Qing Tian Mao Mao Shi

Chapter 22 Bai Momin's Diary

"On June 1, 1944, I secretly gave Liu Chen some well water, asking him to use laboratory equipment to analyze the difference in the village well water."

"On June 3, the experimental results were out. Whether it was the new well or the old well, the well water contained a new element that had never been heard of. Liu Chen and his mentor named this element 'Po'."

"On June 7, Liu Chen sent me a preliminary analysis report of the Po element. This element could cause unknown changes in the body of the consumer, leading to a loss of reason. It would also generate a strong desire to feed on others. However, the Po element could grant the user's physical body a power similar to time reversal, where the body would continuously cycle between day and night, with no further consumption of lifespan. In other words, anyone affected by the Po element would become immortal."

"On June 15, the appearance of the Po element caused a disagreement between Liu Chen and his mentor. Liu Chen believed this substance should be destroyed, arguing that societal metabolism was inevitable and immortality would only bring harm to the world. However, his mentor vehemently opposed this and used the Po element on himself as an experimental subject."

"On June 17, Liu Chen and I lost contact. After inquiring with his friends, I learned that he had died in a car accident, and his mentor had also died in the laboratory. I felt that this matter was not as simple as it seemed."

"On June 25, a group of heavily armed strangers suddenly arrived at Baimu Village. They collected a large amount of well water from the new and old wells and then left. However, they all died on the way back the next day, with no survivors."

Fang Ming sat on the ground, slowly flipping through Bai Mumin's diary. This person, after discovering the problem with the well water, had it tested and even found a new element.

If what was written in this diary was true...

Fang Ming considered a possibility: Baimu Village had existed for nearly a thousand years. Where had all the "people" in the village gone? Or was it that the village had always only had this many people? Was this the reason there were no women?

"On July 20, I found something that could temporarily eliminate the loss of reason during physical changes—the bark of the locust tree in the ancestral hall. With this, I began to explore the village's situation late at night."

Fang Ming suddenly understood why Uncle An had been able to maintain his sanity when he came to save him. But why did the locust tree bark have this effect?

He continued to read.

The later content involved more information about Baimu Village, including matters concerning the altar.

Seeing this, Fang Ming quickly focused his attention on every stroke, afraid of missing any important information.

"On September 1, the village began its traditional ancestral worship ceremony. I went to the square in the dead of night and found that the monsters in the village were methodically performing sacrifices, creating a colossal monster. Soon, another monster appeared from who knows where, and the two terrifying monsters began to fight..."

Bai Mumin had also discovered what happened at the altar. According to his description, it was exactly the same scene Fang Ming had witnessed.

Fang Ming murmured to himself, "I thought the scene I saw was a coincidence, but it turns out it happens every year."

What was the purpose of the hidden figure behind all this? According to Bai Mumin's investigation, this situation lasted for at least three times every night, starting from the beginning and only stopping after the ancestral worship ended.

For a thousand years, such a terrifying number of malevolent spirits were "fished" by a powerful malevolent spirit. If this entity devoured them, how strong would its power be now?

Fang Ming dared not think about it. If such a thing appeared in reality, it would be the end of humanity.

Putting his thoughts aside, Fang Ming continued to read.

"On September 7, the ancestral worship ceremony began. I had always participated in the daytime rituals. This time, relying on the locust tree bark, I also went to the altar that night and encountered another terrifying existence in Baimu Village! This entity had always been imprisoned in the old well. It was released on the night of the ancestral worship ceremony, but the surrounding three old graves restricted its movement. Simultaneously, the fountain in the square began to spew a large amount of black liquid. Strangely, its aura began to rapidly decline. After a night of 'processing,' this originally terrifying entity became extremely weak and was once again imprisoned in the old well."

"..." This was Fang Ming's first time learning about the entity in the old well, and only in written form.

The diary ended abruptly here. It was likely that Bai Mumin's investigation had been discovered, and the consequences were evident from the portrait he was holding.

Fang Ming closed the diary, and his speculations surged. The key to all the truth lay in the square. The entity in the old well seemed not to be the mastermind behind Baimu Village, perhaps just a pitiful monster, Monster A or Monster B.

No, Fang Ming overturned this idea. He had seen where the "fished" monsters went. That Qinghe malevolent spirit was merely imprisoned in the backyard of the ancestral hall. Why should this monster be imprisoned in the old well?

Moreover, according to Bai Mumin's description, the final ritual of the ancestral worship ceremony was actually to weaken its power through the "fountain"!

Under what circumstances would an enemy try every means to weaken their own strength? There was only one answer: the strength of the old well malevolent spirit was terrifying, even threatening the person behind Baimu Village!

"It seems I need to visit the old well to see this malevolent spirit after I leave the white fog," Fang Ming said, stroking his chin, a plan forming in his mind.

Since he couldn't escape this place alive, he might as well revive the idea he had abandoned before and find a way to overthrow Baimu Village and eliminate the mastermind!

...

"Where did he go? How did he suddenly disappear?" Zhao Xue ran frantically in the white fog. The white fog in front of her had suddenly thickened, obscuring her vision. Frightened, she quickly got up and ran towards Fang Ming's location. But after passing through the white fog, Fang Ming's shadow was nowhere to be seen.

The silent white fog slowly swirled. Coupled with the fear she already felt towards the white fog, Zhao Xue was on the verge of a mental breakdown, running around aimlessly, trying to stumble upon Fang Ming by sheer luck.

"What is that?"

Suddenly, Zhao Xue saw a row of tall buildings appear in the white fog. Her heart leaped with joy. Had she accidentally escaped?

She quickly quickened her pace and approached the tall buildings. Upon getting closer, she realized that this row of tall buildings was actually a school.

The school gate was open, and Zhao Xue walked in without hesitation.

Inside the school, the sound of students reading emanated from the teaching building. Some students were playing outside, and a few teachers carrying books walked and chatted towards the classrooms.

Rows of trees rustled in the gentle breeze. The sunlight was warm, falling on Zhao Xue. Looking back, there was no white fog outside the school, only a few mountain peaks standing in the distance.

"Hello," an aged voice sounded behind Zhao Xue, making her jump.

Turning around, she saw an elderly man. Zhao Xue replied nervously, "Hello, may I ask who you are?"

"I am the principal of this school." The principal chuckled, bent his back, patted his lower back, and asked, "How do you find this school?"

Zhao Xue glanced around the school. The scale of the tall buildings used to build a school was almost extravagant. The private aristocratic school she attended at home only had a small three-story building, nowhere near this scale.

This school, both in terms of architecture and landscape layout, was better than most schools she had seen and could be considered first-class in her environment.

"It's a very good school. Is this some kind of aristocratic school?" Zhao Xue answered truthfully.

The principal smiled happily upon hearing this, "This is just an ordinary school. I'm flattered that you praise it so highly."

"Grumble~" Zhao Xue's stomach suddenly made a noise at an inopportune moment.

"Sorry, sorry." Zhao Xue's face instantly turned red. She hadn't eaten in a long time. She hadn't felt hungry in her panic, but as soon as she calmed down, it became apparent.

"Are you hungry? Follow me." The principal smiled faintly and led the way, bent over.

Zhao Xue quickly followed.

A few minutes later, they entered the school's cafeteria. It wasn't mealtime, so there were not many people in the cafeteria.

"You find a place to sit down first. I'll go to the kitchen and bring you something to eat," the principal said, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.

"Okay, thank you, Principal." Zhao Xue found a seat and waited, looking curiously at the school through the window.

But as she looked longer, Zhao Xue suddenly felt a sense of disharmony with the school, as if there was a gap across eras between her and this place.

Everything here felt strange to her, with a peculiar sense of disjointedness.

"What am I thinking? After eating, I'll ask the principal how to leave and go home quickly." Zhao Xue patted her face with her hands, no longer looking out the window.

The principal also brought some food over at this time.

"It's not mealtime now, so I've found some leftover breakfast for you. Please don't mind."

The principal placed two stir-fried dishes and several steamed buns on the table, along with a bottle of mineral water.

"Thank you." Zhao Xue glanced at the mineral water with some surprise but didn't think much of it, only marveling at how rare everything in this school was, even the bottle the water was in looked unusual.

After speaking, she began to eat without politeness. Compared to the hard buns Fang Ming had given her, these buns and stir-fried dishes were top-notch. Moreover, after such a long escape, she didn't care whether it tasted good or not.

The principal sat opposite her, watching Zhao Xue eat heartily with a strange smile.

Half an hour later, the principal smiled faintly as he looked at Zhao Xue, who had fallen asleep, "I was almost disrupted by that kid's plan, but thankfully I arrived in time."

"It's already started to volatilize," the principal frowned, staring at Zhao Xue's fading fingertips. Fortunately, he came quickly, otherwise, who knew how long Zhao Xue could have lasted in the white fog.

While others did not know why the people of Baimu Village feared the white fog so much, the principal understood it perfectly.

The people of Baimu Village did not belong to the white fog, or rather, Baimu Village was too weak. The things within it would be gradually devoured by the white fog upon entering, causing this "volatilization reaction."

"It's time to send you back." The principal waved his hand, and the entire school disappeared. The two of them reappeared in the white fog.

Picking up Zhao Xue, the principal walked towards Baimu Village. He was going to send Zhao Xue back...