At first, everyone thought the Old Village Chief had just gone out to help.
But even by evening, there was still no sign of the Old Village Chief returning.
Could it be that the Old Village Chief was still strong and vigorous despite his age, and had gone out for a secret rendezvous?
A sense of unease spread in Qin Mu’s heart.
This feeling… Something was about to happen!
He felt like he had Ke’s fate but none of Ke’s intelligence.
“Junior Brother Qin, you and the others wait here first. I’ll go out with Brother Kong to take a look.”
Zhou Ji stood up, dragging Kong Fan out the door with him.
And so, until night fell, not only had the Old Village Chief not returned, but even Zhou Ji and Kong Fan, who had gone out to search, hadn’t come back.
The unease in Qin Mu’s heart grew heavier.
Moreover, at some point, he could clearly see that mist had started to fill the courtyard.
“Ruoshuang-jie.”
Qin Mu hurried over to Ruoshuang-jie’s side.
Liu Zixi, standing nearby, also frowned slightly at the mist.
“Holy Maiden, do you see anything unusual?”
Liu Zixi gazed at the mist, an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside.
“This thing restricts divine sense.”
Qin Ruoshuang’s divine sense surged.
With her Nascent Soul Realm strength, even her divine sense was blocked by the mist, only able to cover a few dozen meters around.
“In other words, this mission… isn’t so simple?”
Hearing Ruoshuang-jie say this, Qin Mu realized that any mist capable of blocking a Nascent Soul Realm’s divine sense couldn’t be easy to handle.
It seemed he’d drawn a truly troublesome mission this time.
Qin Mu was about to cry.
Why was his luck so bad!
Trouble always found him as soon as he stepped out!
His specialty was turning nothing into something and making small problems big.
Gradually, the mist outside grew thicker, some of it seeping into the house.
Sitting around waiting here wouldn’t solve anything.
Qin Mu gritted his teeth.
“Looks like we have to go out and check the situation.”
Though he was flustered inside, at this rate, the house would soon be filled with mist anyway.
In that case, it was better to go out and see what was happening.
Liu Zixi nodded as well.
“Staying here won’t get us any information.”
Because the mist restricted divine sense, Qin Ruoshuang took out a Rope-type Magical Treasure and bound the three of their wrists together to prevent them from getting separated.
After making all the necessary preparations, the three of them stepped outside.
The moment Qin Mu set foot into the mist, the world spun, his mind went hazy, and he didn’t know how much time passed before the feeling faded.
“Uwaa!”
It felt like motion sickness.
Unable to help himself, Qin Mu retched.
“So uncomfortable…”
He gasped for breath, wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and was startled to find the rope that had been tied to his wrist had vanished!
Qin Mu: “!!!”
He quickly checked with his other hand.
It was really gone.
It was over.
He’d been completely separated from Zixi-shijie and Ruoshuang-jie.
Qin Mu felt a bit uneasy.
With his little Body Tempering stage self facing this mist…
He couldn’t say he had no chance of survival, but it was pretty close to none.
Qin Mu turned around, intending to retrace his steps.
But the distance he’d walked before was only a dozen steps—now, he’d taken nearly a hundred steps and still saw nothing but mist ahead.
This was bad.
Could it be a Formation?
Qin Mu felt something was terribly wrong.
If it really was, he knew nothing about Formations.
How was he supposed to break out?
Suffering from his usual lack of effort, he now regretted it bitterly.
Maybe… should he try boy urine?
They said it could counter some spirit illusions.
Anyway, with all the mist around, no one would see.
Qin Mu boldly waved his hand, letting his second brother out for some air to experience the freedom of the wind.
“Shuu shuu shuu—”
Qin Mu was humming to himself when suddenly a barrage of curses erupted nearby.
“What the hell! Ptooey! You poured it right into my mouth! And it’s warm!”
That voice!
Qin Mu found it familiar.
After thinking for a moment, wasn’t this Kong Fan?
Qin Mu hurriedly tucked away his weapon.
“Kong-shixiong! It’s me! Qin-shidi!”
As soon as Qin Mu called out, the other side fell silent for a moment before a loud voice rang out.
“Qin-shidi!!”
“Ahahaha! Finally, another person!”
Before long, a tall, dark figure emerged before Qin Mu’s eyes.
Qin Mu saw water dripping from Kong Fan’s chin and felt a bit embarrassed.
It seemed he had just…
Kong Fan was moved to tears upon seeing Qin Mu.
“Qin-shidi, where’s Her Highness the Holy Maiden?”
“I don’t know. We got separated as soon as we entered the mist.”
“Sigh! I guessed it had to do with this damned mist.”
Kong Fan wiped his face and sat on the ground.
“Back when Old Zhou and I went out to look for the village chief, a fog suddenly appeared. At first, we didn’t pay much attention, but after a while, I realized Old Zhou’s presence had vanished behind me. When I turned, there was only mist. As it thickened, I couldn’t even tell which way was which.”
Qin Mu glanced at the heavy sword behind Kong Fan.
“Kong-shixiong, couldn’t you fly up to check?”
“No use, Qin-shidi. This mist not only restricts divine sense but also flight. Walking is all you can do. Even Talisman Techniques and Formations don’t work.”
Earlier, Kong Fan had tried using an Escape Talisman, but it had failed halfway, tossing him right out of the ground like a firecracker exploding in a dry toilet—sending everything flying everywhere.
“If it really comes to it, we’ll just have to wait till dawn.”
“Oh? Qin-shidi, why do you say that?”
“If I remember correctly, Kong-shixiong, this mist only started rising at night. Maybe it’ll disappear by morning.”
Hearing Qin Mu’s words, Kong Fan thought it made sense.
When he’d gone out, it was dusk and there hadn’t been any mist.
It had only started to appear later.
Although Qin Mu said this, he wasn’t confident.
If the mist didn’t clear, he’d have to find a way out himself.
“By the way, Kong-shixiong, do you have a Timepiece for keeping track of time?”
It would be great to have a time reference.
But Kong Fan shook his head.
“Qin-shidi, that thing is useful for mortals, but for us—who go into seclusion at the drop of a hat—a Timepiece isn’t much use. Few people carry one.”
Great.
Kong Fan hadn’t brought one.
Qin Mu had a Timepiece too, but he hadn’t brought it this time.
“Ahahaha! Don’t worry, Qin-shidi! Waiting till morning is just one night’s cultivation for us. Close your eyes and it’s over before you know it.”
Qin Mu inwardly screamed: Oh! My God! I want to kick your butt with my boot!
What do you mean by ‘close your eyes and open them and it’s over’!
With that, Kong Fan sat cross-legged, ready to start cultivating.
“Roar!”
A Wild Beast’s roar echoed.
Crap!
Qin Mu shuddered.
Of course, things wouldn’t be that simple.
He just knew the mastermind wouldn’t let them wait peacefully till morning.
At the sound of the beast’s roar, Kong Fan jumped up, instantly entering combat mode.
Because the mist was so thick and restricted divine sense, neither Qin Mu nor Kong Fan could tell which direction the roar had come from.
It seemed to echo from all directions.
Back to back, Qin Mu and Kong Fan scanned their surroundings.
“Kong-shixiong, can you tell which way the beast’s roar came from?”
“No! Qin-shidi, this place is too weird. Looks like we can’t stay here.”
Although Qin Mu wanted to leave, all he could see in every direction was endless mist.
Meeting Kong Fan here was a stroke of luck.