Not long after, they arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion of Wancheng.
Ding Nan got off the carriage and looked up at the mansion.
Its structure was similar to that of Jingquan City’s—red walls and golden tiles, quite imposing.
Adjacent to the mansion were several courtyard houses, some for officials to rest, some for the yamen, and some for the city guard office.
It was daytime, and officials and staff bustled in and out of the yamen and city guard office, looking hurried, as if a leader from above had come down for an inspection.
Another carriage stopped.
It was a wooden cart pulled by a donkey, carrying the little girl Ding Nan had been protecting.
Under the guidance of a Patrol Officer from the city guard office, she headed toward the city guard office.
Zhao Cheng dismounted and, like a steward, invited Xi Yuyan inside.
Seeing Zhao Cheng like this, Ding Nan felt puzzled.
Xi Yuyan was at the Golden Core mid-stage, and while he couldn’t see Zhao Cheng’s true form, he could sense that the other party also had Golden Core level strength.
For a relatively developed town like Wancheng, the City Lord should be a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
With such strength, why were Zhao Cheng and the others so attentive to Xi Yuyan?
Before Ding Nan could ponder further, Xi Yuyan stepped ahead toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
Ding Nan quickly followed.
They crossed the threshold of the mansion, walked through the spacious and imposing main hall, and arrived at the living room.
In the living room, a table had already been set, laden with food, fruits, and wine.
At the head seat sat an elderly man in an official robe with graying hair.
He stroked his beard, stood up, raised his hand to greet them.
“Long time no see, Junior,” Xi Yuyan greeted first.
The elderly man looked at Xi Yuyan, who stared back at him with a stern face.
As seasoned as he was, he immediately understood her intention.
“Long time no see, Senior.”
Ding Nan stood behind Xi Yuyan, naturally unable to see her expression.
He was just somewhat surprised at this scene: a gray-haired old man calling a young and beautiful woman “Senior.”
A sense of disconnection arose, as if he hadn’t transmigrated. Only a long-lived species could witness such a scene.
“Are both of you Nanyang Academy students?” Ding Nan asked.
Because of this form of address, Ding Nan knew there were other transmigrators in this world.
In this cultivation world, only Nanyang Academy used such titles.
When he first heard that Nanyang Academy had such titles, it felt like a lifetime away.
Otherwise, in a world filled with aristocratic clans and powerful families, how could such a transcendent academy suddenly appear?
The City Lord nodded.
“That’s right,” Xi Yuyan said.
Nowadays, as long as someone was not from an aristocratic clan or powerful family, they would mostly go to Nanyang Academy to study and further their cultivation after reaching Foundation Establishment.
Ding Nan wasn’t surprised that they were both “Nanyang Academy students.”
If tuition was insufficient, one could apply for low-interest campus loans.
After completing their studies, they could choose to work outside to repay the loan—very modern.
Now that he thought about it, when Xi Yuyan said she was poor, it might be because she was burdened with a campus loan, which explained how she could live in a single room and still claim to be poor.
Moreover, because Nanyang Academy had a good reputation, many emperors liked to recruit its students, especially those whose courts were controlled by aristocratic clans.
Situations like the old City Lord’s were common.
“Should I also call you Senior and Junior?”
Ding Nan asked, rubbing his chin as he looked at the two.
“Oh, you’re also an alumnus?”
The old City Lord curiously looked the young man up and down.
He seemed only eighteen, at the Early Qi Refining Stage, very weak.
“Ding Nan of the Ding Clan in Jingquan City.”
“I’ve heard of you. You’re the one whom the recruitment team checked for spiritual energy but couldn’t find any, yet you were hailed as a genius youth, right?” the old City Lord said, stroking his beard.
“That’s right. The City Lord is well-informed.”
Ding Nan cupped his hands.
“Since we’re all alumni, Junior, no need for formalities. Come, sit.”
The old City Lord raised his hands, inviting the two to sit.
Xi Yuyan and Ding Nan took their seats in turn.
The welcome banquet had nothing much to say—drink wine, eat meat, chat about daily life, then get down to business.
That was Ding Nan’s entire understanding of banquets.
On the table were rice wine, yellow wine, and fruit wine.
In a corner of the living room, a male servant and a maid stood waiting.
As Ding Nan had expected, the old City Lord spoke.
“Sigh!”
The old City Lord drank his wine and suddenly sighed, his face full of worry.
“Nine days ago, when Senior came to Wancheng, I wanted to invite you to catch up, but official duties kept me busy, so it’s been delayed until today. You must have seen when you came in that my subordinates are busier than ever, and children keep disappearing in the city…”
Children disappearing…
Ding Nan looked at him.
He didn’t continue, clearly waiting for Xi Yuyan to respond.
“Official duties? What official duties could make a Nascent Soul stage cultivator so worried?”
Xi Yuyan said.
“I received a notice. You must have seen the situation with those two little girls we helped, right?” the old City Lord said.
Xi Yuyan nodded to indicate she understood.
“That’s the matter. Recently, people keep disappearing from the towns under Wancheng’s jurisdiction, for unknown reasons,” the old City Lord said.
“I went through the files left by the previous City Lord and found that disappearances have been happening all along. The wandering living corpses we’ve caught recently are highly correlated with the disappearances.”
“Are those living corpses the missing people?”
Xi Yuyan said.
“Correct.”
“Did they all come back?”
“Most people are gone. Including the little girl today, there are only four in total,” the old City Lord said.
“Then what do you mean…”
“Clearly, there’s a heretical cultivator, but I can’t find any traces of them. No formations, pills, or talismans—nothing at all.”
The old City Lord said regretfully.
“City Lord, you’re a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. Even you can’t handle this?”
Ding Nan asked.
He found it strange.
The City Lord was already at Nascent Soul stage.
If he couldn’t handle it himself, why was he asking for help from a Golden Core mid-stage cultivator like Xi Yuyan?
“This situation is a bit special. I’m ashamed to say it, but Nanyang Academy has only been established for less than a hundred years. My previous techniques were second-rate, and reaching the Nascent Soul stage was already pushing it. I had no time to learn anything else.”
The old City Lord touched his nose, looking embarrassed.
“I’ve long heard that Senior is well-versed in formations and talismans, so I wanted to ask for your help.”
The old City Lord cupped his hands and lowered his head, his attitude extremely sincere.
No wonder his hair was all gray—he must have little life left and wanted to earn some political achievements before the end.
“Have you reported this to the court?”
Xi Yuyan took a light sip of fruit wine and thought for a moment.
“Uh… not yet,” the old City Lord said.
Reporting to the court was practical, but it would more or less affect his performance evaluation.
“This matter is serious. As you think, it must be a heretical cultivator. And their strength might not be lower than yours,” Xi Yuyan said slowly.
“If you don’t report it to the court, you’ll regret it sooner or later. Have you heard of Ghost Howl Forest?”
Upon hearing this, the old City Lord swallowed his saliva.
“Senior means… that Ghost Howl Forest?”
Ding Nan scratched his head, looking at the two in confusion, completely not understanding what they were talking about.
“That’s right, the one you’re thinking of.”
“Ghost Howl Forest is a forest in the Northern Territory, located in a valley between two tall mountains. It rarely sees sunlight all year round, making it a yin-gathering place,” the old City Lord narrated slowly.
North, valley, little sunlight—that certainly was yin enough.
“There is an ancient formation left there that further gathers yin.”
Ding Nan’s expression changed slightly.
It can get even more yin?
“As long as someone dies in Ghost Howl Forest, their soul is bound and wanders the forest.”
So that’s why it’s called Ghost Howl Forest?
“Huh? Body and soul are one. How did they become spirits?” Ding Nan asked.
“Those are spirits, but they are merely remnants of the deceased’s thoughts and spiritual energy projected as residue,” Xi Yuyan answered Ding Nan’s question.
“Therefore, that yin-gathering place also became a sha-gathering place.”
The old City Lord nervously rubbed his hands.
“Legend has it that place was once a settlement of several thousand people, and later, over a thousand were massacred…”
“It’s exactly as you think. Based on my archaeological findings at Ghost Howl Forest, that little girl is the same type of living corpse, and the methods are even more refined than before.”
Upon hearing this, the old City Lord broke out in cold sweat.
This was a big deal.
The settlement where over a thousand people died, and the missing people over the years also numbered in the thousands—none of the previous city lords had taken this matter seriously.
It was only because he was more conscientious and concerned about the people’s livelihood that he started dealing with it.
If this matter was exposed, it would inevitably conflict with the previous City Lord and affect his relationships at court.
But if he suppressed it and let things develop, then a second Ghost Howl Forest would appear.
Currently, in Ghost Howl Forest, there was a Zombie King at the Nascent Soul Great Perfection level controlling it.
It was said that the combat power of that Zombie King was comparable to the Tribulation Transcendence mid-stage, extremely terrifying.
For years, no force or dynasty had been able to touch that place.
Xi Yuyan saw through the old City Lord’s thoughts and reminded him, “Don’t take this matter too lightly. Ghost Howl Forest is just an abandoned experimental site. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be loose ends, and it wouldn’t have been taken over by someone else.”
“This… could you ask your teacher to step in?” the old City Lord asked.
“No,” Xi Yuyan said without hesitation.
“Have you forgotten what’s written in the Student Handbook?”
“Stu-Student Handbook?”
Ding Nan and the old City Lord were taken aback.
Does such a thing exist?
“Nanyang Academy will not interfere in the politics of other groups or organizations,” Xi Yuyan said.
“This concerns the academy’s reputation.”
The old City Lord suddenly remembered.
When he first enrolled, his teacher had warned him about this.
Nanyang Academy does not restrict its students and does not interfere with other groups or organizations.
Students can only participate in any political matters in their personal capacity.
If the academy’s involvement was desired, the only way was to officially request limited assistance from the academy.
It was precisely because Nanyang Academy maintained a neutral stance that so many students could participate in other organizations.
If they bypassed the official route, even doing good deeds would make those in power feel threatened.
“I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Senior. I will report this immediately and then seek support from Nanyang Academy.”
The old City Lord cupped his hands.
“Thank you, Senior.”
Xi Yuyan nodded.
Then, the banquet continued.