Chapter 17: Lord Cao Carries the Aura of Death

Cao Ronghai’s sudden shift in attitude was as swift as turning the page of a book, leaving even Chu Li momentarily stunned. By the time she processed it, Cao had already ordered his men to bring over hot food, fawning over her with extreme diligence.

"Miss Chu, the journey has been long and tiring. Eating hard cakes provides no nourishment. My subordinates have a cook with us; this braised pork is excellent, please do have a taste."

Chu Li watched Magistrate Cao steadily. A dignified third-rank imperial official was bowing and scraping before her, a nameless female mystic, and even referring to himself as "this humble official." If the current Emperor were to learn that the official he hand-picked was acting like such a sycophant, he would likely wake up from his dreams in a fit of rage.

"Miss, since Magistrate Cao is so sincere, you should eat something." Qiu Yi thought of all the hardships her mistress had endured along the way. They had been traveling along the official road for days without a single inn to stay in, surviving on nothing but dry, flavorless cakes for nearly a week. When had her mistress, a Princess, ever suffered like this?

Chu Li was indeed feeling a bit hungry, so she sat down and began to eat. Jiao Yan and the others from the escort agency had no objections. Since that night, Miss Chu had become the anchor of their group; with her presence on this escort mission, everyone felt incredibly at ease.

Dozens of meters away, the entourage of the Prince of You was resting.

"That spineless official is truly pathetic. To debase himself like that—he has completely abandoned all sense of official dignity. He acts like a grandson the moment he sees a mystic, yet he didn't even think to offer the best food to you, Your Highness, instead fawning over that Miss Chu," Black Feather grumbled, stealing glances at his master’s expression. Ever since the Prince had summoned Miss Chu into his carriage a few days ago, he had been deep in thought, presumably still concerned about the Princess.

Fu Heng’s cold, deep gaze rested on the slender silhouette in the distance and the obsequious Cao Ronghai. A dark glint flashed in his eyes.

"Have the scouts cleared the road ahead?"

Black Feather replied solemnly, "To reach the next pass, we must pass through a town called Luohe. However, that town has been unstable lately, and Magistrate Cao has been delayed there for two days..."

Chu Li noticed that Magistrate Cao had something on his mind, so after she finished her meal, she asked directly, "Magistrate Cao, if you have something to say, please speak plainly. I do intend to use the escort agency’s protection to travel north, and in return, I will do my best to help with whatever you need."

Hearing this, Cao Ronghai’s eyes flickered. He immediately stepped aside and gestured for her to follow.

"This humble official does indeed have a matter to ask for your guidance on, Miss Chu. Please, this way."

Once they reached the makeshift tent Cao had set up, Chu Li had barely sat down when Cao Ronghai spoke: "To be honest, Miss, there is a town ahead that is extremely sinister. To continue north, we must pass through it, but..."

Cao’s voice trailed off, his face turning ghastly. The atmosphere inside the tent grew inexplicably eerie. The two guards accompanying him also wore heavy expressions, with fear flickering in their eyes.

Chu Li lifted her eyelids to glance at Cao and his men. The air was thick with the stench of death, and their vitality was fading. It seemed that the town was indeed far from simple.

"People have died in that town, and not a small number," Chu Li stated calmly. Cao and his guards widened their eyes almost in unison, staring at her in disbelief.

Chu Li’s heart sank. "It seems I guessed correctly. Tell me, what is the situation in that town?"

If the town was capable of infecting Cao and his men with such heavy necrotic energy, the matter was not trivial. Since she had encountered it, she could not ignore it—especially since the town was a necessary stop on their route.

Having confirmed that the Miss Chu before him possessed genuine ability, Cao Ronghai felt as if he had taken a soothing medicine and began to recount their experiences over the past two days. Two days ago, he and his men had arrived at Luohe Town, but before they could even enter, they were scattered by wave after wave of funeral processions. Upon inquiry, he learned that people had been dying in the town consecutively for half a month, and the village head had already ordered that no outsiders be allowed to enter.

"The entire town of Luohe is effectively under lockdown. Miss Chu, you haven't seen it—the coffins, if laid end-to-end, could circle the capital."

"Yes, yes! I have never seen such a sight in my life. My legs were trembling just looking at it." The men turned pale and shivered at the memory of the endless line of coffins.

Cao Ronghai continued, "One of my subordinates caught a glimpse of the corpse in one of the coffins. And you wouldn't believe what he saw."

Chu Li frowned, waiting for the rest.

Cao Ronghai’s face was filled with terror, his breathing rapid. "That coffin was covered in yellow talismans, packed densely. And the stench of death from the coffin was highly unusual. It’s nearly winter, but according to him, the stench was overpowering—not something that should exist at this time of year."

By the end, Cao’s voice had changed. He was a man who deeply feared the supernatural, and since his subordinate was certain about the yellow talismans, he was convinced that the deaths were far from ordinary.

Hearing this, Chu Li’s expression shifted, and she began to form a hypothesis. Yellow talismans inside a coffin were likely the work of a fellow practitioner. Talismans were only used around the deceased in cases of unnatural death. If, as the Magistrate claimed, the coffins were covered in them, there could only be one explanation: those talismans were intended to suppress something.

It appeared there was indeed something strange in Luohe Town, and it had already caused a large number of deaths among the common people. The Heavenly Dao Xuanmen, her sect, had a long-standing tenet: whenever an occultist traveled the world and witnessed evil spirits harming the people, they were duty-bound to step forward and eradicate them. Chu Li did not consider herself a great saint, but she would uphold her sect’s principles and maintain peace where necessary.

"Magistrate Cao, follow me into Luohe Town tomorrow morning. I must see this for myself."

Cao Ronghai was overjoyed. After agreeing on a departure time, he voluntarily gave up his tent, which provided some shelter from the wind, and went to huddle by the campfire with his men for the night. Chu Li did not stand on ceremony; she accepted his kindness and, tended to by Qiu Yi, went to sleep early.

Before dawn the next day, Chu Li rose, quickly reinforced the disguise talismans for herself and Qiu Yi, and then set off for Luohe Town with the Magistrate.

The Prince of You’s shadow guards had been watching them, and seeing Chu Li and the Magistrate depart with only a few bodyguards, they reported back.

"Your Highness, should we follow?"

Last night, the shadow guards had already investigated and confirmed that a supernatural event had occurred in Luohe Town, with dozens of residents dying bizarrely, leading to the town’s closure.

Fu Heng thought of how Chu Li was a mystic, and since Luohe Town was clearly troubled, it would be a perfect opportunity to observe her skills.

"Send Black Wind to follow and observe from the shadows. Do not interfere unless necessary. Have him watch every move Miss Chu makes."

Black Wind was the only one among the shadow guards who understood a bit of folk mysticism. Although he was not a member of an inner sect, his descriptions of a mystic’s actions would be more professional and precise than those of a layman.

Black Wind slipped away silently, unaware that Chu Li had already sensed his presence.