Chapter 47: Heading to Fallen Leaf Village

Chapter 47: Journey to Falling Leaf Village

There was no denying it—the flames here were far more potent than the fire generated by Zhang Xiaofan’s own fiery physique. Even the lowest-grade ghost fire, once mastered, could inflict tremendous harm on ghosts, unlike now, where no matter how many flames he threw, the ghosts only stepped back a few paces in fear.

“Xiaoyu, I’m about to face a really powerful ghost. Which type of fire do you think is the strongest?” Zhang Xiaofan felt that although Qin Xiaoyu had lost her memory, her instincts remained intact, so her advice would surely be helpful.

Sure enough, Qin Xiaoyu replied, “The Tri-Color Flame. When cultivated through the technique, it not only combats ghosts effectively, but upon reaching the Black Flame stage, it can burn everything. At the Transparent Flame stage, it can scorch the soul itself. It’s a flame that harms both physically and spiritually. Most importantly, it can combine with your innate fire constitution, making it perfect for you.”

After her explanation, Zhang Xiaofan was astonished by how wondrous this Tri-Color Flame was. Without hesitation, he resolved to cultivate it.

The Tri-Color Flame was not a constitution but a cultivation technique. In essence, anyone could learn it, but those with fire-based constitutions would find it much easier.

He immediately purchased the technique. The price was rather fitting—as soon as he bought it, he was left with only a few thousand spirit coins. Zhang Xiaofan shook his head helplessly; life was already tight for him, let alone for others.

Since the classroom was crowded and there was nothing pressing, Zhang Xiaofan called out a greeting and returned to his dormitory. He opened the Tri-Color Flame manual, which divided the flame into three colors: white, black, and transparent.

The first to be cultivated was the white flame.

What frustrated Zhang Xiaofan was that cultivating this flame required not only spirit water to replenish spiritual power but also a stone called White Crystal Stone. By absorbing the thermal energy within the stone and then channeling his cultivation, he could transform it into white flame.

The process seemed simple, but the problem was that White Crystal Stones cost spirit coins.

The lowest-grade White Crystal Stone was priced at one hundred spirit coins each. Zhang Xiaofan reluctantly bought ten stones and spent an entire day absorbing their energy, using up five stones in the process.

Unfortunately, not a single ounce of white flame was produced. The only difference was that the flames he emitted now burned slightly stronger.

“This cultivation is certainly not an easy task,” Zhang Xiaofan sighed helplessly. But since the situation was as it was, he could only push forward to gain greater power.

***

The next day, everyone in the dormitory woke up early. Almost all the classmates were already waiting at the school gate. Soon, two large buses slowly arrived.

Wang Hu got off the first bus, beckoning classmates aboard. Zhang Xiaofan, along with Su Qianqian and Lin Rou, boarded the first bus as well. The vehicle set off soon after.

The journey was bumpy, the roads narrowing as they went on. Yet the students grew more excited, eagerly chatting about what they might encounter.

“I think meeting ghosts wouldn’t be bad. Maybe they’re friendly ghosts.”

“Hah, if they were friendly, our class wouldn’t have lost so many people.”

“Anyway, that place is so far away. When will we get there?”

Listening to these voices, Zhang Xiaofan glanced at his phone. Five hours had already passed, yet the trip, originally slated for just over three hours, was still not complete.

“Murong Feng, is this route really correct? Why haven’t we arrived yet?” Zhang Xiaofan asked the boy sitting beside him.

Murong Feng frowned. “The route is definitely right. The problem is that the road was planned assuming high-speed driving inside the vehicle. But if you look at the road now, it’s completely dilapidated. The bus can only travel at about a third of its usual speed, so the trip naturally takes five or six hours longer.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan nodded and told the driver to slow down since there was no rush. Drowsily, he drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, it was already dark.

“Are we there yet? Why has it taken so long?” Zhang Xiaofan asked.

One by one, the students slowly woke and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, all equally surprised.

“Is this the place?”

“It’s so desolate here; it must be.”

At that moment, the driver spoke up. “According to the route, this is it. You see the village ahead? Those are many old houses. I think this is where you’re headed.”

Murong Feng said, “Everyone, get off. Looks like this is the place.” Then he turned to the driver. “Please have both buses wait here.”

“Yes, Young Master Murong,” the driver replied respectfully.

Zhang Xiaofan was stunned. It turned out these drivers were from Murong Feng’s household.

After disembarking, the students appeared listless, many yawning repeatedly. Some wondered what to do next; others complained about hunger since they had skipped lunch.

“Everyone, hang in there a bit longer. We’ve come all this way; we should at least go into the village and take a look,” Zhang Xiaofan said.

He then called over Wang Hu and Hu Xiaotian. “There are so many of us going in together; we might disturb the locals. It’s better if the three of us go first.”

Wang Hu nodded. Just then, Su Qianqian and Lin Rou approached.

“We’ll go with you,” Su Qianqian said. “It’s late at night, and the two of us girls might be easier to talk to.”

Zhang Xiaofan agreed, and the five of them proceeded into the village. Typically, rural folk slept early, so by now, it was pitch dark.

They reached the nearest farmhouse and knocked on the door. To their surprise, it creaked open immediately. Inside was an old man with a face full of wrinkles, seemingly over eighty years old. His sunken eyes glanced at them warily.

“What is it?” the old man asked.

“Oh, we were wondering if this is Falling Leaf Village?” Su Qianqian asked, trying to sound friendly.

The old man stared at them for some time before replying, “Yes.”

“Do you know the family of Li Ting?” Su Qianqian continued.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaofan’s heart tightened. Li Ting was the girl who had died, according to the files and newspapers. She had lived here, making this place crucial.

Upon hearing the name, the old man’s expression changed drastically. Under the moonlight, his panic was unmistakable.

“Why are you looking for her? She’s been dead for many years. Who exactly are you?”

“We’re from her school,” Su Qianqian said. “We found some of her belongings and want to return them.”

“Oh, I see. Her family home is the sixth house down this way. You can go there,” the old man said, then slammed the door shut.