In the empty village, there were no snakes, insects or ants, only burning paper money, making a "pa-ta, pa-ta" sound.

  Frightening? Tang Zheng didn't think it was that frightening.

  A decade-long gaming career, what with the countless times he's cleared the Hanging Soul Staircase instance, the Fengdu Underground Palace instance, and the Corpse Qi Netherworld instance - all of which have been ground through 180 times. The maps that were once too easy for him now can't satisfy his cravings.

  Since there's no one around, it doesn't matter about politeness anymore.

  Tang Zheng took advantage of the dark night and directly found a room, pushing open the door and entering.

  As soon as I entered, there were several lighters on the table.

  After Tang Zheng lit the candle on the table, he saw two large trunks placed against the wall. On the trunk to the left was written a big character for "clothes".

  Knowing this word is good news, it means he doesn't have to be illiterate.

  Tang Zheng put on a clean white small robe and then rummaged through, finding a deep purple long gown that matched his own purple gold waistband.

  "Didn't pick the wrong one?" Tang Zheng's nose twitched as he smelled a strange fragrance from his clothes, which was like floral scent and also like fruity scent.

  After repeatedly confirming that the direction of the collar was for men, Tang Zheng finally put it on. After dressing up, he went back to the table and casually stuffed the remaining few pieces of tinder into his pocket.

  Then he raised his head and suddenly saw an eye floating on the door, staring at him coldly.

  That eye was dull and turbid.

  It's as if I've seen all the misfortunes in the world, with that kind of soul-stirring ominous flavor.

  However, as a seasoned dandy, Tang Zheng was now smiling all over his face and raised his hand to wave: "Hi~"

  That eye disappeared instantly on the door!

  Tang Zheng's smile quickly disappeared, his left hand clenched the tree branch tightly, and he followed closely behind, opening the door. Almost as soon as his hand touched the door, his body had already flashed to the side of the wall.

  Then...

  "Ahhh! The door... Young Master, I haven't even knocked yet, and this door... it actually opened by itself!" A faint, shrill scream came from outside the door.

  Ding Dong.

  Immediately afterwards, there was a clanging sound outside the door, as if a bunch of pots and pans had been knocked to the ground.

  ……

  Outside is one master and one servant.

  A scholar wearing a thin blue long gown, accompanied by a young book boy who is only fourteen or fifteen years old.

  Tang Zheng walked out from behind the door with a helpless expression on his face. The two people's faces were deathly pale.

  This scene reminded Tang Zheng of the time he was in the Suspended Soul Staircase instance, enthusiastically catching ghosts, when a few players who were doing reverse quests appeared. Before he could even move, those players were scared silly by the map, and one of them even mistook him for a boss.

  "You, you are...are you human or ghost? Don't come any closer..." The little book boy pulled at the corner of their young master's clothes and asked Tang Zheng in a shrill voice.

  "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous," Tang Zheng spread out his hands in a gesture of innocence, "I'm not a bad person."

  "Isn't a bad person... then is it a bad ghost?" The young book boy asked in a trembling voice.

  "Little... Little Qi, don't talk nonsense." The young man dressed as a scholar stopped the servant with one word, his face pale and forcing out a smile, bowing to Tang Zheng, "Sorry, my servant... was too rude. My name is Tian Meng, I'm the western teacher hired by Tangjia Fort in Wulong Town, I got lost on my way to take office and mistakenly entered this desolate village, may I ask if I can stay here for a night?"

  Tang Zheng saw Tian Meng's pale face, trembling lips and legs that were shaking non-stop. He tilted his head slightly, not exposing him, and stepped aside: "Come in."

  The room is indeed much warmer.

  Tian Meng thanked Tang Zheng again and took out three pieces of flatbread from his bundle, carefully asking: "It's getting late, brother, you haven't eaten anything yet, have you?"

  "I've eaten." Tang Zheng smiled and shook his head, saying thanks.

  Tang Zheng still had half a bowl of instant noodles in his stomach, and he wasn't particularly hungry.

  Besides, although Tian Meng has let his guard down against him, he hasn't let his guard down against Tian Meng yet. It's better not to take food randomly.

  Tian Meng ate on one side while Tang Zheng carefully observed him on the other.

  Letting two strangers in is a risk, but Tang Zheng was willing to take it because he needed someone to talk to and understand this unknown world.

  But Tian Meng should be a well-educated young master, eating very quietly, without saying a word.

  After finishing eating, Tang Zheng had not spoken yet, but he spoke first: "Brother, do you know why every household in this desolate village burns paper at their doorsteps, yet there isn't a single person around?"

  "I don't know, I also got lost and mistakenly entered this Sealed Village," Tang Zheng said.

  It was originally just an ordinary response...

  But unexpectedly, as soon as the three words "Fengmen Village" came out, Xiao Shu's servant suddenly let out a scream that was ten times more terrifying than when he saw the door open automatically!

  Tian Meng's face turned pale, and suddenly turned white again...

  Tang Zheng's eyes widened suddenly.

  He saw a huge knife shadow suddenly appearing behind Tian Meng's back!

  The entire house was illuminated by the faint shadow of that large knife, as bright as daylight.

  Tang Zheng kicked the table over and swiftly moved to position it in front of himself, gripping the branch tightly in his hand. "What thing?!" he shouted loudly.

  "Uh..." Tian Meng looked at the originally dim house suddenly lit up, stunned for a moment, and immediately apologized repeatedly, "Sorry, sorry..."

  "What's going on?"

  "I, I get like this when I'm nervous... it's really embarrassing." Tian Meng apologized repeatedly.

  "What's wrong with you guys?" Tang Zheng rubbed his ears, which were stimulated by the book boy's sharp cry. A professional player's ears are very valuable!

  "Seal... Seal the village..." Xiao Shu Tong's voice was already trembling with tears, "Seal Village is a ghost town in Western Xinjiang that everyone knows about, how could you not know?"

  “……”

  "I heard that Fengmen Village is suppressing something. Anyone who enters Fengmen Village... will never come out alive..."

  "Since it's impossible for me to go out, who spread the rumor then? A ghost?" Tang Zheng retorted.

  Tian Meng and his little book boy were stunned again.

  Right, no one is alive outside, so who spread those vivid ghosts?

  Tian Meng's face stiffened as he smiled wryly, the faint image of a large knife behind him gradually fading away: "Sorry, as a descendant of the Tian family who possesses the powerful star symbol - Wu Shuang Knife, I'm actually so timid and useless, making you laugh!"

  Tang Zheng poked his head out, stretched out one hand and prodded the air: "Stellar image? Frostless blade?"

  "Huh, you don't know Musou Tou?"

  "Should I know Frostless Blade?"

  Two people stared at each other.

  "Are you from very far away?"

  "Hmm. Not just an ordinary distance..."

  "I apologize, it was my fault." Tian Meng stood up to apologize, "We, the Tian family, are descendants of a guilty minister. Anyone in the thirteen towns of Western Frontier who sees the Wu Frost Knife will know that this is the descendant of a guilty minister who betrayed his master and opened the Tulu Pass."

  Tian Meng spoke of his own identity with great candor.

  Tang Zheng didn't have much of a concept of what a "family head" or a "guilty minister" was, so he naturally didn't have any reaction.

  But Tian Meng saw that Tang Zheng had no reaction to his identity, and he slowly started talking more.

  As they talked, Tang Zheng also roughly understood this world from Tian Meng.

  Xingyao Continent, after the collapse of the Zi Jin Empire, the Central Plains Nine States no longer had a national system. The major families divided the land and ruled separately. There were seven top-tier families, ten high-quality families, and sixty to seventy mid-to-low tier families. In addition, there were thousands of sects standing tall in famous mountains and rivers - this was an era where strong people emerged!

  Whether a noble scion or a beggar from the lowest rungs of society, every person at birth will certainly possess their own unique star chart.

  There may be a million kinds of people with a million kinds of horoscopes, but no matter how different the horoscope is, there will always be nine identical nodes!

  That is, Nine Star Destiny Palace.

  Once the strength reaches a bottleneck, it is necessary to draw on the power of the main star to illuminate one's own fate palace.

  The fourteen main stars are Qi Sha, Po Jun, Lian Zhen, Tan Lang, Zi Wei, Tian Fu, Wu Qu, Tai Yang, Tai Yin, Ju Men, Tian Xiang, Tian Ji, Tian Liang and Tian Tong. Each of the main stars has different characteristics, so the degree of danger brought by the accompanying star is also very different.

  It is said that "when all nine stars shine brightly, it's the master of the stars; when they surpass the nine stars, they become a god"!

  "How many stars do you have?" Tang Zheng asked with a smile.

  "My Frostless Sword is a Supreme-grade Stellar Weapon. I was born with one star lit up, and the Heavenly Mechanism Star entered my Natal Chart..."

  "Then you're very strong?" Tang Zheng applauded.

  Tian Meng's face turned red and he shook his head.

  "But you just said that a person's talent is divided into five levels: aristocratic, clan, magnate, celebrity and hidden dragon. The magnate level should be quite strong, right?"

  "My qualifications are not bad, but... all warriors above the third star of the Tian family were executed, and their descendants were sealed with the 'Three Calamities Locking Star Curse', forever unable to advance!"

  "So, you were born as a one-star, and now you're still a one-star?" Tang Zheng asked.

  "As long as the Tian family's blood runs through my veins, I will forever be a lone star!" Tian Meng's face was filled with sorrow and indignation. "If it weren't for this, I would also ride west to Xizang, fight on the battlefield, and fulfill my own ambitions..."

  Under such a serious topic...

  Tang Zheng's true nature as a goofy person who can't focus for more than three seconds led him to have a sudden thought - isn't Tian Meng the perfect example of a useless waste?

  All trash templates are born with a protagonist halo!

  Tang Zheng spat out the half branch of the tree that was in his mouth, patted Tian Meng's shoulder: "Don't be discouraged! Tian is a good surname!"

  "Huh?" Tian Meng was slapped and leaned to one side.

  "Look, the field." Tang Zheng casually drew a character for "field" on the ground. "Block the left and right sides of the sun, block the top and bottom sides of the sun, remove one vertical standing sun, remove one horizontal lying sun. From now on, you will have endless peach blossoms, a group of wives and concubines. Even if you can't fulfill your own ambitions, give birth to ten or more children, and among your descendants, there will be one who can unseal the star vein and avenge past grievances!"

  Tian Meng and his little book boy both had stupid written all over their faces.

  It wasn't until much later that Tian Meng weakly asked: "Brother... have you always comforted people in such a special way?"

  "Do I have an even more special way?" Tang Zheng smiled with narrowed eyes.

  "Huh?"

  "Or would you like me to tell you a story about a useless person who got dumped, then became the big boss, married a rich beauty and reached the pinnacle of life?"

  "Good..."

  Then Tang Zheng told him a super simplified version of "Doupo Cangqiong".

  Tian Meng fell silent after listening, and the room suddenly fell into silence.

  The candlelight flickered on his face, as if a strange luster had been reflected in his eyes.

  After a while, Tian Meng stood up and seemed to have thought of something. He bowed his hands towards Tang Zheng: "Just now was really impolite, I only introduced myself but didn't ask your esteemed surname and great name!"

  "Me?" Tang Zheng's smile froze on his face, suddenly being caught off guard.

  Who is he?

  Who else could it be?

  He's just a gold farmer and equipment seller, isn't he?

  Neither a king of the stage worshipped by fans nor a legendary player in the competitive arena.

  "If a person lives an obscure life, then even if his name is mentioned a hundred times, people will forget it as soon as they turn their heads!" Tang Zheng smiled and waved his hand, dismissing the question.

  Tian Meng stared at Tang Zheng.

  After a long time, he nodded his head again: "Brother, you are indeed an extraordinary person! Even if you didn't say it today, I would still believe that someday in the future, I will hear your name being chanted from somewhere else..."

  "Huh, what a coincidence, I think so too!" Tang Zheng smiled without batting an eyelid and suddenly asked, "By the way, what currency is used in the thirteen towns of Western Frontier?"

  "Huh?" The topic changed too suddenly and jumped too quickly, Tian Meng was left behind again.

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  Thanks for the help with hand-painting the cover, little MoMo's base friend classmate~ Also, mobile client book friends please re-download the directory again, there was a bit of a layout problem before, thank you!