Chapter 86: Caught in the Strange Mist (Please Add to Favorites and Continue Reading)

"Stop looking! Run! Head down the mountain!"

Seeing the strange mist rolling swiftly toward them, the constables remained oblivious to the impending danger. Some even moved to meet the mist, curious to investigate. Desperate, Shang Lu shouted at them.

"Down the mountain?" Constable Huang turned in surprise. "Captain Shang, if we run down, the Paper Bird Riders will scold us."

"There’s danger in that thick mist! Once you’re lost inside, you’ll either never find your way out, or you’ll be devoured by the monsters and evil spirits lurking within! If you want to live, run now!"

Even as she spoke, Shang Lu dragged Liu and the others with her and took off first.

The constables, startled and unsure whether to believe her, hesitated. But since Shang Lu had already started running, they hurried to follow. After all, with their captain taking the lead, any punishment from the Paper Bird Riders for running down the mountain would fall on her shoulders before theirs.

Shang Lu ran at full speed, glancing back over her shoulder. The mist surged after them with terrifying speed, like a monstrous maw from the abyss snapping at their heels.

She wasn’t sure whether they could outrun the mist. There was another matter she needed to address immediately.

"Who has the shamanic talismans? Hand them over to me!" she shouted.

If the mist was indeed being manipulated by a shaman, those talismans had to be dealt with at once, or they’d become death warrants.

"I have one."

"So do I."

Several constables who had received talismans instinctively obeyed, passing them to Shang Lu.

Still running, Shang Lu pulled a waterskin from her satchel. When she uncorked it, a pungent smell of blood wafted out.

The waterskin was filled with black dog’s blood she’d bought at the market. According to her plan, she was supposed to re-enter Yunhua Mountain today to gather demon corpses and explore the strange mist. She had come well prepared, not just with equipment, but with several skins of black dog’s blood, rooster’s blood, even boy’s urine, and she had requisitioned a batch of evil-banishing gear from the armory.

To the constables’ confusion, Shang Lu poured the black dog’s blood over the talismans and threw them aside.

She wasn’t sure whether black dog’s blood would neutralize the talismans, but having no better option, she had to try.

"Captain Shang, what are you doing?" the constables asked in disbelief.

"Don’t we need those talismans to ward off the monsters and spirits in the mist?"

"I’m using the talismans to set up a formation, to shield us from the rolling mist," Shang Lu answered, inventing an excuse. She didn’t want to reveal her suspicions about the shaman without solid proof; the constables might not believe her.

Her excuse wasn’t perfect, but with everything happening so quickly and everyone running for their lives, no one thought too deeply about it.

Yet, after Shang Lu threw the talismans, nothing happened. They showed no reaction at all, which puzzled the constables.

One sharp-eyed constable exclaimed, "Captain Shang, you forgot to tear them apart!"

He was bold enough to try to turn back and recover the discarded talismans to tear them as instructed.

Fortunately, Shang Lu was quick. She grabbed his arm and said urgently, "I did tear them! You just didn’t see it. When the mist arrives, the talismans will activate."

Unlike the others, Shang Lu was relieved the talismans didn’t react. Her greatest fear was that they’d activate on their own, summoning ghostly hands. With their current strength, they wouldn’t even last a moment against those, their hearts and lungs would be ripped out in an instant!

Letting that constable go back and tear the talismans would be walking straight to their deaths.

Luckily, he believed her and didn’t try to return. Shang Lu’s grip was not one he could break free from anyway.

They continued their desperate run, but the mountain path was treacherous, tangled with brambles and rocks that slowed them down. The mist, however, swept down unhindered, growing faster and faster.

After several hundred meters, the surging mist overtook them and swallowed them whole.

At first, the constables kept running, hoping to escape. But the further they went, the more something felt wrong. Not only could they see nothing around them, they began to feel as if they were running in circles, passing the same places again and again.

"Stop! We’re disoriented. The mist has us lost," Shang Lu called, urging them to conserve their strength. "If we keep running, we might stumble into anything—perhaps a sheer cliff is just one step away, and we’d be dashed to pieces."

"What do we do now?" The constables looked around helplessly. They could barely see more than a few paces ahead; beyond that was nothing but thick, impenetrable fog. Their hearing, too, was dulled—sounds were muffled and indistinct.

Now, real panic set in.

"Don’t panic. Don’t overthink it. Stay alert, and don’t let any monsters or spirits creep up on us," Shang Lu tried to steady their nerves.

Inside the strange mist, besides keeping your guard up, you had to maintain a calm, indifferent heart and rein in your desires. The stronger your desires, the likelier you’d fall victim to the mist’s hidden rules.

Shang Lu wasn’t sure whether entering the mist counted as entering a secret realm, but it was better to be mentally prepared.

The constables were more confused than ever; it had been Shang Lu who warned them of the mist’s dangers and urged them to run, and now she was telling them not to panic and not to overthink.

This abrupt change in attitude seemed odd.

Shang Lu explained, "There are rules inside the mist. The stronger your desires, the more trouble you’ll attract."

Someone asked, curious, "Captain Shang, how do you know about these rules?"

"The shaman told me," Shang Lu replied, shifting the blame. There was no way the constables could verify with the shaman anyway.

"I see." The others nodded, trying to adjust their mindset.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

While calming the group, Shang Lu lowered her head and quietly sought help from the oil-paper umbrella.

"Sanniang, do you have a way to lead us out of this mist?"

Sanniang had come here more than once to harvest flesh from the demon snake and could move freely; she must possess some special ability. The question was, could she use it to guide them out?

Nearby, Liu thought he heard Shang Lu muttering something, but her voice was too soft. "Captain Shang, were you talking to me? I didn’t catch that, could you speak up?"

"I told you to have everyone sound off. Make sure no one’s missing," Shang Lu replied, but her eyes were fixed elsewhere.

There, dressed in a red bridal gown, Sanniang appeared, beckoning for her to follow.

Wonderful—Sanniang really could lead the way!

Shang Lu’s heart leapt with joy.