Chapter 265 – Tainted Gold, Spiders, Dolls, and Dogs—A Full Tour of Happyland Zoo - Part 2

“People vanish?” Jing Banfeng asked, stunned.

“Yes. They’ll be inside a building one moment, and the next, they’re gone. No trace left behind, no sign of escape. We can’t even determine if they’re dead or alive.”

Cui Wuji asked, “Did those vanishings happen when they were alone in the room?”

“That seems to be the case. If anyone disappears indoors, they’re always alone. We’ve never confirmed their fate. Because of that, an unwritten rule has sprung up here at the mine. Never be by yourself.”

“So if someone is alone, something will definitely happen?” Cui Wuji asked.

“Not every time, but all the disappearance cases involved people who were alone.”

Cui Wuji nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve heard how those undying husks use ghost items, each item reflecting a particular ghost’s abilities. We once ran into a whole batch of door-handle items that trapped and killed anyone who closed the door. If you’re locked in by yourself, you risk being attacked...though the attacks aren’t very strong, so even a sixth rank disciple has a decent chance of surviving.”

Jing Banfeng chimed in, “Perhaps you aren’t aware, Elder Cui, but these ghost items also vary in tier and potency. The ones that show up en masse are usually low tier junk. My guess is that those door-handle items connect back to Happyland somehow.”

Cui Wuji’s eyes lit up. “So if you’re confined, you’re in danger. From here on out, it seems vital that we never act alone in this region.”

Jing Banfeng nodded in agreement. “Exactly. But after five days of searching the outskirts and turning up nothing, maybe we should shift our strategy. Since those ghost items inherit the essence of the ghosts that are linked to them, studying the ghosts might give us clues about the items. Rather than wandering aimlessly outside, we might as well force our criminals to probe deeper into the heart of the ghost domain.”

Cui Wuji laughed. “Clan Head Jing, that’s quite a plan.”

These two had always tried to undermine each other in the past; yet when it came to real action, they both had solid ideas. Now, watching them agree and cooperate felt oddly surreal.

Cui Wuji turned toward the Gu elder stationed at the mine. “Have you drawn up any sort of map of Happyland—of the ghost domain itself?”

Bowing respectfully, the elder replied, “Patriarch Cui, at the temple master’s request, we attempted to map it as best we could. We have a rough sketch, but it’s far from accurate. Happyland is huge, and its boundaries shift constantly; every year they change. It’s hard to pin down.”

“Let us see it,” Cui Wuji said.

“Certainly.”

They discussed a few more details until late evening, then decided to spend the night. Keeping in mind the disappearances of people who were alone, everyone slept two to a room. The mine offered two choices. Visitors could share quarters with one of the maids or share with a companion. Li Yuan went with the latter, ending up in the same room with Cui Wuji. One bed each, and that was that.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next day.

At dawn, everyone left the mine and returned to the cliff where they’d first set up camp. Armed with the newly obtained outline of Happyland’s boundary, they began pressing deeper in. If the outskirts weren’t going to yield anything, then the only option was to head for the interior.

More condemned criminals were brought in from the nearest towns, although the supply was limited; there were only so many death-row inmates in the local jails and prisons, after all.

So, the Holy Tree Temple then began hunting down mountain bandits and thieves, even combing through town records for hardened criminals who’d narrowly escaped the death penalty.

In that sense, one might say the Holy Tree Temple was at least being practical.

Several days passed with no progress on the outer edge.

At last, the Holy Tree Temple’s disciples started forcing the convicts—bandits, thieves, and reprobates—into a

gray zone

. It might be part of the ghost domain’s boundary; it might have shifted. No one could be certain.

From a safe distance, the disciples and elders watched as the criminals ventured forth.

Among the convicts was a local thug named Ding Ah-Fei, who had some ties to a country magistrate. His usual offenses were on the level of harassing a farmer’s wife when her husband wasn’t home, then spinning the story to claim she had seduced him.

His boldness grew over time; after he threatened yet another young woman, someone finally grabbed him in the midst of it all and hauled him off to face real consequences.

“Hey, hey! Do you know who I am? My brother-in-law is the county magistrate!”

Ding Ah-Fei knew nothing about the Holy Tree Temple. But when name-dropping his brother-in-law was met with only cold stares, he started to truly panic. He tried begging for mercy, but found himself forced forward at crossbow-point. If he stopped moving, a bolt would likely be on its way.

“Please, spare me! I can pay you!” Ding Ah-Fei shouted as he walked, but no one acknowledged him.

He stole a glance at a man not far away—a burly fellow with a fierce look that practically screamed

bandit

. Even that brute of a man was shaking in fear. The convicts spread out like a net, heading toward the ghost domain.

From behind came the occasional barked order, “Report anything unusual immediately. Do well and you might live through this!”

Ding Ah-Fei had no choice but to search desperately for anything strange. Suddenly, he caught sight of a gleaming gold ingot lying in the muddy dirt ahead.

What’s something like this doing here?

His eyes lit up, then darted warily side to side. Greed sparked to life in him. If he could sneak that gold ingot out later, it would be worth a small fortune—enough to enjoy himself at a brothel, or to bribe one of his captors.

He tiptoed forward, hoping to grab it without being noticed. He’d barely taken two steps, however, when the burly bandit lunged, scooped up the gold, and shouted back to their overseers, “I found something strange! There’s a gold ingot here!”

“H-hey, you big oaf! That gold’s mine! I just dropped it by mistake! It’s nothing strange!” Ding Ah-Fei yelled.

The bandit ignored him completely, biting the ingot to test it, then turning and calling out again, “Looks genuine, good quality!”

Ding Ah-Fei pointed at him, sputtering, “T-that’s mine!”

The bandit’s lips peeled back in a menacing grin. Ding Ah-Fei stumbled to the ground in terror, then hurriedly got back up and slapped at his pants as if it meant nothing.

“Fine, forget it. Not worth it,” he muttered.

The bandit gleefully waved the ingot in the air. Behind them, a Holy Tree Temple disciple blinked in surprise; finding gold in a place like this was certainly odd. The elder from the Gu Clan, in charge at the time, passed down a message to a nearby disciple, who relayed it.

“Hold onto the gold, turn around, and go wait over there in that tent,” the disciple said, pointing to a spot in the distance. “There’s food and drink inside.”

Thrilled, the bandit bowed again and again. “Thank you, my lord! Thank you!”

The Holy Tree Temple disciples weren’t quite sure how to respond to the bandit’s bizarre display of gratitude. Meanwhile, Ding Ah-Fei was practically sick with regret but had no choice except to keep walking.

Before long, a panicked scream erupted from somewhere ahead.

“Help, help! I’m stuck! Ahhhhh!”

Everyone looked over to see a woman in brown clothes flailing in midair. It was as though she were stuck to some invisible spring—no matter how she struggled, she remained suspended. Yet despite all that thrashing, she wasn’t being harmed; she simply couldn’t break free.

Curiosity got the better of some of the convicts nearby, and they ventured closer. One of them peered behind her and realized that a nearly transparent spider web clung to the woman’s back. Delighted at having spotted something unusual, he shouted, “Found something! There’s a spider web here!”

A Holy Tree Temple disciple spoke up. “Help her down from that web!”

The man tried his best, but no matter how hard he pulled, the woman only swung this way and that like a pendulum; she wouldn’t come free. Several more people joined in, tugging at her from different angles, but got nowhere.

Jing Banfeng was in charge of this area. Realizing these ordinary folks were getting nowhere, he dispatched one sixth rank and two seventh rank disciples to see what was going on. None of them seemed overly concerned; after all, if mere criminals weren’t being harmed, how could a trio of trained martial artists be in any real danger?

First, one of the seventh rank disciples tried to yank the woman off the web, to no avail. That prompted the sixth rank disciple to step in. He pulled as hard as he could and found the woman was really stuck. Gritting his teeth, he channeled his shadow blood into a talisman, which could repel evil in ghost domains.

He pressed the glowing talisman against the spider web, crying out, “Begone!”

The result was immediate. The woman dropped free and stumbled to the ground. Relieved, the sixth rank disciple exhaled, turned back around...and realized that now he was stuck fast to the web. Startled, he attempted to drive the shadow blood talisman into the strands again, but this time it had no effect.

“Elder!” he shouted. “I’m trapped! There’s definitely something off about this spider web!”

“Oh?” Jing Banfeng furrowed his brow and hurried over.

He examined the web, now stained bloody red by the neutralized blood talisman, then inhaled sharply, ready to spit out a spray of his own ancestral-seal-infused shadow blood to dissolve it. Each droplet of blood from someone of his caliber contained powerful wards against evil. But just as he was about to unleash it, he paused, reconsidering.

“Let’s wait,” he said quietly.

The sixth rank disciple didn’t dare press the issue further.