EFB Chapter 49 Truth and Illusion
Chapter 49 Truth and Illusion
It is roughly the time between Shen and You (3-5 PM).
Three people and two corpses gathered around the table.
The old woman warmly filled the three people's bowls with soup. Fang Hongxuan received a pair of eyes, and Jian Shiqing received two pairs of ears.
As for Chen Qinghe, he received two long tongues...
The old man kindly poured out the Fenjiu liquor from the wine jar, and Fang Hongxuan's nose twitched. A strong, fishy, and rotten smell wafted out from the mouth of the jar.
This is not some long-treasured Fenjiu liquor; it is clearly fresh, dirty blood taken from their bodies!
The host family ate with great relish, easily splitting the hard skull. After they had finished eating and were completely satisfied, they looked at the three people with a puzzled expression.
"Perhaps the food is not to your esteemed guest's liking, or perhaps your esteemed guest looks down on the simple fare on my table..."
Seeing that the resentment in the two men was about to erupt again, Fang Hongxuan had no choice but to explain to them.
"Such delicious and visually appealing dishes are unmatched, even by the Laifu Inn in Niujia Town."
"But my two fellow disciples and I are bound by strict rules, so we cannot enjoy such plump and delicious rabbit meat."
The old man looked puzzled, put down his chopsticks and curiously examined Fang Hongxuan and the other two, as if trying to figure out what was going on.
The horrifying face made Chen Qinghe feel uneasy, but he suppressed his fear and continued Fang Hongxuan's conversation.
"Old man, old woman. To be honest, our sect does indeed have such strict rules. If you ask around, there's only one reason."
Why?
"Because it is good..."
"Hey, old man, what nonsense are you asking? We've had a long and tiring journey, and I haven't even been able to prepare a proper vegetarian meal for our three distinguished guests. I'm truly ashamed."
The old woman stood up and bowed to the three of them, but the salty water from the corner of her mouth almost dripped into Fang Hongxuan's bowl.
The resentment emanating from the two grew even stronger, and their hunched bodies seemed to grow even larger.
Fang Hongxuan's horizontal sword at his waist swayed slightly, and its blade slid out of its sheath a little, just enough to reveal the two reddish-gold characters "蹉靳".
"So, we'll have to take action eventually..."
...
The gloomy evening clouds suddenly poured out the rain that had been accumulating for a long time. The rain was sharp and fierce, pounding against the eaves, fences, and dining tables with a crackling sound.
The steaming hot broth was instantly reduced to scraps, and the elderly couple hurriedly picked up the table and chairs and carried them into the main room.
Unfortunately, the edge of the table was too large, and the two of them, not noticing it was a wine jar, smashed all the large bowls. The half-eaten male head rolled out of the fence area.
The old woman, her face filled with heartache, tried to pick it up, but because of the muddy and slippery road caused by the rain, she unknowingly slipped and fell.
However, she ignored it and scrambled to pick up her head.
The fence, already hollowed out by woodworms, could hardly stop the walking corpse with its strange strength. With just one somersault, the old woman rolled out of the house's perimeter.
The old man seemed oblivious, and the three of them silently observed everything.
A gust of cold wind slipped in through the crack, its chill sending shivers down the spines of the three.
Outdoors
The old woman, her face beaming with joy, vigorously wiped the head she had just picked up from the ground with her filthy coarse linen clothes.
Before the smile on her face could fade, dark, scarlet pupils emerged in the night.
"What...is that...?"
The monk, his veins bulging, stared at the somewhat bewildered old woman with murderous intent.
Chen Qinghe's face was contorted with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the group of people outside the fence.
The mound of Jingguan behind him was faintly visible, and just as it was about to solidify, Fang Hongxuan's hand landed on Chen Qinghe's shoulder.
"Revenge cannot be achieved in one moment. The enemy has a large number of people and is powerful. We must wait for the right opportunity to act."
After several deep breaths, Chen Qinghe finally managed to clear his mind of his resentment.
...
The monk swung his water-milled staff and struck the old woman on the head.
Blood was flowing everywhere, yellow, white, and red splattered together.
"this...."
For a moment, Chen Qinghe couldn't tell who was more ruthless and who was more weakened.
Thinking back on this, I couldn't help but feel a mix of lingering fear and gratitude.
"How many are there? Why can't we kill them all?"
"Where are they hiding?!"
The monk's eyes were wide open in anger, like an Avici Asura.
"In three days, the divine tree will be completely withered, and then everything will return to nothingness."
"Those half-dead zombies will also be completely exposed."
The tattooed, ruthless man, having removed his mask, spat a thick wad of phlegm viciously at the old woman's corpse.
Upon hearing this, the three were moved, and the idea of splitting them up arose spontaneously.
"We don't yet know what disastrous consequences might arise from stepping outside the fence; let's observe further."
outside the fence
The group of people were carrying Niu Yixuan's remains deeper into the area.
The monk maintained a vigilant expression, gripping his staff even tighter.
Although he was not afraid of the walking corpses, he was afraid of being corrupted and assimilated into that half-human, half-corpse existence.
Therefore, he never let his guard down while scouting ahead.
Just as this old woman had only happened to encounter the group of monks, she was instead met with a deadly fate.
"Well... aside from the zombies that suddenly appear outside being dealt with, the zombies inside the courtyard are all fine."
"Is it that I can't perceive it... or...?"
As for the old man in the theater, he was completely oblivious, and he didn't even notice the dead woman who had been with him lying in the street.
Although the two men had ferocious faces, looked menacing, and were filled with resentment.
However, for the three of them, this behavior, which was no different from that of a living person, seemed extremely strange.
"Buzz"
The stinging pain and tinnitus returned, and after the three of them struggled through them, they found that the scene had reversed again.
The collapsed walls, broken roof tiles, and rotten beams and pillars quickly turned upside down.
The once quaint and tranquil courtyard has reappeared, and even the ferocious old man has regained his kind and gentle appearance.
The only difference was that the old woman could never come back.
"Wow, my luck is really good today. Such a fat wild boar was delivered to my door as soon as I opened it."
The old man smiled and dragged the lifeless wild boar outside the door.
"I must keep a small portion of this excellent wild boar."
"When my son and wife return home from their in-laws' house, we will host a welcome dinner for them."
Seemingly afraid of displeasing the three, the old man quickly spoke up to explain.
"It's not that I'm petty or unwilling to offer all my food to my three distinguished guests."
"It is my humble wife who says that my son has always had a very poor digestive system and needs some nourishment. I hope our esteemed guest will not find this offensive."
Looking at the wild boar, which showed no flaws whatsoever, the three of them felt a slight ripple in their hearts.
After a long silence, Fang Hongxuan asked again, but his eyes were fixed on the old man.
"Old man, I've come here outspoken and have some doubts. I hope you can clear them up for me."
"Please speak freely; I will tell you everything I know..."
Chen Qinghe felt a chill run down his spine and stared intently at Fang Hongxuan.
Even the usually composed Jian Shiqing cast a glance at the two of them.
"May I ask, sir? You just said that your wife went to your in-laws' house and has not yet returned."
"Then, why are there five sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table...?"