"The initial round was already this difficult. How can we handle the semi - finals?"
The questions in the initial round were so strange that many people were still terrified. On the way back, some disciples were still worried.
However, the Heavenly Pivot Code didn't give everyone much time to rest. Just one day later, the promoted disciples set off again. The semi - final venue was in a village called Fumao Village in the Central Plains, a three - day journey from the capital.
The semi - finals had strict requirements. Teachers and fellow disciples of the contestants were not allowed to go. Therefore, Yan Zheng and Xu Qingfeng had to stay in the capital and watch the competition through the Retrospection Mirror.
It was already late autumn in the capital, but Fumao Village was much warmer than the capital. The climate was pleasant.
The only drawback was that it rained drizzle all day long here. After the disciples arrived, they hardly saw the sun.
Several disciples sighed leisurely:
"What a place where yin qi gathers..."
Everyone got off the carriage. After the accompanying staff counted the number of people, they walked towards the village along a small path.
There were already many familiar faces around. They were all comrades who had fought side by side in the initial round, including the young corpse - officer who had subdued the jade corpse with Shen Cuiyu and others. When the corpse - officer saw Shen Cuiyu and his group, he immediately showed a look of joy. After the life - and - death struggle in the previous round, a deep friendship seemed to have been established among them.
"I haven't introduced myself formally. I'm Ye Zhiqiu, the 18th - generation heir of the corpse - officer."
Another young monk also walked over slowly, putting his hands together and saying, "I'm Monk Konghui. Nice to meet you."
After a few simple conversations, everyone became more familiar with each other. At that time, the drizzle was like a net. The wet bluestone road reflected the sky light, and the distant mountains were shrouded in the hazy rain and fog. The whole village was extremely quiet, only the sound of rain was pattering.
Not far away, there were also a few people around Liu Ruyan, some men and some women. They didn't talk much along the way. The few words they said occasionally were all flattery to Liu Ruyan.
I don't know how long they walked, but finally they arrived at a certain household.
"Welcome everyone to Fumao Village," the accompanying staff was a young woman. She curved her lips and showed a very infectious smile. "This is the venue for the semi - finals. Now I will distribute the task sheets, one for each person. During the exam, it is forbidden to use any magic tools that can communicate with the outside world. If anyone violates this, they will be treated as cheating."
After saying that, several scrolls were distributed to the hands of the disciples.
Shen Cuiyu slowly unfurled the scroll and read it carefully -
[Semi - final Exam Question: The Incident in Fumao Village]
Fumao Village used to be a place in the Central Plains where people lived in peace and harmony with simple folk customs. The villagers farmed for generations and lived a happy life.
Wu Xingsheng was a native of this village. He had never left this place. When he was a child, his biological father died early. His mother, Zhou Shi, brought him up with great hardship and then remarried. Although his step - father was not a kind man, his family was quite wealthy. After Wu Xingsheng grew up, his step - father also arranged a marriage for him according to the local custom and helped him establish his own household.
Wu Xingsheng and his wife, Deng Shi, had two daughters and one son. The youngest child was a boy. Although the family of five was not rich, their life was peaceful and happy.
However, misfortune came unexpectedly. At the beginning of the year, his mother, Zhou Shi, was seriously ill. After lying on the sickbed for half a year, she finally died despite all the medical treatments.
The Wu family buried Zhou Shi properly according to the old village rules.
Birth, old age, illness and death are normal in life. Although Wu Xingsheng was sad, he knew it was fate and gradually accepted the reality.
But unexpectedly, strange things kept happening.
The first strange event happened on the seventh night after Zhou Shi's death.
Everything was silent. The five members of the Wu family were suddenly awakened in their sleep by a clear and persistent "knock, knock, knock" sound.
The sound came from the front door!
The whole family was terrified. By the dim and pale moonlight, they looked out of the window tremblingly - only to see a vague and distorted human - shaped shadow clinging tightly and motionlessly to the window paper. Its outline was strange, not like a living thing!
The whole family was so frightened that their souls almost flew away!
Before dawn the next day, they hurriedly invited a charlatan in the village to ask. But the charlatan only said that it was the soul of the deceased returning on the seventh night after death. The deceased was reluctant to leave the mortal world. Although it was an ominous sign to see it, it was okay. It would leave after the seventh night.
Although Wu Xingsheng was worried, he had no choice but to believe what the charlatan said and endure it.
Unexpectedly, the nightmare had just begun!
That strange shadow came every night on time, like a death curse, firmly nailed outside the Wu family's window. What was even more frightening was that since that night, several of the Wu family's livestock would suddenly die every night. Their death was miserable. Their bodies were shriveled, as if they had been drained of blood!
Wu Xingsheng made a living by raising and selling livestock. This was like cutting off his means of livelihood to him, a disaster that would destroy his family!
Exam Requirements:
[All Heavenly Masters, please find out the root cause of this strange event and resolve the Wu family's misfortune!]
After reading the task sheet, the disciples had different expressions.
The woman who distributed the task sheets scanned everyone with a calm look, then turned around and left. At the same time, a heavy bell rang in the air.
"The competition officially begins. May everyone have a smooth journey and achieve success."
Everyone looked at each other. Dong Fangxiao was the most impatient. He stepped forward first and knocked on the slightly mottled wooden door.
After a while, the door creaked open a crack, and a middle - aged man poked his head out.
He was about forty years old. His skin was bronze from years of hard work. He was strong - built with broad hands full of thick calluses. He was obviously a genuine farmer. But at this moment, his eye sockets were sunken, and there was a layer of inescapable fear and exhaustion between his eyebrows. He was the head of the household, Wu Xingsheng.
Wu Xingsheng sized up this group of extraordinary young people outside the door. His eyes swept over their clothes and various magic tools they carried. A glimmer of hope suddenly flashed in his turbid eyes. He quickly opened the door completely and stepped aside, saying eagerly and respectfully:
"Are you... are you the Heavenly Masters from the capital? Please come in, please come in quickly!"
Shen Cuiyu followed the others and walked into the yard with Wu Xingsheng, silently sizing up the surroundings.
This farmhouse was quite simple. The courtyard wall was built of adobe. There were some farm tools and firewood piled up in one corner of the yard. On the other side, there should have been a livestock shed, but now it was empty, with only three or four cows and sheep, adding a bit more desolation.
The main house was a row of three tile - roofed houses. The walls were a bit blackened by the smoke. Although it was old, it was tidied up quite neatly.
Entering the main hall, a haggard - looking woman in a coarse cloth dress was standing nervously beside the table. She was Wu Xingsheng's wife, Deng Shi.
The light in the room was a bit dim. The air was filled with a faint smell of farmyard smoke, but there also seemed to be a faint trace of coldness lingering deeper.
As soon as everyone entered the room, Liu Ruyan sat down in the seat closest to Wu Xingsheng and said:
"We already know the basic situation of this matter, but there are still some details we need to ask you."
Wu Xingsheng immediately said, "Please ask, Heavenly Master."
"Did you suspect that this matter was done by your mother, Zhou Shi, when you asked the Heavenly Masters for help?"
Wu Xingsheng was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "My mother was an honest person when she was alive. She didn't even dare to kill a chicken... But I heard that people's personalities will change greatly after death." As this big and rough - looking man said this, he actually wiped away a tear. "Heavenly Masters, it's not that I'm unfilial and invite Heavenly Masters to deal with my own mother. It's just... My family of five depends on these livestock for a living. I really... I really have no choice!"
His tear - filled words made everyone feel uncomfortable.
Dong Fangxiao quickly said, "Don't worry. We will definitely help you find out the truth!"