Chapter 223: Mute Village

At Yuanshi Tianzun's words, every guild mate and friend around him turned to him at once. The Saint-tier competitors going all out down in the ring lost their pull in an instant.

Yuanshi's going into a solo dungeon? Ling Jun, Guan Ya, Call Me Queen, and the others in the White Tiger Guard felt an initial jolt of excitement.

Everyone was curious what difficulty his second solo Spirit Realm would turn out to be. Moreover, if Yuanshi Tianzun could bank up enough experience to get to fifty percent before the slaughter dungeon arrived, his odds of clearing that dungeon and breaking through to Saint tier would climb sharply.

The people who dared enter a slaughter dungeon were more or less the cream of the crop amongst the Level 3 Walkers, and the slaughter dungeon was just a pack of heavy-hitters slugging it out inside one big dungeon. The moment Yuanshi Tianzun got singled out, things would turn ugly fast. Even ants could bring down an elephant in sufficient numbers.

Therefore, every scrap of strength earned before the slaughter dungeon opened was another scrap of insurance. A solo dungeon meant experience points and item drops, which would be a big boost to his combat power.

Guan Ya and Li Dongze, both Scouts, caught the wrongness of his tone and the look on his face, and their stomachs dropped. Oh no. Not another S-rank?

If so, they'd be back to fretting over the same nightmare scenario: that Yuanshi Tianzun would be cut down before his great enterprise was even half-begun.

Fu Qingyang's brow creased faintly. "S-rank again?"

Nobody said a word. They just watched Yuanshi Tianzun, waiting for his answer.

Zhang Yuanqing counted down the seconds in his head. "It's A-rank."

A-rank.

Everyone had barely let out the breath they'd been holding when he continued, "The dungeon is called Mute Village. There wasn't any guide for it."

No guide. Fu Qingyang's eyes narrowed.

There were two ways that could happen. Either nobody from the Taiyi Sect had ever entered it to log it, or, like the Sheling Tunnel dungeon, it had yet to be successfully cleared. Either way, Yuanshi walking into this Spirit Realm dungeon was like a blind man crossing a river. He'd have to feel his way forward.

An A-rank dungeon with its corresponding dangers, and with no guide to go on... Breaking fresh ground in an A-rank dungeon usually meant a whole heap of people had died trying to complete it.

Breaking ground in an S-rank dungeon meant a whole heap squared.

"He has the worst luck," Call Me Queen murmured.

Guan Ya's pretty face grew troubled, and her brows knit together.

Li Dongze smacked his own forehead. Ever since they'd recruited Yuanshi Tianzun, every single time the kid went into a dungeon was a fresh cardiac stress test for him as squad leader.

Behind Fu Qingyang, the grim-faced White Tiger Guard traded glances. Across their whole time in the Transcendent tier, the A-rank dungeons they'd run could be counted on one hand, and every one had been a close shave, even with a guide. Without one, the death rate was over seventy percent. Every dungeon run that Yuanshi Tianzun went on was like a walk to the gallows.

"There's not much time left," Zhang Yuanqing said, keeping the countdown going in his head.

He swept his eyes over the group. "Wish me luck, everyone. Return!"

His figure vanished from in front of Guan Ya and the others.

Through the blur, his room began to reappear around him, and he felt the storage locker's handle cold under his palm before the rest snapped into place. Time was tight. He didn't waste a second, lunging for the nightstand, tipping seven or eight small blue pills into his pocket, then yanking the desk drawer open and grabbing the Cat King Speaker.

Finally, a dead sprint to the wardrobe. He hauled the doors open and clamped a hand down on Corpse No. 1's shoulder. A Nocturnal Specter could bring a yin corpse into a solo Spirit Realm. Zhang Yuanqing had dug that answer out of the forums.

By the Taiyi Sect's account, a yin corpse was an extension of the Nocturnal Specter's own power, of the same nature as a spirit servant. As far as the Spirit Realm's rules were concerned, it counted as an item or a puppet, not a person, so it could be brought along into a solo run.

His hand had rested on the corpse's shoulder for only a couple of seconds before the bedroom rippled around him and blurred completely.

***

Back in the arena, the moment Yuanshi Tianzun returned home, Fu Qingyang rose and pulled out an azure cape, which he threw over his shoulders.

The cape snapped and streamed in the wind as a spiral of air lifted Fu Qingyang off the ground and carried him toward the elders' seats.

He stood upright as he rode the whirlwind, the cape spread wide behind him, reminiscent of Superman out of the movies, a total eyeball magnet. Fu Qingyang's sudden move instantly caught the attention of the audience, who'd been engrossed in the arena match a moment before.

"Huh, what's the Rich Young Master up to?"

"Looks like he's got some big intel to bring to the elders..."

"Go ask one of the White Tiger Guard."

Elder Teddy pulled his gaze back and turned it on Fu Qingyang, studied him for a few seconds, then said in a low voice, "What happened?"

Fu Qingyang always had the same inscrutable look on his face, but Elder Teddy could read the seriousness in his eyes. The few elders nearby either turned toward the sound or pricked up their ears.

Fu Qingyang cut straight to the point. "Yuanshi Tianzun just went into a dungeon."

Reading his trusted subordinate's expression, something clicked in Elder Teddy's mind. "Another S-rank?"

Elder Teddy's emotions were in a tangle. One couldn't tell whether it was anticipation or dread.

Fu Qingyang shook his head. "A-rank. Mute Village."

A-rank. The elders around them heard it and let out a collective breath, even though they felt a little let down at the same time. An A-rank dungeon shouldn't give Yuanshi Tianzun much trouble, but if he somehow managed to clear three S-rank dungeons in the Transcendent tier, his record would outshine the Female Marshal's. He'd become the most dazzling Transcendent-tier figure in the Five Elements Alliance's entire history.

Just then, Elder Sun frowned. "Mute Village? I don't recall a Mute Village dungeon anywhere in the Taiyi Sect database. Hongying, does it ring a bell for you?"

As an elder, he had the Transcendent, Saint, and Sovereign guides in the sect's database memorized.

Elder Hongying gave a small shake of her head. "Never heard of it..."

Something occurred to her, and her face turned serious. "Don't tell me it's a dungeon without a guide, or an A-rank dungeon the Taiyi Sect has never logged before."

At that, the elders who'd lost interest a moment ago all turned to her.

Dungeon guides were the bedrock of any official organization, and a major tool for reeling in talent. The higher-ups' stance on dungeon guides was, and always would be, the more the better.

Elder Teddy finally understood why Fu Qingyang looked so grave. Yuanshi Tianzun had gone off as a pathfinder.

"A dungeon the Taiyi Sect has never logged, of all things..."

Elder Sun's and Elder Zhao's eyes both lit up sharply. Guided or not, if it wasn't in the Taiyi Sect database, the value was enormous.

The armored swordsman ran his thumb over the hilt of the sword at his hip and mused, "Considering Yuanshi Tianzun's level, the odds of him clearing an A-rank dungeon are very high. There's no need to worry. What I'm concerned about is..."

A grin surfaced on that solemn, commanding face. "How much your Taiyi Sect is prepared to pay for the guide."

"If Yuanshi Tianzun clears this A-rank dungeon, then the Taiyi Sect will buy it. Name your price," Elder Hongying answered plainly.

Elder Sun and Elder Zhao didn't argue.

"Things are looking a bit more interesting now," one Five Elements Alliance Elder laughed. "As I recall, Yuanshi Tianzun has been stocking our Alliance database with guides ever since his Sheling Tunnel clear. Groundbreaking work like this really does require a top tier genius."

"Right you are. And now, we'll have one more A-rank dungeon guide."

Meanwhile, word that Yuanshi Tianzun had entered a dungeon spread quickly through the crowd.

"What? Yuanshi Tianzun went into a dungeon that hasn't been cleared before?"

"He was actually pulled into one that's not even in the Taiyi Sect's database. The man's cursed."

"He's cleared S-rank dungeons before, so an A-rank one should be no sweat. Transcendent-tier dungeons take a day to clear, tops. Ugh, I really wanna know how it goes."

All of a sudden, the match going on in the arean stopped being interesting.

***

The sky was overcast. Weak daylight filtered down through a thin layer of cloud, casting a dull, drowsy light over the rundown little mountain village and giving it an unsettling air.

Zhang Yuanqing stood at the mouth of the village, looking around. Ahead of him lay the dead, decaying village. Behind him stretched blackened fields and the mountains standing silent watch. At his side, Corpse No. 1 stood there, unmoving, staring blankly ahead.

It was hard to determine the age of the village. Stone houses, some tall, some low, ran as far as the eye could see, their straight roof ridges laid with weather-beaten tiles. The little path from the village mouth into its depths was made of packed dirt, the kind that turned to a mire the second it rained.

This place looks a lot creepier than Yin Yang Town, he thought to himself. But the creepier and more dead a place is, the cozier I feel. It’s like coming home.

He didn't go in right away. Before wading into a dungeon, he needed to sort out his thoughts. The main quest is to survive twenty-four hours. Survival quests like this have an upside, which is how much room you've got to work with. The Walker going in can move around freely.

The downside is, you get almost no prompts. The Spirit Realm won't tell you what to do. The player has to dig it all up himself, feel his way through, and somewhere along the way, he might just walk straight into a life-or-death mess. Like that time a vengeful spirit latched onto me out of nowhere.

From the dungeon's blurb, the biggest boss here had to be the woman from the ancient tomb, who had come out after Wang Xiao'er.

So I'll be pushing the boss down, huh, he thought wryly to himself. Yeah. The literal meaning of pushing it down, back into the grave.

There are two key figures in this dungeon—the tomb ghost woman and Wang Xiao'er. Let's go find Wang Xiao'er first. If the guy's even still alive.

With that, Zhang Yuanqing took Corpse No. 1 and headed down the dirt path into the village.

The houses were mostly stone, with walls of rammed earth and straw roofs. There was not a speck of green at the bases of the walls or along the road, only dead weeds and dried-up patches of moss.

As he walked, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt eyes on him.

He whipped his head around. In a house on his left, through the one small square window in the wall, a pair of eyes was watching him. Once caught, the eyes quickly ducked back into the dark.

A person, or a spirit?

That perked him right up. A person, he could talk to. A spirit, he could devour. Either way there was intel to be had. What he dreaded most was a dead, empty ghost town where he'd run into nothing for hours, just to turn a corner and run smack into the big boss.

He went straight around to the front of that house. Out front sat a small yard. He stopped at the wooden gate, lifted his arm, and rapped with his knuckles. The dry, blackened wood echoed with a couple of hollow thuds.

He kept at it for a good while, but the yard stayed dead quiet. Nobody answered. If that were the case, then he'd go over the wall.

Zhang Yuanqing lifted the yin corpse, sent it over the outer wall which was over two meters tall, and set it down into the yard. At the same time, in his sea of consciousness, he reached for the mark that represented the yin corpse and slipped into its body.

He took in the yard through the yin corpse's eyes. Out front stood a millstone, a woodpile, and a jujube tree. Straight across from the gate stood the house itself. On the west side stood a rough little shed. He walked over to the shed and poked his head in. It was an outhouse.

An outhouse. The village build is reminiscent of those in the northern regions. I remember something I read from a book once: "up north, the jujubes are sweet and fragrant."

Mute Village had to be a village in the north, and it looked ancient on top of that. A college kid his age, born and raised in Songhai, was a stranger to the countryside. There was nothing modern anywhere in sight within the village—No utility poles, no streetlights, no bus stop signs, no solar panels.

He did one loop around the yard then went straight to the house and knocked on the main door.

Still nobody.

He kicked the wooden door in, and it went over with a crash. Dust drifted down from above, and the heavy slab of wood slamming into the floor kicked up even more.

The interior was dim and murky, but it was no obstacle to a Nocturnal Specter's eyes[1]. His gaze passed over the furnishings one by one, and stopped on a white-haired old man.

The old man was pressed against the wall, staring at him with a hoe gripped in both hands, terrified and on guard.

"Grandpa?" Zhang Yuanqing probed quietly.

"Aah, aah." The old man made the sound only a mute made and swung the hoe a few times in an attempt to shoo him away.

He can't speak. From that, Zhang Yuanqing understood how the village got its name. If they can't speak, then the living here aren't useful. Might as well kill one and do a spirit consultation. He's a Spirit Realm NPC anyway. He should respawn.

The moment that thought flashed through his mind, he immediately shot it down. This old man's face, his whole bearing, was no different from an ordinary person's. He couldn't talk himself into killing an old guy who looked like someone's grandfather. Not unless the old geezer turned into a hate-filled monster the next second.

"Grandpa, can you write?" he asked.

The old man paid him no mind at all, just kept swinging the hoe and threatening him with those "aah, aah" sounds.

He gave up. He would get nothing out of the old man by talking to him, but his very existence was a clue. The woman from the tomb hadn't slaughtered the inhabitants of the village. Maybe things weren't so deadly here after all. He ignored the threats and made a lap around the house. He came up empty-handed, so he went back out to the first room.

"Grandpa, do you know where Wang Xiao'er lives?"

The old man was stubborn as a mule and refused to engage him.

Zhang Yuanqing was stuck. He thought it over for a moment, and an idea surfaced. He grabbed a stool and cursed.

"What the hell is your problem? I'm asking you where Wang Xiao'er lives. Just spit it out and we're done. Keep giving me attitude and I'll shave your skull down till it whistles when you fart, and you'd better believe it."

The old man jabbed his hoe toward the west.

"There we go. See you, Grandpa."

Zhang Yuanqing tossed the stool aside and backed out of the house.

Back out in the yard, another idea hit him. He thought of a way to obtain more information. The Cat King Speaker.

If the dungeon he'd landed in was one Demon Lord had cleared before, then, knowing Demon Lord's style, he'd have logged it with the Cat King Speaker for sure.

No. Even without a recording, the Cat King Speaker would surely know something if it had ever been inside this place.

The Cat King's soul was sealed within the item. It was an item with a will of its own, one that could be conversed with. It logged things on its own initiative. Back in Jinshui Amusement Park, the thing had let slip information about the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, though nobody had recorded a thing that time either.

1. The author might have accidentally assumed that Zhang Yuanqing himself was in the house, but it is in fact Corpse No. 1. He mentions in other chapters that a yin corpse cannot see in the dark, even if it is being controlled. ☜