After the Immortal Disappeared

"The Posthouse Chief saw that her clothes were tattered and she was heavily pregnant. Her eyes were shifty, and she wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze. He remembered the notice in the city and decided to hand her over to the authorities. The woman began to cry and make a scene, shouting, ’I’m just so hungry!’ and ’I don’t want to hurt you!’ before bolting outside. The head constable rushed to intercept her, but a three-foot-tall monster leaped out of the cotton basket on her back. It killed the Posthouse Chief, the head constable, and the grooms. Coincidentally, two Patrol Guard brothers were resting at the posthouse. They heard the commotion and came out to help, but they were no match for the monster. One died, and the other was severely injured. However, they did manage to throw the monster out of the posthouse, and at least a dozen travelers on the road saw it."

"And then?"

"The witnesses on the road were terrified and fled on the spot. By the time the constables arrived, the woman and the monster were, of course, long gone."

"A pregnant mother of a monster who escaped from Panlong City?" Hee Lingchuan mused. "They were strictly investigating pregnant women in Panlong City a while back. She must have known she couldn’t stay and fled ahead of time."

But the countryside was freezing cold. A lone pregnant woman would have almost nowhere to go, probably having to take shelter in dilapidated houses and abandoned shacks.

Willow frowned. "It’s a long way from West Village to the mine we’re heading to now. Could a pregnant woman survive that?"

"Maybe she could," Door Panel said in his gruff voice. "The thing in her belly isn’t human. Who knows what kind of demonic tricks it can pull."

Willow snorted.

Red Peak was located thirty *li* northwest of Panlong City, not a great distance. It was one of the most important mines in the northwest, producing iron and copper of high and consistent quality. After years of development, a small town of over a thousand people had formed at the foot of the mountain, named Red Peak Town.

True to the saying "live off the mountain if you live by the mountain," the town’s population mainly consisted of miners, blacksmiths, officials, and their families. The excavated ore was smelted and cast on-site to save time and materials, then inspected and purchased by the authorities before being transported to the city.

Panlong City, being in a state of perpetual war, placed extreme importance on iron goods. Upon learning of the mine’s collapse, they immediately dispatched people to investigate.

The farther northwest they traveled, the fewer trees and the more rocks they saw. The rolling terrain of the hills became more pronounced, with some steep peaks unable to hold any snow, revealing their dark, blackish rock underneath.

But there was no shortage of animals here. A large herd of wild deer was digging through the snow to eat lichen, and they weren’t startled when the group galloped past, simply remaining where they were and munching away.

When Hee Lingchuan and his group arrived at Red Peak Town, they saw that the road to the mine was indeed blocked, and right near the entrance. To facilitate ore transport, the mountain road had been specially widened and maintained for carts and horses. But now, snow from the high peaks had avalanched, carrying large chunks of weathered rock with it and sealing the road completely shut.

However, the work of clearing the blockage was already in full swing. Hee Lingchuan saw two enormous ice-rock Puppets digging away at the fallen rocks and snow. They were both over two *zhang* tall, even more imposing than his Golden Armor Copper Man. Their bodies were formed from solid ice and rock, and their palms, larger than door panels, were perfectly suited for shoveling. They had no lower limbs, instead moving on four or five large ice wheels, which made it easier to transport heavy loads.

’The Cultivator who summoned these two must be nearby,’ Hee Lingchuan thought. ’The longer they maintain them, the more Spiritual Power they consume.’

The reason they weren’t using manual labor to clear the path was twofold. First, the giant ice-rock Puppets were stronger and more efficient. Second, rocks still periodically fell from the mountain. The large ones were wider than a round table, and even the small ones were bigger than coconuts. If a laborer were hit by one, their head would split into eight pieces.

As for who was hauling away the rock and ice, besides the usual mules and horses, Hee Lingchuan was surprised to see a dozen huge, long-haired wild oxen with curved horns and fur that nearly covered their eyes.

These hulking beasts were extremely muscular and didn’t look good-tempered, yet they were obediently harnessed to carts, hauling away debris for the humans. As they strained, they snorted puffs of white steam from their nostrils.

A single ox could pull a large cart fully loaded with rubble. With their help, the clearing operation was progressing much faster.

As everyone was marveling at the sight, Willow raised her hand and pointed to the mountaintop. "Look! The Marsh Warden!"

All the living creatures were busy working, but on a solid rock shelf jutting out above the mountain road, a huge, sand-colored leopard was lounging.

It was larger than an average male lion, its posture lazy as it lowered its head to clean the pads of its front paws.

Its paws were the size of cattail fans.

Hee Lingchuan was astonished. "Is that the local Marsh Warden of Red Peak?" ’It looks so familiar. Wasn’t it a Sand Leopard that caused my original self to fall off a cliff? That’s what started my fateful connection with the Divine Bone Necklace, too.’

’Wait a minute,’ he thought. ’Isn’t Zhong Shengguang’s Spirit Pet a Sand Leopard?’

"That’s Lord Zhong’s partner," Willow said, her voice filled with respect. "Legend says it’s the leader of the Sand Leopards, tamed by Lord Zhong in his third year in the Panlong Wasteland. It fought alongside him and was later directly appointed as the Northwest Marsh Warden."

When a man achieves enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven—let alone a Leopard Demon that already had real substance.

With the Marsh Warden personally overseeing things, it was no wonder the long-haired wild oxen were so docile. They were practically letting the humans lead them around by the nose.

Hee Lingchuan sighed. ’The little Leopard Demon’s ancestor was a Marsh Warden with an imperially granted post. How did its descendants end up as a whole den of Mountain Bandits?’

’Each generation is worse than the last.’

The Marsh Warden Leopard Demon, unaware of Hee Lingchuan’s silent criticism, stretched lazily on the giant rock and then let out a roar at a slacking wild ox.

The saw-like roar startled the ox, which immediately lowered its head and got back to work.

Hee Lingchuan had only been watching for a few moments when a cheer erupted from the mountain road: the first blockage was cleared.

Someone from the town waved at them, and Hee Lingchuan’s group spurred their horses forward.

The man was the Village Chief in charge of Red Peak Town. He was dark and thin, with high cheekbones and a face that seemed perpetually worried.

He said to Hee Lingchuan, "There are three teams in total, correct?"

Hee Lingchuan glanced around the town and sure enough, he saw other Patrol Guards. Ever since defeating Meng Shan, Hee Lingchuan’s reputation had grown among the Martial Artists, and most of the Patrol Guards recognized him. They were now nodding in acknowledgment.

Door Panel answered for him. "Correct."

"Then everyone is here." The Village Chief beckoned the other Patrol Guards over and led them into the town’s temple. The temple was dedicated to Lady Mitian, and its rear hall was large enough to comfortably accommodate the twenty-plus people who entered. "My surname is Hu, and I’m in charge of all matters in Red Peak Town. I’ve been ordered to brief you all on the situation here."

"Our mine isn’t very deep and it’s close to the main road, so we can operate it even in winter. Further in, there are several richer mines, but heavy winter snows seal off the mountains, so we can’t get in." This was one of the reasons the Red Peak Mine was so valued by Panlong City. "It snowed heavily for the past three days, but the road to the mine was fine until yesterday, when there was a sudden avalanche. The slide was massive, blocking at least two or three *li* of the mountain road. Clearing it is going to be very difficult."

Hu Village Chief continued, "The problem is, the mining didn’t stop. There were still people inside. We heard from the laborers who escaped that a monster seems to have gotten into the tunnels, and it’s eating people."

"Eating people?" The captains exchanged a look. "What did it look like?"

"They don’t know. It’s pitch-black inside the tunnels, and the thing moves too fast for them to get a clear look. Sometimes they’d hear a comrade scream, but by the time they rushed over, the person was already gone."

Hee Lingchuan asked, "Could it be the work of a Demon or a wild beast?"

"With the Spirit Leopard Marsh Warden around, the local Demon Beasts wouldn’t dare attack humans. Even wild animals keep their distance," Hu Village Chief said. "The Marsh Warden also questioned its subordinates, and they all said they haven’t eaten anyone."

"Oh, right. Before the avalanche, some townspeople heard a strange noise, like a baby crying. At first, everyone thought it was just wildcats in the mountain forest crying out in heat, but the sound got stranger the more they heard it." Hu Village Chief swallowed. "Actually, two people have also disappeared from town in the last half-month. Well, it was originally three, but one of them had just wandered too far while gathering firewood, got caught in a snowstorm, and was held up for two days before coming back..."

Another captain, Xuu Chun, interrupted him. "The other two—are they missing or dead?"

"One went out to make purchases eleven days ago and never came back. The other, a man named Ding, lived right here in town. The next morning, people woke up to find his door open and him gone."

"Any signs of blood?"

"No blood, and no signs of a struggle or fight," Hu Village Chief said. "His footprints led out of his house, went west for four or five *zhang*, and then just vanished. The snow was thick, so the prints were very clear."

’In other words, Old Ding vanished into thin air four or five *zhang* from his own front door?’

Hee Lingchuan considered that the town was built in a valley where space was tight, so the houses were all built right next to each other. The soundproofing was probably only a tiny bit better than his wooden cabin in Panlong City. If the missing person had been attacked, the neighbors should have at least heard a scream.

’Could he have been attacked in his sleep, completely unable to resist?’

Willow stood up. "The man who disappeared in town—which house did he live in?"

Hu Village Chief pointed it out to her.

Willow immediately said to the others, "I’ll be right back."

As she left to investigate, Hu Village Chief said with a bitter smile, "After Old Ding disappeared, everyone in town has been on edge, unable to sleep soundly at night. And now with this business at the mine... Please, Lord Patrols, you must get rid of the monster. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to complete the iron-casting quota assigned by the city."

The Red Peak Mine had a fixed monthly quota for the number of iron goods it had to deliver.

Xuu Chun was about to speak when an old woman carrying in hot water suddenly interjected, "Village Chief, why haven’t you told the Lord Patrols about that woman? She also came here half a month ago. The timing matches up!"

Hu Village Chief shot her a glare. "What nonsense are you spouting? Don’t cause trouble here!"

But the Patrol Guards weren’t about to let any clue slip by. "What woman?"

"Lord Patrol, don’t listen to this old woman’s gossip. A woman came to town seventeen or eighteen days ago, saying she was looking for a relative. But that relative had passed away long ago. We saw she was heavily pregnant and felt sorry for her, so we found her an empty house to stay in."

Heavily pregnant? The men exchanged glances, their internal alarms going off. Weren’t they just investigating pregnant women in Panlong City recently? The timeline did indeed match.

Hee Lingchuan suddenly asked, "Was she in her fifties, short, and scrawny?"

"She was a bit short and thin, but I don’t think she was fifty," Hu Village Chief said, taken aback. "She was only around thirty."

The old woman with the water chimed in from the side, "And she had a rather fair complexion."

Hee Lingchuan was surprised.

He had thought it would be the old woman he’d met before.

Xuu Chun followed up, "Where is she now?"

"She left a few days ago," Hu Village Chief said, shaking his head. "She claimed to be five or six months along, but to us, she looked at least nine months pregnant. Her belly was frighteningly large. How could she stay here long-term?"