# Chapter 7 — Night Patrol
# Sun City — Southern District Streets
Sun City beca quieter after sunset.
Not completely silent.
Restaurants still remained open.
Lanterns still illuminated the streets.
Cultivators still wandered between taverns laughing loudly.
But compared to previous nights—
people now looked over their shoulders more often.
---
Xu Yuan slowly walked through the southern district while holding a at skewer casually in one hand.
Beside him, Lin Hao looked nervous the entire ti.
“I still don’t understand why we’re outside.”
Xu Yuan looked confused.
“You said staying ho felt stressful.”
“I ant emotionally stressful, not ‘walk-around-at-night-near-the-forest’ stressful.”
“That sounds like the sa thing.”
“It absolutely isn’t.”
---
Several city guards patrolled nearby streets carrying spirit lamps and weapons.
More than usual.
Even civilians noticed it.
A nearby rchant quietly whispered:
“The city lord actually sent night patrols…”
“Things might really be serious…”
---
Xu Yuan calmly continued walking while observing the streets around him.
Shops closed earlier tonight.
Several alleyways remained unusually empty.
Even the atmosphere felt heavier compared to normal evenings.
Still—
Sun City had not fallen into panic yet.
Not fully.
---
Suddenly—
soone kicked Lin Hao from behind.
“Still acting scared?”
Lin Hao nearly jumped before turning around angrily.
“Chen Ming!”
The fat rchant heir laughed loudly while fixing his robes.
“You looked ready to run ho crying.”
Lin Hao looked offended.
“I’m being cautious.”
“You nearly scread at a cat earlier.”
“That cat appeared suspiciously!”
---
Xu Yuan sighed.
“I regret walking with both of you.”
Chen Ming imdiately grinned.
“Then why invite us?”
“I wanted entertainnt.”
“That’s surprisingly honest.”
---
The three slowly continued through the southern streets while distant music echoed softly from nearby restaurants.
For a brief mont—
everything almost felt normal again.
Then—
they noticed people gathering ahead.
---
A small crowd surrounded a street-side storyteller near the lantern plaza.
The old man sat beside a wooden table while speaking dramatically toward nearby listeners.
“…and according to ancient rumors, the eastern forest was once connected to underground ruins older than Sun City itself!”
Several nearby children imdiately looked excited.
One cultivator snorted.
“Every old forest supposedly has hidden ruins.”
The storyteller calmly smiled.
“But not every forest glows red at night.”
Silence briefly spread afterward.
---
Xu Yuan stopped walking.
Chen Ming imdiately noticed.
“You believe ruin stories too?”
Xu Yuan shrugged lightly.
“Ancient ruins exist everywhere.”
“That doesn’t an the eastern forest suddenly beca cursed.”
“No,” Xu Yuan agreed calmly. “But missing caravans usually aren’t normal either.”
---
The storyteller continued dramatically:
“So say ancient cultivators sealed dangerous things beneath the mountains long ago…”
Lin Hao visibly swallowed.
“…Can we leave now?”
“No,” Chen Ming answered imdiately. “This is getting interesting.”
“You’re going to die early one day.”
“Probably.”
---
Before the storyteller could continue—
a loud scream suddenly echoed from sowhere nearby.
Everyone instantly turned.
A woman stumbled out from a narrow alley trembling violently.
“There’s blood!”
The peaceful atmosphere shattered imdiately.
---
Several guards quickly rushed toward the alley while nearby civilians retreated nervously.
Xu Yuan frowned slightly before walking closer.
Lin Hao looked horrified.
“Why are YOU going closer?”
“Curiosity.”
“That’s exactly how people die!”
---
Inside the narrow alley—
a dead spirit hound lay motionless against the wall.
Its body looked completely dried out.
Like sothing drained everything inside it.
Several guards nearby imdiately frowned seriously.
One crouched beside the corpse.
“No external injuries…”
Another guard looked uneasy.
“Spiritual energy depletion?”
“That shouldn’t happen naturally.”
---
Xu Yuan quietly observed the corpse from behind the crowd.
The hound’s eyes remained wide open.
Frozen in fear.
---
Then suddenly—
Xia Yu’s voice quietly ca from beside him.
“This isn’t normal.”
Xu Yuan glanced sideways.
“When did you get here?”
“You disappeared again.”
“That sounds familiar.”
---
Xia Yu ignored him and continued observing the corpse silently.
Several nearby guards eventually started pushing civilians backward.
“Everyone move away!”
“Return ho imdiately!”
“This area is temporarily sealed!”
---
The crowd slowly dispersed afterward while fearful discussions spread rapidly again throughout the southern district.
Lin Hao finally looked genuinely pale now.
“First caravans…”
“Now this…”
Chen Ming quietly lost his earlier playful expression too.
Even he looked uncomfortable.
---
Xu Yuan slowly looked toward the eastern side of Sun City silently.
The night breeze passed quietly through the streets.
Then—
for a single brief mont—
he thought he saw a faint red light flicker far beyond the distant rooftops.
Gone instantly.
Like it never existed at all.
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