Chapter 34: Fly Boy Attacks
"So the new guy was hiding in the shadow!"
The Spirit of the Burial Coffin connected a thread of ash to an eyeball, secretly peeking out, aiming at the master's shadow, and softly hummed.
Did they really think Coffin Grandpa was a vegetarian?
Just now inside the house, it had sensed something appearing, but it felt like one of its siblings, so it hadn’t reported it to the master.
It was, after all, the master’s first offspring,
And would also become the strongest!
Originally, Jiang Yan had planned to continue strolling through the black market to broaden his knowledge, but he suddenly stopped after walking just a short distance.
His right eyelid kept twitching, and an ominous premonition surged in his heart.
"Left eye for wealth, right eye... I don’t seem to have a right eye, all are left eyes, also wealth then."
Jiang Yan muttered to himself.
It wasn’t self-deception, but rather that the feeling was faint, as if… it wasn’t directed at him, more like collateral damage.
Ever since he had condensed the Ash Lamp, his intuition had been sharp.
Which meant…
Something might go wrong at the Five Madness Dharma Assembly?
Thinking of this, Jiang Yan decisively made up his mind.
Run!
He was just a minor character now, lacking the ability and interest to get involved in any dangerous event.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to remind Ningning to go home early.
The latter obediently nodded, indicating that she would return after bringing in three guests.
Jiang Yan didn’t say more, just told her to stay within the inner market as much as possible. With Law Seed Stage experts around, there shouldn’t be any major problems.
Even if the sky fell, there would be someone taller to hold it up.
He looked around, the number of Life Lamps was chaotic, revealing nothing, so he gave up.
What he didn’t notice was that inside the Dharma Assembly, countless fly insects were swarming. The dark green Compound Eyes were staring at the departing crowd, showing a human-like expression of greed.
At the entrance,
The Five Madness Carriages were lined up together, and many drivers were chatting with a somewhat heavy atmosphere.
Coincidentally or not, the one closest to Jiang Yan was still the driver with the "Four" mask.
‘I wonder which number mask Ningning’s father wears?’
The thought flashed through Jiang Yan’s mind as he asked the driver when they could depart.
If he had to wait for the same group of people as when he arrived, he would rather walk through the mountain path.
The "Four" mask driver replied, "That won’t be necessary. After all, the duration of the guests’ stay isn’t fixed, and they might not choose to take the carriage back. So as long as two-thirds of the seats are filled, we’ll depart. Please wait a moment, it should just be about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick."
"Alright."
Jiang Yan nodded and entered the carriage. Inside, there were already six or seven people seated, including a familiar face.
The chubby guy selling mountain pills.
"Brother Fierce, there’s a seat here!"
Seeing Jiang Yan’s arrival, the chubby man immediately waved and greeted enthusiastically:
"Brother Fierce, you’re back so soon. Didn’t find any satisfying goods like me?"
Jiang Yan responded with a simple "Mm", his attitude indifferent, but it didn’t dampen the other party’s enthusiasm in the slightest.
"I feel this Dharma Assembly isn’t as mysterious as the rumors say. Most of the stuff isn’t even worthy to be listed in my shop. A bit disappointing."
"I just heard from the drivers that a few Five Madness Carriages for picking up and dropping off guests were delayed. Not sure what happened. Things have been unstable lately. Going home early is a good idea."
"…"
Jiang Yan responded casually, while simultaneously testing his abilities. The shadow beneath his feet silently spread across the entire carriage—one gulp was enough to devour the whole compartment.
Soon, it silently receded.
Throughout the whole process, not a single person noticed.
The chubby man, perhaps tired from speaking, sighed with emotion:
"This time leaving Jiangnan Province, I don’t know when I’ll see Brother Fierce again!"
"You’re not from Jiangnan Province, are you?"
Jiang Yan wasn’t surprised, because this guy behaved just like the naive son of a rich landlord’s family, untouched by the cruelty of society, carrying a trace of innocence.
"I snuck out this time. My home is in Modu. You can come over in the future..."
The chubby man had just started to say the address but was interrupted by a warning look from Jiang Yan.
Realizing immediately, he scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, then handed over a business card with a grin:
"Come to the address on this card to find me. I’ll arrange everything perfectly for you. Oh right, how should I address Brother Fierce? I get it, just a surname or a codename will do."
"Sima Luoshui," Jiang Yan replied.
Suppressing laughter echoed in the carriage—there was nothing wrong with "Sima", nor with "Luoshui", but put together it was…
Too fake to be true.
The chubby man didn’t mind in the slightest and chuckled:
"Then I shall await Brother Sima in Modu!"
Jiang Yan glanced at him, accepted the card, and casually tucked it into his pants pocket. He didn’t refuse, but also didn’t take it to heart.
Once the black market ended, he would no longer be Sima Loshui, but the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Historical Revision, Pan’an County Branch—Commander Jiang Yan of the official forces.
He had come ashore,
And had no plans to dive back into the waters anytime soon.
Time flew by, and soon the carriage was two-thirds full. The driver wearing the "Four" mask also waved the Red Command Flag.
"Hyah!"
Neighhh!
The Five Madness Warhorses neighed skyward, then galloped ahead, beginning the return journey.
About ten minutes later, the carriage grew quiet.
Everyone had closed their eyes to rest, yet Jiang Yan’s mind remained wide awake. His brows were furrowed, as the ominous premonition in his heart hadn’t subsided—instead, it had grown even stronger.
What was going on?
Could it be that the danger wasn’t within the Five Madness Dharma Assembly?
But after leaving?
Or perhaps... there was an insider?
Jiang Yan suddenly asked, "Driver, is this the same road we came on?"
The driver’s voice, mingled with howling wind, drifted inside:
"No, this is the route my other friend took. He hadn’t replied in a while. Just now, I finally got word—turns out his carriage broke down, so he asked me to bring some repair supplies.
No need to worry, folks. The distance is about the same, and it’s well hidden. If there’s danger, we’ll signal with the Red Command Flag, and the Dharma Assembly side will send backup. Your safety is guaranteed..."
But before he finished speaking, a buzzing sound came from outside, dense and harsh, its piercing screeching shaking everyone’s eardrums.
"In the middle of the night... bees?" the chubby man questioned.
"Not bees—flies. A lot of flies. No good, it’s... an ambush!"
From outside came the driver’s panicked voice, along with the painful cries of the Five Madness Warhorses.
The next second,
The carriage rocked violently, accompanied by a sudden weightless sensation and a powerful jolt—it plunged downward.
It was Jiang Yan’s first time realizing that riding a carriage could also...
Crash!
Boom!
With a violent impact, the carriage slammed into the ground. Many were flung around, colliding with the walls inside.
Fortunately, the carriage was sturdy and didn’t disintegrate on impact. Also, there were no ordinary people here, so no tragedy occurred.
"So uncomfortable..."
The chubby man’s face turned ashen. The shaking had made him queasy—he nearly threw up.
Jiang Yan sat quietly, eyes closed, lost in thought.
"What happened?"
Everyone rose and exited the carriage.
Outside was a forest clearing.
The driver and the Five Madness Warhorses were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
But no one helped them up. Instead, each person stood frozen with terror-stricken faces.
Because what they saw was a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
In the sky, dark clouds gathered, the world dimmed, and a storm seemed to be brewing.
The air was thick with a stench—a nauseating mix of corpse rot and blood.
Buzzzzz!
The sky, ground, and forest were swarmed with dense, buzzing fly insects.
And beneath their flight was a small corpse mountain, formed from the piled remains of countless humans, Five Madness Warhorse corpses, shattered carriages, and other debris.
Black flies crawled all over it, stretching out insect limbs to feast on flesh and lay eggs.
The stench came from this mound.
"What is this?!"
The chubby man happened to walk out, and upon seeing the scene before him, his insides churned. Unable to hold it in, he vomited.
"New guests have arrived?"
A childlike voice came from atop the corpse mountain.
Just then, the clouds drifted aside, revealing a bright full moon.
The cold moonlight spilled down, dispersing the darkness.
Everyone saw a cute-looking young Daoist boy sitting atop the corpse pile, lightly swinging his legs.
His lips were still stained with blood. Innocence and cruelty intertwined. Flies swirled around his body—it was extremely eerie.
"Hic."
He let out a burp, looked down at the group, and said with a smile:
"Welcome, everyone, to Fly Boy’s..."
"Hunting Ground!"