Chapter 483: Chapter 447: Setting Out
Saying to head to Fish Woman Village, just doing the various preparations in advance took more than half a month.
Everything that needs to be arranged has been arranged, materials to be transported to Dawn Base have been stocked up, and food can be saved to last for three years with no problem.
Weapons and equipment are sufficient, even if Sang Que isn’t around, if the court attacks, holding out for half a year is not a problem.
Sang Que also told Zhao Yunshu and Liu Tianyou that if He Buning actually comes with troops, don’t consider anything else, fight if you can, retreat if you can’t.
With everything ready, on the day of Qingming Festival, Sang Que quietly left with Xia Chan, Hua Qianmian, and Qin Ze.
A paper horse carriage galloped on the blood mist-covered ground.
Though the mist is thick, the original official road of Qinzhou is intact, and the paper horse carriage made by the Paper Macher runs at a speed unlike ordinary carriages, with the Red Umbrella Ghost standing on top of the carriage holding an umbrella, four Ghost Slaves protecting on either side, effectively fending off evil spirits lurking in the blood mist.
Qin Ze is still dressed in his Corpse Recovery Man outfit, with red cloth tied on his arm, chewing a piece of dogtail grass, leaning on the carriage shaft, flipping through a book, reading with great interest, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, sometimes smacking his thigh, pounding his chest and stamping his feet.
The book is a modern online novel, secretly brought by people from Dawn Base, after Qin Ze inadvertently got exposed to it, he became addicted to it, even went to study hall specially to learn simplified characters.
Flipping to the last page, Qin Ze abruptly sat up straight, spat out the grass in his mouth in shock, "How can it end like this? Such a thick book and it’s not finished!"
Qin Ze was so anxious that he scratched his head, the story breaking off at the most critical part, a breath held in his chest, unable to go up or down, immediately lifted the curtain and asked Sang Que, "What about the continuation of this book?"
In the carriage, Xia Chan was playing Go with Hua Qianmian, the pieces magnetically adhered to the board, not worried about the carriage jolting, Xia Chan and Hua Qianmian drawing even, both of their faces were covered with white paper strips.
Sang Que, resting with eyes closed, opened his eyes at Qin Ze’s voice, scanned the book he held, saw the book’s title, and said, "This book was discontinued years ago."
"Ah?" Qin Ze’s eyes widened in shock; by frequently mingling with young people from modern times for these online novels, he could understand terms like "discontinued."
Qin Ze’s lips moved silently in combination with his facial expression, cursed very foully.
Shaking the book in his hand, Qin Ze exclaimed, "Is there no one to do something about this? Is there no law anymore! Get this person for me, let me personally watch him, have him finish writing this book for me! If he doesn’t finish, I’ll treat him to seaweed!"
Qin Ze’s face contracted into shadow, the red seaweed on his body clawed and stretched out.
Funny thing, some researchers curious about the seaweed on Qin Ze collected samples and tested them, finding they were very similar to actual seaweed, edible, and best served cold.
Sang Que chuckled, "You read something else first."
Qin Ze angrily dropped the curtain and leaned against the carriage, becoming more infuriated. He hadn’t felt such intense emotional fluctuations in a long time, enraged into rapid breathing, a violent surge of fire inside him he couldn’t suppress, wanting to destroy something to vent.
Just then, the running horse suddenly neighed and raised its front hooves, crazily dragging the carriage off the official road, crashing straight toward the side trees.
Qin Ze immediately went to grab the reins; Sang Que inside sensed the anomaly and promptly took Xia Chan and Hua Qianmian off the carriage.
Boom!
A loud bang, Qin Ze fell to the ground, the carriage smashed into the trees bursting into countless scattered blood-red paper scraps.
The blood mist was suffocating, Qin Ze coughed a few times and got up, Hua Qianmian covered her nose and mouth, approaching Xia Chan, Sang Que raised her hand to catch a paper scrap.
After checking it, Sang Que said, "This is the result of the blood mist’s corrosion, driving the paper horse mad. We’ve been exposed to the blood mist for too long, the ghosts in us can also easily lose control and go crazy, be careful."
In the Qinzhou territory, the paper horse carriage made by the Paper Macher could turn into an actual horse carriage during the day, but in heavy blood mist areas, the paper horse would suddenly go mad like this.
Sang Que took down the painting carried on her back, took out another paper horse carriage, having prepared many such transports in advance.
After the paper horse carriage landed, it became a real horse carriage, the Five Ghosts returning to surround it.
"Let’s continue on our way."
If not for Sang Que’s prowess, Xia Chan still helped to absorb some surrounding blood mist, they couldn’t travel through the blood mist like this.
The heavy blood mist pressed on the barren land, four fields falling silent, the carriage creaked westward, its sound especially piercing, passing by countless dead bodies strewn about haphazardly.
Some corpses were mangled, torn by unknown forces into fragments, whitened bones of broken limbs faintly visible in the mist.
Others stared with wide eyes, their gaze frozen with fear and despair before death, their clothes tattered, stained with blood, indistinguishable from their original colors.
The more towards populated villages and counties, the more corpses there were, Hua Qianmian lifted the curtain to look out, the smell of living prompting murmurs from the corpses even, struggling to rise from the ground.
Ghosts wandered around, figures drifting uncertainly, on the roadside dead trees often hung with bodies, would suddenly lift their heads with eerie laughter when the carriage passed.
Gazing afar, the ruined villages and cities tottered amidst the blood mist, buried by rapidly growing blood-red weeds, the roaring wind didn’t disperse the pervading blood mist, only brought thicker decay.
The entire world was engulfed by darkness and despair, becoming a sworn Hades of eternal demise.
"It’s too tragic!"
Hua Qianmian let down the curtain, sighed deeply, after a moment of depression, she gathered herself and resumed a smile, "Little Chan, let’s continue playing, whoever loses this time gets a flick to the forehead."
Upon hearing this, Xia Chan quickly covered her forehead, displaying unwillingness.
Fish Woman Village is northwest of Wangshan City, Bailong County’s Pinghu Village, Sang Que still remembers her initial journey from Wangshan City taking three days by carriage to Bailong County, another day to Pinghu Village.
Now setting out from Dawn Base, it’s unknown how many days to reach Wangshan City.
"The mysteries of Yin and Yang hold methods profound, divining fate is my ground. Destiny shrouds in the mist of fate, my insightful divination blooms bright. Three copper coins to rule the realm, one secret path to unravel deceit~~"
Suddenly, a shouting voice came from ahead, startling those in the carriage.
Qin Ze pulled the reins to slow the carriage, the Red Umbrella Ghost on top slightly elevated the umbrella, ready for battle.
Sang Que emerged from the carriage, followed by two heads.
As the blood mist billowed, they gradually saw a Daoist dressed in a Daoist robe, carrying a ’Straight Cut’ banner, striding forward while shouting.
"There’s actually someone alive here?" Hua Qianmian asked puzzled.
At that moment, the Daoist halted, seemingly hearing their voices behind, as he turned around, Hua Qianmian and Qin Ze emitted gasps of shock.
The Daoist had no face, only a large gaping bloody hole, maggots squirming and falling out.
"Hee hee, business is here!"
The Daoist let out a grotesque laugh, his body flickered, instantly appearing beside the carriage.
