frightfiction Chapter 516 The Mysteriously Disappeared Scholar
Chapter 516 The Mysteriously Disappeared Scholar
Xu Ning recalled that when he first met Beidou, he was thinking of training her to become the number one swordsman and shieldman on the Teyvat continent.
Unexpectedly, fate had an astonishingly strong binding force, and in the end, Beidou still lived up to her role as the eldest sister.
“We can’t just stand here and watch. Even though the sandstorm is so strong, we can’t let Candice fight alone. After all, it sounds like there are a lot of monsters…”
Paimon peeked out from behind Kong and looked down into the sandstorm.
Dixia turned around and smiled, "Of course I'm going to help. I was really annoyed by those two, so I'm taking it out on these monsters. What are you guys doing here too?"
Kong scratched his head sheepishly, "Those two inside weren't talking to each other, and we felt really awkward standing there, so we had no choice but to come out with you."
Xu Ning stretched out his finger and stroked between his eyebrows, summoning two elemental entities, wind and rock, which then walked downwards.
"Let's go. It seems there are still many of these Beast Wolves. Although Candice seems capable of handling them, it will probably take her quite a while. Let's attack together and finish this quickly!"
After Xu Ning's wind elemental body entered, the raging wind in the desert suddenly became smooth, just like straightened hair.
The sand grains scattered by the wind were gathered into bundles and poured into the rock elemental body, where they were all absorbed and then transformed into a long spear in the rock elemental's hand.
The area around the entrance to Aru Village suddenly appeared as a clear blue sky.
Candice and the wolf pack from the Beast Realm, who were engaged in a fierce battle at the village entrance, were startled by the scene and paused in unison.
Dixia was also amazed by Xu Ning's many methods, but the current situation was exactly what she wanted. She laughed and was the first to rush out to face a beast wolf.
With the sandstorm gone, Kong also came to help without hesitation. After several fierce battles and eliminating countless wolves, no wolf pack dared to come any closer.
As the sandstorm gradually subsided and eventually disappeared, the desert returned to its desolate tranquility.
"Phew, I've never tried cleaning up a disaster so easily before."
Xu Ning listened to Candice beside him, who was sighing, and said, "Shouldn't we be the ones sighing? Before this, you were the only one dealing with so many monsters?"
Candice tapped the shield on her left arm a few times with the spear in her hand, shaking off the fine sand. The shield spun and retracted a few times before disappearing from Candice's left arm.
"Do people in Liyue call these monsters? There are still guards in other parts of the village, but there are a few more at the entrance. There weren't this many monsters before. In recent years, there have been rumors that the World Tree is withering. It is because the power of the World Tree is weakening that these monsters appear along with earthquakes and sandstorms."
Paimon flew over and asked curiously, "So, the withering of the World Tree manifests as a dead zone and mutated monsters in the Sumeru Rainforest, and as earthquakes and sandstorms in the desert?"
"Everything in nature is closely related to the World Tree, and these symptom-like conditions do indeed reflect the state of the World Tree."
El-Heinz's voice rang out from behind the crowd.
Xu Ning and the others then noticed that Elhesen and Seno had also left the room.
Seeing that the sandstorm had subsided, Dixia looked around and asked Candice, "Hey, where are those village guardians with their strange powers today?"
The village guardians possess strange powers? Are they a unique defensive force specific to Aru Village?
Xu Ning and Kong looked over curiously when they heard Dixia's words.
Candice shook her head and said, "That's exactly what I've been troubling me lately. The village guardians are disappearing one by one, and it just so happens that earthquakes and sandstorms are happening all the time. I haven't had a chance to investigate yet, so your arrival is actually very timely."
"What exactly is a village guardian?" Paimon was surprised that people with such a cool-sounding title would disappear, and quickly asked.
"They are some crazy scholars."
Sino suddenly spoke up to explain: "The Church exiled those mad scholars to Aru Village, and the people of Aru Village call them the village guardians."
A mad scholar?
Xu Ning suddenly remembered Haibasha.
"Are they those scholars who practiced asceticism in Daocheng Forest and then went insane?"
Sino nodded. "So you also know that the Council of the Church said their crazy words would affect the minds of normal scholars, so they deliberately exiled them to the desert... In my opinion, this is simply nonsense. I will help find them and bring them back."
"But it seems that it was you, the disciplinary officers, who carried out the exile order, right? You were the one who exiled them, and now you're the one helping to find them. Is it because you feel guilty?"
"Irheimer said expressionlessly."
But Xu Ning clearly heard the sarcasm directed at Sino in his words.
Seno naturally understood, and turned to Elhesen coldly, saying, "Mockery won't work on me. If you were the one causing the problem, whether you were the clerk or the village guard, I would deal with you immediately."
Seeing that the two started arguing again after only a few words, Xu Ning and the others all had the idea that they had to separate the two.
Xu Ning winked at Dixia, "How about this? As the Grand Disciplinary Officer, Seno must be quite knowledgeable about hunting. Let's go out together and see if we can find any clues."
Sino was also thinking of spending some time alone with Xu Ning to find out exactly how Elhesen got involved with him.
After bidding farewell to everyone, Seno led Xu Ning out of the village.
"Objectively speaking, that Al-Hysen is completely untrustworthy..."
Xu Ning almost spat out his wine when he heard Sino's words. "Cough... Haha, putting aside him, what you just said is simply not objective at all."
Sino nodded and said, "I admit it. But I don't think the description of his assessment is inaccurate."
"Alright, at least for now, we're on the same page regarding our attitude towards the Order of the Church."
Sino shook his head again. "I don't think he can agree with us. After all, he lacks a sense of responsibility. His actions are driven more by curiosity, and countless scholars from the Order of the Church have ended up in prison for the same reason..."
Xu Ning surrendered, saying, "Alright, alright, if we don't trust him, let's focus our attention on these missing scholars and the World Tree. What exactly did the Little Lucky Grass King guide us to this desert to find the answer to? I think it all comes down to these scholars. By the way, Candice said that people are disappearing one by one. Who is the last one we know of?"
The last one to go missing was the "grandfather" mentioned by an orphan in the village.
The orphan's name was Isaac. His parents were members of the Gilded Brigade, who left and never returned. His grandfather, who raised him, also died.
When a mad scholar arrived, the orphan felt that he resembled his deceased relative and recognized him as his grandfather.
"Is this the house where he lives?"
Xu Ning sensed something was off as soon as he stepped inside; there was a faint fragrance permeating the air.
It wasn't the smell of spices, but rather the scent of phlox, which the scholars had specifically used to connect with the consciousness of the World Tree.
Xu Ning looked at the extremely simple furnishings in the room. "These scholars have all gone mad. How could they possibly still use Lingfen incense to continue their cultivation? And who would provide them with such precious incense?"
“Unless someone uses something these scholars have used before to lure them out,” Seno suddenly said.
Xu Ning was enlightened by Sino's words and immediately smiled.
"Heh, if that's the case, then things will be much easier from here on out."
Sino smiled too. It was indeed simple. He bent down and gently brought his nose close to the bed, carefully distinguishing the scents belonging to the residents here and memorizing them.
Then suddenly a dog's face with a scar also leaned over and took a deep sniff.
Sino turned his head, his eyes sharp as knives, and looked at Xu Ning, who was putting away the gourd.
Xu Ning was also somewhat taken aback.
After being reminded by Seno, his first thought was of Shadow Wolf, so he released it to help.
But the sight of it and Seno, both with their big heads, crowding together on the bed was so comical that I almost burst out laughing.
"Don't laugh, or you'll get chopped down by a big spear! Don't laugh, or you'll get chopped down by a big spear!"
Xu Ning suppressed a laugh and coughed as he said, "I know your jackal headgear is just for decoration..."
Sino nodded slowly. "It's just decoration."
"So I asked Kagerou to help me track down the scent..."
Sino nodded again. "That's good."
"What if it accidentally goes in the wrong direction..."
"I will correct it."
Xu Ning was certain that Seno did not feel uneasy about Yinglangmaru's appearance before he felt at ease letting Yinglangmaru lead the way.
However, as he stepped out of the house, Xu Ning paused for a moment, then reached out and touched his brow, summoning the rock elemental body. He watched it slowly sink into the ground before finally stepping out of the house.
As soon as Yinglangmaru came out, he started jogging, which showed that the last missing person hadn't been gone for too long.
Xu Ning and Senuo quickly spread out their bodies and followed closely behind Yinglangwan, running rapidly towards the southeast.
"So it's there?"
Sino glanced ahead and thought, "I should have thought of this spot sooner."
Xu Ning looked at the narrow valley path winding into a canyon, then turned to Seno and asked, "What's ahead?"
"It's an abandoned hospital that used to be called 'House of Vitality'."
A vibrant home?
This style of naming method...
"Was it run by the Fools? What does it mainly treat?"
Xu Ning already had a vague guess in his mind, and then it was confirmed by Sino.
"It is a medical institution specifically for treating Devil Scales."
Xu Ning's face immediately turned ugly, and memories of what Ke Lai had described to him surged into his mind.