Chapter 676: Hidden Danger

The tiny black shadow under its wing kept wriggling, seemingly struggling and not giving up on escaping. The little paper crane pressed down for a while, then tilted its head to one side to secretly peek at what was under its wing. After watching for a long time, it suddenly released one wing, then flapped it down fiercely.

After flapping seven or eight times consecutively, the little paper crane tilted its head down again to look at the tiny black shadow under its wing. The thing, not much bigger than an eye booger, stopped moving. Only then did the little paper crane release its wing, revealing a small, grotesque, flea-like insect beneath.

At this moment, new sounds emerged from the direction of the kitchen in the compound. Clearly audible were suppressed laughter, along with chewing and swallowing sounds.

The little paper crane raised its head to look towards the kitchen. After a series of faint, indistinct, and hazy light changes around its head, the part of its body above its neck transformed into a lifelike crane head, though significantly smaller.

“Chirp-cheep…”

A soft crane call emanated from the little paper crane's mouth. The lively sounds from the kitchen instantly quieted down.

The little paper crane picked up the small grotesque insect with its beak. Then, flapping its wings, it flew up again, heading towards the kitchen of the compound. It then slipped through a gap between the eaves and the wall opening.

With a creak, the kitchen door opened. The elderly man, surnamed Li, emerged, holding a candelabra and shining its light into the courtyard.

“Father, did you see anything?” “Yes, Uncle Li, what was that sound just now?”

The old man squinted, using the candlelight to look around, but saw nothing.

“It sounded like a bird call, didn't it? Maybe some bird landed in the courtyard because it was starving at the beginning of spring. It's nothing, definitely not a person.”

“That’s good. Come on, let's go back and eat.”

Relieved, the group returned to the kitchen. After another glance at the courtyard, the old man closed the door. As long as they weren't discovered and didn't attract unwanted attention, everything was fine.

Inside the kitchen, nine people were crowded around an eight-person table, eating and drinking. Their spirits were clearly high. The food and wine were warm, and the kitchen, heated by charcoal, felt very cozy.

The little paper crane remained perched on the kitchen beam, intently observing the people below. While it didn't miss any small detail of anyone, its main focus was on five individuals: the four who had emerged from the tunnel and the old man.

Upon seeing the leading man among the four scratch his back at least a dozen times but consistently fail to reach the spot, the little paper crane also extended a wing to scratch its own back. However, it did so with ease, immediately losing interest. Meanwhile, the atmosphere below grew increasingly lively.

“Hey, I'm telling you, the four of you really reek! Come on, let's toast.”

“Hahahaha, I haven't even taken off my shoes yet! They'd smell even worse if I did! Should I take them off now?”

“No, no, no, we're eating!”

“Hahahahaha…” “Your feet aren’t much better!”

The old man drank the wine in his cup, then scratched his right hand with his left, sighing with emotion.

“Once Er Shunzi and the others return from this trip, we can finally live a more peaceful life.”

“Yes, indeed. But Uncle Li, Old Man Li still said to prepare as much as possible.”

“What? Are the battles really going badly? Weren't they all great victories?”

The four men fell silent, and the previously lively atmosphere cooled slightly. Then, the leading man spoke.

“I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but I heard that many people died in the military units ahead of us, and those Immortal Masters are quite terrifying.”

“Yes, yes, some Immortal Masters are called Immortal Masters, but they’re nothing like the deities from legends; they're practically not human…”

“Shush…”

“It's so far away, what's there to be afraid of? Those two who came to the main camp last time, they looked like skeletons. One look from them gave me nightmares all night, dreaming that I was covered in bugs. Oh, it was so frightening…”

“Hahaha, alright, stop talking. You're making me shiver! Eat, eat, eat. Anyway, they'll be back in a while. Let them fight!”

“Right, right, right! Drink up!”

“Come on, bottoms up!”

After watching for a moment, the little paper crane turned its head towards the kitchen window. It seemed to have heard another sound, and with a whoosh, it flew out quickly. The people eating and drinking in the kitchen were completely unaware.

When Ji Yuan first arrived in Nandao County, he found it quite chaotic. Families like Old Li's, who had tunnels in their homes, were hardly good people. Things had improved somewhat, but still only to a limited extent. This was partly because many restless individuals had joined the army to seek opportunities and profit.

On the quiet street, a group of people moved swiftly and silently in a single file, hugging one side of the road. Each carried weapons on their backs or at their waists.

The little paper crane slowly followed them in the air. It watched as the group traveled for about a quarter of an hour, finally reaching the vicinity of the government yamen. They then leaped into a courtyard lit by lanterns.

Soon, short screams and sounds of fighting emanated from within, but they didn't last long and quickly quieted down.

Following the sounds, the little paper crane also flew into the courtyard, which was the Nandao County prison. Two constables lay fallen by the prison gate, a pool of blood spreading on the ground. Flying into the dark prison interior, it was filled with a stench mixed with the smell of blood.

“Big Brother, how are you?” “Big Brother! What happened to you?!”

“Big Brother—those sons of bitches, I’ll kill them all!”

Several men’s suppressed and pained voices came from inside. The little paper crane flew into the depths of the prison, clinging to the ceiling and observing below. In that cell, a person, ragged and covered in bloodstains and sores, lay prostrate on the prison bed. A wave of foul stench assaulted the senses, intensely exaggerated even within the confines of the prison.

“You! How dare you inflict such cruelty upon our Big Brother!”

A man in black seized a constable, his fingers clamping around the officer's neck like an iron clamp, causing the officer's face to redden and his breathing to become labored.

“P-please, master, spare my life, master! This humble one, this humble one truly never made things difficult for Master Xu. Master Xu is a hero from the front lines; this humble one wouldn’t dare…”

“Hmph, open the door quickly, open it!”

The man slammed the jailer against the prison door with a "thud".

“Cough, cough, cough… cough, cough… Yes, this humble one obeys. Please, masters, spare my life and let me live. I truly never made things difficult for Xu…”

The jailer, trembling slightly, unclipped a bunch of keys from his waist. He fumbled through them to find one, but when he inserted it into the iron lock of the cell door, it wouldn't open. Sweat poured down the jailer's face as he repeatedly apologized for mixing up the keys due to nervousness.

“Who, who’s outside… Is it, is it Desheng… Is that you…?”

Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from within the cell. The person, who had been motionless, seemed to awaken at that moment, and the group of men outside immediately grew more agitated.

“Big Brother!” “Big Brother, it’s us! We’ve come to save you!”

“Big Brother, brothers, we’re late, and you’ve suffered!”

The person in the cell struggled to raise their head. Through their disheveled hair, they saw the group of people in the candlelight outside and the jailer, with a knife at his throat, opening the lock.

With a click, the lock finally opened.

“Master, the lock is open, I—uh…”

Before the jailer could finish speaking, he was stabbed through the chest and back with a knife, slowly collapsing with pain, fear, and unwillingness.

The other men then tore open the tangled iron chains themselves. Just as they were about to open the door and enter the cell, the man inside became agitated.

“Don’t… don’t come in! None of you come in!”

This sudden raised voice stunned all the men outside, leaving them somewhat at a loss.

“Big Brother, it’s us!” “Big Brother, we’re here to save you!”

The man inside propped himself up, reaching out with a gasping voice.

“I know, I know, but don’t come in. Leave quickly, go as far away as possible. Burn this prison down, burn it, burn me to death! Something is burrowing into my heart, liver, spleen, and lungs… I, I don’t know what it is, burn it, burn this place down…”

“Big Brother, stop talking! Let’s leave first, or we’ll be discovered soon!”

“Right, let’s take Big Brother and go!”

The men said no more. Completely disregarding the pus and stench from the imprisoned man, they entered the cell, helped him up, and left.

The little paper crane followed them out of the prison. After continuing to follow for a short distance, it hovered in the air, flapping its wings in hesitation. Then it flew directly out of the city, heading straight towards Ji Yuan’s location.

At this very moment, Ji Yuan was already fast asleep. Perhaps due to the dream-wandering technique he had created, even though he didn't often travel in dreams, sometimes in his dreams, he still had the sensation of seeing distant landscapes, and it felt incredibly real.

Ordinary people feel dreams are real because they don’t know they are dreaming. However, Ji Yuan could cultivate in his dreams, so when he occasionally felt reality, it was even more special. Sometimes, Ji Yuan would deliberately seek out this sensation.

While Ji Yuan was sleeping soundly, the little paper crane flapped its wings and rapidly flew towards a nearby mound. The Golden Armor, who had been sitting cross-legged under a rock, didn't turn its head or look up. Its eyes merely shifted to glance into the distance, and upon seeing the paper crane approaching, it showed no further reaction.

The little paper crane gently landed on the rock. It lightly nudged Ji Yuan’s forehead with a wing, and he slowly opened his eyes. With a pair of pale, moon-like eyes, he looked at the paper crane before him and asked with a smile.

“What is it?”

After the hazy transformation above its neck, the little paper crane’s head became a lifelike red-crowned crane head.

“Chirp-cheep…”

“Oh, you can make sounds now?”

Ji Yuan sat up, looking very pleased. However, his smile soon faded, and his expression became very serious, as the little paper crane spat out a small insect, no bigger than an eye booger, from its beak.