silently in the doorway.
The courtyard gate opened, and Du Lingfei, Feng Yan, and Yan Xiaobao remained completely alert as they peered inside. Yan Xiaobao was so nervous he began patting paper amulets on himself.
The person who had just appeared held a lantern in hand, standing in the open doorway, staring at the three of them in the shadows.
"Why, may I ask, have you three come to the Luochen Clan on this dark night?"
The flickering light of the lantern barely revealed a young man, standing there calmly watching them. He wore a long green robe, his face pale without any trace of blood.
Seeing that it was a human who appeared, Feng Yan and Du Lingfei both let out a sigh of relief. Somehow, the creepy feeling they had just experienced had faded a bit.
Feng Yan clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, fellow Taoist. We are disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect, visiting for a few queries."
By this time, Du Lingfei had already noticed the numerous shields flashing around Yan Xiaobao, and she frowned slightly.
Yan Xiaobao didn't notice Du Lingfei's gaze. For some reason, the appearance of the young man did not lessen his intense sense of danger.
"Ah, Taoists from the Spirit Flow Sect," the young man said. "Please, come in, we can discuss things..." The flickering lantern cast shadows on the young man's face, making it difficult to see clearly as he turned to walk away.
Then the courtyard gate swung open, allowing the three disciples to enter.
Feng Yan hesitated for a moment before walking through the gate. Du Lingfei followed behind him. As for Yan Xiaobao, he looked around, then gritted his teeth and carefully stepped into the courtyard.
Even as the gate closed behind them, the two stone lions beneath the lantern outside suddenly turned to face the direction of the gate, their eyes flashing with a bloody light.
Inside the courtyard was a green limestone path, winding through various plants and ornamental rocks. Faint moonlight shone down, casting everything into partial shadow. The only light came from the lantern, which swayed back and forth in the young man's hand.
The four of them walked along the path, surrounded by a gloomy silence. The place seemed almost different from the world outside the gates.
On the right side of the path were a few fruit trees, laden with red fruit. Strangely, though there was no breeze in the courtyard, the leaves of those trees suddenly rustled.
Du Lingfei and Feng Yan seemed more alert than ever, while Yan Xiaobao, at the back of the line, looked around. For some reason, those rustling fruit trees seemed very odd.
Gradually, a scent like fresh blood rose, faint but at the same time distinct.
Yan Xiaobao's heart started pounding, and he suddenly muttered something. Suddenly, the fruit began to fall from the trees, landing on the ground, rolling towards Yan Xiaobao and the others. Strangely, faces could be seen on the fruits, childlike with wide, painted smiles.
"La la la! Hello!"
Arms and legs sprouted from the fruits as they ran towards Yan Xiaobao and the others, clenching fists, then began to jump around the shocked trio.
Meanwhile, the fruits started shouting in excited voices: "Auntie says it's good, don't cry! We can only laugh! Ripe fruit is the best fruit!"
As they danced and began singing children's lullabies, their voices were charming and sweet. Now that they were so close, their fragrance could be smelled. In fact, it was so cloyingly sweet that after inhaling it, Yan Xiaobao and the others felt as if they were about to vomit out their guts.
When the fruits got too close to the young man with the lantern, he ignored them entirely, even stepping on some, crushing them. However, the crushed fruits merely crawled back to his feet, smiling and continuing to dance and sing.
"What on earth are these things?!" Feng Yan exclaimed, his eyes flashing. He waved a gloved hand, conjuring a gust of wind that blew some of the fruits away. After splattering on the ground, they picked themselves up and rejoined the circle, laughing just as before.
