My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times-Chapter 128 - 2: The Old Ox with a Slap Mark on Its Face

Chapter 128: Chapter 2: The Old Ox with a Slap Mark on Its Face

"You two must be from Wutong City as well, right?"

A beat later, Xu Linda turned around. He pointed to himself in confusion, then spoke:

"Yes, Xiaoqiu and I are both from Wutong City..."

"I noticed you two were quite eager to leave today. Is that because...?"

Before Xu Linda could speak, Xu Qingqiu, who was beside him, brushed the hair from her temples. She revealed her long, slender neck and explained in a soft voice:

"Yes. We have some things to take care of in a few days. If we left tomorrow, we’d be cutting it a bit close with the travel time back. That’s why we’re in a bit of a rush. Sorry about that."

Lu Xuan didn’t say anything, just smiled and waved his hand.

Time trickled by. By the time the Great Sun began to sink in the west, the hovercar finally, slowly, came to a stop.

"We’re here!" the middle-aged guide announced. "This is Gouxian Town. We won’t be driving in, out of respect for the local customs. They call it a town, but it’s not all that big."

No one questioned it; they all got out of the car. It was nearly dusk. The colors of sunset streaked across the horizon, and a cool evening breeze had begun to blow, sweeping away the day’s heat.

After getting out of the car, Lu Xuan noticed the couple kept glancing back nervously in the direction of Wutong City. This only strengthened his certainty.

’These two are probably deeply entangled with Sakata Heavy Industries. It seems they’re on the run from something...’

’If I’m not mistaken, they have no intention of taking the hovercar back.’

While he was lost in thought, Xiaoyan tugged at his sleeve in delight, her voice soft.

"Xiaolu, Xiaolu, this town is so unique...!"

Lu Xuan looked up. The town didn’t look large, and it was filled with wooden huts reminiscent of old shantytowns. The best buildings were merely made of brick. It had such a deep, antique charm that he almost felt as if he had stepped into one of his dreams.

A large boulder stood at the entrance to the town, with the words ’Gouxian Town’ carved crookedly into its surface. An ancient-looking dog, the Old Black Dog, lay listlessly beside it.

"Hey, Blackie!"

The middle-aged guide, who seemed to know the Old Black Dog well, called out loudly and approached with a bone in his hand.

The Old Black Dog slowly glanced at him, then at the bone in his hand, before turning its head away with an incredibly human-like and disdainful air.

"You old dog, not even interested in a bone? I brought this all this way just for you..." the middle-aged guide chided with a laugh.

"This place really is nice," Zhong Muhua remarked with a smile, holding Zhong Xiaoyu in his arms. "Away from the city, away from the noise... it’s a truly rare and peaceful place. For instance, over there—I haven’t seen an ox in years."

Everyone followed his gaze and saw a Big Black Bull lying quietly in a field. It wasn’t tethered, and the animal exuded the same lazy aura as the Old Black Dog.

"Huh?"

Zhong Xiaoyu blinked a couple of times and said, her words slightly slurred with childlike pronunciation:

"Look, look! The Big Black Bull’s face is all swollen! And there’s a handprint on it!"

Lu Xuan and Yan Jiangxue stared, then looked closer. She was right!

The face of the Big Black Bull lying in the field was badly swollen, and sure enough, a handprint was clearly visible on it...

"It still hasn’t gone down?" the middle-aged guide asked in surprise. "It must be painted on, right?"

He then explained to the group:

"I’ve been here three or four times over the last few years, and the bull’s face has always looked like this. I figure it must have some kind of illness that keeps its face swollen. The handprint was definitely drawn on by some kid."

Everyone seemed relieved by the explanation. Lu Xuan said with a chuckle,

"That’s what I was thinking. Who would have the time—or the nerve—to go slap a bull..."

As he said it, he shivered involuntarily, and his expression tensed.

Hm?

’Why am I getting that feeling again?’

’Is this a sense of danger?’

He fell silent, trying to quietly perceive and deduce the source, but he came up with nothing...

"Why don’t we... why don’t we head into the town?"

Xu Linda coughed, glancing over his shoulder as he spoke:

"Let’s talk more inside, let’s just get inside..."

The middle-aged guide slapped his forehead and said cheerfully,

"Alright, let’s get going. I’ll take you all to find lodging first."

The group followed him toward the town. As they passed the Old Black Dog, the guide couldn’t help but give it a light nudge with his foot. He grumbled,

"That’s it, no more bones for you next time. You old dog, honestly..."

The Old Black Dog raised its head and gave the guide a lazy, contemptuous glare. Just as it was about to lie back down, its eyes swept over the group, finally locking onto Lu Xuan.

It froze.

The next instant.

"YIPE! YIPE! YIPE! YIPE! YIPE!!!"

The Old Black Dog seemed to have a panic attack. It leaped three feet into the air, crashed back to the ground, and began flailing its paws wildly. Dust flew as its whole body trembled, its tail tucked tightly between its legs. Everyone jumped in surprise.

But just as quickly, it glanced at Lu Xuan a couple more times and calmed down. It let out an incredibly human-like sigh of relief and even rubbed its eyes with a paw, as if it had been seeing things.

"You old dog..." The middle-aged guide stumbled back, thoroughly startled. He grumbled a few more words, clearly shaken.

Xiaoyan clutched at her chest and leaned closer to Lu Xuan, muttering under her breath,

"Did that dog get spooked by you? What did you do?"

"How should I know?" Lu Xuan said, exasperated. "I’ve never been here before. It’s probably just old. Dogs don’t live that long, you know..."

As they spoke, they followed the middle-aged guide into the ancient, charming Gouxian Town.

The town wasn’t large, but it was by no means empty. There were old folks sitting out to enjoy the cool air, children playing, and middle-aged men walking by with carrying poles on their shoulders.

"Here, are you?" an old man sitting on a small stool and waving a palm-leaf fan called out. He seemed to know the guide well. "What was wrong with Grandpa Dog just now? Heard him howling up a storm."

"No idea..." The middle-aged guide shook his head, baffled. He then grinned. "Ninth Grandmaster, why do you always call that big dog ’Grandpa Dog’?"

The old man shot him a sideways glance.

"You outsiders don’t know a damn thing. Grandpa Dog is older than I am!"

"Sure, sure, whatever you say!" The guide clearly didn’t believe him, so he quickly changed the subject. "Anyone in town have a spare room for the night for these guests?"

As he spoke, he patted a pocket at his waist with a grin.

"I’ve brought plenty of cash!"

The old man picked his nose.

"Just ask around. Pretty much every house has a spare bed."

"Great!" The guide didn’t press the matter, simply leading the group deeper into the town.

Along the way, everyone except the young couple—including Lu Xuan and Xiaoyan—was looking around with curiosity.

And the farther they walked, the more Lu Xuan felt the illusion of being in a dream... The antique atmosphere was almost overwhelming.

........

「Wutong City.」

"Have you found them?" Inside the Sakata Heavy Industries building, a middle-aged man asked, his expression dark. "If that data gets out, the consequences will be unthinkable. And that’s not to mention they also stole a priceless artifact..."

He paused, then barked:

"I thought you were monitoring all the city exits! How could you fail to catch two ordinary people with no Cultivation whatsoever?!"

Everyone stood in silence, not daring to respond.

After a long moment of silence, one of the employees seemed to recall something and spoke up cautiously:

"We’ve searched the whole city, and all the official exits are being monitored... but I just realized, what about the private transport services? I don’t think anyone is watching them."

He paused, tapping his fingers on a tablet a few times to pull up some data. After a moment, he reported:

"I just checked. A private service did have a hovercar leave the city today, heading for the Kongtong Mountain Range... It’s not likely they’re on it, but... maybe we should send a few people to check it out, just in case?"

The middle-aged man waved his hand impatiently.

"Better to be safe than sorry. Send a Celestial Human... The rest of you, continue a thorough search of the city. I want every sewer drain checked."

He paused, then added,

"Search door-to-door. Tell them you’re inspecting for fire hazards. Get the Inspectorate and the fire department to give me their full cooperation!"

"Yes, sir!"