Azure Water Town, not far from the imperial capital, was named after Azure Water Lake.
Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi galloped all the way without a break. They arrived just as the sun was setting.
When they reached the city gate, they were stopped by the guards.
"Who goes there!"
Seeing that it was already curfew time, Ji Yunxi and Feng Xingzhi dismounted. "Brother, we're just passing by. Could we enter the city to find a place to stay?"
The guard sized them up for a moment and said in a rather gentle tone, "No. It's already curfew. You'd better come back after the city gate opens tomorrow."
Saying that, he was about to close the city gate.
Suddenly, Feng Xingzhi remembered the official travel documents that Hua Qi'an had given them before. He took them out immediately.
"Brother, we were sent by the empress. Here are the documents. Please go and report this."
The guard was startled. "Really?"
"You can find someone in charge to take a look." Ji Yunxi smiled and gave him a suggestion.
The guard thought for a while. If they were really sent by the empress and he had shut them out, he might not be able to bear the consequences.
"Okay. Wait a moment, then."
This time, the gate wasn't closed completely.
The two of them stood outside the city gate waiting. Suddenly, they felt something strange. "Azhi, don't you think the city gate closes too early?"
"You're right. I'm not very clear about the rules in the Northern Di region, but in the Southern Yan, the city gate doesn't close until the moon rises above the branches."
"Moreover, there are very few people on this road. And we're on the official road!" Ji Yunxi suddenly thought of the strangeness along the way. The reason they could reach Azure Water Town so quickly was mainly that their horses could run fast on the official road.
But normally, there would be people coming and going on the official road, and it would be difficult for them to ride so fast.
A strange feeling enveloped them.
Before long, a bearded general came to the city gate. He took the documents and had a look, then immediately welcomed the two of them in respectfully.
"Two lords, please come in quickly."
The gentle attitude of the guard eased their strange feeling. They followed him in and came to the biggest inn in the town all the way.
"Two lords, the post - station in this town is under repair. I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for the time being. This is the best inn in Azure Water Town."
They felt the other person's kindness and immediately clasped their fists in thanks.
With the help of the city - guarding general, they quickly settled down and sat in the first - floor dining area of the inn.
It was just getting dark, but there were only a few tables of guests in the inn.
A man at the next table lowered his voice and said to his companions, "Have you heard about what happened at Azure Water Lake?"
Ji Yunxi, with her sharp ears, immediately perked up when she heard the words "Azure Water Lake" and listened attentively.
"Do you mean the spirit that secretly eats people every night?!"
The man was startled. He quickly jumped up and covered the other's mouth, looking very panicked. "Don't talk nonsense! It'll cost someone their life!"
But his friend didn't take it seriously. "Hey, Brother Chen, you're a scholar. How can you believe in such things about mountain and wild spirits? There's nothing to be afraid of. And they all say that the spirit lives in Azure Water Lake. You're in the city. Can't we even mention it?"
"Alas! You're so outspoken!" The man reached out to cover the other's mouth.
"Pfft! I don't believe that it can hear me even if it lives in the water!"
The more Ji Yunxi listened, the more amused she felt. She listened intently all the time.
Feng Xingzhi sat beside her. While putting dishes into her bowl, he looked at her dotingly.
They didn't take this little episode seriously. After dinner, they went back to their room to sleep.
However, early the next morning, before dawn, they were woken up.
Feng Xingzhi and Ji Yunxi opened the door and saw many people with pale faces going downstairs. They were very confused and followed them downstairs.
When they looked at the floor, they saw that the whole hall was in a mess. There were many shreds of clothes and bloodstains on the ground.
And the man who had boasted yesterday was now beheaded and torn to pieces. There were bite marks on many of his severed limbs.
Seeing this, Feng Xingzhi immediately covered Ji Yunxi's eyes. "Xixi, don't look!"
The man who had sat at the next table yesterday was slumped on the ground, wailing to the innkeeper. "I've already said that we can't talk nonsense! It'll cost someone their life! But he just wouldn't listen! He has young children at home. How can I explain this when I go back..."
Although Feng Xingzhi had covered Ji Yunxi's eyes, she could still hear clearly. The other person's wails reached her ears word by word.
Ji Yunxi was shocked. "Something really happened?"
"Yes. The situation is not good. Let's go back first." Feng Xingzhi pulled her back upstairs. He didn't want her to see the tragic scene downstairs.
Ji Yunxi looked worried. "Did a monster come downstairs and tear that man to pieces while we were sleeping soundly last night?"
Feng Xingzhi paused. He thought he had covered her eyes, but unexpectedly, she still saw it.
"For now, it seems so. This monster is really powerful. It lives in Azure Water Lake but can come to this inn to commit murder."
The two of them looked at each other, then immediately went back to their room to pack their luggage. Without a word, they walked out of the room and decided to go to Azure Water Lake together.
Azure Water Lake was on the west side of Azure Water Town. There was a row of weeping willows around it, looking very beautiful.
The gentle breeze blew across the lake, creating ripples. It was quiet and peaceful, and the whole lake looked calm.
Ji Yunxi didn't believe there was nothing at the bottom of the lake. So Feng Xingzhi used his spiritual power to dive into the water to investigate.
After a while, Feng Xingzhi looked shocked. "Xixi, there's a huge barrier underground!"
Ji Yunxi was also shocked. Few people would set up a barrier in the water. Was it because there was really a monster underwater? But the monster had already hurt people. Had the barrier been broken?
A series of questions left them confused. They could only stand by the lake and think.
"Was this barrier set up to suppress something?"
"Maybe there's something unknown at the bottom of this lake."
They both agreed that there must be something special at the bottom of the lake. Just then, an old man came slowly.
Seeing the two of them standing by the lake, he quickly shouted, "What are you doing? Come up quickly!"
Ji Yunxi was startled and almost slipped into the water.
Feng Xingzhi grabbed her arm tightly and hugged her, preventing her from falling into the water.
The two of them climbed up the embankment and saluted the old man.
"Old man, we're chivalrous men traveling around to enjoy the scenery. We just passed by and heard that Azure Water Lake is extremely beautiful, so we came to take a look. But what's wrong with this lake? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Ji Yunxi told a lie, trying to get information from the old man.
Unexpectedly, the old man waved his hand. "Go somewhere else to enjoy the scenery. Don't look at Azure Water Lake."
"Why is that?"
"I'd better not say too much. It's okay here during the day, but something will definitely happen at night. You'd better leave quickly."
He seemed to have some hidden troubles. Muttering to himself, he walked away without looking back at them.