Chapter 169 The Well Within the Residence

Duan Chen couldn't explain why he had suddenly appeared here, only feeling a vague sense that he ought to visit. As for why he had this feeling, he had no idea. Following his inner thoughts and instincts, he walked directly into the ancestral hall. Everything that had happened here during the day seemed vivid, yet also like it had happened a long, long time ago. Duan Chen glanced down at the ground, then looked around. The blood that had been present here was gone, as they had cleaned up the aftermath. The place was exceptionally clean and tidy. If one didn't know a murder had occurred here, no one would ever guess. Duan Chen walked around the entire courtyard, searching meticulously. Although he had already investigated during the day, he thought that perhaps at night, he might discover something unusual. This was what Duan Chen thought. After thinking this, he couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. How old was he to still be having such daydreams? However, just as he was thinking this, the smile on his face suddenly froze. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Why was there a well here? Duan Chen's expression turned grim as he looked at the well standing precisely in the middle of the courtyard. When he had entered, there had been no well at all, just a flat, open courtyard. It had only appeared after he had investigated the courtyard and was about to leave. The appearance of this well undoubtedly held something extraordinary. His expression suddenly turned dark and unpleasant. Without alerting anyone, he slowly approached the well by himself. At this moment, Duan Chen noticed something amiss. The moon in the sky and the well in the courtyard seemed to align on a single straight line, shining directly down. He had an idea that perhaps it was because the moon and the well aligned that the well's form was revealed. However, during the day, he had indeed walked over that spot. Why hadn't he fallen in? Various thoughts swirled in his mind like fleeting illusions, but Duan Chen didn't have much time to ponder. He could only follow his instincts and his desire to explore as he drew closer to the well. He wasn't exceptionally bold, but he did have some confidence in himself. Duan Chen could lift a thousand pounds, his presence was awe-inspiring, and his feet were as firm as a thousand-pound weight. This wasn't a special ability or talent. It was merely the application of ordinary movement techniques and martial arts, placing the entire weight of his body onto his feet as he leaned his head into the well. He looked. He almost tumbled over. It was incredibly stinky, truly stinky. This well smelled like a latrine, no, it was worse than a latrine. Furthermore, the gas that emerged nearly blinded his eyes. Fortunately, due to his talent, which was entirely focused on his eyes, they were normally protected more rigorously than other parts of his body. The moment he felt the toxic gas surge, Duan Chen immediately covered his eyes with his spiritual energy to prevent them from being poisoned. But even though he retracted his head with extreme speed, a large portion of the spiritual energy covering his eyes had already been corroded. Duan Chen patted his chest, still shaken, and thinking of the scene he had glimpsed, he was filled with horror. The well was full of corpses. Each one was a rotting mound of flesh, with a large hole in its chest, all their hearts having been removed. It was definitely the work of the sea demons from Mirror City. Coming full circle, he found himself back at the beginning. Duan Chen felt a surge of hatred and couldn't help but grit his teeth, rubbing them together. Sooner or later, he would destroy that place. ... By the time Duan Chen returned, it was almost dawn. Although it was still misty, it was no longer pitch black. Hearing the knock, Wang Zihao opened the door and saw Duan Chen standing outside, covered in dew. His expression paused. "Instructor, what's wrong? Why did you take so long to return?" Wang Zihao asked with concern. Duan Chen shook his head. "It's nothing." Indeed, it was nothing major. He had simply cleaned up the things in the well and gone down to explore again. However, the results of his exploration made him feel extremely uneasy. Because the deeper he went into the well, the more he could feel a familiar aura. It was clearly leading to that city in the sea. What were the sea demons trying to do? What were the apostles trying to do? Why were they establishing things like gates all over the country, leading to Mirror City? What were they trying to achieve? Duan Chen pondered this question, lost in thought. At this moment, Wang Zihao suddenly asked, "Instructor, do you remember who I am?" "What do you think?" Duan Chen replied casually. Unexpectedly, he heard Wang Zihao call out to him again. "Instructor." "You..." Duan Chen looked up at Wang Zihao, wanting to say something, his brows slightly furrowed. But as soon as he looked up, he was met with a punch. Duan Chen dodged immediately, drew Pandora, and began to fight with Wang Zihao, who had already activated his talent. Within a few breaths, Wang Zihao, who was not very skilled at fighting, was suppressed. "Explain," Duan Chen said, his eyes dark. Wang Zihao breathed a sigh of relief and then gave a wry smile. "I apologize, Instructor. I suspected you might have been possessed by something unknown, so I stepped forward to test you." After all, Duan Chen's state just now was truly not right. Duan Chen glanced at him, released his grip, and shook his head. "It's fine, you were being cautious. However, I did deal with some matters, but these matters are not at your current level. Knowing less is a form of strict protection for yourselves." If that were the case, he wouldn't pursue it further. However, this was not the most important thing. There was another, more crucial matter he needed to convey. "We will depart tomorrow morning." Wang Zihao's eyes widened in surprise. "You're not going to stay and continue investigating?" Duan Chen shook his head. "No need. I've already dealt with everything here." Apart from the well, there was nothing else worthy of attention. Or rather, anything that needed attention might have already been transferred through that well, or cleaned up directly by the magician. If they wanted to gain any further information here now, it would be exceedingly difficult.