The Shu East region was characterized by numerous river valleys and towering mountains, creating a rugged and uneven terrain. The weak winds in the area resulted in a perpetual misty shroud that enveloped many locations throughout the year.

The two travelers proceeded straight ahead in the direction indicated by the left hand, eventually passing through a small village.

The village consisted of mud houses with thatched roofs, encircled by several rings of fencing. In the courtyards, a motley assortment of hens and chicks scuttled about, pecking at grains of rice. Atop one of the roofs stood a magnificent rooster, its feathers gleaming in the dim light. It shook its comb, balanced on one leg, and swiveled its neck watchfully, surveying its domain with an air of superiority. Fortunately, there were no dogs in sight. The villagers themselves likely struggled to put meat on their own tables throughout the year, let alone spare any bones to feed canine companions.

At the edge of the village, they encountered a fork in the road, branching off in three distinct directions. Two of the paths were well-worn and barren, evidently frequented by travelers. The third, however, was overgrown with weeds that had reclaimed the road surface. A square stone tablet stood askew, marking the direction of this neglected path. The tablet bore the ravages of time, with a large crack running from top to bottom, and withered grass sprouting from the fissure.

Two large characters were carved into the stone, presumably indicating the name of the destination. The lower character was barely discernible as "City," while the upper one was far more complex, with numerous strokes. Unfortunately, the crack ran right through it, causing many small fragments to chip away. Wei Wuxian bent down, parting the wild grass, but even after careful examination, he couldn't make out what the character was supposed to be.

Ironically, it was precisely this overgrown path that the left arm pointed towards.

Wei Wuxian suggested, "Why don't we ask the villagers?"

Lan Wangji nodded, and Wei Wuxian, knowing better than to expect his companion to make inquiries, approached the group of farm women who were scattering rice for the chickens, his face wreathed in a friendly smile.

The women, a mix of young and old, tensed at the sight of the unfamiliar young man approaching. They seemed on the verge of abandoning their baskets and fleeing indoors. However, after a few cheerful words from Wei Wuxian, they gradually relaxed, responding with shy nods.

Wei Wuxian pointed at the stone tablet and asked a question. The women's faces changed in unison, and they hesitated before haltingly providing information, gesturing as they spoke. Throughout the conversation, they didn't dare to look at Lan Wangji, who stood silently by the stone marker. Wei Wuxian listened attentively, maintaining his smile. As the conversation progressed, he seemed to shift topics, causing the farm women to visibly relax, their faces brightening as they tentatively returned his smile.

Lan Wangji watched from afar, noting that Wei Wuxian showed no signs of returning. He lowered his gaze, kicking a small pebble at his feet, turning it over repeatedly.

When he looked up again, he was surprised to see Wei Wuxian retrieving something from his robes and handing it to the woman who had spoken the most.

Lan Wangji stood motionless, barely able to contain himself. Just as he was about to step forward, Wei Wuxian finally sauntered back, hands clasped behind his back.

He rejoined Lan Wangji and said teasingly, "Lan Zhan, you should have come over. They even keep rabbits in that courtyard!"

Lan Wangji, seemingly unmoved by the jest, asked coolly, "What did you learn?"

Wei Wuxian replied, "This road leads to Yi City. The first character on the stone tablet is 'Yi'."

Lan Wangji queried, "Yi as in righteousness?"

Wei Wuxian responded, "Yes and no."

Lan Wangji pressed, "Explain."

Wei Wuxian elucidated, "The character is indeed that one, but the meaning is different. It's not 'yi' as in righteousness, but 'yi' as in public cemetery."

As they set off down the overgrown path, leaving the stone tablet behind, Wei Wuxian continued, "The women told me that since ancient times, the majority of people living in that city have been short-lived, either dying young or meeting violent ends. Consequently, the city is filled with public cemeteries. Moreover, the local specialties are coffins, joss paper, and other funerary items. The craftsmanship for both coffin-making and paper effigy creation is exquisite, hence the name."

The path was treacherous, littered with withered grass, loose stones, and hidden pitfalls. Lan Wangji kept a watchful eye on Wei Wuxian's footing as the latter spoke, "They said people from around here rarely visit Yi City, and those from inside seldom leave except to make deliveries. They haven't seen anyone from there in years. This road has been abandoned for quite some time. No wonder it's so difficult to traverse."

Lan Wangji probed further, "What else?"

Wei Wuxian asked, "What do you mean?"

Lan Wangji clarified, "What did you give them?"

Wei Wuxian responded, "Oh, that? It was rouge."

He explained that he had purchased a small box of rouge from a traveling doctor-cum-Taoist priest while in Qinghe and had been carrying it with him. "I wanted to offer them something in return for the information. I tried to give them money, but it frightened them. They seemed captivated by the scent of the rouge, as if they'd never encountered anything like it before, so I decided to give it to them."

After a pause, he added, "Lan Zhan, why are you looking at me like that? I know the rouge isn't of the highest quality, but I'm not like I used to be, carrying an assortment of flowers, grass, hairpins, and trinkets to give to girls everywhere. It's all I had to offer, and something is better than nothing."

As if stirred by an unpleasant memory, Lan Wangji's brow twitched, and he slowly turned his head away.

As they continued along the difficult path, the wild grass gradually thinned out, retreating to the sides, and the road widened. However, the mist grew increasingly dense.

When the left arm clenched into a fist, a dilapidated city gate appeared at the end of the long road.

The corner tower of the city wall was missing tiles and paint, with one corner completely fallen away, presenting a sorry sight. The wall itself was covered in graffiti of unknown origin. The gate, once red, had faded to an almost white hue, its door nails black with rust. The double doors were slightly ajar, as if someone had just slipped through the gap.

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Even before entering, one could sense that this must be a place teeming with malevolent spirits and chaos.

As they approached the city gate, Wei Wuxian, who had been surveying the surroundings throughout their journey, commented, "The feng shui here is truly abysmal."

Lan Wangji nodded slowly, adding, "Desolate mountains, malevolent waters."

Yi City was surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs and towering mountains. The mountain faces leaned precariously towards the center, creating an oppressive, threatening atmosphere as if they might collapse at any moment. Encircled by these looming, dark rock formations shrouded in a sickly white mist, the scene was more terrifying than any ghostly apparition. Simply standing there induced a feeling of suffocation and heart-pounding anxiety, an overwhelming sense of menace.

There has long been a saying that "heroes arise from propitious lands," but the reverse also holds true. Some places, due to their terrain and location, possess such malevolent feng shui that a pall of misfortune perpetually lingers. Those who reside in such areas tend to suffer short lives and untimely deaths, with misfortune dogging their every step. For those whose families have been rooted in such places for generations, the ill luck seems to seep into their very bones. Moreover, these locations often breed strange phenomena, with incidents of corpse reanimation and vengeful ghost hauntings occurring several times more frequently than elsewhere. Clearly, Yi City was just such a place.

Such places were typically situated in remote locations, beyond the reach of cultivation sects. Truthfully, these sects preferred not to interfere, as such matters were troublesome—even more so than the Water-Ghoul's Abyss. While water ghouls could be exorcised, altering the feng shui of a place was nearly impossible. Unless the inhabitants themselves cried out for help, the various sects were content to turn a blind eye, pretending ignorance.

For the residents of Yi City, leaving their ancestral home would be the best solution to escape their fate. However, when generations have taken root in such a secluded place, the decision to abandon one's homeland becomes incredibly difficult. Even if six or seven out of ten people met an early demise, one might cling to the hope of being among the fortunate three or four who survived, making the situation seem somewhat bearable.

As the two approached the city gate, they exchanged a meaningful glance.

With a drawn-out creak, the overburdened hinges slowly swung open the misaligned gates.

The sight that greeted them was neither a bustling thoroughfare nor a horde of vicious corpses. Instead, they were met with an all-encompassing whiteness.

A thick fog, far denser than that outside the city, blanketed everything. They could barely make out a straight, long street ahead, devoid of any human presence. Buildings stood erect on either side, their outlines barely visible through the mist.

Instinctively, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji moved closer to each other as they entered the city together.

Although it was still daytime, an eerie silence permeated the city. Not only was there an absence of human voices, but even the typical sounds of roosters crowing or dogs barking were conspicuously missing, adding to the uncanny atmosphere.

Of course, given that this location was indicated by the mysterious left arm, it would have been more surprising if it wasn't strange and unsettling.

As they ventured deeper into the city along the main street, the white mist grew increasingly thick, reminiscent of malevolent qi permeating the air. Initially, they could barely discern shapes ten paces away, then five, and eventually, they could scarcely see their own hands in front of their faces. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji drew ever closer, their shoulders nearly touching, just to make out each other's features. A chilling thought occurred to Wei Wuxian: "If someone were to silently slip between us in this dense fog, turning two into three, would we even notice?"

At that moment, Wei Wuxian's foot struck something. He looked down but couldn't identify the object. Grasping Lan Wangji's hand to ensure they wouldn't be separated, he bent down to examine it more closely. Suddenly, a head with wide, glaring eyes emerged from the mist, startling him.

The head bore masculine features—thick eyebrows, large eyes, and cheeks adorned with garishly prominent rouge.

Wei Wuxian, having just kicked the head and nearly sent it flying, knew its weight. It was far too light to be a real human head. Upon picking it up and squeezing it, the man's cheek collapsed, and some of the rouge smeared off.

It was, in fact, a paper effigy head.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, with exaggerated makeup but delicate features. Given Yi City's reputation for funerary items, it was no surprise that their paper effigies were of superior quality. Some paper figures served as substitutes, believed to endure hell's torments—like climbing blade mountains or being boiled in oil—in place of the deceased. Others represented servants or beauties to attend to the departed in the underworld. Of course, these were mere comforts for the living. This particular head likely belonged to an "Yin Warrior."

"Yin Warriors" were essentially otherworldly bodyguards, purportedly protecting the deceased from bullying by evil spirits and cunning judges in the afterlife, as well as ensuring that the paper money burned by descendants wasn't stolen by lesser ghosts. This paper head must have originally been attached to a large, sturdy paper body before someone tore it off and discarded it in the street.

The effigy's hair was black and lustrous, meticulously crafted strand by strand. Wei Wuxian touched it, noting how firmly it was attached to the scalp, as if it had genuinely grown there. He mused, "The craftsmanship is truly remarkable. Could they have used real human hair?"

Suddenly, a thin, dark shadow brushed past him at incredible speed.

The apparition's movement was utterly bizarre, grazing Wei Wuxian's side before vanishing into the thick fog. Bichen automatically unsheathed itself, pursuing the shadow before swiftly returning to its scabbard.

Whatever had just passed them moved far too quickly to be human!

Lan Wangji cautioned, "Be vigilant. Stay alert."

Although it had merely brushed past them this time, there was no guarantee it wouldn't do something more sinister next time.

Wei Wuxian stood up and asked, "Did you hear that just now?"

Lan Wangji replied, "Footsteps, and the sound of bamboo."

Indeed, in that brief moment, they had heard not only hurried footsteps but also a peculiar sound. It was a rapid, crisp tapping, reminiscent of a bamboo pole striking the ground at high speed. The origin of this sound remained a mystery.

Just then, another set of footsteps echoed through the mist ahead of them.

These footsteps were light, slow, and numerous, creating a cacophony of sounds. It seemed as though many people were cautiously approaching, yet not a single word was spoken. Wei Wuxian produced a Burning Yin Talisman, tossing it gently forward. If there were any resentful energy ahead, it would ignite, illuminating the area to some extent.

The approaching party, sensing something had been thrown in their direction, immediately retaliated!

Several sword glares of varying colors, brimming with killing intent, came hurtling towards them. Bichen gracefully unsheathed itself, dancing before Wei Wuxian to deflect and repel all the incoming attacks. The other side erupted into chaos, stumbling and scrambling. Hearing the commotion, Lan Wangji promptly withdrew Bichen, while Wei Wuxian called out, "Jin Ling? Sizhui!"

Sure enough, Jin Ling's voice pierced through the white fog: "Why is it you again?!"

Wei Wuxian retorted, "I should be asking you the same thing!"

Lan Sizhui, barely containing his excitement, asked, "Senior Mo, you're here too? Does that mean Hanguang-jun is with you?"

At the mention of Lan Wangji's possible presence, Jin Ling immediately fell silent, as if struck by a silencing spell, fearing potential reprimand. Lan Jingyi also shouted, "He must be here! That was Bichen just now, wasn't it? It was Bichen, right?!"

Wei Wuxian confirmed, "Yes, he's here, right beside me. Come over, all of you."

Realizing they faced friends rather than foes, the group of young cultivators surged forward in relief. Besides Jin Ling and the Lan juniors, there were seven or eight youths wearing the attire of other prominent cultivation sects, their expressions still tinged with uncertainty. Wei Wuxian questioned, "What are you all doing here? And attacking so viciously! It's fortunate Hanguang-jun was with me; otherwise, you might have injured an innocent bystander."

Jin Ling countered, "There are no innocent bystanders here. This city is completely devoid of people!"

Lan Sizhui nodded in agreement, "It's broad daylight, yet demonic fog blankets everything, and not a single shop is open."

Wei Wuxian replied, "We'll get to that later. How did you all end up together? Don't tell me you planned a night hunt as a group." Given Jin Ling's confrontational nature and previous friction with the Lan juniors, it seemed unlikely they would voluntarily hunt together. Lan Sizhui, ever ready to explain, began, "It's a long story. We were originally..."

At that moment, a harsh, rattling sound echoed through the mist—the unmistakable clatter of bamboo poles striking the ground.

The young cultivators' faces collectively paled: "It's back!"